Over Valentine’s weekend, Ito and I headed up North to celebrate and enjoy the lovely Benguet weather, as well as visit some of the places that we missed the last time we were in Baguio. We took a “Before Sunrise” Friday drive, catching the sleepy and misty paddy fields along TPLEX at its most picturesque, before reaching The Manor in time for an early check-in and a second breakfast.
We then headed for the ‘museum in the clouds’, BenCab’s museum and artist’s haven set amidst woodcarvers’ nooks and basket weavers’ tiny workshops along Asin Road twenty minutes from Baguio’s center. The museum houses an impressive selection of BenCab’s masterpieces, as well as contemporary work from other local artists, in addition to a collection of indigenous arts and crafts from the Cordilleras.
It was interesting for me to note the bold, primal energy that characterized most of the work on display which was highlighted by the museum’s setting overlooking a dramatic gorge. This was also the backdrop for our lunch fresh from the museum’s on site garden/farm (I wonder if the duck flakes I had were from the ducks in the pond!). After that, the only thing left to do was to enjoy the view! 🙂
