There is a reason why Baguio City remains the Summer Capital of the Philippines. At least it still is for me. Mostly it's the beach for kids these days, but if you wanted to escape the hot, humid summer days, it's off to Baguio for you.

You would leave at night. It was always the best time of travel for me, falling asleep in Manila and waking to a brand new day in a brand new place. Boarding a bus at the Victory Liner at Cubao or Kamuning, EDSA, you would hunch into your jacket to beat the cold AC. All would be dark as the city slept and you would find yourself nodding off from the hypnotic procession of streetlamps dimly passing by. You would shiver and wake up later, almost as if you knew you were nearing the Lion Head carved at the side of Kennon Road, signifying you were a mere 45 minutes away from Baguio City.

Dawn would be breaking and the mountains would still be covered in fog and mist. Sometimes the view would be of a white frothy sea of clouds with mountaintops dotting into the distance like islands in a primordial sea. The sky would be an endless kaleidoscope of dawn colors as the sun slowly rose and the view of the valleys below would be breath-takingly revealed in gold.

You would then arrive at the city, just as it was waking up. The cold air outside would be crisper than the bus AC, your breath coming out like little lazy clouds drifting from your mouth. There would be chirpy birds, dew on the grass and pine trees everywhere.

Stepping onto Baguio, you enter a different dimension and the life you lived a few hours before boarding the bus becomes the memory and the dream.