The Beautiful Mountain

By: Mia Herbosa We were often on this beautiful mountain range when I was growing up in the 1980s. My mom and dad helped managed Green Mountain Farm, RVO’s ponkan (mandarin orange) farm that used to be in this pretty area. There were also lemon trees, strawberries, and many vegetables growing alongside the ponkan trees. The only structure then was RVO’s log home, as well as the garage—which is now the location of the beautiful Clubhouse, where you find Bernie and Sienna today, always cheerful and ready to help with any odds and ends you may need.

Weekends back then would see us speeding up here from Manila in that green Isuzu Trooper with large tires and gold mag wheels. I’d love coming up because it meant seeing those mountain ranges again. I often felt a high (literally!) when we’d come here. There were also a couple of small ponies to ride, a tennis court, and a rose farm in the valley below. And there was that one fun snakey and very narrow steep road that brought us up from Ambuklao Road through the tall iron gate and to the top of the mountain. It used to be wide enough for only one vehicle, so my dad would scare us some foggy nights going through those incredible hairpins. In the backseat, we would yell and scream as we felt the car tilt, already almost vertical. We all loved Baguio because of this. This was Baguio to me, even if I now realize it is Itogon, Benguet. It is one beautiful area.

In the early ‘90s and decades to follow, I settled down in New York City. I heard that the mountain had become more private and I treasured memories I had from childhood of playing in the cool, sweet-smelling air of Green Mountain Farm. Even while in the concrete jungle that was New York City, I would remember the beautiful mountain range behind the house and how the grand scenery never looked quite the same. I understood why Cezanne kept painting Mont Sainte-Victoire over and over again from his home. Some days it’s cloudy, and the soft clouds kiss the violetgrey mountain tops. Sometimes it’s a bright blue-sky day, and I can see all the undulations of the little peaks and crevices on the green cliffs, and watch blue cloud shadows float ever so slowly along the surfaces. It is always like a movie to me. And always, it is relaxing.

When we heard a few years ago that there would be a community of log cabins coming up on the same mountain, we grew excited as we knew we could relive all the old adventures and feelings again. Our family chose one with the exact same view we had gazed at decades ago and it is still the same, untouched through the years. It is the same moving spectacle of a mountain range we loved so much. We stayed here during the holiday season and it was fun just reading or painting on the deck for hours until it was too dark to see. Nights by the fireplace were cozy and special because all sorts of stories could be told… We were all unplugged and far away from it all, so bonding is definitely part of the package here.

Hiking is the go-to exercise for us, just do lots of stretching beforehand. Even though I paused to take pictures all along the hike, it had been a long time since the days when I was a 13-year-old running around here! My teen daughter Lana appreciated the 360-degree view from the new helipad; the sunsets are stupendous from there.

After almost a year of online distance learning, it was a relief for her to rest her eyes and turn her gaze towards nature in all its glory now. Dawn is a magical time and we sometimes wake up to see that we are higher than the blanket of clouds. It’s a wonderful adventure every time here at Alphaland Baguio Mountain Lodges, and we always look forward to our next visit.

For Alphaland Baguio Mountain Lodges inquiries: Sienna Muncada (Project Sales Coordinator): +63.948.250.8387 | +63.917.804.5786 | slmuncada@alphaland.com.ph Alex Cenzon (Project Sales Manager): +63.977.786.9008 | accenzon@alphaland.com.ph