Baguio City has become decongested with flyovers and buildings all in the name of modernization. I miss the old Baguio. My family regularly hides off to the City Of Pines for the cool weather and fresh strawberries. This time I came with a friend. Our main goal is to visit Sagada which is a six-hour bus ride from Baguio. (From Manila to Baguio, travel time is also six hours).
Since it was such a short visit because we had to get ready early in the morning to catch a bus to Sagada, I just walked at the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto and chilled at the Session Road for dessert.
I realized that I was getting old because climbing to the grotto made me stop several times to catch my breath.
In the afternoon, the fog slowly crept in the city making it visibly hard to see the area---good thing to lessen the eyesore of modernization :) 
To enjoy the cold night, I had lychee tea and mango tango dessert. The prices are so cheap that our bill amounted to only around P200 ($4) plus their promo beer drinks. 
Giant screen, grand chandelier, gold hand-crafted money tree mesmerize the guests at Wynn Macau. People throw coins and make wishes for prosperity!
At my early stage, I am looking for a "retirement" place where I can be with nature, relax without the buzz of city life and just write my scripts. No cellphones. No internet. No unnecessary distractions. 
I witnessed seeing these mango trees grow from seedlings to an orchard! During harvesting season, these numerous mango varieties are just within your reach, tempting you like Eve to get and eat them with your bare hands :)
For 2009, my project is to start building one of my retirement homes LOL. And this is going to be my view! Aside from the nature side of this place (they also have a tilapia fishpond), amenities like swimming pool and basketball court are also in the area.
| Farm Masters Village |
| Magsaysay Ave. Brgy. Pulong Bayabas, San Miguel, Bulacan |
Colorful lights at Grand Lisboa 
In Macau, you travel by foot to see the cultural and entertainment sights. The top two pictures are my point of view going to the Wynn hotel. I passed by the "pedicabs" and walked underground.
When I arrived at the Wynn hotel, their dancing fountain was performing right before my eyes. A fire was also part of the cast. It was an enjoyable site, the dancing and singing parts, hehe. I was in the live audience. LOL. Back in Vegas, since it was winter time, I can only watch the fountain show from my hotel window since it was freezing crazy. 
To reach the Venetian, we had to take a bus. It was kinda far from the Macau center since it was a reclaimed area. There are streetmospheres everywhere. You see them on floor, windows, etc performing, singing Italian arias. Pinoy talents are not allowed to reveal their true identity. They undergo intensive training to have an Italian accept and part of their script is to tell the guests that they have an Italian blood---which is totally a puzzle since they look very Pinoy!
If you are into high-end shopping, most expensive stores are at the Venetian. When I was there, some stores had a 50 % off sale so I got a Florsheim shoes for my dad and for myself, a good-looking watch from _______ which I should only wear daw for special occassions because holduppers in Manila can be tempted to get it according to my friend LOL.
Venetian is connected to the Four Seasons so we took a coffee break at their cafe. The servers were mostly Pinoys and they were really helpful to tell me what's delicious or not in their menu.
When a friend learned that I was going to Macau, she suggested that I visit this famous Portuguese restaurant, Fernando's located at 9 Praia de Hac Sa (tel +853 882 264). It takes about a 20-minute bus ride from The Venetian to Fernando's (one of the farthest place I visited in Macau) but we waited for about 40 minutes more at the bus stop for there were no buses going to Hac Sa Beach at that time! So by the time we arrived at Fernando's, our stomachs were all growling and we were all dying to eat!
On the walls are currencies from different countries, calling cards and handwritten graffitti proudly saying that these customers have eaten at Fernando's! On the ceiling are fans, no airconditioner, dearie! The breezy air coming from the beach greets every customer.
These fresh, hot breads came from their own bakery! It was my first time to eat grilled sardines (their size is five times bigger than our local canned sardines) and boy, the bread and sardines compliment one other, with camote on the side. The fishbones were also a bit big, took me some time to remove it :)
Also unforgettable finds are the clams and the grilled cattlefishes. All dishes that were served on our table were gone in a minute! Delicious is an understatement in this famous dining place. 
Eating at a Portuguese restaurant for the first time and Fernando's being the "annointed" one is one of my highs in this trip. I'm glad I listened to my friend's advice. The servers are well-trained and know how to "communicate" with the tourists and expats. They show you pictures to make sure you ordered the right meal. 
