Strawberries, Strawberries Everywhere

Whenever I think about the earlier months of this year, I remember some moments right away without having to think so hard or without the help of a photo reference.

A couple of moments I can recall top of mind would be that first time I took dance classes together with a couple of good friends, celebrating my grandma's 90th birthday (I created the song playlist used for the party!), and going on a road trip up north to Baguio, Philippines. 

I've gone to Baguio with my family back when I was still a small child; we would go there every summer. I've also gone up together with my church group for youth camp annually ever since I started actively serving. This trip with friends was different though, since this time around I'm grown up enough to have a say in what I want to see on our trip, and I'm able to help shape our itinerary.

One thing that I loved about that trip was the abundance of fresh strawberries that we were able to see and eat throughout the trip. As I am living in a tropical country, there are some fruits (such as strawberries) which can only grow in colder climate, and Baguio is definitely that kind of place.

Strawberry farm in La Trinidad, Benguet

Took this photo of my friend. I'm very supportive yes. 

A perfect sunny day without clouds

One of my friends on this trip was the one who suggested strawberry picking to be part of the itinerary. It was a hot sunny day, but I loved seeing the vast strawberry farms and seeing people of all ages happily picking their strawberries of choice.

My personal agenda on this trip, and I admit I was very much looking forward to, would be to buy and eat strawberry shortcake. There was a particular shortcake brand that I got to know when my work colleague brought this certain cake back from Baguio and right into our office pantry. It was from Vizco's bakery , and I remember how good it tasted :-)

Or rather, I knew I would be looking for that cake if I were to find myself in Baguio. And I thought, this trip with friends is perfect! I knew we had to buy one for ourselves.

Whenever I think of strawberry shortcake, I always remember Murakami's Norwegian Wood, so it is apt that I share the quote right here---

"I’m looking for selfishness. Perfect selfishness. Like, say I tell you I want to eat strawberry shortcake. And you stop everything you’re doing and run out and buy it for me. And you come back out of breath and get down on your knees and hold this strawberry shortcake out to me. And I say I don’t want it anymore and throw it out the window. That’s what I’m looking for.” - Midori from Murakami's Norwegian Wood

After a moment of some serious searching on Google, we found ourselves walking through the famous Session Road after finding out that the original store was located somewhere there. When we found it at last, we bought a whole cake and finished it at the end of the day when we came back home to the comforts of our bnb. We were a group of six, so it was enough for us to finish :")

I remember that night to be a particularly cold one; we bravely sat outside the patio area with our respective slices of cake in hand. We were sharing our thoughts on how nice it was to spend a few days to just think about what we wanted to do and what to eat next. We talked about how nice it was to not think about missing a deadline, or braving a commute. These were the typical thoughts of young professionals in dire need of a break, and such a break was much much enjoyed.

Every time I remember this trip, I cheer up and smile to myself. It could be the recollection of the many strawberries, the pleasant weather, the walking, the talking, or it could be all of those things at once.

Sharing with you a couple more photos from the trip, even more strawberries:

Strawberry Taho (Silken Tofu with Pearls) at Burnham Park

Strawberry ice cream outside La Trinidad farm

Strawberry champorado (rice porridge) at Le Monet Hotel in Camp John Hay, baguio

Strawberries at the Baguio dry and wet market

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It's been raining consistently these days, which means the weather has become much cooler. I appreciate the coolness it brings, as it has helped me remember fond memories such as this one. However, I have mixed feelings too, since my time in the garden has been reduced. Whenever the sun is out for a while though, I do come out and check on the plants, crossing my fingers they didn't drown... I'm happy to share that everyone's still alive and thriving. 

It's also already August!! This marks the sixth month of working completely from home. We've been working from home twice a week since last year, but it's really just different when all the days of the week is spent just at home. I can keep myself busy, though I do miss going outside. Sometimes I even dream of it.. sometimes reality itself feels like a dream.

Take care always, dear reader. 

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