Lots have been said regarding Casa Vallejo's ghostly apparitions. As soon as I confirmed my 3-day room reservation, a number of "Why there?"... "There are ghosts there!".... were said with an unshattering conviction. In fact, the wonder and questions continued all throughout my stay ... "Did you see or feel any ghost?". "How about that old mirror that is believed to be a portal?". But no one amongst who asked and wondered experienced the ghost firsthand. All are based on stories, hearsays, and the net.
I ignored and swallowed a brave front for choosing convenience over ghostly stories since this boutique hotel is less a block away from Session Road. Yet, in a location relatively secluded and semi-quiet. If we speak of ghosts anyway, I am, without a doubt, have seen something odd in a suite where J. Bond and I stayed last year. You'll see last year's accommodation here. Imagine a shadow that crossed your path while at the height of prepping up, then ended its stroll by entering a nearby walk-in closet and never to be seen again. I froze. J. Bond, on the other hand, felt a blow on his nape while on a conference call. While a friend took solace under his sheets when the bathroom shower turned on then off by itself. We have not returned since then. I don't think we ever will.
The fact is, I was drawn to Casa Vallejo's story. A structure that long stood since 1909. A detention center for German prisoners of war in 1917. A dormitory in the 1920s, then transformed into a hotel by an entrepreneur named Salvador Vallejo. A British and Indian refugee center in 1940. Survived World War II's Japanese bombing. Hit by an earthquake in the 1990s. And, one of the oldest remaining American structures in Baguio. I am inspired by stories, structures, and things from the past. Unfortunately, old and past in some way connote ghosts.
Old photos that speak of Casa Vallejo's story.
Except for a black butterfly that hovered around our room door for 3 days, no ghostly apparations were seen nor felt. But I believe this experience would have been on the peculiar side if my third eye Mom and Sister Anna were around. I have no third eye (thank God!), but I can sense (Only if turned on. Most of the time, it is on off mode.). So for now, I hold on to my own happy experience and leave it at that.
Like what I said, I was inspired by Casa Vallejo. Its story I believe will continue to loom like a ghost for as long as it stands, but it is precisely in its nostalgic sense that had led me to choose this place for this year's Baguio trip. I thought of booking a room during our multiple trips last year. But fear from overheard ghostly stories took over. This year, I took the risk. I enjoyed.
Hill Station, Casa Vallejo's in-house restaurant. The charming discoveries in every nook and corner were a feast as well. J. Bonds claims that the entire structure and its positioning are my cup of tea. Let's put it this way, if I were to open my bead store in Baguio, Casa Vallejo would be my top choice. And if I were to take things a notch higher, I dream of building my own quaint boutique hotel someday just like Casa Vallejo.
Inside Hill Station, a ballroom in the olden times. Lovely.
Hill Station's little bar for after dinner cocktail drinks.
Way to Mt. Cloud, Casa Vallejo's quaint and lovely bookshop, and Cinematheque,their home of art films.
Charming accents found around Mt. Cloud .
A gift and novelty store that sells scents, candles, oil burners, wind chimes and the like.
I treated my aching back to a one hour and 30-minute Hilot session on our 2nd day at North Haven Spa.
Another batch of ghostly figures for sale.
This shirt hit it right...The mind is everything. What we think we become. - Siddharta Gautama... No ghost was seen nor felt. I may have shut it off. What I saw and brought back home were charm and a dozen of inspirations. The supposed ghosts of Casa Vallejo are all in the mind. But let's see on my next trip. I told Anna (Casa Vallejo's front desk attendant) and Mitos Y. (Hill Station owner) that I will definitely return. Hopefully soon.
was there really a ghost?
ReplyDeleteFrom my end, I have not seen nor felt anything unusual. I had fallen in love with the place because of its charm and rustic feel, plus the fact that location is excellent.But those with the gift of seeing the unseen (3rd eye), like my Mom, the story surely becomes more interesting. In a nutshell, good spirits preside in this place. Sort of lucky for the business:)
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