On the road

As our own little family tradition goes, we usually go out of the country and fly to a nearby city in time for New Year's Eve. It's mostly to get away from the noise and chaos of Manila and along the way, learn how other cultures celebrate.

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This year, however, we decided to just take a road trip up north, to municipalities and cities nestled perfectly in the foothills of the idyllic and mythical Cordillera Mountains.

I personally like the Cordillera region - where the energy is life-giving; the air is still crisp; a blanket of fog is visible as you drive up the snaking roads and at night, from your borrowed room, you can see the moon and the stars in the darkness, along with dancing fireflies.

Perhaps, my interest in the northern provinces also has to do with nostalgia. In the summers of my childhood, my father used to drive us for family vacations in Baguio and beyond. My brothers and I, used to living in Metro Manila all our lives, would sit at the back of the car and look out the window as we traversed each province, municipality or village-a world away from our own little place in Quezon City.

It's been years since I last visited the Cordillera. And now, after driving for hours, I am back in the places of my childhood.

In the driver's seat this time, I noticed how so much has changed, although many things remain the same.

Highways and expressways