Bontoc Bed and Bistro: Finding Bits and Pieces of Home in the Highlands

Getting some work done by the window come breakfast time

The place wasn't open yet the last time I was in Bontoc, about 3-4 months ago.  The signage of Bontoc Bed and Bistro, however, caught my eye as it was just several steps away from the GL Lizardo station.  Coming to Maligcong on the cusp of a long weekend, I made it a point to avoid the crowd at the bus stations for the return trip home so I chalked up checking out the new establishment even just for an overnight stay well after the Eid holiday.  It turned out to be a godsend as I was able to catch up on sleep (I'm an insomniac) before boarding the GL Lizardo bus on the way back to Baguio enroute to Manila, a trip which took almost eight hours due to landslides and road slippages most notably in Buguias and Atok.

Friends who've seen the iPhone pictures I snapped of the place and posted in FB were, I think, pleasantly surprised.  The bedroom, for one, wouldn't look out of place in a Manila setting.  That there's an adjacent bistro makes it even more an inviting proposition (you can stay in all day and never go hungry without stepping out to get chow).  Even if you're not planning to stay in Bontoc or is just passing through, the Bed and Bistro makes you entertain thoughts of extending your stay or make a stopover enroute to either Maligcong or Mainit, or further away to Banaue or Natonin, maybe even Buscalan, Kalinga or Tabuk

Flights of Fancy eBook Excerpt: Yellow Vented Bulbul Spotted in Maligcong, Bontoc

The Yellow Vented Bulbul is fairly numerous in Maligcong but I'm not one to take them for granted.   They seem to tolerate the presence of the smaller birds like the Olive Backed Sunbirds who have taken a liking for the same spots in the homestay -- the guava and avocado trees in particular.   I think they're equally guilty of taking ripe chili peppers from the plants along the driveway, too, very tolerant of the spiciness of the small berries.   But interesting to note that they seem to leave enough for our consumption -- I guess that's nature's way of balancing things out.  | © 2018 Oggie Ramos | Taken with a Nikon B700, Handheld, Manual Mode