On a normal day, I was displeased dragging my body out of bed at four in the morning, especially after sleeping soundly in the Manor at Camp John Hay. Not that particular morning, though. The reason being the destination we were going to would give me an opportunity to literally and figuratively pause and smell the flowers. Being able to travel for the first time since the March 2020 lockdown, the trip to Northern Blossom Farm in Atok, Benguet opened a door to rekindling my love affair with traveling—with precious moments of introspection to boot—in the company of the great outdoors.
Stop and Smell the Flowers at Northern Blossom Farm | Atok, Benguet
Our land journey from Baguio City took more than an hour and a half, and we arrived in perfect time just as the skies started to glow from the early rays of the rising sun. As we alighted from our respective vans, we were met by the farm’s owner, Mrs. Ganayan, who briefed us about the developments in their property.
“During the height of the pandemic, we briefly stopped planting flowers because market demand became less and less. We just started replanting a month ago so now we’re just seeing the first set of blooms. Ordinarily, before the pandemic, at this time of the year, you’d see more variety of blooming flowers,” she told us in Tagalog.
As travel restrictions started to ease up, Mrs. Ganayan hoped to welcome back visitors who had made Northern Blossom Farm a popular tourist stop in Benguet by serving as a side-trip destination for those traveling to Baguio.
Northern Blossom Farm spread over a three-hectare hilltop land overlooking the scenic mountainside of Atok, Benguet. Being there, one couldn't help but regale at the sweeping scenery of colorful flowers that bloomed all year-round.
Different varieties of flowers, such as matthiola, rice flowers, larkspurs, snapdragons, cabbage roses, and more, were harvested here and reached the many flower shops in Metro Manila to as far away as Mindanao. A few homestays were then accepting guests, while a small café located within the farm offered sweeping views of the mountain ranges of Cordillera—visitors could even see the peaks of Mount Pulag and Mount Timbak on a clear day.
Wasting no time, we hurried down a few steps into the view deck that led to the wide flower fields and the magical scenery of the mountain ranges of Cordillera. As I alighted out in the open coming from one of the greenhouses, I breathed thick fog and wide-eyed stared into the beautiful scenery unfolding. Slowly, I saw the vivid colors of the different flowers blending with the seeping sunlight begin to glow.
I inched closer to a few flowers and edged my nose behind to smell the flowers’ perfume-like scent—while evading a couple of bees in the process. After a moment of sentimentality at finally having the chance to be in the company of wonderful nature, I joined the rest of our group to feast on a hearty breakfast served by our hosts.
Fried fish, along with sautéed and steamed vegetables that felt so fresh as if they were just picked that morning, filled my plate, while a cup of brewed coffee made from beans harvested in Benguet fueled me that morning.
After several months of being holed up at home, only going out to buy essential items, this return trip of mine to the Cordillera region and to the Northern Blossom flower farm had given me the required break I badly needed.
While it remained to be seen how long we must battle this Covid-19 pandemic, this day that I finally got to pause and smell the flowers (despite being reminded of that sad scene from The Walking Dead) had given me hope that the end of the pandemic was just around the bend.
