A week after the drum and lyre band blasted familiar tunes, school children energetically street danced, and the beautifully decorated floral floats paraded through thoroughfares, Baguio City began to settle down, but not in the manner one expected. The ever-movable crowds from the main weekend of the Panagbenga: Baguio Flower Festival have come and gone. Yet the mountain resort of a city did not fall quite quiet. It lingered in a kind of in-between — still very much alive, still super-duper busy, just less, less hurried.

By then, the focus moved to the iconic Session Road, which had earlier closed to vehicular traffic for a week and magically turned into a long stretch of stalls and stores, and open-air shops and tented culinary destinations. There were a multitude of ever-mobile individuals, couples and families who leisurely walked, eagerly browsed, and suddenly stopped whenever something — perhaps an interesting item — caught their eye. The entire atmosphere felt more casual, more easygoing, as if the city had loosened up after the series of important events — a more subdued afterparty, if you will, I must say.

Session Road in Bloom was less of a spectacle and more on discoveries. We sashayed without much of a stringent plan. One moment, we admired the buckets of freshly cut flowers — almost excessive in color! — a few steps later, we flipped through cotton bedsheets and pillowcases, and neatly-arranged stacks of woven blankets. Smiling vendors called out occasionally, but most allowed us to feel the merchandise.

There were inviting tables filled with tiny trinkets — Chinese charms, bracelets, and figurines all meant to bring luck. Nearby were displays of imported chocolates and a selection of snacks, properly stacked up, but quickly picked through as the day went on. It was a spot where you told yourself, “We’re just looking around,” and yet, you’d happily end up with a bag or two of desired goodies on the way out!