Baguio: Our Summer Escapade.

We have been working every day, fighting stress and problem; we need some refreshment, like a vacation once in a while, going to a place that far from a noisy city, which could be a reward  and earn what you have been put in your work. That’s what my wife and I do in Baguio.

Baguio Trip.

Baguio-Marcos Highway Tunnel

Baguio is the best outdoor from the noisy city. This is one of famous tourist attraction in the Philippines, especially in summer season, those who want to escape in the hot temperature and traffic in Manila or in the nearby city, are going here, it has a lowest temperature than the other place like Manila, fruit and vegetables are fresh from the farm, like strawberry which is very know and one of the product of this city, when you hear strawberry, the first thing that came in your mind is Baguio.

Packing up,

In the night, all of our the things are already prepared, of course,  my Nikon D3000 DSLR Camera, I will forget to comb my hair but not this camera, you cannot enjoy in your vacation without this gadget.

We woke up early, to catch up the early morning travel to reached our destination early, so, we have still a time to roam around and search our transient. It’s better to go early in a place for Familiarization before doing your task.

Philippine Arena.

After one hour travel from our home, we reached the bus station of Victory Liner and buy ticket worth 445 pesos.   It a luxury bus, convenient set and with a free Wi-Fi, take it from me, this is a convenient Bus if you’re going to Baguio, I felt the pleasure. According to the driver it takes 6 to 7 hour travel, so, you have a full time to rest and enjoy the seventh hours travel.

We leave at about 7 am at the bus station, in my calculation we will reach our destination at about 2 or 3pm. Based on what the driver say of hours of travel.  We got slept, after we take a little glance at the biggest ongoing contraction of Philippines Arena at the Bucaue Bulacan, this is a future biggest Arena in the World owned by Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ). 

When we awoke; we are in the called Longest Bridge in the Philippines, the bridge connecting Bulacan and Pampanga, it’s a 5 km. bridge passing over the Candaba Swamps in the North Luzon Expressway. It consists of 4 lanes (To Northbound and To Southbound). we are running about 100 km/hour, so, fast, in fact, you can’t drive faster than this in the North Expressway, it’s prohibited to take a speed beyond 100 km/hour, so, the driver follow the rules.

The bus takes first stop over at San Felipe along Expressway, they have a post station there for the passenger to eat and refresh.  it’s about 9 am, we are hungry so we buy burger in the McDonald, can’t escape in the burger, even in the Province we look for burger and we eat it in the bus, after a few minute we move on,

Fastest Way.

SCTX

We  passed the new high ways called SCTX, (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway) If  you want fastest way going to Tarlac City take this way than taking Dau- Pampanga Exit, you just have to prepare a large amount in Toll fee but it worth,  if you are in a hurry. We reached Capaz Tarlac about an hour.

There is a slight traffic because of Narrow Street in Tarlac, so, our bus moved slowly, allowed us to look vividly around the Place of Tarlac, its important site and tourist spot like the Hacienda Luisita, and other great site of the City.

Second stop at Panggasinan, its already 12 noon, the driver take their lunch, we’re not yet hungry, we just bought a pieces of sweet corn and  in the bus, After 20 minute we move out.

Church of Christ.

As a Church of Christ member we are happy if we see our Church, we count every Church we passed by, from Capas to Baguio, small and big which is in different color according to the place,

In other city, the Church of Christ counted as one of the tourist attraction of the City, for its elegant and beautiful design. This is for God; if you give something to God it should the best of the best. That is why we made our Church beautiful and elegant inside and out, only for the Glory of God.

Surrounded by Mountain.

We are already at Marcos high way, we take Marcos high way going to Baguio, just recently there are many accident happened there, maybe this occurrence has give to the driver an idea to pass in Marcos Highway. Marcos high is safer than Kennon road, that’s why I miss the Lion head along its way.

As we climbed up, we are passing through the highway like snake, our surrounding are lots of mountain, rock slides and Pines Tree, we are on top, we leveled the other mountain, I was overwhelm, how good to see the nature, sound like I’m on the top of the world, what a greenish place, the fog dominate the top of the mountain.

As we approaching the Baguio city we already felt the atmosphere of the Baguio, the coldness from the outside entering in the bus merging with its own aircon. We are Excited in our vacation. All passengers are all silent looking side by side, enjoying in the mountain around us, I take a few shot of the mountain for remembrance, we running slowly, the driver takes extra care in driving, and we might fall in the cliff if he didn’t.

Welcome to Baguio.

At last we reached our destination, we saw a sign board saying "Welcome to Baguio". from bus station, we walked casually going to the SM mall, although this is not our first time in Baguio, this our first time to walk roaming around the city, because our last visit in this city is, work related, so, we have no time to roam around, but now this is a vacation so, first time to walk around.

We don’t know the right way to going to Burnham Park. I ask the vendor were the right way going there, when he answers me, I told to my wife, oh! it’s far from the SM mall. despite of tiredness from our trip plus the heaviness of our back pack we still walk because it’s too early to go to our transient that our friend already book for us. It’s also a place of Jeepney station going to transient. So, we really have to know where this place is. After a little walk around the park we decided to go home to our transient, because our baggage are really heavy.

Nice Transient.

We reach our place to stay, although it far from the city, about 9 km. Of Loakan road, it is also the way going to Loakan Airport and Philippines Military Academy. it almost half hour of travel going to our transient, plus walking up and down, but it well nice, good place to stay and affordable rent price, 300 per night, per person, day time are not included in the payment only the night time, nice caretaker who in a little while of our stay accommodate us like a friend, shared their life story and ours too. That's why, when we left, there is a little loneliness in our heart. We stay there for 3 nights and 2 days.

First days of our tour. 

Mines View.

On our first day we go to Mines View, we go to the City Center to take a Public Jeepneys going there, like what our friend told us, that, where ever you go in the city, you have to go back in the center and start from there, unless you have your own car or taxi. and this is the way, from Session road take up and turn to Leonard Wood Road, past Botanical Garden, then Pacdal Rotunda, and go straight up C. P. Romulo Drive past Wright Park Riding Circle and the Mansion house.

Mines View is one of the tourist spot in Baguio, an over looking place, from there you can see some mountain around the Baguio. View of Benguet's gold and copper mines and the Cordillera Mountains.

Mountains of the Cordillera over looking from Mines View

Nowadays, its main attraction was the commercial activities such as the souvenir and silverworks stores by the park.

There is a wishing wheel, not exactly a wheel but a cliff and there is two Igorot mummies hanging in there, I don’t know if it’s true mummies or not but when I look at this I felt something different, so, I told to my wife not to make a wish in there.

We move on to the view deck and take picture with the vista of the mountains of the Cordillera range as a backdrop.

Igorot Costume

You also have a chance to get dressed in full Cordillera regalia bahag, shield and spear for the men, tapis for the ladies, vests and headdresses for both, Like what we do, we rent a traditional dress of igorot and we take picture of our self, we want total experience, so, we do what other tourist do in mines view, except the wishing wheel. Then, we buy some souvenirs and food, specialties in Baguio like strawberry jam, t-shirts, ube jams, peanut and cashew brittle and other goodies that we can give to our friend in manila

Wright Park and Mansion House.

Then after Mines View we proceed to Wright Park another tourist spot, we ride again in the Public Jeepney, it’s just a km. away from mines view. Along the way we saw a Church of Christ, it’s a locale of mines view and take a Picture of it.

Mansion House

But before we go to Wright Park we go first at Mansion House, (the official summer residence of the President of the Philippines) it’s just a step away in front of it, another tourist spot; there is a sticker which is seal of the Phil. Gov, sell by the Guard, as far as I know it was prohibited, only the Government employees can use it. According to him, it will serve as a badge if you put it in your car wind shield.  After taking a picture in the Mansion House, we proceeded to Wright Park.

Wright Park Pool

Wright Park, the beautiful, and much photographed Pool of the Pines. We take photo along the Pool, there is some koi Fish in the water with people enjoying to watch, from the top, we go down to Wright Park Riding Circle located within the flat and wide triangle below it where 200 horses are available for hire, it’s almost noon, so, we take our lunch there at Cowboy haven restaurant, while watching the horses running in the park which is rented by the tourist, the food is good, even its a little expensive for us.

Botanical Garden.

From there we go to Botanical Garden, located east of Baguio's downtown area. You will find it between Teacher's Camp and the Pacdal Circle. Its main entrance is along Leonard Wood Road. it’s also known as the Igorot Village, its features native huts of Igorot dwellings found in the Cordilleras. The village is also said, is to capture the ethnic spirit and cultural legacy of the Igorots and being tranquil and quiet, it’s a nice place to just sit down and relax, we take a leisurely stroll along its narrow and winding pathways and also enjoy the landscape and numerous plants and trees, as well as, taking photo of some beautiful flowers and landscape with us for remembrance.

But after a few minute of our enjoyment in strolling the place, the rain fell down, so, we rushed in one of the native Hut there to cover from the rain and stock there waiting for the rain to stop, after the rain we continued our strolling and then a little while, we decide to go back to our transient fearing that the rain might fall again, our friend told us that every afternoon the rain fell down in Baguio so we expected it.

2nd days of tour.

Philippines Military Academy.

We wake up early, to go to Church first, before we go to our next destination, good thing our Church was just walk away from our transient and the place we are plan to go, The Philippine Military Academy.

So, after worship we proceeded to PMA, we walk around PMA. Taking picture with some important site, we go to museum, taking picture with the tank and chopper that display in the PMA open ground.

Philippines Military Academy

After PMA we plan to go to Benguet to see the rice terraces made by Igorot head hunter, but someone told us that it take 6 to 7 hours going there, our times is not enough if we go there  it take 12 hours back and forth, really we need a more time and maybe a day to spend there. So, we back out, but we plan it some other day, we really want to visit the rice terrace and other tourist spot in Benguet.

So, after PMA, We take taxi, I thought it’s not a metered taxi like in Manila’s FX taxi but  I’m wrong, so, I pay 120 pesos from PMA to the City, we still don’t know where is the way going to the City Market, we walk and walk asking people were is the Public Market, till we found out that it was just near of Burnham Park, what the other say is true, that, where ever you pass around the city proper of Baguio, you will end up in the middle of the city, the Burnham Park. We buy additional souvenirs and food to bring in manila.

Goodbye Baguio:

We go home early to our transient to prepare our things for going back to manila. We leave early in the morning to catch up the Election Day. We say goodbye to the transient caretaker, they are couple, leaving in the other room of the house, we promise that, if we return, we use their transient house again, they said, we are free to return and they wished us to bring our child when we return.

It’s really good, even you spend lots of money in vacation you have no regret because you get your desire that make you happy, choose a place that you want to go or a place that you didn’t yet reached. A place that you can forget your real life and rest like there is no tomorrow.

This is our Baguio experience, our escapade. Our next plan is Benguet.