Being one of the
popular escapes from the excruciating summer heat in Manila, Baguio City was
our holiday getaway choice.
Fact: experiencing Baguio in a
summer holiday means waging a war with the rest of the vacation-minded people.
You have to search for inexpensive and less known accommodations, find
enjoyment even in crowded parks and wait longer for your turns. All these, of
course, are aside from battling the temperature we are unaccustomed of.
GETTING THERE
People
will always take advantage of a very long weekend to visit their provinces. So
to avoid long lines and indeterminate seating chance, we have already reserved
our seats in Victory Liner two weeks before the scheduled trip. The additional
charges are reasonable than relying our fortune as chance passengers.
Travel
from Baguio to Manila will take around 6 hours with 2 bus stops at Tarlac and
Sison, Pangasinan. Victory Liner also offers a luxury trip which shortens the
travel time from 6 hours to 4 hours. Aside from shorter travel time, these
luxury trips have more comfortable reclining seats, food in wheels, and comfort
rooms inside the bus. There are no meal
stops for luxury trips. However, because of the holidays, these luxury trips
are instantly fully booked even weeks before schedule, so we ended up boarding
regular trips to Baguio. We arrived at Baguio at around 12nn, 2 hours more than
our expected time or arrival. The delay is largely attributed to the traffic
congestion along EDSA and the long lines in the expressway toll plaza.
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
Burnham Park. Burnham Park maybe one of the most popular park here in the Philippines. There is a wide range of activities that can be enjoyed while in Burnham Park. There is a long stretch of stores offering bike rentals and may be used to roam around the park. But navigating through an enormous number of people makes this activity a hassle rather than fun. Instead, we opted for sailing or paddling the small boats. The rental price of boat was high, but since we were riding in a group, the cost has somewhat lessened.
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| Sunflower and the sun rays in Baguio |
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| Boat paddling in Burnham Park |
For people who are not into physical activity, you may just
walk around the park and buy streetfoods such as manga and bagoong, inihaw na
pusit, isaw, ODOC (One day old chick), singkamas, balut, kwek-kwek, corn, and
lots of other famous street food.
Burnham Park may also provide the flora-interested people a basic meet
and greet to the adorable flowers of Baguio.
Tuba Hot/ Warm
Springs. Thirty to forty-five minutes from the city proper of Baguio, to
the municipality of Tuba, are warm hot springs and resorts. A jeepney can take
you to these resorts or you may just hire a taxi for a fixed rate of P500.00.
There are greeneries and breathtaking road paths on your way to Tuba. If you
are riding a taxi, you may request a quick stop to take pictures of the lush green
forests and the majestic morphology of the Cordillera Mountains. Before
arriving at Tuba, you may also stop and purchase souvenir materials at some of
the authentic wood-carving stores. Prices in these stores are a lot cheaper
than those sold at souvenir shops in Baguio. The trip will also let you
experience totally dark tunnels. These are really just short tunnels, so there
is nothing special about it aside from the minute-long total blindness.
Upon arrival, you will be confused with the plethora of
resort choices. Based on travel blogs and recommendation of locals, we chose
Riverside Hot Spring Resort because they have more pools, amenities and
facilities. For a minimum entrance fee of P100.00/head, you got the chance to
enjoy at least four separate warm and wide swimming pools with slides which
feeds more fun during swimming. Their cafeteria also offers an interesting and
delicious-sounding menu, which you, unfortunately, have to check for
availability first. The resort also has rooms for those who intend to spend the
night in the resort.
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| One of the wide swimming pool in Riverside |
Mines View Park. “You’ve
never been to Baguio if you haven’t visited the Mines View Park”̶ this is what my first timer friend said upon
joking that our Mines View Park will be cancelled. Mines View Park will always be
incorporated in any Baguio itinerary especially because of the presence of many
and cheap souvenir stores. Because of different themes available in the park,
bulk of the pictures we took in Baguio was shot in Mines View Park. One popular
photo opportunity is with the big, tamed, and fluffy St. Bernard dog. You may
also have a picture with the pink-haired horse or with the native Igorots
wearing their traditional costumes. Or if not yet contented, you may transform
yourself into a native Igorot by wearing their costumes and posing like a
native warrior, complete with spears and shield.
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| View from Mines View Park |
Wright Park. Wright
Park is the only park we visited that offered horse riding. The accumulated price
for an hour horseback riding trip was expensive. We were just lucky to waive
the P300.00 for the guide’s fee and paid only the horse fee worth P600.00/head.
The trip is highlighted by the unique protrusions of pine trees from the
ground. These are combined with the hazy atmosphere to create an environment
similar to temperate countries. The trip also makes you appreciate nature with
the vastness of the green forests blanketing the complex topography of
Cordillera.
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| Horses in Wright |
Ukay in Harrison
Road. Joining the mob choose garments in a pile of ukay is another experience
in Baguio you should never miss. When the clock strikes ten, Harrison Road
closses and transforms into a den of second hand branded clothes. Hundreds of
tourist and Baguio locals nflock this road-long agora to search a branded
garment they can flaunt but paying less than half of its original price. If you
are a skilled ukayero who knows to
haggle, a branded jacket may cost you only P50.00. Also, a good deal of original or class A bags,
shoes, wallets, and other apparels can be found within the long stretch of ukay
stores.
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| Ukay Ukay in Harrison Road |
GATRONOMIZING
The streets of Baguio are proliferated with different street
foods. In Burnham Park alone, you can plan a food trip to taste the different
native delicacies of Baguio. Within the perimeter of the park, you will be able
to buy streetfoods such as grilled corn, isaw, balut, kwek-kwek, inihaw na
pusit, bananaque, vegetable lumpia, etc.
The ODOC or the one-day-old-chick is also a must try in Baguio. These
are deep fried whole baby quail chicks that have been “harvested” before they
could make it to their second day.
Baguio is also famous for its fresh and cheap fruits and vegetables.
It is known as major producer of cabbage, broccoli, and beans. Strawberries are
also a major product of Baguio and are used in different ways. Aside from the bottled
strawberry jams and preserves, strawberries are mixed with caramel and are used
as syrup in taho.
The city also boasts of restaurants that offer traditional
and foreign dishes. One of the cheapest yet delicious restaurants in the city
is Good Taste. It has a great variety of dishes ranging from vegetable to meat
dishes such as sweet and sour. Other restaurants which are worth trying are
Kubo Grill and Le Fondue that invites amateur bands at night to serenade their
customers. The restaurant is a good place to chill and enjoy a few bottles of
very cold beer. If you are looking for a restaurant that caters good tasting
traditional Filipino food, you must try Kubo Sawali.
