text by Prime Sarmiento
photos by Prime and Nina Sarmiento

 

There are so many reasons why you may want to get out of Manila to take that eight hour trip to Baguio. For one, it's probably the best way to escape Manila's heat, dust and grime. Located some 1,500 meters above sea level, nestled within the Cordillera in northern Philippines, the temperature in Baguio is always below 30 degrees Celsius (this even at the height of the summer months of March to April). In the colder months of January to February, temperature drops to less than 20 degrees Celsius– that's pretty cold for a tropical archipelago.

 

But there's more to Baguio than its mild climate. It has the vibrancy of the city minus the pollution and the crowds. Since it’s a main tourist spot, it has all the facilities that any traveler will need: wi-fi hotspots, public transport, restaurants and bars, even a mall.  It has that bohemian vibe and mystique that lures artists, writers, dreamers and seekers.

 

1. Nature Tripping at the Baguio Botanical Garden:

 

The perfect place for people seeking for a moment of peace, the Botanical Garden is home to numerous pine trees and flowers. The park is soo huge, that you can always find a corner, where you can just let your mind wander. If staying still is not your thing, you can walk, jog, do the sun salutation, or perhaps be an amateur botanist by identifying every type of plant that you can find here. There's also something for art lovers here – right smack at the entrance is a beautiful bronze sculpture created by Filipino artist Ben-Hur Villanueva depicting the original builders of the city – Cordillera natives, Americans, Chinese and Japanese.

 

Another option is to go to Camp John Hay and just jog around the park, enjoying the cool breeze, the fresh pine scent. When you get tired or and hungry just head to the café in The Manor and have some coffee and the best piece of strawberry cake ever.

 

 

2. Horseback riding at the Wright Park:

This is for you all cowgirls out there! Wright Park – named after Luke Edward Wright, who once served as Governor-General in the Philippines from 1904-1906 during the American colonial period. This is the only place in Baguio where you can rent and ride a horse for a few hours and explore Baguio on a horseback.

 

3. Picture taking at Mine's View Park:

 

Stand on top of the ridge and just marvel at the view of the old cooper and gold mine, a reminder that mining used tp be one of the key industries here. You can have your picture taken with the view of the minesite (obviously….) and the Cordillera mountain range as the background. Or you can rent some of these Igorot (indigenous mountain tribes) costumes and get your photos taken. Or, if you like this kind of cuteness, get your photo taken with this St. Bernard dog.

 

 

4. Buy bottles of strawberry jam, ube jam and peanut brittle at Good Shepherd Convent:

Located just beside Mines View, Good Shepherd Convent is the place for the ultimate Baguio souvenir. The products were made in the Mountain Maid Training Center (MMTC)- where the Good Shepherd nuns and the lay staff employ poor Cordillera students to make jams and other yummy food products including orange marmalade, pickles, tamarind candies, mango jams…. (are you salivating already?) to be sold in the store (at the convent entrance) and thereby earn money for their schooling.

If you feel a bit peckish, there’s another stall in which sells snacks like chicken empanada and cup cakes also made in MMTC. The store also sells the Good (Food) Book for 250 pesos each (or about 4 U.S. dollars)- a compilation of recipes by the Good Shepherd’s lay affiliates who are helping the MMTC in training Cordillera students.

The store accepts credit cards, but better bring cash, because the machine sometimes don’t work.

 

5. View some artworks (and have a good meal too…):

 

Baguio is a creative hub ( must be the weather, or the bohemian vibe or the proliferation of many parks and gardens in the city), and if you just need to view some good artworks produced by mostly Baguio-based artists, I suggest that you go to some of these cafes (so you can have some hearty meal – and really good coffee – while looking at some paintings and photos. A meal for each person in any of these restaurants can run from,P200 to P500 (5 to 10 U.S. dollars)

The best place in Baguio – and I believe one of the world’s best restaurants in the Philippines –is the Bliss Vegetarian Café. Located at the lobby of Hotel Elizabeth,  Bliss doesn’t only serve yummy vegetarian food that even meat lovers will relish (must try: the vegetarian chicharon) but regularly holds art exhibits and talks on Buddhism. The café’s interiors itself is a work of art – paintings, sculptures, Tibetan meducine cabinet, piped in jazz music – the artworkls re part of the personal collection of Jim Ward – the co-owner of the café.

 

If you can go further afield, get away from Baguio’s downtown area, take a cab to Asin Road and head straight to Bencab’s Museum. The museum houses the artworks by and extensive art collection of renown Filipino artist Ben Cabrera (Bencab).

 

6. Hear mass at the Baguio Catholic Cathedral:

 

If you're not Catholic, you can always go here just to admire of the country’s most beautiful architectural structures. The rose-colored church sits on top of a hill in the heart of the city and has a view deck where you can have a bird’s eye view of Session Road, the city’s main thoroughfare.

 

The church was constructed Belgian Catholic Mission, consecrated in 1936 and dedicated to Our Lady of Atonement. During World War II, the church served as an evacuation center.

 

 

7. Shopping galore:

 

There are so many places to go if you need some retail therapy. In Session Road alone, you can either go to the mall or haggle your way in the Baguio Public Market to buy cardigan, accessories, home furnishings, jam, bags, jams, strawberries. I personally recommend Narda’s Handwoven Arts and Crafts, which is just a few steps away from the Victory Liner bus station. The store sells woven bags, ponchos, placemats, tapestries and other home/fashion accessories. Oh they also accept credit cards. And store also operates a café (with Wi-Fi!) – where you can have some coffee after a day of shopping.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travel Tips

*Baguio city is easily accessibly from Manila. The Victory Liner has the widest fleet catering to travelers going from Manila to Baguio. You can find schedules, ticket fare and terminal location in at www.victoryliner.com.

 

*Baguio city is relatively safe for solo female travelers. However avoid walking alone at the park near the market as there are thieves and pickpockets there.

 

* There are several bars in the city, and while it’s fun to booze, it’s still advisable to only drink with people you know and trust. That’s true in Baguio and anywhere.

 

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Have you been to Baguio city? What do you love about that place? Please share your views in the comments section.

 

 

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Resources:

 

 

 

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