The Cordillera - Baguio (1 of 4 parts)

Dubbed as the cool summer capital of the Philippines, as well as the City of Pines, Baguio never fails to impress any visitor.

There are many different kinds of accommodation in Baguio. You have the option to either stay within the center of this bustling city or outside the center nestled among the pine trees away from the crowds, take your pick!

Baguio is filled with many exciting attractions: (1) Tam-awan Village, a Heritage and Artists Village (a set of native Cordillera huts) of different styles, all neatly put together, making a brilliant visitor attraction. Stepping into one of these huts barefoot, I instantly felt that I was drawn back in time! The flooring felt very cold but comfortable and mattresses are added for extra comfort as opposed to sleeping directly on the floor. You may rent one of the native huts for an overnight stay for P500 per person or P900 for two. Check www.tam-awanvillage.com for more information. (2) The Lourdes Grotto. Climb up to the 252 steps and see it for yourself! Don’t forget to take some candles and flowers with you as an offering. (3) Good Shepherd, located up the hill on the northeastern part of Baguio famous for its jams, nuts, cookies and more that are not on sale elsewhere apart from Good Shepherd itself. Makes fantastic take-me-home presents. (4) Mines View Park. A good panoramic view of Baguio’s countryside, excellent for picture taking. (5)Wright Park. A good day to spend horseback riding at a relatively decent cost. (6) Mansion House. Though the public aren’t normally allowed to enter this palace, you can send a letter of request for an appointment to see the place. It’s a beautiful place where our Philippine presidents would stay on every visit to Baguio. (7) Camp John Hay. Situated in a beautiful area in the City of Pines, this “little town” offers luxurious accommodations surrounded by many food places within the area. There is also a butterfly sanctuary, a zipline and paint balling facilities at this camp. It’s a must see so choose to spend the rest of the day there. (8) Burnham Park, located right in the centre of town. Not to miss is a ride on one of their rowing boats. Expect a lot of people coming up to you trying to sell strawberry ice cream, strawberry taro, strawberry crinkles, strawberry jam and strawberry wine! I was quite hungry and craving for a hot meal at that moment, maybe I should have asked if they had strawberry pasta instead! (9) Kennon Zigzag View Point. Probably one of the best mountain views in Baguio. (10) La Trinidad Strawberry Farm, where you are able to witness the planting and growing of strawberries. You may pick them out yourself or make a purchase from one of the farmers at relatively a good price. (11) Baguio Cathedral, located right in the heart of the city, painted in pink as this symbolizes strawberries according to one local. I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not.

Places to eat. (1) Rosebowl, an excellent restaurant that serves Chinese cuisine, a simple place but probably one of the best ones in town. Sample their famous tasty Chopsuey, the restaurants’ speciality. Orders are relatively quick and portions are huge as well. (2) Star Café, which has been opened since 1940 located along Session Road. Every morning, at around 7.30AM right when the café opens its doors, you will find a queue of people waiting to buy their freshly baked cinnamon bread. Locals say that this is the best bread in town and no trip to Baguio is complete without sampling this! I must admit that they weren’t wrong, as it was very tasty taken together with a cup of tea. (3) Café By the Ruins, a lovely restaurant with great food and an amazing atmosphere! I couldn’t help but want to sample almost everything on the menu since it all looked so tempting. I have enjoyed every bit of what I had eaten so you can’t really go wrong with the food at this place. Apart from that, this restaurant also sells bread, coffee, cookies and jam to eat in or take home. (4) Sizzling Plate Baguio. A steak house serving reasonable portions at affordable prices and ever so tasty! Try their Australian cuts served with soup and java rice.

Before the trip had come to an end, I had a great personal experience in Baguio that I would never forget. We had also visited the remains of Baguio Military Institute (BMI), an exclusive boarding school famous in the 50s and 60s. It was also the same school where my late father had spent so many years of his life. I couldn’t help but be more curious than ever to learn about the early days and student life at BMI. Luckily, our driver knew where one of my father’s classmates lived. I then decided to take my chance and nervously knocked on his door unannounced and uninvited. I was prepared to introduce myself to him, but looking exactly like my father, he instantly knew who I was! He introduced himself and shared that he and my father were in the same class and were very good friends, as well. I was welcomed with open arms and was asked to come inside for a talk so he could share with us some memorable photos of the good old days at BMI and also tell me some interesting stories about my father as a student. A wonderful feeling came over me leaving with no regrets whatsoever; it was such a pleasure having met one of my father’s closest friends.