Blissful Baguio City

Oh City of Pines….I’m in Love!….Yes guys , you’ve heard it right. I’m in love by Baguio’s climate condition. Being in Baguio City was like stepping into other country. It was the cold weather and the ambiance that brought the place into its title as the CITY of PINES and Summer Capital of the Philippines.Everywhere i looked i can see and smell the crisp pine trees and it really amazed me. The place is so clean and cold. In fact ,the jacket that i wore on that moment is not enough to conceal the coldness that really brought shiver under my  skin. It was like stepping into an area where centralized air condition is being place into the city. No wonder why residents in Baguio possess fire place instead of aircondition.

Before heading to the city of pines , Me and my friend Kaycee took our sumptuous dinner at SM Mall of Asia. I was bound to depart the city at exactly 11:45 pm. Well , after our dinner , Me and my friend separated already because she needs to catch a last trip to Laguna where she lives. Me , on the other hand had already purchased a ticket going to Baguio City. That’s why i am so confident lazying and strolling at the mall. But what i didn’t know is that Manila on that day held huge events like Lovapalooza , pyrotechnics contest and Taylor swift concert. When i decided to leave the mall , i realize that i cannot hire a cab easily due to the large volume of people going home after the events.People are running everywhere just to get a cab and it really frustrates me because I’m carrying a huge , heavy and bulky luggage that’s makes me impossible to run and compete with the other frustrated passengers. Plus the fact that the cab drivers in Manila are so picky when it comes to passengers.

It was already 10:20pm and still i was on the mall looking for a cab. I kept on yelling and uttering bad words because i was so frustrated to leave the area. Not that i don’t want the place but i have a trip to catch. I already bought a ticket and it will be a waste of money if i can’t use it. By 11:00pm , still i was on the mall and i almost cried because i know that if i cant get a can as soon as possible then it means that i will already miss my trip. I kept on thinking about alternative transportation on how to get to Pasay Rotonda Terminal. Until it reached into a point where i have no choice but to asked one of the locals on what are the alternative ways going to the Terminal. The Manong told me just to ride a jeepney if i want to reach the terminal on time and immediately i followed what he said. Though I’ve waited for 20 minutes just to ride a jeepney into their terminal , still i am so lucky because i arrived at the terminal on time. I didn’t miss my trip and i learned a lesson not to waste time when you’re traveling especially if you already booked for a particular schedule and time.

Baguio City is a big city in the Northern region of the Philippines. Based on reports, the city has 130 barangays, which include the Session Road area, the barangay that is very popular for bars, restaurants and other business establishments that attract tourists and travelers to the area. Aside from the Session Road area, Mines View Park, Camp John Hay and Burnham Park are the other tourist attractions in the area. For travelers who want to have a look at some tourist spots in city, they can also visit the vacation house of every Philippine president in Baguio. It is also exciting and luring to have a tour at some of the strawberry farms of the city. In addition, the city is also renowned for its top universities and colleges such as University of the Philippines Baguio, University of Baguio and Saint Louis University. Above all, Baguio is popular for Philippine Military Academy that is based on one of its barangays.

Here are some pictures taken during my adventure travel in the CITY OF PINES:

Session Road is the main thoroughfare of Baguio City and its commercial center, with a variety of shops, stores and offices lining each side. Session Road is so named because it was the site of the Philippine Commission’s first session.

The ever famous dog in Baguio City.  If your in Baguio , you just cant simply miss having your photos taken into this lovely doggie..

A ridge located at the extreme northeast side of the city, past The Mansion and Wright Park, Mines View Park boasts of a spectacular view of Benguet’s gold and copper mines and the Cordillera mountains.

Directly across The Mansion is Wright Park that features the much photographed Baguio landmark, the “Pool of Pines”. One will see a gazebo and a long flight of stairs down the hill leading to the Wright Park Riding Circle, where hundreds of horses and ponies of various sizes are for hire.

The most photographed Baguio Landmark. Amazing flowers lies on the area in which astound tourist once seen.

Wright Park Riding Circle

Oh what a lovely view of flowers!

This is what i told you guys , Baguio indeed is a very clean and cold city. The awesome pine trees makes the city very cold with its dropping temperature.

The Mansion is the official summer residence of the President of the Philippines.It is located on the eastern part of the city along C.P. Romulo Drive (formerly a part of Leonard Wood Road) and right across from Wright Park

Also known as the Igorot Village, it showcases the native houses of the different Cordillera tribes. Tourists can usually take pictures with the Igorot tribesmen dressed in their traditional native dress. It is also the home of the Baguio Arts Guild.

Tam-Awan Village , Its a reconstructed native village which also has an art gallery and attracts many indigenous artists, most noteworthy of whom is BenCab

My Lunch @ Tam-Awan Village. It consist of red rice , Dried Bangus and Duhat Juice. Well i was not really happy with the food but atleast i was able to taste and try  baguio’s native rice.

Camp John Hay is Baguio City’s most popular attraction is so beautiful and a destination in itself. After all, for almost the whole 20th century it is what made Baguio City “Little America” in the Philippines.

New addition tourist activity @ Camp John Hay ” the zipline and rapelling”.

Burnham Park is the very heart of Baguio City in the Philippines. It is located at the most valuable piece of Baguio real estate and is free for the enjoyment of visitors and residents alike.

One can ride a BUS ” Victory Liner ” located at Pasay Rotonda or Cubao. It will be a 6-7 hours road trip but its all worth it because you will be able to see nice views along the way. The Bus fare is only 445 pesos for the ordinary bus but for the deluxe type it will be 750 pesos. For me , if you want a comfortable trip going to baguio then get the deluxe bus because it is more spacious and has a comfort room inside the bus.

You don’t have to worry about looking for a place to stay in Baguio because the place has a lots of hotels and inns. But if you prefer cheaper accommodation then much better look for a homestay place. It will only cost you 500-800/night compared to hotels and inns that will cost not lower than 1500/night.

Baguio Facts:

Baguio cabs are very cheap. You can abuse riding taxi while you’re on the place. It will only cost you 25 pesos for the flag down rate and 1.50 per succeeding meter. But mind you guys that their taxi has no aircondition as well as their hotels and other types of accommodation due to their cold climate condition.