Baguio, the quintessential vacation place for Pinoys

Boracay. Palawan. Bohol. Cebu. Ano pa ang nasa isip mong bakasyunan na nagsasalamin sa ganda ng Pilipinas? Kung ako ang tatanungin, sa pagkakaalala ko, bago pa ang dinumog at naging sobrang kilala ang mga nasabing lugar, nauna nang minahal ng mga Pilipino at kahit ng mga turista ang Baguio. Iyon eh sa pagkakatanda ko lang naman po.

I really think that Baguio was (or is still is) the quintessential vacation place for many Filipinos during 80s-90s. Boracay just rose to fame around late 90s if I’m not mistaken. Bohol or Palawan were already well-known but it was very hard for the minimum-waged Filipinos back then to enjoy those places because of the expensive airfare. We are really lucky right now, we get to enjoy more of Visayas/Mindanao area because of the promo fares. So I guess I should thank Cebu Pac for introducing the Piso-fare 🙂

Upps let’s go back to my blog on Baguio. I’ve been here for 6 times already and each visit was a unique experience. My first visit, I was a kid I guess about 7-10 yrs old. I just remember how cold it was, namili lang naman kami sa palengke ng kung ano ano including gulay and fruits. We were in La Union which is near Baguio. Siguro early 90s un. I was really shocked that there’s a place in the Philippines na ganun kalamig. Fast forward to almost 2 decades later (yup ganun katagal ang pagitan bago ako nakabalik sa Baguio). My sister Dhidz, bestfriend Yayo, and cousin Ate Norlyn went there around Jan 2009. Wow!!! Still as cold, or actually it’s even colder than I remember! It was super exciting because for the first time in our lives, we felt like we were living abroad, somewhere really cold. We love Koreanovelas back then kaya feeling namin para kaming mga Koreana. Kasi whenever we’re talking, laging may lumalabas na parang mist sa bibig namin sa sobrang lamig. Di ba sa palabas nila, everytime they speak, laging may lumalabas na usok sa bibig nila  kaya feel na feel namin ung weather talaga and we were so fascinated with it kaya daldal kami ng daldal hahaha.  It’s a new experience for us. Kaso new experience din sa amin ung nanginginig na kami sa lamig kahit patong patong ang jacket namin. Hindi effective that time ung mga sweaters namin from Manila. It called for a winter-type of outfits and jackets ung mga bulky talaga. Really cool!!! (literally and figuratively)

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This is us sa Strawberry Farm and Botanical Garden. The first photo sa flower farm is me and my sis (mga payat pa kami, oh how I wish maibalik ko ang kapayatan ko hehehe). The second photo is my sis, couz Ate Norlyn and bestfriend Yayo

So anyway, on this second visit, we tried na puntahan lahat ng famous tourist spots and parks sa Baguio, basta lahat ng kayang i-cover ng 1 day. We started at Strawberry Farm in which we stayed for about 3 hrs. I guess in preparation for the Panagbenga Festival, most ng nakatanim at Strawberry farm were flowers instead of strawberries. We saw a huge field of mostly Malaysian Mums though I think there were some sunflowers and daisies.  We really loved the place, it kinda felt like we were in another country sa dami ng bulaklak at strawberries. Actually, there are 2 things that I keep on wishing to experience every time we go sa Baguio. First is to feel the same cold, or rather super duper cold weather that resulted to us getting crazy talking and breathing. The second one is to see the flower farm ulit sa Starwberry Farm. Those 2 are the experiences I look forward to pag nagbabakasyon sa Baguio. Unfortunately, we never got to experience them again. Mali lang siguro ang timing ng visit namin palagi.

So, after spending the entire morning at Strawberry Farm, we rode a cab and headed to Camp John Hay for lunch. A little walk on the “hills” then the next places we went to are the The Burnham Park, Botanical Garden, Wright Park etc… It was very easy to go around these places. You can choose to walk, or just hail a jeepney or a cab. Taxis in Baguio are unlike the ones in Manila, many of them are  cheaters, mahilig mangontrata or magpadagdag or mandugas sa panunukli. Sa Baguio, kung ano ung nasa metro, that’s it bahala ka na kung magdaragdag ka ng tip. I think the Local government here is very strict in enforcing punishments to drivers na naniningil ng sobra. It was so refreshing to experience this coz really, I had more bad experiences sa mga cab drivers sa Manila kesa sa good experiences. Ewan ko kung malas lang ako but in my experience, it’s so rare to find an honest taxi driver in Manila (I said rare, not impossible ha).

 

Left photo – Lunch at Camp John Hay. Right – Yayo smelling the flower pero as I recall, wala namang amoy yan hahaha

Sorry I have only remembered going to the point now, on why I said that Baguio is the quintessential vacation place. Why nga ba? Well, maybe because Baguio is the go-to place ng mga Pinoy from all walks of life. Hindi mo kailangang maging mayaman para ma-enjoy ang Baguio. Everyone has a place here, mapamahirap ka man, maykaya o Mayaman. Super accessible ang Baguio from Manila. Hindi naman ganun kamahal ang pamasahe at di rin naman ganun katagal ang byahe. Before, in 6 – 7 hours makakarating ka na sakay lang ng Bus. Last 2009, we took the Victory Liner going here. I just want to note our experience sa bus ride. What I like about Victory Liner are the buses are usually clean and well maintained and the drivers are usually mas maingat kesa sa ibang Operators. Kaya lang, always be ready with sweaters and blanket kasi malamig talaga sa Victory Liner Bus. (experience lang namin to with the liner ha, I’m not saying it’s always the same. I had experiences with Victory Liner sa ibang probinsya and consistent naman sila). The rest of our travels sa Baguio, we’re always using our car kaya hindi na ako updated sa rate ng pamasahe and bilis ng byahe. But now that TPLEX is functional na, sabi nila, travel time will be cut shorter, I don’t know kung ilang hours. Well, maybe except for peak season. Because when we went there last Dec. 26, 2014, the traffic was just horrible!!! That trip was a nightmare because Baguio was sooooo congested!!! We barely left the car because of the traffic hindi lang papunta sa Baguio (yun nga, TPLEX didn’t help that time) kundi kahit nung nasa loob na kami ng Baguio. Maybe because it was the holiday season and it seems like many Filipinos had the same idea of spending the holiday in Baguio.

Anyway, as I was saying, another reason why this place is so well loved is because, of course sa kanyang cold climate! Actually, this is the main reason why Manilenos go here. The temperature is just fantastic! Generally, summer in the Philippines is from March-May, but we still feel the warm weather even during rainy season except during around November til January na malamig lamig na even sa Manila. But whenever we crave for cool weather and whenever our budget permits, we visit Baguio just so we can chill.

Now, as I have said earlier, Baguio is for everyone. There are lots of accommodation, kainan, souvenir shops etc here. For those who are on a tight budget, there are different hostels and mga transient homes that can offer about 250-350/hd per day. Meron din syempreng mga high-end hotels and apartments naman for more discerning people. But remember to book early especially if you’re planning to go there during the peak season, mabilis mapuno ang mga accommodation here.  Actually, ung mga accommodation namin dito, hit and miss. During my second trip here, we stayed in a very nice house in Johnbee Village, really big living and dining area, a fireplace, with 3 bedrooms, a small bar, spacious and clean kitchen and 2 nice bathrooms (one even has a bathtub). The rate is at 350/hd. But when I went back with my family, pumangit na ung place, the owner or caretakers were not able to maintain the cleanliness of the place and narundown na ung kitchen area. It’s just a matter of 2 years. Sayang nga eh. We just decided to cut our vacation short to just 2 and a half days instead of 3 kaya we did not spend another night there.

 

First photo – my sis got sick sa lamig kaya todo kumot and hot tea pa sya 🙂 Middle photo – Bar area ng house  Third photo – That’s me doing the “kunyaring-sumisilip-sa-bintana-pero-nagpapapicture-lang-pala” pose 🙂 Anyway, I look different here, this was taken 2009 single na single and ready to mingle back then kaya slim pa ako nun hehehe

Balcony area and the bathtub 🙂

The next visits were impromptu rin kaya I had no chance on researching and booking for a place earlier, again it was peak season, no available rooms kaya we just went with the first place na available na nakita namin. It was okay kaya lang the bathroom was too small and walang heater kaya old school na pukuluan lang (Kiara was barely 6 mos nun kaya bathing her in such a small space without heater was really a challenge). I didn’t use the kitchen, sharing kasi with other tenants and it wasn’t well-kept. Hindi naman ako maarte, I’m relatively an easy person to please. Pinakamahalaga lang sa akin na malinis ang bathrooms and may magagamit na maayos and malinis din na kitchen. Since we always go as a family, para makatipid kami sa mga trips, we just cook whenever we can. Kaya mahalaga din na clean ang kitchen. But yun nga, when you did not plan and prepare for your vacation well, you can’t be too choosy. But we did manage to find an apartment that I can recommend if you are unable to reserve for a place and find yourself “homeless” sa Baguio. It’s a little far from the city, actually nasa Benguet na sya. But then, it’s not difficult to look for a ride naman so kesa wala kang matulugan, go to this place na lang: JS Lodge at mb222 Puguis, Longlong Rd. La Trinidad Benguet. I forgot the name ng caretaker but here’s the contact #: 09472958367. Simpleng simple lang ang place but it’s super clean. The kitchen counter is spacious kaya lang wala lang silang amenities for cooking. Apartment type sya. There’s a living area, kitchen, dining area, a bathroom with heater and bedroom/s. The caretaker and her daughter were really really nice and very accommodating. The overnight rate is 1,500.00. They also have a 12-hr rate which is 800.00. Extra bed costs P100.00. I really would recommend this place for backpackers. People, this is not a hotel ha so don’t expect too much. Pero all I can say is for it’s rate, it’s not bad. Actually in Baguio, during peak season, nagmamahal ang accommodation. Sometimes the rates can double but with JS Lodge, even though we stayed during Christmas season, we were still charged with the regular rate. That’s a definite plus for me. I just hate myself for not taking photos of the place for this blog. Di bale pagbalik namin, I’ll post the photos here.

Now let me discuss about the food. There are so many places to choose from. Just go around the area, choose whatever fits your taste and you’re budget. Kami pag nasa tipid mode, we just go for karinderyas near the parks. Sometimes for dinner, we just buy roasted chicken and rice and eat at our accommodation. Or the ever reliable Jollibee na kahit sawang sawa ka na eh wala kang magawa dahil sa mga batang kasama mo. Kung gusto mo ng mas maraming choices, well just head to SM Baguio. Grabe, naisip ko lang answerte pala ng SM Baguio, sobrang mura ng electricity, walang aircon aircon, hehehe. Comment ko lang 🙂

At SM Baguio – The photos above are from Dec 2014. The photos below are from Jan. 22, 2011 – Kiara’s 11th month bday at MX Teahouse

  

  

  

  

 I did say that our trip in Baguio is very unique each time. This is because we don’t go for the usual tourist spots. I’ve only been to the parks only twice. My husband chose to drive to what he calls the “outskirt” parts ng Baguio. It is here that you would be able to truly breathe the fresh scent of pine and mist. You would feel the vibe of a real province, napakafresh ng air. We even drove to one of the highest peak ng isang bundok dun, ang Mt. Kabuyao. We saw the satellite dish and ung water reservoir but there’s a gated part dun if I remember correctly. It’s privately owned so hindi mo mapapasok unless authorized ka. Wala lang nagpicnic lang kami near the gated area then nag-pictorial lang kami. Backdrop namin are the blue sky & white clouds and the mountains. Grabe ang ganda talaga. Here are some of the pictures we had. That petite girl btw is my niece. An aspiring commercial model. Echos!!! Hehehe

                

     

Then on another trip, one activity we did that’s memorable was the Balatoc Mine Tour. We visited the cave where miners dig for gold. At nagpasabog kami dito ng DYNAMITE!!! Yep! We really did!!! Hehehe. Okay sige na nga I’m a bit exaggerated. Ang nagpasabog are the miners, but we were inside the cave waiting for the dynamite to blow. Kasama naman un sa tour and we were at a safe distance from the explosion site.

  

                      Our last trip was just a month ago, nung December 26. Ibang experience din. Palagay ko this is the most memorable of all, but in a bad way. Wala yata kaming nagawa at napuntahan sa duration ng stay namin there. I was sick last Dec. 25, I think na food poisoning ata ako. I had to go back and forth sa toilet for more than 15 times and I can barely stand up. Unfortunately, my hubby already called his staff the day before asking him to book for a place sa amin ng 3d2n. Nakapagreserve and down na ng place kaya we had no choice but to go thru with the trip. Everything went downhill from there except nung last day namin. Before, we always leave Manila ng around 12 midnight to 2 am because we didn’t want to suffer the heavy traffic. But because I wasn’t feeling well, I asked hubby to let me sleep for the night and then just head out North early morning. I woke up at around 8 am, still feeling dizzy kaya I was not able to help out in packing and cooking and pag-aayos sa mga bata. What usually takes 3 hrs in preps, naging 4.5 hrs and we left almost 1pm na. Ok naman ang byahe from Pque area hanggang palabas ng Manila at sa NLEX. But oh Men! The traffic before Kennon Road was just so horrible. Nung wala pang TPLEX, we usually travel 6 hours. That day, we traveled 9! Grabe! Lesson learned – Avoid going to Baguio during Christmas Season. Kakaloka.

So anyway, those are some of my experiences during my visits. I have missed writing some other places we went to, medyo matagal na kasi kaya I forgot already. But my suggestion, next time, if you find yourself in Baguio, kung narating mo na naman ung mga usual tourist spots and parks, skip them already! Go for something different! Don’t be afraid to wander around. That’s how we enjoy Baguio, new sights, new experiences.

So what do you think of this article? I want to know your story about Baguio so feel free to comment below or share or like this page.

Til my next post! Thanks and as always happy reading!!!