It was an awesome show of Flower power and People Power in Baguio for the 14th staging of the Panagbenga, THE Flower Festival with this year’s theme: “Our Festival! Yours too!”.

In celebration of the festival, here’s sharing photos of the Festival. Mabuhay ang Baguio!

Float Parade

Flower Festival Float Parade - Sphynx by the Baguio Country Club

Street-dancing competition

Flower Festival Street Dancing Competition Winner: Guest from Pangasinan

People Power

People Power at the Baguio Flower Festival

Flower Power

Flower Power at the Baguio Flower Festival

Visit www.edwinsoriano.com for more Panagbenga Festival Photos

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Photo Power

That’s right, dude! The latest thing in Baguio: Surfing at the Burnham Lake!

Internet surfing, that is

My surfer dude nanay picked up a story from Baguio’s local paper about Free WiFi Internet access at Burnham Park. So I tried it out and was pleasantly surprised that the WiFi Hotspot DID work .

Burnham Park is now a free wireless internet access site

Burnham Park is the first premier public park in the entire country to become an “e-tourism park” following the launching of a Free WiFi or wireless fidelity Internet access at the park lake last March 27.

With the launching, the Burnham Park lake is now a WiFi access area, which allows residents and tourists to browse the web using their laptops, WiFi phones and other portable device to access the Internet.
Source: Baguio Midland Courier, March 30 2008

I tried the WiFi hotspot and true enough, I was able to sniff a hotspot named “MIMO” – the name of the WiFi provider.

That’s fun. Tourists will be able to check their e-mails while on vacation in Baguio. Students in Baguio will also be able to access the Internet from the park.

There’s a risk of theft if you use your laptop in such a public and open area, though. It’s probably easier to access the hotspot using a cellphone or other more portable devices. Just make sure to protect yourself from robbers, secure your valuable gadgets. The city government announced that they will deploy more guards to keep the park safe and secure.

Contact the Baguio Tourism office near the skating rink for inquiries: 0915-5586814

Thanks to Elizabeth for lending her Swan Boat — twas a rockin ride, dude! Awesome!
Contact Elizabeth, her stall has a moderate wifi signal (2 out of 5 bars): 0920-6377894, tarrayoelizabeth@yahoo.com .

More WiFi hotspots in Baguio on Technobiography >>

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surfer dude

A friend wrote me, asking for travel tips for baguio:

Hello Edwin,
My parents are visiting next month and we are planning a 3D/2N trip to Baguio. We are looking for places to stay, preferably yung mga house for rent since there will be 6 of us. In case may alam ka na reasonably priced, please inform us. Tsaka proposed itinerary na rin, hehe. Ang dami kse ng parks and we want to narrow it down to the must-sees. Thanks!

Here’s sharing an itinerary from the top of my head. Hope this works for others visiting Baguio! Do add your own tips.

The Basics:
City Center:
* Burnham Park – go boating, ride a bike, stroll, buy souvenirs from street vendors; See the orchidarium with the pretty flowers/plants
* Session Road – walk, feel the city vibe; Try some of the local restaurants (Oh my Gulay)
* Baguio Cathedral – At the heart of the city
* SM Baguio – Go to the view deck, see the city in afternoon or evening – nice view.
* Market – buy your pasalubongs on the last day
* Ukay-ukay! – nuf said

Off-center (1-3 kms out)
* Lourdes Grotto – A classic. See your grandparent’s old “ekskarsyon” photos in Baguio and you’ll see the Lourdes Grotto. Drive up the hill, say a prayer at the grotto, then walk down and count the hundreds of steps. (btw, it’s a ten minute drive to Tam-Awan Village)
* Cafe by the Ruins – quaint cafe across the Baguio City Hall
* O Mai Khan – mongolian barbecue, mix your own dinner; Sizzling plate – steaks, sizzling dishes

Mines View Area:
* Mines View – the classic “view”, lots of photo opportunities with the view, the horses, the manangs/manongs, the dressed up flower booths. Souvenir shopping galore.
* Good Shepherd – buy some of the most sought-after ube jam and other food products
* The Mansion – Official Presidential Residence in Baguio; Photo ops only, no sleeping over.
* Wright Park – Horse Back-riding
* Botanical Garden – pose with the manongs/manangs, see the flowers abloom (sometimes)
* Pink Sisters – Quaint church; Get their delicious angel wing cookies, guess what they’re made of. Catch the Pink Sisters singing their prayers.

Intermediate:
The Posh Greens of Baguio:
* John Hay – picnic grounds, food stalls, paintball, zipline, rapelling, skating, biking, hiking, butterfly farm. Visit the Manor, if only to see the garden beyond the hotel lobby.
* PMA – For a good chance of seeing cadets marching in formation, go there by 11am before the cadets march to their mess hall for lunch. Photos with military relics, photos with the cadets, a visitor’s center.

Artist’s hub:
* Tam-awan Village – Genuine Ifugao huts brought to the city. An artist’s haven, visit their galleries. Get a caricature or portrait at a very good price. Drink some coffee. Catch the dance troupe on saturdays (Cordillera Dances at Tam-Awan Village, Baguio)
* Arko ni Apo – Right across Tam-awan Village, find a metal-works/wood-works art gallery by Benhur and Boom Villanueva. If you’re lucky, you might catch the artists at work, chat with them.

Advanced (a full-day!):
La Trinidad and more
* Strawberry Farms of La Trinidad — take a 30-45 minute ride to La Trinidad, go to the strawberry farms, pick strawberries for a fee. Try the strawberry wine
* Narda’s — a world-renowned exporter of woven textiles, their main branch is in Trinidad; (They have a branch near Victory Liner Bus station at the city center).
* Bell Tower – Buddhist temple, manicured garden, fountain. So zen.
* Easter School weaving – traditional cordilleran weaving. go straight to their weaving showroom where there are more than a dozen weavers at work. Chat with them, see how ingenious (and meticulous) weaving is! Once you’ve seen how they weave, THEN you come back up to see the end products — you’ll appreciate the end products more.
* (Tam-awan village is ten-minutes from Easter School by taxi or private vehicle)

Night life:
* Session road – various folk/R&B live music and bars, Videoke; Jazz bar between Session and UB; Various bars at La Azotea, maybe even a concert at Vocas.
* Legarda – Kaffe klatch for great acoustic music! Gilligans, 18BC and other bars
* Nevada Square – clubbing, rockers, lounging, alcohol

Tips on using the above destination ideas:
a.) For first timers, cover the basics first.
Morning: Tour the Mines view area.
Afternoon, go around the city center. End with coffee or dinner at Ruins, O Mai Khan, Session or nearby restos
b.) For second timers or for the second day of a first timer, Visit the Posh Greens.
Start in the morning with PMA which is farther from the city. Ordinary lunch at the cafeteria (or make your way back to John Hay for lunch).
Afternoon, come back towards the city to John Hay (30 mins drive between PMA-John Hay). Spend the afternoon in John Hay, have some light snacks or coffee at the commissary or the filling station.
c.) Third day:
Do the Advanced itinerary (Start with farthest = strawberry farm) + the artist’s hub.
From Artist’s hub, you could proceed to Lourdes Grotto + Off-center (Cafe by the Ruins) to wind down the afternoon.

Notes:
* This itinerary is light for a small group who’ll just go for picture taking without the activities.
* It’s a packed itinerary for a big group (a big group is slower going through the itinerary) or a group that will do the many activities available.
* Mix and match according to available time or preferred activities.
* The destination groups are within the same vicinity or route.
* Except for the city-center destination group, the destinations are arranged from farthest from city center going back towards the city center.

Transportation:
* Don’t bother driving around and wasting time searching for parking. Park then walk the city center, all within a 1.5km radius. If tired, get a taxi, city center is all within Php40 (de-metro).
* Off-center and MinesView area can be managed by taxi hired from point-to-point.
* For Posh Greens and Advanced (La Trinidad and more), it’s best to take private vehicle or day-hired-taxi. Commuting will add 15-45 mins each time you have to wait for a jeep/taxi.

Accommodations:
* Baguio Hotels
* Book ahead, you don’t want to worry about accommodations. (sorry, I don’t have referrals in this department).
* If getting a transient house, ask how long it takes to drive to session road. If it’s more than 15 minutes, you’re far outside the city center.

Last tip: Lighten up! You’re with family and/or friends. Enjoy the travel time!

Enjoy your summer trip!

ka edong
bagyo boy
First published on Biyahe! A Guide: Baguio Itinerary

Here are some tips for a great Panagbenga 2008 experience in Baguio!

Update: Flower Festival photos 2009 – ka edong

1.) Know the schedules of the parades. There are two highlight parades at the Panagbenga.
The first is the grand parade of street dancing where schools compete on best marching band and street dancing performance.
The second is the parade of floats where different groups and commercial establishments flaunt their floats decorated with thousands of flowers.

The two parades happen on different days. Best to catch both of these parades. Here’s the schedule for Panagbenga 2008

2.) Find accommodations as close to the city center as possible. On parade days, traffic rolls to a halt. You don’t want to spend an hour in a car stuck in traffic trying to catch the parade at Session Road. Best to walk to the parade area, and easiest to do that if you’re staying near the city center. You can choose from the many hotels in Baguio, or you can try your luck finding a transient house close to the city center.

3.) Be mobile. Travel light so that you can walk around to see the parades from different vantage points. Wear comfortable shoes. Get used to walking, it’s a good way to see the beauty of the city center.

4.) Bring your camera and feast in the beautiful sights! Take close up shots (if you can) of the street dancers. Fill the frame with colors of flowers and costumes. Smile at the street dancers so that they will smile back at you for a great photo!

5.) Leave the babies behind. It’s not the best time to bring babies and very young kids. The babies won’t enjoy the parade, anyway. Do yourself a favor and excuse the kids from the hassle of the very thick crowd during the parade.

6.) Catch the parades at the culmination area – usually Melvin Jones field for the parade of floats and the athletic bowl for the grand parade and street dancing. The culmination area is a good place to have photos with the floats and the street dancers.

7.) Don’t pick the flowers! The floats are for everybody to appreciate and for nobody to take home. (Just take home the photos). Don’t pick the flowers, leave them there for everybody else to enjoy.

8.) Eat local food. Try Oh My Gulay restaurant at the top floor of La Azotea at Session road. Try Baguo’s strawberries, strawberry flavored taho, binatog, afternoon street food (the exotic isaw and the likes) and the plethora of other kakanins in Baguio.

9.) Don’t forget to book your return bus tickets. Although Victory Liner has mastered the art of transporting a huge number of tourists during events like this, it’s still best to book your return tickets in advance.

10.) Smile, let your hair down and enjoy! Life is good, God is good!

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vivo

After a hectic two weeks leading to Christmas, my brother and I took a Victory Liner bus to Baguio one quiet Sunday morn, the day before Christmas eve. It was a pleasant early morning trip and we dozed off after all the puyat of the Christmas parties.

At the Tarlac stop-over, the bus kundoktor plugged in a DVD. The bus was filled with piped-in music from the movie (sing with me…): “Santa Baby, hurry down the chimney tonight.”

I smiled and had pleasant thoughts: “Ah, so nice! A Christmas movie to ease me into the cool air of Baguio on Christmas weekend.” NOT!

The movie turned dark and gruesome! The movie was a loud, horror/thriller flick about a stalker security guard kidnapping a lone lady yuppie on Christmas eve, tying her down with a chain with a drooling pit bull on guard. In one scene, the stalker strapped an office worker to an ergo chair, tied him to the fender of a car and repeatedly rammed the poor guy unto the …

Well, you get the idea.

It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t funny. Just the thing to kill the Christmas spirit on a Christmas weekend. My brother and I started sending SMS messages to Victory Liner’s hotline: 0917-Vicline (0917-8425463). I made a call and spoke to a certain Sol Laxa of Victory Liner, Cubao.

I think Santa was listening, and my wish was answered – a wish for world peace on this Christmas weekend journey. Ten minutes after our call to the Victory Liner hotline, the bus conductor turned off the movie without saying a word.

Ah, the silence was sweet relief!

I know that passengers have different preferences for movies. That is precisely the reason to be very selective of movies. Obviously, its the driver/conductor who chooses the movies they show on buses. I’ve been on bus rides in the past where the movie was offensive to minors or to women (or to the public in general); movies with excessive violence, with nudity or even porn. Tsk tsk tsk. Somebody’s not thinking here….

I sent my Christmas greetings to the Victory Liner hotline and included a challenge which I re-iterate here.

To Victory Liner Management:
Victory Liner Management must choose appropriate General Patronage movies suited for public viewing on bus trips.
It will be a good service improvement to ensure that your patrons — a wide variety of travellers including minors — are not subjected to inappropriate media.

With that, I went back to dreamland and woke up to a cool noontime Christmas breeze of Baguio. Sarap!

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my cellphone, a weapon

Kisad Road in Baguio has a new posh hotel that just opened a few weeks ago. Burnham Suites lies at the end of Kisad Road right at the top of Burnham Park. It is a promising 7-storey five star hotel which gives you the feeling of actually staying on a condominium unit.

Since, the hotel just opened a few weeks ago, expect some minor kinks in terms of services and facilities. But as it is last weekend the hotel is pretty much a good place to stay when you are in Baguio. It’s a cheaper alternative to Manor Hotel (a personal favorite of mine) in Camp John Hay although I still prefer the ambiance, the environment, spaciousness of the rooms in Manor Hotel. Nonetheless if you are in a tight budget, Burnham Suites is definitely a good place to stay.

The rooms are pretty neat, with wooden parquet floorings, and equipped with LCD TV, DVD Player, Air-conditioning Units, Hot and Cold Shower (definitely a must in Baguio)

Watch out for future services and amenities. Burnham Suites is set have a Wi-Fi according to the hotel management. Hopefully their restaurants will have a buffet breakfast for hotel guests. The set meals were not extra ordinary. Just your usual over-priced 5-star hotel meals.

If you are interested to book a room in Burnham Suites, shoot me an email. I might get you a good discount from my travel consultant.

Tam-awan Village in Baguio City features authentic Ifugao huts, an Art Gallery and Crafts shop, a coffee shop, Fishpond, Eco-tours, art workshops and cultural shows. The village recently appeared in “Asian Treasures” (Robin Padilla, Angel Locsin) as part of the hunt for anting-antings.

I visited the village together with a couple of friends one Saturday afternoon. We were lucky to witness some Igorot dances by a youth dance troupe. It was a lot of fun for us watching the dances, hearing the gongs and other bamboo instruments. High point was when the dance troupe invited guests to dance with them. I took a gong, went with the beat and followed the dance of the leader.

Catch the community dancing every Saturday afternoon.

We also took a tour around the village. Tip: Request for a tour guide especially if you’re in a group. It helps you appreciate the many interesting details about cordilleran culture, art, architecture, beliefs and more. Don’t forget to tip your tour guide generously.

Visit: Photos of Tam-awan village dances.

Contact:

Chanum Foundation Inc.
Tam-awan Village, Pinaso Proper, 2600 Baguio City, Philippines
Telefax: +63-74-446-2949
www.tamawanvillage.com
tamawan@skyinet.net
Mobile: +63-921-588-3131
Dance Troupe leader: Ralph Abrod 0919-3633963 (open for booking for cultural shows and other events)

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ka gong

“Most people think the attraction is the food. Actually, it’s an art gallery that happens to serve vegetarian food. ” This is how gallery-owner Kidlat Tahimik explained to me what Oh My Gulay is all about.

Oh My Gulay is one attraction in Baguio that had eluded my attention for around 5 years now. I heard about Oh My Gulay from so many other friends, but got to visit it just this month. Oh My Gulay was featured in various TV shows too, including Mel and Joey just last month.

First second I walked in, I said to myself “This is an extension of Kidlat’s house! It’s a playground!”

It’s exhillirating being in the midst of the artworks, the twists and turns, the eclectic, the absence of structure, the patch-art-work, the journey, the ever-changing. Some parts of the gallery look like a scene from a Dr. Seuss book with un-straight lines and un-perpendicular corners. Take a tour around the place, view the artworks, arouse your curiousity and find out what surprises await you around the next corner, stride across the shaky plank leading out of the boat (there’s a boat in the restaurant — can you find it?).

As for food, Chef Marlon Caranto quickly serves up his individually cooked dishes. They have generous servings of vegetarian pasta dishes. He reminds me that they don’t use MSG (monosodium glutamate or “ajinomoto”). I say, you’ll just need to “tak-tak” the salt and pepper shaker – vegetarians will want to have control of how much salt they have in their food. Try also the Dayap tea, highland coffee and other local drinks.

Lastly, right next to Oh My Gulay under the same roof and space is a performance stage called “Vocas”. You can catch some good bands playing there in the evenings, and if you’re lucky you just might catch a night of drums, gongs and dancing. The crowd could get huge especially when the girls hear that the KKK brothers will be there .

Oh My Gulay is on the top floor of La Azotea Building along Session Road. Contact 0918-6676025 for inquiries (no textmates please ).

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oh mai edong

Update: Baguio Flower Festival Photos 2009 – ka edong

After a series of “challenging” years, Baguio is once again celebrating a “normal” Panagbenga (Flower Festival). Among the previous years’ difficulties were the meningo scare, strong rains during Flower Fest parades and (worst!) having two Flower Festival organizers — trust the politicians to make the worst out of a good thing.

But all is nice and rosy once again for the Baguio Flower Festival 2007. The Baguio Flower Festival is in Bloom Anew!

I was at the street dancing parade this morning along with a million others joining the festivities. The crowds were sooo thick, I thought I was re-living my past life as a sardine! Except for the huge crowds and traffic, all else was Lovely! See some photos of the Baguio Flower Festival at my gallery. Am expecting better photos tomorrow at the float parade! If only I could get past the stern looking boy scout steadfastly guarding the cordon …

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blooming

It was in the 1800s when it was a ripe period for most colonies all over the world to bolt out from their colonial masters. For the Philippines, it was their fight for independence against Spain in 1896. The revolutionary fervor reached Benguet where Ibaloi leaders were not mere spectators, but active participants in the revolution.

As these events were unfolding, it later on paved the way for the arrival of the Americans in the Philippines. It was against this backdrop that the tiny hamlet of Kafagway in the Cordillera Mountains was transformed into two of America’s most enduring legacies: the City of Baguio and Camp John Hay. The Americans sealed their victory with the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898 and for the sum of 20 million dollars, the United States gained possession of four former Spanish colonies, one of which is the Philippines.

Long a historical landmark in Baguio – and once off-limits to Filipino civilians – Camp John Hay antedates the city by six years. In 1903, then President Theodore Roosevelt – barely a year after the official end of the Philippine –American war- decreed that 535 acres would be reserved for the US military in an area that was to become Baguio City.
War then broke between the Filipinos and the Americans who double-crossed the former into believing that they came to help them regain their freedom only to become their new colonial masters.

As the only American colony in the east, the Americans became prone to tropical diseases like cholera and typhoid. The heat made them unproductive. They found themselves with a new colony but not much strength to run it.

As such, Baguio, was “God-send”. It was for this reason that Baguio was originally constructed as a mountain retreat by US military forces in the early 1900s. Baguio’s relatively cool temperatures still draw Manila’s wealthy when the lowlands are sweltering. But the throngs of young college students shape the city’s character. The area’s original inhabitants, the Ibaloi and Kankana-ey, have assimilated into present-day society and much of the Igorot ancestral lands have been developed. Filipinos make this a vacation destination while most foreign travelers stop here to break up the long trip to Sagada or Banaue.

The City has been rebuilt twice since- since the mid-20th century, first after it was flattened by US bombs dropped to drive the Japanese, and second, after a massive earthquake in 1992.

Baguio City and Camp John Hay are like “twins” created in 1903. While Camp John Hay was built as a rest and recreation camp for the US military, Baguio was designed to be the country’s summer capital.

Baguio was said to be modeled after Washington D.C. The rectangular Burnham Park functions as the geographical center, and the primary commercial hub. Session Road runs roughly parallel to its northeastern side. South and east of the city is where many of the lavish summer homes of Manila’s elite are located, as well as the other tourist destination of the city including the Botanical Garden, formerly known as Imelda Park, Wright Park and Mines View Park.

An American urban planner, Daniel Burnham, designed the city where a park was later on dedicated in his honor. Kenon Road, was named after the American officer, Colonel Lyman Kenon, who built it in four years with 4,000 men at a cost of two million dollars in 1905.

After 85 years, the Americans said their goodbyes when the Philippine Senate voted not to extend the stay of the American bases. On July 4, 1991, the camp reverted to Philippine jurisdiction. In 1996, a consortium now known as the Camp John Hay Development Corporation won the rights to develop the camp for a 50-year lease period.

Camp John Hay is no mere prime real estate – it reflects the charms of Baguio at its best: gently sloping green terrain, often enveloped in mist, with the pine trees standing like tall, silent sentries, rich heritage alluring and cold as ever.

Plans are to keep Camp John Hay green-based, with the vision of transforming it into an eco-tourism destination. Of the 250 hectares open for development, 175 hectares or 90 per cent will be kept as protected and managed forest with foot trails, bridle paths and flower gardens.

With Camp John Hay leading the way in giving Baguio City its much-needed facelift, the Camp John Hay Manor gives the city a new posh address to offer. The Manor, as it is commonly referred to, offers five-star service and accommodations with its world-class facilities and professionally trained staff. The 180-room hotel, which includes 54 suites is not only distinguished with its impressive architecture and cozy interior but also blest with an ambiance that sets it apart from all other hotels in Baguio City.

Designed to blend with towering pine trees surrounding it, this 4-storey structure and its sprawling new annex afford visitors a magnificent view of the Cordillera mountain range.

The hotel features studios, one – bedroom and two bedroom suites all equipped with modern amenities as cable TV, IDD/NDD telephones with Internet access, fully-stocked refrigerators, hot/cold showers, electronic safes and much more.

Another attraction of the Manor is their honeymoon suite complete with personalized full service staff. The suite is actually a fully refurbished house, tucked within the Manor complex and is a two story complex, with its own, living room area, kitchen, fireplace and a second floor which includes the master’s bedroom and a bathroom with a Jacuzzi and hi-tech shower facility.

Of course, the main outlet which is the Manor Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, featuring a wide range of local and international dishes by renowned fine-dining Irish Chef, Billy King.

For avid golfers, there’s the beautiful 49-hectare golf course with a part 69 all-weather course designed by Jack Nicklaus and uses the same Bent Grass as the famous greens of the Masters course in Augusta, Georgia. According to many golf enthusiasts, if you are a golfer, this is a must-play course for its challenging layout.

Traditions are preserved at the Camp for both human interest and historical reasons. The living museum called CJH Historical Core features a collection of memorabilia and old photos that speak of the colorful history of the camp. The Bell House and Amphitheater is the centerpiece of the camp, showcasing the artistic flair and design of genius of a military man. Today it is the repository of the artifacts that give a glimpse of the camp’s history.

There is also the cemetery of negativism which supposedly served as the burial ground for negative thoughts of American military men. One can take a 2 kilometer eco trail that allows you to get up close and personal with nature. There is also the butterfly sanctuary, a garden which you can learn about traditional butterfly ranching and captive breeding techniques.

Acknowledgment must be given to the Americans who left Camp John Hay, particularly its natural attractions, more or less intact. This holiday season is possibly the best time to pay Baguio and Camp John Hay a personal visit.

Vic Albornoz Lactaoen is currently a travel writer for Cebu Pacific Airway’s new inflight magazine-Smile and contributor for Manila Bulletin’s Travel Section and The Business Mirror. He still travels extensively around the country and hopes to finish his first travel book on off beat destinations in the Philippines soon.