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!

ka edong
vivo

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.