Baguio On My Mind

Strawberry Taho

What comes to mind when people think of Baguio are images of Pine Trees, Igorot lining up outside the Botanical Garden, and images of mountains covered by white smoke caused by the cold weather in the Summer Capital of the Philippines.

When I visited the city, I was expecting a sweet surprise during my stay and it never failed me. Quite literally, I was in for a sweet treat. The city being popular in producing strawberries in this part of the country. But not the usual strawberry jam or raw strawberry from the farm.

Strawberry Taho is goodness in a plastic cup-- Taho is a Filipino snack made of fresh soft tofu arnibal   (sweetener and flavoring), and sago pearl (similar to tapioca pearls). The usual sweetener used in this snack is caramel but only in Baguio you can find a strawberry version of it. Of course, anybody can do this anywhere, but having it in Baguio makes it more deliciously authentic--I got a taste of it outside The Mansion which is just infront of the Wright Park, one of the many scenic parks in Baguio which is located at the eastern part of the city.

 The Mansion House (also known as the The Mansion) is the official summer residence of the President of the Philippines.

The Mansion House consists of an elegantly designed Spanish Colonial Revival main building and a guest house. It has an elaborate main gate, made of ornate ironwork. The front gate is still one of the most photographed section of the property.

The Mansion

 

Across the road from the Mansion House is Wright Park, a quiet promenade with a long reflecting pool lined with pine trees.A long stairway lead visitors to the back where ponies for children are available for hire. Speckled all around the nearby hills are vacation homes and small inns.

Wright Park

The good thing about Baguio is it will just take you about ten minutes to get to another attraction.

Burnham Lake

Burnham Park is an urban park located at the heart of Baguio. It was named after the American architect and urban planner, Daniel Hudson Burnham who laid the plans for the city.

The Children's Park and the Orchidarium is located at the western part of the park. There are also bike rentals if one so wishes. You can rent either single bikes, tandem bikes or even bikes with side cars. They even have small bikes for the little kids of both two and three wheel versions.

The park features a man-made lake situated at the center where tourists can enjoy boating with rented boats.

Massage services are available in the park but don't be fooled by the cheap offer of P50 for a back massage. I ended up paying P150 pesos after the massage since I only asked for a back massage and I was given a hand and a head massage. I thought it was an extra service since I did not ask for it! That was a total turn-off but it did not ruin my whole experience, anyway.

Burnham Park

So the journey continues.
Needless to say, one major sign of progress in every Philippine city is the presence of an SM mall.

SM City Baguio

SM City Baguio is located on Luneta Hill on top of Session Road overlooking historic Burnham Park and opposite Baguio's City Hall which is situated on a northern hill.

It is also the first SM Supermall which does not use an air-conditioning System. The mall is the only SM Mall, other than the SM Mall of Asia, that make use of natural lighting and which does not have an air conditioned common area.

Going around Baguio is quite an adventure. With the steep thoroughfares around the city, SUVs are  ordinary vehicles in going around tourist spots. Of course, jeepneys are available as public transport, but these sure are well-maintained ones as these machines have to pass through the same roads day after day.

Popoy

But on this trip, I was lucky enough to have been given the luxury to be toured around by a cool ride. They simply call him "Popoy".

Popoy endured the rough terrain going to the Philippine Military Academy headquarters, as roads at that time were under construction. But of course, the adventure and the ride was all worth despite Popoy's occasional kissing of to the bumpy and jagged roads going to the area.

Next stop. The Philippine Military Academy(PMA).

For the past 100 years, the officers training school of the Armed Forces in the Philippines has made Baguio City its home.The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) boast of a long and illustrious history of preparing only the best Filipino men (and, in recent times, women) for military service.

Located at Fort Gegorio del Pilar on Loakan Road, visitors of the Philippine Military Academy who wish to know the history, traditions & general information to the City of Pines are welcome to explore the grounds, view the cadets performing their drills, and explore the PMA museum and walk around its manicured grounds to see vintage tanks and other historical military weapons.

Another beautiful landmark attraction in Baguio City is the Mines View Park.

Mines View Park is an overlook park on the northeastern outskirts of the city.
Located on a land promontory 4 km from downtown Baguio, the park overlooks the mining town of Itogon, particularly the abandoned gold and copper mines of the Benguet Corporation, and offers a glimpse of the Amburayan Valley.
The observation deck is situated below a winding stone-covered stairway close to the parking area.

--This article is under construction--

Photos by Batchoy Republic

Credit sources: Philippine Military Academy website