My Baguio Experience

It's summer time once again. And a good plunge in the beach-water would be a perfect vacation getaway. Or, going to a cool place would be nice to leave the hustle and bustle of the city life. In Philippines, we don't really have nice big theme parks like Disneyland in Hongkong or Genting in Malaysia. I also don't have a bigger budget to fly anywhere so Baguio is one of my top choices if I'm in the Philippines. We call Baguio as a summer capital because it is 8 degrees cooler on the average than any place in lowlands. Just imagine how you sweat in the Metro and seldom can you feel the climate to be lower than 26 degrees. That's why many people would pack their bags and head straight to Baguio to cool off. Every time I go to Baguio, I always see how diverse life here is. They are still preserving the culture and yet they can manage to adapt the fast pace of city and environs. The main street, session road, is jam packed of people with different cultures. This is where you get your first bite of the charm and serendipity of Baguio. Apart from a handful of curio shops and vintage fashion boutiques, Session Road also features an interesting array of culinary delights. Restos, bars are sprouting like tiny mushrooms but one distinct shop amazed me: Oh My Gulay Restaurant (Oh my vegetables). But this exclamation is really the Filipino version for the expression "omigosh." This one of a kind restaurant is housed on the fifth floor (very good exercise, no elevators!) of the La Azotea Building (still along the session road). I'd say one-of-a-kind resto because it is really a well-thought of and it is a fantastic place that suites everyone (not to mention the meatlovers as well). I guess they did it on purpose because when I stared at the entrance door, I could see the guests' faces and how they are trying to catch their breath. Hmmmm.... it is a nice strategy so that peeps can dig more because climbing to the 5th floor would really work on someone's appetite. Hahaha! They serve a wide array of dishes (mind you they are all fresh veggies --- Baguio is known for vegetable supplier in Luzon area). After hiking 5 floors to reach the establishment, you can take a little sip of their native coffee in their cute cups, just to jolt your blood a little bit while waiting for your food. Or you may try the minty iced tea laced with lemon. That would freshen you up a bit. Well, about the food, they mostly serve pasta and I would say that what you have on your plate are all fresh. And they have fun way of calling names to their pasta, sandwiches, and salads... It is really indeed a Pun-ny (Funny) thing to coin a Fast-ta (Pasta). You may hear some chuckling on one the tables from time to time whose browsing their menu. This Veggie Haven is not just a simple ordinary resto that adults could dine but it is also a turf of Filipino's diversed culture. Everything here is with ethnic touch. There is a tiny bridge where you need to cross to get to the seating areas. Moreso, there are few steps you need to take to go to a sem-open space. Someone said, it looks like a Peter Pan Flick. It is more likely of a surreal yet been drawn to real world. My friend’s trying to be artistic, you know! Now, after obeying our stomachs’ plea, my friends and I would wander the session road for Vintage Shops or what we call Ukay-Ukay (2nd hand clothes). Well, if your eyes are very keen, you can dig a mountain of clothes and get an original Guess Jeans for only as low as Php 80 (approx. $2). But of course, you need to negotiate with Manang (Ilokano term for sister) or Ading (Ilokano term for younger sibling or person). Next stop (to maximize your day and also for your budget hehehehe), would be Burnham Park. It is situated in the heart of the city. It is a very popular destination for families. It has a nice park with flowers and trees and picnic grounds. Burnham Park provides a vital role for family bonding. You can just sit back and enjoy the cold breeze brushing through your naked skin (well if you can take off your jacket) while talking to each other and eating a nice chicharon (a delicacy --- I guess it's called "Fried Pork Skin Pop"). It is also a nice place to walk your dogs, or ride a bike or just stroll with your partner doing HHWW (holding hands while walking --- hehehe). And the lagoon, this is the most enjoyable part of the trip. I could rent a swan-like boat and paddle the whole lagoon. Of course, I could not get 10 meters away from the dock. After trying so hard to be a captain of my so-called ship, our trip to Baguio won't be complete if we'll not include the Lourdes Grotto to our itinerary. It is a place of meditation. Of course, 90% of Filipinos are Roman Catholic so this is a favorite pilgrimage site for holy week or just a place to spend a few minutes to give thanks or praise to our Virgin Mary. The grotto has a breath-taking view (not to mention breath-taking steps - literally!). It really is a looong way before reaching the top. Since we can’t roam the whole Metro the whole day, we need a pit stop. Life here is so simple; a clean hostel is a good choice (not to mention that it is in the heart of the city and is very cheap). We always rented the same hostel for the same kind of room type: Family room (3 twin beds) every time we are in Baguio. The five of us would squeeze in and that’s part of our trip, to have bonding as friends and literally, like sardines (we call it ~budgeting!). Of course, our Saturday night won’t be complete without some clubbing. (What do you expect – we’re young!); a different spice to this well-diversed city

Almah - Our Philippines programme director