Baguio City 2015: Escape to the City of Pines

My lovely family and I had this amazing opportunity to savor the magnificent sight and smell of the City of Pines last April 10-12, 2015. It was kind of a whole family out-of-town gala , and a pre-celebratory retreat of my college graduation (and an instant new job at UP Open University thereon!) where we, Rivas siblings, sponsored an all-expense paid trip for the two most hardworking parents in the whole universe, of course, mom and dad!

So, we hit the road with our van before dawn (yes, that early!) and this is my first shot inside our ride. We are already passing through Mabalacat, Pampanga, the home of our former beloved rancho, LJ Rivas Farms, to Baguio City.

The entourage.

Upon entering Kennon Road, lo and behold! The Lion’s Head! And all the glorious potential photobombers. (had I gotten off my seat out of the van and took my shot in front of the distinguished landmark of Baguio City) No one can blame these tourists; this 40-foot high Lion’s Head as a backdrop deserved a souvenir photograph in your camera phones.

A quick, good-to-know information: Located at Camp 6, the Lion’s Head is simply a limestone boulder carved to perfection by an Ifugao artist named Renaldo Lopez Nanyac, with the conceptualization of the Lions Club of Baguio, and collaboration with group of engineers and local miners.

Our first stop, the Ketchup Food Community! The happy place for our famished tummy! Oh the long ride will surely get your appetite going.

Ketchup Food Community is like a hub of several restaurants inside with variety menus and house specialties. My first impression as we entered this place is it’s similarity with our very own LB Square back in Los Banos, Laguna. Though of course food items and set menus being served are completely different here, the Ketchup Food Community caters to tourists and foreigners alike. Restaurants here aren’t rated 5-star, but from my experience, we left immensely satisfied with our dining experience; cool ambience, clean setting, and huge serving sizes! And most of all, everything was ,more or less, at an affordable price. You can find the Ketchup Food Community at Purok II Lower Romulo Drive, Lualhati, Baguio City.

Good to Know: What’s the postal code of Baguio City? 2600.

The possible lowdown on this place is the parking area, as the picture says, it gets very crowded at times. But you can hail a cab anyway. And you MAY have to fall in line to get a table, coz really, this place is quite famous too and people are flowing in constantly. The long queue is managed by food park servers and it is actually nice observing how behaved people in line are and how systematic they manage the customers. Well, all I can say is, it’s worth the wait. I PROMISE!

Sweetness overload!

While waiting for us to be seated on our designated table, lucky for me, a taho vendor passed by and for a price of P20, I finally had my first strawberry taho! Yummy!

Okay so we ate at Canto Bogchi Joint, look at my order of baby back ribs! The plate can’t hold the whole lot for crying out loud! J Huge serving, perfectly plated, well-done meat is the best treat of the house I daresay. Canto is really famous or their baby back ribs and these humongous portion sizes. Not only that, its amazingly juicy and tender! I loved my baby back ribs!

We stayed in an apartment owned by a fraternity brod of my bother-in-law. It’s quite safe boarding here since it is near a local security agency.

We enjoyed to the fullest our spacious accommodation and complete kitchen setup. 4 bedrooms, 3 comfort rooms, a wide U-shaped kitchen, roomy dining area, sala set, TV with cable, free wifi, closets in each bedroom, clean and crisp bed sheets and towels, I just loved staying here!

Narra bed. Cozy socks. Chilling out. LOVE EET!

My mom’s usual self; busy with the pots and pans.

Dinner time! Look at those salad greens! We’re in Baguio of course! Veggies are super affordable!

Checking out their precious shots from today’s earlier gala.

LET’S GO EXPLORE BAGUIO: THE CITY OF PINES, NOW!

1. BURNHAM PARK

At the heart of the city lays the urban park named after an American architect, Daniel H. Burnham, who pioneered the dawn of this scenic spot. Burnham Park boasts its vast greens, path for bikers and joggers, man-made bodies of water where tourists can enjoy boat rides while watching the sunset and enjoying the refreshing air.

My dad, sitting like boss. It was nice to see him cool down and release stress on an out-of-town trip.

Let’s ride! I had fun with these rented pedicab! I paved my way through the park with my plus-sized bro (my muscles got toned in an instant!) on this cool wheels. Oh I vividly remember how much it hurts when my big bro got down from the side car and the whole thing slammed onto my right shoulder! The side car may tend to get out of balance as the weight is shifted to the other side when a passenger goes off the side car, so you have been warned. Stay off the coast! >.<

Put your sweaters on! Baguio City’s cold weather temperature averages on 18 degrees C or 64 degrees F, with 100% humidity and 4% possibility of rainfall.

Mrs. Anastacia Steele-Grey. Haha!

At the heart of the Burnham Park graciously lies this embossed wall art. The art lover in me needs to pose for a souvenir shot here, this is quite a find! #grayisthecolorofmyenergy

2. La Trinidad Benguet Strawberry Farm

Yes! It is time of the year! When you visit this place, just pray that the weather has been extra nice to the area. Good, suitable weather is one of the key to make a conducive growth condition to the said crop. Perfect season for strawberry picking is from the month of February to May. We are really in luck because we are here on good ‘ol April and all the plump strawberries are available for us.

Strawberry-picking is quite a stress-relieving activity and the fruit has a sweet-sour blend that I really can’t get enough off! This farm is really a gem, I hope they get a boost in tourism, crop production and income.

3. Good Taste Restaurant

We dined at Good Taste Restaurant on our second day here in Baguio City. The place is quite popular for tourists and locals alike for its affordable price yet sumptuous taste; the name explains for itself actually.

I personally liked the huge servings as the pictures depict, and freshness of vegetable dishes served. Not too salty or bland, it hits the spot right on the first bite! Good taste, good chat, quality time with family and a happy tummy! Things are getting more exciting on our second day.

4. Butterfly Sanctuary

Down to the winding stone steps we go. Hello Butterfly Sanctuary!

A quick trip down the Butterfly Sanctuary.Prep up for the admission fee, but do not fret because its priced reasonably. Admission fee for adults is 50 pesos each, 45 pesos for a group of 25 pax, while 0-1 year old kiddos are free of charge. Ain’t that sweet?

The fluttering butterflies are a beautiful sight! No questions asked! But a heartbreaking truth behind our little winged friends’ captivating beauty is that their life span last only for week (majority of butterfly species; some may live up to six months). You can only take limited shots, preferably with no flash since it adds stress to the butterflies.I took a couple of shots of the flowers here; they’re breathtaking too! I think you can opt for that rather than take several shots of the butterflies.

This butterfly sanctuary house looks like a fairy’s house in the middle of the forest! (A big fairy house I daresay).

The beautiful bronze mermaid statue inside adds up to the classic, magical feel in the garden house, plus the different species of butterflies, all for your enjoyment.

5. The Mansion

Next destination, the Mansion! This huge expanse of land and architecture was built in 1908, located nearby the Wright Park. Before, it served as the summer residence of American Governor-Generals, and now it serves as a residence of high-ranking government officials of the Philippines (since Former Pres. Manuel L. Quezon) here in Baguio City.

The Mansion was designed by William E. Parsons as part of the Burnham Plan for Baguio in 1908 and was constructed at the instance of William Cameron Forbes. The construction was inspired by the City Beautiful Movement; the place also served as the venue for the special session of the 2nd Philippine Legislature in 1910 and many particular events thereafter, such as the U.N. Economic Commission of Asia and Far East (ECAFE) in 1947, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1948, and the first meeting of the Southeast Asian Union (SEAU) known as the Baguio Conference of 1950. The Mansion was destroyed during the war in 1945, and was rehabilitated two years later, in 1947.

The Mansion’s tall, wrought iron gates. Quite a popular spot for jumpshots!

Oooppsie! There goes my belly button! >.<

6. Good Shepherd

Before we head home on our third day here in the summer capital of the Philippines, it’s high time that we shell out some moolah and buy our most awaited “pasalubongs” for the peeps who stayed back home (my two sisters, one preggy, the other still resting and nursing her bruises from a recent vehicular accident).The Good Shepherd is your one stop for Baguio’s famous pasalubong such as ube jam, strawberry jam,choco flakes, peanut brittle, cashew crunch, and many sweet treats.

Prices are reasonable and for a cause; everytime you buy products of Mountain Maid Training Center in Good Shepherd Convent, you are actually helping to send the Cordillera Youth to college. These young Cordillerans attend colleges including Philippine Women’s University, Baguio College of Technology, Benguet Vocational School Colleges, King’s College of the Philippines, and many more. Being an advocate for quality education and its importance, for me it’s good to know that you are able to give back with this small act of buying their commodities.

All in all, our Baguio Experience will last forever in our minds as one of the best summer gala we had so far! This is actually my third time up here in the Summer Capital, (my first was when I registered at UP Baguio as freshman, second when we pulled out my papers so I can register at UP Los Banos instead) but this is the most documented tour I had, for the purpose of personal blogging, record-keeping and also helping out as a travel advisor for tourist or aspiring vacationist out there with my personal experience. I hope this article helps you somehow and entices you on your upcoming Baguio trip! Don't forget to leave us a comment or two. Have a safe trip everyone!

XOXO

-CLAIRE

April 15, 2015

#travel #baguiocity #summer