This post was first published on February 7, 2020 on this page as commissioned by a third party in behalf of a client.
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It’s been getting really cold these past few days. It’s kind of surprising at this time of the year really, and if you know me, I love the cold so I want to dial it up and head off to Baguio.
Welcome to Kafagway
When the Americans took over the country and discovered Baguio, they asked some of the locals what the place was. The natives mistook the Americans to be pointing at moss and named it: bag-iw, their local term for moss. The name stuck but got lost in translation then evolved to what we know today: Baguio.
Known as the City of Pines, few people know Baguio by its original name given to it by the Spaniards in 1846: Kafagway. Back then it was an Ibaloi village with mostly grassland and only 20 houses.
It was originally designed to house 25,000 people but now supports a population of, as per the city’s tourism office, 500,00 to 700,000 in the day time and 250,000 to 300,000 at night so you can imagine how cramped the place can be.
Most people usually stay in such highly populated areas like Manila or Cebu or Davao because of work or necessity but people flock to this place. With so many places to go to, visit, eat at, it’s no wonder tourism has been booming in this city and its neighboring places for decades now.
Tourism in the North
With so many things you can see and experience in the city and its neighboring locations, there are plenty of tour packages you can avail of in case you want to visit. You can check online for available packages or you can check with a nearby Travel Agency or agent in case they have such offerings. They might even be able to set up an itinerary for you.
You can also make use of Airbnb as they now have their Airbnb Experiences set up there. They offer a lot of these Experiences such as a 7-hour culture walk for 2,499 Php or a 4 hour guided hike for as low as 750 Php per person. You can see these here.
In case you want to go at it on your own, you can get to Baguio from Manila by taking any of the buses going north marked out for the city or if you want to go fancy, Joybus offers a deluxe ride that has chairs that turn into beds, wifi, even an entertainment system.
If you’d rather drive there, simply take the NLEX – SCTEX – TPLEX route. You should be there in 5 to 4 hours.
Whether you want to go for a guided tour or you want to go at it alone, there’s something for everyone in Baguio.
A Feast for the Senses
Oh yes, the cold.
The city being way up in the mountains allows it to be conducive for the cold. In 1908, it was declared as the country’s Summer Capital. Its local climate allows the local Pines from which it’s other moniker is derived. It has perfect weather for planting vegetables. Because of this, the city and its surrounding locales have a strong farming community.
You can get around by using the jeeps and taxis that run all over the city but if you want to really experience everything Baguio has to offer, don’t be a tourist and just walk around the entire time.
Just make sure to limber up first, it can be quite the challenge.
There are many places to visit here both old and new. To start, you can begin at the Baguio Cathedral. This served as an evacuation center when World War 2 hit. There are of course other popular destinations like Burnham Park, the Philippine Military Academy, the Mansion, and Wright Park.
If you want to step outside the city there are many other locations you can visit – all about one or 2 jeepney rides away. There’s the relatively new Valley of Colors or Colors of Stobosa named after the 3 settlements there: Stonehill, Botiwtiw, and Sadjap). These are colorfully painted houses which you can better appreciate if you view it from Sitio Cogcoga
If you head over to Tuba, Benguet you can visit the famous Bencab Museum which celebrates the works of National Artist Benedicto Reyes Cabrera. They have an open garden and a café you can rest in.
There are other places you can go to that celebrate the local cultures and talents of Benguet such as Easter Weaving where they make local textiles and the Woodcarver’s Village.
If you fancy being close to nature, you can visit the Northern Blossom Flower Farm in Atic, Benguet. They have 20 kinds of flowers some of which are even imported from Japan. From here you can view Mount Pulag and Mount Timbac which is the third highest peak in Luzon. It’s perfect to go there now as January and April are when the flowers are in full bloom!
Before you head back to the city, make sure to pass by the La Trinidad Trading Post. Its here you can find plenty of freshly harvested vegetables. They can be very cheap when bought here like 20 to 50 pesos cheaper as compared to the lowlands depending on the season.
Since it’s highly urbanized, the city has become a melting pot of cultures: from the local tribes that once ruled the land, the different peoples who have migrated here from different regions of the country, and the many other nationalities, all of which have influenced how the city looks and feels.
They also affected the cuisine Baguio has to offer.
Here you will see a lot of American inspired bars, remnants of the time Uncle Sam stayed over like the 50’s Diner.
Baguio Craft serves foreign and local brews even their own home-brewed beers. You can even access these off the tap.
If you fancy a bit more of the local food, try Mama Din’s Bulaluhan near The Mansion. It’s a carinderia but people come here in droves.
If you want to try a bit more savvy fare, try Amare La Cucina. You also have Oh My Gulay! (try their Pansit Gulay ni Pepe and Brocha ni Antonio Luna) and who can forget the famous Canto.
Amazing Simplicity
Baguio is amazing. From humble beginnings, it has grown into a cultural hub in the north and it will continue to do so in the decades to come. With such a crowded population, it is indeed a melting pot of cultures and influences. Perhaps such an amalgamation is not such a bad thing.
Not all change is bad.
Sure, it can get confusing with all these people bringing in their influences and shaping the city but they also bring with them new life. They bring the best of what they have.
That is perhaps what makes people come here, what makes me come here.
In some odd way, it makes everything simpler. Not the cold but the simplicity of life and peace it has to offer.
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