It's my first time in Baguio
As mentioned in a previous post, I spent most of my childhood summers in Pangasinan. My mom's hometown is 2 hours away from Baguio, and yet, I have never been there, it has always been a mystery to me.
That is the reason why I was the loudest advocate for a trip to the north while they're still debating whether to visit Visayas or MIMAROPA. I thought, since Christmas was just right around the corner, why not travel to a cold place!
I succeeded in my propaganda! Here, now, is a quick list of the things we did in Baguio!
Day 1
Late Lunch at Grumpy Joe's
We ate loads of food from Grumpy Joe's as recommended by Dom who traveled to Baguio just a week before.
My favorite is the Aloha 5 Cheese pizza! Their servings are huge, and it may be overwhelming if you're eating alone. If you ever want to dine here, bring at least two friends.
Check-in at Mines View Park Hotel
Locate a few steps away from the Mines View Park, as the name suggested, you can guarantee amazing views from the hotel! Need I say more.
Dinner at Le Chef at The Manor
To celebrate a successful year with the team, we indulged ourselves in a four-course meal in Le Chef at the Manor.
The location was vibrant with all the Christmas decorations! It is also the best location to exchange Christmas gifts.
It says "AI-generated content". I removed the cars in the background.
At the end of the night, I didn't get to finish my steak, so I shared it with cats roaming around the restaurant.
Day 2
Visit Mount Camisong
What is a trip to the Cordillera Region if you're not going to visit a least one mountain park? So, we did.
A free shuttle from Baguio City to Itogon is offered to tourists, making Mt. Camisong Forest Park more accessible to travelers.
It's almost an hour ride away. I did not have any complaints because the scenery going there is mag-ni-fi-cent!
Even though some of us are fighting the motion sickness, and I'm proud how none of us vomitted on the bus!
Mt. Camisong features a variety of sections that guests could enjoy. We particularly loved Samyo Garden, and Muni-muni Hall. We were hoping to take a photo at the Alapaap Viewing Deck, but so does hundreds of people, so we backed out.
Visit an uncle at Philippine Military Academy
It's rare to get to visit your uncle's workplace, so when I was given a chance, I did! After visiting Mount Camisong, we went back to Baguio. While my friends visited Ili-likha, I went to visit my uncle at the Philippine Military Academy.
As the name suggests, it is the place of knowledge and training for the future offices of our armed forces.
My uncle roamed me around, gave me a private tour of the place he has called home for two years now.
Shop at Neko-ya
Neko-ya is a cute novelty shop in the city centre of Baguio. It's a great place to find gifts, and a dangerous place for shopaholic cat enthusiasts and Ghibli fans.
They sell journals, stickers, Ghibli memorabilias, blind boxes of cat toys (toys with cats on them, not toys for cats), cups, outfits, and more! This is when I learned how addictive blind boxes can be, and how damaging it is for your financial well-being.
Had a massage at North Haven Spa
We're rapidly reaching our 30s, and with that, we learned to look for ways to take care of our bodies better. While most of us have only good things to say about massage therapies, there are two team members who have never felt the magic of it. We can't be that evil and let this opportunity go for them.
After shopping at Neko-ya, we were trying to book a taxi going to North Haven. We have underestimated the Baguio traffic jam that people were talking about. We were trying to book a taxi via Grab for a while. But after a few minutes, our appointment is getting closer, it was apparent that taxis are scarce, so we decided to just walk.
This is a view from one road on our 3 km walk.
In the lowlands, I'd generally think that 3 km is an easy walk. However, I am not there, I'm in a mountain, 3 km here means something entirely different.
We reached the spa at the exact time we should, and we were exhausted, making the highly-anticipated spa all the more worth it!
Late Dinner at Good Taste
I have nothing much to say but everything we ate at Good Taste is so good!
Window shopping the Night Market
As someone who has never stepped foot in Baguio, the one thing I'd always hear from my family is the evening bazaar. Now that I am in Baguio, I just have to see it!
The night market is located at the Harrison Road. It features hundreds of stalls where you can find souvenirs, thrifted clothes, and bags! On the other side is the food bazaar, which we didn't visit, but it also houses several food stalls perfect for a food trip!
I only bought one ref magnet from the night market after walking through all the stalls. when I realised how much I spent at Neko-ya, I decided to shut my wallet.
Day 3
Shopping for gifts and souvenirs
This is our last day in Baguio, you know what that means... Souvenir shopping!
A huge shoutout to my frenny, Marvin, who supported my agenda that morning.
We didn't have to go far to buy pasalubong. We found a dozen stalls just a few blocks away from our hotel.
As always, I bought a shirt that has "Baguio City," coffee, and strawberry jam for the road.
Going to La Union
Our last hours in Baguio were spent in the terminal, waiting for a bus to La Union, where our next adventure is going to be. Spoiler alert, I had tonsilitis, so my adventure was halted.
All in all...
My first trip to Baguio was amazing! It was everything I thought it's going to be! While some people think it's overhyped, I absolutely think it's properly hyped for a place so pretty. The Igorots were kind and friendly! I loved talking to the taxi drivers, they always have fun stories to share.
I went back to Baguio this December for an afternoon! I'll write about that some time soon.