Baguio City is a highly-urbanized city located
in the province of Benguet, in the mountainous Cordillera region. It is
nicknamed “The Summer Capital of the Philippines” due to its lower-than-average
temperature, as the temperature here during the summer months (April-June)
reaches at around 20 degrees Celsius. It is located 5,050 feet above mean sea
level, when measured at the city center. During the northern winter months of
December to February, even though Philippines only has 2 seasons, the
temperature here could go down to about 8 degrees Celsius. It went down to as
cold as 6.3 degrees Celsius, which happened on January 18, 1961.
Once you are on the city, it is a good idea to
visit the city’s tourist spots. In Burnham Park, you can go biking here for P
40 an hour, ride a boat in the lake for P 100 per ½ hour if your group
consists of less than or equal to five members, P 150 per ½ hour if your
group consists of six to eight members. An additional P 50 will be
charged if you need a rower. In Wright Park, you can go ride on a horse for P
300 an hour, if only one-half of an hour, you pay P 200. You may visit
the abandoned Diplomat Hotel and, you may pay a visit to the largest Catholic
Ten Commandments tablet located a few steps from the hotel facade. If you like
jogging, you may jog for free at the Mansion Oval, a paved road located at the
Wright Park. It is safer than the other jogging routes because guards are
present in the site. After you jog, there are vendors of strawberry taho present all around the place, and
you may buy one for around P 10 a cup. You may go sightseeing on The
Mansion House, which is near the site. A visit to the Mines View Park is also
good. From an observation deck, you can overlook the city and the surrounding
settlements. Inside the Park, you may rent an Igorot costume for just P
20, and various photographers are there to take pictures of visitors, typically
charging P 50 a shot.
You may reach Baguio either by your own private
vehicle or by public transport. If you reach by private vehicle, the easiest
route is to go via the North Luzon Expressway, exiting at SCTEx Exit to connect
to Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, where, at Tarlac City, connects to a further
extension named Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway. You will exit in
Binalonan, Pangasinan on the third expressway which is, as of writing, the northernmost
exit in the three expressways. As you exit, you will end up in MacArthur
Highway, which is named after Douglas MacArthur. As you reach Pugo, La Union,
there are two arrows that point to roads leading up to Baguio. The left arrow
is via Aspiras-Palispis Highway, better known by its former name Marcos
Highway, while the right arrow is via Kennon Road, the shortest yet dangerous
route. I would advise travelers to use the Aspiras-Palispis Highway because it
is safer than Kennon Road. If you reach by public transportation, well, it is
not a problem. Victory Liner, established in 1945, provides round-the-clock bus
service to and from Baguio from and to its Metro Manila terminals in Pasay City
and in Cubao, Quezon City. They offer two classes of travel, the Regular Aircon
class and the First Class. A Regular Aircon class ticket costs P 455
when embarking in Pasay or P 445 when embarking in Cubao. The bus seats
49 passengers, and is equipped with audio and video system, and a wireless
internet access. The trip takes six hours, with two stop-overs in Tarlac City
in Tarlac and in the town of Sison in Pangasinan. If you want a better bus, or
just in a hurry, you may purchase a First Class ticket. It is costlier than the
Regular Aircon class ticket, at P 750 whether you embark in Pasay or Cubao,
yet it shaves two hours in traveling. The bus only seats 29 passengers, and is
equipped with wireless internet access, audio and video system, and, a
restroom, which eliminates the need for a stop-over. Furthermore, the bus
stewardess gives each passenger some snacks, which consists of a cupcake,
peanuts, and water. Availing this service means going to your preferred Metro
Manila Victory Liner terminal or booking through the Internet on their website.
Other than Victory Liner, Genesis Transport also provides service to Baguio, at
a ticket price almost equating Victory’s price. It also offers a non-stop
service as “JoyBus: Executive Coach of Genesis”, with a price of P 570.
For some reasons, I would recommend riding the Victory Liner bus, because its drivers
are well-trained for their job, and they have a company-wide speed limit of 95
kilometers per hour.
Within the city, there are numerous taxicabs
available. The flag-down rate is P 30 for the first ½ km, with an
addition of P 2 per 400 meters, and also for a stoppage of 60 seconds.
The types of taxi cabs here are totally different from those in the lowlands.
Isuzu Crosswind, Toyota Avanza, Mitsubishi Adventure, Toyota Revo, and the
Toyota Innova are the common models used as taxicabs in this city. If you want
to save on fares, you may take a jeepney. There are several jeepney routes that
criss-cross the city. The minimum fare is P 7 for the first four
kilometers, just like in Metro Manila.
Baguio City has a wide variety of hotels to
choose from, but they tend to be full during the last week of February, for the
annual Panagbenga Festival (a festival of flowers) held in the city. If you
want a modest room, check-in to Hotel Supreme (the bigger one) in Magsaysay
Avenue, or in Crown Legacy Hotel in Kisad Road, near the Burnham Park. Microtel
by Wyndham near the Victory Liner terminal is also a good option. For the
middle class, I recommend checking-in to Hotel Elegant, located a few steps
downhill from Hotel Supreme, or Pines View Hotel in Legarda Avenue. Inn Rocio
in Kisad Road is also a good choice. If you just want a transient home, there
are many of them all over the city.
If you want to buy some treats for your
relatives back home, head to Mountain Maid Training Center in Gibraltar Avenue.
From 8 in the morning till 5 in the afternoon, they sell jams, peanut brittle,
and many more, which became the popular choice of treats by travelers. At the
city’s public market, you can buy world-class brooms there, usually three
brooms for P 100. You may also buy 92.5% silver jewelry in the city. The
city is also a haven for those looking for silver jewelry, because they are
available throughout the city. One of the popular silver shops in the city is
Ibay’s Silver Shop, with branches in Session Road, SM City Baguio, and in Mines
View Park.
The city is populated mostly by Ilocano people.
Although the main language spoken is Ilokano, the people also understands
Tagalog, and a few can understand English. Although there are no dress code
laws that prevail in the city like anywhere else in the Philippines, it is a
must to observe decency in dressing. For females, avoid the extemely short
shorts, as it may disrespect the locals.
Like most cities in the Philippines, there are
no special do’s and dont’s. Proper etiquette must be followed in order to have
an enjoyable and trouble-free stay at Baguio City, the Philippines’ Summer
Capital.
( Posted by: John Gabriel Ibay )
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