The Full Baguio

I wrote 2 short posts about the Baguio trip directly from my phone. On this post I will try to share more pictures with captions for each. Maybe a little less wordy because we know everyone is here for the pics. :)

If you were curious why I thought a trip to Baguio would be enjoyable, the chart below was a large factor. And with such an agreeable climate, many other tourists think so too. The city has developed into a wonderful tourist destination which I wanted to experience.

Day 1-

This was a pretty long day. I got up at ~3:30AM and headed to the airport for our 5:55AM departure. It was pretty dark until we got to Manila so I didn’t take any photos. Once in Manila, it was just in the middle of a cityscape. No really photo opportunities from the back seat of a Grab. We got on a first class bus to Baguio and were on our way shortly after. The elevated highways were interesting, but I took more photos from the return trip here than I did on the way there.

I was also able to grab more photos outside of the city on the way home than on the way to Baguio. I used my phone for all photos so the shutter speed was too slow causing some odd visual effects out of the bus window. Here are some country side photos.

As you would expect in the country side, it’s mostly just farm land. Rice fields and a few free roaming goats and cattle.

Then with about an hour left of the 4+ hour bus ride, we began to climb into the mountains.


We arrived at the bus terminal near the city center. It was early afternoon so we headed to our lodgings. It was chosen by us specifically because of its close proximity to the park and city center. After getting checked in we decided we weren’t tired enough so we walked a short distance to the city center. There is a park there called Burnham Park.

One of the largest attractions there are pedal bikes, trikes, and quads you can rent and pedal up and down the street. We tried that and my calves were relieved when the 30 minute rental was up.

We stopped for for quick strawberry taho and ube taho. Then we headed to the row boat rental. I rowed the boat most of the time and after 30 minutes and going around the lake twice, my heart was glad the rental time was up. We headed back to the apartment for some rest in anticipation of the night activities. The rest was so good, we decided to continue resting through the evening and we did not go back out. We decided to postpone our visit to the night market until the next evening.




Day 2-

Up relatively early and out the door. Almost all of our travel in baguio is via a grab taxi. They are readily available and are not too expensive. Not as cheap as a 30 cent jeepney, but you have much more comfort for 5 dollars. We traveled to Igorot Stone Park. This was an interesting place of continuous building into the mountain side using stones. Many tourist attractions like taking pictures with horses, a saint Barnard, cut outs, statues, many shops selling knick nacks of locally branded items.

We headed into the park and started the climb. Like the rest of the city there were many paid tourist photo opportunities. We spent 2 hours walking up and down the mountain taking pictures and looking at the stone work. At the top of the hill there is a small place to buy some food or drinks. We chose to go back down to the bottom of the hill and have our breakfast at a cafeteria there. The city's altitude was pretty obvious by looking at the snack shelf. All the bags were filled with air ready to pop.

From there we traveled to La Trinidad. This is nearby town is famous for its Strawberries and other cooler climate farming. We happened to be there during the Strawberry season and everyone was trying to sell their goods. Because it was cheaper to buy than to pick your own we bought some Strawberries and moved onto the next attraction after only 15 minutes.

We then strolled to the nearby street and picked up a jeepney to "the valley of colors", where the houses are painted very colourfully.

We were only there for a few pictures and then got another Grab to the Botanical gardens.

We were at the gardens for an hour or two ending our visit with a blueberry cheesecake cake(yes, that is what they called it. “Cheesecake cake”.) and some refreshments.



Up the road is Wright park, so we decided to walk there. We were not wearing the appropriate footwear for this city and we both had some sore feet by the end of this day. We took some pictures and strolled around Wright park. Across the street from the upper enterance is “Mansion House”.

We then walked to shakeys, a resturant known for their pizzas in the Philippines. It was still early but our feet hurt and we were starting to get irritable. We decided to go home and rest our feet before going out later in the evening. We took a nap but made sure we got up for the market. Again this was within walking distance of the apartment which was nice even if our feet paid the price. Before buying some clothes, including walking shoes, we made sure to enjoy the local street foods. Sushi, strawberry pancake, french fries, ube ice tea, avocado shake, javarice; all of it was tasty.

The walk back to the apartment was tough on the feet. We were tired and carrying back a fair amount of newly found clothing items from the night market. Everything there is pretty cheap. Especially when compared with canadian prices.


Day 3-

Because day 2 had a late night, we slept in a little on day 3, but we're back on the road by 9am. We took a grab to a place called Dragon treasure. Similar to yesterday's Igorot stone park, this place is also a tourist location where they are continually building with stone. With a king Arthur theme, they incorporate large stone statues and golden eggs. We didn't stay as long here but it did have a great view of the mountains.



We headed back to the city and had lunch at Mang Inasal at the Abanao Square mall. After our meal we decided on visiting Camp John Hay. We visited Bell house and rested, strolling the forest enjoying nature for about 2 hours.

We then traveled to Mines view park.

This was just a small location but had wonderful views of the surrounding mountains. There were many people there taking pictures and selfies.

 

We then went back to town and visited Sky ranch. Sky ranch is a park with fair rides. We played a carnival game of throwing hoops on bottle necks but of course got 0/20. Luck was not on our side. We did ride 1 ride which was an elevated human powered cart. Similar to the carts at Bonham park, but 20 feet in the air and you can spin the car with the steering wheel. It's all human powered so there was not much spinning. :) It required too much arm strength and courage.

We then headed to SM Mall. This place was really nice and I think 4 or more stories. The weather is so pleasant in Baguio, there are no doors into the hallways of the mall. Also the roof was canvas and strung up above the esclators with no buildng seal. There are also many eating places high up with patios overlooking the city. We ate at one of these establishments and walked back to the apartment.

 


Day 4-

The last full day of the trip. We took a cab back out of the city. This time we were going to Lions head. This turned out to be more of an adventure then previously thought. The location is very much what you would expect. A lions head carved out of the mountain and a line up of sellers selling tourism merch there was not much else and there were no taxis to get back.



So we started to walk away from the city towards a village. This would get us to a local bus back towards town more quickly. The walk was all down hill so we easily walked a few km in no time. We got to a little village on the road and waited some time for the bus. The bus came and everyone got on. It was fairly crowded, but not unusual for the Philippines. We were home by noon packing for the trip home tomorrow.

For our dinner on our last night during this trip we went to a place called Balai Inasal. The food was good, but overshadowed by the stunning view.


Day 5-

We were on a bus traveling out of town by 9:30am. It was a little more than 4 hours to get back to Manila arriving after 1:30pm. Here are some more pictures from a moving bus.

We took a 25 minute grab to the airport. Then it was just waiting for the flight home.

What a trip! I really enjoyed Baguio. The climate and natural beauty. I would really like to go back again and see what it would be like to stay longer. Would you get tired of walking up and down hills? Having to drive or walk switchbacks around town because it's too steep to go straight from top to bottom?

It was a memorable and hopefully repeatable experience.


Speed of life & the road

So, life here feels a little slower. I feel there is more red tape here so I am not sure if it is just the people are used to waiting, or maybe it’s because there are so many people here, slowing down and waiting is just a part of life. The good news about a slower life style is there is always people waiting around who have time answer any questions you have. Want to know where the nearest mall is, ask someone and they will direct you, or if your lucky to ask an employee or guard and they have time, they escort you.

Time aside, I would like to show you the different modes of transportation I have seen in the city. I took these images from google streetview so I didn’t have to take these images myself.

The pedicab. The slowest, smallest, quietest mode of transport for short trips within the neighbourhood. I like taking these, but it is pretty small and if I were much bigger, I am not sure I could fit in one. I have to enter by backing up into it already. :D

These trikes are great. Whatevery you call them, tuk-tuk, motor trike, or something else, they are everywhere and convienent. The first image of the red trike is an electric version. Faster than a pedicab, but still pretty slow. The image with the green trike is a gas operated trike and the next image shows how prevalent they are. The last trike shown also shows these are used by businesses (and maybe personal) to transport good around the city. They are not nessessarily restricted to the local neighbouhood so this is nice to get around town. These are slightly larger then the pedicab, but depending on which one you choose, if your tall, you might have to hunch over. I have also seen as many as 10 school kids piled inside the front back and on the motorbike of these.

I have also seen as many as 5 kids on a motorbike alone, so 10 on a trike might be a low number.

Commonly known as a jeepney, this is a larger transport. With more people inside, it can feel smaller. Basically a bus; you get on and off where you want. Fares are passed up to the front by the passengers.

Here is a typical street. Not a particularly busy street, and not in a particularly busy city. but there are many people moving about their business. Street lights are not very common and stop signs are frequently ignored. People just move when it is safe to do so.

I can also mention that driving on the opposite side of the road is not uncommon. This is literally my first time trying to find someone pointing the wrong way and it was my first click of the map. This car is obviously just parked while chatting, but a quick example.

Well, I think that is enough about transportation for now. There is always more difference to mention but I will keep this short.. ish.

Ube

Quick update

I haven’t been posting much because I have been lazy. I have been taking pictures but also worry about doxxing people from the street.

Well, here is a quick post where the only person I am possibly doxxing is myself.

Snack for tonight:

I don’t think we have many ube things back home. This tastes pretty good.

But even better is freshly baked bread treats.

Also, I am making this post from my phone. Hopefully it looks OK.

That’s for now. The vacation is going well. Later.

January 10 2025


As always I feel an urge to know where I need to be ahead of time so I left the international terminal. I should have stayed in a lounge for a hour or two. The lounge with a spa sounds like it would have been nice.
I left the terminal and was on the street. I had no idea where I was or where to go and I panicked. Signs on the door said I could not enter the way I came out and the shuttle I expected to take said they only allow passengers using a certain airline, not the one I was going to. I paid for 1 day of roaming internet through my Canadian phone company(in hindsight, considering the amount of use, it was worth it). I used the internet access to get a map of where I needed to be. Unfortunately, they have a street named “Terminal 2 entrance” around the corner. I was looking for the terminal 2 entrance, but not the street with the same name. And oddly enough, the terminal 2 entrance is not on the terminal 2 entrance road.

I walked outside in the heat for a bit until I realized I was at the wrong place. I used google streetview to find what I believe looked like a normal terminal entrance for departures. I walked for another 10 minutes and converted some money along the way. I was still hot because I was wearing pants, carrying luggage and had 2 jackets with me. I went to the check in area. The website where I bought the ticket had already checked me in so now I only had to pass security and get to my gate. I also wanted to do some last minute shopping and get refreshments while I was waiting. I was so early, the security person checking the tickets to allow people into the security area said I could only enter at noon when it was closer to boarding time. So I sat in a waiting area. I chatted online for a little while updating people on my status. I then moved to another waiting area and did the same. By this time my phone had not been charged in a few days and I moved over to a waiting area with phone charging.

Finally around noon my phone was charged and I went through security. The gate area was pretty crowded. I can see why they didn’t want me in there too early. I sat down and the exhaustion got to me. I sat around for a few hours trying to keep awake. In the last hour I managed to find an empty stall in a bathroom and change into shorts. I also got some water and snacks to help me stay awake until boarding.

Boarding came soon enough and I got on the plane. This was the first flight where I had someone sitting next to me. It was no frills. No in flight entertainment, but you could access wifi. The flight lasted an hour and I got to my destination safe and sound. What an exhausting 2 days!

January 9 2025

I got off the plane in Toronto. I found my way to the check in desk for Philippines airlines in the third terminal. I needed to do this because the airline was unable to send a boarding pass digitally. After more walking around on the moving sidewalks, I found myself at my gate. I have a free benefit to use one of the lounges. It was OK, but more people were there than I expected. Not too many chairs that were alone and I didn’t see any work stations. My boarding time was coming quickly so I headed to the gate.

I boarded early into business class. It made me feel slightly uncomfortable, but I got over it quickly. Everyone is nice and the service is excellent. A warm towel and a glass of water with lemon was provided before we even left the gate. The provided meals on this leg were excellent. I had a tuna salad and the sea bass for my first meal. I finished that off with a chocolate bunt cake.

The time in the air on this flight is over 16 hours non-stop. I had enough time to watch 4 full length movies start to finish.(the latest installments of Dune, Aquaman, Beatlejuice, and ghost busters. I also watched Furiosa, but had to shut it off with 20 minutes left as we stated to descend.)

This flight pathed over the north pole. Because it is a night flight all the shades are closed to let people sleep. So I was unable to see if I could find Santa’s workshop. (image provided by internet search)

After the first meal I was able to get 2 hours of sleep. This will turn out to be the only sleep from Wednesday morning in Canada to when I arrived Friday afternoon in the Philippines. The chair is a full lie flat so that is not an issue, but maybe the excitement of travel, or the change in routine kept me awake. They kept provided water and snacks throughout the flight. I accepted an apple and they offered a snack set that I had a little later. There was more items offered than I took, but I was not very hungry so I just took some healthier options and the blueberry cheesecake.

As we were approaching the Philippines, the passengers started to rise from their long rest. Lights were being turned back on and breakfast was being prepared. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of my breakfast. It started off with more fresh fruit.(grapes, melons, pineapple) followed by a pork sigsig burrito with tater tots and a side of salsa.

Here is a picture of the meal menu. They also had a drink menu but I did not partake this time.

With breakfast done, we descended into Manila. We landed in Manila with no issue. It wasn’t too hot at 25C because it was 5:30 in the morning, but it went up to 30C by noon. You could really feel it.



January 8 2025

After months of planning it was finally time to go to the airport. Traffic was not too bad and we got there quickly. I gave a brief thank you for the ride and a goodbye to my friends. I breezed through security and now that I got to my gate early, there is a 2.5 hour wait until departure.

We would be arriving in Toronto in the evening and the plane was only about half full. I was lucky enough to get my preferred seat next to a window and the seat next to me was empty. After I put my luggage in the overhead, a person in the row behind me opened the compartment and aggressively put his luggage on top of mine. Good thing it’s all clothes and nothing breakable in there. The flight attendant saw this and asked him to move his luggage to the compartment ahead. This will not be the last I will talk about these people. There was a slight dusting of snow on the ground. The ground crew had to spray the plane with antifreeze before take off. The plane took off on time.

15 minutes into the flight the person started to punch the back of my seat. Then halfway through the flight the person behind me started to cough up a lung. I was relieved that these events only lasted 10-15 minutes each. The flight was a pleasant experience excluding this odd behavior.

The plane landed in Toronto early, but because the ground crew was behind, we disembarked slightly late.