We went on a
4-day vacation last April at City of Pines - Baguio with my parents. The last
time I visited this place was way back 2009 with Ian’s friends, mag boyfriend
palang kami nun, so imagine how excited I am when my husband told me about his
plan. Well, this is the scenario 2 days before our Baguio trip.
April 26,
Wednesday
Me – Hon, may
long weekend tayo. Yehey! (This is the time when Malacañang announced
non-working holiday on 28th due to ASEAN Summit)
Ian – Oo nga
eh, ang sarap mag out of town. Tara punta tayong Baguio.
Me – Huh?
Baguio talaga? As in this Friday na?
Ian – Oo since
long weekend naman.
So ayun nga,
in just 2 days noticed we prepared our things and booked our room. Well
actually my Dad helped us in booking. Andun na kasi sya sa Baguio that week so
he just extended his stay at the hotel. I want my parents to enjoy their
retirement that’s why I asked my mom to join us in our out of town trip. Happy
to say that she said “Yes”, finally a well-deserved vacation for my parents.
Day 1 - April
28, Friday
This is our
first day at Baguio, we travelled almost 6 hours including stop over (madami
kaming stop over because of my mom), we
stayed at Baguio Palace Hotel unfortunately I was not able to take a pictures
kasi pagod na kami sa byahe. The room can accommodate up to 4 pax but since we
are total of 5 adults and 2 kids, pwede narin, we just brought extra mattress
for our yaya. The location of this hotel is okay since it is near Burnham park
and in the city. However, the downside
of this hotel is that there are lots of bugs and insects as in di kami
nakatulog kasi ang daming kumakagat sa amin, buti nalang naka overall ng damit
si Rhaine and naka panjama naman si Rhian but still they keep on rubbing their
body because it’s so itchy. Do not expect trendy new amenities or high-class
room as this hotel is one of the oldest hotels in Baguio.
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| On our way to City of Pines |
Day 2 –April 29,
Saturday
We woke up early, had
our breakfast in the room and explore some tourist spots in Baguio. Let me
photo blog our Baguio trip.
1st Stop:
Burnham Park
Since this is so near
in the hotel, we opted to visit this place, enjoy riding in the bicycle,
boating and had our lunch in the nearby restaurant.
2nd Stop: Wright Park
My parents used to bring
us here during our younger years, my mom told me that it was in Baguio’s Wright
Park that we got to ride a horse for the first time that’s why I promised
myself to bring my kids here and enjoy the horseback riding. The ponies here
are sturdy and super cute because of their colored hair, they can also carry
adults but of course the management ensures that the tourists can ride an
animal that can manage their weight.
My kids were very
excited on riding the horse. They are not scared and ChingChing even insisted
on riding on her own. Mas takot pa nga yung tatay nya sumakay eh. Haha. Rhaine
on the other hand was very curious about riding the horse, baby pa kasi masyado
but she kept on pointing the horses around the place.
ChingChing kept
talking about her horseback riding experience over and over again and I’m so
proud of my kids that they experienced to ride a horse. Oh by the way, it was
my girls’ first time to ride horses and my heart is full of joy.
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| I love this place because it is situated in the middle of big trees and pine trees. |
For our last
stop on our 2nd day at Baguio, we decided to visit Mines View Park
where tourist has a spectacular view of the Amburayan Valley and nearby
mountains. Getting there was so hard due to traffic since the street was so
small. There are lots of souvenir shops around the area where you can buy
tshirts, native artifacts,herb and flower plants etc. There’s no entrance fee
here however, if you want to see the better view you may rent binoculars at Php
10 pesos for 10 minutes.
Since my
mother is so tired and can’t go down to join us, she opted to stay near the
main gate with my dad. The place was so crowded when we arrived and having kids
in tow in the middle of congested place is very difficult. You can rent Ifugao costume
and have unlimited pictures for only Php 20. Yes! The staff will dress you up
with matching accessories. Nice db.
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| Baguio will not be complete without wearing this colorful Igorot Costume. |
We visited
Café by the Ruins at night, unfortunately the place was jam-packed and the
management decided to close the store early. (*sigh*)
Day 3 – April
30, Sunday
We woke up a
little bit late and had our breakfast at Jollibee. So here’s our itinerary on
our 3rd day in Baguio.
1st
Stop: Strawberry Farm
My dad decided
to visit Strawberry Farm at La Trinidad Benguet as early as 7am to avoid
crowded tourists and heavy traffic; unfortunately we woke up late so we arrived
at the place by 11am. So imagine ang init na and for sure ubos na yung
strawberry sa dami ng nagpunta. You need to register first before going to the
farm and there’s no entrance fee. The cost of strawberry here is twice as the
price in the market,
The husband
wants to try picking fresh strawberries and he also wanted our kids to
experience it, unluckily, ubos na daw yung mga ripe strawberries, natira nalang
is yung mga baby strawberries. Oh how sad, so it is best to go here early in
the morning when there are more strawberries available for harvesting.
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| Picking some fresh baby strawberries (yung mga nahulog na.) |
And since wala
na kaming naabutan, the care taker allowed us to take photos within the area.
So kunwari nalang na may pinipitas silang strawberries. Hehe.
Strawberries
aren’t the only surprise that you can be found at the farm because there’s a
lettuce plantation and sunflower field, you just need to pay Php 20 as entrance
fee. By the way, we bought fresh lettuce for only Php 50.00.
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| Sunflower from farmer’s garden |
2nd
Stop: The Baguio Cathedral
Since its
Sunday, we opted to attend holy mass at Our Lady of Atonement which is
popularly known as Baguio Cathedral.
To cap off the
night, we had our late dinner at Route 55. Our food trips at Baguio will be on
separate post.
Day 4: May 1,
Monday
This is our
last day in Baguio, we woke up early and had our breakfast at the room from
Jollibee and prepare our things for early check-out.
1st
Stop: Good Shepherd
Our visit at
Baguio will not be complete without buying some pasalubongs at Good Shepherd.
This store is popularly known for selling items such as fruit preserves,
strawberry and ube jams, peanuts and juices.
The prices of their products are little bit pricey, but don’t worry the
proceeds will help send some Cordillera youth in college. #CharityWorks
2nd
Stop: Camp John Hay
This is our
last stop for the day. We had our lunch at Seafood Island and roamed around the
place.
Camp John
Hay’s charm is amazing with its pine tree-lined roads, beautiful landscaping and
wide open spaces that allow our children to run. This place remains a
“must-visit” for tourists.
I love how wonderful fresh pine smelling here, malayo sa usok at alikabok ng Manila. Sayang lang we were not able to looked around the place kasi biglang umabon so we decided to leave the place.
I’m looking
forward to visit Baguio again and I promised to stay at The Manor, para wala ng
mga insect.
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