Baguio, The Summer Capital of the Philippines: A Good Place to Soul Search
"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden." --Matthew 5:14I was planning to go back to Camarines Sur, Philippines, this holiday break but, I finally decided to finally go and visit the place I haven't visited in my long 25 years of existence: Baguio.
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My intro sure did imply that it was my first time to visit Baguio. In fact, it was also my first time to travel outside Manila, up north, alone (I wouldn't count my lone travel to Camarines Sur way back in 2012 because I am very much used to of going to and fro the place).
In fact, my friend at work called my personal pilgrim as "soul search", but I never intended it to look that way. Going back, it was a really nice opportunity to be in the city on a hill. It was like a long overdue immersion project which I prayed about so hard.
And since the whole journey was an absolute eye opener for me, I listed a few things that might help those who are planning to visit Baguio alone:
- If you are on a budget, it is wise to stay in a transient room in Baguio. I stayed at the Good Shepherd Dormitory near the Rotonda. It only cost me around 125 for two days--not bad eh?
- If you are dreaming to finally see the famous Session Road, sorry to burst your bubble, but it's just a main road. Nothing grand to see.
- If you are looking for a place to stay, it is better if you do the scouting by yourself. The people who claim to be working for the Department of Tourism sure would help you look for a "cheapest" hotel, but the most affordable recommendation they can offer would be around 1,800Php per night.
- Commute, do not take taxis if you can. The city is so small, you can have the streets and roads all memorized in just three days. Believe me. Besides, the fare there is so cheap that you would want to spend the whole day roaming around the small metro.
- If you want to buy the ever popular Good Shepherd Strawberry and Ube jams, wake up early to avoid really long lines.
- The city's strawberry puto bumbong and taho are just delightful.
- Wear jacket (or raincoat, maybe) as it will be really cold and, well, wet due to thick fog/moist.
Also, most of the transient rooms in Baguio generally do not have AC. Believe me, even the floor would be really so cold that you wouldn't think about walking barefoot.
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