Travel Date: Nov. 18, 2012
Destination: Baguio City, Benguet Province
One of the popular names that come up when it comes to tourist destinations is Baguio. It's on our to-do-list since when we were first working in Fairview back in 2005. Plans remained plans. My friends and I have gone back to Negros (our home province) with no Baguio. So I came back for my new job and still planned of going with or without company. Almost a year had passed since I got back and still no Baguio happened.
Then one day after work, my cousin and I had thought of going somewhere to unwind during our rest days. And ta-dah! Baguio came to mind. No itinerary. Just go wherever our steps will lead us. This is what I love about not planning our trips. So I came home on a Saturday night from work and took a power nap. My cousin had already slept the whole afternoon. How unfair!
By 23:45, we were heading out to the Victory Liner bus station in Cubao. First bus leaves at 00:15 via SCTEX. This is a faster way but we thought Php715 was too much for a one-way trip. So we took the next trip that leaves at 01:00 for Php445+Php50 that I can't remember if it was for a terminal fee or for insurance. After 7 hours on the road, we should still get to Baguio at early daylight. You may check out the following link for Victory Liner's daily schedule and fare: http://www.victoryliner.com.
So we arrived at Baguio at roughly 07:30. I've definitely smelled the difference! The air was truly fresh and the climate was cool.
We went out to the street outside the terminal, no idea where to go or where to start. Then a man approached us and took us to the booth near the bus station and introduced us to the different packages they offered. Php2500 can take us to their tourist spots the whole day, strawberry farm not included but we were able to haggle with our tour driver who also did the honor to be our official photographer. So after the negotiation, to the blue cab, we hopped in.
First stop was the famous Lourdes grotto to thank for the safe trip. There's a winding and steep asphalt road leading to the grotto but to make the experience worthwhile, we chose to climb the 252 steps to the top.
Destination: Baguio City, Benguet Province
One of the popular names that come up when it comes to tourist destinations is Baguio. It's on our to-do-list since when we were first working in Fairview back in 2005. Plans remained plans. My friends and I have gone back to Negros (our home province) with no Baguio. So I came back for my new job and still planned of going with or without company. Almost a year had passed since I got back and still no Baguio happened.
Then one day after work, my cousin and I had thought of going somewhere to unwind during our rest days. And ta-dah! Baguio came to mind. No itinerary. Just go wherever our steps will lead us. This is what I love about not planning our trips. So I came home on a Saturday night from work and took a power nap. My cousin had already slept the whole afternoon. How unfair!
By 23:45, we were heading out to the Victory Liner bus station in Cubao. First bus leaves at 00:15 via SCTEX. This is a faster way but we thought Php715 was too much for a one-way trip. So we took the next trip that leaves at 01:00 for Php445+Php50 that I can't remember if it was for a terminal fee or for insurance. After 7 hours on the road, we should still get to Baguio at early daylight. You may check out the following link for Victory Liner's daily schedule and fare: http://www.victoryliner.com.
So we arrived at Baguio at roughly 07:30. I've definitely smelled the difference! The air was truly fresh and the climate was cool.
We went out to the street outside the terminal, no idea where to go or where to start. Then a man approached us and took us to the booth near the bus station and introduced us to the different packages they offered. Php2500 can take us to their tourist spots the whole day, strawberry farm not included but we were able to haggle with our tour driver who also did the honor to be our official photographer. So after the negotiation, to the blue cab, we hopped in.
First stop was the famous Lourdes grotto to thank for the safe trip. There's a winding and steep asphalt road leading to the grotto but to make the experience worthwhile, we chose to climb the 252 steps to the top.
Apart from the fact that this a famous pilgrimage site, this is also a great place to be at for peace and quiet. I love the view here, don't you?
Next stop is the Ten Commandments tablet atop Dominican Hill. Measuring 152.90 square meters, this has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest in the world, according to the World Record Academy. See how small we are in the picture?
Right across the Ten Commandments tablet stands the haunted hotel. It seems that this abandoned hotel is filled with a lot lost spirits. We were trying to get in but it felt so heavy and creepy we had cold feet. I thought we probably need Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt in Ghost Whisperer) to help the souls cross over.
look closely...do you see something?
Now it's time to take a peek at the dwellings of the Ifugaos. Let's see what's inside Tam-awan village.
with our driver/photographer Rodrigo (had a local take this photo)
Entrance fee to the village is Php50/head, tour guide admission is free. They have in-house artists who have the coolest sense of humor who charge Php100 per solo sketching. I never thought posing for a sketch was fun. There never was a dull moment. So you judge how the sketch turned out :)
More to come...
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