Way Up North to Baguio

     Last January 26, 2013, we attended the wedding of our friend Rose and Erwin in San Fabian, Pangasinan. During our exchange of chit-chats for the preparation of her wedding, Rose mentioned to us that Baguio is just 1 1/2 hours travel from their place. This idea got me excited so I told my friend, Kristina, that we should go to Baguio after the wedding even just for one day. She agreed! Hooray! I'm so happy because I've been wanting to have a vacation for a very long time. But days before the said wedding, there's a question whether to pursue our side trip to Baguio due to financial reasons. 

Our Victory Liner  Bus  to Dagupan =)

     Come January 25, 2013, we headed to Dagupan, Pangasinan where we will attend the said wedding. On our way, Kristina told me that instead of going up to Baguio and going home the same day, why not we spend one night there and go home the next day. I agreed, because I don't want to be so exhausted with the long trips. Since the original plan was one day itinerary, I don't reserve any accommodation. Thanks to our bus, they have free wifi that I was able to find cheap accommodation in just 30 minutes and confirmed it with the owner!!!! Weeeeewww, that was fast!.. hehehe... Budget friendly trip and much happiness! 

      On the day of our trip, we woke up as early as 4:30 am! Excited much! =) We rode the Victory Liner Ordinary Bus from San Fabian Bus stop with 95 pesos fare. It took us two hours to finally feel the cold breeze and saw those lines of Pine trees. Finally, Baguio here we come!!

Marcos Highway going up to Baguio..

      Even we're still on the bus, I can feel the coldness already and you can see the windows with moist. They told us that the temperature that time was 11˚C. Up the Kennon Road to the Governor Pack Road, you can see the University of the Philippines-Baguio Campus. 

         First stop, Victory liner ticketing booth. We booked our trip for the next day around lunch time so we will arrive in Cubao around 7pm. The fare is 450php for regular bus and 720php for deluxe. Outside the bus station, you can found lots of taxis waiting for tourists like us offering whole day tours around Baguio. But in our case, the budget friendly tour, we opted to ride the taxi just to go to our transient house: Susana Transient House. 

Your own kitchen in your  own room! Saya.. Budget friendly room =)

         Susana Transient House is located near the heart of Baguio along Tacay Road, Quezon Hill and nearby tourist spots such as Lourdes Grotto and Tam-Awan Village. Their rooms are equipped with television, electric fan, hot and cold shower, with gas stove and kitchen utensils. Yes! You can cook your own meal at your own room. This is surely budget friendly for as low as 180-250 php per night depending on the number of guests per room. Perfect for family outings and barkada getaways.

     So enough with soooooo much introductions. Are you excited to have a glimpse of Baguio? Come and join with me as we travel around Baguio within 1 day!

Travelling for me is fun, relaxing and stress-free. Every place I traveled made me wonder how beautiful the earth could be. One of it is the Baguio Botanical Garden also known as the Igorot Village. Its serene ambiance conveys calmness and tranquility. You can enjoy strolling around the place seeing different floras and faunas or just make lazy strolls at your own pace.

Big Stone Carving at the Entrance of Botanical Garden

     This big stone carving at the entrance of the garden depicts the Igorot Village, houses, their culture and life. Another focal point of this garden is the bronze sculpture made by the famous Filipino sculptor Ben-Hur Villanueva. This relic is a symbolization of the camaraderie of the original builders of the city, composed of Cordillera natives, Americans, Chinese and Japanese.

Meet my travel buddy, Kristina

Awesome View of Botanical Garden

Beautiful Flower

       At the center of the garden, you can see replicas of native Igorot's houses, large wooden statues and old stone statues. 

      An Ifugao or Igorot's house is compact and simple but very sophisticated. It was made of pure hardwork and labor using their bare hands and without nails or any hardware. Traditionally, it has four posters and elevated above shoulders height. 

     
  
         Igorot is one of the many ethnic groups here in the Philippines that can be found mainly in Cordillera Administrative Region. According to Wikipedia, the word Igorot is an exonym, derived from the archaic Tagalog term for "mountain people" (formed from the prefix i-, "dweller of" and golot, "mountain range").

Chinese Garden

Taebaek Park (Korea)

        Last September 1, 2009, it's name officially changed to Centennial Park as it celebrates its 100 years upon foundation. Currently, the park was under renovation and extension.


Up Next: Wright Park and The Mansion