Wright Park and The Mansion

Wright Park is located at the eastern part of the city and fronting the main gate of the Mansion. With few walks from the botanical garden, you'll be able to reach this  "Pool of Pines".

The Wright Park

This leisure park is known for horse back riding activities that's why it's called by children as Ride Park. You can rent a pony for an hour for a minimal cost and horse owners will accompany you as their guide. A photoshoot with horses is still a must do activity in the Wright Park.

Pink haired Horses.. so beautiful =)

I remembered my last horse ride was still when I was in Grade 6, around 20 years ago..hehehe.. =)

little bonsai 

This bonsai and other kinds of plants can be sold in the Wright Park. You can see beautiful flowers blooming, the scent of mint plants and the artistic features of cactus. 

You need to climb to number of stairs to see one of the parks' features, a shallow elongated rectangular man-made pool of water. It was named after the architect, Governor Luke E. Wright (who ordered architect Daniel Burnham to build Baguio as a recreational facility for American soldiers and civilians).

Across the end of this pool, you will see the entry gate of The Mansion, the official summer residence of the president.  It is located on the eastern part of the city along C.P. Romulo Drive (formerly a part of Leonard Wood Road). Older than the city itself, the Mansion is easily one of the most visited and photographed landmarks of Baguio.

The main gate is an exact replica of the one found in Buckingham Palace in London.

It is one of the top visited tourist spots here in Baguio. 

Me at the entrance of The Mansion

According to Wikipedia, The Mansion was built in 1908 to serve as the official summer residence of U.S. Governor-Generals at the instance of Governor-General William Cameron Forbes. The name is derived from the summer cottage in New England of Governor Forbes whose administration the original Mansion House was built under. 

According also to Wikipedia, The Mansion House was also used as the venue of important events, such as the second session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) in 1947, the second session of the Food and Agriculture Organization in 1948, and the first meeting of the Southeast Asian Union (SEAU), more commonly known as the Baguio Conference of 1950, which was conceived and convened by President Elpidio Quirino.^[2] More recently, The Mansion has been the site of a number of international conferences.

When I first visited Baguio when I was 12, we wasn't able to glimpse this place and now I was really amazed of its architectural design, Spanish era. It's peaceful, very relaxing and very close to nature. Truly, if I was the president, I will go here as often as I can to unwind from stressful issues and problems of the country. =)

Up Next: Mines View Park, Lourdes Grotto, Burnham Park and Baguio Cathedral