Baguio City is still the undisputed Summer Capital of the Philippines because of its cool mountain weather and pine trees. Situated in Northern Luzon, this is a popular destination especially during the stifling season in our country.

our first visit to Baguio City on March 1, 2003

There are three main roads in getting there. One is through Kennon Road, the fastest way but dangerous because of landslides during the rainy season. The other two are Marcos Highway and Naguillian Highway which are safer though travel time will take a bit longer.

the iconic symbol of Baguio City… the Lion Head

When my sister Ghie came home from work abroad, she enjoined us to visit Noel’s house (her fiancé) in La Trinidad, Benguet. Noel was left as he had a late reservation in his flight booking. Everyone was excited of going back to the foggy land and visit Baguio City’s tourist attractions.

We left Manila by 3:00 pm, my hubby behind the wheels. It was almost 10:00 pm when we reached our destination. Noel’s house was a three-story apartelle. We stayed on the third floor where it has three rooms and two bathrooms. We had a light snack. While everybody was busy, I went awhile on the balcony to stargaze. It was an amazing night where I had enough solitude and time to contemplate on many things.

We slept with all the windows closed and no fan at all. We wore jackets, pajamas, socks, and to complete our sleeping gears, we also wore bonnets in our heads.hahaha! Good night Benguet!

I woke up early to catch the morning sunrise. With my cam, I headed to the balcony again. Farms and pine trees in lowlands were huddling defensively by fogs. When the sun slowly emerges into the horizon, the rays dramatically spilled into the milky white mists. And suddenly the coat of brightness invaded the beautiful view. I blew air into the wind and there I saw white mist emitted from my mouth. What a childlike delight I was doing anyway.

morning mist

We prepared for our breakfast. I was fascinated to see the wonderful rays of the sun streaming into the living room. Our little Shen had a photo with it while crawling on the floor.

our crawling baby as the sun spilled its rays to the floor

Our first destination was in Wright Park located just across from The Mansion which is still not open for visitors. Beautiful horses were lined up in one corner and souvenir stores in another corner. I was lazy to indulge myself in horseback riding as I already tried it on our first visit here. Instead, I bought keychains while my hubby and Pao tried it again (P250) with a horse owner walking alongside and holding the rope. Choy and Isha tried it also and so with Miko and Rose.

horseback riding at Wright Park

After their activity, we went up to the rectangular pool through the concrete stairways. It was good to explore the place again as there were lots of beautiful plants and flowers in the area. It was nearing 12:00 noon so we headed down to settle for lunch. But there were no food-chain stores or restaurants there. What we got was an eatery just outside the park. Food was good and affordable.

Mines View Park located on the northeast side of the city. We were surprised to see souvenir stores that sprouted like mushrooms in the vicinity. There were lots of plants and flowers for sale. There’s no need to go to Baguio City Market for there were varieties of souvenir items to choose from. And there were the yummy treats too like strawberry fruits, jams, and peanut brittle.

the wonderful gazebo

The gazebo, which is the most photographed spot, was packed with visitors. It’s good to see again the magnificent view of Benguet’s gold and copper mines and the Cordillera Mountain. We had the place all by ourselves on our first visit. There was no serene moment to enjoy that day so after a few minutes, we headed to Burnham Park.

Choy and his family will go back to Manila this afternoon so we have no time to explore more. My family and I were left and we stayed for the rest of the day in Burnham Park, a well-loved park in the country. This was named after its designer, an American architect Daniel Hudson Burnham. It is located at the center of the city where various activities will surely make visitors enjoy, including the most-loved boat rowing in the Burnham Lagoon.

souvenir stores at Lion Head

What we enjoyed most in the afternoon was biking. There were single bikes (for kids and for adults), tandem bikes, and bikes with sidecars. There were lots of vendors in the park so there’s no need to go far just to fill one’s stomach for a snack. There were taho vendors roaming everywhere.

the Swan Lake at Burnham Park

One whole day isn’t enough to explore all of Baguio’s beautiful tourist attractions. Quite bitin. We packed up the next morning then said goodbye to the farmland below, wishing to go back again in the future. We headed to Baguio City Market and bought pasalubong. To complete our Baguio getaway, we took the Kennon Road for a photoshoot in Lion’s Head. It’s like going to Albay with picture-perfect of Mayon Volcano or the Twin Towers in Malaysia. Hoping we could go to Strawberry Farm for our next visit.