Baguio Day Tour Part 2

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Our first day of tour was fun but tiring that I'm just so excited to lay flat in bed. I'm looking forward to a good night sleep, or so I thought...

I woke up 10 minutes before 5am, just in time before my phone alarmed. Good thing I wasn't really drawn into deep sleep as night time in Baguio really gave me one of my biggest chills. I would wake up every now and then putting layers of clothes on top of me (ginawin talaga ako!).  I alarmed the clock to check on my cousin  and pamangkin scheduled to arrive in Baguio by 5am. To my shock, I got an sms at around 4am telling me they're already in Baguio! But they're still not here. I immediately txted them for updates. I would go in and out of the house (challenging, really) to consequently check on them, still no luck. I began to worry.

Good thing I still have an ample amount on my GCash wallet to load my phone and started to call. No wonder why they're having a hard time finding the place, they were given the wrong street name! I asked help from Noemi who's kind enough to come with me to meet them near Skyrise hotel. I'm glad to see them both. The early morning walk was just enough to warm up my body for the rest of the day.


WHERE TO STAY IN BAGUIO

at Tam-awan Village
After drinking hot choco and eating pesto for breakfast at past 5 in the morning, we readied ourselves for a long day of tour. Our first stop, the Tam-awan Village. We paid P50 entrance fee and were given brochure maps of the whole area. It was big. The place reminded me of my Lake Sebu hike because of the trail and scary heights. Of course it was safe with handles along the trail. But I wasn't fully prepared for it, or at least my outfit wasn't up to the challenge. I should have googled the place before going there. It also houses art exhibits of some of Baguio's talented artists (click here to view more pictures of Tam-awan Village)

Located right across Tam-awan Village is Arko ni Apo Art Gallery, another art gallery of renowned Filipino artist Ben-hur Villanueva. The whole 2 floors are full of sculpted images made of wood and brass. I would love to share those here, however taking photos aren't allowed. A coffeeshop named Kape Diperensya welcomes visitors with a cottage like ambiance, very typical of Baguio interiors. We don't have the luxury of time to try their food as we need to be at BenCab Museum before lunch time.

BenCab Museum Garden
Seeing 3 wonderful art galleries in one day may seem to be a bit  overwhelming, but Baguio has this country charm that quietly took us under its tantalizing spell. I love arts, it's me, it's my world. And Baguio did not disappoint. Adding to that, I also got the chance to meet BenCab himself!!! (check out more photos of BenCab Museum taken during our visit)

Jeepneys pass by the museum and we went back to Baguio City hungry for lunch, it's past 1:30pm. We headed on to the very first restaurant we saw - O' Mai Khan.

After a healthy meal, we rode another jeep to take us to Bell Church located north of Baguio city near La Trinidad, Benguet.  Inside is a beautiful Chinese temple with building exteriors adorned with dragons. We were greeted with a bunch of kids playing drums, sort of lion dance music. The ambiance is very festive. Right in front of the church is a charming lotus pond. Inside, we lighted incense sticks and said our prayers and wishes, Chinese style.

After a short Chinese immersion, we moved on to our last stop for the the day, Strawberry Farm! Hungry for local produce? Don't miss the thrill of picking fresh strawberries yourself. How fun it was for us, our first strawberry harvest experience.





With fresh strawberries at hand, we decided to get back to our lodge but opted to stop by Lourdes Grotto first. We don't have the energy to climb its 200+ steps, it's more than what our feet can endure. We already had a day of long walk, it's just too much to handle. So we just stayed at the entrance below and offered our prayers. From the grotto we walked our way to the house. After dinner, we prepared ourselves and slept early for a much more strenuous activity the following day, the Panagbenga Float Parade.


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