Baguio City - The City of Pines; Panagbenga Festival 2009

Sites
Baguio City - the City of Pines, the Summer Capital. However you want to call it, Baguio City can captivate you in a thousand and one ways. We toured this city on the side, while covering the 2009 Panagbenga Festival. Although it is not the same city as it was some twenty years ago - thanks primarily to over development - it still managed to surprise us with the many things only Baguio City can offer.

We took Baguio City via Kennon Road. Unless you’re the type who sleeps during the trip, it’d be impossible for you to miss the gigantic Lion’s Head along Kennon Road on the way to Baguio City. This carved monument is one of the most popular tourist attractions of the city and the sight of it signifies that one is very near Baguio—but not without passing through several zigzagging roads first. (The monument is actually located at Camp 6 in Tuba, Benguet.) There’s almost always a tourist or two making this landmark a stopover and grabbing a souvenir photo of the Lion, to the delight of the store-owners a short walk to the north.
Once in Baguio City proper, we headed to the famous Session Road. A lot has changed since the last time I was in Session road. It now houses numerous hotels and fine dining restaurants, as well as fast food chains. We headed to one of the most talked about cafe-restaurants on this part of the city, Zola resto/cafe. (scroll down for a review of restaurants in Baguio City).
Next stop in the City of Pines is Burnham Park. When we got there, we could hardly walk around because of the number of people that decided to either camp there, or just walk around all day long. We proceeded to get on a boat instead. It was such a good exercise physically and mentally, with the rowing and steering clear of other boats. Doing this for thirty minutes while having fun, I'm sure you'll burn those calories and you wouldn't even notice it.

If you really want to get close with nature, head off to Tam-Awan Village for a unique blend of indigenous aesthetics and exquisite Ifugao craftsmanship. We found authentic Ifugao houses that dates back to over a hundred years.
The oldest hut is the Anaba hut, shown here. Built in 1898, everything in this hut is still functional, even the kitchen. You can also opt to stay overnight in one of the huts, for a fee of course. These huts are called the "Binayon", a traditional octagonal house of
Southern Kalinga Province. This is purposely constructed for rich families. Built in 1923, Tam-Awan Village is proud to present the three remaining such houses today. The village is an experience in itself. By living in the huts, guests get an opportunity to immerse in an atmosphere that allows them to get a glimpse of village life.

Head off to Trinidad for Strawberry Picking at their numerous strawberry farms. Prices range from Php120.00 to Php200.00, depending on the season and the time of day. Ideally, you should be there early in the morning 'til before 11AM. Most of the farmers won't allow you to pick if you arrive after 11Am. And don't expect that because you're going to pick the strawberries yourself, you're going to get a good bargain. You actually pay more by picking the berries yourself. That's because they run the risk of you stepping on the strawberries, roots and all, damaging their crops. Well, at least that's what they say. But I'd like to think of it as paying for the fun and experience. That, like anywhere else in the world, is what people pay for at costs enough to buy your ticket to the moon.

At the Baguio Botanical Garden, you can see Igorots wearing their authentic traditional clothing, and sometimes they also bring their horses with them. You can pose with them, or simply take a snapshot of them, all for just Php10.00 per shot. Inside the park, you can eat your packed lunch at their cozy picnic area. If you have more time to spare, you can also go around and look at some handicrafts for sale at the many stalls, great for pasalubong (gift items) for your trip back to Manila.

Event
Panagbenga Festival 2009
March 1, 2009 - Baguio City

It took six hours to drive from Manila to Baguio City, the summer capital of the Philippines. The trip was slow for the most part, thanks to a single-lane road that stretches from Tarlac to La Union. We headed to Baguio City, the City of Pines, for the 2009 Panagbenga Festival. Held yearly during the month of February, The Panagbenga celebrations last for over a month, and peak periods are the weekends. It showcases the many floral floats and native dances. Panagbenga is also the biggest festival of Baguio City.

Panagbenga is a Kankanaey term for "a season of blooming." It is also known as the Baguio Flower Festival, in homage to the beautiful flowers the city is famous for, as well as a celebration of Baguio's re-establishment (Kankanaey is a language used on the island of Luzon in The Philippines. It is widely used by Cordillerans, principally people from the Mountain Province, but also some from Benguet province). Since February 1995, it has been held to help Baguio forget the 1990 earthquake that distressed much of the city.
Kapamilya artists Gerald Anderson and Kim Chiu were seen on board the Surf entry during the Panagbenga Float Parade Sunday, March 1st. The two top bills the “Tayong Dalawa” teleserye of ABS-CBN. Spectators call them Audrey and JR, their roles in “Tayong Dalawa”.

“300” looking warriors were seen along Session Road on Sunday, March 1st, during the Panagbenga Float Parade. The province of Marinduque was among the twenty-three participants of this year’s float design contest. Spectators, especially the kids, were frightened by the warriors as they portray their roles. When their show was done, they distributed flyers promoting their beautiful province.
The Egyptian theme of the Baguio Country Club was a sure hit. Amazed by the belly-dancing of the Egyptian women, the crowd kept on cheering for more. Baguio Country Club won three successive Best Float Design awards – 2004, 2005, and 2006. Its last design was even brought down to Manila during a feature of the country’s best festivals, where, as expected, it made a lot of jaws drop.

M. Lhuillier wowed the crowd with the personalities featured in their float entry. The stars on-board M. Lhuillier’s float are Ogie Alcasid, Valerie Concepcion, and Wilma Doesn’t, to name a few.

San Miguel Corporation participated in this year’s parade. The spectators were delighted to see Kapuso actress Alyssa Alano on board their entry. Alano appears in GMA-7’s Startalk alongside Lolit Solis, Joey de Leon, and Butch Francisco.

Foodies

At this time of the year (during the Panagbenga Festival, the whole month of February) Baguio City is packed. So if you want to have lunch at about noon, you better start scouting for a place to eat at 11AM. The food at Zola was good. Their specialty being the Chicken Barbecue that goes down really well, and the Chicken Kung Pao (a bit spicy), rated 10 out of 10, and 9 out of 10 respectively. The price for their food is reasonable enough for the portions you'll receive. They also have pizzas (don't expect a lot from this), fried chicken and sea food like the Tilapia Surprise. There are of course, downsides to every story. The service here is not so great. We had to wait and wait for our food to be served. At one point they served the viands, but then we waited around 10 minutes for the rice. We were done eating when suddenly our order of pizza arrived (we've forgotten all about it from waiting). The place is also not well ventilated. Even if Baguio is such a cold place to be, Zola, as far as I can say, was hot.

One of the few nice things about travelling is the indulgence in food. And one fine cafe that I wish to be also accessible in Manila (or anywhere in the world) is Baguio City's Cafe By The Ruins. The cafe opens at 7Am and closes at 8:45PM. Their menu is designed to feature the natural and local ingredients of the region, with the freshest vegetables and fruits ion season, and options for the vegetarians. They present a variety of rice , moscovado sugar, fresh carabao milk and cheese, among others - all the proud produce of the country. The ruins were claimed from the remains of the gracious home of Phelps Whitmarsh, the first governor of Baguio City. The house was built very early in the last century and destroyed in World War II. The governor maintained a famous garden where Mrs. Whitmarsh, an Ibaloi, propagated flowering plants and introduced strawberries and vegetable seeds. The Bougainvilleas that still bloom at the cafe's entrance adorned the front doors of the family home. Those vines have witnessed the comings and goings Baguio's first 100 years.

First on the menu is Cafe By The Ruins' Rizal's Tsokolate-E, inspired by Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere. This chocolate concoction is made from pure carabao's milk (carabao is the local term for water buffalo) and cacao seeds, topped with moscovado sugar. This is served hot, but it cools down very quickly, so you better enjoy it while it's still hot. This scores a perfect 10!

Filtered with cardamom, topped with whipped cream, mozcovado sugar and cinnamon powder... this is the Ruins Coffee. That little twig-like thing is called the tira-tira. Tira-tira is one of my favourite snacks as a kid. It's very hard and very sweet. Made of caramelized sugar, kind of like a candy cane only, in my opinion, much better. It's best to take a bite of this candy, then have a good sip of the coffee afterwards. But of course, you can have it your own way. This beverage scores 9.
If you're on the lookout for a filling breakfast, then you should try The Fisherman's Breakfast. Cafe By The Ruins gave a lot of heart in this meal, with roasted tomatoes, daing na dalag (dried salted mud fish), scrambled eggs, and mountain rice. This sumptuous meal is enough to kick start your day of walking around the city. I would say a score of 10 is enough said about this appetizing breakfast.

Country Cousins is served with daing na bangus (dried salted milk fish), salted eggs mixed with chopped tomatoes, and mountain rice. The fish is crispy and is served hot on the plate. I gave this an 8, mainly because the fish quickly gets hard once it cools down. It probably has nothing to do with the cafe/restaurant, but still, it's all about enjoying your meal.

The crew and staff are very accomodating, the atmosphere perfect. One of the best things I love about Cafe By The Ruins is the fresh fruits they serve before your meal, and it's on the house too! I would definitely keep coming back here.

Flash News

Baguio City Market, Session Road - Down in Flames

Baguio City, Philippines - residents here were surprised Monday morning, March 2nd, 2009 to have seen the Baguio city Public Market in flames early at dawn. At least P20 million worth of market goods went up in smoke during a three-hour blaze at the fruit and vegetable section of the Ba­guio City public market. This, at the start of the National Fire Prevention Month.

The Baguio City Fire Department is still determining the actual cause of the fire that started at around 2:15 a.m. Though no one was reported hurt during the huge fire, firefighters had to sift through the rubble until mid-morning looking for clues of the fire.

Victor Calimlim, president of the Baguio Market Vendors Cooperative and one of the affected stall-owners, said there were about 200 stalls razed including those selling strawberries, jams, peanut brittle, and native woven garments, all tourist favorites.

Calimlim pegged the damage to reach P20 million including the structures and the merchandize. He said each stall has an average inventory of about P80,000 to P100,000 this time of the year, and especially since market vendors expect an influx of visitors for the on-going Flower Festival.Calimlim hinted that the vendors have resigned their fate to the local government, and they hope city officials shall adopt measures to ease their plight.

City Administrator lawyer Peter Fianza said that although there is an existing plan to put up a new market in the area, this is still pending final action at the City Council.

In 1990, Uniwide signified intentions to develop the Baguio City market area but the plan was faced with strong opposition from market vendors, a series of court proceedings, and eventually, financial problems.
In April last year, another section – the Black Market – just a few steps from the fruit and vegetable section that was razed yesterday – was also gutted by fire due to faulty electrical wiring. Mayor Reinaldo Bautista has assured vendors that the city will restore the damaged portion of the market.”

Trip Advisor:

The best way to travel to Baguio City is by car. This way, you get to enjoy the many sights along the way. Stop for a more comfortable lunch or dinner, rest in the many scenic places along the way, and take as much time in the so many restroom stops along the way, not to mention photo ops too. Remember, it's a six hour drive from Manila. Plus, when in Baguio, it is ideal to have a car for going around places. Sights in Baguio are kinda far from each other.

From Manila, take the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). Go all the way up to Exit 85, exiting at SCTEX. After the SCTEX toll booth, turn right. Exit at Luisita. Turn right at McArthur Highway. Once there, you'll pass Tarlac (Gerona, Paniqui, Moncada, San Manuel...). Right after Tarlacis Pangasinan (Carmen, Villasis, Urdaneta, Moncada, Binalonan, Pozzorubio, Sison). After Pangasinan, you should hit Rosario, La Union head on. After a few meters, you'll see a Y-intersection. The one of the left goes up to Marcos Highway. The one on the right goes to Kennon Road. In my experience, Kennon Road is the way to go, if you want your trip to be short. It's the fastest way up to Baguio, from foot to top it takes only 45 minutes. Marcos Highway, on the other jand, is longer. The old Marcos Head Sculpture is no longer there, sorry to burst your bubble. As of writing this article, I have no idea if they will ever re-erect that monument. The route through Marcos Highway passes many winding roads, with farms on the side. Some alternate routes along the way takes you on a tour inside small villages, sometimes you'll wonder if you're going the right way. But follow the signs and you'll be ok.

Happy trip!