Here we go Baguio!

For the first of my many adventures this 2015, I decided to go to Baguio with my friends.

It was the perfect place because:

1. The weather was cold, and living in a tropical country, we always want to be somewhere much cooler.
2. We get to enjoy the place while everyone's in Manila with the Pope (or so we thought)
3. It will be my best friend's first time to go there! Which adds to the fun of it because we get to see the tourist spots again, in a different light.

To be honest, I have little memory of the times I was there with my family so going there with my friends felt like it was my first time to be there too!

First backpacking trip ever, though!

Before getting into our itinerary, here are some tips on planning your trip to Baguio:

1. Plan it during off season. I know the whole point of going there is to experience the cold December breeze, which happens to be the peak season. However, I must warn you that it may not be a relaxing vacation if you are there during the Christmas holiday. Traffic congestion, crowded restaurants and tourist spots.
   
   
2. If you want to risk it, plan well. If you want to go to different places in Baguio, it's better to have it all planned out, rather than get stuck in traffic most of the time in your stay there. Baguio can be divided into 3-4 areas, depending on where you want to go. For example, our itinerary involved going to these places:
• Camp John Hay - Treetop Adventure, The Historical Core, shopping in the outlet stores and food trip
• Mines View Park, Good Shepherd, The Mansion and Wright Park
• Burnham Park, Session Road food trip and thrift shopping along Harrison Road
• La Trinidad Strawberry farm and BenCab Museum
  
  

3. Get tickets as soon as you reach Baguio, especially when it's peak season. You might not get home in time for work or school. At least if you get the bus tickets early, you have a better chance of getting the time and seat you want.
   
   
4. Do not be afraid to talk to the cab drivers, be-friend them even! If you are unsure about your plans during the trip, getting tips from the drivers would help. You never know you may even get a discount for when you ask them to drive you around for half a day or so.
   
   
5. Bring a lot of friends! The more the merrier, isn't it? And everything will be much cheaper cos you get to share expenses.
   
6. When all else fails, enjoy the cool breeze, surrounding nature and the thought of being far away from civilization even just for a few days.

Those are just a few tips off the top of my head. Don't worry, there's a lot more to my Baguio backpacking adventure:

Bellhouse in Camp John Hay

Strawberry Farm Picking in La Trinidad

National Artist, Benedicto Cabrera' museum

Food trip in Baguio!

Much love,

Nini