#LaborDayBaguio

April 30, 2014. It one was one of those spontaneous moments when five busy auditors had the random idea to go to Baguio the next day all just because it was Labor Day. Not the famous #laboracay, but a #labordaybaguio theme for us five crazy heads.

The plan is to reach Baguio by morning and leave the same day to Manila. Good thing there were showers in the office so we can already prep up that evening coz there will be no more time and place to refresh in Baguio. When we arrived at Victory liner later that night, there were no longer any bus seats available for us. Since it was a holiday, many people were also going home to their provinces. We decided to take the Dagupan bus instead and from there take the bus to Baguio. 

If I remember it correctly, it was around 7 hours trip in total to reach Baguio. What I immediately noticed after stepping out the bus, was of course the place' cold weather. It was like walking around an airconditioned island. It was not exactly freezing cold so casual clothes we were wearing already sufficed. 

After having breakfast at Jollibee Session Road, we headed to our first destination- the Strawberry Farm. I always liked the idea of picking strawberries and was one of my main motivation in going to Baguio. I was happy to learn that we get to pick as much strawberries as we wanted for only Php275 a kilo. Apart from filling up our baskets and shopping for strawberries. we also got to taste Baguio's Strawberry ice cream. I remembered it tasted so good. There were even real strawberry bits as toppings. 

True to its promise

Yum!

After strawberry farm, we rode a tricycle to Mines View Park. Mines View Park is the famous tourist attraction in Baguio we often read from our elementary books. It was a crowded place but a must-visit to get a good view of Benguet.

top view from Mines View Park

We also couldn't miss the chance of a good souvenir and taking Instagram-worthy pictures so we tried out Igorot's colorful costumes for just Php20. There was also a pink painted horse which was offered for tourists for picture taking. We were really having a good laugh after seeing the horse as it reminded us of a good friend ;p

Ang saya ni Dex!

Igorot OOTD for ladies

the pink horse which reminded us so much of *toot*

 Igorot head dress

A famous pasalubong destination for their ube jam and brittled peanut, we stopped by Good Sheperd. The place was crowded as well with people lining up for more goodies. 

We then headed to the Mansion, a place of residence by the President of the Philippines everytime he goes to Baguio. Gates are opened when the President is not in the place. Beside the Mansion was the Wright Park. We did not roam the place since we thought it would just be another park and a bunch of pine trees. Besides, we were already hungry ;p

The Mansion Gates

Just like my future mansion

Top Model right here

One of the more famous food stops in Baguio was the 50s Diner. An American themed diner, the place was packed of tourists and perhaps locales when we arrived. They offered large servings at a very reasonable price.

inside the diner

Just look at those sinful servings!

vintage car outside the diner

It was already raining when we were inside the diner and it still didn't stop even after we finished our meal. So instead of Camp John Hay as our next destination, we decided to spend time at SM Baguio instead. We hailed a taxi and much to my surprise, apart from the cheaper flag down rate, they don't close their windows coz they don't need to use aircon, very energy-efficient! Even SM Baguio was an open air establishment. We planned to watch a movie because of cheaper movie tickets in provinces than in Metro Manila but there was not a good schedule that would fit our itinerary. We stopped by Figaro for coffee and so we can also charge our phones and gadgets. 

When the rain stopped, we decided to just walk around Session Road and stopped by Burnham Park. We rented a boat for Php200 if I'm not mistaken and enjoyed the park's man-made lake. To be honest, it was a bit tiresome rowing those boats, but good thing we had a guy in the team. Thanks Dex for saving the day! 

Already a bit late, we just decided to eat from one of the restaurants around Session road. You'll find many selections as you walk along similar to the number of ukay-ukay stalls sprawling in the area (Baguio is also famous for these segunda mano items). It was Pizza night for us at Pizza Volante. Unlike 50s diner, I would not really recommend the place as the food serving was small and we generally didn't like the taste of both their pasta and pizza.

the whole gang

We ended the day with more chats and strolls around Session Road looking for more souvenir items. Here, you'll find a lot of carved wooden souvenirs that will surely surprise you.

We took the bus to Manila also that night as planned. All was good thanks to our tour guide Fritzie who has lived and studied in Baguio. There was still lots of places to see as a day is surely not enough to tour the summer capital of the Philippines. But as promised, I will be back ;)