Biking on Asin Road

April 19, 2014 Biking

Baguio can be congested at times, which defeats the purpose of getting away from it all. However, it's a city we love returning to for its cool weather, pine trees, culture, and, of course, food.

During one of my business trips to Baguio last year, I met up with a friend, Jahmes, who had migrated to Baguio from Bicol. We spent a night drinking in one of the bars on Session Road and then decided on a biking trip for the following day.

I asked the driver to take me to Tam-awan Village, which is very near Jahmes' place. He was already there, waiting for me with two bicycles ready. After gearing up, we hit the road. Safety first.


  
Most of it was downhill, making it a relaxing ride. The road itself offered many awesome sights, and we stopped by a few tourist attractions to add excitement to our biking trip.

Our first stop was the woodcarvers' village, where generations of Ifugao woodcarvers have been making a living out of a centuries-old tradition. Sadly, I wasn't able to take a photo as I was engrossed in the stories shared by the store attendants.

Our next destination was the Bencab Museum, which showcases the works and collections of its namesake, Philippine National Artist Benedicto Cabrera (BenCab), along with those of other Filipino masters and contemporary artists.






The museum also features the master's collection of bul-ols, rice gods, and indigenous crafts from the highlands.



We concluded the museum tour with refreshments at Cafe Sabal, which offers a fantastic vista of the compound's eco trail and farm. Afterward, we made a brief stop at the Brown Madonna Shrine for a short prayer of thanks and guidance.


Then we continued to the '3 days-2 nights' experience at the Sipitan and Yanged Tunnels, named as such because they allow travelers to experience daylight three times and darkness twice.






The tunnels were initially constructed in the 1850s through prison labor for a railway system that would connect Baguio and La Union but were eventually abandoned in 1915, coinciding with World War I.


  

Our final stop was at the hot springs area, not for a dip but for short refreshments and to catch public transportation back to the city. I was scheduled to return to Manila that day.

It was a truly great way to spend my last day in Baguio. I bid goodbye to Jahmes over lunch at Tam-awan Village.

Kelly is a public relations professional and entrepreneur whose projects have assisted multinational organizations, small and medium enterprises, government officers, international organizations and non-governmental organizations. She is partner-consultant of RubyComm-K.Austria, a public relations management and consultancy company. Kelly is also a former government employee having served at the Department of Tourism for two years. Being mountaineers, Kelly and her friends travel by land, sometimes on rough roads and trek for hours to give a new lease of hope to students. She is co-founder of the group TREK or Trails to Empower Kids.

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