Baguio can be congested at times, which defeats the purpose of
getting away from it all. However, Baguio is a city we love coming back to for
its cool weather, pine trees, culture and of course, food.
On one of my business trips in Baguio last year, I met up with a
friend Jahmes, who migrated to Baguio from Bicol. We spent a night drinking in
one of the bars in Session Road then decided on a biking trip the following
day.
I asked the driver to take me to Tam-awan Village, which is very near my friend's 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 so it was a relaxing ride. The road in
itself offered many awesome sights but we stopped by a few tourist attractions
to make our biking trip more exciting.
Our first was the woodcarvers village, where generations of
Ifugao wood carvers have been making a living out of a centuries-old tradition.
Sadly, I wasn't able to take a photo though as I was so engrossed with the
stories of the store attendants.
Our next stop was the Bencab Museum, which houses the
works and collections of its namesake Philippine National Artist Benedicto
Cabrera (BenCab) and other Filipino masters and contemporary artists.
Featured in the museum also are the master's collection of
bul-ols or rice gods and indigenous crafts from the highlands.
We capped the tour of the museum with refreshments at Cafe
Sabal. The cafe gives a fantastic vista of the compound's eco trail and farm.
After the museum, we also stopped by the Brown Madonna Shrine for a short prayer of thanks and guidance.
Then we continued to "3 days-2 nights."
The Sipitan and Yanged Tunnels are also
known as "3 days-2 nights" because the tunnels let travelers
experience daylight 3 times and darkness twice.
The tunnels were intended for a railway system that would connect
Baguio and La Union but were abandoned in 1915. It was constructed in the 1850s
through prison labor but was abandoned in 1915 due to World War I.
Our final stop was at the hot springs area, not to take a dip
though but for short refreshments and to take the public transpo back to the
city. I was scheduled to go back 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.
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