Baby Neo's Mama: Baguio 2016: Tourist Spots Take Away

Every tourist spot in Baguio we went gave me different take away to remember. I’d like to share it with you, in case you will be going up north in the near future.

Burnham Park – Burnham Park has got to be the most popular among all Baguio’s several parks. It has no entrance fee but there are a lot of activities you can do. Kids and kids at heart can bike around the place. There are a lot of bike rentals around the area costing Php40 for bikes and Php50 for bikes with sidecar.

You can also try boating which cost Php150 per boat that can carry 6 to 8 passengers. Or you may want to just walk around Burnham Park.

Botanical Gardens – we didn’t enter Botanical Gardens. We just wanted to take a picture at the sign. However, no one can take a photo of the sign alone, because there are native Irogots oldies that will join you in your pictures. They will ask Php10 per Igorot.

Wright Park – Again, there’s no entrance fee for this park. You can ride a horse for Php200 per hour. Or take a picture riding the horse for Php10 to 20.

At the middle of Wright Park, there are sellers of plants. They sell their plants at a lower cost than those sellers of plants at Mines View Park. So if you plant to buy ornamental plants, buy them at Wright Park.

Cheaper at Wright Park than at Mines View Park.

Mines View Park – is where you get to see a very scenic view of Benguet. No entrance fee and no fee for taking pictures at the breathtaking view. You can buy pasalubongs here at Mines View Park.

Good Shepherd – Just 5-minutes’ walk from Mines View Park is Good Shepherd Convent. They sell one of the best tasting Ube Jam I have ever tasted. Buy some for pasalubongs.

Philippine Military Academy – Five days before our Baguio trip, PMA started to collect Php20 per person entrance fee. This is inclusive of parking, rest room usage, and entrance to museums. I love it here because cadets and officers salute us, normal people, whenever we pass by them.

Fort Gregorio del Pilar.

Baguio Night Market – This is located at Harrison Road, starts at 9PM and ends at 1-2AM. You can find a lot of ukay-ukay here selling as low as Php10 per clothing. Some sellers also sell brand new class A items. So haggle as much as you could.

La Trinidad Strawberry Farm – This is not located at Baguio but at La Trinidad, some 15 minutes ride from Baguio City proper. Strawberry Picking costs Php450 per basket (I think, you get ½ - ¾ kilos of strawberries if the basket is full). Strawberries sell at Php180-250 per kilo (no picking involved). But be wary, we bought around 4 kilos of strawberries, the vendor gave us 0.4 kilo less – apparently the weighing scale was tampered. L

Strawberries for sale.

Other take aways…

Rest Rooms – Baguio is a tourist destination. Rest Rooms are everywhere but at a cost. So better make sure you have coins handy when you want to take a leak.

Express Ways – Thanks to NLEX-SCTEX-TPLEX we were able to save time travelling. However, you have to take note that the toll fees you have to pay will amount to almost Php600 one-way. Also, TPLEX is a long stretch of road with no gasoline station built as of yet. There’s a portalet if you need to take a pee but it can be quite smelly. L

Number Coding - Baguio City follows the number coding scheme for vehicles. We arrived at Baguio Thursday lunchtime. The next day is our car’s number coding. How can we use it for touring? Good thing, Baguio City allows applying for tourist exemption of number coding. All you have to do is go to the Police Station located near SM Baguio. Bring your car’s OR (Official Receipt) and CR (Certificate of Registration) and pay Php300 for the exemption. No need to bring your car.