ACCESS ROADS TO BAGUIO CITY
Baguio City or the City of Pines is nestled on a plateau about 5,000 feet above Sea level. Its 39 square kilometers stretch over plains, slopes and valleys that make up the terrain. There are three major roads that provide access to the city. One is Kennon Road, the other is Naguilian Road, and the third is the most recently built Marcos Highway. These three major thoroughfares have been carved out of the slope of the mountains.
KENNON ROAD
Kennon road is the scenic Zigzag. It starts as you enter the tollgate at Camp I. As you pass through the first bridge that winds up to Klondykes, you will begin to notice the freshness of mountain air that will greet you. The temperature begins to fall as you go higher in elevation. As you reach Camp 3, the scenic beauty of the Bridal Veil waterfalls on your left will greet your eyes.
The cluster of shady trees that dot the slopes on both sides of the road and the water that flows down river projects an aura of serenity. Further down at the embankment of the river where it gently slopes upward is a man-made pool that captures the water from a hot spring, which spouts out of the side of the mountain. This has become of late, one of the tourist destinations in view of the rumor that the water coming from the spring is medicinal and can heal any malady.
As you go further up, a favorite watering hole for hard-up engines and tired bus drivers is Tinoyan's store. Busses coming from Pangasinan and the other lowland areas on their way to the city via this road stop at this place for a hot meal of pinikpikan, pinapaitan or tinono (native delicacies of chicken or duck, beef sweetbreads and pork). Getting out of the bus at this place will provide you with a whiff of fresh mountain air. It increases your anticipation of what lies further up ahead. With the busses fully cooled and the drivers a bit rested, the long and arduous climb continues.
Both sides of the road will be the imposing walls of granite noticeable from a thin cover of shrubs and bushes and a sparse cluster of Alnos trees and pine. As you reach Camp 6, the cover is gone and you will be struck with the baldness of the mountain. The river is wider and the slopes on both sides of the road are occupied with shanties typical of a mining town. The community now tries to survive through the trading of gravel and sand and the operation of small pocket miners, with the closure of the two mines Benguet Exploration and Black Mountain, which previously supported it. It would have turned into a ghost town if not for the alternative trade that is provided by a rock crushing plant that set up operations.
After passing the community at Camp 6 the scenic Zigzag Road will be sharp turns to the left and the right as the bus continues to wind it’s way higher and higher negotiating the curves cautiously. The strong hearted can peek through the window to see that a slight error in judgment will topple the bus to the road one or two levels below. The faint hearted need only to close their eyes until the top has been reached missing the beautiful scene that the zigzagging road has laid before them.
The climb passes by an outcrop of rock naturally shaped as a lion's head made prominent by an expert carver who accented the lines. This is the Lion's Club bust, which welcomes travelers to the city. Another three turns and you realize, you are already at 5,000 feet above sea level. Get down at the police outpost and watch from the view deck that is provided. You would wish you had a glider that you can launch from the landing so you can soar down like an eagle.
As you enter the city's gates, you will feel the cool mountain air tingle your skin reminding you to wear something thicker than a T-shirt which you had been comfortably wearing while you were down below. Camp 7 gives you this feeling of coolness. You would now be wearing a jacket as you start the last stretch of the climb.
There would be two choices of routes as you get to Camp 7. Either you take the more circuitous route via Loakan Road, passing the Baguio City Export Processing Zone or the Loakan Airport or you take the more direct route that continues the climb towards Baguio General Hospital. The busses take the more direct route passing by a long line of houses that are constructed on both sides of the road. You would notice the mountain slope dotted with houses, Kennon Hillside to your right and Camp 8 Puliwes to your left.
A big building stands at Camp 8. Previously Milton Hotel, this has been converted into apartelles. Finally you reach the top. There is the hospital compound on both sides, Baguio General Hospital to your left and Baguio Medical Center to your right at the junction where the road connects to Military Cut-Off road. The BGH circle, is a hub that divides four intersecting roads-Marcos Highway, Kisad Road, Governor Pack Road and Kennon Road. Finally, your bus continues along Gov. Pack Road passing by the Japanese Garden and the Lion's clubhouse on your left and the CICM's retreat, Home Sweet Home on your right. You start fixing your things as you pass by Baguio City High School. Then before you know it you have finally reached home.
NAGUILIAN ROAD
The gateway to the Ilocos Region, Naguilian Road is the alternate route to the City. Every year during the monsoon season, Kennon road closes because of landslides that would block many sections of the road. Then travelers won't have an option but take the more circuitous route to the City passing through the eastern municipalities of La Union from Rosario to Bauang and then northwards to Naguilian.
Unlike Kennon Road, this road has a gentler incline gradually rising in elevation from Naguilian to Burgos and then to Sablan, Benguet. After a brief stop at this place, it will be a steady upward climb to Irisan and then you're home. When its bad weather though, it will be touch and go as you climb in the thickness of the fog that would envelop the mountain and thus the entire length of the road, you will need to crawl at a snail's pace.
Normally it would take an hour and a half to negotiate the road from Bauang, La Union but in bad weather the time can double. I remember the aftermath of the 1990 earthquake when people started leaving the city. They had to walk all the way down to Naguilian, La Union as all the roads where made impassable due to massive erosion and landslide. But while Naguilian road as an alternative route to Kennon road takes a while longer, it does not suffer the same fate of Kennon road during monsoon season.
MARCOS HIGHWAY
However, a third option will be Marcos Highway. This road is between Kennon Road and Naguilian Road passing through Rosario or Agoo, La Union. It cuts through the slope of Mt. Sto Tomas. It is an alternative to the Naguilian route, which takes longer. A more direct route along this road is by way of Rosario going to San Luis and then to Pugo, La Union. But busses usually go from Rosario to Agoo, La Union, and then a gradual climb to Pugo, La Union.
As you go further up in Taloy, a sitio of Sto. Tomas, you would see the bust of Ferdinand Marcos, carved out of the mountain, a magnificent work of art. It was made right before the people's revolution took him out of power. Some people thought about blasting the monument but kept it instead as a reminder of that regime. The bust overlooks a DOT aborted project, the Marcos Park consisting of a golf course, conference buildings and tennis courts now deteriorated as its maintenance have probably been struck out from the agency's budget.
It would be a steep climb after passing through this park. At various vantage points, view decks have been constructed where one can gaze over the wide span of green vegetation below contrasting with the view of the coastline and the South China Sea in the horizon. A wide turn to the right then you would be at Tuba where you could have a panoramic view of the city's west side, the plains and valleys dotted with houses amongst rock outcrops that form the base of the houses. Below, you would see the slope of a mountain with a vast span of green cover, a sayote plantation that has become major commercial produce in the highlands. A long steep 45-degree climb after passing through the Tabora Cockfighting Arena will be the last stretch that will bring you to the City. This route to Baguio must have had a lot of improvements lately.
P.Q.B. May 12, 2003
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