BAGUIO'S TOURIST SPOTS
I wonder how much a tour of the city would cost nowadays? Before, jeepneys downtown would charge from PH 30.00 to PH35.00 per hour for a tour around the city. Depending on who plays the role of the tourist guide, the jeepney will take you to the city’s known tourist destinations. A drive down Leonard Wood road will reach destinations like Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Convent along Brent Road, the Botanical Gardens, Mines View Park, Wright Park, The Mansion and the bridle path, and Baguio Country Club.
The Botanical Garden was once known as the Baguio City Zoo. It was transformed into a flower garden lush with different blooms. Amidst rows and rows of flowers stand replicas of Igorot huts. Certain spots have been cleared where visitors can picnic and barbecue. Wright Park is part of the Mansion's landscape.
The Mansion is the summer residence of the Philippine President. Opposite the Mansion is a park that resembles a boulevard with a pond at its center that extends the length of the u-shaped roadway. The tip of the road ends in a staircase carved out of the slope that goes down to the bridle path where the pony boys of Baguio rent out their horses for a tour of the wooded areas of Busol watershed and the mountain side below the Country Club.
Mines View Park provides the visitor with a view of the mining communities of Itogon, Benguet. It also is a vista of mountains that once had been quite a site in view of its lush green cover. The passage of time have left the once scenic view with a glimpse of denuded forests and eroded mountains slopes. But what keeps visitors coming to this park may no longer be the view but the commercial activities that have been successfully promoted to sell products unique to the city i.e. wood carvings and other hand-crafted items, loom-weaved Igorot cloth, silver filigrees, strawberry wines, preserves, everlasting leis and others.
The next leg of the tour can be through Camp John Hay, the former US recreational facility now transformed into an exclusive class country club. While one can no longer visit the usual places like the Mile-Hi, Halfway House, 19th Tee, and the Main Club House, other facilities have replaced them. After John Hay, the tour can proceed to the Philippine Military Academy, the country’s premier military school at Fort Del Pilar. Parades & review of the Corps of Cadets are done regularly on Saturday mornings.
The final leg could be a visit to Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto at Dominican Hill and the Dominican Monastery at Mirador Hill. And then down towards Asin Road to Asin Hot Springs. The grotto was erected on top of the hill. Penitents park at the bottom of the hill and climb a flight of stairs until they reach the grotto where a moment with our Lady is taken in prayer and candles are lit. At Mirador Hill, one can find an old monastery which had been put to various uses. It had been a seminary. When the seminary was closed, this became a hotel.
The hotel is no longer in use today but the old building still stand unravished by time. The next day could be a visit to Asin Hot Springs which is about 15 kms. away from the city. Along the way, one can drop off at the Ifugao Wood Carving Village where one can shop for a variety of items made out of hard wood. And then enjoy a dip in the swimming pool at the hot springs. In the afternoon, as you return from your pleasurable swim, visit the city market for fresh fruits and vegetables. Stroll around Burnham Park and its orchidarium and the Sunshine Park later in the afternoon and you have already seen most of the city.
P.Q.B. June 6, 1999
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