By Germaine De Castro
The City of Baguio has always been one of the top tourist destinations for avid travel enthusiasts here in the Philippines. Popularly known as the “Summer Capital of the Philippines” due to the continuous presence of cold weather all throughout the year, this highly urbanized town located in the Cordillera Administrative Region, proudly boasts as a melting pot of several types of cultures, wherein the socio-cultural scene has been vastly enriched brought about by the overflowing diversity of indigenous ethno-linguistic groupings.
For several years, a huge influx of local and international and visitors have expectedly visited and enjoyed the splendor of Baguio’s top-drawing attractions such as the Mines View Park, Wright Park, Camp John Hay, Igorot Stone Kingdom, Burnham Park, and many more traveler-frequented places to mention.
Actually, there are still more facets beyond the usual trips in this bustling town.
Located inside the Kamiseta Hotel compound along Ignacio Villamor Street at Barangay Lualhati is the Vanilla Café, a vintage French-inspired cafe, which prides itself in their desserts such as the best-selling Vanilla Cupcake and coupled with their Strawberry Iced Tea.
Do drop by Agetyeng Travel and Tours along General Luna Road and inquire on how to book a tour around Baguio riding on the Agetyeng’s Exclusive Creative Jeepney, which is the only tourist jeepney in the Philippines.
Interested in authentic silver-made items? Along Leonard Wood Road is a shop called Pilak Silvercraft, which offers very good quality silver products known for their longevity luster versus other counterparts peddled in some areas. Visitors could even view up-close how they manufacture their items by the Silversmith. Pilak Silvercraft is the home of handcrafted Baguio silver jewelry and accessories.
For unique Baguio pasalubong shopping, the Crafts and Productivity Center-One Town, One Product hub located at the Cordillera Crafts & Productivity Center, DPS Compound, Upper Session Rd, is an incubation and market testing facility for food, weaving, and other products of micro, small, and medium enterprises in the Cordillera Region to further promote their produce on the said area as per the Department of Trade and Industry.
Lastly, have you seen the first Philippine flag which was unfurled in 1898? For history buffs out there, grab a chance to visit the Emilio F. Aguinaldo Museum along Happy Glen Loop Road. The venue is actually the first immersive historical museum in the country, focusing on the road to Philippine independence.
Do check out the other sides of Baguio. Explore Pinas!