I have serious mad love for the City of Pines. Baguio is a famous small town at the northern part of the Philippines where houses are built on mountain formations, where the weather is always cool, the strawberries are to die for, and I always find peace.
I decided to take a solo trip in April just because I felt like escaping reality. I took a 2-week leave from work and embarked on a cliche’d soul search journey. I’ve been to several different places during those 2 weeks and Baguio was the grand finale and the cherry on top of my epic adventures.
It was a rather hasty decision to go on a solo trip. I had no plans at all, I super suck at planning trips. All I know then was I wanted to go away somewhere far. It wasn’t quite difficult for me because I had relatives in Baguio and I know I can crash on their couch for a few days, all I had to do was buy a bus ticket. Then off I go.
I stayed in Baguio for 4 days and all I did there was eat! Seriously, I gained so much weight after eating and sleeping a lot. It felt really good to not think of work or money or responsibilities for once and just relax. I didn’t even bring my laptop with me and that was the best decision I made. For real!
There are several places that are worth the visit in Baguio. First is the Bencab Museum. This is easily accessible by a taxi (FYI: you have to hire them for half or whole day because there aren’t a lot of cabs passing by this area). Bencab is a Philippine National Artist and his works are displayed in this stunning museum. I dragged my little cousin to come with me to the museum because I’m not very familiar of the place. It was both our first time here and the collections are one of a kind and eclectic.
Afterwards, we went to Oh My Gulay for lunch. This is another place worth visiting in Baguio. Even though you’re not a vegetarian, the place alone is worth seeing. The interior is so cozy and calm. The food, however, is just okay…a bit bland for my taste since it didn’t involve meat or french fries. Lol!
On days that I’m not out exploring the city and eating, I was just spending time with my little cousins and trying to sneak a little exercise. Running in Baguio is another level of difficulty that is just beyond me because of the uphills! It was insane!! I did a quick run at Burnham Park & Camp John Hay. Despite the killer trail, I love running here because of the fresh air.
I didn’t want to leave Baguio. In fact, I want to live here someday – when I retire or something. But like everything else, all good things must come to an end. The trip to Baguio was a special one as it allowed me to just be and think. My soul search trip ended but it definitely renewed and uplifted my grim outlook on life.
xx