Baguio after Summer? Why not! (Part 2 of 3)
In the second day of our After Summer Getaway, sponsored by Azalea Residences Baguio, we’ve visited numerous sites in town, be it in terms of art, culture, heritage, history, or just simply hanging out. Here’s Part 2 of what you can do in Baguio City after summer!
Go Artsy in BenCab Museum even After Summer
Curated by National Artist Benedicto Reyes Cabrera, the BenCab Museum (then a small studio) opened sometime in the late ‘80s – early ‘90s to exhibit his artworks.
It was then later opened to cater to other artists who want to display their artworks in the museum. This is to promote other modes of art from different artists in the country and abroad – to make Baguio an Art Hub.
To enjoy the cold climate of the City, even more, the museum opened Café Sabel, the museum’s café, and restaurant, named after BenCab’s famous muse, Sabel. It offers western and highland dishes with ingredients sourced from their own backyard while having a view of the mountains outside.
BenCab Map (lifted from bencabmuseum.org)
The museum can be reached through jeepney at PhP 15 / person or via private car for 20-30 minutes from the city center (jeepney station located in Kayang Street)– a perfect getaway from the busy City after summer.
Contact Information:
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Address: |
Km. 6 Asin Road, Tadiangan, Tuba, Benguet |
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Museum hours: |
0900 – 1800 H |
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Business days: |
Monday – Sunday
(Except Mondays, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day) |
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Entrance Fee: |
PhP 100 (Regular Admission)
PhP 80 (Students, Senior Citizens, PWDs – with valid ID) FREE (Children not taller than 42”) |
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Contact number: |
+63 74 442 7165 |
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Website: |
www.bencabmuseum.org |
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Social Media Account: |
Facebook: @BenCab-Museum |
Celebrate Culture in Tam-Awan Heritage Village
One of the hubs for art lovers in Baguio is the Tam-Awan Village. If you want to experience Cordillera’s culture through various forms of indigenous art and dance, this is the place to be. Nestled on a hill with a natural spring, the Tam-Awan Village is also one of the city’s treasures as it is now its cradle of art.
Tam-Awan came from an indigenous term which means “vantage point.” It is because you can see the Lingayen Gulf / West Philippine Sea, and La Union and Pangasinan on clear skies, from the highest point of the village.
The village was initially formed by the Chanum Foundation Inc. in 1998, with the aim of building a model village of Cordilleran huts, for tourists to see, and who doesn’t have the chance to see the entirety of the Cordillera Region.
Here, you get to experience dancing traditional dances with some local performers; you get to have a portrait of yourself done by a sketch artist, and you get to buy some goodies as souvenir items – a good way to spend your time in Baguio after summer.
You can also enjoy a hot cup of coffee or tea and some sweets at the Tam-Awan Café, which offers a variety of food choices – from local salads to western sandwiches while enjoying the interiors of the café, made by local and international painters and sculptors. Price ranges from PhP 50 – 280.
The Village also hosts the annual Tam-Awan International Arts Festival. Founded in 2010, the Arts Festival aims to expose the public to various forms of art – be it through dance, art workshops, games, literature, and the like – to let them know that art plays a vital role in defining a society.
Contact Information:
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Address: |
366-C Pinsao Proper, Baguio City |
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Village hours: |
0800 – 1800 H |
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Entrance Fee: |
PhP 50.00 (Adult)
PhP 30.00 (Students and Senior Citizens) PhP 20.00 (Kids 12 years old and below) |
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Contact numbers: |
+63 74 446 2949, +63 74 442 5553 (fax) |
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Website: |
www.tam-awanvillage.com |
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Social Media Account: |
Facebook: @Tam-Awan-Village-Garden-In-The-Sky |
Weave your way to the Easter Weaving Room
Interesting to know but the Easter Weaving Room, Inc. has been as old as the City. In 1908, this has been the center of weaved arts and crafts, making it known not only in the City but in other provinces as well.
Located inside the Easter College Compound, this is one of Baguio’s most treasured cultural sites as it is the oldest weaving center in the City. The weaving room has several traditional, wooden weaving machines which can create at least 30 – 50 weaved materials per day. This is also where the sablay of the University of the Philippines is created and is used during their graduation.
The weaving center also has a souvenir shop where they sell a wide range of weaved materials – from scarves, key chains, jackets to bonnets at an affordable price – the perfect warmer for your cold stay in Baguio after summer.
Contact Information:
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Address: |
#02 Easter Road, Guisad, Baguio City |
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Contact number: |
+63 74 442 4972 |
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E-mail: |
info@easterweaving.com |
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Website: |
www.easterweaving.com |
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Social Media Account: |
Facebook: @Easter-Weaving-Room |
Have a sumptuous lunch at Balajadia Restaurant
Trying local food is really one of the best ways to experience Baguio. Heart-warming food can really make you feel at home. For us, we tried:
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- Chopsuey
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- Pinapaitan
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- Bulalo
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- Tinuno
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- Butts and Balls
Chopsuey
The Chopsuey served for us was sourced from the farms of Benguet, particularly in town capital of La Trinidad. The vegetables were crisp and were sautéed in a creamy sauce.
Pinapaitan na Baka at Kambing (Bitter pork and goat stew)
Pinapaitan is one of the native dishes served in the Cordilleras. It is made up of certain internal organs of cow, goats, and sometimes, pig. The bile of such animals makes the dish bitter together with its broth, thus, the name. Perfect for a cold-weathered lunch!
Bulalo
A typical Filipino dish, Bulalo cannot be missed in every dining table, especially when it is cold outside! The perfect match of pork joints with potatoes, beans, and pechay makes it much warmer during the cuddle-weather.
Tinuno (Grilled Meat) with Dinardaraan (pork blood stew)
Barbecue and grilled meat are typical of a Filipino dish especially when there is a celebration, or even if it is just found on the streets. In our experience, we were served grilled pork meat with sautéed pork blood – this is to add texture to the dish, making it more palatable.
Butts and Balls (BnB)
Not known to many, there is a dish called “butts and balls (B&B).” We all laughed at the idea of the name as it was catchy. But when we tried the dish, it was to die for! It literally is made up of some portions of the ‘butt and balls’ of the pig, sautéed in soy sauce. The taste, appearance, and texture are similar to that of Bistek Tagalog. A must-try!
If you want to experience these appetizing dishes from Balajadia Restaurant, visit them at Slaughterhouse Compound, Balajadia Street, Brgy. Sto. Nino, Baguio City
Experience Baguio’s Fright Night
Aside from being the country’s Summer Capital, Baguio is also known for its haunted places. Be it peculiar for some but it is now one of the main things you should do in the City after summer.
Like in a typical scene in a horror movie – cold climate, strong winds, drizzles, and often lightning from the night sky, it is the perfect backdrop for you to experience horror in Baguio.
The Pine City Fright Tours is our host for this event. It is the first and only accredited fright tour operator in the City by the Department of Tourism – Cordillera Administrative Region. Our guide, Anton, gave us a brief history of all the accessible haunted places found in Baguio, together with the eerie experiences some tourists and locals felt in the past.
Some of the places we went were:
Baguio Cathedral
Formerly known as St. Patrick Church, the Baguio Cathedral, a.k.a. Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral, unbeknownst to many, is also one of the haunted places in the City. The hill where the Cathedral stands was called “kampo” by the Ibalois and a Catholic Mission was established by the Belgian fathers of the Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae (CICM) in 1907.
During the Second World War, a Japanese carpet bomb attack hit the City, making the Church a refugee and evacuation camp as priests would then take care of the refugees. Unfortunately, when the attackers seized the place, they unceasingly beheaded the refugees and the priests on the Church’s Square.
This accounts now to the apparition of headless priests attending confessions on some of the confession booths of the Church, unknowing of the ones confessing their sins.
Teachers Camp
Now famous as a haunted place, the Teacher’s Camp in Leonard Wood Road was the very site of the Thomasites who camped to teach the natives of Kafagway. They then set up tents as their temporary shelter.
As the Highlanders resisted this move of the American settlers, they secretly attacked and beheaded the first batch of Thomasites, thus, the apparitions of a headless lady roaming in the Camp at late night.
Laperal White House
Owned by Don Roberto Laperal, one of the wealthiest businessmen of Manila, the 95-year-old Victorian-style Laperal House made of Narra and yakal, is now considered one of the most haunted places in the City. It all began in the Second World War when the house was made into a temporary Japanese garrison and a torture den for Filipino insurgents and American soldiers.
The family, too, had a peculiar story as their family members died in mysterious ways. This led to the despair of Don Roberto’s wife, Doña Victorina, the last member of the family to die out of depression.
The infamous house had ghostly accounts that some of the house’s furniture moves at night as if there are people living inside. Some believe that the spirits of the Laperal Family and some of those who perished in the war still linger around the house.
If you want to experience more of a different kind of thrill in Baguio after summer, contact the Pine City Fright Tours at:
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Address: |
11 Petunia, Amparo Heights, Baguio City |
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Contact Number: |
+63 998 548 0301 |
*Here is the current offering of the tour (prices and tour packages are subject to change without prior notice):
And to end the day, we treated ourselves to a fright night at Azalea Residences by watching a spooky horror movie!
Can’t get enough and need to know more? See and read the Last Part of the things you can do in Baguio after summer here!
We’re born to travel!
About Aldrick 'chiki' Agpaoa
