I spent most of my 22 days in the Philippines in and near the mountain town of Baguio City. This is a beautiful area! Having lived all my life in Illinois, I took lots of pictures of mountains. The roll of film with my pictures of a less scenic area, the devastation wrought by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, along with pictures from Manila, was unfortunately damaged. The weather was also great, though a little too hot in Manila for me. The only slightly unpleasant experience was the attention I attracted - at 6'1", I was much taller than nearly all the Filipinos I met!
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This is the entry into Baguio City.
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The Philippines have a long history with the USA. This is part of the Philippine - American Friendship Garden.
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Most of my time in Baguio City was spent at the BC Country Club. For Easter weekend, we had to move into a condo because the members of the Country Club headed up there for the holiday. This is the view from the BCCC rooftop.
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Baguio City resident Maria took Texan Barron and me sightseeing and shopping. She did the haggling for us at the market. Handmade items are very cheap in the Philippines, I felt a little guilty about bargaining, but I guess it's expected. We rode uphill in a Jeepney, a form of public transportation. Jeepney are like big Jeeps, very cheap (the trip cost about 7 cents!), and wildly decorated. |
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Up lots and lots of stairs, is the Lourdes Grotto. From the grotto is a beautiful view of the mountains. |
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This isn't the view from the grotto, we drove up into the mountains and stopped at a viewing stand. Nearby is a huge stone head of Marcos (Ferdinand, not Imelda - they'd have to have a big shoe for her!) |
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Agoo Playa on the China Sea.
A jeepney passes in front of the local Hard Rock Café (not affiliated with the better known HRC!)
I took a horseback ride up into the mountains. From up there, I had some great views of terraced rice farms on the mountainside.
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