Baguio is Always a Good Idea

This is Baguio City, Every year my family makes it a point to go up to Baguio.  Sometimes at least once though there are years that we sometimes make two or three trips up north.  As a Manila resident, one thing that attracts us the most about Baguio is its cold weather and fresh "pine" air.   But since we've been through almost all major tourist sites in Baguio, this year we made it a point to do something and go somewhere we've never been (of course with the exception of the trip to the Good Shepperd Convent for the famous Ube Halaya).

So off we went to first stop, Camp John Hay for our first Mini-Golf experience.  In the PH, I don't recall places that have mini golf,  I remember a while back there was one in the Fort but I think that was short lived or part of a festival.

Camp John Hay - Miniature Golf Course

This 18-Hole Miniature Golf course, I heard was designed by Nicklaus, is quite the challenge according to my three competitors,  took them about an hour and a half to finish the 18 holes.  For less than a hundred pesos (a little over US$2.00/player)  you get a golf club, a ball and a scorecard.  Now it depends on you on how long it takes you and your friends to finish the course.    This sure is a fun way to spend the day in Baguio, Especially if you have kids who are not so keen on picturesque scenes and taking pictures of the scenery.  

The exercise promotes their sportsmanship, geometry (calculating the trajectory of the ball), strategy and best of all it's FUN!.   Right outside the course there is a store retailing ice-cream,  of course we just had to have one.  Warning though, it is ridiculously expensive.

Lunch time meant looking for a new place to eat, so we consulted Gigi (our nickname for Google), and she suggested after going thru numerous blogs and articles online, Good Taste Restaurant.  This restaurant has its own building,  It is located right at the outskirts of Burnham Park.    My apologies but due to the pangs of hunger, I was only able to take a picture of mt empty plate with the Good Taste logo.  This Chinese restaurant is to me the extremes.  Either you REALLY love it or your F____ing hate it.  If you are somewhere in between, I assure you, you will not come back.  I am somewhere in between,  Ambiance is not so good, it is far too crowded and messy at time.  The general fell of it was "cheap wedding reception" like.  Food was just OK, nothing spectacular,  Price was great since it was very affordable for the amount of serving they give you.  So that's my ten cents of it.

Next stop, the famous BenCab Museum.  It was mid afternoon when we made our way to BenCab Museum.  The roads leading to the museum was a bit of a challenge and Gigi (Google Maps) was not very helpful this time.  But we got there in one piece. It is located in Km. 6 Asin Road, about 20 minutes from the center of Baguio.    The museum sits in the side of a mountain that has a breathtaking view of the mountains of Baguio, a forest and the sea from a distance.  

BenCab Museum houses works of renowned Filipino National Artist, Benedicto Reyes Cabrera, popularly known as BenCab, ergo the name of the museum.  The museum also showcases works of other Filipino artists, artifacts of Baguio and the Mountain provinces.  The museum also has a coffee shop, farm and garden.  The produce of the farm gets served in the coffee place.  The visit to the museum gave the family a taste of Filipino Art and culture, an appreciation of the history of the mountain provinces and the beauty that is Nature.  

This impromptu trips our of busy Manila, are my little pleasures in life.  Spending time with the people you love.  Appreciating and thanking God for his unlimited grace of nature.  Yes, Life is short so LIVE it.  Explore as much as you can. 

Amazing Abra - Kawayan Festival March 6 - 9, 2012

Abra is a province in the Cordillera Administrative Region of the Philippines. With Bangued as its capital, it is composed of 27 municipalities and 303 barangays.

The predominant languages are Ilocano and Itneg. Based on the 2000 census survey, the majority of the province population is Ilocano 71.9%. Other ethnic groups living in the province are the Tinguian 18.7%, Ibanag 4.5%, Isneg 3.2% and Tagalog 0.4%.


Abra is hemmed in by the towering mountain ranges of the Ilocos in the west and the Cordillera Central in the east. It has an extremely rugged terrain, with mountains and hills rising along its perimeter and interior. The plains are drained by the Abra River, which flows northward from Mt. Data in the Mountain Province.

What to see and where to go:

HISTORICAL

Casa Real- a facade of the first provincial capitol of Abra, located at Bucay, Abra.

Gabriela Silang Monument- popularly known as the " Joan of Arc" of the Ilocos, led the Ilocanos' resistance against the Spaniards in 1763, after her husband Diego Silang was treacherously shot on May 28, 1763. Today, her monument stands at the town plaza of Pidigan to remind every one of the gallant stand and the ideals she and her husband fought and died for.

CULTURAL

Pinaing (Sacred Stones) - found in Dumayco, Penarrubia, 6.62 kms. from Bangued. In the hollow of a huge Balete Tree are found sacred stones called "pinpinaing" by the village people which symbolizes the "anito" (spirits) of their ancestors.

Don Teodoro Brillantes Family Museum- a private museum which houses the collections and mementos of the Brillantes family with a strong reflection of the Spanish culture.

Old Roman Catholic Churches- the churhes are among the traces of the cultural heritage left by the Spanish colonizers. These are found in the municipalities of Bangued, Tayum, and Lagangilang. In Lagangilang, the church is not located in the town plaza unlike the churches in Bangued and Tayum where the churches are located near the town plazas and the municipal halls.

NATURAL

Abra River - the most popular river among the numerous rivers criss-crossing the valleys of the province, being the biggest and longest. An ideal place for swimmers as well as those fond of fishing with spacious and clear water.

Boliney Hot Spring - located at Bani, Boliney, Abra. It can be reached by jeepneys after travelling 32 kms. The place is an ideal for swimmers who love taking a bath in hot and cold water.

Tugot ni Angalo - translated as "Footprints of Angalo" -the Adam in Abra mythology- it is found in 

Kabaruyan, San Quintin. The "footprint" is a perpetual monument of Angalo. People claim this is a real giant footprint around fifteen meters long, five meters wide and ten feet deep.

Libtec Underground River - An enchanting underground river located in Barangay Libtec, Dolores. Residents in the area claim the place is home to some "mysterious" water creatures.

Kimkimay Lake - located at Taquib, Villaviciosa. This is a favorite place for town picnickers using the lake as a swimming pool and a place for fishing.

Sibud-sibud cave - located along the road of Tineng. It can be reached after travelling a distance of around 33 kms. It is an ideal place for nature lovers.

Limbo Lake - second lake located at Villaviciosa. It offers an ideal place for campers and hikers. The distance to travel is however negligible.

MAN - MADE 

Don Mariano Marcos Bridge - located along the Abra-Kalinga National Road which is the third longest bridge in the country with a total length of 886.8 linear meters.

Tangadan Tunnel - this is a 40 meter tunnel located along the Abra-Ilocos Sur National Road. The tunnel is a popular benchmark to most of the provinces' populace as well as to visitors where dignitaries and other prominent visitors are being welcomed.

Lusuac Dam- this is the gravity irrigation dam located at Lagayan. This is an ideal place for fishing and swimming with its clear water.

Victoria National Park - located atop a hill overlooking the town of Bangued and neighboring municipalities of Tayum, La Paz, Pidigan and Penarrubia. A shrine of the blessed mother cradling Infant Jesus was built near a reservoir of Bangued waterworks. A swimming pool is also available for swimmers.

Borikibok Resort- located at San Miguel, Bucay, Abra. It offers a cool, shady and cozy ground for picnic lovers with its heart shaped swimming pool, dancing conference square located under the shady atmosphere of trees.

Brima Resort - located in Penarrubia, Abra, the resort boasts of a swimming pool under shades of mango trees. Thus, the place is ideal for swimmers who love cool water and cozy atmosphere.

Malamsit Calm Spring - one of the first resorts developed by a private citizen and is located in the historic lowland Tingguian town of Penarrubia. It offers a shady swimming pool with a clear and calm water amidst ornamental plants and shady fruit trees.

Manabo Irrigation Project - is an ideal place for students to visit with its Roman-inspired aquedecks, a spacious swimming pool and one kilometer tunnel.

Palayan ng Bayan - is a vast tract of barren land converted into an agricultural land when the Palayan ng Bayan program was launched in the province in 1974 as a sister program of the Masagana '99 program. The site covers a sprawling 56 hectares atop a hill.

Abra River Irrigation Project - a project of the church in Abra and the National Irrigation Administration designed to irrigate approximately 3,900 hectares of farmland in the municipalities of Tayum, Bangued, Pidigan and Penarrubia. This project enables the people of the said municipalities to harvest crops twice a year.

Provincial Capitol - is a three storey building situated North of Bangued Town Plaza and Northwest of Bangued Municipal Hall. Its cool atmosphere provided by the trees surrounding the building is a suitable place for government officials and employees to perform their functions as servants of Abrenians.

Mary Barbero Park - is the town plaza of the Municipality of Tayum which is located 5.6 kms. northeast of Bangued. It boasts of a man-made lagoon and a playground for children, not to mention the century-old acacia trees surrounding the landscaped plaza.

Malanas Dam - is a gravity irrigation dam located at San Juan, Abra. It taps the water resources of Malanas River irrigating a sizable portion of the ricefields of San Juan.

Sources:

Cordillera Almanac

Vol. I - Local Government Units

1999

Department of the Interior and Local Government

Cordillera Administrative Region

    

1999 Tourism Situationer

Department of Tourism

Cordillera Administrative Region  

HOW TO GET TO ABRA PROVINCE

BY LAND

Local bus operatiors in the Philippines such as Partas Trans travel to Abra from Manila or Pangasinan. Also Philippine Rabbit takes the Baguio-Abra-Manila route. Another one is Viron Trans which has trips from Baguio to Abra.

Bangued is accessible through the Abra-Ilocos Sur National Road from the west, Abra-Kalinga Road from the northeast, and Abra-Ilocos Norte Road from the North. It is 408 km from Manila, 197 km from Baguio City and 60 km from Vigan City.

Tourism - P-Noy Style

It's been a month since the launch of the new tourism campaign logo "It's More Fun in the Philippines," but the hype is still there.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said while the Department of Tourism has yet to complete and officially roll it out, the public response to the new campaign was overwhelming.

“The ‘more fun’ campaign has now over 100 Facebook pages and more than 11,000 memes,” he said.

As a proof of its success, Jimenez said, President Aquino used the slogan in one of his speeches six times.

But what is fun in the Philippines, this blog will show you what's FUN in the Philippines.