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.