Baguio Visit April 2012

[earthdome]

I visited Baguio in April 2012 for six days. This is one of the potential areas of the Philippines I may relocate to when I retire in the next year.

Overall I really liked Baguio. I could see myself living there.

We traveled by bus from Manila (Pasay City) using Victory Liner. The trip took about 6 hours to Baguio, but took 8 hours on the way back.

It was an air con bus without CR. But the bus stopped about every 2 hours so you could use a CR or get food/drink. Had some chicharon on the trip back we picked up from somebody who rode the bus while in Tarlac. Word is that Tarlac makes the best chicharon. Made the mistake of eating some roadside food on the trip back, rice, bbq pork on a stick, etc. Boy did that clean me out 12 hours later!

During my visit it was almost 37C/100F in Manila but in Baguio there was a slight chill in the morning when I woke up. At 5000 feet elevation it has a much more moderate climate than the rest of the Philippines. Very pleasant weather this time of year. I discovered that Baguio has the worlds record for most rainfall in a 24 hour period, 46 inches! Looks like the weather is very nice for 6 months of the year, but from June - Sept gets a great deal of rain, especially from Typhoons. Some areas are susceptible to landslides.

During my visit it would be sunny and clear in the morning, clouding up in the afternoon some, with maybe some light rain in the evening.

Baguio was heavily damaged with over 1000 deaths in a 1990 earthquake in northern Luzon requiring a great deal of rebuilding. Here are some links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_Luzon_earthquake

http://cityofpines.com/baguioquake/quake.html

I stayed at the Azalea Residences a new medium priced hotel which just opened. We had a deluxe room with small kitchenette. After buying food and a few kitchen things we prepared and ate about half our meals in the hotel room. Since it was new, few taxi drivers new where it was so we got used to telling them it was close to Teachers Camp on Leonard Wood Rd. Perhaps because of the mild climate the hotel room didn't even have an AC system.

Taxis were inexpensive, most I payed was 50 or 60 pesos. We did rent a car/driver for one afternoon to visit places just outside of Baguio.

Cost was about $50 USD. The car was a brand new Toyota.

Looked like many or most buildings had their own watertank. I saw many water delivery trucks.

Spoke with an expat who has lived in Baguio for over six years with his wife one morning over coffee. He claimed he and his wife lived in a nice two bedroom apartment with patio and BBQ pit for only 6500 pesos/month.

Of course there was a large SM Mall near downtown. The downtown area on Session Rd seemed nice. Alot of restaurants and night spots.

Here is an album with a few pics from my visit.

Here are some more links to information about Baguio:

http://www.gobaguio.com/

http://wikitravel.org/en/Baguio

Baguio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Baguio City

[JJReyes]

Made the mistake of eating some roadside food on the trip back, rice, bbq pork on a stick, etc. Boy did that clean me out 12 hours later!

Roadside eateries are terrible in the Philippines. You don't know how long ago the food was prepared. Is it several hours, days? Food that is starting to turn rancid like barbecue can be disguised by adding hot spices.

My wife and I are leaving Honolulu on Monday, May 14th for a two weeks road trip through California, Nevada and Arizona. Some desert areas in Nevada and the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona are desolate. Our two sons really like a photograph taken of them next to a Burger King billboard. It read, "Next Burger King, 89 miles ahead." We will have a three days emergency food supplies, a case of water, first aid kit and blankets as a precaution. Also, a couple of large bags of chips for me. The emergency supplies serve a purpose even in highly populated California. If there is a bad earthquake, you can get stuck on a freeway for days.

[earthdome]

Made the mistake of eating some roadside food on the trip back, rice, bbq pork on a stick, etc. Boy did that clean me out 12 hours later!

Roadside eateries are terrible in the Philippines. You don't know how long ago the food was prepared. Is it several hours, days? Food that is starting to turn rancid like barbecue can be disguised by adding hot spices.

My wife and I are leaving Honolulu on Monday, May 14th for a two weeks road trip through California, Nevada and Arizona. Some desert areas in Nevada and the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona are desolate. Our two sons really like a photograph taken of them next to a Burger King billboard. It read, "Next Burger King, 89 miles ahead." We will have a three days emergency food supplies, a case of water, first aid kit and blankets as a precaution. Also, a couple of large bags of chips for me. The emergency supplies serve a purpose even in highly populated California. If there is a bad earthquake, you can get stuck on a freeway for days.

I had heard that about the roadside food. But hunger overrode common sense. Lesson learned.

Always a good idea to have a bugout bag and essentials in case of an emergency.

[Classic Dry]

Love the idea of the cooler climate. Not sure about all that rain. Looks like a nice place though. Might investigate it one day as a potential home.

[earthdome]

Love the idea of the cooler climate. Not sure about all that rain. Looks like a nice place though. Might investigate it one day as a potential home.

The heaviest rain is in July & August. If I relocate to Baguio I might choose to travel to other parts of the Philippines or asia during those two months.

[Jake]

Thank you Earthdome for boots on the ground field report about Baguio. My last visit there was around

the mid 1970's. I've heard now about the population explosion and its affects on the city infrastructure.

Is the "zig-zag" on MacArthur Highway still safe even during monsoon season?

I found that Tagaytay, about 2 hours south of Manila is another place for cooler weather. Its elevation

in about 2,000 feet and fairly close to the beaches of Batangas province. Taal Lake which provides a

scenic view from Tagaytay Ridge is a major tourist spot and excellent water sport activities. However,

the cost of living there has sky rocketed during the last decade or so.

Respectfully -- Jake

[earthdome]

Thank you Earthdome for boots on the ground field report about Baguio. My last visit there was around

the mid 1970's. I've heard now about the population explosion and its affects on the city infrastructure.

Is the "zig-zag" on MacArthur Highway still safe even during monsoon season?

I found that Tagaytay, about 2 hours south of Manila is another place for cooler weather. Its elevation

in about 2,000 feet and fairly close to the beaches of Batangas province. Taal Lake which provides a

scenic view from Tagaytay Ridge is a major tourist spot and excellent water sport activities. However,

the cost of living there has sky rocketed during the last decade or so.

Respectfully -- Jake

Baguio is around 300k population now. What infrastructure problems are you referring to Jake?

I read that there can still be small mudslides blocking the zig zag road during monsoon season.

Tagaytay is another area I want to see but would not relocate there if it has become too expensive.

Baguio is a bit out of the way, 6-8 hours by bus from Manila NAIA airport, but only 4 hours from Clark in Angeles. The bus service to/from Angeles/Manila runs every hour, 24 hours of the day.

[Jake]

Thank you Earthdome for boots on the ground field report about Baguio. My last visit there was around

the mid 1970's. I've heard now about the population explosion and its affects on the city infrastructure.

Is the "zig-zag" on MacArthur Highway still safe even during monsoon season?

I found that Tagaytay, about 2 hours south of Manila is another place for cooler weather. Its elevation

in about 2,000 feet and fairly close to the beaches of Batangas province. Taal Lake which provides a

scenic view from Tagaytay Ridge is a major tourist spot and excellent water sport activities. However,

the cost of living there has sky rocketed during the last decade or so.

Respectfully -- Jake

Baguio is around 300k population now. What infrastructure problems are you referring to Jake?

I read that there can still be small mudslides blocking the zig zag road during monsoon season.

Tagaytay is another area I want to see but would not relocate there if it has become too expensive.

Baguio is a bit out of the way, 6-8 hours by bus from Manila NAIA airport, but only 4 hours from Clark in Angeles. The bus service to/from Angeles/Manila runs every hour, 24 hours of the day.

Just like any major city, basic utilities (water, sewage, electricity, etc) and pollution can be overwhelmed

as Baguio City became more and more popular. Here is a link from Manila Bulletin dated July 2009:

http://www.mb.com.ph...s-tourism-decay

Also, here is another link from a former member Tatoosh who is currently living there:

http://www.philippin...uio/#entry55886

I would still like to vacation there anyway and then travel west towards La Union for their

wonderful beach resorts.

[Old55]

Thank you for that information on Baguio I've not had the chance to visit yet. Someday we may make it up there.

[earthdome]

Just like any major city, basic utilities (water, sewage, electricity, etc) and pollution can be overwhelmed as Baguio City became more and more popular. Here is a link from Manila Bulletin dated July 2009: http://www.mb.com.ph...s-tourism-decay Also, here is another link from a former member Tatoosh who is currently living there: http://www.philippin...uio/#entry55886 I would still like to vacation there anyway and then travel west towards La Union for their wonderful beach resorts.

Thanks for the links good buddy.