Relocating To Baguio

[losd]

Hi, this is my first post here. I am moving to Baguio next year and interested in gleaning all the local information I can.

I will be there a year, and I have time to finish preparing, my immediate concern is choosing a place to live, so I would be interested in anyone's experiences or opinions on this, anyone who knows the city or has information regarding it.

I don't want to live grandly, simply would be fine, but I would like to be in an area that's relatively safe and has amenities close by that might suit a rather over domesticated but possibly typical westerner. I imagine like all cities I know, Baguio has its suburbs and areas, each with there own characteristics, advantages and downsides; I have not been able to find much local information regarding this yet except the names of these "suburbs", I thought this seemed a good place to begin looking more seriously.

Any information however tangential, welcomed, and thank you. 

[Jack Peterson]

:omg: Wow! like someone else today, A 1st for me. also, to say hello to a new member  :welcome: saying things about places that you will be new to, can be so Difficult, Local Knowledge can only normally be effective to anyone when they are there. Everyone has such a diverse  thought at what we can call, Local Knowledge, what suits them will 75% of the time not suit you.

However,  I have put a link on about Baguio. from it, you should be able to get some idea, what is what. After that maybe, any of the members who live in that area or Someone, that has visited enough, to answer any deeper Questions you may have

 

http://www.gobaguio.com/

 

No point me rambling on, as I don't know the Area at all. I just thought you would find the link useful

 

have a good time here and Hope things go well for you.

 

 

Morning All

 

:tiphat:  :morning1:  JP.

[Jollygoodfellow]

Hi and welcome

There is already quite a bit of info on Baguio and best to take a look at it first. The screenshots show you how to do it. Only about 1000 results but the first 10 will probably help you.

 

choose Google site search for best results.

 

 

 

 

[i am bob]

You know, Tom, I'm starting to think that your post should be a mandatory class for people on this forum...  You are paying the airfare, aren't you, Tom?  At least to Baguio?

 

:mocking:   Sorry about that, Losd...  I tried for you!   Hope I didn't get your hopes up too high...   :mocking:

[losd]

:omg: Wow! like someone else today, A 1st for me. also, to say hello to a new member  :welcome: saying things about places that you will be new to, can be so Difficult, Local Knowledge can only normally be effective to anyone when they are there. Everyone has such a diverse  thought at what we can call, Local Knowledge, what suits them will 75% of the time not suit you.

However,  I have put a link on about Baguio. from it, you should be able to get some idea, what is what. After that maybe, any of the members who live in that area or Someone, that has visited enough, to answer any deeper Questions you may have

 

http://www.gobaguio.com/

 

No point me rambling on, as I don't know the Area at all. I just thought you would find the link useful

 

have a good time here and Hope things go well for you.

 

 

Morning All

 

:tiphat:  :morning1:  JP.

Many thanks Jack, nice to be here. You are right, everyone's opinions on most things vary, but despite this, conversation is inordinately useful (not to mention enjoyable of course, which is why we all talk so much and forums and bars across the world do pretty well) :) You are right in saying that what someone else likes, I might not like at all. But, hearing about things others like, or don't, and their reasons, is so useful :)

 

I looked at that link I have seen it before, but not in quite a while in fact, was nice to browse it again, thanks.

 

What I am hoping I might get is some information regarding "good" areas to live in Baguio. Maybe all areas in Baguio are equally "good". Maybe some areas are more mosquito ridden, noisy, dirty... have a reputation for a higher crime rate.  In other words, all the sort of things I could tell someone about London, while making it clear it was my opinion, or a generally held opinion among locals (generally held local opinions are, of course, sometimes also unfair we have to remember). Although my opinions and experiences could not tell someone where they personally might like to live in a given area, I like to think that during the course of such a conversation they might glean something useful, and if they didn't, well, they wold have had a relaxing beer, and that important too! :)

 

Hmmm to my knowledge there is nowhere in London where mosquitos are a problem, but who knows :)

 

Thank you for your reply, and best wishes.

[losd]

Hi and welcome

There is already quite a bit of info on Baguio and best to take a look at it first. The screenshots show you how to do it. Only about 1000 results but the first 10 will probably help you.

 

choose Google site search for best results.

 

Baguio search.jpg

 

 

 

Baguio search 2.jpg

Thank you Jolly, I mostly walked past the library and headed straight for the bar, but...  I did stop off in the archives and had a browse before I piped up :) I read a couple of posts about Baguio, one of them quite extensive, and some useful information. But nothing concerning the kind of information I hope to find... opinions about the suburbs and areas of Baguio as places to live, the sort of information a Londoner could give you ad infinitum, and which you would listen to avidly before you bought a house/rented an apartment. Of course in Baguio and as an foreigner the criteria are different in some ways, but in general conversation all sorts of useful stuff crops up.

Having said this, I will head back into your archives and see what I might dig up from old conversations, but anyone who knows anything regarding things on the ground now, or who had indirect but recent knowledge of Baguio through family or friends, I would be most interested to chat with.

 

Kind regards and many thanks for replying!

[losd]

You know, Tom, I'm starting to think that your post should be a mandatory class for people on this forum...  You are paying the airfare, aren't you, Tom?  At least to Baguio?

 

:mocking:   Sorry about that, Losd...  I tried for you!   Hope I didn't get your hopes up too high...   :mocking:

My hopes are always high, but I keep them carefully apart from my expectations :) Fingers crossed, as always, cant hurt :)

[earthdome]

I have lived in Baguio over a year now. I can't say I have stuck my nose into every nook and cranny.

 

Generally Baguio feels like a safe place to live. Not a great deal of crime from what I read in the local paper. The only place I have heard bad things about is the wet market area, but only after dark. 

 

Best source of information is to stop by the local expat hangout, The Red Lion Pub, at the corner of Leonard Wood Rd and Gen Luna Rd.

 

I have met expats there who have lived in Baguio over a decade who know the city much better than I do.

 

I found my apartment after speaking with expats at the pub. New building, grounded electrical, nice granite counters, great location in the Navy Base area (St. Joseph Village). Close enough to downtown so I can walk there in 30 minutes.

 

I like the area going east of downtown Baguio out Leonard Wood Rd towards Mines View better because it is not as densely populated, there are more pine trees and better views.

 

There are 2 new condos (8-10 stories) within a block of where I live. One has sold about half their units. The other is still under construction.

 

I have heard there are some gated communities here in Baguio but I haven't seen them yet.

 

Good luck in your search. Remember that the best way to find a place to live is by personal contacts and talking to people. I didn't have much luck using the local classified ads or the internet in my search for a place to live.

[Americano]

Baguio is a good place to live if you like Typhoons.  If you move there you should buy a small boat and some paddles.  A boat will be your main transportation during and after the 20 Typhoons per year that come through there.

[robert k]

It may not be as bad as Americano implies, but it would be an apt description for some videos I have seen. I would pay particular attention to the elevation of my possible living quarters.