Baguio City

That breath-taking view.
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Recently, I took a trip to Baguio, a city in the northern Luzon. It is a six-hour bus ride from San Fernando (it felt more like ten though). Most people here are a good deal smaller than most Americans, so it only makes sense that the bus seats are also much smaller.

Only a few hours after we first arrived (and after a much-needed nap) we set out for a scenic viewpoint. From the main road, you must walk down a winding cobble stone path, lined with strawberry vendors and souvenir stalls, to the vantage point. It was just breathtaking. In southern and central Luzon the horizon is flat, and all you can see from the road is endless farmland; for the adventurous, an excursion would consist of a trip to a beach. However, Northern Luzon is mountainous and grandiose! There are pine trees, hiking trails, terraced farms, and some parts even remind me of the Pacific Northwest.

Some terraced rice fields. Just imagine, in parts of the Philippines entire hillside regions have been converted to terraced rice farms.
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That same afternoon, our hosts took us to see a Rizal Memorial, a pretty park with a man-made lake, and the Palengke. The Palengke is an open market where people sell meats, fruits, vegetables, crafts, flowers, and just about everything else; it seemed to be the center of the city. We also saw the mansion where President Arroyo stays when she is in Baguio. Here I have to comment on Mrs. Arroyo. She is the daughter of a former Philippine President, a Harvard graduate and classmate of Bill Clinton, her family is one of the richest in all of the Philippines and they own the largest plantation (Hacienda Luisita). With all this in mind, most people here still LOVE her despite unchanging and wide-spread poverty. Many say she is clever - which is a good reason to love a president. However, when I ask why they think she is clever, many say “oh, she went to Harvard.” Maybe I am overly pessimistic, but it doesn't seem that an Ivy League or even university education alone doesn't add to one's merit or intelligence. I read in the papers that Mrs. Arroyo boasts of better economic performance (7% annual GDP growth vs. 5% under Mr. Estrada) than her predecessor, but this again means nothing to me when everywhere I look there are so many social problems. If anybody reading this has any answers for me, do tell.

The Grotto.
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(And now back to my travels :-P) The next day we went to see the Philippine Military Academy. It was also hanging from the side of a mountain, and the view was just spectacular. The PMA is another clear example on the influence the United States has had upon the Philippines. This is probably unavoidable though, since the PMA is on a site that was once a US military base. I was able to see some sort of military march too. Although it seems a little less formal than in the United States, it is definitely modeled after the American standard. On another historical note, General MacArthur used to vacation here to escape from the heat of Manila.

A pretty Orchid :-)
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The rest of the day we returned home, had a nice meal of vegetables and roasted fish, and took another nap (I like those J). At dusk, we walked up one of the hills to "the Grotto" – a little alcove at the top of the hill, which prominently displays a pretty statue of the Virgin Mary. On the stairs up to the Grotto there were women selling roses for ten pesos apiece, and at the top people lit candles and preyed. The walk up was something itself, for there are over 200 steps; it is the most exercise I've gotten since I have been here! I don't know if there is any additional significance to the site, but the whole site had a deeply religious feel to it. The walk down the hill was just beautiful, since we were lucky enough to get a good view of Baguio AND to see the sun set over the mountains.

The Philippine Military Academy
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Baguio was just beautiful, and I definitely recommend that if any of you plan on visiting the Philippines, a side-trip to Baguio should be included in your itinerary. It is so different from the beaches most people come to the Philippines for, not to mention the strawberries up here were DEVINE! They taste like candies!