Baguio holds a special spot in my heart ❤. The place may have deteriorated over the years due to overpopulation, urbanization, and environmental abuse, but it has somehow maintained its charm (to me, at least).
Baguio Cathedral
You can buy fresh produce in the market at affordable prices and they have good local coffee and beer. People are genuinely nice and go out of their way to help you. I remember when I came there to work in 2004, a colleague who just met me gave me a bed and a big water container (with the water shortage in Baguio, that's a must-have, she told me). Others offered to help me move in to my apartment and fed me home-cooked meals. These people welcomed me to their homes (knowing I am far from my own) and treated me as family. The friends I have made while I was there are definitely for keeps.
Arts and music are very much alive in Baguio and it awakened the creative side of me I never thought I had. This is where I first fell in love with photography. A senior faculty lent me his Nikon film camera and taught me the basics. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The photo below was taken with a point-and-shoot camera, which I bought with my first salary from the university.
I read a lot of books, watched tons of films and TV series, and learned how to cook different dishes while I was there. Maybe because the lifestyle was very laidback and the nature of my job gave me a lot of free time (I only needed to be in the university for 5 hours a day, 4 times a week). Now that I work 9x5, I often miss the simple, slow Baguio life I had back then.
I was also able to travel to nearby provinces when I was working in Baguio and those were really happy times I will always treasure. My previous job allowed me to travel slowly during semestral and summer breaks. Here are some photos I've managed to unearthed.
Batad, Banaue
Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte
Bangui, Ilocos Norte
Sagada, Mountain Province
Mount Pulag
These are some of the many reasons why I keep coming back to this place. I have caught the Baguio fever and I am hooked on it forever.
P.S. You may wish to visit Baguio this February, in time for the annual Panagbenga Flower Festival. For more details, you can click here.