Who says you can't go to Baguio without booking an accommodation? Well, for first timers, I don't think you can see the beauty of Baguio in just a day so it's recommended to stay there for 3 days. But for people like me who've been to Baguio numerous times and has seen the tourist spots many times, a 3 day vacation is not needed anymore. Baguio has evolved ever since. It's not only the Baguio for family vacations and for summer getaways anymore. It has become a go to spot for barkadas, for couples, and even for the heartbroken people.

But what's with Baguio that we keep coming back for even though we already know its beauty and its hidden spots? Maybe the food? or perhaps the cold weather? or maybe the ambiance? but whatever it is, I know it'll stay there for a long time.

So what can you do in Baguio for just a day? Well. For me and my father, it's all about the food and the cold weather. We went there the night of 29. Took the night bus from Victory liner Cubao and arrived there at around 3:40 am. Yes, that early! Since we're just staying there for a day, we didn't book any hotel or transient accommodations. What we did was we just stayed in terminal until the sun rises.

What did we do during our stay? We had our breakfast at Pizza Volante since it's the only resto that's open early in the morning around session road. Then we roam around Burnham park and watched different people participate in their zumba seshs. After some morning walk, we found ourselves near the Rizal Park in Baguio and we were lucky enough to see the commemoration of Baguio's local government to Rizal day. The program was just short but nonetheless gave meaning to the celebration. The monument was offered flowers as well as the 21 guns salute.

Our next stop was the Ben Cab museum. The place still amuse me as it's close to nature. You can relax and unwind while dining at Cafe Sabel. 

Of course who would forget the famous Mines View Park and Good Shepherd? Well, we didn't actually enjoyed Mines View that much since there are a lot of people and it was really crowded. The place is very touristy but sadly, people are throwing their garbage everywhere. Trashes are everywhere as if there's no garbage cans provided and scattered. In general, I guess we still lack discipline as a Filipino. As for good shepherd, most of their products are sold out maybe because of the holiday rush. But whatever, you can't leave Baguio without buying pasalubong from Good shepherd, right?

What's going to Baguio without eating at Cafe by the Ruins? As usual, the restaurant has a lot of people waiting to be served. So after filling in our stomachs for lunch, we went to the local market because veggies! We all know that vegetables here are fresh and cheap compared to the metro. As people in Manila, we are always controlled by the performance of fuel prices so we cannot really enjoy cheap and fresh produce the way we can enjoy it in Baguio.

And after a tiring market shopping, we went out to look for a local coffee shop but cannot find any so we end up chilling in Starbucks.

It's quite a long day actually. We came back in Manila at around 2am. I am expecting myself to be tired from all the walking but surprisingly, it's not tiring at all. Maybe because of the weather? Well, one day isn't bitin at all. It's just perfect for a year end chill. 

Until my next visit to Baguio. :)