Our last trip of the shutdown. We went with the Kresges and Laneys and stayed at The Manor.
Baguio City is located some 5,050 feet above sea level, nestled within the Cordillera Central mountain range in northern Luzon. The city is enclosed by the province of Benguet. It covers a small area of 57.5 square kilometres (22.2 sq mi). Most of the developed part of the city is built on uneven, hilly terrain of the northern section. When Daniel Burnham plotted the plans for the city, he made the City Hall as a reference point where the city limits extend 8.2 kilometres (5.1 mi) from east to west and 7.2 kilometres (4.5 mi) from north to2 south. It is the highest major Philippine city in terms of elevation.
Baguio City was established by the Americans as a hill station in 1900 at the site of an Ibaloi village known as Kafagway. It was the United States' only hill station in Asia.[4] The name of the city is derived from the Ibaloi word bagiw meaning 'moss.' The Ibaloi is the indigenous language in the Benguet Region. The city is situated at an altitude of approximately 1,540 meters (5,050 feet) in the Luzon tropical pine forests ecoregion conducive for the growth of mossy plants and orchids.[5]
Because of its cool climate, Baguio City was designated by the Philippine Commission as the "Summer Capital" of the Philippines on June 1, 1903 wherein the government was transferred to city to escape the lowland heat during summer. It was incorporated as a chartered city by the Philippine Assembly on September 1, 1909, as authored by former Philippines Supreme Court Justice George A. Malcolm. The City of Baguio celebrated its Centennial on September 1, 2009.
American colonial period
When the Americans took possession of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War, Baguio was selected to become the summer capital of the Philippine Islands. Governor-General William Taft on his first visit in 1901, noted the "air as bracing as Adirondacks or Murray Bay...temperature this hottest month in the Philippines on my cottage porch at three in the afternoon sixty-eight."
In 1903, Filipino, Japanese and Chinese workers were hired to build Kennon Road, the first road directly connecting Baguio with the lowlands of Pangasinan. Before this, the only road to Benguet was Naguilian Road, and it was largely a horse trail at higher elevations.
The Americans declared Baguio the "Summer Capital of the Philippines" on July 1, 1903. Every year between March and June, the entire American government transferred operations to Baguio to escape Manila's summer heat, a practice abolished in 1913 when Governor-General Francis B. Harrison took office.
World War II
On April 26, 1945, Filipino troops of the 1st, 2nd, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th and 16th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, 1st Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary and the USAFIP-NL 66th Infantry Regiment and the American troops of the 33rd and 37th Infantry Division of the United States Army entered Baguio City and fought against the Japanese Imperial Army forces led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita which started the Battle for the Liberation of Baguio City during World War II.
Baguio is the site of the formal surrender of General Tomoyuki Yamashita and Vice Admiral Okochi. It is where they gave up the entire Imperial Japanese Armed Forces to American authorities at the High Commissioner's Residence (now the United States Ambassador's Residence) in Camp John Hay on September 3, 1945, marking the end of World War II.
1990 earthquake
The very strong 1990 Luzon earthquake (Ms = 7.8) destroyed much of the city of Baguio on July 16, 1990. A significant number of buildings and infrastructure were damaged; major highways were temporarily severed; and a number of houses were leveled or severely-shaken with a significant loss of life. Some of the fallen buildings were built on or near fault lines. Baguio City was rebuilt with the aid from the national government and various international donors such as Japan, Singapore and other countries.
We so love the pines!!!!!!
I can't go on without showing some new signs. These were taken on the Toll Road going out of Manila:
Passing Lane
Keep right except to overtake
??????????
But we went the other way!
Half Lane - haha!
After leaving the main highway and climbing towards Baguio, it's houses, bridges and people, more bridges, water, etc.
An interesting note: all the poles are concrete not wood.
Finally, after five hours, we arrived in Baguio!
This shows the road we just climbed!
E/S England, S Kresge, E/S Laney
To the Manor for R&R (rest and reading)
A real couch to sit on!
No air conditioning, just a fan, but we didn't need it. Cool mountain air!!!!!!
Our balcony where I read until the 3:00 rains came
My favorite pine trees!
We have found that each area of the Philippines is noted for a "special something", and Baguio is noted for its weaving. On Tuesday, we went to a couple of weaving places:
Next stop, Narda's
Here is where I spent some cash!!!!
I just loved this little old man. He was sooo cute
as he sat reading the newspaper. The lighting doesn't
look like it, but he had on a cream-colored polyester
shirt, jacket, pants and hat. He thought I was funny
wanting to take his picture, but he was a good sport.
All kinds of things for sale! I couldn't get Edward
interested in a woven g-string however.
Onward to the Market
Hmmm...I've heard of a bed & breakfast but...
On the left are rock statues. They look like people.
Church
"Clean Comfort Room" Oh, yea!
Since Baguio is built on hills, we do a lot of going down...going up...
People everywhere!
Taxi anyone?
Sure am glad our driver knows which way to go!
Love these garden areas!
This shows how huge this Market is. I must say it is one of the cleanest, more organized
ones we have been in. The only bad smelling part was the fish/meat area.
Local grown strawberries!
Back at the hotel and dinner with new friends!
S England, Divine Dadal and her husband, E/S Kresge
Just the girls and the cupcakes Divine brought me.
Here's the story about Divine:
I met her at the Temple when she brought her sister, Camille to receive her endowment before going on her mission. I felt drawn to Camille and didn't know why we bonded so well until I heard her story. After she put in her mission papers, she had a dream about the flag of Great Britain and thought that maybe her call would be there. When it came and she was assigned to stay in the Philippines, she asked her sister what the dream had meant. She was told, "there will be a connection sometime." Well, the day they arrived at the Temple, I was assigned to be her guide, and when I greeted Camille and she saw my name tag, she squealed and hugged me. Sister England was the connection she was promised, and we have been friends ever since. Divine lives in Baguio and has a cake/cupcake business called Divine Sweet Delights (check it out on Facebook) and she called me to set up a meeting while we were there. It was a pleasant time and we got to discuss Sister Camille and how she was doing. Camille's story is the "David Archuletta" story of the Philippines. She had a very promising modelling/singing career and gave it up to serve a mission. I asked her why and she said, "I want to be part of the Lord's hastening of missionary work, and because I know the Gospel is true!"
You can see she is very lovely and talented.
If her career/crown is lost, she isn't worried. She wants to be a lawyer as well as a beauty queen. Quite a woman for sure.
We left for Quezon City the next day and "our home away from home."
Well, this ends this lengthy blog, but now you have seen as much of the Philippines as we have.
Parting thought:
To all our family and friends: RWYA and KoKo!
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