Baguio – City of Pines, Summer Capital of the Philippines Part 3

BAGUIO CITY

THE MANSION

The Mansion is the official summer residence of the President of the Philippines. It is located on the eastern part of the city along C.P. Romulo Drive (formerly a part of Leonard Wood Road) and right across from Wright Park. Older than the city itself, the Mansion is easily one of the most visited and photographed landmarks of Baguio.

Inside the Mansion is a mini museum housing memorabilia and works of art collected over its years of occupancy by the former presidents. Within the compound and adjacent to the Mansion is a two-story building which serves as the official residence of the Philippine President in Baguio City and nearby is a small amphitheater. A contingent of Philippine marines maintains the security of this large compound and you will see a some of them manning the guardhouse at the vicinity of the gate. Read More: http://www.gobaguio.com/the-mansion.html#.X1raVYt7laQ

BAGUIO BOTANICAL GARDEN

Photo from: infohub.ph

The Baguio Botanical Garden is one of the green parks of the City of Pines “where nothing much happens” – and this is precisely what is so great about it!

A huge piece of land that is owned by the Philippine government, Botanical Garden, like Burnham Park is one of those prime pieces of real estate that provides priceless peace and tranquility to a city that is in danger of becoming an urban jungle.

Said to have been at one time a zoo and actually named the Botanical & Zoological Garden, the Baguio Botanical Garden has been known, officially and unofficially by many names — Igorot Village (for the different Cordillera huts and statues that decorated the park, Imelda Park (who was for a long time the First Lady of the country) and, most recently, Centennial Park in celebration of 100 years of the Summer Capital of the Philippines. Read More: http://www.gobaguio.com/botanical-garden-baguio-city.html#.X1rb-It7laQ

BAGUIO CATHEDRAL

Photo from: backpackingphilippines.com

Our Lady of the Atonement Cathedral, better known as Baguio Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located at Cathedral Loop adjacent to Session Road in Baguio, the Philippines, and is the see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baguio. Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Atonement, its distinctive pink exterior, twin spires and stained glass windows make it a popular tourist attraction in Baguio. It served as an evacuation center under the Japanese Occupation during Second World War.

The cathedral has a distinctive pink facade with a rose window and twin square belfries with pyramidal roofs.^[3] Within its large courtyard is a viewing deck that overlooks Session Road and the downtown commercial district of Baguio.

The cathedral is accessible to pedestrians from Session Road via 104-step stone staircase that ends at a Calvary, or through the adjacent campus of Saint Louis University. Read More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baguio_Cathedral

MARYKNOLL ECOLOGICAL SANCTUARY

Photo from: squidoo.com

The Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary takes visitors on a journey on the evolution of the universe in 14 stations in a serene garden.

After the 1990 earthquake that hit Baguio City, the Maryknoll Sisters decided on an alternative way to use their resources in the City of Pines and converted their elementary school as a venue for education still, but this time to focus on the fragile environment that is the planet Earth.

Thus they created a serene environment where folks can go on a peaceful stroll, a secret garden of sorts that offers peace and serenity in the middle of a bustling city. Read More: http://www.gobaguio.com/maryknoll-ecological-sanctuary.html#.X1reu4t7laQ

TAM-AWAN VILLAGE

Photo from: tumblr.com

Tam-awan Village in Pinsao Proper, Baguio City uniquely blends indigenous aesthetics and exquisite Cordilleran craftsmanship with an artist’s concept for a village adapting to Baguio setting.

Chanum Foundation, Inc., founded in 1998, began to reconstruct Ifugao houses in Baguio with the view of making a model village accessible to people who have not had the chance to travel to the Cordillera interior. On a land near an abundant spring, the foundation started out with three knocked-down huts transported from Bangaan, Ifugao. Tam-awan village now has seven Ifugao huts and two Kalinga houses. Using the original materials and adding only new cogon roofs, traditional artisans reconstructed the houses and laid them out resembling the design of a traditional Cordillera Village.

An Ifugao house is compact and though deceptively simple, its architecture is quite sophisticated. Built by clever mortise makers without nails or hardware, it exemplifies the exactness of Ifugao construction. With the heavy hand-hewn timber elevated to about shoulder height by four posts usually made of hard wood, the house, with periodic re-roofing, can last several generations. Read More: http://www.tam-awanvillage.com/welcome/