Baguio Daze

All that the early American pioneers wanted of Baguio was to take in its cool mountain air and to chase golf balls without keeling over from heat prostrataion. Then they discovered something else – Gold!. To this day Baguio continues to have one of the richest gold deposits in the world. It’s not all that’s being dug. Fortune seekers go on treks to the mountain wilds in search of Yamashita’s treasure. If you’re not in the know this is allegedly the booty looted by the Japanese during their three years of empire that General Yamashita brought along and buried before surrendering during double-U-eye-eye. Rumors persist that Marcos found some of it and kept the Golden Buddha.You can buy maps to the treasure from the same people who sell the Brooklyn Bridge.
Americans were not the first to discover gold but the Spaniards. The early conquistadors came into first contact with its native people when the Igorots came down from the hills to trade. They saw the Igorots sporting crude bright stones for trinkets. Without a by-your-leave they rushed to the hills to get their share. The Spaniards thought they could treat the Igorots the same way they treated the natives of the lowlands. They forgot one small detail: The Igorots were headhunters.Not wanting to lose theirs for the next three hundred years the Spanish commandants in charge of the territory “governed the Igorots peacefully” from their outpost in Agoo, La Union- about five mountains and 100 kilometers away. . The Igorots and the Muslims of Mindanao were the only people that the Spaniards left alone throughout their 400 years rule.
Baguio isn’t just fresh air and golf. The area is the “salad capital” of the Philippines. Almost all the veggies and flowers sold in Manila originate here. Then too are the local attractions of Burnham Park where you can boat pedal on its lake, Mansion House where the President stays when the Manila weather gets unbearably hot. And then some : A drive around its residential area likewise displaying the ostentatious homes of Manila’s elite; Minesview Park is where you can see forever while the kiddies go horseback astride sonambulating ponies; the government edifices built by the same Americanos who created its golf links and Camp John Hay, once the favorite R & R place for American officers during Commonwealth days. Session Road is the city’s main stem, a four block avenue lined with souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants where you can sip your San Mig and watch fellow tourists amble by on their way to the City market. It’s the only place where you can still see Igorots in their “native” attire in the same way you find Spider Man, Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman in front of Grauman’s Chinese theater inHollywood. Like them the “authentic” Igorots charge for a photo shoot. Incidentally, if you want to be welcomed back to your Manila home don’t forget to bring back Baguio Longanizas
Time was when THE only place to stay was the 200 room government run Pines Hotel plus a few other family run hotels. The Pines burned down during the Marcos years and has not been replaced. What has replaced it are several dozen four and five star hotels which to this old-timer are urban blights. All are shoulder-to-shoulder beside Session Road and lined along Burnham Park. The other disfigurement to the heart of the city is its overpopulation. In the old days I could swagger down session street like I owned it without bumping anyone. No longer. Downtown Baguio foot and vehicle traffic now is ala Manila and just as insane. .
There are still quiet retreats and noise free parks where you can be alone to contemplate the problems of the world - the walk around the cathedral and the paseos outside of Session Road. One of such escapes is Mario’s, situated on a quiet avenue away from downtown. Mario’s is an oasis of fine Spanish dining and old-world service. Try its Caesar’s salad. You will agree that it is the best in the world.