For several months in 2007 & 2008 I lived and worked in the northern Luzon city of Baguio, the summer capital of the Philippines. Set high up in the Cordillera mountain range, Baguio's climate is cooler than the rest of the country. Scanning the endless horizon of pine trees from my office windows often made me forget I was in a tropical nation of over 7,000 islands, providing a daily reminder of just how diverse the Philippines really is. It was also a convenient base for me to explore other parts of the country on my weekends.
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Baguio is served by the occasional flight from Manila, which is often cancelled if mountain visibility is poor. The only other way to the city is a tedious six hour bus ride north from Manila.
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Like many rural Philippines airports, pedestrian and vehicular traffic is allowed to crisscross the runway when there is no flight due. I took this photograph from the middle of the Baguio runway after hearing my flight that day had been scrubbed. The visibility looked fine to me...
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At the exact center of Baguio lies Burnham Park, a very popular picnic location that includes an artificial lake for family boat rides.
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The cathedral dominates the skyline of the city (the photo below was taken from the massive SM Mall nearby). Walking closer to the cathedral itself brings the visitor in contact with one of the rather graphic realistic scenes of crucifixion that are very common throughout the Philippines.
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Baguio, being a mountain city, makes thorough use of the surrounding hillsides. Seeing homes built across hilltops reminded me of San Francisco, California. Baguio is an excellent walking city, but quite a workout on the legs.
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The national car of the Philippines, the jeepney.
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The beautiful Bell Church on the outskirts of the city.
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At the end of Session Road, the main commercial drag in Baguio, is this monument to Cordillera warrior spirit.
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Frogs that have made into coin purses are some of the bizarre trinkets for sale at Mines View lookout.
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Suspension bridge at the Asin hot springs resort area.
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The Shrine of the Brown Madonna appears as if a mirage from deep inside a roadside cave.
