Monday 23 December 2013

Solo Trip to the City of Pines v3.0

Hi guys! Sorry took a while to update, I just had a lot of things to do in the last week and a half. :)
How's your holiday plans going? 

BRAVING BAGUIO.

Here's a snapshot of my nighttime view from my Tita's house. 

Bright Lights
I got up at about 9 in the morning because I slept late catching up with my reading, Maximum Ride by James Patterson (Review on the book soon. ^_^)


OOTD


I still haven't decided where I should head to next but my tita told me to try heading to Camp John Hay since my cousins went there when they last visited. So I hailed a cab (It's too far too walk! :p) and went straight to Camp John Hay. 


A little FYI facts about the place. It was originally used as an R&R facility for employees of the US Department of Defense. And unless you can get an exclusive entry pass, the place was off limits to Filipinos until it was open to the public in 1991. 

I asked a guard what kind of activities are usually done here. He said most people try the paintball or zipline. There are also people who try hiking the eco-trail or go horseback riding. There's also a butterfly sanctuary nearby. 

I decided to check out the butterfly sanctuary. I passed by Paintball Republic and made a mental note to try target shooting later. I had to walk down on a beaten path surrounded by tall grass and shrubs before I reached the place.

  

When I climbed past the small bridge, I felt like Alice who fell through a rabbit hole. It was like I passed through a loop leading me to another world. Everything is surrounded by bushes, shrubs and flowers. The place was quiet and calm, a sanctuary indeed.

It costs forty pesos to enter the mini-garden that houses the butterflies, not bad considering you can stay as much as you like and take all the photos you want as well. The sanctuary is actually a small garden of different flowers. The small pond in the center was a very nice touch.



A number of butterflies fluttered about but it wasn't a lot of them. The lady manning the place told me that the butterflies won't fly around that much because of the very cold weather but they tend to fly a lot during summer season. 






I climbed back the beaten path and remembered that I wanted to try target shooting. (I would've preferred paintball but since I was alone target shooting will have to do. *sigh*)
But then I spotted the zipline. Target shooting will have to wait. lol.  I always loved the feeling of the wind zooming past my ears and I always wondered what it would be like if I could fly. My friends always ask why I like zipline so much. I told them it was the closest thing to flying (not confined in the spaces of an aircraft, I don't consider that flying.) It costs one hundred and fifty pesos. Their zipline was just a short distance (and not really much flying) but it's still an experience that needs to be tried.I was met by a guide on the other side and assisted me with rappelling down. (awyeah!) I did try their wall climbing as well (I just love heights!)




At last target shooting! It's not a real gun though, haha! It's the same gun you used for paintball but instead of firing it behind enemy lines (lol), you get to shoot targets a hundred meters away. It costs two hundred pesos for fifty pieces of paintballs(a bit pricey for me) but the staff assisting me put an extra twenty in mine (sweet!)
Anyway, I was a bad shot (I blame the gun, haha!) I only managed to knock down 30 out of the 70 paintballs I was given (boo!)


The staff was nice enough to take my picture.
The Targets
I would've gone golfing as well (Who am I kidding? Hoho!) but as I was short on time. I wanted to go to Tam-awan Village as well but I was afraid I'd miss my bus ride back home. I hailed another cab and headed to Burnham Park. Burnham Park is located at the heart of the city. Centered is the man made lake where you can go rowing or boating. There a lot of things to do in Burnham Park like taking a picnic, go skating and biking or just pass the time by leisurely walking around. Food stands and restaurants are nearby so when you're craving for ice cream (like I did) you just have to walk a few yards. I just strolled around using a rented bike (they charge depending on the hours) and took snapshots of the park before I headed home to change and catch my bus back to Manila.







 


So that wraps up my three day, two night trips in Baguio. But would you believe that there were still a lot to do and more places to go? Will check those out on my next visit!

Thanks for dropping by!
Ciao ~ ♥

xoxo
Sammy

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