The Summer Capital of The Philippines

Most of us would associate the term “summer capital” as meaning a place in which you can best enjoy the sun. Perhaps a lovely seaside resort, or a city with many parks and squares to stroll around. Now enter the mindset of the Filipino - summer is unbearably hot! It’s a time to escape the heat and go somewhere cold. Baguio City is THE place to escape to during the summer months.

I’m quite enjoying the heat of my part of the Philippines (a welcome change to the usual rain and cold of the British spring), so my own voyage to Baguio was less of a summer get away. Rather, I wanted to visit the family of two of my close Filipino friends. I had met Margie whilst volunteering in Mongolia, and had later been introduced to her sister Jenifer when she decided to get a job in London. Having gotten to know both Margie and Jen quite well, I felt I’d like to make the trip to meet the rest of their family.

After the seven hour bus journey I arrived in the centre of Baguio. The change of climate was very evident – a cool 10 degrees Centigrade and plenty of rain. Oh, how I miss this British style weather! I was welcomed by a large entourage of people, all relatives of Margie and Jen. They were so welcoming, making me feel a part of the family very quickly. As the weather was quite bad we were forced to abandon most sight-seeing, but the flipside of this was that I got to know the family members quite well. Plenty of conversations, singing and games of chess and cards kept me very well occupied. Oh, and “London” the dog was a good companion too (named in honour of Jen’s new place of residence).

The horses near the Presidential mansion

Whilst the rain was almost a constant pain, we managed to fit in a couple of trips to some interesting locations. Firstly, we visited a museum dedicated to the Igorot people. The Igorots are a local tribal people, and the family I was staying with happened to be Igorot descendents. It’s fascinating to see the tribal history of the Philippines, which often lies buried underneath the layers of Spanish and American influences. We also had a visit to the President’s summer mansion (which is supposedly haunted, so the President now prefers to stay in a local hotel instead!) and went to a nearby Buddhist temple. It’s very rare to see any non-Christian places of worship in the north of the Philippines (the south has a large Muslim community). The Buddhist temple is just one sign of the growing legion of immigrants in Baguio – a city full of universities, some of which cater to Asians who want to study English in a cheap location (tuition fees here must be miniscule compared to universities in other English speaking countries).

My lovely Baguio family!

After two days it was time for me to return back to work in Hagonoy. It was sad to say goodbye to the family who had really looked after me so well. I was so touched by their generosity and kindness. Bing Bing, one of Margie and Jen’s sisters, gave me a mug covered with photos of my stay – a permanent memory of my time in Baguio. The coldness of Baguio was more than compensated by the warmth of the people I met.


Love and many best wishes to you all, take care of yourselves,

Robert