Baguio City has been called a lot of things—the City of Pines, the Summer Capital of the Philippines—but what it is, really, is my favorite city in the Philippines.

It is arguably the hub of tourism in Luzon, especially during the month-long festivities of the Panagbenga Festival every February. It has the best thrift shopping places with its ukay-ukay stores. A food trip paradise with its numerous restaurants lining Session Road. And a weekend-getaway haven with its numerous tourist spots and general accessibility from Metro Manila. Its year-round cool and temperate weather only adds to its charm as a tourist destination.

I know I’m not alone in nominating Baguio City as their favorite city, but if you’re still unconvinced, here’s a travel guide to convert you to become a certified Baguio Junkie.

Maligcong is one of the six barangay in the town of Bontoc, Mountain Province. Recently, adventure enthusiasts have been flocking this once sleepy town for its cool sweater-weather, untouched rice terraces, mist-laden mountain viewpoints and hiking trails that lead to hot springs on its adjacent barangay. It is more than 400 kilometers away from Manila and getting there requires a combination of bus and jeepney rides, either through Banaue or Baguio City. With the advent of mass tourism now plaguing Baguio, Sagada and Banaue, Maligcong has now emerged as a good alternative for weekend travelers looking for a place to hike and simply chill out.

It was inevitable. We had to do something while in Maligcong. We were on our third day of doing nothing and the pressure was building. Guests at the homestay were coming and going, and us, we’re still sitting our asses off, alternating between cold beer and hot mountain coffee in between meals at the veranda. Our host was already harried, wanting to guide us herself to the peaks of Mount Kupapey for the sunrise and Mount Fato for the sunset. We were unfazed. But yes, we have to at least do something while in Maligcong.

MORNING DEW ALONG THE RICE PADDIES

IT’S STILL CLOUDY, BUT WE’RE SET ON MOVING

And so it was that one morning, as the rain finally abated to a very light drizzle, we donned our cameras, put on our hiking shoes and headed to the rice terraces of Maligcong. The jump-off from Suzette’s Maligcong Homestay was a mere five minutes away and we were there in no time, going down a narrow concrete stairways for the locals and into the stairway of the gods.

A low rainbow splashed across the verdant rice terraces of Maligcong. It was drizzling on and off the whole day, but as the sun peeked across the thick blanket of clouds capping the mountains for a brief moment, a hue of colors suddenly brightened the view right in front of us. And no, we weren’t tramping on the muddy trails leading to Mount Kupapey. Nor we were traversing Maligcong’s rice terraces. We weren’t even on the track leading to Mount Fato. We were simply at the wide open-aired veranda of ate Suzette’s Maligcong Homestay, chilling it out with Misty the dog and litros of very cold Red Horse beer.

BONTOC’S POBLACION, STILL ONE MORE JEEP AWAY FROM MALIGCONG

It took six hours worth of bus ride from Manila to Baguio, one quick breakfast at our favorite lugaw place in the city of Pines, Goto BP, then a taxi ride to Slaughterhouse bus terminal, another six hours on a non-aircon bus ride across the cliffs of Benguet and Mountain Province, and finally an uphill jeep ride from the town of Bontoc to Maligcong before we reached Suzette’s Maligcong Homestay.

One of the things I make sure I never miss whenever I travel to Baguio are their delicious garlic longganisa sausages. I dream about it during the six-hour bus ride en route to the city, then I make a breakfast out of it when I arrive. I eat it on cheap carinderias for lunch, and dine on it on posh restaurants for dinner. And more importantly, yes, I do bring some back home with me after the trip.

BAGUIO’S DE RECADO AND JAMONADO LONGGANISA

Apparently, Baguio’s very own longganisa has two versions. Most people are aware of the garlic one, the de recado type as they refer to it, but they also have a sweet one, the jamonado version. While I prefer the former, I haven’t really tried the latter that much.

Boom. The force of an exploding dynamite inside a dark and claustrophobic gold mine isn’t really what you wanted to experience during a tour. But there it was, its strong shockwave still reverberating through our whole being as we removed our hands from our earS and checked our limbs if they were still complete.

A SCULPTURE DEDICATED TO THE MINERS OF BALATOC

Our day started off mundanely enough. From our suite at the Azalea Residences Baguio, we went down to the restaurant for the requisite buffet breakfast (Baguio longganisa, check) before boarding a van to the nearby town of Itogon, still in the province of Benguet.

Baguio City has the perfect weather for al fresco dining, but it’s even more perfect for outdoor drinking. Before discovering 108 Session Road Café, Bohemian Café was our go to place when we wanted a bucket of beer in the City of Pines.

BOHEMIAN CAFE’S AL FRESCO AREA

Located at the corner of Lower Assumption and Session Road, its setting is perfect for people watching. We’d usually sit ourselves on its outermost wooden table, almost kissing the sidewalk, before ordering our favorite drink, Red Horse Beer. The street intersecting Session Road is busy enough for an entertaining afternoon session. And yes, we usually frequent this place during the daytime, 108 Session Road Café being still closed during those hours.

During one of our trips to Baguio about a couple of years back, we hunted the city for a budget hotel we could crash into after going through the mountains of Banaue and Sagada. We checked the net en route to the City of Pines but we really need not have looked far, as right across SM Baguio, along one of the main thoroughfares of the city, is Hotel 45.

The hotel is quite prominent along Baguio’s chaotic skyline. You can easily see its billboard when going to Session Road. I have long since read about this place’s affordability, but haven’t really tried their rooms since they almost always were fully booked. I guess that’s a testament to how cheap their lodgings really are.

SEE: BAGUIO TRAVEL GUIDE