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.

►BOOK DISCOUNTED TOURS IN BAGUIO

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.