How Baguio Stole My Heart | My First Solo Trip in the Philippines

Oh my God, it's a hawk! It's so pretty! It's really crazy right now, the vibe. What's your availability? What do you mean? First ever strawberry in the whole world! Number one. Try it. It's Baguio. Hey guys, it's Jessica here! Today's the day I leave for Baguio! 10 years of living in the Philippines, Baguio has always been my dream destination. I heard that it's really cold there, so I want to experience how it's going to feel like when you're in the Philippines and it's like cold. Where I am, it's 29 degrees Celsius at the moment, but Baguio gets as hot as 24 degrees Celsius during the day and as cold as 16 at night. Let's pack! It is currently 8.30 p.m. And I'm going to be taking this sleeper bus to go to Baguio. Isn't it cool guys? There is a sleeping bus where you can really lie down and sleep on the way to Baguio. So something special about this trip is that this is like my unofficial first ever solo trip living in the Philippines. I heard that Baguio is one of the safest places for you to travel around by alone. So that's why I chose Baguio as my first ever travel destination alone. But it's not going to be a complete solo journey because I'm going to have my team join me in the middle. So the only challenge is going to be when I arrive in Baguio, the bus station, traveling to my hotel. It's going to be like 2-3 a.m. But I heard that it's really safe. So let's see, let's see guys. Wish me luck, wish me luck. All set. Bye home sweet home. Be back in five days. So you can actually book the tickets here. You have to have it printed here. The physical copy. Thank you. Wait. Is that for two in a corner? Oh my god. I need royalties. I didn't know there's a whole lounge here. So that's I guess exclusive for the sleeper bus riders. It was my first time at this bus terminal and I was impressed by how neat and organized it was. Wow. I love this terminal. I can see the conscious effort of them keeping this place clean. The bus arrived right on schedule and the staff were very helpful making the whole process seamless. I got the bare feet guys. Where should I put my... Can they give me water? It's smashed. It's fine. It's so sad. In this good space. Honestly guys. Thank you. Is that a taxi? It's so cold. You don't know? Google Maps? I know. You know? It's a meter taxi. Thank you. Summer coffee. Thank you. Are you a vlogger mom? Yes. Do you have a YouTube channel? Yep. What is your name mom on the YouTube? So that I can see it. Jessica Lee. Ah. I know you. You're the one who do mukbang. Yeah. Thank you. It's 3 a.m. That was good. And then like the taxi just being right there. And this balcony is the reason why I got this place actually. 18 degrees. Perfect. Perfect temperature. Like early autumn. I love vacuum. Oh my god. So I'm going to go have my brunch. My pretty late brunch. I was going to go to the famous cafe by the ruins. But then upon searching up. I realized it was too. It's really a main tourist spot. So there will be a lot of people. As you guys know I'm not a fan of those touristy stuff. Like I want to go to where the locals really go to. So I have a friend. Who's a local from Baguio. And who I'm also going to meet later. I asked him if he knows of some cozy spots. And he sent me. So I'm going to go to his reco. Hot cat cafe po. Do you know that? Hey the weather is so nice. Why are you alone mom? Do you know how to speak Tagalog? Are the locals here angry in Tagalog? Not at all. Not at all? Just Ilocano? Yes. Are you Ilocano? Yes ma'am. Igorot. I'm Igorot. Oh wow. It's here. Thank you. I don't really know where it is. Oh here. Oh this is hot cat? But why is it called mountain cloud bookshop? Oh but I like that. I want to visit the mountain cloud bookshop. Hot cat coffee shop is downstairs. I'm going to check out this place. Mountain cloud bookshop. Okay that was such a my kind of vibe kind of place. That I need to come back here after eating. Because I'm so hungry right now. Oh what is this? Wait. That's so cool. They're doing like a flea market. That's so pretty. So pretty. Where's the entrance? Okay this is the entrance. That's so cute. Do we order here? Yeah. I'm going to get corned. What's your best seller for the drinks? Most people just order the Spanish latte because it's sweet. What's your favorite? Maybe an iced mocha. Okay iced mocha. I need to go to a place where I can be by myself. This charming two-story building had a cafe in the ground floor and a bookstore above. Turns out Baguio is well known for its cafe culture. And this spot perfectly embodied that cozy laid-back vibe. That is the corned beef which was the last one in the stock. So I was lucky. And pano chocolate. This one is the iced cafe mocha. The most beautiful thing about this place right now is this weather and this view. Like it's really crazy right now the vibe. It's just like a really well-made corned beef. It's not salty. Wow. It tastes healthy. You know the healthy type of tasting corned beef. I was just enjoying the cool weather and food when someone started slowly walking towards me. So I obviously thought it was a subscriber and prepared to say hi. Can I ask you a question? What's your availability on getting a call? Sorry? What's your availability? What do you mean? Like, um, getting flirted on. What? Oh, no, no, no, no, no. I know. No, no, no, no, no, no. Okay, I should leave this place. Let's go. Did he just say your availability of getting flirted? Stumbling upon this bookstore by pure chance felt like one of those delightful surprises that make unplanned trips so special. I want to stay here for five hours. They have a variety of really interesting books. And this wasn't just another bookstore. It felt like it was curated with real passion, which you can tell based on the selection of books. It definitely had that warmth of a tight-knit community hub. They also sell cute stuff. I'll get this one. Does the owner love the Little Prince or something? Yeah, so much the Little Prince, yeah. Not necessarily, it's just that we have a lot of stuff. We have a Filipino translation and a Lilokano translation. Of the Little Prince? Yeah. Wait, can I have that one? The Little Prince Filipino translation? Are you from around here, or where are you from? Manila. Ah, weekend vacation, okay. Thank you so much. Hey, wait, this place is so cute. Wow. I can't believe I just got the Little Prince, the Filipino version. You guys know that my favorite book of all time, I've read the Little Prince like around, maybe around 50 times probably. Yay. La Trinidad. Is it far? Kuya, La Trinidad. We're going to La Trinidad? Yes, yes. May I? Is that a meter taxi, kuya? Yes. About one hour? Maybe, ma'am. It's usually just one hour. Okay. So it seems like it's really hard to get grabbed here, guys. It's mostly taxis. There's a lot of taxis. And my favorite part, the climate is so cool that you don't have to feel the air con in the taxis. You know that taxi smell? You know that? That gives me headache. But then here, the open windows, just feel the natural breeze. It's so cute. Do you need a cell phone, ma'am? Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. I like the window. Yes, I like it. Because the wind is nice. There's traffic here in Baguio? No, ma'am. Just Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, ma'am. Oh, just the weekends? Yes, ma'am. I'm now on my way to meet my Baguio local friend to do some strawberry picking together at the renowned strawberry farm. Thank you so much, kuya. Ice cream, ma'am. Oh, ice cream. Thank you, kuya. Nice to meet you. How much? 75. Kuya, what flavor? Strawberry and avocado. Strawberry. Do you have a partner? No. Did you make it? Yes, I made it. Wow, wow. It's like a dessert. It's delicious. Thank you, kuya. You're welcome, ma'am. Take care. It doesn't taste like it's like fresh strawberries. It tastes like strawberry jam ice cream. Wait, I'm parking. Hey, how are you? I went to the cat cafe. I love it. And there was a bookstore on the top. Did you know about that? Oh, really? So that's where you got the book. Yeah. Wait, it's too dark. Oh, my God. No entrance, please. So, guys, they don't do the strawberry picking in November. They only start it in December. You just came here? For the views. Okay. The strawberry picking season in La Trinidad runs from December to May. Although we missed it by a few days, we were still able to see some farmers planting and tending to the fields. A fun fact, La Trinidad is actually not part of Baguio. It's in Benguet province. So don't make the same mistake I did in the intro calling it Baguio. Or you might have La Trinidad locals coming after you. Wait, I was like, yeah, it looks familiar. It's like Hollywood. But then look at that. Look at that Bollywood. We couldn't do the strawberry picking, but let's go ahead and have the strawberry taho. I've been wanting to try strawberry taho since the very first time I heard of it, since like 10 years ago in Bacolod. I'm like, there's such thing as strawberry taho? How much is it? Two. What is that? Strawberry jam? Strawberry, ma'am. Strawberry what? Strawberry syrup? Fruit. Fruit? Okay. My first ever strawberry taho that I really wanted to try. Let's see, let's see, let's see. But you know, it's a very intimidating kind of thing. It's so good. It's a natural strawberry flavor. Guys, it looks intimidating, right? It's not at all. It's like very natural flavor. Because I was shocked that ice cream was a bit too sweet. So I was like, will this be too sweet? It's not at all. It almost tastes like red bean. Korean grandmas would love this. It's so good. Oh, is that SM? Yeah. The only SM without air conditioning. Even that's a tourist destination. It is. Because that's special. Now we're passing by the famous BCC Christmas Village, a place where you can experience snow or something close to it, which I wanted to drop by later. So many people! Wow! What? Oh my god! Okay, never mind the Christmas Village, guys. It's a little too much. So Baguio is really famous, guys. Everywhere in Baguio was packed with people, but Kierk managed to find this hidden gem. It's the ultimate dito vibes restaurant. Live music on the background, and groups chatting over their drinks. And an overall relaxed and chilled Chuncheon city. I just spent the whole morning and the afternoon just editing, just feeling the breeze. And now my team just arrived. With one of them, I am going to do some more Baguio tour. Let's go! How are you? I'm good. It's so nice, right? The weather? Wait, it's my first time seeing this side of this hotel. It's so nice there. I'm like in the construction view. Why is your view so nice? Okay, guys. Look at that. It's so aesthetic. So perfect. It's not like just design. It's like real story. Ililika Artist Village is a cultural space created by national artist Kitlat Taimik. Built from repurposed materials, it champions sustainability and showcases Filipino art and craftsmanship. You can enjoy a variety of food, shop for handmade crafts, or simply admire the art installations scattered throughout the village. Wait, we have to choose. Because there's so many. It's so pretty. Sorry. Don't be sorry. Isn't this place crazy? Yeah. It's so unique. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. I know. I love how they've recycled everything. Exactly. The wood, the design. Yeah. Where are you guys from? We're from here. All of us. Just escaping the city? Yeah. Is it your first time here too? Yeah. I got here this morning. Do you like the temperature? It's way better. I was in Coron. Yeah. It's so pretty. But it was hot there. It was like 35. I gotta get some food though. Okay, see you. It's the kind of place I should really come back to and stay for like 5 hours. I know you. I watch your videos. Are you local? Yes, we are. Where are you from? I'm Filipino. But I'm from Singapore. Oh, you're from Singapore? Yeah. Did you know that there is a religion and their goddess was Arisa? For real? Yeah. I love Arisa. Oh, it's like better. It's so pretty. It's the prettiest theater I've ever seen. This wooden theater was my favorite spot. Every detail from flooring to the furniture was crafted from wood, giving it an organic, earthy charm. On the way out, I met a mysterious figure guarding the entrance who shared some stories about the space. So this is the goddess of Hollywood. Oh. And this is the goddess of the wind. She's like blowing money saying that this is not Hollywood. This is our culture. What is shown here usually is about our culture. Documentation. But it's not limited to the local audience. So you guys do like movie showing here? Yeah, that's right. Do you work here or something? Yeah, I do. Do you have a record? What food do we get? What's the best food? Actually, all food are okay, but little bit weird. They have a regional cooking different food. That's not your favorite? Yes. I highly recommend. All right. Thank you. Hey, guys. Don't look away. What's up, bro? How long has this whole village been? 10 years. Oh, it's 10 years now. From where are you? What's your nationality? Korean. Do we pick it up here? You can touch. I'm filming. That's all the food that we've got. Salad looks so amazing. That's the banana cube. And this is the vegan adobo. That's, I guess, made out of tofu. That one. It's so fresh. The wood-like in Baguio is really fresh. When you come to Baguio, you just have all the wood-like. I'm gonna try the adobo. So it's tofu, potatoes, and brown rice. Vegan adobo. It's so good. I love it. How's the food? It's so amazing. Are you gonna finish everything? Yeah, we're gonna try it. It's one of the best adobos I've ever had. The adobo taste is really there. You know the adobo you want. But it's just tofu and potato. But the tofu and potato is just really fresh. Hey, you're gonna be shocked. Right? This is the spring rolls. That was not officially on the menu. I think it's a new edition. Oh my god. You don't have to go to anywhere. I think this is already... Try it right now. Try the crispy part right now. This one. It's like healthy. Again, healthy. Because it's veggie. Veggie loop, yeah. Real club. It's the drink I got. Blue milk. It's like lavender latte. Hey, this is like real lavender. It tastes like lavender tea with milk. This is really my favorite type of place. It tastes so healthy. It's like air fried. Really, number one. Number one. Shout out to the master. I've tried many vegan, many vegetarian places because I love vegetarian and vegan food. This is top tier. And then the price. You know, in Makati, this quality vegan food, it's gonna be 500 at least. It was 700 something for all of this. Sustainability is perfect. Wait. What is that? It's a cucurbit. It's a traditional Chinese flute. But for me, I renamed it. You play, you play. Pio. Oh. Oh, what? Jackpot. Oh. Wow. It's called Pipio. Wow. Thank you. So you know what? Baguio is really full of artists. I love the artsy spirit of the people of the north. So should I move here? What should I eat when? Yummy. Oh, it's delicious. Or Taraki. Oh, Taraki. Like that? Kuya, Taraki ka. Oh. How long has this shop been here? This shop is like 5 years now. Actually, before this is a bake shop, then people are looking for rice, meal, healthy. You're the one who cook everything. Wow. One man, one man restaurant. Yeah, yeah. Especially with these. Thank you so much. How do you say thank you in Korean? Thank you. If I live near here, let's say I'm a student, I'm going to be here every day. So Baguio chocolate is really good. Should I move to Baguio? Hey, they're working. They're working so well. Can you feel their energy? Look at this colorful jeep. Let's see the prices here. It's 15 pesos, guys. Why are they so sarcastic? Why are they so sarcastic to the selfie girls? Okay, we did it. All right, guys. Now, we're heading out to visit the famous spot in Baguio. The night market. Our final stop was the bustling night market. Famous for its thrift shopping and street food. Since I had an early shoot the next day, I skipped the hookah hookah and went straight to exploring the food stalls. Why is it beside the... That's why I was like, wait, is this kwek kwek? I was just going to pass. It's my first time ever trying this kind of food. Definitely not takoyaki, I know. But Audrey got it. Let's see if this one saves it up. Guys, we gotta stick to Filipino food. It's fresh. It's hot. I mean, the sugar coating. We're seeing it. It doesn't really look that clean and nice. But then, this is Baguio strawberries. Crunch is there. How much? That's the question. 50, 50? I bet that. It's so good price. Because in BGC, it's like 150. The strawberry is the question. Hey, this is better than the 150 takoyaki in Makati. It's small, but strong. It's good. It smells just like buttered corn that we know of. It tastes like it's corn, but much fatter. Yeah, that's that. And it's that. Why are you going to get into a relationship if you have this? To make your relationship stronger. What's the relation with the kebab? No, it's just... It's nonsense, Jessica. You guys are really done. Yeah. The flavor is really good. The meat is quite tough. Looks like this one is the most famous one because it has the longest lines. Done. It looks good because it's just freshly cooked. They used butter. I mean, I love the flavor of margarine. I feel like that's OG, but if you use butter like this, it tastes more so shocked. All right, guys. So, today's the end of my free open tour in Baguio. I do have to say that I really did fall in love with Baguio. There are still too many travel destinations within the Philippines that I have not been to. And I'm glad that through this trip, I took my Baguio trip out of my bucket list. I hope you guys enjoyed this vlog. And I'll see you guys in my next one. Bye!