Baguio City: Mines View Park

Mines View Park remains one of the most visited tourist spots in Baguio City. It offers a spectacular view of Benguet's gold and copper mines and the surrounding mountains.

It's one of the must-visits no matter how often you've been to the City of Pines. So we headed off to this secluded part of the city.

One way of avoiding the traffic jam and the lack of ample parking in the area is to drive through Gibraltar Road and vist the Good Shepherd Convent for some actual or disguised shopping and parking your car inside the convent compound then walk the street connecting the convent and the park. It's about a 200 meter walk from the convent, one way to burn some calories given the limited fats burned due to the cold weather.

if you're not much a fan of the sun, you can enjoy the view from this roofed observation deck. it is also much safer here.

but staying in the roofed area will deny you the chance to have your photos taken along the railings with the spectacular view as background.
i always love shooting kids enjoying nature. it's always nice knowing at such a young age they already appreciate God's artwork. i'm sure they are future bloggers in the making.



here's how much a photo with the Igorots would cost. It's really not much, more of a donation really if you think about it. i regret not taking my photos with them. it's not everyday that you get to meet a genuine Igorot in the metro. Balikbayans should make this a must-do coz aside from earning some bragging rights with their friends back at their adoptive countries, it's also a nice way to give back for their good fortunes abroad.

Authentic colorful ifugao headdress.

this guy had a field day having his photo taken in a costume and with an Igorot tribesman.

i'm not sure how much he paid for it but i'm sure it was less than the supposed fee coz he might have sneaked some free shots out there without the Igorot really minding. i noticed the Igorots are just happy that people are still interested in having their photo taken with them. unlike at the Botanical Garden where the Igorots almost beg to have their photos taken (of course for a fee) but tourists just brush them aside. the thing is the foreign tourists are more gracious in turning down these kababayans of ours than we do.

GETTING ACROBATIC. this lady right here showing her good balance. being acrobatic is a must if you really want to get some spectacular photos.

whenever i see a foreigner enjoying the beauty of our country it always makes me feel a little prouder. however seeing his camera was another story, it made me feel a little more envious.

FOURSOME AWESOME. This foursome enjoying the awesome view.

The mines in the areas surrounding Mines View Park were formerly operated by Benguet Corporation. The mines have long been closed and nowadays, the only view you’ll see are extensive residential areas blanketing the valleys. Again a result of the over-population the city has been experiencing for some time now.

Some years back, this was where tourists would toss coins along the cliffs where waiting children and adults try to catch the tossed coins. it used to be a pretty scary sight. i remember experiencing it just once, which was during my first ever visit here. i remember thinking how incredible what they do, looking back it's another one of those things pinoys do i guess just to earn money for their daily living.

they were practically like spiderman crawling along the cliff, without any harness or safety equipment attached to it. i heard some have fallen to their deaths during those safety unconscious times. i'm sure the foreign tourists had a hand in making the local realize how unsafe the practice was.

another mistake i made. this was at the entrance going to the park. i presumed that having our photo taken here would cost us some. i already got the impression that everything is expensive here. well, while viewing the pics from my computer i noticed at the lower left a sign that says "PICTURE & THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATION". if only i asked around. i'm sure it would have been a nice to have our pics taken here.

wifey and jaden here with a spectacular background. if only jaden was looking at the camera.

POSE, SHOOT, VIEW. These three represent the different stages of digital photography. the foreground is shooting, the middle is busy viewing their takes, and the background subject happily posing ala WOW Philippines style.

the view that gets the attention of local and foreign tourists alike. i think the thick fogs had a hand in giving it a hue of blue.

wifey and jaden here amidst the many tourists that flocked that day.

EL CABALLERO. this pose cost us P50 but i didn't mind as long as jaden was cool with it. there's no horse-back riding here but it's a good place to have a souvenir photo with the beast.

the photo on the left cost us again another P50. the photo on the right . . . . . PRICELESS!

and of course as other tourist destinations around Baguio, Mines View Park has its own share of pasalubong stores leading to the viewing deck. i remember buying plants from here some visits back, one was a money tree supposedly a plant for good luck. i can't believe i fell for it.

if you're souvenir shopping, try to walk the side pathways coz the stalls are located along it. but if you're in a hurry, just try walking the middle grounds for a faster exit.

Mines View Park without the cliffhangers who catch tossed coins is not as exciting, but i'm sure much safer, as before. But even without it, the park still is a must-see for it still offers the same spectacular view with or without the cliffhangers. sometimes, the energy of the place is enough reason to enjoy it.