Off Topic: Enjoying Baguio City

You are probably wondering why my blogs were silent these past four days. Well, I am currently in Baguio City (for the nth time), the summer capital of the Philippines, attending a seminar — this time, I’m a participant.  Before I went here, I promised myself that this would be a “No Computer Radiation Week,” but you probably realized that I broke that promise.  Since I am on vacation though, I will not be talking about mathematics; I’ll just promote Baguio City a little bit especially for my non-Filipino readers.  When you go to the Philippines, do not forget to visit this wonderful place.

Panagbenga Festival

Baguio City is located about 250 north of Manila. It is about 4900 feet above sea level, so its temperature is relatively lower (15 to 26 degrees Celsius, but can drop down to 6 degrees) compared to the temperature in Manila and most parts of the Philippines.  Baguio is well-known for its flower festival. Every February, it celebrates the month-long Panagbenga Festival where floats decorated with flowers parade all over the city. The festival also includes street dancing where the dancers wear flower-inspired costumes.

Baguio City is also famous for its fresh and mouth-watering delicacies for a very affordable price (I can attest to that). You can eat to your heart’s content in three or more dishes for less than $3 dollars. The air is clean and the smell of Pine trees is very refreshing.

For the past five years or so, Baguio has also been the training ground of Manny Pacquiao, the most successful Filipino boxer to date and recognized by many as one of the best boxers in the world.

Photo Credit: Alexander Dizon

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