The Heart of Baguio

This is what the traffic looks like in the heart of Baguio. If you drive you usually aren't lucky enough to find a parking place. Most people take a taxi to get where they are going downtown. There are always plenty around to give you a ride back to where you want to go when you are through shopping.

This is a shot from upstairs in McDonald's looking toward the huge market of Maharlika where there are all kinds of souvenir shops selling everything you can imagine. It is a popular place for foreigners to find just the right keepsake from the Philippines.

Baguio is a city in the mountains so a great many homes are built up the mountainsides in the city. This shot is right in the middle of the town proper (that is what they call the center part of a city). It is so packed with cars and taxis that it is faster to walk from the SM mall, which is about 3 blocks away. Even if you were brave enough to tackle the traffic you would probably not be able to find a parking place for your vehicle.

This is Maharlika, it is a huge market place. It gave me claustrophobia, the aisles are so narrow and the shops are just packed in there so tight you can hardly move around. It is a huge maze, if you needed to get out in a hurry I doubt you could find your way to an exit. I think you would need a guide! Let's just hope it never catches fire!

Darling Filipino Children

Everywhere I go I see the most darling Filipino children and I just can't resist asking their parents if I can take a picture of them. They have the biggest beautiful dark eyes and gorgeous jet black hair. The parents seem pleased that I would want to take a picture of their child. Rick thinks I make a nuisance of myself but they all seem pretty happy when I show them the picture of their child. All you have to do is look as these beautiful children to know why I have to have their picture!

Viewing the Lingayen Gulf

This is the scene as we travel north to Agoo and on up to Baguio. We aren't sure what the big blocks of cement are for--maybe docking ships. The US Navy landed in the Lingayen Gulf during World War II when preparing to battle the Japanese on the island of Luzon.
We just happened to be driving home one day and caught the sun going down! It was an amazing sight.

On the Road to Dagupan

These kinds of sights are what we see as we drive into Dagupan. I love watching all the different things that happen on and in these ponds. This particular day I got the boys on the raft was a very hot and humid day. I had Rick drive up ahead where he could park and I walked back to get this "care-free" shot of these boys playing in the cool water. The minute they saw me they started waving! They loved getting their picture taken. There is always something interesting happening along this drive, and I never leave home without my camera, I want to remember every single thing I see.

Rice Fields

It is pretty amazing watching the preparing, planting and harvesting process of the rice. It is back breaking work, they have to bend over and plant every stock of rice by hand in a field standing in water. The Kaliglig is the machine that they use to prepare and harvest the field with. When they aren't using the kaliglig for rice harvesting, they put a different mechanism on it with a wagon on the back and it is used for transporting people and anything else that needs to be moved.

Breathtaking Scenery

This gives you an idea of the beauty of this country. Everything is so green, the vegetation is so thick it reminds us of a jungle, and in some places I think it actually is. It is so thick you can't see very far back in from the road. We never get tired of driving to places we have already been because there is always something new and interesting to see.

Filipno Carabao

Carabao captivate me, I can't get enough of them. Whenever I see a good shot I try to stop. They are huge powerful animals, they are work animals, used plowing,pulling wagons and anything they need power for. They are tame and gentle. Children ride them for fun and you see many being led to and from their grazing grounds by young boys not older than 8 or so. They are everywhere because they are capable of doing many tasks to difficult for humans.

Trykes Amazing Vehicle of the Philippines

You can haul just about anything on a tryke--from full-sized beds, refrigerators, rice, people, animals and things you would never believe. They don't look that sturdy but we have seen them loaded down with bags of cement, rice and whatever anyone needs hauled from one point to another. It never ceases to amaze us what they can haul!

Our "One Way" Adventure

This is the scene of our "ONE WAY ADVENTURE" as I like to call it. Rick calls it a nightmare! We were told to explore our town and get a feel for the town. SO, being the obedient missionaries that we are, we decided to try a different way to get to the main road. BAD IDEA!
We drove down this road (it had NO ONE WAY sign on our end of the road) we did find out later there was one at the other end!. It just kept getting tighter and tighter to drive among all the trykes, we could see the end in sight but by this time our car could hardly miss all the trykes parked everywhere--everyone was looking at us--we thought it was because we were the "oddity" -- Americanos. Turns out we were driving down the WRONG way on a one-way street--but no on told us till we were almost at the end!
A Filipino said "ONE WAY--ONE WAY!! By this time everyone was looking at us. Rick was bright red and the Filipinos were trying to help get the trykes out of the way so we could back up and get out. All the Filipinos up and down this street were laughing at us and so not to be left out I began laughing with them and waving as Rick is trying to back up, get out, and by now he is stressed to the max! The more frustrated he got the funnier I thought is was, the whole time I am laughing with the Filipinos laughing AT us! It was definitely a memorable moment. We gave them all something to talk about around the dinner table that night!

Rick is made Second Counselor of Philippines Baguio Mission

Rick was made Second Counselor in the Philippines Baguio Mission. This means that he is authorized and has authority to issue temple Recommends to all members except those going through for the first time. This relieves some of the many duties of President Tom Jensen. Pres. Jensen has to interview and set apart all departing Filipino missionaries leaving from the Baguio Mission area. He also releases those come home to this same area, plus all NEW temple recommend holders. President Terrence Thomsen, from Canada is the lst Counselor, he and his wife (Maxine) work in the Mission Office in Baguio. We are the only couple down in the "lowlands" where the bulk of the members are located. It is hotter here than in Baguio. Baguio is called the "City of the Pines." Baguio is up in the mountains and therefore much cooler. It is almost a 2 hour drive from where we are to Baguio. We LOVE where we are- even with the heat and humidity, this country is AMAZING!