Friends Pose at The Mansion and Ride a Jeepney in Baguio with Kala and Karin

Our Baguio experience was off to a good start with our early morning visit to Mine's View Park. Our friends also wanted to visit as much of the popular tourist sites as they can all in one day. But they also wanted to experience riding in our local jeepney.

Gate of The Mansion

It was still early in the morning when we arrived at Wright Park where The Mansion was located. The gates were closed so we thought it was closed for the day. We were informed that they were in the middle of the flag ceremony so we also stood in attention as we waited.

We went through the side gate and we saw the soldiers still in formation in front of the building itself. Our friends wanted to go inside the mansion but the sides were closed off and visitors were not allowed. So we could only take pictures of the building.

The Mansion with figures of deer on the lawn for Christmas decoration.

The Mansion was built in 1908 and served as the official summer residence of U.S. Governor-Generals. It was turned over to the Philippine Commonwealth upon its inauguration along with Malacanan Palace. The meeting of the Second Philippine Legislature was held here in 1910.

Other important events held here include the second session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) in 1947 as well as the first meeting of the Southeast Asia Union (SEAU), also known as the Baguio Conference of 1950, which was conceived and convened by President Elpidio Quirino.

The house was badly damaged during WWII and was rebuilt in 1947. It continues to serve as a venue for many international events. It also serves as the working office of the Philippine President whenever they visit Baguio.

Since it was still early in the morning, we challenged our friends to do a jump shot and they eagerly obliged.

Our friends ready to take on the challenge.

These friends know how to have fun.

It was evident that they were all fit and healthy enough for the challenge as it took several attempts before getting the shot above. They eat lots of fruits and veggies and drink tea and hot water instead of cold water or sodas; eating habits that are definitely beneficial to health.

After taking our pictures, we waited outside the gates to spot an empty jeepney. We wanted to hire it just to take our friends for a short "joy ride" around Wright Park. The early bird indeed gets the worm as we spotted a jeepney that only had one commuter and the driver was willing to take us and our friends on a private joy ride.

On standby while waiting for our jeepney ride.

They definitely enjoyed this ride.

Jeepney Riding Lesson: How to ride safely while still looking comfortable.

We showed them how to pass the fare to the driver if they are on the far end of the seat. We also taught them the proper way to hold on for dear life in case they got a jeepney with a speed demon for a driver. Hopefully, the one-arm strategy will still keep them looking elegant and keep their things safe with the other hand.

If all else fails, hug your bag with your elbows and use both hands to hold on. We also demonstrated how guys ride at the back of the jeepney while standing up and holding on to the bars and understandably, they voiced safety concerns about it.

Of course, they had to take pictures of themselves in the driver's seat and our driver happily obliged.

Where to Sir Jon?

Ms. Kit looking like a pilot posing from the cockpit.

Sir Yap looks like he's about to belt out some rap.

Sir Yap looks like he would be a very groovy driver.

After posing for pictures with the jeepney, we rode back to Wright Park where our van was waiting ready to take us to our next destination.