To continue my Baguio Report series, let’s hike up to a popular picnic destination and the place where my parents would always treat my siblings and I to the dollar ice cream cones (I didn’t see that shop, unfortunately) every time we would go to Baguio. Camp John Hay has always been part of the travel itinerary on each visit, you see. Save for my last trip back in 2004, I remember the picnics, mini-golfs and the well-kept place. Shopping, however, was never part of the to-do list. How long have they had it there, I wonder? I was in my early 20s, the last time I was there.

As you can see, standard-priced Havaianas are sold over at High Tide. No discounts here. Btw, that’s the very sign which I saw and got the idea of buying me a pair.

Another familiar brand spotted is Crocs. I guess even with the cold climate, wearing flip-flops and similar sort of footwear will always be part of Baguio fashion now. You’d think folks will opt to wear boots and such, huh? The latter’s part of their fashion (lucky ladies!), but it’s not always cold, yes? There you go, a window to market them flip-flops. LOL.

Then the Camp John Hay Factory Outlet Store carrying the brands: Everlast, Billabong, Diesel, Umbro, Reebok, Roxy, Abercrombie & Fitch, among others draws a big crowd, with good reason.

The strip also includes other stores that sell accessories, shoes, clothes, liquors (hehe), souvenirs, and even overruns plus a number of restos for folks done with shopping. Filipinos do love to shop, eh? It’s actually interesting that Camp John Hay was able to capitalize on this, giving folks, both local and tourists, more options on where to shop esp if going to SM in Baguio seem too odd and ukay-ukay is really not your thing.

Ah, Baguio. The things I’ve seen and experienced (so far as the report goes) are both bafflingly unsettling and remotely familiar. Having the tourist hat on certainly had given me a different perspective of the place.

Photo © 2009 Sasha Manuel