A Taste of the North

As people talk about the North in Game of Thrones, you are probably thinking of a place to visit. Don’t
worry; there are no giants, undead or wildlings here. Come and experience what Baguio and Benguet
has to offer.

The hills murmur and the trees hush in the North. Baguio and Benguet is blessed by Kabunyan with
beauty and grandeur. Endowed with multitudes of historical, cultural and fascinating tourist attractions
which can heal your broken heart, it really is a beauty to be in loved with.

As you traverse the zigzag road called Kennon, you will eventually end up in a giant sculpture of a Lion’s
Head carved through a solid stone. It’s really a wonder how a man singlehandedly carved through a solid
stone. Onwards to Loakan road where you will end up at the gates of Camp John Hay, a tourist
attraction designed for prestige and recreation. A lavish resort nonetheless. Session Road as always has
busy sidewalks where every couple, friend and family grabs a bite to eat in its world class restaurants.
You can even thank God for your safe travel in Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral as it stands atop
Mount Mary Hill is Baguio’s most magnificent building. A night walk in Burnham Park would be good.
With its skating rink, picnic spaces, children’s park, boating area, orchidariums, bike area and skateboard
space; it’s a good place for joyful activities. You can even join the zumba club or just run around athletic
bowl or Melvin Jones grandstand.

You can’t leave just like that. Maybe buy a ‘pasalubong’ at La Trinidad’s Strawberry Farm, where
delicious and yummy strawberries are watered by the ever so flowing Balili River. Towering beside the
valley is Mount Kalugong where you can have a panoramic view of La Trinidad valley. Be careful of the
rocks, they are pointed and don’t fall of the ravine.

When you are looking for art, Kidlat Tahimik’s Ili-likha artist village in Assumption Road is a good place
for a shake. It’s an artistic building made of scrap to make it look like a ship and an elf tree house. Talk
about culture, Tam-awan village is a must.

Talk about the hot weather, the resort in Asin and Itogon is the answer. With the ever so flowing water
coming from the forested mountains, there is no need for chlorine. You can even pee in the pool. Don’t
worry, no one will ever know. A good advice, carving in Asin road is a lot cheaper than in Maharlika
Livelihood center. Ben Cabrera Museum features art for the feminine gender, an embodiment of love of
a mother.

There are a lot more of summer attractions in Baguio and Benguet and the places mentioned above are
easy to go to. For more challenging attractions, we need to grow up and overcome the levels of
difficulty.

Instagram Climate:

Prada, Victoria’s Secret, Balenciaga, Channel, Polo Ralph Lauren, Yves Saint Laurent, Off-white, The
Bathing Ape, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Supreme, Stussy, G-shock, Yeezy, and Jordan.
As an old saying goes, “A picture speaks a thousand words.” And that is what exactly Instagram is. The
fashion industry has turned into social media in order to showcase their products. Aware of the social
climate, the industry aims to target the millions of millennials and later generations. Acording to an
article of THE INDEPENDENT titled “How Instagram Became the Natural Showcase for the Fashion
World”: in 2017, 90 per cent of instagram users are under 35 years of age.

This is pretty self-explanatory. Ordinary people without prestige cannot enter into fashion shows and
including the age limit in each event, the show is limited to wealthy people and celebrities. Instagram
features beautiful pictures of the user which is then followed by an international audience. People can
even create a social group of themselves featuring a single product.

Here in Baguio, there were these groups of teens who called themselves Hypebeast or Hypebae who
features the brand ‘The Bathing Ape’. There is a need for a social climate to build relationships and we
are up to it. Who doesn’t want a G-shock watch on his/her wrist or wear a Yeezy Boost or Supreme
Uptempo on their feet? Me, I prefer a Jordan.

We put more emphasis on possession rather than do we really need it. Even though it is an imitation, a
knock off, class A or secondhand, we buy it for its popularity and social media like instagram is to blame.
We even post our selfies wearing the brand in order to get praise or recognition in the social spectrum
of instagram.

The fashion industry is focused on showing how a customer can look good when wearing the product.
It’s the popularity of the product on social media that drives people to want to ask their parents to buy
one for them. Your classmate wearing a Herschel bag would become popular for some reason that
his/her parents could afford the hefty price.