Ben Cab Museum

   The BenCab Museum showcases the works of Benedicto Cabrera, a Filipino painter awarded National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts (Painting) in 2006.  It is located along Asin Road in Tuba, Benguet. Entrance fee was for 100 pesos per person (Php80 for students and senior citizens). The museum is open from Tuesday-Sunday (except for Christmas and New Year's Day) from 9am to 6pm.

     Later in the 1990s, BenCab's input was a critical element in the creation of Tam-awan Village, "a refuge for local artists who desire a nurturing environment in which to develop their talents, and a community for all those who wish to take part in the harmonious fusion of art, culture, environment, and history." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedicto_Cabrera)

Reception Area

     I'm not an art connoisseur nor much of an art lover, but the exhibits were very interesting and admirable.

       The museum has various divisions and the first one we entered into presents paintings and carvings of sexual positions and the like. Below are some of them:

  

Here are a samples from the other sections of the museum ^_^

 

 

 

 

  

 Rice gods or the "Bul-ol" in the local dialect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whooopie Doodles!! :D

 

 

 

 

From the museum building, there's an overlooking view of the gazebo in the middle of a pond.

For more info on how to get there: (http://www.gobaguio.com/bencab-museum.html#.U3GoG4HuLId)

Location: 

The BenCab Museum is on Asin Road, in an area known as Km. 6, Tadiangan, Tuba, Benguet, which simply means its six kilometers from the center of Baguio City. It would be advisable to get there by car or taxi cab since jeepneys getting out of there may be scarce.

By private transport: 

To get there from Burnham Park, pass through Harrison Road, and at the stop light at the intersection cross over to and climb Abanao Road. Upon reaching the top of Abanao, there is another stop light. Stay on the left lane as one will go straight (turning right will lead you to Bokawkan Road),to get to Naguilian Road. 

When on Naguilian Road, watch for CooYeeSan Mall on your left because you will make a left turn on the road right before the mall. Keep heading straight downhill till you get to Asin Road and watch for markers that indicate Km 6. BenCab Museum will be to your left and travel time will take about 15 minutes given light traffic.

By public transport: 

Jeepneys to Asin Road wait for passengers near the Baguio City Market. It is advisable to contact a taxi cab to take you there and wait for you instead,since getting out of the area by jeepney may be a long wait.

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Mines View Park, Baguio (Leonard Wood Area)

     Our first stop was the Mines View Park. From the downtown area, we went to an informal terminal and rode a jeepney with the Plaza-Mines View route and paid around 10 pesos each.  

    Shown below is the map for better navigation towards said terminal. If you're really interested in feeling the culture and the people of a place, riding jeepneys and other public transpo will greatly help your cause. It's like looking at the place from the viewpoint of the locals. You get to observe them in their "natural" behavior, how they go about their everyday living, talking to each other using their own dialect, how they react to certain stimuli, and the way they interact with strangers and tourists either by answering your queries or conversing with you on certain topics. :)
   
     Especially if you're with a large group, hiring your own private van would be more convenient but the downside is, you'll just be hopping from one tourist spot to another and most of the time, you'll only be mingling with fellow tourists aside from your own groupmates.  

                                    Kindly click on the photo to view its enlarged version :)

   We ate our breakfast @ McDo which is just adjacent to the jeepney terminal and proceeded from there.

   Welcome to Mines View Park! The first thing that'll welcome your senses would be the flourishing ministores selling anything under the sun from plants, to souvenirs, to food, and even the privilege of taking photos on whatever it is they're offering. :p

    This one cost 10 pesos per shot so might as well settle for this one "good" shot. :) You can also take a pic with a big St. Bernard dog wearing shades. We were just contented on looking at him though, and he was really friendly and used to people petting and touching him.

      The reason why the place is called by its name is literally because it offers a view of Benguet's mines as well as the Cordillera Mountains. There are also binoculars available for a fee (10 pesos) if you want to have a clearer look. 

      Here's a photo of the two of us donning a sample of the Cordillera natives' wardrobe. You can mix and match together with  the props for only 10 pesos for as many shots as you want, and for as long as you feel like wearing it.

     Apparently, the peak is already the highlight itself and the rest would just be strolling around the stores filling out the place. We were expecting more considering the fact that the place was called a "park" but labelling it as a "peak" is rather more suitable as the rest of the place is already a marketplace and nothing resembling a typical park. Oh well, as they say, your Baguio trip won't be complete without visiting the Mines View "Park" so might as well come here for the heck of it. Aja! :D