Baguio’s Lively Street Night Market- Amazing Filipino Foods in the Philippines
1. Baguio Summer Capital of the Philippines
2. Origin of the Night Market
3. Great Bargains
4. Food Vendors
5. Safety is Paramount
6. Tips
7. How to Get to the Baguio Street Market
The Philippines is an incredible place to vacation. There are several reasons why this is the case. First, some of the most beautiful islands in the world are situated in the Philippines. The Philippines is known for its crystal clear water. Having traveled all over the Philippines, I have experienced the beauty of an ocean city. Typically wherever you go in the Philippines, you likely to find restaurants with the name "Ocean" attached to it. When you travel north of Manila though and particularly to a place called Baguio, then the scenery switches from ocean to mountains. They are certainly towering and beautiful mountains too. Last year, I took a trip to Baguio, and fell in love with this charming place. I toured the strawberry farm, the colorful houses, the mine view park, the President of the Philippines mansion, the Botanical Garden, and the lively Baguio Street market. You may have heard that night markets are common in Thailand and the Korea. The markets are also common in the Philippines. In fact, at this street market, I was amazed by the quality made items.
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Baguio- Summer Capital of the Philippines
Welcome to Baguio, the “Summer Capital” and the “ukay ukay” of the Philippines. You will find all kinds of awesome attractions in this beautiful city. One of them is the night market. When the sun descends, one of the places that people flock to is the Baguio night market. We had just left an open air mall in Baguio, Philippines. The last stop we made for the night was the night market. We took a 10 minute taxi ride to this market for the first time. Before starting your tour in the Philippines. I highly recommend your learn some Tagalog words. This book has saved me!!! In fact, I have essentially committed this entire book to memory.
Origin of the Night Market
In Baguio, Philippines, the night market, which stretches about 300 meters or 984 feet from one end to the other end, is located on Harrison road (next to Burnham Park), and it has become a very unique spot to purchase second hand products called “ukay-ukay” for a very mura or cheap price. This term is derived from the Filipino phrase “halukay,” which translates as digging or scrambling. The notion behind this term is rummaging through diverse items. The market started in 2007 and it has drawn a flood of tourism ever since. When the clock strikes 9 PM, the police close down one lane of the Harrison road so that vendors can set up and occupy the road. Once that is done, the market is opened and the madness begins. The market is opened until 2 a.m. Hence the reason the spot is called the night market.
Great Bargains
What ukay-ukay can you purchase? You are in for a treat especially if you are looking for great bargains. Just keep in mind it may be cold at the time you go. When we were there, the temperature in Baguio city was 17 degrees colder than the temperature in Manila. That is a big difference. At the start of the line of this flea market, as you plow through a sea of noisy people, you will find all kinds of traditional Baguio t-shirts, long-sleeves, hoodies, jackets, trench coats, blouses, dresses, jeans, shorts, leather belts, designer bags, key chains, watches, magnets, wallets, scarves, toboggans, caps, shoes, boots, sandals, stuffed toys, mobile phones, camera tripods, iphone covers, and so forth. Vendors selling these items would extend to the very end of the street. We bought 3 quality made toboggans for 100 pesos, or $1.97, and a nice Baguio souvenir shirt for 150 pesos or $2.96. After examining the items, you may find that many of them are made in Baguio. The toboggan I purchased had the word “Baguio” stitched on the front. If you are looking for souvenirs, this is definitely the place to visit.
Shirts and Jeans
Long sleeves and Jackets
Baguio T-shirts
Toboggans
Socks
Key chains and socks
Wallets
Leather belts and wallets
Backpacks and other accessories
Backpacks
Assortment of key chains
Phone tripods
Perfume and Cologne
FOOD VENDORS
Once you reach the end of the market you can observe numerous food vendors selling all kinds of foods, including— (1) Manok (chicken), manok skin, (2) balut (baby duckling), (3) Tacos, (4) hot dogs, (5) sweet mais (corn) with cheese powder, (6) hot noodles, (7) sizzling fiery hot and spicy shawarmas, (8) sisig, (9) pusit (squid), (10) barbeque, (11) chicken longanisa, (12) isda (fish) balls, (13) fish cakes, (14) lumpia, (15) tapsilog, (16) palabok, (17) peanuts, and many traditional soups such as batchoy and mami. If you are chilled at the market, you can warm up from the bitter cold weather by eating these foods as well as drinking some nice hot coffee, mango tea, or apple tea which are also sold at the market.
What is Mami? Mama is a popular masarap (delicious) Filipino soup that is made using flavorful broth, wheat flour noodles, eggs, any kind of meat. As you can see the vendor is selling beef mama with egg.
Beef Mami. Masarap!
Sweet white corn!
Manok!
What is a fish ball? A fish ball is a round shaped fish ball patty made from pulverized fish, which are deep fried and well seasoned. Fish balls are popular street foods in the Philippines.
The Burnham park is adjacent to the night market. There are many benches you can occupy for eating delicious food.
One of the statues at Burnham Park
Safety is Paramount
Safety is paramount regardless of where you are vacationing in the Philippines. When we were shopping at the night market, we felt safe because of the huge police presence. Even though there was the concern of thieves in the area, I felt comfortable and relaxed there. I did, on the other hand, keep my camera close to my body with the camera strap wrapped around my hand. If you are planning to bring your DSLR camera to the market, make sure you have a strap so you can secure it on your hand or around your neck.
Tips
1) Bring extra pesos because credit cards are not accepted.
2) Keep your valuables secured. As I pointed out, I had my DSLR camera close to my body and the strapped wrapped around your arm.
3) Do not be afraid to haggle with the vendors.
4) Wear comfortable shoes and warm clothing. The weather may be very cold there.
5) Try the traditional Filipino foods. They are very masarap!
6) Buy or bring bottled water. I would advise against purchasing local water there. The last thing you want to do is consume bad bacteria there.
How to Get to the Night Market
Taxi: I would recommend taking a taxi to the Night market. It is only a 9 minute drive from the Victory Liner Bus terminal and 11 minutes from the SM Baguio City open air mall.
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