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Baguio Through My Cracked Viewfinder: Humidity, Hope, and Bad Lighting

@Alex Rivera3/11/2026blog
Baguio Through My Cracked Viewfinder: Humidity, Hope, and Bad Lighting

i'm in baguio and my camera's already sweating. the air is thick with 28.6 degrees celsius and 49% humidity - my lens cloth is never dry. i just checked the weather app and it's... exactly as predicted: feels like 29.06, pressure at 1013 hpa. hope you like that kind of persistent heat.

as a freelance photographer, i came for the cool mountain air, but the light is a nightmare. harsh one minute, flat the next. someone told me that burnham park at dawn is divine, but i heard from a fruit vendor that the real light is in the market at 4 pm. i'm following the latter, and got some decent shots of vendors arranging produce under golden slants.

baguio's streets are a beautiful mess. jeepneys, stray dogs, tourists in puffer jackets despite the warmth. if you get bored, the beaches of la union are a short drive away, but why leave when the coffee here could wake the dead? i've been mainlining barako at session road cafes.

i'm staying in a hostel where the neighbors are a mix of old locals and young backpackers. i overheard one retiree saying that the best lechon is at a hole-in-the-wall, but yelp reviews are divided. tripadvisor points to the fancy spots, but i trust the drunk advice from a bartender: "the soul is in the slums, kid."

here's my current map:


i ventured to the strawberry farm - tourist trap, overpriced. i found a better spot on the outskirts where an old lady sells fresh berries. i captured her hands, red and rough, and she smiled without teeth. that's the real baguio.

a tall tower with a cross on top of it

i saw this bell tower and thought of the cathedral here. the light was just right for a silhouette.

a tall building with a bunch of plants on top of it

this green rooftop reminded me of the eco-buildings popping up in the city.

a person taking a picture of a bell

and here's someone else chasing the perfect shot - like me, forever frustrated by the light.

i've been digging through online forums. someone on reddit claimed the night market is safe, but a police officer warned me about pickpockets. for real tips, i rely on LocalBeat's offbeat guide, Yelp's cheap eats list, and this TripAdvisor thread about viewpoints. also, the Coffee Snob's blog for caffeine fixes.

pack light layers - it gets chilly at night even when days are sticky. i'm editing shots in a café that smells like old books. the images are grainy, but baguio's essence is in the imperfections. humid, chaotic, and utterly captivating.

i've been here long enough to notice the subtle shifts. the morning mist that lifts by 10 am, the afternoon sun that slants through the pine trees, creating stripes of light on the road. i've been trying to capture that, but my camera keeps complaining about the humidity. i've started using ziplock bags for my gear - a hack i got from a veteran photographer. it's not glamorous, but it works.

also, the people here have a resilience that's inspiring. i met a street artist who paints on sidewalks with chalk. he told me that the rain washes his art away, but he paints anyway. "it's about the moment," he said. that stuck with me. i've been trying to find that momentary beauty in everything - in the wrinkled hands of the berry seller, in the laughing kids playing in a puddle, in the lone jeepney driver napping at noon.

the food scene is a mix of traditional and weird. i tried pinikpikan - a chicken dish that's beaten before cooking - based on a local's recommendation. it was intense, but memorable. yelp has some reviews calling it cruel, but i'm glad i tried. such is baguio: conservative on the surface, wild underneath.

if you're coming, don't expect a polished vacation. expect traffic, unexpected rain, and prices that hike during weekends. but also expect pine-scented air, cool evenings, and strangers who become friends over a cup of coffee. i'm leaving soon, but i'll be back. the lens is already missing the humidity.

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About the author: Alex Rivera

Trying to make sense of the world, one article at a time.

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