These are the times when I feel so nostalgic about Baguio. I stayed in Baguio for a some time (I studied there) and I feel like somehow, I am a child of Baguio. I miss the cold weather, I miss the walking distance school, mall and church. I miss being called ading (younger brother/sister) by the natives (Ilocanos) of the place, and I miss the food. But most of all, i miss UKAY-UKAY shopping. Baguio is the BEST PLACE FOR UKAY-UKAY. Swear! I actually once heard in one magazine show that besides being tagged as the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio can also be named as Ukay-Ukay Capital of the Philippines. I totally agree.
Ukay-ukay (from the word Halukay which means "to dig), is one of the things you wouldn't want to miss to do when you go to Baguio. They have the best stuff there. And some of my clothes (which I haven't seen for a long time now) are living proofs. I got the best of the best and cheapest of the cheapest clothes and other stuffs there. A few of those I got are: a brown body bag for 35 php, a high cut chuck taylor shoes (for girls)for 20php, a brown stylish-coat-like jacket for 5php,and a brownish denim pants for 80php. 140 for almost a complete set of clothes! How do I do that? Here are some things I remember I do when it's UK (a term popularized by a commercial which refers to Ukay-Ukay) time.
1. I save 200-300 php from my allowance for the stuffs I plan to buy at The Ukay-Ukay. And then, me and my friend Mic, stay at Session Road to wait until 9pm. It's the best time to go UK shopping. And the best place? BURNHAM PARK! Yes, at the side of the road in front of Burnham Park is the best place to go UK. Well, that was 4 years ago. I hope they are still there. Actually, the Wagwagan (which also mean Ukay-Ukay) places in Baguio are a little expensive compared to those at Burnham 'cause they don't have to pay the rent for the place. UK sellers at Burnham just stay there and lay their stuff there. So no need to pay any rent. Besides, they leave the place after midnight.
2. Besides Burnham Park, there is another place with really good UK buys. At the side of ABANAO SQUARE. Same with those at Burnham, they are like mushrooms too! They come out when it's a little late. I remember I got one of my favorite jacket (which is lost now) for only 120php. The jacket is suuuuupeeeeer nice. Another trivia: There are thousands of Koreans in Baguio, and most of the clothes they sell here at Abanao Aquare are from the Koreans. Yeah, you know Koreans, they have a high sense of fashion. 3. Hilltop. If you walk further (and higher) Abanao Square, there's a bunch of UK vendors there! As in. You should have detective eyes to spot those really good buys coz there's a lot also there that are not very nice. There are also a lot of portals there that might direct you to a lot more vendors of UK. Just make sure you won't get lost.
4. When you're done UK shopping, don't forget to wash the clothes of course. But don't just wash them, soak them in hot water. You sure don't want to get whatever small living things those clothes carry in them.
There. That's where I usually go after getting my allowance. You get a complete set of clothes with accesories even without spending a thousand bucks. Yeah, it's a cliche about Ukay-Ukays, but it's soooo true! I am not quite sure if they are still there, but I think they are. If you get to visit Baguio, forget about Wright Park, forget about Camp John Hay, but don't forget about shopping at Ukay-Ukay place in Baguio.
OH HOOOOOW I MISS BAGUIOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! <3
picture from http://www.google.com.ph/imglanding?q=ukay+baguio
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