camp john hay hotel 

                                                         Baguio trip March 5th thru 8th

picture at a restaurant on our way home 

We traveled north through some beautiful county passing by the site of the proposed Temple in a place called Urdanita city in the province of Pangasinan. The temple site was not where I thought the brethren would choose to build a Temple part of the land is swampy and not on a hill or not in any way impressive but  I don't of any Temple that when it is finished is not beautiful . We traveled on through a wooded area the trees looked a lot like our pine trees but of course they were not pine trees. We stopped at a pull off on the road where there was a large lions head made out of cement it was about twenty feet tall and painted like a lion we took a lot pictures. (I will put them later if I can) Of course there was a dozen little shops and people trying to sell things.We traveled on to a place called Barrio Fiesta  restaurant it was a very nice place and had a lot of interesting things to look at ( i will put pictures on if i can) we then traveled on to a place called Camp John Hay hotel it was a very fine hotel the rooms were first class the gardens around the hotel were beautiful and well kept everything here was first class. after we went to our room for a while Ann and me and sister Jones and brother Ciriako went for a walk down to a little strip mall and looked through it I think that Ann and Sister Jones enjoyed that trying on things and ect. then we walked up the hill to a overlook of a beautiful golf course. Ann said look down there there is a sand hole and sister Jones said that it looks like a mickey mouse head. We don't know if was made that way on purpose or not (it was a sand trap) We enjoyed our walk The next day we did some interesting things we went to a view point called mines view point  where we was able to look out over the hole valley below it was a very beautiful mountain area thick with trees and shrubbery. Of course to get down to that area you had to pass little shops with things for sale Ann bought a couple of shawls there.Next we went to a place called the good Shepard's compound this is a area in a nun convent where they have various jams and peanut brittle and other things like that for sale. We loved the peanut brittle and wished we had bought more, our guide said that we would wish we had more.Then we went to a place called Burnham Park and rode little horses around a large circle area in the park  the horses were lead by young men. We all felt silly riding around like little kids. Next we went to the Baguio knitting company and watched them knit all kinds of things from rugs to caps some of the things they were making was beautiful and it women running the knitting machines was very expert in there jobs. We stayed another night at Camp John Hay and had a buffet breakfast that was very good .Then we went to the strawberry fields this was quite a experience we went in to the fields and picked our own strawberries there was row after row of strawberries they gave us a container and pointed out where we could pick and we went to work straddling the berries and trying to find good ones to pick. Ann lost her balance and sat down flat on a strawberry plant what a mess. Ann and I each had a container so when we checked out we had picked 2 kilos of berries more than we could use so we gave one to Clem our guide.Next we went to La Union beach and stayed in the Thunderbird hotel it was another beautiful hotel it is part owned by the Philippine boxing champion. we had time there to relax for a while we went on a boat ride on the Luzon sea and was able to photograph along the beach for a few miles. then we started back home it was a long ride but it was through county that was interesting we saw a lot rice fields and the men and women working in them. Clem pointed out the difference in how they plant the fields and how they harvest them it looked like back breaking work our last stop was a very different restaurant it had about a four foot wide ditch running around the eating area where you crossed it you walked on a bamboo bridge the thatched  roof was supported on trees and wood poles if you wasn't ready to order you could watch young people dance or do acrobatics and many other things. The food was of course Philippine squid and rice and noodles and ect.