10/24/2017 11 coolest places in the Philppines | CNN Travel

DESTINATION PHILIPPINES
11 coolest towns in the Philippines
Al Gerard de la Cruz, for CNN Updated 23rd May 2014

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(CNN) Framed by the equator and Tropic of Cancer, the Philippines is one sunshiney
place.

Some locals cope with the heat by hitting the sugary beaches.

Others turn air-conditioned malls into their second living room.

Then there are those who seek refuge in the upland barangays (villages), such as
Bucari in Leon or Mantalongon in Dalaguete, where the elevation o sets the
Philippines' equatorial warmth.
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In its provincial boondocks, the Philippines has the ultimate paradox: the cool tropical
town.

Lower temps, however, aren't the only things that make these towns cool.

1. Baguio
Inspired by the British Raj, American colonists built a sanatorium in the chilly heights of
Benguet Province in 1903 for heat-oppressed, homesick soldiers.

By 1909, the place was transformed into an American town, Baguio, with the help of
Flatiron Building architect Daniel Burnham.

For a few summers, the American governor-general would move the seat of
government here from humid Manila.

At 5,200 feet above sea level, Baguio enjoys low temperatures -- in 1961 it dropped to
a recorded low of 43 F (6.3 C).

Even though the governors-general are long gone, the city remains a summer capital
and vacation favorite, packed to the precipice, especially during Holy Week.

Tourists eat peanut brittle and strawberries fresh from the nearby elds of La Trinidad.

Getting there: From Manila, an eight-hour bus ride is the standard way to reach Baguio
(ights are rare, save for the odd charter). Buses leave from Manila's Caloocan, Cubao
and Pasay residential areas.

2. Tagaytay
Tagaytay is to Manila what the Hamptons are to New York City.

Just more than an hour from Manila, this city hosts second homes of the capital's well
o , who are drawn to the lower temps and authoritative views of Taal Volcano, the
smallest active volcano in the world.

Imelda Marcos once invited Ronald and Nancy Reagan here to check out her "palace
in the sky," a mansion roosting 2,300 feet above sea level.

Today, moneyed locals live out only slightly less Imelda-like retirements in the city's
Swiss-style log homes

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