Burnham Park: The Most Popular Park

Burnham Park:  The Most Popular Park

             

               A swan-shaped row boat, with a family of five on board, slowly moves northward as fog envelopes the man-made lagoon. The teenage son paddles with all his might to increase speed.  "Sabay dapat pag sagwan", he shouts to his younger brother who willingly changes his rhythm. They realize the importance of having a synchronized movement.

               Half an hour later, visibility improves as the fog disappears. There are about 7 other boats drifting lazily.  A beautiful suntanned girl leans towards her partner and plants a kiss on the cheek. Their boat is not moving, but who cares? Two seniors, with sunglasses and baseball caps, are taking their own sweet time, unmindful of the minutes ticking away.  

                On any given day, be it a holiday or an ordinary day, tourists flock to Burnham Park to while away their time sitting on benches facing the lagoon, riding standard bicycles around the park, posing for pictures for posterity's sake and gazing at the colorful flowers that abound around the park.

               Perhaps the most popular park in the Philippines, Burnham Park is the most visited of all tourist destinations in Baguio City.  Well kept and well maintained, it is the rendezvous point where friends or acquaintances meet, where folks from the nearby provinces hold their Sunday picnics and travel back on the same day and where the adventurous ones spend the night, sometimes, on board their vehicles. 

               Burnham Park was designed and built in the 1900s by Architect Daniel Burnham who was tasked by the Philippine Commission to come up with a master plan for the entire city. Baguio City was declared then as the Summer Capital of the Philippines and the Americans were really focused on building a beautiful mountain city. It was their way of temporarily escaping the scorching heat in the lowlands.

              A man in leather boots is now counting peso bills, separating the coins and placing them in a plastic bag.  He is the proprietor of some of the boats.  His business is doing good.  As a churning mass of fog is sighted again, teenage girls in tight denim pants approach the boat ramp.  The man quickly stands up, meets the young girls and shouts: "Aglugan kayo? Agbangka kayo? Agluganen !" Business around Burnham Park really has been so good.  It has been that way for years.  For decades. People never get tired visiting Burnham Park.

- Konted

Burnham Park sits on a 33 hectare government property. It is the centerpiece of Baguio City's masterplan as prepared by the Americans.  Architect Daniel Burnham made the blueprint.  The park was named after him.

Row boating within a man made lagoon is a preferred activity .

At the southern end of the lake is a skating rink.  

Flat top row boats are steady boats.

The man made lagoon is 8 ft deep. It has been dredged and drained recently . Tilapia and koi are aplenty at the lake in Burnham Park.

The Marguerite Daisy flowers are a common sight around Burnham Park.

At the westerm side of the park is a bicycle lane where tourists can hire bicycles by the hour.

Colorful flowers near the northern portion of the park which is close to City Hall

There are about 90 row boats for hire at Burnham Park.

The standard rental fee for half an hour ride is P100.

Burnham Park is generally clean.

During the holidays and the summer months, a boat concessionaire earns a lot of money.

I had a brief chat with this senior citizen.  He was bragging that he was able to paddle all by himself for  45 minutes and non-stop at that.  He said that he was in the City looking for his former drinking buddies: Tony Bueno, Peter Mabanta, Dr. Abe Centeno, Art Sanchez, Lino Lagundino, George Pacheco and Val Faliao.

Trash bins are strategically located around Burnham Park.

Golden Candles

More Golden Candles by the walkway

An ambulant sells bee honey in bottles for P180 per bottle.  It is still negotiable.

The popular Sunflower

The road between the lake and the playing field is used as rendezvous point. Drivers of vehicles wait for their passengers or companions while they do their shopping at the Baguio public market or at Session Road.

Sweet yellow corn

Bouganvillas near the Melvin Jones Grandstand.  Burnham Park is near Harrison Road, Session Road,  Baguio Public Market, Baguio Cathedral,  City Hall and several five star hotels.

A Red Cross ambulance is on standby for any eventuality.  I am going to vote for Senator Richard Gordon in the coming polls.

Former Councilor Elaine Dominguez  Sembrano is running again for a seat in the powerful Baguio City Council.  She is the mother of tv newscaster Bernadette Sembrano.  She is heavily favored to win.