“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
~ Pablo Picasso
If you find reading books to learn about a
country’s history and culture too tedious, go to museums. That’s a more
exciting way of learning given that there are visuals to aid it. And museums,
being (mostly) quiet, offer a break from the daily nuisance of a bustling city.
It seemed unlikely, but in spite of living in
Baguio City for 9 months, I didn’t visit the BenCab Museum. When I went back to
the place a year later in January, 2017, it was originally part of my
itinerary. But curling up during chilly mornings in Baguio is irresistible, so
instead of going out early, I heeded the bed’s call.
Being an item in my bucket list this year, it must
be ticked off, so in May, when my friends and I went to Baguio (my second visit
this year), we went to the distant museum despite the limited time we had.
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BenCab Museum is located along Asin Road in
Tadiangan, Tuba, Benguet, a 20- to 30-minute drive from the city proper. If you
plan to go there via taxi cab, I suggest that you ask the driver to come back
for you at a specified time, or ask him to wait for you, then pay him extra
according to the accumulated distance, or time. Otherwise, you will have to
wait for your turn, which takes a while, on the taxi line. There are public
market-bound jeepneys passing by the
area, but most of them are full.
The museum has four levels, starting from the
Street Level (where you enter, register, and pay the P120 admission fee) all
the way down to the Farm & Garden Level where Café Sabel is situated. Heads
up: They don’t use paper cups, so don’t expect that you can take your coffee
out. It’s a museum after all, food and beverage is not allowed in the
galleries.
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The Farm & Garden Level offers a picturesque
landscape that serves as backdrop in photos taken by guests. You’ll love the
fog obscuring the green mountains, the cottage in the middle of the pond, and
the chilly breeze hugging the surroundings.
