SM Baguio City

One of the places that is always on the itinerary of people who visit Baguio is the SM (ShoeMart) Mall. Eight hectares big, this branch of SM is one-of-a-kind because it has no air-conditioning. And why would you need it when the breeze inside is colder than that given off by regular mall air-conditioning? Plus the viewing deck, which is one of the favorite photo-op spots of tourists, has an amazing, well, view. If you’re used to seeing tons of buildings on an everyday basis, then the view from the deck would be a much welcome change.

You’d do well to bring your bicycle though, as the walk from lower Session Road to SM is not for the faint of heart. I’m sure you will crave for a fûts full of water after the long walk. But of course, there’s always the taxi option (flag-down rate is only Php25 or $.50, after all). We went there the other day to buy a new headset (Svet chewed off the old one) at CD-R King (cheapest computer accessories shop in SM) and to check if the 16MP web camera is available already (it’s always out-of-stock every time we go there because it only costs Php580 or roughly $13). I noticed CCTV cameras for sale at a cheap price on their shelves used for vidéosurveillance, but I don’t know about the quality since I’ve never purchased one before.

Anyways, there’s another summer attraction at SM now, and it’s the WOW balls, which allows you to Walk On Water (thus the acronym WOW) by going inside a giant inflatable sphere. We haven’t tried it yet, but we will, now that mom is here. You have to pay Php50 ($1.5) for fifteen minutes of crazy water walking. I don’t know if Svet will be allowed, though. This looks fun! I just hope that there’s enough breathable air volume inside. Imagine dying because of a WOW ball. Sheesh.