Baguio: Lourdes Grotto and some Strawberry Taho

Family traditions - every family has one. It's one of those events that have been done so much over time that things just aren't the same without it.

One of our family traditions is to visit the Lourdes Grotto on Mirador Hill every time we're in Baguio. It's a lovely old grotto with a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes where one can light a candle and offer a quiet prayer of thanks.

It takes climbing exactly 252 steps to reach the top of the grotto. But for those who are not up to that much physical exertion, you can park your car half way up the hill and climb just a few steps.

On the way to the grotto, there are several souvenir booths where one can buy knitted clothing (vests, sweaters, slippers etc.), strawberry jam, peanut brittle, the very tongue in cheek barrel man and woman among others. But my favorite Baguio treat will always be strawberry taho.

Taho is a popular snack in the Philippines made out of silken tofu, brown sugar/vanilla syrup and tapioca (sago). Baguio's version of taho replaces the vanilla syrup with strawberry syrup and strawberry preserves. Yummy and healthy for only P15!

Candles and fresh flowers can be bought on the steps of the grotto. Candles are no longer P3 each, but P10

Finally, the Lourdes Grotto - on top of the statue written in Latin is "Tota Pulcha Es Maria" which means Mary is all beautiful. It's not pictured, but a spectacular view of Baguio can also be admired from the top of the grotto.