Monol International Education Institute hosted BESA Fam Tour for Chinese Agencies on April 4 to 6. In the first two days of the event, Chinese delegates visited the 10 participating academies to showcase the state-of-the-art facilities of BESA affiliates and to introduce the quality English learning programs each school provides.
The 20 delegates had the chance to walk around the Monol campus and see the good facilities for students. They also learned about the services and the English courses that proved to be excellent for all the foreign students.
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- Manager Shawn discusses Monol learning program.
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- Showing the room.
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- Agents helped themselves with a delicious lunch at Monol.
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- The gym
The last leg of the event was also hosted by Monol bringing the delegates to a city tour around the charming city of Baguio. The itinerary included a brief visit to the classic tourist spots built since the American period: Mines View Park, Wright Park, Botanical Garden, and The Mansion.
Mines View Park is a well-known vantage point to a view of mountain ranges that were once the areas of mining. Now, it is a favorite place to take a photo of the colorful horses, Saint Bernard dogs, and even donning with traditional Cordilleran costumes.
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- The swirling motion looks familiar from the movie Moana.
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- The endemic Benguet pine
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- Local tourists donned in traditional Cordilleran attire
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- Picture taking with horses
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- View deck
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- The scenery worth taking a selfie with
The Mansion is the official residence of the President of the Philippines in Baguio City. Although the security is high, tourists are allowed to enter the gates for a photo opportunity to have the beautiful façade as a backdrop.
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- A picturesque premise
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- The pool fronting the mansion
Wright Park, which is a few meters away from The Mansion, is also a favorite stop. It has a rectangular pool of water mostly seen in photographs, and the iconic horseback riding area where one can experience riding a pony.
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- Bright flowers strewn around
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- The stairs down to the riding area
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- The iconic pavilion
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- So many horses to choose from
Botanical Garden is about the size of Burnham Park, featuring landmarks inspired from different countries that offered friendship to the Philippines. It is a nice place to take a stroll around towering pine trees.
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- Art installations
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- More vibrant flowers
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- Another wooden pavilion
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- Fun. Fun. Fun.
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- Picture perfect
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- Warriors??
After touring the parks, the delegates were taken to the Session Road. They helped themselves with a buffet of Chinese dishes at 456 Restaurant. With renewed energy, they went to the public market to buy pasalubong or souvenirs that they can bring back to their home in China.
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- Key chains
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- Carvings
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- Homegrown strawberries
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- Sundot kulangot
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- Iconic Filipino jeep
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- Weavings
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- Sweets
Monol also showcased the vibrant art scene in Baguio as a proof of UNESCO’s award of Creative City in Folk Arts and Crafts. The students were brought to the foggy mountains of Asin.
They toured around BenCab Museum, a famous sanctuary of combined modern and traditional arts. It is owned by a Filipino National Artist named Benedicto Cabrera.
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- Bulol
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- Modern painting
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- Wooden sculptures
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- Eco-trail
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- The garden
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- Traditional trinkets
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- Family bench
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- More wooden crafts
The Chinese agents learned about the history and culture of the Cordilleran tribes, and some took the unique opportunity to take photos of the art installations. Others spent the whole time to have a rest, enjoying the beautiful scenery.
After the colorful adventures, Monol brought the delegates to Ayala Techno hub in Camp John Hay for a free time before going to the final venue. The fog started to show and it drizzled – the ambiance was perfect. With Starbucks coffee, they savored the moment to talk and bond with each other.
On their way to their dinner, the Chinese agents were obviously tired but satisfied with the City Tour Monol prepared for them. They didn’t run out of stories until they rode off to the Korean Restaurant. One of the agents named Nicole said, “I will stay here for more days because Baguio is so beautiful.”
