MANILA, Philippines?I am an ukay addict, and I love it.

Almost all my original designer bags were bought for a song. Okay, not quite?but they were still far cheaper compared to their original price tags.

I have traveled the entire stretch of the country, and ukay shopping is always in my itinerary, whether in Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao.

But for me, the best place for ukay shopping is still Baguio. I realized that in the late ?90s, when ukay was just starting.

Now it has become one of the city?s attractions, with peanut brittle, ube jam, walis and everlasting garlands.

I make sure I trek up north weekly for an ukay expedition. And just to be sure I get first crack at new arrivals, my mobile number is on the speed dial of most store owners? phones.

Patience, perseverance

Ukay shopping is not for the faint-hearted. It requires patience and perseverance. You will be subjected to the peculiar smell of old stuff. Imagine going inside a closet that hasn?t been cleaned for 10 years or so.

So bring your hand sanitizers. But leave the Lysol aerosol can in the hotel or in the car. You?d need it when you use your ?new? designer bag.

The best of ukay shopping in Baguio starts at the Upper East of Burnham, in a dilapidated building that used to be the Bayanihan Lodge.
It hosts a four-story maze of ukay stalls. Recently, I got from there a vintage Prada moss-green nylon backpack with matching extra-big overnight bag (for P5,000).

At least now I can march proudly through the baggage check-in of Heathrow or Charles De Gaulle airports and stand out in a sea of generic black luggage.

You may look for Eden (tel. 0927-4578875), Marina (0919-5110881) or Joey (0921-7132007) at the center area of Bayanihan for best brands and best prices.

Next stop is the East Park building between Harrison and Session Roads. There are bags, shoes and clothes here.

I bought a pair of brand-new Allen Edmonds brown loafers for P900 (it still had a price sticker of US$98 from the original US$198!) and a respectable Yves Saint Laurent (may he rest in peace) Pour Homme shirt.

I also espied a brown leather Mulberry tote bag, and I placed it on hold for a week. Yes, Virginia!

Some stall owners in Baguio have become my new best friends, and they reserve stuff for me. Either I leave a small amount as ?holding fee,? or they accept my personal checks as payment?and get this, sometimes even postdated checks, depending on my cash flow.

Knowledgeable

Also, in an era of quadruple and triple-A knockoffs from South Korea, store owners have also become knowledgeable enough to tell me when an item is an original or an excellent imitation.

Opposite East Park is the Skyworld Building and Diego Silang complex. A certain executive from a French beauty conglomerate who is also my ukay buddy calls this area the ?Greenbelt 5? of ukay-ukay.

Once, we got a slightly-used pair of Bottega Veneta slippers for only P1,000. Well, that included my excellent haggling power, since the owner was selling them for P3,000.
Haggling is allowed, as long as you are sure you?d buy the item and not walk away after the storeowner has given in to your tawad.

And just like Mong Kok in Hong Kong, there is now ?night ukay shopping? in Baguio. If the weather cooperates, the Diego Silang Street and Session Road become a night paradise for budget hunters.

I once had the luck of buying two pairs of slightly used Hugo Boss wingtips for only P1,000, one in tan and one in black. The choices are varied; one just need to exercise good judgment.

I?ve this designer friend who just bought a new LV Speedy bag on a recent trip, and she?s worried that the chichi crowd might think she bought them in ukay!

That?s because the mix of people who swear by ukay shopping in Baguio includes a lot of designers, stylists and fashionistas. Many of them just don?t admit it.

I can?t blame them. But, on my part, I will never be ashamed, and this is my confession.

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