Baler : The Return
Baler became famous for its surfing activities but beyond that, Baler has so much to offer.
Baler is a second class municipality in the province of Aurora. It located 230 kilometers (143 miles) northeast of Manila via a mountain pass accessible by vehicles. It is also a host to spectacular geographic formations and is situated on a vast plain at the sound end of Baler Bay, a contiguous segment of the Philippine Sea.
It is dubbed as one of the "top surf spot" in the Philippines in 2013 by Yahoo! and identified by Google as topping the list of beach destinations in 2009. Nine feet waves can be witnessed from September to February.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baler,_Aurora
Balete Tree
The first town in Aurora is Maria Aurora and it is where the biggest Balete tree in Asia can be found. It was designated as the Millenium Tree of the Philippines.
You can make it your first or last in your Aurora itinerary since it is quite far from Baler.
It is dubbed as one of the "top surf spot" in the Philippines in 2013 by Yahoo! and identified by Google as topping the list of beach destinations in 2009. Nine feet waves can be witnessed from September to February.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baler,_Aurora
Top nine (9) places of interest in Baler:
The first town in Aurora is Maria Aurora and it is where the biggest Balete tree in Asia can be found. It was designated as the Millenium Tree of the Philippines.
You can make it your first or last in your Aurora itinerary since it is quite far from Baler.
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| selfie with my youngest ones |
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| with my beautiful family and our ampon, Mark |
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| hubby and the big tree... looks eerie, haha! |
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| ang saya mag-groupie!!! |
Ermita Hill is located in Haller, Baler. It plays an important part in the history of Baler. It is where the only survivors of the tsunami catastrophe fled for the safety on the night of December 27, 1735 when the entire town was engulfed with sea water. People climbed up the hill to survive. It is said that there are only six families who survived the catastrophe. One of the survivors is the prominent Angara family.
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| statue of the survivors who survived |
Diguisit Falls
Location is near the road and past Ermita Hill and is also on the same route as Aniao islets and Diguisit beach. Waterfalls is much smaller than the Dimutabo or Mother falls. The water is so clean, clear and cold.
Mother Falls
Ditumabo or Mother Falls is located in the town of San Luis, Aurora. It is a 45-minute trek going to the mother of all falls. It is just more than a kilometer trek. Sounds like a short walk but the rocky and slippery trail will truly tire and sweat you. Whether you will plunge or not in the water, there is no place for clothes changing. Just bring an extra shirt and change after the trek. The place is too crowded also.
There's an entrance fee of Php30 per person and required guide fee of Php300 for 10 persons and a parking fee of Php30.
Baler Fishport
The Fishport is situated along the coast of Cemento Beach. I don't know what "touristy" is in here. But our guide/driver said that it is where blue marlin, tuna, lobsters and all those costly seafoods can be bought at a provincial rate. It is just that the sun is in the middle of the earth when we get here so we were not able to witness the buying and selling of these yummy seafoods.
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| groupie at the port |
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| We just sat there, doing selfie, nothing to do yet... haha! |
Dicasalarin Cove
The cove is owned by the Angara Family. When you are a visitor of Costa Pacifica you just need to pay half of the regular entrance fee of Php300. A little pricey for the place... We were just there on top viewing the cove from above. Getting here will be so worth it. There is also a hikable lighthouse.
Hanging Bridge
So lucky that our van driver knows everything in Baler. Though nothing much to do here just to cross the bridge to and from, we just enjoyed eating the 10 pesos barbeque here, haha! They are also selling souvenirs cheaper than in any other place in Baler.
Baler Town
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| picture taking here is a must or obligatory, haha! just be patient for the long queue... |
Museo de Baler
Baler is known as the top surfing spot in the Philippines. Learning how to surf is a must!
Surfing 101
Being taught by one of the greatest surfers in Baler, General Nel Barrios is such an amazing experience already!
The surf board and the surfing tutorial is Php350 for an hour. Even if you are not a swimmer, you will be able to stand on the waves. You haven't been to Baler if you will not try surfing...
After an hour...
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| my baby love <3 |
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| with Tita Leng and Boss Andy |
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| Gwendal Lebris, French, who chose to stay for a month in Gen. Barrios home |
We met Gwendal. He is heart broken when he went to the Philippines and among the 7,100 islands in the Philippines, he chose to stay in Baler. The general said that his name means "white angel". His favorite dish is the pork afritada that manang Norma always cook. His favorite is the five peso dessert, choco mucho coffee. He stays here for a minimal rental fee with free meals. He sleeps in his own hammock and helps in doing the chores in the general's lodging and camp site. He was also a surfing instructor during his stay....great volleyball player too!
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| beach volleyball |
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| with my BOSH classmates... started meeting them at a seminar that blossomed into friendship |
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| group picture before going home |
How to get to Baler?
Genesis Bus Terminal in Cubao has 6 daily trips to Baler. Fare is around Php420. First trip is at 3AM and the last trip is at 7:30PM.
Joy Bus Trips schedule: 12:30AM, 1:30AM, 2:30AM at Php700 one way. They have steward on-board, snacks and water, blanket and pillow, lazy boy seats and lavatory.
You can also get to Cabanatuan first then transfer to a bus or van going to Baler.
Genesis Bus Terminal in Cubao has 6 daily trips to Baler. Fare is around Php420. First trip is at 3AM and the last trip is at 7:30PM.
Joy Bus Trips schedule: 12:30AM, 1:30AM, 2:30AM at Php700 one way. They have steward on-board, snacks and water, blanket and pillow, lazy boy seats and lavatory.
You can also get to Cabanatuan first then transfer to a bus or van going to Baler.
By private transportation:
From
SCTEX to Pantabangan - NLEX to Clark Logistics Interchange, turn right
to Tarlac, and then choose the SCTEX exit in Amucao, Tarlac City. From
there, turn right to La Paz Tarlac then go straight to Sta. Rosa. Upon
reaching Sta. Rosa, make a left turn and choose the road leading to
Cabanatuan City. Take the Talavera route and turn right to Pantabangan,
Nueva Ecija. Travelers will need to traverse through a narrow mountain
gravel road that twists through the Sierra Mountain Range to reach
Canili, Maria Aurora.
*info from Costa Pacifica "how to get to"
For the second time, a special thank you to my bossing Gen. Nel Barrios. Book at ULTIMATE ADVENTURES LODGING AND CAMP SITE. Their contact numbers are 0919-4749769 and 0927-565-9701. Mas masaya dito. Their rates are:
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| A room in Ultimate Adventures Lodging |
For 4-star stay experience, they have the Costa Pacifica Hotel and Resort owned by the Angara Family. http://www.costapacificabaler.com/
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