My visit to Baler

Eight years ago, I have the desire to visit the province of Aurora because it seems not a popular destination for everyone. However, the province slowly gained popularity and people started to visit the province often especially those who are into surfing. My desire to travel the province waned until it was taken off on my travel list.

An invitation from a friend regained my interest in traveling to Aurora. The destination is the surfing spot which is Baler. My friend is in to surfing for quite some time now and is a regular visitor in Baler. It was like his second home.

We were not able to booked a ticket in Genesis or Joybus so we have to try our luck as chance passenger. My friend said that the bus seldom gets full but there are instances that there will only be one or two seats  available. If ever that will be the cases, we decided to have the two ride the first available bus then the other two will ride the next available bus. The bus from Genesis and Joybus leaves the station every hour starting from 12 midnight. Luckily we were able to get a ride at 2AM. We slept the whole ride going to Baler.

We arrived in Baler at 7AM but the weather wasn’t as sunny as I hoped. It was gloomy. There was no rain but there was also no sign of the sun. Since it was a long trip and I had my last meal at 11PM we agreed to head to a carinderia near our inn. My friend has been acquainted to the owner of the carinderia/store and with the cook. The owner and the cook both greeted my friend very warmly. The carinderia offers different Filipino silog meals. Their silog meals range from P60.00 to P80.00 which is very affordable compared to the restaurants of the hotels or inn located at the seafront.

After a good breakfast we went to our inn. My friend booked our stay at Kaheas Lodge. Since he’s often in Baler, he was able became friends with the owner of the place. Kaheas is just like your typical inn. The room is spacious enough for six persons. It has two double decks. The lower bunk can be shared by two persons. They have rooms with fan and rooms with airconditioning. The inn does not have their restaurant or kitchen but they are renovating the place to built a restaurant. Kaheas is located along Sabang beach which means you can clearly watch surfers playing with the waves. We took a nap after breakfast since the sleep we had during the ride going to Baler wasn’t comfortable.

We wokeup  just in time for lunch. My friend took us to another carinderia but with a twist. The name of the carinderia is Kusina Luntian. They offer typical Filipino foodlike liempo, adobong manok and adobong pusit. Unlike your ordinary carinderia, they will cook your food once you gave your order then it will be brought to your table. The dining experience is different also because you’ll be sitting in the floor of a nipa hut. The nipa hut is large that it contains several low tables inside. The food presentation is instagram worthy. As for the food, you’ll not be disappointed of the taste.

The waves was at 7ft to 10ft according to my friend. Although the waves are big which is ideal for surfing the current wasn’t friendly. The waves are coming from different direction hence my friend wasn’t able to surf. We decided to just swim in the sea to spend the afternoon. We also watched some instructors teaching tourists how to surf. Surfing lessons are done near the beach to ensure safety. Instructors also know the part where there is no current.

The weather on our second day in Baler was worst than the previous day. We planned to see other tourist spots in Baler like the mother falls and the Balete tree and we are determined to do it even though it is raining. After having our breakfast we were informed that a street dance is happening as part of the town fiesta celebration. We went to tha plaza and watched kids perform their streetdance. The performance ended before lunch so we moved our visit to the mother falls after we have our lunch.

The ride going to the mother falls took around 30 minutes since it is located in another town. To reach the mother falls you will have to trek for about thirty minutes. The trek wasn’t that difficult but since it is raining extra precaution is needed. We passed two river with strong currents that you have to hold onto a rope. The guide help us to passed safely the river. Since the weather was really bad, when you reached the mother fall you can feel its power. The strong winds blew the waters coming the waterfalls. We didn't stay for long at the mother falls since we cannot swim because of the strong current. Our guide also said that it is not safe because of the weather.

After the waterfalls we went to the Millennial Tree. The millennial tree is said to be the biggest tree in terms of its diameter. A person can go inside its roots.

We went back to Sabang beach after our trip to the Millennial tree. We were tired after our trek to the waterfalls and travelling to Millennial tree that we decided to eat. Well, most of our time in Baler was spent in eating, sleeping and drinking booze since we cannot surf. On our second day there were even coastguard along the beach to forbid anyone from surfing.

Aside from surfing there are other things that you can do. The place is peacefully unlike Boracay. The locals are very welcoming to tourists. There are a lot of restaurants that you can try when in Baler. Each restaurant offering something different in their menu. I'll be posting a different story about our food trips in Baler.