For Kiara’s 4th birthday this year, we decided to spend it at Baler, Aurora. Kiara had no classes last Feb. 18 – Wednesday and 19 – Thursday (school activity & holiday) sandwich na naman ang Feb. 20 Friday so we just asked permission from her Teachers to be absent for just a day. Sayang naman, the timing was just too perfect for her birthday. Jun’s work is in Pampanga and we stayed there for 3 days before heading to Baler. We originally planned this to be a 1-day event para tipid, leaving Pampanga at 4am and going back at around 8-9pm. But upon researching about the place, I found out that there are so many activities that can be done here so we decided to stay overnight. Besides, the travel time is 4-5 hrs and about 2 hours of that is on a zigzag road so it’s going to be a really tiring drive for Jun so spending the night at Baler was the smartest option.
This vacation was short but definitely memorable. It was sooo much fun, even though we were not able to surf, which was the main reason why we went to Baler in the first place. Truth is, I was a little disappointed about it, but I didn’t let that dampen our vacation. Actually, since we did not spend time surfing, we were able to explore Baler more, and I can tell you this: Baler is a GEM! We loved the place so much and we absolutely enjoyed the trip! It was more than what we hoped for when we researched about this place. Jun and I even made a promise that we will go back to this incredible place soon. Very soon. 🙂
So just a short explanation why I chose (yup ako na naman ang nasunod hehehe) to go at Baler. Well, I got really curious about the place when I heard about the movie (the local movie starring Anne Curtis and Jericho Rosales. I haven’t seen it yet actually). When I researched about the place, I read that it’s a surfer’s paradise. Apocalypse Now (the Hollywood Movie) was filmed in the Philippines and I read that the surfing scene was shot in Baler. Since Kiara loves to pretend she’s surfing, I figured she would love this place. So I told Jun that maybe it’s time for Kiara to experience surfing first hand. It was incredibly naive of me (or more like dumb hehe) to assume that she can get a chance to try to surf at Baler without knowing how to swim. I researched about surfing and learned that one has to be a decent swimmer to surf. But I’m really a stubborn person and I thought that just like wakeboarding, one can just wear a lifevest. You can’t totally blame me on this assumption, again, I was comparing surfing to wakeboarding, thinking that there’s not much difference between the two activities. Kinulang ako sa time sa pagreresearch hehehe. Also, few years ago, we were at San Juan, La Union which is said to be another surfing haven. We swam on the beach, and I thought the waves were not really scary. So I said it’s not really bad, life vest could work. But when I saw Sabang Beach, wow it was a whole new level! Honest and I swear, buwis buhay ang mga alon dun!!! So I said “uh oh, no can do! Definitely no surfing for Kiara here”. I had no idea that the waves at Baler were ginormous, unlike the ripples that Jun and I experienced at San Juan. I felt sad and disappointed, I know how much Kiara was looking forward to this. She was telling us again and again “Mommy, Daddy surfing please, please, please”. Naawa tuloy ako sa bata, but what can we do? Safety first right?
We did line up some other activities for this trip. And we also included other activities that we did not consider in our itinerary before. I got really excited talking about our new plan. I remembered that Baler is home to gorgeous waterfalls nga pala and it has been a dream of mine to experience swimming in one. While planning for this trip, I have repeatedly asked Jun that I wanted to include the Ditumabo Falls or Diguisit Falls in our activity but he was reluctant because of the schedule. I really wanted to experience the falls, the only time I was able to do so was in Cagayan Valley but the falls where we went to was small and mababa. Wala rin masyadong tubig, it kinda looked like there’s just someone peeing (hehe sorry for the comparison ha, this is the best way to describe it). The guide told us that it was summer, not much rainfall, kaya tuyot ang paligid. It wasn’t that exciting. So imagine my happiness when I learned that there are so many falls in the area and that I can finally enjoy swimming in an enormous one. So after our brief tour at Sabang Beach, we headed back to our car to search for our accommodation. Oh yes! I committed the worst mistake ever when having a vacation. Not booking for an accommodation. It’s not an oversight, I did book one, hindi lang natuloy, there’s a story behind this that I would rather not go into.
Anyway, we arrived at the Centro ng Baler at around 9am. A little picture taking at the local landmark, bathroom break, then we started searching for our accommodation. There were 5 of us, Jun and I, my sister Dhidz, Kiara and Kyle. I looked around for a place good for 3 adults, sabit lang naman ang mga bata hehehe. The lowest rates I got were ranging from 1,400-1,800. Here are some of the accommodations at Baler that we looked at:
1. Jennifer’s Inn: 09478898156 / 09399390786 – with rooms for 2-6 persons. The room rate are from 1,500 – 2,500. It’s a bit far from Sabang Beach but the rooms are clean and decent
2. Maple Inn: 09309453011 / 09063047912 – Rooms are bigger, good for 10-12. The beds are queen sized and there’s another one in the corner (not seen in the photo) total of 3 bunk beds.
3. Aplaya De Baler: 09285006841 / 09362334149 – Rooms are really small, just for sleeping. But each room has their own bathroom and dining area outside the room. No TV but with free wifi. They have a common grillling area. Beachfront. Room rates from 1,500-2,500.00
4. Amigas Beachfront: 09285006841 / 09219827949 – I wasn’t able to get their rates and photos but they have kubo with aircon good for 3-4 persons, rooms with aircon good for 3-4 persons and big rooms for 20-22 persons.
5. Aliya Surf Camp: 0939 9390929 / 0939 9390844 / http://www.aliyasurfcamp.com/ – Rates from 1,400 – 4,000.00. They have a pool & restaurant. Beachfront (main building). More photos of the kubo accommodation and my review about this place later
6. Costa Pacifica: +63-02-5764555 – Rates are ranging from P4,000- P10,000. Each room has Wi-Fi Internet access, an air-conditioning system, cable TV, and private veranda. Amenities include events venue, pool, beach shack, activity and play area for the kids, and restaurants. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take photos of their rooms.
7. Bahia De Baler: 09178574424 / 09216810278- Rates are ranging from P6,000 – P8,000.00. No photos here either. I believe Bahia and Costa Pacifica have the same owner. I’ll post photos once I get the chance to see the rooms.
Okay people. Just an advise. If you’re heading to Baler during summer season, book your accommodation ahead of time, especially if you’re going on a weekend. It can be difficult to find a place to stay. 2 hours of our time were wasted looking for a place. We could have used that time to tour around Baler already. Actually, we were told by the locals that few years ago, you can just go to Baler anytime and do the spot reservation upon your arrival, siguradong maraming available na accommodations at mura pa. But now, although still possible, more likely the good ones are booked already. Baka konti na lang ung mapagpiliian mo. This is not ideal especially when you’re on tight budget, the accommodations can get too expensive. Or the ones that are left are unpleasant ones, ung hindi papasa for those with discerning taste. Kaya research and book early, like 2 months ahead, that would be a good time frame.
I would also suggest, if you have kids, it’s best to get an accommodation with swimming pool. As I have said, the waves there are big and not ideal for toddlers. So for the kids to enjoy too, choose na lang kayo ng may pool so they can swim more safely. It’s just gonna cost a little more. Sayang nga eh, I really wish I went to baler few years ago, when the accommodation and surfing lesson were not that expensive. As I have mentioned, the accommodations were cheap back then. But that was before Baler was highlighted in Kris Aquino’s morning show (this is what I have been told by some locals of Baler). Now, so many people have learned about Baler and even though it’s relatively more remote than some other tourist places in the North Luzon area, people are flocking this place because of it’s natural beauty. And many of the people that I spoke with during our stay here told me that it’s their 2nd or 3rd time in Baler. Apparently, they were enamored. I too felt the charm of this place. I have been to so many places in the Philippines, bundok bundok din ang pinupuntahan namin but I have never seen an area as lush and dense as the mountains of Aurora. We were amazed by the variety and the vibrant colors of these plants (although coconut trees are really dominant). They were truly stunning.
Baler is now an emerging tourist spot in North Luzon. The crowd keeps on coming. And just like other tourist spots in the Philippines, they too have established an Association, supposedly dedicated to maintaining the beauty of Baler. But I really hope that the association would not be as greedy as the other associations sa ibang places sa Pinas. Actually right now, for a local tour including the Museo, The old Balete Tree, Ditumabo Falls, Diguisit Falls, Rock Formations, Baler Church, the tricycle rate is P800.00. I really don’t know if this is expensive. Since we’re using a private vehicle, to me, it seemed that Baler is just small and I thought that the sites are not really that far from each other that’s why I found the rate a little expensive na. But that’s just me. I mean, the tricycle could carry 4 passengers so I guess, if you could fill the tricycle and spend P200 each, it’s cheap enough. But if you’re touring alone, talagang mapapamahal ka. If you don’t want to hire a tricycle for the whole tour, and you’d like to experience Ditumabo Falls, the tricycle charges P100.00 to bring you to the parking area and you’ll have to trek about 1 hour more to see the falls. Another P100.00 if you want to ride a tricycle going down. That’s P200.00 already, the price is I think very unreasonable na.
Anyway, as I said, we arrived Saturday and we were able to find a few accommodation but our budget is only at 1,500 at most. We found quite a few that fits our budget but we were interested to see the Nipa hut accommodation at Aliya Surf Camp. At 1,400.00, the hut can fit 4 adult guests yun lang, there’s no airconditioning for the huts, only fan. It’s a good thing that when we visited Baler, it was really cold. Actually, it was even foggy when we were nearing Aurora and It was 7 am already. We were choosing between a room at Aplaya De Baler and a room at a Transient house owned by a nice old lady but somehow we felt uncomfortable with the 2 choices. Actually, I was able to haggle from Lola (the transient house) for 1,200 kaya lang Jun said he doesn’t like the feel ng place kasi for us to go to the beach, we would have to pass through private homes kaya mejo nakakailang unlike with Aliya Surf Camp, the whole area is owned by the said resort kaya you’re free to move around and to use the amenities like nga ung pool. So we did not book muna, at around 11 am, we came back at Aliya and saw that one unit is being cleaned already. We checked if it was still available. When they said yes, we immediately asked if we can see the place even though the staffs haven’t finished cleaning it yet. The front desk lady let us see it. This is what’s inside the nipa hut.
Even though it’s very basic, as in tulugan and liguan lang talaga, we actually liked it. I know it’s small, no TV, no wifi, no aircon. Just fan and beds. But what we loved about Aliya Surf Camp are:
#1: The big bathroom
#2: The place is really clean
#3: Even though the huts are across the main building of Aliya Surf Camp, we still liked it compared to the other accommodations at least we didn’t have to pass thru private homes and other resorts to enjoy the beach
#4 They have their own restaurant, pool and the main building is fronting the beach
#5: They have free breakfast for 2. It’s just a plated breakfast, but it’s not bad. The choices are the usual Tapsilog, Tocilog etc. We chose Tapsilog and I loved it.
So upon paying to the Front Desk, since the rooms were not ready yet, we headed back at the Centro to find a place to eat. At the side of Museo de Baler, we found this Karienderyas offering many home-cooked dishes. Jun saw a store offering a thick, big cut of grilled blue marlin at only P50.00. The Karienderya also sells Bulalo and sugpo. Blue Marlin is Jun’s favorite. Dito na kami kumain, ang mura kaya ng Blue Marlin nila di ba? The Bulalo was P200.00 and 2 slices of marlin for P100.00 plus 5 orders of rice (takaw no? hehe) and Coke amounting to 460.00. Not bad na rin, busog na busog naman kami. When we went around and later, I learned that this is the famous “Rolling Store”. Other bloggers have been mentioning about this on their blogs about Baler. Must-try nga naman ang pagkain dito bukod sa pagiging mura.
After our lunch, we went at Museo De Baler. We paid P30.00/hd as entrance, this includes entrance also to the house of the late Dona Aurora Quezon, First Lady and wife of the 1st President of the Philippine Commonwealth, President Manuel Quezon. By the way, this town was named after Dona Aurora Quezon.
So back to the Museo, I am not a big fan of museums. But Dhidz is. She likes history. And she was really interested with the artifacts found inside the museum. She read the descriptions and took pictures of those she can’t read that time(too long) so that she can still read it at home. But we were both interested with the story of Baler when it was hit by tsunami in year 1735. I have researched about this and read that the whole Baler was devastated by the tsunami and only 7 families were able to survive this catastrophe by climbing the nearby hill now known as the Ermita Hill. This is a very interesting story. Unfortunately, there’s not much written about this event. The families who survived are: Angaras, Bihasas, Bitongs, Carrascos, Ferreras, Lumasacs and Pobletes. Some were said to have migrated to other area because of this sorrowful event. The Bitongs migrated to San Jose (now Maria Aurora); the Bihasas to Inategan (now San Luis). There’s a sculpture at the foot of Ermita Hill depicting the event then, how the families climbed the hill as the waves of the tsunami closely follow them. This memorial sculpture is called The Tromba Marina (Tsunami) to remind everyone of what happened before. When I saw the sculpture, I felt a wave of sadness upon me as I looked at the woman holding a young kid while climbing the hill. It made me think of myself, if I had to go through that with my own family. I felt sorry and sad for the woman, her family and all the people, young and old, who died in that disaster. It was a sad sad story. I’m praying that this won’t happen ever again.
After visiting the Museo and the Dona Aurora house, we went back at Aliya Surf Camp to leave our things and rest a little. Again, originally we were supposed to surf already but since hindi natuloy, we decided to proceed with our trip to the Falls. After an hour and a half, we headed to San Luis to visit Ditumabo Falls.
Ditumabo Falls or the Mother Falls, is a 140-feet majestic waterfalls located at San Luis, Aurora about 20 minutes away from Sabang Beach. This is a must-see spot in Aurora, though trekking to this falls is not for the faint-hearted. It’s really challenging especially for us who brought our 2 kids to the falls. I really didn’t do my research. I didn’t know that trekking to this falls was actually dangerous for the kids. It was scary enough even for adults. I compared it with the trekking we did in Cagayan Valley and I thought that it’s just going to be a long long walk. Yun pala, isa pang buwis buhay tong activity na to (mejo OA ako but it’s really a difficult and at times a scary trek) Kaya pala the guide asked me if we would bring the kids. And after our trek, I felt stupid as I remembered that I even asked the guide if we can bring a stroller with us.
The trek was really challenging, at times I feel like I’ve joined a “Survivor” contest. Why? Because
#1: You’re going to walk 2.6 km (1.3km going up and 1.3km down) before you reach the falls
#2: You’re going to cross 3 hanging bamboo bridge. If you’re not used to this, you’ll feel dizzy, like the earth is moving under you. Now my advise is, don’t look down at the water. If you feel dizzy and you think you’re going to fall down, stop walking and close your eyes. Wait for the dizziness to stop then continue walking looking straight ahead.
#3: You’re going to cross the river thrice using rope. The river’s current for the first one is manageable, wala pa sa tuhod ang tubig and is not that strong. Pido, our guide, kept on warning us about the river ahead. He said that we should be careful and just maintain a steady footing etc… When we crossed the river for the first time, I actually asked him “Kuya, is that it? Ang dali lang naman pala”. Seryoso lang ung guide, maya maya tinuro nya na ung susunod na river. Oh wow, this time it looks scary. The water current is stronger at mas nakakatakot ang babagsakan mo if you’re pushed by the current. Antaas ng babagskan mo, as in lasog lasog ang buto mo. The water level is also higher. Now I really got frightened for my family especially for Kyle and Kiara. Jun was holding Kiara and the Pido was carrying Kyle. Alam ko malaki si Jun at sanay yung guide but I just can’t help but feel frightened for everyone. Before I can decide whether we will go through or not, The guide was already giving instructions. He said that we just have to make sure that we hold on to the rope and just to be careful in stepping to the rocks, they can be slippery. Jun managed to cross the river easily then he assisted me. Dhidz was a little slow but she has an experience trekking before, mas mahirap pa nag daw so manageable na sa kanya. Mukhang ako lang ang nagpanic on this one.
But the third time was the worst. There was a build up of people. There were about 25 people who came from the falls and are now going down and there were about 12 of us going up. Bottleneck na nga plus hindi basta basta ang pagtawid sa part na ito. It’s very near the falls, I guess about 300 m na lang and the current here is the strongest of all. You can see the extreme concentration coupled with fear on the faces of those who are crossing the river. Earlier, nakasuot pa ako ng slippers but this time, all of us took our slippers off para hindi madulas. The water now is over the knees. The rocks here are also bigger kaya kakapain mo talaga ung steps mo. The first 2 crossings, 2-3 mins is enough to cross 1 river. This time, it would take you about 6-7 mins before you can cross. And once you’ve crossed the river, somehow, you’d feel so relieved and proud. Pano parang talagang tinaya mo ang buhay mo sa pagtawid sa river na yun. Promise.
We walked a little more then finally, about a hundred meters away is a small falls. I really thought “Is this it?”. Sabi ko, maganda naman kaya lang eto na ba yung pinaghirapan ko? In my mind, it wasn’t really worth it, I expected something really grand. But our Guide did not stop at this falls. He walked inside a small entrance and went up. I followed him. Then suddenly, when I looked up, I saw this huge huge huge huge falls, towering upon all of us as it showers us with thousand or maybe million drops of cold, icy cold water. It was a tiring and frightening trek but all that was forgotten. This was one time in my life when I really wished that all people around me would go away and I would be left alone with this majestic creation of God. Everything was so surreal. The mist added a sense of mystic to the place. I never felt so small in my life. It’s one of the most beautiful view I have ever seen in my life.
It’s just a big disappointment to see too much crowd in the area. I know it is incredibly selfish of me to wish to have that place for myself just for a day. But if you can just imagine yourself alone in that place, you’d think that you’re not in the real world. I was momentarily brought to a place where all things are wonderful, where you would think that you could experience swimming with the water nymphs and dietys, where magic exists and where all things are possible. I just feel bad when that brief, magical moment had to end when someone shouted, “Guys come on, selfie naman tayo!” Hayyy, napakaganda ng Ditumabo Falls, kaya lang talagang parang sumobra naman ang dami ng tao. The pond is big but the waiting area is really small, like it should only fit about 10 people, to feel comfortable. But there were about 20 people crowding in that small space, at may parating pa, kaya parang ang gulo gulo. The pond is really big but not many are brave enough to jump in the water, as I said, the temperature’s really Icy. But once you swim, you will not feel cold anymore. I swear. Even when we were going down already, I didn’t feel cold. Even Jun.
We didn’t stay long even if we wanted to. We went at Ditumabo a little late and it was getting a little dark na and it would be very difficult to trek. Besides, the kids were wet from the water drops, nilalamig na rin sila. So we headed down. We just ate corn and drank buko when we reached the last store. Then we paid the Pido, our Guide P300.00 for his fee (this is the standard fee for Guides at Ditumabo) and gave P100.00 tip. Btw, there’s a bathroom in Ditumabo kaya lang we didn’t use it anymore at andaming nakapila. We just changed our clothes inside the car (Thank God for the heavy tint). At around 5:30 pm, we headed back to Sabang. We ate dinner and then we looked for a nearby store and bought Alaxan for our sore muscles. Reminder ko lang din yun for those who are not the outdoorsy type, take Alaxan to relieve your muscle pain. When you’re not used to this type of activity, mananakit talaga ang mga muscles mo, nabatak kasi talaga.
By 8:30 pm, we were already asleep. Iba talaga ang buhay probinsya hehehe.
Next day, we woke up at around 7am. We just fixed ourselves and prepared our things then we headed to the restaurant for our breakfast. Kiara was so excited. Pano ba naman, that was exactly her birthday. She was singing Happy Birthday non-stop! She’s really funny. After our breakfast, we all headed to the pool. I wasn’t able to swim, nagkabwisita ba naman ako huhu so sad. Anyway, I just took a lot of pictures as usual. After an hour, Dhidz and I left the kids to go to the beach. More picture taking. We also watched the surfers ride the waves. Kakainggit promise.
By 1130 am, Jun and the kids were done swimming. We all hurriedly took baths, fixed and moved our things in the car then we checked out. We headed to Gerry Shan’s Place, an eat-all-you-can restaurant here in Baler. For only 199.00/head, you can enjoy about 20 dishes and about 5 different desserts plus unlimited drinks. For kids 3 yrs old and above, you have to pay half the price. The dishes were really good. Unfortunately, since last month, I have been on pork diet so anything that has pork in it, I don’t eat anymore. I got to this diet when I read a book authored by the couple Vic and Avelynn Garcia. They are motivational speakers for different subject such as money, work, marriage, family, leadership etc… I recommend their books, lalo ung favorite ko “Kakasweldo pa lang, ubos na”. Here’s the link to their website:
http://www.unleashinternational.com/aboutus.php
I know it’s so far from my topic. But I just had to tell people about them. I love their books. Super helpful. I’ll be doing a blog about their books in the future, mejo busy lang ng konti ngayon.
Anyway, let’s go back to Gerry Shan. Marami sa menu nila have pork like I said, so I’m not able to try a lot, but those I did, well, they were all good. Super satisfied din si Hubby sa lasa ng pagkain. He’s not a picky person, but he did say that the dishes were good. Hindi average lang. But what I loved most is their leche flan. Leche flan is my favorite dessert but not many can prepare this the way I like it. Some are just too sweet and heavy. At Gerry Shan’s, the flan was light and the taste is perfect. Not too sweet. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. They also have spaghetti and salad in their buffet. Sa dessert, they have kutsinta, biko, watermelon, cupcakes and other few kakanin i’m not familiar with. And for the dishes, they have Kare Kare, Calamares, Sinigang na isda, adobo, calamares, grilled chicken, liempo, lechong paksiw, curry, chopsuey and some other dishes that I’m not familiar with ulit. I hope they have name tags for the food para naman alam ng mga diners ung kinakain nila. While some are common and can easily be identified, there are still some dishes na kakaiba ang ichura. I don’t know what you call it, if it’s really name tags or name plates, but having those would’ve been nice. Oh, I almost forgot, if you want to eat here, be sure to go early, like if you want to eat lunch here, make the reservation at around 10-1030 am because I’m telling you, the line can get so long especially at peak hours. We arrived there at around 1215 noon and we were able to eat at around 1:15 na. We were lucky pa nga that 2 groups (one has reservation for 10 heads and the other was 12) did not wait anymore kaya naisingit na kami. I think the 2 groups ate at Yolly’s, the restaurant next to Gerry Shan’s. Actually, we would’ve transferred there if we didn’t see the other groups leave Gerry Shan. kaya lang nung nag-alisan sila, we opted to stay. Ung buffet kasi value for money, sulit na busog pa 🙂
After lunch, we visited Ermita Hill, where you would have the magnificent view of Sabang beach and Aniao Islets. I love the story of this place. I did tell a little about it earlier but there’s also another event that took place here in 1798. Pirates invaded Baler and Tayabas area and once again, the survivors took a refuge from the Pirates here at Ermita Hill.
We also visited Diguisit Beach, PAGASA Baler Radar Station, The old Balete tree and some souvenir shops. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to visit Dicasalarin Beach. This is a white beach owned by the Angaras. Entrance for this place is P300.00/hd. We were able to view it from PAGASA Radar Station. It looks promising. You can climb up to the lighthouse. We hope to go back to Baler this year and Dicasalarin will be one of our stops.
I’ll be posting the photos of our trip one of this days, if I can still retrieve them (My laptop is broken, I stored the photos there. I hope I can still get the photos. I feel sad, I really wanted to share the pictures for the readers to appreciate Baler more.)
Friends, if you’re searching for a place to go to, I highly recommend Baler. Don’t wait, Go NOW! While the rates are still relatively inexpensive. Once Baler becomes super famous, I can only imagine the large crowd and the rates of everything going sky high. So enjoy the place while the tourism is still young.
Pamilyang Gala Chronicles 