“I want to say somewhere, I've tried to be forgiving. And yet, there
were times in my life, whole years, when anger got the better of me. Ugliness
turned me inside out. There was a certain satisfaction in bitterness. I courted
it. It was standing outside, and I invited it in.”
- Nicole Krauss, The History of Love
It takes a lot of patience and a forgiving heart to get a midnight Genesis bus seat amidst sea of passengers and surfers, especially if coming from Manila and going to Baler on a long weekend. That’s just the start. The aircon was too cold. The lights were not all dimmed. And the loud radio was on all throughout the six-hour trip, ensuring that the driver is not the only one wide awake. And I tell you, you won’t hear any Mozart or lullaby songs coming out of the radio. There are rough unpaved roads. I didn’t catch a decent sleep but I arrived in Baler in one piece, and still shivering. But these inconveniences were reduced to nothing, compared to the adventure that lies ahead. I forgive the bus ride.
Baler is famous for three things: the birthplace of President Manuel Quezon and his wife Aurora, 1898 Baler Siege, and the killer Pacific waves. The capital of Aurora Province, Baler is gifted with spectacular geographic formations, historical and natural and attractions, and waves that could swell up to nine feet high, making it one of the top surf spots in the Philippines. Because of its rugged beauty, it became a backdrop of the Francis Ford Coppola 1979 war movie “Apocalypse Now”. A historical film by Mark Meiley “Baler” was also made in 2008 about an enduring love story set during the Siege of Baler.
Despite its isolation from other provinces in Central Luzon, I find Baler very tourist-friendly. For a fee of P800-1,000, you could rent a tricycle good for three, to tour the beaches, coves, falls, and other tourist spots of Baler, and neighboring municipalities.
I hope I could stay in Baler longer. There are yet so many places to explore, more delicious suman to eat, and a surfing lesson to take.
I pray that when I come back, Baler still stays the same. Roaring yet peaceful and stunningly beautiful.
And I wish I could simply tell you this and that you would believe me like a child, that emotions are much like waves, we can’t stop them from coming, but we can choose which one to surf.
- Nicole Krauss, The History of Love
It takes a lot of patience and a forgiving heart to get a midnight Genesis bus seat amidst sea of passengers and surfers, especially if coming from Manila and going to Baler on a long weekend. That’s just the start. The aircon was too cold. The lights were not all dimmed. And the loud radio was on all throughout the six-hour trip, ensuring that the driver is not the only one wide awake. And I tell you, you won’t hear any Mozart or lullaby songs coming out of the radio. There are rough unpaved roads. I didn’t catch a decent sleep but I arrived in Baler in one piece, and still shivering. But these inconveniences were reduced to nothing, compared to the adventure that lies ahead. I forgive the bus ride.
Baler is famous for three things: the birthplace of President Manuel Quezon and his wife Aurora, 1898 Baler Siege, and the killer Pacific waves. The capital of Aurora Province, Baler is gifted with spectacular geographic formations, historical and natural and attractions, and waves that could swell up to nine feet high, making it one of the top surf spots in the Philippines. Because of its rugged beauty, it became a backdrop of the Francis Ford Coppola 1979 war movie “Apocalypse Now”. A historical film by Mark Meiley “Baler” was also made in 2008 about an enduring love story set during the Siege of Baler.
Despite its isolation from other provinces in Central Luzon, I find Baler very tourist-friendly. For a fee of P800-1,000, you could rent a tricycle good for three, to tour the beaches, coves, falls, and other tourist spots of Baler, and neighboring municipalities.
The town of Baler, viewed from Ermita Hill
Baler Church
Quezon Memorial Park
Museo de Baler
Aurora Aragon Quezon House
Diguisit Waterfalls
Tromba Marina sculpture in honor of the 7 families who
survived the tsunami that wiped out the town in 1735
Dimadimalangat Islet
Diguisit Beach
Lukso-lukso Islets
The lighthouse
Dicasalarin Cove, privately owned by former Senator Edgardo Angara
Dicasalarin water tower
Pag-Asa Beach
Artists Village
Suman Baler
600-year old Balete “Millennium” Tree in Maria Aurora
Ampere Beach in Dipaculao
Bahia de Baler
Baler Surfer Grill
Sabang Beach
I hope I could stay in Baler longer. There are yet so many places to explore, more delicious suman to eat, and a surfing lesson to take.
I pray that when I come back, Baler still stays the same. Roaring yet peaceful and stunningly beautiful.
And I wish I could simply tell you this and that you would believe me like a child, that emotions are much like waves, we can’t stop them from coming, but we can choose which one to surf.
2 comments:
Good day! Me and my friends are planning to visit Baler next week and your blog sums all the places and things that we want to see and experience. Can you help us with our itinerary? How can i contact you hehe ��☀️ Thank you in advance.
Dear Kalvin
If you are planning to go to Baler on a weekend, I suggest that you leave Friday midnight (via Joybus or Genesis bus in Cubao – reservation is recommended). Travel time is around 6-7 hours.
Once you reach Baler, you check in a resort (again reservation is highly recommended since beach resorts are often fully-booked during weekend). I stayed at Machiavelli Hotel, which is just around 5-10 minute walk to Sabang Beach.
The church, museum and ancestral house are just in the town center, so you can just visit these places by foot.
Rent a tricycle (usually P800/ whole day/ good for maximum of 4pax) to visit Diguisit, Ermita Hill, Lukso-Lukso, Dimadimalangat, and the Balete tree. Just add additional P200 if you want to visit Dicasalarin, but take note however that not all tricycles would go to Dicasalarin, well unless maybe if there are only two passengers. The road going to Dicasalarin is steep, that only van and habal-habal could reach this place. Have a buffet lunch or dinner at Gerry Shan’s Place for less than P300.
If you want to extend your stay in Baler, you can visit the Big Falls and Dipaculao. You could also visit Dinadiawan (2 hours by bus/van from Baler) or Casiguran (4 hours by bus/van from Baler) which have more beautiful white sand beaches. Accommodations are usually cheaper in these areas.
Frenz
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