Baler Love #4 Surf's Up

Day 1
Meg (wide-eyed watching the surfers): Hun, I want to learn how to surf
Von (busy preparing his photo gears): Ok, I'll just take pictures of you
Day 2 (after our surfing lessons)
Meg: Exhilirating. But waaaah, I'm so tired!
Von: Hun let's buy a suit and a board in Manila.  How do we travel if we have a surfboard?
So you see, I'm stoked. Hubby is stoked-er and bit stronger by the surf-bug.

Going to Aliya Surf Camp, I was watching the waves and how suddenly it looked gigantic more than ever.  But I can't back out now, can I?
We were taught the basics on the shore and after a few minutes, headed out to face the waves.

Facing the waves head on required every inch of energy.  My first few tries resulted to tumbling under the ocean with tons of water down my throat.  

Third try and tada! I was able to stand! I was glancing at hubby and he too was already standing. Hurrah! Except that I looked like doing yoga poses on top of a surf board.

 

You try to stand, you fall. You stand again, you fall again.  More falls than successful ones.  But hey, we loved even the falls.  We didn't even mind the cuts, bruises and rashes that came with it!
Day 3

Happy to see an officemate, Kryer!  Turns out she's a veteran, even considered a local since she's there almost every other week. Yehey, someone I can ask for tips and who can understand the journey I'm going through as a beginner.

So why surf? If it made my body sore all over.  If it gave me a cut and countless bruises.  If it means more tumbles under the ocean and more saltwater to drink.

It gave me a sense of humility.  I am type A personality.  In life, I want to perfect things right away and am afraid of falling and failing.  With surfing, it made me surrender.  It taught me that it's fine even if I fall and tumble. It made me more patient with myself.  And when I was able to stand a few times, it felt great! But you can't sulk in it because there comes the next wave.

As for hubby, he likes it because of adrenaline rush I guess. And he loves how the sport challenges him physically and drain his concentration powers to the highest level.

So here we are, patiently taking it step by step, until we get to the line-up and confidently paddle on our own. Surf's up!

To learn surfing, Aliya Surf Camp offers lessons.  It is Php350 for 1 hour of lesson with instructor + surfboard. Thanks to Kuya Joseph, Kuya Paquito and Kuya Ian for being so patient with us. 'til next time!

Baler: Love at First Sight

Hubby and I have been travelling buddies since we got married in 2007.  We have been to various islands in the Philippines.  I know if hubby likes the place because he always pops his popular question,

"Magkano po lupa dito?" (How much is the land here?)

Lo and behold, he didn't ask this question this time around.  He and I knew from the time we boarded off the bus that it is an insult to even ask that question.  We were beyond words.

Our love affair with this place started when I looked outside the window with a thought bubble --

"Ok, it's your usual swarm of tricycle drivers waiting for passengers.  I wonder how I'll say no to each one of them since we only need 1 tricycle."

Upon setting foot on the ground, a manong politely asked,

"Tricycle po sir?"

Yes we needed a tricycle so we went to the one nearest us.  With the intent of riding that one, the driver said,

"Ma'am dun po yung pila ng tricycle."

It hit me in the face.  Am I in Pinas?

During our "official" tricycle ride, we were silent.  It's unusual for us because we immediately talk about what we see.

The silence was an agreement between us that we have found where our heart belongs.  It was a local community that caught us in and out.

Going to various towns and provinces in the Philippines is like a "date" with these various towns.  We acquaint ourselves, explore and get to know the culture.

This time around, our hearts were snatched.  We knew, deep within us, that we have found the one place we will keep coming back to.  Our "comfort place." Our instant and spontaneous, "tara byahe tayo," and our feet for sure will take us to this lovely community --

Baler.

So enough of my talking and find out why we love this place.

Baler love #1  Joy Bus

Baler love #2  Nature at its Finest

Baler love #3  Food!

Baler love #4  Surf's Up

Baler love #5  Community

Baler Love #5 Community

What we loved best about Baler is the community.  It immediately envelopes you with love, warmth and peace.

1. Bayler View - The resort recently opened, thus the rooms and facilities are new and clean.  The rooms come with a flat screen tv, hot shower, towel, and toiletries.  All for Php1200 per night for 2 pax.  The ambience is tropical minimalist, adding to the resort vibe of it all.
More than anything, we loved the staff!  It didn't feel like we were just in a resort.  We felt like we were part of a family.  Shiela (manager) was kind and helpful all throughout.  Special mention to Richard who was the best waiter we've ever met in all of our travels.  He was fun and easy to be with, attentive, accommodating and always had a warm smile with him.
We looked at the other resorts and everything looked warm and inviting!

2. Clean and orderly places - It was such a clean community!  The picture here is their palengke (market).  Roads were wide, streets were clean, parks were impeccable! It was inviting to just stroll around the place and observe how their day goes.

3.  Warm and friendly community - We never met even one person who was rude nor took advantage of us.  They won't treat you like you're a tourist, but would treat you like their own kababayan.  They are polite and unassuming, but were fun to hang-out with. You can have comfortable silences with them, then have light and easy conversations after. Their local dialect is also Filipino, with smooth and rich tones to it which was nice to listen to.

 Baler caught us with its rich history and culture, breathtaking beauty of nature, warm and caring people, exciting adventures, and sumptuous food.  We are grateful to the people of Aurora for welcoming us into their lives and sharing with us their lovely community.


To book with Bayler View, you may contact Shiela at 0919-286-3105.

Baler Love #3 Food!

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Food in Baler is totally underrated.  I've heard of raves about food in other provinces -- like how one praises Cebu, Iloilo, and Bacolod.  But Baler?  Food doesn't seem to enter your mind when we speak of them.

Looking at their menu, dish costs 80-200. So when we ordered, we were thinking that one dish = one person.  But when they served the food, it was enough to feed a family!
Here are some of the ones we tried:
1. Suman

Their suman is different from the countless sumans we've tried.  First bite, "hmmm, sarap, parang may gata!"  It had the right sweetness to it, and not sugary-sweet mind you.  It had a creamy consistency as well. A tip -- put it in the freezer then microwave, so you can enjoy the Suman even in Manila!
2. Chocnut Turon at Bayler View
We were pleasantly surprised when the food was put on our table since it was nicely presented.  When we dug in, we were more surprised.  How can something taste so good when we're in the middle of Sierra Madre and the Pacific Ocean?

Chocnut Turon is comforting. Who doesn't love turon? Served warm with ice cream and drizzle of chocolate syrup and chocnut, it comes out comforting - with memories of turon sa carinderia, chocnut sa sari-sari store and icecream sa kanto.  Make it notches higher, and you'll have this pleasant dessert.  If only we can also order it for breakfast!
3. Grilled Shrimp at Bayler View

This dish is nothing fancy, but we loved how supple the shrimps were.  It wasn't prawn-like big shrimps, just your usual size.  But hubby was delighted with how stuffed its head was with the highblood-inducing orange stuff.  Our hands got dirty sipping away everything we could out of the poor shrimps.

4. Longsilog at Bayler View
I don't like longganisa too much.  I don't like the smell, consistency and how it tastes like fat.  But when I tasted this when Von ordered, I made sure I ordered it the next day! It was skinless longganisa, soft and with a "hotdog" consistency inside.  It had the right amount of "bite" to it, perfect to pair with vinegar.  But I ate it all on its own. I forgot to ask for vinegar because I was busy devouring the longganisa.
Note that we don't have a picture of the longganisa because we were too hungry after the surf that we went away devouring our food.
5. Batangas Adobo at Bayler View
I'm impartial to this because I have fond memories of Batangas adobo as that's how lola cooks it.  It seemed to have gata, curry and herbs.  Which it didn't, because then it won't be Batangas adobo.  The beef had a savory taste which blended well in its every sinew.  The sauce was perfect to drizzle on our steamed rice, we wouldn't have noticed even if there wasn't beef there! The consistency of the beef could have been better though.  Hubby found some pieces a little tough.

6. Fresh Lumpia at Bayler View

They call it deconstructed lumpia, only because the wrap was fried and put outside the vegetables.  But I like how smoky the vegetables tasted.  It didn't need your usual sauce that goes with the lumpia since it was tasty on its own.  They could taper down a bit on oil though, or it must just be me since I'm sensitive to oil taste.
7. Tanigue Steak at Bahia

Tanigue was so fresh, I wouldn't want to go back eating Tanigue in Manila. It was plump and juicy.  Add to that the loads of onion and savory sauce that comes with the steak.  One order was good to feed four people!

Next time, we will try more food at Bahia.  Then Bay's Inn.  Then Gerry Shan's.  Then the Rolling Carinderias. Then Ram's 24/7 Tapsilog place.  Like nature's endless possibilities, their food doesn't shy away from those who step in their doors.

Baler Love #2: Nature at its Finest

If the road to a place is a glimpse of the destination, the road to Baler certainly is one.

Passing through the majesty of the Sierra Madre mountain range, one will be put to place. I felt so small in the midst of it all.  I was just mesmerized by how God created such grandeur.

We passed by ravines, rivers, forests, mini-rice terraces, and golden fields.  My eyes kept dashing back and forth, unable to absorb all the splendor that surrounded me.

Baler is beautifully located in the Aurora province since most of the scenic places are just tricycle rides away from it.  You don't need boat rides to get to these places, which is good news for those who don't like boat trips.

Here's our eco-journey through 3 towns with Kuya Ed our tricycle driver cum guide. 430AM we were already inside the ever-reliable tricycle (which amazed us at how it withstood driving the roughest of roads).

1.  Plethora of rivers and falls

We were only able to visit the "Mother Falls" also known as "Ditumabo Falls" in the town of San Luis.  It is about an hour tricycle ride from Baler + a 30 minute trek through rivers and rocks. Water from the falls fuels the hydro-electric power plant which supplies electricity in the town.

 2.  Islets - Aniao and Lukso-lukso

Rock formations remind me of nature's raw power.  The rocks seem to have been carved by the sheer power of the waves through time.  With bursts of the morning sun searing through the crevices and tides, the splash of emotions it brings will cut through your deepest soul. Only a God like Him can create such wonders!

3.  Different types of beaches in different towns

According to Ate Shiela (Bayler view's resort manager), you'll experience different coast lines as you go up north in Aurora.  You have the black fine sand in Sabang, the pebbles and rocky coastline in Dipaculao and white beach in towns up North.

This time, we just visited Ampere and Sabang where our resort was located.

Ampere Beach is covered with smooth rocks in different colors and sizes.  It was like a panghilod-full of beach!

 

According to aurora.ph, "this beach is an area called Bunga Point, where local residents flock to Okotan Cave, a time-honored locale for forecasting the weather. The pacific waves, upon hitting the shoreline cave, produce an explosion, the intensity of which, according to local lore, determines the intensity of the incoming weather."

We will certainly return for more.  It's endless! -- Banju Springs, Borlongan Beach, Casiguran Sound, Cemento Beach, Cunayan Falls, Dibut Bay, Dicasalarin Bay, Dilasag Coast, Dingalan, Lamao Cave.

We went back to the resort being deeply thankful to our Creator, knowing that only Him can create such splashes of wonder in front of our very eyes.

To get to the places we've been to, just contact a tricycle driver and they can be with you the whole day.  Amazing, tricycle at Baler is 24 hours! Winner! We paid Php1000 for the whole day, but we gave huge tip since it was difficult to go to some of them.

Baler Love #1: Joy Bus

The ride to Baler is not for the faint of heart.  It is a 5-hour ride that zigzags through the Sierra Madre.  Roads are cemented with rough roads in between.  But the zigzag will call for your White Flowers and nausea bags.
Good thing there is Joy Bus!  

Recently launched, Joy Bus is the Executive Line of Genesis Transportation.  
It beats all the bus rides we've ever had!
Why do we love Joy?
1.  Extra-mile customer service.  There wasn't any seat available going to Baler so we just booked the return-trip.  We were surprised after a day that the customer service rep proactively booked us when 2 passengers cancelled theirs.  So when we called to provide our return trip details, she told us the good news!  We just have to pay and the seat was ours!
2.  Large and comfortable seats with foot rests (as in you can sleep semi-lying down)

  

 3.  Pillow + Fleece blanket - Personally, this is what I love best.  I always freeze inside aircon buses.  Sleeping is cozy and warm!

4.  Amenities: Washroom, Flat Screen TV, WiFi.  Not to mention the bus not smelling like an old bus.

5.  Merienda (beating even our local airline flights!) - Nagaraya, Cup Cake and Water. Solve!

To book, you can call Genesis at (632) 421-1413.  It is Php650 per person one-way.  Terminal to Baler is along the Northbound lane of Edsa near Cubao.

To Blog or not

We have been contemplating for months now if we will blog or not.  What for? Through the encouragement of family and friends who were inspired by our travel and adventures, here we are!

Why do this? Well, because we like it. We like to travel. We like to share.  And we love to love!
What's in here? Simple, hubby takes photos, wifey supplies the words.
We hope to inspire you through Hubby's eyes and Wifey's words.
ENJOY!