So for this summer, we decided to visit the beautiful island of Baler in Aurora which is also known as the birthplace of surfing here in the Philippines. Baler is about 230km from Manila so it will take about six to seven hours travel time to get there.
As for our trip, we rode the executive luxury bus of Genesis Transport Service, Inc. (Joybus) to get there. This bus travels without stopovers and has recliner seats and portable toilet onboard. Fare is quite pricey at Php 700 as this includes snacks(Skyflakes) and bottle of water, Wi-Fi, bus stewardess, blankets and pillows.
Since this is our first time to ride the Joybus (well, except for Joyce), a group shot using the monopod is definitely in order! :D
We left Cubao at around 2AM and arrived there by 8AM just in time for breakfast. At the bus terminal, several tricycles are lined up offering tours to tourists. The drivers rate for day tour is Php800 per trike. This includes going to Ampere Beach, Balete Tree, Mother Falls, Ermita Hill and Sabang Beach. But because we did not have any way of knowing how to get to the tourist destinations there, we availed the day tour and rented 3 trikes.
Upon arrival, we immediately checked in at Carlito's Inn and restaurant (10mins away from the terminal) and grabbed some breakfast there. After an hour, our kuya drivers fetched us and we're off to start our town tour!
Our first stop, Ampere Beach!
Ampere Beach is quite far from where we left off. I think we traveled for almost an hour just to see this wonderful place. It looks like that of Batanes because of the big rocks along the shore. The place is not suitable for swimming because of the very big waves and big rocks so we just took some shots in the breakwater.
Our next stop is the Millennium Tree also known as Balete Tree!
I believe the first things that come to one's mind when they hear about Balete are horror stories. But this tree is truly incredible! It is known that the 600 years old tree would take 60 people holding hands with arms outstretched to encircle it.
Here is our photo from the inside of the Balete tree! The roots are soo biiiggggg!!!! #medyoscary
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The caretakers of Balete tree were kind enough take this trick(panorama) shot. (I remember how funny this shot was taken..hahaha!)
We left the Balete tree almost noon, so we decided to go back to the city and eat our lunch at the famous Gerry Shan's Restaurant.
Gerry Shan's Restaurant is an affordable eat all you can restaurant that offers mainly Filipino food. At Php 185, one can have as many as 20 viands to choose from and unlimited iced tea.
We also chose this place for lunch, since we need to load up for our next activity and that is the trek to Ditumabo Falls also known as Mother Falls.
The trek to Mother Falls is not very easy. That's why I am proud of my not so hiking friends for braving the roads that lead us there. At the start of the trail, there is already river crossing. Several man-made bridges can also be found along the trails.
These are some of the photos from our trek. #medyohardcore hahaha
The water from the Mother Falls is very cold. And I mean, very very cold! It's like ice only in liquid form! Hahaha It's also so crystal clear and very refreshing too!!!!
Because it is very hot in Baler especially in the afternoon, we stayed in the falls for quite a while. (Ang sarap maligo!!!) Hehehe
It was around 4pm when we left the Mother Falls and so our drivers hurried up and brought us to Ermita Hill. In one of the view decks of Ermita Hill, one can enjoy the breath taking view of the Pacific Ocean.
In the upper left portion of the frame is the Sabang Beach as seen from the view deck. In the upper right portion, on the other hand is the Aniao Islets.
It's almost dusk when we left Ermita Hill and so we decided to call it a day. So, our kuya drivers, brought us to Sabang Beach where we had our dinner at Bay's Inn.
Here is a picture of the yummy foodie that we ordered. Crispy Pata, Calamares, Fried Chicken and of course the to-die-for Kilawin!!! Hahaha
Can I just say that Bay Inn's Kilawin is one of the best tasting Kilawin I have ever tasted in my life? Just the perfect combination of sour and spicy raw fish! Hahaha
And these are some of the signage/posts that can be seen from the walls.
After feeding our very hungry tummy, we went back to Carlito's to freshen up. We also played UNO before going to bed.
On our second day, we hit the Sabang Beach!
Joyce, Gelo and David were brave enough to try surfing. As for me, I just ogled at every surfer guy's flat tummy there! Seriously, they are really very hot!!!
Here are some of their pictures.Their trainers are prepping them before they hit Baler waves!
Of course, beach body group pics are definitely in order! hahaha
The sun is almost high so we decided to get our brunch at Bay Inn's again.American breakfast for everyone!
After brunch, we went back to Carlito's to prep ourselves before going home. Here's another shot of us inside the Joy Bus!
That's it for our summer getaway this 2014! Hope you enjoyed today's entry! =)
