Baler Escapade

I started availing those package tour online last February when I attended the Panagbenga Festival and went to Baguio with no family or friends to accompany me (Check : A Trip to Baguio : Panagbenga Festival). Although I cannot consider it as a solo travel since I am with other groups, I still consider it a huge milestone on my end since I was able to conquer my fear to travel outside my hometown. Since then, my feet are always itching for adventure, I am always craving for a new journey and I am always eager to explore anything beyond my expectations. I became a weekend traveler but I only limit myself with Day Tour travels because of my work and because I have no courage yet to engage myself with long term travel but I realized that if I really want to establish myself as a travel blogger, i must learn to embrace those consequences. After all, I will not be able to reach those far provinces within a day. So when I saw a package tour to Baler, I didn’t hesitate at all and grab it! And so that’s when my Baler Escapade begins!

Our Baler escapade was hosted by Paloy’s Traveler who apparently also from Cavite which is really beneficial to me as I do not have to go to Manila just to meet them up. It was a 2 Days and 1 Night tour. The weather, however, was not really cooperating with us and we had to change our itinerary and most of the destinations were removed but I really appreciate how “Kuya Pao” utilized our time and make the most out of it. It was truly an awesome experience to me and I wouldn’t mind going back to Baler soon. So without any further ado, allow me to share the places that we visited during our escapade in Baler.
Ampere Beach
The swimming part was supposed to be on our first day but the weather is not really good when we arrived in Aurora. We failed to explore other beaches like Lukso Lukso Islets, Digisit Beach, Aniao and even the tour to Ditumabo Falls. I cannot blame them since it would be very risky to visit these places in such weather condition. We are grateful enough that they allow us to take a quick peek to Ampere Beach. It is generally a pebbled beach with some unique rock formation to marvel with. When I said pebbles, i am talking about huge ones. Aside from those awesome rock formations, the clear blue beach is truly stunning as well. Too bad, we can do nothing but to marvel its beauty since we cannot really swim that time.

The Millenium Tree
This might sound so scary but yes one of the interesting destination here in Aurora is the famous Balete tree. This Balete tree is not just famous because of the creepy stories that are often associated with it but because of its enormous size. The balate is 65 meter tall and is considered as the biggest Balete tree in Asia. You can even go inside the tree and pass through the other side.
Museo De Baler
The Museum of Baler or Museo De Baler is actually part of our 2nd day itinerary but since we cannot hit the beaches or the falls that day, we decided this historical site in our first day. It is a small yet history-rich museum which gave us a lot of information about this humble town. For those who are not yet aware, Baler is the birthtown of Manuel Quezon, the 2nd president of the Philippines and the first one to head the Commonwealth.
Doña Aurora House
Not too far from the Museo De Baler is another interesting historical site. The house of Doña Aurora Aragon Quezon. Doña Aurora Aragon is the wife of former President Manuel Quezon and is the second First lady of the Philippines but she is the first one to be called such. The town is also named after her. It is basically a two story building made out entire of wood. It somehow reminds me of the Baldomero Aguinaldo mansion (Check : Baldomero Aguinaldo Mansion) but with few details and items to showcase.
Baler Church
Also within the plaza is a small church of Baler that despite the simplicity it has an amazing story to tell. The Baler church might be small but it has huge historical significance as it witnessed and survived the siege of Baler. The church is dedicated to Luis Obispo de Tolosa (similar to the patronage given to Lucban Church). The current church was built in 1939 but authentic original details may be seen inside, including the old bell, La Campana de Baler.Sabang Beach
After the quick tour in the plaza, we headed to our transient house which is just few walks away from the Sabang Beach. The rain stopped which gave me the opportunity to take a quick peek of the beach and marvel its beauty.  This should not be confused with the Sabang Beach in Puerto Galera. The moment I arrived in the beach (no entrance fee to Sabang Beach), the first thing I noticed aside from the huge and continuous waves is the mountain range that you can see from afar.  Many surfers already approached me to try their surfing lesson but I was not really in great condition that time and I just want to  satisfy myself by staring at the beach. After almost an hour of walking, I went back to the transient house to have my dinner and to rest.

The Sunrise in Baler
I woke up around 4 am in the morning and decided to make few walks. I went to Sabang Beach only to be stunned by its pictureesque view of it. We’re lucky enough that it is no longer raining and we had a chance to witness the sunrise. It was truly mesmerizing and it was such a great way to start my morning!
Surfing 101 in Baler
I was once again approached by the same guy “Kuya Rommel”. I told him yesterday that I will give this “surfing” a try even though I am clueless about it. And so, I gave surfing a shot! After all, they said that a Baler escapade will not be completed without surfing. I am not a beach bump but I don’t know how to swim as well but Kuya Rommel told me that it wasn’t really that tough and the water wasn’t that deep either (we only hit the waist-deep area). I took the surfing lesson and I realized that despite that it looks really easy, it is surprisingly hard to master. Yeah, maybe surfing isn’t for me at all but I wouldn’t mind giving it another try!Baler Plaza
We left the Transient house before lunch and we explored the plaza afterwards. Well, it turns out, all the notable places we visited on the first day are just few walks away from each other. We also grab the opportunity to buy pasalubong. If you ever hit this place, make sure to try their famous Pakumbo (Aurora’s version of Bukayo) and also their unique Suman which is notable for its dark brown color.
Caunayan Falls
We are supposed to hit another white beach but we were greeted by a broken bridge which makes the area not passable. So we concluded the Baler Escapade by going to a waterfall, the Caunayan falls. Based on our original itinerary, we are supposed to visit the Ditumabo which is more commonly known as the Mother falls but since it is no longer possible to reach the place and we are really running out of time, we went to Caunayan Falls instead which is seemingly equally beautiful. The only way to access the fall is through the Amatorio Resort. The water is clear and you can see the cascading water from the stream.

It was really a great experience for me and Baler is truly a great place to visit especially if you are looking for a place to unwind. I really wouldn’t mind going back to Baler if ever I got the chance!

Like what I usually do, I am going to have a separate entry for each destination but for the mean time, feel free to watch this video below!

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Here are the full list of my Baler Escapade Entries
►Baler Escapade
►Ampere Beach of Dipaculao
►The Enchanting Balete Tree of Aurora (Millennium Tree)
►Museo De Baler
►The Doña Aurora House
►The Historical Church of Baler (Baler Church)
►Sabang Beach
►Sunrise in Baler
►Surfing 101 in Baler
►Baler’s Town Plaza
►Where To Stay in Baler
►Caunayan Falls
►Things You Should Buy When Visiting Baler