bits of baler: the circle, ditumabo motherfalls, balete tree

Last May I went back to Baler with the Seabiscuit team. We stayed at The Circle Hostel, which just recently opened their latest branch in Sabang, Baler.

Just like in Zambales and La Union, the Circle Baler keeps its rustic charm with hand painted walls, no aircons, bamboo made sleeping quarters and breezy, spacious, common areas. This branch is the most spacious one, and can accommodate more people than the other two.

Their common areas are bigger and even has a mini skateboard ramp at the center. They still have the bunk bed setup as in other Circles, but this time it's divided into three rooms on the second floor, and a fourth room in the first floor. Unlike other branches, you now have the option to get a private room here. They have a Cuddle room with a queen sized bed, and a Buddy room with a bunk bed. The surfer breakfast (peanut butter sandwiches and bananas) comes free with all overnight reservations.



Luckily when we went, it still felt very new and we had the place to ourselves. Everything was clean and fixed, and the place was very peaceful. We were also able to have the second floor common area to ourselves at night, so we enjoyed the the cool breeze, the freedom to play music, play games and not worry about the noise we were making. As for the neighbors, well, they didn't seem to care as well about how loud they were being with all the karaoke they were doing.

After our morning surf, we decided to visit Ditumabo Motherfalls.



Thanks to Mocky's Urvan we didn't have trouble finding our way to the drop off for the falls. The drivers knew their way around the place, we just had to tell them the destination.

To get to the falls, we had a 20 minute car ride from the Circle to the drop off place and did an hour mini hike to the falls. There were some fees we had to pay (around P50-P100 per head for the entrance, then P600 for the tour guide). They don't allow you to bring food or any drinks up there because you "might dirty the place," but really it's because they have some stalls along the way they want you to buy from.

The hike was a bit longer than expected, but the trip to the falls was a beautiful one. The trail was kept cool by the surrounding trees and we walked to the sound of running water and birds chirping. It was tiring but quite relaxing, actually.

Not the best photo of the motherfalls, but I assure you it's ten times more majestic than what you see here. It's about 140 feet high, and the water is extremely cold, my feet and fingers were cramping up almost the whole time I was in the water. Some parts of the area are deep but majority of it's waist high, so you can walk your way in. To enjoy it, I suggest you jump in instead of easing your way through the cold. That'll take some time.

Another must visit (and our last stop) when visiting Baler: the Balete tree. It'll only take 15 minutes of your time to see this 600 year old Balete tree so I suggest you pass by it on your way out of Baler. Don't be afraid to enter, it's actually really beautiful inside once you see the roots of it come together and intertwine. 

We visited Costa Pacifica and had our last lunch there before heading back to Manila. The place is owned by the Discovery group, so what you can expect is what you get in any Discovery owned establishment: a high-end luxurious experience. Everything was so nice and modern, the poolside looked like a relaxing place to chill, and the food was also really good. If not for the dirty bathroom and the waiter that didn't know much about the dishes, the short visit would've been a double thumbs up.

And here ends the short but sweet, mid week trip with the team. It was a good break from all the work we were doing, and I'm pretty happy we ended up choosing Baler for this. It truly is such a beautiful place, and returning there for the second time reminded me of how much I should visit it more. There have been a lot of changes from my last visit 3-4 years ago, but its long beach, clean waters, beautiful scenery and wonderful people remain the same.

baler

It's been a while since I've written anything here because I spent last term revising my thesis over and over, that I got too lazy to write anything at all. A lot has happened throughout the latter part of that term, and in as much as I wanted to write something about some events, I just couldn't get myself to write a decent post. But now that I see that my to do list has cleared (temporarily) and I've taken a break from being forced to write, I am finally ready to post again. 

THE FIRST OF SUMMER: BALER
Just a few days ago, my family was very lucky to have been invited by a family friend to their province. The invitation came with a very convenient transportation and accommodation deal, new friends, and the best of Baler. All I looked forward to in the trip was the surfing and eating (which was heavenly, really), but it came with other exciting activities, such as a tour (to Ermita hill, Digisit, House of Donya Aurora, a chapel, and the oldest Balete tree), lunch at the private cove of the Angara's with Senator Angara, dinner with Governor Angara, and a visit to the house of the governor. It was amazing! Here's a little walk through the trip.

Took a bus ride to Baler with the host family and their friends. Left at 4:30 AM and arrived at around 11 AM. 

Where we stayed. The name of the resort is Bahia (owned by one of the members of the Angara family). This part of the resort was suppose to be a house, but since no one stayed in it, they made it part of the Bahia resort (this part only has 4 rooms). It was nice, comfortable and clean, and had unlimited wifi + ok service (service in the province is really slow, but the resort service was actually okay).

Bay's Inn. Where we had most of our meals because it was accessible from our place, had boards for rent, and of course, delicious food! A photo of their famous crispy pata. 

Surfing on the first day was good! It was my second surfing experience so I struggled a bit. Halfway through our surf time everything started going smoothly, and I was able to get some good rides. It was a short first surf because we had to head to get ready and head to dinner (which took a bit more than two hours to be served. ggaah horrible service at this other resort). 

Day two started out with a tour. Upon getting up in the morning, a van was ready and waiting outside the resort we stayed in. Visited Ermita hill and learned about Baler history, took pictures in Digisit, entered the 600 year old Balete tree and drank some buko, prayed in a chapel, looked around the house of Donya Aurora, and learned more history at the Museum. All this under the scorching heat, moving around in an old van that might as well have been aircon-less. It was extremely hot, but all worth it! Headed to Gerry's for a P150 "Chinese" buffet (it wasn't all Chinese) and P50 halo-halo, then went for the waves. Now my second surf day.. was a-ma-zing. Got more rides and a better instructor, plus the waves were good and the sun was out the whole day. Extremely drained after, but i absolutely loved every minute of it. From paddling out to getting on the wave to getting wiped out. The feeling is overwhelming! 

Museum

Inside the 600 year old Balete tree 

By the Mangroves of the port.

Day three, our last full day at Baler, started out with a ride to the private cove of the Angara family for our lunch with the Senator. It was beautiful. Here's a photo of the beach area.

Private Cove of the Angara family where we spent the whole morning of day three.

A private beach all to ourselves, the sun, and no signal. The ultimate getaway from the city! Unfortunately it was too dangerous to swim in the ocean because the current was too strong, so we settled for the cold, clear water flowing from the stream. Annng sarap. My siblings and I spent the morning just chilling under the sun and lying by the stream, while the rest of the group sipped on some buko juice by the house or climbed the light house (right part of the photo on top of the mountain).

While at the cove, we were also brought to the artists village where we found a beautiful hidden house. If i'm not mistaken, artists go to this place to work or display their works. Such a lovely open house located within the woods, with the view of mountains. So peaceful!

More pictures inside the house on FB

After the cove was our last surf. My siblings and I spent two hours in the water--our first hour practically wasted waiting for waves. It was a long, tiring wait, paddling our way through the strong current to try and catch the little waves that did come. It was exhausting and I wanted to end. But thinking that it was our last surf for the trip, my siblings and I decided to wait it out. When the second hour came, so did the waves, and we surfed till the sun was almost gone. It was absolute happy happy happiness.

Our last night was spent with the governor of Baler, and the morning after was the visit to her house. We took our last photos, then headed back to Manila.

It was a good four days in this province. Eating the food of Baler, walking the streets of Baler, learning the history of Baler, and surfing the waves of Baler made for an interesting and fun, yet tiring way to begin this summer. It was such a great second surfing experience for me, and I'm really hoping that I'll be able to have a third sometime this summer. Aside from the good surf, I am extremely glad to have been able to go with the family that hosted the trip, because if not for them, then I don't think the trip would've been as fun and interesting as it was. Thank you tito Dino and tita Joy!