paRomazoo: February 2016

After a busy season at work, I was able to get a 5-day vacation leave. Yey!

I spent 3 days in Baler, Aurora. This trip to Baler had been long overdue. It was first scheduled last October of 2015 but didn't push through due to work conflict then rescheduled to November of 2015 but still a no go due to a family emergency. I, actually, wanted to just forget about it and think that several cancellations were bad omen. Lol!

I'd been googling and reading about it on blogs and travel groups. Baler is known to be a surfing spot in the Philippines. I'm a fan of beaches but not really surfing since I do not know how to swim. Do not expect a white sandy beach cause Baler is not it. Waves were also strong and high. You can see a lot of "tambay" foreigners. Haha!

You have 2 options going to baler, via land and air travel. I chose the first option cause flights to Baler are a bit expensive. There are the usual air conditioned buses with 8-hour travel time and there are coach buses with approximately 6-hour travel time. Coach buses do not have stop-overs so the travel time is shorter but fare costs more. I rode the 2:30AM coach bus, Joybus, from Cubao to Baler. I also utilized http://iwantseats.com.ph/ for Joybus online reservation. You really don't have to reserve a seat specially if it's not surfing season or there's no surf camp. We were only 10 passengers in the bus! Joybus' published travel time is 6 hours but from my experience it was just around 4 hours. It was a comfortable travel. Blanket and snacks were provided.

There are variety of places to stay in Baler, from fan room to air conditioned, inns to hotels. I stayed in Bayler View Hotel. It's a beachfront hotel. The hotel's room was spacious because the room that I booked was good for 4 pax. Remember that this trip was cancelled for several times? That's the only vacant room last February. :( I already paid the down payment for this hotel back in October and it's not refundable so I decided to just stick with it. My Bayler experience was satisfying. They provided a good customer service. First, they were very responsive to inquiries. I was able to book and rebook the hotel via SMS. They even empathized with me when I rebooked the room last November due to an emergency. Second, we arrived early, 6AM. Check-in was at 2PM but we were allowed for an early check-in at no additional cost. Will I consider this hotel for my next Baler visit? Yes.

My colleague recommended a person to contact for a day tour in Baler. I had a 40-minute trek to Mother Falls. The water is so cold! Brrr! I also visited, Baler Church, Museo de Baler, Dona Aurora's House, Ermita Hill, Millennium Tree, and Islets.

I spent most of my nights at Yellow Fin Bar. They offer grilled foods. I just spent hours having pilsen session in that bar. It's just across my hotel so that's a plus. Cost of beer and food was so-so, okay. You must try Angela's Café. They have a very conservative menu, kinds of pizza and pasta. I ordered pepperoni and cheese pizza, spaghetti, and spicy tuna carbonara. You can taste the herbs in their pasta dishes. Price was okay.