Babbbba- BALER

Needless to say, I love traveling, I also see it as a way to become closer to friends and loved ones. I have traveled with my newly found friends and even joined tour groups. But I have never traveled with my high school best friends. They are the people who knew me through my bone marrow (hahaha... sagad sa buto). But honestly, they are my "go to" people, when nobody will ever understand me.

For the past decade we have been contented by hanging out in the mall, coffee, and sleepovers. We always plan to go out but it never push through because of their busy schedules. We are only 5 in the group but we really struggle syncing our schedule. And now we are down to 4 because Iel is working oversees. Lala works for a bank, Tin is studying and working at a hospital and Kt is a full-time med student.

One weekend while having siomai and cheapo coffee at some convenient store, Kt, Lala and I, decided to just go out of town. Choices are Baler or Cagbalete - but Lala already went to Cagbalete, so finally we are down to Baler. It was a long weekend of the Aloha Surf & Music Festival.

It was really hard to find an accommodation at the time, all recommended home stays and resorts are fully booked. I have texted a lot of people, good thing, SMART Beach was kind enough to give me feed backs about reservations. And voila, there was a cancellation! Yahoo! Php700 good for 3-4pax! What a steal! I immediately confirmed our reservation without the replies of my friends - almost a mistake!

A day before our trip, Kt canceled on us, and I have to think Plan B, because I confirmed our accommodation, or else I'll have to pay that Php700. Good thing, Carlo and Gab is free for the weekend and also Wrigley - Lala's bf. And yEy! We are off to Baler!

tamamot and our kubo

We are also bringing Tamamot -our car, based on my research the road to Baler is already passable by a car. I am so positive on this till we reached the Canili Road, where there are patches of rough roads. Tamamot was really tested, and I feel so sorry for all the bruised and scratches she received during our journey.

Passing by Sierra Madre was just awesome, I remembered my Civics and Culture Class and memorizing it as the longest mountain range in the Philippines. And seeing it upfront is priceless. We also passed by Canili and Pantabangan Dam. 

We arrived at Sabang Beach, Baler, around 2pm - it was almost a 8hr trip. I was not that awe by the beach, but the place is really refreshing. The sand is black and the waves are beginning to get big, perfect for surfing. It was also drizzling and surfers are swarming the beach.

Our accommodation at Smart Beach, exceeded my expectations. It was a kubo-type room with own CR, with dining area. The sheets looks and smells clean. Very much worth the price.

We had lunch at Bay's Inn, the food is ok - taste and price. It was the famous place to eat in Sabang Beach.

Gab was just contented in playing the sand, he's kinda afraid of the waves. While I was just also enjoying the view and watching the people.

At night, we enjoyed ourselves with booze and lot of stories - making it one helluva night bonding. :)

Next day, we tried surfing! And all I can say is that I fell in love with it! Being stoked (or mostly being wiped out) gave me a different feeling. And while writing this, I was remembering my trip to La Union - echoing the voice of my instructor saying - Paddle, Paddle, Paddle, Ready, Stand! Hahaha! :)

For transportation tips:
http://www.indieescape.com/2011/05/baler-city-tour-itinerary-2-days.html
http://asiantraveller.com/en/how-to-get-to-baler-aurora-province/

For accommodation tips:
http://www.lakas.com.ph/2011/08/baler-accommodation-list/
http://www.thekillerfillers.com/2011/05/thrills-spills-and-one-stoked-weekend.html

Hehe, I was to lazy to enumerate it myself :D