Baler 2014

We reserved tickets for a bus trip to Baler via Genesis Bus lines. But on the day of the trip, we found out that Genesis issued tickets with the same seat numbers to other people. I can't help but emphasize that they purchased their tickets on the day of the trip. Yet they were given preference, and we, the ones who reserved tickets three days in advance, ended up seating elsewhere.

It appears that this kind of incident happens a lot. It really reflects sloppiness on the Genesis bus company. The same thing can be said of their bus toilet. But having one on a four to six hour non-stop trip is better than having none at all.

If you are in a rush to get to Baler, you can actually get there in four hours. Take the earliest trips in the morning. The only drawback is if you arrive at Baler before six a.m., the museums and other establishments aren't open yet. You'ld have to wait until about nine a.m. before you can enter these. A tricycle driver offered to give us a tour for 500 pesos. And if you want to see the Millennium tree, you'ld have to shell out an additional 300 pesos since that tourist attraction was located farther. With nothing else to do, we decided to go for it.

First destination was a replica of a president's house. We just saw the facade of the house of former Philippine President Manuel Quezon. His car on display was more impressive than his house. But I guess I'm not being fair with this statement since I wasn't able to enter the house yet. The caretaker said that once it was open, you would have to pay 30 pesos for the entrance fee.

Just beside that tourist spot was the Baler Catholic Church. The chandeliers inside were impressive.

Our next destination was Amco beach. It was really very beautiful. The shore was filled with rocks and seashells. And it hardly had any people. Finally, a nice quiet place away from the city. There were several mini islands you could get to and take pictures at. And the beach also had a swimming pool that would be enjoyable for kids. I guess this pool is meant to offset the rocky shore.

We also passed by one of Baler's famous water falls. You could probably climb one third of the way if you're the non-adventurous type like me. If you want to go higher, you might have to cross the water from the falls a few times. Careful! The rocks are slippery and you might fall.

Next, we went to a monument that commemorated the people of Baler's survival of a tidal wave. There was no historical plaque to read off of. So we had to rely on our tricycle driver tour guide.

Beside that monument was a set of stairs which led up Ermita hill. This gives tourists a nice panoramic view of the city of Baler and its coastline. A great place for taking photos.

Baler also has a historical marker which indicates that its inhabitants did something similar to Biak na Bato, where people revolted and tore their Spanish sedulas - or residence certificates - showing they were no longer under Spanish authority.

We also stopped by Baler's fish port. There were plenty of mangroves along that area. With the waves crest and troughs, the younger plants appeared to be waving out of the water. It was awesome. God is truly amazing. His works point to His glory and majesty.

We then decided to go for the Millennium Tree. It took a long time to travel, and that might not be a comfortable ride for some in a cramped tricycle. The tricycle driver said that the tree was about 600 years old. It was a rubber tree, with plenty of vines and ferns hanging off of its branches. Again, a great place for getting selfies and groupies. They were also vendors selling fresh coconuts - which you could have cut for the juice or the meat.

We decided to cut the tour short, but still pay the driver the 800 pesos. He ended up bringing us to Yoli's grill. They served delicious grilled pork chops. The restaurant beside it, Gerry's, supposedly served buffets for 200 pesos per person. But it was jam-packed, so we ended up at Yoli's instead.

Note that a tricycle ride only costs 12 pesos per person for short distances. Their fare matrix is posted on the tricycle itself. But if you are going to ask them to give you a tour, they can charge higher.

After lunch, we checked into R and R travel inn. Their rooms were good for four people. They had twin double deck beds, air-condition, and a nice toilet. But there was no hot water in the shower and no TV. Maybe, the philosophy behind this is to get the traveler to spend more time outside than inside the room. They also served coffee and kakanin for breakfast.

The shores of Baler are known for surfing. As soon as we got near the beach, we were offered a 1-hour surfing lesson for 350 pesos. If you already knew how to surf, and only wanted to rent the surf board, you could rent it for 200 pesos. One of my friends went for it, and within the hour, he was able to stand on the board and coast a little maybe four or six times. Not bad for a first timer.

The shoreline was also very sandy - in contrast to the Amco shoreline - and was a great place to walk barefoot or build sandcastles at.

The waves of Baler are stronger than most other beaches I have been to. And I thought this was surprising since the shore was very shallow - maybe knee to waist deep only, even in the area where the people were being taught how to surf. I thought you needed deep waters to learn how to surf, but this was not the case. And it was the wind that gave the waves its strength, according to a local.

There were several nice places to eat at along the shoreline. We opted for Baler-view hotel's restaurant. They have great sandwiches and calamaris.

You could also try out food from a yellow Volkswagen grill. Pretty novel for a marketing strategy.

And that would be the highlights of my trip to Baler.

I'm a bit surprised that throughout all this time, there aren't many well know eating establishments along the beach or even at the town. No McDonald's or Pizza Hut. No Starbucks or Yellow Cab. Boracay appears to be more progressive in this aspect. But maybe this is also good for Baler. Instead of giving the profits to the multinationals, it allows their locals to come up with world class services that would benefit the town.