We were supposed to climb Mt. Pulag this weekend, but because of the heavy rains in the north, the climb was canceled. My sister and her friend suggested a trip to Baler instead. I heard Baler is a great place. I didn’t know what to expect but I agreed to go anyway. It’s always fun to discover new and beautiful places 😉
The travel from Manila to Baler is 5 hours. So, we had several stops on the way for food and for pictures 🙂
We didn’t make any reservations at any resort. We just went and asked which resorts had available rooms. We stayed at Aliya Surf Resort.
Ditumbo Mother Falls
Since there were no big waves yet for surfing, we opted to take the Eco-Tour provided by the resort.
First, we went to see the biggest falls in the province, te Ditumbo Falls. We took a tricycle from the resort to the area near the falls. Then, we walked 1.3 kilometers to climb up the mountain and cross the river to get to the falls.
Balete Tree
Another attraction in the area was this large balete tree. It was daunting and kinda scary. Visitors were encouraged to climb inside the trunk of the tree.
Surfing
Early the next day, people at the resort started to get ready for surfing. The waves were weak at first, then big waves started to form. The beautiful mountain range served as a backdrop for the surfing enthusiasts.
City Tour
We went around the city to check out the museum and other historic places in Baler.
Hillocks
On our way back to Manila, we stopped by this quaint coffee shop along the highway in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija.
We just wanted something hot to drink before continuing our long drive back to Manila. It turned out to be one nice chat with a wonderful family over hot choco.
It’s a family business being run by the eldest in the family, Andromeda, who finished culinary school. Her dad built the coffee shop for her. Within the same building is their water filling station, named after one of the kids, Aegean. The family’s house was in the area at the top of the hill. It was kinda cool.
