Therese in the Philippines: Baler

Intro: You probably don't know this, but I went home to the Philippines last month. In the span of the 9 days that I was there, I tried 5 new restaurants around the metro, and I even went out of town! Therefore, let me take a short break from my Taiwan posts and in my next few entries, I am going to write about the new places I've been to in and around the metro!

Since surfing is on my bucket list, my friends and I decided to go to Baler the weekend I was in the Philippines. It was a weekend of surfing, relaxation, and bonding.

How to get there: We took the midnight Genesis Joybus from Cubao to Baler. It cost us around 650php one way. From what I know, the joybus is 200php more expensive than the regular bus because of the bigger seats and the added amenities (blanket, small pillow, snacks, bottle of water). The bus ride takes around 4-5 hours. You can click the link for more information.

I wasn't able to take a picture of the snacks and the bottle of water because my sister placed her blanket and pillow on my seat!

Where to stay: We stayed at Bahia de Baler. There was a recent change in the room rates so you can just check out the link/send them a message for inquiries. They're very accommodating.

Our basic room. We placed the beds side by side so that we could all sleep next to each other!

What to do: Aside from eating and surfing, we also went to Museo de Baler (where I found out more about the Siege of Baler, the Ilongots, and so much more), Ermita Hill, Balete Tree, and Dicasalarin when we were there. I'm sure there are a lot more things to do/see in Baler but since we were only there for a night, we weren't able to go to other places/do other things.

The survivors/original settlers (?) of Baler

View from Ermita Hill - and yonder is the Pacific Ocean!

I climbed up one of the tree's branches

In and out of the Balete tree!

Dicasalarin

Where to surf: I recommend Charlie Does surf shop, because it's really close to Bahia de Baler/sabang beach. It costs 300php for an hour of surfing lessons. I think they also have a day rate but I don't know how much it costs.

With my surf instructor Jomar - he's really good and he knows how to teach! Day 1, I was able to stand up. By day 2, I was able to ride the waves! Hihi.

The most important thing of all -

What/where to eat: We tried 2 restaurants there: Bay's Inn and Bayler. We also went to Aliya one time for dinner but I don't have photos, and their service really sucks.

Bay's Inn and Bayler are 2 restaurants located nearby. We had breakfast at the former, and we had dessert at the latter. Yummy food! Check out the photos and see for yourself.