In every out of town trip, most travelers would be looking
forward to doing new things, going to new places and tasting new food. It
usually all boils down to how unique we want our experience to be so we can
come home and share as much envious photos and stories we can to our friends
and followers in social networking sites.
The stokedtraveler is not an exception to this. A travel
itinerary for him includes going to all the usual tourist spots, tasting local
delicacies and finding new things to share. This is “usually” how things are
supposed to go.
On his second trip to Baler, he learns that traveling with a
less hectic itinerary can just be as fulfilling as accomplishing a long to-do
list on your trip. Here are five mistakes you’ll surely consider making in your
next trip to Baler:
1. Waste your time walking around
Baler is officially a tourist town in the Stokedtraveler’s
book. Much like you can walk around as a tourist in Boracay, you can freely do
the same in Baler. Walking tourists don’t get the awkward stares one would get
if they walk around in any street in Metro Manila looking like tourists.
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| Baler Church, it's simple but loaded with history |
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| Dona Aurora's house, it's where the wife of Manual L. Quezon used to live. |
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| Museo de Baler, walking is free! |
Walking lets you have a closer look at the local lifestyle
in Baler. It also lets you spend more time playing silly, acting dumb or being
mean to your closest pals. Most of all, by walking, you are actually already
one step closer to getting yourself beach ready. There are also good deals on
souvenirs and accessories from the shops in the town plaza. The best deal are
on those colorful shades at Php 50.00/pc. They look good, last more than your
expensive shades would (probably) and you won’t even worry losing them.
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| P50 Shades! |
Don’t get fooled though, the walk isn’t as leisurely as
you’d think. If the sun is up, you’ll find yourself all sweaty and thirsty by
the time you get to the town center from Sabang where all the resorts are. You will
realize how big a mistake it is when you learn that a tricycle ride is only Php
12.00/person. Still, why not waste time when you’ve got the time to waste?
2. Forget your diet
There’s so many places to eat at in Baler. The price range can be unbelievably cheap to outrageously expensive. The popular rolling stores are still a hit for being sensibly cheap. Costa Pacifica is still the go-to dine in experience for an extravagant feel. Then you have the long line of food stalls and restaurants serving various food options along baywalk. The temptation is strong and you’ll just have to give in and forget your diet!
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| Long line at Gerry Shan's |
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Gerry Shan’s definitely tops the list for being an
unbelievably cheap dining experience. Where else can you get a decent
eat-all-you-can feast for only Php 200.00? There was almost nothing in the menu
that wasn’t palatable. Everything from all variations of cooked squid dishes to
fish, pork and beef where all appetizing to him.
Bayler View Inn restaurant served the best tasting and
reasonably priced meals for the stokedtraveler during his stay. Paco (Fern)
salad, grilled squid, kare-kare, sinigang na hipon and many more. The paco
salad was a surprise! City folks like the stokedtraveler don’t get to eat this
tasteful treat too often. But in Baler, paco seems to be part of every menu.
Breakfasts are best spent at Hungry Surfer in Bay’s Inn
(except when you are having a buffet at Costa Pacifica). You’ll love how much
art they put in the place. They have the best themed dining place facing the
ocean in that strip along baywallk. More than the place, their “silog” meals,
American breakfasts and surfer meals are must tries. Their prices are a bit
more than you’d expect to pay for but it’s safe to say that you haven’t been to
Baler if you haven’t dined at this place at least once during your visit.
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| at Costa Pacifica |
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| at Costa Pacifica |
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| at Costa Pacifica |
You’ll definitely think that splurging on all the food you
can stuff yourself with is a mistake but it’s a mistake you’ll always be happy
to make –anywhere and anytime!
3. Kill time watching the better surfers ride
the waves
So why did you go to Baler in the first place? Skip the
excuse that you went there to enjoy the nature trails. Unless you’ve just been
dragged along by your friends or pressured into joining them, chances are you
want to try surfing for yourself.
Truth is, it takes guts to think you want to try to surf. It
takes perseverance to learn it out there. Don’t go to Baler and expect to come
home as a pro surfer (or even consider yourself to be called a surfer at all).
If it’s your first time, you’ll likely fall 90% of the time and feel swollen all
over from paddling or crashing on the water. Some people quit on the first few
minutes of their lesson out of frustration. Those who succeed are the ones who
keep on trying for at least the whole hour session (Php 300/hr with trainer and
surfboard).
Whether you make it or you don’t, watching the locals and
other experienced surfers ride the waves can be captivating. If you are already
into this kind of sport, you may just find yourself losing track of time and
passing out on all the other activities you could have done. In any case, where
else can you find such skilled surfers in this part of Luzon Island? Sorry La
Union is just too crowded for the skilled surfers to get a chance to show off.
4. Skip the other highlights of Baler’s
eco-tourism
Baler has a lot to offer nature lovers. It has a waterfalls,
coves, a millennium tree and a few more viewing decks. The photos your friends
took at Dicasalarin Cove, Ditumabo Falls or the huge Balete tree is surely very
enticing. It makes it even more inviting to see all sorts of pictures of these
places in almost every resort, tricycle and even in random public areas in
Sabang. It is definitely a mistake not have photos of yourself in these places
when you go to Baler.
Then again, when you are booked in a resort such as Costa
Pacifica you might just end up in a constant battle with yourself trying to be
convinced whether you should throw away a few more hours of your stay to go out
in the outdoors or just make the most of it by exploiting the resorts amenities
as much as you can!
5. Drop your plans, just bum out in Costa
Pacifica
OK so this is just similar what the previous one is
about. It’s just that it deserves a highlight.
The stokedtraveler and his close friends made plans of going
to Ditumabo Falls and/or other nearby attractions. They even got some contacts
from tricycle drivers who offered to take them for a day or half day package. But,
in the end the allure of the soft mattress, warm water pool, buffet breakfast
and overall relaxing ambience of Costa Pacifica won them over.
Costa Pacifica is the only well know luxury resort in Baler.
The accommodation is just as luxurious as the luxury it requires to book it.
The casa loft room where the stokedtraveler stayed is one of the room types on
the lower range of the room rates. Yet, it has certainly not failed to impress.
There are other way better accommodations elsewhere but possibly not yet in
Baler.
There’s just so much to appreciate and be awed with in Costa
Pacifica. The place is a tourist attraction in itself.
A word of caution, while luxurious, it is not at all
exclusive. Costa Pacifica shares the same baywalk as the other resorts in
Sabang. Its two main locations are intersected by Buton Street which is also
accessible to other guests. The exclusivity is limited to the use of the
facilities but the compound itself is not very tight with restricting
non-guests from coming in and out. Be sure to remember that you are still in a
public place and be mindful of your personal belongings.
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| This is where the casa loft is housed in Costa Pacifica |
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| Acoustic nights at Buton Market beside Costa Pacifica |
You may want to try to take it slow once in a while. Surely
it is good to go forth to see new places and experience new thrills. But,
remember that never travel just because everyone does it nowadays. Think of
what matters to you and if on that day you go out of town you realize you just
want to laze it out then just go for it. You’ll be surprised that your
satisfaction can be achieved in many more ways than just roughing it out
backpacker style. There’s always a second or in the case of the stokedtraveler
a third time to go adventuring in Baler!
Baler isn’t very easy to get to yet. Even the joybus via
Genesis transit isn’t such a joy to sit in for a 5-6 hours non-stop trip from
Cubao. The road to Baler isn’t good either. A truck with passengers just fell
off the small road one week after the Stokedtraveler’s visist. Put together the
long trip, bumpy ride and annoying whale-like moaning from the bus’ brakes and
what you get is the opposite of a “joyful” bus ride (pun intended).
If you are planning to go to Baler, try taking it slow. Book
a few days at a resort and make the most of your vacation. You deserve some decent
rest after the long ride there not yet to mention the way back isn’t going to
be any easier.
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| Do what he does, take it easy this summer |
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