el toro bumingo: Waterfalls

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Baler, Aurora with the Beau

Taken from my journal:

June 23-24, 2018 – Saturday and Sunday

My boyfriend and I spent the weekends at Baler, Aurora. It was supposed to be at Cagbalete but our TL dropped the bomb last Wednesday announcing the transfer of the team building to Baler due to a possible bad weather, thus from #Cagbalete to #CagBalerTeh

Tourists enjoying a dip in the cold waters of the Mother Falls in Brgy San Luis, Aurora

The trip started with an apprehension along Katipunan Avenue (after Miriam and Ateneo) in the Anti-Colorum drive of the newly-created I-ACT. Our van was accused of violating the Anti-Colorum Law: private vehicle transporting people in exchange of compensation (gas). Our trip was delayed by 5 hours. TL and his wife managed to book a 2^nd van and we’re back on the road by 12:30 pm.

We reached Baler almost 6:00 PM. Our accommodation is near a cemetery in Barangay Buhangin, Baler besides the Tapsi Ispat (a 24-hour tapsihan). It’s a row house with 2 air-conditioned bedrooms. Our room has 2 double-decker and a mattress on the floor.

Our supposed lunch became lunch and dinner combination – chicken and pork adobo combined with sinigang and grilled pork liempo. After dinner, we were able to sneak into Sabang Beach (which is about 15-20 mins walk from our accommodation). Tricycle fare is at P15 per person.

Sabang Beach is unsafe for night swimming due to the absence of any source of light (other than the moon). It also rained Saturday evening which forced us to return to the house and have drinking sessions with the coworkers. A game of truth and dare made the drinking session a bit more fun. I ended up eating raw egg on a dare. We consumed 3 bottles of El Hombre Tequila, pakwan, lemonades, Jelly Ace and liempo. The drinking session ended by around 3 AM.

The next morning, my boyfriend woke me up by 6 AM and we went back to Sabang beach for a stroll along its long coastline and a dip in the warm water of the Pacific. This is definitely not a surfing season since the waves were few and low.

By 9:30 AM, we went to the Mother Falls in Brgy San Luis, Aurora. From the parking lot, it’s a 1.4 m trek (around 30-40 minutes’ walk). It’s a pleasant trek – finding trees with names on it (common and scientific), vendors selling Tupig (grilled suman) at the start of the trail, and crystal-clear water flowing from the falls. Upon reaching the falls, it’s majestic. The water is ice-cold and the strong water and wind makes it feel like a storm is behind you. A lot of other visitors are also enjoying the dip in the water and the sight.

By 12:30 we’re back at the house for lunch (boyfriend and I tried the food at Tapsi and it’s good – a bit salty, but good). Some of us went back to Sabang beach for an afternoon dip and good thing the sun is not shining with its full power. It’s a bit cloudy and the waters are still moderately warm. By 3:00 PM, we left Baler for Manila passing by the Millennium Balete Tree for some souvenir, suman, coffee peanuts and appreciation of nature. The giant Balete tree is a sight to behold – it’s truly towering and gives the impression of a tree’s power of longevity and permanence.

By 10:00 PM we’re back at Tera Tower, Bridgetowne. We said our good nights to our fellow teammates and new found friends and went home. The trip is “bitin” due to long travel time and being an overnight trip, but swimming in the cold water of the Mother Falls with the boyfriend is worth it.

Will post more pictures of our Mother Falls trek soon.