Baler Diaries: The Ermita Hill

Edson, Jerico, Fredo and Paquito (The Car)

Panoramic Photo of Baler from Ermita Hill

When Aurora finally attained province hood during the presidency of Ferdinand E. Marcos, the province started to create it's own and unique name in the tourism industry of the Philippines. The town of Baler, as the capital of this province offers so many tourist destinations that you can choose from. These programs open so many opportunities for the local residence of this town. Baler is rich in history, culture and natural landscapes that attracts more visitors every year.

If you enjoyed the surfing lesson in Sabang beach and have a fine dine experience at Bay's Inn restaurant, there's more things to do in the town of Baler that needs to be rediscover.

Ermita Hill:

After that surfing experience at the Sabang beach, we had immediately started our trip by going to the Ermita Park.Ermita hill is located at Brgy. Zabali, Baler and covers an area of about two hectares. Ermita Hill is 6 kilometers away via the Kinalapan-Cemento road. It is about 10 minutes drive from the town proper. The place was so quiet and peaceful. The only thing you can hear was the splashes of the water coming from the ocean. Most of the Balerians and tourist like us, love to hang-out and have picnics in this area. The place has a large ground for outdoor activities and sheds to protect you from the direct heat from the sun. The best thing here is that you can use their facilities for free.

It's nice to be back in this lovely place... ehehe

Summer is the best time to visit this place. When the sky is clear and the sun is present, everything is visible in our naked eyes. From the top of the hill you may see the whole town of Baler. At the easternmost part you will be amazed by the outstanding view of the Pacific Ocean, Dima-dimalangat Islet, and Baler Fish Port.  We were amazed with these eye-catching views of Baler. It is a place where you can directly interact with nature.

Dima-Dimalangat Islet, View from the Hill

View of Baler Fish Port

Since it was my second time to be here, I asked Edson and Sir Jerico if they want to experience the 200+ steps, and they immediately replied with the yes!. This steps adds more exciting to our trip. With the help of our cameras and tripod we captured every moments of our trekking experience. 

More steps to go!

We paused for awhile and took some rest. The place was so very relaxing and the view as we go higher gives different scenic outlook of the places down the hill. I can feel the calmness of the place. Sarap talaga magbakasyon dito, nakakawala ng stress. For nature lover and adventurist, it is the right place for you.

At the Top of The Hill

White Cross awaits for you at the Top

At the end of this trail you will see this big white cross facing at the town of baler. The place was surrounded by trees that create a mini forest view and if you're luckily enough you will see some colorful birds and insects roaming around. Most of the visitors here, specially devoted catholic go here every Holy week. And also, some students and other religious groups conduct their retreat activities here. After some picture taking we decided to descend. 

Tromba Marina Statue

We also visited the Tromba Marina Statue that was found at the foot of the Hill. This wonderful marker reminds every Balerianos about the devastating Tsunami that happened on the 27th of December 1735, according to the Baler's History. This event destroyed and killed many people from the old town of Baler. The Angara family was among those families  that  survived in that event. Other families who survived were the Bihasa, Bitong, Carrasco, Lumasac, and Poblete. Hmmmm... very interesting! Now we know how important this place. Thanks to the local government of Baler, through their efforts and concerns about the place, they always keep the area clean and green. All the facilities around Ermita Hill are well maintained. Thank you Sir/Ma'am... 

Surfing???

It was really a great experience to be in a place that was surrounded by meaningful history and natural landscapes. Ermita Hill promotes good relation between the nature and the human. 

Baler Diaries:Big Waves from the Pacific

Baler is the capital of Aurora Province. It is located at the east coast of the main island of Luzon. The way in getting to Baler itself is considered as additional attraction on this place. The lush forest of the Sierra Madre Mountain range covered the large proportion of Aurora.

Sabang Beach

When you reached the town proper of Baler, the nearest and easiest way to catch the waves coming from the Pacific Ocean is by going to Sabang Beach. Getting to this place will only takes 5-10minutes by riding a tricycle from the bus terminal or by driving your own private vehicle.

Sabang Beach is the main beach resort in Baler. It is the place where you can find and watch surfing enthusiasts.The water is clean and the waves are strong. Swimming at this beach is allowed only during daytime and at night you couldn't see the water. You can only hear the splashes of the waves to the coastline.Since it's an open water and part of the Pacific ocean, tourists specially children are not allowed to go beyond the perimeter line. The current is strong enough to pull a small kid. But there are life guards around who always ready in time of emergency.

APEC Beach Boys

At the second day of our vacation in Aurora, me and my friends, Edson and Sir Jerico decided to took a surfing lesson at Sabang beach. It was our first time to do this kind of surface water sport. Along the beach there are lots of establishments that offers surfing lessons for amateur and even for first timers like us. 

At the front of the beach, we found Baler Surf. Baler Surf is located at Sabang Beach near Bay's Inn restaurant. It offers surfing lessons, Board rentals and tours. Their surfing lessons worth P350 only per hour with personal instructor that will guide you the whole time of your surfing session. But if you already know how to surf you can just rent a surf board for only P200 pesos.

Surfing Lesson with our Instructor

The wave here is seasonal. So if you're a professional surfer and your looking for the bigger waves, the best time for you to visit this place is during the months of October to February. They conduct surfing tournaments every month of February as part of this town celebration of Aurora Day.

Best Shot ni Sir Jerico

For first timer like us, the height of the waves when we visited Baler was enough for us to learn the moves. whoooohooo. It's really enjoyable to do surfing specially for the first time.ehehe!  Through the effort of our instructors, we  easily surpassed the challenge of every waves that we encountered. Surfing is like a whole day session of workout in a gym. It needs more power and efforts. 

whooooah!!!

I'm not scared of water and even in waves, that's why at my first try to stand up in the surf board I easily made it. hahaha! But there were so many times that I've lost my balance and fell down. We stand and fall but our willingness to get the best waves was on it's climax. So we continued paddling and surfing. 

At the end of the session we felt so tired and thirsty, sarap mag-shower nito at pagkatapos ay uminom ng super lamig na fruitshakes. The experience of keeping your balance on the surf board is an epic experience. It feels like your a professional surfer riding on the waves. Boom! Thanks to our instructors, we've learned the proper and basic way on surfing. Thumbs up for Baler Surf service! Until next time...

Other Things To Do:

Surfing is not the only thing you can do here in Sabang Beach. You can also try kayaking, scuba diving and drive an ATV at the fine sandy coastline of the beach. But if you don't want to spend much, you can also play Frisbee together with your friends. 

The Ditumabo Falls: Aurora's Mother Falls

My Uncle's House

This blog was part of my 3D2N Aurora Adventure. It was my second time to visit this place, but at this time I'm with my two friend, Sir Jerico and Edson. We want to explored the unspoiled beauty of Ditumabo falls, locally known as The Mother Falls. The Ditumabo falls is located at Brgy. Ditumabo, San Luis, Aurora. This is the main tourist attraction on this place. 

After a long hours of travel from Pampanga to San Luis,Aurora, Finally, at exactly 9:30am, we arrived at my Uncle's house at Brgy. Ditumabo. From there we took some rest and since the weather was not that hot we decided to start our first activity, which is going to the Ditumabo falls.We prepared all the things that we need, like foods, extra shirts and the most important things, our cameras.
I asked my Uncle on how to get there, and he told me that we need to hire a tricycle which cost Php300, good for three person, that will bring us to the hydro power plant, the nearest point where vehicles like tricycle can go.

Sir Jerico and Edson

The way to the falls was not that hard. From Ditumabo bridge, the travel only takes 20 minutes when you ride a van or a tricycle. But if you want to experience a longer time of trekking, you can start walking at the national road(Ditumabo Brigde). Along the way, you may encounter some coconut and pineapple plantations. And When you reach the hydro power plant you need to walk again for almost 30 minutes. Depende sa bilis mo maglakad. But before that, you need to sign in first before going to the falls. Take note foods are not allowed in the falls. You can only eat your foods at the parking area. Only bottled water is allowed.

From here 1.3Km walks going to the Falls

Most of the tourist who come here have their own guides but the three of us decided to go alone. We just follow the flow where the water from the stream coming from, for sure it will end up to the falls. Mas masaya, mas enjoy.

Alay Lakad para sa Ditumabo Falls

The ambience going to the falls was very relaxing. Hindi ka man lang maiinitan dahil sa kapal ng mga punong tumatakip sa daan. 

Exotic flora and lush vegetation

The rich ecosystem of Mt. Danayag contributes to the natural beauty of the place. There are some wild plants like orchids that will attract you along the way. The terrain going to the falls was very challenging because you need to pass through huge boulders, towering trees, numbers of waterfalls and cross a stream with a strong current.

Nice smile ni Batangkapampangan..hehehe

No uphill climb, it just an ordinary walk. May konting paakyat pero di ganun katarik. This trekking experience adds more thrill in our Adventure.

Di kinaya ng havaiannas

Young Mountaineers

We stepped in some huge boulders and passed this small stream. The current of the water flowing to the stream is strong and there are some areas that are very slippery, so be careful as you pass this stream.

On our way, we started to feel the cold temperature as we get closer to the mountain. And when we reached the concrete pathway at the side of big rock formation, we were welcomed by this small waterfalls.

The water coming from the top was so clean

The place was like a land of fairies, masyadong tahimik at ang maririnig mo lang ay ang lagaslas ng tubig buhat sa talon at mga huni ng ibon sa paligid. Some old and towering hardwood were still visible in this place. Feeling ko tuloy isa akong Avatar ehehe... It was really majestic. From here, I can feel the mist touches my skin. so cold...

Picture taking muna....

A few feet away you will find the Ditumabo falls. Para kaming na starstruck sa ganda ng falls, wow!!! This 140ft. waterfalls really deserves to be named as The Mother Falls here in Aurora.The water was icy cold and clear. Add to that, the mosses attached at the walls of the mountains enhanced the natural beauty of the place.

The Mother Falls

Sa aking pagkakatayo sa harap ng falls, I can feel its power. It leaves the feeling of totally rejuvenated. whoooohoooo! sarap mag-swimming! This place was really worth it to visit. Sulit lahat ng pagod at haba ng biyahe.

When we reached the falls we found out that we're not the only visitors in the place.We met some local tourist from Manila. And by that time the rain starts to fall. Na lalong nagpalamig sa aming pakiramdam. We dived, we laughed and we enjoyed. We were like kids playing around. The basin was so wide. We have enough space to swim around. 

Meditation: It's more fun in Ditumabo

APEC Boys sa Ditumabo Falls

Thanks to Sir Jerico's water resistant camera and to my tripod for giving us these nice shots near the falls. Mahirap kasi pag DSLR gagamitin mo masisira lang dahil sa mga water droplets na galing sa falls.

The unspoiled nature of Ditumabo falls is really a breathtaking experience that everyone should see. The falls is surrounded by huge cliffs and covered by lush vegetations and mosses that makes it more attractive to many tourist like me.This kind of place really deserves to be properly and orderly manage by the local government of Ditumabo. Thanks to the Kalalakihang Katuwang sa Kaunlaran ng Ditumabo (KKKD) for protecting this place. 

Sa Uulitin guys...

And after a couple of  hour, we changed clothes and packed-up all things. It's time to leaved The Mother falls. I will miss this place when I go back to Pampanga. Sana makabalik ulit kami dito. Mas marami mas masaya!

Biyaheng Aurora ni BatangKapampangan

Bayan ng Baler

Nakakapagod ang sobrang trabaho at pag-iisip. Minsan kailangan din ng ating katawan ng panandaliang pahinga at paglilibang. Kaya give yourself a break. It's more fun in the Philippines. Huwag sayangin ang oras kung may pagkakataon naman. 

My first stop, Baler, Aurora . Ang Aurora ay matatagpuan sa silangang bahagi ng Central Luzon.

Mula Pampanga, halos 7 hours din akong nag-biyahe papuntang Aurora. Halos 90% na ng daan ay sementado na kaya hindi na ganun kahirap ang paglalakbay. Sa haba ng binyahe ko, sa dami ng paliku-likong daan nahalos di maubos-ubos, sa wakas narating ko rin ang Central Terminal sa bayan ng Baler.

Central terminal ng Baler

Ito ang unang pagkakataong nakabalik ako sa lugar na ito ng mag-isa. Humigit kumulang 20 taon na rin ang lumipas nung huling pagpunta ko rito, kaya ganun na lang ang kasabikan ko na muling makarating sa probinsyang ito. Mula Central Terminal sumakay pa ako ng tricycle papuntang bayan ng San Luis.

Bahay nila Uncle at Auntie

Mahigit 20-30mins din ang biyahe mula sa bayan ng Baler. Kaya mga bandang 6:00 na ng gabi ng dumating ako sa tahanan ng Uncle Virgilio at Auntie Aning ko. Maulan ng gabing iyon kaya medyo malamig sa paligid. Sayang masarap sana kung may kasama ako, hay...Ganun pa man Isang masarap na hapunan at umaatikabong kwentuhan ang nakahanda sa hapag.Dahil sa tagal ng di namin pagkikita di naubos ang dala kong kwento. Hindi ko nga naramdaman ang pagod dulot ng mahabang byahe, sa halip nagenjoy ako ng sobra. Ang sarap ng pakiramdam nang muli ko silang nakita.

First Day:

Sabang Beach

Isang magandang umaga ang bumungad sa akin sa araw na ito. Sakto ang pag dating ko dahil di "naulan" dito.Para sa mga gustong pumunta dito, saktong panahon ang Pebrero hanggang Abril. Malamig ang panahon pero ang sikat ng araw ay sadyang napakaliwanag,kakaiba ang klima dito kumpara sa Pampanga. Maaga akong gumising para makapaghanda sa gagawin naming paglibot, 8:30 ng umaga ng umalis kami sa tahanan ng aking Uncle, 20-30mins. ang biyahe papuntang Baler.

Surfing Capital ng Luzon sa Pilipinas

Unang destinasyon, Sabang Beach. Sa lakas at laki ng mga alon dito tamang tama para sa mga taong mahilig mag-surfing at para sa mga gustong matuto. Hindi ko akalain ganito pala kaganda ang Sabang Beach. Hindi nga lang kasing puti ng buhangin sa Boracay,pero ang paligid mamamangha ka talaga sa ganda. 

Dalampasigan

Si Batang Kapampangan at si Uncle Virgilio

Magandang maglibot dito lalo na kung may pribado kang sasakyan.  Dahil sa ganda ng lugar,marami kang pwedeng puntahan at gawin. Matapos ang isang oras ng paglalakad sa dalampasigan, sumunod naming pinuntahan ang Ermita Hill.

Ermita Hill

Bago kami tumuloy doon, dumaan muna kami sa Pamilihang Bayan ng Baler para bumili ng makakain.  Mga humigit kumulang 15mins. din ang byahe papuntang Ermita Hill.

Tromba Marina Sculpture

Isa sa pinaka puntahan ng mga turista dito ang Tromba Marina Sculpture. Historical Marker ito na makikita sa paanan ng Ermita Hill. Ito ay pinangalanan ng mga Kastila base sa mapinsalang Tsunami na naganap noong 18th century, sumira sa buong kabayanan ng lumang Baler. Isa ang pamilyang Angara ang sinasabing nakaligtas sa trahedyang ito.

Pook Tambayan

Tamang picnic area ang Ermita Hill dahil sa mga libreng cottages at malinis na palikuran sa taas nito. Mula dito kitang kita mo ang kabuuan ng bayan ng Baler. 

Masyadong malayo tingin mo Uncle..

Sa mataas na bahagi ng Ermita Hill matatanaw naman ang Baler Fishport sa kahabaan ng Cemento Beach.

Baler Fishport

Para sa mga mahilig mag-trekking, may humigit sa 280 steps ang naghihintay paakyat sa tuktok. 

Morning Exercise

Halos hingalin si Uncle at Auntie sa pag-akyat pero di sila nagpahuli. Kahit medyo pagod na nakipagsabayan pa rin sila sa akin. Sulit naman ang pagod dahil sa di matatawarang ganda ng tanawin sa itaas ng bundok.

It's more fun in Baler

Sa pinaka tuktok din matatagpuan ang isang malaking puting krus. Mapuno sa paligid kaya malamig at sariwa ang hangin na dadampi sa'yong mga balat. Ilang minuto din ang nilagi namin at nag-pasya na kaming bumaba. Mga bandang 11:30am na ng bumaba kami. Dahil sa pagod nakatulog ako kaagad pagka-uwi sa bahay.


Second Day: Uwian na...


Mga bandang 8:25 na ng umaga ng magtungo ako sa terminal ng bus. Sakto ang pagdating ko para sa 2nd trip ng Genesis Bus(Php 220) papuntang Cabanatuan. At dahil wala pang pasahero nag-desisyon muna akong lumibot sa Bayan. Tumawag ako ng tricycle(Php10), nagpahatid ako sa Baler Church.

Baler Catholic Church

Maliit lang ang simbahan ng Baler, pero dahil historical ang lugar na ito kaya madalas dinarayo ng mga Turista.

Aurora Aragon Ancestral House

Sa harap ng simbahan matatanaw ang replika ng tahanan ni Aurora Antonia Aragon y de Molina. Ang may-bahay ni Pangulong Manuel L. Quezon.  

The Presidential Car

Sa lugar ding ito matatagpuan ang Presidential Car ni Pangulong Quezon. Sa di kalayuan makikita ang Quezon Memorial Park, lugar kung san ipinanganak si Pres. Manuel L. Quezon. Halos mag-kakatabi lang ang mga Historical Landmark kaya di mahirap puntahan.

Quezon Memorial Park

Sa sentro makikita ang rebulto ni Quezon. At sa Bandang likuran naman ay ang Museo de baler. Kung saan
matatagpuan ang mga sinaunang gamit ng mga tao sa Baler at mga props na ginamit sa pelikulang "Baler".

Baler Museum

Masyado akong nalibang sa paglilibot di ko namalayan oras na pala. Kaya nag-mamadali akong bumalik sa Terminal para habulin ang 2nd trip. Pagdating ko wala na yung bus, kakaalis lang daw. Natawa na lang ako at dahil "no choice" naghintay na lang ako sa susunod na byahe. Mga bandang 11:30am na ako nakaalis ng Baler at mga bandang 6:30pm na ako nakabalik sa Pampanga...


Marami pang mga Tourist Spot ang hindi ko pa napuntahan dito. Kaya sa susunod na pag-biyahe ko susubukan kong libutin lahat.


Kung  may plano kang magbakasyon pwede mong idagdag sa listahan ang Aurora. Narito ang mga pwede mong sangguniin;


For bookings and inquiries, contact:
Aurora Provincial Tourism Office
Telefax : +63 (42) 209-4373
Mobile: +63 (921) 320-7015
Email: tourism_aurora@yahoo.com
Contact persons: Cha, Abbie, Adelle and Wilma
For personalized adventure packages, contact Noel C. Dulay
Mobile: +63 (919) 372-4764
Email: leoncd2@hotmail.com