Baler - Part 1 - The Road to Baler

It's as if like something in a dream that happened so rapidly, I never thought that I could finally be inside the car with my family on a very rare occasion. To travel with them is like a Michael Jackson Superbowl halftime performance.

We went out early in the morning to gather at Quezon City to meet with my cousin's family, and the destination is widely unknown to most Filipinos. 

BALER, it is most remembered in history as the "Siege of Baler" where Spanish forces turned a Church into a fort to fend off Filipino revolutionary forces for almost 1 year, feeding on everything they could find, only to find out that they were the only Spanish soldiers fighting all along because the war was over.

It was a bad start for me because I was having my Loose Bowel Movement (LBM) so I had medications with me and I wasn't eating nor drinking anything because I might "explode" in the middle of our trip.

The road to Baler is mostly smooth-sailing, the roads were healthy and wide, well except when you reach Nueva Ecija area where some farmers dry their rice grains on the street, but even if they do that, it's a sight to see.

(FIRST PHOTO HERE)

WOW PHILIPPINES! Not the usual rolling stores.

Going there from highway to highway is not boring, that is what I love about the Philippines, when I travel I can't close my eyes because I might miss something strange or different. Every city gives something about their unique culture, can't even imagine the rarity of different cultures in this small archipelago-one maritime country.

Baler is originally part of Quezon province, where the commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon once lived. He also graduated to two Dominican owned educational institution, Colegio de San Juan de Letran (Letran College, oldest college established in 1620) when he was in high school and University of Santo Tomas (oldest university established in 1611) for his college years.

(SECOND PHOTO HERE)

This is the one way bridge going to Baler, so if you're on the other side, you just have to wait :)

Today Baler is part of the Aurora province, in honor of Quezon's wife who lived a few blocks from where Manuel was living. It is a small town in the North east corner of the country.

The sleeping town is slowly becoming a tourist destination for those who love surfing, the town was best featured in the local historic movie "BALER" where the plot was the Siege of Baler.

(THIRD PHOTO HERE)

Going back to my LBM problem, we took short breaks at gas stations for my "Morning Glory" time, I was kind of a minor delay to them but I didn't want it. Even with the virus, it won't stop me from traveling...

"IF THERE'S TISSUE, THERE'S A WAY" - That was my motto for the trip.

(FOURTH PHOTO HERE)

Shell Gas travel guide map's description about Baler

We arrived finally after 6 hours of road watching and pit stops. The town was quiet and simple, one can clearly see the old houses preserved for generations although some appear modern.

After we ate our lunch, we headed to the rocky beaches to see how powerful the waves really are and my God how wonderful it is to see the roads so developed and the view is dumbfounding!

An amazing scene just off the street.

That's a rock beach! 

As the Sun took a deep dive into the horizon, the cold night engulfs Baler and we would wait for the Sun's return.