Baler Road Trip

 Baler, capital of Aurora Province, is one of the top surfing destinations in the Philippines. The best surfing months are from September to February where waves as high as 9 feet can be experienced.

From Manila, we drove more than 200km, passing green ricefields, two dams, rugged mountains and bridges to reach Baler.
 

We took the NLEX-SCTEX and exit at La Paz, Tarlac then to Pantabangan-Canili road which is easier but longer route compared to the Bongabon route. According to a write up, the construction and rehabilitation of the roads cut the travel time by almost two hours and it's true. The roads are well paved and it was a smooth ride except for a couple of bridges still under renovation.

We stayed at the Bayler's Resort Hotel. It is a beach front resort alongside with Bay's Inn and the high end Costa Pacifica. Checked in time at Bayler's is strictly 2pm. We had to wait for 2 hours before they let us in which is disappointing.

A boardwalk has been constructed overlooking Sabang Beach. One can stroll or jog along the paved boardwalk with the ocean as your background. Sabang Beach has long and wide coastline with fine grey sand. It is very suitable for surfing as there are no sharp rocks or stone at all. 

 

 There are plenty of tourist spots in and around Baler. You may opt for a tour which can be arranged at your resort. I am told that you can also hire a tricyle for Php800 the whole day to take you to famous sites. We got to visit only two attractions - Museo de Baler and Balete Park- home to the biggest balete tree in the country.

With the help our GPS, we reached Balete park. Entrance fee of Php10. The huge balete tree is right in the middle of the park. One can go through the big roots but that we did not try.

There's not much to see inside Museo de Baler. Entrance fee of Php30 for adults.

 

You will never go hungry when in Baler. Resorts' restaurants located at Sabang Beach are open to visitors. At the city proper, lots of eateries offer decent meals and even buffet at affordable price. Gerry Shan is more popular for its Php200 buffet.

 One must try suman Baler, peanut butter, home made coco jam and tapa. A bunch of Suman comes in 10 pcs for Php50; try both the purple and white colored sticky rice.

Choose the authentic Baler suman - one wrapped and tied with plastic strip shown above

Travel Tips:
1-travelling time: 5-6 hours
2-get enough fuel ; gas price is much higher at Baler Town
3-travel at daytime to see the beautiful landscape, the roads up the mountains, dams
4- tricycle costs Php12
5-bring jacket as it gets windy and colder at night
6-can take SCTEX- going to Pantabangan-Canili road where the roads are newly concreted

Miag-ao Church - A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Your trip to Iloilo City is not complete without visiting the Church of Sto Tomas de Villanueva or commonly known as Miag-ao Church. This church has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

The architecture is more on the baroque style. Its orangy color was due to the construction materials used which were mainly adobe, egg, coral and limestone . It has two huge unequal bell towers on both sides, It is said that the bell towers served as defense from the invading Moros.

Surrounding the church's ground are several eateries, the municipal hall, and other commercial establishment. Fronting the church is Reds which is famous for its arroz caldo.

Miag-ao was supposed to get its name from a plant called Miagos. I saw these in front of the municipal hall during my short stroll around the vicinity of the church.

Miag-ao is a 45 min to 1 hour ride from Iloilo City. You can take a multicab from the Iloilo "super" market and fare cost Php50.