Attraversiamo 2012: 12th Leg Destination Baler and Dinadiawan, Aurora

I did not want any party, not even a charity event (not this year), for my birthday. All I wanted to do was to go to an unfamiliar place and enjoy it. Jem, Sugar and I easily closed the deal and decided to go to Baler, the same way we closed the deal going to Iloilo when we celebrated Jem's birthday. We extended the invitation to another October birthday celebrant and a surfing enthusiast who, unlike us, actually wanted to learn it.

It was a long drive. We got a good spot - an accommodation very close to the shore which allowed us to run to it anytime and witness the sun rise and set.

With Jem and Sugar. Post-edited photo from Jem.

Due to the long trip, we didn't do much on our first day. We ate and checked the shore and decided to rest. To sleep just a few steps away from the gigantic waves of Baler and feel calmness and fear at the same time and in equal measure is a rare experience. It brought me back to childhood. I was a young little girl trying to be brave while hearing the storm try to steal our home. It was pitch black. There was no electricity for days and I can just wake up and find myself swimming in waves of water. I was both brave and scared - it's the same feeling I got from Baler's ginormous waves.

DAY TWO  

Day Two was quite special. Ten finally got to sign up for a first surfing lesson. It wasn't a bad first at all. 

As for the rest of us? Cheering works! Ha! We got our own taste of surfing too -

...by holding the surf board, and

 

  

 ... watching the surf dudes! Ha! Ooops! 

Look closer.

After OUR surfing lessons, we toured the city and tried their food. We went to Museo de Baler which is surprisingly open even during weekends. 

Post-edited photo from Jem Aznar.

After Museo de Baler, we went around to eat and do a little shopping for our folks back home. Then we went to Ermita Hills. 

Ermita Hills is home to the big white cross that we see from we were staying. A long walk shall bring you to the top of the hill and allow you to see a panaromic view of the Baler Bay. 

We also took a photo of this structure which commemorates how locals sought refuge from this hill during a destructive tsunami thousands of years ago, and how only a few managed to survive it. 

Now, I was suddenly reminded of this street sign we saw on our way to Dinadiawan, which I will talk about in a bit.
 

DAY THREE

This is when the surprise unfolded - something that I (we) always unconsciously look for when I travel. We made a decision, to leave early and explore an entirely unfamiliar place in Aurora, Dinadiawan. Although we all heard what we wanted to hear about the amazing beauty of the island, we also heard how rough it is to go there. This photo only shows how it looks like but not how it felt like.  There were moments when we felt we couldn't make it or our car couldn't. 

Along the way, we found this long bridge to ourselves and took photos. 

I later found out that this bridge was actually part of former President Arroyo's priority programs after her SoNa (State of the Nation Address) in 2008 to bring development in Aurora which is considered then as one of the 20 poorest provinces in the country. Dibutunan is the longest structure among the 19 bridges on the program. (Source: Manila Bulletin).

This is another view taken from another bridge on our way called Amper Bridge. 

 

The two-hour rough drive was worth it when we saw a glimpse of what we are about to experience. Our breaths were taken and our eyes couldn't believe what we were seeing. We're not stopping! Why should we?

The view from a far was tempting. Going there sent shivers up my spine. Being there just took my breath away once more. What's more interesting was the idea that we were the only island visitors at that time. We got the entire experience - beach, white sand, peace, sight, waves - all to ourselves. For a P60- entrance fee to compensate the two hour rough drive, it was worth it. 

We had to leave early. The road to Dinadiawan isn't exactly where we want to get stuck at when the sun sets. We just ate lunch near the area and surely got the locals' attention. I can understand why. I don't think visitors 'just' decide to drop by, it has to be planned and thought of more than once. 

It was late when we got back to Baler. A little bit tired but still has the energy to sit near the beach and enjoy eating, drinking and talking like we did the last two nights. Am sure you can imagine how the Dinadiawan trip made this conversation more fun and interesting. 

This is what I like about traveling with a group. When you decide to travel with someone or anyone, I believe that you are actually opening yourself to the possibility of being known. They will see who you are at your happiest moment, your most vulnerable stage and even at your lowest moment. Traveling is more than just going to places, being with someone, updating your Facebook check-in and taking photos. I think I have passed that stage. I see more valuable and sensible things when I travel. 

Before we left for Baler, I wrote this entry on my blog about Playing with the Waves. This experience brought us to a song which I also featured on another entry. As I dug deep into the song, I came across these words from the vocalist, Dylan Baskind. He said, 

 “It’s the moment in a travelling journey where you’re in a desolate, empty plain and you come across a wishingbone picked clean by the wind, buried in the sand. It’s the point in the journey where you question the worth of setting out in the first place.”

I left for Baler thrilled to know what it can offer me. When I leave for a travel, there is always this enormous, overhelming anticipation that engulps me until I reach that destination. When that happens to you, ask yourself what made you set out in the first place and you'll start a whole new journey of questions. As you find answers, you are presented with more questions. I may be talking gibberish but if you consider traveling as a passion, you will understand exactly what I meant. 

Travel. Let yourself be known to others, to nature, and more importantly, to yourself. 

You will be grateful.

 

 Photos owned by Fox Llante and Jem Aznar.