Riding in Tandem: Backpacking to Baler

I’ve been to Baler 3 or 4 times already, but I always find myself enjoying every trip. Maybe it’s because I try to make each experience different. The first time I went there was with my 3 best friends. It was a boring weekend, and we decided to go there just because. We took a Joybus to Baler and visited most of the places you’d visit in the province: Duguisit Rock Formation, Balete Tree, Sabang Beach, and Duguisit Falls. The entire trip was almost a photoshoot. It was a fun weekend, but one thing I particularly recall about it was the few beers we had at Uhuru Bar. It’s got that Reggae vibe that makes you want to share stories all night with your friends since you can actually hear each other even while the beach music is playing.

The second time was with my colleagues. One thing I particularly remember about it was my first visit to the Mother Falls. We had fun, but one of my colleagues lost his glasses in the waters. We had lots of seafood that weekend, and food+beach is always a great combination.

The third time was quite different. I got to Baler on a motorcycle! I wouldn’t have believed it if you told me I’d be doing this 5 years ago. Fine. I didn’t drive the motorcycle, but I survived the journey nevertheless. And, it is one of the best motorcycle rides I had.

While most are on their way to Baguio, we chose to spend the holidays in Baler. We took the expressway at around 5 AM. Being the daredevil that he is, Niño decided to take the Bongabon route to Baler. This route is almost 2 hours of twisties (even more, if your bike is of lower displacement).

It was an absolute mind reset to look at the unscathed forest spread and car-less roads. Along the way, we saw mini waterfalls, which could be why some sections of the mountain road were slippery.

Throughout the journey, we only found 1 car along the way, and they also stopped to stare at the mountain range. We mindlessly looked at the view for a few minutes and then continued our journey after. 

When we felt too tired to keep going, we stopped and rested at this spot. If it wasn’t for the rain (or the long road we’re yet to take, we would have stayed longer).

It was drizzling that morning, but it made the leaves of the trees even greener and the smell of grass even pungent, so the trip was nice, nevertheless. We encountered a few rough roads and a few unfinished ones, so it made the trip quite longer, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying the ride. However, since my shoes got soaked because of the rain, I made a mental note to actually invest in waterproof shoes.

We also passed by this bridge just beneath the mountain. It was a sight to behold. We took a few good shots, breathed in and out to cleanse our lungs, and went ahead.

It was Niño’s first time in Aurora, so he really enjoyed the trip. We found a cheap place near Sabtang Beach, rested for a few hours, and headed out for lunch.

The next day, we decided to go to the Mother Falls. Going there by motorcycle is sooo different from getting there by van. I didn’t realize how great the view is when I first went there inside an enclosed vehicle.

Imagine this. The coconut trees covering hectares and hectares of land. The mountain slightly hidden under the cloud mist. The downward path that gives you almost a top-view of the site. It was a perfect morning.

Visitors are required to get to the mother falls by foot, and are mandated to pay for guide services. It’s understandable, considering that you need to cross the river (and step on slippery rocks or hold on to ropes to not get pushed by the river current, so we happily paid. Anyway, our guide was particularly entertaining.

The guide shared interesting facts about Aurora whilst touring to Mother Falls. He shared that a huge portion of the town’s electricity comes from the hydropower plant within the falls. Their drinking water also comes from the falls, straight into their containers. The tubes where the water flows are not to be turned off. This is so their running water stays potable and safe for drinking.

In around 15 minutes or so, we reached Mother falls. I didn’t know that it’s called so because there’s a Father (a bigger falls higher up the mountains) and a baby falls (just beneath Mother falls). A whole family of falls!

We bathed in the clear, cold water for a few minutes. We had our pictures taken, but they were mostly blurred or moist due to the water sprinkles made by the falls. It was quite hard to bathe for too long near the falls as the water’s current is too strong.

After our Mother Falls adventure, we headed for the other Baler attractions. We went to Duguisit Falls and Duguisit Rock Formation. I’ve been to these attractions before, but I liked them the same. It was drizzling still, but the rain made the rocks’ colors even more defined. We took some pictures and headed back to the town proper for afternoon rest and dinner.

We had our dinner at Yellow Fin Bar and Grill because it’s the closest restaurant from where we stayed. We waited for about an hour before we got seated. Baler was jam-packed that weekend for some reason, and we had no choice but to wait for our turn rather than find another place to eat. I don’t know if it’s my hunger or exhaustion, but I enjoyed the Sinigang na Hipon that we ordered. The restaurant offered generous servings, so we were even more satisfied.

The next day, we had breakfast at Yellow Fin bar again, but we didn’t wait as long as the night before. Then, we prepped to head home. For our way back, we took the Canili-Pantabangan road, so we can compare it with the Bongabon route and decide better which one to take the next time we go to Baler. However, we loved this route, too. If the Bongabon route had twisted roads that require you to almost take a U-turn, the Canliri route had unpredictable slopes. We felt like we were in a roller-coaster while taking its roads. It’s got awesome views and empty roads. The mountain stretches made the ride even more calming. 

Within 4 hours, we reached the NLEX exit. We reminisced the trip we had and how we found road signs that lead to Casiguran and other provinces. We made a mental note to reach even further next time and take more roads that are less taken.