Baler Day Tour – Part 1, What to Do in Baler?

After our Batanes Trip early July, the third quarter of the year was a freeze to our adventure spree.  We were held homebound for quite some time with several trips deferred or shelved off.  It was already mid-October when a Baler trip nicked the spell.  With six kiddos onboard, we hailed it a HALLEER BALLEER trip; a jolly-relaxed jaunt with no concrete itinerary, no must-visit list; sort of wherever our host Baler native led us to.

Amidst the pebbly highway, the journey went smoothly but just when we were about to enter our lodge grounds, the steering wheel broke unexpectedly.  Lucky for us, we arrived safely.  I whisked at once the idea of an untoward incident or the least, a grope in the dark highway should it happen while in transit.  Whew!

While we were offloading our stuff, an unwelcomed rain fell heavily.  The kid’s excited faces turned blank that caused hesitation to alight.   Our jolly vacation suddenly shifted to a slowmo mode that confined us to light laughs or to far empty sights.  Lunch time came and still no sign of the rain coming to halt.  I failed to reckon how many begs the kiddos had; Mom, aren’t we going to the beach yet?... Oh dear, your father was busy looking for spare parts and no one will look after you at the beach.

  

I soon realized that the kiddos could still enjoy the beach… It’s just a rainstorm, not enough to spoil the kids break.  So with an umbrella at hand, I watched over while they gullibly played, swam and laughed under the downpour for the rest of the day.

On our second day, we were blessed with a beautiful weather and our car was fixed and ready to roll again.

After breakfast, we ascended the nearby Ermita Hill; set as an ideal area for evacuation in cases of tsunamis or huge waves.  This place has witnessed and shielded the few survivors of the Year 1735 great storm.

As a designated evacuation site, it has a huge ground that can serve as a camp.  It also has a water facility, rest rooms and open cottages.  Vehicles can be brought all the way to the park grounds.

Ermita Park offers great scenery with Sabang beach to the left and Cemento Beach to the right.

Then we followed the concrete steps and it led us to the top marked by a huge cross.  The view atop however were obstructed by tall cogon grass and trees.

After Ermita Hill, we continued towards Diguisit Falls.

Followed by the rock formations of Diguisit Beach.

On our way back, we had a glimpse of Dimadimalangat Islet, a rock formation that serves as the southernmost tip of Baler Bay.

Before we entered Brgy. Poblacion, we passed by Dikaloyungan Marker where the katipuneros showed their opposition to the Spaniards by tearing of cedula.

RELATED STORIES:

Baler Day Tour – Part 2

SNAPSHOT | Diguisit Falls

Travel Date: October 2014