Baler, not in Quezon but in Aurora
Yes, that’s what I first thought when I heard of Baler – that it was in Quezon. My HEKASI teacher will punish me for that mistake. Sorry Mam Camaso.. 🙂
We left at 12AM, Saturday after meeting up in Rockwell Ortigas (Trendlabs). First stop over is Jollibee Cabanatuan – arrived at 2AM sharp – sticking it out with the itinerary. 😛
Our heavy duty Baler Van
Where did that inverted reflection come from?
We waited for the two other vans which are also Baler-bound. We got our tour package from Istokewa which only offers 2300/head for a minimum of 12 pax (excluding surfing lessons, 350Php per head) – not bad at all. 🙂 Meimei was our POC (point-of-contact) and she’s the one who organized and took care of the planning. At least for a change (for me.. hehe) because I planned most of the previous trips I had. This time, I just wanted to have a relaxing summer getaway at the beach.
It was a 4-5 hour long drive going to this northeast side of the archipelago. The trip was so smooth – thanks to our kicka** driver, Kuya Lyean who BTW has an amazing talent (aside from a fast and furious driving) which I will blog about in the succeeding posts. 🙂 At 5:30AM, we saw the comforting breeze and heard the peaceful waves of the beach.
Welcome to Baler!
Bay's Inn
Check-in time in Bay’s Inn is still at 12nn but Istokewa made prior arrangements if we can check in our things as early as we arrive. We took our time to rest for a while and stare at the beach while we wait for our rooms to be cleaned. Come 7:30AM and we had our breakfast. As soon as we had our bags and more bags checked in, we head to the beach. The sun is at its high time. Thank goodness for sunblock! 🙂
It’s surfing time!
Our Surfing lessons begin here
350Php for one hour of surfing lessons is already a good deal. Mahdox was recommended to us by Istokewa that’s why we ended up here.. 😛
A few minutes of briefing is a must especially for first timers.. like me.. 😛
Surfing students
Just follow the instructor’s lead in 3 easy steps.
One
Two..
Three
And you’re good to go! Need not to worry because it’s not as hard as you thought.
It’s time to put it to a test. We split the group into two batches, I went to second batch so that I can get good shots of the first.
Test board..
Natakot tumayo.. hehe
Once I felt the waves moving the surf board, I suddenly crumbled. And I had a hard time balancing on my board. I don’t know if it’s because the board isn’t symmetrical or I’m just overweight.. lol 😛
Next try.
Nakatayo nga pero bam! - subsob!.. 😛
I had a hard time standing up because my back still aches that time #notrheumatism. I should put my right foot forward so that I can’t feel any pain pinching at my back. I lost my balance but good thing, this is the only shot of me falling haha and I dared to share it to you.. 😛
Third try.
Third try's acceptable - yes!
I’m getting the hang of it. Slowly stand up to keep your balance. That’s what I kept telling myself. 🙂 The instructor is of no help at this time, marami na kasi akong chicks na kasabay tinuturuan mag surf kaya duon ang atensyon.. Naiintindihan ko at okay lang naman, pero dapat hindi na ako nagbayad ng 150php, nirentahan ko na lang sana ung surf board.
Surfer dude!..
Serious Mode hehe
The waves weren’t as big and often during the first batch’s turn. That’s why later that afternoon, I rented a surf board for 200php/hr on my own without the help of an instructor. Though my back still hurts that time, I still pursued for another hour. I don’t know but even if I wasn’t good at it, I enjoyed it very much. And it made me think that I might’ve fallen in love with surfing.. A very, very, very fun and liberating experience!
More surfing pictures in Baler here.
Mapanuri 