Baler Bound

Baler, capital of Aurora Province, is roughly 230 kilometers north of Manila. Today, Baler is known as a surfing destination although the town is steeped in history.

In 1979, Apocalypse Now, an American war film was shot in Baler. Is it said the surfboards left by the production crew gave birth to the surfing culture that is now prevalent in Baler.

Our trip to Baler was initially set on May of this year. It was postponed indefinitely after Typhoon Bebeng hit Aurora just days before our scheduled departure.

Early September I found out that Aloha Boardsports and TravelFactor were mounting Surf & Music Festival 2011 in Baler on October 29 to 31. We timed our trip to Baler to coincide with the event. October 29 was the day.

“The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley”

Ample time was given in preparation for this trip and a number of friends have committed to come, only two of us actually made the trip to Baler. I decided not to book a room in Baler weeks in advance since I wasn’t getting a firm commitment from anyone.

On the day of our departure, a lot of people are expected to flock to the bus terminals in Metro Manila. Most of them are vacation seekers to the province. Many will be taking advantage of the long weekend due to the All Saints’ Day holiday break.

Saturday, October 29, just passed midnight we were at the Genesis Bus Terminal in Cubao, Quezon City. As expected, all Baler-bound buses were fully booked until the 31st of October.

That didn’t stop us from pursuing our trip to Baler. We headed to ES Transport Terminal, which is just beside Genesis, and boarded the bus to Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija. In Cabanatuan, several buses and vans ply the route to Baler.

At 12:30 a.m. the bus was inching its way out of the terminal. I managed to take a number of short naps as the bus zoomed over the North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and Maharlika Highway to Cabanatuan.

By 3:00 a.m. we were getting off the bus in Cabanatuan City Central Transport Terminal. At the terminal, we found a D Liner bound for Baler but was already packed with passengers so taking this bus was out of the question. Our next option was to take a van to Baler. The van was still half empty. We sat at the last row and waited for 30 minutes to fill up the remaining seats.

At 3:40 a.m. we finally left Cabanatuan in a van where people and baggages were fighting for space. The chilly mountain air gushed through the open windows as the van navigated the winding road to Baler. Too bad it was still dark. The route is quite scenic, they say, as it traverses the Sierra Madre mountain range. With nothing to see outside I decided to sleep.

Around 6 a.m. the morning sun awakened me. The sun cast a golden glow on the countryside. We’re now in the lowlands and speeding on the plains to Baler.

We arrived in Baler at 6:30 a.m. and immediately ate a quick breakfast before heading out to Sabang.