A Different Labor Day Experience - Baler, Aurora

Labor day usually means a few days in Boracay with my girlfriends. I don't remember why but in May 2013, we opted not to go and stay in the Metro. R has been planning to go to Baler for quite sometime but we haven't found the time to do it. So in Labor day, despite the possibility of getting stuck in traffic because of the holiday, we decided to give it a go.

It was a really hot day. We left home at 5 o'clock in the morning. There was no traffic at all, not in the metro and not in the highway. We stopped in a Shell station to fuel up and check the tires. Everything was looking good. But as we exited the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), another driver signaled that we have a flat tire. What? But we just had our tired checked at the station. We had to pull over at the side of the road and change the tire (30-minute setback).

Since we haven't had breakfast yet, went to a Burger King drive through for some food-to-go. By this time, Chopstick was already becoming uneasy. He was at the back seat and kept trying to jump in front. I think the heat plus his nonstop movements made him ill. Just before the Conception exit, he vomited so we had to pull over again. Russ cleaned up the car seat while I gave Chopstick iced water to drink and took him for a short walk so he could get some fresh air...yes, we went walking in NLEX at midday! (30-minute setback)

By the time we got back to the car, he was exhausted so he slept most of the time until late afternoon.

At around 3:00pm as we reached a town, Chosptick looked uneasy again so Russ took him out for a stroll so he could "do his business" and we could stretch our legs (30-minute setback). 

The drive to Baler was long, with winding roads and rough road with a picturesque view of lakes and the mountainside. Because we were worried about having no more spare tire, he had to drive slow. It must have taken us 2 hours longer than usual to reach our destination. As we continued on our road trip, it had started to get dark and cooler so we opened the windows. Chop poked his head out and enjoyed the ride.

After all that shenanigans, we finally reached our resort at 7:00pm. By that time it was already packed. We unloaded the car, checked into our room, took a bath and a quick nap. Even Chosptick had his nap. Afterwards, we headed down for dinner. I wanted to try other restaurants in the area but since it was late, we just decided on having our meal in the resort. We had stir fried broccoli, lechon kawali and sweet and sour fish fillet. The lechon kawali was a bit dry but tasted fine when eaten with the sauce. For hungry and tired people, everything would taste great.

The next day I woke up early.  I had my Filipino breakfast of tapsilog and coffee while enjoying the cool breeze and the sound of the waves before heading out for our morning walk. The sand in Sabang beach was grey and the water was still calm that morning. Chopstick enjoyed his walk as he played with other dogs. The sea water was cool and inviting. As the day went by, the waves became higher and the surfers started playing. I'd say Baler is a good place to start learning to surf because the waves are not overwhelming in some areas.

The beach is also perfect for families with kids because of the wide shoreline where they can play, with close adult supervision ofcourse.

For lunch we had...

Paco salad with tomato, onion and salted egg
This is something I always order whenever I see it on the menu because I rarely see it in Manila.

Grilled pork liempo
It was served with a side of paco salad. I thought the pork liempo was cooked too dry.

Fish fillet cooked with paco and in coconut cream
The dish had a generous serving of grilled fish underneath the fern. The sauce was a bit sour which cut the richness of the coconut cream.

Fried chicken wings

After lunch we went to the vulcanizing shop to have the tire checked. We then went on an easy trek to the Ditumabo falls.  There is already a pool a few steps from the parking area for those who do not want to walk far but the trek was worth it.

It was a relaxing trek involving some shallow river crossing which can be slippery during rainy days but is perfect for sunny days.

 

Chopstick was spooked when he saw a black carabao because he did not know what it was so Russ had to carry him

Stopping for a drink

We had a refreshing swim on the pool with cool water from the falls. Chopstick was not too happy about it though.

It was almost sunset when we drove back to our resort. Tired from his adventure, Chopstick slept by my side and snored the moment we entered the car.The view along the highway, with local kids swimming and adults going about their day was spectacular.

At sunset we stopped by Ermita hill. This is a high-point where the six families of baler took refuge to survive the tsunami that hit in 1735. These families were the Angara (now a known political clan in the Philippines), Bijasa, Bitong, Carrasco, Lumasac, and Poblete families. 

It offers a view of the neighboring towns and the calm seas with boats passing by.

A trip at a surf beach would not be complete without enjoying bottles of beer with my favorite travel partner.

Chopstick was so exhausted that he did not even mind us playing wit him as he slept

Aside from Museo de Baler, there are many sights to see for those who want a taste of the town's history such as the Baler Catholic Church, the Aurora Quezon Marker, Quezon Memorial Park and many others. But our limited time did not allow us to visit any of them. Maybe next time.

My driver and my bodyguard

The best part of the trip for me was buying gorgeous bright-colored orchids by the roadside at only Php80.00 each!

A Wedding in the Sky - Traditional Sagada Wedding...A First for Me!

On our first night in Sagada after our Pongas falls trek, we went inside the church to greet and chat a bit with the happy couple on the eve of their wedding. It was my first time to enter an Anglican church. The Church of St. Mary the Virgin is a Protestant Episcopal Church. It looked a lot like a Catholic church. The larger than life image of Jesus Christ on the altar made of sculptured wood parts looked like the work of an artisan master. The friends and relatives were busy arranging the flowers for the church and everyone was preoccupied with a lot of prep work so we did not stay long.

The altar of The Church of St. Mary the Virgin

The rituals started that afternoon, with the curing of the meats to be served on the last day of the celebration. The celebration would last for three more days but the main event was the church and wedding day reception. 

Before anything else, I cannot emphasize enough that when attending a wedding in Sagada especially on a cold November day, it is perfectly okay to wear boots, a scarf or even pants. I, on the other hand, was wearing a cocktail dress and strappy shoes because I had to pack light for this Banaue-Sagada trip.

During the start of the wedding, I was happy to see that the couple included their native roots to the celebration by incorporating the native woven cloth in the women's dresses. The communion was like a procession of elderly Sagada women wearing their finest native frock and beads. The church ceremony lasted for two hours with some parts similar to our Catholic mass. The rest were in the vernacular so I did not understand it but the solemnity of the wedding and the packed church was evident of how strong their religion ties are.

After the wedding, we went back to our hotel to get our jackets before heading to the bride's home for the reception. Their home is isolated from the rest of the town. We walked for about tree kilometers each way to and from the reception area, with tourists in jeeps and vans looking at us weird because everyone else were dressed for hiking and spelunking while we were in a cocktail dress and long sleeved dress shirt.

Along the way I was puzzled to see people carrying food in plastic bags and going the opposite direction. It looked like they had already come from the wedding and were about to go home. 

When we got there, the feast had already started and it looked like everyone was invited. There were men playing the gongs while dancing.

The couple was in the registration table which was decorated with a native signage and big containers of fermented rice wine. As a guest approaches the couple, they give a white bowl with their printed names in exchange for the gifts.

After the registration was a challenge of where to sit. One can choose to watch the several performances outside or go straight to the dining and living area, get food and find a place to eat. There was red rice, salad, pancit and several meat dishes including cold cured beef. We sampled some of them. There were also plastic takeout bags for those who want to enjoy their meal at home. This explains the procession of people that we saw earlier carrying food in plastic bags.

It may seem chaotic for someone from the city who is used to organized celebrations and wedding coordinators but being in this celebration showed me their deep sense of community where everyone is like family.

This shows the food still being cooked as the celebration goes on. We were told that it will last all day until the next morning so the cooking probably will not stop until then.

There were village elders serenading the couple and performing dance numbers.

By early afternoon the temperature dropped to 10 degrees celsius so we already left! As we were walking away, I could not help but admire the beautiful view in the bride's family home.

The bride is a native of Sagada who studied in Up Diliman and came to live in Baguio for several years. Seeing her marrying a man of Sagada and choosing to wed and settle in her native town just shows that no matter how far we come, we can never deny our roots and we will always crave to go back to the place we call home.

Cheers to the happy couple!