01072015

And there I was standing, taking on the summer air, 

Coldplay at my background, I was smiling..

It was at that moment I knew..

God has something for me

He has this plan and I knew, I just knew

It will come in His time

New beginnings...

Faith in waiting..

"Things we lose has a way of coming back to us,

it may not always the way we expect them to"

23. Batanes

10. Dive

Anilao

Siargao: Surfing in Jack Horse, Cloud 9

And when I tell you to go, you gotta go. You gotta paddle your little heart out. You can't hesitate, you can't pull back, you can't hold back. No fear. Because if you do, you'll gonna eat sh*t

~Blue crush

I was really hesitant and excited about surfing here in Siargao. Well because Siargao is a reef break , that when you fell out of your board, there's a huge chance you may land on one of those reefs. Hurts! But I still went coz I'd look like a loser if I dont. haha.

Instructions were vague. I get to compare coz I already surfed in Baler. That was my first time and it was pleasant. I was surprised that Marga and I will be having the same instructor. Two is to one? That doesn't sound good. But we still went ahead.

We see a lot of people surfing. That afternoon, we were to surf in what locals call Jack Horse. In cloud 9, the waves were huge for beginners. 
So, we paddle on our short boards, yes you read right, short boards instead of the long boards we were used to.  And so I got my first wave. Without warning, Kuya just pushed my board and shouted shortly "Tayo!", "Tayo"! After which, expectedly, I wasnt able to stand up. I get frightened whenever I see the reef underneath my board, so i just couched. hehe. duwag lang. haha. 
I don't know. It was a bit unpleasant. Unpleasant, because I'm comparing to the surfer instructors in Baler, which were so good to me. It was like a friend teaching a friend. Me konting biruan pero they'd encourage you whenever you fall..But in Siargao, my instructor's mad whenever I wasn't able to stand in my board. MAD. as in he'd shout at you and make you feel an idiot. nakakawalan ng gana. Well, I don't know. I don't want to generalize all the surfing instructors in Siargao but mine was not cool. As for the rest of my friends, except Marga, theirs were good. 

Baler pa rin :) But still, surfing in Siargao IS bragging rights! Hell yeah! :))

Baler: Second Solo Travel

So my second solo travel pushed through eventually. I did a solo out of my frustration of our Apo trip getting canceled..

So what else would I do? Booked myself a ticket to Baler! and to finally scratch that one thing off my bucket list. SURF! yay
I really have no idea where to go on the weekend. I had three days off and nothing to do. Plus I'm getting burned out recently at work. So, I guess surfing it is! 
So come Sunday night, I found myself at the Genesis terminal boarding their 1:00 am non-stop trip bound to Baler. Seven hours later and I'm in Baler!
I bought a return ticket at their office in Baler since the Cubao branch is not selling. It was a good decision since most seats are taken already considering its only Sunday and I'm leaving on Tuesday. 

From the bus garage, its 10-15 minutes walk to the beach. Sabang beach, appropriately called. I fell in love the moment I saw their beach. It was reminiscent of Bagasbas beach in Camarines Norte but Baler's has mountains, which just adds charm to the place. People are waking up, taking in all the warm sun. 

I know the shoreline is not powdery white and all, but there's a certain vibe  that you just wanna lay down on a hammock and while away the time.
After almost getting lost looking for Bay's inn, I finally found them and booked myself a fan room for an overnight stay. Room is clean and comes with an ensuite bathroom and breakfast! A bit pricey if you ask me. I wish they have a dorm room or something. I availed of their Php150 breakfast buffet. Food is so-so. Pricey if you ask me. Tourist price. 

I asked Kim, the girl at the desk, what's there to do. I think I can't surf just yet. She suggested a tour of Baler, a falls and the famous 100yr old balete tree.
The price is fixed so haggling is a bit difficult and not to mention, Im alone. Oh well, the price I pay for travelling alone.hehe
Kuya (sorry, can't remember his name) will be my driver for the rest of the afternoon. 

It was a bit of a trek and a little river crossing along the way. Water was cold. Can't wait to reach the falls itself. There were a lot of people when we came, but they're already leaving so having the falls to myself seems possible. 
Lying on my back, with a falls in front of me, taking in all the scenery.. Yeah, I'm not in the hospital anymore.

Whenever I find a "spot" in the places I've been, I do this thing, I close my eyes and try to take in everything around me, use all my senses, perse. I try to keep that memory as clear as possible. So whenever I'm feeling stressed out or just need a quick "I need to get away from here" moment, I have those memories.

So I did my thing in the falls.hehe.(That didn't sound right)

The ride to the Balete tree was looong, almost took us an hour. 
Talked to the young guides, aged 14-16. and their Ilocanos! Ilocano pala sila sa Aurora.haha.
I like climbing trees. There's a feeling of being young every time I climb a tree. What I don't like is the climbing down.haha. Mahirap.

I had my lunch at their so-called rolling stores, which were basically carinderias outside, under the trees. I was having my lunch under an acacia tree. Iba talaga sa probinsya.

I asked him if we can pass by the church. I like churches. Since I first saw San Beda's, I had a liking to churches, specially old ones, Spanish churches. So it was disappointing they repainted their church. It would have been nice if they have preserved its old features.

I went back to my room dead beat from all the trekking, walking and climbing. My plan for surfing in the afternoon is getting dimmer. I slept..dont know how long. But when I woke up, the sun's still up! Ang bagal talaga ng oras pag asa probinsya ka.haha. So..surfing na!hehe

My trainer that afternoon was Kuya Mark. He's been surfing for almost three years now. Teaching surfing and at the same time trying his luck on competitions. Most locals are in school and usually do the office work. Surfing are for people who actually has nothing to do, tambays, if i may quote Kuya Mark. If not for the city (Manila) taking notice of the surfing in Baler, they wouldn't realize the possibilities. Kuya Mark said most who joins competitions have been surfing for five or seven years. And it would be like a disrespect  to join such competitions since he's just starting. Seniority sabi niya. Grand prize can go as much as 100,000!! just learning the sport! wow. Sorry walang pic.

Sleeping that night was a bit of a challenge. Mainit kasi and the room smells a bit. Hindi pa abot wi-fi sa room ko. But I managed. Thanks to that ice cold beer. hehe.

My bus leaves at 3:00 pm. More surfing time for me!

Breakky first..

And surfing time again! Waves!!!

 
So what do I think of Baler and surfing? I will definitely do it again and be back. With friends next time and maybe try some other surfing sites. But I did fell in love with Baler and surfing. And let me quote Dra.Coco here "kahit na feeling mo asa loob ka ng washing machine". 


Expenses:
800-room
695-ticket Mla-Baler.Joybus
150-breakfast buffet
150-dinner buffet
700-surf (X2)
45-beer
695-ticket Baler-Mla.Joybus
600-falls/Balete tree tour
150-lunch buffet
miscellanous-200

If you're booking yourselves a ticket through Joybus, call ahead for reservations. They usually have only two trips per day, means tickets ran out fast. You either pay on the bus terminal or through their BDO account, at least 8hours before or else your reservation will be canceled. I paid mine through their BDO account and just showed them the bank slip. 
Genesis Joybus Contact Nos: (02)7090544-45

11. Surf

I did just scratch one item from my bucket list, did I?
S U R F
Oh yeah..
SSSuuuurrrfff..

I went on a sort-of-solo trip last month. I missed it!! The feeling of going away alone. Samahan mo pa ng surfing. The feeling you get each time you get to stand on the board and ride a good wave. Its like learning how to walk..this time you're aware of it and you're on water.hehe.


Looking forward to getting stoked again!

30 before 30

1. Sleep under the stars

2. Mt.Pulag

3. Bungee OR cliff diving OR skydive

4. Maldives

5. See a butterfly OR a turtle born

6. Get paid to travel

7. Keep a blog

8. Save or change someone's life

9. travel alone

10. Dive

11. Surf

12. Backpack Europe (a girl can wish!)

13. Learn to forgive

14. See the aurora borealis, northern lights

15. Sakura

16. Angkor Wat

17. Fall in love

18. Sagada

19. Be back in Sagada. alone.

20. Christmas Island. See the red crab migration

21. Do a 365 day project

22. Support a charity and be active with it

23. Batanes

24. Swim with the whalesharks

25. backpack South East Asia

26. Learn to converse in a foreign language

27. Finish House of the Dead

28. Get a tattoo

29. Learn to pick a lock

30. File my resignation