elle's tinker toes ♥♥♥

grabbed from Wikipedia  When I hear "Baler", one word comes to mind -- SURFING!!!! Baler is the provincial capital of Aurora, located at the Eastern part of Central Luzon. Because of its killer waves, it has become one of the top surf spots in the Philippines. Best time to come is September - March. How we reached Baler? My friends rode a bus, while me and husband brought our car. Bus departed from Cubao terminal at 3AM, while we left our home in Marilao, Bulacan at 3:30 AM. Via Bus: My friends met at Genesis Bus Terminal in Cubao at around 2AM, Saturday of July 23, 2016. Bus left at 3AM, their first trip. Bus leaves every hour.

July 2, 2016. Saturday , when we drove all the way from Bulacan to Quezon Province to visit one of the most go-to places in the area -- Villa Escudero Plantation and Resort . Villa Escudero promises a feel of the Philippine culture, offers many activities and attractions. We got there quite easily. Having passed through the similar route when we went to Cagbalete Island few years ago (see post here ), this place is familiar to us. On board our private vehicle, we drove via SLEX, exited at Sto. Tomas and continued onto South until we reached Tiaong, Quezon. We left the house in Bulacan at 4:30 AM, had a quick stop in a gas station along SLEX for around 30 minutes and arrived in Villa Escudero Mc Donald's at 8:30 AM. We decided to eat our breakfast before heading towards Hacienda Escudero's main gate, which is only 250 meters away from McDonald's.

We squeezed in a side trip to Abucay Church when we were in Bataan. Reason for that is because my Aunt’s maiden name is Abucay and  that Abucay Church has a history to tell.

The first time we went to Bataan was when we did an overnight camping at Stella Mariz Beach Resort . There are other wonderful attractions in this province, but what got my interest in coming back is this hotel located at the heart of the City of Balanga - The Plaza Hotel. photo grabbed  from The Plaza Hotel's website.  http://www.theplazahotelbalanga.com/ Stunning, isn't it?

Day 3 - Nov 22, 2015 After we checked out our stuff that morning and settled our bills at Travelbee Inn, we stayed at their restaurant while waiting for the van to bring us to Dakak Park Beach Resort for an overnight stay.

Day 2 - Nov 21, 2015 We were clueless as to how the tour would go here in Dapitan. Because in my experience travelling to other provinces, usually there is a fixed price. Like in the City tour in Puerto Princesa for instance. So, that morning, after breakfast, we just stood at the corner of the street beside Travelbee Inn and hailed the first tricycle in sight.

  Day 1 - Nov 20, 2015 It was an APEC week. Most of the domestic and international flights by Airline Carriers were cancelled for three consecutive days to make way to the Delegate's arrival, utilizing the NAIA International Airport. Good thing, our flight wasn't on the list of the cancelled flights posted on CebuPacific's websites. But that didn't ease my worries. I still had to check their website up to the last minute before we left the house to make sure. Nobody wants to be stuck in the airport, anyway. Also, we had to leave early to avoid road closures in EDSA and near NAIA roads, which is also APEC related. Expected departure 1:15PM.  Expected Arrival 2:10 PM.