Our Roadtrip To Baler, Aurora Province

A regular trip to Baler usually takes 5-6 hours of land travel from metro Manila, up the mountains of Sierra Madre and down to the Province of Aurora. Baler is the capital town of Aurora Province. I never really thought that I will be able to go to Baler. 

Our road trip to Baler, Aurora is now the no.1 unforgettable trip my family has ever experienced. With my post previous to this, being with our friends made our trip colorful. Our supposedly 6 hour drive became 10 hours. Along the way, we took a lot of pictures, we had a relaxing drive of 70-80 kph. In other words, we made a lot of stopovers and we weren't rushing.

Maybe you guys are wondering how our dog took the long travel. Emo our pet Beagle slept the whole time. As advised by his Veterinarian, water is key so that the dog will not  be uncomfortable. Of course, Emo was also on bathroom break everytime we make a stop. So far so good, Emo is a tough dog.

The path we took to Baler was pretty hard for an old car. But with trust, faith and staying positive, even the oldest car will survive the roughest road.

One inspiration we took with us was the story of the famous family who traveled the world with a vintage car. They started as a couple(Herman and Candelaria Zapp) who wanted to fulfill a dream. Along the way, a family blossomed as they move around the globe.  Last year, they made it here in the Philippines.

No matter how old a car is, as long as it's well-maintained both inside and out,  travel by land can be limitless. That happened to us with our 1994 Honda Civic.

Our convoy was composed of 2 Toyota Fortuners and our humble little car. Well, to be honest, it was relaxing to know that 2 big vehicles were around just in case something goes wrong with our car. We were up for an adventure anyway, in case something went wrong, we came prepared.

Part of our road trip was being able to grasp some clean air, with lots of greens to look at. The beauty of the Philippines if you take a relaxing travel by land is being able to capture a lot scenery that's refreshing to the eyes.

 At the foot of  Sierra Madre Mountain: the longest mountain range in the Philippines

Lots of green scenery... A piece of art by nature which we don't see in the city.

and

Finally, we have reached our destination...

Baler! I call it "Land Full Of Surprises"

I've always seen the North- Eastern part of the Philippines as a remote destination. Just thinking about it, it feels like it will take forever to get there. But it was just a thought. When we got the opportunity to go to Aurora Province, we grabbed it and now I can say, I lived that unreachable thought of getting there. I conquered Baler!

Road To Baler, Aurora Province: Road signs are everywhere. But it's best to have a map with you.

Nlex- Sctex- La Paz Nueva Ecija- Zaragoza Nueva Ecija- Aliaga Nueva Ecija- Talavera-Llanera(Pinagpanaan-Rizal-PantabanganRoad)-Rizal(Pinagpanaan-Rizal-PantabanganRoad)- Pantabangan Road- Maria Aurora- San Luis Aurora- Baler Aurora.

Expect rough roads once you reach Pantabangan.