How to Play PokemonGo in the Philippines (and other countries)

Hi All.

Just like all of you, I've been waiting eagerly for the official release of PokemonGo in my country.  Unfortunately, Niantic hasn't given the greenlight for SEA countries as of now.  That is why I have decided to find a way to play the game beyond conventional means and share it with everyone who shares my passion for the game.

Reminder:

I will not be held liable for any damage you may incur on your device, account and people around you.

1. Things you need:
1. Rooted, non-intel android device that is at least at ver. 4.4
2. Busybox
3. Lucky Patcher
4. FakeGPS Pro apk (Free version has kinks)
5. PokemonGo apk v.0.29.3
6. DisableService apk (for devices with FusedLocation service)
7. Internet connection

2. Instructions:
1. First, Install all the above applications in this sequence: Busybox > Lucky Patcher > DisableService >PokemonGo
2. Run BusyBox and install all the modules
3. Open Lucky Patcher, update the app if it asks you to do so.  Then look for FakeGPS, long press on it and then select Move to /system/app
4. Once done, it will ask you to reboot your device.
5. For devices with Fused Location, install and open DisableService from the Playstore. Go to the system tab inside the app and then look for FusedLocation and disable it.  Reboot the device after wards
6. Enable Location services but set the mode to Low/device only.
7. Open FakeGPS and go to settings.  Put a check on Expert mode, set the update interval to 50 and GPS accuracy to 1.  If you want your avatar to move around, put a check on Move around fake location, set the timeout to about 15-30 seconds and distance to 75.  You can play with these settings, but this is what I use to hatch eggs.
1. EDIT: Do not enable Mock Location. PokemonGo detects the said setting and blocks location services.  That is why we moved the FakeGPS to system/app
8. Once done, go back to the main menu and search for any country/city where pokemonGo is available.  I use Australia, Germany and US.  Be careful when switching locations.  Switching locations too frequently and while the app is open may cause you to get "Soft Banned".  This will cause any pokemon to escape from your pokeball all the time.
9. Double tap on the location and then press the play button to fake the location.
10. Open Pokemon Go and login to your account
11. Share with your friends and encourage them to buy me a bottle of beer.

Reminder:

1. This is a pretty straight forward guide and is provided as-is.  You may ask me questions in the comment box but I cannot guarantee my responsiveness.
2. Make sure you play by the rules once the app is live in your area.
3. I will not be held liable if your account gets banned.

The last 30 minutes

It is 30 minutes before 12.  The last half hour before the official day of picking the next group of people who will sit behind the steering wheel for the next six years.  And even though it has been vicious and dividing, I am glad that my personal relationships made it through this season unscathed.  No broken ties, no alienated friends, and most importantly: no humiliating conversations.  But before I officially leave this part of the year behind, I would like to make one last post about the election and politics altogether.  Well maybe just for elections.  I don’t think I can stop blabbering about law and politics at all.

So here we are, the clock is winding down, and people are prepping to make one of the most important decisions of their lives.  I have said this, and I will say it again, I regret that I cannot vote this election.  I am ashamed of myself and I will definitely blame myself if the country takes a nosedive towards anarchy and shit.  But for those who don’t fully understand why I consider voting to be one, if not the most important decision of our lives, let me explain it a bit. 

We all have to make decisions in our own lives; which course to take in college? Which girl to marry? Or perhaps which house to buy?  All those are important; but none of those has a magnitude of impact like the one you are making when you cast your vote.  When you vote, you don’t just affect the direction of your life.  You affect all the other 98.39 million Filipinos around you.  Just imagine: there you are, shading several circles in a sheet of paper, not knowing that every shade you make could possibly make or break the next big name in Astrophysics, or the next Elon Musk, or perhaps the future CEO of a Tech company that rivals Alphabet.  All of the infinite possibilities will be affected by the several minutes that you’ll be spending in your respective voting precincts tomorrow.  This is not just about making a choice for yourself.  This is about making a choice for your sick Grandmother, your OFW dad, and perhaps even your future children.  Because whatever the outcome of tomorrow’s polls will be, we all have to go through the consequences of it.  There will be no exemptions. You, me, registered or not, regardless if you voted for Duterte, Poe, or Binay. All of us will have to live with the consequences of the results for the next 6 years.

Thus, I would like to appeal to all of you for one last time.  Vote intellectually! Not Wisely! And not with your hearts! But with your heads! Think about it! That is the only way we can make the right choice (if there really is). This is not the time when you let emotions, ego and empathy take control.  This is the time when you have to prove to yourself, and your country that you are capable of making an intellectual choice.  This is the time when you have to vote for Mar Roxas (*shielding myself from tomatoes).  Because believe it or not, he has done good things, and he is capable of doing so much more.

You may be fed up with his failures in DILG and DOTC, but who didn’t fail in those areas? (Otherwise I wouldn’t be writing about this now) Or better yet, who did better than Mar? Is it all his predecessors? Or can you even name 4 of his predecessors excluding Robredo? (Firing up google now?)  The thing is, we judge too quickly.  All it takes is for us to see just one meme or a roughly written blog to rain shit on whoever is being accused.  Let’s face it, we conclude without rational thinking.  And that is what this election has come down to.  The tireless social media efforts of the people behind Duterte definitely paid off. And we let that happen to us.  There is no silent majority here or DDS.  It’s just a whole nation that allowed lies, exaggeration and baseless accusations to proliferate without resistance.  Is this the kind of world we want our children to inherit? Do you want your kids to feel afraid of speaking up in public because someone may take a video of him and shame him on social media?  Do you want the next generation to perceive social media and blogs as reliable sources of information?  If no, then why didn’t you take part in stopping it?  And if yes, then may all the gods in all the pantheons out there bless you and your kin.

I have said this before, and I will not think twice about saying it again.  Mar is the right choice for me.  We may not fully agree with all the other things, but I think very few will argue that Mar is second, if not equal to Miriam’s intellect and academic achievements.  That is what we need our next president to be.  He has to be someone who went up stages to receive awards and medals.  Someone who passed the admission procedures of an Ivy League school.  Someone who is beyond doubt educated in matters of economics, law and finance.  That is what we need!  Not someone who had grades of 75s in high school, bullied schoolmates in college and had no academic achievements whatsoever.  I know this sounds harsh and discriminating, but we cannot let people of average intellect lead 98 million people.  That is an irrational decision that no experienced adult would make.  That is why promotions are though to attain.  Because you only want the best of the current pool to lead the rest.  Mar is not a hero; but he is the choice that can lead to a better country.  Because whether you accept it or not, security is not the problem that needs to be solved (as explained in my previous post).  It is the declining level of intellect in our country.  We are no longer producing as many bright people as we did in the past.  That is why the current government worked so hard to change the way our educational system works.  Because they know that majority of students graduating high school will not be able to finish, let alone go to college.  That is the very reason why Kto12 is needed.  Yes, it may be a burden to parents at first.  But the real purpose of this program is so that those who graduate will be able to work their way through college without needing extensive assistance from their parents.  But all this will not be attainable if the next president suddenly shifts the focus towards an imaginary problem.  All it takes is just one wrong statement, just one contradicting law, just one missed opportunity to steer us away from progress.  The Philippines will never develop unless a systematic approach is taken to fix the actual root cause.  It won’t work the way Duterte boasts. (Sorry, but he is the man to beat) So you just say “stop”? Then all the criminals and corrupt officials suddenly go away?  Is that your plan? Just say “Stop” on national TV 24/7?  If not, then what is your plan?  Because I have been watching you since this whole fiasco started, and you have never mentioned anything that is close to a plan (one that is made by thinking adults).  All of your statements so far are either vague, not measurable, or not attainable.  Make the Philippines like Davao? You mean identical? Or just similar? And how long? And is it even sane to use what you did on a city that is just 0.81% of the size of the Philippines? Is this even a logical comparison? Oh and don’t even get me started with your plans on China.  Rail way in exchange for the islands? Really? So you’ll once again use your charisma to influence people into thinking that those islands were useless anyways?  I really can’t stomach that people are buying this kind of talk.  It is beyond reason and definitely not the words of an educated man.  Is this really the one we want to follow for the next 6 years?

I am sorry if I sound like a grumpy old man.  But these are not baseless rants.  These are my honest observations of what is happening to us right now.  I meant no offense here, just plain truth from my point of view.

Anyways, despite all the things that I have written down here, I have made peace with the idea that Mar will not become president.  I have accepted the fact that Duterte or Binay have bigger chances of winning than Mr. Roxas.  All that I’m simply asking is that we all learn from this.  There is no candidate who can drag you out of the puddle of poverty and provide you a comfortable life.  None of them can.  No matter how loud their promises are, you are the only person who can put money in your pocket and food on your child’s plate.  All that these candidates can do, is provide the framework of the direction you should take.  They can build you roads and railings to lead you to a better life, but none of them can walk the road for you.  The president cannot reduce the incidents of crime.  But you can work hard to afford a secured life.  No president can abolish poverty.  But you can take the first step towards not being poor.  No president can stop gender discrimination.  But you can stand up and fight for yourself.  Lastly, no president can magically make you smarter.  But it is your choice whether you want to open that God damned f*cking book in the library or not!

Because like my favorite quote says:

“Being born as a poor man is a circumstance.  Dying as a poor man however, is a choice.”

Why Mar Roxas?

First off, let me just tell you that I am not a registered voter.  I have not registered, and no matter what I do or say here right now, I will not be able to put it into action this upcoming election.  I will not try to save face and blame it on some external factor, or the lack of time, or even the unbelievable long lines for NCR district 2.  I was lazy and not responsible enough to go through the procedure and I regret it.  So yes, I am part of the problem.  I am part of the road blocks preventing the nation to fully develop.  And I regret it.

So why am I writing this despite my obvious lack of credibility? Because I am a writer. And this is what we do.  We write. We write the things we think are worth writing down.  So this is not some attempt to glorify my candidate of choice; or to encourage other people to vote for him.  This is merely me exercising my skills as a writer.

Lastly, before I begin, let me just clear out that I am in no mood to argue/debate on the things that I have written down here.  These are my opinions, and I believe there is no need for me to justify or defend them.  Whatever is written here is the result of my research, experience and personal analysis.  So if you are not matured enough to understand that, why don’t you click on the address bar and go back to google and search for articles that glorifies your candidate?

Ok. Now that we have all that behind us, let me just reiterate that I would probably be voting for Mar Roxas had I registered to vote.  This is a very unpopular opinion nowadays because people are so inclined to choosing Duterte or Grace Poe.  So why Mar Roxas? To be honest, I consider it very difficult to explain why.  One, because Mar has become a walking meme. And two: because Mar is so f*cking honest he always ends up pissing off the Filipino people.  You may be raising an eye brow now after reading that I consider Mar to be honest.  As a matter of fact, I think he is the most honest (if such a comparison even exists) among all the candidates.  Just imagine, Mar Roxas told the press on national television that people who do not believe that the Philippine economy is developing are either hypocrites or lazy (because they are probably not working).  On another occasion, he was asked to comment about a netizen’s remark stating: “If the economy is really growing, then why are beggars still begging?” How did Mar Roxas respond on national television?  “A growing economy can only be felt by people who are working, not by people who beg.”

Those type of answers are the ones that are true but hurt nonetheless.  You see, we as a nation don’t like that kind of response.  What we want is everything handed to us in a silver platter.  That is why you have unemployed friends whose first response to a job offer is: “Baka naman mabigat trabaho dyan ah.”  We don’t want to admit that the road to progress is difficult; and we as the people of this country will have to do majority of the leg work.  That is why we’d rather favor politicians who says: “I will get rid of crime and corruption in 3-6 months.” (Emphasis on “I”).  Rather than the other one who says “We” or “You”.  This is the type of mentality that sent us spiraling down the drain several decades ago.  We ask for so much, yet we are so unwilling to give ourselves.  Let me ask you, when was the last time you donated an hour of your salary to charity?  When was the last time you offered your services/expertise to a weekend workshop in your barangay?  When was the last time you signed up for a cleaning drive, or feeding program for the poor?  Was it last week? If so, then good! I salute you! But I’m betting that is not the case for the majority of us. Hey, even I can’t remember the last time I did something for my country.  Oh and don’t get me started with paying taxes. You don’t pay taxes so you can demand from the government in return.  You pay taxes because there is a Government.  You pay your due because the government has setup basic human rights that prevents local warlords from binding you to a chain and turning you into a slave while you sleep.  You pay your taxes because you can strike off the possibility of a foreign country dropping another Fat Man on top of our heads while we sleep.  You pay your taxes because the law allows personal belongings in our society.  The country doesn’t owe us for paying our taxes.  We pay taxes because we owe the country! 

So going back… was Mar Roxas’ response correct? Of course it was! Was it appealing to the masses? Definitely no! That is why majority of the non-working/partly-working people would rather go to Binay.  Because Binay promises a comfortable future even without the people doing anything.  But we all know that that is a big fat lie.

So why do I really like Mar Roxas? Let me look back at 1999.  Mar was then just a congressman and I was just 12 years old.  He, together with Ralph Recto authored and passed RA 8756 in the congress, otherwise known as the RHQ and ROHQ law of the Philippines.  That law provided tax incentives to multi-national companies conducting their operations, manufacturing, administration, recruitment, and training within Philippine soil.  This was an improved version of PEZA which placed the Philippines on the map for foreign investors.  I mean, PEZA had the same objective, but it was not competitive enough to persuade multi-national companies from turning their backs on India or China.  RA 8756 however, turned all of that around.  I am not saying that all the businesses solely signed up due to this law, but laws like these are big factors in choosing the ideal country to invest in.  But it wasn’t really the law that led me to admire the man who co-wrote it.  It was the ability to see so far into the future.  Just imagine, 1999 was a time when majority didn’t have computers or mobile phones.  Heck, I remember being introduced to Compact discs during that year.  And yet, here is this guy, sitting in his secret corner, doing some unfathomable math to figure out what our country needs to become stronger for the next 15 years.  Why would I not vote for such a guy?

I know that we are all entitled to our own choice.  But let me just scrutinize that for a moment here.  I honestly think that majority of the Filipino people (including myself) are not intellectually ready to vote.  I mean, yes, they are of legal age and in their right mind.  But this is the presidency we are talking about.  The person who will represent us to the rest of the world.  The person who has the capability to turn down future laws agreed upon by the very same people the masses have elected to represent their voice.  This is the one person who has the capability to take away our Civil liberties.  The election affects everyone, not just those who voted for one candidate or another.  If I made the right choice (if there is one), and the remaining 99% of the country made the wrong one, then I will equally share in the consequences.  So is it fair that my future rests at the hands of the majority? I don’t know.  Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t.  But one thing that I am sure of is that the majority does not possess the intellect to make the right choice for ME.  Let me better explain it with the current situation.  Everyone likes Duterte because of his promise of getting rid of crime and corruption.  People of course jump on to that and say: “Hey, that’s one thing we definitely need! I’ll vote for this guy!”  But let’s take a step back here real quick.  Is there even a problem with crime in the first place? I know that people are getting killed on a daily basis and women are raped all over the world.  But honestly… When was the last time you were a victim of a crime? When was the last time you were robbed? When was the last time your car was car napped?  When was the last time someone tried to murder you?  I am not saying that we should dismiss the cases of crime happening around us just because we are not the victims ourselves.  But you have to understand; crime is a byproduct of human interaction. It has been there since time immemorial.  We cannot get rid of it, there will always be a margin of crime that will always be there.  So is there a problem with crime? Definitely no!  It is a situation! And you don’t solve situations, you adopt to them until they change.  That is why I am not buying Duterte’s promise of getting rid of crime and instead supports Mar Roxas’ bid to provide a more stable economy so people will have the chance to afford themselves a more secured life.  Because like it or not, safety comes with a cost.  It is not like a magic blanket you put over yourself to hide from the Boogeyman.  It is a commodity that you have to work for day and night.

Election is just around the corner.  I am not trying to convince you to vote for Mar Roxas.  He may be the right choice for me, but he is definitely not the right choice for everyone.  No one is.  My goal here is to simply give a wake up call to those who are blindly following their idols.  If you ever find yourself having to sweat simply to justify your candidates actions or words.  Then there’s a big chance you may be on the wrong side.  Just throwing it out there…

Testing the tides of Baler

Baler, Aurora - Located approximately 155 miles northeast of Metro Manila, is a municipality that every Filipino has heared of at least once in their lives.

But what exactly gave this 36 square mile piece of land it's mark on the globe?

To answer that question, me, my girlfriend and a friend of ours took a break from work and let our desks collect dust to check if Baler can live up to the words of praises endowed to it.

Contrary to what others believe, going to Baler is actually an easy feat. Genesis Bus lines provides round the clock  trips from Cubao to Baler, so we decided to take one of their Joy Buses scheduled to leave at 1:30am so we can start our tour early and finish visiting all tourist spots on day 1 since we planned to stay only for 3 days and 2 nights.

The Bus fare wasn't steep but it's not the cheapest around either. We mainly agreed to take it because my girlfriend had work the previous day and our friend came all the way from Bicol. Well for me, I agreed because I like sleeping on long Bus travels, and that's about the best thing you can do when taking one of these Joy Buses. Just imagine, 6 hours of sleep in a dark, fully air conditioned bus with a cozy reclining lazy boy seat and a comfy blanket to keep you warm and toasty all throughout your journey.  Damn... This is what I love most about all my travels.

 Being true to my words above, the picture below is the last thing I remember before arriving at Baler.

We arrived at the JoyBus terminal in Baler at around 5:30 in the morning, an hour earlier than what we expected. Normally we could have requested a shuttle pick up from Costa Pacifica (our Hotel), but I had difficulties reaching them via phone the day before we embarked on our journey.  So we just rented a tricycle to bring us to our destination... Costa Pacifica, one of the most expensive and luxurious hotels in Baler. And believe me when I tell you... This is the place to be... It was worth every penny we paid for. The room, the facilities, the service and the staff... All of them! Even if they doubled their rates, I would still gladly book my next Baler vacation with them.

Anyways, so we were feeling lucky and tried to see if we can check-in early in our rooms so we can drop our stuff and get ready for breakfast. And guess what... It seems like lady luck shines bright on our side.
The receptionist allowed us to check in early at 6am rather than the regular check-in time of 2pm. So off we went to visit the room that will serve as our sanctuary for the next 3 days.

But before leaving I took the opportunity to clip a couple of shots via my phone...

This is my girlfriend talking with the receptionist.

Here's the pool area just before the break of dawn.

And this odd building that looks like a granary houses some of Costa Pacifica's Hotel rooms.

We were checked-in in one of the Bahia De Casitas rooms that according to our tricycle driver/tour guide Mang Rolly, the Angara clan acquired from it's previous owners for more than 30 million pesos.

The room was great, it was actually better than what I expected or saw in some of the television shows that aired a couple of days ago.

Well great is an understatement, the room was fabulous! I was actually thorn between getting ready for breakfast and laying my back flat on those inviting mattresses.  The pillows were like made of clouds, they were so soft and fluffy... Damn! I could spend half of the day just rubbing my cheeks on them. Not to mention that they paired this with a freaking comforter that wants to be called by it's superlative form. And I mean no exaggeration when I say that all 3 of us were enchanted by the beauty and comfort that we saw in our hotel room.

But that was not everything, they also had a 32 inch wall mounted flat LCD screen, a hot shower and glass door that leads to a veranda facing the pool area. All of which I didn't bother to take pictures of because I was so enchanted by what I previously mentioned.

On a second note. I scavenged my girlfriend's phone and got this:

This is the view from the veranda. The water in the pool is clean and reaches about 5ft at most.  There's also a small Jacuzzi which was not functional at that time.
So we dropped our stuff, and got ready to start our vacation.

DAY 1

We started the day with a heavy breakfast at Bayler View Hotel. Since we saw a lot of people dining there, we deduced that the food must either taste good or the prices must be pretty cheap there. Well any of those 2 is good for me... Luckily we got the best of both worlds.  The food tastes great and the price wasn't steep at all. I ordered shredded beef Tapa and wanted to have the egg poached, but unfortunately they don't poach eggs because according to the waiter it was hard to make.

Boo! C'mon, it can't be that hard! My girlfriend saw a video in YouTube and made me one right after a couple of weeks ago.

Anyways, I didn't want to spoil my appetite (and Hunger) so I settled for the "malasado" type sunny side up as a pair to my beef tapa.
 
The shredded beef tapa was intoxicating... It was very crispy but it seemed like it was melting in my mouth. The taste was good and I didn't have to bother with tearing it to bits since it was already shredded. Overall, I'd give it a 9/10, don't ask me why not 10, because I can't explain it myself. It just feels like it was missing something to be called a breakfast... Maybe a couple of tomato slices.

After the breakfast we proceeded with walking the shore a little bit before starting the tour.

This is me and my girlfriend. Don't we look better than the scenery behind us? Joke!

And here's a panoramic shot of the shores of Baler:

After the seemingly endless photo session of our friend, we agreed to meet our tour guide for the day in front of our hotel room. The guy is better known as tricycle number 601 or Kuya Rolly for short.

Doña Aurora house

Our first destination is the Doña Aurora house located in the heart of the town.  It's the house where former president Manuel L Quezon lived the early stages of his married life.

Well, actually the house is just a replica of the original one which perished sometime in the past. But the location is the exact same spot where the original once stood.

Here's the place. We arrived at exactly 8:44 in the morning. There is no entrance fee but you can donate any amount to keep the place running.

The house overall didn't really interest me. There was nothing extraordinary about the place, neither was it interesting in the artistic point of view.

The only thing that caught my attention was the restored 1937 Chrysler Airflow which served as Quezon's presidential car back in the old days.

Don't get it wrong, I'm no car enthusiast, my girlfriend probably knows more about cars than what I will ever know in two life times. But I do know what makes me feel good. And just looking at that damn car and imagining me riding at the back must have felt really awesome.

Here's the best shot that I got. Damn glass keeps on reflecting the other side which blocks most of the car.

Baler Church

Next up was the San Luis Obispo De Tolosa church or better known as Baler church.
The church is located just across the street from where Quezon's house is, so all you have to do is walk a couple of meters to get there.

This is probably the most historic site in the whole town as this is where the Spaniards held ground during the siege of Baler. According to historians, the Spanish guards fortified the church and held their ground for 11 months while the combined forces of Filipino and American soldiers placed the town under siege. The same church has also been featured in the movie adaptation of the same event.

The interior of the church looked simple yet very solemn. So we took the opportunity to say a little prayer and ask for a safe trip.

Baler Park

After the house and the church... Comes the park (LOL).  Baler park, which houses the town's museum and Baler's 2nd vintage car also serves as a meeting place and rehearsal grounds for academic activities.

Here is the centerpiece of the park, a life-sized statue of Manuel Quezon sitting crossed-legs seemingly taking watch over his nice little home town.

Which stirred the curious little cat in me to see what our former president sees sitting on top of that small stage.

And... There you go... It's just funny, because when you look intensely at the right side, you will see an establishment named "pakunswelo", in English: "consolation". Humorously pertaining to Quezon's final and eternal view as just a consolation.

The museum, which is just behind Quezon's back houses several loots from sunken ships, mostly trade galleons from the Spanish era. None of them looks really fascinating, but since most of those porcelain vases and plates are over 3 centuries old, they have been named artifacts of the pre-independence era. The museum also has some props used by the movie Baler and a couple of portraits of Spanish soldiers in display.

Here are some pictures of the museum:

They didn't have much in display, although the last one fascinated me because it had a slight resemblance to the Flying Dutchman as depicted by the famous movie about pirates.

After leaving the museum, we took a short detour and dropped by at the JoyBus terminal to book our trip back home. We later found out that we could have just asked our hotel to book the trip back home for us with just a simple phone call.

Yes, Costa Pacifica will have one of their staff go to the terminal to book your trip according to your preference. Starting to like them? I certainly do.

Lukso-Lukso

After the short detour, we started our tour to the spots which were located outside the city.

Our first stop was the Lukso-Lukso overlooking spot. We arrived there at 10:30 in the morning. The spot was just along the highway that we traversed. It was a steep cliff overlooking a rocky shore consistently being crushed by the furious waves of the Pacific.

See those waves? They can be pretty lethal if paired with those black rocks on the shore.

And since we were already there, we asked our guide to take a jump shot of us three:

Thanks to Sony Xperia's Time Burst mode, repeated failed attempts of jump shots is now history.

Another thing that fascinates me about Baler is how all these tourist spots are conveniently located along the highway. Which brings me to our second stop: Diguisit falls. A small water falls along the high way. The place where locals bathe their kids and wash their clothes under the bright morning sun.

Diguisit Falls

It wasn't much of a spot since it's just a couple of meters high. But it's still worth the stop since you can refresh your face and soak your feet in the cold waters coming from the mountain.

By the way, another great thing about Baler is that the wind always blows cold despite the scorching sun. Must have something to do with the wind coming from the sea and the rich flora in the area.

15 minutes away from Diguisit falls lies our next destination. Diguisit beach and some of it's rock formations.

Diguisit Beach

Unfortunately, there were students camping near the shore and a pictorial of the Bb. Aurora beauty pageant was about to take place. So we just settled for strolling the rocky shores a couple of meters away from the camp site.

Locals say that the best time to visit this place is during sunsets as the rocks provide a combination of eerie and serene ambiance when shaded by the diminishing light of the sun.

Warning! There are Sea urchins lurking between some of the rocks. So don't forget to wear slippers with hard soles and always look down before shifting your weight from one foot to another.  We immediately packed up on our pictorial session upon finding this out as we didn't want to risk stepping on any of them.

At that time it was almost 12 noon and we all felt a mutual need to ingest something delicious. So we all agreed to head back to town to fill our empty stomachs.

Ermita Hill

But before going back, we briefly stopped by Ermita Hill and the monument erected in memory of the few people who survived a tsunami that almost wiped out Baler's entire population.

As you can see, they even made a replica of the killer waves that claimed thousands of lives.

There is also a stair way leading to a small picnic ground on top of the hill which provides a not so bad overlooking view of a part of the town.

GERRY Shan's

Fast forward to lunch time and we found ourselves dining at Gerry Shan's eat-all-you-can buffet for just 185 pesos per head.

The food's taste was mediocre, but there was plenty of dishes to choose from. Not to mention that they also have shrimps (fresh water) and squids on the menu. They also serve unlimited drinks and a couple of salads, fruits and desserts.

After revitalizing our selves with 2-3 plates, it was almost 1:00pm and we all came to the conclusion that we had to move one of the spots for tomorrow because it would simply take too long to get there and the sun probably won't wait up on us.

So we once again rode our tricycle to head to the World-famous Millennium Tree.

Millennium Tree

One of the largest Balete trees in the world. Well Millennium is actually an inappropriate name since the tree ain't really a thousand years in age. But locals say that it is probably older than 600 hundred years old.

We arrived there at 1:20PM and what I thought would just be a quick picture session suddenly turned to a tree climbing expedition thanks to my ever impulsive girlfriend.

I to be honest didn't climb it due to 2 reasons:
1. I was too big and I'm afraid that I may get stuck in one of those crevices created by the branches.
2. I hate climbing trees.

So if you're one with me, you can probably still find joy in taking pictures inside the small cavern of the Millennium tree.

I don't know the exact measurements of the tree. But believe me when I say that you'd probably be in a very bad shape if you fell while climbing it.

Luckily, there were lots of local guides ready to assist any tourist climbing the tree without expecting anything but a small donation coming from your kind hearts.

Once my girlfriend and our friend finished the way down, we continued to our last destination for the day.

Mother Falls

Dimatubo or better known as Mother Falls.  According to our guide, the locals living around the area, required that tourists transfer to "their" tricycles to transport and guide them to the falls for 100 pesos per head. But taking our guides advise,  we went the other way around and got one of the locals there as a guide for the trek since he said that it would be cheaper if we went that way.

The trek to Mother Falls took no less than an hour. The trail was very easy as there were no steep tracks. The fun started when our trail started to converge with the "usual" trail and we started crossing streams of water and bamboo bridges.

We also came across a hydro-electric power plant connected to the dam harnessing the surge of water coming from the famous Mother Falls. And when we finally arrived at our destination, we were welcomed by the cold waters of the mountain.

This is the 3 of us before I decided to test the waters.

The water wasn't deep but it was extremely cold. And believe me when I say that it is "extremely" cold.  Anyways, you probably won't last an hour dipping in those waters without risking getting struck by hypothermia.

And that concluded the first day of our trip. We headed back to our hotel to freshen up and get ready for dinner.

Beach House Resto

At around 7PM, we proceeded to our Hotel's restaurant, the Beach House.  We ordered 3 Filipino dishes: Pinakbet, Binuklad na Dilis and the all famous Chicken Binakol.

This is simply tinola served in a coconut shell, with only one exception,  instead of using water to cook this famous stew, chef's used fresh Buko juice to give it a sweet and balanced taste.

And here's the Dilis... 5 minutes after being served to us.  The plate was full by the way.

Unfortunately, we were unable to take a picture of the Pakbet ad it suddenly vanished into our hungry stomachs.

The price was a bit high. But that was justified by the superb taste and service that we received that evening.

We then went to sleep to get enough energy for our trip tomorrow.

Day 2

We initially agreed to wake up at 4AM so we can have an early morning jog by the beach, but since our beds insisted that we extend our sleep... We regretfully obliged (Lol).

Anyways, we got up at 5 in the morning and started getting ready for breakfast and our trip to Dicasalarin cove.

Breakfast

Our Hotel stay included complimentary buffet breakfast every morning, so we took full advantage of it and enjoyed Beach House's cross continental cuisine.

There was lots of stuff to choose from: Suman, cheese, pan cakes, fried rice, corned beef, omelets, oat meals, corn flakes and many more! Outside guests can also indulge themselves in this sumptuous breakfast for only 450 pesos per head.

Here is Baler's famous Suman, those dips are Aling Pacing's Coco Jam and Peanut Butter.

Pizza ftw! Even the president's sister indulged herself a couple of slices. Those round things are cheese by the way.

And these two are my precious companions.

After an hour of breakfast we finally started the ride towards the Famous land of the Angara's...

Dicasalarin cove

But let me warn you. Before going to Dicasalarin, there are a couple of things that you need to consider.

A good part of the road is made up of steep uphill roads combined with sharp curves. So make sure that you have a vehicle with good breaks and strong engine.

Get a Gate Pass from Costa Pacifica front desk. Guests who are checked-in will have an entrance fee of 100 pesos per person while others will have to pay 300 pesos each.

Expect about 30 minutes - 1 hour steep up hill and down hill hike if you decide to go there by land. Why? It is strongly advised that you alight your vehicles on steep roads to ensure your safety.

Costa Pacifica offers tour packages ranging from 1,000 - 5,000 which you can avail. I haven't confirmed this, but locals say that they provide boat accommodation too.

So off we went via our good 'ol trike. And after 30 minutes or so, me and my friend proceeded by foot while my girlfriend remained in the trike while going up.

At first I thought that this will be a piece of cake like the trek from the previous day, but I was sooo wrong!

Had I known what was waiting for me, I would have simply paid 5 grands to anyone to take me there via boat. But there I was, ignorant to the long and exhausting trek that was waiting for me.

The road was either up hill or down hill, no straight planes and no easy roads.  And if you're overweight like me, you should know how hard it is to walk up a steep path and keep your balance while walking down hill.

This is me at the edge of my wits. I couldn't help but grab a branch to use as a walking stick. By the way, the shirt I'm using is a thermal shirt designed in Japan. It increases the body temperature every time it gets soaked in water. Unfortunately it does the same thing when soaked in sweat. So you can only imagine the heat I had to bear while exerting all of my energy to carry my own body weight.

You see that beach behind the first mountain on the right side? That's where we're going.

After more than an hour of trek, we finally arrived at the most beautiful place in Baler... Dicasalarin Cove. A paradise covered in the steep mountain range of Aurora. A place that nature shielded from human abuse and modernization.

Here are some of the pictures that we took before proceeding to the beach area:

This part is being taken care of by the helpers of the Angara family.  They've been keeping the place clean just in case the Senator decides to spend the weekend there.

I was about to rush into the waters when my girlfriend pointed towards a sign that said: "Bawal Lumangoy".

Upon closely examining the waters, I too was convinced that swimming in those waters should be prohibited.

The waves were just too fierce, not to mention that there are several rock formations on the side of the clear shore. The sea bed too proved to be too perilous for swimmers as there is a sudden ledge leading to greater depths.

That's our friend soaking his feet in the cold water since that's all we could settle for.

Here are more pictures of us being happy on the beach:

Yes. That's supposed to be a Cart wheel.

This is the view from the opposite side.

But there was another thing worth looking at in this cove. It's the "lighthouse" located on a cliff on the right side of the shore.

There's a passage through the rocky part of the beach that leads to a 170 steps stairway towards the lighthouse which looked more like a monument rather than an actual lighthouse.

Warning! If you're afraid of heights you may probable feel a little stiff when you reach the top.

Here's a picture of us walking the stairway.

And this is the view that awaits you when you get to the top:

This. Ladies and gentlement is a U.S.O., short for unidentified standing object. It's supposed to be a light house but it looks nothing close to an actual lighthouse.

Believe me, you wouldn't want to be standing where she is.

See. I look stiff, don't I?

And here's our friend Rod standing on the other side.

Everything seemed so magical that I almost forgot that we still had to walk the same path that we did before arriving there.

And again, believe me when I tell you that I almost succumbed to the heat and fatigue, not to mention dehydration.

Because despite all efforts of preparation... None of us ever thought of bringing bottled water!  I almost resorted to chewing some of the leaves we passed by just to rehydrate my mouth.

After the long trek,  we went to the rolling stores back in town to have lunch. The food was cheap and the taste was alright, end of the story, nothing to complaint about.

With lunch being done, we went back to the hotel to freshen up and get ready to ride the waves of Baler.

Aliya Surf Camp

There are plenty of options as almost all resorts and hotels in the area offers surfing lessons and board rentals. But we ultimately decided to have our baptism of fire at Aliya's Surf Camp.

The price was 350 pesos per hour which already includes board rental, instructor, ballers and discount coupons on items displayed in their hotel shop.  Nice deal right?

Well, if you are on a tight budget, other surf camps offer cheaper rates. Just walk the shore and you'll surely come across cheaper rates.

By the way, ladies: you may want to protect that silky white skin of yours by getting a rush guard. Gents: as if we ever cared! Right?

Anyways, the first part would be practicing how to get up and balance yourself on the board. The instructors will explain the steps to you before rushing head on into the waves.

Guys, pay very close attention to this!
Missing these instructions may lead to a total waste of time and money as you won't even have the chance to stand up on your board.

Here's a picture of Rod listening eagerly to his instructor:

Another thing to keep in mind, a bulging belly may give you troubles when standing up. Just tell your instructor that your belly is giving you a problem and they'll give you some tips on how to get past that.

Here are a couple of pictures taken by my girlfriend:

That's Rod... Under his board as opposed to being "on" it.

There you go my friend!

This one kills! 

I promise you, you'll feel a different kind of ecstasy once you get a grip on this.

Here's another one for the road:

Well, as basic as all this might look like, be prepared for a hand full of frustrations. Merely standing up ob the board requires a lot of concentration and timing. Staying on top of it is another story.  So don't feel like giving up whenever you fall off the board. Just relax and focus on one step at a time. I, for example took more falls than the number of successful "rides" I made.  Also, don't ever compare yourself with others, some people are born with an extraordinary sense of balance, while some are not.  Some will just need an hour of "training" to be able to surf on their own, while some may take 3. Just don't give up and always remember: "There are only two things you need to surf: One, a board. And Two, freaking nice waves."

Still not believing me? Look up Nick Vujicic and you'll know where my optimism in surfing is coming from.

After an hour of surfing my companions decided to hang out by the pool area while I took off to town to get some money and buy cake and flowers for my Girlfriend.

Here are some pictures of my companions enjoying the pool:

During this time I stumbled upon one of the undiscovered delicacies of Baler. A choco waffle enclosed chocolate chiffon cake topped with cream cheese. It just tastes so awesome you'll forget you bought it for someone else! The cheese on top is just mouth watering and the chocolate part tastes just as good.

It's something worth your time and money as you'll hardly find a cake that tastes as good as that one here in metro manila. By the way, did I mention that it only costs 350 pesos?

Unfortunately, I forgot to take note of the name of the pastry shop and the cake. Neither did I manage to take a picture of the label on the box.
So if any of you know what I'm talking about, please send me the name so I can give them credit for their fabulous work.

Here's a picture of that mouth watering devil:

...with my Angel holding it. :-)

By the way, she just turned 27 last February 13.

Dinner @ Hungry Surfer

Later that evening we decided to have dinner at Hungry surfers resto which was just located beside Costa Pacifica. Prices were mid-range, as well as the taste.

But what surprised me was the poor service we received from the waiter. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the resto as a whole, but just that particular waiter.

Smiling isn't a necessity,  but that bastard of a waiter wasn't even wearing a neutral face. He was literally making face while rolling his eyes as we were trying to decide what to eat. But what ticked me off the most was how he dropped his tickler in front of me and said: "pa check kung tama."

I didn't react because I didn't want to spoil my girlfriend's birthday dinner, so I just let it slip and promised to myself that I'd freaking shove all 3 of our plates down his face should he piss me off again.

Here's our dinner:

The taste was mediocre but there were a lot of people dining and drinking there. Probably because of the nice view ambiance.

Before we decided to end the day, I bought a couple of bottles of smb light in one of the sari-sari stores near our room and consumed it in the veranda area until our eye lids gave in.

Day 3

We didn't have anything planned for the day since we were scheduled to leave at 3pm and we didn't want to be cramming for time if we schedule a trip somewhere.  So we just took our time to eat breakfast and take a couple of pictures by the pool area.

This time we decided to eat breakfast outside.

After breakfast, we just chilled around the pool area. So we swam here and there and took a couple of pictures every now and then to kill time.

Here's the drinking station by the pool area. There are no waiters stationed here, so you have to pour yourself your own glass.

Here's Rod in chest-deep water.

And this is him under the water.

And since we didn't really have anything to do, we took more photographs to throughout the day.

Here are some of them:

The view by the pool area is just fascinating.

Just imaging floating in cold water while watching the Pacific throwing it's mighty waves on the shore.

These pictures are taken outside our hotel room:

Upon checkout at 12 noon, we decided to get some "pasalubong" for our loved one's waiting at home.

So we left our bags in the custody of the receptionists at the front desk and rented a trike to bring us to the nearest market place.

One thing that I can recommend would be Aling Pacing's Peanut butter.
You can get some from their store located beside the Joy Bus terminal.

You may also want to try Baler's Suman and Paco as they both are very delicious.

Lastly, we made sure to fill our stomachs with a sumptuous lunch before embarking on our trip back home.

We ordered Baler pizza and Macho Nacho at Costa Pacifica's resident resto.

Baler Pizza although just an ordinary pizza topped with Paco and Baler's authentic Longganisa far exceeds the taste of your everyday pan pizza.

Why? It's the crust! The crust made such a big difference. It's crunchy, tasty and doesn't taste like ordinary dough.

I definitely recommend this to anyone visiting Baler.

Macho Nacho on the other hand, is just plain nachos with "everything" on it. Yes, everything that you can think of that fits in the context of being nacho toppings is included.

And that concludes our Baler trip. We were lucky to have booked our trip on weekdays since the place is swarming with tourists every weekends. This is due to the province's proximity to the city.

Overall I'd say that Baler is awesome, I love the food and the different tourist spots we visited.

But most of all, I love the hotel we were checked in. I probably wouldn't have enjoyed this vacation as much had we booked a different hotel. The service and comfort that we received amplified everything about Baler. So heed my advise and book your hotel at Costa Pacifica.

You won't regret it. Their service is worth every peso you'll pay them.

This definitely won't be my last time in Baler. There's just so much to love about this little town that makes you wanna come back for more. In fact, I already made up my mind to go back there this summer and just spend the whole weekend surfing there.

Ciao and have a happy summer guys!

Posted by Idle Hands