Trust the Reroute | Baler, PH (Part 4)

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We are back in Baler! Just a quick rundown on what we've visited so far:

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At this point, I wanted to conclude that Baler's just blowing my mind off and although I've seen so many beautiful beaches, hers was remarkably the prettiest. I mentioned last time that I extended my stay in Baler and one of the days I extended, I witnessed another side of her already-charming personality.

I may have no itinerary in mind but I do know that I wanted to tour one of the must-visit destinations in Baler, Dicasalarin Cove. Based on my knowledge, there are few named coves in Cebu and many of them go unnoticed. Perhaps one of the most popular is Hermit’s Cove in Aloguinsan. But to be honest, Hermit's Cove is too small compared to the ones located in Zambales, Aurora, and other parts of Luzon which are massive in size and could cover one to four barangays from end to end.

On top of that, I used to love the mountains more than the seas. I'd automatically choose climbing and trekking over beach time. But exploring coves allowed me to never choose one over the other. I can go hiking for hours or days and end up in a spot where I can see a rather romantic meet-up of the seas and the mountains. This is perhaps the reason why I've always wanted to see Dicasalarin and Dingalan (still in Aurora but outside of Baler).

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That day, Kuya Jaime came to the hostel at the time we agreed. We immediately drove towards Dicasalarin which was 15 kilometers away from Poblacion Baler or roughly 30 minutes of a motorcycle ride. I was ecstatic on the way knowing that I’m getting closer and closer to one of my dream destinations. With all fairness, Baler may be too far away from Metro Manila but their roads, even the ones in mountainous parts, were already cemented. In order to reach Dicasalarin, we had to go up steep slopes which seemed endless at first until we halted. Kuya Jaime then gave the signal: Dicasalarin Cove is only a few meters away. We entered a gated premise only to be welcomed by bodyguards and caretakers of the place who told us that Dicasalarin Cove is closed that day.

From the entrance, a glimpse of her calm yet magnetic scenery could be seen. The more I look at her, the more my heart ached. The staff were having a scheduled seminar for three straight days and they're not allowing any guests in as no one's going to be there to take care of their needs. It was the most painful thing I had to go through (next to my heartbreak which was a given). What's more painful was the fact that I could no longer extend 3 more days just to come here again.

I looked at her from afar and promised that I'll be back, that I'll set foot on her gleaming white shore and explore her entirety one day. To this day, I'm ready to fulfill that promise once borders open up and local travel will be safer.

My disappointment had skyrocketed that very instant that I could no longer think of anything else. But Kuya Jaime came to the rescue, he told me that I should not be sad, that there are reasons why Dicasalarin wouldn't show herself to me that day. I fell into his comforting words; I don't want to ruin the mood for the rest of the day.

So like the water that runs from the river to the sea, we naturally moved to our next destination, the lighthouse in Baler. It was already too hot that I could feel my skin burning, but nothing could stop me from unboxing more of what Baler had to offer.

We pulled over a small road that led to the shore. Kuya Jaime parked his motorcycle somewhere and we were off to an unprecedented adventure! 😍

Since I already knew that we were visiting a lighthouse, I anticipated the climbing part and yep, we climbed up in order to get to the top. It was almost summer so Kuya Jaime and I had to deal with dry and loose soil and rocks on the trail. But nothing death-defying as long as you pay attention.

All the difficulty we went through in the short climb was rewarded after a few more minutes. After climbing and turning my back, this view told me my day's definitely not over, despite Dicasalarin Cove's temporary closure.

Aside from the lighthouse, which is the main reason why people would visit this place, the scenery that day was enough in itself. Even without the lighthouse as main attraction, I'd still come here.

Even before reaching the top, I couldn't help but pose for a few photos with the small cove and the blue raging ocean as my background.

Another terrific addition to the scenery is the two islets just across the lighthouse. One's bigger than the other and they seemed to be in a quarrel; they aren't close to each other.

I also didn't let the chance to take a photo with these two islets on my background.

Now, it's time to explore the main attraction - the lighthouse. There was no one to collect fees or anything like that. The gate to the lighthouse was also open, an invitation to go up and see what was waiting for me at the top of the lighthouse. It was so funny because from afar, the lighthouse looked really small so I was confident to climb it all by myself with a GoPro on one of my hands documenting the intrusion haha 😂 I was already halfway to the top when I figured it was high enough to kill me if I tip-off. As you can see in the photo of the lighthouse below, its railings aren't secured enough to stop anyone from falling. But I was already halfway there and despite the nervousness, I was still eager to see the entire place in a bird's eye view, so as you guessed, I moved forward.

When I safely reached the top, all physical manifestations of my fear were replaced by joy, peace, and contentment. What a lovely day it was to live, to breathe, to see things from the angle I'm seeing them. And you know exactly what followed after, pictorials! This time, I couldn't seem to stop myself from taking photos of all possible angles from the top of the lighthouse. I thought I deserved it after braving my occasion fear of heights.

I know you'd fall in love with this place. But before I could write an entirely new article describing every single emotion that lingered inside me that moment, I'll just drop here the photos, lots of them! 😂

I know that day could've turned my Baler trip upside down in ways that would've forced me to forget about all the good things I've experienced in Baler, but truly if one thing's not meant to be then maybe other things are. We just have to hang tight and keep the patience level at the maximum. To date, I'm still convinced that I have to back to Aurora and explore its northern and southern regions.

For now, I'm leaving you with this happy face of mine to remind you that some reroutes aren't that bad at all! And on this note, we're ending Part 4 of this Baler Travel Series still under my #project81PH journey. See you in the next post! 😍

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