We've come to the 2nd part of our #Project81PH Baler Travel Series. If you missed the first post, I made it easier for you to find. Click here.
If you've seen Part 1 then what are you waiting for? Part 2 is about to unfold. Tara lets! 😍
ERMITA HILL
Our next stop is Ermita Hill. For the previous hours that I'd been riding on the back of Kuya Jaime's (my tour guide) motorcycle, there were no traces of any hill; all I'd seen were endless green fields, flat terrain end to end. But after a few minutes, we arrived at the foot of Ermita Hill.
A huge tidal wave shocked all locals in Baler on December 27, 1735. They called the unfortunate event Tromba Marina. And since all of Baler's east side faces the Pacific Ocean, they moved westward to find refuge from the tsunami's wrath. Ermita Hill which is the only relatively higher and safer place to be during that time, became their last resort when the tidal waves hit their town. Based on historical claims, only the Angara, Bijasa, Bitong, Carrasco, Ferreras, Lumasac, and Poblete clans survived the huge tsunami.
Before reaching the top of Ermita Hill, you can see these statues of seven (7) people holding each other's hands in a dramatic way. You can feel the urgency just by looking at them. This piece at the foot of Ermita Hill reenacts the fleeing of the 7 clans. I'm not sure if I remember it right but one statue represents one clan who survived the said tsunami.
It felt creepy to actually touch one and somehow be part of the reenactment. But my tour guide insisted I take the rare opportunity. So I set aside all the lingering thoughts and had the photo taken.
The top of the hill is accessible via a concrete road so there's nothing to worry about in terms of accessibility. But once you reach the top, you might be a little disappointed.
There's nothing much to do there except to see downtown Baler and the famous Sabang Beach. It's also difficult to get a clear, unobstructed view of the rest of Baler as the viewing deck in Ermita Hill was covered with huge trees and branches.
On the very top of Ermita Hill, there's an open space where kids could run freely. Through the local Tourism initiative, they've built an Ermita Hill signage where people usually take delight in snapping photos.
With the right tricks, you can do wonders with your camera too. Any idea how this happened? Or have you done this trick too? One thing's for sure, Kuya Jaime surely knew how to make his clients happy. And I'm one of them.
It was getting hotter and if we wanted to visit more places, we needed to keep the ball rolling. If you're up for more than just sightseeing, I wouldn't recommend Ermita Hill. However, if you are the kind of traveler who's appreciative of history, this place is for you. Nonetheless, with Php 15.00 entrance fee you can always come here and spend at least 10 minutes.
RONQUILLO BALETE ECO-PARK
On the same day, we visited Ronquillo Balete Eco-Park in Maria Aurora, Aurora. Maria Aurora is an adjacent town to Baler; it is still part of the Aurora Province. I had no idea there's a balete tree in here. This wasn't even part of the places I wanted to visit but since we'd passed by here, might as well drop by and check out the place.
I know, it might not look that big in the photos I've taken but it is gigantic face-to-face. This is the front view ot the Balete Tree facing the entrance of the park.
This one is the view when I moved to the back portion of the tree. To give you an idea how huge this tree is, it will take 20-25 persons holding each other's hand to surround the entire trunk. That's how huge this Balete Tree is. I've seen a few Balete Trees in the past but by far, this one's the biggest.
In Philippine folklore, balete trees are believed to be dwellings of supernatural beings, you know spirits and all that stuff. Some horror movie plots would include balete trees with scary white ladies residing on the tree.
I'm scared if there's anything or anyone in this tree (that I might disturb), but seeing how people enjoyed their time taking pictures, I told my guide that I'd love to climb and had a photo taken while I sit somewhere at the tree's trunk.
Please note that you can climb this only up until a few meters; it's prohibited to climb it all the way to the top.
A WALKING TOUR
On my last day in Baler, before finally heading to the terminal, I managed to stop by a few more historic places in Baler. Prior to my visit to Baler, I really thought that it's an old town in Aurora but I was a bit surprised to see that their Municipal/Town Hall was very new and modern as well as their town's main church. Both buildings didn't show signs of Hispanic or American intervention back in the day. All designs are contemporary.
But walking more towards the outer part of the town proper, I saw this historic house. Most of its parts had undeniably undergone renovation but remnants of Spanish colonialism in its architecture were still all over the house. As the marker erected by the Philippines Historic Committee mentioned, this house was Aurora Aragon Quezon's house. Aurora is the wife of Manuel L. Quezon who became President of the Commonwealth Philippines sometime in 1930s-1940s. There it sank in! The Province of Aurora was named after the late President Quezon's wife, Aurora Aragon.
And speaking of Manuel L. Quezon, I found not just a house but an entire park dedicated to him. He'd done his fair share of making the Philippines what it is today. The Province of Quezon (one of the 81 provinces in the country) located right below the Province of Aurora was also named after Manuel. What a romantic story isn't it? Aurora and Manuel will always be right next to each other.
Enough of the cheesiness, here's the rest of what you can find in Quezon's Park. If you're wondering what Quezon's influence in Aurora is that ended him up in this park. Well, he was born in Aurora, formerly called Tayabas.
Right at the heart of Quezon Park is the town's Museum. Unfortunately, it was closed when I visited.
That's it for our history tour today! I hope you learned something from it. The next part will be what every one of you might have anticipated at the onset of this Baler travel series - beach and more beach! Adios for now! 😁
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