Monday, January 11, 2010

Baler's Famous Five "S"

There is no letter "S" in Baler, an enticing little town in Aurora. But remarkably, five of its major attractions starts with the letter "S". Suman, santan, sabutan, surfing and sunset.

Suman

Suman is a native treat made of steamed sticky rice wrapped in either banana or coconut leaves. It is perfect partner for hot coffee or native chocolate and it can be eaten "as is" or dipped on a refined sugar. Suman in Baler is so famous that most of them are gone by late mornings. A Suman Festival is held every February.

Santan

Santan or Cocojam is made-up of sugarcane juice mixed with coconut milk. Baler has lots of coconut fields so it isn't a wonder that cocojam is one of their pride products. This is a favorite "pasalubong" item in town.

Sabutan

Sabutan refers to weaving craft that relies on the use of indigenous plants for distinctive weaving materials. The forests of Baler offers numerous flora as a source of fiber that are used for products such as hats, mats, decorative and souvenir items.

Surfing

And of course, Baler's most famous "S" stands for Surfing. Surfing is an imported term and activity and considered by afficionados as the best surfing place in Luzon. There are waves all year round but the peak period for consistent good quality waves are from October to February.

More Surfing

Surfing in Baler has gained international prominence because of mid 1970s production of "Apocalypse Now" directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It was said that the crew left their surfing boards in the area and the locals learned the craft. Now, the surfers of Baler are among the best in the country.

Surfed

The surfing photos above were taken in Sabang Beach considered to be the best place for first time surfers and those who want to learn how to surf. Other surfing areas in Baler include the Cemento Reef, Charlie's Point and Lindy's Point.

Sunset at Sabang Beach

Of all the "S" that Baler offers, this one is my favorite. Sunset or sunrise depending on the time of day. There is nothing more relaxing than sitting on the beach and watching the sun go down or waking-up early in the morning watching the sun rise from the horizons. Although thick clouds cover the sun that time, still, the orange hues of rays enveloping the scenic beach with an island backdrop is just so fascinating. Ahh, what a wonderful place.

More of Baler on my next posts.

31 comments:

  1. hahahaha ang galing naman.... and daming "S" pero ang gusto ko sa lahat eh ung SUNSET:) ang ganda... its so majestic!!!

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  2. akala ko film review. nyahaha. astig pala sa baler. parang siargao.

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  3. sarap naman surfing... namiss ko magsurf... parang marunong... hahaha

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  4. sun-tanned sexy surfer? hihi

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  5. suman, yum. can't wait for more photos and adventure about this place.

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  6. This is a nice feat about Baler. Never been to Quezon much, but I reached as far as town of Tagkawayan. I wonder how it looks like now.

    Btw, I notice your photos are getting better and better. =)

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  7. ang ganda ng pictures mo, oman! and now, i'm going to follow you, yey! glad I found your blog!
    the best "S" is the sunset and suman!

    thanks for sharing!


    Come and visit my place if you have the time!
    have a great day!

    xoxo
    ~Fickle in Pink

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  8. wow
    astig tio

    2 of my most favorite things:
    cocojam at surfing

    panalo!

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  9. coco jam!!!! dalhan mo ako minsan nyan bro ha!

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  10. Nice photos...

    Baler is truly a wonderful place. I'd like to visit there someday...

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  11. I want to go to Baler!!! Suman, coco jam and SURFING!!!

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  12. sarap ng 5 "S" na yan mas lalo na yung suman at Coco Jam :D

    I recognize the rocks on the last photo. can't wait to see the rest of the series :D

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  13. The red sky is outstanding. Took my breath away! YOu have consistantly great images!


    ...Water, light, magic!

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  14. you've been all over pinas...keep it up...as much as i want to i have to scale down my trips and lost much time to visit your blog...family first mode na ako since last year...btw, i have an open invite to you for Jan 31 in Paete, Laguna...sidney's coming :P

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  15. ay--sarap ng SUMAN...favorite ko yan with manga. iba suman namin sa ANDA Pangasinan, at napansin ko iba rin sa Ilocos.Pero ito, never pako nakakita ng Suman na may kulay. hope matikman ko rin yan one time.....hmmm

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  16. matagal ko na gustong pummunta diyan sa baler. mas lalo ko na gustong pumunta dahil diyan sa suman at sabutan (unang basa ko dito akala ko sabunutan hehe ^^)

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  17. S as in "super" naman itong baler. aside from the suman, gusto ko rin try mag-surfing. sana lang makaya ko.

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  18. This is nice. I think i'll stick with the suman and the cocojam. Pag surfing kasi baka lumubog ako Harharhar.

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  19. suman and santan after surfing. ang sarap!

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  20. Suman sarap and what a stunning sunset! Puro "s" parin! hehehe!

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  21. nice take on Baler. These things are too obvious for us Balerians that we forget they would be interesting to other people. Thanks for visiting our place.

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  22. Your shot of the coco jam jar looks yummy. Hehe! :)

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  23. Hi Norman! Sorry for the delay, but a new year always brings new troubles... ;)

    Lovely shots, as usual!!

    Meanwhile a new blog is born: Blogtrotter Two! Hope you enjoy at least as much as the previous version and look forward to reading your comments!
    Have a great weekend!!! Gil

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  24. I've been there sa Baler pero hindi ako nakapag surfing....

    Pabaon sa akin nung umuwi ako ng Manila ay ang suman nila na masarap....

    Hehe :) May maganda pa diyan... 'Yung Kaunayan Falls....

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  25. Wow! The last photo of the sunset is stunning! : )

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  26. love and miss the suman :) The sunset shot is very pretty.

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  27. Wow this is so beautiful. I love the sunset photo. The sky is so stunning in that photo.

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  28. LS: That is a spectacular sunset, wonderful capture.

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  29. hopefully by next year ma-try ko na din ang surfing sa Baler... =D

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