Senior Frogs

The best place in the world for night life has got to be Mexico. You can walk from a cobblestone street where the environment looks kind of third world into the most high tech sort of club with light shows and special effects and staff that will make you feel like part of the club and you will definitely want to come back. The bars are excellent too with lots of good dancing music and to go with it the staff encourage different kinds of games which end up making you pretty high. They really get you going, all the staff seem to be dancing including bartenders, waiters and doormen.

Equinas

Have your picture with an equina, these things are hugh and they have powerful tails too. This little guy gave me a good swipe on my leg with his tail when his master went to pull him off of me. It left a big mark on my leg that lasted for three weeks. I encounter this guy with the equina which he placed on my shoulder so he took this picture of me without first asking and then he wanted the equivalent of $5.00 in pesos for the picture. I quess I should have known. I gave him the money and now glad I have these pictures for good memories. Click pictures for larger image.

Mariachi Bands

To really apreciate a Mariachi Band you diffinatly have to see one live. There is so much talent roaming the streets in Mexico just waiting for a chance to play at your table for just a few pesos. The bands can be small with just a few quitars or they can be 40 members with several string insterments and several horns or wind insterments. You can hire them for a wedding or for a few pesos have them play a your table in a bar or poolside at your hotel. They usually us no microphone and PA system but the music is delivered very strong and load, especially those bigger bands. On a trip to Mexico this is one experience that cannot be missed. You will really know you are in Mexico.

Chiclet Children

These are young children selling chiclets on the beach. If this is your first time to Mexico you would probably feel sorry for these children because they are poor and of course you are going to give these children the equivalent to $1.00 to $5.00 for a chiclet when in fact this is a very successful business. It took me a few trips to Mexico before I figured this out. Usually you will see the Mother or relative in the near distance coaching the child on and in a couple of hours the child has solicited at least 100 hotel guests at minimum $1.oo each. That is $1.00 x 100 guests = $100.00 in 2 hours. That is $50.00/hour. That's not a bad wage in a country where the average wage maybe $10.00/day. After buying chiclets of these children a few times and asking a few questions you find out that they are licensed by the hotel and by the city, they have their own business license and employee Identification Cards with employee number. They pay a commission to the hotel and to the city. This is an income for the hotel so they are allowed on the hotel beach. Other pedlars are not. Click pictures for larger image.

Mexican Sunset

One of the things I miss most of Mexico are those sunsets, especially from the ocean. You are guaranteed a great Mexican sunset every night so get a hotel room on the ocean. http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com/

Baler House

These little cottages are right on a boardwalk that is along a white sandy beach right in Baler. A house like this you could probably purchase for as little as about $18,000 US. Unlike the rest of the Philippines where real estate prices have skyrocketed, this little town remains very inexpensive. http://homes.point2.com/Philippines-Real-Estate.aspx The reasons is because it being the typhoon centre of the Philippines and certain times of the year you may have to vacate the place or maybe you could get washed out to sea. As you can see though this little hollow block house is still standing and it has probably been there for years. At least for 10 months of the year you could reside hear and enjoy the white sandy beach, watch the local surfing, enjoy the very good but very inexpensive near by ocean front restaurants. This place is an unknown paradise.

Picnic gone Bad

The video is off a family picnic gone bad when hit by flash floods. Some of people are missing and presumed died. Baler Aurora is the Typhoon centre of the Philippines. Winds can hit 300 kilometers an hour bringing with them lots of water from the sea and sky. The illegle logging in the mountains do not make maters any better a the water will rush down from the mountains with out warning taking many lives.

Unknown paradise

We traveled five hours through the mountains from Cabanatuan City to get to this place. It was a very interesting ride but worth it. Lots of good surfing and white sand beach. Click on the picture for larger veiw. Baler (Provincial Capital)
As the capital and oldest municipality of Aurora Province, Baler is the seat of government and the center for trade and industry. The most progressive town in Aurora, Baler commands the most resorts, public institutions and facilities, as well as business establishments.
Getting to BalerFor information on how to get to Baler from Manila, click here.
Where to StayFor information on places to stay in Baler, click here.
HistoryThe town of Baler was founded in 1609. Its original name was Kinagunasan and its first inhabitants were the Angara, Bitong, Carrasco and Lumasac families.
In December 1735, a tidal wave struck and completely engulfed Kinagunasan. The wave struck the town without warning at 2 a.m., and within an hour the entire town was gone. The parish priest of Casiguran, who was then visiting Baler, managed to survive by swimming to the hill of Point Baja. Other survivors included the families of Angara and Bitong. The sudden onslaught of the wave and the fact that the nearby towns of Casiguran, Dipaculao and Dingalan were left untouched has turned the catastrophe into a folk legend of biblical proportions.
By 1737, Franciscan priests had established a barangay form of government in the area. A revolutionary government took over Baler from 1898 to 1901.
Baler is home to the Baler Catholic Church, where in 1899, Spanish resistance fighters held off an onslaught from American troops until they finally surrendered on July 2, 1899.
On November 1, 1901, the Americans established a municipal government in Baler.
AttractionsBaler is known for numerous tourist attractions. In addition to the Baler Catholic Church and other historical sites , there are resorts at Sabang Beach and Cemento Beach, where surfers from all over the world compete for the annual International Aurora Surfing Cup. The coral-rich islands of Dimadimalangat, Aniao and Lukso-Lukso lie just off the coast. Click on picture for larger veiw.