Bike. Eat. Bathe. Sleep. Repeat.

After taking a midnight bus ride from Cubao, Myta and I arrived at Baler, Aurora, in time for the sunrise. With a whole free day ahead, I had to figure out what to do next. There are many things I could have done, but sleeping was the wisest choice.

Chamie’s Place is conveniently located near Sabang Beach, so getting there took only an instant. Thankfully, the room was ready, and the reception allowed us to rest inside while we waited for Wil, who took the 2am bus from Cubao.

Similar to my experience in Baguio, the transient house had the bare necessities with beds, air-conditioning, and a bathroom. But that was fine for me, especially when I only had to pay P500 per night as part of a group. As mentioned in my previous article, all that matters is that I can shit, shower, and sleep in peace.

When Wil arrived and settled down, it was still too early to have lunch so we went out for coffee instead. Since no one had any recommendations, I opened up Google Maps and searched for the nearest café with a decent rating.

We settled for KYU Café along Sabang Beach. The café was simple and homey, as if Kapitolyo’s 1C Coffee were by the beach. We finished getting our dose of caffeine around 11am, so it was time to look for a place to eat lunch.

Myta suggested Yellowfin Bar and Grill since that was where she had eaten before. The blue marlin and the pork barbecue were decent, but they weren’t worth the long prep time. It was a good thing we didn’t have anything planned after lunch. There was no point being out with the sun scorching at full force, so we went back to the homestay for siesta.

Sleeping was good, but we weren’t going to spend the whole day in bed. To make the most of the free day, we thought of going on a longer ride to somewhere scenic in the late afternoon. However, eating before riding out was important to make sure no one would get “hangry.”

I pulled up Google Maps again and did a quick search for a restaurant that served sandwiches—something that was neither a light snack nor a heavy meal. This led us to Gagay’s, which was also near Sabang Beach, where I had a torikatsu sandwich and a mango shake.

Now that the heat wasn’t blistering and our stomachs were filled, we were ready to ride out in time for sunset. We decided to go north and get some mileage along the coastal road.

How far? There was no telling. All that mattered was that we got back by sundown.

We biked for kilometers along the tree-lined Baler-Casiguran Road until we reached a crossroads in Barangay Ipil in the municipality of Dipaculao. We could have continued along the highway, but instead we chose the path leading toward the sea.

“Hidden gem” is the perfect term to describe Ipil Beach. We pedaled less than 2km away from the highway, and found ourselves at a vast beach with barely anyone in sight. It was already golden hour, so we decided to remain there and take in the scenery.

Once we had our fill of photos, we continued along the secondary road to loop back into the highway. A good chunk of the path was unpaved, so we were in for a somewhat challenging gravel ride.

Upon merging back onto the highway, I realized I couldn’t take things easy anymore with the presence of fast-moving vehicles and nighttime approaching. With Eurobeat playing as background music, I sprinted as fast as I could back to town, while Wil and Myta took their time.

After regrouping with the others at the homestay, I took my third bath of the day to prepare for dinner. This time, we ate at Kusina Luntian, which was highly recommended by my friends online. Val met with us at the restaurant, leaving only one more person missing for the tour the following day.

It was only my first day in Baler, but I already had a great time. One of the things I love about cycling is that it empowers me to go on spontaneous adventures to uncharted territory.

Spending golden hour at Ipil Beach is easily one of my core memories where I was at the right place, at the right time, with the right people. Moments like this are what make bike-touring worth the preparation and hassle.