Dinadiawan Beach

Aurora is famous for it's surfing spots and beautiful beaches. Aurora is six hours drive from Manila/Baguio City. This gem of a province has a lot to offer. Visit the Diguisit Lighthouse, Waterfalls and Ermita Hill.

From the capital Baler, let's take more or less two-hour drive to Dinadiawan where it offers another beach and waterfalls to explore.

There are lots of resorts and hotels you can stay here. I was not expecting this actually this far out from the capital town. So it was a pleasant surprise that we passed a whole stretch of beach lined with resorts offering accommodations. There are still resorts who have nipa huts. I prefer these kinds of structures because it offers fresh air and it has an indigenous feel to it. Since we are in for just a day swim, we opted to go where we paid the entrance fee only.

Like most beach-dwellers, fishing is a way of life. That's why there are lots of fishing boats here. Just like Dinadiawan, this is a fishing community before it was turned into resorts. My friends recommended this place to me. According to them who have been here before some years back, there were no structures or cottages. Just bring tents they said. This is the notion I had before coming here.

The shoreline follows a curve and winding path. I tried going in walking in opposite directions just to check. The sand is cream colored to almost white and mostly fine to almost powdery in some which is a therapeutic feeling to the feet. Also, kudos to the locals for they were able to maintain cleanliness.

There is a small docking area for the boats near the beach that we went to. This area has big rocks. I saw lots of crabs here. I tried catching one to show to the kids but was not lucky enough. I just took more photos and videos instead.

I find it a dramatic setting. The rocks give texture to a picturesque and calm looking beach. It gives the vibe of provincial life, away from the chaotic life we get in the city. It's just pure relaxation.

This place is almost pristine. We were the only people there during that time which gives that feeling of re-discovering the place. The caretaker of the beach was very kind enough to give us coconuts for free much to our delight. We also took turns resting in the hammocks under the coconut trees. What a life!

We then had to say goodbye to the beach and headed to the waterfalls.

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Baul Falls

From the beach of Dinadiawan, Baul Falls is 15 minute-drive away. The road going to the falls is not yet paved. Our vehicle had to stop midway and we walked for another 10 minutes or more to reach the falls.

You will see this marker on the side of the road. There are two falls here in Dinadiawan but we were advised this is better and safer. From the point where we stopped, we then walked the rest of the way and we walked among tall coconut trees which gave us perfect shade. You only hear the songs of the birds and the call of the flow of the river and the whisper of the the wind rustling through the leaves of the trees. All these beckoning and welcoming you.

There is a fee supposedly to be paid but there was no one manning the office/guardhouse when we were there so we continued on. Rules were posted along the way. Sadly, it is evident that this is not followed as there were lots of trash near the falls.

The river is so clean and cool because the source comes from the mountains surrounding it. While the falls is not that impressive, the cool water is so welcoming that we did not have hesitate to take a swim in its basin.

I did a bit of exploring because I wanted to go to the top of the falls. There used to be a rope tied to a tree branch overhanging the falls' basin. I guess somebody put it there for easier access to the top of the falls. However, only a foot of it is left hanging as a telltale sign. I could not continue on because the rock was slippery which makes foothold and handhold difficult to manage.

I am not sure why it is called Baul Falls. "Baul" can mean a treasure chest or a big container. I guess that is where it was named after. The whole place does look like a chest. The basin is boxed in with rocks forming walls around it.

We then spent the rest of our remaining time swimming to our hearts content and enjoyed the falls.

We headed home tired but fulfilled with dreams of beaches and waterfalls.

Overall, it was a great experience. It was quite long drive but it was worth it. You get to view the sea on the one side and the greeneries on the other. The only thing to note of is that be sure to bring all that you needed including food and water. We went to their market near the beach but there were not much to buy. We had to return the watermelon we bought and exchanged it because it was almost rotten. We had the melon sliced open when we returned to be sure. Good thing the other fruits we bought were okay. We were hoping there were fish that we can buy there but we were disappointed. That is just the only drawback we experienced. So when you go to Dinadiawan, be prepared.

!steemitworldmap 16.064589 lat 121.711245 long Dinadiawan, Aurora d3scr