Dicasalarin Cove of Baler, Aurora

Let me just take this moment to lament the summer season, at least in my part of the world. It rains often in the afternoons and nights, and gets windy in the morning. But it’s not entirely a bad thing because, really, I’d prefer this over scorching heat any darn time. That’s not to say that I completely shun heat and sunshine, though, which is why, in this post, I am harking back to a visit that I and my co-workers made to Dicasalarin Cove in Baler, Aurora, on one fine, sunny, scorching hot day.

The last day of our trip to Dipaculao and Baler in Aurora Province, and we decided to spend some time at the Dicasalarin Cove, before heading back home to Baguio.

The evening before, we went to the Costa Pacifica Resort (@CostaPacificaPH) at the Sabang Beach to secure our Gate Passes to the Cove. The pass is worth Php 300.00 per person. I believe they have a discount for guests of the resort. We were not, so we had to pay the full price.

We didn’t secure the services of any guide, because we were meeting up the next day with some staff of the Dipaculao Municipal Accounting Office, who will accompany us there.

From the town proper, it takes about 30 minutes to get to Dicasalarin Cove. It was a continuous uphill climb for our vehicles, which was funny, because the ones from Dipaculao were freaking out that some parts of the paved road weren’t… well, paved as much as they want. For them, it already qualifies as rough road. For us, from Baguio and Benguet, it was a smooth ride.

After going up and up and up, we finally arrived at the entrance to Dicasalarin Cove at exactly 11:45 AM. They checked our passes and, while they were at it, we were also busy getting our first glimpse of the Cove.

Some background:

Costa Pacifica Resort is owned by the family of former Senator Edgardo Angara. He also happens to be the owner of this secluded cove called Dicasalarin Cove. But it is not just a cove, really, because the whole property is called Dicasalarin Place.

Located in Sitio Dicasalarin, Barangay Zabali in Baler, Dicasalarin Place boasts a lot of attractions. The pictographic map indicated a Seedlings Nursery, a Fishpond, a (supposedly) Ifugao House, and a Helipad, probably for the use of the Angaras. I hear they also have a house where they stay in whenever the family is home.

We were aiming for just the Cove, so that’s where we went directly after leaving our stuff and rides at the Parking Area.

We headed to the picnic grove close to the beach, and there were logs refurbished into chairs and tables. That is where we had our late snacks and early lunch (yes, just one meal. Don’t judge.).

After having our fill, we headed to the beach, ignoring how hot it is. It’s in the middle of the day, after all. Darn, even the sand was hot to the soles of our feet!

Isn’t it pretty? And I love how we were the only ones there! I think this was on a Friday morning, and we had the place to ourselves! Another group arrived not long after, but they were shying away from the sun, unlike us.

The waves were quite strong, the pull slightly forceful. And so inviting. 🙂

We would’ve gotten into the water early on, but I spotted something else. And so did Marshiee.

The Lighthouse. Or so it seemed from this area. See it? It’s that white thing protruding atop that cliff.

From where we were standing on the beach, it looked like a long walk. And a longer climb. But I was so curious, and so was Marshie, so we decided to make that long and hot walk. 🙂 I don’t think we even told the others where we were headed. 🙂

When we arrived at the jump-off point for the climb, I was pleasantly surprised to see well-constructed stairs, with a railing. And so we started the climb.

Apparently, this one had 170 steps. We didn’t bother counting. We just wanted to get to the top. While going up, we were given a view of the beach, and our companions getting smaller and smaller.

Finally, we arrived at the top. And there it is. The Lighthouse.

It’s interesting to see that the only enclosure around the area was a length of rope. As if they would hold anyone’s weight and prevent them from pitching over and falling down below. 🙂

This structure is not a Lighthouse, though. When we walked around, we saw the sign saying it is a Rainwater Treatment Plant.

I suppose it is more romantic to call it a Lighthouse, eh?

Note the iron railings? Marshiee and I just had to climb those, not knowing that, at that moment, our companions were looking at us from the distance and getting mighty worried. They were so worried, in fact, that they sent one of our two only male companions (Kuya Bong) to go after us and bring us back to the beach. Haha!

The clincher, though: Kuya Bong is afraid of heights, so climbing up the cliff was an ordeal for him.

Whereas, at that moment, Marshiee and I were having a blast just climbing wherever we could.

It was quite high up. Here is what the other side of the Cove looks like from up here.

And we even went to the edge which, lo and behold, did not have any ropes or railing or even persistent danger or warning signs.

It’s quite a long drop down there…. and when you fall… *shudders*

It was at this point, where the two of us were taking photos of each other near the edge, that Kuya Bong finally arrived, huffing and puffing, and getting all worked up because it looked dangerous. We finally wrapped it up and slowly made our way back down and towards the beach.

We then took time to play on the beach, frolic in the waves a bit (as best as we non-swimmers could, I suppose). Then we took showers at the shower rooms, rested a bit, and left Dicasalarin Cove at 2:15PM.

Before leaving immediately, however, we made the short drive further up the mountain to the BALER RADAR STATION of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

We were allowed around 10 minutes to enter the Weather Radar Station, because they have to close it down for a routine operation at 2:45PM.

From the top of the structure, we could still get a glimpse of Dicasalarin Cove.

After this, we started the trip back home to Baguio, making another stop along the way.

What I appreciated the most about the Cove is its seclusion. I have a feeling that the Resort limits the number of visitors at one time, to make sure the place continues to give off that feeling of being a “secluded haven”. It is clean, and well-maintained, despite the fact that you do not see staff going around doing their work. We brought in our food, and they did not prohibit us from doing so.

Getting there requires the passes, which can be secured at the front desk of the Costa Pacifica Resort in Sabang Beach. (Check out their website here.) That is also where you will pay. If you do not know the way, they will provide maps, and I hear you can avail of the services of a guide.

This is one serene place for introspection. Or simply lazing around. I’m glad we insisted on checking this place out.