Baler

Our latest adventure took us to the town of Baler, a surfing hangout northeast of here on the Pacific Coast.  It also neighbors the town I lived in during my second year in Peace Corps in 1978/79.  I've been anxious to get back there to see how things have changed.

Although Baler is only about 150 miles away, you have to pass through the Sierra Madre mountain range to get there.  The area is rather remote and very rural.  It takes about 5 - 6 hours to get there, but that's about half what it used to take me in the 70's.  The road zig zags through the mountains, but its now paved and has two lanes.  That's a big improvement!

The town of Baler is on the coast.  During the 70's, it was just starting to become known as a place for surfers.  Now that it's easier to get there, development along the beach front has grown tremendously and there are lots of tourists.  I never used to see that.  And there's electricity, another big change from the old days!

Surfing lessons are popular and only cost about $8 an hour.  Both Tony and I tried it out and had a great time.  I thought it was a perfect way to thumb my nose at the fact that I'll soon be eligible for Social Security!

Maria Aurora is the town I used to live in and is just a few miles inland from Baler.  We visited one afternoon stopping by city hall, the street where I used to live and driving around town.  The streets are all paved now, and there are certainly more people, but the town still retains its very rural character and hasn't changed all that much.  I didn't find anyone I knew, but was able to learn about several of the people I used to work with pulling up some great memories.  Tony called it my "Fried Green Tomatoes" afternoon.

  

 For more photos of Baler, CLICK HERE.