Group trip story; 10 Filipinos, strangers.【The memorandum of Aurora trip】

The most famous tourist attractions on Luzon Island in the Philippines are Manila, Angeles, Vigan, and Baguio.

If you’re studying in the Philippines for a short while, you’ll probably have no trouble finding tourist spots. But if you’re planning to stay for a long while, it might be worth checking out the local scenery. But, because they’re local, there are some issues.

When that happens, I suggest going on sightseeing tours that are set up for locals.

In this article, we’ll talk about the pros of using group tours for sightseeing in the Philippines.

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This article is a continuation of “Dingalan, Aurora. Beach and Island Tour“. I suggest reading the article above first, since the first part is especially relevant.

Joiners Groups in the Philippines

I’ve used Philippine tour groups twice before.

The first time was when I went on a really tough day-long mountaineering trip to Mt. Pulag, and the second time was on this trip to Aurora.

When I traveled to San Juan, Vigan, Banaue, and other places in the past, I’d rent a van to get around. That worked well for me because I wanted to decide the time allocation on my own.

However, Mt. Pulag and Aurora are a different story. I had to go through some special procedures at the site.

As foreigners, it’s tough, and it’s also hard to get the info we need beforehand.

We’d like to get info from our language school teachers, but most of them reply, 👦”I don’t know much about it…. People in Baguio tend to stay inside a lot!

Advantages of using a tour company

If you are going to a place you are not familiar with, rely on professionals. There are several advantages to taking a tour.

• Travel plans are available
• Group rates apply
• Meet new people

Travel plans are available

If you’re having a hard time making plans in a new place, get someone who knows the area well to make an itinerary for you. With a local guide, you won’t have to worry about getting tickets or paying for anything when you get there.

On this Aurora trip, they took care of everything from getting us around, including transfers, to arranging the boat and lunch.　The process was finished in the shortest time possible, which was great in terms of time efficiency.

Group rates apply

Taking a tour can also save you money. That’s because the cost of transportation and guides can be split among a group. In general, if you want to keep transportation costs low, you’ll probably think about using buses. But if you’re traveling to a wide range of places, the costs can really add up. Using taxis or tricycles with a small number of people is often more expensive.

The tour company has an all-inclusive price. The price is set and doesn’t change based on the number of people. The price for Aurora was 1,800 pesos for a day trip, including transportation, van, boat, guide, and lunch. I think the price was pretty reasonable.

Meet new people

It’s a good or a bad thing, depending on who you are, but it’s a great way to meet new people. The tour plan, called a joiner, is basically for Filipinos who live there. The other participants are all Filipinos. I’ve found that the tour participants are usually pretty friendly towards foreigners.

Since English is the common language in the Philippines, communication is not a problem. This is a unique advantage for the Philippines, where English is widely spoken. Filipinos are friendly towards foreigners who are interested in the Philippines. When you travel with them, they’ll tell you about good food and hidden spots, which will make your trip even better.

Aurora Joiner Travel Memorandum

I’d like to go over the details of the joiner’s trip one more time. Here’s the schedule we were given ahead of time:

【Day 0】Applying

I registered for the joiner tour I participated in this time through Facebook. The registration was finished 15 hours before the tour started. It was less than a day after the reservation was completed. It was a total coincidence that we almost joined the tour. The deciding factor was “this picture.

“SEAT SALE” basically means a last-minute discount. This ad popped up on Facebook out of the blue. I had been thinking, “I’d like to visit Aurora someday,” and when I noticed I had already applied. This image doesn’t show the price or percentage discount. If you want the details, you’ll have to contact the tour group directly. Just so you know, “PM” stands for “Private Message.”

So I sent the following message.

Here is the message that came back.

For 1,800 pesos, a five-hour day trip each way is definitely worth it. At this point, the more I heard about the event, the more I wanted to participate—but I decided to get some details about the itinerary first. Here’s the plan that was sent to me.

I also found out that the original price was 1,999 pesos. It was actually a 10% discount. I’m leaving in 10 hours. So, I hurried to get ready. The other instructions I received are following.

Also, I need to pay in advance to reserve a tour. The amount is 500 pesos. I paid with online money transfer using “Gcash,” one of the local cashless payment methods. The rest of the payment will be due at the end of the tour.

At the meeting point

We were planning to leave at 1:30 AM, so I took a nap at 9 PM. the night before and left school around midnight. We’ll meet near the Victory Liner bus terminal. It was right around the same time when I went to Mt. Pulag.

Before, the van was parked in a big lot at Jollibee, but this time it was parked on the main street. I met my driver 30 minutes before departure. Thankfully, he was already on standby.

But, this is the Philippines. It’s a place where being laid back and on time, or what they call “Filipino time,” is the usual way of doing things. I’m wondering what time we’ll all be getting together.

I feared it would be late, but the meeting was completed 15 minutes before departure. They were on time, and some of them even got there before me. Like I noticed on my last trip to Mt. Pulag, Filipinos who love to travel are always on time.

Departure to Aurora

There were 11 people on the tour. Also, there was one guide and one driver, for a total of 13 people. It was a late night, so there wasn’t a formal introduction, and we all headed out right after we got together.

Once again, I was the only foreigner there. The van was pretty much packed, with 11 people crammed into the back three rows.

Then, we started our journey down the winding mountain roads of Baguio. The inside of the van was dark and quiet, so I was able to sleep without any problems.

Breakfast At The Restaurant

Three hours after leaving Baguio, I was asleep. Before I knew it, I had arrived at my first destination.

Here is the venue of the breakfast.「Helen’s NINGNANGAN and RESTAURANT」

It’s 4:30 a.m., and the sun hasn’t come up yet, but the place is full of customers. Of course, all the customers are Filipinos, except for me.

Breakfast is a budget meal called “turo turo” or “silog,” where you pick from a bunch of side dishes. There’s a staff member there to serve you your meal, and you can just point to what you want.

I chose the stir-fried corned beef and spring rolls + garlic rice. The price was 100 pesos.

It’s just as good as it looks, and the whole thing is pretty decadent. Some people might find this meal a bit heavy, but I’m used to Filipino food and I liked it.

To The Peninsula Tour!

After breakfast, it was time to head out for a tour of the peninsula. We’re starting in a port called Dingalan. As I said in my last article, the sea and mountains look stunning in the morning sun.

This is where the tour of the peninsula starts, and there are always new families and tours coming in. That’s where tours come in handy, because you can just sit back and let them take care of everything.

The tour representative will take care of everything from registration to boat arrangements, so all we participants have to do is wait. Once you’ve finished the sign-up process, we’ll listen to the orientation in Tagalog, and then we’re all set to go.

You can read more about sightseeing from here in our previous blog. Please click here!

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Lunch is a traditional Filipino boodle fight!

After enjoying the beach, caves, and hiking, it’s time for lunch. We’ll have a “boodle fight“—it’s a traditional Filipino meal.

Here, they have a big platter of rice, side dishes, and fruits all laid out on a banana leaf, and everyone just eats it by hand. This might be a bit of a struggle for individuals or small groups of travelers, but it’s part of the program if you’re on a tour.

Since we’re near the ocean this time, the food options have more seafood. Fresh shrimp, squid, and shellfish are served on top. This rice is super easy to eat, and I ended up eating twice as much as usual!

To the famons Waterfall

The main part of the tour trip was to visit the peninsula, but there was another destination. That is “Tanawan Falls,” a locally famous waterfall.

It is about 30 minutes away from Dingalan Feeder Port by van.

When I heard the word “waterfall,” I had an image of a waterfall deep in the mountains surrounded by nature, but Tanawan Falls has been converted into a tourist attraction that looks like an amusement park.

We’ve got athletic and photo spots, swimming pools, dormitories, and zip lines. All of these are there to give you a waterfall and activity experience.

There are four plans you can use, and you can choose your preferences.

I was a little tired from my tour of the peninsula, so I decided to enter with a plan to see only the waterfalls.

After checking in at the reception desk, it took about 10 minutes to get to the path and stairs, which were in good shape. Here’s what I saw.

Overflowing with people, people, people…!

That’s not surprising, since this was in the middle of Holy Week, a four-day holiday weekend in May. No wonder it was so crowded.

I ended up just relaxing by the waterfall and cooling off in the pool for about 30 minutes.

I wouldn’t say Tanawan Falls is a must-see for everyone. If you’re looking for a natural waterfall, I’d suggest checking out Tangadan Falls near San Juan Beach.

But the view from the reception desk was really nice.

Buy Souvenirs

The trip ends with shopping at a small market where there are a bunch of souvenir shops. The market is about 5 or 6 stores, a little larger than the Salisari Store. There weren’t any specialties, just the usual snacks and sweets.

I bought just this T-shirt. I love collecting local T-shirts, so this was a must-have for me.

Then it was back to Baguio, leaving Aurora around 5:30PM, arriving and disbanding around 10:30PM.

After the joiner trip…

After this joiner trip, I once again felt grateful for the English culture in the Philippines. I can communicate with other tourists and get information that only locals could know.

When they talk to me, they speak English, but when it comes to Filipinos talking to each other, they speak Tagalog. Some of you might not be able to stand it because you’ll be in a situation where you don’t know what they’re talking about.

So, here are the people we’re looking to join the tour:

The local people who participate in joiners are pretty friendly and helpful. Sure, there are individual differences, but the hurdles aren’t as high as you’d expect.

Here are the tour groups I used this time.

If you follow it on Facebook, you might find some interesting places and unexpected sales. If you’re interested in a group trip, I hope you’ll join us on one of our tours!