It was summer this year when my family decided to spend the holy week in Baler, Aurora. Surfing it is! But there’s one catch: I have to go to Baler on my own. They traveled via private transpo which unfortunately can accommodate only 4 people (my younger sister, mom and her 2 office mates) which means I have to go there via commute. Not a big deal for me since I’m used to commuting but being the adventurer that I am, I told myself: I cannot go to Baler directly. There must be a side trip along the way. And so I did a research and voila, I saw myself traveling to the cities of Gapan and Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija. This is #BudgetTrip featuring #BTNuevaEcija and here’s a run down of my day trip to what is considered as the Rice Bowl of the Philippines.
Note: This is a quick travel guide. Will be posting full details for each destination so I hope you could check that out!
HEADING UP NORTH
To get to Nueva Ecija, the best option is to ride a bus from Cubao going to Cabanatuan. But since it was holy week, traffic was terrible. It took me almost 7 hours just to go to my first destination: Gapan. Bus fare is Php 150 / 120 for students.
GAPAN, GAPAN!
Honestly, there’s not much to see in the entire Nueva Ecija province. You can go to Minalungao National Park but that would be very time consuming. Also, the falls and river are too far from the city proper so that’s already a no for me. Since I’ve got a day only, I just visited the churches which I have to say is really beautiful and then some other historical sites like a memorial park and ancestral houses.
LA VIRGEN DIVINA PASTORA
For my first stop, I visited Gapan. From the main terminal, you can ride a tricycle for Php 10 or just walk to reach the La Virgen Divina Pastora or Three Kings Parish Church.
I actually took a lot of photos but unfortunately, my memory card got corrupted after going back to Manila. I was able to retrieve some files but sadly, most of them were forever gone. 🙁
Anyways, this church is so beautiful! I am slowly being obsessed with churches because of the influence of my professor.
Since it was holy week, the church was filled with people going on a pilgrimage. I was even hesitant to take photos out of respect so most of the shots I took are what I call ninja shots. But yeah, I can’t help but fall in love with La Virgen Divina Pastora. The intricate details on the ceiling was so lovely especially the painting.
GAPAN ANCESTRAL HOUSES
Just across the church lies a street filled with ancestral houses. Sadly, it was a heartbreaking sight. Ancestral houses that are abandoned, rotting, dying. Right before writing this travel guide, I was already writing my piece on the death of these ancestral houses which I can’t wait to share to you on my upcoming posts. I have such a warm heart for anything vintage. I guess that’s why I plan on taking up heritage conservation after graduating college.
To see the dying ancestral houses broke my heart. They bear intricate details and yet they are fading. It’s just the sad reality and I hope this won’t be the last time I’ll get to see them.
WALKING AROUND THE CITY
From the ancestral houses, you can walk your way and visit the old site of the city hall. There’s a small stage and park within the area. Sadly, I wasn’t able to recover the photos of the place.
CABANATUAN: THE TRICYLE CAPITAL
After visiting Gapan, you can ride a jeep and head to Cabanatuan, Fare is Php 30. Cabanatuan is called the Tricyle Capital of the Philippines because, you guessed it right, the tricycle! Tricycle is the main mode of transportation in the city. You’ll see them everywhere.
If you plan on visiting Cabanatuan, bear in mind that it’s a really hot place. However, it’s not humid compared to Manila which I find very nice. Also, you’ll be surprised because there’s almost no skyscraper in the city. It’s very quiet and simple.
CABANATUAN CATHEDRAL
Upon stepping foot on the city, I headed straight to St. Nicholas of Tolentine or Cabanatuan Cathedral. Just like La Virgen Divina Pastora, the Cabanatuan Cathedral features extensive woodwork. The rich details on the coffered ceiling and vintage chandeliers will make you fall in love with this church.
GENERAL LUNA SHRINE
In front of the cathedral lies the General Luna Shrine. Unfortunately, it has become a parking lot which is kinda sad. (Photo got corrupted too!)
SUNSET AT CAMP PANGATIAN
Definitely the highlight of my trip was a visit to Camp Pangatian or the American War Memorial Shrine. Not everyone is familiar with the place but thankfully there’s Google to help me. From the cathedral, I rode a tricycle who took me to the camp for Php 60. There is no entrance fee to the camp and just like the ancestral houses, it’s slowly being abandoned. The shrine features a huge sundial which I find really nice. Also, the entire area is beautiful although it’s deteriorating.
THE ROAD TO BALER
From the camp, you can ride a tricycle or a jeep to go back to the terminal station. Jeep fare is Php 17. There are buses going straight to Baler from the terminal but take note that the last trip is around 4:00 pm. I didn’t know this and I arrived at around 7:00 pm. Luckily, there are vans going to Baler for Php 250, almost the same as the bus fare.
Next on the #BudgetTrip series! Are you excited??
ITINERARY
I had no fixed itinerary since there’s not much information about Nueva Ecija so what I did was list down places I’ll go to and asked the locals which one should I visit first. The experience was tough but so fun.
BUDGET BREAKDOWN
Note: Bus straight from Cubao to Baler costs Php 450. Why not add a few and visit more destinations?
Cheers~!
– Justin –
10 Comments. Leave new
Wow! Great very informative…thank you justin…God bless you always on your travel/itinerary.
Kim – condorny.com
Thanks for your Budget Travel Guides and your blog posts of all your travels. Love it! <3 Keep sharing! <3
I love the tone of your photos. 😀
Hi. thank you for featuring Nueva Ecija in your wonderful blog. One day is not enough to explore the entire province. there’s a lot to discover about Nueva Ecija. you’ve missed the other interesting places since you only had one day.
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