Balanga, Bataan

Traveling to Bataan should not be a problem as not only is it only a few hours from Manila, there are many buses available traveling this route. I went to Bataan during Holy Week. As expected.  I finally boarded the Bataan Transit bus (in Cubao) at around 10 am. My destination that day was Orion, Bataan. Balanga city though is just three hours away from Manila. Balanga City is the capital of Bataan. Buses from Manila ply to Balanga City on a regular schedule. On my case, I chose Bataan Transit which has terminals in Cubao. Their terminal in Cubao is within Five Star Bus Terminal. Bus fare was 200php. 

Since the endpoint of our bus was the town of Mariveles (Manila-Balanga-Mariveles buses), it did not enter the city center of Balanga. Instead, Balanga-bound passengers were dropped off along the national highway. People going to the city center had to ride a tricycle. There are buses that would go inside Balanga City (Manila-Balanga signboard) and their terminal would be between the fork of Don Manuel Banzon Avenue and Calero Street. This terminal though is a bit far from the Provincial Capitol of Bataan, so for people like us who wanted to visit the provincial seat of government, riding the Mariveles-bound bus and getting off at the Balanga crossing is a good option.It wasn't my first to visit Balanga City . I really just want to see what it looks like now, because the last time I went there was 6 years ago.

From the Provincial Capitol of Bataan, I planned to visit the Balanga Plaza de Mayor and the Catholic Cathedral. Instead of taking one of the many tricycles plying along Capitol Drive, I decided to walk since we saw that both sides of the road are filed with trees. The walk was refreshing even though it was nearing 12 noon. When I reached Gen. Kapinpin Street (the road going to the City Public Market), a buffet restaurant across the road caught my eyes. The cheaper price posted outside the building definitely got my attention to check out their offerings

After the hearty lunch, I continued my walk and reached the St. Joseph Cathedral, around 500 meters from BNK Buffet. The cathedral seemed close when I arrived so I just took pictures outside. Across the cathedral along Aguirre Street is the Balanga Plaza de Mayor.