Can you believe June is here?! We’re almost halfway through the year!
The past couple of months have been super crazy. Good kind of crazy. I haven’t had time to sit down and write a blog post in a loooong time. My fault for not carving out the time to do just that. But I’m back now, and I apologize in advance for reminiscing about summer.
Summer time is the best excuse to hit the beach but the onset of the rainy season does not mean that you can’t hang out at the beach anymore. In a tropical country like the Philippines, the rains don’t make a difference – it’s still hot!
Last April, my friends from Victory Makati and I went to La Union for a weekend escape. La Union is known for its long stretch of white beach, and San Juan is the fifth longest coastline in the world. However when I visited last month with some friends, I found out that there’s more to this province than the beaches it is known for. Besides swimming, here are other awesome activities to do in LU.
Surf
No LU list is complete without mentioning surfing. On a good swell, waves can reach up to 8 to 10 feet. October to April is the best season for surfing, and the place is perfect for beginners to advanced surfers.
Confession: I can’t swim. A Danish friend of mine asked me once: Growing up and living in a country surrounded by waters, how is it possible that you can’t swim? I don’t know. I ask myself that question every time I go to the beach.
Trek, swim, repeat
You probably know that La Union is popular with surfers but did you know that it’s slowly becoming popular with trekkers as well? Tangadan Falls in San Gabriel, La Union is a relatively new tourist hotspot and it involves trekking on boulders, rice fields, and river banks. The shorter route does not include crossing on rivers but it does involve narrow, steep roads that require MAD DRIVING SKILLZ.
I can’t swim but I’m pretty decent when it comes to trekking (hello, Mt. Pulag, hahaha) so I really looked forward to Tangadan Falls. Unfortunately, traffic going to La Union was horrible and we arrived in San Gabriel past 9am, already hot for trekking. The 30-minute trek felt like foreveeeeeeer.
Our guide, Kuya Pedro, is a funny and nice guy. Contact him if you want a tour. 🙂 His numbers are 0995 399 2099 and 0946 222 2102.
Check out my friend Iya’s post for the complete and crazy adventure.
Eat
No trip is complete without tasting the local food. LU’s local fare is an entire experience in itself. And man, do I have friends who looove to eat.
For lunch, we ate at Sea Nymph Surf Café, a small, unassuming restaurant that faces the beach. No fancy vibe here but man, does their food taste amazing. The grilled tuna with mango salsa is super good!
Dinner at the artsy Flotsam and Jetsam was uh-may-zing. I’m not a fan of pizza so trust me when I say that F&J’s pizza is the bomb. We ordered it in 3 flavors: Vigan Longganisa, Margherita, and Olive Garden (or was it Pepperoni? I’m not entirely sure). Perfect with beer!
And then we grabbed coffee in the morning from El Union Coffee. Neat place, good coffee. Good to know that LU is now seeing some third wave coffee action!
For late breakfast, we went Greek at Gefseis. And then just after checking out, we had late lunch again at Sea Nymph. Did I mention that we love eating?
Watch the sunset
The famous quote by Mattie Stepanek goes, “Sunset is still my favorite color, and rainbow is second.” Sunsets are beautiful anywhere in the world and La Union’s sunset doesn’t disappoint.
At past 5:30PM, the sun casted golden yellow shades in the sky, and then orange and red as it went down the horizon. Past 6PM, the tiny ball of fire disappeared and left orange, pink, and purple streaks in the sky. It was the perfect time to contemplate about life and go emo. Haha!
Sunsets make me feel hopeful. And why not, right? Sunset signals the end of the day and to some it might even symbolize goodbyes, but it also makes way for new beginnings. Part of the reason why I love traveling is because I enjoy seeing sunset from different places – they may look the same but they don’t “feel” the same and they’re always, always beautiful.
Enjoy
La Union is not for the hurried. It’s for warm mornings with coffee and breezy evenings with beer. It’s for movies under the stars, walking barefoot along the beach, and having conversations with friends. It’s for slow, albeit hot, sleepy afternoons best spent just reading a book, waiting for the sun to set. Bringing work with you is strongly discouraged! A weekend in La Union is best enjoyed by taking it slow and soaking in the moment.
How to Get There
La Union is a 4-5 hour drive from Manila (ideally. It took us about 8 hours because of the 2AM EDSA traffic!) via NLEx (North Luzon Expressway) and TPLEx (Tarlac – Pangasinan – La Union Expressway)
Where to Stay
We stayed at Sebay Surf Central. It was okay but a bit on the pricey side (considering that it wasn’t that great). You may want to check out Urbiz Garden Bed and Breakfast instead.
Thanks, Iya and Ruth, for the photos!
Ever been to La Union? Share your experience by leaving a comment! 🙂
