Thanks to Relly for giving me the idea of going somewhere up north. This trip was planned a month in advance. People were informed and a few joined in the planning stage. A week before the said date, only Relly and I was sure of heading to La Union. Talk about excitement. We were such a huge party! After a few days of thinking who am I going to ask to join us and texting people who might join us, my dear brother Ralph give it a go. I felt relieved. Three of us are going to La Union. Neither one of us has gone to the place before. Time was spent asking how to get there, where to stay, how much will it cost us for the trip and the surfing lessons itself.
Meeting Place
It has been agreed that Relly and I are going to meet at 6pm in SM MOA. Just to be safe because I do not know how to go to Partas bus terminal. To avoid further discussion, a suggestion was made to meet somewhere in MOA. Ralph also does not know where the bus terminal is, thanks to his courage he was able to arrive at the bus terminal in less than 30 minutes before our scheduled departure, which is at 9pm. All set!
Travel Time
After a couple of hours riding the bus, it stopped. After a few halts, we found out that there’s something wrong with the ride. It’s a bit bothering since it’s already late and we are not acquainted with the place. Questions that popped in my mind are what time are we going to arrive at the resort, are we going to arrive safely? It’s just great that we arrive at San Juan a few minutes past 3am. Thanks to the bus conductor for not allowing us to go past our destination. Weary travellers are we.
Finding a place to rest
Feb 5 - San Juan Surf Resort caught our attention. Its structure is pretty cool. We were given a rate of 1,460 for the three of us, which we thought wasn’t bad at all since we will check out on Feb 7, Saturday. I can hear the waves nearby since it’s so quiet. We rested for a bit and around 8am, we went out to check out the place and have breakfast. We talked to the receptionist what is available on their menu when she mentioned that we will be charged for two nights stay. We were appalled, the guy that we talked to when we checked in told us that for the duration of our stay, we’ll only be charged 1,460. Big-time misunderstanding or whatever you want to call it. We talked to the manager who wasn’t any helpful at all. So we decided to look for somewhere else to stay. What a way to treat first-timers!
Day 1
Now the quest begins for a new place to eat and rest. We had breakfast at the Seanymph Restaurant. We ordered Tapsilog for each of us and it costs 90 each. The tapa resembles our tocino, pinkish and sweet. It made me wonder what tocino’s like. The food’s not that fulfilling. Now, it’s time to find a good surfing instructor. Thanks to Dyz for giving Mickey’s cellphone #. We got lucky because when we went to La Union, it’s the 11th Long Board Competiton for locals and foreigners. It’s not the actual title for the competition but it means the same. (I think…) I started to look for Mickey in the competition area because he told us he’s there. Much to my surprise, my name was announced. The one that I’m looking for is helping out in the competition and he holds the microphone. What a busy man. We watched a few heats of the competition before heading back to the resort to finally check out.
At the same time we’re looking for the instructor, we also looked for a place to stay. We’ve seen a few resorts and inns then we decided to stay at Seanymph. Overnight stay in a fan room for the three of us is just 1000 pesos. The place is a two or three storey house, the second floor houses the owner and the family, the first floor is where we stayed. It has 2 toilets and one bath. It’s really nice.
Surfing 101
After settling to the the new place, we went back to the competition area for Mickey. He then led us to the beach break. Sadly, he wasn’t available to teach us due to the competition that he’s in. He recommended other instructors. By the way, surfing lessons cost 200 pesos/hr so is the surfboard. Now the fun begins, Mickey discussed the parts of the surfboard, positions to use, the posture and other how-to’s. Safety in the water was discussed by each instructors as we go surfing. The waves are just right for beginners like us. I should say that it takes timing and balance to ride a wave. To paddle, it includes strength and endurance. Good thing, I wasn’t paddling that time because it’s tiring. Thanks to my instructor for not giving up on me after how many times of being wiped out. I had my own share of short and a few not that long rides. It’s a wonderful experience. I feel STOKED!
Lunch was in a booth that was set up near the beach. We ate chicken bbq and mangoes with tomatoes and bagoong. Love the bagoong! We went back to the house to rest. Around 3pm, we went outside and walked.
Evening was pretty cool with booze. Just sitting near the booths to find something to munch on. We were told that they’ll have bonfire so we stuck around. Mickey joined us for a chat. While we are still there, we’re planning on when our next trip would be. I would definitely go back here to play.
Day 2
We woke up early to ride the waves again. We strolled to the other side of the strip then had breakfast across the street. My, the pandesal is enormous. It’s like 4 pandesals in one. We were told it’s Danish pandesal. J After that we changed and went to the Kubo as they call it to rent some boards. They opted not to get an instructor, although I thought that I should get one. I’m not confident I could do it alone, not just yet. The current and the waves have gone a bit strong. In the end, I also got an instructor and another hour for the board. So there, we took more pictures and then Ralph and I had henna tattoo before lunch. Oh, we also witnessed the Surfvivor by Travel.org. After lunch, we head back to Manila.
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