Nothing beats a travel trip that is unexpected and unplanned. That’s what we experienced after our Baguio trip (read it here). Right before we left Teacher’s camp where we stayed for 5 days, we asked the guy at the front desk which place should we go next for a side trip since we want to maximize our vacation trip. Our original plan was Vigan but it’s already too far so we settled with La Union instead. We had no idea at all on where to go. He mentioned Sebay Surf Central and given us directions which we could use to get to the area. And so another adventure started!
Hello La Union
La Union is just 2 hours away from Baguio City. We rode a bus and thanks to our school id and student discount, our fare was just around Php 100+. It’s actually tempting to go to Vigan but since we only have another day to spend, we decided to go to La Union instead and save Vigan for another trip (probably an Ilocos tour).
After dropping off at the bus terminal, we rode a tricycle going to Sebay Surf Central. Fare is Php 70. Since we have no idea, we thought it’s the only mode of transportation but actually you can just go for a jeepney ride for just Php 10/head. We also thought that Sebay Surf Central was the name of the place but it was actually a name of the resort. The place is called Urbiztondo, San Juan. Anyways, after going inside, since we have no money left (we can’t even afford to buy our meals haha!), instead of checking in we opted for camping. After all, what’s the purpose of bringing a tent if we’re not going to use it?
Sunsets and Camping
It was such a tough day for us. After the cold weather of Baguio, we braced the extreme heat of La Union. But it was such a beautiful place. Totally in love with the waves. We set our tent and after taking some photos, we set some campfire which we had a hard time setting. It didn’t last for an hour. Haha!
Group shirt from Wrangler. If you have noticed, Patrick is missing because he has classes and needs to leave a day earlier.
Waiting for the sunset.
Sunrise and Surfing
Imagine waking up to this kind of view.
Okay. I’ll admit it. I was the one who slept the entire night and the two girls guarded me. Haha. I know. It should be the other way around but things happened and I fell asleep. ^_^
So the morning came. It was a fast sunrise. Next thing we knew, everything was low battery. My camera’s battery just died and our phones were super lowbatt. Mine’s around 10% left that’s why we weren’t able to take high quality photos. As for the surfing, we hired a trainer for Php 300/hour and rented a surfboard for Php 200/hour. Since we were broke and basically poor at the moment, we haggled with the trainer who was very nice to us. We decided to break down the hours into minutes and divided it among the three of us. He even gave us extra minutes for free!
Not bad for a first timer. We were able to stand! And yes, if we only knew we’ll be heading here, we should have brought with us proper surfing attire.
Back to Manila
We rode a bus back to Manila that same day. Fare costs Php 400+. It was indeed a fun experience. 6 days, 2 cities, Php 3000 budget. Not bad. Thanks to my best friends who treated me because I was broke the entire time! Haha. Love you guys.
Another thing crossed out from my bucket list. Here’s to surfing! And cheers to another adventure with the gang!
Cheers~!
– Justin –
