La Union for the not-so-adventurous

I love going to the beach. Sadly, I don't get to go as often as I would like.

One July weekend, my family decided to go on a vacation. We decided to go to Brgy. Ubiztondo, San Juan, La Union because my sister wanted to have a belated summer beach trip. I was worried because I thought that LU was not for me being that I was, and still am, a huge scaredy cat. Luckily. I was able to find things that even a person like me would enjoy.

La Union may be known for surfing, but it can also pride itself with its various nature spots and cultural monuments.

We had a 3-day stay (from Friday to Sunday) on the 1st week of July. The weather was a bit gloomy, but that didn't stop us from having fun (we just weren't able to see a nice sunset).

We commuted to and from La Union by riding the Partas bus. The fare to La Union (from the Pasay station was 438 pesos). You just get off the San Juan town proper and take a tricycle or jeep to your accommodation. The trip back to Manila was a little difficult. The Partas station is in San Fernando which was about 10 minutes away from our hostel. They have hourly trips to the Cubao station (fare was 410 pesos), so if you want the bus to the Pasay station, then good luck (we waited for almost 5 hours for the Pasay bus that won't guaranty us a seat, to no avail).

Since we were dropped off at the town proper, we visited the church there named St. John the Baptist Parish. It was closed, but the outside was very beautiful.

We stayed at Sebay Surf Central. It was a very affordable accommodation, but don't expect much from it. We went during low season, so we paid for a 4-person room (the beach was right in front at about 2,800 pesos per day (senior citizens get a discount). The room was pretty clean. The number 1 drawback we had was that walls (and ceiling) were pretty thin. The people above us were very loud (I don't know if they were drunk or just rude) that it was difficult to sleep (they were laughing and jumping up and down). We should have complained but we didn't. Other things that we encountered: toilet flush wasn't working, shower heater has low pressure, very thin towels. With that, make sure to bring toiletries with you for convenience. They also have a restaurant there.

The view from our room

And now, for the purpose of this post, I introduce the not-so-adventurous things that I did when I went to LU:

1. Luna, La Union cultural trip

On our 2nd day, we decided to headed to Luna. A lot of people who go to San Juan also go to Luna because of its various tourist spots. We decided to hire a tricycle driver to tour us around the place. We paid about 400 pesos per person for 2 tricycles that toured us the whole day (Luna and San Fernando). There were so many place to go to, but we only decided to go to 3: Our Lady of Namacpacan church, Baluarte Watch Tower, and Bahay na Bato.

Our Lady of Namacpacan

Luna town proper

Baluarte watch tower (was being restored when we went there, should be fine by now)

Bahay na Bato (entrance fee is 20 pesos)

2. San Fernando side trip

Also on our 2nd day, hoping to catch a nice sunset, we headed to Ma-Cho Temple known as a sunset-watching spot, but it was raining again so we didn't get to see it again. We also went to Pindangan ruins.

Pindangan Ruins (entrance fee is 50 pesos)

Ma-Cho Temple

3. Food trip!

Going to the beach didn't stop us from stuffing our tummies with delicious eats. We only tried a couple of places, and I already have a list of places I want to try out the next time I go there. One of the places we really liked was Surf Shack. We also tried the restaurant of Sebay Surf Central, Hungry Nomad @ Flotsam and Jetsam Hostel, and El Union Coffee.

Hungry Nomad @ Flotsam and Jetsam Hostel

El Union Coffee's famous Indoor S'mores

Surf Shack (we liked it so much, we ate there twice)

For a shot of adrenaline, we did try some adventurous activities:

1. Surfing!

Yes, I succumb to pressure. They say that you have to try it at least once when you go to LU, and so I did on our very last day. Will I do it again? I don't know. Maybe?

400 pesos/hour (minimum of 2 hours) + 200 pesos rent for surfboard and rashguard

2. Tangadan Falls

A known trekking spot in San Gabriel, La Union is a must try. This was our 1st activity. We paid about 200 pesos per person for 2 tricycles. They are the same guides we hired for our Luna trip. My mom and I didn't go all the way to the falls, but my sister and brother did (wasn't able to get pictures of the falls from him). Going around 7 mountains is no easy feat because there are places that people who are scared of heights might have difficulties with. My siblings say that it is definitely worth it once you reach the falls. There are 2 routes: a beginner course and an advanced course. The beginner course seems like you still need to be adventurous enough, though!