Surf's Up! Jelai's La-Union Get-Away!!!

It’s been months since the last beach get-away my hubby and I had…it was actually Feb of this year in Puerto Galera! Too bad I was not able to blog about it since I just started blogging last June. But I could not miss out blogging our get-away this time around! Surf’s Up for Jelai! As we visit La-La-la-La-Union!!!
I find surfing so cool ever since I was a kiddo. As I watch American shows and see surfers I’m always fascinated! Department of Tourism has always show-cased vacation and beautiful places in the Philippines, but if I’m not mistaken for the past 2 years, Surfing at La-Union has been gaining its popularity!
Funny but I stay up late every Friday just to watch the “travelogue ng bayan”-Trip na Trip! (Channel 2 after Bandila) One time, I really got amazed with their episode featuring surfing at Aurora. “Wow, you could now surf in the Philippines” I said to myself! I remember Vanj’s and her stories of their wonderful province (Vanj is a college friend and is a native of Aurora). Given that we have a resource person whom we could ask info about the whereabouts of the province, we originally planned to visit Aurora. I contacted Vanj to ask about how to get there but she said that the weather might not be conducive since it’s been raining frequently. So we decided to just take the trip February again of next year.
But this event changed my mind…On Sundays I could not miss out watching: Us Girls! In an episode right after Halloween they had a trip featuring La-Union and all the 3 hosts (Angel, Cheska, and Iya) went surfing! After watching, I got so inspired that I promised myself: “hey I must visit La Union very soon!”
After “Undas”- the first week of getting back to work, my hubby reminded me that he is on vacation leave for the entire week and surprised me that he is getting his bonus! LOL! I said to myself: “this can be a perfect time to go up north and try surfing! He got his bonus and it’s my payday on Friday-just enough money to get us to La-Union! So come Monday-we talked about it and started planning…bad news though…typhoon “kabayan” is still up north. Oh my!
I spent the week trying to surf the net, I fished for information on how to get to La-Union, resorts to stay, the surfboard & trainer rates plus the wave forecasts. I even called a couple of the resorts to check on room rates and verify the weather. I also called up the bus stations that could bring us there and asked how much the transport-fee would cost. I also asked an officemate-Karren who’d been there last year-she said that we leave early coz the trip takes 8-10 hours. (For short-we are armed with all the info we badly need!) But what I watchfully checked was the weather forecast hopeful that the typhoon would be gone by Friday so we could finally go to La-Union. And I guess the good Lord answered our prayers, I called up one of the resorts again come Thursday and the typhoon was out of north and it’s sunshiny in La-Union! Awesome!
We packed our things Thursday night, I badly needed to since I’d be bringing my things to the office…we’re going straight from there. After my shift, we went straight to the grocery at landmark to buy our snacks, drinks and toiletries. To save time, we just ate at the food court. Our target time of arrival at Partas bus terminal in Cubao was supposed to be 9pm but then again we were an hour late we arrived at 10pm. But we were really excited!!!

Of course a trip would not be complete without a couple of misadventures, and these were ours: Misadventure No.1: When I called the number of Partas Terminal, I was not informed that there are different types of bus aside from the normal two: ordinary & aircon. There's actually more: deluxe, 1st class aircon, regular aircon and ordinary aircon. I wasn’t really that pissed off but we ended up with the ordinary aircon bus since it is the earliest to leave-11 pm. But when we rode the bus, the chairs are not new-it sucks really… moreover it was freaking hot! The aircon seemed not working. We thought the bus was really supposed to work that way since its just ordinary aircon but when the other passengers began to complain, we figured out the aircon was malfunctioning! Our driver drove the bus to their service station and the mechanics began checking and fixing our bus. While waiting we saw this cool vintage car-Ford 427Cobra, doing nothing we just took pictures of it.

Talk about weird stuff… most of the passengers were Ilocano (LOL! of course the trip is bound to Ilocos ^__^) and they all speak Ilocano dialect that we don’t understand and made us feel discriminated! Even the conductor was speaking to the passengers using the same dialect! Just found it weird but really I don’t want to be bitching out of it, I have to hold my horses. There’s one more-I guess I was traumatized that the entire trip might be humid…I decided to change from pants to shorts. After a few more minutes, the aircon was fixed and all of us went back inside the bus. Damn! This time it was better and definitely a lot colder! It was a totally wrong move to change clothes! I thought I would be chilling at the entire trip, good thing I brought my sarong! “Ugh! All this crap at the start of the trip!”- I whispered.
Blame it on fatigue caused by work plus lack of sleep, my eyes started to roll in their sockets and my melatonin levels are telling me to sleep, so I tucked underneath my hubby’s arms with my legs curled up, I just closed my eyes and endure the chill…
Misadventure No. 2: Contrary to Karren’s statement that it would be 8-10 hours... we had the trip in nearly four and a half hour! After being stranded at the partas service station for an hour due to the malfunctioning of the aircon, we were still at QC by 12:30 AM but this is just amazing…4:47AM the conductor woke us up and informed us that we’re already at Sebay, the place where we were supposed to go down! As we got off the bus, Ugh! It’s still so dark and was freaking scary! We see no people around and wonder where the resorts are and the beach itself. Holy cow! We looked like scared puppies wondering where to go and stay and whether we would just wait until the sun is up. We decided to cross the street, follow the arrow where it leads. We walked a little more and reach this place. Luckily we found a guy who looks like he just got up from sleep. It so happened that he’s one of the caretakers of the resort (lol we are actually inside a resort already!) we asked him how much their room rates are… We twisted our original plan to just choose a fan room to save money since it might be just cold but then we were informed that the fan room has no cr! Hell, I can’t afford not to have a cr in our own room! TT__TT. So, we ended up in the aircon room-which was not bad and was fairly good it has a cable tv plus we have our own cr! Good thing, we made a better choice! We placed our things inside and before trying to catch some rest; we went out and asked the guy who welcomed us how far the beach is from the resort… He said “it’s just at the back”. And so we walked just a few steps and he was indeed right-we saw the beach with splashing big waves and the relaxing sound. We were greeted by the really chilly wind…”we are finally here” I uttered…We got more excited and from here our real adventure began…

La-Union Day 1: We decided to sleep and take a rest first since its still too dark. After 3 hours of sleep we woke up at 8 am! As we went out to check the entire place-it was sunny and hot! There are no signs of rain. We are so lucky! The entire beach front was clean and not at all polluted. November was known to be peak season, but it was peaceful and you could only see few surfers-foreigners and locals at most. It was serene, quiet, very relaxing…away from the stressful Manila. At Puerto galera, the eateries and resto’s are all around. Worry filled us here at La Union, as to where we can eat…As we walked along, we saw this place just near the beach front and our room, the place is named: Seanymph. It’s a simple place- a medium sized nipa hut filled with plastic tables and chairs. It’s not fine dining and it cannot be defined as karinderya since there are no food to choose from. Theirs is a paluto style- very homey. But the best thing about the place is the experience eating with the overlooking view of the beach and waves. It’s time for breakfast-we asked them what they have, they said they can cook hotsilog and tocilog. So we ordered, ate and paid. And the price-P100 for both of us which includes our drinks! When we were in galera, we even share our meals but it cost P300 up! I said to myself:”This is just so amazing!!! LOL!
We changed to our swimsuits and decided to enjoy the beach first! We ran and jumped as the waves came in! I believe this is the best beach I’ve ever visited.Though its not white sand-the water is not salty; the sand was fine and smooth. The beach was really clean. But then-the waves are really strong it will wipe you out! But playing with the waves was extremely fun! We felt tired we decided to sleep again and set the alarm at 2pm.We woke up just in the nick of time and we felt stomach pains which signaled our hunger so we went to Seanymph and we had barbeque for lunch! After eating we decided to stroll and visit other resorts nearby: Sebay and San Juan surf resort. We went back to our room and change to our swimsuits again; I bought my Frisbee and so to bring out the little Mr. and Ms. Sporty in us, my husband and I played Frisbee in the sand.

At around 5 pm, the sun is about to set, I decided to have my surfing lessons! We talked to the same guy who welcomed us early this morning to ask where we could rent a surfboard and who could teach us to surf. He said he’d just be the one to teach us-his name is Aniwil. Back at the beach, everything was being set, Aniwil began waxing the surf board… My hubby was supportive enough to take videos and pictures of me. Aniwil began teaching me the basics and after a few minutes, we went off to the waters to finally ride a wave!
It seemed that the waves are really active and huge…We went further from the shore and my trainer asked me to stay at his side and we jumped as we face each wave coming in. When Aniwil found the perfect place, he asked me to ride my board but hold on to it. It took him sometime to finally release me, as he found the perfect wave he told me “ready” and released me together with the running wave. ”This is it!” I said to myself… this is the time I need to practice everything I’ve learned from the basic lessons. I felt fear coz the board was running too fast it felt like I was riding a very fast car while not clinging on anything and trying to balance myself. I tried to get up, was almost there and whoosh!!! I got knocked off! We tried the second time, but it got worse, when I fell, the leg rope was strangled at my feet. I was not able to stand up right away, so the board hit my nose real hard! A big ouch for that! Damn! It was freaking painful, I thought my nose would break! Plus I lost my silver head band…
Surfing in the afternoon was a totally wrong decision…the current is so strong the waves are so big and fierce-you actually need not paddle! Honestly, while waiting to catch a wave as you see them come, you’d feel scared and at the same time nervous; they seem so big and might eat you up but still you have to face your fear to be able to try the sport.
It felt like hell and I felt so distressed after 30 minutes of trying to face the big waves and trying to get up on my board-I gave up coz still I could not stand! So, I decided to just try surfing again tomorrow, hoping that the waves are a lot calmer than this afternoon. We took a few pictures with us and the surf board and decided to sit back at the sand. While trying to rest…I recalled…I remember while I was surfing the net for info, I came across this blog by a guy who used to surf at Hawaii and Maui. As I read he said that he decided not be trained by the locals since he is a surfer but he really got frustrated since he could not ride a wave! He said that the waves are far stronger in La-Union than in Hawaii and Maui. I agree, as I see in the movies, surfers wait for a really big wave to ride, but its just one big wave, the sea is calm, no small waves come in before the really big wave…but in La-Union! Wah! Big waves keep coming in like every 2 minutes, not to mention the smaller waves that keep coming in every minute. So it is really hard to get “bwelo” before standing up on the board since you’d be easily knocked off and wiped out by the incoming wave!

Misadventure No.3-We tried to take pictures of the sunset so we walked along and stand on top of the stone reefs, but the current and waves are hell strong that afternoon that while walking, one of my havi slappies was shoved away by the waves. Mu hubby was about to swim in to look for it but I was so scared he might be taken away too so I stopped him, plus it was getting really dark. In a few more minutes of trying to find my slipper in the sand, a big wave strucked in, it washed away the slipper I have left, so now I lost two of them! Darn it! We stand looking at nowhere frustrated…”where can I buy slippers?” I asked myself. Then all of a sudden, we saw a shining silver thingy at the sand and as we looked closer! Wah! It’s my havi slappy! Then on a reef near us, we saw the other pair! Oh my! Thank God I found them and I thanked the sea for returning it to me…I could go home with my slippers!

To kill the time, we decided to play Frisbee again until our body ached then bathe to clean up the sand in our clothes. After cleaning up, we watched TV for a while then went out again to Seanymph and eat our dinner! After our meals, we went out and visited the other resorts to check their bar but apparently it is closed and there are no people. When we went back to seanymph, there are more people drinking,we decided to stay there. La-Union nightlife is a little quieter unlike galera where the clubs and bars are plenty and are alive by nighttime; La-Union then is a lot peaceful. What’s great about Seanymph is that aside from the good food, they also offer beers, so we decided to take one bottle each. Since it was getting late, we went back to our room coz we have to wake up early as well for another surfing lesson. I just wish the waves are calmer tomorrow…
La Union Day 2: We woke up around 7and had breakfast at Seanymph. We called up Aniwil to assist me as I try to stand up on my board the second time around. I was looking forward for an awesome day to surf and that the waves would not be so strong unlike yesterday but whoola! It hasn’t change at all even at an early morning!
It was worse this time, I can’t even get up and have a stance, I was wiped out most of the time! I was talking to myself: “Where the hell did I store the basics I’ve learned yesterday?” After an hour of trying I gave up. I felt like shit- I can’t get up at all coz the waves are too strong they always knock me down! I guess, more than anything, I was resigned to the fact that there was nothing I could do about it.
I went back to shore feeling under the weather; I am a failure…A bitter surfer wannabee. But this gave me hope: I asked Aniwil-my trainer about this place called Bacnotan, coz we overheard locals at Seanymph conversing about it. And then he blurted that the waves at Bacnotan are a lot calmer and is best for beginners, he told us that he was supposed to knock at our door last night to inform us if we would like to go and try out Bacnotan so we could come with a group who left early this morning, but he was too shy to ask. I said we were out at seanymph drinking last night. Too bad they already left at 7.
Anyway, we spent a chunk of the morning enjoying the beach and the waves. We were about to check out at exactly 12nn. As soon as we got all dressed up, we took some last pictures of the place…before we go my husband & I agreed into one conclusion- the 2nd surfing season starting November, is not really good for beginners because the waves are unpredictable. Oh well…we’re leaving…Maybe next time, I’d be able to stand. But I felt disheartened as we were about to leave this wonderful place…

Above is a video of my surfing lessons and my unforgettable surfing experience!I'd like to quote a joke by an officemate...Since Lui was able to watch my entire video-she said it shouldnt be called surfing but waving! LoL!
Feeling low, we rode a jeep going to San Fernando- “bayan” as they call it. I was actually planning to visit some famous restaurants or eateries like “halo ilokano” or midway grill” but then again we are running after an earlier trip and a better bus. The jeepney driver dropped us at Partas Station, so there we asked the clerk for the earliest trip first class…I whispered: “I should never go wrong with this or else we’ll suffer the heat of the afternoon on the entire trip!” They said it would be at 12:30. Time check: it was 12:10 on my clock, we need to have a hearty lunch for us to survive a 6-hour drive so we walked down past bayan and saw Jollibee! We ordered, hurriedly ate our lunch and headed back to partas station. Just in time, the bus for cubao was there-were riding DELUXE! We got our seats. As expected, being tired my head drooped in a comfortable position, I held my hubby’s hand, and I drift immediately to sleep. We were both so very sleepy...I whispered: let's us rest, this would be a long trip… We left at 12:30 after a few bus stops; we arrived at 6:30 pm- exactly 6 hours. I whispered: “welcome back to Manila” but I was already missing La-Union…Nevertheless, our trip was fantastic! This gave us a whole new perspective of enjoying the beach outside the alcoholic parties & boasting off your bods & bikini’s, it gave us a whole new drive of learning something new and being one with the sea through surfing! This trip would be added to our treasure chest of wonderful memories that my husband and I shared through the years! La-Union is uber cool! I can’t wait to get back and finally be able to stand on my board! I know I'm gonna go back to my reality in about 24 hours. The world we have created for ourselves while we were In La-Union will have to be forsaken for we’re now back in Manila-the world we are required to live in. And I'm not ready. Not for Monday, not for the days that follow. It’s back to reality again. I don't want this to end. Not yet. I still can’t believe it, I fell for La-Union…I fell for it…But this I swear, I’d surely be back and embrace the waves…until that day again...