The boyfriend and I had been planning a trip up North with our high school friends. Anywhere in the northern part of the country would have been fine, but on the expert advice of one of our Physci darlings, we decided to head to San Juan, La Union to try our luck in surfing. It took about a month to plan the trip, since everyone had very busy schedules. In the end, only six of us were able to go. Nevertheless, it was still fun.
Bi and I waited for our friends somewhere along C5. They arrived an hour late and Rambi, known for having very little patience, was getting cranky. We eventually managed to keep ourselves entertained by playing a little game involving plate numbers.
Don drove like a maniac all the way to San Juan. Bi and I slept like babies in the backseat. We arrived at the San Juan Surf Resort just in time for lunch.
We took lessons under the Billabong Surf School. Lessons are at 400/hr inclusive of board and rash guard rental. They gave us a discount since we were there during off-peak season.
Paddle, paddle, push, stand, ride. The instructions seemed pretty easy. We ran a little contest among ourselves. First one to surf gracefully gets free drinks that night. Yna and I found balancing pretty easy. The boys on the other hand took a while to stand on their boards.
Since the boys weren’t having much luck, we decided to just take pictures.
Come nightfall, we were too pooped to do any drinking. So much for Yna’s prize. We had a quick dinner then retired for the night. This concludes Day 1 of our La Union Trip.
We woke up around 7:00 AM and had breakfast by the beach. Everyone else had complimentary longsilog for breakfast, while I paid extra for bacon, eggs and toast. I’m not really big on rice during mornings. They served my toast with butter and orange marmalade. Divine!
We received a phone call that morning from Ton, who said he was on his way to meet us in La Union. Hooray! The boys caught an NBA game after breakfast and watched with other guests and surfing instructors. Yna and I went back to our rooms, where we talked and shared stories about life and love. You see Yna is currently recovering from heartache. She’s been doing a fine job at it, transforming all those negative feelings to positive energy. That’s why she was able to surf so quickly the day before. :p
The waves were still pretty calm until lunch time, so we decided to have lunch somewhere in town. We were looking to try something new but somehow ended up in Pizza Hut. We ordered 2 Hawaiian Pan Pizzas for takeout for only P399.00; 5 drinks and a platter of chicken tenders and fries for dine in. They originally wouldn’t allow us to eat the takeout pizza in the resto but with a little charm, they gave in.
The waves were already pretty big when we got back. And the boys did a much better job at surfing.
A couple of hours later, everyone except Rambi retired. Not until he catches his own wave. That’s why we call him a Belieber.
With the sun’s departure arrived a familiar face, Ton was finally in LU. Parang aswang lang.
Dinner was at Mang Inasal, and for post-dinner entertainment, we went to a local fair! Perya! Complete with game booths, where you throw one peso coins and try to land ’em on a board to win a prize! We were aiming for the glass prizes since we were having drinks that night, but all we got were Pee-Wee snacks.
We also tried a Horror House that was beyond hilarious. We had to ride a small truck with a cage, like those used to deliver chickens and pigs. The truck entered a short tunnel about six times. Inside the tunnel were three men wearing scary masks. Best part was when Don screamed. Yes, he did.
Back at the resort, we drank and smoked to our hearts’ content that night. There was a local bum who kept asking for free drinks and cigarettes. He got on our nerves.
We headed to Jollibee for coffee and snacks around 4AM, then went back to the resort to rest.
End of Day 2!
We got up early on our last day in the resort, which was pretty difficult to do after a drunken night. To make the most of our trip home, we decided to make a few stops. We passed by a Ma-Cho temple in San Fernando.
Taoist temples are fun because you get to light incense and make wishes. I don’t really take these things to heart, but tried it anyway for fun.To make a wish, first you need to light an incense. Then kneel on one of the pillows, say a prayer to Ma-Cho, and plant the incense in its holder. You then get two blessed blocks, move it around the incense three times, then throw it in the air. If one block lands on the flat side and one on the curved side, that’s a YES. If both blocks land on the curved side, that’s a NO. If both blocks land on the flat side, that’s a MAYBE.
Rambi made this really cute wish, and he got a YES. I got a MAYBE on mine, but it was more of a question than a wish. Which has been answered, BTW. :p
We bought pasalubong for family, then bid each other goodbye then finally drove back to Manila!
End of story! Byebye!
TravelhackRR 