Last weekend was one of the coolest weekend ever, for me. I went on an adventure with my friend, Bryan, and until now I cannot believe the not-really-a-planned plan pushed through. I was just so eager to get away, have fun, not think of anything and of course, with the magic word he showered me with, Surfing, I was beyond ecstatic! Ever since I could remember, I’ve been wanting to go surfing but it’s always just on my how-cool-would-it-be list. It never came to me that I would really get a chance to do it.
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| Laid-back View from the Shack |
Firstly, when you think about surfing or other water sports, I immediately think, 'Oh! Mahal naman! Maybe in a few years or never.. yeah, never.' thinking about all the equipments, how far the beaches that have waves are from the city and such. Second, I know how to swim but I panic when I'm in deep sea so makes me not such a good swimmer after all so I thought it would be dangerous for me. In short, I just ruled that one out of my list.
Until my coolest friend ever, Bryan, (since he's the only person I really know that had surfed for a couple of times and also is into skim boarding) mentioned about a place in San Juan, La Union. Who would have thought that there's a Surf School here? In my thoughts, it is just the coolest thing I've ever heard, I never heard of it until that time. Evil laugh. I was at first kind of hesitant but nah who cares? No harm on trying and it is the perfect escape; just the thought of the beach alone was already mesmerizing me. I did not know what to expect at all because I had no idea what the place looked or was like until we got there.
After the 5 to 6 hour bus ride from Partas Cubao Station to San Juan Surf Resort for Php440, let me just say, ‘hassle free’ because the bus passes by the resort anyway so no need for tricycle or Jeepney rides going there. Everything was so smooth, we got there on time. For only Php 1760, we had a room that could fit 4 people without squeezing in. Check-in wasn’t until 1pm so we had a few hours to spare on just admiring the view from the surf shack. Breakfast was immediately ordered, for Php 160 – Php 170, you can order a Filipino Breakfast set (2 Eggs, Beef Tapa, Rice and Coffee or Tea). We took photos of the laid-back view we had.
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| San Juan Surf Resort, La Union |
The waves weren't there at all but eventually that day they came and almost all the girls that apparently were on their Surf Camp were in the water with their Surfer Dude teachers. It was just entertaining to watch them having their surfing lessons that I ended up not having one that day. The afternoon ended with swimming, jelly stings and one of the most beautiful sunsets ever. I have seen other sunsets but this was one of the most breathe-taking. Bryan and I took several photos of it and had a wonderful time shooting also. Night came and we have got to eat! Good thing he made a quick research while waiting for me to finish work. He researched on a good place to eat which was MIDWAY Grill and Restaurant and it was great! The place was a western Filipino fusion, Baby back ribs for only Php199 and it was big too, it’s a serving for 1 but according to our bellies it was for 2, no doubt. It’s their signature dish and something that one can really crave for. Actually, since we left, it has never left our hungry minds. We also ordered Jambalaya, a hot plate mix of seafood, which was also good.
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| Baby Back Ribs at Midway Grill & Resto, La Union |
They really had good food and they had like an American Diner feel to the place. After dinner we went back to the resort ‘cause we know that there’s an event and they hired DJs to come out and play. We had the best time sitting on the sand, listening to beachin’ mixes, having a bottle each and just watching the waves getting a little higher and bigger. We knew that we were in the right place because people who checked in to other nearby resorts came and chilled in ours. We could have easily fallen asleep, it was that relaxing, it was great.
The next day we had planned for me to have surfing lessons! Since the waves were small my friend decided not to go surfing anyway and just took photos of everything which of course I was a benefactor of. Evil Laugh. For Php400, an hour of Surfing 101, a rash guard to wear and an instructor. The waves were perfect for beginners like me ‘cause they were just right although the instructor had to push a little for me to go with the waves. The water was just about 3 to 4 feet deep so I don’t have to worry about drowning but the instructor said that I won’t have to worry about it ‘cause I am also attached to my board even if I fall off of it when in deep water, the board will always float on top. It’s not as easy as what you see on television or youtube videos but it’s so worth the try. The first time I tried to stand up, almost instantly, I could tell that it was a fail but for the second attempt, I was able to stand. I could not believe it and it felt really good! I was one with the cute little tiny wave and with the help of the push my instructor made. Not just that, I got to stand for a couple times too. I was telling my friend that it is really something when you put your mind and body onto it then everything follows through. I think that’s the secret of it all. The hour was over and I had my photo taken with Luke Landrigan, the ultimate hottie owner of the surf school and shop in the resort.
For lunch we went back to Midway and had our Filipino lunch now. We ordered their specialty Binagoongang Baboy that had so much flavor in it and ordered ourselves Sinigang na Hipon with the ever so always present rice for both of us. The meal was a two or even a four thumbs up! We only paid around Php500 for that whole meal. Bryan had also stumbled upon Halo-halo de Iloko through the internet. So we looked for the place which served this local dessert and for Php170, you get a really big halo-halo in a coconut which had Polvoron in it, which I didn’t get to taste but my friend did. It was good for the overly hot day that we had. When I go back to La Union, I would definitely go back there just to try their food ‘cause they also served meals too. Judging by the people coming in and out of the resto, I think the food must be good, just a bit pricey.
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| Surfing 101 |
After a long morning, we head for the road. We rode the first bus we saw going to Pasay City for about the same price, you not only get to come home safe and sound but you also get to watch a movie that is in the liking of the bus driver and conductor. The series-like Bruce Lee life story movie that was playing on the bus for almost 3 hours was not only long but amazingly interesting. Not to mention the tears from watching Pearl Harbor or the tears from watching Final Destination 5 which had a wonderful scene wherein everybody dies in a bus accident. All in all, it was great! Thank You Bryan, who went with me on this Surfer Dude weekend! For making me cool or making me believe that I was, even just for a weekend. Bagasbas, you're next! ;)
