#ElyuDaBest

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Surfed for an hour and a half. My instructor said I did pretty good for a first timer. I was able to stand up the first try. Only rented the board for an hour but I ended up extending 30 more mins because I enjoyed so much. Maaan, it was so much fun!! If my body's not too sore tomorrow I'll prolly catch some more waves 🌊

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Went for a morning birthday surf and spent 2 hours in the water. My body’s still sore from yesterday but idc hahaha excuse my face for I was so tired after. My instructor already taught me to catch my own waves without him having to push my board and I had to paddle my arms off! Lol hahaha. Ahhh i’m not ready to go back to Manila just yet :(

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Good morning. Hayyy ang sarap dito sa La Union! Finally coffee. Chill morning and then surfing in the afternoon 😊

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First foodventure for today. That cheddar beer sauce was good 👌🏻Don't really have any plans today cos I'm still kinda tired from the trip. Will just eat and enjoy reading, drink beer and watch the sunset later. Chill and relax day. Tomorrow hopefully, I get to surf and go swimming. 😊 also, to that anon who sent me a msg... i'm turning 24 hindi lang halata hahaha my parents do trust me enough to let me travel alone, okay?And I do update them once a day (?) hahaha basta pag paalis nako or nakarating nako, I text them. Besides, I don't ask money from them so they do allow me to go on trips. 😊

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Not only was I on an adventure last weekend but I also went through a journey full of foodventures. I spent most of my money eating from places to places. That’s one thing I don’t really deprive myself of. I actually had a lot on my list but wasn’t really able to try them all out. So I’ll definitely be coming back to La Union. If you’re looking for a place to eat when in La Union, then you’re definitely at the right place. I’ll be listing down some of the places I was able to eat at and tried out during my trip. 

You don’t need to worry about getting hungry or lost in search for looking a place to eat. Resorts and restaurants are located side by side and you can just walk and choose where you’d like. Luckily, the hostel I’m staying at is just near everything. I didn’t have any problems and even late at night, it’s still safe to walk. 

1. Mad Monkeys

This is the first place I ate at as soon as I arrived La Union. It was a late lunch for me as I arrived their past 12 already. I ordered their Classic Burger with Cheddar Beer Sauce and it was so good. It costs 250php including fries and drinks. The price is actually not bad considering the size of the burger. You can easily spot them and it’s near the tricycle terminal. 

2. The Coffee Library

My first morning in La Union was spent at this cafe. It was super cozy and relaxing inside. I really love their interior plus the staff was super friendly and accommodating. My favorite drink would be Caramel Machiatto (Php100) so that’s what I ordered and I also had their Turon ala Mode (Php 95). It’s located along side Mad Monkeys.

3. Olas Banditos

For my second night, I decided to go for Mexican food. Olas banditos is located on the opposite side of Mad Monkeys. They offer burritos, tacos, nachos, and other kinds of mexican food. I did order their Chicken Burrito which I kinda regret, not that it wasn’t good but I wish I ordered their Ilocos Norte with the vigan longganisa inside as it is not usual. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed my meal. Also grabbed a bottle of beer on the side. 

4. Surf Shack

For my birthday lunch and last meal in La Union, I went ahead to Surf Shack. I couldn’t think of what to order since everything on their menu looks so good. But since pesto was my favorite, I decided to go for their tinapa pesto (Php278). I also had some naked fries and an orange juice to pair it with. It was really good and the serving’s  great! 

I also ate at Tagpuan but I wasn’t able to take a single photos because I got really excited. You should try out their bagnet rice bowl if you’re going there! There’s actually a lot more I wanted to visit and eat at but there’s just so much. When I go back to La Union, I’ll definitely be visiting El Union Coffee, Makai Bowls, and Gefseis. So there. :-)

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Morning well spent ☕️ Back in my hostel now to take a rest. Excited to surf later in the afternoon! Ahhh. This is one of the best birthday weekends ever!!! Idk bout u guys but I really don't mind being alone if I get to do these kind of stuff.

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When you're comfortable enough to eat and drink alone. Night 1 of my Elyu trip. Spoiling myself with good food tonight. I've had too much sangria for tonight but I guess I'll be sleeping tight. Hahaha. Ang sarap sa tenga ng beach waves nakaka-antok lalo huhuhu I wish to live near the beach in the future.

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Since last year, I’ve already been planning out on where to go and what to doon my birthday. As you guys know, I went on a beach trip last weekend (January 6-8) in La Union for my 24th birthday in which I already posted some photos here. I’ll be sharing with you guys some more details regarding this trip incase you'd want to take a visit or plan to spend your vacation in La Union in the future. In this blog, you’ll find a guide on how to get there, fares, where to stay, and expenses. I’ll be having a separate post for the places you can eat around La Union.

I don’t really know much about La Union aside from the fact that it’s the surfing capital of the Philippines. It was my first time to go there and just relied on google and maps in locating places. Also read a lot of blogs before this trip so I know my how to’s and must try places. Find more about this trip by reading the whole post :-)

How to get there:

1. Ride a bus going to Vigan/Laoag. (Partas Cubao and Pasay is the best option as per other bloggers as well, they said there’s a direct bus going to La Union but I wasn’t able to find one lol. It took me almost 7 hours to get there due to stop overs. I saw that you can book a direct ticket through this website. One way fare is 449php)

2. Drop off in San Juan (the driver might ask you where in San Juan, depends on where you’ll be staying but I did drop off at San Juan Surf Resort. If you don’t wanna walk, there’s a tricycle terminal nearby at 40php if you’re solo and 10php per head if 3-4 persons)

Our bus left at 6am and I think there’s an hour interval per bus (not quite sure tho). We had about 3 stopovers I think that’s why I found the trip long. But they say usually it’s just around 4-6 hours. I arrived at my hostel around 12:30pm.

Where to stay:

CHARLIE’S SURF & HANGAR HOSTEL

I was originally supposed to book my stay at Flotsam and Jetsam Hostel. However, there’s no available room in the dorm type that I wanted for January 6 and I didn’t want to change hostel. Luckily, I found this newly opened hostel called Charlie’s surf and hangar. I was chatting with my surfing instructor and he told me he was teaching one of the owner’s daughter of that hostel and told me they were a family of pilots. So maybe that’s the story behind their interior. It was so cool seeing this big plane (which you can actually enter inside).

I booked for the 8-bed dorm for 750php each night. It’s air-conditioned and shared by both males and females. They keys were electronic which you can tap at the doors for you to enter. They will also provide you keys for the locker and like a storage area where you can leave your gadgets while charging. They do have common bathrooms (separate male and female) and a lounge area with the seaside view. Each room has a veranda where you can hang your wet clothes. Aside from the 8-bed dorm, they also have a 4 and 6-bed dorm priced at 850php and 950php per night. There’s no free breakfast though unlike other hostels. If you want a cheap place to stay I would definitely recommend this place. It’s very neat, clean and a relaxing place to stay. 

What to do:

One thing you shouldn’t miss doing in La Union is to go surfing. 

San Juan Surf School (own by famous surfer Luke Landrigan) offers surfing lessons for 400php inclusive of the board rent and instructor per hour. If you already know how to surf, their surf boards are available for rent at 200php per hour. They teach you the parts of the board and the basic positions and how to’s of surfing. Aside from surfing they also have paddle board, skim board, and kayak that you can rent. My instructor, Kuya Joel told me that some people where asking them why their quite expensive compared if you go surfing in Zambales or other areas. The reason behind it is that their instructors have permits and they undergo training. I went surfing on my 2nd day for 1 hour and a half and another 2 hours on my 3rd day. It was so addicting. Although my arms hurts from paddling. 

Overall, it was really great experience. I’ll definitely come back here. I still have a lot of things on my list that I wasn’t really able to try. I wanna go trekking to Tangadan falls next time and go cliff jumping. There’s just so much to explore in the beautiful place of La Union. By the way, sorry if I only have a few photos. Lol. I didn’t really take a lot of pictures and just enjoyed the moment. And most of my photos are food photos. Hahaha. Lol. Watch out for my next post! :-)