A Trip to La Union & Baguio - Part 1

We knew beforehand that Jan 21-23, 2012 is a long weekend because of the Chinese New Year. And a long weekend means VACATION! 🙂

My high school barkada planned on a road trip to San Fernando, La Union. One of my girlfriend’s hubby owns a gas station there and invited us so we can visit La Union, the surfing capital in the North. Very exciting! We were warned that it usually takes 8 hours (with stop overs) to travel from Alabang to La Union via NLEX and SCTEX. So we decided to start our road trip Saturday night around 9 pm. Three pick-ups were in a convoy and our route was South Superhighway-EDSA-Mindanao Ave-NLEX-SCTEX-Maharlika Highway. There was no traffic. But there were many fast-driving buses bound for Baguio that made me really nervous. Our companions were used to this travel but we weren’t so we had to keep up.

Since it was a very long trip, watching movies on the road kept us awake. We also brought Toy Story and Angelina Ballerina DVDs for Kelsea.We need to be awake so Mark won’t get sleepy. Good thing my young uncle and another girlfriend joined us to keep us company. For a long trip like this, it is advisable to be able to sit as comfortably as you can. So a full-packed transpo is a no-no!

We had a few stop-overs and arrived at the gas station around 3 am. Still wide awake, we still chatted for an hour. Kelsea was even wide awake when we arrived. I’m proud of her ‘coz she’s now fully potty-trained! It was our first out-of-town trip where I only brought 2pcs of diapers just for emergencies. She was recharged from the long sleep during the trip. At around 5 am, all became sleepy and called it a night (even though it morning already LOL!).

With only 3 hrs of sleep, we all prepared to go to the beach. The Urbiztondo beach in San Juan is only a 10-minute drive from San Fernando. Out pit stop was at Kahuna Beach Resort and Spa. The accommodation is pricey but it was the nicest resort along the beach strip. Here are some pics of the resort:

Kahuna

Garden Rooms

Reception Area

Beach view from Kahuna’s resto

Infinity pool in Kahuna (for guests only)

Kahuna Resort from afar

Tip: For budget accommodation, they recommend San Juan Surf Resort which is known as the surf camp. Warning: Rates from their website is not updated.

We had lunch the Kahuna’s resto. The group ordered grilled meat and seafood in a bilao and each had a cup of rice (except me – I’m on a no rice diet since New Year’s Day- wish me lots of luck!). Our share was around P233/head for the food. Softdrinks cost P50 while Iced Tea and San Mig Light cost P65 each.

I’m not allowed to swim due to “some” reasons so Kelsea and I just stayed on the sand – me sight-seeing while Kelsea having fun playing on the sand. Here are some pics of us in the beach:


Me and Mark (inggit ako!!! I wanna swim!)

Kelsea having fun

She loves the beach!

G-zel, Cheng, Jon and Kuya Boyet

There were parts of the beach where it is not allowed to swim because of surfing lessons. Be careful also of having yourself carried away by the waves and bring you farther from the shore.

Resting after the Lifeguard experience

Surfing lessons are available but I wasn’t able to get the rates. Surf boards are also for rent but you can bring your own. It is advisable to wear a rash guard when surfing.