An Afternoon of Random Finds at Bahay na Bato in La Union

It’s that time of the year again when we get to visit my grandma and the rest of our relatives in La Union. One thing that’s different about the shore near our house in the province is that it’s not like Boracay with fine white sand. Ours is full of stones and pebbles. It looks simple but it has its own charm, especially when the waves hit the rocks.

After lunch, we decided to visit Bahay na Bato (Stone House) because my aunt from Manila hasn’t been there yet. Since we were already nearby, we thought it would be a nice quick trip before sunset.

Bahay na Bato is located in Barangay Nalvo Norte, Luna, La Union. It’s one of the tourist spots in the area. It actually started as a private residence but now it has turned into a compound with lots of stone and wood sculptures.

When we got off the car, we were guided to the entrance. If I remember correctly, the entrance fee was around Php 50 (about $0.83), which is pretty affordable.

Inside the place, there are galleries and even rooms for staycation. We didn’t book a room though since our house there is just a few minutes away. There’s also a small souvenir shop and a canteen, which is nice if you want to rest or grab a quick snack after exploring.

We explored the inside of Bahay na Bato first. There were so many wood and stone carvings everywhere plus some photos of how the place looked before. It was interesting to see how it changed over time.

We actually stayed inside for a while because we were really enjoying looking at the displays. Some of them were colorful and really unique.

After that, we walked outside and noticed these old jars. We started guessing what could be inside them. My dad said they were probably used for vinegar or storing water, since some Ilocanos store vinegar in jars to make Sukang Iloko, which is vinegar made from naturally fermented sugarcane.

There are also a lot of Instagram-worthy spots around the place. Of course, we took a lot of photos, especially of my aunt since it was her first time visiting.

While walking around, we passed by stacks of stones along the path. There were so many pebbles and rocks in different shapes and sizes.

Then we found this nice spot for photos. And look at those big fish displays!

I’m really glad we visited after lunch because it wasn’t too hot anymore. It was almost sunset, so the lighting and the view were really nice.

We also saw this sculpture of two women holding each other’s hands. My mom and my aunt tried to copy the pose, but they both lost their balance and almost fell. We couldn’t stop laughing! It became one of my favorite memories from that day. While I was taking their photos, I suddenly noticed that the sculpture kind of looked like a face from another angle. But when we walked to the other side, I realized it really did. Sadly, I wasn’t able to take a photo of it because we were already heading back.

When my aunt saw these butt rocks, she immediately asked me to take a photo of her 😆

And this heart-shaped rock was huge in person! Photos don’t really show how big it actually is.

There were also these funny hand sculptures that Gabbie wanted to take pictures with. Of course, I couldn’t say no to that!

It was almost sunset when we were about to finish exploring. There’s also a passage that leads to the pebble beach.

On top of the arch, there are two funny turtle displays doing their thing 😆

When we passed through the arch, we saw some wooden boats parked nearby. I asked Gabbie to sit there so I could take a photo of her.

Not too far from there, you can sit on the chairs and just enjoy the view and the sea breeze. I really loved that we arrived before sunset. The vibe was just so calm and relaxing.

These are some of the pebbles you can see on the beach. They actually look prettier when they’re wet because you can clearly see the colors and patterns.

And this is what Bahay na Bato looks like when you see it from the pebble beach. It’s a really nice view to end the visit.