SEANVENTURE 001 | LA UNION, PHILIPPINES
Hello steemit, this is my first time to make a blog from my adventures and guess what? I'm gonna use my recent adventure which is La Union escapade. I'm been looking for a perfect place to do some blog since I'm a bit traveler. Most of the time a solo traveler and a joiner. Some of the picture are filtered, please bear with me, I don't have a travel cam yet so I used the apps snapseed
It's about 4 to 5 hours travel time from the Metro Manila.
While traveling this beautiful province of the North, I found out that La Union came from the word “The Union”, according to the Philippine history it is a historic place where a part of Philippine revolution was held.
But I didn't came here just for the history, I came here for the awesome adventure that most of the local here are proud of.
Our first stop should be the “Tangadan Falls”,
credits to the owner of the photo, actually I took it at the internet but when we came here we didn't make it to the falls due to a bad weather, tho it turned out that the weather in La Union seems so bright
as you can see at the second photo.
We need to trek the mountain before we get to the falls for about 1 hr 30 minutes just a one way around so it will take us 3 hrs to continue our tour at the beach, since we are a day tour we skipped it. Don't worry, if you go to this place, don't miss the falls, I promise myself that I'll be back. It's a bit muddy along the way and slippery according to the locals and we aren't prepared about this because we're into the surfing stuff, but you can rent a jeep going to the falls for about $6 per head, take note you need to use the entire monster jeep, so it will cost you roughly $6 x 24 heads since it's 24 seat jeep so $144 bucks! Quite expensive aye, or you can ride a “habal habal” for $4 one way around, so a total of $8 for a two way ride. I do suggest that if you will go to this place, make it sure there's a fine weather so you can enjoy the beautiful view and enjoy cliff diving at the falls. Just a friendly advice, be careful on the cliff diving part, we don't like unnecessary event to happen.
This place is a vice versa place, if you go here on sunny days you can't enjoy the huge wave.
Baler is the surfing capital of the Philippines but it's quite expensive, so if you want to surf up for a cheap one, I suggest go to La Union. Yes, we didn't make it to the surf board because of the small curls of wave. I mean how can we ride the waves? Right? We arrive here at the morning so expect the waves are way too small to surf. Most of local told us that the tourist came here after they went to the falls so it will be roughly after lunch, the waves are getting bigger as per the local said. You can surf for 1hr for only $8 including lesson and the surf board itself, so cheap isn't it? but If you just want to take a photo riding on a surf board on a small wave, you can rent it for about 30 minutes, just talk the instructor. They're so kind to all. But for us, we just enjoyed the view of the beach, walking as if we don't have a work to do afterwards
YOLOing, you know, You Only Live Once? Thing stuff, posing for some instagramable pose
I took a shot of my crush slash my travel buddy right now
By the way, I'm a joiner traveler here so most of the time I travel in cheaper ways.
So don't expect that we’ve checked in into a fine beach in La Union. Just an affordable one.
Our second stop over here is one of the La Union’s most promising place to eat, the “Halo Halo De Iloko”
after swimming at the beach, it's pretty good to dine here.
It's way too cheap and delicious.
For only $4 you can enjoy a food for two person
"Okoy", it's sometime a shrimp or a "dilis" dish cooked like an omelet.
"Caldereta" a Filipino dish that is sometimes a pig meat or cow meat filled with spicy tomato sauce
"Sisig" it's a famous street food in the Philippines, it's the pig's ear chopped into smallest and then filled with pig's brain then cooked with lots of onion and sometimes with chili pepper
but their specialty here is their “halo halo”
it is some sort of dessert filled with sweeten banana, the gulaman, macapuno, leche flan, ube, pinipig, and more! The special thing here is, it is inside a coconut.
Yes, it feels like you are somewhere in Hawaii listening to an Elvis Presley song, but no, you are in the Philippines. You can enjoy it too for only $4.
“Sulit na sulit!” that's how we express on things that we buy which means worth it.
After our fine dine at this place, we took off and for only 15 minutes you will arrive to a temple,
the "Macho Temple". It's my first time to see a temple
it's pretty out here.
I mean, the stories in the movies is for real! You are like wandering like just Buddha did. So take those selfie stick and take that instagramable photo.
The temple is a bit old but preserve.
It's so clean and quiet, you can hear the trees whistling just like in the movies.
I tried my signature pose, the meditation pose.
Sorry for the shot, my friend did that. You can donate to the temple when you visit.
I don't know if they're Japanese, Chinese, or Korean, but I'm pretty sure their all Buddhist.
Buddha bless!
Not far from the Macho Temple is the “Light house”
in my 20 years of existence I only see lighthouse in the movies and post card of Batanes, Philippines. But what now? A dream come true! It will only take you 10 to 15 minutes picture taking here. Unfortunately, the lighthouse wasn't open for public. I mean, you can't go inside the light house. But it's okay, just a photo with it is enough for me.
I almost forgot the photo that I'm in the tree
is the exact place where a prenup shot was held. Isn't it romantic? Well, I still don't care, kidding.
Your La Union adventure will never be completed if you haven't visited the newest tourist attraction of the place proper, presenting, the Santorini of the North
“Thunderbird Hotel and Casino”. It's a dream come true place for those romantic people to go to but not for a hopeless romantic like me. We almost didn't make it because of the VIPs. You can visit the place even tho you didn't checked in, just a walk in who would like to eat inside and take some pictures.
The lowest accommodation they have here is $187 for you to enjoy the entire resort mostly their accommodation is a Villa type houses just like the houses in Santorini, but for us "tipid" travelers we will not take it. So for cheap tips
just eat some pizza inside the resort for only $8 excluding the service charge x 2 since we bought 2 pizza and divided into 10 person
so it's roughly around $2 per person. And there you have it, your candid pose and instagramable pose at the Santorini of the Northern Philippines. It really feels like you're in Santorini. The ambiance
the architectural designs
I promise myself that I'll back here one day when I'm a bit financially ready
it's a really expensive resort but a worth it resort.
After those selfies and candid pose and the pizza eating, it's about time to take off going back to Manila. But, we took our last stop.
“Pasalubong time” it's a Filipino term for buying things for those people who are left behind at home. It's just like a bribe thing that you will give to your love ones or friend upon going home, a Filipino tradition.
Presenting, the “Grapes Farm”
Yes! You heard it right. We are not in Barcelona, we are still here in the Philippines.
It's pretty astonishing to harvest your own grapes, but I didn't buy any because it's quite expensive. It's about $7 per kilo
so I only bought the wine one, it's only $4 for almost 1.5L I think.
Believe me, it's so delicious. You can enjoy taking pictures here
and don't forget the free taste one.
If you're traveling with someone, it's some sort of a romantic place for me. Just saying.
After all those day tour, since it's a Sunday day tour, we drop by at the church to attend a mass. The church’s name, “Basilica of Our Lady of Charity”
it's pretty big and historical church here in La Union.
So we give our thanks for the safe trip going here, the fine weather, and for the safe trip going back to Manila.
And there you have it! A day tour at La Union. Oh wait! I'll break my expenses since I'm promoting a cheap travel business.
$20 for the entire tour including the transport back and fort, since I'm a joiner.
$0.4 for the toilet used at the beach after swimming.
$8 for the food at “Halo Halo De Iloko”
$2 for the pizza at “Thunderbird Resort”
$4 for the wine at “Grapes Farm”
Total of $34.4 for the entire trip. The values where estimated values. So roughly it's around $32 I think. So cheap!
Next time you visit the Philippines don't hesitate to give me a visit and I'm much more willing refer you to our organizer here. A very accommodating person.
Thank you Steemit for this and for reading my first travel blog ever. Thank you for the people who'll upvote this.
You can contact me on my Seantrepreneur page on facebook.