Surf's up in San Juan, La Union

Marv's best friend, Sheila, I think, was the mastermind behind this La Union trip. She and another friend, Danica, wanted to try out surfing. Marv and I tagged along since we also wanted to try something new aside from just swimming in the ocean and drinking our hearts away by the shore.

Good thing there were 9 of us. Rule of thumb sa byahe: The more, the merrier, the cheaper.


Day 1
Byahe all day and inom all night

We all met at Starbucks Quezon Ave. 10:30AM na rin ata nung nakaalis kami dahil late si A&M (ay kami pala yan hehe sorry na). Bilang parusa, Marv was the driver and he had to endure our loud chit-chats from MNL to La Union. Since marami kaming gutom, we ate lunch at KFC sa isang stop over sa NLEX.

Me with Marv's college classmates in Letran.

Photo op habang kami'y stuck sa pila balde sa counter.


After lunch, go go go na kami to San Juan, La Union. Isearch niyo nalang sa internet how to get there kasi nakatulog ako sa byahe. Forte ko talaga yang pagtulog anytime, anywhere. We arrived in San Juan around 4:30-5PM na rin dahil na rin sa sandamakmak na stop overs namin. We happened to pass by a water station since wala kaming dalang tubig, bumili kami diyan w/ container.



We stayed at Lola Nanny's resort. It is a cheap place to stay beside the expensive resorts. So since magkatabi lang naman, iisa lang ang buhangin at alon diyan, so doon na tayo sa mas mura.

It is a must that you get reservations kasi February lang nung nagpunta kami pero paubos na ang mga rooms. What more kung summer galore. We got a room na siguro sa normal na tayo ay good for 5-6 persons lang but since tight budget kami, nagkasya kaming 9. 3 per bed (there were 2 beds) and the 2 boys sa mattress provided by the resort (we got for free but they usually charge P80-P100/night). Keber na kung masikip ang importante may aircon at may tutulugan kami. Common bath din pala ang CR namin pero katabing-katabi namin ang CR and management cleans it every hour kaya ok na rin.

Cramped pero keber!

Lola Nanny's resort also has fan rooms and air-conditioned room with private bath (we really tried to get those kaso fully-booked na). Our room was around P800/night so less than P100/head kami, not bad. After putting our things in our room and syempre a series of "dito ako", "tabi kami ni ganyan", etc. Sa wakas, nakapag swim na rin kami. Photo op syempre, kelangan pa bang i-memorize yan?

Nico, machong-machong si Ron, and Marv






Hindi ko maalala kung kumain ba kami that night. Basta ang naalala ko nalang ay after mag-swim and photo op, ito na ang nangyari...

Nongga to the right.


Nongga to the left.

Basta anywhere ay nongga kami noon. The resort has a bar which serves beer and food. We stayed in the kubos in front of the resort. SML and Redhorse ata ay P35-P40. Wala kaming gastos ni Marv dyan since sa sobrang saya ng mga friends namin ay sila ang nagbayad WOOOOHOOOO!

Kitang-kitang masaya kami right after siguro ito ng announcement nila na sila ang taya sa alak.



Day 2
Riding the waves




Since mga bangag kami, late na kami nagising. Mga 6AM ata. Haha karamihan kasi sa grupo namin ay sa call centers nagwowork kaya sanay na walang tulog. Good job! We can start the day early. Nanghingi kami ng hot water sa bar nina Lola Nanny's, good thing may dalang thermos si Sheila. Kape and delata ata ang moda namin. Diet para hindi bloated kapag naka swimsuit na. We cooked a little nga ata. We went to the market pala, 10-15mins away, to buy food na pwede lutuin o ihawin. Fault namin kasi wala kami dala mga lutuan, etc pero humiram nalang kami sa bar.

Dami ko pang satsat eh no. Surf na surf na ba kayo? Hahahaha.

Lola Nanny's also has contacts ng mga surf instructors. Well, you can also go to the shore and marami na rin doon ang lalapit sa inyo. P200/hr ang charge ng surf instructor and P200/hr ang board. Try to contact Lemon, a surf instructor (contact number at the end of the post). Naka 3-4 boards lang ata kami since ayaw mag-try ng iba.

Compared to skimboarding, surfing was, well, easier, way, way easier. Instead of choosing the fiber glass board, I chose the parang styrofoam one. The glass looked better but it was slippery and kinda hard to balance on it. The styrofoam one, you can maneuver, easier than the fiberglass board. Yun lang, mas madali mabali ang parang styro.

Before going into the water, the instructors will teach you how to ride the board, how to paddle, how to stand up, how to balance and control the board. And all of these are done on the shore. So mega paddle ako ng buhangin. TIP: Please wear rashguards (mine's from Fluidsurf, mag-plug na ako, good quality and Pinoy-made). Masakit sa chest and tiyan kapag nakahiga ka sa board kasi kumakaskas. Also wear board shorts. Matigas ang ulo at naka bikini lang with the rashguard. Ayun halos maging bombastar ako sa dagat ng La Union.

Fun ito even if you do not know how to swim. Kahit dimo na abot ang seabed, pwede ka naman kumapit sa board mo so that you'll float. Ito rin ang importance of getting a personal instructor. They'll be the ones to help you climb on the board, they'll tell you what waves are okay to ride, when to stand up, when to paddle, and help you when you're drowning. Aba, safety first, buhay pa naman ako hehe.

Ito na ang mga yabang pix:

Marv

Sheila

Danica

Marv riding all the way to the shore. Good job.

Pero papatalo ba ako? EH BLOG KO'TO???

Oha! Bongga!

May mga times din naman na mawa-wash out ka. All you have to do is try it again. Ganun naman lagi.

Wipe out!!!

For one to enjoy surfing, he/she must have stamina and a lot of patience. Why? Stamina because this can already be considered as an extreme sport. Strong waves can hit you and you end up with bruises, sore body, or bumps. Patience because you can't always get the perfect wave. Some waves cause the end of your board to go up while the front points to the seabed. Or often times, especially for beginners, you just slip and fall.

But do you know how beginners turn into good or even professional surfers? Discipline. Even if their bodies or muscles are already sore or their noses red because of the seawater, they don't give up, they go back in the game.

The board na share-share lang kami. Tipid nga kasi.

Our boys

It is heavier than you think it is!



And then pagod na kami. So routine na kasi ito. Photo op and inuman ay hindi na mawawala pa hehe.

Starlet. Haha.

Uso pa nyan ang jump shots, promise.

At night, Lola Nanny's guests can stay and chill in the nipa huts. However, there is no music and the bar isn't open for 24 hours. We borrowed a guitar and began to sing the night away. One by one other people in the beach joined our group. ANG TARAY! Para na kaming United Nations. May Pinoy, African, German, Australian, Korean, etc.

United Nations

Maaga kami nalasing dahil sa kawalan ng baong Ingles.


Day 3
More surfing


Actually in the morning, the repeat lang ito ng surf activities namin yesterday. Wala lang kaming instructor and we haggled para makuha ang board na P200/unlimited time.

Group picture w/ our new friends.

And then it was time for us to go home.


CONTACTS

Lola Nanny's Surf Retreat
Brgy. Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union
09154184034

Lemon - Surf Instructor
09197650702