Finding happiness in flopping

Surfing has been part of my bucketlist since forever, that's why I'm so happy to finally try it this year, twice! I feel like I've been more "yolo-er" this 2016, and I think I'm slowly overcoming my fears and trying more adventurous activities with lesser hesitations. Lelz.

Anyway, I tried surfing in Baler last August and in La Union last November. I cannot really compare them objectively since I went to these places at different seasons. Surfing season in the Philippines is from October to March, so obviously my experience in La Union was far more challenging. But I must say, I felt more accomplished in Baler since I (think and was told that I) learned pretty fast, so I expected that I won't be adjusting much in La Union. Of course, I was wrong. Felt like a real noob during my surf experience in La Union!!! :(

Let me share some of my experiences in both municipalities (awow sa municipalities. So government HAHA):

* * BALER * *

Together with my college besties, we went to Baler via joiners tour (Php1800 all-in) thru Leisure Lane, since we're all too lazy to plan our own itinerary. We went to different attraction sites but the surfing activity was the main highlight of our trip.

BALETE TREE (MILLENNIAL TREE)

In front of the Balete tree, known to be the largest in Asia

We have so many better photos with the Balete tree but this was the most memorable! Been an iPhone user for several years now, but little did I know that the panorama feature can do this! Haha! Thanks to Kuya tour guide (forgot his name, huhu, sorry) kami pa ang na-orient sa paggamit nito! Haha.

MOTHER FALLS

Mother Falls

The trek going to Mother Falls was pretty easy since (sadly) they are developing the area into a more commercialized one, and we just followed a cemented trail going to the falls.

ERMITA HILL

On top of the Ermita Hill

To be honest, we really did not appreciate much of our experience going up this hill. Besides the countless ascending steps, the view above was no less spectacular. However out of curiosity, when I tried googling its history, I did not expect that Ermita Hill holds a huge part of Baler's cultural value!

Ermita Hill is where the only survivors of the catastrophe “Tromba Marina” (tsunami) fled for safety on the night of December 27, 1735 where the entire old town of Baler was engulfed with sea water. (source)

Think it would be better if the locals can provide brief history/orientation to the tourists. (Or maybe we were too negligent; not sure if there were descriptions saying its historical value)

DAGUISIT ROCK FORMATION

Daguisit Rock Formation

I really don't like this photo since I look 2x fatter here, but our happiness was so genuine that I let the aesthetics value pass. HAHA. Anyway, the view here was spectacular! This may be an instagrammers' haven for every spot was photogenic. It also reminded me of the rock formation in Ilocos.

SABANG BEACH

Sabang Beach

Finally! We went to Sabang beach by 6AM to catch the waves and to avoid the sun's scorching heat. Think this was a good idea since we had the whole beach for ourselves during the first hour! Board rental + instructor cost Php350/hr. We were so overjoyed and extended for another hour. If not for our set itinerary, we could have bummed more by the beach after surfing. (One disadvantage of going on joined tours)

I cannot really tell its difficulty level but as you get comfortable with the waves, and as you learn how to go with the flow, you're all good!

Let me also share this funny video of me caught on camera. HAHAHA. This somewhat summarizes my 2016. Charz!

* * LA UNION * *

I think I fell in love with surfing that's why I was so pumped up for this trip! This time, I came with my high school beshies and college BFF, and opted for a DIY trip. We tested our luck and became chance passengers for the First Class trip thru Genesis in Cubao terminal. We left the terminal by 11:30pm, and arrived pretty early at Sebay Beach Resort (5am), so we paid for an extra fee for the early check in.

TANGADAN FALLS

The trek going to the falls was quite challenging, given it took us almost 5 hours going to and from the falls. We stopped by a spot where we can cliff jump, but just took advantage of the nice view and took a couple of photos for instagram and of course, memories. Haha lelz.

SURF SHACK

We made sure we could try the delicacies here since Surf Shack is one of the most recommended restaurants in La Union. Did not miss out my chance to try out their burger, as well as their famous Gourmet Tuyo Pizza. My friends tried one of the pastas and chicken wings.

SAN JUAN BEACH

Took advantage of our extra time in the afternoon and surfed at 5pm. According to the instructors, the waves in the afternoon are larger, making it more challenging. Of course we took the plunge since we're all so excited to go surfing. I was quite shocked with the waves in elyu. I felt like they will eat me up. Haha. To be a little technical, we experienced only few flats (term used when there's no set waves) compared with Baler's where we had idle times waiting for the next set.

Amazing skyline

What I hated about surfing in the afternoon was we needed to hurry since it would get dark soon. True enough, after an hour of surfing session, the sky suddenly looked dark (or so I thought). The fee costs Php400, inclusive of an hour of board rental and lessons from the instructor. A little expensive compared with Baler's but I think I learned more in LU.

We woke up early the next day since according to the locals, waves are smaller in the morning. We initially planned to just rent the board and play along by ourselves but the waves were surprisingly huge we cannot afford to go solo and risk our lives. (lelz, OA)

We didn't take much photos during the surf because we wanted to enjoy every moment. Also because we didn't have underwater cameras with us. HAHA (This is the reason why I invested on buying my own Go Pro. So much for getting anxious of accidentally dropping my phone in the water.)

MA-CHO TEMPLE

Before heading back to Manila, we were told that the Ma-cho Temple is located near the bus terminal in San Fernando so we paid a quick visit and made fun of ourselves.

Since the temple looks like those in Thailand...