The adventure and, quote-unquote, soul searching didn’t end in Dasol, Pangasinan. After spending the night at Oms’ place in Mangatarem, we continued our travel at first light: to the surfing capital of the north, La Union. Or, as the kids these days say, “Elyu”.
(Note: It’s officially a year today since this trip, which was on January 23, 2023!)
The sun was just about to rise in Suaco.
Ahh, umaga sa probinsya.
The surrounding was naturally calm and silent except for the crowing roosters, the chirping birds, and the cicadas. No noise from the motorcycles or cars. Just peace.
In this trip, we met May, Oms’ old friend from high school and who is a veterinarian. (I think it sounds so cool to say that you know a veterinarian in real life. It sounds unique. ‘Cause to know someone who’s an IT or engineer is so boring and cliché.
Mayo, as Oms likes to call her, was our captain and with her car we traveled the 130-kilometer road from Mangatarem, Pangasinan to San Juan, La Union, the surf town in La Union.
For some reason, I have very little recall of the conversations we had on the road. Nothing of significance aside from talking about May’s Arabic tattoo and her job as a veterinarian.
We had breakfast at Black N Brown in San Fabian Pangasinan. Nothing fancy but a clean restaurant along the La Union Road.
Fun by the beach
Fast forward to the beach.
Surfing was the main reason we came to Elyu.
La Union is known for its big waves which attract surf enthusiasts and curious beings like us.
We checked in at Charlie’s Hangar Surf Hostel (website: https://charlieshangarsurfhostel.com/) which is a cozy airplane themed hostel built by the beach. (Some of these photos are by Resty because I didn’t take a single photo inside the hostel.)
After checking in and dropping our things, we headed out to the beach area.
There are two landmarks you can take souvenir photos from just by the beach.
We didn’t wander off too far to look for something to eat. The first and closest that we found was this unnamed eating place that had a nice mural where we had ihaw-ihaw (innards skewers).
The surfers
Apparently, there are booths (more like gazebo tents) stationed along the beach where surfing lesson inquiries, registrations, and basically the briefing happen. After eating, we chose one, registered, and return to the agreed schedule.
I wasn’t (well, always have not been) in a good shape and my skinny fat body had never been so publicly exposed. But I guess one sign of ‘maturity’ is when you don’t care about what others think about your belly (I earned and paid for it, man).
Outside the tent, we were taught the proper positions while on the surf board. After the quick lesson, we headed to the shore and into the waters.
I can bike, (have tried to) climb mountains, run, but surfing is totally different. It’s a real sport. And a few minutes of basic lessons on the sand on how to position yourself with respect to the board and how to stand is like teaching algebra to a toddler. It might not be obvious to the unsuspecting, but surfing requires some feet, legs, core, and arms coordination to achieve and maintain balance. In short, I failed miserably.
Well, not entirely.
My chest and knees were scratched.
I was catching my breath.
But I did manage to balance a few times, shored once or twice, but surrendered before the alloted time was up. (I can’t understand Ilocano but I could tell the instructor was commenting how weak I was. Or maybe that’s my low self-esteem talking.)
Still, I can proudly say I have officially ‘surfed’.
The warmest sunset
Beer, beach, and sunset. Not too often this happens.
This specific moment felt calm but eerily sad for some reason.
But a the same time, calming. It’s a mix of different emotions.
From a distance I spotted an ongoing photography shoot of what appeared to be a pre-nuptial.
It was nearing sunset and the soft golden light was perfect.
Perfect for the couple’s innocent-looking faces. May you choose each other everyday.
Perfect for my ice cold Red Horse. Soon I’ll be having you again.
I have an affinity for waves.
Not big waves like the ones earlier. I’m talking about tiny, calm waves that hit the shores. The foamy, soft, and calm kind.
It’s soothing to watch.
I do appreciate a show of angry, towering waves from time to time, but it’s the soft and gentle side of the sea that I always love.
In between admiring the sunset and the waves, I took a few more shots to preserve the moment before going back to my Red Horse and my friends.
The shores of San Juan, La Union is not like the sandy shores that I normally see, and the photographs that I took from this beautiful sunset deserves a separate post over at In Focus.
Later that night, we went out and walked along the main street to see the establishments and to find food. My first #Foods post, which unfortunately wasn’t that great.
And tomorrow, we’ll continue exploring the shores of San Juan, La Union.