La Union and Tangadan Falls : not only for surfing

La Union is one of the places my friends and I keep going back to. For one it’s only 4-5hrs away from Manila, two, it has really cheap accommodations, three, there’s great coffee shops and restaurants in the area, and four, the general laid back vibe is so inviting.

I specifically wanted to share some non-surfing activities in La Union for non-surfers in this entry. My friends and I normally go here to learn to surf, but sometimes the waves don’t cooperate so we have to find other things to do, which is a lot when you’re in LU.

We tried the paddle board in one of our visits. We rented it one afternoon for two hours and we took turns in riding it. It was fun but I warn you, it’s not as easy as it looks.

Here’s a friend of mine doing yoga poses on the board. Pretty neat for photo ops.

When you’re not into paddling, have a friend do it for you. Haha! #likeaboss

Or challenge your friends to ride the paddle board all at once. Time yourselves for the added pressure! 😂

Another awesome thing you can do is hike to Tangadan Falls. It’s a 1.5hour hike (one way) although I think now they offer a shorter route to save time and for those not too hot for hiking. Although I recommend you do the full hike as the view is worth it! 

The photo below is my favorite travel photo… the view is so pretty and my cap has a perfect cameo of “❤ Philippines.” This is the point where you can jump off the cliff. There are different levels, you can jump from as high as 18ft I think, but as a beginner we took the 10ft drop instead. Haha!

Geronimo!

Then off to the actual falls…now like most falls the water was freezing. This is me freezing to death and dreading that icy falls. 

Now we were told that we were in for some water massage therapy. Then I immediately  found out it was more water torture! Haha! The falls was too strong that time and it felt like I was being slapped at the back of my head repeatedly. I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Although, some of my friends really liked it, I guess to each its own. 😅

Overall, the experience was really memorable. The view was amazing. I recommend it for those looking for some adventure. Definitely a must try for all LU visitors. Now something to do beyond surfing 😊

Banawe Rice Terraces

This was way back in August 2015. I’m trying to make up for lost time and share some of my past trips. Unfortunately, most of the information is hazy and outdated so I’m not so sure how helpful this entry will be. Haha! 

Anyway, one long weekend we decided to take a group tour under barefoot travels to Batad. I’ve always wanted to visit this place and I knew it would be worth the long trip. 

We met up with the travel group in Petron (arnaiz ave) at 12midnight. We rode a van going to Batad and reached the area around 7am. It was very traffic that day due to the long weekend and there were roadblocks due to some road accidents. 

Before checking in to our inn, we had a few nice stops for some photos.

To get to our inn, Hillside Inn, there was a slight trek I think around 30 mins long. Here’s our tour group.

After checking in, we had time to rest then we had early lunch. After which we start the trek. Our group tour came with a tour guide already so it was very convenient. 

We trekked for around 1.5 hours to get to the falls. It was a bit slippery because it rained that day. I recommend you wear hiking shoes to avoid slipping in the mud and rice paddies. If you slip in the rice paddies, it’s like quick sand! Hard to get your foot out without losing your footwear. Haha! 

Finally, after a tiring trek, we reached the falls. The water was super cold and it also started to rain when we got to the falls so it was even more freezing. We stayed here for around 45 mins then we decided to head back. 

We hiked back to our inn for another 1.5hrs. It’s not an east trek specially for beginners like me but the view was amazing so it helped to take your mind off the fatigue. 

At night, there’s pretty much nothing to do, so we availed of the in house massage services.It was so worth it after the long trek. 

Please remember to also put on some insect repellant lotion. I swear my boyfriend got really nasty mosquito bites that night because we forgot to bring the lotion. Apparently, some blood types are more prone to bites since only my boyfriend had the marks. 

We rested early and woke up early as well to enjoy this view during breakfast! Priceless!

Later on we hired a jeepney to bring us to the city to do some shopping. We decided to sit on top of the jeepney for added thrill. Although I warn you, it can get really bumpy and after awhile it hurts your tush! Haha! Pros however is you get a phenomenal view of banawe.

Before heading back, we stopped at the local souvenir shops where I got super hooked with these bags. I was asking help from my boyfriend to choose which one I should get, and he decided to snap a photo of the undecisive me. 😅
You’ll also see locals there in their native costumes and you can take a picture with them for a fee. 😊

After lunch we headed back to Manila and arrived around 7pm. It was a short trip but it was very memorable. The place is really a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and the view is breathtaking. Next time I would stay longer and maybe visit Sagada as well. 

That’s it for now! Hope you liked my entry… ❤