LA UNION TRIP WITH THE IN-LAWS

Me, Cy and my in-laws spent two days in Bacnotan, La Union. Kasama din namin sina Tita Fely and Tita Emy, my mother-in-law's relatives/zumba friends. We stayed in I&G Beach House owned by one of my parents-in-law's inaanak sa kasal.

a simple but sweet gesture :)

Dumating kami sa resort around 11:30 AM. We were welcomed by Ate Leah and Kuya Rey who are currently managing the resort.

view from the second floor

The lolo and lolas stayed in the room sa baba then the rest of us sa taas. After namin magbaba ng gamit nag umpisa na kaming magluto ng lunch.

Tita Emy, Ina, Tita Fely

lato or sea grapes

Lunch is ready!

We prepared chicken adobo, sinigang na hipon, salted egg salad, my favorite lato (sea grapes) and sliced fruits. Dinala namin ung pagkain sa dining table sa harap ng swimming pool habang nariring namin ung malalakas na alon sa dagat. It was refreshing!

before lunch with Kuya Rey

after lunch with Ate Leah

Pagkatapos kumain at kwentuhan kanya-kanya na kaming ganap sa resort. May tumambay, nagligpit, nag asikaso ng mga anak, kumuha ng videos, naglaro ng ML, etc.

bought the swim leggings from Decathlon

It was kind of gloomy the whole day kaya 2:30 PM palang ready na kami mag swimming sa dagat. Unfortunately masyadong mataas ang alon kaya hindi kami makapagbabad sa tubig. We just took pictures and went back sa loob ng resort.

Since maaga pa, I convinced them na pumunta nalang sa Urbiztondo Beach, the primary spot for surfing in San Juan, La Union. 

hinihintay nalang ang iba bago umalis

More or less 20 minutes drive sya from I&G Beach House. Glad na game naman lahat except for Cy na masakit ang paa. lol. May mga resorts in San Juan na pwede kang maki-park ng sasakyan for 50 pesos per hour. Pwede rin makigamit ng shower room for 50 pesos per person.

Urbiztondo Beach, San Juan, La Union

Matataas din ang mga alon in Urbiztondo Beach pero much safer lumangoy dito because of a weaker backwash at may mga surfers din sa tubig. Ung mga bata at kaming mga adults nag enjoy sa alon kahit hindi kami makalayo kasi ibang level ang swells that time.

Bago bumalik sa Bacnotan nag merienda muna kami sa Seabuds, a vegan place in San Juan. 
 

CJ and JD

Funky Monkey smoothie

I ordered a glass of Funky Monkey smoothie: mixture of banana, cocoa & peanut butter.

Around 5:00 PM na kami nakabalik sa beach house.

Pagdating namin medyo okay na paa ni Cy kaya nakapag swimming sya sa pool kasama kami at mga bata. After that nag umpisa ng mag prepare ng dinner sina Cy, Kuya Jeff at Ama.

Cy frying the lechon paksiw

grilled Pampano

Sina Ina and friends nag videoke pa nung gabi after kumain, kami naman ni Cy humiga na agad after tumambay saglit. Sarap ng tulog namin.

Babad muna sa phone bago matulog

Good morning!

I woke up at 5:30 AM the following day. By 6 AM nagmamasid na ako sa harap ng dagat. Maalon pa rin but I loved it. 

almusal :)

We cooked hotdogs, sunny-side up eggs and chicken adobo for breakfast . Sarap!

Si CJ at JD nagbabad muna sa swimming pool after kumain. Ako naman naligo at nag ayos na agad ng mga gamit kasi 11 AM ang check-out namin sa resort at may mga pupuntahan pa kaming tourist attractions in La Union bago umuwi ng Tagaytay.

Ate Leah suggested the Manmade Forest & Baluarte Watch Tower.

group picture using my cheap tall tripod

CJ and his ninong Cy

Our first stop was the man-made forest that looks like a tunnel through Bacnotan-Luna-Balaoan Road. You have to be quick kapag nagpakuha ka ng picture dito kasi panay daan ng mga sasakyan.

Next: Bato de Luna

one of the stone sculptures at Bato de Luna

Kinky yarn?

Bato De Luna is an art gallery that showcases Bong Kim's artworks. Mr Kim is a Korean stone sculptor and painter. If you have plenty of time and energy, you can also visit his other galleries: Bahay na Bato and Kamay na Bato. Magkakalapit lang sila.

ice cream boys

Nagpa ice cream si Cy bago kami umalis ng art gallery papuntang Baluarte Watch Tower. 

Baluarte Watch Tower

The restored 400-year old Baluarte Watch Tower is a historical landmark in La Union. This was built para makita ung mga paparating na attacks from Japanese, Chinese, Moro pirates and other conquerors in the coastal towns of La Union.

In front of the Baluarte Watch Tower is the Pebble Beach. Ang ganda ng kulay ng tubig dito at maalon ang dagat. Not sure if they allow people to swim here.

Pabalik ng San Juan dumaan kami sa bagong location ng Masa Bakehouse. We bought assorted breads tulad ng pan de coco, Spanish bread, baguettes and croissants. In fairness sa tinapay nila ha, may something. lol It's not the usual soft and fluffy, may flakiness sa textures ng mga pan de coco. The fillings were good too. May branch din pala sila in Paranaque if you like to try their breads.

lunch time

We had lunch in Kabsat, one of the famous restaurants in La Union. It's relaxing to eat here lalo na pag nasa second floor ka kasi kitang kita mo ang karagatan. Medyo mainit lang sa balat ung hangin kaya dress accordingly and bring pamaypay.

Chippy and chopsticks pauwi

Sarap balik-balikan ng La Union. :)