Squeezing a quick beach escapade was made possible through an invite from my college friend. Last December 11-12, 2021, we were able to go for a quick trip to La Union also known as Elyu with some friends.
We were picked up at Greenfield at 12:00AM by our service. We were joiners. There were also other passengers who were with us on this trip.
Day 1 – Tangadan Falls, Baluarte Bell Tower, and the Beach
We reached the North at around 7:00AM. We ate breakfast in acarinderia along the way. Look how sumptuous our breakfast was.
After having our breakfast, we headed to Tangadan Falls. We were transferred to a jeepney. It was a 30-minute ride, and a 10-minute walk going to the falls.
Tangadan Falls was one of the main destinations for this Elyu Trip. The water was cold, and the surrounding was indeed peaceful. You can feel the fresh air in this place.
We stayed there for two hours, before we headed to our next destination.
Our next stop was the side tours. This included the Baluarte Watch Tower. We also ate our lunch there. We passed by the Bahay na Bato and Namacpacan Church.
After our quick day trip, we headed to our hostel. We stayed in a hostel room in front of El Union Cafe. It was already coordinated by our tour guide.
After resting, we headed to have our merienda at San Juan Beach. No entrance fee. Here, you will see the majestic sunset.
I loved looking at the sunset while enjoying our barbecue, shake, and our alone time. My friends respected each other’s alone time here. We were never required to be with each other at all time. But, we made sure that our companion was safe all throughout the trip. We tried to go to Kabsat and the other popular go-to destinations in Elyu. However, one will lose patience on how long the line was. Anyway, our group was not a fan of drinks so it was just fine with us.
Day 2 – Elyu beach and Slowing down
We woke up early the next day. 7:00AM to be exact. After doing our personal morning routine and eating our breakfast provided by our tour guide, we went straight to the beach which was just near where we stayed.
We stayed in the beach until 10:00AM. Packed our bags. At 12:00NN, we were fetched by our tour guide. We were dropped at SM La Union while the others went to Thunderbird Resort. We were fetched (again) at 3:00PM. I would never rant how we waited for a very long time for this was one of the many consequences of being a joiner in a big group trip. We went straight to a temple.
After taking some photos here, we went to the grape farm. Here we tasted the wine.
We bought pasalubong along the way. We reached Starmall Mandaluyong at 10:00PM if I am not mistaken.
Lessons from Joining a Tour
I enjoyed the place itself. However, if you want a more peaceful trip, just rent a van and do things by yourself. For me, I only need to relax by the beach. Hence, some trips were unnecessary for me. But still, when I went there, I enjoyed.
Joining a group took too much of our time. We were fetched late by the service. Two hours late. When our co-joiners go to the washroom, and take photos, it also consumed time. When they were headed to another optional trip, much of our time were wasted.
This is just for me. Maybe, group tours work for some. 🙂 As for an introvert, DIY-ing is preferable. You’ll have better options as well in terms of hostel booking.
Please note that we followed all the requirements asked by the local government. We also are fully vaccinated when we proceeded to this trip.
Again, this was the only time we went out after being stuck at home for a long time.
Did you also go somewhere in 2021? Where are you planning to go next (once everything is okay)?
Wanders of Kim 