La Union Trip 2021 2 Days 1 Night

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.

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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)?

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Weekend Baguio Trip

Note: This is a super duper late blog post about Baguio.

It’s been weeks since my friend and I went there. Some Baguio-goers would follow the usual Baguio itinerary. What we did was so simple. We just visited the museums and allowed ourselves to immerse with so many artworks.

Ben Cab Museum

Museums are gift of humanity to the world. I would never skip any museum in every place that I visit. Hehe. Here are some of my favorite art works from Ben Cab.

 

Baguio Museum

We rode a taxi from Ben Cab Museum going to Baguio Museum. That cost us 120PHP I think. Unfortunately, Baguio Museum was being renovated so there were only few pieces for exhibit shown when we went there.

Baguio Food Trip

After visiting some museums, we did our personal errands like eating lunch, strolling around the Burnham Park, and eating merienda. At 2:00PM, we went to our hotel and leave our bags there. We napped for a while, then went out again to eat Visco’s cake!!!

Here are some pictures taken at Burnham Park.

Lastly, we also visited Baguio Cathedral. Here’s what you can see inside.

 

Baguio Night Market

We looked forward to visiting Baguio Night Market. Here are some photos we took there. This is my favorite part of the day btw! 🙂

These photos are taken at the streets.

Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad, Benguet

Of course, we cannot skip Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad, Benguet. You can pick strawberries for 400PHP and up. It depends.

Here’s an up-close look at freshly picked strawberry.

Mines View Park

Okay. We went here because we bought pasalubong at The Good Shepherd’s Convent. Here are some of the flowers we saw at Mines View Park.

Mt. Cloud Book Shop

This bookshop is one taxi away from Mine’s View Park. Well, everything is accessible with taxis! Haha. Mt. Cloud Book Shop is an indie book store that sells indie and some traditionally published books. I believe, they are friendly to new authors. Don’t skip this place in your Baguio Itinerary! 🙂

There are really lots of places to visit in Baguio. You can enjoy Baguio in weekend as long as you could prioritise the places you wanted to visit. Hehe. For us, it’s mostly museum, food, and of course, church.

Here is our suggested itinerary in Baguio for weekend.

Baguio Weekend Itinerary

Day 1 

5:00AM – 8:30AM – Travel time to Baguio

8:30AM – 10:00AM – Breakfast at The Ruins

10:00AM – 12:00NN – Ben Cab Museum

12:00NN – 1:00PM – Baguio Museum

1:00PM – 2:00PM – Burnham Park

2:00PM – 3:00PM – Checked in our hotel

3:00PM – 5:00PM – Strolled at Session Road. Lunch. Etc.

5:00PM – 6:00PM – Dinner along Session Road

6:00PM – 9:00PM – Strolled at Night Market

 

Day 2 

9:00AM – 11:00AM – La Trinidad Strawberry Farm

11:00AM -12:00NN – Slow down for personal errands.

12:00NN – 2:00PM – The Good Shepherd, Mines View, and Mt. Cloud Book Shop

2:00PM – 4:00PM – Lunch at SM Baguio, Coffee, and Merienda.

5:00PM – 11: 00PM – Rode the bus going home.

 

Here is our basic Baguio Budget for Weekend.

Joy Bus going Baguio – 520PHP (Student Discount)

Victory Liner – 400PHP (?) (Discounted)

Hotel for one night – 1,500PHP (split into two)

Food, Entrance, Taxi – 2,500 (Estimate)

So that’s roughly 4,170PHP. We splurge our money on food and taxi. So if you want to explore Baguio budget-friendly, then public transportation is really recommended. 🙂

 

Stay safe and sane, guys.

 

Bacolod Trip for Four Days

After my trip in Iloilo, I planned for next trip to Negros Island, specifically Bacolod to Dumaguete and Siquijor. However, due to unpredictable weather and some circumstances, I needed to stay in Bacolod City.

Basically, this trip was exploring the undiscovered parts of Bacolod. These places were never mentioned when I googled this place. Also, this trip allowed me to appreciate my solitude during the second half of my trip. As of this writing, I missed how I wake up without tons of worries. It’s detoxifying my mind from stress.

Again, this trip is not the fast kind of trip. It was reallyyyyy slow trip. A time meant for stories, new found friends, and moments with thyself.

Day 1 – Arrival, Iloilo Airport
After riding the shuttle going to SM Iloilo, the very first thing I did was to eat La Paz Batchoy in Iloilo. I missed their Batchoy because it’s just one of a kind. Nothing beats its Super Special Batchoy, dude. Paired with hot pandesal, this Batchoy would never go out of style.

I met my friends also in SM Iloilo. We were five in this trip. I was a stranger to most of them (at first) for I only know one friend, the rest were mutual friends. Teehee.

Then, we went to the port to ride a ferry. There were schedule for trips going to Bacolod. The trip from Iloilo Port to Bacolod was one hour. We took the 9:10am trip.

When we reached Bacolod, our friend, Carl, offered to tour us in Bacolod. Thus, I could not fully explain things regarding transportation. But then, Bacolod was easily explored through Jeepney. I swear. You’d love it there. Jeep. Trike. Grab. You wouldn’t be lost.

First Stop: DSB Cafe
It’s an overlooking cafe. It’s cute and breathtaking. They’re proud of their special coffee. However, I wasn’t able to try it because it was not available that time.

Also, we passed by a certain park in DSB.

Second Stop: La Guada Cafe
Same with the first cafe, it offered an overlooking view. We paid 50php for entrance. Free parking. Meals and drinks were affordable. But, we didn’t eat much because we were still full.

Third Stop: Bacolod Inc
Bacolod Trip wouldn’t be complete without tasting their Inasal. It’s legit chicken. I tasted no preservatives. Huhu. Everything was sooo perfect. Even the rice. Wow.

Fourth Stop: Orange Gallery
There were artsy stuff in this place. Murals were on the wall. But, I was so sleepy and had no power to take lots of photos. I regained energy after drinking coffee which I poured on chatting to my friends.

Day 2: Duyan Cafe

Our Day 2 started, really, with our breakfast at their local market. Then, we passed at their local park, and took pictures in front of San Sebastian Cathedral.

Duyan Cafe is such a haven for nature lovers. It’s like a coffee shop in the middle of Negros. You’ll see Mt. Kanlaon as you sip coffee and eat their special chorizo with two eggs and iced tea.

After we ate our lunch, we went to a street in Silay City that is filled with Mansions! Also, we explored Negrense Museum.

we went home and rested. We also attended the Mass in San Sebastian Cathedral. Then, we ate our dinner and ate cakes at Calea!

 

Day 3 – The Ruins, Talisay City 

My friends went home already. I was all alone in the third day. That time, I had no worries (thank God). I was all by myself. I enjoyed how this venue captured the hearts of every traveler. I admired its perseverance. Like, it was definitely worth visiting.

I also drank coffee at their cafe. Then, I journaled some stuff and plans. After that, I went back to my hostel to rest. It was a cozy afternoon. Then, I ate lunch, bangus this time. Also, went back to my hostel. I attended the mass at San Sebastian Cathedral.

After attending the Mass, I walked going to SM Bacolod, drank coffee, and reflected on my life lately. Then, I watched movie at my room, too. Punong-puno ng pahinga, friends.

 

Day 4 – The Negros Museum, Lagoon, and The Negros Forest Park 

In my second day of being solo, I really enjoyed how I owned my time. I decided on my own. I worked on my own pace. Certainly, this was one of the books! Thank God for the gift of time. 🙂

Negros Forest Park was not on my list. I just saw this sign on my way to Negros Museum. I dunno, but it was not shown in any of blogs that I read. Inside this park was the natural floral and fauna of Panay Island. They have Philippine Eagle Owl, btw, and a bird with a bleeding heart (its name). There were deers, pigs, and snakes. Oops.

After a short stroll here, I went to Negros Museum. This building has second floors. First floor was filled with varies artworks and sculptures. I guess, it is more of an exhibit rather than a museum.

Then, I walked and passed by their Lagoon, and their municipal hall. It was like walking in Luneta. It was Tuesday morning. There were only few people  who were strolling that time. Grabe. I enjoyed my pag-iisa.

After strolling here, I went home and watch a Filipino movie entitled “She’s the One.” Then, I packed up, left my hostel, and bought some pasalubong.

I went to Robinson Bacolod and ate lunch. Also, I rented a computer there. Then, I drank milktea. Huhu. Hanggang Bacolod talaga. Then, I rode a shuttle going to Bacolod Airport. I only read books while waiting for my flight. It was reallyyyyy an exciting adventure! Na-miss ko yung paglalakbay na ito. Kinakabahan ako noong una. Kasi, nasanay na ako nang maraming kasama at kausap, kaya nakakatakot na babalik na naman ako sa pag-iisa. Kaya, sobrang salamat sa Diyos sa gabay at lakas. Nagawa na naman natin ang isang makabuluhang paglalakbay at pagkilala sa sarili.

My Takeaways

• Being alone is not equivalent to being lonely.
• Meet new friends, after reconciling with yourself.
• Value personal time and self-care.

Also, ‘wag kalilimutang uminom ng tubig. Ayun! Nag-enjoy ako last weekend, sana kayo rin. Not posting pala to brag or what, medyo masaya lang akong nagawa ko siya. Thank God for the gift of friends pala, si Kuya Jarell, Aljhur, Cess, Luke, Ryan, and Carl.