Surfin' La Union

Power. It is good that that is not something that I could get somewhere or I would have traded my TV for this last weekend.

It was a weekend both of frustration and excitement, since it was my first time to go surfing, and the only time to realize that I should have gone swimming more regularly or should have done more regular workout to be able to paddle better.

I went to La Union last Thursday night to try out one of the most exciting sports in the planet- surfing. I thought if I could do this, then I would be shortening my to-do list. And I was not disappointed.

We checked in at Se-Bay resort, after a 5-hour bus ride. It was not difficult to find a place to stay during this month, as it is not yet the season for the big waves, which does not come till October. After checking in and napping, we rented boards right away, and looked for instructors who could teach us the basics of surfing. We started our surfing lessons around 3 in the afternoon, and learned even before the one hour was over (yeah, we were that good!). I was already getting a bit annoyed, since I had been the only one who could not do it yet. I was too conscious of what the instructor told me to be able to feel when to really stand up. Finally, I decided to just let the wave take me.

Then, I made it!

I was able to ride the next wave all the way to the shore! Well, almost, since I jumped out just before the board hit the sand. We were able to ride many more waves before the one-hour session ended.

The next day, considering the success of the previous day's surfing lessons, I thought that we could now do it all by ourselves. So we rented a board for the whole day and started surfing at 8 am. That is when we realized that we could not paddle strong enough to ride a wave. It was frustrating having to miss many good waves just because either we paddled too late or too softly. We continued paddling for nothing for three hours, and then we gave up. We asked another instructor in the afternoon to be with us just to tell us which wave we should be riding, when to start paddling, and more importantly how to paddle. Without the instructor pushing me, I was able to ride waves all by myself several times. It is probably the possibility of starvation that made me really try harder, since my friends and I agreed not to have dinner until we could do it.

Well, it was not starvation that got us after, but the terrible muscle pains. In fact, the next day, Sunday, on our way to Baguio, I could barely lift my bag. I had a hard time taking a shower even!

It was good that we decided to go to Baguio before we headed for home. We were able to relax with the cool weather and some coffee at Camp John Hay.

I still can't move my arms without cursing, but that does not stop me from going back surfing soon. I have also realized it's not all about trading my TV set for power, but about working out to be able to paddle better.


Travel Notes:

Bus terminal: Partas Trans. Co (Aurora Boulevard corner P. Bernardo St., Cubao)
Fare: Php 445 (as of February 2015)
Travel time: 5-6 hours
- If you drive to La Union, it will be so much faster.
Accommodation: Lots to choose from with rates ranging from Php 300 to 4000 + (we stayed at Sebay)
Surf board rental: Php 200/hr but you can ask for discounts if you rent it for half a day or the whole day
Surfing lesson: Php 200/hr