June 4-5, 2016: La Union Overnight Trip
San Juan is the heart and primary surf beach in La Union.
We stayed at Flotsam and Jetsam Hostel. A front beach place. Hostels provide budget-oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge, and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available. As stated on their website, Flotsam and Jetsam Hostel is much much more than a just place to stay. It is an unforgettable experience out of the imagination of its founders: Mia Sebastian, Carla Suiza, & Joncy Sumulong. It is the product of their passion for travel & adventure and determination to create a living space brimming with art, music, style, design, happiness, and imagination.
Flotsam and Jetsam the movie made me visit the place. I got inspired by its ambiance as well as the people who visits their place. Mostly I think are backpackers.
We took the 6:00 AM trip at Partas Bus Terminal, Cubao going to San Juan, La Union. Trips at their terminal at Cubao is every hour so no need to worry if you're after of the time schedule. Stopover is 15-20 minutes every 2 hours. We had our first stopover at Tarlac. Next was at Pampanga I think? Not sure though. Lol. Last was at San Fernando already. The bus dropped us off exactly in front of Flotsam and Jetsam Hostel, to which we were going to stay, so it was a hassle free ride.
We arrived minutes before our check-in time which is 2:00 PM. We stayed at their Kubo Dorm. Its dorm has 8 beds and 8 lockers as well. Padlocks, keys, and towels are to be provided by the staff. The have 2 ceiling fans but they also have mini fans for each bed. Overnight stay has also free breakfast included. Their breakfast is like an American inspired meal: Cereals, Fruits, Bread, Butter, Milk, etc. Moving on, after securing our stuffs, we had our merienda at their café then headed to the beach for a swim before the sun sets. Good thing we were still able to swim before it started raining. It has been a rainy night though. As per lifeguards and surf instructors, good surfing waves are during early mornings or between 4:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon.
The hostel is very convenient as you don’t need to go somewhere else if you wanted to drink or eat since they do also have their very own café. By 7:30 PM, we had their tasty adobo and curry for dinner. It's kind of pricey but worth it! After we had our dinner, we just transferred to a different spot where we can chill. It has been hard for us to find a new spot since there are many guests during the night. Really. Aside from the food, I loved the ambiance, the decorations, lights and sounds. Very relaxing. It's like "Can I stay here for much longer?" After chillin', I just sat somewhere by the beach. FJ (shortcut for Flotsam and Jetsam) have these wooden chairs where in you can just sit and stare at the stars while hearing the sound of the waves. Went back to the hostel by 12 MN.
Woke up at around 4:30 AM. I was supposed to watch the sun rise but Im too lazy to get up. Though I was already awake, I got up at 5:00 AM to prepare for the long day. Headed to the beach by 5:30 AM. What a beautiful weather it is. Enjoyed swimming until 7:00 AM. This is also the best time to take pictures. Lol. Went back to FJ by 7:00 AM for the free breakfast.
By 9:00 AM, we already went out for our Tangadan Falls tour but dropped by at Bayan (San Fernando) first to withdraw. It's just a 10-15 mins away from FJ (San Juan). So from San Juan, it took us more or less 30 minutes to San Gabriel where Tangadan Falls is located. Started trekking by 10:15 AM and was able to reach the falls by 11:30 AM. We had a hard time passing by the stones as some are mossy. We also tried their cliff jumping which is the 15 or 20 ft high. It took me 30-45 mins before I finally decided to jump. Lol. Loved the cold fresh water that comes from the falls. We had our late lunch by 2:00 PM. Good thing they have carenderias and stores so even if you don't have a baon with you, nothing to worry about. Took a rest for a while then started going back down. By 3:30 PM, we were almost back down but we've decided to relax by the first falls we have passed by. Stayed there until 4:00 PM.
Arrived back at Flotsam around 5:00 PM. Supposedly, check-out time is 11:00 AM but since we have anticipated that we cannot head back down by that time, before we go for our Tangadan Falls tour, we left our stuffs at their reception and surrendered the keys already. We were about to extend so we can still use their shower room but Ive tried to ask their receptionist first if we can still use it though we're not already checked in since once we're done, we'll already left, but if its not, we'll just get even 1 kubo dorm. Thankful that they have still allowed us. But before we head back to Manila, we had our merienda and cold drink first to cap off our stay at their place.
We left by 6:30 PM and arrived at Viron Bus Terminal station by 7:00 PM then waited until 7:30 PM for the Cubao trip. It is advisable to take Viron than Partas since there are fewer passengers there. Travel time is still the same. Arrived at Cubao around 1:30 AM.
Will definitely go back to Flotsam and Jetsam Hostel!
Surf Instructor/Tour Guide - 0916 603 4519 (Balong) Flotsam and Jetsam Contact Number - 0917 802 1328