Oh My Janey

Trekking to Tangadan Falls in La Union

trekking to tangadan fallsWhen my sister finished her residency program in October, she was set on a mission to travel anywhere and everywhere. I got dragged along in this mission and I suddenly found myself traveling more frequently than anticipated starting November. I was exhausted and tired and broke, but it was all worth it.

I originally planned to visit La Union with Aika, but I ended up traveling with Ate, Riza and KP first. Before the trip, I had never been to La Union but I had wanted to visit for the longest time, not for the surfing but for the chic hostels and the bustling food scene. I am happy to report that La Union didn’t disappoint. We had no itinerary, no plans whatsoever but we still had fun. I enjoyed every minute of it, and the weekend trip wasn’t enough. Even before we left, we were already itching to go back.

We started our weekend getaway with a short trek through the mountains to reach Tangadan Falls in San Gabriel. They said it’s a 45-minute hike but it took us two hours! I blame it through our inexperience and the gazillion of photos we took. [Read more…]

Where to Eat in Baler, Aurora: Baler Surfer Grill

When searching for where to eat in Baler, this restaurant often cropped on the lists I found online. But it turned out I didn’t do any research at all because just seeing Baler Surfer Grill while we were walking along the baywalk at Sabang Beach convinced us that we should dine there. We saw a lot of other restaurants with pretty interiors, packed with visitors, but it’s this one that caught our attention.

The moment we all took out our phones to take a photos of the Volkswagen, we instantly knew where to have dinner. There were many restaurants near Sabang Beach, and we could have easily enjoyed eating elsewhere. But looking back, I think we made the perfect choice. These photos will not do the place and the food justice, but it’s worth a try.

Baler Surfer Grill started in 2013 and because of its novelty, it has been featured everywhere–from Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho to everyone’s blog.

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Baler Travel Guide: Itinerary and Expenses Summary for 2D1N

It took us five hours to cross miles of flooded and jampacked Manila streets and travel through kilometers of zigzag, uphill roads just to reach the beach town of Baler, Aurora.

Day before the trip, I was starting to think that it wouldn’t push through because of the terrible Manila weather. We had a hard time finding a taxi that we thought we wouldn’t make it to our meetup time in Quezon City. Alas, our Baler roadtrip commenced, and it was a pretty exciting weekend.

You can skip to the end of this post and see my Baler travel guide, complete with itinerary and summary of expenses. But you can also read on to know more about our high jinks in detail. [Read more…]

Indespensable Life Lessons Surfing in Baler Taught Me

baler surfing

Surfing was never in my bucket list. Not once did I imagine myself learning how to surf nor did I ever wish to be good at it. I couldn’t even balance on a bicycle. How could I balance on a surfboard? But surfing in Baler last weekend taught me that we surprise ourselves sometimes.

When my friends started planning a trip to Baler, of course I wanted to go! But did I want to surf? Not so much. I couldn’t even swim—why would I dream of actually surfing?

Upon arriving at our accommodation in Baler, I could easily see from our balcony the dozens of surfers riding the waves. I was surprised to see that the water wasn’t too deep, and waves suitable for surfing were actually near the shore. That’s when I started thinking that maybe I can do it.

The morning that we were supposed to surf, I was still unsure whether I’d give it a shot. But I realized that it was now or never. If I couldn’t conquer my fears then, I’d never learn to do it nor have the courage to actually try. So I dragged my heavy and nonathletic body to the shore where the tall surfboards were waiting for me.

It was the most terrifying and exhilarating activity I have ever tried. Despite falling off my board a million times, I cannot wait to do it again. In the midst of the waves crushing me, I ended up fishing for a lesson or two or ten. [Read more…]

#BolinaoAndForever: The Bolinao Weekend Roadtrip

Last April, I embarked on one of the longest road trips of my life with my high school classmates. I expected it to be far, but eight hours of road travel will always feel overwhelming.

It was an entire weekend of raucous laughter and nostalgic tales that span 14 years of of our lives. It was ridiculous that I have known them for more than a decade but this is the first time that I actually bonded with them.

I was pretty quiet in high school, and I tended to stick to my barkada the entire time. Though I had been classmates with the same people since the first grade (Canossa loyalist, yo!), I only spoke comfortably with a few. I’m glad that I decided to join them even though I was the only one from my barkada who joined the trip. Still one of the best decisions I made this year! [Read more…]

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