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Aside from surfing: 6 cool things to do in La Union
The province of La Union is widely considered as a surfing destination, but there's more to do there than splash around in its tall waves.
If you ever want to stray from the admittedly enticing waters in San Juan, here are some things you can do, places to explore or eat in La Union this summer.
1. Go grape picking in the vineyards
There are only a handful of vineyards in the Philippines, and most of them can be found in the North — n La Union, specifically.
Bunches of grapes hang from low leafy ceilings held together by wooden sticks and twigs. It was a refreshing sight and an interesting experience, navigating the grape farm.
In the Manguerra Grapes Farm, visitors can pick their own grapes for P350 a kilo (on top of the P150 entrance fee).
2. Visit the Poro Point Lighthouse (and the old, rundown one beside it)
Located in the Poro Point Freeport Zone is the Poro Point Lighthouse. It blinks twice every 10 minutes, signaling ferries that they are in San Fernando, La Union.
It's 96 steps to get to the stop, where you can see a view of the beach and a large part of the freeport. Poro Point was formerly the Wallace Air Station, a United States military base.
The more interesting lighthouse is right beside it. It's a lot tinier, definitely a lot more rundown, but it clearly holds a lot of history. The steel lighthouse was built during the Spanish colonial period and still stands upright to this day. Its keeper boasts of the strength of its metal despite the rust and the cobwebs.
3. Try the famous halo-halos of Halo-Halo de Iloko
Halo-Halo de Iloko is not just the halo-halo capital of La Union, it's a top culinary destination in the entire Philippines. And it reached that status for a reason.
The award-winning restaurant, located in San Fernando, has creatively come up with four different kinds of halo-halo: fiesta halo-halo, buko halo-halo, pritong halo-halo, and ginataang halo-halo.
It also serves different kinds of Filipino food, with a twist. For example, one of its best-sellers, sinampalukang manok, is made with buko juice instead of water. So is its sinigang na hipon.
Hungry guests painstakingly line up outside the restaurant for its halo-halo, and celebrities and politicians make a point to drop by the store when they're in the area. Some even make requests to be catered all the way in Metro Manila.
4. Go food-tripping in San Juan
It's not just sand and water that can be found in the stretch of the surfing area in San Juan. At The Great Northwest Philippines Travel Stop & Viewing Deck are restaurant and eateries serving multitudes of cuisines: Filipino food, Thai food, Greek, wings, pancakes, alcohol, you name it, they have it.
Pro-Tip: Seek El Union Coffee -- the smores are drool-worthy.
5. Embark on naval ship Miguel Malvar
During the recently concluded Sillag Festival of Lights in Poro Point Baywalk in San Fernando, the naval ship BRP Miguel Malvar was briefly opened to the public.
BRP Miguel Malvar is one of the Philippine Navy's most decorated ship, and it was around even during the World War II. It is parked within the Poro Point Freeport Zone.
The crew eagerly showed visitors how things are run aboard, even demonstrating how they use the ship's guns.
If ever the crew decides to accept tours again (maybe in the next Sillag?), it's definitely worth a visit.
6. Check out Tangadan Falls in San Gabriel
From San Juan, it's a tricycle ride going to the start of the path, which is more than an hour trek going to the falls. You would need the help of a guide, especially when crossing the rivers.
There is an easier way though: take a habal-habal to another entrance, and then do the 10-minute trek downwards to the falls.
This is the same path you would take to exit the falls — but leaving is harder than going in because the trek up is steep and you would have to do it dripping wet.
But the ice cold turquoise waters is worth all the effort of finding it. Guests can also jump from the lower cascade of the falls to the smaller pool on the other side. — LA, GMA News
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