How a Tropical Storm Didn't Ruin My Beach Vacation
Trip Start
Jan 22, 2010
1
80
122
Trip End
Ongoing
Where I stayed
Monaliza Resort
San Juan, Ilocos, Philippines
Thursday, June 30, 2011
After about another hour, we arrived in the mountain town of Baguio. I happily hopped off the bus and was surprised not to be greeted by a hoard of tricycle and taxi drivers asking me where I was going (I later found out that the hills are too steep for tricycles so they don't exist in Baguio, but that still doesn’t explain the absence of pesky taxi drivers). I brought out my trusted traveler’s bible (aka the Lonely Planet) to glance at the map of Baguio, and was further astonished that even with this act of blatant tourism I remained undisturbed. After walking for about 10 minutes in the rain and asking a couple of people to point me in the direction of Sessions Street, I found the hotel I was looking for (i.e. what I perceived to be the cheapest hotel in the city). Their two cheapest rooms were unavailable, so I grudgingly settled on a room for about $11.50 and, after a quick shower, headed to the bar across the street to meet my friend Alex, an American whom I met in Manila. (I must admit, I was extremely excited to go to a bar, as these are nonexistent in my current hometown of Cabanatuan.) We had a couple of drinks there, then headed to what was reportedly the best pizza place in town and happily gorged on good pizza by Asian standards. After we headed to another bar which purported to be filled with expats and travellers every night of the week, but because this is the off season, it was empty except for a few locals playing pool. I called it an early night because my body was out of practice in drinking beer (go figure!).
We had planned to go mountain biking the next day, because the area around Baguio is known for its spectacular flora and it is favorably perched on the mountaintop with views of cascading rice terraces. Unfortunately, the rain got the better of us so I headed to the immigration office to get a visa extension (after all, that was the real purpose of taking a few days off work...), and then we decided to move on to San Juan. San Juan is a beach town about 2-hours from Baguio where we could at least stare at the ocean from the comfort of a covered balcony. And that is basically what we did for two days: As Tropical Storm Falcon swept across the island of Luzon, tearing off roofs, ruining crops, flooding cities, and displacing entire neighborhoods, we stared at the ocean through torrential downpours and played lots of cards.
The storm departed for Japan on Saturday, and by Sunday, the rain had been reduced to a drizzle, so I decided to try my luck at surfing. I rented a long board because I have only tried surfing on short boards and long boards are supposed to be easier for beginners. I found it to be extremely heavy, hard to carry, hard to paddle and excessively easy to stand up on, depriving me of a much sought after adrenaline rush. After I rode a wave all the way to the beach, I kept getting smashed back to shore by the waves (due to the fact that the long board was too big and buoyant to dive under the wave) and I just couldn’t paddle back out. I got out of the water, denounced long boards as completely stupid (yes I know, typical Kim thing to do), and decided I would rent a short board the next day. My friend Allie (who works in Cabanatuan with me) showed up later that day, and the three of us went to dinner. We were drinking beers and playing cards when a local guy invited us to a bar where some of his friends were hanging out. Not one to turn down fun encounters with locals when I have the chance to do it in a safe way (i.e. not alone), we decided to go with him. We ended up at a local surf bar and had a great time drinking and chatting the night away with Filipino surfing champions.
Our last day in San Juan, Allie was determined to learn how to surf. I was going to head out with her, but there were no waves and I didn’t want to waste the money on a board rental (especially a short board as they are harder to ride in small waves), so she rented a board and hired an instructor and I relaxed on the beach to watch her try. Next thing I know she is back on the beach screaming "I did it!". Apparently, I had the most relaxing, wonderful nap on the beach. Feeling nice and rested, we spent the evening drinking and playing cards.
On the way home the next day, we stopped in Baguio to pick up some fruit at the market for my host family and our co-workers. (Even though I was raised to do this anyways, it is customary here to bring gifts anytime you go anywhere, to the point of it being expected rather than a nice surprise.) The market was a really good one in the typical Asian style, full of colorful bags, dried fish, bloody dripping meat, and a spectacular selection of fruits and vegetables. I’ll have to come back to Baguio when the weather is nicer to do a bit more exploring, but speculating on that possibility right now would be a moot point (haha inside joke for Allie and Alex).
Comments
when you say you played cards, please tell me it was bean game?!