Photo Blog: Flotsam and Jetsam

There are times when you just want to get away from the city and take a break from the hustle and bustle of Manila, but you don’t have time to book tickets or plan your itinerary. Good thing, we have nearby provinces that you can go to by bus and just be spontaneous: no itineraries, no plans. That is what we did exactly on that weekend in La Union.

Me and my friend, Krissy, like artsy stuff. So when we saw Flotsam and Jetsam in our Instagram feeds, we both knew we have to go there. So let me take you to that one weekend getaway to La Union’s Flotsam and Jetsam.

From Manila, we took a Farinas bus to Vigan. The bus will pass by Flotsam and Jetsam en route to Vigan. Farinas Bus terminal is located in Lacson St, Manila. A few meters away from UST. It was a butt-cracking 7 hours drive. The bus didn’t pass by TPLEX, that’s why.

But it was all worth it when we got to Flotsam. 🙂

We arrived in Flotsam a little after 5PM. We immediately went to the beach to witness the sunset. Coincidentally, on our first night, there was a musical event in Flotsam. There was this band playing the violin, sax and trumpet. We were in the garden area and were seated on bean bags. The entire place was cozy and chill.

After a few mocktails and food, we decided to call it a day. We slept in bunk beds. We were in a room with other people but we have our own bed, fan and locker, plus a curtain to keep our privacy.

The rates per bed are as follows:

P880 – weekends

P780 – weekdays

The following day, we were more energized! We started the day getting some sunlight by the beach. I also borrowed the ukelele and played with it (more of used it as a props for my photos, lol).

What I like most about Flotsam is their artsy vibes. It is definitely an ‘Instagrammable’ place. Every where you go is worthy of a shot. 🙂

That afternoon, we went outside to check out where to eat. We had lunch at a Gefseis, a Greek restaurant and grabbed our dessert just beside it, El Union Cafe. We ordered their Cookie Skillet (they are famous for their Smore’s, but we wanted to try something else) and I tried their coffee too, which was kinda strong for my taste. We also took advantage of having a photo with the cool baristas of El Union, who are also friends of the owners of Flotsam & Jetsam.

My artsy shot of the skillet

When we got back to Flotsam, we just laze around the beach and the kubo until it was dark. We met another local surfer and had a quick chat and drink. Then we also met Dylan, the kid of the owner of Flotsam. That kid was adorable! Then just right before we headed back to our beds, we availed of their one hour swedish massage. Super sarap! We needed it for tomorrow’s agenda.

The following morning, we headed back to the beach again and this time to surf! Yes, your trip to La Union wouldn’t be complete without trying this! It was my first time, but I was surprised that it was not that hard. I was able to stood up and got my balance on my third try. All thanks to the very patient instructors of LUSS (La Union Surfing School).

SURFING EXPERIENCE

We made the surfing reservation thru Flotsam then we were fetched by our instructors. We had to go to another resort because the water in Flotsam is not appropriate for surfing. We signed up thru La Union School of Surfing. Paid the 400.00 fee that is inclusive of the instructor, the surf board and the 1-hour surfing activity.

Initially, I was so scared to surf because I don’t know how to swim. But before we even went to the water, we were taught about the basics first: how to position yourself on the board, how to stand, where to hold, etc. My worry about not knowing how to swim was answered because there is a strap attached to the board and will be strapped to your ankle. So even if you jump from the board, you can easily locate the board thru the strap and you can hold onto it, so you won’t drown.

It was easy for me, maybe because I am an athlete myself. I can easily push myself up. It only took me (drumroll please…) 3 tries before I can stand up on the board. I would like to commend our instructors for being very patient with us. It was one-of-a-kind experience! I would not think twice in trying it again!

All in all, our 2 days, 2 nights vacation in LU was super worth it. It was fun and relaxing. For the first time in my life, I have thought of giving up my city life to settle in the province, by the beach. The people in Flotsam are all warm and accommodating. It seems like they have built a barkada in Flotsam (surfers, musician, hotties). They’re so close, you’d want to have one like that too. I want that, that feeling in the morning when you get up, you don’t have to rush to go to work. No Manila traffic or rush hour, instead you’ll go pick up your surf board then you’ll head to the beach to surf. That is your morning exercise. When you are fully awake, after an hour of waves crashing on your board and you crashing on the waves, it’s time for you to have your morning coffee and instead of Starbucks, you’ll chill at El Union, with these cool bartenders and you’ll chat the morning away. After that you can head back to Flotsam, chill inside the Kubo and just take in the scenery, the fresh air and be contented.

I hope I can experience that life too. But then, we had to head back to Manila to continue our life. It was a pleasant experience in Flotsam and I will definitely go back soon!

So much love from Krissy and me!