All it took is for friends to invite me and we set and just wait for the date to come. It was all work for most of the year until the last three months when I get to pack for beach travel, unpack, then pack again a few days later. There is so much excitement just thinking about the roadtrips, our daily itineraries, and the fun in between!

Last October was when I got the chance to go back to White Beach Puerto Galera at Oriental Mindoro, south of the metro and one of the nearest and exciting beaches I’ve been to, which I also used to frequently visit many years ago. Exciting, because a lot of people go there and it is alive 24/7 with great nightlife and many tourist spots to go to whether it is island hopping or land tour.

Booking and sea/land transfers are more organized and safe, however at this time, the beach strip is undergoing a rehabilitation to widen the beach shoreline which caused a number of known beachfront establishments to temporarily close. With that I was disheartened to find out that the drag shows were stopped, but there were live band shows still. Finally, the beach is still beautiful and the sunset view is as breathtaking as it was before. I’m so glad I get to go back.

Amidst a very busy November, we got ourselves an awesome time and had a quick getaway. This time we went to the far away north at Urbiztondo at La Union province, one of the best surfing spots in the country, which tends to be a scorching hotspot during the summer, so we’re lucky at this time of the year. Known as “L.U.” or “Elyu”, the bohemian vibe is more palpable here than on any other beach spots I’ve been to which maybe why most of the crowd here is from the younger generation.

Nightlife and music is uh-mazing here if you know where to go, the two popular ones are Flotsam and Jetsam which is more relaxed, boho chill spot; and the other is Kabsat, which is mainly a restaurant but can really transform and compete with the former as they have better DJ, lounge area, and a cozy dance floor too. Best prepare to come in early especially during Saturdays because both can be sure hell to be jam-packed and long waiting lines. Between the two, while Flotsam and Jetsam is a sure win with the ambience and vibes, Kabsat gives the total beach party experience for its music and crowd, plus points for affordable food and its late closing time, because really who wants to be killjoyed and end the fun at 11:00 in the evening?

Before we end our getaway trip, we get to visit Immuki Island around 30 minutes travel north, hailed as one of the cleanest coastal bodies of water. We get to tour around huge coral rocks by the sea, swim on lagoons, and ride a raft. It was super fun as it was a different beach experience.

Lastly for December, as if it wasn’t enough, we went back to Urbiztondo coz we missed and wanted to experience the super fun vibes between the food trips, the beach, and the nightlife again! This was my 4th time being at L.U. but I still wasn’t able to try surfing and worse, wasn’t able to swam by the beach, oh well, swimming wasn’t encouraged anyhow due to big waves.

This time though we get to check out Tangadan Falls, further northeast of Urbiztondo around 40 minutes travel including steep motorcycle ride by the edge of the mountain. There is a light trekking after and then comes a beautiful sight of the 40-feet waterfalls. A lot of round but steep rocks to climb so it posed some challenge to someone like me who isn’t a fan of hiking hahaha! Nevertheless it was such a wonderful view.

And just when we thought we’re going home, we decided to go to Patar Beach at Bolinao, Pangasinan! We marveled at Bolinao Falls and the Spring Falls which are like heaven on Earth and truly captivating. Truly it felt like you don’t want this trip to end.

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