The La Union Day Trip

The La Union Day Trip

February 6, 2005

The last time I saw the ocean was the end of November. The last time I was on my board was the end of the November. So we left early morning Saturday with Paolo and Cat and Tals and Ferando convoying with us. Miguel and Lui in my car alternately keeping me awake with constant small talk that ranged from the latest music to strange text messages received at 3am.

It really was about time that I finally made it back to La Union for a day of surfing. Yes. A day. Because a day in the ocean on your board is better than a day not on your board.

It was the weekend of the La Union Longboar Challenge but the uncooperative ocean was not giving the competitors the kind of swell they were gunning for. Spectators trickled in and out of the Point, myself among them. After banging a few sequences out, I thought it time to get in the water.

Never mind that the line-up was crowded with fellow novice surfers. Never mind that while we convoyed up, we probably spent only an hour with the other car the whole day. Never mind that I got stung twice by some new mutant strain of really invisible jellyfish... stung so bad that I had to resist the urge to pee on my arm right there in the water. (I might be a girly girl but I never said I was a lady.) Never mind that the waves were so small that calling them "knee-high" was an exaggeration.

Because a day in the ocean on your board is better than a day not on your board.

Especially when the day includes: beautiful sunshiney weather... cold beers handed to me in the kubo by La Union and Daet surfers I'd not hung out with in a while... the intoxicating smell of coconut oil... recharging my tan... meeting someone from the 'old crew' that I'd only previously spoken to through email (Hey Marc! Hey Ping!)... seeing Olin, Mako, Luisito and Ludovico again... and a signature La Union sunset.

We ate most of our meals at Angel and Marie's place... had all our beers out on the beach... and even managed to meet new interesting people : Mang Mario and his wife. They are both artists and make really pretty organic jewelry. They have two sons Daloy (flow) and Lakbay (travel). Cool cats those four. I would love to run into them again.

Heading home at midnight, my head was filled with the day. Thinking about how much we managed to do in such a short amount of time. And about how perfect it was to end our day trip at the bonfire, staring up at the stars. We made good time and touched down in Manila at 4am. I crawled into bed fully clothed and woke up thinking it was a Monday. I've said it twice but I think it bears one more mention:

A day in the ocean on your board is better than a day not on your board.

Photos:

Hangin' out at sunset.

Mang Mario and future artist Lakbay.