San Juan in La Union is known as the Surfing Capital of the North. The surf town is most alive during the north swell, when consistent waves come in from October to April. But if you're not that much into this sport, there are still plenty of things to do in San Juan. We get up close and personal with the people who makes this surf town a top destination all year round as well as hidden gems worth visiting, including the sea turtle conservation Project CURMA, Hilom Farm, Clean Beach Coffee, Bebo's Bombay Burritos, and more.
We’re always on the lookout for something cool, somewhere to go, something to try, or someone to meet. If you’ve spotted any of these out there, send us a tip at spotted@spot.ph.
We’re always on the lookout for something cool, somewhere to go, something to try, or someone to meet. If you’ve spotted any of these out there, send us a tip at spotted@spot.ph.
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TravelTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:04 It's always been a dream to kind of move to La Union
00:07 and cook.
00:08 That's always kind of wish that we had.
00:10 We have a beachfront area, so very chill, parang homey.
00:17 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
00:18 Through this research that we discovered,
00:25 the sea turtles actually nested in this area.
00:28 So we basically were able to create
00:30 a sustainable model of conservation here in La Union.
00:36 Every farm needs to have a sustainable system in place.
00:41 But really, for many of us, everything that we do
00:45 is connected to nature.
00:47 But yet, we have very little understanding
00:49 of what the earth's about and what it gives us.
00:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:58 La Union is known for its beautiful beaches,
01:03 earning the title of the surfing capital of the North.
01:06 Earlier this year, the SPOT team went to visit La Union
01:09 to take in what it has to offer.
01:11 It's a destination we've been wanting to visit for a while.
01:13 So when we found an opportunity with our sponsor Hyundai
01:16 and our hotel partner, The Lark, we couldn't say no.
01:19 Now, when we shoot in destinations like these,
01:21 we usually do an itinerary-type video,
01:23 like what we've done in locations like Pakolod, Bohol,
01:27 and Pampanga, among others.
01:29 And at first, we had planned the same for La Union.
01:32 La Union's proximity to Metro Manila
01:33 makes it the perfect getaway for a long weekend.
01:36 So we're starting our trip with a five-hour drive
01:38 to San Juan in La Union, where our adventure awaits.
01:40 What we found was different.
01:42 Away from the surf and the parties,
01:44 LU is known for the people and the community.
01:47 Every step of the way, we had conversations
01:48 with individuals who bring La Union to life,
01:51 like Carlos Tamayo, operations director of Project Korma,
01:55 a sea turtle conservation program
01:56 and the first stop of our trip.
01:58 Project Korma is a sea turtle conservation effort
02:01 based here in La Union.
02:03 This is where we first started it.
02:06 Previously, this area had a lot of poaching,
02:09 sea turtle eggs, and the sea turtles themselves
02:12 were being poached.
02:13 So basically, we created this project to protect them.
02:18 So we run a sea turtle hatchery where we safeguard the nests
02:22 until such time as they emerge,
02:24 and then we release them in the same area they were found.
02:26 Nice, and today, we'll be releasing one of the turtles
02:29 that you've been nursing, is that correct?
02:31 Yes, we have a critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtle.
02:35 This was accidentally caught in a fishing net nearby,
02:39 and it's been under rehabilitation.
02:40 And this afternoon, she's ready to head back to the ocean.
02:43 The sea turtle release was not until our second day,
02:46 so after our chat with Carlos,
02:48 we headed to get lunch at a popular local spot
02:50 known as Clean Beach.
02:51 So we're having lunch at a coffee shop turned restaurant
02:55 whose main advocacy is to keep the beach clean.
02:58 Clean Beach, as the name suggests,
03:00 is a beachside bar and restaurant
03:02 that aims to take care of the surroundings.
03:04 Over the feast that they had prepared for us,
03:07 we had the chance to chat with Alyssa,
03:09 the operations manager of Clean Beach.
03:11 At Clean Beach, what we offer is,
03:13 we have coffee and we also have cocktails.
03:16 One of our advocacy is the beach cleanup,
03:19 so they could not just dine,
03:22 but experience what we're protecting, the beach.
03:25 So this is our home.
03:27 Take good care of our home.
03:28 Aside from the outdoor, alfresco style,
03:33 we have a beachfront area,
03:36 so very chill, away from the Manila,
03:41 I mean, the side of Manila.
03:43 So this is homey.
03:45 That's also what we want to encourage our guests.
03:50 We also got to talk with their chef,
03:53 co-founders, and operations head
03:55 about Clean Beach and their products,
03:56 advocacies, and the community that they built.
03:59 And if you want to know more about that,
04:00 subscribe and click the bell
04:02 so you don't miss the full feature
04:03 coming soon to spot.ph.
04:06 After relaxing by Clean Beach's clean beaches,
04:09 we were invited by Toby Tamay
04:10 to talk about the sustainable model of farmstays
04:13 he's been building around La Union.
04:15 - I learned a lot more through their cultural practices
04:18 that have been embedded for so long,
04:21 as far as appreciation of the natural system is concerned.
04:25 If you want nutritious food, you need fertile soil.
04:29 You need non-toxic soil.
04:30 You need non-toxic air.
04:33 So I'm trying to make sure that we show models.
04:38 The Gilon Farm is a model.
04:40 Started almost three years now.
04:45 The way I count the years is based on the rainy season.
04:48 My friend, Kerwin, who owns the place,
04:50 loved what he was going through.
04:53 A whole change from the pace of being a businessman
04:56 and going to the farm and getting to chill and relax.
05:02 So having models like the Gilon Farm
05:06 is a good showcase for others to follow.
05:09 You can be growing your food.
05:11 You can actually live there.
05:14 Yeah.
05:15 And not just go there on the weekends.
05:19 They have a farm place to chill, work in the city.
05:22 That's also okay.
05:23 Pero what to do when you have a farm?
05:26 (speaking in foreign language)
05:30 But really, when you come up with a whole agroforest system,
05:35 the trees we selected are meant to grow by the river.
05:39 So it creates its own microclimate.
05:44 (gentle music)
05:46 There was a lot more to talk about
05:47 in terms of agroforestry than we had time for in this video.
05:50 So from there, we headed back for dinner at the Lark
05:53 before the adventures of the next day.
05:55 (gentle music)
05:57 (microwave beeping)
06:07 (microwave beeping)
06:10 Our day two started in a very special way.
06:18 As has become norm in this trip,
06:21 we experienced something a little bit unexpected,
06:23 ramen by the beach.
06:25 An idea so crazy, it just about works.
06:27 And we got to talk to the man who came up with the idea.
06:30 - Hello, my name is Enrique De Joss.
06:34 I am the chef owner of Ramen Enrique,
06:36 the ramen shop located inside Mona Lisa Surf Resort
06:40 in Urbistondo, La Union.
06:42 - Why ramen in the first place?
06:43 Why did you put up,
06:44 why did you decide to put up a ramen shop here in La Union?
06:48 - It was an accident because,
06:50 well, first, me and my entire family,
06:53 we love Japanese food and culture.
06:56 I started to look on YouTube for recipes, how to make ramen.
06:59 And I saw this video.
07:01 15 minute tantanmen just tastes just like the real thing.
07:05 It did not taste like the real thing.
07:07 So since I had so much time, I started researching.
07:12 I saw some ramen chefs on Instagram and YouTube,
07:16 and I would message them and I would ask them tips
07:18 and they would share their knowledge.
07:21 It was really fun.
07:25 And it's the nerdiest food in the world.
07:26 So it suits my personality.
07:30 And you can enjoy ramen by the sea.
07:33 - Who knew hot ramen by the sea works?
07:37 It's elegant in its simplicity.
07:38 And if you want to know more about that,
07:40 check out the full feature on Ramen Rike
07:42 available on our channel right now.
07:44 And now that we've been fueled up,
07:45 we got a chance to experience
07:46 some of the other adventures in La Union.
07:48 One of the nice things about the Lark
07:52 is that it's a bike-friendly inn.
07:54 If you own a bike or are renting for the day,
07:56 once in a while, they have community bike tours.
07:57 So that's what we're doing today.
08:00 Though known for the surfing scene,
08:01 among the community, biking is also a big thing in La Union,
08:04 both as a mode of transportation and as a form of leisure.
08:08 For some visitors, it might be a bit of a hassle
08:10 to bring your own bike to the seaside province.
08:13 And this is where Geezers come to.
08:15 - Hi, I'm Aurel.
08:18 - Hi, I'm Tep.
08:19 - And we own Geezers Bike Shop.
08:21 I just saw that there's a market during the pandemic
08:27 because I'm from California.
08:29 I've been here for eight years.
08:30 But I've always been here in La Union, born and raised.
08:34 I also saw that the bike scene is growing,
08:38 so we want to be able to cater to the people here.
08:46 They need service, parts.
08:49 - Usually, mountain bikers are the ones who bike here
08:54 because there are a lot of mountains.
08:56 So they climb the mountains.
08:59 For example, in Baguio,
09:01 Luna also goes there.
09:03 They ride bikes.
09:05 - Or Ilocos.
09:07 - Ilocos.
09:08 So that's also something that's not missing here in La Union.
09:12 So we just want to continue that.
09:15 Riding through the quiet countryside is both exhilarating and relaxing,
09:20 something that describes La Union very well.
09:23 We rode for about an hour with our videographer close behind
09:26 in the Hyundai Stargazer
09:27 before we headed to Port San Juan,
09:29 a food market by the highway,
09:31 for a quick bite.
09:33 We were able to try Indian cuisine at Bebo's Bombay Burritos.
09:37 I guess it's always been a dream
09:40 to kind of move to La Union and cook.
09:42 That's always kind of like,
09:45 this kind of wish that we had.
09:47 And so, yeah, so we packed up.
09:51 We packed Manila up and got a spot at Port San Juan
09:54 and are excited to cook for everyone.
09:56 Our kind of brand of Indian food
10:00 is basically stuff that I cook for friends at home.
10:03 And we were thinking what would work at a beach town, you know?
10:09 And I remember as a child, we would have miranda.
10:12 And it would be this thing called the frankie.
10:14 I guess every culture has like a bit of food that's wrapped,
10:18 at least our version of the frankie.
10:20 It's a wrap with meat, with the sauces.
10:22 I think like we want to gift you with something you can walk away
10:26 and just eat anywhere.
10:29 Again, full features are in the spot.ph YouTube channel
10:32 and the card above.
10:33 With dinner done, all that's left to do is return to Project Purma
10:38 and join them as they release the turtle they've been nursing,
10:41 with a community of friends and tourists gathered at sunset for this occasion.
10:44 Right now, you guys are on the main sea turtle nesting beach.
10:50 This season, we released close to 8,000 hatchlings back into the ocean.
10:56 So here we have Aurora, the Hawksbill sea turtle.
11:00 You know, she was actually with us recently.
11:04 She was found weak and was turned over by a fisherfolk.
11:07 And we actually rehabilitated her and released her.
11:10 And then just last week, she was caught by a fishing net, you know, accidentally.
11:16 So sea turtles, they are called a keystone species,
11:19 which means they're very important to the ocean ecosystem.
11:22 So if we lose them, we are going to lose many other species.
11:27 And here in La Union, we're lucky to have sea turtles.
11:30 You know, it's a big opportunity to protect them and also a big responsibility.
11:34 So with that, are you guys ready to release Aurora?
11:37 It'll be nice to see her at one point, but hopefully on better terms.
11:41 Three, two, one!
11:45 Bye-bye!
11:46 Bye-bye!
11:47 Bye!
11:52 Bye!
11:53 So Aurora is a young sea turtle.
11:55 She's going to get much bigger.
11:56 Being in the middle of the crowd in this moment made me realize everything that La Union is
12:19 and the identity it has created for itself.
12:21 More than anything, it's the work of the people.
12:24 Individuals have brought their passion to this artisanal town.
12:27 A lot of them uprooting their lives in the bustling metro and bringing their craft here.
12:31 Finding a home, forming a community, and giving a place its identity.
12:36 So we have what we call sea turtle mentality or pawigan mentality,
12:43 which is tulungan, you know, helping each other, as opposed to crab mentality.
12:47 So sea turtles, the way they emerge from the nest,
12:49 they are underneath the ground, about two feet.
12:52 And for a sea turtle, they're very small.
12:54 And the way they actually emerge from the ground is to help each other up.
12:59 So we can take inspiration from this, that, you know, if we help each other for a common goal,
13:05 then we can actually achieve great things like sea turtles do.
13:09 So, you know, sea turtle mentality.
13:11 Let's help each other.
13:12 [Music]
13:18 (dramatic music)