Vacation's Still On! | 5D4N In Solana San Juan, La Union

Maybe it's the hormones, but after I finally calmed my wife down when she got mad for not being able to have her long anticipated Boracay vacation, we agreed to go to La Union instead. After a quick inquiry at Solana San Juan, we're off to our unplanned/impulse-driven vacation.

The original plan was just a 3 Days, 2 Nights stay, but since the place was at the edge of a storm at the time, it didn't give us the weather that we or anyone would've wanted on a beach vacation. So during our third and supposedly last day of stay, we decided to extend for one more day... And then another one.

I also thought it would be a good idea since I noticed the weather starting to improve on Day 3 which means we can finally explore, and experience the sunset later on.

Only problem is, I had a gout flare on the morning of Day 2. Dammit.

Since it was an impulsive decision, we started traveling later in the afternoon and arrived at the location past 7 PM. There isn't a lot to do anymore at this time so we just went out for dinner and immediately back to our kubo since we also have to work.

The food above are from Kabsat - one of the popular restaurants in 'Elyu' which became our go-to place during this trip since it's only like a 10 to 15-minute walk on the beach from our location. I was planning we could explore the different beachfront restaurants close by, but since my goddamn gout thought it was the perfect time to blow up, that didn't happen. It ended up with either Shiela just driving to the restaurant to buy take-out, or there's also Foodpanda(beachfront restaurants not included).

Day 2 and 3 were spent just sitting at the kubo because aside from my gout flare, the weather was really bad with consistent strong winds we couldn't tell whether or not it was gonna rain, which it did in the evening. The rains were short, only lasting a few minutes then it's gone, but the strong winds went on throughout the night. That's why I think it's just reasonable for us to extend our stay even though we aren't sure how the weather really is gonna be the next day. No way we're spending our whole vacation mostly staying inside. Luckily the kubo was available all weekend.

So, Day 4 happened and, wow, was it a good call.

When I woke up and opened the door that morning I immediately thought, "Yup, storm's over."

I was greeted by the beautiful sunny weather over the wide open sands, the sounds of ATVs and chatter coming from early-bird customers nearby, and later the aroma of coffee and grilled cheese sandwich that Shiela bought at El Union that morning. Now it's definitely a vacation.

Oh, by the way, power was cut off from 7 AM to 2 PM due to the previous storm. It was announced the day before so it was expected.

Though a few clouds still showed up later on, that was the worst of it. My gout flare's still just halfway to recovery and I'm still limping, but it's much better now and I wouldn't miss the sunset later for it(f you, gout). When it was time for lunch, we drove to Great Northwest, the popular rest stop where El Union is also located.

We had lunch at Sabong Fried Chicken. They serve with a really generous portion on their plate(no photos to share because I ate right away). I don't know the history of this restaurant but the name makes me wonder- Those fried chickens that they serve, they aren't the ones that have.. lost the battles, aren't they?

Maybe not. It's probably just the concept of the restaurant where they have the 'red corner' which serves regular fried chicken, and the 'blue corner' where they serve breaded, tonkatsu-like chicken fillet- At least that's how I understand it. Anyway, they're pretty good and cheap for no more than P400 a meal because as I mentioned, you'll have a really generous amount of food on your plate.

For dessert, we had Coco Mama- the main reason we had our lunch here, and may also be the main reason we came to La Union.

This is probably the closest we can get to Boracay for our so-called "Vacation Season" this year. Thanks, Coco Mama.

We got back to our kubo past 2 PM, and the power was back on as promised. No more cloudy skies and just the hot, glaring sun this time. At this point I'm pretty sure we're having a good sunset later. I took a nap for an hour. 15-minute naps are no naps for me, they're the same as just blinking.

At around 4:30 PM, we started walking to the beach. It's the day I learned how tough it is to walk on soft and uneven sands while your foot's still swollen from gout. To them, it's a 5-minute walk, to me it's 15- minutes of limping and almost breaking my ankle.

Not complaining, though. I'd always love to be at the beach, whether it's when I'm at my healthiest or my gout-stricken worst.

And there it is -- the sunset to complete the unplanned trip.

I know my wife already told me about this, but this trip proves that it's really not the money we wasted on the canceled flight to Boracay she couldn't let go of and is so mad about, but it's this moment of relaxation, of escape, that she's been craving and missing so much. Because after all that we've spent for this unplanned trip, she's now asking me again if it's okay to spend another fortune for Boracay, and if we can start going today.

Oh my god...

The next day, of course, was all just packing up, driving, stopping for snacks, and then driving again until we get home.

There's really nothing stopping my wife when it comes to travel and vacation. Will the Boracay trip still be possible? Nah, it's all just work from here.

...

Or is it...?