San Juan, La Union...A kickoff to a lifetime of crazy family adventures!

Baby’s Age: 5 months

I was scheduled to go on an ocular trip to La Union last May. However, because I gave birth ahead of the schedule, I had to move it to another date in 2015 before the Philippine travel peak season began. She was past her sleep regression phase and was already sleeping though the night so we were confident to schedule the trip in October 2015, in time for our fourth wedding anniversary.

Both the baby and my husband got sick a week before the trip. Taking care of the two deprived me of sleep. Because it was the first time for the baby to get sick, I was a bit hesitant to travel and drive far. I consulted her doctor about it. He prescribed some cough and colds medicine. Until a day before the trip, I was still going back and forth about my decision. What made me hesitate even more was the threat of a strong typhoon. The news said it will hit North Luzon by the 17th but when it comes to typhoons, no one really knows. Despite my apprehensions, we decided to go for it.

The night before the trip I packed the baby’s things as she slept. I was so exhausted that I was not able to pack mine. By 2:00 in the morning the next day, I was already up to check the baby’s stuff, pack my things, take a bath, have my morning coffee and load our things in the car.

We left home at 5:30am, in time to meet my friends Liee and Pwlo for breakfast in Quezon city before they head to work. After our quick rendezvous, we started our very long drive. Summer slept soundly from the time we left Quezon city to the time we stopped for lunch in Matutina's in Dagupan. It took us about two hours before going on the road again because we had to change her clothes and diaper, feed her and wait until she were asleep once more.

By this time, I have learned that she quickly falls asleep whenever I play the "Once Upon A Time" album in Spotify. I played it whenever we boarded the car until she falls asleep. It worked like a charm until around 2:00pm as we drove from Dagupan to Pugo, La Union. Oh boy! She got so bored and would not stop crying. I gave her milk to check if she was hungry. She drank it but threw it up soon after. We had to make a quick stop on a roadside gas station in Pugo to clean up. Because it was getting late and I was worried that her distilled water would run out, we checked if they had it in the store but they didn't. I just hoped that our supply would last until we get to San Fernando.

At around 3:30pm, we reached Pugo Adventure (PUGAD). It was a weekday so there were very few other guests around. The moment we entered the adventure park, Summer’s eyes widened. It was obvious that she was curious about this new place. We had to leave her stroller before we climbed the first hanging bridge. I was scared to carry her while crossing the wobbly hanging bridge so Russ took her first. It was such a huge park and she was getting quite heavy for her age so we thought it would be useful to buy a new baby carrier before our next trip. It was my turn to carry her on the way back. I even mustered the courage to stop for some photos at the middle of one of the bridges! 

After Pugo Adventure, we immediately headed for San Juan. We asked for directions along the way and it did not sound promising. It was getting late in the afternoon and the people said we still had quite a long way to go. After several towns, we reached San Fernando, La Union. I bought water at the sight of the first Mercury Drugstore. I also bought a fresh stash of medicine because I realized I put the medicine kit at the trunk of the car and the heat of the sun might have ruined it. I did not want to take any chances.

Finally, at around 7:00pm (and way past the baby’s bedtime), we were checked in at Kahuna Resort. We got a decent sized garden room. I checked the bathroom right away and was pleased to see that it was clean. By this time, Summer was already sleepy so I cleaned her up, put her sleepwear on and tucked finally tucked her in. It was such a relief that she slept right away. Room service for dinner.

The next day, I woke up at 2:00am to clean the bottles and prepare everything before Russ and Summer wake up. We were all up and ready to have breakfast by 8:00am. She had her milk breakfast with us in the restaurant, with a view of course!

It was nice and windy but still a bit sunny. There were some good sized waves for surfing. Instead of surfing the waves like I used to do years ago, we took a walk along the beach.

After our walk, we let the baby sit on the sand so her feet and hands can touch and feel it for the first time. She looked curious about the new sensation.

Bath was quite a challenge. I think I could not have done it alone. The resort did not have a bathtub and hers was too big to bring along so we bathed her on the bathroom sink. I cleaned it up four times before I was comfortable to let her sit in it. Thankfully, she still somehow fit in sitting down.

For lunch, we went to Surf Shack. It was a chill surfer's hangout. Everything was impressively reasonably priced. She enjoyed walking around the restaurant while looking at all the colorfully painted tables and chairs. What a happy, happy place. It made me even more thrilled to have those oysters! At this age, Summer was already starting to want to taste our food and she always look at our meals longingly. I’d always tell her “Just a few more weeks, love.”.

It was very a humid day, possibly the calm before the storm. Thankfully, we brought the portable fan that her Auntie Berna gave you. Like her Papa, she cannot tolerate the heat and humidity.

The afternoon was spent with us working while the baby napped. Dinner was at Gefseis Greek Grill. Dessert was at Surf Shack where there was a live band and a lot of people hanging out. It's amazing how much the place has progressed from the time when I was surfing when most accommodations were still "home stays".

The next morning, I went online and opened the television for news about the typhoon. Because it was not looking too good, we decided to have breakfast early, have a last walk on the beach and head home. The waves were getting bigger and scarier as we posed for a photo alongside the Urbiztondo sign. I made an itinerary of all the tourist spots that we can visit but we had to scrap the whole thing. Next time, perhaps.

Our drive home was much faster for some reason. After Dagupan, it started to drizzle. Along SCTEX, the baby pooped!!! It was still a long way to the next gasoline station so we had to stop at the roadside to clean her up. Afterwards she slept straight, only waking up to feed.

As soon as traffic congestion started right after the NLEX exit, she started to cry. And she did not stop for about 30 minutes. I checked everything and it all seemed okay. The only possible explanations were she was bored or it was already her bedtime and it was uncomfortable being on the road at this time. Unfortunately, we were in Manila and getting stuck in traffic was inevitable. We took every shortcut that we knew. The traffic only eased up when we entered Skyway.

I was so happy when we finally reached home at 8:30pm. After Summer slept soundly on your crib, I forced myself to tidy up and put away all our stuff because I felt I was about to get sick.

Russ and I both had massages before bed. The next day, I caught the flu!