In and Out of La Union in One Day!

Filipino - Chinese Friendship Pagoda

Last 2011, I visited La Union for the first time. I was with a friend then who went there for some family matters. Last year (3rd week of November), I again went with them. But instead of a road trip as was before, we rode the bus this time. It was just a 1-day trip, a really short stop (our travel time is way longer than our stay here) but I was still able to enjoy the day and visit several places which I haven't seen on my first visit to La Union, San Fernando in particular. ;)

How to Get There | Viron Experience

In going to La Union, one can take his car and drive away or simply ride a bus then sit and relax. If you go by bus, you can hop in one of the buses servicing the Ilocos provinces (these buses pass by La Union), and one of these buses is Viron Transit. It was my first time riding with Viron and I was impressed with the discipline of their drivers. They were extra careful to the point of extending our travel time from 5-6 hours to 7 hours (Manila to San Fernando City only). So far, this is the only bus line I know whose driver seldom, if not never, overtakes other vehicles on the road, at least from my experience.We left Manila at exactly 4:30AM and reached San Fernando City at 11:30AM, exactly 7 hours considering we left Manila at an early hour, with no traffic whatsoever. Since I felt safe traveling with them, I slept almost the entire trip. Amazing? Try boarding Viron when you go to La Union, you'll be amazed too. That is, if all their drivers are the same. ;)

San Fernando City: Attractions and Tourist Spots

I knew from reading a lot of websites that La Union is famous for surfing, it being the surfing capital of the north. However, if you have only a few hours in this province, particularly its capital San Fernando City, there are nearby attractions you can visit and explore.

If you're one of those who admired buildings and temple architectures, you may want to visit Macho Temple. It is located on a hill along Marcos Hi-way, still within the city center. Interested in historical sites? You may check out Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers (for photo ops, that is) which is also along the highway, on the intersection of the Marcos Highway and Pennsylvania Avenue (the road leading to Thunderbird Resort). Or you may want to go nature tripping at La Union Botanical Garden, a 15-minute drive from the city center. You may also want to check out the seven (7) hills which include the Pagoda Hill and Capitol Hill. Standing on the Pagoda Hill is the Filipino Chinese Friendship Pagoda which gives its visitors the panoramic view of San Fernando City. I guess this hill is also a popular dating place, considering the several dating partners we saw in there. ;)

View of San Fernando City and its Bay, from the Pagoda Hill

La Union Provincial Legislative Building, from the Pagoda Hill

Also overlooking the City is the Capitol Hill, where, as the name suggests, the La Union Provincial Capitol Building is located. It is also where several provincial offices are located, including the La Union Provincial Legislative Building above.

The first three attractions above we visited last 2011, the last two sites last year, including Pindangan Ruins, which I will write about on my next post. We also stopped by the Church (Cathedral of Saint William) to pay respect, offered thanksgiving too for our safe trip here (and back).

La Union Capitol

Cathedral of Saint William the Hermit - San Fernando City

La Union Food Trip

Food tripping I guess, is one of the best way to spend your limited stay in a particular place. And that's what we did when we went to La Union last year. I've read several online accounts referring to some of the best places to eat in La Union and several of them were located in San Fernando City. For our one day stay there, we tried two restaurants - the Midway Grill (for our lunch, click the link to find out what we had here) and Muchas Gracias (for our afternoon merienda). I already made a post about Midway Grill, will blog about Muchas Gracias next week, hopefully! ;P

~ oo00oo ~

That's it, that's how we spend our one day in La Union, particularly in San Fernando City. Before 12 midnight the same day, we were back in Manila, safe and sound. Thanks to the very disciplined and extra careful drivers of Viron. ;P