It was the perfect day to be at La Union’s premier luxury resort. The sun was blazing hot, the sky—cobalt blue with a few wisps of clouds floating lazily by. And the sea—with its deep aquamarine color—reflecting the heavens above. A peek from our balcony and a construct of white concrete blocks topped by blue domes greeted me. I took everything in and breathed a sigh of contentment, I can’t believe I’m actually here at Thunderbird Resorts Poro Point.

THE ICONIC THUNDERBIRD LA UNION DOME PAINTING

NOTHING BUT WHITES AND BLUES

This is actually my second time here. Although my first visit was only a brief one and on an evening too, I can’t help but be impressed by the resort even then. I wished then that we could’ve stayed the night then and enjoyed its five-star amenities, but we were already booked at Kahuna Beach Resort. It simply wasn’t meant to be.

► SEE: DINNER AT THUNDERBIRD LA UNION

Standing majestically on top of a hill overlooking San Fernando City is La Union’s massive Provincial Capitol.

Originally located at San Fernando City’s current City Hall, it has been transferred to its present location after the Japanese bombings of the Second World War. Construction started in 1949 and was finished a year after.
Unifying the province’s 19 municipalities and 1 lone city, the Capitol stands as a testament to La Union’s name which literally means The Union.

The massive Capitol sports a Neo-Classical look, with towering pillars out front and terraced balconies on its east and west axis. It would have been more formal if painted in white, but I guess pink is okay too.

The first destination for the fifth day of the Lakbay Norte 3 tour was at La Union’s Holcim compound. Today we are going to walk; as evident on my blog’s name, I love walking be it on hard concrete or rough trails.

A brief introduction was in order before we took off. Holcim is a Swedish mining company that supplies cement and aggregates for construction. They have four cement production sites across the country and is one of the leading cement suppliers around the world. Sounds bad for our environment right?
So what’s an ecotrail doing in their production yard? It turns out Holcim isn’t like many of the big bad mining companies out there. They’re actually trying to promote a sustainable way of mining; greening their mining locations, making it as good or even better if its possible than when they first touched the land.

The Bacnotan Ecotrail in La Union is just one of their green projects. Made not only for the enjoyment of their staff, it is also meant as a recreational area for the general public as well.

Us who likes cameras like sunrise and sunsets. Unlike the former, sunrises are harder to shoot since you have to wake up earlier than normal and lumber through the dark all by your lonesome self. The Lakbay Norte 3 caravan rolled into San Juan, La Union the night before and we got to have our very first beach front; finally a chance to shoot a sunrise.
With only three hours of sleep due to an almost all-night chat session with the guys (good thing there were no beers involved or I would probably be unable to wake up for the sunrise, or was that a bad thing?), I woke up to my quacking alarm and proceeded to the still dark beach of La Union.

Close your eyes and think of whitewashed walls, massive archways, blue domes and Atlantisian artworks. Picture the azure ocean, sparkling pools and sprawling greens. Think Greece and imagine Santorini. Now open your eyes.
You really don’t need to fly all the way to the Mediterranean to experience all these; a drive down San Fernando City in La Union will do. And for Lakbay Norte 3’s fourth night, we were lucky to do just that, we’re having dinner at Thunderbird Resort!

My alarm quacked twice and I was up and hurrying about my scattered things for my cameras and tripod. This was gonna be our first time to wake up on a beach and I was not about to waste it sleeping on my comfy bed.

The Lakbay Norte team docked at Kahuna Beach Resort in San Juan, La Union the night before after pigging out at the posh Thunderbird Resort. The night ended at 2:30am and with only three hours of sleep, my head was still dangerously spinning.

The beach was deserted as the sky transformed from dark black to warm magentas. I couldn’t find a subject to compose my sunrise photo besides the unmanned lifeguard post. I decided to use the surging surf instead.

A few minutes later and my Lakbay Norte mates were up and breakfast was already being served. Kahuna’s traditional tapsi and tosilogs proved to be a good way to perk up our fifth day of travelling.

Day four of Lakbay Norte 3 found us at an al fresco breakfast at the veranda of Malacañang ti Amianan or the Malacañang of the North. I cannot believe I am eating my share of Ilocano dishes right at the official residence of a former President of the Philippines.

A mouthful of garlic longanisas, crispy espadas, egg omelets and some fruits later and we were exploring the grand interior of the Marcos’s home.

The group was then divided into two; one was going to do some bird watching and the other paddle boarding. As per my experience at the Candaba Swamp, I know that the chances of catching some birds depend on how early you can be on their grounds; so I went with the bird group first.