EXPAT and Family in La Union – Exploring Poro Point and Lighthouse

Poro Point, also known historically as San
Fernando Point, is a headland and peninsula located in the city
of San Fernando, La Union in the Philippines. It projects out
northwesterly about 3.2 kilometers into the South China Sea. It is
said to be named after its location within barangay Poro and is now
the site of Poro Point Freeport Zone.

There is not much to this area unless there
would have been a festival on going. The grounds are quite large at Poro Point
with a nice walking or bike trails. The place is another in the Philippines we
have visited that is in need of major upkeep. The area could be quite nice if
there was a little bit of maintenance done to it. Even the playground there for
the kids had broken equipment that made most if it unusable.

The Poro Point Lighthouse nearby is another
opportunity for picture taking only. There are guards outside and you are not
allowed to go into the lighthouse itself. I did not see any sign of the actual
history of this area. It would have been nice to know the origin of the
lighthouse and maybe see when it was actually constructed.

#ThisIsOurPhilippines #LaUnion #PoroPoint
#LighthousesOfThePhilippines #SelfieTime 
#DiscoverLuzon #ExplorePhilippines #IBS

EXPAT Driving In The Philippines – San Fernando, La Union Joy Ride

Driving through San Fernando, La Union. We
headed out from the Ma-cho temple in search of Poro Point. As always with my
travel partners, we have to stop here and there for everything. Not only do I
have to worry about driving, but also finding safe places to park the van while
Mama and Grandma go take care of their needs. Lotto, donuts, phone cards,
drinks…. You name it and we probably stopped along the way for it.

This is a real time video from when we left the
Ma-cho Temple until we arrived Poro Point. As you can see, this mini vacation
we spent a lot of time on the road.

#ThisIsOurPhilippines #LaUnion #SanFernandoDriving #MottoVLOG #SightseeingInSanFernando
#SanFernando #DiscoverLuzon #ExplorePhilippines #IBS 

EXPAT Explores La Union – Ma Cho Temple – Taoist Temple in the Philippines

Chinese Temples have always seemed to be a
place where one can relax and have some quiet time no matter what your
religion. Hiding in the busy city of San Fernando, La Union is an old
Chinese temple built atop of the hill overlooking the vast South China Sea. The
Macho Temple is a Taoist Temple that was built in the 1970s and dedicated to
the Chinese deity Matzu, a powerful protector of the sea and a patron of the fishermen.
With that being the case, the temple was built high up on the hill and facing out
toward the sea.

The temple caregivers allow guest to walk
around and marvel in the beautiful structures. The place is very quiet and
every inch of the furnishings, statues and arks are wonderfully made. There are
many signs around the grounds that this is not a “dating” sight. They also have
a strict dress code if wanting to enter into the temple.

There are plenty of opportunities for selfies
and picture taking. You will not be alone in this adventure. There is always
plenty of people taking pictures throughout the grounds.

We hope you enjoy the ride. If you did, give us
a thumbs up and leave us a comment. We would love to have you share the video
as well! Invite someone else to come experience the Philippines through our
videos!

#ThisIsOurPhilippines
#MachoTemple #TaoistTemple #SightseeinginSanFernando #SanFernando #LaUnion
#DiscoverLuzon #ExplorePhilippines #IBS

EXPAT in La Union – MacArthur Highway – San Juan to San Fernando Joy Ride

The majority of our time spent in La Union was
on the road or so it seemed. We did not find the best of places to stay at when
it came to being close to places to eat and sightsee.

As we left the Flotsam Restro Bar in the
northern part of San Juan, we had to head right back into town to get to our
next destination. This video is a moto vlog of our trip from San Juan back to
San Fernando along the MacArthur Highway. This is the main road and it stayed
packed with traffic it seemed. Since the hotel was also on this road, we had no
way to really avoid getting out and on it. The good thing was that most of the
places to go to were right along this highway as well. As far as finding
anything, that was rather simple.

#ThisIsOurPhilippines
#SanJuan #SanFernando #MacArthurHighway #ManilaHighwayOfTheNorth #LaUnion
#DiscoverLuzon #ExplorePhilippines #IBS

EXPAT in La Union – Flotsam and Jetsam Restro Bar

Flotsam was a very cool place to hang out, enjoy the beach and have a good meal! It had an interesting concept of a surfer’s camp. There was a wooden deck with huge pillows and cushions or the small tables out in the yard where you could sit around them on pillows as well. It looked like a very relaxing place just to chill and hang out.

The service was rather quick and the food was really good! We had curry chicken, chicken tinola and a crab dish. Everything was really good and the food was served hot! Although they seemed a little crowded at times, they did a very good job of getting the food out to you. We did not have to wait too long.

If you like a relaxing place by the beach, this is the place for you to come. After your lunch, if the waves are not to bad, you can enjoy a swim or a surf! Be sure to pack your swim suits and surf board!   

#ThisIsOurPhilippines #LaUnion #Flotsam #FlotsamRestroBar #SurfsUp #BeachVibes #DiscoverLuzon #ExplorePhilippines #IBS

Night Swimming – Marand Resort and Spa La Union Philippines

After a hard travel day, the day prior, the kids enjoyed the pool at Marand Resort and Spa. They had several pools for them to choose from. They could swim and play while Grandma, Mom and I enjoyed relaxing by the pool in the shade. They made the most of it as they usually do when we go to a place with a pool. They usually are the first ones in and the last ones to get out at night.   

#ThisIsOurPhilippines #LaUnion #MarandResortandSpa #NightSwimming #DiscoverLuzon #ExplorePhilippines #IBS

Patio Del Sol Restaurant Review – Restaurants in La Union Philippines

It took us several minutes before finally deciding on a place to eat. Maly and Anabel wanted seafoods since we were in La Union and close to the sea. We were having trouble in choosing where they wanted to go, so we let google maps help us to decide. We were immediately drawn to the good reviews of Patio Del Sol Seafood Restaurant. It was really easy to locate as it was not far off the main highway.

Once you enter Patio Del Sol you will notice the rustic ambiance of the place. There are no fancy tables, chairs or menus. You are seated at just a regular wooden table covered with a table cloth. All the tables are situated by large open-air windows where you get a great view of the beach.

We had their shrimp which was sautéed in a buttery garlic sauce and one that was supposed to be spicy. We also had their grilled tuna belly. To finish it off we had chop suey vegetables to go along with everything.

The food was actually really good. My only complaint was that the shrimp I feel would have been better brought out on a sizzling platter. The sautéed ones just got cold to soon. We still enjoyed them and nothing went to waste.

If you happen to be in San Fernando La Union, you might want to try the food at Patio Del Sol. I would highly recommend trying out their food. If you are traveling as a group you might want to try their group meals. They had several to choose from on their menu.



#ThisIsOurPhilippines #LaUnion #PatioDelSol #Seafood #PhilippineRestaurants #DiscoverLuzon #ExplorePhilippines #IBS