I’m sure you all went to the beach, the mountains, spend it with family and what not. But, I also know that a few of you, needed to work on the Holidays? Isn’t that right? I am no exception! I had a few paperworks and write-ups over the Holy Week.

But, Saturday came and I’m finally free!  So, I wanted to drive some place to surf.  According to magicseaweed.com, West Side isn’t happenin’ and East Side of the Philippines got some decent swell.  I couldn’t drive to Baler or Bagasbas coz I heard it will take quite some time… and I lack sleep because I’ve been doing a marathon for Breaking Bad.

Anyway, my next option was Real, Quezon.  A new acquaintance who I met through one of our surf trips in Liwa, told me that he goes frequently to Real.  He said it takes 2 hours. — 2 hours what??!?! I drove for 3-4 hours!  The trip was longer than I expected, it was full of zigzags.  I had to drive at night on our way back home – dark, no street lights.  But I found it quite relaxing, I drove windows down, with music on full blast!

Stoked with my banana board.

It’s a 6’10” but it’s not really your typical short board.  It’s short, but you can ride it like a long board and pick-up waves at will.    It works for both big and small riders.  It’s manoeverable and easy to paddle

Map from SM Megamall to The Park, Real, Quezon

View My Saved Places in a larger map

zoom in and zoom out 😉

Location:

The Pacific Recreation Park or The PaRK, Real Quezon

Km 115, Bgy Tignoan, Real, Quezon

Real Quezon Surf Spot review

• Waves – decent and clean, consistent (for a msw forecast of 2-4 ft.)
• Crowd – for Holy Week season – not crowded at all (line-up at least, but there were a lot of other people swimming, camping
• Facilities – Could be improved, outdoor showers weren’t working, too few toilets
• Activities – Surfing, river rafting, camping and other beach sports
• The drive – smooth roads from Ortigas Ave ext., 2-laned, but really dangerous because of a lot of zigzags and curves so you have to be careful.  I was averaging 40 kmph to  60 kmph on the curves and was only running at 80 kmph because of tricycles, and it was pretty dark at night
• Travel time: 3 – 4 hours
• Restaurants and dining areas: this I didn’t have any chance to explore.  They have a store that might prepare pancit canton and other stuff for you but as for real restaurant, haven’t chanced seeing any in this area.  So I guess it’s best to say, bring baon if you need to.  I didn’t need any because I went on an afternoon trip
• Accommodations: I did a day trip so I never got to experience this.  They do offer overnight stays at affordable rates.

The Pacific Recreation Park or The PaRK, Real Quezon

Entrance Fees

• Adults – P35 (day), P50 (overnight)
• Kids – P20 (day), P35 (overnight)

Open Cottages

• Medium for 10 pax – P400 (day), P600 (overnight)
• Large 20 pax – P700 (day), P900 (overnight)

Tents

• Tent Pitching (personal tent) – P50
• Tent Rental (2-3 pax) – P300

Guesthouse

• Rooms [3] (2 to 3 pax) – P1,000
• Sala 2nd Floor (10 pax) – P1,500
• Porch w/sink and toilet – P1,500
• Whole house – P5,000

Facilities

• Open Area for Recreation Activities
• Basketball, Woodball, Lawn Bowling, Speedminton
• Bonfire & Cooking Areas

Contact: 

Teody Villaflor

Mobile: +63.920.924.6102

Email: pacificrecreationkamp@gmail.com

River rafting

Water resistant, beach speakers I brought with me for review 😉

Only two of us in the line-up, the rest are swimmers

My bum says “Hello World!”

Rest

Sunset at Real

The most wonderful part about surfing is you feel good every time you ride that wave.  You brave yourselves to either battle, or go with the waves to get a good ride.  And for every brave heart you give, you gain a whole lot of confidence that trickles down to your entire well-being.  We feel good, and we have to look good!  Why not?  Looking good and gearing up for the challenge gives you an armor of confidence!

Roxy just introduced their latest collection featuring the designs of Diane Von Furstenberg! Here’s a video of Diane Von Furstenberg, sharing her inspiration in designing this collection for Roxy surfer girls.

“Fear is not an option.”

“You should follow your heart like you ride a wave.”

“I design for women who want to be the woman they want to be, and a surfer girl wants to surf!”

The DVF Loves Roxy Collection

Camo True Black

Free Fall Board Shorts

Beach Garden

Hopscotch Knotted Bandeau

Roxy Maze

Hex Dot

These are now in the Philippines!  I can’t wait to get my own DVF Loves Roxy surf wear!

Follow Roxy Philippines

Twitter: @roxyphl

Instagram: roxyph

Facebook: facebook.com/roxyphilippines

More Photos

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My name is Hannah Villasis, and I am addicted to surfing.  Check all of my surfing blog posts here.

picture by Philippe Villareal and Cheryl of LittleRunningTeacher.com

There was a time when I would surf every week for 3 months.  All my savings went to surf trips.  It was a whole lot of fun… I WAS BROKE haha!  I do sound like a legit addict.  I got busy though and I had to forego surfing to earn real bucks travel and stuff.

The sea has been calling me lately.  I do think that I’m a mermaid or a gypsy in my past life.  I just love to travel and I love the ocean especially.

You know what, I just realized that I don’t have to spend so much on surfing anymore.  I can just drive 3 hours to Zambales, stay at a cheap hostel that fits my budget and worry about nothing else – just fun, surf, swim oh and a whole lot of art and friends!

Oh thank heavens for The Circle Hostel.

It’s not your ordinary accommodation.  Here, you don’t get a fancy room with A/C, TV, fridge and all the fancy things a regular hotel room offers.  Nope none of that.  But let me tell you something, it was an experience that surely brought out the best in me.

 It’s not your usual hotel accommodation, but it definitely has its charm!  It is ranked high on TripAdvisor as well!

Typical budget for overnight (including gas or bus fare, accom, food, etc) – P1,000!

This was my bunk bed. It was surprisingly comfortable!

I often sleep alone at my solo apartment – it was quite lovely to share this huge cabana with friends and new acquaintances!

If you’re iffy about your belongings, they have a locker for you 🙂

An alternative to the luxury you get from a regular hotel accommodation is nature, art, fresh air and new friends.  On our stay at the Circle Hostel, I didn’t even get to use my gadgets!  Poor iPad – I never touched it at all.  It’s a shame how we have so much to enjoy in this world – and they’re free.

– The smile of a stranger

– The laughter of friends

– The air that we breath

– The sea that gives us a good ride

– Creativity through art and painting

– Good food

– and awareness of our body through Yoga and meditation

It’s also amazing how you can create a game out of throwing a plastic disk – Ultimate Frisbee time!  My glutes were activated so badly, they were swollen the next day – good work out! I should do this more often!

I brought my hoop to take a few videos of me hooping by the beach – just for vanity’s sake really.

I can share with you my experience about this place all I want but bottom line is, you need to experience it for yourself 🙂  Spread and share the love!

First-time surfer Cheryl got some good rides! woohoo!

The Circle Hostel Contact Details

Email: thecirclehostel@gmail.com, lu@thecirclehostel.com, zambales@thecirclehostel.com

Website: www.thecirclehostel.com

Twitter: @thecirclehostel

Cel: zambales 09178611929, la union 09178326253

Facebook: facebook.com/thecirclehostel

The Circle Hostel Directions and Location: https://www.facebook.com/thecirclehostel/notes

The Circle Hostel, Zambales Accommodations

Bunk bed: P350 / night includes bananas and toast for breakfast

Hammock: P250 / night includes bananas and toast for breakfast

The Circle Hostel, La Union Accommodations

Bunk bed: P400

Hammock: P300

Mommy Phoebe’s Place, Sitio Liwliwa, San Felipe, Zambales

Contact no.: 09173200700 and 09185458007

Surfboard rentals: P200 per hour

Surf instructor: P200 per hour

His name is Garfield and he lives to the song of Bruno Mars

translated to lolcat language:

“Ohai! Todayzzzz I dun feel like doin anyyything”

“Me juz wanna layzzz in my bedzzzz!!!”

The girls are ready to surf!

\

Vanity shots by the artful rock cubes!

Okay fine! It looks better without my face in the photo!

POSERS!  There weren’t any big waves on our first day, except for some little bumps by the river mouth good enough for the beginners.

Thank you Nivea and Watsons for this awesome SPF spray! It’s water proof and when you’re super in a rush to get on that surf just spray away!

Easy application – especially when you need to retouch some sun protection!

Once again, thank you to Watsons PH for this Water and Sweat (coz I’m a sweaty one) resistand SPF 50 sun block!

This is best applied 20 minutes before basking in the sun.

Oh and thank you Celeteque for the awesome after-sun gel!

Everyone in the team loved using this after getting a little burn from the sun

Eli loves it so much he wants to drink it for sustenance! Crazy guy Eli >.<

Chow time!!! Our meals – homecooked with love by Mommy Phoebe’s

Here’s the facade of her humble canteen

This was where we had our meals because we were a big group!

Team WhenInManila!

Thank you foor the good food!  We felt so at home 🙂

My favorite!  I couldn’t get enough of this!

I forgot to ask where they got the garlic longanisa – it was yummy!

Sunset by Liwa beach, Zambales

Thank you Sanuk for these cute designed play cards!

We had a fantastic night playing card games and random games

Thank you Raf of The Circle Hostel for hosting our games and drinks!

Here’s another cute kitty from Mommy Phoebe’s place.

Everyone was doing their own thing in the beach – surfing, skim boarding, swimming, chillin’, frisbee, sunset photography etc…

It was quite a relaxing sight!

‘Til the next surf trip!

Backpacker surfing, backpacker accommodations, Zambales, Liwliwa, Liwa, San Felipe, The Circle Hostel, Circle Hostel, Budget accommodations, hostel in zambales,

Here are some important tips you need to know when you want to take surfing photos.

1. Wipe-out shots look cool!
I’m not going to hold back this trick that I realized by myself when I was taking surfing photos. This is no secret, but many fail to realize how awesome the shot is – when your target gets wiped out! Most surf photographers focus on “capturing the moment” but this is just basically “luck” and timing! Patience is a virtue indeed – and just keep on shooting.

This is actually a wipe-out shot.  It’s me and I’m about to fall in .01 seconds

Looks cool though!

2. Try shooting on water.
When you do, make sure your camera is either water-proof or has a secure camera casing. Taking shots while you’re on water gives a more real photo with splashes of water here and there and you get to capture your subject in different angles – up front, sideways while the wave is making a barrel, underwater and many other angles!

Just be sure to hold the camera still. Switch to video mode at times – just in case!

3. Light is your best friend.
This is important when you are shooting by the shore. The best light usually happens early morning. Sunset shots usually just give you silhouettes and unless you are taking an “artistic” surf shot, try to avoid taking photos at this time and maybe, enjoy the time to surf yourself!

This was taken at noon.  And you think the lighting is best at this time, well – it is not! Notice the shadows that cover the surfer’s face and body.

4. Zoom lens!
Zoom lens is important if you are taking shots from the shore. You need at least a 200mm lens or an 8x zoom digital camera, or higher.

5. Be patient and alert.
Get ready to take photos when you see your subject paddling and getting a wave. Try to put your settings to “burst” mode so that you can capture every move without missing any happening! Remember to take even the wipe-out shots!

6. Move!
Don’t just shoot from one angle. Try to find the spot with the best light, but also move around and try taking photos on different sites.

7. Respect.
Don’t publish unflattering photos like nipple slips or a really ugly facial expression or an awkward wipe-out position. This is very unprofessional.

Best of all, have fun taking photos! If you want to make this a career, enroll in a photography class in your local area. But if you just want to have fun and try this, just remember the tips above and have fun shooting!

So, I was walking around Manila Polo Club yesterday night and I felt the cool night breeze that you will only feel around this time of the year.  To me, it was the perfect weather!  I heard some reggae music and I had the weirdest adrenalin rush! ^_^ If you don’t know yet, I’m a raggamuffin’ girl (a girl who loves reggae)!  and I usually just hear these vibes on summer and I love how reggae music usually calms me down and sets me to chill mode.  Listening to reggae music is therapeutic enough for me to change my bad mood to chill!

I was then like, omgee I miss the beach!  I can’t wait for summer!  But then I realized that I am one lucky girl because I live in the Philippines where the beaches are available 365 days in a year unlike other countries that are experiencing blizzards at this moment!  In fact, it’s surf season from October to Feb and I usually spend time on the beach to surf.  Comes March to July – summer time and you’ll often find me in Boracay or in other awesome beaches here in the Philippines!  August – September is also another surf season so if you ask me if it’s possible to be summer all the time then hell yeah it is!

Havaianas encourages the summer state of mind and with this, they just launched the ‘Always Summer’ campaign to remind Filipinos that they don’t need to wait for the season to rejoice in its spirit.  Summer in a tropical island like the Philippines never ends and neither do the happy moments that come with it.

The Havaianas Race to Hawaii

As part of its year-long summer celebration,  Havaianas is launching the Havaianas “Always Summer: Race to Hawaii” contest.  Flip-flops lovers nationwide can compete in a day of exciting summer fun by purchasing two pairs of Havaianas and winning a slot in the race.  Winners in the regional leg will proceed to Boracay – all expenses paid – to compete in the final leg for the ultimate prize: a trip for two to Hawaii – the land that inspired Havaianas.

More details about this contest at their official website www.havaianassummer.com

Havaianas Event Photos

Nails done at Nailaholics prior to the event

Notice the gold serpent ring on my hand?  I will give it away soon c/o Panopio Jewelry!

Me and Telly

Coffee Break!!! It’s been a while since I’ve listened to them live

YOU GUYS ROCK!!!

I think this was when they were singing “Pass the Dutchie”

hell, it was awesome~!

The event was set at the Manila Polo Club, but I felt like I was on the beach.  Daym, I had great memories in Bora with Telly ^_^

Alvey Pulga of Channel V

sorry dude, I wasn’t able to get a good shot of you coz you were hyper and moving a lot

Intermission number (it’s like Poi dancing without the fire)

This is kewl *pats self*

Summer Plans

Anyway, summer is around the corner too!  But before I greet summer, I’ll go off to Hong Kong first and experience staying in Hong Kong Disneyland’s luxury hotel ^_^  I want to feel like a princess on a cool weather and I want to wear the Uggs that I bought that I wasn’t able to wear on my last Hong Kong trip.  I’m also there to shop! Uniqlo and HnM here I come again!

For summer, I want to go Boracay again.  And this early Feb imma go surfing!!!

Of course, I’m also planning to buy two pairs of Havaianas so that I can have a raffle entry!  HAWAII is on my to-go list! I want to surf there and I hope I WIN!

So guys, are you excited for summer?

YEAH?!?!!?

Then share your plans on the comment section below ^_^

Yes, It’s possible…

At around the cool months of October to December, Boracay usually has waves.  This is when you will see people kite surfing. I forgot the name of the place renting out paddle boards and surfboards actually but you will see them along station 1 with a surfboard standing on the sand with the sign “Surf lessons here.”

Last April 2010, I came to Boracay for an adventure!

While walking along Station 1 on my way to Jonas, I saw a Paddle Board for rent… Immediately I approached the store and said I would like to rent 1.  I miss surfing, but I am in no way near La Union.  At this time, the water in Boracay is calm.  Meaning, you cannot surf!  But you can still have fun with the paddle board 🙂

The rent is a bit expensive P450/hour.  Meanwhile in La Union you can only rent this for P200/hour.  But what the heck… I was spending my last day in Boracay and I just got the paddle board and rented it…

Don’t worry if you don’t know how to paddle, there’s a guide that will teach you how 🙂

It’s Destiny that brought me to this gnarly music discovery!

I find myself often in search for rare lovable music!

One day, at the Fort, I went to the Press Conference of International Skateboarders.  I surf and I do long board skateboarding.  I don’t think I have the balls to ride a short board skateboard though lol.

Anyway, I love Geiser Maclang PR!!! They gave me press kits and this awesome FLIP Skateboards’ Extremely Sorry Album!!!

It’s totally a solid soundtrack to you and your friends’ getaway to a surf trip or a skateboarding session… If you don’t do any of the two, the album would still sound super perfect on your road trips!!!

My favorites are Stand by Me by Baron feat Lemmy and Dave Lombardo (remake of the classic by Ben E King), This is Forever, Love Shroom (you don’t need weeds to make you feel high, just by listening to this music you’d get to it ;)), the Process of Extinction is also awesome rock goodness and this is featured by David Gonzalez, also Burnout Like Fireflies which is a Mark Appleyard favorite!

 

I can’t explain better how it is so listen to the samples of the Flip Skateboard’s Extremely Sorry Album here.

Anyway, here are some of my surfing and skateboarding photos just in case you’d think I’m a fake ^_^

This was my first time trying to surf alone 🙂

With my banana raggamuffin’ board 🙂

Cheerleaders balance well

Holding the board while surfing… seems like I’m alone in the ocean XD love it! I miss surfing all of a sudden

I have a 6’10” Fun board and nope it is not really a short board… The wave is trying to drop me here.

Newly opened, unused surfboard I bought from R.O.X. Bonifacio High Street.

It’s a 6’10” Schaper from SouthPoint.

Waves look tiny in pictures but if you’re there they are a bit scary and big… this one tried to drop me… It was a nice ride though

la la la… close up!

This time, surfing the road with a long board skateboard.

Blurred background is Krispy Kreme 😀

Preparing for surf season

1.  Buy Sunblock or Tanning lotion!

It depends whether you want to stay fair or get tanned, the important is, get protected from the Sun’s UV harmful rays!  Also, you might want to buy an anti-jellyfish lotion as well!

2.  Check out the swell forecast before planning your surftrip!

magicseaweed or wetsand

3.  Where to surf in the Philippines?

• La Union – ideal for beginners

In the Philippines, LU should be the first beach you visit if you’re just trying out surfing.  The beach is friendly because it’s just sand bottom.  You can surf here without really knowing how to swim because you can surf at around 5 ft.  Plus, there are a lot of surf instructors available.  There’s a Surf School there called Billabong Surf School and I am a student of this school until now XD

Accommodations, Room rates:

surfcamp
http://www.sanjuansurfresort.com
+63 72 720 0340
sebay
http://surfsebay.allhyper.com/
Tel. & Fax. +63-72-888-4075; Cel. +639107395698
surfmaid
http://littlesurfmaidresort.com
(072) 888-55-28
Cp#/Contact Person: +639205486112 / Sie

• Siargao

Siargao is a tear-drop shaped island situated 800 kilometers southeast of Manila. It has a land mass of approximately 437 kilometers. The east coast is relatively straight with one deep inlet-Port Pilar with a coastline marked by a succession of reefs, small points and white sandy beaches. There are similar neighboring islands and islets with similar landforms. The reefs and points are excellent for picking up any swell that comes along turning into clean, fast waves.

– surigaoislands.com

The pros of surfing from the Philippines and all over the world pick this spot for clean big waves building up from the pacific ocean!

• Baler

This place is not famous for a surf spot before until the movie “Apocalypse Now” (foreign film) was shot in this area.  The “soldiers” and the crew surfed on their break hours.  After the movie was done, they left their surfboards and surfing became “IN” or the Locals

• Badoc

This place is quite far and not many really go to trouble all the way to go up here when people can just stop and be satisfied by La Union waves.  It is situated at the higher tip of Luzon near Vigan I think.

• Samar

Samar’s waves are built up from the pacific too and they have a nice surf camp resort in this area.

• Zambales

2-hour drive from Manila and this is famous for advanced surfers as well.  They don’t have many surf instructors here though as compared to La Union.  This place is ideal if you want to plan a day trip surfing!

4.  Surfboard

You can definitely rent at surf resorts!  If you’re a beginner, you should ride a long board first!

5.  Surfing Outfit

For the ladies, you would need rash guards if you don’t want anything private become public! I bought mine for 800 at R.O.X. at Bonifacio High Street.  You can always surf on your bikini alone especially if the waves are just small and a little less violent.  If they waves are aggressive though, you would definitely need a safer outfit.

For men, rash guards are really not that required.  You can surf topless but it won’t protect you from any rash you might get from friction.

Happy Surfing!

Potong Stim! (Malay expression) There still got no waves!  Actually, here were still some baby ones by afternoon and I still tried to ride it… ALONE!!!  And I got a wave, paddled, popped up, rode the board… ON MY OWN!  Without TULAK!!!  This is an achievement for me surf-wise and by this event I am just happy!

I had brunch at Surf Camp (quite expensive) but I was so tamad to go to Patubos because it was extremely hot and humid.  We then, swam, snorkeled and surfed and had dinner at Urbiztondo Grill.  At night, we just watched North Shore on my pc… Then Lush Angel had one funny blooper lol.  Then we slept… So tired!

At least there are some baby waves towards the late afternoon so I better not complain before the waves completely turn their back on me.

We are staying at San Juan Surf Camp now.  We are like 20 people plus DKS friends and their friends (6).  They are staying in Sebay though because Surf Camp is full-booked the weekend.

It’s the first time that I am here on a Friday.  Friday is actually the “Green Zinc” project clean-up day where the locals clean the shores from seaweed and unwanted trash just to keep and preserve the La Union shore.

There’s nothing more sexier than seeing Luke Landrigan raking those seaweeds out of the shore!  **Faints**  You gals should be here on Fridays lol.

Playing on the Surf Camp music now is “Somewhere over the Rainbow” in Ukelele… It’s a lovely tune, relaxing and chillin ^_^

Absolutely amazing sunset at La Union today… but I didn’t take a picture of it because I was too lazy to get my camera in our room!  But it was so colorful and beautiful in shades of orange, yellow, sky-baby-blue, and lush pink!

I am totally starving as I type and I’m off to grab some dinner… I just do hope that tomorrow will be a better day to get Stoked!