Two hours west of Baguio by bus, the La Union coast was my periodic retreat. It could be cold and rainy in Baguio, and a couple hours later I would be scuba diving in the warm waters of the South China Sea under sunny skies and temperatures a full 20 degrees F warmer than where I left.
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Traditional Philippines boats, called banca, line the entire coast.
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Watching the action on the ocean from the comforts of the restaurant at the Coconut Grove Resort.
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Not everything is free, but traveling around the Philippines is remarkably inexpensive.
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Moving farther up the coast to the provincial capital city of San Fernando.
Here, a couple shots from Heroes Hill looking down on the city.
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Ma-Cho Temple in the northern part of San Fernando.
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Public transport is mostly jeepneys and motorized tricycles. This little statue of Mary was the only protection between the flimsy tricycle fiberglass shell and the chaos of the traffic outside.
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The view from our banca as we head back to the shore after a wonderful morning of scuba diving.
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Water buffalo grazing the afternoon away near Bauang.
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The picture-perfect end to another relaxing weekend at the beach.
click here for my Philippines scuba diving pictures