Hong Kong 2013

Snippets of our 2nd family vacation outside the country, according to Zaki.  I have this feeling that Zaki holds back when he writes for me. Like he wants to be seen average, or normal whatever that is. But I've always suspected he has more interesting insights and ways of telling them that he cares to share.  I don't know. It could also just be an overly optimistic parental expectation.

Anyway, here's what he thinks about our 4 day HK adventure in December 2013.

-oOo-

Hong Kong is a very nice country. It has lots of tourist attractions and is very progressive. I had a nice stay in Hong Kong and I hope I could go to it again.

When I arrived in Hong Kong at the airport, I was impressed. Their airport was more orderly and efficient than what we have here in the Philippines. We stayed in the airport for a short time to get our luggage, and then we took the train to the city.

The train was just like the MRT and LRT, but it was cleaner and more advanced. Out of the window we could see the cities Kowloon and Hong Kong. After we had travelled to our destination, we took the bus to our hotel. The hotel needed 2 hours to accommodate us. While waiting, we walked through the city for a while. There were lots of trees and many shops along the streets. The streets were crowded when we walked around. Pedestrians like us had to wait for the red light to come since most cars don’t stop unless they see it. 

We came to our hotel later in the afternoon. It had a nice view and was really comfortable to be in. We stayed there for the rest of the afternoon since we were tired.

The next day, we went to Disneyland. Going there, we used the train where we got to see more of Hong Kong. We used the train a lot, since it was probably the best way of transport around Hong Kong.

We went to Disneyland on a particularly cold and rainy day, but that didn’t slow us or the other hundreds of people visiting the same day. We went inside the park and it was amazing. It had a big fountain with a statue floating on top of it, a giant castle, a big train and other stuff. We took a few pictures then moved onto the rides.

The rides were fun. The first ones we went to were in a part of Disneyland called Tomorrowland. It had many attractions like racing, a kind of rollercoaster, and lots of others. We took trains, watched movies and plays, went to lots of rides and had fun. Although it was nice, Disneyland wasn’t really as amazing as I expected since it felt more suitable for smaller children and some rides were really corny.

The next day, we went to Ocean park. We wanted to try something different from the train, so we took the ferry. After alighting the ferry, we took a taxi, then a bus, to the park. 

We went to Ocean Park on a much colder day than when we went to Disneyland. My hands were starting to get numb, but we went on anyway. It was(in my opinion) better than Disneyland. We got to see lots of rare sealife like jelly fish, manta rays, octopuses and much more. We got to go on a really nice cable car which had a really great view of the islands around Hong Kong. We also took the rides. The rides were really thrilling. We rode a tower that took us really high, a rollercoaster which goes upside down and a ride that turns you around really fast. We could have rode much more if our hands weren’t getting frost-bite. Soon, we got tired of the cold and went back to our hotel room for a hot bath.

Over-all,  Hong Kong is a great place. It is very rich, despite being a small country I would like to go back there soon.

wearing our costumes

guess where the train leads to

our favorite HK destination: our room!!!

one of the best rides

aboard the ferry

this was a nice show (Lion King)

we're somewhere there

this was fun

there's supposed to be a nice view of the city in our back

going up

look, no queue!

before checking out - we love HK!

Christmas 2013

I love how we celebrated our Christmas Eve.  It was a departure from our usual.  We went to the Ayala lights festival and then went home before 8 to enjoy a simple dinner of kinilaw and sinigang na lapu lapu.  Kids opened their gifts from mommy's friends and Lola (daddy's friends are not the type who give gifts). And then we all went to bed before 10pm.

On Christmas day, we headed out for Baguio at 5am. I discovered traveling early Christmas morning can be so solemn and beautiful, especially if you're headed to the country side. There were only a few motorists on the road, and I felt a sort of an affinity with them, like we shared this secret that only the few of us Christmas travelers know.

The drive took just about 5 hours which was kinda awesome (because everything feels awesome on Christmas day). We headed straight to the picnic site in PMA to have our brunch of chicken adobo and rice straight out of our trusty rice cooker.

We rested a bit in the hostel (the Nakar Guesthouse inside the PMA, where I used to stay when I visited Marvin during his cadet days) before driving around the city. Our dinner that night was my and Marvin’s favorite papaitan and other goat delicacies from Billy's Goat House. We get excited with new discoveries like a hole in the wall eatery serving more than decent papaitan, and promised to eat there again and try their other goat dishes.

The following day was Ezra's 2nd birthday. The baby wasn't feeling so well but he was a trooper. We had brunch again at the picnic spot and helped Ezra blow his 2 candles on a slice of cake. Piece of cake. I thought the pines were lovely and it was going to be a waste if we didn’t have our family portrait taken with them as backdrop. So I arranged the kids for the photo session which is not exactly their idea of fun. I told them they're going to thank me later for all the photos I took of them when they were younger.

After what feels to the kids as obligatory outdoor family portrait session, we brought them to Camp John Hay for horseback riding. Because what's a vacation in Baguio without horseback riding, and boat paddling in Burnham Park.  Because childhood memories are made of this kind of stuff.

And we had another happy discovery at Burnham Park: skating rink! Who knew there was a skating rink in that spot all along? It was the first for the kids (and Marvin) to try on skating. Marvin and Zaki were quick learners. Yuan got by without falling flat and Zion loved it so much he wants a pair of skating shoes for his birthday.

Before long, it was time for Ezra's birthday dinner at the Forest House Bistro. That place is so Christmas-y and so perfect for a December birthday dinner in Baguio! It has a log cabin feel and a real fireplace, and it was totally decked out with Christmas decors.  Zion said when he grows up, he's also going to bring his kids to hotels and restaurants with a fireplace because his kids are really going to get excited.  Don't you just love that boy?

If you ask the brothers, they will tell you Ezra had a really fun 2nd birthday. If you ask Ezra, he will tell you, What do I know? I was groggy throughout with my cough meds.

It was free time (meaning no picture taking and scheduled activities) the following day for the boys which they spent camping at the picnic site and reading the books they brought along. Marvin and I went to the market for cheap vegetables and I got myself a very dandy fluffy bonnet. We had goat again for lunch (as promised) and for coffee we went to this lovely neighborhood cafe called PNKY.  It's a good alternative to the noisy, busy and crowded coffeeshops.  No one shouting names and orders. It's not a coffee shop for the weekdays, when you're in a rush and you want to get pumped up for the work ahead. It's a coffeeshop for Sundays, when you want to just take it slow, read a book, talk in hushed tones.  I wish there were more coffee shops like this around my place in Manila.


For our last day in Baguio, we got up early to have our picnic breakfast at Mt. Sto. Tomas in Tuba, Benguet where you can find the twin radars brought by the Americans pre-World War. You can see those radars from Kennon Road and Marvin always, always tells the kids that those are the big electric fans that keep Baguio cool.  I’m starting to think he actually used to believe that when he was first told about it.

It was so cold when we got there, like 12deg. And there were clouds and fog all around us. It felt like we were walking on clouds. And it had the most fantastic view of the city. You can even see Baguio's runway. I loved it!

Then it was time to go home, and face the monstrosity that is the Edsa traffic.

For New Year's, we booked a family suite in Tagaytay.  The kids, including Marvin, braved the chilly air and spent the afternoon swimming in the hotel's infinity pool (which is not infinite, not even that big). Yuan was so thrilled to use a really nice hotel bathrobe. He said he felt rich walking around wearing it! haha. Now all he wants for his birthday is a really nice hotel-grade bathrobe.

The kids pretty much had a grand Christmas vacation.  And as a parent, nothing makes me happier than seeing my kids getting all excited and hearing them say they feel special with all the (simple) treats they got.  Basically, that's what this vacation was all about.

I savored the last sunset of the year from our room’s balcony, which had a view of the Taal lake. I said a few prayers of thanksgiving for the year that was. Like any year, 2013 had its ups and downs, but the things that stick with me are the ups.  And they make me hopeful for the coming year.  This ability to focus on blessings is a gift in itself.  And I thank God for it because I don't want the misery that the alternative brings.

I also said a few prayers of supplication for 2014.  I prayed for my family's vigor and stamina and protection. I prayed for my loved ones' hearts to desire the Lord more and more. I prayed that our hearts will only yearn to please Him and to know His will for us. Lastly, I prayed for myself to be kinder, more gracious, more loving and generous.

And may it be so.

Kennon Road

that's our trusty rice cooker right there

Us helping Ez blow his candles

the papaitan, kilawin and sinampalukang kambing

Guess who had leg cramps after

Forest House Bistro's fireplace, and my jarheads

The forest house cake

So proud of this photo I took. Caught the beautiful sunshine peeking through the pine trees .

the pine trees at PMA

early morning walk at PMA

SM Baguio right behind

PNKY's coziness is right up there

the 2 big electric fans keeping Baguio cool

my dandy fluffy bonnet

catch the clouds

there goes again the traveling trusty rice cooker

Lola and her apos enjoying the view at Josephine's

Last sunset of 2014

2013

2013, you were a joy.  I don’t know exactly why, but you felt good.  

You led me to several places, places I’ve never been to before.   I saw houseboats on beautiful canals, thousand year old temples, valleys and hills from the top of a mountain, the outline of islets from a cable car.  In all these places, I saw magic but only because I allowed myself to see it. 

You showed me that indeed, nothing worth getting and achieving comes easy.  And that if you push yourself outside your comfort zone, and you push your boundaries even just inch by inch, you will be rewarded with things you didn’t even imagine getting.  Then you reminded me that when you work hard, do not look so much on the reward or the outcome.  It will take care of itself. But you should take care of your heart, make sure it still is in the right place.  When it comes down to it, everything is about the heart.  Keep your values and motives in check.

2013, I feel privileged for having seen kindness and compassion up close - all those people wanting, even begging to give and be of help. There is always an opportunity to help and to be kind.  Start where you are with what you have.  I wish to see kindness and compassion become a movement in this country.  That would be the most powerful movement we will see. 2014, will you let that happen?

Thank you 2013 for the tiny victories. They are aplenty: good grades from the kids, graduations, Ezra doing his thing in the toilet, completed projects at home and at work, food trips and travels.  There were also major ones: our good health, my mother’s memory still working, budget on the green, a chance to build a new house again, solid friendships, a new church whose pastors disciple our family with their teaching and preaching.  I am thankful even more for our faith, the one thing that holds everything together for us and our true treasure.

You were awesome 2013, but it’s time you go. 

Hello, 2014! Be nicer to everyone.