Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Bikes, boats and balloons in Burnham Park

Our Baguio adventure continues today at Burnham Park! Yesterday, you got a glimpse of our fun day at the popular tourist destination. Today, I'll share a few more photos of our activity-packed morning there.


It's a huge park at almost 33 hectares so we decided to just do three things: bike, run around the gardens, and go on the boat. But there are many other things to see and do at Burnham. There's a skating rink, lots of little stalls to shop at, parks and gardens of roses and orchids, large areas for picnics and for playing sports, and the Children's Playground. This last we found just as we were about to have lunch so even though the kids wanted to play, we didn't let them. We knew better that they're already hungry and will get super cranky and weak if we let them play. But it was such a fun playground! Next time, next time!

Again, I'll just share photos today! Here's what we did at Burnham Park:


We went biking! This was Vito's first time on a bike. He loved it!


Well, okay, that's a trike haha but little steps, little steps.


Vince and I rode pedicabs with the littlest boys as our passengers. I had Piero, Vince had Iñigo. And because we're out in a park so rarely, Vince and I allowed ourselves to let the boys have cotton candy and balloons.


All that sugar fuelled their urge to run run run! Sugar's great for little boys because they're sooo malikot! They can burn through it in seconds!


So let's supplement with dirty ice cream heehee


So madungis! My kids are always sticky, sweaty and sweet.


Off to the man-made lake! It's brown. Has it always been brown? And no life vests??? But did we still ride those rickety, leaky boats anyway???


Yes. Yes, we did. The boys were so unhappy hahaha But at the end of our 30-minute ride, they were enjoying it. That was basically our Baguio trip—the kids suspiciously eyed every activity we offered them, but they ended up enjoying themselves anyway!

Parenting is so weird. But it's also the most fun I've ever had! More of our Baguio adventures tomorrow!


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Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Family fun in Baguio City


After almost two decades, Vince and I went back to where our love story started—in Baguio City! We met at the UP National Writers Workshop. He and I were fellows for short fiction. By the end of the two-week workshop, we were in love. Eight years later, we got married. Eighteen years later, we have three beautiful boys and, yes, we're still writing. We have the most beautiful life!

I thank God every day for this life because I honestly didn't think I'd ever love marriage and motherhood and I never believed I could make a living out of writing. But I did it all anyway! I treasure my blessings. We may not be swimming in money (one day, one day!) and we could use someone to help us with the chores so we won't be so exhausted all the time, but what's that compared to enjoying my family and my work every day? Okay, maybe it's not so amazing every day haha, but at the end of the day, I still know that life is glorious and I shouldn't take it for granted.

Thank you, dearest Lord. I am so grateful! You are good always.

One of the best things that happened lately is our family vacation in Baguio. We decided to go celebrate it there, this time with the boys. We honestly didn't think it was a good idea because our sons are super magulo in the car but we had such a great time! I'll just do a photo essay today and add more stories through the week.


We stayed at Le Monet Hotel. It was okay. Nothing to write home about. But we got a really good deal, and it was in Camp John Hay, and the staff was so polite and nice, and we did enjoy the view!


Lots of birds always outside our window. Vince took lotsa photos of the birds. He always does that when we're on vacation.


Also outside our balcony were horses. Which meant the cool mountain air was redolent of horse poop aroma! My kids thought it was horrible but Vince and I didn't mind. It added an element of freshness to the atmosphere haha


Kids posing for Mama's Instagram...


... and for Papa's real camera.


Foggy Baguio mornings. Takes me back to those magical weeks when Vince and I fell in love!


And look at this adorableness that our love produced!


The kids at the hotel breakfast buffet. We went there just after Easter hence that golden egg on our table.


Happy baby Piero!


After breakfast, we went to Burnham Park to go biking. I've always wanted to do this when I was a kid. So happy I was able to do this with my own family. We had such a great time!


Fun balloons for just P50! The boys loved their balloons!


Even though Baguio is a cool place, all our biking, walking and running made us hot. It's a good thing ice cream was available everywhere.


As a kid, I've also always wanted to go boating in Burnham Park! But we never did huhu so I was so thrilled that Vince and I were able to take our kids on the lake. Vince actually didn't want to because it was the touristy thing to do but I don't care! It's on my Baguio bucket list. Check! And—despite the boys' faces haha—we had fun!

I'll post more photos this week of our touristy Burnham Park day!


After lunch and a rest, we went hiking on the Eco Trail. That was a looooooong walk. Well, actually, it's just 2 kilometers but because there were lots of climbing and clambering, it felt longer. This was such an adventure. We loved it!

I'll post more photos and a review of the Eco Trail this week. Have lots of advice for families bringing small kids.


For dinner, we went to the critically acclaimed Amare la Cucina. Here's Iñigo watching our pizza being baked in the brick oven. Everyone said Amare served the best pizza in Baguio. As we are a family of pizza lovers, we highly doubted this, especially when we saw the dark and unappealing decor of the restaurant. But, guys. They really truly do serve the BEST PIZZA. Like, kailangan niyo siyang puntahan. Like, I wish they'd open a branch in Manila, specifically right outside my door. Their pizza and their other food like the baked ribs was AMAZING.


Before we went back to our hotel, we stopped by Choco-Late de Batirol for some hot cocoa. They served really good and thick cocoa. My kids—used to Swiss Miss and Milo—were surprised. They didn't like it, which made me sad. Must serve them real hot chocolate drinks from now on!


But that didn't stop Piero from eating the generous topping of marshmallows!


The next day, April 18, was our anniversary! But before we celebrated it with a special luncg, we went to Good Shepherd to buy goodies because Piero loves ube. His pediatrician said he was like an old person haha


For lunch, we went to Vanilla Cupcake Bakery at Kamiseta Hotel. Here we are at the receiving room of Kamiseta Hotel. The hotel was a delight. The food was delicious! And my kids were not up for photos hahahaha


But they were certainly up for cupcakes! Here's Vito and Iñigo waiting for their dessert. I'll blog about our excellent meal this week!


I just really want to share with you this blessing because we honestly didn't think it was going to happen (we had no money haha) but I asked God to make this particular anniversary extra special and within a week of praying that, I found a great deal on Deal Grocer that not only had a hotel in a great location but also allowed for 3 months' instalment! And then when Kamiseta found out we were going to Baguio, they offered us a free meal at their hotel. And then just before our trip, our checks were released and cleared so that we had money for our vacation and for tuition! God is good!

For more of our Baguio adventures, check out:

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Friday, June 23, 2017

How I found cheap flight promos via the Traveloka App

I dunno if it’s my broken toe (which has me stuck at home unless it’s necessary to go out) or my hangover from our summer vacations (which were super fun!) or my cheerful hope that by some miracle we can afford a trip abroad by the time sem break rolls along (because when there’s 5 of you, travel is suddenly so very expensive!), but I’ve found myself playing around with my Traveloka App. Not going anywhere soon since school’s just started and we’re still recovering from the tuition and other school expenses, but a mama can dream and I found that this flight-and-hotel booking app is making my dreams not so far-fetched at all! 

But first, let’s look at the last time my kids were in an airplane, which would be when we went to Bohol almost exactly two years ago. I only shared photos of us at Bohol so here's us at the airport and on the plane:
Vito is 5, Iñigo is 3, and Piero is 1.
Kuya Vito and Baby P!
Looking at the planes go by!
That's our flight to Bohol!
His first plane ticket.
My big boys. Vito loves plane rides. Iñigo, not so much.
My baby!
Beautiful green Bohol!

So cute! Must fly with the kids again soon! On my goals page in my planner, a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland dominates. We’ve been there once as a family (see here for that wonderful trip!), and with my youngest Piero now turning 3, I think it’s time for us to go back. 

I don’t know if two parents with three small kids going to an amusement park is a good idea, and I don’t think our bank account will agree that this is going to happen but I’m asking God to gift us with more fun adventures anyway. That can be a family trip abroad, yes, but I’m also okay if He wants us to stay home and use the money for music lessons and sports workshops. So just to check if this goal is achievable (and you reach a goal by breaking it down to small manageable steps), the first thing to do is find out how much it will cost. Traveloka App, do your thing!



Here’s the landing page for the app. Organized and easy to navigate. I really like this about the Traveloka App (see my first review here)! You can instantly see the promo announcements and the options for booking either flights or hotels. There are price alerts and a promo tab, so you always know the best deals. At the bottom of the page are the My Booking and My Account tabs. Here, I register the details of every member of my family which saves me time because I won’t need to input these deets whenever I book!

So... Hong Kong Disneyland! I tapped on flights, said we’re flying from MNL to HKG, tapped the projected departure date, the number of travelers in my party, and tapped “Search.” 


After a few seconds, a list of airlines with flights to Hong Kong appeared. I know I said I want to save but when you have kids, you also want to take into consideration the times they are most amenable to travel. For my kids, for example, that would be after breakfast and just before dinner. Why? They’ve eaten, they’ve pooped, and they’re ready for an adventure. Any trip that’s too early or too late will mean me dealing with cranky, sleepy, hungry, miserable kids. Parents, it’s not always about the cheapest flight tickets! Always think of your kids first!

Let’s look at that list. 

As you can see, the flights with the lowest fares sit on top. So if you’re after the cheapest flight, you see the deal stat! Those would be the Cebu Pacific flights. As for me, I have to check the ETD. The best ETD for my family is 11:00 am, but since there’s no flight available at that time, the best one is the one that leaves at 4:20pm. It’s also the cheapest one hooray! At the price of P4,299 per person, that’s P21,495. I picked that flight and the return flight selection quickly came up on my phone’s screen. The cheapest one (at P3,802.61 pax) is also the flight that is kindest on my family—not too early and maybe a bit late, but not too late. When you have little kids, you really must consider when they’re happiest. You know all those kids who cry on planes? That’s because they’re very unhappy!


Anyway, a summary of my selected flights appeared for review, then I filled in my details, added my family’s details, and then I got another page summarizing my flights. The total price of our trip was P38,321.71.

Payment time! Traveloka has lots of payment options! I like paying via credit card. I have a special card just for online transactions. For those who don’t like using their card online, there’s over-the-counter payment at BPI, BDO, Land Bank, RCBC, Metrobank, China Bank and UCPB. You can also pay at 7-Eleven and M. Lhuillier. Very convenient! 

Okay, like I said, I’m only playing around with the Traveloka App so I didn’t push through with the final transaction. There’s no budget yet for Disneyland as of today. That’s okay. We’ve gone on a lot of vacations this year and that’s truly enough for me. But this Traveloka App sure is making me think more adventures are possible so maybe, maybe!

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