Long weekend recap

Friday, November 2, 2007
It was a holiday so we decided to go around Taipa and Macau. Had lunch at Kanetanaka in Taipa Village. Kanetanaka is a sushi 'kaiten' concept resto. A plate of sushi costs 8 MOP or 13 MOP which is actually not bad. Benji and I had like 5-8 plates each... he he he... while Colin had the tempura Bento... he's been into tempura lately. After lunch, we went around Taipa Village and stumbled upon a bike- for-rent in the plaza nearby. Priced at 10 MOP - ride-as-long-as -you-want-to is not a bad deal. We tried teaching Colin how to bike but Benji and I ended up getting all worked up because Colin kept on doing it his own way. Here's why...

So after an hour or so of this we decided to continue our little exploration. We hopped on a bus going to San Ma Lou (or what is the Senado Square to others). Benji showed me where the Filipino store is, just in case I/we get a craving for anything Filipino made I would know where to go and get it. We did a little shopping for winter clothes as its getting a bit chilly here already. Since we haven't really explored the Square, we tried going to the side streets this time. A lot of tiangges abound the side streets so this is the place to go for bargain hunters. We had dinner at one of my favorite restos in Macau, Singing Bean. Their food's so yummy that I could eat there everyday. Their coffee is also something worth trying. I so love their wraps! Mmm... mmm... Aside from their yummy food, the reason we love eating there is because the Manager of this coffeehouse is a Filipino, Robert. As all Filipinos are, Robert is so 'maasikaso'. Whenever we're there he would always see to it that we're ok and that we're enjoying the meal not to mention he would also send something over to our table for Colin =). After dinner we had a quick pass by Wynn Hotel to watch the fountain show but unluckily it's under maintenance cleaning.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

After having breakfast and doing the house chores we headed out for Macau Tower. We're still in the process of trying to get used to the the bus routes of the different bus nos. We boarded bus no. 21. A few minutes into the ride Benji decided that we should get off at the next stop since he figured the bus that we're in would go all the way to Coloane before reaching Macau Tower. And since it's already way past lunch, we would all be starving by the time we reach our destination. We got off at the airport (which was the next stop) to catch a cab instead. We were a bit disappointed because there isn't really much to see in Macau Tower. Sure there was a Warner Brothers store as well as a Toys 'R Us inside but that's about it. Although we have yet to try the adventure thingy they offer there like Skywalk X, Sky Jump, Bungy Jump and Mast Climb which I think would take a lot of courage if I would really opt to do those. We would have loved to eat at the 360 revolving resto but prior reservations are needed esp. on weekends. We ended up eating at one of those café ala Deli France inside the tower. After going around Warner Bros. and TRU we decided to go to Fisherman's Wharf so we boarded a bus going to New Yaohan. From there we just walked going to the Wharf. Once there we decided to have a shuttle tour so I'll have an idea on what I'll see inside. It was Benji's 2nd time there so the tour was more for me and Colin. After the tour we had a very, very late lunch at one Japanese resto (which the name I forgot) . We did a little more strolling and was able to watch a street dance. 3 of the dancers were Filipinas and they were doing a fire dance (if that's how they call it). They were all great. Since we were all tired from all the walking we decided to head back to Taipa and just have dinner somewhere there. This time we tried eating at a resto named E.S. Kimo... funny name for a resto don't you think? he he... I don't know if it's the name of the owner though. Back home by 10pm.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

We all woke up a little late... 9am and had a really late breakfast, more like brunch already. We plan to go back to Fisherman's Wharf again today since Colin wasn't able to go around Aladdin's Fort yesterday. After doing all the house chores we had a very late lunch and got dressed as soon as we're done eating. Was out of the house by 3:30pm. It's a good thing we chanced upon a free shuttle ride going to the Wharf... wippee! Colin was asleep all throughout the ride and still was when we got off. So while the little boy is still in deep slumber, Benji and I went around and did a little photo-op ourselves. Aladdin's Fort is like a mini amusement park inside Fisherman's Wharf complete with all the kiddie rides. But boy will it really cost you if your kid wants to ride over and over again. Hopefully in the future they'd get to have those all-day pass wherein you can ride-all-you-can to your kid's content (not to mention your spending still in-check and within limits... he he he). The place is still half finished (I think) because I'm guessing they'd still be putting up a roller coaster ride inside (based on the posters I saw on every ticket booth). And a paint ball (?) area is still under construction as of this time. We got to ride all the rides even the bumper cars... yep! But this was where Colin got a very nasty bump on his left cheek.. :( We got to ride everything twice! Colin couldn't get enough... my oh my! And the price of each ticket ride was no joke... it ranges from 20-35MOP/person/ride... goodness! So after two turns for each ride we had to say... enough already... he he he. We had dinner at another Japanese resto, Ichho (?) Japanese Restaurant and ordered Taraba Crab tempura and beef teppanyaki... Yum! Can't get enough of Japanese... he he he. It was still a bit early so Benji decided to try his luck at Babylon Casino while Colin and I strolled around a bit more. I haven't really tried going in any of the Casinos since we've got no one to leave Colin behind and I would want Benji to accompany me so doing it alternately was out of the question. Maybe next time... So while waiting, we did a few photo-ops near Rocks Hotel. After an hour of doing nothing we headed back home. We took the free shuttle ride back... isn't that great?... Was home by 9:30pm.

Pics can be viewed here.

Where to now?

It was a slow day for us today. We all woke up quite late. We didn't really have anything planned to do for the day, that's why. Before having lunch I had to make a quick stop at Li Yuen to buy pajamas for Colin. Also tried looking for more long sleeved shirts for him since it's getting a bit cold already in Macau. Had a hearty lunch at Fat Angelo's in Central before heading back to Ate's flat. We were supposed to go back to Macau today but Benji decided to just move it to early next morning. Spent the whole afternoon catching up on sleep while little boy's busy at the playroom with his Auntie. Had dinner at this Vietnamese resto nearby... love those spring rolls! Got to sign off now... got to be up early tomorrow to catch the first ride back to Macau... yet again. ;)

Touring Taipa and Macau

Today was our (Colin and my) first day here in our 'new' home. We went around Taipa Village. Had lunch at Pinocchio which is a Portuguese restaurant. Went around to familiarize myself as to where I should go to buy stuff. Taipa area is pretty small and from where we live there are a lot of supermarkets and convenience stores in almost every corner. So getting hold of stuff is pretty much easy. There are also playgrounds/playrooms where Colin can go and release all his energy =). Benji just showed me at least the important areas I need to know of. I will do my own rounds later on... got lots of time on my hands for that... ha ha ha

Later in the afternoon we passed by the HK-Macau ferry station to send off Ate (Benji's sister)... she's going back to HK where she is based. We went around New Yaohan which is by the way the (sort of) only mall/department store in Macau. New Yaohan is much like our Landmark Department store in Manila. Yup... the only department Macau has... at least what we know of. All the other specialty stores like the high end ones can be found in the big casino-hotels spread all over Macau.

Davao... our trip down south

Our Davao flight has been booked way back March and just like our last year's trip to Cebu, I chose September because 1) it was Colin and Mita's birth month so double celebration and 2) it's a lean month to go to Davao. It was only a week before the trip that I was able to firm up our IT for. Thanks to a fellow n@wie, Cathee I was able to list down places to go to, things to do and where to eat. Originally there were six of us (Benji, me, Colin, Mita, MIL and SIL) booked to go there but because of Benji's new work in Macau it was trimmed down to just three - me, Colin & Mita. MIL being the tempo companion of Benji for the meantime while starting out in Macau and SIL had a sudden business trip around the same time that's why they weren't able to come along. We missed them as it was more fun if you are traveling and checking out sights if you're a group. But we tried nonetheless to enjoy the four day trip. A lot of the locals we've talked to said this was a good year to visit as this was a bountiful year of harvest. They say bountiful harvest skips a year and that this year was a good one.

Going to Davao - September 21, 2007

Our flight was at 9:20am so we had to be at the airport by 7:30am at least. Little boy slept a bit late the night before but surprisingly he also woke up just about the same time I did. I was planning to let him sleep a bit more and just dress him up while still snoozing. But no, the moment I got up which was around 6:00am, he was up too. Had him drink milk and eat some cereals before dressing him up. Mita and I just had something hot to drink and after that we were already on our way to the airport by 7:30am. Good thing Mita slept over our house so it saved us time since we didn't have to pick her up from their place (although they were just 5-10mins. away from the airport). We were already checked in between 7:45-8:00am so we still had time to grab a bite. By 8:30 we were already seated at the lounge and Colin being ever so impatient wanted to move around. So we both went around the lounge are when we stumbled upon the Kiddie Play area. Didn't know there was one at the Domestic airport. It's a good way to kill time. Colin was kept busy playing. Had a small chit-chat with another mom that was in there too. She was with her chatty little daughter who was I think a year and a half younger than Colin. She's married to someone from the Carribean and I learned that they too were bound for Davao which they consider home. Also met another parent-child while in the playhouse but this time it was a father-son duo. The guy is American married to a Filipina and to them Surigao is home. They named their son Tarzan; isn't that cute!... well actually it's just their pet name for him. His son's real name is Anthony. Went back to check on Mita as she might be bored already. We didn't wait long and we heard our call for boarding. Soon we were airborne.

Arrived Davao at a little past 11am; boarded a taxi and headed to our hotel, Crown Regency. Our hotel was a villa type of hotel. Going there would actually make you feel weird since it's also situated in an area with two motels. Our villa was actually ok. Good enough for us to be able to rest and sleep. There was just a big group that checked in same time we did so the pool was almost always never empty. We just rested for awhile then headed out for lunch. We ate at Dencia's Restaurant. It's know for its goto but since it was lunch time we weren't able to sample it. We ordered Sinigang na Lapu-lapu and omelet instead. After filling our tummies we headed off to Aldevinco Shopping Center for pasalubong shopping. I figured we won't have enough time already on the succeeding days so we did the shopping already. We flagged down a taxi and the driver will later turn out to be our hired transpo for sightseeing cum tour guide. I made 'chika' to Manong Ponsing about the nice places to visit and he recommended Eden Nature Park and Crocodile Farm. I asked him how much is the usual going rate for hired transpo if one wants to go to these two places and quoted us P1,500 for a whole day trip. Not bad. At the shopping center we bought shirts for all of us as well as sarong and comfy house dresses for Mita and MIL. After shopping which was around 3:30pm, we went back to the hotel to rest a bit since I wanted to have dinner at Jack's Ridge that night. By 5pm we were ready to go out again but before heading to Jack's Ridge we stopped by Gaisano Mall to buy bottled water. We toured the mall a little and by 5:45 we were already on the road to Jack's. It was already dark when we got there; it looked like it was going to rain. And rain it did! Good thing we were already seated and waiting for our order when it poured down. When we got there, there weren't too many guests yet so we were able to choose a nice spot with a good view of the city down below. The only disappointment I had was service was slow. Our meal took around 30 minutes to get served. Although we were there fairly early, we were really hungry by the time food was served. Only consolation was the nice view. By the time we left the place the rain already stopped. We didn't get to stay long to look around as I was afraid we'd have a hard time getting a taxi going back. But since people had just started to come in the place, there were still taxis waiting outside. We were back at the hotel by 9pm. Lights out by 11pm. Pics can viewed here.

Day 2 - September 22, 2007

I contracted Manong Ponsing to take us to Eden and Croco Farm and asked him to pick us up at around 8:30am. He was already at the hotel by 8am. We were still having breakfast so we had to ask Manong to wait a little while longer. The trip going to Eden Nature Park took around an hour and a half but it wasn't boring. It was so nice to view Mt. Apo from afar. Barangay Eden was a bit hard to reach. There were roads that were still under construction so for the majority of the trip when you enter the barangay it was rough roads. We reached Eden Nature Park at a little past 10am. By the way I wasn't able to make reservations in Manila for a day tour. I was thinking it's just ok if we just walk-in. But I was advised by the hotel staff that since we were going on a weekend there might be a lot of visitors and usually if that's the case, those who came by walk-in are sometimes turned down. And the travel there isn't a big joke... imagine traveling for an hour and a half only to be turned down because the place is full and you have no booking. No way! So the night before I asked the hotel staff to make reservations for a day tour for us three. I did the payments upon getting there and first thing we did was go on a guided tour. The tour takes about 45 minutes and the place is... WOW! For those who are nature lovers, this is heaven. It was so relaxing. By the time the tour ended it was lunch time already. And yes we had a buffet lunch. Although food wasn't really spectacular (he he) but it was good enough and boy was there a lot! After lunch we strolled around the playground since I promised Colin that we would play a little. While little boy was busy with one ride, Mommy was also busy trying out the Indiana Jones thingy.


After a little more playtime at the slides we looked for Manong already so we can now go to Crocodile Farm which was our last sightseeing stop for the day. We left Eden Nature Park at 1:30pm and on the way to Croc Farm Colin fell asleep. We were at Croc Farm at around 2:45pm and little boy was still fast asleep. Had our picture taken with a baby croc held by Mita... yep! a live one that is... didn't even dared touch it... he he he... You won't only see crocs inside, Croc Farm is like a mini zoo too and I took as much pictures as I can of almost all the animals you can see inside. Before heading back to the hotel we had a little snack at the kiosk inside the farm andmade one last trip to the tiger's cage to have Colin's picture taken with them as background. We were at the hotel by 5pm just enough time to rest awhile before heading out to have dinner with a couple of Mita's friends. We were taken to Iron Horse for dinner which serves buffet of mostly Davao dishes plus grilled food. After dinner, we strolled around the capitol area then headed back to the hotel to finally get some rest from a very tiring day. Still had topack for our check-out and trip to Pearl Farm next day. Yipee! Pictures taken for this day's travel can be viewed here.

Day 3 - September 23, 2007

Colin woke up pretty late as he was soooo tired from all the walking we did yesterday. As soon as he woke up we had breakfast and went back to the hotel room for last minute packing and I also took pictures of the villa we stayed in. We checked out at around 11:30am then had a quick lunch for we needed to be at the marina by 1pm. Left the hotel a little before 1pm since was just like 10 minutes away. Bad thing is the driver of the cab we took didn't know where the Pearl Farm marina was even if I showed him a map on how to get there. Oh boy! To make along story short, we barely made it to the marina on time. We were like the second to the last to board the boat that was going to take us to PF; everybody was already there waiting. Colin fell asleep on the almost 1 1/2 hour boat ride. The breeze would really make you fall asleep. But the moment I saw PF from a distance it got me all excited. There was welcome drinks for everybody and as soon as we got our keys to the room we asked for a shuttle to take us there. The room I got was on a hilltop which wasn't bad at all. Going down to the main area (restos, swimming pool, etc.) was ok but going up can be a bit tiring so you really need a shuttle to take you there. The room was cozy.

We just changed into swimming clothes since Colin has been asking me if we can already go swimming. Good thing there weren't too many guests so the pool area and the beach were practically (almost) empty. Little boy did enjoy the pool. We had a little play of sand on the beach too. We had a good two hours of swimming time before begging (he he) Colin if we can go change for dinner already. Food was great although we didn't go for buffet. Their chicken pork adobo was really tasty. After dinner we roamed around the pool area and also checked out Parola Bar which is actually where the dock was. We just sat there at the bar enjoying the breeze. It was around 9:30 when we went back to the hotel to get some shut eye. Pictures for this day can be seen here.


Departure for Manila - September 24, 2007

Woke up quite early considering I had a hard time sleeping last night. We had buffet breakfast but oddly enough I wasn't really feeling that hungry. At least Colin had a full breakfast, feasting on pancit, bread and lugaw with watermelon and pineapple juice. We had the whole morning to tour the island. We first went to Malipano Island which is still part of Pearl Farm only it's a separate island on its own just across the main island. We took a motor boat going there. This island houses 6 big villas which are actually the most expensive accommodations in PF. Nobody's checked in that time but there were a few who were swimming in that island's beach area. We toured the island on our own. Checked out the villas. Three villas were by the shore and the other three were on top of mini hills. The owner's own villa is also in this island. Nothing much to see though so the tour was a quick one. Went back to the main island and did our tour of the whole PFR. Before going back to the room we stopped by the "butik" (boutique) for pasalubong buying. We weren't really hungry yet for lunch so after packing and checking out we just lazed at Parola bar until the boat that will take us back to Davao City arrives. By 1pm we were already on our way back to the city. This time I've asked Manong Ponsing again to pick us up from the marina and to bring us to the market for last minute fruits shopping. We were at the airport by 3pm which was a bit early as our flight was still at 5:50pm. We had a very late lunch after which it was time to check-in already. Was back in Manila by 7:20pm but took us long to gather our baggages. It was raining again in Manila by the time our plane landed. Last year it was also the same thing; when our plane from Cebu landed it was also raining. We got home by 9pm and we were all dead tired and starving already. Pics from our last day here.

All in all it was a fun and different experience. Fun since we got to visit yet again another wonderful place here in the Philippines; different because we weren't complete as a family. Hopefully even though we'll be moving for good by next year, we can still get to do this again.

Quick One

I still won't be able to stay long in front of the computer but I just need to make a quick post to tell everyone that we're already here in HK. We arrived yesterday at around 1:45pm... our flight was supposed to be at 11am but was delayed for about an hour so you can probably guess that we were already soooooo hungry by the time we got on the plane and the food was served. We were just disappointed that they only served us sandwiches and fruits. But in fairness the ham and cheese sandwich was tasty :D Important thing is we got here safe and sound... and the two days we're here was already tiring... ha ha ha... I'll try to post later on tonight.

Finishing Touches

Today we did our last minute errands: paid the remaining bills, deposited to WVI for our sponsored little girl's monthly allowance for August and of course prepared our "baon". Also did some nth last minute checking of our stuff so we won't forget anything... and I do hope I won't forget anything... he he he... I hope little boy will sleep early tonight so that I can wake him up early tomorrow. Our flight's at 11am so hopefully we'll be at the airport on or before 9am to avoid long lines at the airport. Although I've already checked us in (online) last night and we already got seats. I was so surprised that a lot have already done that coz I did have a hard time finding us good seats. Most of the good ones are already taken. I hope that what I got were really good and that we won't have to change it once we claim our boarding passes. MIL is a Marco Polo member and online check-in is one privilege if you're a member. I was supposedly going to just check her in but when I saw our names too then I grabbed the chance of checking the three of us (Benji, me and Colin) in too... he he he... that reminds me I have to change our Asia Miles membership to Marco Polo and apply for Colin's as well. So yey! we're already checked in so hopefully we won't have to line up in the long queue... just check the baggages in and get our boarding passes then immigration then just wait for departure time. I just hope someday waiting in the our airport lounge can be as fun as when you're waiting let's say in HK or Singapore airport. You can do all sorts of things while killing time before boarding when you're in those airports. Dining is such a pleasure, last minute window shopping is irresistible (which should really be a no-no... ha ha ha) and I think you can even watch a movie . Whew! How I wish! Forgive me for being too critical but waiting in our lounges is really a bore. At least, for Terminal 2 the place is a bit nicer compared to the old NAIA but still nothing much to do and see while whiling away time except to stare at planes that are either landing and taking off... he he he... oh well... So just one more night then off we go...

Everything In One

Last night I started packing all of our things in one BIG suitcase. My goal was to pack everything in in just one luggage and I think I'll be a success on this. Hooray!!! So far I've already packed all of our essentials from clothes down to the toiletries... and that's for all three of us. And there's still a little bit of space left... which I am trying so hard not to fill up just yet. This space is reserved for whatever last minute essential item I might think of bringing. So are we ready for the trip?... Yep, I think we're pretty much ready. Just two more nights to go! :)

Packing Away

I've already started fixing our things to bring for the trip. I just can't seem to make myself do the "pack light" thing. I am aiming at bringing just one big suitcase for all the three of us but with the rate I'm doing the sorting and fixing I might not accomplish that. Tsk, tsk, tsk... It seems I always find a reason to bring this or that. Hmm... what am I to do? I don't want to be lugging two suitcases when we leave coz I know we will surely add one suitcase-full of things we bought when we return home. So as much as possible I really, really, really want to bring just one suitcase. Let's see If I'll be successful. I've also asked Ate Rose to wash the pads of Colin's stroller. Maybe by tomorrow I'd be able to assemble it back to one piece :D

Davao in September

It started last year when I first stumbled upon the GO fare promos of Cebu Pacific. September of last year we went to Cebu for 3 days 2 nights. It was how I wanted to celebrate Colin’s 2nd birthday (although we still had a small celebration on the day itself) and it was also a birthday gift for Mita,my Mom. She has the same birth month as Colin so I thought it’s like shooting two birds with one stone. So after that trip I thought why not make it a yearly (around the same time) thing if I’ll be able to get cheap tickets. So for this year it’s Davao! Since we’re somehow set for our HK trip and at least I’ve made a list of what to buy and bring, I’m now busy fixing our the Davao trip. I want to have a firm hotel booking for our Davao stay before we leave for HK. We’d be staying for two nights at a city hotel (which I haven’t decided on yet) then one night at Pearl Farm. I’ve already inquired thru email to two city hotels, Marco Polo Davao and Crown Regency and also to Pearl Farm. So far only Marco Polo has responded. I’m still waiting for the other two. If until tomorrow I don’t get anything from them, maybe I’ll just give them a call. I do hope they answer soon. I’ve also started listing places to visit and things to do while we’re there. A lot have said Eden Nature Park is really a must-see so it’s on top of my list. I’m sure Colin will love it there. I’m sort of torn between checking in a city hotel and just take a day trip to Eden Park OR just check-in at Eden Park so we get to do all the things without worrying about the time. At least if we stay there we can go back to the room from time to time to get some rests in between. Hmmm… maybe I’ll just ask from people who’ve already been there. In the meantime I’m sticking to the city hotel first. Hopefully I’ll be able to make progress in the next few days.

Where to now?...

I have been out of blog mode for a number of days. My bad! Been a bit busy preparing for our trip come month end. Yes, we’re going on a vacation… We’re Hong Kong bound again! Yipee!!! It’s our first for the year… would you believe it took us this long to have one for this year. Usually by first quarter of each year we have one but not this year. Mainly because for the first half of the year Benjie tried to have a 9-5 job again. So he can’t take a leave yet so planning and going on a vacation was a no-no around that time. Good thing he decided to go back to doing the work-from-home thing again… he he at least now I can go on planning mode again. Ha ha… that’s just one thing good about his job… he can “almost” take it anywhere… just as long as he has a laptop and internet connection then he’s good to go! Especially now that we’ll be gone for one whole month… yup… you got it right! One whole month… that’s why we’ve all been quite busy here preparing and making sure everything will be alright when we leave. SIL is currently living there that’s why we can afford to stay there that long. No hotel bills for us this time. That said, I’ve already paid all the bills, requested for a bigger credit limits for hubby’s and my mobile, made a checklist of what to buy and bring to HK (it’s always easier for me that way), prepared the stuff we need (well, at least am almost done with this). We’ve actually bought the tickets already so you can say we’re pretty much set to go. I haven’t made any itineraries yet since I was thinking we’ll be there for a month so I guess we’ll pretty much have a lot of time doing everything. We’re not time-strapped, if ever there’s such a term…he he. We’re all excited because we’re also visiting Macau… it’ll be the first for me and Colin. Maybe we’ll go to Lantau too to visit the Big Buddha. We always miss doing that every time we’re in HK. Maybe or maybe not we’ll go to HK Disneyland again. Most probably we will. Hmmm, what else? Of course lots and lots of shopping! Ha ha ha! Especially now that’s it’s sale time there… woohoo! There’s still lots of things to do before we leave. That reminds me I have to book our hotels for our Davao trip on September. Now that’s a different blog story.

Hooters kid... ha ha ha