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I almost lost count on how many times we went to Singapore. This is my to go to country. Whenever I feel like going out of the country without thinking about the itinerary, we’ll book to Singapore. Plus best friend is there too! I have other excuse to visit Singapore.

We explored Sentosa this time. I haven’t been there despite how many times we went to Singapore. We checked in at Resorts World Sentosa – Equarius Hotel. Immediately after checking in, we changed to swimsuits and rash guards and went straight to Adventure Cove. It’s only 3minutes walk from our hotel. I’ll give credit to my husband for arranging our tour.

Good thing Jaden was able to nap in the plane and he has so many energy to spend at the water park.

I love how the weather is not sunny and raining a little. I wouldn’t mind walking around the park without worrying if I’ll get dark. We tried all kinds of rides that Jaden can enjoy. But the good part about being with my best friend is that Jaden has a baby sitter. She can look after Jaden while we’re trying to do some adults rides. Also, Pau can babysit too while Mel and I are trying some rides.

Jaden’s favorite part was the waves in the Blue Water River and the Adventure River where we swam through it until we reached the part where there is so many sting rays. It felt as if we’re swimming with them with just a glass in between. We took photos and have it printed. Also, there’s not much people in the park so the lines are not long. We’ve enjoyed it to the fullest without worrying how we’ll go back to our hotel because it’s only a 3 minutes walk from there.

So much with the fact that water park are for kids, surprisingly the adults actually enjoyed it as much as Jaden did. It was raining and a bit cold but it didn’t bother us anyway. But the rain started to get stronger. Had to stop so Jaden can nap too.

It’s raining so nonstop during our stay in Singapore but the sun showed up when we needed it to spend our time in Universal Studios Singapore. When we accomplished our itinerary for the whole day, that’s the only time it will start raining again. We were able to visit Jurassic Park but as usual we only went there to take photos because rides are not for kids as small as Jaden.

I dyed my hair pink! I just felt like giving it a try. I would like to retain it but hard to maintain.

We went to SEA Aquarium after USS. Tiring but we made sure we accomplished everything that needed to be done. Thank God my best friend made it easier for us because she’s also babysitting Jaden. She even volunteered to take care of Jaden so Pau and I can have our mushy me time that we haven’t done for a while.

We checked in to Marina Bay Sands Hotel on our last day. We originally planned to have our shoot at the Gardens by the Bay but it started to rain again so we moved it to the Flower Dome. The theme was perfect for Christmas shoot. Did I mention that our photographer was only 17 years old? She did a pretty good job!

After that, Pau allowed us to shop at the Marina Bay. We finally ticked off our tea-ta bucket list at TWG!

This is the most fun and productive trip we had in Singapore probably because of my son and a best friend who’s like a family to us. It’s different because I’m with my 3 best person in the world, husband son and best friend. Looking forward to another trip again with the four of us.

When in Singapore 2019 I almost lost count on how many times we went to Singapore. This is my to go to country.

Made it to Osaka before pandemic without knowing this would be our last out of the country. So sad but still grateful we were able to pull this off before pandemic.

Like the usual, we always planned our travels every year 3-6 months ahead of time hoping there won’t be any problem when we go out. It was the time when the cruise from Japan had a virus outbreak when we’re scheduled to fly to Osaka. I was having second thoughts thinking how dangerous it could be but at that time, the cases are not that serious and numerous compare to what we are facing now. But yeah, we eventually went on ahead praying and hoping that Osaka might still be safe to travel. We brought face mask and you could see us in most of our photos and videos that we are wearing a mask in my IG stories. We went to Osaka to celebrate Jaden’s 4th birthday to visit Jurassic Park and Sea Aquarium because he wanted to celebrate his birthday with dinosaurs and sea animals. We couldn’t put it on hold because he was really looking forward to it aside that hotel and tickets are paid already.

Went to Dotonburi on our first day. I still remember our first time to visit here. Jaden was only 1 year and 7 months. He was sleeping and he doesn’t like to sleep in his stroller so I carried him while he’s sleeping while everyone is out to shop and eat. We revisited but we didn’t shop but was able to eat at Ichiran. Look at Jaden eating on his own and was able to finish his own bowl of ramen. Asked Pau to include Kyoto in our itinerary because it’s my favorite place in Japan. I wouldn’t want to miss it specially when we’re already in Osaka. The shoot with SweetEscape took us only 30minutes because we arrived late than the expected time. The photographer cannot extend it as much as we want because he has meeting after our shoot. Good thing Jaden was in the mood to shoot so we were able to finish it in 30 minutes.

We had ample of time to explore Kyoto so we went to my favorite place, Ninenzaka. Love it how the tatami-style Starbucks made us feel like we are in old Japan. Like how we sit on the floor sipping our hot cup of chocolate. Took some photos then ride the train back to Osaka. We always take the public transportation when we travel. It’s how we explore the other country so we could experience how their life is on a daily basis. Surprisingly, Jaden slept in the train. So when we realized he had his power nap, Pau booked our tickets to Osaka Aquarium. He was so happy waking up we were already the aquarium. He’s sleeping with his mask on. Hay, traveling nowadays required us to do that but did you know that wearing mask in Japan is common in Japanese.

Traveling with a toddler makes your itinerary suitable for them. Otherwise they won’t enjoy it. It’s his birthday anyway. After visiting the aquarium, we went to Universal Studios. Pau made an online booking that allowed us to go inside 30minutes earlier than the opening time. It was so amazing how Harry Potter attraction had us. We were the only one in the attraction as if we booked it all for ourselves. Took a photo as if it was an awesome achievement. Then went straight to Jaws and Jurassic park. It would have been nice if the rides from Jaws wont get us wet. It was so chilly and we had no extra clothes so we skipped it.

Visiting jurassic park wont end without buying jaden’s dinosaur collection. Of course, we had to buy him something that he doesn’t have as a remembrance to this trip. He was so happy even though he wasn’t able to enjoy the ride. But they were able to ride at Minions. His height was fit in their requirements and he enjoyed it.

I love how our hotel has a view of Osaka. It’s so relaxing looking at it while laying in the bed. What I love also was the basement is already the train station while the upper part of our hotel is where Abeno Haruka Sky Garden 300 was located. We always stay there every night before going back to our room to sleep. It’s breathtaking and relaxing at the same time. Pau and I had some drinks while enjoying the view of the city while jaden is playing.

I had hint I’m preggy already when we’re in Osaka but waited a few weeks more to confirm her heartbeat.

After our Japan tour, the school asked us to quarantine for 14 days. Jaden had to skip his birthday celebration with his classmates and decided to celebrate it with family and few friends. He was really sad about it but we explained. Few days after his quarantine, the government announced the lockdown making this our last travel for the year. We were scheduled to travel to El Nido to celebrate my birthday 2 days before the government announced the lockdown. Good thing we cancelled it and decided to stay home. Otherwise, we wont be able go come back to manila after 4 days.

When in Osaka 2020 Made it to Osaka before pandemic without knowing this would be our last out of the country.

Time to tick off my 21st country for me, 22nd country for Pau and 7th country for Jaden. They say there’s something to Bali that you keep on wanting to go back again and again. I was curious to see Bali.

To be honest, I almost forgot about blogging. Probably because there is so much going on in our lives lately. We have been traveling a lot for 2019 that I have no more time for this kind of stuff anymore. It’s when I started counting when I realized Bali was my 21st country that I have visited.

After a few days in Singapore, we enthusiastically headed to Bali. We only flew there to have a quick catch up with my best friend because I haven’t seen her for a long time. Also, the time from Manila to Bali was kind of not advisable if you’re traveling with a kid.

Bali is one of the most popular islands for couples in love, who choose to spend their honeymoon in one of the luxury resorts or for those who are adventurous looking for. But we didn’t go here go for a honeymoon. We came here for fun with our family friend.

We checked in at Six Senses Uluwatu. Getting to their upper lobby overlooking the ocean was jaw dropping already.

Not to mention the breathtaking view from where I am standing will sweep you off your feet. The sunset was perfect too!

It was a tiring flight. We woke up early for this flight, had to travel at least an hour from airport to our hotel. What we have in mind was to have rest the whole afternoon because tomorrow is a long day for us to explore Uluwatu, Bali. Had an in room dining so we can settle in our room faster.

The room was big enough for us. There was a private pool but the weather is cold when we got here. We were expecting really hot weather but it was different when we visited here. Imagine swimming in the pool with Tagaytay weather. Brought summer clothes but had to put shawl in the evening because it’s cold.

We had dinner at the Japanese restaurant inside the resort. It felt like we reserved the whole resort because we were the only one eating and strolling in the area.

The pros about traveling with a family friend was Jaden had a playmate. Played together like the usual and we don’t have to worry how to entertain them anymore because they have their own world.

We were about to have our tour booked to Klook the next day but Jaden had fever. Probably jet-lag? Probably the weather? I don’t know but we cancelled it since we didn’t want to push him. It was our first day in Bali and we don’t want to spend our whole time here resting in bed. The only thing about cancellation was we have to send them medical proof so we can refund. I always carry medicine for Jaden whenever we go somewhere so we don’t have to go to the hospital unless it’s a serious problem.

Jaden was completely fine the next day. He just needed some time to rest. I guess that’s the thing about traveling with a kid. Your plan won’t push through if your son suddenly became sick. I’ve always wanted to visit Ubud but it was 3 hours away from our hotel. Also, Jaden’s health was our priority.

But it’s not actually a waste of time. We swam in the pool and explore the resort. The best part after dinner was watching the movie in the cliff. The kids enjoyed How to Train Your Dragon while the adults relaxed in the cold weather. It was so relaxing and so satisfying to see the kids enjoying the movie while cuddling together. I was feeling bad at first because I really want to have my photos taken in various temples but here I am enjoying the night too.

I say cancelling it was the best decision ever because the next day after our rest day, we were able to have a quick tour of Uluwatu and Nusa Dua riding a vintage car that we booked in the hotel.

Riding a vintage car kind of give me the vibe of traveling the old way with a class. We had our roof open and we can feel the breeze of the wind. Jaden had so much fun but eventually it turned hot so we had to cover.

We first visited the Uluwatu Temple. The tour guide asked us to put a cloth and have it wrapped around our waist as a respect to the temple. They won’t allow you to enter if you won’t comply. Had to walk a few steps to see this beautiful view.

Oh by the way, I have been wearing my bangs for 15 years already. But my hairstylist won’t cut it and told me I look good without it. Can’t convince her anyway so yeah, I might go with it for the rest of my life. Hahaha!

The kids enjoyed at the same time got scared of the walking monkeys anywhere. See how they laughed at it when they saw the monkey passed in front of them while we’re taking a photo.

Jaden even cried when he didn’t saw the monkeys anymore. He wanted to feed them but the tour guide instructed us not to because they tend to become violent.

We went to Nusa Dua after having our lunch. The sun was strikingly hot when we visited the beach. We only spent a few minutes taking a photo. I really appreciate my husband how he managed to endure the heat while taking my photos. All photos looked so good and candid.

Our last day was intended to enjoy the resort. Planned to swim outside but the weather won’t allow us. It was so breezy! We just stayed outside and took photos.

We had our last dinner at the Cliff. Had unlimited seafoods barbecue while enjoying the view and ambiance of the ocean. Would have said yes if Pau said proposed but we’re already married. Haha! Kidding! There were couples dining near us as well that it felt like one of them will propose to their partner. It would have been so romantic to experience the place quietly with just the two of us but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Being here with family and friends made it perfect even more. For me, the dinner at the cliff was the highlight of our stay. All together, the view, food, company, everything was amazing.

And you know what? We would definitely be back exactly to this hotel again. It was really a memorable time for us even though we spent majority of our time in the resort.

When in Bali 2019 Time to tick off my 21st country for me, 22nd country for Pau and 7th country for Jaden.

Sometimes It Hurts Being a Mom

Today I brought Jaden to school for try out at Ready Stead Go Kids. I knew from the start that the outcome would turn worst if he’s not one on one with the coach. So when I found out that there’s almost 20 kids who will join the try out with Jaden as the youngest and one coach for the big group, I had prepared my heart.

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Come to think of it, we never really go out to celebrate Father’s Day. We just go out to have lunch or dinner somewhere. But it’s always extra when it’s Mother’s Day. I guess really have to make an effort next time. This year’s Mother’s Day, Pau booked us to Acuatico Beach Resort to enjoy their newly opened wing, La Prima. What’s good about La Prima is you get to experience their big villa and their pool exclusive for La Prima guests only. There were only few guests on the new wing but it’s always fully booked on the old wing.

When we were starting dating, we planned to go here but we never had the chance because it was always fully booked. It was also pricey and we had no money to pay for our stay during that time.

Now that we have a kid, we realized the reason why it took us so long to experience it since we never really travel alone when we’re still single. We only started travelling when we got married.

Now that we have a kid, we got to enjoy pool and beach more because we love going to different resorts but don’t like salt water. You wouldn’t find me staying on it for more than 30 minutes. I just enjoyed the stillness of the water while sitting on the sand.

Now that I am a mother, going to places have more meaning. You won’t go out just for the sake of getting to new places but creating more memories to places that are new to you and your loved ones. I would probably enjoyed it by myself but exploring it together made it more meaningful and memorable.

Now that I am a mother, there’s more meaning in my existence. I have found my purpose and the true meaning of love and what it feels like to be really happy and contented. Being a mom completely change my world. It changed the way I see life. I wouldn’t trade the opportunity to be a mother to anything else.

Mother’s Day in Acuatico 2019 Come to think of it, we never really go out to celebrate Father's Day. We just go out to have lunch or dinner somewhere.

Oh the perks of swiping your card, you’ll get free room of your own choice anytime anywhere. This time, we decided to book Conrad Hotel since it’s one of my favorite.

There was no occasion but the goal of this weekend was to visit the Dessert Museum that we failed to do on our first stay at Conrad. We didn’t know there was a specific time you can enter.

Well, to be honest, this trip was more on me. While I got the chance to enjoy taking photos from all corners, Jaden enjoyed eating all desserts from all stations. Here’s my favorite photos:

Weekend at Dessert Museum Oh the perks of swiping your card, you'll get free room of your own choice anytime anywhere.

I have experienced four season except Spring and I asked my husband to take me to Tokyo to witness the Cherry Blossom on my 31st birthday, you know, before we get to deliver our second baby and before everything gets busy. This was supposedly our last out of the country since we were expecting our baby girl on November. We were praying for a baby girl because we only want two kids and because I’m cesarean.

This trip happened before we lost our baby. We actually thought that because of this trip that baby didn’t made it but it’s not. It’s not just the right time. But so much of that, I have move on and positive we’ll get there when we get there and when God says so.

So much happened before this trip. We didn’t know if we’re going to pack our clothes or not since our visa requirements were returned by the embassy. We processed a renewal of our Japanese Visa but didn’t attached Jaden’s birth certificate because it was not required when we passed it. I was shocked when the agency informed us that it was returned and we had to reprocess it. And we had to leave in 3 days. Good thing, I have copy of Jaden’s birthday certificate and submitted it right away. We just have faith that our visa will be granted since it’s renewal already.

The day before we leave, we got our visa and surprised to found out we were granted a multiple entry for 5 yrs. So happy because we can always go back whenever we want to. We packed the clothes the night before we leave. Talked about blessings after denial.

We hired SweetEscape so we can go back to this moments with so many beautiful photos with the Cherry Blossom at Ueno Park. There was a festival in the park and I’ve felt so ecstatic living the life just like what I’ve read in a manga. I’m a manga lover actually. Probably one of the reason why I’m into Japan aside from food.

SweetEscape was able to take so many photos and candid shots were my all time favorite. It was a dream come true to see cherry blossom in real life and I say, “nakakaiyak sa ganda!” What more if we see it in full bloom. Because when we arrived in Tokyo, the cherry blossoms just starterd to bloom and we arrived a week early. I’ve always dreamed of walking in park full of full bloomed cherry blossoms just like how I read it in shojo manga. But seeing it in flesh was an answered prayer already 💕

We have been to Ueno on my first but the other side of it. We really didn’t know there was a beautiful park there. After the 2hrs shoot, we had ramen at the famous Ichiran. I’ve felt Jaden grew more bigger when he was sitting and eating his ramen on his own. He actually love it since our family love ramen and anything Japanese.

I always dreamed of having this kind of photo shoot.

We actually prepared a light clothes because it’s spring already. But it was less than 10 degrees when we arrived to Tokyo and Jaden kept on asking for gloves because his hands were so numb from the cold. We had to shop for clothes to survive our whole stay.

We were so chilly walking in the night at Odaiba to see the Gundam. Jaden didn’t know it yet but it was famous when we’re still a kid. Haha! And so, he was so persistent on asking us to get a Narwhal because he couldn’t relate to it. We tried our best to take on our RNG to get the Narwhal from the vendo full of arctic animals. He got cranky everytime he opened it and it’s a polar bear. With our last coins on hand and the mall is closing, we were hoping we’ll finally get the narwhal, and yes we did it! We almost jumped from joy as if we won a big prizes. Haha.

We originally planned to go to Kamogawa Aquarium which will take us 4-5hrs to travel back in forth from the hotel where we are staying. Why Kamogawa? Because there’s Killer Whale and Beluga Whale there. But since I was pregnant at that time and considering the amount of time to get through there would be impractical, we decided to go to Sky Tree and Sumida Aquarium.

I was not expecting Sumida Aquarium to be that beautiful. It was really modern. It was one of the best decision that we’ve made on this trip. No Killer Whale and Beluga Whale but Jaden enjoyed it alot.

Jaden got “bitin” from the vendo from Odaiba. To visit the four storey toy store at Ginza was probably Jaden’s ulimate goal for this trip. Here, he was able to find all the sea animals and dinosaurs that are hard to find in Manila. While it is the highlight for him, all the restaurants that we tried was a highlight for me. And the restaurant that we tried at Ginza was one of the best steak we had.

There were so many unplanned visit during this trip and one of those is Tokyo Sky Tree. We also went to Shibuya to catch up with Pau’s highschool friend.

Tokyo is soo big that a week is not enough to explore everything. Good thing, we can always go back anytime.

My Sakura birthday at Tokyo I have experienced four season except Spring and I asked my husband to take me to Tokyo to witness the Cherry Blossom on my 31st birthday, you know, before we get to deliver our second baby and before everything gets busy.

My little Jaden turned 3! We decided to take him to Disneyland and Ocean Park since he wanted to visited to go to Antarctica. Yup, you read it right. He’s currently on stage where he wants to request something that he saw in TV. He wanted to see Bowhead whale, Narwhal and Sea Lions. Since I don’t want to set up a party, we flew to Hong Kong.

We took him to Ocean Park Hong Kong on our second day. You could see his excitement because he couldn’t contain it when he rode the “humpback whale” at the carousel. He actually believed he rode a real humpback whale.

When we go up via cable car, he was too brave not bothered by the height but just enjoying the view of the South China Sea believing a whale will come out anytime. Cable ride was finished without him noticing. I was the only one who got scared.

He was jumping out of joy when he saw the Ocean Park Polar Adventure and he really believed we were in Arctic. He didn’t know where to go first since there is so many animals to see. He saw the spotted seals, walrus and most arctic animals. He was even disappointed that we didn’t see the Bow-head. Oh my god, I wonder how big would the ocean park would be if there’s an actual bow-head whale inside it. Haha!

You can see his happiness and how excited he was admiring all the sea animals. My pictures are not enough to give justice to cover one of his happiest day in his life.

The highlight of our trip was our stay in Explorer’s Lodge Disney Hotel. It was my first time in Disney hotel. I was in awe when we enter the lobby. It was beautiful. You can see in our themed room that everything has Mickey mouse on it.

We went to Hong Kong with some of Pau’s family. They went to Macau when we’re in Ocean Park.

They say a kid and kid at heart will enjoy Disney and we did. Just like the kids, the adults enjoyed as well. I personally like the Lion King show since I was a fan since I was a kid and we even watched it in Solaire Theatre. We were hoping that Jaden will like it too and he did!

Of course, we wouldn’t miss the Toy Story Land since it’s Jaden’s favorite. His lola even gifted him Buzz and I gave him Woody. He was so happy when he saw Rex and thought that they are real.

Well, a photo with Jessie was fun though. He’s looking at her so closely wondering why she’s moving.

Before returning to our hotel to nap so the kids will have more energy for the parade later in the evening, we tried the Adventure Land where we rode a boat to see some animals. I believe it was Jaden’s favorite because he couldn’t forget it especially when a hippo appeared from the water, when we were stuck and the fired came out. He thought we’ll get burned. And he kept on repeating the stories again and again and again.

On our way back, we saw a lot of kids wearing their Disney princess outfit and I thought to myself that if I have a girl, I would dress my daughter in her favorite Disney princess.

But when we came back in the afternoon to watch the parade, it started to rain and getting a bit chilly. We stayed somewhere waiting for the rain to stop so we can go back to the hotel. The parade was cancelled and I was sad Jaden didn’t see Lightning McQueen. But he was still okay. He was happy!

Aw, the smile on your child’s face will definitely make your heart melt. And we thought we have given him the best birthday gift ever because we found out I was pregnant the day before Jaden’s birthday. I was on my 8th weeks at that time but we hold off the announcement since there was still no heartbeat. We agreed to have my check up after this trip. That explains the poncho outfit.

So much has happened, I actually didn’t post a lot of photos because we were keeping the good news because the bump is showing already. I was keeping it to everyone because we haven’t confirmed her heartbeat yet. Well, a few members of the family knew.

What we thought to be our greatest gift to Jaden was something we didn’t expected. God said not yet this time. I was honestly heartbroken because Jaden was excited to be “kuya“. I even took a video of him when we’re in the hospital to check how’s the baby and he tapped my tummy and told her, “I’m here.“

It actually took me awhile to post again since it took me awhile to recover from it. I had experienced it worst emotionally and physically. I purposely didn’t post our Hong Kong photos because it reminded me of my missed pregnancy but when I saw my IG stories, Jaden’s happiness was highlighted in it and I figured out it would still be best to post it so we can go back to this day when Jaden was so happy and all over the clouds when we celebrated his 3rd birthday in Disney Land and Ocean Park.

On this photo, I was already at my 8 weeks but still no heartbeat.

I’m still young anyway. After all, we can still try and try. Jaden even told me when he found out that there’s no baby inside, “It’s okay mom. Next time.” I was at that time reaffirmed that everything’s gonna be alright and I should take this time to spend more time with Jaden.

Jaden’s 3rd birthday at Hong Kong My little Jaden turned 3! We decided to take him to Disneyland and Ocean Park since he wanted to visited to go to Antarctica.

Is it just me because I love it when Jaden has event at school. He was cranky during Buwan ng Wika and we were in Europe when they had their United Nations.

Jaden will unusually get sick so he won’t be able to join their practice. But this time, he was able to attend 3 practice so improved a lot based from his 2 events.

It’s soo cute how these kids wore colourful clothes to celebrate the holiday.

We made sure we make bawi this time because we were gone for 2 weeks. He got really clingy and wouldn’t want to be with anybody else but us. I guess there’s no long vacation alone next time. Hehe

There was a video. I posted it on Facebook. You can see Jaden enjoyed it a lot. I don’t know where he got his energy when he’s on stage but it’s definitely not from his parents. A perfect example of me on the stage is probably the girl on the left holding a microphone. Pau would be the kid playing the drums or xylophone. Both glued in the stage. Haha!

Jaden’s Christmas Party 2018 Is it just me because I love it when Jaden has event at school. He was cranky during…

We spent the weekend exploring the Mind Museum despite the weather last September 2018. This was a long overdue post and because we travel a lot last year, Christmas and New Year happened, I waited until this time to write about how Jaden had a wonderful time in Mind Museum.

Mind Museum is Jaden’s happy place in one. Dinosaurs, sea animals and solar system. Could you imagine him getting nervous, excited, happy at the same time? And look how adorable he is exploring the museum wearing his stegosaurus hoodie. He was so proud of it!

See, he can’t help but adore this giant whale shark. He was totally shocked to see it so big. But the first time he saw the whale shark was when we were in Osaka Aquarium. I believe that’s when he started loving all kinds of sea animals specially whales and sharks. He kept on coming back to this area after exploring other parts.

I love it how my Pau took time to spend this time with us despite the bad and bed weather. You know, it’s raining and weekend, we could have spend it at home resting but since he promised this to Jaden, we pushed it.

For now, he can recite and identify the planets in the solar system. He knew that we’re living on Earth. But since it’s dark here, he got scared and go back to the whale shark. haha!

He enjoyed Space Adventure the most. He got to experience how astronauts live in the space. He even dressed up like them. When we told him that we’re going to leave because it’s past his nap time already and we need to check in at the nearby hotel, he cried and shouted repeatedly, “Astronaut Jaden!”

On top of that, we has this special kind of attachment with construction cars. He likes Dinotrux, a dinosaur and truck at the same time. He looked so proud thinking he was manoeuvring the digger on his own.

It was already past his bed time already. He’s enjoying it a lot. But we had to go back so he could rest and told him that we’ll be back next time. We woke up the following day and Jaden told us, “go to dinosaur land!” Guess “next time” is today for him.

Jaden at Mind Museum We spent the weekend exploring the Mind Museum despite the weather last September 2018. This was a long overdue post and because we travel a lot last year, Christmas and New Year happened, I waited until this time to write about how Jaden had a wonderful time in Mind Museum.

When in Rhinefalls, Switzerland 2018

After almost 2hrs of travel, we finally arrived Rhinefalls from Lucerne. We had almost 3hrs to explore the are before we head to Germany. I should say, Switzerland was the coldest and the most beautiful place that we visited. (more…)

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Conquering Mt Titlis? I must be dreaming! I kept on pinching my face if this is real life or just fantasy because I’m really numb from -4 degrees weather. Even though I am missing my son already, I couldn’t help but enjoy our stay in Switzerland.

Missing the Scandinavian tour was not so bad at all when we visit Mt Titlis. When I saw Mt Titlis in the the tour highlights, it instantly convinced me more to join the tour and it actually became the highlight of our 12 days European tour. I still feel sad about not going to Iceland, Norway and Finland though. Probably next year?

From Lucerne, it took us 1 hour to go Engelberg. On our way, we saw the beautiful Switzerland just like how we saw it in the internet. I’m lost for words. My heart started shaking when we reached the station. We can see from the station how high the cable will reach. Could you imagine going up at 3,238 meters (10,623 ft) above sea level via the cable car? It’s not a typical cable car but it is the world’s first rotating car. How awesome! And since it’s the highest summit in Central Switzerland, you can experience winter all throughout the year.

My fear was instantly replaced by excitement and I was totally blown away with the view. It was just amazing! Our cameras are not enough to show you how beautiful it is. Surprisingly, the ride was comfortable. Not to mention that on our 2nd cable ride on our way up, we experienced my first rotating cable car that carries 50 person at the same time. And you’ll keep on saying, “oh my god! so beautiful”, when you get there.

Well, the sad news was the weather was still not on our side. It’s soo windy but sunny that ski and other outdoor activities are not allowed. But in case you’re wondering, here are the things you can do when you’re in Mt Titlis Summit:

1. Enjoy a glacier cave with carved ice structures inside. 2. If you’re brave enough, you can try the Cliff Walk. 3. Make the most of it by riding Ice Flyer Chairlift to Glacier Park where you can tubing or sled or ski 4. If you had enough, you can relax to any restaurants you want above.

You can see the Ice Flyer Chairlift as our backdrop. All we had to do was take a quick photo because it’s cold and windy outside.

Well, after finding out about the sad news and of course, there’s nothing we can do but to go to Glacier Cave and just grab a snack and drink hot chocolate to warm us up at the restaurant. The view in the restaurant is amazing as well.

We had a quick shot at this place before riding the cable car going back because we felt the photos are not enough because some photos we’re against the light.

Overall, Switzerland tour was one of the best thing that happened in this tour. I can actually go home after this but the good of it was, we’re only halfway throughout the tour.

When in Mt Titlis 2018 Conquering Mt Titlis? I must be dreaming! I kept on pinching my face if this is real life or just fantasy because I'm really numb from -4 degrees weather.

The incident that happened at Venice and Austria pushed all our schedule and we all need to adjust to the driver’s schedule. We passed by the Vaduz Castle for 10 minutes but only few went out to see it.

Apparently, bus 1 got lost on the way. We are on bus 2. We arrived at 10pm in Lucerne. And for the first time, we had rice for dinner.

Lucerne is one of the coldest city we visited. Visiting Switzerland was the reason why we chose to join this group tour. Finland is number 1 on my bucket list. Here’s my top 5 country to visit – Finland, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Canada. Do you know what’s common in these country? The Aurora Borealis! We were about to tick off my 1st, 2nd and 4th country but the plan didn’t materialise. The first group tour that we joined includes Finland, Norway and Iceland but they revised it to Iceland only. We planned to hit many countries on our 2 weeks vacation because this will be the last time we’ll go out of the country without Jaden.

Compare to the previous county we visited, Switzerland is more modern, safe and clean. We felt the big difference when we checked in to Radisson Blu Hotel. We stayed at Radisson as well when we visited in Sydney. We also stayed at Radisson when we visited to Amsterdam but here is the cleanest and biggest. The breakfast buffet was scrumptious compare to other hotel we stayed in. Did you know I had to go back at least thrice in their buffet?

To reset the time of the driver, we walked from hotel to the city centre. It’s only 15 minutes walk. From there, they gave us 3hrs free time to shop for watches, Swiss knife and souvenirs. You think the weather was good to us in Lucerne? Well, it rained when we strolled so we just took the chance to grab a delicious lunch hoping the rain will stop. It didn’t after the long wait. So we just let it slip and enjoy our free time on a freezing raining weather. After all, the long free time was all we are all asking for. We had so many time so we walk around the city.

Every corner is so picturesque that I imagine myself living or migrating here. But applying for a citizenship visa is not as easy as you think. You have to stay here for 30yrs. After that, they will evaluate you if you’re qualified or not. You have to repeat you failed. Counting the year, I’m probably 60 years old by that time if I plan to do it next year. But I figured out, I wanted to stay here in the Philippines and just travel if I want to go out of the country.

We passed by this place that looks like we are in a movie. It is so autumn and it’s really beautiful that we had to take a photo together using a tripod. Good thing we’re not in Rome anymore. We can use our timer without worrying if someone will snatch it.

It’s true that I find this place really beautiful but the city tour was not enough to see the real beauty of this place. I wanted to have a stroll in the mountains with Alps in the background.

When in Lucerne 2018 The incident that happened at Venice and Austria pushed all our schedule and we all need to adjust to the driver's schedule.

The flood and marathon that we experienced in Venice is horrible already. Thinking if I could handle another disaster? Well, there’s more! Mother nature is really not on our side. No matter how we all want to enjoy the trip, it’s not happening.

On our way to Austria, there was a huge accident that all roads are not passable. We’ve been waiting for almost 6hrs in the road to realize that there was a landslide and will take them additional 8hrs to clear the road.

Much as we want to push through since hotel in Austria was paid already, we cannot so we had to go back to the nearest city where we could check in the middle of the night.

We checked in at Bolzano, Italy. Everyone is really tired, hungry, sleepy, grumpy you name it. After a flood in Venice, I don’t think anyone can survive another disaster on the way. Luckily, bus 1 was able to avoid the major disaster. They were only 100 meters away from the landslide. In a split of seconds, and if they come a little early, they could have been there but God did not allowed it. No matter how bad it looks, God was still with us.

We had no choice but to adjust to whatever adjustment we need to do even if we have no room for it anymore. Our guide was able to grab us sandwich with prosciuto. You know what, if you’re too hungry any food will taste yummy to you. We had no energy to complain about the situation so we just go with it.

Finally, we have a room. But something is odd here. It felt like we’re checked in to a creepy place. I immediately closed the curtains that looks like we’re in Conjuring the movie. The comfort room is bigger and cleaner compare to what we had at Rome. I had no energy complain and be scared. I’m too sleepy so I slept it all away.

The next day, I had the most scrumptious breakfast ever. There was a Michelin-starred restaurant inside the hotel. And breakfast buffet there was one of the best one we had. After breakfast, we heard ghost story from the other guests. Some were complaining that no matter how tired and sleepy they are they couldn’t sleep because someone is inside their room that can’t see but they can feel it. The hallway was creepy, I agreed to that. It’s creepy that I can’t even take a look of it whenever we’re walking so I always have my phone with me pretending to look at Instagram to keep me distracted.

But you know, I guess God allowed it. I mean not the eerie hotel but the delay. I still believed that God was able to provide us hotel so we could sleep comfortably because when we passed by it last night, we saw lots of cars stuck in the middle of street because there’s no way for them to go back so they had to spend the whole night in the car.

The delay made us saw one of the beautiful part of Italy. Bolzano is really beautiful. We saw Austria and I couldn’t believe how beautiful it is. I just kept on taking photos and videos from the bus. Here’s some of the photos we took using our phone when we’re on the bus. It’s breathtaking.

We arrived at Innsbruck with only 1 and half to explore. We visited the Swarovski Crystal Shop. But still opted to go to Pandora because I’m collecting charms around the world. We took a few photos before buying souvenir at Pandora. When we go out, it was dark already. I was shocked because it’s only 4 in the afternoon.

What I love about Austria is the mountains. It’s so beautiful. Spending Christmas with that view could be really really awesome. I look forward to spending and exploring it more with Jaden in the future specially at Hallstat.

We still have 30 minutes left but can’t do anything anymore aside from window shopping. It’s dark and foggy outside and we were scheduled to visit Vaduz Castle before we head to Switzerland. It’s raining hard, too dark and too cold to see the castle from afar so we opted to stay in the bus to keep us warm while the others insisted to go.

So far, Austria was one of my favourite country that we visited. Looking forward to explore more of it in the future.

When in Austria 2018 The flood and marathon that we experienced in Venice is horrible already. Thinking if I could handle another disaster?

Half of our first day of tour was to visit Vatican. Despite being the smallest country in the world, Vatican attracts thousand of millions of tourist every day. I was shocked to learn about it. But it was proven the moment we visited the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. You almost cannot walk properly inside the museum because it’s really crowded.

The Vatican Museums exhibit renowned classical artworks and masterpieces of Renaissance art accumulated by Popes through the centuries. The collections you’ll find inside are unmatched anywhere in the world. I had goosebumps everywhere.

“There are two levels below St Peter’s Basilica; the first level is known as the Vatican Grottoes, and is a large underground graveyard where the tombs of 91 Popes are buried. The level below this is the Vatican Necropolis and houses St Peter’s Tomb.”

I read this article online. This probably explains why I speechless, amazed and scared at the same time inside the basilica.

A stranger took this photo of us inside the St. Peter’s Basilica.

Honestly, I’m not a fan of churches. But Sistine Chapel gave me even more goosebumps that I can’t explain. It is prohibited to take a photo. Seeing The Last Judgement by Michelangelo in flesh was totally worth the walk and time. It’s interior is so good that you can’t help but ask yourself, “how did he do all this?” and I found myself staring at the ceiling until my neck hurt. You have to see it in person because pictures won’t give justice to this church.

After a tiring walk, one of the girl in our group got lost so we had to wait for her for for almost two hours. No connection and internet made it harder to look for her. Our tour were put on hold and we were all very hungry because it’s 3pm. We were supposed to have our lunch at 1pm. For Filipinos who eat rice a day like me cannot survive a day just eating bread for breakfast. It was the first time we got very hungry in a tour.

So after putting everyone on hold, they told us they will give us 30 minutes to have a quick lunch at St Peter’s square. We had lunch with this view. See, I managed to look so touristy even though I’m very hungry.

We sat on the street because there’s no table where we grabbed our sandwiches. A beggar was begging us some money and who told her so she point at our food but we barely touches it so we said no. She’s so persistent that we got scared. She cursed at to her language because we didn’t help her.

Surprisingly, even though Vatican is a religious country, one of the tourist from our group got harassed by three locals trying to get his bag. We were inside the tunnel on our way to the bus. Good thing our tour guide was at the back so he escaped it. I really appreciate it how the agency separate into three. The tour guide in front, a Filipino guide in the middle and another guide at the back. He was so alert and made sure we’re safe.

This guy just like taking photo but don’t like taking photo of himself.

My mom would definitely enjoy this tour. She will probably cry if she saw the Pope. In our case, we didn’t”t see him that day. I could not imagine the crowd is the pope was there.

When in Vatican 2018 Half of our first day of tour was to visit Vatican. Despite being the smallest country in the world, Vatican attracts thousand of millions of tourist every day.

When in Pisa 2018

We travel from different city to another via bus. Some people were asking me how we bought our plane tickets and how we manage to visit 8 countries in 12 days. Well, the answer is we book the package Priceless Europe at Rakso Travel. (more…)

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If there’s one city that I look forward to visit in Italy, that’s Venice! We’ll it’s every woman’s dream to visit such dreamy place.

Our tour in Venice includes a visit to Murano. It is famous for its glass making hence the name “Murano glass”. Tourists usually come here to shop for murano glass and see how it’s made. They say there’s a lot of factories holding free demos and it’s easy to arrange tour when you’re in the city already. We saw more than three glass blowing. It’s definitely magical and everyone go ooohhh and aaahhh every time we see a glasswork come to life.

Off to St Mark’s Square! True to its name, Venice is literally the city on the water. The weather and timing was not on our side. There’s a marathon and a rain. Suddenly, there’s flood and we all found ourselves looking for rainbows so we could walk. It’s covered in water and we can’t do anything about it but to adjust and just enjoy the once in a lifetime experience in Venice.

It’s freezing cold. It’s colder when you’re in water. We wanted to grab some decent meal to compensate the bad weather but there’s no restaurant who could do that since it’s closed. But there’s a cafe where we stayed, grabbed a cup of a coffee which is really really good. Pau is not a coffee drinker but he managed to finish his cup.

Somehow, you need to look at the brighter side instead of complaining. You just have to go with the flow sometimes.

Here’s Pau enjoying ice-cream on a rainy and cold day. We bought it at the cafe where we had our coffee.

But you know what, even if we experienced a disaster in Venice, I found it really beautiful! Because of that, we’ll visit it again next time with Jaden.

Good thing Pau was able to take beautiful photos even though it’s a disaster. Here’s some of the photos we got from Venice.

When in Venice 2018 If there's one city that I look forward to visit in Italy, that's Venice! We'll it's every woman's dream to visit such dreamy place.

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