We have continued our tour of SE Asia one beach and one long weekend at a time. This past weekend we were in Boracay for 4 wonderful days with our friends, Tom and Sara. After a busy Halloween day at school and an evening party for the kids, we set out for our overnight flight to the Philippines. After 2 flights (Manila and Caticlan) and a boat transfer, we were in paradise. There is no time difference between KL and Philippines, but we were still jet-lagged when we arrived.
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| After a night on the plane |
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| First view of the Philippines |
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| our hotel |
We spent the first day relaxing (and sleeping) by the pool and the beach.
The second day, we took the shuttle into town and walked along the more touristy areas. Lots of beach, shops, restaurants and hotels. We refused to eat at the Obama grill.
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| We found this Filipino warrior that looked a lot like Mason |
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| and Brady |
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| We stopped for a cold drink |
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| Lots to see |
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| Good thing Tom brought his "sunbrella." It became a walking stick for Mason and Brady |
We really enjoyed some delicious food during our trip. We ate at an Austrian/German/European food restaurant called Mama's. At the hotel, we were told that we couldn't make a reservation for Mama's because they didn't have a phone. We arrived and found a table - no problem. It was a huge meal and relatively inexpensive. We had a lively time and started talking with the owner, who then started joking with the boys about how his phone could fly. The battery could fly, too. He proved it to us by throwing his phone across the restaurant. It was good for a laugh, but explains why we couldn't make a reservation.
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| Mama's |
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| Mama's |
The next day was more BEACH!
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| The boys loved to paddle board |
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| Spectacular Sunsets |
The fourth day, we went on a catamaran sailboat ride. It was a bit cloudy, but we enjoyed a break from the heat and dreamt of staying in Boracay forever.
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| Mason was jamming to some Eagles tunes and playing the air guitar |
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| Tom and Sara |
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| The crew |
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| Brady and Sara enjoying the ride |
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| Ahoy, Captain! |
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| Brady took a turn at the wheel |
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| A day at sea - definitely a highlight of the trip |
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| Back into town for dinner |
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| We dined at a quiet Tapas restuarant |
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| our hotel |
In addition to our excellent food, the hotel had ice cream at the breakfast buffet every morning. The kids loved this! I tried a flavor called Ube. It's a beautiful dark purple color. I had never heard of it and I was intrigued. It is the most delicious, nutty flavored ice cream I have ever tasted. It's made from a sweet yam and is very popular in the Philippines in ice cream and desserts. I only had it on the last day (which was probably a good thing!), but now I wish for more. Needless to say, I'm on a hunt for ube.
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| Ube ice cream - yum! |
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| So sad to leave |
A special thanks to Tom and Sara for traveling with us and hanging out with the boys. We all had a great time!
This concludes the SE Asia beach tour for a while. No more trips planned, apart from TX at Christmas. Only 6 weeks to go!
