Boracay, Philippines

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.

After a night on the plane

First view of the Philippines



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.

We found this Filipino warrior that looked a lot like Mason

and Brady

We stopped for a cold drink

Lots to see

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.



Mama's

Mama's

The next day was more BEACH!



The boys loved to paddle board

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.

 

 

Mason was jamming to some Eagles tunes and playing the air guitar

Tom and Sara

The crew

Brady and Sara enjoying the ride

Ahoy, Captain!

 

Brady took a turn at the wheel



A day at sea - definitely a highlight of the trip

Back into town for dinner

We dined at a quiet Tapas restuarant

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.

  

Ube ice cream - yum!



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!

Off the Eaten Track - Chinatown Tour

I've been to Chinatown at least 10 times, but I took a gastronomical tour yesterday. I've never felt more like a "tourist". We were complete with a guide and a dozen other white women. It was good fun though and my first time to eat from hawker stall since we've been here. At least now I can say that I've done it, even so I don't think I'll be a repeat customer. The curry puffs were my favorite and about as far as my adventurous palate will take me.

We visited 2 different restaurants, about 6 food stalls, a Chinese pharmacy, a wet market and a Chinese grocer.

We all played a "guess what this is?" game

Tasted a few unknowns

This lady was making a fish paste.

Fish Market - complete with shirtless and talkative Chinese man

 Now we're trying the fish paste. Gulp!

 

We had fun and enjoyed the tour. I would definitely recommend it! It's (hopefully) a safe way to take you out of your comfort zone and experience a bit of KL.



Koh Samui, Thailand

 

 

We recently enjoyed a 4 day stay on the beautiful island of Koh Samui. The view is breath-taking and the weather was wonderful while we were there. Nice ocean breezes and lots of sunshine - it is the end of the rainy season in Thailand so we were thankful for beautiful skies! Koh Samui definitely has the island-vibe, easy-going, laid back, not overly crowded.

 



The view upon arrival

The Air Bar

Air Bar

We had a 2-story, 2-bedroom, hill-side villa that felt way too big for us. But, we loved it! A huge balcony, tons of seating and lovely décor. We were ready to move in.

 the laid-back island lifestyle

Mason and I having a chat

Brady - right where he wants to be

Brady dug the biggest hole on the beach. It kept him busy all day and he attracted a lot of attention.

He was so excited when he discovered water at the bottom of the hole.

Dinner on the beach

We ventured into town, bought a few things and experienced a Thai foot massage. For 1 hour it was $5. How could we pass that up? Little did we know what was in store. It was the most aggressive, un-relaxing massage ever. A small wooden stick was the weapon of choice that made its way over the tops of our feet, ankles and shins, between our toes and poked into our soles. It was a bone-scraping, tendon-scouring, foot-torturing hour! I don't think we'll be doing that again.

How would you like to be a lineman here?

We told the boys this was lunch - dried, smelly fish

This was the view from our room. It was about 220 steps down to the beach. We did a lot of walking, up and down.

Thanks for visiting!

New Shoes!

Mason had a blow-out in both tennis shoes this past weekend. I'm sure this should be a lesson to me that I shouldn't buy cheap shoes.....Anyway, he got a new pair and was over the moon. I've never heard a child be more appreciative and excited about shoes. "Thank you, Momma! I just love my new shoes. I can run faster than everyone now. I just love them. Thank you so much for buying me new shoes." What a sweetheart! He's still talking about them today and how much he loves them. I think it's a pair he can finally put on by himself! Yeah! Happy Mom! Here's the cutie with his new shoes.