Surfing Capital of the North, Philippines

It was a long weekend last November 1-4, 2012. I and the kids were torn between joining a dayhike and going surfing in La Union. Well, we did the latter and we were glad we went surfing! Since it was the Surf and Music Festival, hords of surfers flocked to Urbiztondo, La Union to surf and at the same time enjoy music provided by at least 20 bands over a three-night period.

My two boys David and Diego, took their very first surfing lessons with an intructor for a fee of Php 400.00 per hour each. After that, they were already guided through the waves to let them experience the thrill of surfing at the beginner level. I learned that surfing requires muscle strength because you need to push yourself up onto the surfboard in order to balance and ride the waves.

Family Trip to Hong Kong

It was almost 10 degrees C cold in Hong Kong when we went there on January 18-21, 2011. It was the first time for the family to travel together abroad. I congratulated myself for doing research and gathering data on what clothes to bring, otherwise it would have turned out to be mostly indoor pics. Thumbs up for me!

We were not able to see all the sights in Hong Kong because of time constraints. With teenage boys around, four of us sharing a room and T&B, we were slow. On our first day, we went to Ngong Ping 360 where my kids enjoyed the breath taking cable car ride. At Ngong Ping, you can find a giant Buddha. Our second day in Hong Kong was spent at Disneyland. We had so much fun there because Disneyland is not only for kids but for the young at heart as well. Third day, we were at Ocean Park, where the dolphin show drew a huge crowd. On the evenings, we visited The Peak and we watched the symphony of lights at Victoria Harbour.

All in all, it was great bonding moments with our children. It was their first time to travel abroad and I'm sure they will not be able to forget the wonderful memories there



By the way, the Octopus Card was very convenient to use. You won't have to carry around coins and cash and to need to line up for the ticketing machine. It helps if you are going to stay in Hong Kong for at least four days. You can use it on the MTR, most buses, and even at conveninece stores. It's easy to reload. You can just go to any Customer Service counters at any MTR station to load value. 7-11 also can load value.

Boracay Awaits You!

I'd love to go to Boracay every summer. For a lot of reasons, this is not really possible. But whenever I go there, I really, really savor the moments with the crystal clear water and white fine sands. Comes February 28, 2011, the family is going again to this wonderful beach.

It's very convenient to go to Boracay. It takes an hour by air from Manila. Two domestic carriers, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific Air have regular daily routes to Caticlan, from where you take a 10-minute banca going to this heavenly spot.

There's a wide array of activities to choose from. There's island hopping, banana boat ride, snorkelling, and a lot more. Boracay is even more fun at night.