I will always look back to the last quarter of last year as especially noteworthy for my little family, specifically, for our travels far and wide that were a little more frequent than usual. We traveled to run a couple of marathons and a half marathon both in Asia and North America. We traveled as a couple. We traveled as a trio. We traveled with my in-laws. We traveled for Christmas and New Year, and oh, during Thanksgiving and Black Friday as well.



We embarked on little adventures and made a lot of memories. Lots and lots of good and vivid memories, so much so that my son tells us everyday (often just from out of the blue) that he wants to go back to the US. And mind you, he does ask for specifics such as, "What time and when are we going back to Chicago?" Well, son, not until I've written about it yet! (Ha-ha, I kid you yes!)

So let me share about our little travels in the next series of posts. Let's start with the Chicago leg of our US trip.

Fall in the Windy City

We were in Chicago primarily for THE 40th Chicago Marathon, which I'm so proud to say my husband, my brother-in-law and my sister-in-law all ran. Yup, running runs in the family! The marathon surely deserves a post of it's own, but it is not my story to tell, so let me share about the "sidelines" instead.

Cheering for the runners at the 40th Chicago Marathon <3

Chicago took me by surprise, and it was a pleasant one. I did not expect The Windy City to be so picturesque, charming, and vibrant, all without being overwhelming. It is not as fast-paced as New York, and yet, not as laidback as I found Washington, DC to be. It has its own charms, and I reveled in the familiarity of its Chinatown, the beautiful architecture in its downtown, and the stark contrast of nature against the concrete backdrop.



I will always fondly remember the day my little toddler and I wandered off by ourselves (a first! I always get lost LOL) while my husband and my in-laws ran the marathon. We walked and talked a lot and followed the fire trucks's sirens (he's mightily fascinated with them).

Spot the Chicago fire truck! :)

We paused standing over the Chicago River, glistening in the midday sun and teeming with boats that we surmised were tourists paddling around downtown. We crossed main highways and footbridges, just "following the ferris wheel from afar" as our compass. And when we got tired and worried that we were getting lost it's turning out to be a bit too far, we hailed an Uber ride.





We walked around shops and parks, taking in all the sights and sounds and wondering how our runners were doing. My little toddler frolicked in the fountains of one of the parks we went to. He hopped on from one fountain to another, not minding the wind chill, drenched from head to toe. He had a blast doing that for a whole hour while I nervously momster-ed on the sides, a bit afraid he might catch a cold. We definitely had a grand time, though, and he fondly recalls our little Chicago adventure to these days.




I still get amused whenever our little guy asks us when we are returning to Chicago. Could it have been the firetrucks? The day we bravely wandered around downtown? The day we we wondered by the river and played by the fountains?The novelty of the US experience, as it was our first stop? The food trips and carboloading with our marathoner? Or all these little things put together?

One thing is for sure -- his joy could not be contained that he had Dad and Mommy to himself and we were all in a new territory, exploring it together.

With our marathoner just past the Finish Line <3 :)

My husband has long been building up Taiwan's reputation to me. It is an understated state, the food is great, the weather is generally good, public transportation is commendable, it's easy to move around, and travels to Taiwan are considerably less expensive compared to our favorite Asian destination (aka Japan and oh, Korea also takes a special spot in our hearts), said the husband.

Now, I am not sure if these are ALL the things my husband did say; maybe he said 90% of those, maybe it's 80% or (gasp!) just 70%, who knows. You see, my impressions of Taiwan has taken after my husband's summation of his travels there (aka good!). Taiwan indeed turned out to be a very pleasant surprise, all things that my husband told me it would be, plus more.


Our recent trip to Taiwan was primarily for business (at least for the husband LOL), but our hosts made sure we had more time enjoying and exploring Taipei and its nearby towns. Here are the top highlights of our four-day trip:

1. Road trip to the outskirts

I'm definitely a countryside girl so this is naturally on top of my list. I love the idyllic outskirts which are not too far away from Taipei. Taiwan has an impressive train system but we took a comfy bus exclusive to our entourage the whole time. Scores of miles outside Taipei, we ate, enjoyed drinks and coffee, ate, visited and shopped in quaint souvenir shops, and ate some more. I highly recommend getting out of Taipei if your itinerary allows.


2. Kavalan Whisky Distillery

Ahh, here comes my husband's favorite part of the trip, perhaps. Located in one of the towns we visited, Kavalan boasts as being one of the biggest distilleries in the world. Their single malt whisky is globally recognized and has been awarded as being the best in its category. A walking tour at the distillery -- with a free sampling of their more popular drinks -- is a must for whisky enthusiasts. Happy to report that this Moscato-loving, not-sophisticated-enough-for-whisky Momma greatly enjoyed the afternoon at the Distillery. Once done with the whisky sampling, do try a cup of whisky-infused latte in their in-house coffee shop for an added kick. ;)



3. Taipei 101

What Taiwan visit is complete without seeing the Taipei 101 up close? Too bad it was too cloudy when we visited. We sent our little one a postcard from the skyscraper's Observatory (might be customary now every time we go on an overseas trip without the little one) and looked forward to coming back, little boy in tow, soon.


4. Shilin Night Market

Shilin Night Market reminded me of Seoul's Myeongdong and Osaka's Dotonbori, albeit being a smaller version. At night it is colorful and bustling with life, teeming with tourists, rife with all kinds of good eats, from the more traditional Taiwanese dishes to more funky cuisines and adventurous street food. Come with an empty belly and leave with a satiated stomach and a full heart.


5. Gastronomic delights in Taiwan

It takes one to only eat in Din Tai Fung to believe that Taiwan offers a delightful gastronomic adventure. But even better, Taiwan is more than a huge DTF tour. For the entire duration of our trip, we were fed (beyond our stomach's capacity! haha!) and indulged with the best dim sum, noodles, soup, roasted chicken, dessert, and they were all very impressive! One can come to Taiwan with food as the focal point without being disappointed.

6. Milk tea aka bubble tea!

A self-confessed milk tea addict at some point in my life and a great Chatime (a beloved Taiwanese brand) lover, I naturally searched for the best milk tea places in Taiwan. I even walked hundreds of meters on a late cold rainy night, all for the love of milk tea. I'll make sure to sample more when I return to Taiwan.


Our stay was short and sweet, and we'll definitely come back for more! How about you, have you been to Taiwan? What were the highlights of your trip? :)

Here's a snapshot of our awesome resort, from their website over here

Hello there! Let's take a quick break from makeup and skincare posts and talk about something just as delightful - travels, beaches, and vacations!

My little family and I recently came from a long-ish vacation in a quaint little island down south called Panglao in Bohol. That island boasts of sunny white-sand beaches and other wonderful creations of Mother Nature; plus of course, the usual warm Filipino hospitality that's especially warmer in the countryside.

It was actually a sporty event for the husband, who's birthday was in the middle of our holiday, so you can say it's also a birthday getaway. (I love birthday getaways!) The husband's main affair in the island was Giro d' Luca, a cycling event now on its third year, where participants bike a total of 500 kilometers across different towns in Bohol for three days. I would have thought that sounded crazy, but as I once was (and still am, albeit being dormant) a part of the triathlon community, I'd say it sounds like an attractive painfest. :)

Meanwhile, my and my little guy as well as my sister's main agendum was, of course, the beach, beach, beach! My little guy is turning out to be such a water and beach baby and we thoroughly enjoyed the island! If he could have his way and stay out playing in the sun and the sand all day, he probably would.

We stayed at the Bellevue Resort and it was a pleasant and relaxing home away from home. It is quiet, away from the more lively and touristy part of Panglao which is Alona Beach, and for all our intents and purposes for the trip, that was just perfect.

Do take note that there are A LOT of activities to do and touristy spots to visit in Bohol, but we stayed most of the time in our hotel and just lounged, swam, and ate to our heart's content. Eat, swim, sleep, eat, swim, repeat! Sounds like a perfect R&R, right? :)

It is not my first time in Bohol, and probably won't be the last. Let me share some of my snapshots from our marvelous beachy holiday. Have a great weekend ahead, dearies! :)

That little guy in his jammies was negotiating to swim first instead of having breakfast. So hilarious!

Picturesque!

Some serious beach-loving going on here.

Reflections on a low tide.

And another

Til the next marvelous sunset, Bohol! :)

Almost noon and it looks COLD, riiiiight? We're all bundled up, and he's only wearing one layer of top and botton!

It’s starting to get warm, although admittedly it’s still quite cold and breezy here, on summer-in-March-in-the-Philippines standards.

I used to believe I am not quite a winter person (as if I’ve seen more than enough winters to come to that conclusion, har har), primarily because I am, or used to be, a beach person. My ‘regular programming’ mode just seems to get impaired whenever the temps drop. I almost literally cannot move and think rationally when it’s too cold and all I can think of is sleep, sleep, sleep, and hibernate wrapped in fluffy white duvets!

I have to admit though that coming to Tokyo just as the winter was ending (still too cold, I tell you) was quite a treat. For one, I thoroughly enjoyed layering and parading about in my coats and boots and winter garb, oh lovely stuff that don’t stand a chance of seeing the day here in my tropical home. My oily skin too was at its finest, dewy and glowing, thanks to the arctic coldness that seemed to freeze my oil glands, too. No sweat, no oil momma! Very conducive for running and working out -- and for walking around with a heavy toddler in tow. I literally didn't break a sweat, considering I walked kilometers upon kilometers while carrying my heavy little guy.

If you ask my husband and my little guy though, they’d probably tell you their different stances on the cold. They’d probably tell you they love the freezing temps, with no abandon, to the hilt. My husband is a cold junkie. He embraces the cold and refuses to wear thick, weighty coats even if it’s freezing. My little guy, we realized was just like that too. I meant other than the tell-tale sign of profusely sweating in our cold airconditioned room and peeling himself off the blanket while I'm all cuddly cold and wrapped up.

The only time I remember he happily wore his gloves (because it was really, really freezing then). Not for too long, though. LOL.

Imagine running around in 6 degrees temp with just one layer of clothes? My mind just can’t wrap around the thought! Granted, it was a pair of thermal top and pants he was wearing, but my golly, I had to wear three layers that time! And so did most of the Japanese folks we saw outside that time.

My little guy just flat out refused to wear gloves even though his hands were freezing. He never got to use his bonnet -- to think I bought us identical Zara kids bonnet so he’d be more inclined to match Momma’s “hat.” Hah! He evaded wearing his coat. The struggle (on our side, the parents) to wrap him back in his winter outer wear whenever we were coming out of an establishment was oh so real. I feared his hands would turn blue, or his ears would fall off from frost bite. But the little guy was a happy trooper, sans Momma’s coats regalia, and freezing temps be damned. Whew.

I guess we have to take him to more winter trips then. :) I myself am starting to get charmed with the chilly (chilly enough to don two layers plus a chic coat, and maybe knee-high boots) but not-too-glacial weather and fancy travelling to the ‘colder hemispheres’ some more soon. :)

To more travels with you, my loves. :)

Konnichiwa! Ohayo!

I am still fatigued on a high from our trip to Tokyo. We packed our coats and gloves and scarves, temporarily bid sunny Manila and our home and work and our yaya goodbye. For six days, we waded our toes in still-winter-but-almost-spring heart of Japan and thoroughly enjoyed it.

We made new memories, bonded day in and out, explored parts of ourselves and of our dynamics in a way that we don't get to when in the comforts of our home. It was a milestone moment for our little family and for me. As a mom, as a wife.

Truth be told, the trip was pretty exhausting for me. We had no yaya, my baby (err, toddler now) did not want to have anything to do with the stroller most of the time (and I had to walk kilometers upon kilometers carrying him), I ran around a lot with him, not to mention that the little guy is now at that stage wherein he is pretty assertive with his likes and dislikes, which are often in conflict with our itinerary. :) A day was devoted for the hsuband running the Tokyo Marathon too, so I didn't think it was wise to tire him much.

But my golly, I was truly beaten tired by the end of the trip! Don't get me wrong, this was what I wanted; I could not even begin to imagine going away for a night and leaving my baby alone. And, all exhaustion aside, I really did enjoy the whole trip. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. But only after I take a week of rest, please. Ha ha!

I will share more intimate stories of our wonderful Japan adventure in my upcoming post/s. We are currently on staycation in (where else!) Solaire for the weekend, the perfect segue (or bridge-gap?) from our lovely vacation to reality. Yep, we haven't even unpacked our luggages yet and we had to start packing again yesterday. I don't mind though. Consider myself charging up for my upcoming posts. ;)

Happy new year! Happy Valentine's day! Gong Xi Fa Cai! Kung Hei Fat Choi! :)

I know. It's been THAT long already. I am going to fill you in -- and make up for that lost time, but some other time, pretty please. And this, this procrastination, is why I make for a terrible blogger wannabe Suffice to say all is great, and has always been, over here. :)

My little family is embarking on our first overseas adventure together. Just the three of us. Sans a maid or a nanny. Yay and whoa! For the most part, I am really excited about this trip, but I also cannot just sweep off under the rug that part of me that gets wary and anxious thinking about how exhausting this trip may turn out. Let's see how my street smarts and my very athletic stamina hold up. :P

I gotta catch a wink now, we leave for the airport just before daybreak tomorrow. This is it! It's going to be awesome! :)