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iTrip: Waking up in HK

janizjardiolinlo — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 13:32:09 PHT

Mornings in Hong Kong are made of these:

Yes, you got that right! McDonald's breakfast. Still one of the most reliable breakfast for travelers.

Shops open quiet late in this side of town. Perfect for a few shots.

Now boarding the bus to take them around.

iTrip: HK Streets

janizjardiolinlo — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 13:16:19 PHT

Now on the roads of Hong Kong. There's the signature double decker bus, the red cab and the blinding lights. If I were single and a lot younger, I would have killed to live in this city. I was born a country mouse, but I love the riot of the busy cities. Now I could see the possibilities since my husband's roots are from a nearby town in China and now most of them lives in Hong Kong.

A quick stop at the hotel and now to binge up for the night.

To start off the night, everyone should have a cup of tea.

Now next is a skill my daughter should work on -- eating with chopsticks! Kiara doesn't look Chinese at all, she should at least eat like one! LOL

Let me give you some food coma straight from Hong Kong...

Now this family has one big happy tummy!

To burn down the grease, what better way to do that than to walk down the streets of Hong Kong, father-daughter style.

iTrip: Airport Mania

janizjardiolinlo — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 12:54:25 PHT

Some people has been asking me to post this. But it took me 9 months to do so, a couple more months and this post would have been useless!

Late February this year, the Lo family headed out to Hong Kong to meet up with their relatives both from Hong Kong and China in time for the Chinese New Year celebrations.

My daughter was looking forward to this, not just because she's going abroad, but because she loves anything that comes with heritage or a little history. That's clearly her thing. Plus this will be the first time she will be travelling with the Lo family, minus mom. LOL

They were lucky because they got on board Philippine Airlines new Boeing 777.

Compared to others, my daughter loves flying! She enjoys every minute of it. You wouldn't need to keep her busy, but then again, a game of bookworm wouldn't hurt. PAL's Boeing 777 has ways to keep your flying phobia tucked in.

Now, touchdown Hong Kong!

My daughter's a little agitated, clearly bonding with the family begins right now.

iTrip: Estancia

janizjardiolinlo — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:17:10 PHT

We were good to go but when we saw this facade, it made us want to stop for a while.

We had to ride an elevator to take us down to the lobby and the restaurant. I love the Mediterranean inspired interiors, the white walls made it so relaxing and made us stay a while longer. We decided to try this place out on our next visit, for now we just had to head home.

Estancia, Tagaytay

iLove: View from Taal Vista

janizjardiolinlo — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:05:32 PHT

After lunch, we decided to burn off some of the grease so we headed to Taal Vista to see the view of the lake.

It was a sunny day, not as cool as the usual weather in Tagaytay but we don't mind since it's a little colder than how it is in the city.

Kiara: I want a photo with the lake too, except I want a candid shot.

Janiz: Ok.

Kiara: Hurry up mom, it's too sunny! I can't face the sun's direction for too long.

Janiz: Take the shot Di (referring to my brother, it's a short name for "diyah")

Jerard: Don't rush me if you want good shots!

After a few more shots we headed to the other side where kids hang out and do a "grass slide". My daughter was having so much fun since it's something new to her.

Kiara: Mom join me, it's so much fun than it looks.

Janiz: No thanks, I'll pass.

Kiara: Di? Will you? Please!

Jerard: Ok.

That's what I love about my brother, coz he always gives in to my daughter's request.

Now time to enjoy the breath taking view of Taal. Quiet moments are best done like this.

Taal Vista, Tagaytay

iLove: Sand Bar

janizjardiolinlo — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:32:58 PHT

As an evidence on how my family loves the water, we went on an hour drive out of town in mid-December. We took advantage that the sun is not as hot as it is during summer.

We love that the place is still unknown to most, it makes us feel like it's our own private island.

This was really the perfect place for some R&R.

And apparently for some photo op too.

We were all in a survivor-mode, we cooked our own food and we took turns because everyone was really having fun cooking survivor-mode style.

My dad was the top chef for the day, while the little ones were taking on his orders.

This is a perfect pig-out scene, after the heavy meal, everyone tried to find their places to doze off.

After a short nap, everyone got up to hit the beach.

The kids were having fun with the underwater camera, they don't mind looking funny.

The highlight that day was when Kiara transformed into a "Sand Spa" owner.

Kiara: Welcome everyone to our Sand Spa. It's renowned around the world for it's great exfoliating wonders.

Daddy: Wow! Let me try your wonder Spa.

Kiara: Sure sir!

We were all laughing all so hard, Kiara was something else that day. Here's when my brother tried mocking my jolly daughter.

Jerard: World renowned?

Kiara: Yes sir, even Vicky Belo recommended it to her celebrity clients.

Jerard: Funny, I've never heard of your spa services before.

Kiara: We only cater to rich clients sir. So would you want to avail of our sand spa services sir?

Jerard: Do you have free trial?

Kiara: For you sir it's just free.

I swear I regret that I wasn't able to record the whole thing on video. It would have been something I would treasure, seeing my daughter's marketing skills at work.

My water baby. It must be the water that transformed her into something other than her usual self.

She got my genes for sure! Blood and water run through our veins.

It's a great family bonding time.

Everyone had a blast. We'll definitely be back.

iTrip: Church Tour - Miag-ao Church

janizjardiolinlo — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:15:09 PHT

Now on our last stop, Miag-ao Church.

I'm not sure if it's really the time of the year when churches do their renovation, or is it just us in such a bad time. Anyways, this has been hailed by UNESCO unfortunately, each brick is also a memory of our ancestors hard or forced labor.

We had a blast appreciating the detail of this wonderful church, at the same time, we paid homage to those who helped build this church.

iTrip: Church Tour - Guimbal Church

janizjardiolinlo — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:06:19 PHT

Now we're in Guimbal Church. We loved that right across it was their nice plaza where we got to hang out in.

It was a rather small church compared to the others we've been in. And I've just noticed that I have no pictures of the interior of the church.

This was a rather short stop, I guess we're all looking forward to head to the next.

iTrip: Church Tour - Tigbauan Church

janizjardiolinlo — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:56:57 PHT

We were supposed to stop by Molo Church, but there was a wedding so we headed straight to Tigbauan Church.

This has been quite a surprise for me, I've never seen a church with this much mosaic in one particular church as theirs. I was really stunned with the images, it's just a proof of Filipino's talent and ingenuity even back in the days.

Besides the mosaic, the interior was just as expected from any other church. I just can't stop talking about the mosaics, it really sets it apart from all other churches I've been in.

We had a photo op on this door, which we have no idea where it leads to, seems like a door to a secret garden or something.

We went around the place, I'm glad that they had a mini garden.

OK, off to the next.

iTrip: Church Tour - Jaro Cathedral

janizjardiolinlo — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:40:37 PHT

Whenever we're in Iloilo, we're either just in the shop, at home or hanging out with friends. What's more to do in Iloilo? My siblings and I decided to do a "Church Tour". First stop, Jaro Cathedral.

The time we arrived, it seemed to be doing some minor restoration in the church. But nonetheless, we had the chance to go around.

I love history, but I can't explain to my daughter why the bell tower of Jaro Cathedral is a few meters away from the church itself. There was no one to ask around, so we just left the question unanswered.

Now off to the next.