We took an early morning flight from Manila to Singapore, and by early I mean a 6 am flight. That meant we are up and ready to go by 3 am. All 6 of us. Plus the 2 kids. And so that makes 8. Good thing we breezed through Singapore immigration, arriving at our hotel just before lunch. After checking in and freshening up a bit, the Zombies were ready. Soon after, we found ourselves at the gates of Universal Studios Singapore. We did the "mandatory" visit of the famous theme park for the kids, or so we thought. Nothing beats being there WITH THE KIDS. Who cares if some of us got only 4 hours of sleep? Or none at all? I was smarter than most ..... got the kids sleeping by 8pm and joined ... read more

Back in 2008, we toyed with the idea of running an underground restaurant some 60 kilometers south of Manila. Not your neighborhood bistro, but a place to enjoy good home-cooked food after maybe a day in the hot springs of the next town Los Banos, Laguna. Lily Pad is in a gated subdivision in Calamba, Laguna --- home of the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. To get there, one drives south of Manila along the Southern Luzon Expressway (SLEX to many). The highway ends and leads to the many towns of Laguna. First off from the end of the highway is Calamba, Laguna. Lily Pad is what its owner, Tweetums, called the place. Tina arranged to lease the place and run a weekend restaurant for a single reason. She loves to cook. Oh ok, perhaps there ... read more

Six hours of road travel. About 200 kms south of Manila. Endless chatter among friends in the van. Broken only by pee-stops. Then more chatter. Laughter Hardly anyone sleeps on the way to Ajos in Catanauan, Quezon south of Manila. Tina's Slice of Heaven Tina runs a farm/factory somewhere here. It is her hometown. The house by the beach does not look like your typical farm house. Made of concrete, two-storey high, wide windows. She greets farm and factory hands left and right as we enter the "compound" which includes her beach house and a brother's house somewhere near. Coconut trees dot the landscape. Free-range chickens and a mommy pig with her litter grace the backyard. There is a pond "guarded" by this huge lizard who spies on the free-range chickens as if he is eyeing ... read more

Imagine this. Wide, open field. Causeway cutting across, leading to the central complex. Libraries on both sides. Reflection pools making for great sunrise and sunset photos. Naga, the multi-headed stone serpents welcoming us. Three levels. Corridors lined with carvings depicting the story of Ramayana. More bas reliefs of the Apsara dancers and celestial nymphs on the upper level. Imagine the pools of water all around the complex, as one prays to his Buddha by the corner. Lotus-shaped towers. Five in all. One main central tower. Four at each corner. Incense. Wat 3 levels? After the "coziness" of the jungle forest at Ta Phrom, the vast open fields and 3 levels of Angkor Wat seemed intimidating. "You guys going up to the 3rd level?", Elizabeth asks. And with screaming leg muscles and overactive sweat glands, we all ... read more

It is a long weekend and we took the chance to visit Villa Escudero where a vast coconut plantation estate has been converted into a tourist destination south of Manila. Left Manila 6:30am and reached this hacienda well before 9am. A welcome drink of "gulaman" , a local drink made of diced gelatine and sugared water was most refreshing. Day Tour Inclusions Country life, then and now, is what Villa Escudero is all about. Our kids, aged 12 and 9, accustomed to urban living, would do well to have this 'introduction' to provincial life. The adults? Well, we can all do with this break. And country air is definitely something of a luxury these days, despite the heat. The day tour costs 1,250 pesos or nearly US$30. Included in this package is a Museum tour of ... read more