Team Family Holdiay! One hour and a half til we board.

Killing time pretending to be a spy.

The Spy Game

The flight was late to depart. The airplane food was good. They offered fish or beef. I ordered beef but ended up with fish because my smallest child doesn’t know what she wants 😑 until she see the food I order then she wants that.

View of coming down to land.

Grant and Chase didn’t sleep at all the whole flight. I managed to get a little sleep. Watched Easter Sunday and Bullet Train, thoroughly enjoyed Bullet Train.

Addy is excited to finally land.

Philippines Airlines food: beef and rice. Before it was stolen from me.

When we got closer to landing it got more exciting.

About to land!

These two had been pretty quiet the whole flight. Suspicious.

The boys row.

Phew got through all the customs and immigration, got our bags and met up with my cousin Anne and her husband. On the streets of Manila going to see Lolo Eddie and Lola Flor and their family.

Picked up in the van, it has become Addy’s favourite vehicle.

Visiting Lolo Eddie and Lola Flor. A convenience store on the first floor, with a dentist on the next floor up and then there was the next floor up and then the next floor up and up. Lola Flor said there isn’t room in Manila to be building out so instead they build up.

Loving the rooftop party area.

There was another rooftop above the rooftop party area so we went up there to have a looksie. My Chasey boy had regrets as soon as he started up the stairs 😂

Visiting the top \240rooftop, Chase’s face of fear. The stairs were quite narrow.

We came back down and had a delicious dinner. Fried fish, adobo, noodles, spring rolls, I was incredibly full with a stomachache and then auntie Flor brings out the pork BBQ 😭 I couldn’t even eat any because of my stomachache. Luckily Chase didn’t have that problem, he said they were really good.

Grant and chase playing chess. Chase won the first game but Grant won the second.

We took big family photos with everyone that came to welcome us and feed us. So grateful for wonderful family.

By this time we had been awake for maybe 18 hours 🥱 we jumped in the van and headed off to another house for two nights with family in Caloocan City. It was a bumpy drive, the roads in Manila were not great. Addy had the time of her life standing up as we bumped along and then she exhausted herself and fell asleep in the van.

Chase stayed awake the whole time watching the night scenery in Manila, spotting doughnuts and Jollibees that he is excited to visit.

The kids learned how to use a toilet with no flush, Addy went and had a bucket shower. Both were excited to have fresh pandisal in the morning. By the time we all rolled into bed (except Grant, my family made him drink with them until 3am 🤣) we had been awake for about 20 hours. I was exhausted and fell asleep straight away.

Walking early in the morning.

Got to hold a baby kitten.

Teeny tiny baby kitten.

Cutest, playful little puppy!

That Addy tried to steal 🤣

Riding in a tricycle!

Ate Abeth’s bird says morning.

Having a fun time with Tita Anne!

Visiting McDonalds and Jollibee because we have to 😁

With Tita Anne, big boy now

Chasey boy finally got some spaghetti at Jollibee.

Addy living her dream of running her brother down in a vehicle 😂

Winners 🏆

Cotton Candy characters

Poor Chase, his character fell apart.

But he ate it anyway.

Tita Anne took Addy everywhere she wanted to go, EVERYWHERE! Thank you Tita Anne.

Flavoured beer and steak, I’m done.

Had lunch at Blake’s inside SM Fairview, so much food. Ribs, calamari, steak, burgers, chicken wings, corn, potato, grilled cheese sandwich, tomato soup, it was a smorgasboard. Couldn’t eat another bite….

Mary Grace, Carrot Walnut Cake

Couldn’t eat another bite until we went to Mary Grace and had a giant carrot walnut cake and iced mocha. I was definitely full after that.

Nanay’s grave.

We visited G.G.’s resting place. It’s nice to see she is resting somewhere open and under the sun.

Addy about to ride the tricycle.

Addy went for a ride on the back of a tricycle this time. Not afraid of anything. Chase wanted to go, then changed his mind, then regretted it when they went zooming off and left him behind, the poor confused soul 😆

First jeepney ride this trip.

Dinner came around and the piglets wanted McDonalds because when in a beautiful country full of different delicious foods, we should definitely have Maccas 😩 we headed to the grocery store first and bought my favourite snack (Nagaraya, it’s like a peanut cased in a flavoured crust) and some supplies for Legazpi. Then Maccas, then we took the tricycle home.

My first time sitting on the back of a tricycle instead of in the side cart.

Gotta get to bed early, our flight tomorrow is at 8.50am which means, becuase of traffic, we have to leave at 4am 🙄

Sitting in the van in the dark. Dogs barking.

Waiting for our flight ✈️

About to board.

Big brown eyes, ready for the flight.

It was an extremely long day flying and driving. Flew to Daraga Airport and got picked up by Oscar and drove a couple of hours to Sorsogon City.

A tight squeeze in the van.

Fishing boats.

Addy ended up sitting on the floor in the van.

Mr Chase was hungry.

So we stopped at Jollibee for some lunch. Mum and I sneaky brought in some delicious food we had been craving since we got to the Philippines. I had pork sinigang and pork chops and mum had an array of different food. So yummy.

Everybody is happy now they are full.

We stopped in to see mums old teachers from when she was in high school! They tried to feed us again but we just ate so..:.yeah we ate more food again. This time peanuts, pancit and sticky rice and sugar.

And then to her other teachers house where we were so full so…yeah we ate more food again. Homemade delicious mango ice cream and banana fritters. Chase loved that ice cream, he had like 4 bowls minimum and he even tried some banana fritter. Pretty sure we are all about to explode.

At Emily’s house, mums teacher from high school.

Finally we got to our destination! Modesta Resort, Irosin. Tricky to get to, but so pretty.

The view of our cabin.

The water here comes from natural springs.

View from our porch. Our own pool and then into the big long pool. Natural springs!

The kids are having a ball. They have been in the pool since we got here. For me, time for sun baking. It’s 4.23pm so not a lot of time left. Looking forward to just relaxing tomorrow.

There are heaps of pools here, some with slides.

Another pool and slide.

Grant relaxing in the comfy little bungalows while we watch the kids swim.

Beautiful way to end the day. Watching the kids swim in the dark, having a drink in the bungalows with Spotify going.

Relaxing day today.

Chase chilling in the attic of our cabin.

Feeding fishies 20PHP per bag.

Family brought us some food over.

Family photo!

Got to go to bed early, we have to leave at 8am tomorrow to go on an island hopping tour from Matnog.

But first, we stopped for breakfast at a filipino bakery. They were sold out of plain pandesal, but they had a tuna filled one so we tried that. Not what I thought it would be haha

We ended up getting an array of different bread. A warm toasted bun with ham, cheese and cucumber inside, ensaymada, a weird chocolate bread that looked like a croissant but did not taste like one.

Ensaymada covered in sugar.

Addy said her mouth is sore from chewing but she can’t stop 🤣

Our guide said we will be visiting three beaches, one with pink sand. About an hour drive to the port at Matnog.

First stop is the Matnog Tourism Office to register for our island hopping trip.

Family is all ready to go.

Photos at Matnog Port.

Heading to our boat for the day, Arcadia 2.

On the boat heading out to our first stop: Juag Fishing Sanctuary

The water is amazing and clear.

We arrived at Juag Fish Sanctuary. We got our snorkels and jumped into the water with our guides to feed the fish. Addy was terrified 🤣.

She spent most of the time screaming in terror because the fish were so close to her. Then she was screaming because I accidentally hit two fish while I was swimming because there were so many fish feeding around us 🤣 “mum you hit two fish!”

Feeding the fishies.

You had to use a wooden raft and pull yourself across the sanctuary to where they had the bigger caged fish, I think bluefin tuna. The kids were having a great time dragging themselves across.

Feeding the big boy fish, they were snappy.

Heading into Calintaan Cave.

Once you get to the cave entrance you have to jump into the water and then swim into the cave entrance and then further down through a small gap. Through the gap is an open air cave where there are heaps of pebbles. People have been stacking them so I stacked 5 pebbles. Couldn’t take a photo because I wasn’t smart enough to buy a waterproof carry case for my phone earlier 😩

The lunch spread prepared by our amazing tour company Bicol & Beyond.

We came back from seeing Calintaan Cave to find a delicious spread of food for lunch. Grilled fish, grilled pork, crab, rice, Gabi (taro leaves) and ebos (sticky rice that you dip in sugar).

Relaxing beach photo at Subic Beach

The sand on Subic Beach is pink, from the crushed pink coral in it.

Addy got herself a henna tattoo.

Chase got a massage on the beach and then a head massage from dad.

On the drive to Legazpi we got a nice view of the Mayon Volcano which is where we will hopefully be riding ATV’s tomorrow.

Time for dinner and a snooze 😴

Breakfast at our hotel.

Picked up by Your Brother Travel and transferred about 15 minutes to Your Brother Travel ATV. We booked in to do the Mayon Black Lava Trail. Cost was 1999PHP for single and 3999PHP for the double, so about $220AUD for all of us for a 2.5 hour ATV ride to the Mayon Volcano.

Getting in some practice on the ATV

Ready to go

Mayon Volcano in the background.

So we rode the ATV to the Mayon Lava Wall through water and over hills, down roads. Super fun and bumpy 🤪

At the bottom of the Black Lava Zipline Adventure.

We got to the Black Lava Wall and had to walk about 10 mins to the Helipad where you can get a nice view of the Mayon Volcano and across Legazpi.

Chase didn’t come up the very top becuase he didn’t want to do the zipline down so we got family photos without the boy.

The cutie and her poses on top of the Black Lava Wall.

Waiting for our turn to get hooked up for the Zipline.

Addy was so excited she got her favourite colour helmet.

Nervous but ready.

Addy was adamant she would go first…so she did.

And she is off!

Then it was my turn.

And lastly, Grant.

After a full half day of ATV and Ziplining it’s time to explore somewhere for lunch 🥗 🥙

We all had steak for lunch, the boys had beef teriyaki with rice and the girls had T-bone steak, of which Addy ate most of mine. Then we went back to the hotel for a snooze. On the way back we stopped for some cold drinks, Addy is obsessed with matcha milk tea after stealing her Ate Abeth’s in Calaoocan and loving the taste. Chasey boy had a cookies and cream milkshake.

Dinner time came around and we headed back to the shopping mall that is walking distance. This time we all tried shawarma’s, except Chase who had to have McDonalds, and it was pretty nice. On the way back to the hotel we checked out the local supermarket, and then stopped for some waffles for dessert.

Addy had a s’mores waffle and Chase got a chocolate waffle.

Early bed time for early wake up for our tour tomorrow.

The skies are clear as we head to our first stop Quitinday Green Hills

Went for a hike up to the top of Quitinday Green Hills. I have regrets from not getting more fit before coming here 🤣

Of course miss athletic Addy had to be the first up the extremely steep hill.

Happy boy at the top.

Cuddles with daddy while we recover.

Onto the next place, our tour guide Faith told us it’s more hiking 🥹 next stop Solong Eco Park.

But first, we came across a guy making a delivery by caribou. The tour guide asked if Addy wanted to ride the caribou and she was like “sure”, and jumped right up.

Welcome to Solong Eco Park!

First thing we did at the Solong Eco Park is pet some rabbits.

Then we started the dreaded hike up to the 1st of 4 cottages.

The path to the first cottage was made of tyres.

And we had to keep going up and up and up.

Until we reached out first stop for some gorgeous photos.

We finally made it to the top cottage and Addy was thrilled to get so many photos on top of the world.

Next stop at the Solong Eco Park is the Solong Cave or the Crystal Cave. We got to go 50m inside the cave to look at the crystal formations, hear some history and take some photos.

Crystal Cave is considered a warm cave, so it was pretty hot in there.

We said so long to Solong Eco Park (🤣 I don’t care who you are, that was funny) and went to our next tour destination, Hoyop-Hoyopan Cave.

Hoyop-Hoyopan Cave is a cold cave so inside it was actuall pretty cool, a breeze going through it.

Photo with Faith our tour guide.

Tarzan number 1.

Tarzan number 2.

Jane swinging on a rope

Fruit bats in Hoyop-Hoyopan Cave.

As we continued through it got a bit tight!

We thought it was the end but you go back into the cave further up.

Skull face on the roof.

Finally we are exiting.

With all the hiking out of the way it was time to head to Sumlang Lake for some lunch. We were all super hungry.

Trying the dinimita.

We ordered some dinimita to start, which in hindsight I should have realised dinimita/dynamite might mean spicy but honestly thought I was ordering meat and cheese \240spring rolls 🤣 turns out they were meat and cheese stuffed inside a chilli of some sort. Not too spicy but had the kick. The kids got a fried chicken set (185PHP each). Grant and I shared a mixed seafood sweet chilli dish (755PHP) and rice. Really delicious, the kids ended up wanting more chicken. So we ordered the chicken (345PHP) and then they didn’t want more than 2 extra pieces each 😩 all up we spent 2000PHP for lunch which is about $50-60 AUD so not too bad for lunch for all of us.

Time for some last minute photos at Sumlang Lake before we were dropped back to our hotel.

Big boy in front of the big Mount Mayon which today decided to be covered in cloud. \240

Back to the hotel for a quick sleep before starting the adventure to Farmplate for dinner. First we stopped for some milktea then jumped in a tricycle with a driver who said he knew where he was going. Spoiler he did not. Lol.

So we got dropped off at the bottom of a giant hill because his tricycle wouldn’t make it to the top of the hill. We had to walk for was our 15 minutes up a hill before we came across another tricycle. I was extremely sweaty by the time we reached Farmplate. But what a beautiful sight.

Farmplate: Happiest Place on Earth

Lanterns up in the sky. Different kinds of food. Picnic blankets you can take and sit on.

Hammocks for relaxing.

Mum finally got her buko

Spicy tuna pasta, so delicious 189PHP (about $5.20AUD)

I got some spicy tuna pasta. Addy asked for a Margherita pizza (450PHP, $12.20AUD) and decided that she didn’t want that after all she wanted siaopao bola bola 😑 (59PHP, $1.60AUD) instead. Chasey boy had some ramen (315PHP, $8.60AUD) \240and Grant had a beef burger and fries (215PHP, $5.90AUD)

Loving the siaopao.

Visiting the littlest chapel in the Philippines

Stopped for some photos on the way out.

Took a tricycle back to the hotel, gave the driver Addys leftover pizza 😑 and started packing our bags for another early start. We catch our flight back to Manila tomorrow then we head to Zambales with our family for a family bonding trip!

Landed safely after going through some turbulence.

Oooh, this time we get to go on the Cebu Pacific bus to get from the plane to the terminal.

Addy got a sunburn that has commenced peeling.

Back seat bandits.

This whole day was spent travelling to Zambales, I had forgotten how bad the traffic is. A 2.5hr drive became 6 hours 😲

We stopped for lunch and ate out the back of our van, the Filipino way.

Finally arrived at Mangrove Resort Hotel in time for a quick night swim and dinner overlooking the water.

Addy and her Tita Anne went for an early morning swim, so everyone wanted to go.

This little beach is right at the front of the resort. It’s not as pretty as some of the other ones we have seen but it’s still the beach and the kids don’t care what it looks like, just that it’s the beach 😊

I’m happy just to watch everyone swim from the deck area.

We have a pretty big day planned. Zoobic Safari and Infatable Island. Zoobic Safari is a 45 min drive…so probably will take us 2 hourns to get there lol 😂

Bakery breakfast. Pretzel and chocolate milk.

Fancy bakery yum yums

Family snap

Big boy was not afraid to hold the Eagle Owl

Some different animals at the zoo!

Feeding the giant turtles.

Lion feeding time!

Some chicken for Ann.

We actually fed this big boy lion first and then Ann was pacing in her cell so we moved over to feed her next.

Ready to do the Tiger Safari

Took a ride on the Tiger Safari bus, the tigers came in to say hello and have a feed.

And now to Croco Loco to feed some big boy crocodiles!

Fishing for crocodiles.

Everyone is tired but the fun isn’t over yet! Heading to Inflatable Island Subic.

Spent the evening on Inflatable Island until it closed.

Ending the day with a relaxing beer, looking out at the ocean.

Chase does not like being outside the hotel and all the flies lol

See all that delicious fish? Yeah Addy ate the whole thing 😭

What a distinguished gentleman at breakfast.

We have to say goodbye to our hotel soon ☹️

And to the beautiful view of the ocean.

The Inflatable Island we were at yesterday.

Stopped \240at Sky Ranch Pampanga on the way back to Manila.

Addy and her cousin Aerin whom we haven’t seen for 3 years! Two girls are getting bigger.

On the Pampanga Eye.

View from the Pampanga Eye.

A two story Carousel!

Carrying her ‘baby’ cousin.

We said goodbye to the cousins, aunties and uncles and went to bed because we had to her up early at 3am to catch our flight to Tokyo.

When we arrive at Tokyo so much to do. Exchange orders for rail pass, buy suica cards, pick up SIM card and portable wifi, book ticket on the Shinkansen 🚄 to head down to Osaka and catch that train ASAP. I’m scared lol

Big boy very sleepy.

Worked out how to use myPAL halfway through the flight lol

Our first views of Japan, so pretty.

We rushed through the airport quickly to get our bags and get through customs. Changed money over, picked up a portable wifi and a SIM card for mama, then into the big old line at the JR East Travel Centre. Took ages! But we finally got our Japan Rail Passes and booked in for our train to Osaka.

Ashamed to say it took me ages to realise that this train (Narita Express 32) was not the bullet train lol we got on the bullet train after this one haha

This is the bullet train, travelling from Shinigawa Station to Shin-Osaka Station.

We will be arriving around 8.11pm eventually at our Osaka hotel. Luckily they have computer terminals for check in, fingers crossed it’s easy to use. Need to stop somewhere for a quick dinner as well.

Taking a stroll on the bullet train.

Japan is awesome! Heated toilet seat for the win! Our hotel is right at Universal City Walk, lots of lights and business.

Getting out of the train station and seeing this!

We started hunting for somewhere to eat, Chase wanted ramen and Addy wanted sushi, so we ended up at Sushi Diner!

Chase boy got his ramen.

Miss mummy piggy haha

They deliver the sushi to you via an automated train! This is ridiculously awesome!

Can’t wait to see more of Japan.

Addy with Hello Kitty

Spent a lot of time in the peanuts section.

Finally we get to the ride that was a must for us. Our family loves the Jurassic Park movies.

All smiles until he got on the ride.

Chasey boy being so brave.

He was not expecting that drop lol

Addy decided she would ride it as well even though she was scared.

Addison was scared too by the drop. We couldn’t buy her photo though.

Tsutenkaku Tower

Something to eat before taking the slide from the 3rd floor of the tower into the basement.

Fizzy red wine 🍷

One by one we went down the slide at Tsutenkaku Tower, I went first, then Addy then Grant.

Miss Addison screamed all the way down haha

Travelling from Kyoto Station to Odawara Station on the Hikari 646