Vacation Report: Maryland.

I am now in Japan.  For a business trip.
And since it is freezing outside, I decided to stay at the hotel to finally start the vacation report that I owe.  So, I am not going to talk about Japan.  I will do that on a later post.  I will talk about our lovely first stop in Maryland.

Arriving at JFK from Incheon was a relief.  It was my first time in the airport.. and was a little bit surprised that all the comments were true.  The airport was very old and looks like a bigger NAIA Terminal 1.
We stayed overnight at the Hampton Inn, an airport hotel near JFK.  Instead of autumn leaves, the ride to the hotel showed us Hurricane Sandy's wrath -- dirty snow, fallen leaves (no more autumn leaves) and a city which seemed tired from the stormy weather.
It was adventure time the next day.  First time... hubby drove 4 hours to Maryland with only me (a non-native) as the navigator.  We got a free upgrade on the car we rented - Jeep Liberty, which turned out to be a gas guzzler.
We eventually got to our destination safe and sound.
Then, it was sightseeing for 5 days.

My Auntie Nene first brought us to the National Shrine that Sunday.  For most of my visits in MD, I paid this church a visit.  Now, my little boy had a chance to see the beautiful shrine.
It has a collection of the Mama Mary of different cultures.  Our Lady of Antipolo was there.
The rest of the Sunday was spent in Washington DC.  We had to visit our house in the Stoites and see if our Christmas tree was put up (kidding, of course).
Next stop was the Arlington Cemetery where all American soldiers from way back are buried.  Tourists will also see the resting place of Pres. Kennedy and his wife Jackie O.  Hubby and the little boy had a chance to watch the changing of the guards for the Unknown Soldiers. I swear the guards were eye candies but I do not have close up pictures now.  Promise to share them later.
Day 3 was the boy's day.  We went to the zoo.  The Maryland Zoo is maintained by Smithsonian institute and it was really very nice.  The boy enjoyed a lot even if he had to walk the whole day.
The zoo was very big, they have areas for every kind of animal I could think of.

We really made it a point that this trip was worth every penny.  My story has yet to reach one week but this post is now too long.  I will cut this for now and have the next batch soon.

Promise.

On A Nice Break.

We are now here in New York.  On a vacation.  Thank you, Lord.  We save for 2-3 years so we can afford grand vacations like this so it is a nice feeling that this is happening again.

Hubby and I decided to do things a bit different this time.  Instead of riding my first love, PAL, we opted to use another airline.  This brought us to NAIA Terminal 1.  Remember, I gave it snaps for better lavatories?  This time no snaps... I guess the rehabilitation will indeed take more time.

Because of hubby's credit card, we had a chance to go to the MIASCOR lounge.  It was old, cramped, uncomfortable and sad.  Sorry.

The buffet area looked like a kitchen.  And the cabinets were dilapidated.  My son accidentally removed one cabinet door.

So, the prayers (and the saga) continue... for a newer, better, more passenger friendly airport.

We took Korean Air.  I have heard of good reviews including better legroom, cute flight attendants and yummy Bim Bim Bap.  Apart from that they have re-fleeted just recently... newer planes make me less fearful.

It did not disappoint.  We had a smooth ride to Incheon via their Boeing 777-300 plane.  I was not able to sleep still even after a very tiring week at work but hands were not clammy and no deep breathing.

Incheon was marvelous.

They have a transit hotel WITHIN the airport!  It was additional cost to us but we have a 4 year old who looks "kawawa" at 3AM.

Each room has its own toilet and bath.

But passengers do not really need to book a room.  The Rest and Relax area at its 4th floor is very friendly to sleepers.  Seats and quiet areas abound.  If the boy were older, we would have just camped somewhere there.  We saw areas for kids, spas, coffee shops.  It even has a free shower area.

But highlight of the transit was the plane to JFK.  It was an A380 - the double-decker plane.

The plane was really nice and good.  And Korean Air did a great job in making it even better.  It is true that there was more space. The legroom was indeed big in the Economy class.  We had enough room even after putting our stuff under the seat in front.

They gave out slippers to everyone.

Have larger video displays (movie/tv selections were, however, not too many).

The coolest was their live camera outside.  Passengers see the forward view, downward view and the tail view!

And the most important thing to me is that it was not as turbulent.  Perhaps, because it is that big.

Korean Air's ticket prices are very competitive.  And with this kind of service, I am sure we got the most value compared to others airlines.  I will ride Korean Air again for sure.  Now, I have two favorite airlines.

I am now nursing my jetlag.  Still awake after a 4-5 hour sleep.  It's almost 2AM here.  I will sleep soon but I am sure I will wake up at an odd hour.

Still at the start of our vacation but now dreading the end of it.  Aside from the usual back-to-work blues, we have to face the reality that the travel savings will be close to zero so another round of saving up should happen.

Hello from New York and see you in two weeks.  Of course, I will keep you posted with the happenings here.

The Greenery

My little boy and father-in-law celebrated their birthdays this year in a nice place.  It's a resort tucked in Baliwag, Bulacan called The Greenery.

The place is not your usual resort.  It is picturesque and the setting seems to place you out of the country.

They have a pavilion where the Grand Ballroom is located.  We did not bother to visit the insides of it.  Our target was the mini train which lit up my little boy's eyes.

There is a mini golf course plus a driving range somewhere.

The villas are cute.  They look like houses in an American suburb.  We stayed in 2 of these.  While the outer designs are nice, the interiors looked a bit neglected.  If you are the high maintenance customer, you might be disappointed.

I super like the Grand Villa.  It's a house with 5 rooms in it.  I hope the interiors look much better than the smaller villas.

My little boy and his cousins enjoyed feeding the pigeons and playing with them.

But, I guess, the best part of the holiday was swimming in the infinity pool!

The place has lots more to offer especially for those looking for venues of events and pre-nuptial photo sessions.  For more information about The Greenery, please visit them here.

Cagayan De Oro is Love.

What better way to experience Mindanao for the first time than to visit Cagayan de Oro!

My parents, months ago, proposed a family vacation in CDO.  While I did have some reservations because that would mean flying the plane again... hubby and I saw the need for a vacation far away from the city.  So, off we went to CDO during the August long weekend.

My boy waiting for our flight.  He developed a love for planes (thank God!).  He told me that he now wants to be an Airplane Engineer.
Just arrived!

The traveling party included the three of us, Mom and Dad.  My sister's family and brother backed out last minute.  Cousins Ter, Me-an, Paulo and Tita Amy also came... and it made the trip more fun!

We went to the Divine Mercy shrine.  It was an hour ride from the city and definitely a magnificent sight.

Gives a feel of the Jesus Christ in Sao Paulo.

The Mama Mary that my Mom always encounters.
Everyone trying to capture the grand image of Jesus.

Activities during our vacation included attending the Cagayan de Oro fiesta in our Tito's place where food was abundant... I don't think I ever felt hungry during our stay.  One of our cousins make CDO lechon.  Super yummy!  Stupid me, I failed to take a picture of the sumptuous roasted pig.

The highlight of the long weekend was, of course, the Water Rafting.  The hour and half drive from CDO and the load of tourists during that weekend pushed us to the last trip of the day so we were not able to hear mass as planned.  But the nature surrounding the Cagayan River was so fantastic, I felt so close to God.
Last trip group.
Paddling our hearts out.
It was easy-peasy... not really!

I am glad we pushed through with the trip.  It was the break that we needed.  And reconnecting with our cousins after several decades made it even more special.

Back in Manila and missing CDO.