Days before we flew to the Philippines, I was literally counting the days– everyday!  I just could not wait to board that plane and just be home with family once again.  So our folks treated us for a night at Dahilayan Resort.

It was weird to be wearing sweaters and jackets after a long time.  It was 41 degrees in Bangkok when we left!  It’s like…”are we in another planet or something?!”

We stayed in this gorgeous cottage– I wished we could stay for another night or two, but that one night was so worth it!

I actually took photos of the interior, which I plan to post in my travel blog.  This house has complete amenities, including  two baths and two bedrooms.  They had modern cascade faucets and a tub, too. I would love to go back there another time. It’s a bit pricey, but if you have to get a view of the best Bukidnon sunset, experience the very cool weather and have a quiet time with family and friends, Dahilayan is definitely the place to be!

[ Tagged In ] Dahilayan Resort

Pattaya is a city in Thailand that is known for its beaches and tourist attractions.  Our family along with friends went there for a short holiday.  It was such an enjoyable time!

Ria and Roi enjoying the beach

Our time at Silverlake was very relaxing!

In our ride-- touring around the grape plantation was fun!

Those flowers were simply beautiful!

Roi trying to reach out and pick some grapes!

We were with another family and our kids’ teacher, but it still was a fun family time!  Click here for more of our beach photos!

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MONDAY GREEN 

Ria was a bit upset not to be able to celebrate her 10th birthday with her very special friends, Naomi and Zoe.  She was expecting a “proper” party with a cake and some balloons, with my spaghetti.  But we had to leave on the 4th of October to Hat Yai, South Thailand.  The trip would take 12 hours, which meant that we would be in the bus when the clock would strike midnight.

It’s your birthday! Wakey-wakey…  Our girl is 10!  Can you believe it?

We arrived Hat Yai at around 6 am, and our good friend Jesu picked us up from the bus terminal.  We already called the day before for them to buy a cake for Ria, at least she will have  candles to blow before we head for Penang.

This is what they got– what a lovely looking cake!  Yummy, too!  Aside from getting a cake for Ria, Lalaine took the extra effort of putting up some birthday decors!

I was touched!  I know Lalaine to be a full time home schooling mom, domestic diva and blogger (LOL) and to do this must have taken much of her time.  Thanks again, Laine!  She is such a great friend.  Look how happy the kids are!  The boy in blue doing his signature pose is Lyle, Jesu and Lalaine’s boy.  The girl doing a “V” sign is their Tricia.

And look what we had for breakfast!  Burgers! (I am drooling as I write this post!)  So Ria’s birthday was really special…

She  had a cake to blow…

Was prayed for…

Was given a  gift… (This is Tricia’s gift for her).

… got lots of hugs and kisses from Roi who greeted her lots of times during the day, especially during the long van ride to Penang!

After about two hours, the flags tell us that we were in Malaysia already!

That’s our birthday girl, passport in hand, crossing the border! Yay!

We were in Penang before we knew it… the sight of the city looked lovely from afar.

To make the long story short, we were fetched by our host in the city, and off to their house we went.  Our hosts were so generous and warm– they treated us like royalty.  Literally!  It is our first time to meet them, but it seems that we have been friends for a long time already!  The wife is actually Jesu’s sister.  We were so pleasantly surprised when they brought out this cake for Ria!

Ria’s second cake!  In another country, within a day!  How cool is that?

Our hosts said that this is a Malaysian tradition– that the celebrant would slice his or her cake, then “feed” her parents or those who are older than her.  In return, the parents also “feed” her.  Sort of like the wedding tradition that we have in our home country.

So it was a great birthday for our girl.  More than the cakes and the great food that we had, we are grateful for friends– from all over.  No, they are more than friends, actually.  They are family.  It’s a great blessing to know that we have these families all over the world which make our trips special.

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