Did you know that it’s possible to travel from Hong Kong to Macau by bus in 30 minutes? Yes, it’s the cheaper option too! This land travel is made possible through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HKZM Bridge or HKZMB) which officially opened in October 2018.
Crossing the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge via bus. Photo credit @sunnidaez Instagram
We’ve been living in Hong Kong for almost two years now and I have used the bridge crossing twice. Before that, it took our family three hours to get from our door in Tung Chung, Lantau Island, Hong Kong to the famed Senado Square in Macau via the usual ferry options. With the HKZM Bridge, this travel was cut in half (yes, including the immigration clearances and actual travel time) and the expenses were cut by 60%.
Video of the bus crossing the HKZM Bridge by @sunnidaez Instagram
E and Baby T having a moment (while we all were eating!)
We’ve always talked about going to Lake Pandin but it was only two Saturdays ago that we finally did. And it was a good decision to head out of Manila and venture to San Pablo in Laguna for a much-needed nature trippin away from the concrete jungle. I’ve heard about Lake Pandin from some friends and thought, it could be a good easy-breezy day trip. Imagine, a two-hour raft ride with a picnic lunch of fresh food prepared by men and women from the community. And it was. The 10-15-minute walk from the parking lot to the lakeshore was a good appetizer for our lunch of rice, grilled tilapia and chicken, fern (pako) salad with salted egg, butter garlic (mini) shrimps, bananas, pineapples and coconut water! A bit of swimming here, a bit of jumping there, a lot of eating and more of chatting — such a chill time! And baby-friendly too! I fully recommend for y’all to try going to this trip (except during really rainy days as the trek path might be too muddy/slippery) not just for the good lunch and scenery, but also to support local ecotourism at Lake Pandin.
happy to strike anywhere with the Bohol Sea in the background (photo by Niklas)
For Niklas’ birthday, we went to Panglao Island in Bohol, Tagbilaran to celebrate. It’s the first time I boarded a plane after Hanoi and as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, we now have a daughter, Tara Freya. She is exclusively breastfed (we are a co-sleeping, babywearing, cloth diapering and breastfeeding kind of family). But, it’s not always that a private space is available when the little one is hungry. So, as I’ve done in the past, no other option but to ‘strike anywhere’, a common term among breastfeeding moms which means breastfeeding your child on demand, whenever and wherever. Only this time, we did so at the comfort of Bohol Beach Club’s lounge chairs (convertible to beds!) while the ocean lulled Tara to sleep. And we did it a couple more times in the casitas by the pool!
Capping off my birthday staycation with a wonderful Manila Bay sunset, made even better coz I spent it with you
This is the second time I’ve seen Manila Bay sunset while at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel. But this is the first time that I did as a staying guest and with Niklas. I actually almost missed it, as I had to breastfeed Tara and pump some milk out so they have some ‘baon’ (take home) in case Mom and Yaya Annie got stuck in traffic heading home (first night away from Tara, #sepanx). But luckily, as it’s summertime already, the sun takes longer to set and we had enough time to watch its beauty together — while talking about our little family’s future. 🙂
(Staycation was such a great idea, let’s do it again! And though Sofitel creates a deep hole in the pocket (good thing it was his birthday gift to me. hehehe), it’s worth it!).
little Tara Freya, enjoying the morning sun by the Balayan Bay in Mabini, Batangas
(It’s been a while — like a 295 days kind — I must admit. So, as I celebrate this blog’s almost 100,000 visits and change of domain name/address from theadwanders.wordpress.com to thediaristwanders.com, I’m finally blogging again!)
I’ve always loved sunsets — that’s known. But when you have a baby (yes, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl!) who’s awake and lively at sunrise, you don’t have much choice but to get up and enjoy the morning sun too. So, on our trip to Anilao, Batangas (it’s actually in the municipality of Mabini), little Tara Freya decided she’d like to have some vitamin D while along the shores of Balayan Bay (we stayed at Arthur’s Place Dive Resort). Mommy needed some vitamin sea too, actually. 🙂 But, tell me, which do you think is a more beautiful sight — our smiling little one or the backdrop of her happiness? Anilao is a great place for sure but I won’t trade Tara and that smile for anywhere else.
Life is short so take a leap of faith. Let’s wander, explore and discover. Come and journey with me.
The Diarist Wanders 