Archive for travel

Give Your Children the Gift of Experience

As mothers, I know you will agree with me that our children are the best gifts we have ever received. Although we do our best not to spoil them by giving in to all their whims and wants, we still do shower them with gifts every once in a while. These may range from sweet treats bought at the corner store on our way home to expensive toys or gadgets given on birthdays. These may bring wide smiles on their faces but nothing beats a gift that they can treasure for a lifetime. Instead of buying them knickknacks that end up in the trash after a couple of months, why don’t you save up instead for a memorable gift of experience – a trip to another country, a visit to a world-renowned museum, or classes to learn a new skill.

Jungle Island Miami

One of the places I dream of taking my little princess is Jungle Island Miami which is home to many rare animals including the world’s largest cat(Hercules the Liger), extremely rare twin orangutans(Peanut & Pumpkin), and the world’s only trained Cassowary(Mama Cass). Naturally, I would want to go on a VIP Safari Tour and have a Private Animal Encounter. These entail additional expense though so we may have to just stick with the exhibits, attractions, and tours that come with the regular packages. With 1.35 miles of winding covered trails, I’m certain though that we’d have the time of our lives discovering many varieties of flora and fauna in Jungle Island.

If you’re also considering taking your family to Jungle Island, make sure you don’t miss these attractions: the Winged Wonders, Dr. Wasabi’s Wild Adventures, the Wild Encounter Show, and the Manu Encounter. There’s also a Petting Farm in the Children’s Area which young children would certainly enjoy. If the heat gets too much for you, cool off in Jungle Island’s very own private beach – La Playa. Don’t miss the special exhibits as well, especially the rare Liger. This may be the only time your kids will get to see a cross between a lion and a tiger.

Gifts like these may cost more than your children’s favorite toys but the one-of-a-kind experience they will have is definitely priceless. Besides, there are now plenty of discount coupons and group deals that make trips and tours more affordable. There’s really no excuse not to give your children that special gift of experience.

Family Travel: Candyland in Nuvali

DK and I celebrated our 4th year wedding anniversary with an out of town trip. We’re a bit short on budget so it’s just a day trip out of the Metro. We were planning on visiting Enchanted Kingdom but there was a school field trip that day, it’s so crowded so we decided to head up to Tagaytay instead. It was a bit of a bumpy trip from me because I was not feeling well most of the time. By night time, I was finally feeling better and we decided to drop by Nuvali for dinner. That’s where we saw a couple of Christmas displays from Crown Asia, a white Christmas Tree and a Santa Claus house.

santa claus house crown asia

Photo by my brother

After having our photos taken there, we took a short drive then head to Candyland in Nuvali! I know the kids are super excited for this.

candyland in nuvali

Candyland is filled with visiting families but we still had our chance to take a few photos ourselves. The place is really nice and they have Christmas songs playing in the background and it gives that wonderful joyous feeling.

The right side of the house is filled with candy display while the left side is a small children’s play area. My daughter got really excited in the play area. She immediately removed her shoes so she can play with the other kids.

Candy display in Candyland Nuvali

The candy display is really nice. Some are actual candies and some looks really good, it could pass for real candies. The set-up could be a nice inspiration for a Christmas themed birthday party, or just Candyland inspired birthday party. The Ferris wheel with mini cupcakes is so cool. My daughter wanted her own gumball machine as soon as she that red bowl in the middle while DK wanted to have his own popcorn machine. It’s like visiting Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory!

If this place is not as far away from us, we’ll definitely go back here. It’s free and my daughter and nephew enjoyed their short stay here. I think it’s a good thing (for parents) that they are not selling any candies in the Candyland but I admit it would add a nice touch if kids could at least buy one candy as a souvenir.

Dreaming of the beach

It’s been a while since I posted toddler conversations with Una-bebe here. It seems like I’ve been putting most of it in my FB status, so here goes…

Anyway, I was in the mood to clean the room, a.k.a. Una made a huge mess and I was forced to clean it up. While I was cleaning she saw her beach toys and she was so excited to see them. She loves going to the beach, sadly we live far from it.

beach toys

Una: I want to go to the beach, beach, beach, beach forever!
Me: You want to go to the beach now? But it’s nighttime, we won’t see the beach because it’s dark.
Una: No, use ilaw there.  (then she pointed at my cellphone)

The wise daughter obviously remembered those few times I used my mobile phone’s flashlight app to see in the dark.

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