Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

Recently I shared some NINE good reasons for visiting Cebu and Bohol in my last travel post.

(Click HERE to read it, if you haven’t =)

But you see, after we look at pretty pictures of places to visit, the next thing we need to know is, ‘HOW should we go there?’

Well, this post is meant to answer THAT very question! =)

ie. How to get to Cebu and Bohol in the Philippines, from Singapore!

Get ready for pictures, info and tips!! =)

From Singapore to Cebu


 

If you’re coming from Singapore, it is recommended to fly straight to Cebu, stay for a night or two (to explore Cebu!), before heading over to Bohol.

And one of the (very few) international flights available that fly to Cebu from Singapore is Silk Air.

Estimated flight time : 3 hours, 20 minutes.

Btw, throughout the flight, I feel we’re always offered (more than) enough food and drinks, haha.

From the usual peanuts and towels, to meals, tea, coffee, and ‘endless’ supply of drinks – beer, juice, carbonated drinks – offered to us by the smiley flight attendants =)

I imagine having no problems whatsoever if I travel with younger kids on Silk Air =)

Oh btw, if you need to order special meals (eg. If you’re a vegetarian), you can always just let Silk Air know in advance.

(Perhaps it was a coincidence, but I noticed they served the special meals first, hehe)

Anyway.

Just click HERE to read more Silk Air, its rates, and the many features you’ll get to enjoy when on board!

 
TIPS and INFO:

> If you’re flying in from overseas, and you wish to stop by Manila before heading over to Cebu:

– Bear in mind that you’d need to transfer to the domestic airport (about 50 mins flight from Manila to Cebu)

– There’ll be a stricter limit on your luggage weight at the domestic airport.

– No liquids allowed as carry-on items into the cabin (eg. Bottles of wine and perfumes), even when they’re sealed by duty-free shop. Do place them in your checked-in luggage, because otherwise you may be forced to throw them away!
 
> Unless you have plans to visit Manila, then it is recommended to fly to Cebu from either Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Hong Kong (to avoid the hassle of transferring from the international airport to the domestic airport).

> If you wish to fly straight to Bohol from Manila, domestic flights are available. Flight time from Manila to Tagbilaran is about 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Click HERE for more info.

From Cebu to Bohol

Cebu Port is about 30 mins drive from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, in normal traffic conditions.

And we chose to go via Fast Ferry to Bohol. From Cebu Port to Tagbilaran port.

Upon reaching Cebu Port, you’ll see the 3 fast ferry operators:

a) Oceanjet – www.oceanjet.net

b) 2Go Travel – travel.2go.com.ph

c) Weesam Express – www.weesam.ph

 
We went on Oceanjet, and it cost PHP400 per person per way.

So, it was PHP800 per person for a return ferry ride (Cebu-Bohol-Cebu)

We took the 9:20am ferry ride, and it took us about 2 hours to Bohol.

TIPS and INFO:

> There are older, slower ships going from Cebu to Bohol, but it’ll take about 4 hours (cheaper rates though!)

> Click HERE for more info on Fast Ferry schedules

> After you have chosen your preferred departure time, be sure to reach Cebu Port EARLY, ie. At least 1 hour before the departure time if you haven’t bought your ferry ticket yet.

> You’ll need to leave your luggage before you cross over the little bridge towards the ferry (and collect it once you alight from it).

Remember to lock your luggage, and it’s a good idea too to make your luggage ‘easily identified’ by you, eg. Use of a luggage belt, a luggage tag, or tie a ribbon near the handle =)

> There are two ports in Bohol, Tubigon and Tagbilaran. If you’re heading for Alona Beach or Panglao Beach (like we did!), go for ‘Tagbilaran’ as your arrival port!

So there you go.

Going from Singapore to Cebu and Bohol is eeeeeaasy, right? =)

…

Anyway. I’ll share more of our trip to Cebu and Bohol soon.

Stay tuned! =)

…

Thanks to the Philippine Tourism Promotions Board and SilkAir, and omy.sg and Singapore Blog Awards for flying me over to Cebu and Bohol! Awesome trip!

It’s amazing how a little clip-on lens can help me capture precious daily moments!

My Dad gave it to me a couple of weeks ago.

It’s this fish-eye lens that I can easily clip onto my phone.

He got it in Hong Kong, for like, less than SG$6!

Soo worth it!

Anyway, it’s always in my bag these days =)

Handy.

Love it!

PS: Brie is 3.5yo now. Growing up too fast! Gotta capture more moments with her and our little family everyday =)

So, I went to Cebu and Bohol for 5 days and 4 nights!!

My very first time visiting the Philippines!

*wheeeeee*

When I got back, the first thing that my friends and families (online and offline =) asked was: HOW WAS THE TRIP??

And, I’d always tell them:

It’s reeeaally nice!! Heh.

So.

Naturally, I’ll share with you a few good reasons why you too should consider visiting Cebu and Bohol the next time you plan for your holiday.

Here are nine of them!!

(Scroll down and read more tips and info of the places of visit too!)

…

1. BEAUTIFUL BEACHES

[Panglao Beach, 2-min walk from Bluewater Panglao Resort, Bohol. Photo by Yap Meng]

I loveeee open spaces.

I love big blue skies and clear waters.

And, to take some time to be away from the busyness and routines of city life, … aahhh … precious!

It is the refreshing break every one of us needs every once in a while.

[Love this long bridge at Nalusuan Island – 45 mins by boat from Cebu]

INFO:
> Took boat from Boyla Dive Shop, Cebu

> Boat Rental from 9am – 3pm: PHP3,500

> Snorkeling Masks / Fins = PHP300 per person

> Entrance fee to Nalusuan Island: PHP200 per person

…

2. UNDERWATER MAGIC

[Photo by Yap Meng who went diving]

One of the best moments of this trip was when I went snorkeling at Balicasag Island!

I highly recommend this!

Love. Love. Love it!

We didn’t even take a boat towards the middle of the sea to snorkel.

We simply walked towards the sea, from the beach side.

The guide held my hand and led the way, so I only had to enjoy the view down under!

You know what?

I probably saw more than 10,000 fishes and sea creatures within just 30 minutes!

Sea turtles, moray eels, giant clams, super colourful fishes, starfishes, beautiful corals!

Ah … the experience was indescribable!

God’s beautiful creation below the waters at Balicasag Island was just … amaaaazing!!

[Photo by Jaslin’s waterproof mobile phone. Here I was only about 15m away from the beach! Held the starfish super gently, btw! =)]

INFO:

> Snorkeling Charges: PHP350 per person (incl. snorkeling and equipment)

> Diving Charges: PHP3,500 per person for 2 dives, including rental.

> Environmental Fee: PHP200 per person

TIPS:
> If there’s a group of you, you can most likely bargain for a lower price

> There’s a shower area. Bring along your towel, shampoo, spare clothes, etc.

> Be sure you bring along your Diving License, if you have it. You can bring along your own mask and fins too if you wish.

…

3. FRIENDLY PEOPLE, WHO SPEAK ENGLISH AND LOVE MUSIC

This is the land of smiling and friendly people!

And since they all can speak English, there are NO language barriers for us! =)

Plus, Filipinos love to sing and dance too!

(eg. There’s always a group of musicians performing at the waiting areas at Ferry Terminals)

TIPS:
I was told that if you could choose WHEN you’re visiting the Philippines, it’d be the month of May, because that’s when they have their ‘Fiesta’!

[Taught to do the quick steps and jumps over two bamboos]

Everyone goes through problems, troubles, sickness and sufferings.

It is unavoidable.

But.

What’s more important is, what do we say to ourselves when we are in such a situation?

Do we see ourselves as helpless victims, unable to do anything?

Do we blame others and ourselves?

Or.

Do we look towards the future with hope, get up and move on with life, despite its difficulties?

…

What we say to ourselves when we are in times of trouble determines our future!

Be careful with what you say to yourself when you’re down!

(Rev. Stephen Tong)

…

With God, you CAN sail through life and its troubles.

Thank God for His faithfulness and love.

I don’t know about you, but as I go about my day to day busyness, sometimes I do need parenting reminders.

Because amidst everything that I need to do everyday, I can unconsciously forget even the simplest things that I need to do FOR and WITH my kids.

Well. This is what I’d like to share today:

A simple list of 8 things I’d like to show to my kids.

Here goes.

1. Show our kids HOW TO help out in the kitchen, instead of telling them to stay away

2. Show loving affection to our spouse in front of them

3. Show how looking after ourselves (even if we’re THE Mom who does things for everyone else!) is important too

4. Show, PATIENTLY, how to do something step-by-step (though you most likely need to repeat the steps)

5. Show respectful attitude towards others, at all times

6. Show confidence in doing things that we believe as right (even when most others choose to disagree)

7. Show how to make that silly monkey face – yes, the one you know you’re very good at!

8. Show how we too can make mistakes, and each time that we do, we learn from it, ask for forgiveness, bounce back up, and move on with life.

…

Anyway.

There’re actually a whole lot more than just eight things. Of course.

I just thought I share eight of them today =)

Perhaps you’ve already shown all of the above to your kids.

Perhaps you’d like to share and add more to the list? *most welcome, btw*

All I wish to say is, … let’s remind each other and show more kindness to our children, AND try our best to be a positive living example for them.

Everyday.

May God help us.

Hello world!

I’m back!

Just in case you’ve just started reading my blog, … here’s a quick update:

I’ve just returned from my never-ever-been-done-before 6-day trip to Cebu and Bohol, in the Philippines! =)

(When I said, I’ve never ever done this before, I’m saying, I’ve never ever been away THIS long from my family)

…

And you know what?

The trip was SO timely, and such a needed one for me!

Well, you see … in the past few weeks prior to the trip, I’ve just been SO extra exhausted – mentally, physically and emotionally.

Every single day, I felt drained and tired.

After close to 11 years of being a ‘Mom’, I suddenly was alone, away from my daily routinesThe kids were somehow extra challenging everyday.

And I was … grumpy.

I snapped easily at the kids.

And easily impatient towards tantrums, bickering, whines and cries.

It was hard to laugh and joke around.

(I guess, the fact that my husband was away overseas for 8 days prior to my trip made my ‘solo-parenting’ days even more overwhelmingly tough)

So. There you are.

The bitter reality of parenting.

And yes, this Mom blogger who ‘writes about the ups and downs of parenting in a hope to inspire others’ apparently went through the lows of parenting.

For weeks in a row.

…

[Changi Airport, Singapore]

So as you can imagine, this bloggers trip to Cebu and Bohol was such a refreshing break that came ‘just in time’.

After close to 11 years of being a ‘Mom’, I suddenly was alone, away from my daily routines, for 6 days.

It did feel weird at first. But I guess, the break was exactly what I needed.

…

In the end, I should choose which ones I need to treasure more. And to those, I should channel more energy and time!Anyway.

Here’re my thoughts when I was away:

I felt I haven’t been loving enough towards the kids.

I felt guilty, of not enjoying my days with them.

Although kids ARE kids, and they have reasons for behaving badly, … I should also be more patient towards them.

My days will always be filled with traffic jams, endless work deadlines, piles of laundry, meals to cook, house chores, hearing children argue and bicker, etc. BUT, these are unavoidable, aren’t they?

And while all these take place, our children grow in front of our very eyes.

So, in the end, I really should choose which ones I need to treasure more.

And to those, I should channel more energy and time!

I, btw, choose, my family … over work and house chores.

…

[Nalusuan Beach, Cebu]

Am thankful to God for the good 6 days away from home.

Being in the open space. Enjoying God’s amazing creation.

Away from city life.

Away from daily routines.

Because it all allowed me to review myself, reflect, introspect and refresh my mind and heart.

Putting things in better perspective too.

…

Ah.

Anyway.

Here’s to better attempts to being a better and more loving Mom!

*Wheeee*

Jia yooo!

[Balicasag Island, Bohol] 

For the first time in forever, I’ll be traveling overseas, with 11 other strangers.

Yep, I’m off to Cebu and Bohol in the Philippines!

5 days, 4 nights.

Alone!

No hubby.

No kids.

Just me.

Yikes!

Seriously, it feels … weird.

But, at the same time … exciting! Hah.

How will things be?

Will the kids be all alright?

Have I packed everything that the kids need?

Have I even packed everything I need?

Will my hubby remember when to pick the kids up?

Ah well.

I guess, I just need to prepare everything as best as I can, and just … go! =)

Before I end the post (and continue my packing!), I just want to express how GRATEFUL I am for my family and friends who help out with the kids during my trip!

Thank God for them!

Because, without their help, I wouldn’t be able to go.

For sure!

And, big thanks to my hubby too, for encouraging me to go for this!

Love you big time!! =)

Oh, one last thing!

I’ll be sharing updates and photos of the trip!

Follow my little adventure on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter yeah!

Instagram:
instagram.com/leonny_oureverydaythings

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/leonny.atmadja

Twitter:
@oureverydaythgs

And in the mean time, click on THIS LINK, and check out our destination!

*Excited!!*

…

Note: All photos are courtesy of Philippine Tourism Promotions Board. And, of course thanks to Silk Air and omy.sg for flying me there!