Travel: Melbourne part 2

Day 3: I didn’t plan much for the day as I wanted to give my legs a good rest before the race the next day but still ended up doing quite much. I started with the Victoria Market, a local farmer’s market very popular among locals and tourists

the produces are sooooo fresh and beautiful

not so happy about this though

there are many food stands too

then I wanted to explore Fitzroy, a lively suburb with a bohemian reputation, Fitzroy’s eclectic bars and restaurants are popular with students, weekenders and young professionals. I came across many parks where families play

Saturday market

very hippie

more graffitis

the neighbourhood lives up to the fame, very hippie, young population and many bars and restaurants

then I went home just on time to witness the miracle. Eliud broke the 2 hrs mark!!!! I cried when he crossed the finish line. This guy is soooo inspiring! It was perfect timing and inspiration I needed for the race

have a good dinner

Went to bed around 7:30pm trying to get as much sleep I could.

Day 4 (race day): I set up 3 alarms just in case but didn’t needed it.

I woke up around 3am and got up at 4. Had coffee, small bowl of oatmeal with PB2 and headed off. The starting line was one metro stop away and many other runners on the train that day.

Finished strong and happy!!!

post race meal… so yum!

Day 5: I signed up for the great ocean road and it was magnificent!

We started the tour at 8am and stopped at many sites. The views are spectacular

and we saw wild koala on the road!!! 😯

she/he looked at us as surprised as we were

visited a national park

the twelve apostoles

before heading back to Melbourne we stopped for dinner. Found a Vietnamese place with vegan option (vermicelli, veggies, tofu and simple soy ginger dressing with friend onion

Day 6: my flight was 6pm but needed to check out by 10am. After a quick stop by the groceries store to buy some avocado to bring home, I ate my fav breakfast. Multigrain oatmeal with strawberries and PB2

I dropped my luggage at the skybus stop and went to explore the city

visited the treasury building museum

that showed exhibit and history of the gold rush

then the victoria library

took the bus to the airport, arrived 3 hrs earlier, had vegan Pho before boarding

That concluded my first ever solo trip to Melbourne. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed. It gave me time to reflect, be my own company, without having to worry how to entertain the family (all their needs), without having a structure schedule for meal/sleep/rest. During these few days, I slept whenever I wanted, ate whenever I was hungry, and walked as much as I wanted without worrying someone else might be tired. It allowed me to be more in tune with my body and mind needs.

Yet, it did feel like an indulgence. I guess because it was my first time. Now, I think I need to do this at least once a year… solo trip to connect with myself 🙂

Travel: Melbourne part 1

It was my first solo non-work trip ever and it was epic!!! I arrived on a Thursday afternoon after 7.5 hrs flight from Manila. It was smooth and I enjoyed reading a new book. My airbnb is in South Yarra neighborhood

a studio with everything I needed and perfect size for me

after I dropped my luggage I went to the nearby groceries store to pick up some food.

Day 2: I joined a free walking tour. It was a lovely day and our young enthusiastic guide Tom did a good job.

I learned few interesting facts about Melbourne. It has the highest minimum wage in the world (19.5 AUD) and it was banned to work beyond 8 hrs. No wonder most stores close at 5pm. The 888 symbols for 8 hours of work, 8 hours of rest, 8 hours of recreation

the botanical garden is massive and so pretty. But it’s not the only park like central park in new york. There are parks everywhere because the city planner wants everyone having access to park/green within few blocks from where they live. No wonder Melbourne people are very into sport/outdoor activities

Melbourne chinatown is one of the oldest one in the world (after San Francisco)

Many street with graffitis that give a hippie touch to an otherwise modern city

some of the pieces are famous

the city center has many arcades and galleries with unique boutiques and cafes

this building has won top 10 ugliest building in the world but it’s in fact a very popular cultural center

the Melbourne equivalent of Opera House in Sydney which was not that impressive

and the lovely Yarra River

after the tour I went to pick up my race bib, all ready

I arrived home by 5:30pm wondering if I should have walked less and take more rest. Oh well… needed to take advantage of being in a new city right?

Some food that I ate

I packed my own food for the flight as it was an economy flight and no free food was served. I packed my pumpkin oatmeal topped with granola

I found a vegan place nearby and ate there almost exclusively during my stay

like this veggie sautee with tofu and brown rice. Simple and yummy

to be continued…

Back to Manila and a beach trip

After 5 weeks of traveling, we finally came back home to settle to some routine, which we all craved. routine, clean house, clean close, and readily available homemade food….. they are specially valuable after a long trip.

Kids also started school. Sofia is in grade 1 and she got a new BFF

Lizzy transfers to Sofia school this year, she’s in preschool 3. She is with Sofia’s old teacher so she’s very familiar to the setting, and adjusted it very quickly

we spent two relaxing weeks at home

enjoying our beautiful swimming pool

and then last weekend we headed to Siquijor. It’s a small and less known island close to Dumaguete. So we took a flight, then 45 min ferry, before getting to the hotel.

after setting in and some food, we went to the beach… Tony plays with the kids while I simply lied down to relax

beach and sand is enough for the kids

Our resort is Coco Grove Beach Resort, and it is lovely. Although the beach is not as good as Boracay, it’s good enough for few days and it is much more quiet than famous beaches

breakfast time

the hotel has a strong natural/rustic vibe

all set for the day

we took a tuk tuk for some adventure in our second day

one of the most popular activity in Siquijor was to swing a rope and jump to the 3 tier pool

Sofia and Tony did it several times and had a lot of fun

and some swimming in this three tier waterfall pool

then we went to another spot for snorkelling and jump by a 22 feet cliff

Evening dinner by the beach

Day 3 was super relaxing. We stayed in the hotel

Tony did kayaking with Sofia

while Lizzy played

and I read. I’m enjoying reading these days and have been reading every night before sleep, and feel so much more accomplished and relaxed than growing the internet

then Sofia join me and Lizzy for some beach time

Tony went for some diving

watermelon smoothie by the pool when it got too hot

Day 4: we did kayaking with Lizzy this time

it was her first time as the last time in Vietnam she was asleep the whole time

my favourite spot and activity

that concluded our 4 days 3 nights trip to Siquijor. I love love traveling as a family of 4. It bounds a lot. We all got closer to each other because we focus on the play, not having to worry about “to-do”.