I've been traveling since I was a baby. My first trip on a plane was when I was barely two months old. I got addicted to plane rides eversince. Thank God it was a vice we could afford. My mom, an avid traveler (from whom I got the obsessive compulsion to have my passport stamped every 3 months), took us all to different places every year. We all looked forward to summer and christmas vacations because it would mean we would be going to Hong Kong or Thailand or some other foreign country again. And even if we didn't have the time to travel abroad, we would travel to local places and be exposed to a myriad of sights and sounds. I'm pretty proud of the places I've been to mainly because it has widened my horizon and made me more accepting of people and cultures.
Among my most favorite places are the old world countries of Europe. I've lived in the US and boy is it nice.. And Asia has its tantalizing allure but Europe.. oh Europe.. it is indeed in a league of its own.
We were there for more than two months! We got to travel around Switzerland, Austria and the allied countries thanks to Rail Europe.. and of course the Schengen Visa.. Traveling by train is simply amazing! You get to see so many beautiful scenery it would just awe you! The Swiss Alps, Lucerne, Vienna, Amsterdam, the small towns of Hungary.. such beauty and tranquility beyond words. It was a blessing to behold such magnificense. We also got live in London for a month! I didn't notice we had been there for a long time.. not until 'blimey weather' and 'afternoon tea' had become part of my vocabulary. Beautiful memories indeed.
And then there are our travels to Asia - Bangkok, Thailand. Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bali, Indonesia. Seeing and being with people who have the same physical features as ours and with whom we share some similarity in terms of cultures and traditions but are still quite different in many aspects is a humbling experience. I've learned to value the characteristics which set us apart as Asians because I've been a witness to how beautiful our race is.
So it is with immense joy that I get to share this penchant for travel with my hubby and son. Ivan and I have been traveling abroad for years. We've been to Singapore and Malaysia but we found it more enjoyable to travel with our little boy in tow. Although he is quite a handful, we can't imagine ever going to places without Macky. I knew it was the right decision when Ivan told me after we got home that this was his best travel abroad ever. After all, we got to do it as a family.
We're planning our Hong Kong trip this December.. I'd really like Macky to see Disneyland... a prelude to our US trip next Spring, though Ivan wants to go back to Thailand before we go to the US. It'll be another chink in our bank account but what the heck?
Sometimes, the best things in life are really quite expensive. But the memories, the lessons and the bonding are truly priceless.
