Mom couldn’t wait to leave to the Philippines, as she hadn’t spent Christmas there for a very long time. Furthermore, this would be mom’s first Christmas with her mom. In fact, grandma had been working abroad during every Christmas that mom was able to remember.
For me this was my third trip to the Philippines!
Absurd ways for saving money 😀
The trip was very long because my dad always thinks of absurd routes to save money. We left on a night train that took us to Rome where we arrived in the early hours of the morning. Then we got on another train to go to the airport to catch a flight to the Philippines. We flew with Saudi Airlines with a stopover in Jeddah where, due to a technical problem, we waited a long time for the next flight to Manila. However, at the airport our Arab friends made up for it with some fantastic gifts in the pavilion dedicated to the 2030 World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Relax in chaotic Manila
We arrived in Manila just after midnight and from there we took a taxi to our hotel located a short distance from the Mall of Asia shopping center. We “relaxed” three days in chaotic Manila. We saw some of Mom’s dear friends again and did some business at the bank. I recommend everyone to download the Grab App which allows you to travel safely and without negotiating the price of taxi rides. Sometimes we also traveled with the traditional Jeepney, which has now become an icon of the Philippine capital. In fact, a holiday in Manila cannot exist without taking a Jeepney or a Pedicab (the latter now in danger of extinction).
Some things never change in Manila
Manila is an incredible city where almost futuristic and chic neighborhoods coexist with many other areas that have never changed over time, always with the same chaos and unfortunately also with the same dirt.
Finally Bohol
We arrived late in the evening at the grandparents’ house in Candijay and I was very happy to see them again and to be able to play with their three kittens! Upon waking up, immediately after breakfast, my dad wanted to leave for the wonderful Lara Beach Bohol, our white sand beach surrounded by coconut trees! My dad always says that one day he would like to live there with his mom, while she would like to stay in Milazzo. Will they move to Bohol? Will they spend 6 months in Sicily and 6 months in the Philippines? I recommend everyone to follow my blog to find out how it will end 😀
How to survive on crackers 😉
Everything went well until midnight on Christmas Eve when mom started feeling sick: chills, vomiting, high fever, muscle aches and headaches. She was so weak that she couldn’t even get out of bed. Dad had also been sick the day before but not like mom. Fortunately, I didn’t eat the rotisserie chicken I bought in Guindulman on our return from Anda beach and I didn’t get sick even though throughout my entire holiday in Bohol I ate very little because I didn’t like anything and I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t if there had been skyflakes. I must have eaten a hundred packs of crackers!
Bohol by car
During our holiday in Bohol we all took a trip together to visit the famous Chocolate Hills and the Tarsier Conservation Area. The tarsier, icon of the island of Bohol, is an exceptional creature in danger of extinction that the whole world knows from the film Madagascar and which is present only in the Philippines, especially on the island of Bohol.
Goodbye Philippines!
After New Year’s Eve we left for Manila and a couple of days later for Italy. I had a blast, especially at the Cosmic Kidz Party Pad in Manila and Lara Beach where I made some great friends. Goodbye Philippines!
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