Summer 2014 - our Great Wolf Lodge Adventure

Our calendar in the kitchen said "Mom's birthday - Surprise!" On July 18.  For the next days, it said "Niagara" so it kinda gave them an idea where we are going over the weekend. Before the big day, I prepared our baon and Sharyn and I tried on making a sushi which turned out to be fine except for the rice being too soft and sticky and our roll looked like a bun, hahaha. On the actual day of my birthday, I cooked spaghettini and while preparing my youngest asked, "What's the surprise Mom? I replied, it will not be a surprise anymore if I told you. But he was persistent so I just told him we will eat the chocolate cake for dessert to make him stop inquiring. After lunch, I asked them to prepare to leave and my two younger boys didn't want to go. I blew the candles on my cake and my youngest son asked again, "mom is it true that we are going to Niagara? To the Waterpark?" and his dad said No. Lex was referring to the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark that we usually visit and I added that the waterpark is fully booked and we can't go there. Well, what I didn't tell is the part that there's another Waterpark - the Great Wolf where I have a reservation. Lex started to whine and said he didn't want to go because it was going to be boring just going to the falls without going to the Waterpark. Lito told them we will all go and he was assuring them that they are going to enjoy the celebration of mom's birthday.

On the road, Lex was cranky and he keep on saying this trip is going to be boring. I didn't say anything to keep them wondering where we are headed. You could just imagine how hard it was for the boys, hahaha. Lito and I kept the secret until they were slowly figuring out because we were following the signs to Great Wolf Lodge. The Older boys got it right away and got excited but Lex was clueless. His face was still in wonder and he said, I heard it from Lucas and he asked if it was a Waterpark, his face lit up after finding out but got worried again because he asked if he could do slides for the bigger kids, I said Yes. He then replied excitedly, "then I think this is not going to be boring!"

We were able to check in right away when we arrived at  1:35pm.  We were supposed to get our room at 4:00pm but we were lucky to have it ready by the time we arrived. We were at the Waterpark by 2:00 pm and my boys were very happy especially the youngest because he was given a band that allowed him to ride all the slides except for 2 - Niagara Rapids run - a rollercoaster sort of ride and the Grizzly Bear slide - single long slide.  When we tried the Wholly Mammoth, he was ecstatic! He was screaming but also was laughing.  You could see it in the videos.  They spent more time at the Rainbow lake - a wave pool where they practiced their swimming skills from their lessons this summer. From what we've seen, we can say, we got our ROI na, time to enroll them to the next level.



In between the slides from Beaver and Squirrel Falls (slides for kids 4 and up) the kids stayed at either of these places - Fort Mackenzie and Otter Pool. Fort Mackenzie tree house was where they enjoyed  firing water to bystanders and people passing by under the tree. We always scream when the big bucket full of  water - 1,000 gallons of it tip from the tree top because everyone does, makes us all drench and happy.  Otter pool is where we played basketball while in the water.

There is an area for the babies and even the kiddie slides there were tested by my kids and later on commented as simple and boring. Their other favorite was the Crystal River  - a lazy river because we just go on a clear tube and be carried by the waves. The kids later just swam thru the current and pass by the lazy people on the tubes. Meanwhile, the oldies found a good spot at the adult hot tub where Lito and I had quality time while enjoying the hot spa under the rain outside the park. A must-try for those who want to relax. Only 16 and above are allowed in this area.

The slides and rides are the highlights of this trip. There were the Eagle Falls and Bobcat Falls where kids like Lex can do with an adult in a double or 8 tube. In the same level is the Grizzly bear ride, a longer version of the Eagle and Bobcat falls but here you are on a single tube. Lex would have loved this ride but at his height and age, he was not allowed to go solo. The next exciting ride in this level was the Canada Vortex - a dark and steep tube that goes on a whirlpool before the final drop on a rushing water. When Sharyn and I tried this, we were screaming at the top of our lungs. But did you know that my 5-year old Lex took this ride 3 times and always said, that was fun or that was exciting! He said he will tell his grandma - Mama that he was not afraid and considered this as his favorite. By the way, Aloysius tried it only once with me and Kyle didn't, saying just by looking at it, I think it is scary.

The next 2 are the favorites among the park guests because the lines are always long and they were really more thrilling than the rest. Wholly Mammoth is the largest ride at the park where the whole family can go on a raft and scream all together while they go on a long and fast slide down. This is our family's favorite although we didn't go at the same time because the raft can only accommodate 4 people.

Niagara Rapids Run is the most exciting ride of all with all the ups and downs. This is the rollercoaster ride at the park and sends you screaming on a 52 feet drop with long and fast turns and loops. Lito and I tried it twice one after the other and he said on the second time, mimicking Lex - this is boring! Hahaha.

Aside from the slides, we also enjoyed the Frog Pond (where Lito and Aloysius leaped from one leaf to the other) and the Loon lagoon - a pool outside. When we went there on our second day, it was raining so there were only 2 families on the pool. We almost have the pool to ourselves. The kids had the chance to show off their swimming skills again and we were able to capture underwater shots.

The resort's amenities and the room lived up to my expectations - clean, nice cabin designs and big enough for my 3 kids. The bunk bed was designed with wild animal paintings and they have their own TV. We spent some time on the balcony where we fed the birds.  The room had a ref, coffee maker and microwave so it was easy to heat food and I was able to cook eggs using my eggie.

If it was not for my birthday, we could have stayed again in the other Waterpark but I thought its time to try something else, something special for my kids to remember my birthday so even if the trip cost a little more, we chose Great Wolf Lodge Niagara.  Seeing my kids faces and listening to their endless after-the -trip stories, it was worth it. Borrowing MasterCard's motto, Priceless!

Dollar Power: I got a good deal from this trip because I availed the Summer fun promo - 30% OFF the regular package and I also received a FREE Photobook coupon.  Below is the link to the 8x8 hard cover 20-page photobook I ordered from Shutterfly. Enjoy watching!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Turn your favorite photos into a photo book at Shutterfly.com.

Finnegan Lake Adventures - Summer is not yet over

We headed East this time with the Tuazon's who invited us to their cottage in Peterborough, ON. We were joined by Henry and Violet to complete the Etobicoke Cell group sans Anabel and Ralph. It was a long drive almost 4 hours travel including the stops we did to have coffee and buy stuff at the Apsley town. It was worth the wait, upon reaching the Finnegan Lake and the mala roller coaster ride at the mouth of the place, our kids got excited when we all saw the lake. It was awesome!

After setting up the tent, we had a quick lunch then we all went down to see the lake and test the waters. It was so cold, but then it didn't take a while for our bodies to adjust to the water temp, as long as you keep on moving and swimming, okay na. Sorry na Lang si Kyle who stayed on the ramp/dock because he was too afraid to jump. Lex and Kuya enjoyed swimming and wading through the deep but very clean and clear lake. We could see our feet and the weeds and the trunks of dead trees underwater. Someone told us that it was 20 feet from the dock and it goes deeper as you go towards the center of the lake, Good thing, we were wearing life vests. My children were very comfortable in the water, Sulit na Yung binayaran ko sa swimming lessons nila hahahaha. Even Kyle enjoyed the next day even requesting his dad for another round before the canoe ride.

I miss the hot summer days at the beach where our family always wanted to frolic! The white sand, the scorching sun and blue seas, but it was also fun here, even though the sun is out the water is still cold, what a contrast! If you have been to Bato Resort in Quezon or the Liliw or Nagcarlan resorts, you know what I am talking about.

I don't remember watching the just recently concluded summer Olympics with Lex but I know he may have watched it for sure especially the diving event because while we were at the dock, he told me he wanted to jump and while he was facing me, he started to put his feet on the edge of the ramp then he jump from that position turning around to face the lake until he makes the final jump, all by himself. I was dumbfounded! There was not a hint of fear on his face, That's my boy! After his famous jump, his dad and ninong Henry follow suit. All their pictures on synchronized jumping makes a good material for a TV ad, hahaha. Here's the video of Lex' jump:


Before dinner, we had a nice quiet time at the bench with the very nice view in front of us. An opportunity to have a reflection and think of God's mighty hand and abundant grace. Nature always give me that wonderful feeling and assurance of His love.

At night time, it was not as many mosquitoes as there was at Liebenzell so we enjoyed the night. We had a bible study before going to sleep, it was a very beautiful day.

Last Summer Hirit at Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-lake

It will only be 2 months before my mom and dad go back to the Philippines. Their stay here is not complete without them seeing Canada's most loved attraction - Niagara Falls. We headed to Niagara early this morning to spend the start of Labour Day weekend at the falls.

Every time we go to a tourist attraction, we make it a point to go to a Travel /Tourist Information desk to get some maps and some pointers on where to get the best parking place, stores and other attractions that I missed seeing in the internet. So after going to the Ontario Tourist desk in Niagara, we headed straight to the Skylon Tower parking, passed through the shortcut and voila, we arrived at mouth of The Falls.


It was still early (around 8:00 am) so we had the falls to ourselves and some early birds too (mostly Filipinos). Although it was my 3rd time to see the Falls, it always give that special aura to keep tourists like me returning. This time is special because I'm sharing this aura with my mom and dad. Our pictures tell them all.





The trip will not be complete without going to where the action is and see the attractions at Falls Avenue. We went to the Hershey's Store, Guinness Museum, Wax Museum and enjoyed seeing the biggest ferris wheel called Skywheel. We also had the opportunity to see Dinosaurs in another park, Lex cried at the sight. It was so humid we rested and took coffee break at Tim Horton's.




On our way back to where we parked, we saw the Floral Showcase - the small rose garden we liked very much. We saw different kinds and colors of roses. The kids had fun running around.

We had our lunch at Floral Clock gardens - another attraction up north on the way to Niagara-on-the-lake. It was like the floral clock at Luneta Park but bigger.

On the way to Niagara-on-the lake we passed by Fort George and had photo opps with a soldier and an old canon. The kids had fun especially Lex.


Niagara-on-the-lake is a heritage site and this is where you still see old Victorian and Georgian houses and establishments. Some old houses were converted to Bed and Breakfasts and it was so nice to see an old town. There were so many tourists on Queen Street (Main street) so we stayed at the Queen's Royal Park and took advantage of the lovely view and the cool breeze from the lake. Our stay there was made more memorable when we met Tony - an Organito (Italian accordion) player who entertained us with his music and stories about being in Canada. We had a wonderful time at the lakeside park seeing the US Fort Niagara across the lake and resting on our picnic mat. The kids had a great time playing (or removing the centuries-old trees' bark). We had lovely time seeing the wineries on our way home, although we experienced some great thunderstorm on the road. All in all, we had a terrific summer-ending. Next time, Marineland and wine tasting hehehe.

It's BBQ time! Kain tayo sa labas

It's almost summer and time to go out and enjoy the sun. It's also the time to remove the BBQ cover and cook our dishes in our BBQ grill, just like most of the families here. And just like them, we enjoy our food in our own little patio and picnic table. Lito mastered his BBQ Porkchops. Tara, Kain tayo sa labas.

Toronto Honda Indy Event

I was hoping we could watch Indy Racing cars event here in Toronto because I discovered that on Friday, July 16 it is free for the viewing public. The Honda Indy Toronto is an annual IndyCar Series race, held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally known as the Molson Indy Toronto, it was a Champ Car World Series race held annually from 1986 to 2007. The track has 11 turns, is a 1.755-mile (2.824 km) street circuit, and is located at Exhibition Place.

This weekend’s Honda Indy Toronto will mark the 24th year of major racing in downtown Toronto. The event is credited with bringing about $40 million into the local economy each year and is considered the region’s single largest sporting event. It is so vital, the federal government recently gave the race a $772,000 boost toward track improvements before next year’s 25th anniversary. I hope next year we can already watch the race cars from the grandstands. Hopefully, by then I already have my LUMIX so I can take pictures of these race cars using a compact camera. The organizers don't allow bringing in of DSLR and video cameras. The reason why it's not worth it going there even if it's free. No pictures to document our chance to meet the race car drivers.

Summer is here!

At last, I felt the humidity and saw the sun shining bright you can only experience in a tropical country like the Philippines. I thought summer is not going to be the same in Canada but it's almost here and I love it. What a great time to have a picnic in the park with your close friends and churchmates.

Our congregation went to Wilket Creek Park after the service yesterday to celebrate Angelo's birthday and for the kids and kids at heart to play under the sun. It was fun. My kids especially Lex enjoyed running around. Lito enjoyed taking pictures with the new wide and telephoto lens for his Nikon.

My family's Bohol and Cebu adventure

Even if I was not physically there, I was with them in spirit and constant communication thru mobile updates, hahaha. I was even part of the planning and packing activities. I was glad they enjoyed the vacation. I hope my brother Roty will forget about how much he spent for this holiday because the smiles on his daughter and son's face is priceless. I heard they were on the beach everyday before the sun rises until sundown except when they went for the countryside tour. Sinulit ba? Good thing, they were on the BBC/Dumaluan area - the shoreline is long and clean, no boats and quiet unlike the Alona beach area which is too commercialized, the restos are already occupying the shores. The Bagobo Beach Resort is not bad based on the pictures and the service according to Wendy is what made their stay worthwhile. Value-for-money deals are always recommendable. Where can you find a place where everything is already arranged for you and you were always treated like a VIP at little cost? I hope my readers who are planning for a Bohol vacation will be able to get in touch with Tessa and experience what my family did - a stressfree (money-wise) and an enjoyable one.

Things to do this Spring (and Summer)

As soon as I heard that there are free activities called Toronto Fun being offered twice a year by the City of Toronto to its residents, I searched for programs and tried to register my kids. The registration started last March 9 and would you believe, almost all the programs are full. I was only able to register for myself and one program for Aloysius in summer. The Swimming program in summer is not yet open for registration but I already plotted the schedules for both Miggy and Kyle. In the rest of the programs that Miggy requested because his classmates already registered, we are still waitlisted. I wonder what are the chances of us getting a slot in these programs. I guess I registered in all of them, those appropriate for Miggy's age and some for Kyle. You know, I got excited when I saw that no fees shall be collected because these are funded by the government of Toronto, especially in our area. Here's the schedule I mapped in Excel. Those marked in purple are for Miggy and those in blue for Kyle, mine's in red. In case you're wondering why so many activities for my kids in a day especially Saturdays, these are not yet final. Most of these are waitlisted. Hectic ba?

Here are the programs I have reserved:

For Kyle (4-5 years old):

Making Music
Creative Movement (Dance)
Jump and Play
Crafty Kids

For Miggy (6-8 years old)

Drawing and Cartooning
Keyboards Beginner
Computers for kids
Tennis Beginner
Badminton
Martial Arts
Indoor Soccer

For Irmee (17 yrs +)

Yoga
Cardio Hi/Lo
Boxercise
Adult Computers

We are privileged to take these programs and learn for free so why not grab it? I just hope we'll have a chance in the waitlisted courses. If we were still in the Philippines, these programs cost a lot, we can only afford one for each of the kids. We are thankful and looking forward to our first Spring here in Canada.

Toronto Top Destinations Part 2 (Summer)

Most of the following are closed for the winter season but a must-see destinations during summer:

The Beaches or the Beach
The Beaches (also known as "The Beach") is a neighbourhood and popular tourist destination located on the east side of the "Old" City of Toronto. Oh, just looking at the image invites you to take a splash. A relaxing oasis close to the city but a world away in small town atmosphere. It's also a favorite place to roller blade, bike or just take a relaxing stroll along the boardwalk that winds along the lake. You can also browse the many boutiques and eateries that line Queen St East. I heard many celebrities frolick this area. Stargazing, anyone?

African Lion Safari
This is similar to the Night Safari in Singapore where the manner of exhibiting animals is different from the traditional approach; that is, the visitor is caged in the car, and the animals roam in 2 to 20 hectare (5 to 50 acre) reserves.

We can view and photograph unique and rare mammals and birds who are roaming freely, waiting to devour you hahaha joke >>meet you. The Safari Trail takes you through prides of lions, troops of baboons and herds of zebra. You will see big cats, baboons, white rhino, ostrich, aoudad, eland, giraffe and many other exotic and native species.

Ontario Place
Ontario Place is an internationally acclaimed cultural, leisure and entertainment parkland located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The complex extends throughout three man-made islands along the Lake Ontario waterfront.

The following are its attractions; The Forum, pedal boats, a marina, restaurants and the world's first permanent IMAX® theatre, the Cinesphere. I wish to go here in summer.

Centre Island
A short ferry ride will take you to the delightful Centre Island. Also referred to as Toronto Island, it is a great place to take a break from the busy city life. It is a pedestrian-only village that features historic architecture and a number of cafes, pubs, an amusement park, recreation areas, beaches, a yacht club, and restaurants. It is just one of a string of small islands that make up the biggest urban car-free community in North America. Toronto Harbour cruises makes it to my wishlist, I hope to do this someday hahaha.

There are also lots of shopping malls to visit; The Eaton Centre is one and choose from the other malls in around GTA but I guess Vaughan Mills, Yorkdale and the Outlet Malls top the list for fashion and budget-conscious like me.

Survivor Caramoan (Day 2)

We woke up early for another day of adventure. From Paniman, our boat took us to Cotivas Islands in front is Guinohoan Island. On our way, we saw Bag-ing Island and more rock formation.
BAG-ING ISLAND
COTIVAS ISLAND
We then went to Manlawi Island also called Sandbar Island. We love it here because of the fine sand and we were in the middle of the sea but it's only knee deep. We stayed here for almost 3 hours because the boatman left us to look for fresh catch for our lunch. We took that opportunity to pose like FHM girls. Lia took great shots pang FHM talaga. Boats come and go but we remained in the island. I got my sunburn there but it's all worth it. We were laughing so hard when one tourist (let's call him Kuya Vest) who jumped off the boat with his life vest still on. Imagine the sandbar is only ankle deep. One of his companions from the other boat shouted at him to remove the vest but he remarked "bka magka-tidal wave" hahaha. We already started worrying because we were the only ones left and our boat was nowhere to be found. We were jumping when we saw kuya Flor but they didn't bring any fish for us. We ate Century Tuna instead at Basud (Part of Lahuy Island) where we met Kuya Vest and company. After eating, we pose again using the Survivor props as our background. Bakawan trees provided shade for us and this was also our relief station. We call this island our Pupu Island, so guess why we named it so, hehehe. Our boatman reminded us that we will go to Tabgon because the weather is great for climbing, it was not too hot and so off to our next adventure.


MANLAWI SANDBAR

BASUD ISLAND

BASUD ISLAND

On our way to Tabgon Island, we can already see the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and it looked like it's going to take hours before we reach the top. Our boatman said that natives can go with us as guide but since we didn't have money, we chose to do it on our own. We arrived at the foot of the Shrine of our Lady of Peace and just looking at the steps going up, we already felt tired. It took us 526 steps, lots of will and perseverance to see the spectacular view of Caramoan on top. We took one step at a time, taking a deep breath and enjoying the fresh air. Good thing, the weather cooperated with us, the scorching heat could have made our trip more difficult. We rested in between 100 steps, drink the water we brought and took pictures. The view from the halfway point was already awesome. It became more inspiring to finish when we already hear praise songs being played. When we reached the top, well almost, i could not move on to the Grotto which has a few more steps. Ivy and I just rested at the foot of the Grotto and took the time to pray and appreciate God's creation. We can see Caramoan islands from where we are. Amazing!


TABGON ISLAND



VIEW FROM HALFWAY POINT

AT LAST WE'RE ON TOP



Our Caramoan Survivor adventure has not ended, we headed back to Paniman Bay for our Umang Cave Trekking. On our way to the other end of Paniman, we met Survivor Israel staff and our guide Kuya Marlon showed us some of the venues where the Survivor challenges were being held. Too bad, we didn't have evidence we've been to these places because our cameras' batteries have worn off. Last picture we had for that day was before we sailed to the Manapot River near the entrance of Gota Village going to the mouth of Umang Cave.



Going to Umang Cave was one of our memorable challenges. Its entrance is about 30 feet above sea level so that meant hiking and braving the rocks again. I took all the guts to be able to finish this challenge. It was not as difficult as the trails in Matukad so we were able to climb in no time. We were speechless at the sight of the cathedral, comparable to what I've seen in St. Paul's Subterranean in Palawan, the difference is you need not ride a boat in an underground river to see such. The natural light coming in from the entrance showcases the stalactites and stalagmites. Awesome! It is cool inside, there are few bats and there's a certain smell that made us feel jittery. Going down was more challenging as I realized it was steep and when you look down, you'll think you fall off the mountain. At the foot of the entrance to the cave, there are more Survivor props. We can just imagine what the challengers did there.

The boat ride going back was now peaceful and we enjoyed talking to our boatmen who were paddling to reach our destination. We trek the stretch of Paniman Beach for new discoveries and our search for a filling but affordable dinner was a success. We found the by the bay resto near Tinago Inn and ordered fresh Adobong Pusit sa Gata, Pritong Maya-maya with the Bicol's fare Laing for our last supper in Caramoan. We were so full and tired that we hit the sack earlier. What a day!