Gong Xi Fa Cai: Happy New Year from Boracay, Philippines

Destination: Boracay, Philippines

Getting there: Cebu Pacific Air – 3 hours 45 minute fight from Kuala Lumpur to Manila, Philippines; 45 minute flight from Manila to Caticlan; 10 minute boat ride to Boracay Island

Where we stayed: Boracay Beach Club hotel – Station 1, White Beach

Time spent: 5 nights, 6 days

Gong Xi Fa Cai, literal translation "to increase your wealth" is a saying for Chinese New Year, or the Lunar New Year that is celebrated throughout China. Due to the large Chinese population all over Asia, we are fortunate enough to get this as a long holiday; a perfect opportunity for a beach getaway to the beautiful island of Boracay in the Philippines.

The first day we spent traveling starting from Kuala Lumpur to Manila on a 1 am redeye flight, which was 3 hours and 45mins. Once we got to Manila, we had a 3 hour layover, then another 45 minute flight to Caticlan (Boracay) A greeter from our hotel, Boracay Beach Club, was waiting for us when we arrived and we took a quick 10 minute boat ride to the island of Boracay. We arrived at 11 am on Thursday morning and were ready to find a bed, quick. The crystal clear water and white powdery beach tempted us to start exploring, but we had to take a quick nap first as we had missed a night of sleep due to our early flight.

Boracay Beach Club was a nice boutique hotel located on Station 1 of White Beach. It was prime location for restaurants, nightlife, or just lounging on the beach. After we got a bit of rest, we had dinner on the beach at our hotel while watching the breathtaking sunset. It was the perfect way to end our first day.

The next day was even better than the first! We went out on our first dive with Fisheye Divers, with our dive guides Carlos and Peter, to the dive site Camilia that was a shipwreck that happened 10 years ago. The water was clear and warm and it was a great way to get back in the water and acquainted with diving. After our first dive, Kaes decided to go on another dive and I decided that I had overexerted myself too much for one day. Therefore, I opted out of the second dive and decided on a massage on the beach. It was the perfect way to relieve me of all the stress ;) After my massage and Kaes' dive, we went back to our room to clean up and get ready to watch the beautiful sunset with bright orange and pink lighting over the horizon.

Moray eel

Nemo

Lion fish

Day three we had a delicious breakfast at our hotel, and then went out for a dive to the site called Bailinghai. The dive was quite easy and relaxing. The afternoon had a few rain storms, but luckily we were able to enjoy some Mexican food at Jony’s Bar and the most delicious mango shake we have ever had. Fresh mango is everywhere throughout the Philippines and fresh fruit drinks are made all up and down the beach.

Enjoying a swim in the clear waters

Of course we had to get our fill of fresh delicious Mexican food and once we discovered Jony’s, we had every meal after at the same place. Mahi Mahi grilled burritos with fresh cilantro and pico de gallo and tuna ceviche in coconut milk were some of our favorites {the whole menu was wonderful!!!}. We were thrilled to finally get some delicious Mexican food as we have not found a place in KL that is worthy of calling their food “Mexican.”

Tempted to eat here, but it was half the food for 3 times the price AND  you were required to pay for your neighbor's dinner as well as your own...

The entire island was stunning with beauty!

The rest of the trip was spent relaxing on the beach and going diving. The coral was so colorful and full of many different species of fish and other sea life. Boracay has taken the crown for our favorite beach vacation in Southeast Asia. We couldn’t seem to get enough of the crystal blue water, white powdery sand, great diving, romantic sunsets, cheap local beer, excellent Mexican food, and friendly faces. It is definitely a place we hope to visit again very soon!

View from the boat coming back from a dive

In two weeks, we have another 2 day holiday and will make use of the long weekend on our first visit to Hong Kong!!!

Stay tuned for our adventures in the southern province of China - Hong Kong!

New Year's Resolutions...and what I have learned so far....

I know this comes almost a month now after New Year's, but I figured I would go ahead and post it anyway. After much thought, I wanted to discuss my New Year's resolutions...

The typical resolution of "I'm going to lose weight this year" is always a given, but I wanted to really stick to some New Year's resolutions that were not your "ordinary" resolutions, and something to make me a better person, as well as help me enjoy our new adventure in KL.

My first one is to try and be more positive. I say this in that as some of you may know, the first month here in KL was pretty rough for us. I would say it was our hardest move yet, and we should be better at it by the 4th move (in 4 years). KL is a wonderful city with a lot to offer, but like a lot of places, it has its own challenges. People do not operate and do things the way we do in the US. That being said, I have noticed that I lose my patience a lot more than I should (and need to) I guess that ties in with another resolution of being more patient. Not only for health reasons, but being patient and explaining things that you want done in a calm manner can get you much further than losing your temper. Knowing this is one thing...doing is another. Asians in general do not respond well to blowing up and being loud or yelling at them, and customer service doesn't really exist. They pretty much freeze up do not respond at all. So, I am trying each day to be more patient, calm, and to enjoy the new culture we are living in.

My second is to do a better job of chronicling our lives overseas. I usually write up about our most recent excursion to some other foreign country, but don't do a good job of discussing what we do here on the weekends, our new friends we meet, or touring around the city in search of a new market place to get great cheap food.

I will do my best to work on my resolutions in hopes that they become more of a way of life instead of a "resolution" (especially the positive and patient part)

So what are your resolutions for the New Year???? Would love to hear what new goals you have for the new year!!!

Love and Hugs,
Kim

Happy New Year from Kuala Lumpur!!!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and very Happy New Year!!!

Our Christmas was spent anxiously awaiting the completion of work on our new house in KL. Christmas day was pretty quiet and we missed being home with family and friends, but were invited to spend Christmas dinner with some friends. Traditional dinner of turkey, ham, green bean casserole, dressing, and more desserts than you can imagine, made the day seem like we were at home.

After moving to KL almost two months earlier, we finally got to move in! The movers delivered and help unload all of our goods, and the feeling of sleeping back in our own bed was indescribable. Oh how we had missed it so much!

The pups were excited to explore their new yard and Jaek couldn't wait to jump into the refreshing pool to cool off. He loves to swim!

I have been travelling for the past 6 weeks to Singapore during the week and come home on the weekends. I have to say I am definitely ready to finally stay home and enjoy our home (as well as finish organizing and unpacking the rest of the boxes!!!) The house is in livable order, but needs a bit more attention in the office area and bedrooms. Unfortunately, our office desk top (made of glass) was shattered in the move, so we are waiting until a new desk comes in. Hopefully we will be able to get the office all sorted and looking more organized after, but for now, our makeshift desk will have to do.

Below are a few pictures (minus the photos of unfinished rooms) of the kitchen, dining, living room, lounge, and pool area.

The lounge area looking out to the patio and pool

The dining room looking out to the outdoor breakfast area and kitchen

The dry kitchen area

One of our first priorities to get the BBQ pit, smoker, patio furniture and pool area ready to have a pool party. We both worked very hard and were able to celebrate New Year's Day smoking some delicious pork ribs and grilling on the BBQ while sitting by the pool with friends. It was a great way to start out the New Year.

We hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!!! xoxo