The Last Two Months

So, I guess I disappeared for a while. But I have good reasons. Namely getting pregnant while on vacation in Japan and the ensuing 16 weeks of brutal morning sickness. That was awesome. There was lots of crying and eating of Cheerios.

Then Toto, Yaya, and I packed our bags and flew to Washington DC for 6 weeks of training. Toto had a blast doing American things like playing on grass and going to the library. She also had lots of first tastes like raspberries, blackberries, peaches, and nectarines. She loved visiting the zoo, Lincoln Memorial, Botanic Gardens, riding the metro and bus, and eating her weight in gelato.

Her grandma and grandpa and two titas (aunts) came to visit, we spent every Saturday morning at Eastern Market eating pancakes, I caught up with old friends, found a prenatal yoga class, and we all had fun despite the dry heaving in the shower (water was a major trigger). But we missed The Shark.

After six weeks in DC, Yaya headed back to Manila (hard for both Toto and I) and we (with Tita A's help) flew to Detroit. I won't get into how badly Delta botched that short flight because, well, it's to be expected on Delta. The Shark flew in the next day and we were so happy to have him back!

We spent a week in Brighton swimming and running. Oh, that's another story. After running hard the first four weeks of pregnancy, I ran a total of .5 miles the next 12 weeks. Granted I did lots of walking and yoga, but I missed running terribly. In Brighton, I got in three runs--2 miles, 2 miles, and 3.4 miles. I was real slow and had to take several pee breaks (reminder: do those Kegels), but it felt awesome. And while I am ranting about pregnancy, what the hell second pregnancy? Why did I start wearing maternity clothes at three months instead of six, and feeling like my hips were breaking at 16 weeks instead of 30? The first pregnancy was awesome, this one, well not quite as easy. December 2 seems like a long way away.

Where was I? Oh yes, Michigan. Toto had lots of fun at the beaches near my parents' house. We caught up with lots of good friends and spent dinners chasing kids around while sneaking in sips of wine and reminiscing about the past. We celebrated the 4th with a BBQ and some grocery store fireworks. Just like my childhood.

Also got to see lots of doctors. Toto weighs 25 pounds and is 3 feet tall, putting her at 50% for weight and 97% for height! We also got to see Baby Genkee (did I mention that's what Toto named her unborn sibling?) who is growing along.

After a week of doting by the grandparents, we headed up to East Lansing to remind Toto of where she will go to college. Despite the Africanized mosquitoes (I made that up, but it might be real. I don't have time to do the research), we had fun seeing Sparty, the stadium which Toto deemed "too loud," the Red Cedar River, and the gardens where we got married 10 YEARS AGO.

Now we are lounging on Green Lake in Interlochen. More to come.

Last Japan Post: Osaka

We had a day and a night in Osaka before we flew back to Manila so we decided to stay in an airport hotel. It was fine, but it was a 30 minute train ride from Osaka. Our flight wasn't until the evening so we got up bright and early to head into the city. I beelined for an adorable "slow food" cafe for breakfast, but realized it didn't open for another hour. The rest of our traveling party was not thrilled. We managed to entertain Toto for an hour then stood pathetically near the doorway until the let us in. Toto promptly whacked her head on a table and screamed for a while. The donuts were worth the wait.

One of the main goals was to see the moss buddha. After walking for about 20 minutes, there it was in all its mossy glory. We poured some water on it.

Then we stopped by the must-see Dotonbori street, full of huge mechanized and brightly-lit signs.

 And then sampled the local fare - Okonomiyaki - a pancake. Maybe shouldn't have gotten the cheese.

Japan was an adventure. A clean, organized, rule-oriented adventure. Hopefully we make it back before we leave Manila in 2015.

Japan: Yudanaka

And back to Japan, folks. Yes, this trip occurred in March and it is now May. Carry on.

The original plan was for The Shark to do some skiing in Nagano (shocker: there is no skiing in the Philippines), but since we had limited time with Sister and her Hubby, we decided to nix the snow and stay in a traditional ryokan in Yudanaka, a small town outside of Nagano.

From Nagano it was another 30 minute train ride out to Yudanaka. Our tiny van pulled up and all 6 of us crammed in. Our driver spoke mostly no English and it was hysterical when we tried to ask him how far the hotel was from the station. He held up 5 fingers, then 4, then 10, while we shouted out guesses, Kilometers? Miles? Minutes? Hours? It turned out to be pretty close. Then we saw this cat. Maybe it was better he couldn't understand us.

Just, why?

The hotel was amazing. The whole room was covered in tatami mats and we slept on thin futons. The best part of the hotel was the many hot spring baths you could relax in, including the one attached to our room.

Every night we had an elaborate multi-course dinner.

That's Toto's seat in the middle with the Hello Kitty silverware. She mostly ate the rice.

It always looked pretty and tasted fresh.

The highlight of the trip, besides seeing Sister and her Hubby, was the snow monkeys. We decided to forego the bus and head up there on foot. There were lots of signs.

The monkeys were adorable soaking in their hot tub. And so docile. I am generally very wary of monkeys, especially after I saw one grab a woman's glasses off her face in Bali. But these guys were way used to humans and weren't looking to snatch any of our stuff.

And luckily there was a sign warning of us, you know, this:

We sampled some local soba and it was delicious. Funny story about this place. We had to wait outside for a table, so obviously we bought some beers while we waited. There are no trash cans in Japan, so we put all the bottles in a bag and stashed them under our table while we ate. And of course mine wasn't empty and may have spilled a little. I didn't even want to have that non-versation with the restaurant lady so we left a good tip, and got out of there.

Because more drinking was in order, we went to a sake brewery. This man was very nice. It was self-serve, which seemed like a bad idea. But was awesome.

Yudanaka was a nice break from city life, even if it did snow our last day. I, being from Manila, immediately assumed someone was burning something and that was ash in the air. It was Toto's first snow by the way. At least now she can recognize it in books.

Hiking Philippines: Taal Volcano

For our third Philippines hike we decided to check out the top of Taal Volcano in Tagaytay. Since we were going to be all the way down there we figured breakfast at Antonio's was in order. The new breakfast restaurant overlooks the volcano and is beautiful. The service was a little slow, maybe because they were new. And the omelettes were a little salty, but overall a good experience. 

A friend had given us the number of a guide in advance so we texted him on the way out of the restaurant and decided to meet him at the bottom of the hill. About halfway down a motorcycle starts circling our car, so The Shark rolls down the window and the driver shouts, "I'm Albert, follow me." The Shark turns to me and asks, "Is our guide named Albert?" Of course I have him listed as "Taal Guide" in my phone and couldn't quite understand what he was saying when we talked. So we followed him and turns out he was our guide. We parked and then traipsed though his house out to the boat. 

The 40 minute boat ride was uneventful. Then we arrived. I don't know what I was expecting, but a bunch of makeshift houses and some guys washing their cows in the water was not it. The registration area was in shambles and immediately the sellers swarmed us. Did we want to ride a horse? No. Did we want a mask for the dust? No. Did we want a hat for the sun? No. Turns out maybe we wanted all three. 

The hike was brutally hot with almost no shade, luckily it was only about 90 minutes roundtrip. The trail - of a major tourist attraction mind you - was literally covered in horse poop. Which meant lots of flies. And the dust was real bad.

Fortunately the view at the top was nice, despite the shacks selling crap, and The Shark and Sister's Hubby got to shoot a few golf balls into the crater. Oh, and they had buko. 

I definitely wouldn't go back, but nice to check it off the list.

Manila Restaurants: 2012 Edition

I like to eat. Who doesn't? Manila has a lot to offer when it comes to restaurants. Pretty much anything you want, you can find. However, traffic is a nightmare, so we tend to stay close to home in Makati. So keep in mind that most of my reviews are from around there, a few we ventured a little further. Also, I don't really eat meat. The Shark does (duh), so his picks are here, too. Happy eating!

Best Vegetarian
1. Corner Tree Cafe
Intimate setting (sometimes tables are too close), awesome walnut tofu burger, good service, always crowded
2. Pipino
Reasonably priced, good service, nice selection, weird decor, limited parking

3. Sugar Leaf, Roxas corner Buendia, Makati
Convenient parking, delicious juices, small organic grocery store

Best Mexican
1. Orale, The Fort
Great decor, outdoor seating, fresh ingredients, good beer selection

2. Chihuahua, Greenbelt
Nice selection of sauces, always out of guacamole, adequate indoor seating, great margaritas (or so I've heard), now open in Greenbelt but prefer the Makati Ave branch
3. FaBurrito, Makati Columns
Fast delivery, consistent taste, not open Sundays, budget friendly, good veggie chips
4. Achoite, Rockwell, Power Plant Mall
Outdoor seating, good selection of beer, fresh ingredients

Best Italian
1. Caruso, Bel-Air Village, Makati
Great ambience, awesome service, excellent food, nice selection of wine
2. La Grotta, Legaspi Village
Cute atmosphere, decent food


Best Filipino
1. Mesa Filipino
Great for big parties, quick service, tasty salads

2. XO 46 Bistro
Small wine pours, slow service, friendly chef, delicious tofu sisig

Best Mediterranean
1. Hossein's, Greenbelt 3
Outdoor seating, quick service, large selection, awesome hummus and falafel
2. Cafe Mediterranean, Greenbelt 1
Delivers, consistent,

Best Pizza
1. Papa John's
Tastes like America
2. Yellow Cab
Fast delivery, a little greasy, overall good


Best View
1. Skydeck, Bayleaf Hotel, Intramuros

Best Indian
1. Legend of India
dim lighting, average service, delicious naan
2. New Bombay
Delivers, decent ambiance, inconsistent quality

Best Thai
1. People's Palace
Hard to get a reservation, nice outdoor seating, best Thai in town

Best Moroccan
1. Food stall at Salcedo Market.

Best American/Comfort Food
1. Apartment 1B
Always packed (make a reservation), comfortable seating, attentive servers, overpriced, great salads
2. Draft, The Fort
Awesome fish and chips, excellent beer selection

Best European
2. Sala Bistro
Outdoor seating, good service, 

Best Spanish
1. Terry's
Great wine selection, hearty pours, yummy
2. Alba, Bel-Air Village
Great live music

Best Japanese
1. Sereyna, Little Tokyo, Makati
Always busy, cool seating, delicious food
2. Omakase, Ayala Triangle
Great location in the park, limited beer selection, tasty food
3. Kokoro, Roxas Blvd., Manila
Quick meal, yummy ramen and rolls

Best Dessert
1. Chocolate Fire
Beautiful display case (that they don't allow you to take pictures of!), creative combinations (dark chocolate covered honey comb)
2. Cafe Breton
Amazing crepes, cute outdoor seating, blogged about the deliciousness here

Best Brunch
1. Sofitel
Totally decadent, very pricy
2. Marriott
Dessert room, lots of options

Japan: Kyoto

We spent 10 days in Japan. Lovely, crazy, cold, and oh so foreign Japan. It was tough to decide where to go, but we narrowed it down to Kyoto, Yudanaka, and Osaka. First stop, Kyoto.

After a quick 3 hour flight from Manila, we landed in Osaka. Getting our JR (train) passes was a major pain. It took over an hour. And this was after we pre-paid for them online. We missed our train, so grabbed some soba and beer. Which Toto loved--the soba, not the beer. And Yaya got to try chop sticks for the first time. I have to say that surprised me as she lives in the ASIA. And has travelled all over the world. But she got the hang of it pretty quick. Once we started riding trains, we fell in love. They were clean, on time, and spacious. And had vending machines. The best part was that Toto didn't have to sit if she didn't want to, which she never does.

Where we slept

Kyoto Royal Park Hotel, nice ambience in the lobby, expensive breakfast, friendly staff, cramped quarters, convenient location. But the best discovery? Heated toilet seat. 

What we did

The Shark booked us two private tours and a group tour through Tours by Locals, and we were impressed. My favorite activity was the private cooking class. We started out by shopping in the Nishiki Market, which was about a ten minute walk from our hotel. Thank god for our guide, or we seriously wouldn't have known what 90% of the food was. Most stalls had samples and I was in heaven when we hit a huge shop of dried fruit. We ended up with some cranberries, strawberries and kiwi. And an awkward encounter when I tried to buy the display items. 

Persimmons 

Then we walked over to our guide's apartment. We tried to act like we weren't staring at everything, but we were. And the toilet seat was heated there too! We had a blast learning how to make sushi rolls, spinach salad, and miso soup. And by the time we finished cooking, we were STARVING and wolfed it down.

Pretty and delicious.

Just like all the Asian tour groups we saw in Washington, DC, we had to reciprocate and joined a huge bus tour to see some palaces and temples.

Stay with your buddy and be back to your bus in 1 hour!

We spent a whole day on a private guided tour of Fushimo-Inari, a Shinto Shrine built up a mountain to honor a huge rock at the top. We walked several flights of stairs and saw smaller shrines along the way. When we came a map, our guide showed us that it is possible to go all the way to the top, and laughed as though we would even consider doing that. Then her eyes bugged out of her head when I said of course I wanted to go to the top and see that rock. So we did. And it was beautiful.

Just a few more steps...

Top o' the mountain

What we ate

As soon as we arrived we found the closest organic store and headed out to stock up on milk for Toto. It was called "Help" for reasons unknown to me and I couldn't read anything, but just felt better knowing it was a natural grocer. We got some fruit, milk, and tons of snacks. Toto ended up loving these rice crackers with seaweed. If I would have known, I would have bought 20 bags.

We had dinner twice on Pontocho, a narrow road near our hotel. Once for the best sushi ever (Kappa Zushi), and the other for an awesome Italian meal to celebrate The Shark's birthday. Yes, Italian. You can only eat so much soba and fish. On the other hand you can never get enough sake.

You'll love the food here. If you can find your restaurant.

What we saw

Kyoto did not disappoint in the blossom department. We were fortunate enough to be there for the end of the plum blossoms and the beginning of the cherry blossoms. 

The we hopped on a train to head for the mountains and meet up with Sister and her Hubby.

Community Service

Every year our office (200+ employees!) organizes an event for our Leadership Day. This year we played sports with Philippine Special Olympians in the morning and did service projects in the afternoon. I signed up for bocce ball as it seemed to require the least skill, and mind you, we were playing outside in direct sunlight. My Philippine counterparts were AMAZING at bocce ball. One girl got her ball within inches of the target ball every time. I wasn't quite as good.

After lunch we split up and my group headed to a home that feeds and educates street children. I was shocked when I realized it was about a 1/4 mile from my house. The kids weren't around so we painted most of the walls white and helped organize the library.

Before

After

I see shocking poverty every day on my way to and from work, and this was a good reminder that anyone can do a lot to help in just a couple hours.