Philippines & Thailand with an almost 2 year old

I’m first generation filipino-american and my parents frequently took me to visit family in our motherland so this trip was especially exciting as it would be the first time both my husband and my daughter would visit the PI. Mabatang is a small town in the province of Bataan where my parents grew up. They talk of a time before structures and pollution cluttered the unpaved roads and this beautiful jungle and river existed. Growing up, through tainted American-standard lenses, I couldn't see the beauty they saw, I couldn’t understand why they kept taking me there. My parents made it quite clear that they grew up poor with very little opportunity and found a way to America to live out the dream and provide us with a life FULL of opportunity. And from as long as a I can remember, they had been planning their retirement to return back to the PI. One day, I mentioned to my mom that when I would dream of being home, no matter where I was currently living, it would always take place in our childhood home, a home they sold when I was around 15 years old and hadn’t lived in for many years. She responded to me with: why do you think your dad and I go to the Philippines so much? It’s our home, it’s in our dreams. That’s when I finally understood why they kept returning here.

Philippines

We definitely took advantage of free airfare for a lap infant right before her 2nd birthday. We upgraded ourselves to bulkhead and ended up getting the entire row to ourselves. Luckily, Addie slept for a good portion of this long flight with minimal meltdowns.

We got to stay in my parents nearly completed retirement home and spent a day visiting their ranch and driving around town. My Brother in law and 6 of our friends joined us in the PI. We held Addie’s Baptism at a local church and the celebration at my parents new home. We spent a day with a hired driver to visit Olongapo, the zoo and a local beach.

Palawan. Puerto Princesa. We stayed at this cute boutique hotel with direct beach access and on site tour arrangements. We did book the Underground River tour ahead of time because I read it can get booked up. We were warned about the darkness within the cave and that some children can get scared. Addie hadn’t really exhibited a fear of the dark so we took our chances and a handful of snacks for distraction. She did great!

We also spent a day Island hopping to Cowrie, Starfish and Luli Island with impressive snorkeling and white sands only invisible in low tide.

Thailand

Upon arrival in Bankok, Addie developed a high fever so we asked the staff for help in getting us to a nearby hospital. They hailed a Taxi which took us to a luxurious resort- like hospital and we were lucky to be helped by an English speaking physician. She examined Addie and determined that she had tonsillitis and prescribed antibiotics and cough syrup. We wanted her to rest as much as possible so my husband and I took turns staying in the hotel with her and meeting up with friends for activities. I went to the floating market and interacted with Elephants while Angel went to the night market and sky bar. We did easy activities with Addie such as a short tuk tuk ride to the Grand Palace and a hired a private driver to take us to Ayutthaya. She got much better just in time for Phuket.

In Phuket we stayed across the street from Kata Beach. We spent a day boat touring the Ko Phi Phi Islands and swimming in the magnificent Maya Bay. Angel and I took turns jumping off the boat to snorkel while Addie laughed as she saw us swimming with fish.

Itinerary

Day 1: LAX - MNL Day 2: Arrive in Manila, drive to Mabatang Day 3: Drive to sites around Mabatang Day 4: Addie's baptism & party Day 5: Zoobic Tiger Safari in Olongapo + Beach Day 6: Fly MNL - PPS Day 7: Underground River Tour Day 8: Island Hopping Day 9: Beach day Day 10: Fly PPS - MNL - BKK Day 11: Grand Palace, Angel- night market/ Sky bar restaurant Day 12: Melissa- Elephants + Floating Market Day 13: Ayutthaya Day 14: fly BKK- HKT Day 15: Beach day Day 16: Ko Phi Phi Island and Maya Bay Day 17: Beach day. Angel- Fishing Day 17: HKT-LAX home

Logistics: We packed a child carrier and an umbrella stroller that we barely used.