travelling with a toddler. Bohol. and a cancelled flight.

a couple of weeks back we had our first family out of town trip for Von's birthday with a little ball of energy in tow. we flew to Bohol, it was our first ever out of Luzon vacation. i booked the trip mid last year with Bonchie being just 7 months old. at that time there was a seat sale and i guess the planes just called out to me reminding me how long ago its been since Von and I traveled.

Pre-Travel

so without any idea how difficult it was to travel with a toddler, we waited and planned until it was time to pack and leave. packing was challenging, as a mom, i am in charge of making sure that i packed everything that Bonchie would need for the next 3 days away from home. of course aside from Bonchie's needs, there was my needs and Von's needs too. for the many times that Von and I had traveled, we somewhat have a system in place when we pack. He takes out all the clothes that he'd bring and I pack everything else. So with Bonchie now in tow, I had to make sure that I remember to bring every important thing. Items such as his clothes, extra clothes, toiletries, snacks, toys, milk, milk accessories, etc. with these many items, travelling light is no longer an option.

i packed one huge suitcase for the 3 of us, 3/4 of which was Bonchie's things. it was really difficult to make sure that nothing was forgotten specially items needed when it comes to his feeding. Bonchie was a year and 3 months old when we flew. though he was already eating a lot of solid food, he still needs his milk. so with his milk comes the bottle, the bottles comes the sterilizer, comes the milk container, etc etc. Breastfeeding would've been the best option as it requires only me and him however when Bonchie turned 1, he just totally stopped and refused to breastfeed. thus, the end of our breastfeeding journey. even until now, i offer him the breast from time to time to see what he'd do. he usually just plays with it, pinches, kisses and smile as if it was the most awesome toy but he does not suck on it anymore. I use the Avent Microwave sterilizer for sterilizing his bottles, though it is handy, i have decided early on not to bring it along. it was handy yes, but bulky too. it was a blessing when i came across Playtex Premium Nurser with Drop in liners. it was perfect for travel as the bottle need not be sterilized because the drop in liners are already pre-sterilized. hence, i only need to wash and boil the nipples. with the Playtex Nurser, i only needed to bring this one bottle for the entire 3 day trip - oh well i brought 2 other Avent bottles just for the purpose of water storage. but Bonchie only used the Playtex bottle for the entire trip.

with the milking dilemma resolved, packing his clothing, accesories, etc was easy peasy. it was time to fly

Jan 22 - Travel Day

our plane leaves at around 8-ish, so Von and Bonchie picked me up from work (yes, I worked the night before) at around 5am. left our car in Horeshoe and took a cab to the airport. the travel was Bonchie's many first, it was his 1st time to ride a plane and a taxi cab too! being that they left very early, i expected Bonchie to be sleepy as we were waiting to board. but no, he's a little too pumped up maybe because of the new surroundings that was the airport, the sight of airplanes, or even the strangers (mostly foreigners) giving him a warm smile and saying hi to him from time to time. given that, it was already hard to keep him on his seat. the phase when we needed to chase him as he walks around has arrived.

airplanes are the coolest, mom!

#vmanalacs 1st plane ride

and so we boarded. one perk of travelling with a child is being the priority when boarding. we need not wait and fall in line as we were the first called to board the plane. it took time before the plane was able to take off. luckily, the little man has snoozed off before then. i really noticed the difference now that we are flying with a baby, Von read the emergency manual over and over while i was also taking mental notes of what to do in case of emergency. a prayer for safety is in repeat in my mind while i hold my sleeping baby close. flight to Bohol, took about an hour and change, Bonchie though has already woken up as we were preparing to land. i prayed that he would react to the motion and he didnt.

Alona Beach - Panglao Island, Bohol

upon touch down and claiming our baggage, our travel service has been waiting for us to take us to the island where the resort is. we stayed at the Lost Horizon Beach Resort, a beach front resort along Alona Beach. It took around 45 minutes of no traffic travel from the airport to the island which was connected by a bridge to the mainland.

we booked our "driver" via the resort, airport pick up cost 500php. we didn't mind as we have changed the rules of this travel from a budgeted trip to a comfortable one - again because of the little boy. we were picked up by a white Toyota Innova which was both spacious and comfortable. prior to arrival at the resort, our Manong driver already informed us that we can customize our tour. we told him the spots where we wanted to go and he said he can drive us around for 2000php. it was costly, yes, but we debated that if we take the cheaper package tours, we would have to travel with a group of other people which wouldnt be very convenient specially when we have a toddler who can easily go off and be irritated at any given time. so it was booked, we are taking our customized tour with our driver the next day.

we arrived at the resort a little before lunch time. then there was the beach. the water was calm, the sand was white, and the resort's restaurant had a very good view of it. the beach was beautiful but it was still nothing compared to the beauty of Boracay. i was surprised to see though that there were already several hotels and restaurants built along the shoreline. to me, Alona Beach looked a lot like a trying hard version of Boracay. another thing that struck me was the number of tourist there, we seemed like the only pinoy tourist. the island was swimming with foreigners from all nations, most of them with an odd looking pinay by their side.

daddy and Bonchie testing the water

Jan 23 - Tour Day

hearty breakfast at Trudis Place before the tour 

being that we'd only be in Bohol for 3 days/2 nights, we had to take our custom tour the next day. our day started at 8am, with the intent of visiting the Chocolate Hills, the Tarsiers and the Forest and the Loboc River. we planned to be back to the hotel after lunch so we still have time to swim and enjoy the beach.

Chocolate hills was a long 2 hour drive from Panglao, this being without traffic. However the sight of the hills is really amazing. the number of them, their form - almost identical size and shape and the color change along with the season change. it really is a wonder how these hills had form.

from the viewing deck

chocolate hills backdrop

from the Chocolate hills we drove down to the Tarsier conservatory while driving by the Man-made Forest. kuya driver said that some 60 years ago the leader of the local government instructed boys scouts to plant trees along the highway, thus it being called the man-made forest. 

at the Tarsier Conservatory

The tarsiers in the conservatory are very small. a lot of warnings upon entering, like keeping silent, no touching, no taking pictures with flash, etc. I remember some of my friends visiting Bohol way back with lesser restrictions. But well, they've got to do what they got to do to conserve the breed.

from the conservatory, we were taken to the "port" where the Loboc river cruise starts. Entrance is 450/person including buffet lunch. there was nothing special about the food, there's a wide variety of them though i guess what people are paying for is the experience. i didn't enjoy the cruise as much as i wanted to for we were seated at the back and i can smell the gas from the boat's tank making me a little dizzy. plus the boat was paid per seat so having a toddler in tow, i would have had to eat and make bonchie eat in my lap for no extra seats (much more a high chair) is available.

boy enjoying the cruise

after the cruise, we went back to the hotel and prepared to swim for the rest of the day. too bad though, it started raining late noon and we had no choice but to take Bonchie in for its getting too cold.

Jan 24 - Travel back to Manila

daddy's birthday. this is the longest day in the whole 3 days.

our flight back to Manila from Tagbilaran should've left by 10AM. we were travelling to the airport at 8. it was still raining that morning, though not so hard it apparently is hard enough to cancel the flights. in the airport we were told of the cancelled flight, apparently the sky was too dark for planes to be able to land. the moment i heard the news, my mind immediately went on overdrive as to how we are going to get home, what are our options, will Bonchie be comfortable, how are we going to handle Bonchie, did i bring enough extra clothes, milk, etc in case we need to extend our stay? the imagination of a mother. 

we were given 2 options, fly on Monday (24 was a Saturday) therefore extending our stay for 2 more days or travel to Cebu by ferry and catch the 4pm plane from there. it would've been more comfortable and easy staying until Monday, but we knew we were running out of resources and we had to go back to work on Monday. the Cebu option was not that appealing at first due to the added travel by sea. i repeatedly asked the crew how safe it was to take the ferry given that we have a baby along. after several assurance, we finally agreed to the Cebu option. the ferry port was a tricycle ride away from the airport. i never knew i could worry that much for our safety. everything that was happening was unplanned and i fear of what else may happen next. eventually turned out that 2 more items will be added to Bonchie's first list - his first tricycle ride and 1st boat ride. 

looking out to sea

the weather was still not that nice. it had been drizzling the whole time and one of my hundred worries was Bonchie getting sick because of the rain. we had to wait at the port for the ferry to arrive. luckily, the little boy was already tired from running around the airport and has fallen asleep while we wait. it gave much more comfort knowing that my baby is in my arms, safe and sound despite of the huge unknown that we'll be facing the rest of the day. midway through the ferry ride, i already felt easy because of the stability of the trip despite the large waves.

2 hours boat ride after, we arrived in Cebu at a little before 3. our plane leaves at 4pm. we were tired and hungry but we cant stop for we needed to make sure we catch our flight. the boarding window closed as soon as we were on the line. close call. as we relax in the airport waiting for our flights, we learned how our flight has been delayed this time. since Bonchie had the time to nap during the boat ride, he was bursting with energy and had been running around the airport terminal. he made many friends and i was so lucky that Von had been very patient in running after him while i get a little time to rest.

by 8pm we finally landed in Manila. and luckily, my sister was available to pick us up so no need for us to take another commute home. by 10pm we finally got home and i was finally able to breathe easier. God has answered my by the minute prayers and has delivered us safely home. though it had been very challenging travelling with a baby, its cliche, but it is definitely worth it. i am not in any hurry to book the next flight out, but given the chance and timing, it was an experience that i'd willingly go through again no matter how difficult it would be. the smile in the little baby's face with every new experience was definitely worth experiencing over and over.

true what they say...
never had i felt so strong yet so worried until i became a mom

ciao!

until the next trip!

always,

Vin