Travel: unexpected things in Boracay

This trip was our first ever slow trip as a family. 12 days in one place, not even outside the hotel much. Compared to our usual busy travel plans, this was a big change, in a good way. It slowed us down but at the same time days flied by. Our daily “schedule”:

6-7am: staggered wake up time. I’m usually the first one and Lizzy the last. We all stay in bed until the last one wakes up. Then we look outside

7:30-9am: I go to the gym while the family gets ready and go to breakfast

9-10am: lazy brunch time

10-5pm: kids go to different kind of activities while I mostly lounge with a book, napping in between. Husband with his phone and napping even more.

5-6pm: shower/bath for the kids

6-7pm: dinner while we chat about our days. I have little to report while the kids have so much

7-8:30pm: movie time.

Few things were unexpected for me:

• I slept 9 hrs EVERY NIGHT, even in a room with 3 others. It must be the mattress and the sound of ocean waves.
• My ideal gym time would be 1-2 hrs, split between yoga/pilates, mediation, and running.
• I had zero stomach acid and minimal bloating despite I didn’t eat my usual vegetable centered food.
• I can nap anytime of the day. I brought two books with me and was worried I would run out of books. But I only managed to finish one, although it was close to 500 pages Pachinko.
• Two things I miss being home the most: clean laundry and oatmeal. I know… i didn’t miss my own bed.
• How easy is for the kids to meet new friends. I was especially surprised to see that Lizzy was playing with other kids and called them her new friends.
• I could be happy having a vacation doing nothing. I used to be the kind of person who wants to make the best/most out of our trips, or what I pay for. But this time, the slowness was the point of the vacation. Most of the days, when I check on the clock, it was already past noon and I felt I haven’t even started my day (meaning I did nothing yet), which was exactly the vacation feeling I needed.
• Hubby and I didn’t do anything alone, most of the days we were together but separated, either napping staggered on the beach/pool, or taking turns to be with the kids and let the other do whatever. I was fine with it and appreciated the time alone few hours a day.
• I found out my next research topic for the month: ageing and self-care. Will talk more about it, but it was triggered by something that I saw and listened, and suddenly realising that I’m approaching the 40s, wooo…. that always sounded so distant and now it’s in my face (less than 45 days). Not that I’m not happy with how I feel and look, but I do want to slowdown the ageing process, want to feel as energetic as I am now so I can enjoy more my time with the family, and do the work I’m passionate about. So, I’ll be doing research on this topic during november, and will recap early december on the blog.