Here’s to a New Year of happy travels and bonding opportunities
The recent Christmas and New year season was probably one of the most fun but tiring holiday seasons I’ve experienced.
It started with a Christmas eve lunch at my sister Penny’s house, and was the first time all my mom’s nine grandchildren were present: Gabbie, Paolo, Mikey, Patrick, Peter, Em, Maya, Alli and Miggy. Because of this, mom was extra generous with her “aguinaldo” for her apos.
After playing “Pinoy Henyo” and “Grab the Cup,” the kids asked lola if she could sponsor the “sandok” challenge, the game where you get to keep any money you scoop out of a large frying pan while blindfolded. Penny suggested we cut out paper with various denominations written on them from P50 to P1,000. It was hilarious seeing the blindfolded kids trying to scoop money from the paellera and seeing their faces after they saw how much money they got! But it was the look on mom’s face that was priceless whenever she had to pay off a grandchild with thousands of pesos after his/her turn.
The second gathering was Christmas eve dinner at my place with my stepchildren and Mike Planas, the father of my kids. After a hearty dinner of chicken relleno, angus steak and pasta, the kids also wanted to play games. A round of “Pinoy Henyo,” “Name that Tune,” and “Guess the Word” played by my kids, stepsons Migui and Miko, and Miko’s girlfriend Bea made it an extra enjoyable evening.
The third get-together was the Daza reunion/Christmas day lunch in the home of my cousin Dondi Baltazar. My cousin,Fr. Fidel Orendain, SDB said Mass and afterwards, lunch was served. As expected, food was overflowing. There was inihaw na baboy, talong sa gata, the yummiest kare-kare cooked by Nina Daza-Puyat, lamb chops, steamed fish, Russian salad, adobong pusit, cuapao from Sandy Daza, pancit Malabon, lumpiang bangus and ubod, and the “piece de resistance,” Jollibee Chickenjoy from yours truly (my annual food contribution). There were lots of cakes and pastries as well, too many to mention.
After lunch, the kids wanted to play games, too. Word got out about how much Gabbie and Paolo made from their lola Jullie the day before, so now all the kids wanted to play and win cash prizes, too. I served as game show host for the third time in two days for “Pinoy Henyo” and “Name that Tune,” while Nina introduced a new word game. Following these, it was time to play “White Elephant,” a Daza Christmas tradition that has players bringing an unwanted/unneeded Christmas gift and then getting a chance to swap it for a gift that they want.
The “most wanted” gift was the P3K from Mateo Baltazar and when time was up, Cory Vidanes was the lucky winner. But she generously gave the gift to my son Paolo, who shared it with his sister Gabbie and cousin Martha Aviles. Apparently, that was their strategy…if any one of them got it, the money would be split three ways among them. The happiest winner was Sandy’s daughter Danielle, who carted away three gifts for her new place: hand towels, glass containers and a reed diffuser. She told me she was excited to go home and decorate her place with her white elephant prizes.
Aside from playing games and eating, we also spent lots of time chatting. That day, the talk centered on the then-upcoming wedding of my Canada-based nephew and godson John Orendain to fiancé Kim Suezo on Jan. 8 in Bohol. (Unfortunately, I was unable to attend because of work.)
Before we knew it, it was 7 p.m., the first time our reunion lasted till dinner time! Good thing there was lots of food left, which some of us even got to take home.
Three days later, on Dec. 28, I was on an early morning flight to Hong Kong with my kids, their dad Mike Planas, my mom, brother Paul, stepsons Migui and Miko with their girlfriends Iana Mendoza and Bea Cruz respectively, and Migui and Miko’s mom, Ingrid Bonnevie.
Hong Kong was a good choice to spend our remaining holidays for three reasons: the cool weather (between 14 to 18 degrees Celsius), the Cantonese cuisine, and Hong Kong Disneyland, which the kids were excited to revisit, this time as adults.
Immediately after we checked in at our hotel, our party of 11 walked to Ah Yung Roast Goose restaurant, where we ordered dimsum favorites like hakaw, pork siomai, chicken feet and pork spareribs. For our main course, we had chicken and corn soup, a whole roast goose, sweet and sour pork, beef ribs, dried noodles and steamed vegetables. And boy, was everything spot-on delicious! I said to myself then that if I ate like this for the next four days, I’d end up in a food coma.
After lunch, I rested a bit before going to Harbor City with my kids, mom and brother. The others went on their own. I ended up having dinner at Nara restaurant (the famous Thai chain) with my mom and Gabbie while my brother and Paolo decided to get McDo burgers. For dessert, we indulged in Godiva soft serve chocolate ice cream!
When we got back to the hotel, I was tired and ready to hit the sack. The kids, on the other hand, met up with their friends in Lang Kwai Fong and I later found out that they got home past 3 a.m. I guess no matter where you are, Saturday nights are always gimmick nights for the young.
The next day, Sunday, we heard Mass at Rosary church in the morning and had lunch at Cheesecake Factory. Afterwards, mom, Mike and I decided to walk along Nathan Road and its side streets. For dinner, we ended up in another Chinese restaurant for a simple meal.
The next day, Dec. 30, was HK Disneyland day for Migui, Iana, Gabbie, Paolo and my brother Paul. They had, in fact, purchased their tickets a month before and already the entrance fee was a whopping P6,000 even then! They were lucky to have booked early because they found out from friends that Dec. 30 and 31 eventually sold out.
While the kids were at Disneyland, Mike and I decided to take my mom on a nostalgia trip and board the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island and have lunch in Causeway Bay. When we boarded the ferry, a sad sight greeted us as there were fewer than 20 passengers, including us on board. Gone were the days when the Star Ferry was always packed because it was the most affordable way to cross between Kowloon and Hong Kong island.
Fare was only HK$5 and for senior citizens, HK$2.90. We had lunch at Art of Canton in Times Square, where the suckling pig was crispy, lean and delicious! We also feasted on other yummy dim sum staples like hakaw, pork buns, turnip cakes and stir-fried vegetables, all of which added to the nostalgic feels of our food trip.
We walked around the mall for some window shopping then headed to the MTR station. Along the way, we stopped by a flea market in one of the alleys. I ended up buying three nightshirts for HK100 (equivalent to P770), and a pair of embroidered Chinese slippers for another HK$100 for mom.
The kids got back from Disneyland close to midnight and the looks on their faces showed that they had indeed come from the “happiest place on earth.” Gabbie and Paolo said that the trip was definitely money well-spent, as they were able to see and experience all the musts like Frozen Ever After, Hyperspace Mountain, and Mystic Manor. They all raved that “The Lion King” live show and the “Momentous” fireworks and multimedia show were all worth it, even though they had to run, skip dinner, and wait more than an hour to see those shows.
Tuesday, Dec. 31, was our last full day in HK, and I told everyone that they could go off and do their own thing. However, everyone had to be present for our New Year’s Eve dinner at 7 p.m. in the same Chinese restaurant where we had our first meal when we arrived. I wanted to enjoy the roast goose one last time before heading back to Manila.
For lunch, Gabbie recommended that we visit K11 Musea, a very upscale mall and ornately designed shopping center with artwork, high-end stores and restaurants. We ended up eating in Chatterbox, the famous Singaporean restaurant known for its Hainanese chicken. After lunch, we went outside and walked along the promenade which had signs that said many areas were to be cordoned off later that day in preparation for the New Year’s Eve revelries.
After lunch, we brought mom back to the hotel while my kids and I headed to sneaker alley and Mongkok market for retail therapy. Paolo and Gabbie each bought a pair of sneakers while I bought some pasalubong items.
By 7 p.m., we were complete and feasting on roast goose and other Cantonese dishes. By 9pm, we were walking the streets of Nathan Road one last time. Mike, Migui, Miko, Bea and Ingrid decided to walk towards Harbor City to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks while my kids, mom and Paul went back to the hotel to pack and get a good night’s sleep before the flight back to Manila the next day.
Though the trip was exhausting, it was a joy-filled and unforgettable five days. There was no better way to end the year and to begin a new one than by being with those nearest and dearest to me. Here’s to a new year of happy travels and precious bonding opportunities for everyone. “Sana all” indeed.
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