We arrived at the Grand Canyon Bright Angel Lodge to sign in for our 3 day trek to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back!
Bright Angel Trail at The Grand Canyon National Park
Day 1: We hiked down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon to stay at the Phantom Lodge on the Colorado River. It was over 10 miles of hiking. We feel so connected to the Grand Canyon as we saw its different ecosystems and many different layers. What an experience. The kids did great! No complaints!
Day 2: We are now at Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon! Nika and Tatay joined our group to hike another 12 miles to Ribbon Falls. Carter stayed back with his new friend, Flint, from Colorado. They hiked some more and skipped rocks on the Colorado River.
Day 3:
We finished our 3 day trek drown to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up by going on the South Kaibab Trail. It was a solid uphill 8 mile hike with numerous switchbacks. Nika did over 30 miles in 3 days, and Carter did over 20 miles! No complaints! So proud of the kids!
We had meeting in Anthem, AZ with family. We then had Christmas dinner at Dave and Carol’s home! It was sweet to be with cousins! A plus was seeing Dale and Diane! We then flew to San Francisco to catch our flight to the Philippines tomorrow. Aloft Hotel was pleasant. It even had ramen vending machine.
Before we fly (Cathay Pacific) to the Philippines, we had brunch with Manong Winston and family! What a treat!! For dinner, we met with Leslie and her family. Great to see my bestie again! We are off! Next stop, Hong Kong!
We made it to Hong Kong International Airport for our layover. It is an extremely clean airport! Hong Kong is still masked. It seems more strict than the US. We loved having ramen for breakfast, and seeing all the cute things Asia makes like adorable pencil cases and appetizingdesserts.
Home sweet home. We have landed in Manila, Philippines! We stayed in Hilton Manila for a night so that we can catch a plane to my hometown, Cauayan, Isabela, in the morning. We had room service since we were exhausted.
Well, that was an introduction. Our 45 minute flight arrived to my hometown only to fly back again to Manila because of poor visibility due to weather. We ended up waiting a bit at the airport, then went back to our hotel so the kids can enjoy some pool time.
Some pool time in Hilton Manila and snacks before our drive to my hometown, Cauayan City, Isabela.
Thank goodness, my cousin helped us out with her contacts. We had a van and a private driver to drive us to Cauayan. Twelve hours later (because of a major accident in the mountains between a trailer and a sleeper bus) we have arrived! Home sweet home
🇵🇭♥️🇵🇭
Happy New Year from the Philippines! We celebrated the New Year with cousins, who happen to be our next door neighbors. So glad that the kids are here to fully experience their culture and language.
Our meeting in Nagrumbuan, Isabela, Philippines. It was a lovely meeting. It was also great to see my first cousin again. Great food, and even better company.