Tinipak River Family Adventure

Tinipak River in Tanay, Rizal is a good trek for beginners and even kids 7 and up.  The trek is just 3 hours two-way and the trail is gorgeous with the forest on one side and clean running river with beautiful boulders on the other. There is also the  constant view of the mountains everywhere.  The final destination are limestone rock formations that are simply stunning.

It is the first trek of my 3 kids (youngest is 10 year old).  The 10 year old was able to manage quite well. Since it is their first, I wanted it to be really good. That said, the trail mix of Tinipak of walking on grass, soil, rocks, mud and boulders provided an interesting and fairly challenging experience. Not too easy and not too hard. Not too long trek either.  You would get a repeat request for trekking if you start with Tinipak. I did! [Read More...]

The Old Grove Farmstead: Day Trip to Holland in Batangas

A quick day trip is our family's way of chillaxing without the pressure of too much preparation.

The Old Grove Farmstead with its iconic red barn and Dutch windmill transported us to Holland in just 1.5 hours! Located just right near the exit of Lipa, Batangas, the farm offered the family a delightful experience.

The real treat for my kids is the feeding encounter with the sheep. They had so much fun hand feeding them as the sheep ate right out of their bare hands. The sheep are enclosed in a fence but they can stick their head out for the feeding encounter. Note: Sheep and duck feeds are sold at the windmill which serves as the entrance to the farm. We found that the ducks liked the sheep food as well so you can skip getting duck food.

[Read More...]

Taipei Zoo Family Guide

My kids and I fell in love with Taipei Zoo the first time we went there.   The place is huge!  165 hectares with 90 hectares open to the public, it is the biggest zoo in Asia.  The landscape is rich in foliage, so if you are not looking at the glorious animals you are looking at rich vegetation.

The animal enclosures don't seem like an enclosure at all because it is big and designed to re-create the animal's habitat.  That said the animals look healthy and well-taken cared.  They have everything!  From pandas, to African elephants, dessert camels, koalas, a gigantic aviary of birds, huge reptile collection, even penguins!  In the 6 times that I have been there, all weekdays, the place wasn't packed. [Read More...]