Two things

One: I've decided to create a separate blog for my fitness-related posts to spare those who can't stand reading yet another CrossFit- or running-related post. From now on, this blog will contain a minimal amount of stuff about (mostly) CrossFit. My other blog: http://almostprettyfit.blogspot.com.

Two: The family just got back from Boracay, and although it was fun, for the most part it was stressful. Not only because we had the kids with us but also because one of my sisters' baby girl and our elderly parents were also with us. We tried to make the most of it but I sure am glad to be home now.

And Boracay isn't what it used to be. What I remember the most the first time I went there back in 1998 was the powdery white sand stayed cool even at midday. You could walk barefoot the whole day if you wanted to. Now, you have to wear slippers when you walk around. It was also too crowded this time of the year (or is that my age talking?).

We still managed to have fun, though. I got to taste Jonah's banana milkshake again, we had a scrumptious seafood lunch at the talipapa, and we were able to try out the yummy calamansi muffins at The Real Coffee and Tea Cafe.

And now, here is one of our funnier attempts to do a jump shot on the day of our departure.

With my sisters and niece

Beach trip #3

Quite a gray day at the beach

Tide was low when we arrived

I love seeing hermit crabs at the beach

The sun finally came out around midday

When we're in Davao we always go to the same beach - Paradise Island - every time. So to shake things up a bit we decided to try the beach a couple of resorts down, called Costa Marina. It was a Saturday so we were afraid that there would be a lot of people at the beach, but we were very pleasantly surprised to find out that we were among the few groups there that day. There wasn't the usual buzz of activity you'd hear at more popular beaches and the atmosphere was very relaxed. The sand wasn't perfect but I thought it added to the untouched paradise feel.

The tide was low when we arrived so we let the kids wander far from the shore to explore what they could. There weren't many fish but they did see some starfish. While waiting for the tide to come in, we swam a little bit and searched for hermit crabs - which to our delight we found were in abundance. We put them all in pails and observed them as they tried to get out. We set them free after a while but we had fun observing "crab mentality" in action.

A day at the beach is never a waste.