Every year, my parents and I go on at least one out-of-town trip. I would be in charge of organizing the itinerary and booking the tickets. As with most parents (I presume), mine are hard to please – my mom gets tired easily, so we can’t walk long distances; both of them would rather go to shopping malls while I want to visit more touristy spots; and (understandably) both want their vacation to be as comfortable as possible. Until now, they can’t stop ranting about the tiny hotel room I booked them in during our Tokyo trip last year. Hehe. This year, I booked us in Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan.
Side story – a few weeks before the trip, my parents and I weren’t in good terms. We had a minor conflict on certain house rules and I thought I was too old for that, so I prematurely moved in to my condo unit (which I’m supposed to rent out) and decided to stay there until the dust settles. Incidentally, several friends’ parents passed away at around the same time and one of my friends (who knew nothing about what happened) personally texted me and said that I should make the most out of my time with my parents. Then during B1G Fridays (our weekly singles’ ministry in CCF), the topic immediately prior to the trip was about love in the home. The final point emphasized was, “Every moment is precious.” Odd that the rest of the topics in that series were about romantic love. 😛 But I’m thankful for the reminders because I know God disciplines those He loves.
The Taiwan trip couldn’t come at a better time because it was during that trip when I reconnected with my parents. My parents and I rarely (or never) have heart-to-heart talks; we’re definitely not affectionate. That one time I texted “sorry” to my dad after an argument, he replied with, “bakit”? Hehe. But we spend a lot of quality time together during weekends and travels and this is how we express our love for one another. I feel blessed that my parents are still strong enough to travel and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Through the years, I have also gained new perspective on traveling with the oldies. I learned to stop insisting on what I want and where I want to go and adjust to their schedule, even it means waiting on them as they stay at the mall for hours (even if they go to the same stores they shop in back in Manila).
So yes boys and girls, I couldn’t emphasize this enough – make the most out of your time with your parents. No matter how many scathing comments they make about your weight or your (still) single status. :))
Here are some photos taken at Jiufen Old Street in Taipei. It was an hour away from our hotel and we had to take a cab going there. For a fixed fee, the cab driver waited for us there for 2 hours.
FYI, Jiufen Old Street was Ghibli’s inspiration for the movie, “Spirited Away”. My mom and I actually visited it 5 years ago as part of a tour but we didn’t get to stay long. I think this is a place you shouldn’t miss when in Taipei. And my parents ate as heartily as Chihiro’s parents :))
In the evening, my dad and I joined the night city tour (my mom was too tired then). We had mongolian buffet for dinner (which was so-so) then went to the Longshan Temple and the Huaxi night markets.
Hope to post our Kaohsiung photos soon 🙂
On our way back to the hotel from Jiufen Old Street, we passed by cemeteries with (colorful) tombs that looked like this:
In the evening, we joined a night city tour. We had Mongolian buffet first:
Then we went to Huaxi Night Market, where we passed by a lot of shops and street food stalls again 🙂
At the Longshan Temple:
