Following the long night of the family reunion, everyone needed time to rest and recover from the festivities, the fun and all the food. It being a slow start to the day, Little Nio decides to explore the family Christmas tree.
Compared to our tiny Christmas tree we have back at home in Bangkok, the tree of Lolo Jun and Lola Nene in Manila is simply enormous. It is well on it's way to hitting three meters tall and it dominates a center corner overlooking the dining room, the family room and the living room.
Despite all efforts to dissuade him, Little Nio intently explores the lower branches of the tree. He is fascinated by all the lights and ornaments.
DAY NINE
Spending some quiet time with Tito Nico in the front garden. Little Nio leads my brother, Tito Nico, around the pocket garden decorated with plants and various bird sculptures.
Marching back and forth in the garden.
Little Nio decides that the haphazard arrangement of assorted birds scattered throughout Lolo Jun's garden is just not good enough. With help from Tito Nico, he successfully extricates the sculptures from the foliage and places them right along on the entry way from the front gate.
Strangely enough, Little Nio did the exact same thing with all the miniature dinosaur sculptures that Lolo Jun had concealed in the big garden. Little Nio took them all out of their rocky positions partially hidden by plants and shrubs, dragged them to the center of the garden and proceeded to line them up. What surprised me immensely was how he managed to separate the herbivores from the carnivores without instruction. It could be something as simple as the meat-eaters where all erect on their hind legs, while the plant-eaters were modeled on all fours.
After the long and tiring exercise of migrating the bird sculptures, Little Nio takes a break on the floor beside his Tito Nico.
Later that evening, fresh from his bath, Little Nio settles down to enjoy watching television with his Lola Nene. His cousin, Ate Sofia is on the play rug beside him.
DAY TEN
Our visit finally comes to a close and it is our last day in Manila.
My older sister, Tita Via, comes early in the morning with our ride to the airport. She's able to spend some quality time with Little Nio running all around the garden. The grass has all died out, and it will take some time for Lolo Jun to get it all going and growing again, but in the mean time we have some quality dirt for digging up.
A quick hug and a loving squeeze from his Tita Via.
A final shot before we get back in the car to return to Bangkok. Lola Nene with Kuya Jose, and Lolo Jun carrying Ate Sofia in one arm and Little Nio in the other. We left Manila on Monday afternoon, December 29, 2008 and arrived in Bangkok nearing the end of the day.
As soon as we got home, we brought down our luggage from the airport limo, took our car from out of the garage and went straight away to Vichaiyut Hospital for a check up for all three of us. Little Nio had to take a blood test, just in case any of the many insect bites he got in Manila were from a mosquito that might give him dengue fever.
Fortunately, this was not the case and he only had acute pharyngitis probably a bacterial infection that a bunch of medicines and antibiotics could take care of easily. My wife, Kanittha had to get some medicines for her cough as well as for her sinus condition. I myself had to take a booster shot and take a whole bunch of medicines as well. Not exactly the best health for the holidays, but we are all happily on the mend.
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