Category — Beaches

Our visit to Los Angeles was short but fully packed with fun things we did with our kids ranging from a fun visit at the Le Brea Tar Pit, an amazing theatre experience at El Capitan or a beautiful view of Los Angeles Sunset.

Another memorable visit on this trip was our quick stop at Santa Monica beach. It was such a short visit that I will have to go back one day to take advantage of many fun family-friendly activities available at this popular destination.

Our first stop as soon as we found the parking spot was the playground. The sandy playground is nothing fancy but it’s something that I absolutely love. Most of the structure in this playground encourages kids to be active.

Miss J couldn’t run fast enough to climb up this bar. And she was quite successful in go up there. We all know who is the Monkey in this household.

Mr. Z didn’t want to be outdone. He tried his hand on the monkey bar as well.

And after all these exercises, they still had more energy. I guess it was from a lovely and yummy lunch we had at Cha Cha Chicken. Thanks to the recommendation from Delicious Baby’s City Guide.

We decided to try out the biking along the Santa Monica beach bike path. I think it’s one of the best feature at this beach. The bike path runs along from Santa Monica beach all the way to Venice beach and beyond. The bike path was very popular with both tourists and local. So make sure to stay alert and don’t ride too fast. It can get pretty crowd and some turn can be a bit tricky.

We rented a family bike with kid seat attached at the back. It was a perfect way for kids to also enjoy the beach. After riding from Santa Monica beach to Venice beach, we took a quick break at the Venice Beach Skate Park. It was very entertaining watching many moves they could do. Amazing! Then it was time to head back to check out the Santa Monica Pier. Stay tune for more fun in Santa Monica.

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It has been raining a lot in our area. I have no complains because we had been under the drought condition for the past few years and the rain is a welcome sight indeed. But with those rains, lighting and thunderstorms on the regular basis, I just start to yearn for the Sunshine on the beach with kids trying to catch the wave and building sand castles nearby.

Ah.. So here is my Monday Are For Dreamings post. I’m dreaming to get transported to any beach.. any beach at all but the one I long for is this one.

I’m dreaming about our first trip back to Thailand with Miss J when she was just under 2 years old. I didn’t know how we did it but we did survive 3 connection flights and 24 hours in total travel time from Florida to Bangkok. There is no question whether we should take a long trip with our kids back to Thailand but it’s just a matter of when and how often. Our trip there, I introduced Mr. Rojo and Miss J to Phuket. My sister did all the booking for the tour for us as we also traveled with Mr. Rojo’s parents as well. The trip went by so fast that if I didn’t have proof on pictures I wouldn’t believe that we were there. I’m dreaming of going back especially after the Tsunami. And this time, we would have to stick around a bit longer and take in a slower pace so we will have time to breath and relax a bit more.

A trip to Thailand will not be completed if I didn’t get to eat like there is no tomorrow. And that trip was no difference even though I was with my in-laws. They probably just realized how much I could eat from that trip. The food was great but the atmosphere was even better. Who could complain when you had this view when you eat!

We did a few activities.. as much as a first time parents of a toddler could handle. We did a long boat to the floating village. We visited the Kho Ta Poo (or more widely known as James Bond Island). We went to Kho Pi Pi. But the most memorable activity I found was the simple thing. During one of the boat tour, the boat stopped and we got to jump off from the boat into the cool, clear water. I never jumped off the boat before. So it took every single ounce of my gut to make that leap. Oh!! I was glad I did make that leap. I think in the sense, it almost likes whenever we decide to plan a trip and the rush feeling comes through me when I click that confirm button to purchase our tickets or make that hotel reservation. Life is full of surprises and we just have to make the leap to fully embrace it.

Thank you for dreaming along with me.. Check out other travelers’ dreams at Mother of All Trips.

Writing about cruising with kids gives me a chance to look back at our photo from our latest cruise 2 years ago to the Caribbean. After 2 years, Seven Mile beach is still Miss J’s favorite memory for the whole trip.

I had done a lot of planning on that trip and we booked an excursion for the swimming with sting ray later on that day in Grand Cayman.

However, we arrived early in the morning which gave us a couple hours before our meeting time. So we decided to take a taxi to the beach. At $4 per person, it wasn’t bad to get there. It was early in the morning so the beach was pretty empty.

We got dropped off at the Reef restaurant on the beach. We were so early that the restaurant was still closed. We walked along the beach to find a good spot. We found a shade spot and even before I could put everything down Miss J and Mr. Z were already running off to the wave.

The sand was so soft that I feel like I just walk on soft carpet. The wave was not big so it was perfect for them to play in. We picked a great spot with shade so I could imagine taking a nap while Mr. Rojo helped build sand castle with Mr. Z.

They simply just enjoyed jumping the wave, play with the sand and relax on the beach. I think we could have just stayed there the whole day and it would still be one of the best day of the trip.

When it was almost time to head back to our meeting spot for the excursion, we stopped by the restaurant to order a drink. The restaurant had shower so it was convenient for us. I couldn’t imagine riding a boat the whole day with sand inside and out our bathing suit. :)

I’m so in love with the beach there. I know we will have to come back and spend more quality time there.

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