Travel Stories: Wander moms

Not the place, the company

It was not about the places or the destinations we explored during our travels with my mom, Nanay Aida, but about the comfort and security. I loved her stories along the way, and the life advice she shared that I still remember. I miss traveling with Nanay Aida while lying on her lap. Happy Mother’s Day, Nanay Aida! — LARRY PAYAWAL

Black sand and sunshine

I never saw her lose her cool even when herding a bunch of rowdy kids to go to the beach during summers in Legazpi, Albay. When we were young enough to not have our own plans for the season, our family used to go on beach trips every year in nearby Sto. Domingo, my mother’s hometown, or further ahead in Tabaco City, where I was born. Volcanic sand was normal in those parts, black and not as fine as the white sands in Sorsogon. But Mom was always the sunshine who brought her light and calm spirit into anything our family did — she was the epitome of the multitasker, always doing something and staying on top of many different things all at once yet never losing her composure. She loved the water, the seaside, and the time spent relaxing with her family and siblings, back when their families joined these annual outings. As the years went by and everyone got busier, the kids growing up and eventually leaving, those summers by the beach became a thing of the past — one that we tried to recreate decades later, when we all went home and took them on a beach trip once more. — DINAH S. VENTURA

In her footsteps

My mother traveled extensively during her lifetime, visiting Saudi Arabia, Europe and most of Asia. Our last trip together was in 2015, when we visited Kyoto, Nara and Osaka, Japan, during the autumn season, along with my older sister. She had already been to this part of Japan in the 1990s and remembered many of the places she had seen before. My sister and I convinced her to join us at Universal Studios Osaka. It was close to Halloween, and she happily posed with people in costumes — even the scary ones. She also gamely drank butterbeer during our lunch at the Three Broomsticks.

I don’t have many photos with her from that trip, unfortunately — not knowing that just a few years later, she would fall ill and pass away. I wish I had taken more photos with her.

In 2018, she traveled to Korea with my two sisters. It was her last trip abroad. My mother passed away in 2021. In 2023, I visited Korea myself and made a point to take photos in the same places she had been. It was my way of retracing her steps and holding on to the memory of her presence. — ALIYYA SAWAADJAN

Short and sweet

I don’t remember many extravagant trips with my mom. Perhaps because when there was time to go on one, I was too busy making a life for myself and didn’t have time to spare.

But I do remember the simple trips. Those, for me and my mom, were actually “little” trips, which she enjoyed and where we spent time talking about life.

My mom liked eating gelato so the early afternoons of Sundays were the times we went to the nearby mall and had our fill. The trip must have been five minutes at most — but she enjoyed getting into the car — asking about what brand it was (I used to test drive cars and write about them) and what made them special.

At the mall, we normally sat in silence as we ate our fave gelato cups – or waited for one of my brothers to bring the apos (grandkids) to see their Lolit.

My mom left for a better life in October 2019 – a few months before the pandemic.

Today, I live with dogs — and, yes, I am their mommy Kathy.

But, it is true, I learned the hard way — you do miss the “parentals” when they’re gone…and there are days I long for gelato and sitting in mall with mom. — KATHY MORAN

Being a Nanay

My Nanay, who is 87 years wise, made up for not taking us out — she always said it was too expensive — by cooking the most sumptuous food.

Her cooking kept the family close. My siblings and I would rush home from school, knowing there would be a pot of sinigang, tinola, or adobo waiting. Nanay would serve us the viand of the day with love and care.

Afterward, we’d be so full and satisfied that none of us wanted to move — much less do the dishes. Nanay would scold us, swearing she’d never cook again for such a lazy bunch.

But the next day, there would always be a meal waiting — one even better than the day before. — CHITO LOZADA

First flight

Until now, I can’t help but smile whenever I get reminded of that trip to Hong Kong when I was 16 in 1986 with my mother. That was my first plane ride and I enjoyed every second of that vacation. — NICK GIONGCO

Grain of truth

There was a good reason I had to accompany my 70ish mom when she visited her friend in Victoria City, Tarlac, one summer. She needed to travel from time to time to a distant place and break her monotonous home-church sortie every weekend. Of course, she also had not seen the wife of a deck officer in a long while after she gave birth to their firstborn, and the latter’s invite to visit was timely.

Also, no other siblings were available to go with my mom. Besides, my sisters were not the appropriate company as our mother insisted on accepting the freshly harvested rice offered by her friend. Two sacks of 25-kilo rice were too heavy for them to load and unload on a bus on the return home to Manila. Though the rice was free, it was nevertheless impractical to get it from the province when it can be conveniently bought in the supermarket near my mother’s home in Las Piñas City.

But, as they say, mother knows best. A huffing me and my happy mom returned home safely after the daylong visit to Victoria City. — WINDSOR GENOVA

Mother nurture

My mom has always been the heart of our family travels, turning every trip into a memory filled with love and warmth. One of the most unforgettable ones was my week-long birthday getaway to Cebu and Bohol six years ago — a trip she planned so thoughtfully, from the white sand beaches to the hidden food gems she made sure we tried. The highlight was our visit to the miraculous Simala Shrine, where I watched her pray in silence, her face calm and full of faith, and I knew that moment was special for her and for us. It was a reminder for me of how my mom’s quiet strength and care make every place feel like home as long as we are together. I hope we get to return this year to relive those beautiful memories and create new ones with her and with my family. — PAULINE PASCUAL