Preparing for Elle Marie's First International Trip Part II

Elle Marie and her first MRT adventure!

I see to it that Noy is always present to drive us around the city in his good, old, ever reliable UNA. In Noy's absence, Elle and I already tried the taxi, pedicab as well as the tricycle. Commuting was never a problem for us but the MRT is something new for Elle.


I read that Hong Kong is all about walking, bus and MTR rides that we decided to familiarize ourselves with the adventure of taking the MRT ride last May 1, Labor Day. We woke up as early as 9:00a.m.; took the taxi to MRT-Ayala Station; bought the MRT card and waited for the first train to arrive.


While waiting, a chinese lady approached us and commented that Elle is sooo cute with her pink, black and white get ups. She was amused that at 1 and 7 months, Elle is already exhibiting sense of responsibility by carrying her own things (she was carrying a gym bag that contains her medium sized feeding bottle and extra shirt). I thanked her and shared that it is all part of our training for Elle's first international trip. It turned out that the chinese lady used to reside in Hong Kong and she assured me that the MTR ride there is nothing compared to the MRT ride in the Philippines. She told me that her daughter is already 3 years old and she never had difficulty taking the MTR in Hong Kong. The conversation was very short but informative. I will surely keep a note of everything.


Soooo.... off we went to Elle's first MRT adventure... As expected, we were able to get a good seat since the train was not full. Elle was observing everybody inside the MRT. She would look at the door every time we stop and look at me as if asking me when we are going to get off the train.


Finally, we reached our destination-Cubao Station... It was a quick ride but I think Elle enjoyed it. I would have wanted Elle to experience the rush hours inside the MRT to develop defense and coping mechanisms BUT I don't think we are ready yet.


Things Elle and I learned during our first MRT adventure together:

1. Good that the MRT is gender sensitive already. Trains exclusive for female riders are available for mom-daughter tandems like me and Elle.
2. Security still thinks that toddlers like Elle are not capable of conniving with their parents in a malicious or negative ways. MRT security did not check Elle's mini bag. Just a thought.
   
3. During brownouts, MRT-Ayala Station is not good for mothers like me carrying their babies. Just a thought of going up the MRT-Ayala Station without the escalator scares me.
4. Thank God for malls connected to MRT exits! I was soooo thirsty after our MRT ride that the first thing I looked for was a vendo machine!
5. I need to research more on how to better document our MRT rides.
   
6. With Elle around, always travel light.