Love You, Ah Ma

Few months back, a few of my co-workers had this discussion about seeing a loved one 'visit' them after they passed away. They said it usually occur within seven days. It's a sign from loved one showing that they are doing fine and that they wanted to say hello or perhaps goodbye?

Last week, you came to visit me, I don't recall much except that you were with us, Mom, Papa, Sean Ee, PCC and myself, joining us on our vacation. You always have a smile on your face. You seemed happy and we all enjoyed your company. I woke up smiling that you came to see me.

You visited me again this morning. I don't recall much either but we were riding bicycles -- it was strange, because from the beginning of our bicycle tour, it seemed like it was somewhere in the US, but we eventually reached familiar roads where Mom's house is. We were so happy that we made it almost to that ESSO gas station. You seemed happy and strong (I assumed as we rode for miles and miles). When we reached there, we gave each other big hugs and so proud of ourselves to have rode such long ways. Then I woke up.

I have this post saved in my draft for quite some time now. Didn't know how and where to begin. I didn't want to say goodbye because I know I will see you again -- when you visit me, or when I visit you. Either way, we will definitely see each other again. I do want you to know that I missed you terribly.

I remember when I was younger and used to stay over at your house and slept with you, every night I would pray for God to take a few years (a lot of years) from my life so yours would be extended. At that time, the thought of losing you was unbearable, still is to this very day. I would cry so hard and beg God for this favor. I never stop praying for this because I never want to know that you will leave us. That day came and went, a very small part accepted that fact but a big part of me still find that hard to believe. 

I know you are in better place now, at least from where you were a few months back. I am sorry we didn't get to spend much time together when I was home four years ago. I am sorry I couldn't be by your side. I am sorry I didn't call to check on you as often as I could. I am sorry for all the trouble that I was/am.

You are my rock, I wouldn't how to else to describe you. I think you were everybody's rock. You held everyone together. All you ever did was to ensure everyone is well-fed and happy. You'd go beyond the call of duty to do this and I didn't know how to appreciate that then, but I do now... You are so even-tempered and well-natured, I have lots to learn from you.

Please check on me anytime you want. I love you and missed you.

Our last meal together in this life.

I wonder if God really took me up on that favor that I've asked...

Apple Picking

Sunday - October 3rd, 2010

Yucaipa, San Bernardino

Reached JP's house at precisely 6:15AM. Split into two cars, I have the two teenagers with me, while she has the 2 younger ones and her sister with her. We drove to Monrovia first to her cousin's place so she could take us all there, but there were fewer people coming than anticipated so we consolidated everyone into two cars, with mine adding her sister and her cousin's van consisting of the two younger kids and her cousin with her two young kids too.

It takes about an hour and a half to get to Yucaipa from Monrovia, to get to the orchard to be exact. I didn't know that apples are harvested in Fall along with raspberries and blackberries to name a few. We parked our cars right by the stores and since we were early, nothing's been set up yet but from afar we could see smokes coming from a grill by the outdoor kitchen and boy did it smell good.

So, we just strolled along and came to this trail leading to the orchard. There were a TON of apple trees with TONs of ripe apples waiting to be picked! I believe these are called the Arkansas Black, the darkest red on an apple that I've ever seen, they call it ruby red. But they were not ready to be harvested yet until end of October if I remember correctly.

There were signs saying no picking fruits from the tree, but there were no mention of anything picking apples that have already dropped onto the ground hehe so the kids picked up some good ones and with a quick rinse of water, the apple is ready to be eaten.

The trail lead us to a tiny forest, I guess you could call it that, with some pretty big trees which some are local to the area. Further down the trail, we discovered a small lake.

With a floating dock... maximum capacity: 10 person

And more apples on trees.

They also have Christmas trees...

As we came back from our little walk, we saw that more cars have arrived and the whole place was all set up and running. Everyone was getting hungry so we went to our cars and got our picnic baskets out along with all the gears. On the grounds, they have set up picnic tables, so that was fun to set up the table and all.

After finishing our early lunch, we checked to see what is there to do. There was a pumpkin patch, the kids stepped all over the pumpkins to take picture on top of a hay that was placed all the way at the fence. The owner wasn't too happy that he went inside the store and printed out two pieces of signs saying no stepping onto the pumpkins hehehe

Next to the patch, they set up a little shack with some weird looking equipment, meant for making cider. We watched as others tried it out. Seems like hard work and a lot of apples for just a few drops of cider. But, boy those ciders are delicious!

We also saw that they have a cart-ride drawn by Belgian horses. The horses were beautiful, felt sorry for them to be working non-stop shift, drawing the cart filled with about at least 10 adults/kids. It costs $5/adult, $3/kids. I didn't really enjoy the 'tour' because it was so dusty and the host who tag along at the end of the cart wasn't that entertaining. It was boring to say the least hehe but I think the kids enjoyed it.

After we got back from our ride which took roughly 30mins, we went into the store and sampled some apple cider, pumpkin bread which was SO delicious. They also have a variety of spreads and jams/preservatives made with some sort of combination with apples. I bought a loaf of the pumpkin bread, an apple pie and a bottle of cold cider.

There are other orchards within the area, so we drove to check out the other orchards. We stopped at one not too far away for apple picking.

Basically, you select a bag size, small, medium or large. There are signs posted, you pay for what you pick and if you decide to throw them after picking, you will be charge with theft. OMG, a bit siao. I guess just trying to protect their business. But, shit happens sometimes (most of the times). Oh, they also included instructions on how to properly pick apples...

So, I got really picky when picking. They tied different colored ribbons on each tree to differentiate the types. So, I just get one from each tree. Most of the apples have sap on them. There were a few incidents that when trying to pick the chosen apple, while trying to do so,  I knocked other apples, obviously they were very ripe, that's why they fell off the stem so easily, right?

They also have some raspberries but most were gone, whatever we managed to find were small but they were sweet. I think people were picking and eating at the same time that's why they were out so quickly hehe oh yeah same goes with the apples, evidence was evident all over the place.

They also have corns.

Also tomatoes and zucchinis.

The farm that we went to also provide other forms of entertainment -- archery, knives throwing and wood chopper throwing, I forgot what term they used for that. After we're done picking, we went back to the first orchard to have dinner -- leftover from lunch and we tried to order something from the tasty smelling grill, we have to wait for more than half an hour because it was that good and the lines were long. We managed to find a good picnic table nearby and assemble everything again. 

We left close to 5PM and stopped at another store to pick up some preservatives and the kids had ice-creams and all of a sudden a pea-hen, I believe it was, jumped out of nowhere onto the roof of one of the stores. It sure did get a lot of attention.

 It was a fun and hay-py day. Maybe even go back again for the Arkansas Blacks. Will definitely get two loaves of that pumpkin bread!

Vac Day XII - Farewell

Wednesday - September 8th, 2010

Final Day

Papa and I went for a hike, quite late actually, I think it was after 9AM. He showed me the reverse walking down move. Even another hiker stopped and inquired about it. We stopped to gather some watercress that grew along the stream. By the time we got home, it was already way past 11AM, I went to buy some hot soupy noodles from a Thai restaurant nearby. The noodle soup is similar to our Koay Teow Th'ng. I always love a bowl of hot soupy noodles after hike. 

Everyone finished packing all their stuff the night before. Basically Mom went through everything in my fridge and pantry and cleared out all the expired items hehe Found some pork in my freezer so that's what she cooked for lunch. Papa cleaned the backyard, trimmed all of my plants, wiped all windows, swept the garage floor, wiped my car, that's just all the chores that I'm aware of. He also harvested all of the Japanese eggplants in the backyard so we stir-fry that for lunch. 

Mom also made soup from the pork bones and I did an easy shrimp and garlic dish. Mom also tried out one of those Sal's instant curry and she let out a cry when she discovered that they actually included the meat inside the sachet hehe

The previous night, we called PCC and MCC to check status of flight and they were able to get a flight out the next day (this day) and told them that they didn't get anything from Coach. PCC said what a waste because Coach bags in M'sia easily would have fetched up in the thousands. 

Since their flight is at 2AM, we have another day to spare. So, we will go to another Factory Outlet, this time in Camarillo, about 45 mins drive. We took off pretty late after lunch, reaching Camarillo around 2PM. Camarillo's outlets offers more stores and is much bigger in area compared to Barstow. This time around, Mom and Sean Ee bought one bag each. Papa also bought some shoes. Mom wanted to get some good sandals from Clarks Bostonian and I found out from the sales lady that we could get further discounts if we have AARP membership, which I did. So I headed to the Info center and found out that the sales lady misinformed us that it was AAA membership. But the Info lady said that I could get the discounts if I was a VIP member at the outlet, and thankfully I was. But I'd have to prove that by showing a printout of the coupon in my name. In order to do that, I had to login with my username/password to their website. Well, long story short, I was able to show her the proof and she gave me the brochure for discounts.

I went back to Clarks and just in time as they were about to pay. We didn't visit other stores and started heading back. We stopped at Red Lobster in Valencia for dinner. We ordered lobster pizza, New England sampler consisting of fried clams, bacon wrapped scallops, cheese stuffed mushroom for appetizers and we shared a whole lobster stuffed with crabmeats, finished off with a slice of cheesecake.

We hurried back home so they can take a quick shower to refresh themselves, loaded the luggages in car and on our way to the airport. Traffic was not bad so we reached the airport with plenty of time to spare. I dropped them off curbside while I park the car. I joined them inside trying to locate China Airlines counter. We finally spot it and boy the lines were fully packed. We waited in line to get their boarding pass and to check in the bags. Asked if they could change their flight from Taiwan to Singapore to an earlier flight, the attendant wasn't too helpful. After obtaining their boarding pass, we walked around the duty free shops for a little while.

It was approaching midnight when they decide that they will go into their designated gate. I gave each one a hug and watch them go into the security checkline.

Papa, Mom and Sean Ee, thank you for visiting me. I hope it was a fun and happy experience for you as it was for me. Hope to have you back here soon :)

Vac Day XI - Vegas to LA

Tuesday - September 7th, 2010

Drive to LA

Up early to shower and start repacking luggage for our journey. Snapped this shot from the hotel room overlooking the backlot of the property. Noticed the roads were wet, it rained earlier that morning... in these desert environment, rain doesn't come too often. Look at the skies... is someone trying to tell me (us) something or I'm just imagining.

We left the hotel close to 9AM with Florence and PCC who dropped us off at the car rental building. After saying our goodbyes, I went to one of the kiosks and retrieved the papers for our rental. We chose another silver Camry that has Illinois plate. Didn't want to waste much time, or rather didn't have much appetite for breakfast so we just headed straight for the freeway heading back to LA.

About an hour into the journey, our stomachs started to make known of its emptiness, so we were on the lookout for restaurants and I believe it was in Primm that we saw one of the casinos with billboard flashing great deals on their breakfast: $3.99 for 2 pancakes, 2 eggs and choice of 2 bacons or sausages. Without the slightest hesitance, we pulled over toward the casino for refuel.

Each of us had a plate of the advertised platter, Papa had bacon with sunny side up eggs with the pancakes, Mom and Sean Ee each had bacon with scrambled eggs with pancakes, and I had sunny side up with sausage and pancakes as well. Initially, I thought all that wasn't going to enough to satisfy our hunger. But after wolfing down everything, we, or at least I felt quite content, almost to the brink of fullness.

After heading back onto the freeway, I let Papa take over the driving because Mom was saying he could boast about it (that he's driven in the US) and because the freeway was just one straight road and also one way, I did not find any harm to it. Besides, it's not like Papa didn't know how to drive, just on the opposite side. I think Papa did pretty good except he wasn't really comfortable in speeding! He drove for about an hour or so before I took over the seat again as we approach to exit Barstow.

Barstow is about halfway between Vegas and LA and the only reason for this stop is because of the Factory Outlets. Since the trip has been cut short, I thought we might as well take the opportunity to utilize whatever remaining time we have, besides it was on the way anyway. So, Mom and Sean Ee went into the Coach store first while Papa and I went into the sports outlets. Papa bought a couple of shirts and when we returned to get Mom and Sean Ee, they were nowhere to be found! After walking up and down the whole court of stores (thank God it wasn't that big of a place), Papa finally found them. Well, they weren't done yet, and by they I mean Mom, Sean Ee and Papa hehe they were in shopping haven. Oh, Mom and Sean Ee didn't get anything from Coach because they were way overpriced.

After shopping, of course, we were famished, well, at least I was with all that walking. So, we browsed around for meal options and ended up at El Pollo Loco. Cheap, tasty and not junkie. We inhaled those deliciously grilled chicken along with the two sides of rice and pico de gallo, guacamole, cilantro, onions as condiments. Once hunger is taken care of, we resumed our journey.

Remainder of journey was uneventful mostly until we reached the LA county line where traffic starts getting heavier, thanks to GPS, it was able to get us through different freeways, avoiding heavily traffic areas. We reached home after 6PM. The journey should have been about 5 hours, took us all day to complete but it was well worth the time because everyone get a taste of Outlet shopping.

All I remembered after reaching home was I sat on the couch to watch some TV and passed out.

Vac Day X - Williams, AZ then back to Vegas

Monday - September 6th, 2010

Williams

I had a mission that day: to get laundry done. It has been my mission for the past couple of days as we've been traveling for almost a week and carrying six days' worth of dirty clothes. I am definitely not comfortable wearing dirty, wrinkled clothes and wandering around town, one that I'd like to explore and get to know -- don't want to mis-represent, you know? :)

The night before, I collected all the dirty clothes from everyone and stuffed my luggage with them so I could just rolled it to the laundry mat. When entering the town yesterday, we saw one laundry mat and right by the motel where we stayed, there was another one. Both not too far apart. I checked out the hours of operation at the door and it stated that they would be open at 6AM. Perfect, I thought.

Got up early so I could have a head start. I calculated, by the time I would be done with laundry, everyone else would have been ready to leave. As planned, I rolled my luggage to about a block away to the laundry mat. First thing I saw, the neon sign was not lit. Shit, just my luck. I checked the doors and they were still locked. I looked at my watch, it was already past 6AM. It was cold too, so I got my jacket out of the luggage and waited, hoping the owner would come soon.

Waited for about half an hour, warming myself up by doing some newly-acquired qi-gong moves. Angered, frustrated and disappointed, I thought there may be another laundry mat around. I thought of the one we saw coming in yesterday but couldn't determine where it was or which direction it was from where I was. I was wasting time anyways, so I thought I'd check out both direction, with my luck, I may not get any laundry done but at least I'll get to see the town.

So, rolling my luggage, I went down a few blocks, no laundry mat. I went back the way I came and a walked a few more blocks the other direction. Jackpot. There it was. I was concerned, because the door was closed. I prayed hard as I approached it, twisted the knob and it opened! Relieved, I went right in and searched for vending machine for soap. None! How to do laundry with no soap. Conveniently, there was a convenient shop right next to the laundry mat, so I thought maybe those folks run the laundry mat too. I went and check it out. Indeed, they carry all the laundry soaps in a conveniently packaged box for single use. I bought three boxes of soap and softener and asked for quarters to run the machines.

Excited that my luck has changed, I hurriedly go back to the laundry mat to make up for loss time. I split the laundry into two - one for undergarments and what not. The other, I put them into the bigger commercial washer so I don't have to do separate washes. Save money and time, so I thought. Put my change in and started both machines. The smaller ones started first and I could hear swooshing of water while the bigger washer didn't seem to do much. No water... thought that was weird. Then it started spinning. Wait, no water but it's spinning. That doesn't make any sense.

I waited to see and checked maybe there was something that I didn't press. Nothing, it works like any regular washer. Money in and lock the door and the machine starts. How in the world do you wash clothes with no water. Angered again, I went back to the convenient store and asked if they know who operated the laundry mat. The guy said he could take a look. He was puzzled and went back to the store to grab a bunch of keys. He checked some settings and puzzled still. He said it wasn't suppose to do that. I thought so. He unlocked the container to where the change dropped and gave me my money back. He says there's nothing he could do and that the machine would have to complete its cycle before the door could unlock. I was very frustrated with that. He says he could refund me for the soap too, I asked him to give me another two boxes.

Just my luck. Well, I finally got all the laundry done in half the time I thought it'd take so it was alright. I was happy I have clean clothes now. I folded all the clothes and put them in different bags to be given to Mom, Papa, Sien Ee, etc. Once I got back, everyone was ready to leave. I started packing my luggage and made sure I have everything in there. Sien Ee made breakfast, I've lugged some cup noodles with me and this was the only motel that has microwave! That I was thankful so we could finally consume and get rid of them.

We loaded all our stuff into the van and started to explore the small town by foot. It was almost 10AM so it warmed up quite quickly. 

After strolling the one way street of this town, I soon realized a theme that can be seen almost every corner. A lot of the properties have FOR SALE sign. The economy here must be bad. 

PCC and I parted with others and started to walk on our own. She read something about the train station so we headed that way.

They have a gift shop at the train station and also the penny souvenir. I'm collecting on Papa's behalf hehe PCC picked up some souvenir and while we were leaving, I saw this windbreaker jacket that looked nice and recalled that Mom wanted to get Papa one and they haven't gotten one for one reason or the other. The price was right and the colors/materials were nice. Had PCC appraised and she concurred. So that was my gift for Papa's birthday hehe forgot to take picture...

We were the last to get back at the motel as the others were waiting anxiously to leave for Vegas (you know how PCC can be when it comes to shopping hehe alright I'm guilty as well :)

Thankfully, this time around the driving duty are fairly assigned to the four younger adults hehe me and PCC on the way there, Florence and Vanitha on the way back. So, PCC and I took the very last row of the van and slept almost all the way back. I didn't realize how tired I was.

We reached Vegas around 5PM. PCC wanted to go to Hard Rock first for BoyKK's collection. I was getting tired of visiting so many Hard Rocks, or so it seemed... so I went to the bathroom to get away. Unfortunately, that was where I retrieved SY's email about Ah Ma's untimely death. It was devastating. I didn't know how to react to the news. I went out to Papa and tried to hold back my tears with my cracked voice I told Papa that Ah Ma is gone. Papa was calm and in turn told Mom of the grim news. I couldn't tell much from Mom's reaction. I couldn't hold myself back anymore so I stormed outside and burst into tears.

We left Hard Rock shortly after that and proceeded to checking in to our hotel that night at the MGM Grand. As soon as we got our keys to our rooms, we called a family meeting. All of our plans to the East Coast needs to be cancelled. We'd have to call the airlines to see if Papa, Mom and Sien Ee can get an earlier flight back and we'd have to get back to LA as soon as possible. Since MCC did all the booking, it was hard to get through customer service and MCC was in Bali at that time. We managed to get a hold of her and she said she'll take care of it when she gets back to Singapore. We made what seems to be a lot of calls that night.

We didn't get out of the hotel room until after 10PM. We were tired and hungry so we went down to grab dinner. A Chinese restaurant by the name of ChinChin at the NYNY Hotel was our choice. We took the opportunity to do a flash sight-seeing as Papa, Mom, and Sien Ee never really have the chance to see the city.

 Dinner was mediocre, perhaps even less than that... even though the reviews stated otherwise.

Papa was intrigued with all the gambling that was going on in the casino -- we watched this guy who seemed to be filthy rich, lost all his gambling chips on roulette. He has no strategy (what gambling game does?) and he just bet all over the table, hoping he'd hit it rich quick. Well, that didn't happen for him but just thrill of the game, I guess. 

At another table, this Filipino lady was lucky for a couple of rounds but she kept betting on the same number. With my knowledge on probability, she probably will not hit the same number again. And she lost all her chips... 

I told Papa, if want to gamble, best bet is the slot machines. The smaller the denomination, the longer you get to play. So, we tried on some slot machines. It was fun, but no jackpot. After an hour or so of getting to know the games, we met up with Mom, Sien Ee and PCC. We thought it'd be a good idea to see the whole strip and the easiest way to do this is by the monorail. It was close to midnight at that time but we went anyways. It was quiet and there were not too many people on it. We didn't get out of the monorail but Papa said the $15 that we paid to see most of the strip (from the backlot where the monorail passed) was worth it, because we wouldn't have been able to cover or to see most of the casinos/hotels by foot.

We got back to the hotel after 1AM and retired to bed from what seemed to be a long day...

Vac Day IX - A Wink at Vegas then Grand Canyon

Sunday - September 5th, 2010

Vegas then Grand Canyon

We arrived after 8PM the night before, but it took us as long as the duration of the flight to get our rental. Partly, I think it was due to a long weekend, so most vehicles were already rented out and it was a last minute deal as we tried different options on getting separate rentals for both groups. We did have a reservation for a vehicle fit for 12 people so, after an hour or haggling and analyzing what would be best for all of us, we settled for the original plan.

It was huge, a Ford E350, will showcase it in a little bit. Florence had the privilege to try it out first, facing with minor challenges even before leaving the parking lot, like releasing the brake hehe

After quite late dinner which we had at Panda Express -- Chinese Fast Food, we checked in at Tuscany Casino, small by Vegas standard and was pleasantly surprised by the sheer size of their rooms. After spending three full nights in a small hole with three other adults, that was a very nice change. It even came with its own kitchenette along with a small round dining table, sofa set and even a desk. That's luxurious compared to our accommodation in SF.

Didn't even manage to "break-in" the room also... such a waste.

Apologize for the crappy picture -- lack of light does that :)

Alright, enough bashing that inn in SF. We didn't really get to enjoy our stay at the Tuscany as we headed out a little after 7AM. It was my turn to test out the big wheels. I've never driven nor carried so many passengers in my life. Being liable for many lives was kind of scary. But, this van drives great. Maneuvering was effortless. Initial plan was to head to Quiznos for breakfast, but they were not open yet. So we opted for Jack in the Box which was open and nearby.

After our quite hearty fast food breakfast, we all got back into the van and here starts our supposedly 5 hour journey to Grand Canyon South Rim. About 30mins into our journey...

Hoover Dam... on the way to Grand Canyon.

Spectacular feat of engineering. Nuff said. Too dam dry and hot :)

Everything was so dry even my lips were so badly chapped. Oh, this is where I wished Papa "Happy Birthday" hehe

This dam lies between two states, Nevada and Arizona...

Here's how the others cope with the hotness and dryness of this environment we call desert -- notice the hand gesture of Sean Ee and Mom's face on the first pic!

Yea! That's the van I drove :D Conveniently serves as a shield from the scorching sun

Papa so adventurous he climbed down the wall (look closely in the first picture above) and crossed the road to take this marvelous picture:

Papa seriously need to lose that backpack

Back on the road, much of nothingness mostly.

And this would be one trip with many pit-stops with most of the old folks needed constant bathroom breaks. Papa said even he was getting affected haha PCC and I take turns to drive. We stopped for lunch at A&W in Saligman, AZ (of all places, not that we have that many options)... and it's been a long while since I last dined at this restaurant hehe ordered a Giant Float, but... forgot to take a picture of it! Dam.

The scenery has changed quite a bit as we ascend to higher elevation. I believe about 5000+ft. Seligman also lies on the the historic Route 66.

When it was PCC's turn to drive, I took the opportunity to take a nap. When I woke up... we pulled over for another pit-stop. Not sure what town it was, but we were definitely getting closer. There were a couple of shops and there were a couple of tables laid in front of those shops selling souvenirs made from the local Indian tribe. Mostly jewelries and ceramics, I really like their vase but they were overpriced.

As we were heading back out on the road, PCC pointed at the mailboxes. I guess that's the amount of people who live in the surrounding areas.

Not too long after our stop, we finally arrived at the park after 4PM. Admission fee is $25, valid for 7 days! It's a shame we weren't going to fully utilize the pass. After sitting in the car for hours, everyone was ready to get out and see the majestic canyons. It was dry, windy and the sun was bright and sunny.

Papa and Mom seemed anxious so they walked ahead of us. We stopped and took some pictures.

There was a little detour as they have construction, so we followed the path and anxiously scan for the grandeur of canyons. Then out of nowhere, as I looked to my right, there they were. My jaw dropped. All I could muttered was "oh my god... wow". It was humbling and so sudden. It took me a while to absorb the sheer magnificence of this place. I even forgot to take pictures. Everywhere you look, at any angle was a great view. It was simply awesome.

Pictures do zero justice.

Everyone sort of went at their own pace and got separated from the group and I ventured off on my own as well. The canyons are so massive and even in person, they looked as if they were big posters plastered across the screen. There were a couple of times, I tried to capture some pictures closer to the edge and I'm not really afraid of heights but boy when I was getting close to the edge, I could feel my legs trembling.

After almost two hours of nature therapy, I started heading back to the bathroom where we've parted ways earlier. I was surprised to see that most everyone has gathered. Florence's old folks gang asked if Sean Ee was with me, I told them no and that I was alone. They said she was nowhere to be found! Alarmed, PCC and I went to the Visitor's Center to look for her, and a few minutes later, I received a call from Vanitha saying that she was found. It wouldn't be fun if we have to report Sean Ee missing hehe

I really enjoyed the short time at Grand Canyon. This is definitely another place where I'll come back for an extended visit. There is the North Rim where it's only 10 miles away from the South Rim where we were but 215 miles by road! Imagine that. It would be a great experience to hike there or take a mule ride or go on the river trips. So many things to do and so much to see yet so little time.

It was getting dark by the time we exited the park. We did not stay within the immediate vicinity of the park but about an hour's drive away in a small town called Williams. I looked on my phone and they said there's a Thai restaurant in that small town so we decided to have that for dinner. Once we reached, we weren't able to locate that restaurant. I even tried calling but to no avail. We just assumed they went out of business because we walked up those street a couple times and don't see it. We were starving and settled for pizza place instead. We gave our orders and they said it will be 30mins...

While waiting, mom and Sean Ee went to the shops closeby to do a little shopping. Since it was Papa's birthday, I thought it'd be nice to give him a little surprise so I asked if they have any desserts, to my disappointment, they only have ice-creams and only in two flavors. What to do, just ordered them anyways and requested them that they bring it out when we're almost done with dinner.

I went up to the server and tell them to bring out the ice-cream in a little bit, but then with Papa's timing, while they were almost ready, he went to the bathroom pulak. So I asked if they can wait for Papa to come out and re-bring it back haha of course they complied. So once Papa came back out, I sort of signal to them again that they can start to bring the ice-cream out again. And I tried to act coy by looking at their menu, while opening the menu at its full stretch, it bumped onto PCC's water and knocked it off the table to Papa's direction and spilled onto his pants... oops... so Papa frantically wiped the water off his pants. Then out of nowhere, all the servers gathered with his ice-cream singing and clapping Happy Birthday for him haha

I left my camera in the van so thanks to PCC for capturing some of those moments. After they were done, Papa asked, how did they know it was his birthday kakaka

The ice-creams were pretty good and we all shared some.
Papa, Happy 60th birthday and many more to come!

Vac Day VIII - Sonoma, Golden Gate Bridge and Vegas

Saturday - September 4th, 2010
Sonoma

Final day in SF. We felt as if we've covered most of the 'must see' places in SF so we decided to drive up a little further to one of the widely known wine country, either Napa Valley or Sonoma. Since Sonoma is closer, that was an easy decision to make.

An hour later... We didn't really have a specific place to go to, so we just drove around and ended up at this place!

The grapes were aplenty! We couldn't resist but to pose and...

curi curi pluck a few to see how they taste like... 

bit sour and sweet!

All that goofing around sure builds up an appetite, so we need to find a place where we can sit and chow down decently. Discovered from my phone that city center was just a couple of miles away that comes with a park hah! So, we unloaded a bag of Russian pastries we bought yesterday and settled ourselves on a bench in  a shady spot at the park.

After refueling, we strolled around the park and snapped a few pictures. Discovered that Sonoma is a state historic park!

PCC wanted to try out Cheesecake Factory since the day she set foot on US soil (that and In-N-Out), so I teased her, she finally got her wish, however, just cheese without the cake here in Sonoma!

After all that walking around the park square in the hot sun (compared to foggy SF), we decided it was time to head back to SF so we could be at the airport on time. On a sunny day like this, we just had to cool ourselves down with some icy-goodness and behold this heavenly places below:

Hidden behind that fluffy tree, tucked away from preying eyes. Ice-cream were delicious, I had Cherry Garcia cone but it was just outrageously overpriced!

And this is the end result after consumption of Russian pastry and Ben & Jerry's goodies... oh, only affected these two, obviously hehe

Afternoon nappie

ZZZzzzZZZ

So, we weren't that thrilled with the foggy pictures of Golden Gate Bridge taken on our second day. And since we'd have to pass the gate again on our way to the airport (toll $6 south-bound), we might as well give it another shot, since we've heard the fog is more forgiving at the north-end. 

Remember how HOT and SUNNY it was in Sonoma that we peeled our cardigans and jackets off? 

Welcome back to San Francisco!

Well, apparently this area pulls in the fogs like magnet. Temperature dipped and wind blew. Sure it's mysterious alright, but let in some rays!

Take photo first

In order to get closer to the gate, we'd have to cross the bridge with an underpass for pedestrians only. It was pretty neat to see the construction underneath it.

Under the bridge

The other side of the bridge:

Blue blue sky then fog?

This is a cute pic of Mom showcasing her newly bought jacket from previous night's rendezvous at their favorite store -- Target

Oh yah, jam right on the bridge, so we weren't going nowhere fast.
Snap snap snap...

After a while, the jam seems to loosen up a little and it only took us a few minutes to get over the 1.7mile stretch of suspension.

It was already way passed 2PM when we were done, our flight to Vegas is at 7PM which gives us plenty of time to roam around still... or so we thought until our GPS got confused and couldn't get us back right on track. We finally were able to manage by doing it the conventional way -- reading the posted signs as there were plenty showing us the right way to the airport.

Well, farewell red-colored-suspension bridge in a constant fog... for now. Definitely will be back when I can see you in vivid colors!

Blankets of fog embracing the green hills of San Francisco:

Reached the airport right on time after topping off gas for our rental at nearby Costco. Took the shuttle to the domestic terminal and get our boarding passes. Can't believe airlines these day charge you $25/check-in baggage. What a ripoff. Didn't do much at the airport until time to board the plane. Flight was uneventful as well and took less than an hour to get to Vegas. It was a little after 8PM when we reached there. Picked up our luggage and took another shuttle to get our rental car. This time around, our group merged with Florence's... so, a bigger form of transportation would be needed to accommodate 10 adults plus numerous luggage.

Welcome to Vegas!