Adoi

Felt so guilty after hiatus for almost three years! And not even finishing my roadtrip entry...

Anyway, it's a brand (Chinese) new year and it's never too late to resume.

Plan a different approach to keep track of my entries - most convenient is thru phone and definitely will not be lengthy ones. We shall see how that goes.

Here's to an exciting, healthier, wealthier and more adventurous year of goat/sheep/ram!! Gong xi gong xi!!

Roadtrip Day IV - Fort Stockton to San Antonio, TX

Day IV - Monday, December 26th, 2011

Fort Stockton to San Antonio, TX

Fort Stockton is really a small town but we didn't realize how small it was until the next day when we get to see it in daylight. When we arrived, it was already dark so we just stayed in the motel room at night and ate whatever that's left from our stash.

The location of the motel, even though it was on "main" street, was sad because I couldn't get good 3G service and that itself felt like a big handicap for me. With much effort, I was able to locate a Chinese buffet restaurant that we could eat for lunch -- I know in the middle of nowhere in Texas! We read all the reviews (four in total) about this place and that seemed like the only decent place around that received good reviews and ratings. Sure worth a shot as it felt like a while since we had a good complete meal (we could only hope).

As we started to check out, I entered the address on the GPS, we barely drove quarter of a mile, we noticed that the restaurant is just right next to the motel! We drove into the lot only to find that they were still closed with a sign posted that they were closed for Christmas. So the dilemma was we do not know if they will be open day after Christmas. So we decided to wait and drove around town since it wasn't too long until they're scheduled to open.

Fort Stockton is not big at all, definitely a small town with one main road where most motels are located. We completed our tour of the town within minutes and found ourselves back at the Chinese buffet parking lot. Finally, a small SUV pulled up to the lot filled with Asians with wondering faces. I figured they had to be the staff and SW approached them to confirm that and whether they will be open for business today, they confirmed our doubt.

Our next doubt was - since they just got in, how are they going to pull off serving buffet as they were already late... Well they pulled it off, nothing fresh of course, most of the foods were just reheated and the trays were coming out on the buffet station fairly quickly. We quickly grabbed the first things served - fried rice and fried chicken on sticks which wasn't that bad at all. Also got some salad. I smuggled some chicken for Bobbie as well :)

The staff were around our age, except for one, who we thought may be the owner/manager. I was relieved we get to eat fulfilling and somewhat satisfying food for Christmas before getting back on the road. It's still funny to find this Asian buffet in the middle of nowhere and they just serve passerbys most of the time. These were the only two shots I took while waiting for food, as you can see we were the first guests.

Back on the road we go -- trip to San Antonio will take approximately 4.5hours, was mostly uneventful. Since we left Ft Stockton at a decent time, we arrived to San Antonio around 5PM and checked into the motel. As usual, we dragged all our stuff out and was planning to relax for a little while. I went into the bathroom and noticed there were a couple of bugs. I just squished and threw into the toilet. Front desk called to ask if everything was OK, so I pointed out about the bug we found. He apologized and immediately told us that he could transfer us to another room which we were more than happy to accept.

I drove to the office and got new keys, thankfully, it was only a few doors down, so we just moved everything into our new room. Got everything settled, relaxed and we have great 3G service in the area. After reviewing the places on Yelp -- the choices were endless, with much consideration, we finally decided to try this place called The Monterey which undoubtedly have a surplus of great reviews.

Unfortunately, we found out that the restaurant was not open due to the holiday, so we opted for 2nd option which was Mexican restaurant also closeby -- less than two blocks away. This restaurant was jam packed! We asked how long the wait would be, the hostess said it would be about 30mins or so, since we were hungry and wasn't ready for another disappointment, we agreed to just wait.

Our wait was much less than 30 mins and we used it wisely to review the menus so when the waiter approached, we were ready to order -- I started off with margaritas, I ordered pozole and SW ordered enchilada and we both shared a plate of ceviche as well. Complementary chips and salsas were served.

The pozole (soup) was really good that came with a side plate with dried oregano, radishes, etc. I read rave reviews about the salsa but it was eh so so for me. The ceviche was really good as well, they have bite pieces of fish and nice slices of guacamole as you can see from the picture. Didn't take too long to inhale all those food and we were out the door in about an hour of dining time.

Since the night is still young and we have our tummies filled and we are in a lively and exciting city, we made an easy decision to romp round town, our usual spot - downtown and naturally we bumped into the popular attraction -- River Walk. SW's camera is great on low lights while mine was god-awful.

We have no idea the Alamo was so close to the River Walk too! It's a shame that we couldn't go in and explore, as if we have the time anyway. The square was big and full of people and as well as shops and other attractions.

Quick snapshot around the square

A quick stop at the railway station with the train all decked up for the holiday

And we spent the remainder of the driving around town and snapping away

We got back to the motel a little after midnight and Bobbie who we left at the motel was glad to welcome us back. San Antonio is definitely a lively city but we can't wait to get to our final destination.

Roadtrip Day III - Las Cruces, NM to Fort Stockton, TX

Day III - Sunday, December 25th, 2011

Las Cruces, El Paso and to Fort Stockton, TX

When we approach Las Cruces, NM, I kept noticing there were white substance on the ground. Ignorant of our elevation, I soon figured out that it had snowed prior to our arrival! What luck! 

We arrived to Las Cruces around 8PM, checked into the motel and again with stroke of luck, we were given a room across from the laundry room. Exactly what I needed since Bobbie wasn't feeling well and had some accidents. Even though it's only been a couple of days, it's nice to have clean smelling clothes. Oh yeah, I even brought some detergents and softener cloths along as I was well prepared to do laundry on the road.

It wasn't as cold as expected, I was actually out on flip-flops hehe of course that didn't last too long. Even took Bobbie out for a stroll. Basically, the first few days, we lived on the food that we brought along. We lugged all our stuff in upon arrival and packed everything back into the car upon departure. All motels were equipped with ice machine so we were able to replenish the ice supply to keep the perishables from getting perished!

Kesian Bobbie, forced to come with me on the roadtrip involuntarily hehe Didn't do too much that night as we were exhausted from all the driving. Showered, watched some tv before falling asleep.

The next morning, we checked out pretty early and had no clue what to expect from this town. It was supposed to be the 2nd largest cities in New Mexico but I still find it kinda town-ish vs. city-ish. As we drove to 'downtown', we stumbled upon this:

It appeared out of nowhere but then we were in the middle of nowhere. We just pulled the car aside, got out and walked toward the spectacular find. Photo-op lo:

Despite this piece of land is right next to the road side, there weren't that many car that passed by, could also be because it was Christmas. We continued our way to the old town called Mesilla... did not see anything that caught our attention.

We drove around aimlessly around this part of town and saw houses scattered randomly, some of them were in sad shape but some were really grand with all the XMas decoration etc. We then start driving to the new town center and then this appeared before us:

What a contrast to the barren foreground and all the buildings that appeared so little in the middle and the breathtaking view of the peaks in the back!? We drove on and continued to explore the little town and ended up by the town center where we parked right by the courthouse. 

As we walked around the corner, we heard what sounded like a huge argument. Apparently, one guy was trying to cross the street and there were two guys in a truck that seemed to be in a hurry, he beeped at him and one thing led to another, the next thing we saw was the two guys were out of their truck running after the  guy who was crossing the street. We were not sure if he got beat up or not, we just went the opposite direction swiftly. I do know that NM has a high crime rate especially in Albuquerque, but this was a small town and for something like that to happen so early in the morning of Christmas... wow, it must be bad.

Moving along, I saw the best photo op every so I came up with this brilliant idea and asked SW to go across the street so I could take this brilliant shot hehe doesn't it look great? Of course it does! We had to coordinate until the lights turn green so we could actually walk to the center of the road to take this shot.

There weren't much else to see so we decided it was time to move onto our next destination which is El Paso, TX which is only less than an hour away. El Paso is just right next to the Mexican border we could actually see it while driving on the freeway. And of course, the border is fenced all the way through and border patrol presence is very much visible here. Temperature also climbed and humidity can be felt as well.

We drove directly to downtown and once again it was eerily empty, I guess it was due to the fact it was a major holiday and nobody's working. We walked around the square and snapped some pictures. 

I read that El Paso was the city with every fast-food chain imagineable. I suppose we were at the wrong place because we were not able to locate any! I looked up nearby restaurants on Yelp and couldn't find any that was open. After a few days of making and eating our own sandwiches, we really wanted something different so we drove around as there's got to be a McDonalds hiding somewhere.

Sure enough there was one so we stopped for lunch before hitting the road again, SW even took a picture of me while ordering food.

After we get our McD fix, then head back on the road for Fort Stockton. As we drive further along the freeway and away from downtown, we then realized all the fast-food chains were lined up on both sides of the freeway! Aiya... already makan, so continued our drive to Fort Stockton where we will be spending a night which is about 3.5hours from El Paso.

One of the highlights of our drive:

And also made a brief stop for Bobbie :)

Roadtrip Day II - Phoenix, AZ to Las Cruces, NM

Day II - Saturday, December 24, 2011

Phoenix to Tucson, AZ and Las Cruces, NM

As mentioned on previous blog, did not really make much preparations to this trip, mainly because not 100% positive about SW's participation on it. Thought that she was going to cancel last min :)

So, after a pretty good night's rest, woke up and took Bobbie out for a walk. He was super nervous because this would be his first roadtrip and without Baby. He wasn't eating or drinking and therefore not much pooping either.

After shower, we made some breakfast to be eaten later and checked out of the motel and drove to downtown Phoenix. It was deserted, not a soul to be found. Well, for downtown area, it was kinda spooky not to see at least a handful of people, maybe we were early, but then it was well past 9AM. We walked around the City Hall area and snapped some photos.

We finally found a group of people from the "Occupy [City]" protest that were camping by the City Hall. Some seemed hostile and some were friendly. We snapped some pictures and went on with our way.

We were starving by the time we get back to the car, so we ate breakfast made earlier. Next stop was Wrigley mansion few miles away. We turned into the wrong exit at some point and ended up at Sky Harbor airport. Wasn't crazy about the Wrigley mansion at all although it sits atop a hill and overlooks Phoenix skyline which is not that impressive...

What I was enthusiastic about is the huge and magnificent Saguaro cactus! They were everywhere and it didn't take us too long to hunt one down just right in front of someone's driveway... so what else, photo-op! I didn't think we made too much noise, but I saw some heads peering out the window hehe

We have another 6 hours drive from Phoenix to Las Cruces, NM, with a stopver at Tucson. Tucson is about 2 hours drive from Phoenix. I've read a lot about old air planes or crafts graveyard/storage at Davis-Monthan AFB but didn't think we have time to look for it.

Stopped briefly at downtown Tucson to snap some pictures:

I think the cathedral was possibly the highlight of this town hehe otherwise I guess one would describe it as quaint or just plainly old :)

And in the center of downtown lies this park called Veinte de Agosto Park with an Equestrian Statue of the Mexican Revolutionary Figure General Francisco Villa 1877-1923 called "In Friendship".

In the background of the picture to the right is another Occupy [city] group.

After a short stop at Tucson, we continue our way to Las Cruces where we spend a night there.

Roadtrip Day I - LA to Phoenix, AZ

Day I - Friday, December 23, 2011

Meet up with SW.

Did a full day at work on Friday, left just in time to start moving all the stuff into car -- wasn't very organized on this trip and had to turn back to get my shoes as I totally forgot about them. Good thing I haven't gotten onto the freeway yet. 

The backseat was packed with:

- Bobbie -- his bed, napkins, food, tupperwares to be used as bowls, etc.

- F&B -- made some potato salad, brought some pita bread, JP's mom made salsa for me, some cold cuts, some fresh lettuce and tomatoes, a carton of bottled water, and some iced teas. Also brought two ice boxes, one small and one larger to store the perishables.

- Pillow and sheets -- staying in motel, since I booked all rooms to have 2 twin/queen, I brought sheets to cover so we don't get bed bugs and god knows what else.

Was supposed to meet up with SW at In-N-Out in Culver City area and I managed to get there in just 30mins. There were traffic but not as congested as I'd thought. So in my disorganization, I actually came out OK. Saw SW walked by the car 15mins or so later. We went into In-N-Out to refreshed ourselves and transferred all her luggage into the trunk which took most of the room. I was glad I didn't bring anyone else to this trip because the car was packed.

It's a little over 6 hour drive from LA to Phoenix. We started off after 9PM and stopped somewhere in between for gas fill-up and bathroom break. Reached Phoenix well after midnight, made it half hour earlier than anticipated. Weather was dry but the motel was decent, although I spent a considerable amount of time trying to check in because there were two other guests ahead of me. Finally checked in and lugged most of the stuff into the room. Took Bobbie out for a walk, hit the shower and bed.

Sorry lah, no picture on this day. 

Ee Poh's Trip from July 2011

So a month later, I went to pick up Ee Poh and Wee Ee from the airport on the last leg of their month long trip. They were to stay at my place for one night. Apparently, the airlines had damaged, or rather misplaced the handle attachment. After settling in, we decided to go out and do a local tour. I asked if they wanted to check out Ross as sometimes they do have good deals on brand name luggage, Ee Poh couldn't decide if she should get the bag. I told her to leave that as opt B as we will be going to Camarillo (again) the next day. After that, I took them to Porter Ranch where they have a huge strip of all sort of stores, but mainly Wee Ee wanted to go to Walmart.

She ended up buying a pair of sandals with large turquoise beadings that looked really nice. After the little shopping, Ee Poh wanted to go back to San Gabriel Valley to eat Chinese food, specifically lobster. They said the other visitors told them there was a Chinese restaurant that sells 99¢/lb lobster if you order a few dishes to go along with it...

Ta da -- all taken with phone:

It was quite late when we reached there, so there weren't too many people left. The restaurant is huge, spans across all of the 2nd floor of the building. Foods came out fairly fast and servers were kinda attentive.

As you can see from the after pictures, we hardly made a dent, except for the lobster dish. So I've got more leftover to ta pao :) Ee Poh made sure that I took this picture so everyone will believe the advertisement. It is unheard of until now. The drive back was filled with food price/lifestyle comparisons between here and Melbourne... and Quebec too.

The next morning, we set off to Camarillo so they can do more shopping. After touring to a few US destinations, they realized Camarillo has the larger outlet and better prices hehe What surprised me most is Ee Poh is still very strong and need no assistance whatsoever. Not only she is healthy in that regards, her mind is still sharp and very quick thinking. She even reminded me of the motorcycle exhaust pipe burn incident when I took Ah Ben out for a ride when we were little... I remembered that as well :)

So the quest of getting a new luggage back for Ee Poh, she wanted a very small one yet sturdy. Lee Ee recommended to get Samsonite, they were quite expensive, and she couldn't find anything else. After we were done shopping, we returned to Ross and get the initial bag that fitted her criterias as well as price was unbeatable, as they say.

Got back home, Ee Poh transferred all her stuff into the new bag and got themselves refreshed. We start driving to the airport as flight was scheduled to leave around 4:30PM. We stopped by a small Thai restaurant near the airport for lunch. They always commented on how big the portions were, but at this one, it's more proportionate as individual serving:

The tom yum soup was a disappointment, the pad thai was OK and the fried rice was mediocre, but it filled up our tummies. After lunch, I dropped Ee Poh and Wee Ee at the airport, gave our hugs and I even got an ang pau from Ee Poh for chauffering them :D

It was nice to have some relatives around even for a short period of time.

Ee Poh's Trip from June 2011

OK lah -- been a LONG while since I posted anything so time to catch up. Let's start with Ee Poh's visit like almost a year ago haha!

It was a work day when they arrived -- think it was Thursday, We Ee confused herself and in turn confused me as well with the arrival date -- called the hotel but they said Khoo guest has not checked in yet. But good thing I had Ah Ben's email, so emailed him and luckily he checks his email quite frequently and confirmed that they indeed were arriving on that day.

Took off from work and drove downtown where they stayed at The Millennium Hotel. Upon arriving to the hotel, already spotted Lee Ee, so I pulled to the curb and then saw the rest but the biggest hug was from Ee Poh hehehe it was almost like seeing Ah Ma! We proceeded to have dinner at a Mexican restaurant -- we each ordered an entree and everyone shared everything. They commented how cheap food was but debated about tips and taxes. They will be on a month long tour across the continental United States and also to Canada to visit Aik Ku. Lee Ee and Teik Ku would return to LA earlier while Ee Poh and Wee Ee stayed for additional couple weeks and then back to LA again before final flight to Melbourne. I did not manage to take any pictures that day.

After dinner, I dropped them back to hotel as I still have to go back to work the next day. They agreed to meet on Saturday so I can take them around, but they have also arranged to have a local tour on Friday.

On Saturday, they have to switch hotel so they can get ready for the Vegas trip with a local tour. After dropping off their luggage at a different hotel in San Gabriel Valley, we took off to Pasadena. Coincidentally, there was some sort of a fair that day. Just walked around and enjoy some Cuban pastries that I bought earlier in the morning.

Here are a couple of pictures, just random shots. They organizers were giving out freebies such as t-shirts and cold energy drinks which Teik Ku and Lee Ee got a bottle each for all of us.

Lee Ee gets bored pretty quickly so we moved on westward toward the beach -- I thought they might like the cooler temperature there and so we arrived at Venice Beach boardwalk... just went to access the beach restroom which had a line haha Ee Poh also used my hat to shield from the sun. They also made comments on how similar weather in Melbourne with Southern California.

We didn't walk too much at the boardwalk since Lee Ee got bored again so we started to make our way back to the hotel. I drove pass the famous "Little Italy" canals in Venice. It was still early, so I proposed to take them shopping at Camarillo. The freeway was jam-packed but we managed to get to the outlets around 5 which does not leave too much time for them to shop, just a little taste haha Of course they bombarded the Coach store and many others -- Lee Ee definitely loved the retail therapy as she put it.

After stores closed, we drove all the way back to SGV and I yelped on the phone to see which restaurants we should have dinner at. It took us to this shopping strip, there were a lot of Asian communities in this part of the town, most especially Chinese so we were not short of options. They decided to try another restaurant that looked like they have more authentic food. I remembered they kept commenting how cheap the lobsters were and that was one of the dishes we ordered.

After a fulfilling dinner with some leftovers to go, I dropped them off to the hotel and went on my way. It would be about a month before I see them again.