DAY 1
We were not able to go home to the Philippines for Christmas. Instead, we spent our holidays with my Mama's relatives and friends in California.
We flew from Louisville to Memphis, to catch our layover to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, our flight got delayed. We were supposed to arrive in LA by 5pm, and because of the delay, we would be arriving by 9pm instead. One good thing came out of it, though, since both papa and mama NWA Elite Members, for our LA leg of the trip, we got bumped up to.. guess what... First Class!
In LA, we stayed at my Mama's Tita Donna's home in Anaheim. Remember, we stayed with them for a while when we went with Lola Mommy to California last January? This time, their family welcomed us again.
DAY 2
The following day, which was Sunday, after going to mass, we had lunch at Chowking. Finally, some real pinoy fastfood! Ahh, the perks of being in the west coast! Papa was so excited!
...And he just couldn't hide it.
After lunch, Tita Paring went with us to tour downtown LA. Our first stop, the Kodak Theater.
Here we are at the Lobby.
Here's Papa outside.
Maybe I'll be the next American Idol to win and sing here. Nah.
Then, we went next door to the Grauman's Chinese Theater.
Oooh! Pretty!
Here I am with the hand and footprints of famous Hollywood stars.
Papa's turn!
Not far from the theater is this star of Papa's favorite star.
Starstruck!
After seeing everything that could possibly be seen here, we then tried to drive as near as we could to the Hollywood sign.
It looks near right?
Nope. Still too far!
Next we went to Mama's favorite street, Rodeo Drive baby!
Versace is right up these steps and beside the huge Christmas tree. Right now, we're outside Tiffany's.
I am holding Papa's Anniversary, Christmas, and Valentine's gift to my Mama, hehe. I better not lose this!
Two things should be noticed in this picture: 1) the chandelier lamp-posts, and 2) one of Mama's fave stores.
Just making sure we're going in the right direction. Brrr, its kinda cold.
And because it was getting late, we decided to drive to Downtown Disney to have dinner and catch the fireworks display.
We dropped by the Lego Imagination Center, and I suddenly became a Lego fan.
Huge red block!
Can't help but build something!
I am your (made of Lego) father!
There's something weird about this guy.
We had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. Yummy!
I still can't get the yummy ribs Tita Paring ordered off my mind. Hmmm.
After we waited and waited, we still missed the fireworks! Can you believe that? Grrr. Anyway, tomorrow is another day.
DAY 3
We drove up North with Tita Paring today. Our destination? The lovely Santa Barbara!
Be sure to drop by the Visitor's Information Center (near the Harbor) if it's your first time to visit. They give out great information about the city.
Here we are at the Harbor area. This place is so gorgeous!
The Pacific Ocean.
So pretty! I think, if you ask my Mama if she'd like to live here, she'd say yes!
Papa and the lighthouse.
Mama and the walkway.
Pretty Palm trees line the seaside.
Mama and me waiting for the electric bus that would take us downtown.
The electric bus (very environment-friendly!) runs the length of State St, which is the city's main thoroughfare. The best shops and dining places are lined up here.
We did lunch at Andersen's. Very French bistro!
The spanish influence on this city gives it its uniquely old world and lovely character.
The shops are so quaint! Even the national retail chains are made to conform with the architectural flavor of the city.
The James Joyce. It's a bar, actually. Irish. Inspired obviously by The Mr. Joyce.
I don't blame mama, everything is just so picturesque.
Time to go...
Next stop: Solvang. That is, if we could get there before nightfall.
We didn't. :( Too bad we arrived at nighttime since the place looked really magical! Imagine, a Danish community right smack in the middle of California? Weird but true!
Like the structure behind us, every building in this area bears a Danish touch.
Including windmills!
And a Little Mermaid Restaurant, too!
Make sure you visit Alisal Road. Ok? We almost missed it!
And on that note, we started our 4 hour journey back to Anaheim.
DAY 4
We started our trip to San Francisco at 8am. We chose to go via I-5. It's not as scenic as the 101 route, but it was a very leisurely drive.
Here, Papa got excited about the cows that he saw. That's because there were probably thousands of them! (No picture, we went by the ranch so fast that we had no time to stop and smell the manure).
On the other hand, Mama got excited about these...
Beautiful, beautiful windmills.
With a perfect sunset setting.
Gorgeous!
It took us about 8 hours to get from LA to SF, but the trip was generally ok. We arrived in Oakland, checked into our hotel for the night, and then drove towards San Francisco to look for Max's Fried Chicken. Unfortunately, we got lost. So, because we were really hungry, we settled for CPK along Van Ness Ave.
Tomorrow, we tour.
DAY 5
We checked-out of the hotel and then took the Bay Bridge going to San Francisco.
Everything you need to know about the Bay Bridge can be read Here.
So very like the tourists that we are, here we are slowing down for the toll booth in order to take pictures of the bridge (or its cables, actually). Like our experience with New York and New Jersey, we noticed that there's a toll booth going into SF, but none going back to Oakland.
After getting used to the sprawling homes and ranches in Kentucky, these SF homes made my Papa feel claustrophobic. I don't mind. They're so cute in pinks and blues!
What's for brunch? Max's Fried Chicken, of course! Getting lost again is not an option.
Finally, authentic pinoy fried chicken. Sarap to the Bones!
I'm waiting for Piolo to show up!
Papa's on the phone while waiting for our chicken and lechon kawali. Yum!
After that yummy lunch, it's definitely time for pasyal!
First stop, Lombard St.
This is Lombard St., the world's "crookedest" road. Papa enjoyed it so much that we went down the road twice, hehe.
Lombard continues down to this road. It shows how hilly this city is and it is also so amazing how people could actually build houses on them.
This is how the street looks like from our GPS screen. Zigzag talaga!
We then went to the city's most famous landmark...the Golden Gate Bridge. It really wasn't the best time to go there, it was raining and the fog was so heavy! But, knowing us, it didn't stop us from going!
We decided to view the bridge from the Marin Side. We are here at Vista Point, where the small park is also a great place to see the SF Skyline. But, waaaah, look at that fog! Party pooper!
Like Mama, like Ninna.
The bridge is red. Not gold. It's confusing.
Closer.
Even closer.
After the bridge, we went directly to Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. We planned to take a ferry ride down the bay. Weather permitting, of course.
Yup, they're open. Papa went ahead and got the tickets.
Look at this interesting island (Forbes Island) with its own little lighthouse. Cute!
We're now almost under the bridge. Still raining, still foggy. It was so cold!
More fog, sorry.
We also passed by Alcatraz island, but we didn't get off anymore because of the bad weather.
The Rock.
The infrastructure on the island are so old and torn, proof of how harsh the weather conditions are here.
What a view!
Here's a view of the city at dusk.
The Bay Bridge from another perspective.
Back to the Pier.
We are driving down to San Jose, California to stay with Tita Popo, mama's friend from high school, who was wonderful enough to adopt us for two days. While waiting for her call, we walked for a while around Fisherman's Wharf.
Something smells fishy here, hehe.
Ooooh, fresh crabs!
Afterwards, we made our way out of San Francisco towards San Jose, which was only about an hour and a half's drive. When we arrived, I met Tita Popo's babies: Kuya Inno and Gabriel.
Since we arrived late, we decided to just grab a bite from In-N-Out buger. We enjoyed it a lot because it was my and Papa's first time to eat here and Mama was able to satisfy a long-time craving. Yummy!
We went back home and went to bed early. The following day, we were going to Monterey! I'm so excited!
DAY 6
What's for breakfast? Wanna guess?
Clues: Chickenjoy, Yumburger, and Palabok Fiesta...
Jollibee!! Well, I'm still really scared of this big orange bubuyog!
After breakfast, we proceeded to lovely Monterey, California.
Welcome to Monterey!
That way to the Old Fisherman's Wharf.
Isn't the beach nice?
That's Gabriel with us in the pic. He loves the seaside as much as Mama and I do.
Here, Mama also met up with her college friend, Tita Judith. She currenly lives near Monterey and works as a special education teacher.
Mama and Tita Judith.
The Cannery Row is behind us.
Did I mention that it was Papa's and Mama's 3rd wedding anniversary that day? It was! How romantic was it that they got to spend it in beautiful Monterey? :)
I guess that's why painters and noted authors (such as Robert Louis Stevenson and John Steinbeck) lived in and around Monterey.
Anyway, next, we drove towards Carmel, California, to visit the Carmel Mission. The San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo Mission is considered one of the most beautiful missions in the chain of nine missions that stretches along California’s Central Coast.
Within the grounds of the mission, you can find the Mora Chapel Museum, the Sir Harry Downie Museum, the Munras Memorial Museum, the La Conquistadora (which is the oldest shrine to Mama Mary in the west coast), the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, the Junipero Serra Convento Museum, and the Basilica.
Here's Mama, Tita Judith and me outside Basilica.
Teacher Judith along the corridor of the mission school.
Mama and the mini-garden.
Papa and the courtyard fountain.
My turn!
Here's what the inside of the Basilica looks like. So pretty!
Here's Tita Judith inside the church.
Now my Mama's turn.
Here's our photographer taking pictures.
We drove back to Monterey where Tita Popo and her family were waiting for us. We were treated to dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
But our day was not yet over. Next, we drove to Milpitas, California to meet Tita Chare, my Mama and Tita Popo's schoolmate in high school.
A mini-reunion after 13 years. There's baby Gabriel, Tita Popo, my Mama and Tita Chare.
According to mama, Tita Chare hasn't changed a bit. She's still as perky and funny as ever.
Look who bumped into us at the mall?
It's pretty Tita Val!
Seeing old friends is really the best way to end the day.
DAY 7
Today, we started our drive back to Anaheim. This time, we took the scenic route, Highway 101. It was a longer route but the views of the coast are spectacular!
We just had to stop to take in the beautiful beach sights.
Here's the pier over Pismo Beach. We couldn't help but take a closer look.
Here we are at the pier of Pismo. Nice birdies! I love it here!
Walking hand in hand with Papa as the sun sets. So pretty!
After that short detour, we pressed on to Thousand Oaks, California to visit and have dinner with Tita Winnie, my Papa's friend whom we last saw during our trip to Las Vegas.
Tita Winnie and me while waiting for our table at the Cheesecake Factory.
It was already late when we arrived in Anaheim. Tomorrow, we will be visiting some relatives to wish them a Merry Christmas.
DAY 8
Today, with Tita Paring, we drove to Sta. Clarita to visit Mama's Tito Jun and Tita Zening. They've just moved from their old home in West Hollywood (which we visited last year with Lola and Tita Dinah) to their new home here in the North, and we're excited to see it.
Can you tell, I don't want to have my picture taken? By the way, that's Tito Jun, Tita Paring, me, Mama, and Tita Zening.
See? The pic is much calmer without me, hehe.
Now that's more like it, my solo pic!
The lunch Tito Jun prepared was so yummy!
That night, Tita Donna prepared our Noche Buena. She invited her in-laws and her friends to celebrate Christmas dinner with us. I'm sorry we weren't able to take pictures. Nevertheless, I'm happy that we got to spend our Christmas with them, instead of just the three us (alone again) in chilly Kentucky. It's definitely the next best thing to celebrating Pasko in Pinas.
DAY 9
We were supposed to drive to San Diego today but I GOT SICK. :( Phooey!
DAY 10
Still sick. :(
But tonight, Tita Paring watched over me while Papa and Mama went to Universal Studios to meet Mama's friends, Tita Jeng and Tita Bambi (and her family). Again, the last time they saw each other was during their reunion in Las Vegas. So great to see them again!
That's Papa, Mama, Tita Jeng, Tita Bambi and her hubby, Tito Rommel, and their kids.
DAY 11
I'm feeling much better now, so... back to pasyal I go!
On our second to the last day, Tita Donna took us to Long Beach. For us landlocked people of Kentucky, we could never get enough of the beach.
Here's Papa and Mama, and right behind them is the Queen Mary ship.
Here's Papa at the Yacht Club.
More boats!
Papa and the lighthouse.
Mama outside the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Here's our cute little family on the beach.
I really prefer my bikini, instead of this jacket.
From one beach to another, our next stop was the Santa Monica Pier.
Papa and me, on the Boardwalk. The best way to travel!
Pacific Park, LA's only admission-free amusement park.
I'm turning the wheel!
Papa, I need help, heehee!
My pretty Mama on the boardwalk.
My pogi Papa's turn for a pic.
Pretty beach! I wish I could take it all back home with me.
Now, it's dinner time. Since we're going home tomorrow... why not...
Jollibee, again!! Huling hirit!!
DAY 12
Goodbye California! Goodbye sunny weather!
And to the Sagaidoro family...
We will miss you!
Dear Tita Donna, Tito Joel and Tita Paring,
Thank you for welcoming us into your home. I will miss my Tito Daryl and Tito Dylan, and my little Tito JJ. We hope you'll come and visit us naman. Thanks for everything.
Love,
Ninna
~~~
Home.
No excess baggage here, just wonderful memories.