My Cali Trip (Part 1) - LAX

I never created a bucket list. But at the back of my mind, I have those things I want to accomplish/experience/master before my hair turns grey. One of them is to touch a snow and play with it. I was not lucky enough to see snow on my layover, so I decided to spend my days off in California. And at the same time, see my relatives who are residing there.

My flight to Los Angeles was on January 19, 2017. It's my first time to enter USA as a passenger. I admit I got daunted by the immigration officers as they asked few questions. Haha! I know it's their job, I just felt uncomfortable for some reasons. When he asked what my job is and which airline, that's the time he stamped my passport. Well, my job as a flight attendant must have helped me prove my intent to leave the state on time. Haha!

Winter at the beach be like...

w/ Ate Mariza

"Lord, thank You po!"

My cousin, Ate Mariza, fetched me from LAX. I was still a college student the last time I saw her. We had a quick lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant then headed to Laguna Bay. It's winter so only a handful of people were surfing and out-spanning. But it's so beautiful! I was standing by the shore, looking at water, listening to the waves... Aaah! I couldn't help but spread my hands widely, feel the wind... I tell you, I shouted, "Lord, thank You po!"

When the rain stopped for 5 minutes...

Our Disney Land turned into Spectrum park.

I booked a suite at Staybridge Suites Lake Shore for 2 nights. We were planning to go to Disney Land the next day, but the rain poured down endlessly. You guys know how much I love amusement parks. To our dismay, we just had a shopping spree and ate a loooot at Spectrum Irvine.

New friends

I spent my last night with Ate Mariza and her friends. I was so amazed that most of her friends are Kapampangans. We went to a bar for a drink then munched Korean food.

We woke up early on the 21st to catch my flight to San Francisco.

I was not able to see Disney Land, but I'm still grateful for I saw my cousin and made new friends.

Cappuccino & croissant

Cutesy

Staybridge Suites Lake Shore

Staybridge Suites Lake Shore

Staybridge Suites Lake Shore

Awra sa Irvine

Beat the Heat at Hyatt City of Dreams Manila

School year is over! Summer holiday in the Philippines is on its way. This is the time of the year where I would accompany my two nephews from Saudi Arabia to Philippines. This is what I do every March. The excited kiddos spend summer with their grannies.

We landed at the airport on the 18th of March, 2017. The temperature is going up and up. Of course, the best way to beat the heat is to cool off in pool. My parents, being old, are not into beaches. So, we planned to go to a resort or a sanctuary in Batangas. However, my little sister had to study for the exam which resulted in a hotel staycation. Haha!

Before the staycation, I brought the kids to Jumpyard in San Fernando, Pampanga. Having the heart and even the mind of a kid, I take joy in this kind of activity. Hence, I joined my little sister and nephews. We jumped, shouted, ran, tumbled, played basketball, and jumped more. We were extremely tired and got hungry. We ate at its in-house restarant.

On the next day, we wended our way to Hyatt City of Dreams, Manila. My family and I always go on a staycation. This liking has started during our residence in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where there are no beaches. Also, we prefer this over an escape by the beach as we could get rid of the cost of travel time. I think I should start blogging about hotels, too, shouldn't I?

Evey time my parents fetch me from the airport, we pass by City of Dreams. It's assuredly beautiful outside, so, we wanted to see its beauty inside. So, we tried out. I had an idea that it is a complex of resort and casino. But I felt at a loss for words when I saw how big the gaming area is. WOW!  And even got struck dumb by the big number of players. A lot of people must be rich. Hihi!

Our twin room is located on the 8th floor. It exhibits elegance. I fell in love with the bathroom - simple yet sleek.

The highlight of our staycation is swimming in the pool. Yay! Hyatt pool overlooks the garden leading to the Nobu pool. I was impressed with the staff. They kept an eye on the guests in the pool area and attentively delivered water and towels.

We look forward to staying at Nobu Hotel next time.

We had lunch at Venice Grand Canal mall in Taguig before we went back home.

Toledo, Spain - A Day at the City of 3 Cultures

In the midst of Spain, an ancient city is found atop the hill. It gives you a throwback of the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish cultures. Never did I hear the name of this city before. But after I visited, city of Toledo will never be forgotten.

On February 26, my flying group (Joana and Angel with her fiance Octav) and I took a bus from Madrid to Toledo. Travel time is 50 minutes only. The weather was very nice.

The first tourist spot we stopped by was the Alcazar. It is a 4-squared building with 4 towers at the corner. Just a hundred steps away, we found a restaurant where we had burgers and drinks. Here we enjoyed the breathtaking view of the famous castle, bridge, and river.

We walked along the alley of San Gines. Synagogues, mosques and cathedrals here are built next to each other. This gave me chills. Wow! We failed to enter Cuevas de Hercules for it was closed at the time. So, we just bought some souvenirs nearby.

We explored Puente de Alcantara. This bridge was over the Tagus River where you could eye the magnificent Castillo de San Servando.

Just by walking along the wandering streets and seeing the buildings and medieval walls, we truly appreciated Toledo. People here preserved their artistic and cultural legacy. Having seen 3 different cultures here, I felt like this city is where everyone belongs.

Paris at Night

Under the Parisian night sky, I saw the beautiful iconic tower. When it began to sparkle, my hair stood on end. A tear of joy just fell. I suddenly asked myself, "Did I do something great before to deserve this?"

I know I was overreacting but c'mon! I used to see it on big (and small) screens only. On January 15 this year, I beheld the Eiffel Tower for the fourth time. Yes, my fourth time. I have yet to blog about my first, second, and third experience. Haha!

The whole city becomes magical and lively when the tower gets adorned by golden lights then sparkles. It feels like something good is occurring somewhere.

Just wanna share! Did you know that it is illegal to take a photo of the Eiffel Tower at night? Ditto, I did not know and I still don't know the reasons. But I just can't control myself from capturing an image of something that makes me tickled pink over and over. Hihi!

We capped off the night with steak and wine.