Goodbye America

The following day, the Green couple was due to leave for London! Awww, time flew!! Syndy and me had one more night but I would be the last to leave. Syndy wanted to go back to Santa Monica for Levi's (that's her only favourite brand I think!), while I decided to spend my time at Manhatten myself.

I took the shuttle down to Manhatten beach and walked by the little stores I missed the other time. It was a sunny Sunday so the beach was really crowded. People were suntanning, cycling, chilling and surfing while I had my pathetic museli bar. LOL. Yes, and I had some unintentional shopping done. I bought a dress from this store and spoke to the Korean woman in there, it was amazing how easy it was to talk to a stranger in America.

Then I waited for the shuttle with a bunch of friendly old ladies to head to the village for some more shopping. I found myself in a mega drugstore and of course had to leave with a few bottles of nail polish, ahhh my little indulgence. I also found a Target store and took a long walk there, it was an interesting first visit. It was like a huge Primark! LOL. Everything was so affordable and I bought some souvenirs and cheap undergarments! By then, I was starving, so I headed to the nearest fastfood place and bought myself a taco before I continued more shopping.

I went back to Sephora and a few stores to get things I missed the first time! Then it was about 5pm when I was waiting to catch the shuttle to the next stop to get the Samsung Tab (bad Angela got me tempted with her kindle and iPad purchase), I saw many people staring up at the sky. There was an eclipse and it was glaring, I couldn't see it clearly until after a while, it showed up.

My fault for writing this a year later!! Haha. I can't recall why I didn't manage to get my Tab that day, was it sold out or the store closed earlier that day. I was so disappointed. But I still headed back to meet Syndy for dinner. After a bit of coaxing, I managed to convince her to go for an In and Out burger with me! As usual, I went to La Quinta where an excellent staff assisted me with directions, he even printed out the bus timing for me (to and fro). Super kind filipino guy! After waiting for the bus for ages, we finally got on and it took about 15-20 minutes before we found it.

I read about the secret menu (animal style) somewhere and we decided to give it a go (haha) even without an idea what it really was. We were so hungry and everything tasted brilliant. The fries which Angela said tasted like cardboard even tasted good to us! We noticed many shops around this area, one of them was Staples.

Later that evening, we had our complimentary drinks at the hotel bar (but Syndy had orange juice!). I told Syndy how I didn't manage to get my Tab, and it was then she mentioned Staples might be an electronic store! I had no idea what made me so determined to get one, I made myself woke up early the next morning to make another trip down just to get it. That morning, Syndy was leaving for her flight, so I gave her a big hug before running out for my Tab mission.

And right on. It was an electronic store but they ran out of stock. I was almost in a panic as I had an afternoon flight and I worried I wouldn't make it back in time. The staff was kind enough to reserve one at the next nearest store and I just needed to find my way there. She even printed me a map of the store location. So I really tried my luck and took a bus headed for the airport. The store was at the Airport Boulevard. I trusted my instincts, alighted and then asked around for the Staples store. Fortunately, it wasn't far, and I really found it. I was grinning from ear to ear the moment I bought it! Till today, I feel my Tab has been under-utilised but I have been watching a lot more movies on it these days :)

I passed by another In and Out Burger on my way back to the hotel but I just couldn't down another of the same after the night before. When I got back, I bought myself a Happy Meal from McDonalds downstairs! LOL. It was just a happy ending to my holiday. Then I packed up, took the shuttle and tipped the driver.

My mood was at its peak, so even food on the plane on the way back home were superb. Not to mention, I was given a mini Ben & Jerry ice cream! I remember I sat to this Thai guy and we chatted for a bit, he was studying in USA and going back to Bangkok for holiday but unfortunately we didn't keep in touch.

Bye Bye America, till next time!

The American Wedding (2)

The following morning, we had so much to do for the big day. To do up the venue, get ourselves all dolled up and then run errands for our beautiful bride-to-be. As Joy was busy getting herself transformed by her make-up artist, the rest of us took care of the rest. Angela, Jasmine and me were decorating the place while Syndy made sure everything else was in order. 

Joy was stunning that day and she wore that pearl necklace I got her :) I could felt her nervousness as the time drew nearer... and she was almost in tears when her parents put the veil over her! It was a very special moment and we were all there to accompany her and share her joy. The flower girl, Emma, is Aaron's niece. Joy seems to like her very much and I thought her presence somehow helped lessen her tension :)

Then the boys arrived!!! We helped Joy down the stairs holding her bouquet and train of her gown. Oh boy, I almost felt like tearing. Then we did exactly what we rehearsed. But this time, it was real and when we walked up and stood there watching the couple approaching. We couldn't help crying!!!

They then exchanged their vows in front of their friends and family. After that, the guests went for cocktail while we stayed back for a couple of photos (till now I haven't got to see those pictures yet!). Then while the couple went for photo shoot at the beach, the best men and bridesmaid retreated into the room for some crazy ideas on how we would make an entrance into the dinner. OMG. I was super nervous as that meant we had to dance. I could recall dancing in Scotland D&D but that was different, I knew almost no one and I had so much drinks. LOL. This time, I had to do it while I was sober. As we were cracking our heads, we were also shivering, not with fear but the room was cold! The best men immediately took down their jackets for us, it was so touching! Gentlemen, I call them!

We really did make a memorable entrance to the dinner, the crowd was so spontaneous and began cheering and clapping and somehow that took my embarrassment away!! I was just glad I didn't fall! LOL. Then the couple came in, danced, before the best man and maid of honour gave their speeches. Aaron's brother gave a very funny speech and we almost worried for Angela. But she did really well!!! I was so glad my tips for her worked... after being the maid of honour for Syndy! LOL. And next year, it's my turn to make one for Angela!! The dinner was fabulous and everyone were enjoying themselves, even Joy's parents whom couldn't understand much English were having fun (dear Syndy was their translator). A lot of crazy dancing happened... and I really couldn't describe it ;)

The couple also catered the lovely baby cupcakes as our desserts along with their small wedding cake. Then they made their thank you speeches after the cake-cutting. Of course, our names (FAB 4) were being mentioned and especially those who flew in for the wedding. Joy made a chinese speech dedicated to her parents, she was already swelling in tears. So I volunteered to translate for the guests (I don't know where I got the courage, but I guess I just am not shy anymore, LOL). I blamed it on the wine.

The wedding props were mostly handmade by Joy and they were lovely. Even the "A&J" sign on our table was a clever idea of recycling vintage books. It was a very well thought-out wedding, I hope I can make mine a beautiful one like hers in future!

The night ended with us sending the guests off with lovely wedding favours brought from Singapore by Joy. Packs of childhood sugared biscuits with honey sticks. We packed things up for the newly-wed and then friends of Joy sent us back to our hotel. I think Kat and Don sent us back but we alighted across the street and bumped into a crazy man asking for money!!! We escaped fortunately.

The American Wedding (1)

I was the first of the four to arrive in LA! The others took the train, so they would be a bit later. I got myself checked in without any problem (no issue with the booking under Adam's name, hehe). Thanks La Quinta, their customer service was excellent. The room was cute, cosy and I wish I was staying longer!! We were only booked for a night as the rest we would be staying next door at Holiday Inn due to the cheap rates Adam booked for us. Holiday Inn service was just horrible and unfriendly most of the time! They made us waited so long to get checked in. It felt good to be reunited, Angela and Dan made our time together more entertaining.

The following morning after all the hassle getting checked in, we took the shuttle bus provided by the hotel to Manhatten beach. All thanks to La Quinta again, we found out the bus schedule (No thank you, Holiday Inn!). We missed the first one but managed to get to Uncle Bill's Pancake House without any queue!! We were starving by then and the food really made our hungry tummies happy! The glorious pancakes and eggs... plus that lemonade, I think I could have them everyday! So good!

After that, we took a stroll down Manhatten beach, drooling at the surfers... enjoying a visit to the pier aquarium. It was all very relaxing. Manhatten beach is lined up with some of the most beautiful houses I ever seen, so posh and I wish one day I can have something like that. Or at least just a house by the beach! Then we took the shuttle further to the village with plenty of malls. It was pretty late by then so we checked out the nearby stores, it was at the electronics store where I got tempted to buy a Samsung Tab!

Then we went to Whole Food Market to get some dinner. There were plenty of choices, from hot soup, sushi to pastries and cakes. The first thing I really wanted to get was a fruit tart (one of my favourite things)! LOL. Everything else didn't matter and so I settled for the soup. Everything wasn't cheap but they did really taste fabulous at least! Then we retired back to our hotel room, it was an easy day.

The next day, we decided to try out Denny's which was a short distance from our hotel. Everything at Denny's looked so good and sinful. Two of us shared a set each as it seemed huge, and fortunately we did. It was good but a little too salty for my liking :) After the sumptuous breakfast, it was time to head to Santa Monica on a BUS! Yes, public transport as the one whom could drive was obviously out of practice. It was my first time taking public transport in LA and I witnessed lots of weird people in the bus. People who sang to themselves, beggars, hippies... We were told public transportation are mainly for the poor people!

Anyhow, after about an hour on the bus, we finally got to Santa Monica. Four of us headed to the Santa Monica Pier for a little stroll. There was a small amusement park for kids, but this place felt more like somewhere done up to sell souvenirs, just very pretty but nothing really special. I prefer the Manhatten beach somehow. After that, we had to head off to meet the wedding couple whom would pick us up for the wedding rehearsal and dinner (I can't recall where we were supposed to meet, LOL!!). But I knew we got lost somehow and took a taxi there in the end!

After a few rounds of rehearsal and looking around the venue, it finally dawned on all of us it was going to happen. It was so exciting, and we were going to have a girls' night all to ourselves that night at Joy's apartment. The boys would sort themselves out :P The rehearsal dinner which was on Aaron's mum was held at Baby Blues BBQ, they had the best ribs ever. I swore I ate so much, the ribs, wings, mac and cheese, GOSH, everything was delicious - Look at my plate (right). I didn't care about putting on calories that evening, seriously! LOL. They must be really surprised how much I could eat ;) At the dinner, Aaron's mum gave a touching speech and there were tears!!! We were introduced to each other at the dinner and dear Joy gave the bridesmaid a little gift for being there for her wedding (I was one of them) :)

I don't know how we all managed it, after the dinner, we still had ice-cream at Sweet Rose!!! Just because Joy said they have the best one ever, so we were all going to stuff it in! :) My rose geranium with salty pistachio was perfect, just what I would need to end that beautiful day. After that, Joy drove us back, we tried out our bridesmaid dresses and had our usual girly gossip! It was one precious night as we were all living faraway from each other. I was trying to play with Mocha but this anti-social kitty didn't want to entertain us except when you swung her favourite toy in front of her face. I didn't know if the bride-to-be got any sleep that night but I surely did!

The American Tour Extended (2)

We slept a little later that morning. I couldn't remember what time we booked ourselves for Alcatraz, it must be for the 11am ferry I believe. We arrived just in time (phew)! It was a 10-minute ride to the island. I always had the perception that its a spooky little island since it was a prison, but actually I was wrong! It had some unbelievable stories of how the convicts escaped from their cells. We did the audio tour where you listened to the narration and followed the instructions around the building. It took about two hours but was very worth it.

Adam was telling us he knew some guys who gave him access to some places not open to the public. LOL. Wonder how true was that! We didn't get the special privilege that day. The island was peaceful despite the amount of tourism it was attracting, the seagulls made themselves too comfortable on the island they were practically the new residents of Alcatraz. I regretted not buying the overpriced Alcatraz jacket as a souvenir, not knowing if I would ever be back again.

Upon leaving the island, we bumped into the Koreans, 3 of them and we decided to do lunch together at Pier 39. The girls picked "Crab House", they served delicious food but they came with a hefty bill (+ 18% compulsory tip, 4% mandate fee & 8+% tax). Shocking! So beware if you are dining out at these touristy spots.

We went to take a look at the deserted Pier 39, all the sea lions seemed to have disappeared (compared to the photo Angela took!). Oh boy! Where have you gone???

We lost Adam on the way to lunch. I didn't know how it happened. I think he got pissed and didn't want to meet for dinner which we were supposed to have. I was supposed to meet Shawna, an old schoolmate while Syndy would meet up the sister of her friend, both of them living in San Francisco. So we took the cable car for the first time (finally) to Union Street. It was so packed we had to sit in the carriage but later we managed to sit on the side and then I was holding by the pole in no time! What a fun ride!!

We managed to meet up with Shawna who took us around to some of her favourite boutiques and of course not forgetting Syndy's favourite - Levi's Store. And we were in the hometown of Levi's!! I didn't manage to buy anything that day but Syndy surely got some happy buys.

Then Shawna took us to this Vietnamese restaurant she liked, we managed to get Syndy's friend to join us as well. We started ordering a few dishes but the waiter wasn't very pleased about the quantity we were having (this place seems like a family business). But the food was pretty good, so we didn't fuss about the hostile service. When Esther (Syndy's friend) arrived, she brought a friend along whom could speak Vietnamese. It turned the whole situation around when she started talking to them and we ordered a few more things! Thanks to Esther, we had a satisfying dinner as well as a ride home to our hotel (which was quite faraway!!). It was a great day in San Francisco.

The following morning, Syndy left super early to catch her 11 hours train (must be really scenic but I think I would rather save the time for more time in the city) back to LA while I slept in and then spent the day catching up with Adam and the rest roaming around in Burlingame before my late afternoon flight! Burlingame is really small yet filled with character! I had fun shopping and dining, I found myself yummy crepe, bought a cake as takeout, a new pair of boots and a few dresses. Then I had to leave for the airport for my Southwest flight to LA.

The flight was punctual and I even had free checked in baggage (for a budget airline!!). During the 1-hour flight, I was also given a complimentary drink and snack. Out of all my budget flight experience in Europe and Asia, I have to say Southwest would easily top it all! I would love to fly with them again.

The American Tour Extended (1)

This was my first glimpse of San Francisco city from the car, so different from Los Angeles and Las Vegas, I think I like this city best (of course besides all the nature parks which would easily top my list).

Our first stop was to see the 75-year-old Golden Gate Bridge (as of 2012), Josh drove us to the start of the bridge and picked us up at the other end. So we had a nice stroll on the bridge where we spotted Alcatraz island. It was really windy and cold, and the rest of the days were just like that! When we gathered at the other end, Josh was explaining a little story about the bridge but I had to admit I wasn't listening. The tour was about to end in a few hours and I was just sad that the 7 days had gone by so fast! But it was about time to come back to the city life and then go attend a beautiful wedding.

Then Josh took us to the hotel where some of them would be staying and the rest of us would be heading our own ways. Before that, we took our group photos and also presented our accumulated tips to Josh (we also got our left over kitty fund back!). Josh obviously didn't leave us his contact (Syndy wanted it, of course ;)). But today I am still glad he was our guide, he's an awesome cook as well! This bunch of tour mates also made this trip a special one filled with lots of fun moments. This group photo is without me (haha) because I was the one taking it :)

As we bid each other goodbye sadly, we were sure we would somehow bump into each other the next days since we were still in San Francisco :) It was some time in the later afternoon, Syndy and me took the BART headed to the airport where my friend, Adam picked us up. We were staying at Hyatt Regency near the airport, thanks to Adam who sorted out all these hotel accommodations for me and some at very affordable rates! Even though it was faraway from the city, Adam rented a car to show us around the next days. That night, we had our dinner at an Italian restaurant nearby before retiring back in our rooms! Oh, finally a cosy nest after all the camping and motel! The only dislike I had about the hotel is we had to walk a long way back to our room (especially when it was in the centre of this circular corridor).

The next day, Adam was surely adamant about showing us the Golden Gate Bridge again. LOL. But our first stop was awesome, Twin Peaks, we had the most spectacular view on a beautiful day. Not too sunny, not too windy! You should be able to see the Golden Gate Bridge in the far left. The little houses all looked like lego blocks from the top. I also had my first experience in those automated public toilet, I was so lucky, I was the first after they did the cleaning! Next, we drove back down, the slopes in San Francisco city could easily trigger my motion sickness!

Our second stop was Lombard street, and we were going to drive through it! YAY! Along Lombard street, cars have to park at 90 degrees. Wow that seems harder than parallel parking! We saw the cable car too but hadn't got the chance to ride on it, but the one going up Lombard street would be a cool ride I believe! Then Adam began to take us to a few places to see different angles of the Golden Gate Bridge, the first place was somewhere near where Josh took us but further down and less touristy, in fact, it was a quiet little spot and we were practically looking up at the bridge. I had to say the best place for photos of the bridge. Then it was Syndy's turn for toilet, so we ended up at a cemetery while she went to the girls' room. We had a little walk and found lots of tombstones dedicated to those in the recent wars. We didn't have time to go to the cafes I researched as we had too many to see that day. I bugged Adam to take me to Sausalito, because the pictures of it totally took my breath away.

Sausalito is a picturesque waterfront city in San Francisco, I don't know why, but it sounds Italian to me. We only had an hour or two there, too short! The next time, I would easily spend a day there. It's just the place I will stay if I live there! It was past lunch time and we were all starving. We saw a hamburger place which had a long queue and decided to go for it, the burgers weren't amazing but good enough to satisfy. After that, I left both of them sitting on the bench by the waters while I went hunting for my dessert - Guava cheesecake ice cream! Oh, so good!!! I love this little place.

So we headed to Marin Headlands for more views of the bridge. By now, I got to admit I was sick of it! Hahahah. I had to tell Adam, no more places for the bridge please!! But Marin Headlands' a great pick too, also if you want to do a little trail and see the greens, this place is perfect. Then we headed back, on the way back, I thought we saw Chinatown or probably a more Asian part of the city with lots of Asian supermarkets. That night, Syndy decided to stay in so I went out with Adam to get some grocery and dinner. I had the most amazing Japanese takeway! We also booked ourselves for Alcatraz the following day!

Note: Trip was in May 2012.

The American Tour (4)

The following morning, we left Las Vegas for Yosemite. I was actually very enthusiastic about it, I loved being back to the nature after all the fanciful casinos. I was dreaming about meeting the bears or some wild animals but I guess that was quite a big dream! No bears (might be a blessing actually!).

It was quite a few hours of drive and as usual Josh would stop over at some petrol station for us to use the toilets or get some drinks or snacks. It was always an interesting visit at each petrol station, some looked super retro and had some gambling machines in them. They really looked like those in old cowboy films (Brokeback mountain??).

During the long ride, I suddenly remembered I had this lollipop given to me by the man I paid a dollar to take a photo with in Santa Monica! LOL. It's called "Blow Pop" and is actually a bubble gum filled lollipop. That was something new :) Syndy, as usual, would be snapping photos of me sleeping or teasing the quiet Dutch lads or offering her handcream and lip balm to everyone. She was always hyperactive in the car, while I was always able to sleep it off ;) She didn't seem happy about it because there was no one she could disturb or talked to! It was a long ride, so we stopped over somewhere to make our sandwiches. I thought I would be so sick of them by then but surprisingly I wasn't. There was always a different way to invent a new sandwich, different sauce, different cheese or different ham.

I think we were really near to Yosemite when we saw lots of lovely mountains with snow! It was already 4pm! And not long after, I supposed we have entered the nature park. We did a short trail to Vista Point to see a waterfall, and so lucky, when we got there, there were double rainbows!!! It was so wet and slippery and most of us were almost drenched trying to take a photo there but we just had to with those beautiful rainbows.

Then we got to our campsite where we set up our tents and unpacked our stuff for the next two nights. I thought I was going to love it and I really did! The nights weren't anything like Grand Canyon (freezing), instead it was pleasant and a very safe and well-lit camping ground. Someone (a group of them) cooked dinner but I couldn't remember what we had. LOL.

The following day, Josh told us we would do 2 treks, an easy one and a more difficult one. The first one was to Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias, it was magnificent, those gigantic trees and huge pine cones! Josh conned most of us thinking that he ate some bear's poo when actually it was museli bar!! He even made a dare for someone to try and Gavin ate it. Bravo!

Even though it was Josh's first tour, but he definitely did a good job taking us to quite a few scenic spots for great pictures! Then we went to see someone taking a piss (yeah the lovely mountains) before heading for the next trek.

The next stop was to see the Yosemite Falls, it was a really long trek uphill. I don't remember how long it took, probably over an hour or so to get to the Lower Yosemite Falls, and by then I was exhausted and I kind of regretted not going up those slippery steps to see the Upper Yosemite Falls. I only saw them through the photos of the others :( I didn't know what went through me but I was tired and wasn't feeling confident to go up all the way. So I told Josh and he actually escorted me down those slippery steps holding my hand *blushing*!!

So I went back down and met lots of chipmunks on the way :) Josh told me to wait somewhere and he would tell the guys to meet there once they had seen the falls. He and Syndy joined me not long after, I guess they didn't go up all the way too. So we sat together and ate our sandwiches and chips. On the way back, I soaked my feet in those super COLD waters!!! And dear Syndy of course took some embarrassing photos of me again.

It was our last night of the tour, it was our turn to cook. Actually I was tasked to help a group to cook and none of them could actually cook! Wow, I was surprised as I thought the European boys could since they are probably living on their own by now. So everyone thought of depending on me thinking that an Asian girl could probably be better!!! LMAO. When I was in the supermarket, I only thought of the pre packed asian sauce where they would have some recipes on the back!!! Haha. So I managed to deceive everyone thinking I could cook, well actually I did in the end. We modified the ingredients slightly as they didn't have everything on the list and added some, and so I whipped out these Kung Pao chicken (slightly spicy) for dinner. It was tough, imagine cooking for over 10 people and my arms were tired from all those stirring! And of course, I had to do some vegetarian version for a few of them. The rice turned out to be badly cooked, as it was a different kind of rice and the Koreans weren't familiar with it. But all good, we had some bread to go with it.

We were so lucky to have a guide who would cook for us as dear Angela's guide never did. Josh made all of us apple pancakes the following morning for breakfast. He's such a sweetheart! It was so sad it was our last day together and we would be ending our tour in San Francisco that afternoon!

Note: Trip was in May 2012.

The American Tour (3)

I don't know many hours was it but we finally got to Las Vegas some time past noon. We settled in our Super 8 motel, most of us needed to wash up especially after not being able to shower for over 24 hours! The first sight of Las Vegas was all fancy 3D hotel facades, most of them had casinos in them. I'm not a fan of gambling, and even though it did seem like a little glamourous city, I didn't feel much attraction to this place.

Our first thing off the list in Las Vegas was the limousine ride, we were all very excited, especially after I heard all about it from Angela (who took this tour before). All of us dressed up for it. We had to walk over to another hotel where the limousine would come pick us up for dinner. Then after dinner, we would have a night ride :)

The short ride to the restaurant was a thrill with most of us crazily snapping away. We arrived in this italian restaurant named "Buca di Beppuo" shortly, a really cozy pick and awesome choice!

All of us sat down on a long table and Josh said two of us could order one dish for sharing. I chose this dish called baked rigatoni which turned out super yummy! Most of the stuff we ordered were all pretty good.
We used the money we paid into the kitty fund for the dinner with each of us topping up for our own drinks. Then the limousine fetched us, but we realised we had no drinks for the ride. So we stopped at a shop where all of us stocked up our alcoholic beverages! Of course, dear Syndy got a bottle of champagne.

Once we were back in the limo, Syndy got all hysterical, she started screaming and waving looking at the those half naked men on the music videos. That was even before she started drinking! Then after a while when no one else joined her frenzy, she quietened down. To be honest, I was more embarrassed than anything, so I decided to join the Korean clan for their milder style of partying! I recalled Johnathan coming up to ask me if Syndy was always like that, I didn't know what else to answer except,"Yes, when she's not with the husband! LOL!" We also stopped at a couple of places for photos.

The classic Las Vegas photo taken by this weird man who was giving us instructions on how to pose. And then like every other people in Las Vegas, he asked for a tip for being the photographer. So we gave him a dollar or two and learnt from it, no more taking up stranger's offer! The limousine ride seemed to be over too fast! We were dropped off at the hotel with the iconic effiel tower to witness the fountain show. After the show, one of our Korean friends realised her camera was missing, we all got into a little panic. We informed Josh and luckily it was found in the limousine later.

All of us got dispersed after the show. I was with Syndy, while the rest were in their own groups. We went into a casino where I had a go at the jackpot with USD1. LOL. It was crap as I didn't know how to adjust each stake to be 1cent, so ended up wasting the whole dollar at one go. We then roamed around the colourful streets of Las Vegas but I think we wandered too far and nobody seemed to know where our motel was! We were given wrong instructions and then ended up at another hotel which someone mistook for ours, so we went in and asked the security for instructions. He told us we had to walk 20-30 minutes along the main road to get back. As it was around midnight and I didn't feel safe at all, I told Syndy we should cab back. But she insisted we should walk, I didn't know what was wrong with her, she just seemed pissed the whole night anyway after the ride (probably because we didn't comprehend her craziness!). We managed to cab back and I was sure the decision was right as we passed by the badly lit main road, we saw a couple of homeless people on the roadside!

The following morning, I decided to go to the outlet for shopping as it was the only chance for outlet shopping in USA. I told Syndy she could go do whatever she wanted but I wasn't sure what got into her, she decided to come along. She's usually not a fan of shopping. So we went, we took a bus and spent almost 7 hours there! At about 6pm, I was almost ready to leave, we could go back and joined the rest for dinner but the lady decided she wanted to see Levi's at the last minute. So that means we would miss the dinner, it was fine as we could easily sort ourselves out. By the time, she was done, it was past 7 and we got back into the city centre around 8pm. I found this mexican place for dinner, it was then I realised Syndy got kind of temperamental, she wasn't smiling or talking much (so unusual of her). I think too much time together had gotten us on each other nerves. The following day when everyone asked where we went, of course she blamed all the long hours of shopping on me, that really pissed me off as she was the one who made us missed the dinner.

I was just glad the time with her alone was over as the rest of the time I could choose to join the rest of the group more. Just two more nights and then I would be in San Francisco where a friend of mine would join me, I was just so looking forward to that because too much Syndy was just annoying (sorry babe, but I just couldn't deal with your bipolar characteristics and dramatic outbursts a lot of the time).

Note: Trip was in May 2012. 

The American Tour (2)

The first sight of Grand Canyon wowed us all. It was just like a painting, picturesque. I don't think we could use any words to describe it, we were speechless and just couldn't stop clicking our cameras away. It was filled with tourists. We didn't get to the Skywalk which has a glass bridge, it's at the west area of the main canyon, and I think we were at another part. Anyhow it wasn't part of our tour and we had to pay extra to just walk on that bridge. Instead we were offered another option - a helicopter ride, it took a lot of hesitation before 6 of us decided to do it! It was USD250, not cheap at all, but it might be my first and last time in Grand Canyon... so why not. It was my first helicopter ride as well!

The weather was really bad when we arrived, with thunderstorm ahead. So the helicopters couldn't take off that afternoon. We had to reschedule it to the next morning. So we went to locate our ideal camping spot and set up our tents. I couldn't remember who cooked that night, but it was burgers and mash on the menu. But before dinner, all of us set off to witness the sunset at Grand Canyon. We didn't know the way and no one had a detailed map, so we walked a long roundabout and barely made it in time for the sunset. We were all dispersed by then, but I was with Michele, a Swiss girl... We both ran and ran and managed to see the yolk descending in time.

But this was also when trouble started to brew. A few of them managed to made it back to the campsite whilst there was light, and the rest of us whom were staying to see the sun going down eventually got lost in the darkness. The sky darkened very quickly, we managed to get on the first shuttle bus before alighting to wait for the second one. The temperature also took a dip and most of us were shivering in the cold. The campsite wasn't well lit at all, there wasn't any lamp posts or lights to show us the way. None of us had a map or a torch, we could only relied on our instincts and using lights from our mobile phones to get back to the campsite.

Upon alighting from the second shuttle bus, we tried to figure our way back. We walked some distance before we saw a vehicle shining its lights on us. It was Josh, our saviour; apparently Emily who got back with a few others informed him that we might not be able to find our way back. So they set off to look for us. I couldn't remember how cold it was but it must be around 0 degree celcius. It was so cold and there wasn't any hot water in the bathroom, but anyway they were a distance away and closed. So I guess none of us could take a shower till the next morning. I didn't want one in the morning too, it was still freezing!

By the time we got back, we were hungry like wolves. All of us dived in for the burgers but there wasn't enough for all. I think the rest got hot dogs or sausages as a substitute. I thought we were going to have S'mores but unfortunately we didn't have the ingredients. We did have burnt marshmallow but it was sticky and too sweet, not really my kind of thing. We tried to warm ourselves by the campfire but it didn't help much too. All of us tried to turn in early as we had to be up at 4am for sunrise! But before that, we had to make our breakfast and lunches for the following day.

I must have left my brain somewhere by misplacing my camera in the toilet. Fortunately a kind soul returned it to me, else my holiday would really have been ruined!

Syndy complained she had altitude sickness that day and didn't want to join us for the sunrise the following morning. It was weird as she was an air stewardess for so long and seen more mountains than I did but she felt unwell. So we didn't force her, but the next morning she apparently changed her mind and came along! Was it for Josh's attention, LOL, I really don't know!

The next morning, I woke up earlier than I was supposed to... and the rest did too on time. We dragged ourselves to wash up and got ready. This time, we knew the shorter route and managed to find a good spot waiting for the magnificent sunrise. This was definitely worthwhile, you can forgo the sunset but never miss the sunrise! I could watch it over and over again, I would bear the 0 degree celcius all over again just to witness this again!

We did a short rim trail because some of us had the helicopter ride in a few hours' time. It was a shame we didn't stay for two nights or we would have more time to go deeper down to the Canyon. I would still feel a little fearful doing that without a proper guide or experienced trekkers. The 127 hours movie left a mark in my head, I watched it during my trip in Hanoi, and it was still lingering in my head how he survived on his urine! Gosh.

One of my tour mates got a close encounter with a stag after she went too close to snap a picture. Thankfully God watched over her!

Then a bunch of us headed over for our long awaited helicopter ride. We had to measure our weight first to determine where we were going to be seated in the helicopter. Syndy is always the lucky one, she got to sit besides our very cute pilot, Mathew. I got the window seat on the second row, I wasn't too bothered not seated in the first row as I still got a pretty cool view. Those in the middle of the second row felt a bit dampened in spirit! Here are some pictures I took from my seat:

 

Before I end our Grand Canyon adventure here, here is our awesome group photo! Though someone is missing, but this still got to be the best one from the tour. Next, a long drive to Las Vegas...

Note: Trip was in May 2012.

The American Tour (1)

And so on Monday, Syndy and I set off to meet the rest of the tour mates to start our Western Wonder with TrekAmerica. We took a taxi as the assigned meeting place was a hotel nearby, that was my first time in a taxi in America and I also noted there was this sign saying all drivers only carry $5 in change (how believable is that?).

It was a hassle to get my tour booked as this tour company although operates in USA but based themselves in UK. If you are outside UK and booking from Asia, they refer you to their Korean partner instead. I just thought they should just invest in a credit card payment system than having to do a fund transfer to Korea! Even though I had a UK account, they didn't allow me to pay! Absurd. But somehow Matt from TrekAmerica was patient enough to call and resolve my issue. Thankfully. It made me a happy customer to be going with them definitely.

Syndy's decision to tag along was very last minute. She couldn't make up her mind so her husband did it for her. I don't know whether it's a good thing or bad, we did travel together before with the Fab 4 or maybe just a day or two with just two of us. But going on a tour with her for a week sounds like a challenge. Her over-mothering nature and attention-seeking behaviour just sometimes drove me up the wall. Read on to find out!

We met up with Josh our guide, it was his first tour with TrekAmerica (I think) and I bet it must be very stressful finding the ways around things. But I thought he did pretty well for a first time! Our group consisted of 3 x Korean, 2 x English, 1 x Scottish, 3 x Dutch, 2 x Swiss and us, 2 Singaporean. Syndy thought our guide was quite cute, I had no doubt if she had more crushes on the guys in our group as well :P

So we started with a drive along Beverly Hills and then stopped to take a snap of the Hollywood sign from afar. Initially I thought we were driving up to the signboard, it was a little disappointment it wasn't, but we were in this mini Hollywood town with the footprints of the celebrities. We stopped by a lot of hypermarts along the way to stock up food and drinks to make our sandwiches and meals. I didn't mind at all because I could go crazy in just supermarkets!

Our first stop was a camp site along Colorado river where we would set up our tents for the night. The last time I camped was during my secondary school days, probably 15 years ago! Setting up the tent for the first time was a task but then it just got easier and easier every time. Soon it was all up and we settled in and watched a lovely sunset before dinner. I heard from Angela that her guide never cooked for them but we were extremely lucky Josh did that for our first night. He made awesome pasta! For that, I could have a crush on him, LOL.

We also had a roster listing whose going to be cooking or cleaning the coming days. After dinner, we just sat around the tables sharing stories. John, one of the English blokes, had this entertaining app on his iPad that could tell us the name of the stars by pointing it in the sky. It was our third day in America and jet lag had began to set in for us. Syndy was definitely hit by it, so I decided to turn in early with her.

We woke up to a beautiful morning, I had a little stroll and was greeted by many friendly faces. I also found out Josh did not slept in a tent, he laid under the tree when we saw him in the morning.

After breakfast, we dismantled our tents and moved on. We went to this little English town with "London Bridge", it didn't impress me of course.

Then we had a stop along the historic Route 66. Now that was more interesting, even though everything looked set up but it was like in a movie. It was also this place I started to my souvenir coin collection. I used to do that while I first went to London, but I can't remember where are those coins now! I don't know how long we spent there, but we also made and had our sandwiches there. Then we had some time to walk around the cool "houses" along this road. Most of them are souvenir shops selling anything that has "Route 66" on them! I feel regretful now for not getting some magnets.

It was a lot of hours on the road. I couldn't remember when I was awake or asleep. I think it's a good thing being able to sleep anywhere, I had no problem napping in our mini van. But Syndy isn't anything like me, she would be screaming or mothering the other tour mates... or just doing silly things like taking pictures of me sleeping. I suspect she was high on sugar, maybe from too much fruits we stocked up in the vehicle. LOL.

Our next stop was Grand Canyon... so stay tuned for more exciting stories.

Note: Trip was in May 2012.

The American Dream

And the last few months prior the trip, I literally had no time to think about the trip. Work just drained me out. It was about a month or so before the trip, I bought a SQ promotional fare to LA. I have heard so much about America especially California but it was only till I stepped my foot in there, this dream became a reality.

Dates: 5 - 21 May 2012
Destination: Los Angeles, California
Airline: Singapore Airlines

The flight was via Narita and in total it took over 19 hours if I didn't remember wrongly. The thought of flying alone thrilled me, I even got myself into the lounge at Terminal 3 before I boarded. Too bad, it wasn't the KrisFlyer lounge :P The transit in Tokyo also marked my first time in Japan, even though I was trapped in the airport!! But anything Japanese easily got me excited... such as...

They seem to have vending machines filled with anything! Then a long flight to Los Angeles... Sorry, by the time I write this now, I have forgotten who I was sitting with! Probably someone not worth mentioning since I can't recall, except for this Thai boy on my way home - that I will tell you later.

Syndy and I met up at Holiday Inn LAX which my friend had kindly booked for me. She arrived earlier via Cathay from Hong Kong and I was amazed she managed to get checked in without me! ;) Angela and Dan crashed at Joy's place (sneakily!) but it was okay, it was nice having our own bed and space. We each stayed two nights in Los Angeles before we got on our tours before coming back for the wedding. Syndy decided to tag along my TrekAmerica tour which her husband had kindly sponsored! The pea and her man would be touring San Diego on their own instead as they already took the same tour we were going to do. The tour would take us to Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Yosemite and then San Francisco... the best combination we could ever find. It's a shame they didn't include a stop at Joshua Tree which would be perfect!

So that weekend we landed, the groom and bride-to-be took us out! They came to fetch us to their house, did some grocery shopping (Oh boy, I love supermarkets!), the rest of them took a nap recovering their jet lag while Joy and I cooked! She made orange chicken while I helped her with salad and the preparation. I also met Mocha, the cat (see below). That night, we went out to a cool bar decorated with antique books to have some drinks and met some of their friends (Joy got drunk that night!!!). I also managed a late night snack, strawberry and creme pie, from our friendly 24/7 McDonalds right next to our hotel.

The following morning, as expected, some of them had a bad hangover... But we managed to get out and grabbed lunch at a Mexican fastfood joint then some mini cupcakes and had a preview of Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade. The sight of all the brands got us a little overwhelmed, we spent too much time there but we decided we had to save shopping for the last. Syndy, as usual, had some crush on some guys, this time on a busker along the promenade!

Then we went to the Griffith Observatory at dusk. It was beautiful but getting cold and foggy, we couldn't see the Hollywood sign! The weather in LA was perfect, just the way I like. We caught a 3D show on stars, milky way and galaxy, which most of us were struggling not to fall asleep! LOL. It wasn't that boring, but I guess the music was too soothing to our minds. By the end of it, we were starving!

Aaron and Joy took us to this must-try hot dog place named Pink's. It was crowded by the time we went, the queue was already forming a winding snake, but it gave us ample time to decide from the huge menu what to order! I couldn't remember which I ordered but it had bacon, nacho cheese, grilled onions, mushrooms on polish hot dog topped with sauerkraut! OMG. It could be die for! But I felt so sinful after that honestly! I don't know how Aaron and Joy finished 3 together! I decided I do not want a polish hot dog any more, because it was huge and spicy!

At the end of the night, just before we got back to the hotel, we managed to get ourselves each a Randy donut! Oh, the start of an American life!

Note: Trip was in May 2012.