When I was in Disneyland 3 years ago, i decided that it is the happiest place on earth. For Christmas this year my dear cousin invited us to join her and partner on a road trip to Death Valley, an out-the-world, overpowering and staggering paradise, at least to me. Therefore it is fitting that I conclude my travel post this year on this note. Always bear in mind that if you think the pictures are gorgeous, the real thing is many times more awesome than that.

Mesquite Sand Dunes, Death Valley, CA

Stovepipe Well Village, Death Valley

Ubehebe Crater, Death Valley, CA

Death Valley’s Racetrack Playa. Learn more about the moving rocks, a mysterious phenomenon.

Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, CA.

Badwater Basin, View from Dante’s View.

Artist’s Palette, Death Valley.

Love the dramatic skies

Whee!

Zuma Beach, Malibu

We’ve just returned from Chicago yesterday and boy are we glad to be back home in a much milder climate. I wore so many layers that I’m convinced i was at least 1 kg heavier! The nicest part of the trip is that we experienced the snow falling! It was so so magical. I was so excited when i realised that it was snowing. Not just flakes but snow snow! Amazing. I was so excited that I kept putting hands out to collect the snow. The downside is- it’s very very cold. Brr…Almost everywhere was covered in snow. It looked so beautiful! It really felt like Christmas is round the corner with the gorgeous decorations everywhere in the malls and hotels. We are so glad that we had a sense of how it feels like to experience white Christmas.

After spending almost 4 days there, i have to say that the city grew on me. It is beautiful and sophisticated. Those interested in architecture has lots to gain as there are so many interesting structures. Despite the cold, it was nice walking along the street in downtown to soak in the sight. As the festive season is here, the streets, malls and buildings are beautifully decorated. One can totally feel the air Christmas, a white Christmas no less. It’s almost like a dream come true as I’ve always wanted to experience white Christmas I imagine it will be wonderful to visit Chicago in summer or spring as there are many beautiful parks that one can explore there.

Cloud Gate (otherwise known as “The Bean” by locals) at Millenium Park. You can see some of the skyscrapers in this picture too.

Lincoln Park

How wonderful it is to skate in the midst of all the gorgeous structures.

The Art Institute of Chicago.

This is a poor picture to show the intricate and delicate miniature cathedral. Everything inside this tiny building is real! From Thorne Miniature Rooms.

View from 94th storey of John Hancock Observatory. Apparently the 12th tallest building in the world.

The Field Museum, which is the home to Sue- the restored and mounted skeleton of the largest and most complete T. Rex ever found.

The Shedd Aquarium and Oceanarium

Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum

It snowed! So magical….and super cold!!! win some lose some

Gorgeous Chicago skyline in the background.

My dearest companion.

One of the highlights of our Las Vegas trip was the day tour to Grand Canyon (West Rim). We were too happy to take a break from the craziness of endless casinos, foods, shows, hustlers etc…It was a relatively long journey and we had to go through a stretch of dirt road but it was all worth it in the end. It is most likely the grandest thing that I have seen to date. We have since found out that Grand Canyon ranks top on the list of the most visited places in the world!! I was so awed and felt really small in the face of such grandeur. We took lots of pictures of ourselves (not our usual practice) because how often can one go to Grand Canyon right? So please allow us to indulge in our narcissism for a bit

We passed by Hoover Dam on the way. Hoover Dam is such an achievement given that it was built during the Great Depression. The Dam is a National Historic Landmark and has been rated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of America’s Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders.

There are miles and miles of desert…

What a day to remember.

We are back from the land of immediate gratification and pleasure. As most guides have stated, newbies find it disorienting at first with all the sensory assaults. Indeed. It took me a while to adjust to the environment and to enjoy it. Once you’re in Las Vegas, you will appreciate why it’s called the sin city. Not my fave city but it is a place not to be missed. Just have to experience Vegas in all its glory. If you have moolah, this is THE place to splurge and be decadent. Fabulous food, fantastic shows, shopping, opportunity to win $$$, Grand Canyon and the list goes on. We didn’t plan for a shopping spree but when we realised that our last day coincided with Black Friday, we geared ourselves bright and early for the battle at the outlets . What perfect timing! It’s silly not to lap up the chance. Even for a non-shopaholic, your resolve will melt with the super attractive deals. Everywhere was screaming BUYBUYBUY! That was the theme song. We are extremely pleased with our purchases even though we came back much poorer.

Las Vegas is a true haven for pleasure. There are endless choice for food, entertainment, and attractions. It has everything for everybody. The following list is what we’ve enjoyed and liked.

1. Great food


From Bouchon Bistro at The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino.
The food was really delish. We were fully satiated.

You have to check this out. Unbelievably good! Even if you are not a fan, just go there and see the largest chocolate fountain and be amazed.

You should also try out the buffet at Paris which was really great. We didn’t go to the one at Bellagio but the queue for that was unbelievable. At any one point there seems to be about 50 people in the line. Crazy! We tried out the buffet at MGM Grand too but it was nothing to shout about except for the wonderful Alaskan Crab. Yumz!

Burger Bar – This was pretty good too.

Also try out Lucky’s if you’re at the north strip. The bellboy recommended it to us and he is totally spot on. We went there twice! Food is good and affordable Perfect!

2. Cirque Du Soleil shows.
“
Our No 1. I was totally blown away.

Love was interesting. Lots of dancing as expected.

O was fascinating. We just prefer KA.

3. Free performance


The Fountain at Bellagio is a must. I love it!

At Treasure Island -Sirens of TI

4. Casino/Resorts/Hotels
You can check out each of them along the Strips. We like The Venetian, Caesar Palace and Bellagio.

4. Shopping!


Premium Outlet Malls!

He is a worker. He works everyday except on Labour Day.

We do make an effort to attend the Eucharistic celebration when we travel. We worshipped with the parishioners of St James Cathedral and it was wonderful. The church is beautiful and homily meaningful.

I was fascinated with the fallen leaves. I thought they look pretty.

Didn’t mean much to me but it certainly was news to Stvn.

Seafood is abundant and fresh!

The massive and swanky library

Seattle Art Museum

Till the next time… i miss Seattle.

For some reason Seattle gave me a very good vibe. It is nice to walk in the rain although i can’t imagine not having sunshine for prolonged period of time. When the sun is out, the city transforms into something else together. Gorgeous.

Where the adventure began. Lovely Mt Rainier in the distance.

I booked a sightseeing tour with Gray Line. The tour was comprehensive and I learned much about the beautiful city.

Our first dinner was at Ivars and I found out the next day that it is one of the best seafood restaurants in the city. The tour guide highly recommended it. The good thing is Ivars isn’t too far from our hotel. Steven, the ever resourceful husband found good reviews on it via his indispensable iphone.

Interesting shop just next to Ivars

Fishing is a huge industry in Seattle. Those cages are used to catch crabs. We visited Glass Eye Studio and had the chance to see the artists in action. It’s such a delicate art and they made it look so easy to blow glass when the opposite is true.

On the left is the lake house in Sleepless in Seattle. After the show the price of boathouses skyrocketed. Apparently the house is in the market for couple of millions dollars.

Approaching the fascinating Ballard Locks which was the highlight of the tour. We waited in the cold for the water to fill before the locks were open. We were all so excited while waiting for that to happen. It was super cold being out there with the rain and wind but we didn’t care.

It’s open!

Surprisingly the sun came out after the tour. Everybody was delighted as it was Halloween and parties were waiting!

It’s blurry here. These cyclists were in costumes. Too cute. Throughout the day I saw many who were in costumes – witch, gladiator, vampire etc..very cute.

One of my fave places. I can spend hours here and we did on a sunday.

The very first Starbucks, established in 1912.

We had our Halloween dinner at Emmett Watson’s Oyster Bar. They were closing as we arrived and were nice enough to feed us first before they left to party. We had the nicest pumpkin cheese pie here. So so delicious!

We got together once again and this time we headed to the famous Napa Valley and its vicinities. Ironically of all the places that we went to, the winery was the least impressive although i must that i was made very happy and sick within 30 minutes! We were blown away by Old Faithful Geyser and The Petrified Forest. Lunch was at Redd which truly deserved its michelin star rating. We can’t say the same for Jayakarta Restaurant which also received rave reviews. We were so utterly disappointed! We waited long to get seated as it was crowded (that certainly raised our expectations) and it took forever for the food to be served. If it were to be authentic and nice we would have no complains but only 1 out of 7 dishes was okay and that’s totally unacceptable. I was so looking forward to the bakmi

My personal fave is Old Faithful Geyser – I love the vibes here, tranquil and amazingly beautiful. I would have stayed here longer had the nose not protested to the noxious sulphuric fumes.

I like that the restaurant opted for a non-pretentious environment. yay for that!

We love these- scallops and quails. 4 stars.

The reason we made the trip. The season was ending apparently.

V Sattui was too commercialized and super crowded. The surrounding is peppered with gorgeous flowers though.

I bottomed up all the wines offered. I drank way too fast and considering how seldom i ingest alcohol, i was tipsy even before i stepped out of the winery. Not very smart as i suffered the consequence soon enough.

Taking in the awesome sight.

Feeling much better.



The lighting was perfect. Love it.

What fascinated me most is that the tree has been buried for 3,400 000 years. I feel very young compared to the tree!

Petrified husband

Nature always remind me of the Creator. How marvellous.

We had such an awesome saturday It’s a huge blessing to have good friends in the same city, better still if she’s an old friend and has friend who drives The plan of the day was to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival at Irving Street.

It was crowded. Tourists and locals were here to soak in the atmosphere. We felt right at home here.

What is a celebration without food?

It was yummy although i thought it was pricey at USD7!

Performance- he played along with loud blast of music from the stereo. Really enhanced the mood.

So fresh and yummy

Next we went to Ocean Beach. It was a good day and there were many people at the beach. It was so wonderful walking down the beach soaking in the sight, feeling the breeze tickling the face and being in such great company





I know, you want to take my picture. Hello people!

I love to watch the birds fly. I wish i could fly!

Knowing it was my first weekend in SF, YT kindly brought me (us) to visit the famous
Golden Gate Bridge.
It was such a perfect day with clear blue sky

We went to the other side to snap the 2nd pic.

Since we were on the other side, we decided to visit Sausalito. We took a nice walk around and ended up in Starbucks for drinks to warm the body.

Next on the list was Lombard Street. YT’s wife wanted to see it so we were in luck. It was such a steep climb! Only experienced driver should attempt!

Going down that “crookedest” street in the world” was quite a thrill, more so since i was not the one driving.

Happy tourists

It was a lovely saturday filled with new experiences and friendship. It is wonderful to hang out with friends who are also new to the city. That way we can explore new places together. Can’t wait for the next outing with the gang!

Angsana Resort and Spa, Ihuru Maldives

We hope to come back some day.