Living La Vida Loca - California-dreamin'

The bay area is just so interesting. Each city offers so many different things to see and do. If you want to find great places to visit, eat, check out, etc - Yelp it! Go to yelp.com and see what other people has to say before you hit the road or open your wallet. Here's my own yelp reviews: http://jocel.yelp.com/

Other places to check out is the 2008 Webby Award Nominee: http://weekendsherpa.com/archives/. Find your next weekend adventure! For international travel or out of state travel, check out the newsletters at http://www.away.com/

Here are some of my favorite spots in the bay area:

• North part, there's Napa and Sonoma - Cornerstone Gardens, Jack London's house, COPA and downtown Napa, shopping outlets.
• By the coast: Fort Ross, Mendocino, Fort Bragg, Bodega Bay. I love the campsites at MacKerricher State Park, where you can go tide-pooling and whale watching. The Samuel Taylor campground is also nice and closer to Point Reyes and it's where you can actually see salmon swim upstream. Tomales Bay is the perfect place to go clamming and watch manta rays and tiger sharks swim.
• Hike to Alamere Falls and jump into the Bear Lake on your way back to cool off.
• Best places to surf are at Pacifica Beach, Bolinas, and Santa Cruz.
• On the Marin County side of Golden Gate: Sausalito (bike and ferry to SF), Corte Madera's Ring Mountain, Muir Woods, and downtown Mill Valley.
• Bike route from San Francisco Ferry Bldg to Sausalito - I look forward to sunny days when I can hop in and Bart to San Francisco and bike my favorite loop/route in the city. Get off Embarcadero and bike towards the Ferry Bldg, where you can shop their farmer's market and arts and crafts booths on Saturdays. Head to Fisherman's Wharf from here. On your way, you'll see Coit Tower and there are steps/stairs trails that can you lead up there. The steps start near Battery Street and across Levi's Museum square. Coit Tower marks the end of Lombard Street. If you decide to drive up to Coit Tower, follow Lombard Street and it'll take you to the some of the favorite spots in SF. The Crooked Road is actually part of Lombard Street, which eventually leads you to the Golden Gate. Just before getting into Golden Gate, you can get off Lombard and check out the Fine Arts, Exploratorium, Crissy Field beach, and the rest of Presidio. My bike route actually passes to this area. Anyway, when you get to Fisherman's Wharf, you can check out the sea lions (which migrate in July-August) and the classic arcade Museo Mechanique and hear the fat lady laugh! Behind this museum are other museums that exhibit submarines and torpedoes. After you get your clam chowder, bike past Ghirardelli towards the marina area where you'll find this small hill. On the other side of the hill is Fort Mason and from here, you can see the Golden Gate bridge. Head towards the Golden Gate bridge. Soon, you will see the Fine Arts' dome and exploratorium across the street and Crissy Field beach on your right. Follow the road adjacent to Crissy Field (entrance to the Presidio). Crissy Field is a good place to rest and watch dogs play as well as windsurfers launch. There's also a good view of the Alcatraz from here. If it's too cold outside and you want to get some coffee and be indoor and still be able to enjoy the view of the water, check out that little museum near Crissy Field (and next to Sports Basement - which I think is the best place to shop for outdoor stuff (backpacks, gears, etc) plus they have a ping pong table where you can play while you wait for your friends to finish shopping). From here, you can continue biking towards Golden Gate bridge (just follow everyone else). There's another hill that you need to climb up to get to Lincoln Avenue where you'll find the trail to the biking area (left side of the bridge) to cross the bridge. Once you cross the bridge, it's all downhill to Sausalito, which is on the other side of the freeway. Enjoy the rest of the day in Sausalito. The last Ferry, where you can take your bike with you back to the Ferry Bldg in SF, leaves at 5PM so make sure you don't miss it and always check the time schedule as soon as get to Sausalito so you can plan your stay around it.
• If you feel like taking the Bart and Cable car to Fisherman's Wharf from Powell and Market, don't forget to check out Bloomingdale's fancy food court (across Briston Farms) and Westlake Dome at the top floor. Across the street, catch a 3D movie at Metreon and check out the waterfall in the garden and the Jewish Art Museum. Each year, they also have great car shows and exhibits at Moscone Center. Yerba Buena is fun - Ice Skating, Bowling, and more!. There's also outdoor ice skating at Embarcadero andUnion Square during the holidays. Bayanihan Cultural Center (6th and Mission) is the place to go in November for their free holiday lantern workshop. Powell and Market is where you'll find group of people (young and old) playing chess.
• Inner Richmond: Irish bakery and European food market (as well as Russian Cinderella restaurant) off Geary. Yummy dumplings at Clement St. Philippine Consulate home is just around the corner.
• Golden Gate Park: California Academy of Sciences, top floor of De Young Museum (by the other gift shop), Legion of Honor, Japanese Tea Garden pagoda, and Stow Lake.
• San Francisco Zoo and the Great Highway - Cliff House and the remains of the bathhouse
• San Mateo Convention Center, surfing at the Museum, South San Francisco target shooting range, El Camino Real Filipino restaurants, and Tanforan mall.
• Glen Park
• Daly City Lucky Chances Casino
• SF Nightlife: 1984 CatClub, sfclubs.org, Mehjool at mission and 20th St. Broadway St. in SF. Boot-town /Little Italy. China town and Japan Town.
• Eastbay (Concord/Antioch/Walnut Creek): Black Diamond Mines Regional Park, Waterworld, Mt. Diablo, Lindsay Wildlife Museum, Heather Farms, downtown Walnut Creek, Vasco Road caves. For kids, take them to Pixie Land (amusement park) and the Jungle. Indoor rock climbing at Diablo Rock.
• Berkeley Indian Rock and Rose Garden, Tilden Park and Brazil Bldg.
• Lake Chabot, Chabot Planetarium, Oakland Zoo, Mormon Temple, Jack London Square, Rockridge, Lake Merritt Boat Club, El Cerrito Plaza and Pool.

• South Bay - Hayward to Carmel
  

• iFly, Union City and all the Filipino food (Gerry's Grill)
• San Jose - Santana Row and Winchester Mystery House. They're right across each other. Santana Row is the perfect place to hang out (but not to shop). Enter Valencia hotel and proceed to the 2nd floor lobby. Next to the elevator is a narrow hallway. On the right side of the hallway is a really nice lounge/bar with a balcony that overlooks the streets of Santana Row. On the left side is a beautiful courtyard with patio seating and outdoor heat lamps. There are also fire pits to keep you warm. The lighted water cascading falls are awesome at night. Then, grab some delicious desert at Cocola (a block away) and challenge your friends to some outdoor chess by the wine bar in the center isle and move that gigantic 2.5-feet pawn with your two hands across that huge floor chess tiles. There are so many places to check out around here, such as the Saturday farmer's market and pet parades.
• Also, Rosucrucian Egyptian garden and museum (Naples Ave. - couple of blocks from the Rose garden and not far from Santana Row).
• Nightlife in downtown San Jose - Spend the day at the Tech Museum and the Modern Art Museum and party all night club-hoping and bar-hoping at all these awesome clubs and bars that downtown has to offer.
• Citybeach, Fremont - the place to be if you want a sporty-gym where you can play sports indoor with family and friends. Try your skills in rock climbing, volleyball, basketball, ping-pong, bouce or just lay back with playing pool/billiards, air hockey, foosball, and another one of those gigantic, floor chess. They also have a grill/bar where you can recharge with some delicious food and drinks.
• Skyhigh, Santa Clara - trampoline/exhibition gym anyone?
• Great America and Raging Water
• Gilroy Garlic Festival
  
• Santa Cruz - Lighthouse Beach (best surfing - W. Cliff Dr.), Boardwalk, Mystery Spot, Seabright Beach bonfires.
  
• Carmel downtown, Mission Carmel, and the 17-mile road to Pacific Grove and Monterey.
  
• Yosemite and Mono Lake
  
• Bear Valley and Alpine Lake - outdoor rockclimbing.
  
• Also, Saratoga Mountain Winery and Turtle Creek. Gold mining at Sonora. Dead volcanoes and caverns at Volcano, CA
  
• Snow is just few hours away at resorts like Boreal, Heavenly, Alpine Lake, Bear Valley, and NorthStar. Then, cross over to Nevada and check out Lake Tahoe and casinos in Reno.

  On your way to LA or just outside LA:
  

• Santa Barbara (Old Spanish Days Festival), Pismo Beach
  
• Hearst Castle in San Simeon (along highway 1), San Luis Obispo, and Solvang
  
• Mission San Fernando, Mission Hills (north 5/405 intersection)
  
• Joshua Tree National Park
  
• Dana Point whale watching (75 milles south)

  Some of my favorite spots in LA (other than Disneyland, Hollywood, and Universal Studios)
  

• Getty Museum in town off 405 (free admission). Cool Tram Ride and great view and gardens!
  
• Getty Villa in Malibu (reservations). Also in Malibu, Zuma Beach, Paradise Cove, and Malibu Creek State Park for camping
  
• Malibu ocean kayaking (also at Mothers beach - Marina del Rey)
  
• Santa Monica 3rd St. Promenade, Boardwalk Pacific Park and Rides, Muscle Beach, Point Dume Beach. Cheap eats at S.M.
  
• Segway rentals at Segway L.A. on 1660 Ocean Blvd. Santa Monica, Horse back riding (in the Santa Monica mountains)
  
• Venice Beach (you can rent bikes), street performers, muscle beach
  
• Beverly Hills Park at end of Rodeo Dr., the City Hall, Beverly Hills Hotel, Polo Lounge
  
• Trolley tours of star homes Hollywood or downtown, Baldwin Hills or get a $5 map of star homes (Beverly Hills Rodeo Dr.)
  
• Griffith Park and Observatory (reservations now required). The new Oschin Planetarium show is the best!
  
• Near that area: Greek Theater, Bird Sanctuary, Los Angeles Zoo (parking site for Griffith Observatory/Hollywood Bowl)
  
• Gene Autrey Western Museum + Travel Town (railroad museum)
  
• West Hollywood, Walk of Fame/Stars (3 ½ miles round trip), Graumin’s Chinese Theater, and Hollywood Bowl concerts (arrange parking first)
  
• Ford’s Theater (across the 101 from the Hollywood Bowl) smaller shows than the Bowl
  
• Hollywood Wax Museum and Kodak Theater tour, Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum (across from wax museum)
  
• Mulholland Drive
  
• Hollywood Park Race, Forum, horse racing, and casino.
  
• Haunted Hollywood Tour
  
• Museum of Tolerance
  
• Hollywood sign hike and pics, L.A.pics
  
• Paramount Pictures Tour (9AM), Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Walk of Fame
  
• Studio tours: Universal/City Walk or Warner Bros., NBC, Disney, Dreamworks
  
• La Brea Tar Pits and Page Museum on Wilshire @ Fairfax
  
• Farmers Market at the Grove. Go to Charley’s Café in the Farmer’s Market. Go the closest booth at Fairfax and W. 3rd.
  
• Exposition Park Rose Garden (USC)
  
• MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) and LACMA
  
• Walt Disney Concert Hall (downtown)—stunning architecture!
  
• Downtown L.A.-Lummis house, Angels flight
  
• China town, Korea town (karaoke), Little Tokyo
  
• Dodger stadium baseball game, Home Depot Stadium
  
• Lakers Basketball at the Staples arena
  
• Huntington Beach Surfing and Surf Museum (they spend a lot of time and money on constant activities)
  
• Foose Auto Design (See Overhaul’in TV Show) and Huntington Beach boardwalk
  
• Petersen Auto Museum (car “rallys” from Huntington Beach - see the stars cars and the Ferrari collection)
  
• Huntington library and gardens (San Marino)
  
• Volley ball and tournaments (Huntington Beach)
  
• USC and UCLA football, LA Coliseum or Rose Bowl
  
• Redondo Beach and Pier
  
• Orange County
  
• L.A. barhopper mystery bus, L.A. Open at Riviera Country Club, L.A. Equestrian Center
  
• Big Bear skiing
  
• Palm Springs golf and tram ride
  
• River Walk and L.A. River Gardens
  
• Citadel Outlet Mall (Commerce, CA)
  
• Commerce Casino Club (Commerce, CA) and Bicycle Club Casino (Bell Gardens, CA.)
  
• Cerritos Titanium Library
  
• Disneyland (Anaheim)
  
• Knotts Berry Farm's roller coaster rides, 6 Flags/Magic Mountain
  
• Water parks-hurricane harbor, soak city, raging rivers
  
• Long Beach: Aquarium of the Pacific and Queen Mary (haunted ship/hotel)
  
• Catalina Island, catamaran to Avalon out of Long Beach or Newport beach, concerts and the casino - service now available out of Marina del Rey (Helicopter Service $150. now available out of San Pedro)
  
• Hike up Mt. Lee and visit Bronson (Batman) caves
  
• Rose Parade in Pasadena
  
• Norton Simon Museum (Pasadena)
  
• Santa Anita race track, and L.A.. Botanic Gardens -Arcadia, CA.
  
• Mt. Wilson observatory-(UCLA astronomy-Cal. Rt #2))
  
• Gondola ride at Naples Island (Alimitos Bay)
  
• Renaissance Festival
  
• Rockwalk at the Guitar Center
  
• Graumans Egyptian Theater
  
• El Capitan Theater
  
• Dominator ship wreck hike
  
• Tilmann Japanese garden (San Fernando Valley)
  
• San Bernadino Route 66 classic car show (Sept.13-16)
  
• Descanso Gardens (La Canada)
  
• Brand Park/Glendale library
  
• San Antonio and Temecula winery tours
  
• Lake Arrowhead

  Other places to check out or for dining:
  

• Beach bonfire—monthly specials (free wood and hotdogs)
  
• Helicopter tour of L.A, indoor skydiving
  
• Fashion district-(11th St. + Santee), L.A. Fashion week (bargains)
  
• Melrose Trading Post (Saturdays only)
  
• Eat at Pinks, Pinkberry, or In-and-Out Burger. Pink Hotdogs is very popular with all different combinations.
  
• Bob Morris’s Paradise Cove Café, Sunday Morning Brunch (North of Malibu maybe 5 miles—look for Paradise Cove signs)
  
• Spago in Beverly Hills, great Wolfgang Puck restaurant. You might meet Wolfgang
  
• Ivy, Kitson (on N. Robertson), Hotel Marmont,
  
• Club at Hyde, Area, Teddy’s, Priviledge, Les Deux, Parc, Mood, Skybar, Roxy, Tryst, Whiskey (a-go-go), The Spyder Club, The Viper Room, House of Blues.
  
• Beverly Hilton, Trader Vics, Sparkles
  
• Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf + Tito tacos (Culver City)
  
• Eat at Mr. Chow’s or Koi or Yamashiro
  
• Fred Segal (this is mostly for women and gay guys I guess)
  
• Papa Christo’s Thursday Greek Dinner (pico/normandie) - Real Store with restaurant attached. This authentic experience including belly dancer and classes for the ladies won’t last in it’s present shape too long as it is sold out on Thursdays. It’s inexpensive and Chrys’s Daughter graduates from business school next year and if she has any sense will turn this into something bigger. Make sure to make reservations for the Big Fat Greek Thursday Dinner and not just plain dinner.
  
• Mel’s diner (Hollywood and highland)
  
• Bob’s Big Boy—Toluca Lake-Riverside Dr.-(Friday nights only 5 to 10:00)
  
• Marina Del Rey Dinner Cruise-Hornblower Co.
  
• Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles Diner
  
• Canter’s Deli or The Pantry
  
• Eat at Mortons (Pam is closing at the end of the year)

Trips I'll always Remember:

El Paso Texas and New Mexico: White Sands, NASA Space Center, Rosswell UFO Center

Las Vegas and Grand Canyon: free shows and themed sights at Cesar's Palace, Bellagio, Paris, Venitian Hotel, Wynn, and mardi-gras like shows at Rio. Check out the Lion habitat at MGM, the flamingos at Flamingo's, and the tropical fishes and sea horses at Caesar's Palace. The best rides are at New York New York roller coaster and Stratosphere's XScream.

Tour of West Grand Canyon: skip Skywalk and head out to Guano Point (see previous blog on Grand Canyon). Camp and see Angels Bright trail in South Grand Canyon.

Washington: Tacoma's Glass Bridge and Chihuly's Glass Museum, Seattle's Pike's Place and Smith Tower in the Pioneer Square, Mukilteo Lighthouse and Boeing Tour, Tulalip Resort and Casino by Seattle Outlet stores.

Friends and Places

We went to France and Barcelona before flying to Italy for the Mediterrenean Cruise reunion. I was so happy to finally visit Ate Susie in Gouveaux, France. I was very excited to stay with them and experience a real local lifestyle instead of a typical tourist itinerary. Since I moved to US, I've been trying to keep in touch with my friends in the Philippines - no matter where they are now in other parts of the world. I have two friends in Dubai, whom I've been meaning to visit but the airfare is just ridiculously high right now. Lately, I met Vrenda, a co-worker's friend from Japan. We started talking about traveling together, which is definitely something I look forward to but I think I'll get to visit her in Japan soon. I also started looking up around the world tickets or trips. They're pretty affordable and flexible. Check out: http://www.airtreks.com and http://www.hobotraveler.com/aroundtheworldairfare.shtml.

Carquinez Bridge to Vallejo

Before heading out to a Mediterranean Cruise in Europe this month, I decided to rent out my room and move to my dad's house in Crockett. He has a duplex but he lives in one of the units and the other remains vacant. Eventually, I was able to talked him into renting it out. It so happens that my roommate's new boyfriend works at the C&H factory, which is a 5-minute bike ride away from the house. The same guy happens to be my uncle's client a few years back. What a small world. My dad's place in Crockett overlooks the Carquinez Bridge and we once biked across the bridge to Seafood City in Vallejo. There were couple of hills in downtown Vallejo but it was a really nice bike ride. Each year, around Father's Day, they have an Annual Pirate Festival by the Ferry station in Vallejo and it's part of the Renaissance Faire - a definite must-see!

Mechanical Bull at Saddle Rack, Fremont

Birthday Bash at P.F. Chang's

Be CO2-ncerned... Be Very CO2ncerned!

I.D.e.a.s

Every now and then, creativity kicks in and my imagination starts running crazy ideas. Once, I thought about making a mini-JaBag (Jacket that converts to a bag) prototype since I noticed how puffy jackets seem to be a nuisance and takes up too much space when you're carrying it. But, I thought that this will probably require a big investment since you'll need to come up with your own new line of convertible jackets or outdoor apparel. Also, I was pretty sure that someone already came up with it. I looked it up and found this neat designer's website from Berlin - Dos Caras: http://myitthings.com/starx/Post/fashion/It_Thing/Convertible_jacket___bag/47724200720405831.htm

Now that's fancy! So, I decided to think about it economically. How about an accessory that has the same function but an add-on to your OWN jacket or bulky clothing? It can convert it to a bag or something functional when you're not wearing it. It'll be small, the size of a key-chain or a tiny coin purse, so that you'll have it with you anywhere and anytime you need it. It's also detachable that you can easily stick and remove it and use it with another jacket (e.g. detachable zipper, velcrow, button) but strong enough to hold the piece together. A good example of this application is this detachable magnetic strips product that I found, which you can use to temporarily shorten your pants ($30 at http://www.zakkerz.com/) by supporting its folds. The good thing about "detachables" is that you can build around them, too. They can come with other optional accessory (if you want to actually make more money of it) or they can come in a kit with a complimentary "pair" - one that you can easily attach or build in to your jacket. Well, it's exciting to think about it but that's as far as I want to talk about this idea at this point since it's still on my "future projects" list. I think I should look back on list and add my other ideas on this blog, such as my barcoded containers you can use in grocery stores to get items from food dispensers. The purpose of this is to stop generating unnecessary packaging and garbage from items we buy in the grocery store. We can bring our own container and the barcode label is something we print and used by the cashier to tare the container and weight the item in it. Other stuff that may come up in the future includes: wireless TV (no more cables and antennae, it'll be similar to how wireless network works), anti-EMF clothes, automatic paper mache maker, etc. There are couple of Tech / Innovation weblinks in my BlogRoll that you can check out and maybe that'll inspire you to come up with a more anti-global warming ideas.

As far as coming up with new, innovative products and ideas. I think that we should really come up with stuff that really works and benefits both the consumers and the environment. There are so much junk out there and only few are functional or useful. Some looks really great but are crappy and end up collecting dust in the garage. I'm a big fan of multi-functional, unique organizers that don't take up too much space, convertible and light products (from shoes to furniture), and the reuse-recycle idea (e.g. re-sewing or piecing together old clothes to design and make a new one or anything that you can definitely use - a stuffed toy, rag, quilt, accessories, scarf, tiny purses, art projects, etc.). For clothes, it's pretty much a matter of updating or reviving them back to the latest fashion. One time, I cut couple of inches off a shirt and added it to an old, shrunken shirt to add length to it. When I was in high-school, I dyed an old skirt, used old scarves as belt, and string together orphan buttons and beads to make a beaded curtain and to accessorize my dad's pillow.

The most exciting part of this is daring yourself to be creative. Just start snipping those old things, put some small holes, and run up old, colorful laces to piece them back to life! Kids always appreciate cute stuff and most of all, the time you spend with them. So, instead of buying them more useless stuff in Walmart, give them a project or work on one with them that can teach them to recycle. If you don't have the time, just make one and give it to them as a present (you can put a fake tag in it to make it look like you bought it, if you want).

Visit to the Yucatan: Quintana Roo, Mexico

Feb. is the best time for me to visit Mexico. Due to the back to back President's Day and Lincoln's Bday holiday, I was able to take off for the whole week using only 3 vacation days. On top of that, Cancun vacation packages are cheap! We booked flight and 3-nights through Expedia (total= $450/person). The other 3-nights of our stay were all walk-ins and although this month is supposedly peak season, finding bargain hotels was not a problem. We stayed at St. Clemente ($42/night) at Valladolid, which is right across the plaza! Then, at Playa del Carmen, we stayed at a Mar de Caribe ($35/night), which is couple of blocks from the shops, pier, and the beach! So, if you're traveling there on winter time, maybe you can just book your first night and book the other hotel nights as you go. You have a better chance of finding bargains stays with the help of a good travel book.

Direct flight will take you to Cancun in about 6 hrs but since we were on a budget, our flight was 9 hrs to and 12 hrs from Cancun. You can also fly to Meridia, which I heard is a beautiful city and then, maybe depart from Cancun back to US so you can travel across Quintana Roo (the name of the state, take note on your customs form). Renting a car is probably not a good idea because the toll fees are expensive and there are many toll areas, too. Gas may not be that expensive (about $1 per Liter) but rental + insurance are kind of costly. There's also the risk of having your windows break into and get your stuff stolen when unattended, if you're not careful. Taking the local bus is easier, cheap, and you get to sleep/rest along the way with a good A/C and brush up on your Spanish by watching some TV, too. We took the bus from Cancun airport to downtown, checked-in to our hotel, ate at the local plaza then, head out to Zona Hotelera. The R-1 bus takes you between downtown and Zona Hotelera. Make sure you ask the driver which way it's going because you might get into the bus that's heading back. Due to the past hurricanes that hit the island, the beachfront is not as great in some of the resorts. The hotel-resort lobbies are amazing and some even have really sophisticated and artistic designs, like Aqua. The top resorts, like Riu, have a lot of activities to offer like numerous endless pools, volleyball courts, huge JENGA, bars with underwater seating, some have hammocks and canopy beds - all by the beach area. The sands are really fine and white at Riu beachfront. Keep in mind that during winter, sun sets early and depending on which part of the island you're in, you'll probably start feeling the cold wind and the start losing the sun to the shade around 5PM. So, start hitting the beach early on winter. It's a great time to visit for those people who don't like extreme heat or humidity. As far as food, I'm not really into goat cheese and the local delicacies. Thank God that a lot of the restaurants cater to what non-locals look for as far as taste and variety and the price is not that bad either. It's anywhere from $4 to $8 and can be as expensive as $30 (for a really great dish). The exchange rate was $1 to ~ 10.45 pesos. The peso sign looks almost similar to a dollar sign that it confuses me at first. I took out some money from my CITI account from a Banamex ATM, which takes CITI card. The bank charged me 2% of what I take out (e.g.: $1.5 fee for $75) so it's not that bad, better than what they charge you here in US. The exchange is better from ATM withdrawal but with the 2% fee, the street rate comes to about the same.

The 2nd day, we visited Chichen Itza ($10/person). You don't really need to get a tour guide, which is more expensive. You can just get a good book that can guide you through the park and there are also infomation you can read in front of each ruin. The El Castillo, the group of thousand columns, and the ball court are my favorites and they're really marvelous. No wonder this place was named as one of the seven great wonders of the modern world. The more you learn about the Mayan culture the more your heart goes out to those who were sacrificed in that place. There was a cenote at one end of the park where one can see children and women's skulls if you swim under the water, which I don't think any one will. The water looks stagnant to start with. All these send chills down my spine when I use too much of my imagination. If you're planning to get souvenirs, BUY it from the local artisans that are selling their crafts INSIDE Chichen Itza. I had a hard time finding $1 souvenirs elsewhere. I was able to get couple of $1 souvenirs here (make sure you haggle) but I wish I bought more! I just didn't want to carry a lot of stuff with me while traveling.

The last bus to Valladolid from Chichen Itza is at 430PM so, we started heading out of the park around 4PM. We spent the night there and got some good grubs at Squimoz (next to the bus station). The locals at Valladolid have really round face and round eyes, very unique. There were a lot of women wearing an embroidered white dress, which I was planning to buy for my mom but forgot :( The next day, we rented a bike (8 pesos, ~$1 /hr) to check out Cenote Dzinup/Xkeken ($2.5/person). It was great! Lots of fishes (mostly black), stalagmites, and the water was not cold once you get in. We saw part of the cave and decided not to venture far since there's nobody around. Swimming to the darker corners to touch the stalagmites is a little creepy when there's not a lot of people around. Specially, after finding a school of dark fishes, which first looks like a moving dark hole under the clear water. And you think, having the place all to yourself is a great idea - not! People usually take a siesta around 1PM to 2PM so, it's hard to find an open restaurant or panaderia. That's usually a great time to take the bus to your next destination, in our case - Playa del Carmen. On the way to Playa del Carmen, we passed by Coba, Tulum, and some of the resorts that line up the Riviera Maya. Tulum have a great Mayan ruin right by the beach and a little touristy just like Playa del Carmen. In the afternoon, a lot of the locals who just got off work from the resorts take the bus home so, it's interesting to just watch them hop in and out of the bus.

Playa del Carmen have the best touristy area by the beach. The streets, shops, and restaurants are usually packed with tourists. The next day, we took the ferry to Cozumel ($11/person). They have the best pasteleria, Zermatt, and we bought a lot of pastries that lasted us the whole day. We rented a scooter ($20/day), which we rode across the accessible half of the island. We stopped by a beach club where we climbed this floating iceberg-like dome and slide down its side. It's pretty high and I was a little afraid of losing my grip and having a bad fall back to the salty sea water. They also have two trampolines that have a slippery bridge that you can cross. It was a great, lively beach area. We found an iguana sun bathing on the way to a restaurant but decided not to disturb him. I was able to find a bargain and paid $20 for a $35 hammock at a shop across Sr. Iguana's before heading back to the pier. Thank God we have a basket in the scooter to carry our stuff. Most of the shops at Cozumel are great too but pricey so always ask for at least half off the price they're asking.

If you're carrying a lot of stuff, you can rent a locker (pretty spacious) back at the pier at Playa del Carmen, which is a little pricey ($10/day) or walk down to the bus station, which is close by and rent their locker instead ($5/day). We have to check out by noon at Mar de Caribe so, we put our backpacks and my bag of laundry at one of the $5/day lockers they have at the bus station. They open at 10AM and they give you a token, which means that once you close it, you can't open it again unless it's time for you to take your stuff out. Else, you need to pay again. Then, we took a bus to Puerto Morelos (~ 30 mins. north of Playa del Carmen), shared a cab (paid a $1 ) to the town from the highway, and paid $25/person for a 2-hr snorkling that includes equipment, park fee, and a boat that takes you to the coral reefs. The reefs are well-preserved and well-taken care of. The fishes have are sooo colorful and each of them have their own character and personality. There are a lot of schools of fishes that ride the waves and they're just fun to see! The last part of the trip was to check out an underwater cenote or sinkhole. It looks okay but I don't think I'll go in there. Maybe that's where the aliens hide* Puerto Morelos also have the best empanadas at Los Gauchos and horchatas we've ever tried. The local artisan shops are also great and it's right around the corner and near the town plaza. We took a cab ($5) to Croco Cun Zoo ($20/person) where you have a tour guide that lets you hold a small crocodile, a snake, iguana, and get a kiss from parrot. You also get to feed some deers and wild monkeys (Ebola Alert!). I wasn't able to spend more time observing the crocodiles but it was fun! We have to take a local bus back to Playa del Carmen and the bus was kind of old to be speeding through the freeway and doing sharp turns but we got back in one piece!

After we took our stuff from the locker, we hop in to another bus back to Cancun, where we spent our last day hotel-hoping, checking out flea markets (Coral Negro) and other shops. We attended a local mass at Cristo El Rey, right across the downtown plaza, and I had a big headache trying to understand with my limited Spanish. One of my goals is to at least learn the Spanish prayer, "Our Father". The plaza was a great place to be, specially on Sundays, where locals hang out and watch shows or just chill and let their kids loose. I wish our parks and open areas here in US can be as nice and filled with people like their plaza. Overall, it was a great trip! If you feel like checking out a well-put together adventure tour, you can check out the Xcaret or Xe'hal tour packages they offer almost anywhere. They're both huge resorts that offers various activities like Jungle Tours, Cultural Shows, snorkling, swimming with the dolphins, visiting Mayan ruins, and petting some exotic animals.

2008 Year of the Rat: SF Chinese NY Parade, Gung Hay Fat Choy!

February feels like another New Year. I don't know what it is with this month but it's usually the time of the year when I drill my head really hard to brainstorm on what to do different the coming year. Hopefully, I'll be more focused and relaxed this year. It bothers me how much time and energy I put into unnecessary things: budgeting to save a penny or two (which leads to excessive scavenger hunt for bargains), getting too organized, starting ideas that leads to nowhere (at least for now), over-analyzing things, and constantly looking things up as far as investments, real estate, career paths, programs, etc. I think I should just focus on saving money for now and not get too worked up with the stock market or how I should go after foreclosed or rental properties. I think that people should really invest in their own happiness, spiritual and personal growth, health, career, friends and family. Everything else should comes second. Easy to say - hard to do but worth the try. A friend emailed me some inspirational quotes, which I think I should follow this year:

A sharp tongue can cut my own throat.

If I want my dreams to come true, I must not oversleep.

Of all the things I wear, my expression is the most important.

The best vitamin for making friends is to ... B1.

The happiness of my life depends on the quality of my thoughts.

The heaviest thing I can carry is a grudge.

One thing I can give and still keep is my word.

I lie the loudest when I lie to myself.

If I lack the courage to start, I am finished!

One thing I can't recycle is wasted time.

Ideas won't work unless "I" do.

Mind is like a parachute... it functions only when open.

The Ten Commandments are not a multiple choice.

The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime. It is never too late to become what you might have been. Life is like a sentence. You can always start a meaningful one.

Friends are like balloons; once you let them go, you might not get them back.

Things to Remember: