San Francisco: Day 5

During our last day in San Francisco, our family together with Achi Sherry and Ahia Edward went to De Young Museum at the Golden Gate Park, which incidentally had a special exhibit of Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaos. Too bad we were not allowed to take any photos of the Egyptian exhibit so we merely took photos outside.

Hair-raising trees at the Golden Gate Park. The 1,017 acres park is covered with grassy meadows, wooded bike trails, secluded lakes, open groves, and gardens.

After our light lunch, we went inside the California Academy of Sciences located in the same park. It is a multifaceted scientific institution with very interesting exhibits. 

What's cool about the exhibits is that most of them are in 3D. Plus, the tour served as a little review of our past science lessons.

Rainforests of the World is a 4-storey rainforest exhibit, where dripping water sets the beat for a symphony of croaking frogs and chirping birds. Some exhibits include Borneo’s bat caves, chameleons from Madagascar and the Amazonian flooded forest. Meanwhile, the exhibits from the Kimball Natural History Museum draw heavily from its 150-plus years of research, its 20 million specimens, and the expertise of its many world-class scientists.

The Steinhart Aquarium is home to 38,000 live animals from around the world, representing more than 900 species.

That night, we went to the Orpheum Theatre to watch the world-renowned play, Wicked. The tickets were pretty expensive but it was so worth it.

San Francisco: Day 4

My cousins and I woke up early this day to catch the annual Christmas Day sale. As early as 7:30am, we braved the streets of downtown San Francisco to be first in line when the shops open. I was a bit hesitant to join my cousins that day because I had limited cash and they were ready to splurge big time. I ended up buying only one thing: a pair of BCBG flats, which was sold for only USD $19.00 after all the reductions.

About 9:30am, I hurriedly went back to our hotel to meet up with my parents and siblings because we were set to attend mass at St. Mary's Cathedral. It felt good that we were still able to hear mass as a family on Christmas Day. We met so many Pinoys in the church.

After mass, we walked to Yerba Buena Garden just across the cathedral. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is also in the same vicinity. It offers West Coast's finest selection of modern and contemporary art books, design objects and furniture, among other things.

There were lots of random statues and public art in Yerba Buena Garden.

We had lunch at a classic American diner. While walking, we saw Jollibee and Red Ribbon outlets! What a surprise!

After our late lunch, we took the tram to Alamo Square, a residential neighborhood with lovely, colorful houses.

For Christmas day dinner, all 20 of us went to Chinatown and ate at R&G Restaurant, said to be the best Chinese restaurant in the city.

We walked back to our hotel that night because we were so full after dinner.

San Francisco: Day 3

Our itinerary for the entire day was to hang out at the Fisherman's Wharf. After getting off the tram, we walked along Jefferson Street and saw many attractions such as the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, the Wax Museum and the Ghirardelli Square, once home to the world-famous chocolate factory. For lunch, we ate seafood and pasta at a restaurant called Sabella and La Torre. Our server was surprisingly a Pinoy from Bacolod.

After the sumptuous lunch, we strolled along the Pier Area. A huge submarine was docked at the Pier.

We visited the Toy Museum near the Pier. This was where Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews hung out in the movie, Princess Diaries. 

Pier 39 is a renovated cargo pier which is now full of specialty shops and restaurants.

Aquarium of the Bay, located at Embarcadero and Beach Street, is at the edge of Pier 39.

We took an hour-long cruise along the San Francisco bay area. The cruise ship passed under the Golden Gate Bridge.

The cruise also brought us close to Alcatraz Island, a former federal prison until the 1960s.

Since it was Christmas eve, we had a special dinner at Morton's Steakhouse that night. It was probably the most expensive meal in my life. Haha! But it was undeniably good!

San Francisco: Day 2

Our first itinerary for the day was to visit the Golden Gate Bridge. It was located way outside the city center, but we were still dying to see the iconic bridge because it truly represents San Francisco. It took us 45 minutes, 1 tram ride plus 2 public bus rides to get there. 

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most photographed sights in the world. To be able to see and walk on it is a dream come true. I've never been happier!

We witnessed a stunning view of San Francisco City from the Golden Gate Bridge.

For lunch, we ate at Rico's Famous Burritos, which is located in a residential area.  I love the hilly streets of San Francisco! We were also able to check out the famous Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world.

When we were heading back to the hotel, we got off at the wrong stop. But it was a blessing in disguise because we were able to fortunately see Washington Square and its beautiful cathedral. For dinner that night, we met up with our relatives at Cheesecake Factory near our hotel. 

San Francisco: Day 1

Last December 22, our first family vacation in the U.S. finally pushed through. We have bought airplane tickets as early as March this year when Philippine Airlines had a crazy three-day sale and the roundtrip tickets were sold for only USD 400. My parents were at first hesitant to buy the tickets but they eventually gave in. We were all 20 in our entourage.

After 16 long hours in the plane, we finally arrived in San Francisco! It was already about 6:00pm local time. We had more than 30 pieces of luggage all in all. Three airport shuttles brought us to our hotel in downtown San Francisco.

My cousin made reservations at Hotel Stratford, located a stone's throw away from Union Square. After we settled in our rooms, we all gathered in the hotel's tiny lobby and had dinner at a Thai restaurant about two blocks away. 

After dinner, the oldies went back to the hotel while my siblings, cousins and I strolled to the nearby Union Square. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that my family and I would be spending Christmas abroad! Everything was so pretty! I especially adored Macy's window display. A block away from our hotel was H&M. My fascination for this brand started after my friends and I did some research about this brand for our Marketing Communications class two semesters ago.

Ten Weeks To Go

Several weeks ago, I started my countdown to the end of college! Just to give you a little update before my family and I leave for the U.S. for our Christmas and New Year vacation... there are 10 more weeks to go! Yahooooo!

Countdown

The countdown to the end of college starts right now! I am super excited to end my agony! I can't wait to start working and earning my own money! One boring afternoon, I invented this wacky idea of posting the number of weeks left (before the end of college) on my dorm room including some reminders to myself.

Orange Peeptoes

One of my best finds in Singapore was this orange peep toes from Topshop. I have never bought anything from Topshop in the past because I couldn't afford it. But I indulged myself this time because this pair was on SALE!

M Hotel Singapore

Like I said in my previous entry, I got a free overnight stay at M Hotel Singapore because my Cebu Pacific flight got cancelled. During my previous trips in Singapore, I have always stayed in my sister's place so this was my first time to stay in a real hotel in the Lion City. When we got to the hotel, we were informed that a buffet dinner was waiting for us. 

I made sure I got my own room with free internet so that I could tell my parents that I am fine. Besides, I deserve this for wasting an entire day in the airport! The queen sized bed was luxurious. My room had a flat screen TV and a mini bar too!

I felt so stinky after a long tiring day at Singapore's Budget Terminal so I took a long hot shower. I love my spacious bathroom!

A Day in the Budget Terminal

Last November 7, I was set to go back to Manila after a week-long vacation in Singapore. I was already seated comfortably in the plane when suddenly, an announcement was made regarding some technical problems. We waited for half an hour in the runway until the pilot announced that we needed to get off the plane because it might take them longer to fix the problem. As we were getting off the plane, I spotted Lance Gokongwei seated in the front row.

For more than an hour, we waited in the pre-departure area like refugees. Many passengers were already pissed especially the OFWs who only got several days to spend with their families in the Philippines. But many were still hopeful that the flight would push through.

After the long wait, an announcement was made that we have to retrieve our check-in luggage because the flight has been cancelled. You can just imagine the rage of the other passengers as we were getting our luggage from the conveyor belt.

We were ushered back to the departure area and were given food stubs for lunch. While eating, we got another surprise announcement: the flight is back on! I was already a bit pissed myself because it is such a hassle to line up and check-in our luggage once again.

Mid-afternoon, we were back at the boarding gate again. Just when we thought the flight was finally pushing through, Cebu Pacific dropped another bomb! The flight was cancelled again!

Some passengers decided to take a different flight with another airline, but I accepted the free overnight stay at the M Hotel SIngapore offered by Cebu Pacific. After my day-long stay in the airport, I eventually became friends with some of the passengers who suffered the same fate as me. Cebu Pacific rescheduled our flight the following day.

Singapore: Round 2

After my five-day vacation in Malaysia, I spent seven extra days in Sunny Singapore to visit my sister who's working there. I was not really interested to do any sightseeing in the Lion City because I was just here nine months ago. So I decided to have a staycation with no itinerary or whatsoever. I did lots of random things like swimming in my sister's condo, meeting old friends, shopping once in a while and simply lazing around. One highlight of my trip was watching Michael Jackson's final documentary, This Is It.

Aeroline: The Best Bus Ever

Last November 1, I took a six-hour bus ride from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore through Aeroline. The bus has two-storeys and all the passengers' seats are on the second floor. I was surprised to find out that the seats in the Aeroline bus are bigger and comfier than airplane seats. Meanwhile in the first floor, there is a toilet and a small lounge with a sofa and flat screen TV. Definitely the best bus ever!

VNC Addicts

Last week in Malaysia, Ate Jov and I got so addicted with VNC! It is a famous shoe brand that started in Malaysia and is now available in different countries. While in Kuala Lumpur, we shopped in VNC everyday because their shoes were so cheap compared in the Philippines. We did a little inventory of the shoes we have bought and here they are:

Okay, before you judge me! Mind you, among the 12 pairs above, only 2 pairs are mine. While 4 pairs are for my sister, 1 pair for my mom and the rest are Ate Jov's. If I had more money and luggage space, I would have bought more shoes. But I had to pace myself because I don't want to have a heart attack when I see my credit card bill next month. 

Kuala Lumpur: Day 5

On our fifth and last day in Kuala Lumpur, we went to the 400 million years old Batu Caves, one of the holiest Hindu Shrines in Malaysia. This was once featured in the reality TV show, Amazing Race. 

Rising almost 100 meters above the ground, the complex consist of three big caves and some other small ones. We had to climb a steep flight of 272 steps in order to reach the top. 

The biggest cave in the temple complex is known as the Cathedral Cave. It has a very high ceiling and features intricate Hindu shrines. 

Afterwards, we made a last-minute visit to KLCC Aquaria, a state-of-the-art 60,000 sq. ft. aquarium in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.