New Zealand and Australia

Late today, my wife and I will be flying to Auckland, New Zealand where in a couple of days later we'll be boarding a cruise ship for a 12 day cruise in New Zealand and Australia. I'll see if I can get a satisfactory (meaning cheap and fast) 'net connection on board. If I do, I'll keep you (my two regular site drop-ins and a few unexpected visitors) abreast of my daily shenanigans; otherwise, I'll post the highlights of our cruise when I return.

Montage Resort, Laguna Beach

A friend of ours mentioned a place in Laguna Beach that is worth a drive. It is less than an hour by car from where we live so we decided to check it out. The place is called Montage Resort, an upscale hotel which looked more like a condominium complex. A stone's throw away is a cute little park with picnic tables, gazebos, benches and a convenient access to the beach below the bluff. These are some photos I took when we visited.

Tidbits

These are some more pictures I took when my cousin stopped by Los Angeles on his way back home to Pinas from a company sponsored training in Dallas, Texas.

Olvera Street, the oldest street in Los Angeles, which is now a restaurant and store populated "poor excused for a street" whose claim to fame is its historical significance.

City walk at Universal City

A guy demonstrating the joy of freefall in a controlled environment

This guy is doing his things in an enclosed, airtight sealed area with a powerful machine blowing air underneath. I wonder what is going to happen. if and when, the machine breaks down or there is a power failure.

We stopped by a rinky-dink Vietnamese resto in Chinatown and this is one of our order. It looked like something a dog regurgitated LOL. In fairness, this photo was taken after my chopsticks wrecked havoc to the plate of what I thought I ordered - pansit or what passed for one. By the way, notwithstanding how it looked, it was delicious and cheap and the waitress who served it was not bad-looking either LOL.

Shoreline Village, Long Beach

A Carnival cruise ship and the Queen Mary seemingly on a collision course! Not really. The QM is permanently berth there and has a museum, a theatre, a hotel, several restaurants and clubs, a wedding chapel and I don't know what else. I hope it is making money now...it was a loser for many, many years.

The cruise ship is at dock loading passengers for a short cruise to Baja, Mexico. A three day cruise usually cost under $300 which is a pretty good deal considering that everything on board is covered except for alcoholic drinks. The quality and quantity of entertainment and food are inferior to those offered on longer cruises (7-21 days or more) elsewhere, but this is a good introduction to cruising and a cheap way to entertain yourself. A weekend trip to Las Vegas will cost you a lot more, not counting your meals and potential gambling loses LOL.