bertN's travels... then and now, far and near

Istanbul, Turkey

2012-01-13T05:12:00.000-08:00

After a couple of nights and a full day at sea, we arrived at Istanbul, a city I'm visiting for the first time. I really wanted to do a 12 day land tour of Turkey instead of this cruise but my wife and other frequent travel companions convinced me that it is better to just go on a cruise because it is less physically demanding than a land tour. I know how unpleasant it is to pack and unpack every day and sit on a bus for long hours but you see a lot more of the places you are visiting. I think I'll try solo travel again - it is so liberating and free from the constraint of conveniences.

I've never tried the juice of this fruit yet but I will.

I like seeing the locals in their native dress.

Bread cart open for business

An ice cold slice of watermelon on a hot day was a childhood delight.

Roasted corn fresh from the grill is a hard to beat street food for me.

Inside one of the mosques we visited

Looks yummy!

That's my wife leading the way to a souvenir shop!

Bosphorus Strait connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and splits Turkey between Asia and Europe.

Our lunch stop

One of the entrances to the Grand Bazaar

This guy was quick enough to pull his cart out of the way of the ambulance. I wonder why vendors are allowed to ply their trade in this narrow street.

Night shot from our ship

Our ship stayed for two days at this particular stop.

Athens, Greece

2011-12-11T01:31:00.000-08:00

Our ship lifted anchor at Santorini about 10 pm and headed on to Piraeus, Athen's main port and one of the most important in the Mediterranean. We got there at 7 am after a leisurely cruise of 123 miles. We booked one of the ship's shore excursions for this stop. As is usually the case, ship sponsored land excursions are always expensive, the groups are often too large and at the end of each tour, you always feel that you missed something that you shouldn't for the money that you paid for.

We never learn our lesson, we just keep doing it time and again LOL. Part of the reason is we just do not want to be bothered searching for better alternatives. It is just so mindlessly easy to book a ship shore excursion and have the assurance that the ship will not sail until their excursionists are back on board.

On our way to the Parthenon, I saw some workers at a distance doing some clean-up work. I zoomed at the group with my point and shoot camera.

The result could be better but I'm happy with the 10X zoom of my pocket camera. Mababaw ang kaligayan ko, photographically speaking LOL.

The Parthenon undergoing some cosmetic (?) work.

I do not know what this is or why I'm here.

I was told this is a significant ruin but if this was in my neighborhood the local powers-that-be will say it is an urban blight and ought to be demolished and replaced with an income generating nonsense.

Everybody was looking and I looked, too, but I do not know what we were supposed to look at, so I just took a picture of them looking and what I thought they were looking at.

I'm glad we arrived before the tourist horde started coming. It was a mess here and I do not know how the parking lot we left behind or what passed for one, looked like. Our bus driver just told us to bail out quickly when we arrived and he'll pick us up at the arranged time and place, give or take a few minutes. Amazingly, we found our bus or the bus driver found us amidst the chaos - a near miracle without a gps or a cell phone.

Street parking Athens-style, any which way you can LOL.

The Panathenaic Stadium, I think.

We're headed to that ruin (like I care) atop that distant hill. After seeing so many ruins and archeological sites in many countries we've visited over the years, I'm getting an overload of them. I'd rather see other things even if they are less historically significant or famous.

I thought taking a pic of this mailbox is a pleasant change from all those ruins.

The glory of the past behind the beauty of the present.

At last we are heading down to the bus and back to the boat! I need a drink!

Time Out

2011-11-07T05:32:00.000-08:00

On a quickie trip to Vegas, I saw this stack of cash in one of the hotel casinos. I had to take a pic! This is as closed as I am going to get to a million dollar cold cash in easily spendable hundred dollar bills. Given the "walk away" inflation of our time though, this is really not much money - a nice tract home with a view in Southern California, a fancy foreign car, a few trips abroad and all you would be left with is just enough cash to buy yourself a drink or two at your favorite bar and, if you luckily drop in during happy hour you'll stlll have a few bills left for the bartender. LOL.

I'm glad I kept the lifestyle, food and clothing preferences of my struggling college days (as in struggling for good grades and a more generous school allowance) to this day. I don't have to worry about money or lack of it because my enjoyment of life would not change drastically, either way.

Santorini, Greece

2011-10-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

Our first port of call was Santorini, an island we already visited in 2003. Other than finding out changes that occured between then and now, I really did not feel like going ashore - I just wanted to hang out at the poolside bar, relax, eat and sleep. None of these happened. I found myself at the dock with my wife and travel companions enduring the heat, humidity and the long line to ride the cable car.

As soon as I saw there were several other cruise ships at port, I know it is going to be a mess dockside. It is hard to quickly disperse arriving cruisers to all points in the island where the only convenient venues are a cable car, a donkey ride or your leg power for an uphill climb to town.

It took us an hour lined up under the sun to get a cable car ride!

More cruisers are coming in to invade Santorini!

Cable car is the preferred way unless you want to walk or ride a donkey along a smelly route to the top.

My wife never fails to say a prayer whenever she run into a church anywhere in the world.

It is not clear in the pic but there is a long line of people in the background ready to take the cable car back to the dock.

Self-portrait

That's real grass there! When the sun calls it a day, you can lay on the grass with a bottle of your favorite wine and a selection of cheese and assorted fruits and listen to live music while you watch the sunset and wait for the stars to show up. Unfortunately, I associate grass with the unpleasant task of mowing our lawn at home and none of this decadent lifestyle LOL.

I took four shots and this is the best one of the lot. Tell me I do not need to go back and reshoot LOL.

Eastern Mediterranean Cruise, Aug. 29 to Sept. 9, 2011

2011-09-15T01:17:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of a South American cruise or a land tour but I was told that the best time to go there is early in the year so I was prevailed on by my wife to take another Mediterranean cruise instead, this time, to include Istanbul, Ephesus and Athens. Might as well go! I've been inching to go anywhere to get some distance from the sight of our recently renovated kitchen which I think was a waste of good travel money. My wife better start feeding me with good homecooked meals or I will paddle up the Amazon and live on piranhas... if I'm lucky to catch any LOL. If I know my wife as well as I do, she'll probably tell me to keep paddling upstream until I reach the Amazon's source water and email her when I get there...then she will lovingly tell me to stay there for good LOL.

Our trip started well because of scheduling luck - we picked Detroit to catch our connecting flight to Rome. Had we decided to get our connecting flight in NY, we would have run into problems because of the hurricane. We arrived in Rome with plenty of time to spare to get to Civitavecchia where our cruise ship, the Celebrity Equinox, was at berth. The ship was a let down compared to the newest and largest of the cruise ships, the Allure of the Seas, which we tried last January to visit some Western Caribbean islands. I'm not complaining though, Equinox's food is good, it is less crowded and more importantly, they let me bring in my favorite recreational drink at check-in.

On the way to Civitacchia

D'Revelation, a popular Pinoy dance band on board. They are good!!

A lucky shot of Stromboli

An early morning view of Oceanview Cafe

An entertaining culinary demonstrations while we were spending the day at sea

Did you say you are on a diet? Good luck!

Poolside, just about the only crowded spot on the ship

No comment

Their theater

These are some of the guys who will make or break your trip. The guy with the hat on is the ship's executive chef, a swiss married to a Pinay from Cebu.

2011 Orange County Fair, a brief visit

2011-08-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

We are having our kitchen renovated so for the last three days we have been eating out or bringing in take out food. I did not realize how important a kitchen is until ours is temporarily out of commission LOL. For a change, I thought it will be good idea to go to the OC Fair and try their food since this year's theme is Let's Eat. It was a disappointment: the food is so-so and costs a lot more than comparable food outside but what the heck, this is at the fair.

It is OK to stroll inside the fair and drink your beer or wine as long as you are of legal drinking age.

Inside the Ice Museum

When the Young Ones Go Cruising

2011-07-06T04:43:00.000-07:00

My college age niece and nephews from Northern California decided to reward themselves with a 4-day cruise to Catalina and Ensenada after the school year ended successfully for them (meaning no "D" and "F" LOL). Except for the youngest, they all live away from their respective homes to shorten the commuting distance to their schools and places of work. They all work and study hard, unfortunately, they also party as hard, if not harder. The young ones really know how to have fun.

At the completion of their cruise, some of them stopped by my place before driving back home. They told me I missed out on all the fun. I think I did. But then, I feel I'm too old for their kind of fun and I will just be acting like the Papa Killjoy that I am.

Here are some of the pics they took which they generously shared with me.

Most of them are first time cruisers. You can see from the face of this guy how surprised and excited he was to find out that this is their boat.

Long Beach

Catalina Island

Some of them decided to explore Avalon with rental bikes. I bet they did not cover much ground, they probably decided to hang out at the beach instead.

A section of the beach at Avalon, Catalina Island

This pic was taken at one of the watering holes in Ensenada. The girl in black is my niece and the others are girlfriends of my nephews.

That's one of my nephews getting a lesson in unconventional beer drinking.

I do not know the girl lying on the bar but I know she was not yet drunk, otherwise she would be down on the floor instead LOL.

Get off the pole guys, that's for the bikini dancer!

That's my Irish sister-in-law probably wondering where the boys are. I'm glad that there were elders with these guys to keep them in check....to a certain degree.

I asked them how much they lost at the casino. They said they won. Yeah, right!

Most of these guys are first time cruisers. I'm sure they'll be cruising again, hopefully in celebration of a graduation next time.

If it is any consolation, you know that they will just walk back to their staterooms instead of driving their cars to get home.

Relax! They are just babies.

We've been on this short cruise a couple of times before. It is a cheap and fun way to spend four days away from home. I would have joined them but my wife and I are already booked to go to eastern Mediterranean this August.

See you next cruise! I'll be there for sure if I can take the pole dancer home.

My neighborhood park

2011-06-04T17:29:00.000-07:00

I feel lucky that I live in a residential area that is only a 5 minute walk to a four-mile square county park. When I am not traveling, I usually go to the park to take my daily two hour walk. At a moderate walking pace of 19 minutes per mile, give or take half a minute, I easily cover 6 miles a day. The only thing is....it is all level ground. I used to do my walk/hike at national parks where the change in elevation is enough to wear me down if I do not take long breaks. Nowadays, especially with the ever rising cost of gas, I don't feel like driving an hour or two just to do my daily walk, besides I am getting too old for those strenuous hikes.

A few months ago, the local park authority added a series of exercise stations along a section of the 3 mile walking trail inside the park. I decided to give it a try. I've been on it for a month and a half now but my progress is disappointingly slow. The course is not as tough as in some of the other parks in the county that I have visited but it is a decent start for a physically inactive oldie like me LOL.

I find this hard to execute.

A month and a half and I still can't pull my body up to chin level! I need to lose some weight!

I can do 30 push ups at the lowest bar setting.

No way Jose, I can't walk with my arms to the end and back!

Maybe I should just take a vacation to Libya and join the rebels so I can do my run and duck exercise LOL.

Better still, I'll just strengthen my arms by casting a heavy rod during the day and lifting mugs of beer at night LOL. Have a nice weekend or what remains of it!

Day 6-8, Cozumel, At Sea and Home

2011-04-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

More pics of the cruise ship, the happenings within and the departure for home...and if you say, "It's about time you end this @#*&@"% series, I'm with you LOL.

After sailing overnight, we arrived at Cozumel with other cruise ships with the same idea.

These phone booths are fast becoming an extinct specie in the light of cell phones and such.

I wanted to take this pic to show to my sister, who is partially dependent on a wheelchair, that cruising is something she could do and enjoy, among other things. All cruise ships are handicapped-friendly and at their ports of call, there are means for them to go where they want to, either assisted or on their own.

One of the friendly Pinoy bartenders who made sure that I didn't get thirsty LOL. Thanks for taking care of a kababayan.

I don't know why I took this pic but it looked good when I saw it.

The place where I left some of the extra weight in my wallet.

A parting shot when I was leaving the ship's casino to call it a night.

A feeble attempt to take a night shot with a cheapy point and shoot.

A Starbucks inside a cruise ship! Give me a break!!

At the Boardwalk

The 2nd parade on the ship. We made sure we had a good spot this time.

There she is!!

I am beginning to associate the sight of airports with the inconvenience and invasive nature of security inspections - carry-on x-ray, body scan, pat down and God knows what they will think of next. Is it really worth it?

Day 4-5, At Sea and at Costa Maya

2011-03-05T06:17:00.000-08:00

The Allure took a couple of nights and a full day at sail before arriving at Costa Maya, which is a region in Mexico on the Caribbean Sea side. This port of call is close to Belize (formerly known as British Honduras) and is just now emerging as an attractive tourist destination as a consequence of the completion of the long pier to accomodate cruise ships. We did not visit Belize nor did we bother to see some of the Mayan ruins nearby because they are not as spectacular as the ones we have already seen in our previous land trips and cruise stops to other parts of Mexico. We just hang out near the beach and the watering holes (for the guys) and the shopping areas (for the gals) LOL.

Costa Maya as seen from the top deck of the our ship

Cruisers on their way to explore this new port of call

The other cruise ship "parked" perpendicular to ours is the Norwegian Epic

The good life?

Booze brought to the ship are temporarily "confiscated" and delivered to your stateroom the evening prior to debarkation. Bummer!

This guy tried to stop me from taking a pic of his shop! When he did not succeed, he asked me for money. He did not succeed either LOL. What a jerk!

For those who do not feel like walking and want to cover more ground, a horse-drawn carriage is an option, as are rental SUVs and motorized cycles.

I'm not sure if this is a police or military patrol but it sure is an indication that it is not all heaven in this coastal paradise.

Day 3 Labadee, Haiti

2011-02-05T03:43:00.000-08:00

We arrived at Labadee, our first port-of-call, around 8:30 in the morning of December 7. Labadee is a beautiful coastal area located in the northern part of Haiti. It is privately owned and developed by Royal Caribbean exclusively for their guests. Although there is an ongoing epidemic of cholera in Haiti, Labadee is in a fairly remote location and not easily accessible from the rest of the island. All the food and drinks we had there were brought in from the ship so cholera was not even a topic of discussion.

Cruisers were starting to come out to explore what fun things they can do onshore.

Jet ski anyone?

Those dots in the sky are zip line riders! Labadee has one of the longest, if not the longest zip line in the world.

It would be nice to explore the inland area with one of this. I am, of course, referring to the battey powered vehicle!

That's an odd-looking bottle of Corona beer! I had a few of them before going to a lunch of lobster, barbecued spare ribs and other goodies at the beach.

Souvenir shops

I got myself a lounge chair, parked it in the shade and took a long nap. I left swimming, snorkeling, parasailing, kayaking, diving, coaster riding and whatever else is available out there, for the young ones.

It's time for me to return to the ship.

The waiters performed a song and dance routine for our entertainment at dinner time.

Day 2 At Sea

2011-01-20T06:40:00.000-08:00

I was waiting for the rising sun to shed its cloud cover but it was not happening. I got tired of waiting and I just snapped this pic. I can never be a good photographer! I do not have the patience to wait for all the elements of a good capture to coalesce before taking the pic. Of course, it is different if I were taking a pic of one of Hefner's playmates. I will have all the patience in the world to wait for the best angle, believe me LOL.

I'm not really picky about staterooms. It makes no difference to me whether my room has a porthole, a window, a balcony or just a curtain that opens to a bare wall. I only stay there to sleep, maybe watch a little bit of tv and rest. As long as it is far from the engine room, I'm good to go.

Although I am of average height and definitely not on the heavy side, the size of the shower area is a bit discomforting for me. All the cruise ships I've been on have similar bathroom configuration and size, give or take a few inches. I wonder how an obese person can fit in a space with very little wiggle room. I saw a lot of obese cruisers, some of them morbidly so, but I could not summon the nerve to ask any of them how they manage to take a shower in such a tight space. Baka gulpihin ako LOL.

Staterooms with balcony overlooking the park

Similar staterooms overlooking the boardwalk and the aqua show venue

I needed a stiff drink to ride the zip line - it is a long way down if something goes wrong. I hate to imagine what the impact will do to my beautiful body when I hit bottom at 32 ft/sec/sec LOL.

Surf simulator

Mini golf

First parade I ever saw on a ship

Photographic reminders of the cruise

New York style pizza and beer!

This was good!

Western Caribbean cruise on the Allure of the Seas, Dec. 5-12, 2010

2011-01-06T05:49:00.000-08:00

After four days at Fort Lauderdale, it was time for us to board the Allure of the Seas, the newest of the Royal Caribbean fleet of cruise ships. Her itinerary was not that interesting but this was her maiden voyage and that was good enough for me. I wanted to get a feel for the largest passenger ship... so far; she is 5 centimeters larger than Oasis of the Seas, her sister ship built a few years earlier LOL.

The ship sailing away with 5,200 passengers and more than 2,300 crew!

Nice view of an almost empty beach from the top deck.

Some staterooms have a view of a park instead of the ocean!

This crowd was watching an outdoor aqua show, one of the many Las Vegas-style shows on board.

My point and shoot camera couldn't capture the acrobatic movements of these performers. I had to wait until they were literally standing still to get a decent shot.

This is the rising tide bar, one of my favorite hangouts. The bar goes three decks up and down while you drink (all the moving bars I've been to before just slowly rotate 360 degrees). After you have one drink too many, you don't really care whether the bar is moving or you are LOL.

If somebody give this to me with the stipulation that I cannot sell or give it away, I'll hate the giver for the rest of my life. Think car insurance, gas mileage, maintenance and repair, secured parking, etc., etc. I'll never have the peace of mind that I do with my 14 year old pick-up in serious need of a paint job LOL.

Our first night dinner

As good as it looked, I did not enjoy it as much (no reflection on the chef's expertise) - I'd rather have a fish taco at my favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint.

A well-marked shipboard walking/jogging tract

2.4 lap equals 1 mile

New Year's Eve, 2010

2010-12-31T22:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

More than a decade ago, we were on a cruise in the Hawaiian Islands and our itinerary took us to Kiribati Island, a two day "at sea" deal outside of the US territorial water to comply with the US Maritime Law. I never heard of Kiribati before but the name sounds intriguing (like an African incurable disease), I was expecting that when we arrive, we are going to be greeted by a bevy of beautiful, grass-skirted dancing girls. That we were! But not the way I though it was going to be LOL. I think the dog strayed in to add insult to the injured expectation LOL. Anyway, my disappointment was tempered with the knowledge, recently acquired, that Kiribati is the first to celebrate the New Year because of geography. HAVE A GREAT 2011 EVERYONE! I know I will try my best and you do, too.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T02:14:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Miami, Florida

2010-12-22T02:09:00.001-08:00

I wanted to spend the day at the Everglades but my companions were not too thrill about the idea. They'll rather go to Miami. That was fine with me, I'll see the Everglades the next time I visit Florida. The reason why we were here in the first place was to sail on the maiden voyage of the Allure of the Seas, the newest and largest cruise ship of the Royal Caribbean Lines. We decided to fly a few days ahead of the sailing date to avoid the hassles of delayed flights, lost baggages and what nots.

Coconut Grove

Coconut Grove

Miami

South Beach area

This mansion on Ocean Beach was the residence of Gianni Versace, the famous Italian designer who was shot in the head by Andrew Cunanan, a Filipino-American from San Diego, CA. It was sold by the heir of Versace to a telecommunication magnate who renovated and turned it to a private membership club whose members pay $40,000 to join plus $3,000 annually. What? I wonder what a member gets for that kind of money.

I barely touch the skin of Miami. I'm coming back to Florida! My wife said, "Do it during the hurricane season, you'll love it." LOL.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

2010-12-15T04:40:00.000-08:00

My wife and I and another couple left on a late night flight from Long Beach bound for Fort Lauderdale in Florida. We arrived very early the following morning at our hotel. Although check-in time is 11:00 am, we were able to check-in right away. I think we hit pay dirt when we selected this hotel off the internet because of its nearnest to the airport, the pier and its reasonable rate ($79/day with free breakfast and wi-fi).

This river that cuts across the road fronting our hotel is covered with vegetation along the bank unlike the ones in our place where rivers are paved with concrete like giant canals and are dry for most of the year.

The road is almost devoid of traffic and this is rush hour!

We spent the rest of the morning catching up on our sleep but in the afternoon we decided to check out "Venice of America" so called because of its canal system, which is wider and cleaner than the one I saw in Venice, Italy.

Nice homes!

I wonder who the occupants are of this mansion? Probably the caretakers for most of the year LOL. Most of the homes here belong to the rich, the super rich and the disgustingly filthy rich. Some are poor their yacths cost more than their homes. I feel sorry for these guys whose $40 million yacth is park near their $20 million home. I cry for their misfortunes.

A bridge that yields the right of way to humongous yachts

It got dark before we completed our water taxi route for the cheap rate of $8 per person.

This guy on his kayak got too close to us or vice versa.

Thanksgiving week in San Francisco

2010-12-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

For the first time going through the LA-SFO section of the Interstate 5, I'm a passenger and not the driver. What a relaxing experience! I love driving and have driven over the years, through most of the states of the US of A and the provinces of Canada with my family (when my kids were growing up), with my wife (after our kids have families of their own), or by myself when my wife decided staying at home or vacationing in Pinas is the "better part of valor" LOL. It is amazing how different the view on the road is when you are not doing the driving.

The view did not look as boring when I was the passenger.

Windmills dotted some landscape in an interesting, ugly kind of way.

Crookedest street in the world.

A view from the overpass

I planned to walk across the GG bridge but for now I am content as a passenger on our way to Napa for a Thanksgiving dinner with my brother and his family.

The following day I did some serious walking to burn off calories LOL.

Oceanside entrance to the Golden Gate Park

Have a Happy Thanksgiving Day!

2010-11-22T05:41:00.000-08:00

I wish you all the best on Thanksgiving Day and all the days to come. Do not forget to burn the extra calories by walking or jogging. I always save mine for the lean days that somehow never come LOL.

Here (Orange County) and there (San Francisco)

2010-10-22T19:52:00.000-07:00

I spotted this name of a small restaurant in one of San Francisco's streets. For some reason, food was not the first thing that entered my mind LOL.

I thought of renting one of these bikes to pedal my way across the Golden Gate Bridge but I'm not used to biking in hilly San Francisco with its chaotic traffic. It was safer for me to just walk in the city and do my biking in the park.

This is the first single-family home I have seen in Orange County or anywhere else for that matter, with a functional clock planted at its lawn. I wonder what the owner was thinking when he installed this? Maybe he is a clock-maker or a watch repairer or just a friendly neighbor tired of being constantly ask the time of the day.

What about the owner of this house who has a drinking fountain in his front yard for passers-by? If you click on the pic to enlarge, you'll see a small basin full of water near the foot of the fountain for animals. In fact, I caught with my camera a squirrel scampering away after taking a quick drink.

I was headed to the Huntington Beach pier when I spotted these black-clad ladies and a gent offering free hugs! I took this picture and kept walking but near the end of the pier, I ran into another group of "huggers" and when one of the girls peeled off from the group to offer me a hug, I offered no resistance. I don't know what the deal was with these free hugs but that gave me an idea. When I got home I told my wife I'm going to make a sign similar to what they have but I'll offer more...not just free hugs but kisses, as well. I'll go to the beach and approach those bikini-clad sunbathers with my placard and I am not going to take "no" for an answer. My wife said if my behind gets hauled off to jail, she is not bailing me out LOL.

My wife and I went for lunch at our favorite Japanese restaurant (not the one with the amusing name LOL) located just a mile from our home. I noticed that the owner increased the price of their lunch combo by a dollar more and correspondingly reduced the serving by about 10%. It is still cheap if I compare the price I have to pay for a similar meal when I am eating out of town or on the road.

Even in affluent US of A, there are still people who are homeless and live at the mercy of others. Very sad.

I usually do not catch anything when I fish at this lake but I never get tired of trying.

This photographer is an amateur photographer's delight....either he is a showboat or he knows his craft better than most.

I took this pic at a political rally in a neighboring city. Clinton came to bolster the candidacy of Congresswoman Sanchez who is running for reelection against a surprisingly strong opponent. We are outside of Sanchez's district but my wife and I went to the rally to see, for the first time in our lives, a US president or Ex-President in person. This guy is charismatic!

Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

2010-10-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

This garden is an oasis of calm in an oasis of calm. There is nothing extraordinary about the place but there is an IT about it that I cannot explain.

This is where they serve the tea and the rest is the garden...

I chanced upon these European kids pictorially documenting their visit to the garden.

Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

2010-09-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

I was walking inside the Golden Gate Park when a motorist slowed down and asked me for the direction to the Conservatory of Flowers. Although I am a frequent visitor to the park, this is the first time I heard of this place. I later referred to a map of the park to pinpoint its location
and the following day I went to check it out for myself. It is an OK place to visit but it pales in comparison to the nearby De Young Museum, the California Academy of Science or even the Botanical Garden for the admission fee it charges.

This dahlia garden is a stone's throw from the observatory and equally interesting.

View in front of the observatory

2010 Orange International Street Fair

2010-09-08T04:47:00.000-07:00

The International Street Fair at the City of Orange has been going on every Labor Day weekend for more than 30 years now. My first visit was 25 years ago but for some reason, I have not revisited till this year. It is not a question of time or distance, there are just so many attractions and events in Southern California this one slipped by me for a quarter of a century without even realizing it! When they say Time flies, it really does LOL.

I came early, just half an hour after they opened, things were just stirring up but the temperature was already at 85 deg. F (29.4 deg. C) and for a Southern Californian that is already outside the range of comfort unless you are at the beach. They conveniently set up a cooling station (shown below) where you can walk in and cool down a bit before moving on.

It is best to come at night when there are more music and dancing from various ethnic groups and the crowd is livelier. However, I came to check out the various ethnic food available - they were there alright but I find them overpriced and so-so in taste. There are just so many ethnic restaurants and food venues in LA and Orange counties you developed a sophisticated and discriminating taste after some time - you know when it is good, in taste and in value LOL. The fair is still worth a visit, it is free and you can find free street parkings a short distance away, if you do not want to shell out 10-12 bucks to park near the entrance.

Four dollars for an ear of roasted corn! You can get six of them for a dollar at your local grocery! The Fair is held to raise fund for various charities. The people manning the food booths are volunteers, quit belly-aching and loosen your wallet LOL.

ATMs available in case you run out of cash

Is that enough toilets for you?

Surfing school and fishing

2010-07-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

I was comfortable with the surfing school my visiting grandson from San Francisco was going to attend after I checked it out, but my wife and I wanted to make sure that his swimming skill is good enough for him to surf safely. We hired a swimming instructor to put him to a test of his swimming ability and endurance and the verdict was he needed improvement in both areas LOL.

His swimming instructor giving him a workout

His surfing class warming up

The surfer meets the sea

After a week's lesson, he is already looking like a pro....yeah right!

Had enough for the day?

My other grandson living just a mile from us and the surfer dude wanted to learn how to fish so I bought them fishing rods and showed them how to cast at a small lake just across from where we live. This lake is regularly stock with trout during winter and catfish during summer so I figured we'll at least catch something.

I observed how serious and patient they were waiting for a fish to bite. Too bad the fish were probably not hungry or were vacationing somewhere. We went home empty-handed.

I wanted them to experience the thrill of their first catch so I decided to take them to a private lake about a 90 minutes drive away where fishing is less challenging but you have to pay for each fish you catch. It is still a good deal overall.

His first catch of the day!

Look at the smile on his face at his catch - the $3.75 trout is worth it.

We fished at this "lake", one of three in the ranch. A larger lake is exclusively for bass and it is "catch and release" only. It cost $17 to fish all day from the bank or in a float tube. The third lake is stock with trout with a 5 fish limit for $17. Lures and all kinds of bait are allowed here, except live minnows.

I'm afraid these guys are now hooked to fishing for life LOL.

Summer!

2010-07-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

I went to the beach to check out the surfing school that my grandson was going to attend the following week. I wanted to make sure he will be in a safe environment and there will be sufficient watchful eyes to keep track of him. He has a tendency to stray away and to ignore instructors/authority figures whether at school, in his swimming class or anywhere else. He just do his own thing when he feels like it. Very frustrating to me at times. Kung nasa atin siya, palo na ang aabutin niya - that's how my father disciplined us when we were growing up in Pinas. It worked with us. All of us grew up to be professionals, responsible family men and women, and a big plus to the society we live in.

On my way to the beach from where I parked my car, I ran into this guy showing off his biking skill for the loose change he can get from the appreciative crowd.

A view of the beach from the pier

A closer view of the beach

A much closer view

Beach volleyball

Rock climbing for the young and not so young

Early comers for a beach concert entertaining themselves to kill time

Tricycles for hire for the lazy

Cops on beach patrol neutralizing a couple of rowdies

Contest for the young at heart

Contestants have to do a somersault, then grab a bottle of water and drink the content while running to the next station.

They have to get a fresh bottle of water and pass it on to their waiting partners and so on......until they complete three laps. It was fun to watch the participants having a ball competing. It was also fun watching some of the spectators...hehehe. Btw, I found the surfing school before I hit the road home LOL.

Graduation, soccer game and a relaxing walk

2010-06-09T04:55:00.000-07:00

My wife and I went to San Francisco to visit our daughter and grandson and to attend the graduation of a niece at Fairfield. Instead of flying, I decided to drive because going through the security checks at the airport is starting to get to me. It is becoming to be too annoyingly invasive. I bet the terrorists are laughing their hearts out - they are winning the war on terror although we think we are beating them.

The ones on the left are the graduates and the ones on the right are the faculty members of the school of nursing. I observed that most of the graduates are not as young as I though they would be, afterall a registered nursing degree is only a two year course. My niece told me some of them are into their second professional career, some have families to raise and some, like her, took their sweet time getting their degree while working or goofing around LOL.

One of the graduates who won a modest cash award from the school

Photo finish!

Candle ceremony

Munchies after the ceremony

OK show us what you got!

Never mine if you missed the goal by a mile, we are still your number one fan. A little more practice and dedication and you will make it to the World Cup in 2012 LOL.

Quit goofing around, this is a formal team photo!

A nice trail just a stone's throw from my daughter's condo

That's the famous Cliff House in the background. It is obscured by haze, distance and my lack of photographic skill but it is in the frame, slightly to the right of center, trust me LOL.

A view of the beach taken near the Cliff House

A lousy shot of the Sutro bath ruins. I should have gone down and take better pics but I was racing against the impending rain to complete the coastal trail.

A section of the trail with the Golden Gate bridge in the background

Going down the steps is the easy part.

One of the things I like about California and almost all the states I have visited, is the abundance of well-maintained trails within their cities for walking, jogging and biking. You don't have to drive to a national park to enjoy a leisurely hike.

A break from hybernation

2010-06-04T04:55:00.000-07:00

I came out of hybernation to show this photo of a dog drinking from the water fountain I posted last month. One month na pala akong hindi nakakablog!! I have no excuse...talaga yatang ganyan ang tumatanda, pag tinamad talagang tamad LOL. My wife said why don't I do something exciting - like sit in the backyard, watch her roses bloom while I drink my favorite recreational "juice" LOL. I said I have a better idea. I can go to the beach, cast a fishing line out and while waiting for a fish to bite, ogle all the bikini-clad girls sprawled on the sand tanning themselves LOL. Anyway, a visitor to my previous blog commented that it would be nice to see a pic of a dog owner and her dog drinking from the unusual fountain. In fact, I have such a shot which I took a few minutes after I walked away from the spot. I should have moved closer or zoomed in my shot but at that time I did not think it was going to generate any interest from anybody.

Click on the pic to enlarge

Along the coast at Huntington Beach

2010-04-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

This oil platform is just a mile offshore from Huntington Beach. I hate to think of what can happen here if a well blowout occurs, like the one, roughly 50 miles from the coast of Louisiana at the Gulf of Mexico. The out of control exploratory well there is still spewing 5,000 barrels of oil a day with no end in sight. This is potentially an environmental and economic disaster of humongous proportion! I hope not.

Platform Emmy in Huntington Beach

A condo complex being prep for termite fumigation

Termites, say your prayers now...you are soon to be dead meat!

I thought the lower drinking fountain was for the super-vertically challenged LOL. It turned out to be for thirsty dogs! The thought did not enter my mind till I saw a dog and his handler used the fountain to drink at the same time. I've never seen anything like this, locally or abroad, till now.

Those two oil platforms in the horizon are staying out of trouble by rigorously complying with the state and federal regulations but I worry that it is just a matter of time that a careless hand will screw up or a fail-safe machine will fail and the result is another Santa Barbara disaster.

My home away from home

2010-04-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

I am just kidding LOL. I already moved up a to a tent with a rain fly and when I feel like loosening up my wallet, I stay in budget motels. Now I often stay in hotels rated 3 stars or better. If my wife is going with me, it has to be rated 4 stars at least, or I will be traveling by myself.

Old age spoiled me.... actually it limited my options. I can no longer sleep hidden in a bush outdoor, in a bench at a bus station, or a cozy nook at the airport or if I were driving, in a quiet side street, a rest area or a campground. I guess I can still do these but I will not be at ease and comfortable as I was when I was young and care-free. Now I worry too much about so many things that can only happen in my imagination, like being raped by a blonde nymphomaniac LOL.

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

Have a Happy Easter!

Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay

2010-03-05T06:50:00.000-08:00

My wife and I went to San Francisco to visit our daughter and her family. Although we live in Southern California, we are no strangers to the city because it was our port of entry when we came to the US as immigrants, and we stayed here for sometime until we decided to move to Southern California. Our daughter opted to go to law school here, fell in love with the city and after getting her degree, decided to call hilly San Francisco home.

We've been visiting for three days already before we even thought of going out of the house and checking some interesting sights, one of which is Alcatraz Island, a former federal penitentiary. I have been to the island before (not as a prisoner!) but my wife and grandson have not seen the place yet. I thought they'll like it - my grandson did, but my wife is not too thrill visiting an ertswhile prison.

From Wikipedia:

Alcatraz Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) offshore from San Francisco, California.[1] Often referred to as The Rock, the small island early-on served as a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a Federal Bureau of Prisons federal prison until 1963.[2] Later, in 1972, Alcatraz became a national recreation area and received landmarking designations in 1976 and 1986.
Today, the island is a historic site operated by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is open to tours. Visitors can reach the island by ferry ride from Pier 33, near Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. In 2008 the nation's first hybrid propulsion ferry started serving the island.[3] Alcatraz has been featured in many movies, TV shows, cartoons, books, comics, and games.

Where we boarded the boat to go to the island

Alcatraz as seen from our approaching boat

Island greeter in her odd-looking custume

One of the entrances to the prison building

Shower room

Typical prison cell

Isolation cell for unruly prisoners

Kitchen area

Prison library

Visitor area

Recreation yard

I am glad the Welcome Home sign is in the city not at Alcatraz when it was still functioning as a federal prison.

Las Vegas early in the morning

2010-02-05T22:42:00.000-08:00

My wife and I went to Las Vegas to attend the 21st birthday celebration of a niece. We only stayed there for the party, spent a few hours at the casino, then head back to our hotel. Very early the next morning, I took a long walk at the strip for a couple of hours. I shot a few pictures along the way but most of them came out dull LOL. After a typical Pinoy breakfast at one of the many Pinoy restos located several blocks east of The Strip, my wife and I returned to LA.

This was taken about 6 am

Mirage

Caesar's Palace

Inside one of the shops at the CityComplex, the newest baby in the block (a complex of hotels, condos and shops)

Part of the CityComplex

If you enlarge the pic, you will read "All-you-can-eat, all day $24" at Rio's World Buffet

October 30-31 Cairo (Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Coptic Cairo and a Nile dinner cruise)

2010-01-18T05:44:00.000-08:00

In the morning of the 30th, we visited the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities at Midan Tahrir where among the many thousands of treasures and interesting artifacts housed there is the famous exhibit of Tutankhamun. I was not able to take any photo inside the museum as cameras are not allowed inside. We were required to temporarily deposit them at the guardhouse or leave them in the bus. Bummer! We then went to Coptic Cairo, the center of Christianity in Egypt and visited some churches, among them St. Sergius which is presumed to be the locale where the Holy Family had lived during their flight to Egypt. Our day ended with a dinner cruise at the Nile River and early the following morning we headed to Cairo International Airport for our flight back home.

New Cairo

Nile River

If you are used to the skimpy dresses of western women, you'll feel sorry for the guys here..... everything is left to their imagination LOL.

Street scene

A couple waiting for their bus

Old Cairo

Note the mispelled words (click to enlarge the pic).....I see them even in the US of A.

Our local guide in Cairo (that's him in yellow shirt) said that for tourist guides to be accredited by the government, they need a degree in tourism or archeology. Unless he is stretching the truth, that's a pretty tough academic requirement for a guide.

The guy at the far right in gray jacket is our security escort. He's got a mean submachine gun hidden inside his jacket. All tourist groups in Egypt and Jordan are accompanied by a security officer and all the popular tourist spots are heavily guarded by uniform policemen. I wonder what they are protecting us from? Maybe they are protecting the populace from us, the camera shooting and souvenir hunting tourists LOL.

Cruise boat waiting to take a load

One of the belly dancers at our dinner cruise

There goes the pilgrim's halo LOL.

Farewell to the Land of the Pharoahs!

October 28-29 Mt. Sinai, Suez Canal, Cairo (Memphis,Saqqara, the Great Pyramids and The Sphinx)

2010-01-06T04:01:00.000-08:00

After crossing the Gulf of Aqaba, we continued on and checked in for the night at a hotel closest to Mt. Sinai (I think this is the only hotel in the area). The following morning, a few of the hardy members of our group got up very early to climb Mt. Sinai up to the site where Moses received the Ten Commandments and to see a spectacular sunrise. I was going to join them but a 12:30 am start-up time was way too early for me. I decided to just catch up on my sleep and watch the sunrise from the comfort of my hotel room. This turned out to be a wise decision on my part because the five who made it to the top of Mt. Sinai said it was too cold up there they had to rent blankets to keep warm while waiting for sunrise....and when the sun showed up, there was a heavy cloud cover! So much for missing a night's sleep and the long climb. When they came back (exhausted and disappointed), we all went to St. Catherine's Monastery and from there motored to Cairo passing through the desert and going underneath the Suez Canal via a tunnel. We then stayed in Cairo until it was time for us to fly home on the 31st.

On the morning of the 29th we traveled to Memphis and Saqqara. Memphis was the old capital of Egypt (2700-2180 bc) and Saqqara was an ancient burial site. In the afternoon, we visited the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. I have seen the pyramids at Teotehuacan in Mexico but these are notches more impressive.

Our hotel near Mount Sinai

A desert waiting shed

Well of Moses

The guy in the pic was required to wear the "wrap-around" to enter the monastery of St. Catherine. No shorts are allowed there. I don't think he was happy about his lot LOL.

Bones of dead monks in the monastery

Lucky shot I took from our moving bus - the timing was perfecto!

Was this the manner they transported the huge blocks (this one is nothing compared to the sizes of the blocks at the base of the pyramids) in the ancient time to build the pyramid?

A section of one of the pyramids undergoing a repair job

My attention was caught by the two ladies fully covered in black. Note the size of the blocks at the base of the pyramid. I do not know how they cut, moved and fitted them together and neither do I know why those ladies endured in silence the "hardships" imposed by their culture and religious belief(?).

The Sphinx taken at an angle which shows it between the two famous pyramids

A closer view of the Sphinx. It was used for cannon target practice by Napoleon's army that is why the nose and other parts of its face are gone.

She is demonstrating how the papyrus is converted to paper but I was paying more attention to her look...her face is so serene and beautiful.

October 26-27 Amman, Petra, Aqaba and Egypt

2009-12-16T04:31:00.000-08:00

Our stop in Amman was a disappointment because we arrived in the city late and left immediately the following morning. Amman is the capital of Jordan for crying out loud! I can't blame the tour organizers because they wanted to show us Petra in the limited time we were in Jordan. It was worth it... but at least, a half day tour of Amman before we hit the road to Petra would have been great. We saw a bit of the city on the way to our hotel and a little more after dinner for some of us who decided to go out on our own. Anyway, when we saw Petra...it was indeed the highlight of our Jordan visit.

Note the steps leading to a cave dwelling

Bab as-Siq (Gate of the Siq) or Outer Siq, a wide gravel road with a side for horses and a side for pedestrians.

The Siq, a mile-long narrow gorge that leads to the ancient rock city of Petra.

The Siq

It is good that the gorge shaded us from the sun as we walked the Siq to the Treasury, the outline of which you can see in the background.

The Treasury!

The camels are always there for the tourists to ride and have their pictures taken for a fee LOL

A walk down to the Temple and the many caves all around

My wife got tired walking so she decided to ride a horse to the main gate LOL. I can't blame the "old lady" because the way back was a gentle uphill trudge under the sun.

Our hotel for the night at Aqaba

At Aqaba

Dinner under a tent, Arabian style.

Our entry to Egypt after crossing the Gulf of Aqaba via a slow ferry!

October 24-25 Masada, Qumran, Dead Sea, Mount Nebo...

2009-12-02T05:28:00.000-08:00

We were headed to the Dead Sea but our local guide suggested we go first to Masada to beat the long line that usually form later in the day for the cable car ride to the fortress. We could have hiked to the top, but the prospect of walking an uphill, shadeless trail for a couple of hours or more was not a pleasant alternative to any of us LOL. After Masada, we visited Qumran to see the caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered, then down (way down, it is more than 400 meters below sea level) to the Dead Sea and back to our Jerusalem hotel at the end of the day.

The following morning we left Jerusalem and crossed into Jordan. We had to change bus and local guide at the border (probably one of the many subtle indications of the persistent "love, hate, and hate more" relationships between Israel and their neighbors LOL). We drove to the Baptismal Site at Bethany, which Pope John Paul II visited in 2000; then on to Mount Nebo, where Moses viewed the Promised Land, to the Church of St. George in Madaba thereafter and to Amman, the capital of Jordan, where we stayed for the night.

Note the trail below the cable car lines that leads to Masada, a fort built atop an isolated mesa-like rock structure where a thousand Jews resisted the Roman invaders for years. When they were finally overcome, the survivors decided to commit mass suicide rather than surrender.

I think these tourists lost their bananas because of the sun's heat. They are trying to knock down what was left of the wall at Masada! I did not asked them, but I think they are descendants of the Roman invaders out to finish the job their ancestors started LOL.

Trail leading to the caves at Qumran

Young Israeli soldiers on guard duty at Qumran National Park

The Dead Sea

Check out these girls giving themselves a mud bath that's supposed to have a healing effect on whatever their skins suffer from, except the effects of old age; otherwise, I would have been rolling there in my naked glory LOL.

Note some of the bathers floating on their backs because of the dense water. I did not test my bouyancy, I was worried about the effects of the the chemicals that have accumulated through eons in this water over my body if I can't wash them off pronto.

It says it is the lowest bar in the world (416 meters below sea level)!

Our Jordanian local guide and the bus we transferred to when we crossed over to Jordan. The bus was "equiped" with an undercover tourist police that traveled with us while we were in Jordan.

If I am not mistaken, this is part of the Promised Land that Moses was shown. Where are the trees and the vital source of water? I am not buying!

I can't resist taking a pic of this young Jordanian girl working on a mosaic "print"

The road leading to the Church of St. George in Madaba which hosts the famous mosaic map of the Holy Land.

October 21-23 Mount of Temptation, Tomb of Lazarus, Old and New Jerusalem, Via Dolorosa, Church of the Holy Sepuchre, Wailing Wall, etc.etc...

2009-11-20T19:43:00.000-08:00

Some of the places we visited from October 21-23: Jericho, the oldest inhabited city in the world; St. George's Monastery; Tomb of Lazarus in Bethany; Old and New City of Jerusalem; followed Via Dolorosa to the holiest shrine in Christendom, Church of the Holy Sepulchre; the tomb of Jesus; ; Western Wall (Wailing Wall), the most sacred place for the Jews; Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane; Bethlehem; the birthplace of St. John the Baptist; Upper Room in Mt. Zion, site of the Last Supper; viewed the Dome of the Rock and the Mount of Temptation (where Jesus spent 40 days). I've never been on a tour before with so many famous places to see, so much information to digest, in so short a time!

A fruit stand in Jericho

This is a telephoto shot of the Mount of Temptation taken from the top floor of the resto where we had our lunch. We did not have time to ride the cable car to the top of the mountain.

One of the stations at Via Dolorosa. Our group took turns carrying the cross from one station to the next until we reached the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

This is inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Old Jerusalem.

The Garden of Gethsemane

A street in Old Jerusalem in the early morning

Another street in Old Jerusalem taken just a bit after noontime

I just passed through the security checkpoint to the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) when I took this pic.

The Israeli guard let my Swiss pocket knife go after examining it; the US marine guarding the checkpoint at a USN destroyer open house in Seal Beach last year required me to leave the same knife with them before I was allowed to enter. I guess it is easier to sink a destroyer than to collapse a wall with a small knife LOL.

This section of the Wailing Wall is protected from the elements

This section is in the open

A small bakery in one of the streets in Jerusalem

A bread vendor in Old Jerusalem

October 20 Mt. Tabor, Mount of Beatitudes, Sea of Galilee, Tabgha and Jordan River

2009-11-13T18:02:00.000-08:00

We had an early start this morning to beat the other tourists/pilgrims to the site of the Transfiguration of Jesus at Mt. Tabor. The place is not accessible by big busses because of the very narrow and winding road. We either have to transfer to small vans which shuttle people to the top or walk. We did not like the idea of walking so we sacrificed an hour of sleep to get there early. Unfortunately there were already a lot of people with the same idea so we had to wait our turn for the ride up to Mt. Tabor. Bummer!

At the waiting station, I saw this guy squeezing fresh pomegranate juice. I didn't get a chance to try it because our van was already loading up and I did not want to be left behind.

At the top, prior to visiting the church, our "messianic" guide thumbed through his bible to read to us passages relevant to the site. Frankly, I was already getting an overload of it.

From this church at Mt. Tabor we motored to the Mount of the Beatitudes where Jesus preached to His flock.

We had mass at the site of the Sermon on the Mount.

We went to this center before sailing the Sea of Galilee.

The pic on the left displays what is supposed to be a recovered part of the boat Jesus used and the one on the right is a model of the ancient boat.

We were on our way for a boat ride at the Sea of Galilee.

Some members of our group wanted to get a touch of the water of Galilee.

Tabigha, the site of the Miracles of the Loaves and Fishes. I don't really know much about this.

Capernaum, the town of Jesus

An old grinding stone at Capernaum

For those who wanted to have their baptism renewed, Father Wayne obliged them.

It is hard to see from the picture but there are large catfish swimming there! Click on the pic for a better view.

Finally to our hotel at the end of the day.

Caesaria, Haifa, Megiddo, Nazareth, Cana and Tiberias

2009-11-05T05:57:00.000-08:00

After a well-deserved rest at Tel Aviv, we drove to Haifa, stopping along the way to see Caesaria, the city built by King Herod. In Haifa, we went up Mt. Carmel, the home of prophets Elijah and Elisha, to visit Stella Maris Church. We visited the excavations at Megiddo before proceding to Nazareth where we had mass in the Church of the Annunciation and married couples in our group were invited to renew their marriage vows. We moved on to Cana of Galilee, where Jesus performed His first miracle of changing water into wine at a wedding feast. Finally to Tiberias for the night.

The tour bus that took us to the different places in Israel. It was big for a touring group of only 15 but I'm not complaining.

The enthusiastic, bible-quoting guide was telling us that the reason why these statues were without heads was because the ancient residents of Caesaria just mounted appropriate heads to make new statues. If I heard him right, this is a distant precursor to photoshop.

He is telling us important historical facts about the amphitheater none of which I can recall at the moment.

While the local guide was feeding us with more information about Caesaria, my attention was riveted to this solitary fisherman trying his luck at sea. What an incredible vacation it would have been for me, if I had the chance to fish the Mediterranean Sea and catch a big one. During all the time I was watching him he did not get a single bite but I bet he had a hell of a good time regardless.

A view of the port city of Haifa and the Mediterranean Sea (the sea is there if you can see through the haze) from a small lookout across the street from Stella Maris Church.

The ruins at Megiddo

Excavations at this site revealed a series of temples built on top of each other over a period of two thousand years.

On the way back to the bus, I ran into this tindahan selling these stuffs. I can only recognize peanuts from the lot.

A trip to the Land of the Bible, October 2009

2009-11-01T19:35:00.000-08:00

My wife and I just got back from a trip to Israel, Jordan and Egypt last night. It was a hectic 15 day land trip that left us tired and worn out. I guess we have been spoiled by taking many cruise trips of late or we are just getting too old LOL. On the other hand, even the younger members of our small group of 15 people complained about the tight and physically demanding itinerary. I'll share with you pictures I have taken during our trip in the course of many future postings. In the meantime here's a few for now.

We took an Air France flight from LAX to Tel Aviv, Israel with a 4 hours stopover in Paris. At the airport in Paris, the priest with our group held a Sunday mass...the first of many masses I attended. Ganito pala ang pilgrimage! I am not a religious person, I did not know what I was getting into when my wife cajoled me into joining her on this trip LOL. I wanted to go to South America instead! It turned out to be an OK trip for me. I was amazed at the religious devotion shown by all the members of our group and the people of all religious persuasions that I ran into in the different countries we visited.

I checked out the prices of booze in this tax-free airport shop and I was reminded that it was sometimes cheaper to buy them outside the airport with tax and all.

We ran into this kababayan who was on his way to Pinas for a two weeks vacation from his job at a cruise ship based in Europe.

Our hotel room in Tel Aviv was a let down from what we expected but, what the heck, we were just there for the night.

The view from our balcony was ok.

Irvine Global Village Festival, October 3, 2009

2009-10-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

"More than 10,000 guests will travel the world at the City of Irvine’s Global Village Festival. Boasting artistic cultural performances on five stages, this annual festival’s live entertainment is a mosaic of music and dance representing more than 50 cultures from Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America. Immerse yourself in cultural displays, world religion information, and creative demonstrations. Indulge in international cuisine, explore our world marketplace and keep the little ones in motion with hands-on art projects, games and activities in a giant, interactive Kids Village. "

After reading that info, I told my wife we better go see this festival pronto. The Global Village Festival turned out to be more village than global but there was no admission and parking fees so there was really no reason for me to bellyache. I was just disappointed....I was expecting more, a lot more. Anyway, Irvine is a city not too far from ours so it was worth the drive and the time we spent there.

The path to one of the parking lots

One of the five stages at the site

The Pinays manning the display booth said they'll have a better one next year and they will also have a food booth.

Native Indian booth

At the Czech-Moravia-Slovakia booth table of alcoholic beverages, I noticed a tall can of Budweiser, a popular domestic beer, so I asked the lady manning the booth the reason for its presence. She pointed to me the beer can next to it with a Budweiser label also. She said they've been making and selling their Budweiser beer in their native country for 700 years but they cannot legally market it in the US under the same label. Corporate dictatorship or sound business practice?

A long row of booths selling ethnic food

One of the open air stages

Civil War era encampment in Huntington Beach, September 2009

2009-10-06T17:36:00.000-07:00

Last September 5, I went to Huntington Beach Central park to see the annual gathering of civil war buffs and their encampment. I was surprised at the size of the encampment and the number of participants in their authentic costumes. They easily outnumbered the visitors/onlookers! When I was strolling at their "village," I felt like I was transported to their era by a time machine.

Next year, I'm going to bring my grandchildren to their encampment and war re-enactment because it is a good learning experience for them to see history alive and in the flesh.

This guy is displaying the various weapons used in combat during this ugly phase of US history

The confederates assembling for a big showdown with the union contingent

The northern or union contingent preparing to meet force with force

The conferate troop marching to battle to the beat of a drummer boy

The artillerymen waiting for the opportune moment to rain in death and destruction

Not my kind of fighting! Opponents lined up against each other, face to face and exchanging shots like they are on a target range.

Casualties start to mount

The victorious contingent returning from the battlefield

A field hospital doctor explaining what he had to do when the dying and wounded start coming in

Tall ships festival, Dana Point, California

2009-09-25T13:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I went to see the happenings at the annual Tall Ships Festival at Dana Point....for the first time.....after they have been celebrating this festival for more than two decades..........at a place 30 minutes drive from where I live!

I am no stranger to Dana Point because I fish there a lot, as I do, at other landings along Southern California coast, enjoy their picnic facilities, eat at their fine restos or just drive there to unwind. Why I never bothered before to spend a few hours there, at least once till now, during the yearly festival is probably a tribute to the many other attractions Southern California has to offer to its residents and visitors alike year-round.

I had a great time checking out the festival. I should have planned to stay longer so I can see the tall ships sail out into the sunset and simulate a sea battle between them. There's a fee if you want to be aboard these ships during this engagement and get a feel of the action; but just to be able to photograph these ships in full sail moving out to the open sea is worth the wait. That regrettably, I did not do, I left after a couple of hours but I will be back next year.

Tallships moored side by side and open to the public. Late in the day, they sail out and simulate cannon battles. They fire their cannons at each other but there is no ammo or balls or whatever they call their deadly projectiles - it is all sound and no fury....no damage anticipated except to the eardrums of those standing too close to the cannons LOL.

I bet the view is superb up there.

Three different modes of sea transport

Portrait of a pirate family LOL

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

2009-09-13T06:23:00.000-07:00

We left Lake Louise after a late lunch and headed for Calgary where I reserved a hotel in the downtown area through Expedia's "call center" in Cebu! I was trying to book hotels in Calgary and Edmonton online but the 'net connection was very slow and erratic. In frustration, I decided to just go ahead and call Expedia's 800 number and to my surprise, I talked to a girl in Cebu who got me hotels in Calgary and Edmonton at the locations I preferred and within the price range that I was comfortable with. How the world has shrunk!

That piece of paper sticking on my windshield was my Banff National Park pass

Downtown Calgary

The Cebu based Pinay working for Expedia got us a hotel right in the downtown area and for $134, we had a bedroom, a living room, a well-equiped kitchen (like we needed one LOL) and a view I can't complain about. I once paid a premium price for a hotel in Europe with a window view of a wall grrrr....LOL

Calgary Tower in the background

View from Calgary Tower

It's a long way down if the glass breaks!

Note where the kid is standing LOL

I wonder what the kid was thinking?

After an overnight stay in Edmonton, we took our flight to LAX. Goodbye Alberta, see you again sometime!

Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

2009-08-31T00:55:00.000-07:00

Lake Louise is only 30-35 minutes away from Banff but we decided to leave early to have more time to enjoy the lake and to get to Calgary with plenty of daylight.

Traffic is very light along the way but when there's a slow moving vehicle on the road, cars pile up behind. None of the faster moving vehicles will cross the double yellow line to overtake even if there is no oncoming traffic. They'll wait until there is a passing lane or a turn-out. I wish drivers in Pinas are as traffic obedient.

I missed the turn-off to Lake Louise (what else is new LOL) and we found out we were already at Yoho National Park and have crossed the Continental Divide!

Lake Louise finally!

I don't know them, they were just an added attraction or a distraction to the scene depending on how you look at it LOL.

Must be some kind of a secret ritual or she was signaling her photographer friend to quit fooling around with the controls and just take the damn picture LOL.

That's the kayak rental place in the distance

Caught at the edge is part of Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, a top of the line hotel with a spectacular view of the lake.

Taken from inside the resto at Fairmont Chateau

Walkway to the lake

Banff, Alberta, Canada

2009-08-27T04:34:00.001-07:00

A day after my nephew's wedding, I planned on leaving Edmonton very early in the morning for Calgary. Since it is only about a 3 hours drive, I figured my wife and I could get there and have enough time for the remainder of the day and the better part of the night to get a feel for the city. I did not factored in my relatives' plan for the day and getting lost along the way. They persuaded my wife and I to stay a bit longer, enough for lunch at their house and to check out West Edmonton mall before we leave the city. The lunch took forever to end and it was almost 4 pm when I checked my watch! I had to tell them we've got to leave for Calgary and we'll stop by the Edmonton mall on our way back.

On the road to Calgary, I missed the junction (thanks to my excellent navigator, my wife) to the city and by the time we realized it, we were already half an hour passed our destination for the day. I tried to turn back but their highway or trailway or whatever they call their freeways (as we in California call ours) is complicated to the unfamiliar and we kept missing the onramp. I saw a casino inn and I decided to call it a night and checked-in instead. What can be a better deal than this place to sleep or rest LOL. Forget about Calgary for now, we'll head for Banff in the morning.

My nephew and his new bride on the dance floor.

On the road to Calgary

The highway signs are less prevalent than we are used to in California and unless your map reader-navigator is good or your gps is working you are bound to get lost......many times over.

At last Banff National Park entrance!

On the way to Banff after we paid the entrance fee to the park

If you feel like trying bufallo or caribou meat, this is the place!

Bow River coursing through Banff

Banff

Our lodge at Banff

Pit stop on the way to Lake Louise

Canadian outhouse in the midst of nowhere

Edmonton, Canada

2009-08-22T04:42:00.001-07:00

A nephew in Edmonton was getting married so I thought it was also a good time for my wife to see parts of Canada she has not seen yet. I went to a AAA office, got myself a bunch of maps and a tour book of Canada and inquired about the cost of airfare and hotels. I was shocked when I was told that it would cost me $800 for two roundtrip tickets, LAX-Edmonton. I have seen better rates on the 'net! The agent actually said that if I am comfortable going online, I am better off doing that than booking through an agency. I did just that through Expedia and I got a roundtrip fare for two plus three nights at the hotel where the wedding reception was going to be held for $940! Since we were going to go on a road trip after the wedding, I also rented online a fullsize car with unlimited mileage for $240 per week. Not bad....not bad at all.

A mobile ATM machine!

There is a revolving restaurant at the top floor of the hotel where we were staying so my two sisters, a brother, a brother-in-law and my wife all went there for an early dinner. What food you see on the table plus a couple of beers and a liter of wine cost us $320 inclusive of tip!

I ordered monk fish

My wife ordered a medium well steak

Street market in Edmonton

A peaceful looking street in the middle of the city

That's Saskatchewan River meandering through the city

Ice skating ring inside the West Edmonton Mall, the largest mall in North America and supposed to be 5th largest in the world.

Another view inside the mall

USS Benfold, Seal Beach, California

2009-08-07T03:30:00.000-07:00

The USS Benfold, a guided-missile destroyer, was at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station last weekend. The public was allowed a tour of the ship (top deck only) so I decided to go there but I ran into a long line of cars entering the parking area, then a long line of people going through the security checkpoint, and finally another long line to board the ship. I did not realize there are that many people interested in seeing an active-duty destroyer!

My step-nephew served onboard this destroyer for three years before he was given a permanent shore assignment.

The ship is capable of arming and refueling helicopters but it does not have a hangar to keep them.

This kid will be riped for recruitment after high school.

The Navy's secret weapon. One look and you are ready to surrender LOL.

Hurley US Open of Surfing, July 2009

2009-07-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to Huntington Beach to take some pictures at the US open surfing competition which has been going on for several days already. When I got there, I found out that my subcompact camera is inadequate for the task because the surfers were too far out of its range. How the heck did I come up with the idea that I can take decent photos of surfers riding the waves with my tiny gadget? LOL. I dropped my plan and decided to head home but thought I might as well snap a few photos, here and there, before I hit the road.

These are serious photo enthusiasts. They were there very early to claim their spot and they were armed with cameras fitted with powerful zoom lenses.

Look at that zoom monster!

This is the south side of the pier were the competition was being held.

Same side, behind the grandstand, where the sponsors have their booths to showcase their products or services.

North side of the pier, where the beachgoers were just relaxing and taking in the sun, not caring a bit about the surfing competition.

I don't know what he was cooking on the griddle, it did not look appetizing but a long line of people waiting to get a bite of it do no agree with me.

This guy was not selling anything, he was just giving them away!

Another freebie

More free samples

Orange County Fair 2009

2009-07-19T21:34:00.001-07:00

It's that time of the year when the county fair is here again. I can't help checking the place out at least once during its month long run. This morning was a bad day to come because the temperature was in the high eighties (deg. F.) My wife and I only stayed there less than a couple of hours then left with the plan to return in the evening. However, I found a more interesting thing to do the rest of the day - watch TV and go to sleep LOL. The fair visit will have to wait another day.

I pity the guy whose job is to tend the barbecue pit - the poor guy works under the sun and every so often endures the blast of heat from the pit to check the meat .

My favorite watering hole

I am in awe at what some photographers can do to make an ordinary subject looked extraordinary.

Snake!

2009-07-10T19:59:00.001-07:00

I was looking at an assortment of old pictures stored in a cardboard box when I saw one of me taken by a buddy years ago when we were fishing at a lake in San Bernardino National Forest. He took the time to take this photo with a film-based Canon slr before he told me of the snake emerging slowly from a cave-like structure a few feet away!

We have been camping, hiking and fishing together for years and both of us do not have an unhealthy fear of snakes and other animals we encounter in the field, but I still did not appreciate the fact that he took his time to get the camera and took my picture before alerting me to the snake LOL. He instantly knew at first sight that it was a non-poisonous snake and I did, too, after I saw the snake but still........grrrrrr. If it were a rattlesnake, I would have taken off with my van and let him walk all the way to civilization, notwithstanding the fact that we both know that snakes do not act aggressively unless they felt threaten or their protected space is intruded upon.

Happy Fourth of July Everyone!

2009-07-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

Grandchildren

2009-06-20T23:48:00.001-07:00

I have three grandchildren, two of them live in the same city we do and a third one lives in San Francisco. The San Franciscan barely knows how to swim, while the other two are already well on their way to being good swimmers. Since they are already out of school for the summer, I thought I'll go ahead and have our grandchild from San Francisco spend a few weeks with us and have him enrolled at a swimming school. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately (not to my wallet though), the swimming classes within a convenient distance from our place were all filled up already, so we (my wife and I) decided to hire a private swimming instructor to teach him how to swim at our community pool.

The arrangement worked wonder for him. The one-on-one instruction was all he needed and within 8 consecutive sessions of 30 minutes duration, he was able to swim freestyle, backstroke and butterfly for six laps with a little rest in between!

At the end of the school year, my granddaughter earned a 4.0 gpa. She was also an elected member of their student council during the year. Her parents rewarded her for her accomplishments with a cell phone and my wife and I decided to take her out to dinner at a restaurant of her choice. We wanted to give a message to the two boys that they need to play less and attend to their school works more LOL.

We have been to this restaurant before but she and the boys always get a kick out of watching the cook perform his cooking wizardly in the process of preparing our food.

It is not uncommon in California to see a Mexican cook in a Japanese restaurant, but if you are after authentic Japanese cuisine, it is best to settle for a Japanese cook, preferably one trained in Japan LOL.

My other grandchild loves sport and he enjoys playing baseball, soccer, touch football and basketball. Sometimes I worry about him getting hurt because playmates of his age are bigger and taller than him. However, the supervising adults always emphasize sportsmanship, clean play and routinely downgrade the importance of winning as the ultimate goal in team competition.

When a player gets hurt, the game is temporarily stop and the players of both teams in the field sit or hunker down until the play resumes.

Winning and losing teams high five each other after the conclusion of the game.

The parents and fans traditionally welcome their players with a human triumphal arch, win or lose. This is so different during my time in Pinas. Most of the time, the team sport we participated in was only basketball - our uniforms were ragtag or shirt on and off to differentiate team members. The emphasis was on winning by whatever means and rough plays were not only condoned but encouraged. Maybe I am just talking about my experiences and what I observed during my time. I hope things have changed from "who won, to how the game was played and enjoyed by every participants."

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach

2009-06-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

Bolsa Chica ecological reserve represents a victory of the environmentalists over the relentless effort of the developers to turn this area into a housing and business complex. A lot of work is still needed to be done in this reserve but it is coming along fine. The day I visited, the migratory birds were probably still on their way in or they already packed their bags and left for their seasonal destinations LOL. It was also low tide, so I did not see any fishermen trying their luck in areas where fishing is permitted. I saw a few bird watchers armed with binoculars and cameras fitted with powerful telephoto lenses but I did not see any subject of interest for them to photograph, at least while I was there.

This is one of the two entrances to the reserve.

A couple of bird watchers with their camera mounted on a tripod ready for any action

Just beyond the wooden bridge, there used to be a lot of active oil wells but they have all been plugged off and abandoned except for a few. The oil deposit underneath (Huntington Beach oil field) is almost depleted now but with modern technology they are still able to wash off the oil clinging to the oil sands and extract them.

Redondo Beach, California

2009-05-31T05:33:00.000-07:00

Redondo Beach is a 10 minutes drive from our old neighborhood. I used to fish at its pier, in the jetties or board the fishing boats that take you out in the ocean for a day of fishing. Since we moved to Orange county in the early 70's, I seldom visit the place (although it is only about 35 miles away) unless I have some out of town visitors who have a weakness for fresh seafood and salty air.

This is the new pier that replaced the old one that was heavily damaged during an unusually heavy storm that visited Southern California years ago.

A bigger and more comfortable place to cast your line for bonitos

Nice restos and entertainment venues at the pier

Boats readily available to take you for a short cruise

None of these is mine....unfortunately LOL

Crabs, shellfish and assorted fishes you can buy and have them cook for you

We used to catch these kind of crabs at the jetties in Cabrillo beach but that is history now.

Bring a combo of bagoong, vinegar and garlic if you are not too crazy about melted butter and lemon to dip your steamed crabs.

Oysters and other shellfishes are also available for steaming or eaten raw. I love raw oysters on the half shell with a squeeze of lemon, a dash of tabasco and a cold beer.

They even have a gondola to take you and your significant other for a "romantic cruise" while you enjoy your champagne or wine. The gondolero will sing like in Venice to annoy you if he thinks you are a lousy tipper LOL.

That's one of the fishing boat now loading to take fishermen out to sea to try their luck

The day I visited was not an ideal day for the beach and for photography. The sky was heavily overcast and there was a slight drizzle...very unusual for sunny Southern California.

Samot-samot, May 2009

2009-05-21T21:47:00.001-07:00

On our way home from Irvine, my wife and I decided to have lunch at a Korean resto a friend of ours was glowing about. While we were looking for it, I saw a Japanese resto with an interesting name so I told my wife let's try this one instead. I had sashimi and beef teriyaki. The tuna was so fresh that if it were any fresher it will still be swimming in the sea. Everything there was fine except for the name of the restaurant....Taiko LOL.

My wife and I attended the wedding of an old friend's son last Saturday. The bride is a Vietnamese he met at a medical school back east where they were both students. My friend's son wants to go to Philippines or a third world country and work as a doctor for the needy for a few years but the father of the bride wants his daughter to take-over his practice (he is a pediatrician) here. I'm sure they'll work out their divergent goals to their mutual satisfaction. Here's wishing the bride and groom a happy and enduring marriage!

I parked my pick-up on a busy major street and took a walk for a couple of hours inside a park. I had my bike inside the cab but I decided to just go ahead and walk instead of bike so I can take advantage of the shades complement of the trees. When I returned after two hours of walking, I was astounded to find that somebody stole the tailgate of my pick-up! Can you believe that!!! What is more unbelievable is the s.o.b. did not take my bike, the gps and stereo or just drive off with my vehicle! A replacement tailgate will set me back $550 plus the cost of a paint job so this may be as good a time as any to replace the old clunker, afterall it is already 12 years old. I will certainly miss it..... I may just hang on to it just to debunk one of the geometric theorems I learned in high school that the "whole is greater than any of its part" or words to that effect. In the case of my pick-up, the part is more expensive than the whole LOL.

Long Beach, California

2009-05-13T05:28:00.001-07:00

Last Monday I went to Long Beach to see an old office buddy who is worried that he might be let go earlier than he planned to leave because of the state of the nation's economy. Over lunch, I told him about the benefits of retiring early and I cited myself as an example. I don't think I really convinced him LOL. The guy is a natural born workaholic, what can I say.

On my way back home, I decided to take a few pictures at Shoreline Village and its vicinity since one of my two regular blog visitors indicated an interest in the area LOL.

I took this picture of Pine Street an hour or so past noon on what is a working day and you can hardly see cars and pedestrians populating the street. Beyond the building in the background, on both sides of Pine, are fine restaurants; except for a few, most of them are empty of diners. I cannot really figure out why this upscale section of Long Beach is not drawing as much visitors as comparable places in other cities in the US.

This is a section of the beach along Ocean Blvd. If you double click to enlarge the pic, you can clearly see a band of concrete pathway parallel to the beach. That's a strip along the sand for cyclists, joggers and walkers that extend all the way to Belmont Shore from, as far back as, the Los Angeles River bicycle lane.

Shown offshore is one of four man-made islands of Thums Oil. These islands were created to serve as drilling platforms and homes to oil wells whose bottom locations are mostly miles inland.

A section of the Long Beach marina

Shoreline Village as viewed from the lighthouse.

A floating resto with the lighthouse in the background

The non-functioning lighthouse

The whale watch boat having a really slow day - the boat was set to sail in half an hour and there was no one on board yet!

The Queen Mary from a distance

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers on Earth and in Heaven!

2009-05-09T04:54:00.000-07:00

To everyone who still have their mothers on earth: Spend as much time as you can with your Inay, and even if she knows it, tell her at every opportunity that you love her. You only have one and she is irreplaceable.

My beloved Inay (left) and her elder sister when they were in their teens.

Alamitos Bay, Long Beach

2009-04-29T03:48:00.000-07:00

I used to do a lot of deep-sea and ocean fishing for years but for some reason I lost my enthusiasm for them after I retired. I still do fresh water fishing which I find more relaxing. The catch is not as plentiful but the scenery, depending on where you fish, more than make up for it.

Last Sunday, I was at Alamitos Bay and I saw one of the fishing boats I used to take when I go ocean fishing return from a half day of fishing. It rekindled a desire in me to go ocean fishing again!

This is the boat returning from a half day of fishing

I observed most of the debarking fishermen did not have their gunny sacks filled with fish. This is not unusual at this particular landing. Their rates are low and the parking is free but their boats do not go as far and as deep as the other landings do for the big ones.

These are battery powered boats you can rent ($60/hour) to cruise the bay

I used to dream of owning a sailboat like that to sail across the Pacific Ocean. It is still a dream but it is not going to happen - I can't afford to own one, I do not know how to sail, and my wife will kill me before I kill myself sailing solo across the open sea LOL.

A view to the entrance of Los Alamitos marina

Los Alamitos marina

That is a saliva watering sailboat! Some boat owners live aboard their boats instead of renting an apartment or owning a home. Like turtles, they take their homes with them wherever they go LOL. Isn't that a fun way to live until you settle down and raise a family?

South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa

2009-04-19T05:54:00.000-07:00

On some days, I make the short trip to South Coast Plaza to do my daily walk inside the mall (when it is hot and windy outside) or leave my car at the parking lot to ride the free bus to the casino (when I want my wallet to lose weight) LOL. I took a few pics while walking inside the mall and I thought I will share some of them with you.

These foreign currency exchange places get you coming and going - they buy low, sell high and charges you a commission or a service fee.

They looked artificial but they are for real!

Roses

2009-04-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

My wife loves to spend her time in our yard puttering around, while I enjoy staying inside the house to watch TV and take naps between commercials LOL. Not really. She particularly adores her roses and when they are in bloom, I will admit that they are more pleasant to look at than my kamote plants, which she convinced me to get rid off. Here are some of her roses around our house.

April 12, 2009

2009-04-12T05:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter !

Huntington Beach, April 5, 2009

2009-04-06T05:03:00.001-07:00

I went to Huntington Beach Pier to satisfy my curiosity about a paintball tournament that was being held there. I had no idea what this tournament was all about; I thought this was as good time as any for me to find out.

I parked my car several blocks away from the beach (to save the $10 beachside parking fee - an economic recession move on my part or... I am just cheap LOL) and walked 10 minutes through Main Street (shown above) to the pier.

A fisherman patiently waiting for a bite

Beach volleyball, a popular activity at the beaches in Southern California

I zoomed in slightly left of center of the previous pic. Isn't a camera with a 10x optical zoom great?

The paintball tournament was right at the beach so I have to go down to the sand level to check it out.

At the SW corner of this pic showing the concrete pier posts, is a homeless man (we have them, too!) who covered himself with a white sheet to continue his sleep undisturbed. Cops usually ask them to leave the area whenever they see them.

One of the tournament venues

Members of two opposing team try to "kill" each other with paintball guns. They advance toward each other, sneaking behind those blue and red plastic covers and shooting at their opponents whenever they get the chance. That's as simple as I see the game.

Some of their play guns are more expensive than the real Macoy! I saw several at vendor booths for sale for more than $300! I can buy a decent semi-automatic handgun for less than $200 at local gun stores in California.

I don't think this is a popular sport to watch. Only the participants apparently enjoy this game as you can deduce from the number of spectators, most of them their friends and relatives. I'd rather go to a gun range and watch shooters drill holes at paper targets. But that is just me. A lot of young ones want to experience the feel of armed combat without actually killing or getting killed. I noticed that right there at the tournament venue, there's a huge booth for US army recruiters and I saw many young men talking to them.

Interesting sign

2009-04-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

I do not understand the reason why tobacco chewing is a no-no here.

A new compact camera with a more powerful zoom capability

2009-03-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a compact camera with a greater zoom power than what my Canon Powershot SD800 IS is capable of. I found one with a 10x optical zoom with the Panasonic DMC-TZ5, a compact camera a tad bulkier than my Powershot which was on sale at Costco for $269 minus a $70 discount. I am a sucker for what I perceived as a good deal, so I went ahead and bought it. So far I am happy with the results that I am getting out of it and for a price that I considered a steal LOL.

I took a shot at this Monarch butterfly at a Nature Restoration project.

I took this shot....

and this one....

and I stitched them together into this photo of a small lake.

In the background (slightly left of the midpost) too far to notice, are two guys doing clean-up work.

I zoomed on them (10x) and this is the result. Probably with a top of the line camera, I can do better but I am happy with what I am getting with this compact camera. What do you think?

What a difference a meltdown makes

2009-03-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

The current economic meltdown in the US of A has affected my 4o1K retirement nest egg. It is now down to 201K and still going down LOL. And with all the stimulus money being pumped by the government to the ailing economy, its inflationary effect is going to further erode my nest egg. As a move to neutralize the decline of my buying power, I am going to seek the best value for my money from now on.

This piece of chicken and plate of chicken caesar salad which I got from Costco cost $9. This is good enough for two, maybe even three people.

This half-chicken with a piece of corn bread and sides of corn and green beans from Boston Chicken costs a little over $8 with tax.

I paid $17, exclusive of tax and tip for this plate of grilled trout with broccoli and baked potato at a Red Lobster resto.

Guess what I am going to do more often from now on? LOL. This economic downturn is now worldwide. Thanks to the greed of corporate America and the shakers and movers of Wall Street! How are you guys coping with it?