This year, I'm making a lot travels. And I maybe spending so much money on such short trips (because I don't have the liberty to not go to work), but the memories I'll be able to make on such travels are definitely priceless!

And after 6 hours, I'm in Los Angeles, CA (this is the time when I started singing hopped off the plane on LAX with my dream and my cardigan). And the party's just getting started!


LA is my 3rd state to conquer and it really looked different from FL and NY. FL is more like a slow-paced city, while NY is like the fast-paced city and LA sits somewhere in between. Traveling is really a feast for all senses.

• Sense of Sight: In FL, you are most likely to see trees, in NY, buildings are dominant and in LA, you'll see a lot of mountains. We went to Griffith Observatory which is right across the Hollywood sign. You'll also get a good view of Downtown LA when you are at the observatory. And the place I really fell in love with is Treasure Island Beach. It was like a garden on top of a mountain and there's also a beach. It is a good place to hold a wedding reception with the sun setting as the background. It's kinda the trend in US to have outdoor malls and The Americana at Brand and Irvine Spectrum are the places to be when you wanna go for a walk and treat yourself with shopping bags.

• Sense of Touch: Coming from a state where the weather is always around 90 degrees during the summer, one would really love the weather in LA. It was breezy in the morning, then it gets a little hot in the afternoon and it gets chilly in the evening.
• Sense of Hearing: I really enjoyed the sound of a train while relaxing at the pier with the waves crashing in.
• Sense of Smell: We went to a where-Asians-hangout place and there was one bakery that's definitely a must-try. Lines extend to the pavement and the smell of freshly-baked breads perfume the air so you'll know that 85 degrees offers yummy creations.
• Sense of Taste: [FYI: this is my fave out of the 5 senses :)] My tita's specialty was Korean Bbq. It was to die for! It was so yummy that I had to take some of it back home to let Mom and Dad taste it. I also got the recipe so I can try to cook it. We also went to a Chinese resto called Capital Seafood Restaurant and ordered Peking Duck (of course!), Lobster in Garlic Butter Sauce (just typing it makes me drool) and Crab & Salty Fish Rice (I loved the salty fish though it wasn't close to how tuyo tastes). And I grabbed the opportunity to have Milk Tea! There was one resto we went to which I was hesitant at first. It's called Rubio's and their specialty is Fish Tacos. I love tacos, but I'm not a fish-eater. Still, I ordered Fish Tacos and to my surprise, it didn't taste that fishy at all and I loved it! And then there was Fisherman's Seafood Restaurant at San Clemente Pier. They're specialty was Clam Chowder and Rockefeller Oysters! I never had both so this was my first time to get to try them. The Rockefeller Oysters were super yummy. In a shell, there's an oyster, a piece of bacon and some spinach topped which oooozing cheesy goodness.

The 4-day vacay was so bitin! I'll definitely go back and maybe next time I can go to SanFo as well. :)

I was really lucky that I get the opportunity to travel. When I was a kid, I remember that I always write on the Dreams area of slumbooks is "to travel the world". I am taking my baby steps now into reaching that goal. I guess I'll start with US first and eventually conquer other continents. I was disappointed that I wasn't able to conquer Asia, but hey there's plenty of time and I will soon conquer Asia. What I like about traveling is that it offers a wide array of possibilities and learning. Every place you travel to is far different from what you've heard from other people, from what you've read and from what you've seen in the movies. It is always nice to experience it on your own.

DREAM. LOVE. TRAVEL. EXPLORE. DISCOVER.
August 19-22, 2011