Day trips are fun too

Pretty spontaneous trip to Miami. Two days and One night.
It doesn't matter how long you go, but what you do and who you go with.

This trip started off being really hectic, a four hour journey from Orlando to Miami, two stop overs, many re-routes of direction, and a wining person wanting to use the bathroom (me).

My mum and I decided to go to Miami for the night as she had an appointment the next day in downtown. Why not make a trip out of it?
I'm trying to find this hotel amongst all the tall buildings, cars hooting at me, and being just completely unfamilar with the area. I ended up going down the wrong way on a "one way" road, driving around in circles, and entering a parking garage thinking it would lead us to the hotel. (It didn't).

We had to ask for directions and call the hotel.
Finally, we found it and boy were we happy!
The exterior of the hotel didn't seem that great, but the inside was beautiful!! The amenities, decoration, and service was astounding. My mum and I went to go check in, and they asked if we wanted to be upgraded to the suite complementary!! Obviously we said yes!

Our room was HUGEEEEEE!!! it had a king bed, a study room, living room, two bathrooms, and a tv in the toilet! It was crazy; and the view was fantastic. We were right on the water, surrounded by tall buildings, and the city lights.
We explored the hotel and saw that the hotel had an indoor billards room, bowling alley, swimming pool, and fitness center. Pretty nice.... I just wish we were here for longer than one day. So much to do but very little time.

Our night ended with visiting the bar in the hotel; the food and company was great!

San Fran bound

Day 0

So the journey begins, unfortunately at 4am. I figured if we left early morning then we would have more down time upon arriving, but I never considered the fact that I'm not a morning person. My alarm goes off at 4am, just 3 hours after I actually went to sleep. I thought I was dreaming.... Reality kicked in though.

We boarded the flight and headed to Charlotte, North Carolina (our stopover). It was such a crowded airport especially for 9am... But it was lovely and so big. Restaurants and stores everywhere. Our next fright rolls around and we get good seats until it all began....the man behind us had a slight problem, actually a huge problem. SNORING. from the time we sat down to the minute we landed. It was so loud, the loudest I've ever heard, the worst part was that he sat directly behind me and it honestly sounded like he was going to die. All the surrounding people around were laughing and debating on what to do. My mum was ready to spill some water on him to wake him up, she was getting a headache. LONGEST 5 HOURS OF MY LIFE!!

It was quite the adventure, but just happy to finally arrive in San Francisco.

Arriving in San Francisco and greeted by the cold and windy weather. That's something that reminded me of England. My dad was already in Cali so he picked us up and we did some minor sight seeing around the city. We started off at fishermans wharf and strolled along hitting up In n' Out burger. Now, this has been something I've been craving for years now. I got so excited seeing the sign and rushed in to put in my order. Delicious.

One thing that I noticed about people from Cali are that they are extremely happy and nice! They are all willing to help and always have a smile on their face.

It's dinner time - we hit up a Thai restaurant that was recommended to us! I'm so excited because I really like eating noodles, veggies etc. we order our food to be spicy because we figured that since we were Indian, we could handle it. Boy were we more than wrong. It was the spiciest thing I have ever tasted!!! We had to get ice cream to cool our mouths.

Day 1

The first full day in California was spent roaming the streets of San Francisco. It was a typical tourist day hitting all the major sites: the coit tower, ghirardeli chocolate factory, Kara's cupcakes, Lombard street, and some famous houses.

We got to have free chocolate samples at the factory along with wine tasting at the store close by. We picked up some famous cupcakes for the journey to satisfy our sweet tooth. It was worth it. After walking around for a little we went to the local pub for lunch. The view was spectacular, and it was nice just to be inside away from the cold and wind.

One of my favorite shows is full house, and I knew that the house that it was filmed in was in SF, so I made sure we went to see the actual house. It looked really different on the outside since this big tree was built in front but it was so cool knowing that once upon a time, all the actors and actresses were there. Also we went to the house where Mrs. Doubtfire was filmed! This is one of my favorites movies, the houses were close together so it wasn't a hassle!

We ended the day at our friends house for dinner. They had just renovated their house and it looked amazing, so high tech and modern. It felt good to have a home cooked meal.

Day 2

It's always good to relax, especially when you're on holiday. I slept in.... We'll my parents version of sleeping in (8am), and lounged around the house admiring our amazing view of Santana row. We played cards with the family, and my mum made a big breakfast for all of us. It was delicious. My brother and I went to whole foods for some groceries and then got a car wash. I was fascinated by this car wash lol, it was much different than the ones I've seen, so high tech and just quick. It was an automatic car wash but then they had a bunch of workers approach either car after to dry it, they were on a conveyer belt taking turns on every angle of the vehicle. We were in and out of that place in a jiffy and the car was sparkling clean.

Next on the agenda was lunch and walking around Santana Row. It was filled with boutiques, shops, restaurants, and cafés. Beautiful place to walk around and the weather was spectacular. Stopping by at Pizza Antics for lunch, we ordered two pizzas that reminded me of being back in Italy. There was so much flavor and the portions were on point. Not to mention, they had my favorite drink, elderflower.

Ending the day right by driving to Oakland for dinner. Blackhawk grill. Great food, drinks and company. The scenery was really cool, they had this fountain filled with ducks and a bunch of stores around it. My brother bought duck food so we sat outside and fed the ducks, they all swarmed us. I put some in my hand and the ducks pecked at my hand, it felt like a drill.

Day 3

The day started early as we set off to monetary, pebble beach and the 17 mile drive. The journey felt like forever but was definitely worth it by the time we got there. The bright blue water, sandy beaches, and huge waves were so picturesque. I distinctly remember looking out in the ocean and seeing a huge splash, and the people around me saying 'Wow did you see that?' I became extremely curious, thinking what could be out there, I took off my sunglasses to get a better look and there I saw it, a huge splash again. WHALES. There were a few whales jumping out of the water playing with each other in the distance. It was magical. My first time ever seeing a whale, well besides sea world of course. Besides whales, we also saw some sea otters. It was kind of hard to miss as they smelt terrible and made so much noise. This trip was different than regular beach trips because it wasn't somewhere you could sit and suntan, it was completely scenic. What a better way to end the day than to tour the actual google headquarters!!!! I was so shocked when we were able to do this. My brother and dad had a connection with a worker there and he offered to take us on a tour. I've only seen bits and pieces from the movie The Internship and it just looked so cool. We met up with the guy and he took us into the buildings and we saw pele working in the rooms and their cubicles. They had a gym, an arcade, bikes, volleyball court, and much more. It was such a fun work environment. We took tons if pictures and we even got to ride the google bikes around the google campus. This experience honestly felt like a dream. Too good to be true. It was sooo cool to do this.

Day 4

So everything we wanted to do on this trip was done except going to the Golden Gate Bridge, well we did go but this time we wanted to go really close and actually cross the bridge. We woke up early and all of us drove to San Francisco to look at the bridge. It was breathtaking. Since it was early morning, it was extremely foggy so it was hard to see the entire thing, but the parts that were visible was awesome. I can see why it's one of the world wonders. Taking pictures was interesting as the wind was going against us and our hair was flying everywhere, but besides the point. There was a little spot where cars could park to take a picture of the view, and it was packed with tourists. People asking each other to take pictures and taking turns to stand in front of the bridge. Completely touristy.

My brother had a meeting to go to so we were crunched for time so we went to this sandwich place that he recommended. Thankfully we went there. They had healthy sandwiches and the most amazing creeps ever. It was so tasty. Turns out my brothers meeting got cancelled so we took it easy and wandered around downtown San Francisco. At that point, we saw the tram service going up and down the streets. My mum and I looked at each other and knew we both wanted to ride one, we hopped on one and took it for a few stops. It was so cool hanging over the edge. The man in charge had told me to stay close to the tram otherwise I'd hit the cars. Pretty crazy how they would allow that, a huge safety hazard but so worth it. Done. Everything on our holiday check list.

It's basically impossible to go to San Francisco without shopping we left the boys at the apartment and my mum and I hit the town. There were is many stores and so many possible spending opportunities lol. *in conclusion! not that much damage was done*

That night we went to Santa Cruz for dinner. We had a chiropractor appointment for all of us and then we stayed and had dinner with the doctor himself. We went to this Italian place where the portions were HUGE. My brother and I ordered a salad and pasta to share~ the salad came out first and we were full before the main dish even came out. The food was super good though. We ended up taking home 4 boxes of food, one from each of us.

2013

I say this every time, but seriously, I have not written in here in ages.
My English Composition class gave me the motivation to actually write; we are writing about our Worldview and I planned on incorporating my blog into it.

A lot has changed since I last wrote. I have completed Summer and Fall semesters at college and currently in my Spring semester. I have a great room mate that we hang out all the time, and actually get along (very unusual so i've heard).

I am currently doing homework and then studying for a huge biology test that I have tomorrow, the perks of being a Biomedical Science major.

But nothing new to say here, I'll be sure to actually write more interesting stuff once it happens!

OH BUT IT IS A NEW YEAR SO THATS A PLUS :D

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico bounddd! I just recently went to PR with my family for a week, we visited San Juan and Fajardo! Both were absolutely beautiful.

Fajardo - We stayed in the El Conquistador which was by far one of the most beautiful resorts I've ever been to. The resort amenities were fantastic, and the activities in the area were awesome! The resort made it possible for people to enjoy and relax in the area without leaving the resort itself. They provided us with ferry transportation to their private island, Palomino Island, an on site water park, 2 swimming pools, and a huge gym!

On top of that, they had a casino indoors in which i won $7! CRAZY RIGHTTT? haha. I stopped before i got addicted and just lost everything.

Our day consisted of a buffet breakfast in the cafe, soaking up the sun by the pool and beach, adventuring in the local area, and then a pleasant meal at the hotel. I couldn't of asked for a more relaxing hotel!

But a vacation isn't all about soaking up the sun, and sitting out by the pool; there has to be some adventure involved. One of the days we went to El Yunque National Rainforest! Besides the rain, it was good. There were waterfalls, real rock climbing lol, and hiking/nature trails. One of the hiking trails that we went on took about 2 hours round trip, but it was so worth it. You walk for about an hour through the rain forest only to come to a huge waterfall where you're allowed to go for a swim, sit on the rocks, and just relax! I unfortunately didn't have my swim suit so I didn't go in.... intentionally. The water was absolutely freezing. I did put my feet in and walked around, only to slip on a rock and fall in the water; huge shock to the brain as the water was ice cold. Overall it was a great experience, I'm just glad that I wasn't the only one to fall in. The hike back seemed longer and more tiring as most of it was uphill but we made it!!

San Juan - If you look up on all the tourism websites as to what to do in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Rum/Bacardi Factory is a must see! It was actually really cool there because everything is alcohol based (obviously). They have this huge bar where they serve drinks, and then a really big gift shop where they sell everything from bottles of Bacardi, to magnets. Then they send you on an hour tour where they tell you the origin of the alcohol, how it's made, and how much is produced yearly. It was a little interesting and a bit boring at the same time!

ALL OVER PUERTO RICO! Something that took me a while to get used to was the size of the lizards. I live in Florida and have been to India, so i'm used to lizards but the ones here are huge! At first I thought I was seeing things until they literally turned up everywhere! They are really fat and look scary. When my family and I were walking behind the hotel near the pool area, there was a huge lizard "structure" just in the grass, and at first I thought it was a sculpture just there for decoration, UNTIL it started to move!!!! :O It was just a huge Iguana just minding its own business, one of the most randomest things i've ever seen!

REGARDLESS. Puerto Rico was awesome (: Definitely go and visitttt!

It's never too late

WOW! it's been forever since I actually updated my blog and I'm sorry for those who read this and followed me! But I'm back :]

After China, i went to England where i got to spend time with my friends and family, and then finally reached home sweet home, FLO-RIDA <3

I've been home for just over a month now and it feels so great to be reunited with my friends and family. It was kind of weird at first, everything seemed hazy and make belief, kind of 'too good to be true' but now i'm used to it.

Going to sleep in my own bed, not living out of a suitcase, and driving my car was amazing! I was so grateful for the small things: leaving my toothbrush in the bathroom instead of packing it up, and choosing clothes out of a closet instead of a suitcase. IT FELT GOOD.

Journey home: it was a mission and a half to get back home with the offloading, airport conveyer belts not working, taxi's, compensation, and delays, but i finally made it home. My friends came and visited me that night and it was such a surprise. They came running to the door and gave me a hug, it was SOO good to see them again and reconnect. Although we stayed in touch while I was gone, there was still so much to catch up on. The next day, they all threw me a surprise party in which my friends from highschool came, it was like a reunion. Although the surprise was kind of ruined, it was good to see everybody. We all talked, shared stories, and ate food. Perfect day!

Anyways, these past 2 weeks have been so great and hectic at the same time. My family from England, and California came into town to visit so they were staying at our house. As usual, the disney runs, touring, shopping had to be done so it was constant trips to the theme parks and outlet malls. Its always nice to have family over especially when all the kids get together and joke around, play cards, and have crazy adventures. The only bad thing is at the end when everybody leaves because the house is so empty and quiet. Kinda depressing. 

But the best thing to do is just focus on the good times and know that it will happen again real soon.

Beijing, China

Basically, I thought that I could always tolerate cold really good, but that was until I came to Beijing. When they say its cold here, it literally is. Lets put it into perspective, the iPhone is touch screen, and is activated by the body heat of your fingers... well my hands were so cold that none of the buttons worked when I pressed them! When I leave to go outside, I honestly feel like a walking marshmallow. I put on so many layers that I become really plump and like waddle when I walk LOL.

My outfit consists of: 3 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of pants (leggings, thermal, jeans/sweat pants); 4 tops (tank top, thermal, another thermal, long sleeve); 1 huge jacket (with fur inside); scarf (made of wool); hat (covers the ears); ski gloves - Normally it takes me a while to choose my outfit in the morning, but not in China. Instead it takes longer to actually put on all the layers. The coldest it got to be was -14 degrees Celsius.

Apart from the weather, everything is great!!! To my surprise, the food wasn’t too bad, I ate LOADS of vegetables, and I mean loads. Vegetables that I have never heard of or even thought about trying. And they do really good soup here... perfect for the temperature outside. But, all those “rumors” you hear about China, and how they eat everything that moves (besides humans).... well they are actually true! I went to the local park where they had a festival going on, and they were selling fried roaches, scorpians, worms, and spiders!!! IT WAS SO GROSS. You should of seen the look on my face when I saw all of this.... I was about to throw up. I wanted to see somebody actually eat it but nobody around me was... until i turned around and saw this guy putting a scorpion in his mouth. I literally just stared at him, my jaw dropped in shock. There are just some things I’ll never understand! Apparently it’s a delicacy and they only eat it on special occasions.

On a lighter note, I managed to do everything that I wanted to do in the 10 days that I was here: The Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Tian’anmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and Summer Palace! Everything was so beautiful! I had a tour guide that showed me around because it was literally impossible to walk to each place... especially in this weather. She told me the history of the places, and took me to the important parts of each site.
The Great Wall: It was about an 1 1/2 drive from where I was staying and it was about 3-4 degrees colder, but I knew this already so I came prepared with an extra jacket, pair of gloves, and hat! I took the cable car up to the Wall, climbed it, and then took the slide down! While I was climbing, I had to stop a few times to catch my breath! There were so many steps and they were super steep, and scary. A couple times I had to grab the edge of the wall to keep my balance. It was a great work out though - I talked to a bunch of random people along the way to keep myself occupied. And obviously took loads of pictures! There was a group of Philippino people on my tour as well which were extremely friendly so we took the slide down together! It was basically a luge ride going down where you sit in this buggy, and have a stick to gear it! The breeze in your face didn’t feel that great but it was fun.

On the days where I didn’t have many plans, I basically chilled; watched movies, walks, dinners etc. My friends that I was staying with introduced me to some of their friend so we went out for dinner a few nights and spent time with them. 

There’s a huge language barrier in China. Most public places have everything translated into English but it doesn’t matter when the people can’t speak English. The taxi drivers don’t even speak English so getting around was very hard; I had to get the address of the place written in Chinese and then show it to them so that they’ll understand. But it was a great learning experience, it allowed me to plan different alternatives and realize that “there’s always another way”

Malaysia

Last minute plans always work out for some reason, if you are easygoing and go with the flow, everything just seems to fall into place. One of my friends that I was planning to stay with had cancelled because she was going back home for Chinese New Year so I was just going to stay in a hotel, but then another opportunity came along. This other girl from GYLS, who attended camp the previous year, offered to host me at her house. I had never met her before or talked to her for that matter, but we were connected through GYLS so we had mutual friends. She opened her arms wide opened and allowed me to stay with her and her family in KL. It was one of the first times that I didn’t feel lonely at all because we hung out all 4 days I was there - It felt good to have a conversation outside the words “how do i get here, how much does that cost, what is this?”

During my stay, Niresh and I did so much walking! We took the public transportation as well, but the bus was ALWAYS packed. We went everywhere exploring KL: Petronas Twin Towers, Menara KL Tower, Little India, City Walk, Malls, and the exhibition of international bears. Taking pictures at these places was fun because at the Twin Towers and the Menara KL Tower, we did the typical poses where you pretend to hold/push the tower, it was funny. After we started doing this, the people around us started to do it and asked us to take their picture. I joked around and said that i should start charging for my amazing photography skills :P Anywaysss, at the City Walk, there was a random large inflatable armchair just sitting there, and we had asked these kids to take a picture but they thought we wanted a picture of them so they smiled and posed; it was super funny. 

The following day we went to Batu Caves which had the “World’s tallest Murugan Statue”. At the caves we held a snake around our neck, prayed at the temples, walked around, went to the reptile exhibit, carried some parrots, went up a 250+ flight of stairs, and watched monkeys steal food from people. 

On my last day, it was a really laid back morning; slept in and took it casually. In the late afternoon we went to this company called “MindValley” and had a tour of the place. It was the most relaxed work place that I have ever seen. The whole atmosphere was so inviting and laid back. Completely well decorated, full of colors, and the workers walked around barefoot. After that we went to eat some lunch, walk around the mall, and went to this street where they sold everything for really cheap. They had branded purses, wallets, clothes for really cheap; the quality obviously wasn’t there but it’s great for short term things. It’s a great tourist attraction since they get to shop for really cheap, but they obviously get ripped off because they can’t bargain properly. As soon as they see a tourist, they put the price up a couple hundred ringgit’s. If you are malay and you talk to them, then they give you a reasonable price. I learned how to say “how much” in malay so that they would think that i’m a local, but it didn’t work. They just laughed and said, i know you’re not Malaysian! LOL. It was worth a shot. 

By the time we went to sleep it was about 1:30AM, and I had to wake up at 6 o’clock to catch my 9 o’clock airplane. Have i ever mentioned how much i dislike morning flights? Complete rush and no sleep. No bueno.

Airport: After I checked in, got something to eat, went through security etc, I saw a starbucks so i though mhhhm, let’s get a frappicino, and it’ll last me for while I’m on the plane. 20 minutes until my flight leaves. I get my frapp and headed towards my gate (right around the corner), I go in all smiley, and they say “sorry no liquids allowed”!!! and I’m like uhh, i bought this at the airport, after security, and then they repeated “no liquids allowed”. -__- I was not a happy camper at this point. I had to down my frapp, which gave me several brain freezes and then rush on the plane! STORY OF MY LIFE.