TRAVEL DIARY: April 2007

Time to start exploring the Golden State!

Armed with printed Mapquests directions and our dependable digicam (DSLR still budgeted for May!), we braved the intertwining freeways and roads of Northern California to visit some of its well-known tourist attractions from our Walnut Creek home this April.


April 7, 2007: YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
Getting There: 3.5 hours / 170 miles
Whoa! That’s what you’ll utter when you witness Yosemite’s beauty. The graphite mountain, the majestic waterfalls, the gemstone lakes, everything is so picturesque. Lonely Planet calls it the Taj Mahal of national parks. I haven’t seen the Taj Mahal, but I must agree still. Being there, witnessing the awesome beauty of nature makes you feel closer to God indeed, to his awesome creation.

Inside the park, there are hybrid air-conditioned buses that offer free rides around the vast territory. This is a better way to explore the area than bringing your car to every station. You can just hop in the bus, get off one camp to explore the trails and engage in massive camera-whoring activities, then hop in the next bus again to go to the next camp.

April 15, 2007: GILROY
Getting There: 1 hour / 78 miles
Lonely Planet only devoted two short paragraphs for Gilroy, plainly describing it as the garlic capital of the world. Omitted was the important fact that it houses plenty of factory outlet stores! This is certainly a place where everyone's sentiment is “too many stores, so little time!”. A shopaholic’s haven indeed.

It is also the hometown of Riki’s Italian friend/previous co-worker Luca. After a day of record-high kilometers in my pedometer, drinking Japanese beer and Italian espresso in their American home, while chitchatting with their French friends in the backyard (where there are lavenders in full bloom!) is definitely a welcome cool-down before heading back home to Walnut Creek.

April 21, 2007: SAN FRANCISCO and SAUSALITO
Getting There: 45 minutes / 31 miles
A visit to San Francisco will not be complete without seeing (and walking over) the “red” Golden Gate Bridge. Picture-taking in the south and north vista points of the bridge are mandatory. My little man Evan though seemed unfazed by the majestic bridge, taking more interest in the pigeons socializing with all the tourists in the area.

North of the Golden Gate Bridge, is the lovely town of Sausalito. When I first saw this bay neighborhood, only one word came into mind, quaint. Perfect for a romantic stroll, an al fresco meal and a cup of coffee, Sausalito is such a lovely place to spend a relaxing day during the weekend. My favorite place so far!

San Francisco has so many interesting places to visit, a day of exploring is not enough. However, after playing with the pigeons, Evan decided to take his nap already on our way to Exploratorium, which means end of the trip for us for that day. We will definitely come back for more in the future.

April 28, 2007: MONTEREY PENINSULA
Getting There: 2 hours / 120 miles
Sausalito is now just second on my list of favorite places in Northern California. The Monterey Peninsula now tops the list…well, so far. The Monterey Bay Aquarium was a mesmerizing treat for marine animal lovers, strategically located in Cannery Row, which basically is an avenue of charming shops and restaurants, all promoting the area’s sardine-canning business. Riki and Evan had a blast watching the otters, jellyfishes, hammerhead sharks, octopus, penguins and a dozen types of fishes.

I had a better fun time though when we drove along the 17 Mile Drive, a breathtaking scenic route connecting Pacific Grove and Carmel. I just fell in love with the stately and posh seaside homes, the sea, the breeze and the Lone Cypress Tree. This is bed and breakfast destination extreme!

April 29, 2007: SIX FLAGS DISCOVERY KINGDOM
Getting There: 30 minutes / 23 miles
Never a fan of monster rides, Six Flags was not on our list to visit. However, the recently re-opened Marine World/Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo boasts of a wide variety of zoo and marine animals. So off we go, together with other Pinoy office friends to the amusement park. While the rest of them are screaming their lungs out in the thrill-rides, we explored the park, watched the animal shows and posed with the Justice League and Looney tunes folks.

Whew, that was fun! Travelling is indeed more meaningful when you have your family and friends with you to share those memorable shots.

This is just the executive summary of our April adventure. If you want to see the rest of the fun pictures, click this.

Till next month's sojourn! :)