oliviatamccue

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Jun 6

Rekindle Life-long friendship with reunions

by ccue

2025 marks the beginning that I have been in the California Bay Area longer than Hong Kong , a city where I was born and raised. To which city am I supposed to be homecoming?   

Every trip to Hong Kong reminds me that happiness is tied to human connections. Trips in Hong Kong are less about sightseeing, more about connections with families and friends. There is the delight to find families and friends doing well. Special events often play a role in firming up our travel plan. This year, the special event turned out to be the 125th anniversary of my secondary school.

When I was still studying in secondary school, we celebrated the 80th anniversary of school. This year is the 125th anniversary of my secondary school, 45 years since the 80th anniversary. I made the trip to join the anniversary dinner with over a thousand other graduates in Hong Kong. How amazing is that!

Despite many complaints about the demanding nature of Hong Kong education systems, the Hong Kong system appears to offer a better environment for students to build lasting friendships. I personally experienced the life-long friendship deeply again with the multiple reunions with the secondary school classmates on this trip.

The Hong Kong pre-college education consists of kindergarten years, 6 primary school years and 6 secondary school years. In my days, the students have just a few subjects we can choose: art vs science, geography vs history, etc. Due to the limited varieties, I had many classmates taking the same curricula with me.  That created so many shared memories. The classmates may drift apart for years. Some of us may move to different places of the world. Often when someone, like me, comes back to Hong Kong for a short trip, we get together, the bonding revives so naturally and so quickly. It is a life-long friendship with a class of friends.

Comparatively, the Bay Area education consists of pre-school years, 6 elementary school years, 2 middle school schools, then four high school years. There is less continuity when the kids grow up in their teen years. The rich choice of subjects mean most kids hardly are on the same curricula or with the same teachers. After graduation, the classmates would settle in different parts of the US if not of the world, far away from each other. Sometimes, I am concerned about the few friendships one can sustain after graduation especially for those who may not be a social butterfly in their teen years. In spite of its heavy homework and strenuous studies, the Hong Kong system is better in terms of life-long friendship.

The school celebrated the 80th anniversary of school when I was still a teenager. The school did not jump from the 80th anniversary to the 125th anniversary. I skipped many, if not all, the between, and jumped 45 years for a special anniversary dinner.

The 125 anniversary dinner was held in the 5-star Hopewell hotel in Hong Kong, with 125 tables, 10 per table. When I arrived at the hotel, many current students in the CheongSam school uniform were there at the building entry, showing us the ways to the Grand Ballroom on the 16/F floor. They bridged all the years, and brought back so many memories of my own school days. They just looked to be the refined and upgraded versions of our generations. When I got to the Grand Ballroom, it became immediately apparent that the organizers had put in tons of thoughts in setting up the venue. It certainly felt star-studded an Oscar experience with classmates, students, teachers and principles. I immediately felt at ease and it was easy to find my table among the 125 tables.  A couple of my classmates were already there. One also flew in from California. We had not seen each other for years. Just seeing her made my trip to Hong Kong worthwhile. Soon the tables were filled. The conversations bridged all the gaps of the years. My school is a Girls’ Christian school. We were busy chatting, and did not notice the noise level of a thousand of us catching up with each other in the Grand Ballroom. It took some effort for the MC to kick off the evenings with school songs and prayers. The school song has a phrase that tells our hearts to stay together even if we will be far apart. I certainly felt that I had not lived up to that phrase after drifting away for many of the years. The performance of the current students has been impressive, and the farewell set up for the current school principal has been thoughtful and heartwarming. What I like the most is the opportunities to catch up with each other, reminisce about our school days, see our  teachers, and other familiar faces. We took a bunch of photos together.  

It was an evening that I would remember for a very long time. I am thankful that after all these years, we can rekindle our friendship and are still young enough to have some remaining years together. We met again shortly after the anniversary dinner and look forward to more happy times in the years to come. 

If you graduated from high school this year, and your school continues another 45 years, you will join your school anniversary dinner in the year 2070. How special will that be for you?

Dear Diary Hong Kong Misc. Travel

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Dec 25

A must-visit destination: New York City

by ccue

I have been to New York City (NYC) quite a few times. I went there many years ago. In my first visit, I had the visceral reaction to compare it with Hong Kong, both world-class cities. I was already biased, but objectively, the city was dirty, old, chaotic. I could find all kinds of New Yorkers, including homeless people, others with a questionable state of mind. Most people keep it to themselves, and if you asked locals for directions, you would be lucky to have one who got you an answer. There were many varieties of people in the subway. Sometimes, I had to tone down my already limited senses to avoid discovering rodents or real shit. All in all, it was not comfortable nor visually striking to be in. Most visits I left unimpressed with an unresolved mystery why it was widely considered as the top of the world. Undeniably NYC has a lot to offer with city charm, and energy in the city. Is it overrated? 

My spouse and I stayed for 3 weeks, for the simple reason that our children are now New Yorkers. This time, we really enjoyed our stay. A big part is parental bias to like the city that our children are in. There are other reasons too, including the studio we stayed in, the holiday spirit, and that we experienced living in the city rather than sight-seeing in the city. 

We stayed at a studio near Union Square, like a New Yorker. The studio is a few minutes walk to many subway lines, and a few minutes of walk to Union Square markets. It is within easy walking distance to the Greenwich area, the SOHO, the Chelsea markets and the China Town. It makes one of the best locations to experience Manhattan. 

We shopped at the just opened Christmas markets. On the first weekend when the Christmas market was open, it was jam packed on the weekend at Bryant Square. Since then, we have been to the Union Square Market and Bryant Square market multiple times. They carried similar merchandise. We like the Union Square market better. Bryant Square market was just too crowded. 

Our energy sets the ceiling on the places to shop and to explore. The city finally makes some effort to improve the subway. Most subway stations look a touch cleaner. Many times I got on, a survey would pop up on my cell phone to ask about my wait time, and my experience. I still ran into some “diverse and unpredictable riders” but I accepted it more as a by-product of freedom and diversity.

The weather made a difference too.  It was comfortable and sunny in mid November when we first arrived. Other than a bit dry, the weather was almost perfect and made the best season to be in the city.  Most days were sunny. We experienced how the city went from autumn with fading fall color to the windy winter after some rain. 

There are such a variety of cuisines within walking distance or a subway ride. To name just a few, we enjoyed a French breakfast, signature tea set at Prince Tea House, many lunches at rustic Chinese restaurants, authentic Hong Kong cafe, Mediterranean snack, Korean food, NY bagel, Shake-Shack burger,  hot pot dinner, and Schmackary’s cookies after dinner. Our stomach sets the limit to the many foods we would love to try. 

We took advantage of the cultural side of the city too. We went to see the “Tosca” Opera at the MET. The cast was so wonderful, the slanted stage setting was so well done, that I did not need to be much of an Opera audience to feel connected to the show. We enjoyed it a lot. We were lucky this year to watch Opera at the Budapest Opera House, and a few months later at the MET. 

There were some waves about the new “Sunset Blvd” musical with its use of technology and how the male singer shows up on the street to sing after the interlude. After watching the original movie, I really like the plot and look forward to catching the musical on Broadway. The show was sold out. Maybe I was expecting Hollywood glamor in the cast, costumes and stage. I was expecting a bring back of Hollywood before our generations. It was none of the above. There were no glamorous costumes to wow. The main performers were bare feet. The others wore everyday clothing. The stage was unstaged in a minimalist style. The cast was made up of a diverse set of performers. It was refreshing for the first half hour with some good singing. As the musical went, there were no reflections of what Hollywood was like then. The effort to be different, to be modern stood out. The live camera broadcast with the singer singing in the street caused a stir.  All in all, it was a  budget production that displays unique creativity but not quite the spirit of the plot. I don’t need to be a seasoned critic to recognize the brilliance of this A-grade production. We experienced that brilliance as we watched the just released “Wicked” movie a few days later. 

I commuted to different offices like a New Yorker on many days. I paid $10 for a cup of overpriced but incredibly palate-pleasing specialty coffee and appreciated the warmth in holding the cup.  I strolled in Central Park. I walked blocks after blocks at the pace of New Yorkers. We spent a relaxing afternoon in SoJo Spa in New Jersey. We didn’t need to plan our days—there was always something to do, places to explore, and restaurants to try.

I’m finally starting to understand why NYC is the, not one of, city that draws people from all over the world. It’s becoming clear why NYC is a must-visit destination.

Concerts Dear Diary Misc. Travel

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Dec 23

For all tennis lovers: Tennis Camp at Pebble Beach.

by ccue

I was single. I brought my tennis racket when I went on business trips to the US.  That was the Ivan Lendl era. That was a long time ago. Many things have changed including having two children in their twenties. The Roger Federer era has come. The next generation of Alcaraz and Sinner rivalry is just at the beginning. What has not changed is I still enjoy tennis. I cannot catch up on the years lost during the years of child rearing.  I have not given hope.  I hope I can get back to the game and play more.

This year, my spouse and I signed up for a Nike Tennis Camp at Pebble Beach.  We were very looking forward to it, until it created a conflict for the WAVE hike. We finally made the Tennis Camp the last weekend in October. The camp is for intermediate level, for people at or above 3.0 in the play scale. The few weeks before the camp, we played once or twice a week in practice, so as not to embarrass ourselves. I enjoyed the practice, clearly my shoulder and my tennis elbow both gave some whisper that it could become noisy with more playing.

The Pebble Beach Lodge is pricey and can be over $1000 per night. Considering the little time we would stay inside, we found a nearby Airbnb in the Carmel area. 

The Airbnb host gave us permission to check in an hour early before we checked in to the Tennis Camp on Thursday. This Airbnb check-in turned out to be the simplest ever, there was no passcode, no key, we passed two garden gates, and walked in. The host left a guidebook on the table, giving us everything to know about restaurants, spas, markets. We could tell the unit has some years on it, but it was well maintained inside and outside. There was a small backyard, which made a great small BBQ party during the warmer season. In autumn, the inside of the unit looked more inviting. We did not have much time  before checking into the Tennis Camp in the afternoon. Little did we know the simple check-in turned out to have a catch.  More on this later.

We need to go through the scenic 17-mile drive, a toll road, to get to the Tennis Camp. The codeword to drive on the 17-mile scenic drive for free is “Tennis Camp”. The Tennis Camp area has many well groomed courts, including a couple of clay courts, and a tennis store with friendly staff. The tennis area is right next to the beautiful Pebble Beach golf course, along the Pacific Ocean. The you-know-what-number hole is right next to the parking lot of the Tennis Camp. For the weekend, we felt at home in the Carmel and Pebble Beach neighborhood. We experienced the feeling of living in the beautiful area.  

The camp goes from Thursday afternoon to Sunday morning, giving us a 2-hour play on Thursday, a full-day 9 to 4 play both Friday and Saturday. If that is still not enough, it includes a Sunday free play too. We checked in the Tennis Camp and met other fellow players. Many gave subtle messages that they came to play tennis not for social reasons. We were among the few who were rookies to Tennis Camps. These Tennis Campers were not particularly enthused in making friends, except for a few that came in singles, who may have a different agenda.  All-in-all, all the campers love playing tennis and can play hours of tennis.

We were sent to a court to join another 2 players to play doubles. After a few rotations on the courts in the afternoon, we got a sense of the playing levels. Most other players had better double techniques, played regularly, and often played in some forms of ladder. My serving skill and ground stroke is not too scrappy either. Most campers are from the Bay Area. There was one group from Canada. Most came with friends. There was one 20-something who came on his own. He was the best in class. On the last day of the camp, he beat one of the younger coaches. My spouse and I were arguably the most obvious recreational players. We hardly played doubles. We hardly play for the past years, other than in the few weeks prior to the Tennis Camp. We never play in a club. Yet we can play. Tennis players were famous for their competitiveness on court. We observed a few.  I was both anxious and excited. My major anxiety is whether my shoulder and elbow could hold up throughout the camp. I would later find out.

When we returned Friday morning, each of us were set up to rotate over a number of coaches. Each coach focuses their 30-minute sessions on different techniques, from serving, ground strokes, rally, overhead, to strategies. After about three hours, we went to the Pebble Beach clubhouse for lunch. It is about a 10-minute scenic walk besides the famous golf course. The Pebble Beach clubhouse is usually reserved for members. The Tennis Camp has made special arrangements to get us in. Lunch is good. The view of the Pacific Ocean and the 18th hole is memorable. We took as many photos as possible while respecting the privacy of other diners.

Out of the blue, I got a call from our Airbnb host while enjoying the delicious lunch at the Pebble Beach Clubhouse.  I was informed that we checked in the wrong Airbnb unit. Could there be a bigger OMG moment? We checked in the unit next to our assigned unit. It was a better one. We were embarrassed yet relieved to find out “our” unit was available, and the host gave us a “free upgrade”. After a few days, I gained enough courage to find out whether it was our mistake or it was an instructional error. It turned out to be the latter. Despite this gaffe, both the host and I gave 5-star ratings to each other.

After the scenic lunch, we were back for our afternoon. The afternoon started with coaches playing in doubles with each other, to walk us through double skills and tactics. It was particularly insightful for us, non double players. There were three choices afterwards: a single group, a clay court group and some other groups. We decided to check out the unusual combination of clay courts, California and Pebble Beach. We enjoyed the experience. My shoulder and elbow held up barely, and that got me anxious about Saturday.  

The Tennis Camp ended each day before sunset, leaving us the evening to enjoy.  Carmel-by-the-sea and the Pebble Beach area are great places for great restaurants. We had one of the best Italian food at the La Bicyclette restaurant.

Saturday started about an hour late, due to the rain. The morning was similar to the day before, and we were sent to a number of 30-minute sessions. The rotations were such a great setup, I could come back to the camp, just to pick the brains of the different coaches. We had a shorter lunch to make up for the late start. Everyone brought their own lunches.  The afternoon was competitive, where we matched with different doubles partners and played different opponents. We played 10 games each. Every game we won would count towards our score. The one with the highest scores got the bragging right. We did not play every single person. The camp organizer was thoughtful to match us with people of similar levels, to make the matches competitive. My hands hardly held up. Every server was a doubt and almost a struggle. I did not want to disappoint my double partners. As such, I ended up serving the best in my own life, despite the situation. I scored some games, but far from the winner of the contest. It was a beautiful moment in that group picture. My body somewhat held up. I learned so much about the doubles positioning, and so many other tips we could put in our single play. As a tennis lover, it was just a treat to have a chance to play tennis and only tennis for the last three days.

We were treated to a group dinner at the Inn at Spanish Bay. The dinner tab was included in the Tennis Camp fee, yet the menu and the wine provision were generous. After watching the beautiful sunset, we arrived at Roy’s at the beautiful The Inn at Spanish Bay.  We settled in one of the tables. Most campers took some time to change to their dining dress code. They looked so put together that it took us a while to recognize each other! The food was so good. The ambience was memorable, the conversations flew. We spent so much time on tennis courts for the last three days. After the dinner, we were on different paths again.

My spouse and I are enthused to put the tips in practice, play more. We would love to be back in another tennis camp, likely in another beautiful venue. 

Truth is the first few weeks after the camp, my shoulder was giving me fits. I had to patiently wait for its recovery. After a few more weeks of slow-as-nail improvements, I decided to check it out. I was suggested to do a few therapy sessions to strengthen my shoulder muscles. Luckily, there was no injury. Rather, I overused the shoulder muscle. 

Tennis Camp at Pebble Beach is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Few things are more rewarding than spending time doing something you love for hours and days.

I enjoy playing tennis. I am patiently waiting to play more and more.  

Dear Diary Misc. Tennis Travel

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Dec 13

Hike of a lifetime: The WAVE

by ccue

It has been a busy few months.

In September, we did the Wave hike that only a rare few have ever experienced. In October, we did our first ever 3-day tennis camp at the beautiful Pebble Beach, California. In November, we had our 3-week “longest” visit to NYC.

The Wave is a once-in-a-lifetime hike (https://thewave.info/) in Arizona. 

The Wave makes a dream destination for hikers. It is otherworldly, unique and unforgettable that I can stay there for days, and still be in awe of its natural beauty. Its photo tells a thousand words, but it pales compared to in-person experience.

The Wave in Arizona became widely known after Microsoft featured it as the default desktop wallpaper for Windows 7 on July 22, 2009. Fast forward fifteen years, many recognize the pictures but very few know about the place even fewer have visited the Wave. Why?  It may have to do with its being managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rather than the more well known National Park Service (NPS).  It may have to do with its accessibility.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages the Wave. BLM manages one in every 10 acres of land in the United States, including vast stretches of desert, grasslands, sagebrush steppe, coastal areas, and some forested lands . The National Park Service (NPS) manages US National Parks. The Wave is not part of any national parks. BLM and NPS both oversee public lands in the U.S., but their purposes and management differ. BLM manages vast areas of land (mostly in the western U.S.) for multiple uses, and emphasizes a balance between resource use and protection. BLM often leaves the wilderness alone where you can explore. There is no lodge, often no marked trails, lucky to have a parking lot or restroom. You are more on your own. 

NPS, which operates many world-renowned U.S. National Parks, offers recreational enjoyment while prioritizing conservation and strict protection. National Parks are more developed with visitor centers, with more infrastructure, more facilities, more accessibility and designated hiking trails. NPS makes the park enjoyable for generations while preserving them.

BLM operates Coyote Buttes, which includes The Wave, and limits visitation through a permit system. The Wave, being operated by the BLM, stays intact over millions of years. With only a daily maximum of 64 people getting the permit to explore the area, the human footprints are kept to the minimum. The least human footprints help the highest order of preservation. The Wave permit is hard to impossible to get. The permit can be obtained through an advanced lottery system, or a daily try-the-luck walk in. The advanced lottery system is simple. It opens four months before your trip date. You have the whole month to apply with a maximum of three preferred dates. The lottery is now open for April 2025 Permit. 

My first recorded lottery was dated March 2020. I did not try every month, as summer could be dangerously hot and winter could be harshly cold in Coyote Buttes. I only drew for the months with more forgiving weather. I did at least six attempts in the past four years. On June 3, 2024, I received this email: “Coyote Buttes North Advanced Lottery (The Wave) Lottery Results Announcement – Congratulations!”. It was an amazing feeling of a long forgotten dream coming true when I least expected it. Many tried for years, even decades, and are still trying. It is the closest we ever get to the Wilderness, seeing the same sceneries as the dinosaurs. There is no way that I will pass up on this.  We accepted the lottery results. 

A few weeks after accepting the winning lottery, BLM mailed us the permit and some directions for going to the Wave from some trailhead. It was like eleven pictures with detailed descriptions we can use to get from the trailhead to the Wave. It even states that markers placed by visitors may not be on the most direct path to the Wave. If we miss a picture and a turn, who knows when we will discover the miss and then backtrack. In short, we are on our own. We are too old to feel that getting lost, without a functional cell phone to contact outside, is an adventure. The Wave, as beautiful as it is, can be challenging and life threatening. It needs wayfinding skills and decent physical fitness to navigate through the vast wilderness. We are not confident wayfinder in the wilderness. We need to carry at least a gallon of water in a terrain of mostly sandstones. Even with the information provided by BLM, we decided to find a tour guide. The tour agency is very clear that we need to be prepared to walk 7+ miles in the rocky desert terrain, exposed to the elements. (In hindsight, we probably can figure out the navigation with some misses and backtracking, but then we will be focused on the navigation than the landscape)

My group of 4 had three months to get fit. We started our once a week training hike to get fit. From early August to a week before the Wave, we did 6 training hikes at Coyote, Upper High Meadow, and Stephen E Arbors Loop at the popular Rancho San Antonio of South Bay. The 4 hour training hike covers 8.4 miles with 1686 ft elevation.  That is not quite the 7+ hours Wave hike. To build more confidence, I also did some stairmasters during the week. We felt ready.  

The Wave has an elevation of over 5000 ft.  We arrived at page, Arizona a day prior to the Wave hike. It helps acclimatize to the elevation. There is just so much to do at Page, Arizona and its proximity. We did a short beautiful hike at the Beehive Trail, sometimes called the New Wave. We felt ready.  

September 21 was the big day. The tour guide Tyler picked us up at 5:15am. We were half awake. It was cold. Tyler is a local. He knows the area really well. He is cautious and prepares his body well with frequent sips of water during the one hour drive there. After all, he must look after us in unexpected circumstances. The first half of the drive is on a smooth freeway. The outside was dark and peaceful. Along the way, there is zero signage to tell Wave’s existence. I think it is intentional to hide it from the public. Without the experience of Tyler, It would be so easy to miss the turn to the unpaved side road to the Wave trailhead. The road becomes unpaved and gets tougher after the turn. We did not see another car until we got to the parking lot. It was too dark to see animals. We did not find any visitor center. Instead, there was a logbook, we registered our group in a log book. That log book is likely the communication protocol for the park range to figure out if everyone leaves the Wave, or gets trapped in the Wave. The pink permit was attached to my backpack all the time.

It was overcast, it was cool. There were tiny showers from time to time. It made the perfect weather for a hike. We did not need to consume much energy to overcome the sun. For the first few hours, we had the wilderness for ourselves. We did not run into another group. It was quiet and peaceful. The tour guide helped us with the better routes and avoided slippery terrains.

Along the path, there was this big rock that was shaped like a hamburger. Some rocks that looked like cauliflowers, and some just looked like human brains. Because of the shower, we found a few tiny water bodies, with some tadpole shrimps. These tadpole shrimp species have existed for hundreds of millions of years and are likely to exist after we are long gone.

The blue sky was missing that morning. The cooler weather was a blessing. We were also rewarded with different colorings of the terrain. The red rocks, the subtle green and blue color of the terrain came out indescribably beautiful under the cloudy sky. 

The Wave is under the “black line”







We  arrived at the Wave entrance in about three hours. It felt surreal to finally be in the Wave after all these years of lottery, all these weeks of preparation. The photo may disguise the Wave as soft, curly and smooth. In reality, it is formed of incredibly hard sandstones. We enjoyed just staying there to appreciate and had a lunch break. After  lunch, Tyler, our tour guide, took us to different “vista” points and an area with the dinosaur footprints. 

The sun started to show after lunch. As much as we wanted to enjoy it for more  hours, it was time to hike back. We saw a few small groups without a tour guide. They were all busy navigating and we wondered how many backtracking they would experience.  

As confident as we felt about the direction and the distinct landmarks on our return trip, we soon realized that we could easily mix up the Teepees and Twin Buttes landmarks with many other look-alikes in the wilderness. The size of the landmark changes too with the distance we are from it.  The landscape changes too. The look and feel of the landscape changes too with the weather. 

We hiked for almost seven hours for the round trip hike to the Wave. We signed out on the trail-head register before leaving, so concluded the Wave Hike.  

The Wave hike is up there as the top three hikes of my life, if not the top. I am going to cherish the beauty and the once-in-a-lifetime hike for the remaining years.  I am missing it already.  

Dear Diary Misc. Travel

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Jul 3

The Budapest Experience

by ccue

Budapest is a hidden gem with abundance of beauty and versatility. Many may not know where Budapest resides on the map. This is another reminder that quality and a well-known name often don’t go hand-in-hand. 

Budapest is a 6-hour train ride from Prague. Prague and Budapest both have beautiful settings with a river snaking through the city, and bridges connecting the two sides of the city. Budapest is formed with Buda and Pest on either bank of the Danube River. The Danube River has been immortalized by The Blue Danube Waltz musical piece which casted a romantic spell to the cities on its path.

The principality of Hungary was established around 895 AD.  Budapest, capital of Hungary, blends the historical past and the modern presence beautifully. The capital city comes across as underrated. It has the potential to attract more tourists, and play a bigger role on the world stage. Budapest has the making of a world-class city, with its history, vibrant community, central location and growing infrastructures.   

Our airbnb was located on the 2nd floor of a building on Budapest’s major thoroughfare, Váci Utca. Its location could not be better. The unit is spacious, with a small kitchen. The building features a distinctive architectural design with residential units, in yellow paint, on the peripherals, enclosing a spacious central open area. It has a dated elevator on one side, and another non-functional creepy elevator on the other side of the complex. Some of the residential units have barred doors. With the number of units in the buildings, we were further intrigued that we did not run into many residents. The whole setting felt like a scene in a spy movie with actions happening in the central open area. We even had a power outage the first morning, due to the construction work of the city, that added another unexpected twist.

Budapest is another walkable city. The Chain bridge, connecting Buda and Pest, took us to the Buda side of the city. The square, made up of the Matthias Church and the Fisherman’s Bastion, is touristy for its obvious beauty and the many look-outs of the river Danube and the Parliament over on the Pest side. The Fisherman’s Bastion is a place that beautifies your photos with its castle-shaped monuments , the inner arch windows and the various overlooks. We settled in the cafe, to enjoy the view, before testing our feet to climb up  hundreds of spiral steps to the tower of the Church. 

You can pack a lot in one day in Budapest, or do little with no goals on another day. Budapest is a city to enjoy at a pace that fits you. 

For a change in rhythm, we fit in a lot of things on the second day in the city.

We started the day with breakfast at the beautiful Cafe Gerbeaud. Cafe Gerbeaud has a storied history since its creation in 1858, a meeting in Paris that decided the cafe succession, a change of regimes, and then a return in 1984. The breakfast, pleasing to the eyes and palate, lived up to its history. Their sweets made wonderful edible souvenirs. We ended up getting a few boxes of Cognac Cherry bonbons. The Gderbeaud filled cat’s tongue chocolate would be another great souvenir choice.

The delightful breakfast gave us just the right fuel for our first stop of the day : Szechenyi Bath House. Széchenyi is one of the greatest statesmen in Hungary’s history, within Hungary he is still known to many as “the Greatest Hungarian” for his reforms. The Chain Bridge, an impressive dual-use bridge connecting Buda and Pest, was named after him. His name was particularly familiar, as its three syllables and letters could be disguised as a Chinese name in English. The Széchenyi bath house reminds me of the Turkish bath houses. The Széchenyi bath house has both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, whirlpools, indoor thermal pools and all kinds of spa in a Neo-Baroque and Neo-Renaissance architecture. We dipped in pools and spas that are included in the tickets. I felt lighter, relaxed, with more clarity, on my way out.  I ranked this among the top highlights in Budapest and highly recommended spending half a day in the bath house. 

We loved supporting the business of Chinese dim sum and cuisines everywhere we visited. After the bath house experience, we had some time before the Parliament Tour. This local Chinese dim sum restaurant Taste of Canton gave us another delightful and above-expectation experience. We were impressed with the dim sum that was hand made by the talented wife of the owner.

Located along the Danube River Bank, the Parliament is visible everywhere. If the outside is magnificent, the interior design is dazzling with an unusual royal ambience, beautiful artwork and lots of gold (40 Kg of gold). Our reservation was a bit late, and thus we ended up following a Spanish tour of the Parliament, and could only grasp simple terms like “Thank you very much for the visit”. The language barrier did nothing to affect the interior magnificence.

A couple of hours before the Danube night cruise, we selected Costes from our list of fine dining restaurants for an early dinner. The restaurant design was pleasing to the eyes, the service was first class, the waitresses were endearing and elegant, the cuisines were charming to the eyes and the palates. It was a real hidden gem, not to mention, that in our odd hour dining, we were the only dining parties as if we had reserved the whole restaurant for ourselves. The Costes downtown restaurant, inside the Prestige hotel Budapest, is better than some established Michelin restaurants we have visited. I recommend it to everyone who visits Budapest, and wish that it would keep up its excellence.

The night cruise was an hour of floating along the Danube River.  What a beautiful city as the bridges, the buildings light up in the dark! The most excitement came when the cruise offered a view of the Hungarian Parliament dancing in gold glitter and a reflecting image on Danube. We can totally imagine a cruise that just floats on the Danube with a sight of the Parliament for the whole hour; the tourists would still enjoy it. This Hungarian Parliament in Budapest easily occupies the top position as the most beautiful Parliament in the world, and I cannot think of a distant second. That concluded the busiest day we had in Budapest.  We absolutely enjoyed it.

The busiest day was followed by another slower day at our own pace, and an evening Opera at the Hungarian Opera house.  

Central Market Hall is a multi-storied farmer market, where you can check out groceries, meat, poultry, seafood, spices and bakeries. The paprika and honey are good choices for affordable and special gifts. There are quite a number of locals shopping here too. We enjoyed our stroll there, making it a nice  place to visit for an hour or two, to learn more about the locals.

Outside of the New York Cafe, there was a sign to claim itself as “the most beautiful cafe in the world”. The cafe has over a hundred years of history, with architecture and sophisticated design reminiscent of the Renaissance style with beautiful marble columns and elegant chandeliers. We expected a long line but in the moments we arrived, the line was short. The live music added to its charm. To accommodate the many visitors, we felt there was effort to maximize its occupancy with a high density of tables. The waiters, waitresses and musicians were dutiful but came across as dispassionate. We saw one customer being declined on a request to change the table, and ended up walking out of the cafe. It was a worthy visit and the interior definitely lives up to the most beautiful cafe and the food is good. It was just a small pity that the “software” did not quite match up with the “hardware”.  

The Hungarian Opera House takes the  beauty of interior decoration to the next level. The best way to appreciate the Opera House is to watch an Opera inside. That was exactly what we did, and we paid about $25 per person to catch the Boris Gundov opera. The ticket, for the high quality opera in a world class Opera House, is almost ten times cheaper in Central Europe as compared to the US. We sighed about how little has been and will be done in the US to democratize arts and culture. While this opera has been performed a handful of times in New York, few in the US are familiar with the history of this Russian Czar Boris Godunov(1552 – 1605) and this famous opera that has been remade a few times. For the night, I had that feeling that the producers creatively injected new elements into the classic opera. In some scenes, there was a laptop, there was a guy wearing modern jeans, there was a mouse in a maze. That left a strange taste. Overall I enjoyed the stage, the opera and above all, the amazing Opera House. If you have more days in Budapest, please don’t miss watching an Opera inside the Opera House. Afterwards, we had dinner at this oldest restaurant in Budapest near our airbnb. It reminded us once again that history and quality did not always have a correlation.

Our last day in Budapest, we visited the Great Synagogue. The admission pricing is surprisingly steeper than the Opera House. I particularly like its history about how the Jews worked hard to integrate into the local Hungarian society, extended flexibility in the architecture of the Synagogue, and creatively raised funding by assigning numbers to pews and selling the seat.  

From its beautiful cafes, the not-to-miss Bath House, to the most beautiful Parliament, the elegant Opera house, and the romantic river Danube, Budapest has so much to offer. Despite its myriad attractions, it’s a mystery why this city isn’t as renowned as Paris or London.

This concluded our Central Europe 2024.   Check out the full itinerary at Let’s go travel Central Europe.

Dear Diary Misc. Travel

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Jun 21

The Prague Experience

by ccue

Prague and Berlin are only a four-and-a-half hour train ride from each other.  The train ride from Berlin also transported us to a different time and space.

Prague feels like a medieval fairyland with beauty that charms you over and over again. It is the most beautiful capital in the world.

Marriott Prague, our choice of stay, is in a great location, minutes walk to Old town, but far enough to be quiet. It is almost like an US embassy in Prague – comfortable, safe and modern and with an abundance of traveling Americans. 

The Old town has a town square surrounded by medieval buildings, the pink-colored Palladium shopping mall and a bundle of welcoming eateries. Further down the town square, is the Old town hall tower, with the medieval tower clock at its southern side. It presents a 30-second show of the procession of the twelve apostles set in motion at the top of each hour. With or without the show, the tower clock is a picturesque place to visit and is packed with tourists. The record tourist density does little to erode its charm and rare beauty. There are all kinds of shops but magically, the whole place does not come across as commercial. Among the narrow alleys crisscrossing the main attractions, there are endless discoveries of shops and beautiful buildings. I particularly enjoyed the toy stores, the chimney cake stores, and the Swarovski crystals stores. 

The narrow alleys open up to the Charles Bridge. Charles Bridge is the oldest stone bridge in Europe, constructed from 1357 to 1400 AD, connecting the east and west side of Prague. The beauty of the bridge certainly has stood the test of time. On our first evening of arrival, we strolled across the pedestrian-only Charles Bridge around sunset time. The dome-shaped castle, the gothic-style Vitus Cathedral across the bank looked inviting. The glittering lights and the mystical reflections over the river Vltava were dreamy. We came back the next morning to retract the same route. The early morning was tranquil and once again we were transported to a different time and space.  

The Baroque library at Klementinum  is arguably the most beautiful library. It is among the very few things that I am determined to visit after seeing the pictures of it. Klementinum started as a monastery in the medieval period, then transformed into a Jesuit college before becoming an observatory with a beautiful library. Famous astronomers Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe both spent important years here. The library and the astronomical clock tour needed an advance reservation. The narrow spiral staircase took us to the library floor, and we could only take pictures and view the library from its entrance. I tried imagining sitting there, and studying old books. More stairs awaited to get us to the astronomical clock. At the top of the tower, we were treated with a 360o view of the most picturesque Prague.

After seeing the Castle and Vitus Cathedral many times from afar, we crossed a bridge over river Vltava to  visit in person. There are plenty of vista points along the way. 

No-one would mind walking in Prague all day long. When our tiring feet complained, we took Bolt in Prague, the Uber-like app. Three Bolt rides cost us less than $10 in total. The fare for Bolt is a better reflection of the cost of living in Prague for locals than the price we pay for meals and stays.

On a cool evening, we watched the Okamžik circus in a park. The park was lively with local people. We walked past a climbing wall with people having fun climbing up a wall. There  was a skatepark with youngsters practicing skateboard tricks. The circus was inside a tent set up in the park. The show was in Czech. The cast put on a great performance to cross the language barrier. We recommend the show to fellow tourists. 

Palladium, just a few minutes walk from Marriott, made a perfect shopping venue on another evening. We pleasantly discovered many unfamiliar to us, making it differentiable from US shopping malls. As much as I enjoyed Palladium, I preferred the narrow alleys in the Old town for an endless exploration. It was also in those shops that I found the wooden musical box with music by František Smetana, the father of Czech music and a wooden cage puzzle.

Shopping is not limited to Palladium and the Old town. Farmer markets in Prague, located next to the river Vltava, are open on Saturday. We went there to experience the local street food and the produce, before settling down in a cafe, with a circular door, enjoying coffee while appreciating the river scene. 

One morning, my spouse and I decided to walk from Marriott to the Jewish quarter in an alternate route. The route started with very modest neighborhoods and ended at a street with super luxurious stores like Patek Philippe watches and a few jewelry stores.  After a few turns, we were back in a square, which was a look-alike of the Old town. We thought that we went to a parallel universe and Prague has two copies of the Old towns. It turned out that Jewish quarter and the Old town are just within minutes of walking. This stupidity and the hilarity will stay with us for a very long time.

Bond cafe was yet another funny experience. The Bond movie “Casino Royale” had a few shots made in Prague. The cafe was close to our hotel, so my daughter and I decided to meet up in the Bond Cafe after some shopping. I was late but my daughter was not anywhere to be found as I entered the Bond Cafe. This time, it was not a parallel universe. There are two bond cafes within a few minutes of walking. The bond cafe is decorated with many Bond movie pictures. We had the best pancakes in the Bond Cafe. We definitely recommend it as a great meeting place, but get the exact address ahead of time. 

If you choose to go to just one cafe in Prague, Cafe Imperial makes the top choice. The cafe, dated over a hundred years ago, has an art deco structure with many small tiles painted with different colors and styles. The design reflects its history. Yet it is so meticulously maintained that its beauty and cleanliness never stop impressing us. The cafe serves full meals. I recommend you make an advance reservation, try the beef cheeks main course and the chocolate “bomb” surprises as dessert, with additional rooms for the very beautiful cake desserts on display. 

The Prague cafes make perfect places to rest, to have a tea time, to write a blog, to write a story, to write a book. 

We went to Ginger and Fred restaurant at the Dancing House, to watch the sunset in this beautiful city. Ginger and Fred restaurant is a fine restaurant. Yet I found the food served at the no-frills, down-to-earth workers’ cafe Česká kuchyně  and the chimney cake (Trdelník in Czech) everywhere on the street to be more special and memorable. 

Prague is a city you won’t get tired of, you will take pictures of the same medieval scenery repeatedly, and the scenery will still make your heart jump a bit. 

If there is a ranked list of the most beautiful capitals, Prague has to be among the top. 

Dear Diary Misc. Travel

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Jun 9

The Berlin experience

by ccue

I have a few Berlin associations. During the pandemic years, I read the book “In the Garden of Beasts – Love, terror and an American family in Hitler’s Berlin”.  It told what life was like in Berlin in the late 1930s for the family of an American scholar, also an ambassador. Life was glamorous, political and difficult. It made a good book to see the city before World War II and the US/Germany dynamics back then. In my neighborhood, outside of a public library, there is a piece of the Berlin Wall. With the historical significance of the Berlin wall, it is intriguing that people walk past without stopping, I have yet to see anyone stopping to take a picture there, except me once. These two however are not my favorite associations with the city. My favorite impression of Berlin comes from its world-renowned Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Berlin film festival.  

Berlin has a lot of culture. I cannot think of another day with more arts and music, than this first full day in Berlin: Berliner Philharmoniker performance in late morning, Neues Museum and Museum Island after, followed by East Side Gallery/Berlin Wall. My spouse and I reserved two tickets at the Berliner Philharmoniker. The tickets cost us $25 per person, way more affordable in Berlin than San Francisco. The Philharmoniker building tells little about the world-class acoustic and magnificent organs inside the  performing venue. The concert hall sells one of the best morning snacks that we recommend for all concert-goers. The ushers are courteous and gracious. We got inside the concert hall with plenty of time to settle down, take some pictures before the performance started. It was a performance of Aurel Dawidiuk and the Karajan Academy. Dawidiuk, the organist, performed beautifully in solo, followed by the duo with woodwind performers, before joined by a mini-orchestra of the academy. Rather than being overcome by jet lag, I was absolutely energized by the music. It has been a long time since I enjoyed a concert so much. The Berlin Philharmoniker certainly lives up to its reputation. I would not hesitate any bit to return for other performances. We just didn’t have that luxury as a tourist. 

Museum Islands came next on this cultural day. We walked past the picturesque Berliner Dom (Cathedral) next to the river Spree. It was a weekend of free admission to museums. The Pergamon Museum was unfortunately closed due to safety concerns. The Neues museum is totally worth a visit. We enjoyed the world famous exhibits in the Neues museum: the most beautiful Nefertiti_bust (1345 BC), the feat of engineering Berlin gold hat (900 BC), Berlin green head (396 BC), the mystic wooden cult figurines (5th Century). 

Our daughter then joined us to appreciate the murals and the messages at the East Side Gallery/Berlin wall.  

Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, Europa & Berlin Bikini 

Advanced reservation, with in-person proof of id, is required to visit the Glass Dome atop the Reichstag (Imperial Assembly) building. We started the self-guided tours as we walked up the spiral slope inside the large glass dome. The headset is  a smart device which seemingly can detect our position and play the audio automatically and appropriately. We took all the time we wanted to appreciate the 360° view of the Berlin cityscape, to learn about the construction of the glass dome, as well as the recent history of the country. Brandenburg gate is just minutes of walk from the Reichstag. With the construction, it became more of a meeting place, though the murals on the walls of the gate would still be worth a brief look. 

We picked a German restaurant nearby for a family lunch. It served the woodruff green-color beer and the raspberry pink-color beer alongside the familiar German cuisine of sausage, pork knuckles. Beer is a water substitute for many of our meals in Berlin. Berlin Beer seems to taste better too.

Berlin arguably offers the best Turkish food outside of Turkey, due to its sizable Turkish population. After shopping at Europa and Bikini shopping centers, we enjoyed a Turkish dinner. As much as we like trying the German cuisine of currywurst, the pork cutlets, the pork knuckles, they are just a bit too meaty, so  the Mediterranean Turkish meals come across much healthier and make a better choice as everyday food. 

Fine dining at Facil 2-star Michelin, Sanssouci Palace 

It was my birthday. We took the subway to the Berlin film festival area. Facil, a 2-star Michelin restaurant was our choice of fine dining for a family lunch. The restaurant, located inside the five-star Mandala Hotel, is elegantly decorated but not over-the-board. It is inviting while giving out a relaxed elegance. The service is attentive with considerations to leave us alone to have our own conversations and to enjoy the dish. The dishes are all pleasing to our palates and to our eyes. The price performance is superior over the Michelin restaurants in the Bay Area. The restaurant became my new favorite. If you are in Berlin, check out Facil.

After lunch,  a combination of trains and Uber took us to the rather “remote” Sanssouci Palace, at Potsdam. It is not a convenient stop. Sans Souci translates to no-worry in English. And the palace was in some romantic scenes in a recent Korean TV drama hit “Queen of Tears’ ‘ we just watched. It made for a fitting stop for my birthday. 

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Berlin is not a picturesque city like some other European capitals. Berlin is versatile in big ways. People, we encountered, are courteous, educated, reserved without attempting to be overly familiar. It reminds us of NYC. Every time we are in NYC, we find new things to do, new places to visit, new cafes to relax in, and new shows to watch. Berlin, like NYC, is a city of endless discovery.

Concerts Dear Diary Misc. Travel

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Jun 9

Let’s go travel Central Europe

by ccue

Like many travelers, I am more often attracted to visiting new countries and new cultures miles away from where I live. It is a guilty pleasure to count the number of countries traveled. 

I cannot think of a better birthday treat  than traveling with family to charming and beautiful new countries for the first time. In this fortnight, we visited three capitals in Central Europe: Berlin, Germany; Prague, Czech; Budapest, Hungary. 

Over the years, I came to enjoy the travel experiences more than checkbox as many attractions as possible. I became aware of my “spotty” and non-photogenic memories. And I no longer have the energy of youth. The children need their space. The four of us had some sub-itineraries that fit in our preferences and travel styles. If you are like me, I find a flexible itinerary works the best to experience what each city is famous for, and find time for at least one fine dining and some shopping.  

With this approach, we fixed the  travel logistics weeks before. We identified a good list of attractions and made a very small set of cafes and ticket reservations. Our travel itinerary remained open until the day.

There is no direct flight from SFO to Berlin. For the convenience and price-performance, we decided to fly from SFO to LHR (Heathrow airport)  in London, transition to the much modest STN (London Stansted airport)  via a 90-minute shuttle, and fly from STN to BER (Berlin Brandenburg airport). We allowed plenty of time for airport to airport transition. Just hours before departure from San Francisco, our flight from SFO to LHR was canceled. The notification of cancellation arrived after midnight local time, and it took a few hours of scramble to get a different airline and different flight to get to LHR within an hour of the original arrival time. Drama aside, we arrived at Berlin as planned.

May | Central Europe : Berlin, Prague, Budapest

  • Day 1, May 3, SFO to LHR, STN to BER (24 hours with 8 hours of layover in London) 
  • Day 2 to 6, Berlin, Germany; stay at Adina Apartment Hackescher Markt
    • Day 2, arriving, BBQ kitchen dinner
    • Day 3, Berlin Philharmonie performance; Neues Museum and Museum Island; East Side Gallery/Berlin Wall
    • Day 4, Reichstag Glass Dome tour;, Brandenburg Gate; Europa & Bikini shopping center, dinner 
    • Day 5, Facil Michelin 2-star; Sanssouci (no worry) Palace
    • Day 6, Berlin Hlf to Prague Hl.n (~4.5 hours)
  • Day 6 to 10 , Prague, Czech; stay at Marriott Prague
    • Day 6, Old town; Charles bridge at dusk
    • Day 7, Old town; Charles bridge in early morning; Klementinum library and astronomical clock tour; city library; Prague castle; Circus in the park
    • Day 8, National museum; Wenceslas square; Cafe Imperial early dinner; Palladium shopping
    • Day 9, Farmers’ market; Old Town Shopping; Bond cafe; Dancing house dinner
    • Day 10, Train to Budapest, with stops at Brno (where Gregor Mendel and his peas experiment to discover heredity) and Bratislava, Slovakia   
  • Day 10 to 14, Budapest, Hungary, stay at airbnb on Vaci Utca
    • Day 10, arriving from Prague; check in airbnb on Budapest’s major thoroughfare Váci Utca 
    • Day 11, Anna cafe breakfast; Buda castle; Castle district; Fisherman’s bastion; Matthias Cathedral; Vigvarju restaurant dinner inside Concert Hall
    • Day 12, Cafe Gerbeaud breakfast; Szechenyi bath house; Hungarian Parliament tour; Costes dinner; Danube night cruise
    • Day 13, Taste of Canton (粤之味) Chinese Dim Sum; Boris Godunov at Opera house and shops
    • Day 14, Dohány Street Synagogue tour, BUD to LHR

There is the commonly asked question “which city do I like the most?”. I found these cities are all charming in their own unique ways, each bringing once-in-a-life moments for me and my family to cherish for a very long time. Here I share my experience in each city. 

Check out the blogs on the Berlin experience, the Prague experience and the Budapest experience.

Enjoy our Central Europe Attractions video.

Dear Diary Misc. Travel

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Mar 25

Let’s go Messi, Inter Miami, Ft Lauderdale, Florida 

by ccue

The March plan for Florida was simple: buy expensive soccer game tickets, fly to Ft Lauderdale, see god. I am talking about Messi. Soccer is at best the distant fourth popular sport in the US after football, basketball and baseball. Yet, Messi has become the most popular US athlete since joining Inter Miami CF last July. He is 36 years old. In the demanding contact sport of soccer, he is as aged as a dinosaur. His star power peaks further after he won the World Cup for Argentina. With the diminishing opportunities to see Messi magic live, there is little time left to earn the bragging right “we have seen the soccer GOAT”. Injury and retirement can happen any moment. He did not play in the Hong Kong stop of the pre-season world tour. He has only one or two seasons playing for Inter Miami. These cemented our plan to go catch him. Until the game starts, it is anybody’s guess if Messi would show up on the pitch. 

We pushed luck to our side by following what the Inter Miami coach said : “The Concacaf Champions Cup will be the most important game(s) of the year”. Messi is more likely to play in home games in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. Few know Inter Miami narrowly won the game against Nashville last season to grasp the first ever team cup, in the nail-biting penalty shootout. We bet that if there is any game Messi will most likely show up, it will be this Concacaf game featuring Inter Miami vs Nashville in Florida.

We still needed luck after lining up the stars. Luck was on our side. 

The game time was 8:15pm. Before the pilgrimage to see Messi, we visited the Everglades National Park (NP) located slightly over an hour’s drive away.  

Everglades NP is unlike any other NP we have visited. It has limited parking spaces, and we had to wait for enough cars to get out before we could get in. We waited for about an hour. The time went by fast.  There was this couple of colorful Halloween pennant dragonflies hopping around, inviting us to picture them. There was this peaceful stream of water. The visitor center was within a short walking distance, making it arguably the shortest walk to any NP visitor center from the entrance station. The visitor center has exhibits and gifts that help to kill time with meaningful information.

The Everglades NP is unique in another way. It is not hikers friendly. There are some paved roads, little trails, and hardly any shades. In May, we felt the warmth already. Instead, the park offers a 2-hour tram ride every hour, and a bike rental for visitors. The tram-ride is first come first served. It was a very enjoyable ride, with diverse geological landscape, alligators of all sizes, lovely blue herons, elegant egrets, colorful purple gallinule and muscular anhinga. It is one of the best NP to visit without prior planning. The park is full of life especially in this season of Spring.

We rested in the hotel briefly to build up the energy for the Chase Stadium pilgrimage.

We arrived at the Chase Stadium about 3 hours before the game time at 8:15pm. We were hardly alone. There were families. There were several food trucks outside. There were boys playing soccer and I was hit by the soccer a few times. It was a lively atmosphere. No-one seemed to be in a hurry. Truth be told, we expected the fan zones to have more activities for the fans like other sport events. We expected better food choices. We expected better facilities for the over $200 per person ticket we have paid. The stadium looked dated too. 

The impression did not improve, when we got into the stadium with over an hour to spare. We were surprised that the gift store was no more than a line for the most enthusiastic fans. It was just a place to order exactly the products you have in mind. There was no shopping experience. It was a buying experience. We were surprised with the portable toilets. We were surprised with the limited food choices inside the stadium. 

With little to visit, we were among the earliest to take our seats. We had plenty of time to take pictures. After some waiting, the visiting Nashville team started their warm-up first, followed by the Inter Miami home team. From the practice, we could guess the starters. It felt like waiting for the dream to come true to see all four ex-Barcelona stars (Messi, Suarez, Alba, and Busquet) as starters. We were lucky. The Messi effect was felt through the stadium every time his name was mentioned by the announcer, followed by the “Messi” chanting. 

The Inter Miami vs Nashville Game started on time as expected. Inter Miami scored the first goal within the first 10 minutes by Suarez with an assist from Messi. It was a beautiful play. Everyone in the stadium was on their feet, with cheers, drumbeat, drum roll, and firework. What a moment. Shortly after, Messi scored himself. The Nashville team played well enough to keep the atmosphere tense and keep us in suspense. As the second half began, I noticed Messi had that uncommon hands-on-knees position that came across as strange at first. Within seconds, he turned over his captain armband to another Inter Miami player, and walked towards the bench. Simultaneously, the substitute board was raised, and he was substituted. I sensed that he may have an injury and the substitute was unplanned.  

We have watched the soccer god play live – Messi assisted, scored, and then seemingly injured. What an unbelievable experience of a lifetime. It was not quite the same as checking the bucket list of watching the World Soccer Cup live. This one seemed even sweeter. We felt that we watched on behalf of the many HongKongers who were heartbroken when Messi did not play in the Inter Miami pre-season stop in Hong Kong. That Messi Mess in Hong Kong was something to be forgotten.

Before we flew out the next afternoon, we took a 45-minute airboat ride at the Sawgrass recreation park. The lobster claw scoobies served in the Coconut Seafood were exceptionally delicious, and spent some time on the Ft Lauderdale beaches. The beaches, the bars and the lounges screamed to tell us that this was the Spring break week of the college students.  

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Mar 23

Let’s go travel US West

by ccue

Like many travelers, I am more often attracted to visiting new countries and new cultures miles away from where I live. It is a guilty pleasure to add to the number of countries traveled. After a few days traveling the West and another few days traveling in Florida,  I am reminded once again of the many attractions in the US. 

Few things are more enjoyable than family traveling together. Traveling at a time with less crowdedness just a week after the holiday season, makes the experience better. We did just that in January, when most were getting back to school or getting back to work. Kauai was our first choice. The airfare was not particularly expensive. Yet that sentiment of “why we pay for this price when we can get a cheaper airfare another time”. Truth be told, we were a bit late in our planning. The “let’s go somewhere” won the family vote over “let’s stay home”. We planned, within a day, a scenic “wild west” trip to Las Vegas, Antelope Slot Canyon, Monument Valley, and Grand Canyon. Arizona and Utah’s hot summers are particularly well known. Little did we know about the snowstorms in the cold winter in these places. These snowstorms turned out to be beautiful, dangerous and scary.

January | Horseshoe, Antelope, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas  

  • Day 1, Jan 5, SJC -> LAS, drive to Page, Arizona
  • Day 2, Horseshoe Bend, Upper Antelope Canyon tour, drive to Monument Valley, Utah-Arizona
  • Day 3, Monument Valley, drive to Grand Canyon
  • Day 4, Grand Canyon
  • Day 5, Grand Canyon, drive to Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Day 6, Jan 10, Las Vegas, LAS -> SJC

Our flight from San Jose to Las Vegas was smooth. We crossed from the State of Nevada to the State of Arizona, arriving at Page in less than 5 hours of highway driving. Along the way, the landscape changed from the dry desert landscape of Nevada to one of the otherworldly and peaceful brownish-red rocky landscapes of Utah and Arizona. The less well-known town of Page makes excellent base camps to many amazing National Parks (NP), including Zion NP, Bryce NP.  It also makes a convenient hub for our itinerary: Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley and Grand Canyon.  

The next morning, we were greeted with chilly and sunny weather. Sunrise time was between 7 and 8. It was still dark when we arrived at the parking lot of the Horseshoe bend. After a short and scenic walk, we arrived at the Horseshoe bend, before the sunrise. The gradual sunrise painted the sky and the rocks with changing colors. Its beauty was better described in pictures than in words. I felt the acrophobia even looking over the fence to see the bottom of the horseshoe bend. The river at the bottom was partially frozen, making it a half mirror and half flowing water. The time to stay there varied with personal preference. We stayed there for a while to soak in its beauty, and take pictures from as many angles as possible. In spite of the chilly and windy condition, I would have liked to stay there much longer. 

The Upper Antelope Canyon is famous for its wave-like structure, and the light beams. It is one of the most-photographed slot canyons in the world. The slot canyon is narrow and cannot be more different from the Grand Canyon. It is under the management of the Native Americans. They offer guided tours providing short lorry rides to take us there, and serve as visitor guides in the walk through the slot canyon. The wave-like structure comes in different colors and shapes. With some imagination, I could see a fox, a president, a monument valley and many more. We enjoyed the tour and the pictures immortalized its unique beauty. I would have loved to hike to experience the slot canyon. Unlike National Parks, we are not allowed to explore on our own.

Like the Antelope Canyon, the Monument Valley is also managed by the Navajo Native Americans. Its landscape is best appreciated from the View Hotel, Monument Valley. We did just that. The sunset was nowhere to be seen with the cloudy sky. There was a forecast of a snow storm in the evening. The View Hotel has one of the best gift shops with some unique offerings from rugs, carpets, sand paintings, and many different souvenirs. There is also a museum sharing the history of Navajo Natives since the early twenty centuries, and their contributions in World War II. I would not have known that their unique language codes have been used as encrypted communication channels during the war. I got a better understanding of the history and how their land has been colonized. I recommend fellow travelers to visit the museum as they enjoy the natural beauty of the Monument Valley.

There was snow overnight. The weather was quite gloomy the next morning. The monuments in the valley had more patches of snow that looked like layers of shattered glasses at the base of many monuments.  These monuments looked different from the evening before. The scenery in the overcast weather was unique in its own way and we could not get tired of taking pictures. We intended to spend an hour driving in the valley, before heading to the Grand Canyon. Similar to the Antelope Canyon, the Monument Valley is not a National Park. There is not much of a sign on where to go. We made the wrong turn and exited the valley accidentally. As we U-turned back to the entrance, we were told that we had to pay the entrance fee again. We had been told clearly the day before, when we paid for the admission, that our ticket was valid for 24 hours. After some back-and-forth, the entry station agent absolutely denied everything we heard what they said less than a day ago. We were upset enough to skip the driving tour, and headed directly to the Grand Canyon. It was unlikely we would make a return trip any time soon. We were pretty annoyed. Only a few hours later, we realized it was a blessing in disguise as we ran into a bad snowstorm on our way to the Grand Canyon. If we had taken the time to explore the Monument Valley, we might have been dangerously stuck in the road, and risked not reaching the Grand Canyon.

It is a four hour drive from Monument Valley to the Grand Canyon. We did not foresee the danger awaited. Once on the road, we felt the effect of the snowstorm the night before, when the landscape turned into the Christmas white. The road was still good. The scenery was beautiful. We stopped near Flagstaff for a quick lunch and were still on track to arrive at the Grand Canyon south rim before dark. 

No-one could predict the weather. We walked out of the restaurant to find heavy snow and we were in the middle of a snowstorm. The snow plow was working hard to clear the parking lots. We were still relaxed knowing that we were about 90 minutes from the Grand Canyon south rim, we had a SUV, and we had enough time on hand. We realized the full scale of the danger when the brake of our SUV did not respond in one downward turn. Our SUV skidded to the other side of the road, which left us shaken to the core. We had to thank God that the SUV stopped just in time. There were no incoming cars which would have hit us badly. Afterwards, we were driving at 20 miles per hour on a highway with snow all around us, and were nervous at the most gentle grade of the road.  

We cannot be more thankful to the well paved straight roads all the way to the Grand Canyon south rim. It was already dark as we parked outside the Grand Canyon Bright Angel Inn. We breathed the biggest sigh of relief and appreciated our dinner even more. The Grand Canyon was substantially colder than Monument Valley. We snuggled in our cabins. As we drifted off, we still felt the shock of the earlier SUV skid. That shock stayed with us for weeks.

We were delighted to see a clear blue sky the next morning.

The weather could not be better for our mule ride along the south rim. We got busy preparing for the ride: received a water bottle, cleaned it, filled it with water, and attached any loose items (eye glasses, phones) to our body. The mule guides helped us to get on our mule, one at a time. We were more than ready to go as we shivered in the cold on our mule. Shortly after we started our tour, we arrived at the south rim, and were in awe of the grandeur of the Grand Canyon. When our mules turned to face the grand canyon, it was quite frightening even though we were still more than a few feet away from the cliff. According to the guide, having the mules facing the grand canyon would remind them of the danger. I could not tell if the mules knew the danger, we certainly felt it and could only comfort ourselves that no mules had ever jumped into the canyon. Soon we got comfortable on the back of the mule. We appreciated the canyon views and the forest areas more and more. We were relaxed enough to take pictures. It was certainly the highlight of this road trip. We recommend the mule ride to all visiting the park.

After the mule ride, we took a leisurely drive and strolled in the park. We caught a beautiful sunset over the Grand Canyon. We finished the day with a nice dinner at the El Tovar Dining room to celebrate a family birthday. As we walked back to our cottages, the stars were twinkling on a clear night sky. It made a perfect night for star gazing.

We felt we were back to the safe urban zone as we settled in the super size hotel suite at Las Vegas. Our adventures were not over yet. The next morning, we mistakenly put an electric kettle, placed next to the stove, over the stove. It was burnt badly. The smoke triggered the fire alarm.The hotel agents reassured us that it happened before, and we had nothing to worry about. Then without any mention, we were charged over $1000 for the kettle on our bill. It took us another few weeks and we had to involve the Better Business Bureau to dispute the charge.

The road trip was memorable. We were treated to unique and amazing landscapes. We encountered unforeseen incidents and thanked God for overcoming them.

We are ready for a more relaxing family trip in January, 2025. Kauai maybe.

Dear Diary Misc. Travel

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