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Jan 2

Iguaçu Falls – Brazil

by ccue

Some travelers may have only one day to explore Iguaçu Falls.  After spending a day in Argentina and another day in Brazil, we asked ourselves the question “which side would we go if we only had a day to spare?”  

We arranged a one-day driver service for about $100 USD. The service includes picking us up from the Airbnb, helps us to cross the border to Brazil, drop us off at the Iguaçu National Park, and take us back to the Airbnb. It relieved us from the logistic distractions.

Across Iguaçu National Park, there is a bird park Parque das Aves. The bird park is among the best places for us to enjoy the exotic and colorful birds, not commonly seen in North America. Unlike its unassuming entrance, the park is well maintained showing great care to the birds.  There are large aviaries and lots of spaces for the birds. There are restaurants and rest places for the travellers. The park is designed very well with beautiful flora, lots of educational signage along the trail and secure entrances/exits from one aviary to another. We ended up spending almost three hours in the park, appreciating the stylish Owls, the graceful Flamingoes, the beautiful Scarlet Ibis, the colorful Toucans, and many many more. We can spend more time there if not for the reserved admission time of Iguaçu National Park. 

The logistics of Iguaçu National Park of Brazil are different from that of Argentina. In Argentina, helicopter service is prohibited due to environmental concerns such as noise level, impact to the animals. The Iguazu Falls National Park on the Argentina side is connected by trains and trails. In Brazil, there are helicopter services to see the falls and there are buses, with long queues, at the entrance to take you to a fixed number of stops in the park. We got off at the arguably most popular stop right across the Belmond Hotel das Cataratas inside the park. From there, there is an easy stroll full of photo opportunities of the Falls. This Brazilian side offers sweeping panoramic views of roughly 80% of the waterfalls located in Argentina and the staircase character of the falls. There are boardwalks to take you close to some individual falls to experience the waterfall mists and the winds. It was fun and wet.  

So “where (which side) would we go if we only had a day to spare?” We think the Brazilian side has the edge with the amazing panoramic views to see its scale and the grandeur. For boat rides, Argentina has the edge. Our recommendation: It takes quite some logistics to visit Iguazu Falls. Why not spend more days in the biggest waterfall systems of the world? 

Coming up : El Calafate Nov 17 to 21

Dear Diary Misc. Travel

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Jan 2

Iguazu Falls – Argentina

by ccue

The Iguazu Falls (Argentina) or Iguaçu Falls (Brazil) are major tourist attractions in South America. Upon seeing Iguazu, the United States First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed, “Poor Niagara!”. In November, we visited Iguazu and spent two full days there. 

Spanning across 1.7 miles, Iguazu Falls are arranged in a massive, semicircular “horseshoe” shape and composed of over 200 individual falls. In comparison, Victoria Falls in Africa are 1.1 miles wide and Niagara Falls in Canada are 0.6 miles wide. The river of the Iguazu Falls is the Iguazu River, which flows from Brazil, forms the border between Argentina and Brazil, and then empties into the Paraná River, creating one of the world’s largest waterfall systems, if not the. About half of the river’s flow falls into a long and narrow chasm called the Devil’s Throat, along the Argentina–Brazil border. On the right bank is the Brazilian territory, which is home to more than 95% of the Iguazu River basin but has just over 20% of the jumps of these falls, and the left side jumps are Argentine, which make up almost 80% of the falls. From the Argentine territory, you have the chance to boat up close or hike up close to hear its thunder and experience its power. From the Brazilian territory, it is easier to take more impressive panoramic pictures of the 80% of the falls in Argentina.

A day in Argentina

It is a two hour flight from AEP (Buenos Aires) to IGR (Iguazu). Uber is not as consistently available in Argentina outside of Buenos Aires.  At IGR, we met the taxi driver Ada who spoke bits and pieces of English phrases on the ride to our Airbnb.  We understood each other well enough that Ada became our driver for another few rides. The ride from IGR airport to our Airbnb was very scenic with forest along the way and lots of butterflies hovering above the flowers paving the road. We were pleasantly reminded that November is Spring time in South America. The Airbnb is very spacious, modern and comfortable and it has a water dispenser which saves us the effort of buying bottles of water. There are restaurants and grocery markets within easy walking distances. The neighborhood seems more for locals than for tourists and lacks the camaraderie of fellow travelers.

The Iguazu Falls, on the side of Argentina, reside in the Argentine province of Misiones, and make up close to 80% of the falls. We had a reservation for a 3-hour boat ride, including jungle transport to the river. The open-top jungle transport was a comfortable ride. There were birds chirping, we saw colorful Toucans and enjoyed the forest as we rode through the jungle with fellow travellers. The tourist guide explained everything in both English and Spanish. 

After hundreds of stairs going down, we arrived at the river, were given life vests and a big waterproof bag, to put everything in, and were reminded that no raingear would save us from getting soaking wet. Then began the boat ride. The first leg was on a quiet river flow. Soon, there were individual waterfalls and more waterfalls. As the boat approached the waterfalls up close, it felt more like a roller coaster ride, except this ride, we were under the waterfalls. At times, it was like being in a shower. At other times, it was like being “hit” by powerful water jets. We got soaking wet and the boat kept going back to be under the waterfalls. When we had enough, the boat was back to the quiet river again and we headed back to the jungle. It was cold, fun and exciting.  If you go for the boat ride, just remember to bring a spare set of clothes, unless you want to spend the remainder of the day in wet apparels.

In the afternoon, we took the slow moving and comfortable train ride in the park, and did the popular hikes : the Devil’s Throat trail first, and then the Upper Circuit, Lower Circuit. The Devil’s Throat trail leads to the most powerful section of the falls with well paved suspended walkways.  At the Devil’s Throat, we were level with the waterfall, hearing its thunder and feeling its mist as the water jumped down the 200 feet canyon. The Upper Circuit allows us to see the waterfalls from above. The lower circuit allows relaxing stroll on boardwalk over the river, and gets us close-up views from below.  There were many many individual waterfalls we visited along these hikes. These hikes, some with stairs, are overall friendly to travellers of different degrees of fitness. 

The boat ride, the trains and the hikes offer stunning and varied perspectives of the falls. 

Next: Iguaçu Falls – Brazil

Dear Diary Misc. Travel

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Dec 25

Buenos Aires, Argentina

by ccue

Weekdays in Buenos Aires are spent working, and weekends are for discovering the city. It still offers me plenty of opportunities to get to know the capital city in my three-week stay. Buenos Aires feels like a Spanish-speaking New York city look alike with visible Italian influences from Tango, music, pizza and pasta. Like New York, it takes time to discover and appreciate what the city offers.

Buenos Aires has vastly distinct neighborhoods. 

As the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires does not have much Asian presence. We hardly run into Asians, and hardly hear anyone speaking Mandarin or Cantonese (or Japanese or Korean or Vietnamese or even English) on the street. Buenos Aires has a sizable Chinatown, in the Belgrano neighborhood, that feels more like an Asian town with varieties of Asian eateries, and shops. It is very pleasant to visit over a weekend. It is probably the place in Buenos Aires that I have run into the most Asian restaurants. Even though Chinese cuisines are popular worldwide, Chinese restaurants are also rare other than the buffet style Chinese dishes, served as fast food and sold by the kilos with an unappealing look and equally unappealing tastes. The only dim sum restaurant we discover is the one in Chinatown and it is good. 

Cemetery and Beauty do not naturally come together, the Recoleta neighborhood has the famous Recoleta cemetery highly regarded in its beauty. If you are in the area, don’t miss Floralis Genérica, the iconic “flora garden” next to Recoleta. Floralis Genérica is home to a massive, mechanized aluminum flower sculpture in the Plaza de las Naciones Unidas (United Nations Square) that opens its petals during the day and closes them at night, representing all flowers in the world. I can be there all day appreciating the simple beauty and grandeur of the flower sculpture.

The San Nicolás neighborhood has the Opera house, the Obelisk as the landmark.  The historic Monserrat neighborhood has the Casa Rosada, the Pink House equivalent of the White House. The Puerto Madero area has another landmark of the Woman’s Bridge, Puente de la Mujer, and the surrounding eateries have attracted crowds of locals and tourists. The San Nicolás, Monserrat, Puerto Madero neighborhoods are more reminiscent of the European colonial times. They are mostly upscale with some neighborhoods that feel like miles and miles of parks full of greeneries. 

The Palermo neighborhood, where our Airbnb is, is a vibrant area, with markets and shops. There is a 10-lane road that takes a minute to walk across. Airbnb made my home office during my stay, so we picked the more pricey unit. We got a 2-story unit on the 27th floor in the center of Palermo, with a home office and a big bed upstairs, a kitchen and living space downstairs with floor-to-ceiling windows. Every morning, we were greeted with an expansive city view and lots of birds chirping. In the evening a beautiful sunset created a glow to the city. There is a well-equipped gym at the top floor, overseeing the plane taking off from the AEP airport from afar and the view of the Rio de la Plata. There is also a sauna room below the gym, and every time we used it, there was no-one else, making it a private sauna. There is also a long outdoor pool, open during the summer months. When I need to take a break from work, I can get a coffee, an orange juice, a slice of pizza and an empanada within a few minutes of walking. We paid ~$120 per night, which is a stark reminder of  the differences in cost of living of different cities.

Just about a 10 to 15 minute walk, there are a variety of restaurants on the clusters of streets, each named after a Latin American country. Argentines have very late dinner hours. We kept our early dinner hours, and often were treated to have a restaurant all for ourselves, well not for the world-famous Don Julio restaurant. Don Julio is a popular Michelin Star restaurant located on Guatemala street. It is considered as the #1 restaurant in the Latin American region. Every evening, there are lines formed by steak-loving diners, who have made reservations, waiting for the opening of Don Julio restaurant. We went there for dinner one evening and it lived up to its reputation. 

San Telmo is among the oldest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, well preserved with colorful houses, and is worth a stroll during the day time. The nearby neighborhood like La Boca, famous for its soccer stadium and the immortal Argentine Maradona, is a rundown neighborhood to avoid after dark and maybe even during the day. These neighborhoods are where Tango originated as a blend of European, African, and criollo rhythms in the late 19th century. 

Just like major cities, we always need to be mindful of the surroundings. In Buenos Aires, there are often bar-protected shops, and it is not uncommon to find gun-carrying police or security personnel on the streets. It constantly reminds us to be mindful of safety in major cities like Buenos Aires or New York City. There are “land mines” in the city, as a result of the many dogs and their dog owners.  Not all dog owners clean up the waste so there are “land mines” to keep you paying attention all the time. I just hope that the city does something about it, be it by penalizing the dog owners or other smarter alternatives.

The Argentines have the best use case of WhatsApp. Airbnb, hotels, delivery and many teams use WhatsApp for communication, and over time, we get used to connecting with “these service teams” over WhatsApp and often get real-time if not even 7*24 support. We also feel more confident in connecting with fellow travellers over WhatsApp to share travel tips. These use cases confirm Messaging Apps, like WhatsApp, lives up to its promises of connecting people.  We are very thankful for these Messaging Apps.  

Considered as one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic, the Teatro Colón Opera House is a historic opera house in Buenos Aires. Leading international opera directors claim that it has the room with the best acoustics for opera.  We decided to catch the opera Salome by Richard Strauss to experience the coziness and grandeur of the Opera House, and the Opera performance.

Tango shows often start at 10pm. It is in line with the late dinner hours of the Argentines. The late start is prohibitive to us early sleepers. Instead, my spouse and I experienced some Tango dancing street performance, and we signed up for a one-time Tango lesson. It is not only Tango dancing. The lesson is a mix of Tango music appreciation and learning simple Tango steps. I would remember this experience for a long time and definitely recommend the lessons to fellow travellers.

Soccer is the love of Argentines. What better to experience Argentina and the love of soccer than watching a soccer game at the River Plate Estadio Monumental stadium. This stadium houses 85000 spectators and it is hard to get tickets. For the full soccer fan experience, we joined a local tour with a guide who took care of the tickets, arranged a pre-game beer social get together with the group, and took care of us before and after the game. A WhatsApp group was set up for communication. Hours before the game time, we met up and a bus took us to a restobar. We bonded with other travellers over the beer, and shared our travel experiences. It was very fun. The restobar is within walking distance of the Stadium. After an hour or so of social time, we headed towards the Stadium. There were food booths along the way, and the crowd grew as we got closer to the stadium and the game time. The fans behave respectfully, are loyal and disciplined. I still remember the first impression of the Stadium – the vastness, the non-stopping chanting of fans creating peak decibels (dB) like in a sold-out rock concert, the flying flags and the energy of the crowd that filled the stadium.  

The game was meant to be an easy win for the River Plate home team. The opponent  Gimnasia is a team which the home team has not lost against for the last two decades. In that evening, the River Plate home team put up an unimpressive performance, even failing to convert the penalty kick gifted to the team in the last minute and ended up losing 0-1. In spite of the dramatic upset, the fans were obviously super loyal as they continued to chant for their home team to the last minutes and after the game. The loyalty and behaviors of the fans set a great model for the other soccer fans across the world.

A week after, the River Plate team and the Boca Juniors team met in the Superclásico, considered as one of the “top 50 sporting things you must do before you die”. The ill fortune of the River Plate team continued and they lost against their all-time rivalry. It was quite an experience to run into their fans and their bus on the streets before and after the game. The fans, wearing the team jerseys were everywhere on the day. The city experience of Superclásico made one of our most memorable experiences in the city.  If you ever visit the city, watching a soccer game is a must, and we recommend the more upscale Estadio Monumental, more so than the La Bocca stadium due to the neighborhood. 

It is hard to believe that Colonia del Sacramento of Uruguay is only a ferry ride from Buenos Aires. Colonia del Sacramento is a beautiful historic town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has the remnants of both the Portuguese and Spanish influence. The old town, made up of a myriad of cobblestoned streets, makes a lovely stroll for half of the day, with as frequent stops as you wish at the variety of restaurants. As we ventured outside of the old town to the less touristy area, we saw many small groups of friends and families carrying gourds, bombillas, and thermoses of warm water, quietly chatting and enjoying Mate as much as each other’s company. Colonia del Sacramento makes a good day-trip from Buenos Aires. 

Next: Iguazu Fall Nov 14 to 17.

Dear Diary Misc. Travel

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Dec 23

Argentina Impressions

by ccue

My company offers “work from anywhere for 4 weeks every year” as a perk. Inspired by my son’s lavish praise of Argentina after his recent trip and as an escape from the winter weeks in CaliforniaI, I used this perk to visit Argentina. 

Established in 1536, Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world by total area. It covers about 2.78 million square kilometers, making it the second-largest in South America after Brazil. Among the many countries I have visited, Argentina is not an easy destination in terms of the effort taken to plan a trip there. These 6 weeks in Argentina make for the longest trip away from home.

It has been my very first time visiting South America. America with two continents of South America and North America, is a vast piece of land. The map may have disguised that it was a short distance down from North to South America. It took us two 7 hours plus flights to fly from San Francisco to Buenos Aires via Panama City. For travellers in Asia, it takes over a day or over 40+ hours from Asia to get to Buenos Aires, making it pretty prohibitive except for the very determined. Staying in Argentina for almost six weeks, we stood out with our lack of Spanish speaking ability, our Chinese appearances, we were recognized by airlines staff – we lost a piece of our luggages in the domestic flight from Buenos Aires to Iguazu, the airline staff helping us to track our luggage recognized us a few days later when we checked in at the airport for another flight.

Currency is another discovery.  Argentine Peso is among the very few currencies I cannot order from the US banks. Why? The guess is that some form of currency control is in place, to control the inflation whose monthly inflation dwarfs the annual US inflation rate that our Fed has worked very hard to keep within 2 % annual rate. Argentina’s monthly inflation can be 3% or higher month over month. The way to get some Argentina Peso is to go through currency exchange shops or to go through West Union Bank. The exchange rates vary.  Having some Argentine Pesos is useful as some local shops can give discounts if paid in cash or ask for surcharge if paid in credit card. For the same token that one cannot get Argentine Peso outside of Argentina, there is little reason to keep the Argentina Peso outside of the country. With such a vast piece of land, and the population seemingly working hard, and there are no major wars for the country, what causes the economy in such a dire state is not something I can understand in our weeks of stay. For those who have watched the movie “Evita” or love the song “Don’t cry for me Argentina”, there maybe something to do with the Peronism, the Argentinian movement, centered on social justice, economic independence, and political sovereignty, advocating for pro-labor policies, state intervention in the economy, and national autonomy.  After close to eight decades, that ideal seems to be just as far away. In spite of this, we still see the remembrance of Evita Peron quite often, and the cemetery of Evita Peron remains the most visited in the  famous Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires. The current government tilts towards US-style capitalism more, leaving some claim that there is only rich and poor in the country, and there is no more middle class.  Whether the labor-friendly Peronism or the current radical “shock therapy” program aimed at dismantling Argentina’s interventionist economic model, the country has substantial economic challenges. 

The cost of living is not particularly cheap. It is possible to spend 2 to 4 USD for a comfort food meal. The coffee shop is 20% to 30% cheaper than that of the US.  The steakhouse, serving very good steak, can be 30% to 50% cheaper. The Don Julio restaurant, #1 in Latin America with Michelin star, is also cheaper than the US fine dining. It still feels like a challenging country for the locals to live in with the relative income and the high inflation. We do not however observe unhappiness. In fact, Argentina’s happiness ranking places it well in South America, with recent data ranking around 42nd globally, not bad for the economic challenges the country is in.  There was an election during our stay, the citizens still support the current radical reform. (We also learned that during election day, the restaurants cannot sell alcohol). 

Argentina is part of Latin America in terms of culture (note that Latin America is not a continent) and geographically part of America. Culture wise, it is very different from North America English speaking culture. Even in Buenos Aires, the capital, it is common to get a clear “No” response when asking ¿hablas inglés? (Do you speak English?). The place with the best spoken English is the airport and the staff doing the check-in. And for the few lucky chances we run into someone who speaks English well, it comes across that these few are gifted in languages. It is clear to us, living in this part of the world, speaking Spanish is more than sufficient. 

Google Translate and Google Lens are amazing innovations for travellers like us. I must admit that using a translator all the time takes effort in every conversation and shopping, not to mention when the technology can decide to stop working when you need it. I feel like becoming mute in expressing beyond basic needs. There was one time that we wanted to tell the Uber driver that he was on the wrong route and it was just hard to communicate without him getting off the highway and stopping on the roadside after quite some effort. Even with more technology, the ability to communicate naturally with each other remains an important part of human-to-human connections. I have learned some Spanish, probably enough to figure out roughly what is on the menu. It becomes obvious an extensive immersive experience, way beyond 6 weeks, is necessary to acquire a foreign language. 

We visited Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, El Calafate, El Chaten and Bariloche in Argentina; one day on the Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay, one day on the Brazilian side of the gigantic Iguazu falls. These cities/towns are very different from one another.  Still the Parrillo/Asado (BBQ meat) together with Spanish cuisines like choripan, empanada, alfajor  and Italian cuisines like pizza, pasta, gelato are found everywhere. Argentina is a place for meat lovers and dessert lovers.  Of course, it is a country of soccer lovers too where Messi and Maradona have been immortalized with countless murals in every city. 

Argentine immortals:
Diego Maradona, Eva Perón (Evita), Che Guevara, Mafalda,
Carlos Gardel, Pope Francis, Lionel Messi

Next: Buenos Aires Oct 24 to Nov 14. 

Dear Diary Misc. Travel

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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 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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