Eventually, Paris

2010: Foggy Paris

This blog is long overdue. And since today marks our Philippines wedding anniversary (the first one was in the US), it felt like the right time to finally write it.

Paris, Finally.

Year 2010. We arrived in Paris on December 29th, the final stop of our escorted European bus tour. It was meant to be just a day tour, a pause before flying back to the US. Instead, we decided to stay three nights because we wanted to celebrate New Year's eve in the City of Lights. 

When the guide announced we had reached Paris, I instinctively craned my neck, looking for the Eiffel Tower. I had seen it countless times before, in movies, books, postcards, just to name a few, but when it finally appeared in front of me, in all it's majestic, over engineered glory,  it felt oddly unreal. Familiar, yet hard to believe that finally it is standing infront of me. Well almost, we were still maybe 2 miles away but I can see half of it. 

For years, Paris had lived only in my imagination. In dog-eared Rick Steves books. In highlighted Lonely Planet pages. In spreadsheets where dreams were balanced carefully against budgets. And now, somehow, after all that planning and daydreaming, I was finally there, with the man I care about, and who cared back. 

Standing there, I realized this wasn’t just a place I wanted to see. It was a place I had worked toward. Seeing the Eiffel Tower in front of me was mesmerizing in a way that photos never capture. It doesn’t invite commentary, no casual glances. It calls your full attention.

Notre Dame

Landmarks, One After Another

The first place we visited was the Louvre Museum. This is where I found myself unexpectedly stopped in front of the Nike of Samothrace.  I wasn't looking for it, wasn't planned, nor anticipated either. There are so many things to see at the Louvre, but it was the Nike of Samothrace that held me still. Art, I have discovered for the first time, has a way of choosing its moment, and it doesn't ask for permission. This is why my youtube channel is called NikeOfSamothrace (also because I hide my head when I'm posting videos of me playing guitar :P).

inside the Louvre

I only scratched the surface but I did see most of the must-sees (yes, including Mona Lisa). When it's time to go back to our hotel to change and prepare for our dinner, I was tired and a bit overwhelmed, but nonetheless, happy. Every sculpture and painting felt like too much and not enough at the same time.

The next day, we headed to Versailles. Versailles was imposing and indulgent in the best possible way.   It was impossible not to wonder what the parties of that century must have been like. 

Palace of Versailles

As we walked through the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, I can't help but wonder how it would be like to glide through them in one of those structured gowns, with corsets tight enough to cause a graceful faint and petticoats so wide they could smuggle an entire Von Trapp family unnoticed. Every step would require resolve, impeccable posture, and the understanding that comfort was never part of the contract.

I find it funny how Versailles prompt that sort of imagining without effort. It doesn’t ask you to observe history from a distance, it pulls you into it, even if its just for a moment.  Especially since everything felt designed not just to impress, but to linger.

getting lost in Paris

Getting Lost, Intentionally

On the 3rd day, I slipped away on my own. Group tours has its rhythm, but I needed quiet to recuperate from too much socializing. So I woke up early and braved the Paris train system solo. I was set out to look for The Thinker, but got lost instead.

I didn’t mind, though. Getting lost felt appropriate. Necessary, even. It's a reminder that discovery isn’t always efficient and that some places are best understood without a plan. I always believe that getting lost is how the best places find you and it proved me right, over and over.

ice skating, above the Eiffel Tower

Dining Above and Drifting Through

My first dinner in Paris was at 58 Tour Eiffel (update: now Madame Brasserie), on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower itself, elevated in the most literal sense. I’ll admit, I was a bit underwhelmed because the ambience didn’t quite live up to the setting, but the experience  still felt worth having. We were supposed to go all the way to the top, but we managed to lose the tickets. I didn’t mind. The view from where we were was more than enough, and watching kids ice-skate above the city turned out to be unexpectedly entertaining. That part, at least, was entertaining.

did you notice the address on the building behind me?

We walked along the lively Champs-Élysées, taking in Paris’s version of the Christmas market. We picked up small trinkets here and there, sampled pastries we couldn’t pronounce but happily ate, and lingered over shop windows dressed for the season. Eventually, the cold won and we ducked into a restaurant to thaw, where I had the most delicious hot chocolate I have ever had. One extraordinary hot chocolate later, I emerged with a new hobby I didn’t know I needed, an entirely self-appointed, hot-chocolate connoisseurship.

On our 2nd night, we dined at Le Ciel de Paris. We hoped for a clear view of the Eiffel Tower from our window table but that night, however, was foggy. No postcard view. Still unforgettable. Paris doesn’t always give you what you expect, but it rarely disappoints.

We managed to squeeze in a Seine River cruise after that. One of those moments that feels unhurried even when time is tight. A group of college girls nearby were louder than the mood called for, but even that couldn’t quite break the spell. Paris, I have discovered, has a talent for making small annoyances fade into the background.

 

Seine River cruise

As we drifted along the river, and passed beneath one bridge after another, I felt a quiet sense of arrival. Each one feeling like both a welcome and a gentle reprimand for how long this trip had been overdue and smiled quietly remembering sheets and sheets of logistics planning I left home in the Philippines, when I was daydreaming of visiting Paris.

                                                
                                         

New Year’s Eve

It was on New Year’s Eve, standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, that I was proposed to.

Only later did I understand what had been unfolding all along. The restaurants. The river cruise. The timing. B hadn’t been indulging Paris for Paris’s sake alone, he had been waiting, watching and looking for the right moment.

As I found out later on there were several near-misses.

According to B:

"On our first night, dinner inside the 58 Tour Eiffel. I was close to doing it, but it didn't feel quite right. I didn’t love the table, and the moment slipped by. Then there was the plan to go all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower, but had to abandon that plan when we lost the tickets.

The Seine River cruise nearly did it too, until a group of very enthusiastic college girls behind us drowned out any hope of quiet reverie.

The night at Le Ciel de Paris seemed promising, but I had one condition: the Eiffel Tower had to be visible. Paris, however, had other plans. The fog was relentless.

By New Year’s Eve, our final night in Paris, it was now or never. We were leaving the next day, and I was certain Paris was where I wanted to propose."

The place wasn’t accidental. Neither was the night. 

Philippines Wedding

 

US Wedding

Epilogue

A long time ago, my dream proposal was simple.
By the beach.
At sunset… or sunrise.

I once allowed myself, briefly, the idea of a Paris proposal but I dismissed it just as quickly. I filed it away as unrealistic and not for someone who felt like an impostor for even imagining it.

I was wrong.

-----------------

This is why Paris will always have a special place in my heart.
It’s true what they say, when one door closes, a window opens, and sometimes with a view you never dared to imagine.

click me for: Paris, Take Two: Tips from My Second Visit

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Full Circle: How I Finally Met the New Zealand I Once Dreamed Of

 

Once upon a time in college, someone “sold” New Zealand to me. They told me that with my IT degree, I could easily qualify for residency because the country had more cows than people. The idea fascinated me, the possibility of starting a new life in such a beautiful, faraway place felt like an adventure waiting to happen.

As a little girl, I dreamed of becoming a flight attendant so I could work while traveling the world. That dream eventually faded, and I pursued computer science in college instead. Still, the desire to travel never left me, it simply found a new shape.

After graduation, I already knew I wanted to work abroad, and New Zealand had always been on my radar. But right after college, an opportunity arose to work in the U.S. as a COBOL programmer for the Y2K issue. Just like that, New Zealand moved to the back burner.

In 2005, I decided to give it another shot. I started filling out an Expression of Interest for residency, but when it came time to pay the fee, I hesitated. I couldn’t bring myself to move to a new country without a job waiting for me.

Not long after, another chance to work in the U.S. came along, and this time, it materialized.

Around 2010, I found myself revisiting that New Zealand application yet again. And yet again, when it came time to click “Pay,” I just couldn’t do it.

Then in January 2011, I got engaged, and New Zealand went back to the shelf, this time, probably for good (I did tell my husband that if he didn't propose I am planning to finally pursue my NZ plan).

That’s why my recent trip to New Zealand meant so much to me. It wasn’t just because Lord of the Rings have been filmed there (which,admittedly is one of the reasons I visited), but also because lt is like closing the loop on a path I almost took.

And did I enjoy my trip? Absolutely. New Zealand feels like God’s country, no dangerous insects or animals, the water tastes amazing (and I’m very particular about my water!), the dairy is extra creamy, and the views… oh, the views.

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Planning Disney World - a different way

How do you plan a Disney trip or any trip? 

I usually start with deciding the dates because you can't book a flight or hotel room without a date. 

However, sometimes that is not the case. Sometimes you  need to start with knowing what the expenses is going to be first. How much does  plane tickets cost? The hotel. How much are you willing to spend for this trip. How much do you need to save per pay check to afford this trip. How long do you need to save so you will have enough money. Having all these parameters answered will dictate how many days you can enjoy your trip and when. Would it be possible to enjoy it for 2 weeks?  1 week maybe? Or just 3 days.

Yeah, yeah. How much Paid Time Off (PTO) is also a factor but this is assuming you have enough PTOs that's why you are already thinking of planning a trip, in the first place. If that's not the case (ie: you have just used up your last PTO day), then what are you doing still reading this? Shouldn't you be working? Shoo!

Kidding aside.

Assuming you do already know that you have, say, 12 number of days to take a vacation, the next thing to do is to list down all the expenses for the maximum days you are willing to take. Yes, maximum. Remember, this is just planning. It is not a contract. It is not set in stone yet. We can still daydream/wish/hope/pray/call on to our fairy godmother.

For our example, let's say you have 12 days available PTOs, my list will look something like this:

1. Transpo. Like airport shuttle or rental car, uber/lyft, plane fare, train fare, cab fare, bus fare, parking. You get my drift? 
2. Hotel for 6 nights in Disney. You can try browsing for medium-ranged hotel like Caribbean, Swan or Dolphin resorts. Or if you want to really dream, scout for the high end resorts. I heard the Disney Polynesian resort is really nice. Start there then work your way down the resorts ladder. Art of Animation is a value resort (lowest end) but they are really nice! and they have a skyliner as your mode of transpo and a bus.
3. Hotel for 3 nights in Universal Studios (includes 1 night stay for when going to Space Shuttle, because you really don't want to switch hotel for just 1 night and pack/unpack again).
4.I usually allot 2 days for travelling. One day each way, in case of delays and what nots.
5. I also usually allot 1 day of vacation from my vacation (yes, there is such a thing, and you should do this..you can thank me later, lol).
6. Food for 11 days (i did not include the #5 item).
4. Activity expenses (ie: park tickets, park hopper, memory maker, genie+, unlimited express pass if you're not staying at a universal resort, etc.)
5. Trip Insurance
6. Incidentals like souvenirs, gas money, cocktail-champagne-wine money, etc.

  

My list above is my my "dream" Disney World trip. My "if money isn't a problem" planning. Why not. Have some fun. Day dreaming is free. Planning is so stressful that you owe it to yourself to do anything you can to make it fun.

If you look at my first draft, it consisted of 6 days in Disney World, 2 days in Universal Studios, 1 day at Space Shuttle station (I've been there once and it's really cool). I have been to Disney World in 2005 and it was a whirlwind and I do not want that to happen again. Specially with 2 little children in tow. 

  

Second, I calculated the hotel for 2 nights in Universal Studios (we prefer the Universal Studios resorts because of the perks, I'll tackle this in my Universal Studios blog), the park tickets, the park-to-park (you need this if you want to take the Hogwarts Express Train) and food. Then I did the same for Disney World.

  

Once you have them all at hand, that's when you decide if you can afford it. If not, then you take off some days or choose the next hotel from the "hotel awesomeness ladder".

Below is what ours ended up with. We decided to do 5 days and we skipped the trip to the Space Shuttle. 
Take note that below did not include our transportation to and from Pennsylvania to Florida. I will write a separate blog about that because we decided to take an Auto Train instead of flying and that was a very interesting experience.

list down all your expenses first to get a feel of what you are getting into

There you go.
Do you think this is the plan style for you?
Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all Disney planning. So just do whatever makes sense to you.
What I have here is just to give you a different perspective.

Enjoy your Disney planning!

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Thailand Adventures

On February 18, 2015, we flew from Singapore to Thailand and our plan was to stay there for 4 days -3 nights. We arrived in Thailand late at night because our flight got delayed and got re-routed to Vietnam instead of a straight flight from Singapore and because of that we really didn't get a chance to go anywhere.

We stayed at Novotel on Siam Square. We always have good experience with Novotel hotels plus Siam Square is a very good place to stay(it's walking distance to shopping areas, lol).


DAY 1.

The next day, our tour guide picked us up at our hotel to go a hundred and so miles away from the city. We want to see and ride the elephants and to experience the floating market.


Floating Market.
The first place our tour guide took us is at the Damnoen Saduak and was said to be the real floating market and dates back to 1866 when King Rama IV ordered that a canal 32 kilometres long be dug at Damnoen Saduak to connect the Mae Klong and Tacheen Rivers (his reason for doing so lies in the fact that the quality of the soil on the banks of the canal is excellent for growing many kinds of fruits and vegetables including Malacca grape, Chinese grapefruit, mangos, bananas, and coconuts). The Floating Market is an ideal place for tourists to see the old style and traditional way of selling and buying fruits, vegetables and other from small boats. Remember to bring your haggling skills!

a short video of the floating market experience

Bridge on the River Kwai.
Next stop is in Kanchanaburi province. Home to the famous Bridge on the River Kwai and the beginning of the Thai-Burma Death Railway. Both poignant reminders of the thousands of prisoner of wars (POWs) and forced laborers who lost their lives during World War II.

bridge on the River Kwai

I'm not much of a history buff  and to be honest, this really didn't piqued my interest. I was more interested on the floating restaurant we went to for buffet lunch.

Floating Resto for Thai Lunch buffet

and we have the view of the Bridge of Kwai

Elephant Ride.
After lunch we went to see the elephants!
Hubby is a big elephant fan (he even donates at an Elephant Sanctuary) so he is the most excited. We booked the one where you can bathe the elephants but we were in for a surprise because it was us who the elephants bathe! LOL.

The first part of the ride was just walking around the sanctuary with both the hubby and I plus the mahout on the elephant.

first part of the elephant ride

Then we had to wait to change elephant that would take us to the river. While waiting

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Pinas in 2015

just some collection of photos and videos during our recent trip to the Philippines.
here you would see and read about our experiences while visiting Tagaytay, Bohol and Boracay.

Day 0.

(Feb 11). Our trip started with a very pleasant surprise, from Premium Economy, we got upgraded to Business class for free.  It's funny how that turned out, because the hubby was trying to do their bid thing from Cathay Pacific where Business Class seats are up for bidding. He bid for $1,000 per person (one way only) and didn't win so just imagine our surprise when they told us we got upgraded. Yep, that means bed, baby! For a 16-hr straight flight. We also got upgraded to Business Class from Hong Kong to Manila and we're hoping it would be the same deal coming back to the U.S *wishful thinking*.

champagne welcome drink

nyt-nyt

Day 1. Isdaan

(Feb 12) We arrived in Hong Kong at 5:30 am and left Hong Kong for Manila at 8:36am. We were at Manila Terminal 3 (which looks very nice, by the way) at 10:38 am and didn't leave the building until 11:18am. From there we went straight to Isdaan floating restaurant. We rented a van and I instructed the van to pick-up my family first so we could go straight to Isdaan from the airport. It was a good hour and 10 minutes drive. We had our lunch there and ordered some favorites and a few intriguing dish. There were 6 adults and 2 kids and we still ended up with left overs to take home.

sangbalde at isdaan

isdaan

I have been to Isdaan before but the one in Tarlac, which I believe is the original one, and it's amusing to see that the one in Laguna is

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Outer Banks Lighthouse Hopping

I am very attached to North Carolina. I'm thinking maybe because that's the first place I have lived outside the Philippines. I haven't really lived there for a long time. I was only assigned in North Carolina for an offshore assignment in Raleigh twice (2005 and 2006), for a few months each, by a Philippines-based employer and that's just about it. But I like that state very much and I did enjoy my stay there (except the fact that everything seems to close early) and going there to visit always feel like I'm visiting my hometown. Yeah, I know, weird feeling. It's like claiming something that's not mine. But what can I say, I just have a strong connection to this place.

at Chimney Rock, year 2005

I've lived in Raleigh while in North Carolina but have been to Asheville, Outer Banks and Wilmington, to name a few. I have revisited Asheville last December of 2013 to celebrate New Year's eve with the hubby at Biltmore Estate and that was a lovely visit. We even drove to Tennessee from Biltmore for a quick day trip to see the Parthenon replica in Nashville. I would love to celebrate Christmas or New Year's at Biltmore again. I'd love to see what it looks like when it's filled with snow.

Biltmore Estate during the Chrismas Holidays, 2013/2014

We went back this year for the July 4th long weekend. I wanted to do some lighthouse hopping tour for the calendar project I have in mind. For this trip, we have visited 7 lighthouses total.


Cape Lookout.

The trip started on Thursday night, 7/2. We drove 5 hours to Virginia, to cut the driving time in half, stayed there for the night (at Motel 6 Virginia) and started driving to Harker's Island Visitor Center the next day. There we took the ferry that would take us to Cape Lookout. It was a 4 to 4.5 hours drive from Virginia to Harker's Island Visitor Center and then a 15 to 20 minute ferry ride to Cape Lookout. Our plan is go to the farthest lighthouse in our itinerary and then work our way back up North.

The ferry price is $15/person roundtrip. You can do walk-in or you can book your ticket online thru http://www.islandexpressferryservices.com/rates (we booked the Harkers Island Ferry Gateway to Cape Lookout Lighthouse). It's isolated but the water doesn't look like flood waters. Water is actually inviting. You would see lots of sandbars on your way to Cape Lookout and you can stop to this other island where you can see wild horses. I saw passengers bringing all their coolers and chairs on the ferry, which for me is too daunting. I wish they'll have a bigger boat that can transport cars.

We only stayed there for 2 hours, walked around, sat on the beach then hopped on a ferry to take us back to the visitor center and back to our car. There's no hotel close by the visitor center so our hotel was still some 47 minutes away. We stayed at Sherwood Motel because it's the cheapest I could find. It's not a bad location though and we discovered this one restaurant called Smithsfield's. We ordered their Large BBQ Platter. I like their BBQ pulled pork but if you don't like your BBQ with a tinge of sourness then you might not like Smithsfield's. Their hushpuppies are good, it tastes like corn bread.


Ocracoke.

The next day, we woke up really early to catch the 7am ferry to
 Ocracoke. It's an hour drive from our hotel to Cedar Ferry Terminal.  Cedar Ferry Terminal is where you'll take the ferry to Ocracoke. We paid $15 for the ferry and that includes our car and 2 passengers. Yes, you can take your car to the ferry. The ferry ride was 2 hours. It was a nice ferry ride being it still early in the morning and it wasn't too hot yet.

ocracoke lighthouse

Ocracoke is a nice quaint little town. We like it! It's like a miniature version of Cape May. We won't mind coming back and stay for a few days next time. When you visit Ocracoke, make sure to stop by Ocracoke Coffee and Co. There's always a long line, but it's worth the wait. And sit outside if it isn't too hot.

mocha freeze and cinnaYUM buns

Haterras.

We spent half a day in Ocracoke then hopped on a ferry again but this time to Hatteras. Ferry from Ocracoke to Hatteras is free! You can also bring your car with you in the ferry. Ocracoke to Hatteras is 55min to 1 hr ferry ride. From Hatteras ferry terminal to the Hatteras lighthouse is about 23 to 30 minutes drive.

We left Hatteras around 3:30 PM and went to Rodanthe. I used to be a Nicholas Sparks fan and I used to have all of his books. Coincidentally, the settings in his books, if not all, are in North Carolina and there is this one book I've read (I've seen the movie version as well) titled "Nights in Rodanthe". So as part of our itinerary, I made sure we get to see the inn on that movie.

But before that we had to grab some lunch and we found this place called Lisa's Pizzeria. It had good ratings from FourSquare so we decided to give it a shot. The hubby had spaghetti supreme (which is very good) and I had polynesian pizza (which is good too) and I rinsed it off with their pink lemonade which, after a long hot day, really hit the spot.

We don't know how to find the inn from the movie so we asked someone from Lisa's and we were surprised to find out that it was actually really close by (you can actually just walk).

Inn at Rodanthe

This inn was used in the movie and was considered a public nuisance and condemned until someone bought it and rescued it. More of the story here.


Bodie Lighthouse.

Bodie lighthouse is not really part of our itinerary for that day (Day2) but since it was still a little early and Bodie lighthouse is on our way to our hotel, we decided to stop by that day too.

my 2nd time. first time was 2006 and that
time i don't remember seeing this walkway

It started to rain on our way to Bodie Island but luckily it stopped for a good 30 minutes that we were able to walk past the lighthouse and into this walkway and was able to take some photos before the rain started pouring again.

after almost a decade ago

And then it's time to rest. We didn't get to our hotel until 5:27 but still enough time to enjoy the beach. We were skimping on hotels during the past 3 nights, but since we are staying at Kitty Hawk the longest, we decided to get a better room and near the ocean and so we booked a suite at Days Inn. We stayed there until it's time to go home.



Currituck Lighthouse.

The next day, we went to the next lighthouse on our list. Since we already saw Bodie, we only need to see one lighthouse that day and that is the Currituck lighthouse. I have been to Currituck before (year 2006) but wanted to see it again because I lost some of my Currituck photos because of a hard disk failure.

2nd time here, 1st time was back in 2006

We got back to our hotel early and we're able to enjoy more Outer Banks' beach time.

enjoying the Outer Banks with a good book on Day 3.

Then, just like that, it's time to go home. We did saw 2 extra lighthouses, but it's in Virginia. Can you guess what they are (without googling)?

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Applying for "The Wave"

Does that photo looks familiar?

Yep, that's one of Windows Desktop backgrounds (under Landscapes category) and it's taken at a place called Coyote Buttes North, also known as "The Wave", in Arizona.

I discovered The Wave not because of Microsoft's Windows but while I was at some gift shop in Page, Arizona looking at calendars, souvenirs and post cards. It was right after I saw the Lower Antelope for the first time,  around Thanksgiving of 2010. I was with my friends from Chicago and Canada, that time. 

That time I didn't know it as The Wave yet, I only knew it as Vermilion Cliffs. So armed with this new information, I set out a goal to know more about it. Where it is, what it is, how to get there, etc. That's how I learned that one doesn't just go there, there are procedures and not an easy one at that.

Fast forward, two dear friends of mine have moved to Arizona year 2013 and we planned to travel together to see the Antelope Canyons. I wanted to go back at the Lower Antelope because I was too mesmerized by that place and I want to show it to my husband. I started planning that trip but I have some other agenda in mind, I really wanted to see The Wave. So I went to apply for the Wave permit, online. This was 3 months before our scheduled Arizona trip. If you want to know how that works click me.

Coyote Buttes North, aka, The Wave is an internationally renowned hiking destination. In order to make it fair for everyone who wishes to visit, a lottery system has been put in place. Easy enough? 

Nope.

To preserve the place, they only give 20 available slots per day (atleast, at the time we were applying for permit). 10 they give online and another 10 for walk-ins. I applied for a permit online twice, and didn't get lucky. That didn't discourage me though. I had a plan B. 

My friends in Arizona, the hubby and I still pushed through with our Arizona trip. The plan was go see Antelope Canyons (lower and upper, I haven't been to the upper one yet). Go see the Horseshoe Bend (haven't been there) and then go to Utah. 

The plan B was we will attempt to apply for lottery personally. Yes, walk-in, but we want to have a back-up of the back-up plan (did that makes sense? 😆).

The Wave walk-in permit lottery drawing

When you apply for the walk-in permit, it is only valid for the next day, not on the day you applied. So if for example you applied today, Monday, and you won, the permit is valid for Tuesday. With this, I had to make an itinerary around that situation. Below is how it looked like (for the complete itinerary and logistics click me):

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I wanna be a Swiss Miss...

...live in Switzerland that is


note: all bold texts are clickable.


This is long over due and I finally got the inspiration to write about our Switzerland trip after rummaging through old digital photos.


Day 1.

We arrived in the early evening, but technically, it still counts as Day 1.

This trip was back in December 2010, when I visited Switzerland with the hubby (then boyfriend) as part of a group tour we booked an escorted guided tour (Cosmos). Going in, we expected Switzerland to be brutally cold, colder than the other European countries we had already visited that week. So imagine our surprise when it felt warmer. Not tropical, obviously, but noticeably milder than London. The hubby joked that we froze in London only to thaw in Switzerland, which felt like the wrong way around.

i'm in the land of toblerones!
can i take this home, please?!

We arrived in Lucerne just before nightfall, and our first stop was a shop selling Swiss watches and Swiss Army knives. Naturally, I had to get one...... well.... okay, three. I’ve always been a fan. I had one from a previous U.S. trip, but I lost it somewhere along the way. So buying one in Switzerland, just felt the right thing to do :P. The hubby also got me a Swiss watch, which I still wear to this day, usually when the outfit calls for a little extra polish.

view from the restaurant

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Arizona and Utah Trip : Part 2

The other day I blogged about the first half of our Arizon/Utah trip, now, we continue.


DAY 3
White Pocket (9 hours hike).

Our plan was that if we didn't win the walk-in lottery permit for The Wave on the first try we are going to do our back-up tour which is White Pocket, but before we left for that tour we again went back to BLM to try our luck for the second time.

Again. we didn't win :(

The Wave walk-in permit lottery drawing, day 2...

After getting the 2nd bad news, we went back to our hotel to prepare our hiking gears (hiking sticks, some water, gatorade, power bars, & trail mix) and waited for Dreamland Safari Tours to pick us up. Our call time was 10 AM.

at white pocket.....
the one with a hat was our tour guide

According to Dreamland Safari's website, the White Pocket hike is 9 hours total and that it's a great alternative for The Wave and they weren't kidding. I saw some pictures online but I wasn't really prepared on how beautiful this place is until I saw it with my own eyes. Be aware though that there were rumors that they would start asking visitors to apply for permit to this place to soon like what they did with The Wave so if you get the chance, go and see White Pocket.

I'll just let the photos do the talking (but believe me, it's way way better if you're actually there.

i like that little puddle of water 

it almost looks like The Wave
..and yep! that's me

nope, i didn't tilt my  camera, the peak is really slanted...

It was relatively an easy hike. It was marked as 3 for hiking difficulty but we did scramble a little bit on some steep stones but it's still a very enjoyable hike with lots of laughters. We were joined by two other couple from Nevada. Below is a short video on one part of the White Pocket.





When we got back to our hotel after the hike, we just freshened up a little bit and off we went to have dinner and that's how we discovered Rocking V, our favorite restaurant in Kanab, Utah!  Unfortunately I lost my notes so I couldn't tell you what we ordered but I normally order chicken, so I might have ordered their Chicken and Mushroom Alfredo.


DAY 4
Grand Staircase Mini Dream tour (5 hours hike).

When we decided to take our chances into applying for the walk-in permit lottery for The Wave, we accounted for bad news, for two bad news, actually, which means we have two back-up hiking tours. The second hiking tour was the Grand Staircase Mini Dream tour.

But let's back track a little bit. The night before Day 4, we were discussing whether or not we should try applying for The Wave walk-in permit lottery for the third time. It's not part of our itinerary to stay at Kanab for Day 5 and we're supposed to leave on Day 5 so it's really no use applying again but we were feeling lucky so we decided we should try again on Day 4.  So come morning of Day 4, we went to BLM again but this time I stayed in the car.

one of these forms would be the lucky winner of The Wave Permit...
unfortunately, it wasn't us....

I can be very superstitious sometimes and I had a feeling that I'm the one jinxing our Wave permit but after an hour and a half they brought me the bad news that we didn't win, for the 3rd time. So that's 3 loses on online permit lottery and 3 loses on the walk-in permit lottery.

Sigh.

But we are not losing hope! We planned to apply for the online lottery for The Wave permit every month starting July and we won't stop until we win. There's something about losing 6 times that make all of us wanted to win that permit more than ever! LOL

Anyway, so back to the hotel we went to wait for our guide to pick us up for our last hiking tour - the Grand Staircase. We left at 10 AM.

The first hour of that tour wasn't as exciting for me, but we did see some Petroglyphs and Pictographs and we love how our tour guide took us up a steep mountain to have our lunch. Eating with nature, nothing can beat that!

this is why it's called the Grand  Staircase, because it does looks like a very huge staircase

partial view of the grand staircase escalante...
i'm sure this looks more incredible when on a helicopter, when you can
see the whole thing from above..

The last location we went to was for me the highlight of out Grand Staircase hiking tour and that's the hike to the Toadstools Hoodoos. It's a 1.5 miles hike roundtrip to get to the Toadstools Hoodoos but it's a fairly easy hike.

posing at the Toadstools Hoodoos

Here's a good guide to get to that place if you're not hiring a tour guide:

Below is a short video of the Toadstools Hoodoos




After that hike we had dinner and went to star gazing which we booked on a whim, but I wouldn't elaborate on this because it was very disappointing. I was expecting to see the milky way but all I saw were passing space shuttles and some star clusters that I really felt like they're just inventing.

DAY 5
More surprise eye candies.

It's bye-bye Kanab time but first we stopped by at Nedras too for lunch. That was yet another good find. They offer Mexican food and it's delicious! I read somewhere that you should try the white sauce and I believe I ordered Chicken Chimichanga with White Sauce. Yum.

After we had our lunch it was with a heavy heart that we bid goodbye to Kanab but we promised we shall return. Ka-career-in namin ang pag-apply ng Wave permit!!! LOL


On our way back we decided to see what the Coral Pink Sand Dunes is about. So we went there to take a peek. As soon as I got out on the sand my throat started constricting. It's probably because it was windy and I was starting to inhale some of the sand. I decided to just stay in the car while the hubby and two of my friends explored the area.

look how tiny those people are...
it's not yet pink when we got there...i'm guessing sunset would be
the best time to see this

After that one quickie stop, off we go. Now, it's really bye-bye Kanab.

Our guide told us to take Route 89A on our way back to Scottsdale for a scenic route and boy are we glad we listened to him! Below are some of the sceneries we saw.

the Navajo Bridge 

along Route 89A we passed by the Navajo Bridge and chanced upon another wonderful view!

From Kanab back to Scottsdale is 5 1/2 hours and I volunteered to drive for the first couple hours again, to which I regretted because there were so many amazing views and I was itching to get my camera out. 2 hours later I passed the steering wheel to the hubby to drive and the last couple of hours was done by RK.

hard to concentrate with that good view

just look at that!

Since it was April, it wasn't that hot and wasn't that cold either, it's just perfect and it was so much fun! We will most certainly come back with maybe some side trip to Wyoming!

In summary here are the places we went to:

Day 1:
1. Upper Antelope (my 1st time)
2. Lower Antelope (2nd time here).
3. Horseshoe Bend (first time)
4. Lake Powell Dam (2nd time here)

Day 2:
5. Bryce Canyon (first time)

Day 3:
6. White Pocket (because we didn't win the Wave permit lottery for day 3)

Day 4:
7. Grand Staircase (because we didn't win the Wave permit lottery for day 4)

Day 5:
Coral Pink Sand Dunes
Scenic Route 89A
Navajo Bridge


Again, if  you want to see our itinerary and logistics you can click me. Make sure to check all the tabs on the excel sheet.

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