Singapore!

It was sooo good to get on that flight, we had great seats…bulkhead seats…so we had heaps of leg room to stretch out. We watched a couple of movies ….the kids played nintendo games. Before we knew it….we were in Singapore. We went to the Oasis resting area …one of our favourite places to hang out….reclining chairs, massage chairs, big plasma screen tvs, free internet computers. We rested there for a while…watching tv….surfing the internet, watched a bit of tv…and sort of planned what we wanted to do and what our options were. Our luggage had been checked right through to Melbourne so we just had our hand luggage with us. We had about 26 hours to spend in Singapore. We could leave and go into the city if we wanted. We went and got some breakfast and coffee ….that always helps us think a bit….tee hee

After a little chat with everyone, we had decided to just stay in the airport. The two older boys wanted to just hang around and enjoy their favourite airport. There truly is sooo much to do in Changi airport….it truly is the best airport in the world….there are over 300 retail outlets, there are transit hotels, there are gyms, there is a free cinema, there are lots of free internet computers, there are lots of xbox game terminals, there is a room where you can play LAN games for free, there are children’s playgrounds, there are gardens to enjoy, there is lots of cheap great food and it is clean. And it is really really huge…spread over 3 terminals! With our decision made to stay in the airport, I booked a room at the transit hotel. The rooms are available only over a 6 hour block with the option of extending after that. So I booked a room that had 3 single beds in it. Jordan and Jarryd wanted to play games first…so the rest of us went for a quick sleep. Jeromel and I shared a bed….snuggled…was nice sleeping with my baby. After about 5 hours sleep, we got up and had a quick shower and headed out to join the boys for something to eat. Soon after we left the transit hotel, Jeromel all of a sudden stopped and vomited. Uh oh!!

He had absolutely no appetite and over the course of the next few hours, he vomited a couple more times. Our next booking for the transit hotel was from 10pm and this time I booked it right up until 6am. Jordan and Jarryd went to sleep right away. MIL went shopping and Joseph and I took Jeromel to the cinema and to play a xbox games. When he got tired, I took him back to the transit hotel for a sleep. Jordan and Jarryd woke at around 3am to get something to eat and resume playing. By the time Jeromel woke up, he was feverish but thankfully had stopped vomitting. At 6am, we checked out and headed over to the new Terminal 3 which just opened on the 9th January as our flight was departing at 9am. OMG…this terminal is just sooo gorgeous, we had dim sum for breakfast. After that, I went and did a little bit of hunting around for a long sleeve top for Jeromel to wear. He had vomited on his jumper and being feverish, he was a bit cold and was wearing my jacket. Poor boy! While I shopped, Joseph took him to the playground where he played a little but spent most of the time watching tv.

Our flight was a little delayed due to a passenger bringing a few little boxes of firecrackers in his hand luggage, I think they had to take his checked in luggage off the plane to search it again. And two pieces of luggage had been left at the gate waiting area…so the area had to be closed off while security checked them out.

Our flight home was great…..flight number 16….yah….we’ve done 16 plane trips. Checked in our luggage 16 times, gone through security 16 times, collected luggage 16 times….I dare not count the number of hours we have spent in the air! And not once in 16 flights has our luggage been lost….for this, I am so grateful.

So now, we are home, recovering from jetlag….settling back into our routine. Jeromel is getting better. He was still getting slight fevers for about 5 days but asides from that….he’s been ok. We’ve kept him home but he’s well enough for school this coming Monday!

Dubai

If you were all waiting in eager anticipation of reading all about the beautiful sights of Dubai…the fabulous shopping bargains….the gold souks…..the great food…..you will all be very very disappointed.

Let me tell the tale…..

We flew from New York on a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt where we were in transit for a few hours. Then onto another Lufthansa flight to Dubai. So after about 14 hours of flying and hours in transit, we arrived into Dubai and discovered that this was their biggest event of the year….their Big Sale. Hotels & Apartments were booked out…..not just booked out…but many were double and triple booked out. Heard reports of desperate people offering double or triple rack rate for a room and getting it and the people who had booked were left stranded. We went to the Central Reservations Office at the airport and the man there was turning away people who just needed a single room!! He tried for hours to get us something before finally telling us that he could only get us two rooms for one night for 6000 dirhams each. WTF….that’s like A$2000 per room for one night!!! A$4000 to sleep off our jetlag??? I’m sorry….I DON’T THINK SO MATE!! And we were supposed to be in Dubai for two nights…so what were we going to do for the 2nd night????

Joseph and I had to re-evaluate our plans as A$4000 for a place to sleep in was just not in our budget! Not even for the chance to grab some bargains!! Call me a cheap skate if you wish….but heck….there was no way I can part with that kind of money just for a place to sleep in!! All through our travels….our most expensive accomodation was in Hawaii where we paid USD$190 per night for the 2 bedroom apartment. So A$4000 was just too much. In the end, Joseph and I decided that we would try to get the next flight out of Dubai to Singapore. That’s when the fun started….we asked at Information and after the long queue, the ever so unhelpful staff steered us towards the Departures terminal….and when we stepped out of the arrivals terminal…I was quite unprepared for the scene that I saw. A huge sea of people, speaking a language I wasn’t familiar with, the smell, the long queue of people waiting for taxis….it was all very overwhelming…a big culture shock!

In the Departures Terminal…it was another long wait for the Information desk. There were only two staff serving and Joseph and I decided to split up and join both queues. While we were waiting, people just kept trying to cut in front of us and I was just sooo tired, so frustrated and had to tell quite a few people to wait their turn. When we got to the counter, the staff told us that we had to go to another counter……another long wait with people trying to cut the queue….and when we finally get to ask our question….we were told that they could ‘sell’ us a ticket out if we wanted…but they couldn’t rebook our flight…that was up to Singapore Airlines. When we asked where the Singapore airlines counter was….we were told that they were downstairs …..in the basement…..and they weren’t sure if they were open at all…as by this time…it was after midnight.

We slowly found our way down to the basement and after a little while, found the office which was thankfully staffed!!! The lady there was such a godsend!! She booked us out on the next Singapore Airlines flight which was at 8pm the following day. It was around 2am by this time…so it meant that we had another 18 hours to go. There was light at the end of the tunnel……..18 hours wait or $4000……it wasn’t rocket science! We were going to be Tom Hanks in the Terminal movie…we can do this…..we got some essentials out of our luggage and then got the rest of the luggage stored at the Left Luggage office. We walked around to find somewhere comfortable to spend the night and decided on the area behind Haagen Daaz. There were some small couches and some U shaped booths. It was close to restrooms and Haagen Daaz would be open all night..and the Filipino staff were ok with us camping out there.

We all took turns to sleep because someone has to be awake to keep an eye on our stuff! In the morning, I was desperate ….my hair felt disgusting. I usually wash my hair everyday and it had been over 24 hours since I had washed it last and while it didn’t look so bad,  to me…it felt horribly disgusting. And there are no showers available…so I had no choice but to attempt to wash it over a wash basin. Luckily MIL came in at the right moment and helped me rinse it off with the help of a small water bottle.

Ok….we could have left the airport and gone shopping if we wanted to…….but we just couldn’t be bothered. Plus…if the taxi queues were so long at the airport, imagine the shopping centres. Imagine the crowds trying to nab a bargain! Imagine the checkout queues!!! Totally not for us….we rested and could not wait to get to Singapore!!

The Big Apple!! New York!!

THURSDAY 24th Jan
I have really been looking forward to New York, despite knowing that it was going to be cold here…..I still wanted to come, I wanted to see The Empire State building, the World trade centre site, the Statue of Liberty and Times Square. We arrived into JFK airport around 7.30am having gotten very little sleep on the overnight flight. We quickly got our luggage and then left the boys in MIL’s care while Joseph and I took the air train to another terminal to pick up the 14-seater van we hired. While in Vegas and trying to find transportation from JFK airport to New Jersey, we found that no one would take us…the only option was to drive ourselves there…..so that’s what we did. We hired a big ass van which would fit in all our luggage and drove ourselves with the help of TomTom GPS drove all the way from JFK airport across the state border…into New Jersey to North Bergen where we were staying….the trip took us about an hour and a bit. How cold was it??? Freezing cold….everyone was bundled up in many layers of clothing and still….we were cold! On the way to North Bergen, we could see icy slush along the side of the road and up the hills.

New York is sooo different from LA and Las Vegas….skies were grey, there was so much concrete everywhere….people were rushing about…..cars were speeding…..bright yellow taxis were weaving their way in and out of traffic….car lanes were narrow….it was cold….depressingly cold….well…maybe depressing because we were sooo very tired. We arrived at Days Inn, checked in, got up to our room and were quite pleased with our accommodation. We have two deluxe double adjoining rooms with interconnecting doors. Jordan and Jarryd share one room while the 4 of us share the other room. It’s quite spacious and we have a microwave and mini fridge in each room which is great. By this stage, we are soo tired and hungry. We have no energy to drive around to find food…so we let our fingers do the walking….we found a chinese restaurant brochure in the hotel room and got chinese food delivered to our room. After eating, we all collapsed into bed and before we knew it….it was about 8pm!!! Refreshed and again hungry, we piled into the huge van and went in search of basic supplies and food. After driving around our little neighbourhood, we settle on KFC for dinner…..it was ummm….pretty disgusting! The seasoned rice was crunchy….the chicken pieces looked huge but it was half batter….pretty unappetizing.

Our search of basic supplies led us to Rite Aid which is a 24 hour pharmacy which also sells a bit of food. No bread though…but something caught my eye at the check out…..pocket hand warmers! The little packet says that it’s all natural, non toxic materials in two little sachets…which when exposed to air, heat up and stay hot for 7 hours. At 99cents for a pair, and knowing full well how cold it is…..I grab a couple of packets to try. After driving around a little more….we find a Shop Rite supermarket which was about 5 mins from their midnight closing time. So we quickly run in there to grab what we can and after another little drive….we return back to the hotel to sleeep.

FRIDAY 25th Jan
Joseph and I wake up very very early to return the van….it’s sooo cold….bitingly cold….I open up a pack of my handwarmers to try it out…in a few minutes…they’re toasty warm….I pop them in the pockets of my coat and realise that they’re fantastic….best ever discovery!! We’ve pre-organised to return the van to Newark airport which is much closer to North Bergen. We hire a smaller van….a 7 seater Dodge Caravan which is more practical for us for getting around. We get back to the hotel to find everyone still sleeping soundly….so after they got ready, we all bundled up, piled in the car and after showing everyone my fabulous hand warmers…..we agree we need more…so we head back to Rite Aid to find that they only had 6 packets left….I bought the lot and gave everyone one each.

Then we headed into New York City. North Bergen is only 8 minutes away from New York city….just on the other side of Lincoln tunnel. Very convenient and accomodation is half the price compared to what we would pay if we stayed in NYC. We drove around the city quite aimlessly….the tall buildings block the GPS…..so our Tomtom is only working intermittently. We find the World Trade centre site and it’s under construction….nothing to see and impossible to park. We try to get to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty and end up somewhere near Homeland Security and made a mad dash in the freezing cold to take a few quick photos with the Statue of Liberty in the background.

Then after a little while, we were hungry and I spotted a quaint little diner ….Cheyenne Diner and park our car for $15 an hour just to eat at this place. Oh wow…this place is fantastic….it has the diner look that is in the old american movies….with the booths…and long counter. Their menu was fantastic…ok…you absolutely must click here to see their fabulous menu and drool!!

We rush back to the hotel to quickly refresh before heading out to meet more of Joseph’s old friends. We drive to Ruben & Nita’s house in Passaic where we said did a quick meet and greet with Randy, Bobby, Dicko & Jun before heading off to Century Buffet for dinner. OMG….this buffet was absolutely mind blowingly phenomenal. Why??? Because of the seafood…there were clams, imperial prawns, snow crab legs, steamed prawns, baked oysters, fresh oysters and sushi and sashimi galore. Of course there were rows and rows of other food…but I only had eyes for the seafood. Hehehe….and oh boy did I indulge or what??? After dinner, we headed back to Ruben & Nita’s place to have a proper chat with everyone. Jun has an x-box….so not long after we arrived, the 3 boys headed upstairs to play while us adults had coffee and a long leisurely chat. Michael also dropped by a little later for a bit. It was well after midnight when we collapsed into bed.

SATURDAY 26th Jan
Today, we’re determined to explore more of New York city…this time on foot….so we park near our Lincoln tunnel exit and head off on foot. We make our way towards the Empire State Building and on the way there…we are distracted big time by a few stores…..we stop by Macy’s where I get my Estee Lauder moisturiser at half the price that I usually pay in Australia! Then we’re determined to find a hotdog stand that’s on a corner …in the tvshows…they’re always on corners right??? tee hee…we enjoy our hotdog and also try the famous new york pretzels. They’re very fresh but oh sooo salty. We had to brush off most of the salt before we can enjoy it. Then we head to Times Square and this place is oh sooo wow! I’ll have to let the photos tell the story…I’m a bit tired of typing. LOL

Then tired and very very cold and hungry….we can’t decide on what to eat…when I spot Applebee’s….and I think to myself…we’re in the big Apple….it’s only fitting that we eat Applebee’s , so after a wonderful wonderful lunch and another long walk along Broadway with a quick stop at M&M world and Toys R Us for Jeromel to have a ride on their famous 60 foot tall indoor ferris wheel, we head back to the car and find that it’s sooo far away…it was amazing how far we walked that day!!

That night, we go back to Ruben & Nita’s place for dinner with them and Randy, Cora and Bobby. We have a fabulous dinner and so much fun chatting to them. Jun takes Jordan & Jarryd out for the night….to the mall and then to watch a movie. Jeromel is rapt because he gets the xbox all to himself! The adults go down to the basement which is just absolutely gorgeous and get stuck into playing cards and karaoke and of course a bit of drinking. It is at this house that I get hooked on Dunkin’ Donuts coffee…..it’s soooo yummy!!! We leave at around 2am soon after the boys get back from the movies after having such a fabulous time.

SUNDAY 27th Jan
While the rest get to have a sleep, Joseph and I are up at the crack of dawn because we have to return the van to Newark Airport. Randy has kindly offered to pick us up from the airport and pick everyone else up because we have a busy day planned with them. On the way back to our hotel, we grab Macca’s breakfast for everyone. It’s a special treat because we usually only eat breakfast in our hotel with our bread and cereal. Ruben comes to pick us up because we won’t all fit in Randy’s car. Then it was back to Ruben & Nita’s place for a quick stop…managed to indulge in another cup of that delish Dunkin’ Donuts coffee before we head over to have a quick catch up with Russel’s family.

Then it was back into the car for the drive to Bebe’s place for lunch. It’s there that MIL gets to catch up with a few of her friends. This place is close to the beach and is sooo windy and sooo cold…but nevertheless…..we head to Bradley beach for a few photos on the boardwalk. It is absolutely freezing cold…..our faces and hands get numb from the cold!! By late afternoon, we say our goodbyes to everyone else and head back towards Edison.

On the way back….somehow…we get lost and end up crossing the bridge to Staten Island!! Luckily we have TomTom with us and after a quick stop at the loo for me, we manage to find out way back to meet up with Randy who has safely made it back to Russell’s house. On the way back to Passaic, after a phone call to Jun, Nita says we’re having dinner at Houlihan’s in Bridgewater. Because there are 10 of us for dinner, there is a little wait before we are seated…but the wait was well worth it because dinner is absolutely fabulous! Jarryd has a New York Strip Steak, Joseph has the Prime Top Sirloin, Jordan has a Tillamook burger and Jeromel and I share a delish Prawn & Pasta with a side of Caesar Salad. Soooo good!!! After dinner, we got dropped back to the hotel where we had to do some laundry and pack our bags.

MONDAY 28th Jan

Our last day in USA

We’ve arranged for a shuttle bus that operates out of our hotel to take us to the airport, so we check out at 10am and because our flight isn’t until 7.30pm, we leave our luggage with reception. Ruben and Nita pick us up and take us to IHOP for brunch. We had seen IHOP restaurants before….in Anaheim and in Vegas…but we had never been before….I mean….IHOP….it’s a strange name for a restaurant. Until Nita tells us that it stands for International house of Pancakes. Pancakes!!! This place is unlike Pancake Parlour! They have steaks, they have all you can eat pancakes and the servings are massive!!! And all sooo cheap!!! Check out their menu here! After brunch, we have to say goodbye to Nita as she’s off to work. Ruben takes us to the mall to while away some time. I’m good….no shopping for me….I mean…I want to buy a bag…but I can’t find one that I like. All this time, I’ve been using my trusty big bag that my sis gave me a few years ago and it’s falling apart…the handles seams are fraying badly, there are rips inside the bag lining, another growing gash on the outside. It’s only saving grace is that it’s big enough to hold all the ‘crap’ that I need while I travel and the fact that I can’t find a replacement for it that I am happy with. By 5pm, we’re back at the hotel ready to go to the airport. We’re all so tired that we snooze in the shuttle on the way to the airport.

At JFK, we go through security check for the last time in the USA. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it….but in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, we’ve had to go through the special security check line. I think we’ve been earmarked because we’re doing so many stops through the USA in a short time. Maybe they think we’re drug runners because each time we go through…we have to take shoes and jackets off…we go through a special air blower thing….we get patted down…even our pants waist bands get checked…even the soles of our feet. All our hand carry gets searched thoroughly…..selected items like keys and mobile phones get drug swabbed. It was scary the first time, but we’ve learnt to expect it and enjoy it. We bypass the long queue that most people have to go through. We get to sit down and rest while they search our hand carry luggage. We have nothing to hide and it’s rather entertaining watching them do their job.

I felt really sad leaving New York….knowing that we were leaving the United States….we’ve had such a great time here and while Joseph got to catch up with a lot of his old friends, I’ve made new friends. Friends who have opened up their homes to us and have taken us out and made our time here extra special. We truly can’t thank them enough.

Viva Las Vegas!!!

Flying over Nevada is something I will never forget…the desert landscape…the mountains, the beautiful shades….the picturesque houses….and that’s all before we even see the famous Las Vegas Strip! We land at McCarran airport and as soon as we walk off our plane….we know we’re in vegas….we know we’re in the gambling capital of USA…..there are slot machines in the airport terminal!!! hehehe…no…we didn’t have a flutter…it’s always a mad dash to secure our luggage. Once we had the luggage, we didn’t really know how we were going to get to our motel. You see….there are no blue super shuttles here….the transportation at the airport is totally catered to those hotels which are on the strip. So we had to get a stretch limo….no choice….tee hee…not that we were complaining too much. Our second time in a stretch limo….this limo was waaaay nicer than the one in Hawaii. The driver had no clue where our motel was…..so it took a few goes before he found it…which was nice because we got to go the scenic route.We’re staying at Desert Tides aka Las Vegas Cay Club and omg…..it was totally perfect for us….the whole place has just been recently renovated….so everything was new and immaculately clean. We have a full kitchen with a huge fridge, kitchen utensils, pots n pans, dishwasher & dining set. We have a cupboard laundry with huge washing machine and dryer. It’s a two bedroom apartment….Joseph and I get the master bedroom with king sized bed, full ensuite and walk in robe. Jeromel and his grandma share the other bedroom with a queen sized bed and walk in robe. The boys rough it out on the leather loungesuite which converts to a queen sized bed. The two bedrooms and loungeroom have plasma tvs too…and of course…with cable tv.Weatherwise….we expected it to be warmer in Vegas……since it’s a desert and what not……but it’s actually very cool during the day and freeeeeeezing cold at night.We’re about a 10 min walk to the Rio and Gold Coast Casinos and about a 15 min walk to the Palms casino…which is apparently where Britney Spears and Paris Hilton hang out! LOL…rolling eyes here!!Our first evening, we catch up with Chona and her gorgeous daughter. Because there are 6 of us and we can’t possibly all fit in her car, she takes Jordan, Jarryd and MIL first..and on the way…she asks them where they want to go for dinner….she rattles off a few options…but once Jordan and Jarryd hear there is a Jollibee in Vegas….the decision is made. So on our first night in Vegas….we’re at a Filipino centre having Filipino food. I can’t complain though…as when I get there….there are options…..not only is there Jollibee, there is Red Ribbon…there is Chow King and a big Filipino supermarket! There are other stores…but they’re closed. Our 3 boys opt for their favourite Jollibee…which is fried chicken and rice. Joseph, Chona and MIL head for Red Ribbon and because I’m cold and I want something soupy…..I head for my favourite comfort food…..noooodles….wonton egg noodles in soup. Bliss! After dinner, Joseph and I do a mad dash in the supermarket to pick up a few essentials……bread, water, breakfast cereal, milk, snacks…and end up with a small trolley full of food. ok..the trolley was really really small.THURSDAY 17th Jan – We catch up on sleep, unpack, lounge around and late in the afternoon, Chona picks us up and takes us to the Las Vegas Factory outlets for a little while. We didn’t have a lot of time there, so it was just a really quick look and shop before Leo arrived to take us all to a Filipino restaurant…..and there to our surprise….Ricky & Paz show up too!! Sooo good to see them. Ricky and Paz played big part in our wedding as well and it has been 15 years since we last saw each other. After dinner, we visited a few casinos….we went to Wynn, Bellagio and saw the grand opening of the Palazzo. There was so much to take in….trust me….seeing the casinos from the strip….from afar…..nothing prepares you for how grand they are inside. It’s not just gambling….each casino has something spectacular…well more than just one thing…but they are just sooo grand ….jaw droppingly grand. Everything is perfect….everything is so clean….people here are just so friendly and helpful….there was sooo much to taken in!! At Bellagio, we stop off to check out the world’s biggest chocolate fountain….biggest…in volume and in height….it’s totally gorgeous and very spectacular. At another store, Leo buys ice cream and tempts us to eat it….it’s sooo cold…definately not ice cream weather…but I try a spoonful…..omg…..absolutely fantastic….almonds and vanilla ice cream….totally delish. Then Paz bought a cherry flavour one which we also try and again….totally delish.FRIDAY 18th Jan – Over the next few days, we visit as many casinos as we possibly can….we find our way around weaving from one casino to the next and have a few flutters on the slot machines…aka one arm bandits. We snapped lots of photos and catch up with our friends late at night. Friday, we started off after lunch and took the free shuttle bus from the Rio to Caesar’s palace and watched the Fall of Atlantis show before going for a little walk along the strip.On the left hand side, Flamingo casino where Toni Braxton has her show, then further down you can see the Eiffel tower from Paris Paris and on the right hand side….Caesar’s palace.Then later that night, Ricky & Edward picked Joseph and myself up and took us to the Hilton….we caught the Sunset Strip show…and have a bit of a fling with the slot machines and before we knew it…it was 3am and hungry…so we headed to California Hotel to have supper.SATURDAY 19th Jan - we take the free shuttle from Rio to Bally’s and bought tickets on the Double Deuce (double decker bus) and got to see lots more beautiful Casinos along the strip.One of the most spectacular Casinos on the strip is the Venetian. It’s absolutely gorgeous ….this is where the Phantom of the Opera is on. One of the longest running shows in Vegas and apparently the set is absolutely stunning.Of course…in Venice you would expect to see Gondolas…so the outside of the Venetian has a few canals and you can go for a little Gondola ride.The beautiful Wynn Casino…..that was where we had the fabulous icecreams on our first night.Riviera Casino…..love the pretty colours!!!We were headed towards the Stratosphere but when we got there, we found out that the tower had been booked by a private party so the boys can’t go on the rides they wanted to do. So we made our way to the Las Vegas premium factory outlets for a bit of a browse and to get more winter clothing for New York as temperatures there are between -3C and 5C….brrr…very cold. We also buy another two pieces of luggage so that we can fit everything in. Winter gear is so bulky so while our luggage isn’t that heavy…it’s bulky!!Late that night, we got a phone call from Leo who was hanging out at I-Bar at the Rio with a friend and invited us to join him. The guys had an absolute blast …drinking Grey Goose Vodka mixed with Red Bull….apparently this doesn’t give you a hangover….well…it mightn’t give you a hangover…but you sure get drunk from it. LOL Aida and I chatted and stuck to soft drinks. After that, the guys decide they need soup…and following one drunk man’s directions to a Vietnamese pho restaurant….we end up lost….and after a hilarious phone call…we find ourselves at the right restaurant…and had to laugh at it’s name….pho kim long….say that really quickly and you’ll know why we were in absolute hysterics. The noodle soup is absolutely massive and very delish..just what we needed to thaw out from the cold and burn up some of the alcohol in the system. It is again….another very late night out for us but so much fun!SUNDAY 20th Jan – On Sunday, Leo and Aida take of us in their big Hummer for a drive to the Hoover Dam. This Dam is just sooo damn spectacular….it’s absolutely massive and stunning. The Hoover Dam was built on the Colorado river on the border of Nevada and Arizona and actually crosses a timezone! The Hoover Dam makes enough electicity for the state of Nevada and they still have enough to sell to other states. Cool facts about the Hoover DamDo you recognise the Dam? The Transformers movie was shot there……their plot being that the Hoover Dam was constructed to hide the energy cube from outer space. tee hee…..my boys thought it was cool!!!Our next stop was Lake Mead which is the largest man made lake and reservoir in USA. It was formed by the water impounded by the Hoover Dam and supplies water to Las Vegas and some parts of California. Lake Mead draws a majority of its water from snow melt in the Western Colorado Rockies. Since 2000 the water level has been dropping at a fairly steady rate due to less than average snowfall and from memory, Lake Mead is at 47% capacity. The water is an absolutely gorgeous bluey green….absolutely stunning. You can see in the photo how windy it was that day!!Then we drove down to the Lake Mead marina area to feed the fish. When Aida and Leo were telling us about the fish….we had no idea how big they were…they were massive and they love to eat popcorn!!! The little store sold big bags of Cheese and Buttered popcorn …so we bought a few bags and fed them to the fish and ducks…and ate lots as well! The kids had sooo much fun that we ended up feeding them about 6 bags of popcorn!!!See the bits of popcorn on the water surface? The ducks and the fish scrambling for the popcorn…..during which there is lots of splashing!Tee hee….the fish have actually come up under the duck so that it’s above water!Ok….now with Jarryd in the photo…you can really see that I wasn’t kidding about the size of the fish. See the beautiful colour of the water too?Tee hee….we were amazed to see this one absolutely pure golden fish….it obviously only likes the cheese flavoured popcorn.And one Albino fish…..which must only like the buttered popcorn!After feeding the fish….and eating some popcorn ourselves it was mid afternoon and we were hungry…so Leo and Aida took us to the Fiesta for a buffet. Leo and Aida say that you can’t say you’ve been to Vegas until you’ve had their buffet and they were not wrong….the buffet there is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before…..food galore…from all parts of the world…but what really caught our eye was the seafood….particularly snow crab legs…..we ate and ate and ate until we could eat no more. And no photos….we were too busy eating!But as we were leaving the Fiesta, I had to take a photo of the sunset. Las Vegas has the most spectacular coloured sunsets I have ever seen. A wintery desert pastel sunset…..pretty huh?Then after a quick stop at Leo and Aida’s house, we head to a birthday party….uninvited….tee hee….we met the gorgeous birthday girl Liberty and her whole family and of course…ate some more. There…we watched our first ever football match and it was a very exciting game which went into overtime and ended with the New york giants winning! By around 9pm…we were totally exhausted and had to bid everyone farewell and on the way home, Ed showed us a Las Vegas home that was up for sale….omg…totally huge….totally gorgeous….I wanted to pack it up and ship it home to Australia!!! LOLMONDAY 21st Jan – we’re invited to lunch at Ricky and Paz’s house. The boys get stuck into X-box games with Patrick and Raymond within a few mins of arriving. Liberty and Chito are also there…so it was really fun….chatting, eating, laughing and eating some more.  And we even managed to play a few rounds of cards!By late afternoon, Ricky drops us off at Mandalay Bay Casino and we take the monorail to the Luxor Casino which is a huge black pyramid….totally all Egyptian ….Jeromel was so excited to see the Sphinx that he came running to tell me to take a photo of the “Stinks”. Rofl!! So here you go….here’s a photo of us and the “Stinks”.An overview of the Luxor Casino….the huge black pyramid with the “Stinks” in front of it. At night, the pyramid has little lights which run up and down the edge of the pyramid and from the peak of the pyramid, there is a very strong spotlight that shines up to the sky. This light can be seen from miles away. Spectacular!Lobby of the Luxor hotel….lots of eyptian statues and even a King Tut’s tomb exhibit somewhere upstairs.Jeromel trying to decipher the hieroglyphics…..he was sooo excited to discover the secret pictures on the wall.After that…we checked out the Excalibur which is a beautiful majestic medieval castle…Then it was time to walk across to New York New York which is just absolutely gorgeous….Manhattan’s skyline including the Empire State building and Statue of Liberty in 1/3 scale. There Jordan and Jarryd went on the exhilarating Manhattan Express roller coaster….and enjoyed it so much…they went on it again.After that….we went to the MGM Grand Hotel for a late dinner and checked out their live Lions who were blissfully snoozing. Then utterly exhausted…..we headed back to our motel. That night, Joseph and I take a taxi to the airport to rent a car for a couple of days so that we can drive ourselves to the airport when we leave for New York Wednesday night. They didn’t have very many cars to choose from….so we picked the Chrysler 300 which was an absolutely beautiful beautiful ride. On the way back, we stop at the Value 4 Less supermarket and pick up a few small tubs of that totally delish Haagen Daaz ice cream that we can’t get in Australia.TUESDAY 22nd Jan – Armed with our trusty TomTom GPS…we make our way to Target to get ourselves some thermal wear. LOL….very glamorous! We find what we need and surprisingly find that Mossimo and Levis are sold there!! Levi’s are USD$17.99 for the classic cut!! We also buy a belated birthday gift for Liberty before going to Stratosphere so that Jordan and Jarryd can making our way to another factory outlet in Las Vegas. We drop Jordan, Jarryd and MIL off there to shop while we made our way to the Gambler’s General store for Joseph to pick up some more items to add to his home casino. *wink* By the time we get back to the Factory outlet, Joseph and I only have about an hour to get a few items before we have a late dinner before doing more sightseeing. We went to the Stratosphere which is set at an astounding 869 feet high with a 360-view of the city, the Stratosphere’s outdoor observation deck is the tallest of its kind in the country. While we amuse ourselves at the casino, Jordan and Jarryd head up the tower to do scary things.BIG SHOT - The Thrill Ride that Touches the Sky!Strap in and prepare to be shot 160 feet in the air as you overlook the majestic Las Vegas Valley in the Big Shot. From a platform 921 feet high, you and up to 15 other thrill seekers will be catapulted to a sky-high 1,081 feet. In a matter of seconds you’ll be shot to the top at 45-miles-per-hour and will come back down – and back up again for more. Experience a gut-wrenching four ‘G’s of force on the way up, and feel negative ‘G’s on the way down as your legs dangle in the Las Vegas skyline. The Big Shot thrill ride catapults 16 riders from the 921-foot high platform up the Tower’s mast to a height of 1,081 feet. Traveling at 45 miles per hour, riders experience 4G’s as they reach the very top, and feel negative G’s on the way down.INSANITY – Three ‘G’s of Pure Insanity!Insanity the Ride is a truly mindbending experience! A massive mechanical arm extending out 64 feet over the edge of the Stratosphere Tower at a height of over 900 feet, Insanity will spin you and several other passengers in the open air at speeds of up to three ‘G’s. You’ll be propelled up to an angle of 70 degrees, which will tilt your body into one position – facing straight down! If you’re brave enough to keep your eyes open you’ll be rewarded with a breathtaking view of historic downtown Las Vegas. Experience Insanity and walk away to tell the tale!X-SCREAM – I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream on X-Scream!Ever played on a teeter-totter 866 feet high? With the X-Scream, you can! With a space age, yet simplistic design resembling a massive teeter-totter unlike anything you’ve ever seen, the X-Scream will propel you and several other riders head-first, 27 feet over the edge of the Stratosphere Tower. Try not to scream when you go over the edge….you don’t want to scare the other riders! After being shot over the edge, you’ll dangle weightlessly above the Las Vegas strip before being pulled back and propelled over again for more.After they they came back down, we asked for their opinions of the rides….they said…..dark….cold….cool…..a bit boring. A bit boring?????? *Mother and father shakes head*We took this photo of the Stratosphere tower a few days earlier from the ground. Very very tall tower and you can just see the Insanity ride at the very top.Then it was back in the car as we headed off the Circus Circus which is a circus themed casino so that Jeromel could have some fun and fun he did have watching the trapeze artists perform and playing with the arcade games. By this time, we’re all exhausted… it’s 11pm…….it has been a full on day….so we head back for a little rest before late that night….and I’m talking late….after midnight…..Chona and her hubby come over and we head out to a karaoke night club with Ricky. The 5 of us enjoy a late night supper and Chona entertained us with her beautiful singing. On the way home, we decide to stop at the Rio and end up being out till about 4am!!WEDNESDAY 23rd Jan – Our last day in VegasWe spend the morning packing up our luggage…by this time….we have 11 pieces of checked in luggage…..yah…u read right….11….that’s just checked in luggage. I officially check out at 11am and we move all the luggage to the reception area for them to hold for us as our flight doesn’t leave till 9.30pm that night. They let us have the room till 1pm which is great as MIL, Jordan and Jarryd will be there until Chona can pick them up at 1pm. Joseph, Jeromel and I head to the Fashion Mall to pick up a couple of iphones from the Apple store and then I finally get to go to a scrapping store. We drove out to Majestic Memories where I get about 15 mins to have a look around. Sadly, they didn’t have the tote I wanted, or the white Sharpie pens or the Ali Edwards book…..so I just pick up a few little things (remember? our luggage is already packed) before driving all the way to Green Valley Casino where we are meeting up with everyone for a Bon Vogage dinner.Ok….I ‘borrowed’ these photos off the Green Valley Ranch website…we were there at night….the place is just gorgeous!!! Next time we come to Vegas…..we must book a room here!!Here are our photos….Ok…this is one of my most favourite photos. Over looking the pool which as you can see….has some sand in it. The gorgeous cushioned deck chairs all around the pool….could almost imagine all the gorgeous bods on it during summer. Then in the distance, you can actually see the Las Vegas strip. And that very very bright ray of light shining into the clouds? Remember what I said about the Luxor pyramid? That’s it’s ray of light. We had dinner at ‘The Feast around the World’ Buffet and oh my…the food there was delectable. To our delight….more Snow Crab Legs…but this time….it’s stirfried fresh for you by the chef with lots of chilli, tomato and coriander…..lip smacking, finger licking good. Their dessert selection was also fabulous with yummy Breyer’s ice cream and the most delish Almond slice!And then it was a quick walk around the Green Valley ranch to burn off some calories before we had to say goodbye to all our friends and heading back to the motel to grab our luggage. Chona’s pick up came in very handy as we loaded most of the luggage into it and then headed off to the airport. We again did our check in on the pavement before entering the terminal ….totally love love love this service!!! And before we knew it….it was bye bye Las Vegas as we head off across the country to New York!!!

Los Angeles!!!

I think we’ve learnt a few things…. we’ve learn’t that we need to organise our own transportation with so many people and so much luggage. So before leaving San Francisco, I booked a Super Shuttle Blue Van to pick us up and take us all the way to Anaheim. Anaheim which is where Disneyland is….is quite a distance from LA…40 miles…or about an hour away. Everything goes smoothly…the weather is beautiful…the shuttle is on time….our luggage fits….we’re comfortably seated and get to our motel safely. We’re staying at the Islander Inn which is a 10 min walk to Disneyland….there are lots of food places to choose from, we’re walking distance to 7-11 and another small supermarket….which is really important to us…because since leaving Australia, we’ve been drinking bottled water. And for 6 people….that’s a lot of water we go through.Our motel room is spacious…..which is great because we’re here for a week. The two older boys share a bedroom which has two double beds. DH, Jeromel, MIL and myself share the other bedroom which has two queen sized beds. We have a microwave, fridge, coffee maker, small dining table & chairs and a desk. Certainly not luxurious, but it’s clean and comfy and the staff at the motel are sooo nice. There’s also a pool…but it’s just too cool for us to swim. For our first day, we did nothing…we caught up on sleep, we relaxed, we did laundry (lol), we ordered food in, and we did research on what we wanted to do while in LA and DH made some phone calls to track down his cousin and an old friend. Doing research, the reality of our location dawned on us…..while we are in Anaheim which is nice and close to Disneyland….we’re actually very far from other LA sights that we want to see….so transportation again becomes an issue…..an hour taxi ride will be very expensive and not many taxis seat 6 people!! So I was ecstatic to find that this particular tour company does free pick ups from the Anaheim area and their tour starts in Santa Monica…another place to tick off our list!!We pick their most popular tour….tour # 7 Los Angeles Grand Tour & Movie Stars’ Homes!! It took us to Hollywood, Beverley Hills, Brentwood, Beverley Hilton, Movie Stars’ homes along the way, Sunset Strip, Mullholland Drive (where the big Hollywood sign on the hill is), LA Beaches, Mann’s chinese theatre (handprint and footprints of stars), Walk of Fame (stars on the pavement), Kodak theatre (home of the oscars), Universal city walk, Olvera Street, Chinatown and the famous Rodeo Drive. It was a really long tour….about 8 hours…and with the travel time to anaheim….it was late evening by the time we got back. Utterly exhausted but totally fantastic…camera sure worked overtime!!! And it was such fabulous value….$61 for each adult and $51 for Jeromel!!Two days later, we booked for this tour company to take us to Universal Studios. If we made our own way there…we would have to pay a cab fare to and from Anaheim..and pay $99 at the gate. With the tour company, they pick us up and take us there…give us our tickets and we enjoy our time there and then they pick us up and take us back to our hotel…all for $94 each adult. It was a bargain and oh my….we had an absolute ball there!! Jordan and Jarryd ditched us not long after we arrived…they wanted to go and do their rides first so we organised to meet up for lunch at a designated place. The rest of us started off by watching the Shrek 4D show which is absolutely hysterical….sooo funny….the chairs move…when Donkey sneezed….we got squirted with water too! We caught up with lots of characters and took lots of photos…stopped for a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (yummo) and went on a few small rides and before we knew it…lunchtime with the boys. After that….while heading down to the lower section of the park where the bigger rides and shows are…we managed to lose DH!! So Jeromel, MIL and I went on the Jurassic Park ride which was fabulous and we caught the special effects stage show and backdraft show (that one was hot and scary), animal actors show which was just hilarious and we finished off with the Waterworld show which is totally totally hilarious. They re-enact the movie and the audience gets splashed with water…it was totally fun and a great way to finish off the day. Poor Jarryd copped the water from the jet ski and his top half was totally drenched. They did announce before the show started that there were very wet zones, wet zones and dry zones. We chose to sit in the wet zone for some fun. People in the very wet zones copped heaps of water. There was a tour group from China who obviously didn’t understand that they might get wet and they complained so loudly when they got soaked and this poor old chinese man got his pants soaked…..totally looked like he peed his pants. HEHEHETo catch up with Joseph’s cousin and friend, we had to hire a car to get there…so the night before…we made our way to an electronics store to buy a GPS system. That was top of Joseph’s to buy list while in the states….so armed with our GPS…we bravely booked a car. It’s not easy driving in the states…the steering wheel is on the left hand side of the car and the Americans drive on the right side of the road. It’s a lot to wrap one’s head around….very challenging for me. DH drove on the way there…and half way there ….we realised that while we have charged the GPS in the motel….we forgot to bring the car charger….oh yes…u know what happened don’t you??? The battery died ….oh yes it did….lol….there I was….navigating and relaying instructions to DH when it blinked low batt….then died. OMG…there is nothing worse than being on a very busy highway and then not knowing which way to go…we had to take the first exit and stopped at a restaurant and get the address and call Leo who came to our rescue. LOL…truly an experience we will never forget! We had a fabulous day with Leo and that night there was a fun little party at his house and we got to catch up with his cousin Gigi who was the best man at our wedding. Joseph brought a big bottle of Fundador which the men got stuck into which meant that I had to drive back. Luckily we managed to charge the GPS while at Leo’s house….so while we were right for directions…..a very nervous me had to drive back….very nerve wracking…but I got us back intact. Yay!! L-R, Gigi and Susan Cui, Eddie Siacor, Leo Alegado, Rowena and Charito. Our last two days in Anaheim were spent at Disneyland. For those who haven’t been….Disneyland is just one park in Anaheim….there is also Disneyland California Park. For DH, Jeromel and myself, we bought a 2 day park hopper which means that we can go to both parks. MIL was a bit tired and feeling a bit under the weather…so she chose to rest one day. Jordan and Jarryd are really only interested in the big rides and not in meeting the Disney characters or seeing shows…so they opted to go on one day. Both parks are absolutely amazing and truly magical. Totally a dream come true for me to go to Disneyland….I could hardly believe that I was there…..so I was just like a little kid….totally enjoying the rides, ate fairy floss, enjoyed the fabulous Aladdin and High School Musical shows, was sooo excited when I got to meet Mickey Mouse. And the absolute best bit was the parade during the evening…..totally awesome and spectacular!!Sharing a few….just a few photos from Disneyland

Got the magic feather to go on the Dumbo ride!!!  This was so much fun.  Jeromel controlled whether our dumbo would go up or down.  He liked making it go up and down quickly….which his mother did not appreciate at all.

Finally get to Toontown where Mickey Mouse lives!!!

oooh….don’t let Goofy catch you doing that Jeromel!!!

Jedi Training Academy

 

The Parade of Dreams is absolutely fabulous…..it’s during the evening just before Disneyland closes and it’s very full on..the floats are just gorgeous, there is lots of dancing, music etc.  They don’t just wave and go past on their floats….they dance, they entertain.  We actually had a very good position and got some great pics!!

Then it was time for one dizzying ride for Jeromel and Jarryd before we had to leave Disneyland.

It was sad to leave Los Angeles…everyone had such a fabulous time there…..but the bright neon lights of Las Vegas were beckoning to us….so we packed up our bags and headed off on our next adventure!!

San Francisco

Here we are….on plane trip #8….heading to San Francisco! 

Flying over San Francisco….all grey and it looks cold! 

Yah…..I guess that looks like the airport!! 

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! OMG, I was totally unprepared for how cold it was in San Francisco…the wind was incredibly cold. We stayed at the metropolis which is right in the heart of the city and we were very thankful to be so close to a shopping mall so that we could buy jackets and shoes.

This is us….checking into Hotel Metropolis….see our little mountain of luggage in front of the tiny elevator? We had to take it up in a few goes! Jordan is totally exhausted….sitting down waiting to go up to the room and have a snooze. Jarryd is sort of hidden behind me checking out the hotel facilities brochure. The room on top of the lobby is the library where you can just sit and drink coffee and read or hop online.

Because of the weather, we didn’t get to do very much as well in San Francisco. We managed to go on a cable car ride (tram) and we went down to Fisherman’s wharf and explored Pier 39. We caught up with a friend from Joseph’s home town and had a fabulous seafood dinner with them at Fisherman’s wharf and then the kids and MIL took a taxi back to the hotel while Joseph and I went for a drive with Jeanelyn and Ricco. They took us to see the Golden Gate Bridge, went to Twin Peaks to check out the fabulous view and went to a few other gorgeous places.

 

 

Above are the two more gorgeous shots of San Francisco taken from Twin Peaks….the night was cold…but the view was amazingly beautifully clear.  In the first photo, the brightest street leads up to where we live.  The second photo shows the San Francisco Bridge.

The following day, we had planned to explore Pier 39, crooked street (Lombard street), take a bay cruise, but when we woke, it was absolutely pouring!!! It was so cold and it was so windy and the rain was coming in almost horizontally. So all we could really do was have a really wet exploration at Pier 39 which was nearly deserted due to the weather. We managed to see the noisy Sea Lions lounging on the docks, and saw the huge seagulls and played at an indoor arcade for an hour so that the kids could actually have some fun.  We also managed to go to Boudin Bakery to try out their famous New England Clam Chowder which gets served in Sourdough bread bowl.

 

The two photos above, you can see the Sea Lions lounging around.  They were actually very very noisy. They’re free to come and go as they please.

The Rock or Alcatraz Island….it served as a lighthouse, then a prison and now…it’s a tourist spot.  

Jeromel checking out the huge Candy Store on Pier 39….they had an amazing variety of Taffy! Although they looked delicious, we left empty handed.

 

And then all we could really do was head back to the mall to shop. I must say, shopping in San Francisco was fabulous!! We were right across the road from Gap, Old Navy and the Westfield Mall which has Norstrums, Bloomingdale, Dockers etc. By this time, we had to pick up another two luggage bags to accomodate our shopping. We’re now at 9 pieces of checked in luggage which is ok for the airlines….we’re allowed to have two pieces of checked in luggage each weighing no more than 50lbs. So we can still get another 3 bags. LOL…it’s the airport transportation which is a problem as we have to get a shuttle that is big enough for all our luggage.

Night view outside our hotel looking to the right hand side.

Here I am ….busy doing research for our accommodation for Los Angeles and Las Vegas

Leaving San Francisco, I had organised for the hotel to send us a van that was big enough for 6 people and lots of luggage. OMG…we nearly died when something no bigger than our carnival arrived to pick us up!! No way can everything fit in there….so after a bit of a hissy fit from me at the front desk, a shuttle came to pick us up and all this time I am stressing because I knew we would get to the airport leaving a little less than an hour and a half to go through the check in process. As soon as our baggage hit the pavement at the airport, I spotted a United Airlines check and Go stand. For $2 per bag, we got processed right there on the pavement…our luggage was checked in, our tickets checked, our boarding passes were handed to us. OMG….it was incredible!!! We had managed to bypass the huge queues of people either totally oblivious to this fabulous service or were too tight to pay the $2 to save their sanity and time. LOL!!

Los Angeles, here we come!!!

Hawaii

What an experience! From the time we left Cebu, I started getting sick. Joseph had somehow generously managed to share his lurgy with me…I was coughing, feverish etc and jetlagged on top of that.

Our experience at Honolulu airport wasn’t that great. Getting off the plane, we had to go into a terminal, go up escalators, then wait around for a shuttle bus to take us to another terminal to go through customs. I swear, 4 plane loads of people had arrived and there were seriously only 6 custom officers processing them. Overzealous custom officers too as the whole process just took sooo long. We all had to get digitally photographed and finger printed. It took us over an hour to go through customs and then we got lost trying to find the baggage carousels. I swear, Honolulu airport is the most disorganized airport that I have ever been to. The highlight after all that was getting allocated a stretch limo to take us to our hotel.

We stayed at the Aston Prince Honolulu which is a rather budget hotel right in the heart of Waikiki strip. Fabulous location which is close to a lot of great food and nightlife. We got a family room there which was a 2 bedroom unit with laundry facilities which was great. Yah, call me crazy, but it was good to get a proper washing machine and dryer for all the laundry that we had to do.

Weather in Hawaii wasn’t that great…it was cool and most definitely not beach weather and sadly….our family must be the only people who didn’t get to enjoy the beautiful beaches….we didn’t get to feel sand between our toes or go for a swim. We didn’t make it to a luau….no flower lei…no pineapple drinks with minature umbrellas.

Jeromel and I were so sick for the first couple of days that we spent our time sleeping while the others battled jetlag. It actually got so bad for my body clock that I was awake one night for the whole night….totally unable to sleep and the following day I was a totaly walking zombie but I forced myself to stay away for the day and by night, I was totally overtired and so desperate for sleep that I had to get something to help me sleep.

During my zombified day, we decided to explore our surroundings….

Right at the end of the street ….we see this beautiful sight….a fabulous little mountain which is most likely the side of a volcano and on one side of it….lots and lots of houses! It was usually cloudy while we were in Hawaii and it rained everyday….just short showers….but it rained everyday. It seemed much warmer early in the morning but by early afternoon it cooled down considerably.

This is at the top of our street of our hotel, say a 1 min walk and we’re at the Waikiki Strip…we truly were in a fabulous spot. Top two photos are of the left and right views at the top of our street.

HILO HATTIES SHUTTLE RIDE

In one of the many brochures that us tourists pick up at the airport, Hilo Hatties is featured quite widely…..they have a free shuttle trolley (tram looking bus) which goes all over Waikiki ending at the Hilo Hatties store which sells all the Hawaiian souveniers. So being very budget minded tourists….we hop on…

We see lots of sights on the way and we snap away like the tourists we are!

 

 

 

 

This was as close as we got to a beach….hehehe!

We actually have lunch here one day and browse at a few of the shops. Guess is on one corner while Armani Xchange is on the other….we thought of Brice!

We get to Hilo Hatties and we’re all greeted with a shell lei! I’m excited….I have been Lei-ed in Hawaii….ok…so it’s not flowers…it wasn’t by a pretty Hawaiian beauty wearing a grass skirt…I can’t be picky….but he wore a hawaiian shirt and he said Aloha……so that’s got to count. Hilo Hatties is home to the World’s Largest Aloha Shirt. It’s got it’s spot in the Guiness Book of Records….the shirt has these ginormous measurements Chest 168 inches, Waist 161 inches and Neck is 61.5 inches. Mammoth!!

Looks like you got a lot of growing to do Jeromel to fit into that shirt.

 

My little man with the cute toy sea turtles….see the little shell lei around his neck? Jeromel looks quite different here….he had been unwell….so he had really puffy eyes. Poor little man!

My own Aloha man!! And oh yes…he bought the shirt…..so he has something to wear on Loud Shirt day at work! hehehe. Mil bought some souveniers but I left empty handed….I dunno….I’m not really one for souvenirs…but there were a lot of fun things in the shop. There was a thong slipper on a handle….fly swatter. There was a hula girl duster that was very cute. But I resisted….knowing that we still had a long way to go.

LeSports Sac shop near the Waikiki Plaza. They have a gorgeous range of bags at a disgusting price. LOL

Ok…the following photos are from the International Market Plaza which is right across the road from where we live. Absolutely gorgeous little market place surrounded by big beautiful old trees. There is a food court here which we sometimes get our food from.

 

 

hehehe…this was my favourite shop at the Market place. The Stupid Factory….they have hilarious tshirts and magnets with funny sayings on them. I ended up buying two little books…one titled ‘Boys are stupid…throw rocks at them’ and the other ‘Girls are Weirdos but they smell pretty’. Very very funny reads!!

LOL…..the macaws were absolutely gorgeous…..and Jeromel thought he might enjoy holding them….but he hadn’t expected how sharp their claws were or how heavy they would be. He doesn’t look like he’s enjoying the experience very much at all!!!

It wasn’t till our last night in Hawaii that we had some fun. Noy Angel and Nang Linda took us out for a drive, dinner and we went to two nightspots to listen to some live music and have a few drinks.

 

Later we were joined by Luis Gabrillo, Iwing and Aida Gabrillo and unfortunately Gigi Villarta is not on the group shot here. 

A quick stop at Nang Gonyang and Amay Silva’s place. 

Leaving Honolulu, we had another horrible experience at the airport. The people who work there are just so unhelpful There are so many checks to get all our luggage through and no trolley in sight and once we had checked our luggage in and gone through security check, we had to walk so far to get to our gate. We had to walk all the way from one terminal to the other on the outside footpath….seriously like 3 times the whole length of the outside of tullamarine airport.