Wanderlust

One day my mom was talking to one of my granduncles about his fish pond and decided she really wanted to see them. So in March my mom, a high school friend, and I hopped on a plane to the Philippines.

Before arriving to San Esteban, several of my granduncles painted a picture of San Esteban as being very poor where the people were malnourished and the river water was polluted. We were so worried that we convinced ourselves that if we touched the water we would contract cholera. After we had arrived in Masantol where the family boat was docked our fears of this unknown place to me and a distant memory of my mother’s made us want to turn around and head back to Makati where we stayed for a couple if nights upon arriving in the Philippines.

One of my mother’s cousins came and met us in Masantol and took us in the family boat to San Esteban. We arrived on the riverside of one of my granduncle’s houses, which is where we stayed, and docked the boat. We dropped off our luggage in their big beautiful house. Afterwards we went to our other granduncle’s house, which is where the house my mother was born in used to be, four or five houses down.

San Esteban is an extremely small island, approximately three U.S.A. blocks long. Most of the people on the island are related in some way – by blood or by marriage. Our visit coincided with a fiesta celebrating the Black Nazareth. A party atmosphere filled the air with music blasting from the speakers on the elementary school’s basketball court as they prepared for the school dance.  The only street of San Esteban, running the length of the island, was bustling with kids running around in packs walking up and down while a band (hired by one of my granduncles) intermittently marched up and down the street.

Our family and their neighbors hung out, sang karaoke, and enjoyed each other’s company at my granduncle’s house. The balcony on the second floor was where I was able to soak in the scene. I am glad we didn’t turn back. San Esteban seemed to be the happiest place in the Philippines that I have visited.

Plitvice Lakes felt so enchanted. At times I couldn’t believe my eyes. The lakes have a different feel during each season.  For example, during winter the lakes and waterfalls freeze and it becomes more of a winter wonderland. Since we visited during the summer there was rushing water and flowing waterfalls.

Hvar island is pretty large and would probably take a good couple of weeks to see it-if not more. Hvar town is the main town on the island, but we stayed in a small village about 15 mins away, called Brusje. Brusje was an extremely small village that one can drive through in less than 5 mins. Most of the homes were still made of stone. We hardly ever saw anyone on streets, but definitely heard them having big family dinners.

Hvar town was indeed gorgeous as my friend had mentioned and definitely catered towards tourists.  Along the water there were many places to eat, kiosks selling excursions, and stalls selling souvenirs. More inland, there was a maze of  narrow streets with more restaurants and sites to see. One of the roads inland led up to Fortica Spanjola that looked over Hvar and out over the Adriatic sea.

We were only going to stay in Hvar for 2 nights, but ended up staying for 3 to take a boat excursion to visits neighboring islands and the famous Blue Cave. I’m glad we did!

After the breakup Yugoslavia and the creation of the countries that now make up former-Yugoslavia, Croatia gained majority of the coastline. However, Bosnia retained a small piece of the coastline in its historical city of Neum. Getting to the other side of the Croatian coastline heading north, we had to pass through Bosnia to continue north towards Split.

Our Airbnb was located about a 5 mins drive from the nearest beach. Our accommodation was a little further south in the city and more local. The beach was local as well where local families took their kids to play in the water.  Local teens hung out there hot days or went on dates, and where the locals exercised.  We felt like we were the only tourists around…which was wonderful!

One of the main tourist attractions in Split was its large promenade along the port and main area of Diocletian’s Palace, which is a UNESCO world heritage monument.  Diocletian’s Palace, built in the 3rd-4th A.D., is the oldest thing I have ever seen. The palace fascinated me because it was built during a time when Christianity was on the rise, but not yet the ruling religion. The palace was built with with local limestone and marble. Three sphinx’s were also built originating from Egyptian Pharaoh sites.

The northern part of Mljet island is the main National Park area. The small town of Polace is the “bigger and more happening” town of the whole island, even though it’s mostly made up of a small main road that runs along the water. The National Park has hikes/walks people can take. We ended up taking a boat ride to the Benedict Monastery that sits on  St. Mary’s Island and continues on to the Turquoise Lakes–better known as Small and Large Lakes. We took a long walk around the large lake, which offered different perspectives and feel of the area. As we got further from the main entrance and the tourists it started to feel more like a remote location where we could hear the snakes and other animals go by unseen in the bushes.

The southern part of the Island is less visited, but has great beaches, which is where we stopped to get some sun before heading back to the mainland.

The ride to our first accommodation made me feel like I was definitely in another part of the world because the cliffs and rocks had different colors. They were stripes of beige and brown making the place seem like it had a sepia filter over the landscape. The towns we drove through were seemed small as well.  I didn’t know what to expect from Croatia because I didn’t do much reading about it before the trip — apart from how to get from point A to point B. The driver went up and down tight and hilly streets to finally drop us off at an apartment building on a hill that overlooked Lapad Beach. This would be one of many beautiful vistas We would see in Croatia.

New York City is culturally rich and one of the most photogenic cities I have ever visited. Not only because of the sites that is has to offer that make an attractive city, but its people and the everyday-ness of NYC is what is even more captivating.

We arrived at our home for the next couple of days in the neighborhood of Beechview. It was a cute one-bedroom apartment that was still decorated with 1970’s style flooring and furniture. Right outside of our apartment was the T train that brought us to the center of the city.

We took the train to the Monongahela Incline which takes its passengers on a trolley up a steep cliff from Station Square just at the base of the Pittsburgh river, across from downtown, up to the neighborhoods that overlook the city of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh did not have as many attractions or sights to see as in Washington, D.C., but it was nice to casually explore the city. Being from San Francisco it felt like a breath of fresh air to be in a city that felt laid-back. The Pittsburghers (the name they call themselves) that we came across were very down-to-earth.

Although Pittsburgh may not the a top destination for most people, I would definitely like to come back and stick around for a while to see how Pittsburghers enjoy their time.

South Philly

South Philly Corner

Deb in the park

South Philly

Italian Market

South Philly

After settling into my friend’s apartment and taking a quick nap we hit the town. We were able to leisurely walk from Deb’s house to downtown. We created our own walking tour of downtown Philly and north Philly during the day. We stopped to have brunch it south Philly then grabbed coffee at the market in Center City. The market was bustling with what seemed like mostly tourists. We also stopped to listen to some live jazz just in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (where Rocky Balboa ran up the steps) in north Philly.

Philly definitely felt like a concrete jungle yet had a neighborhood feel to it. It felt like a small-big town because of how talkative and friendly people were to each other and the fact that we were able to walk to most places in the city. Even if we needed to take public transportation or car to a place the trip was never more than 20 minutes away.

South Philly

Row houses

Tie bar to tie horse

Mural

Italian Market – Sausages

Italian Market – Cheeses

Italian Market – Cheeses

Houses on an alley street

Brick row house

Brick row houses

Brick row house

Row houses. One brick and one more modern.

Houses on alley street

Cobble stone alley

Urban garden

Subway entrance

Directional sign

Me and Philly art

A Fact is a fact

Philly art

City Hall

City Hall up close

Reading Terminal. Market in center city.

Antes de morir ____

Ojala que pudiera _______

Subway Station

Subway Station

People and Deb waiting for the subway

Under the subway in Fishtown

Under the subway in Fishtown

Under the subway in Fishtown

Waiting for brunch in Fishtown

Deciding what to eat…

Fishtown street art

Fishtown houses on alley street

Fishtown houses on alley street

Fishtown address sign

Gay bar in south Philly

Neighborhood gathering

Geno Steak’s in south Philly

Pat’s Steaks in south Philly

Driving down avenue of the arts

Liberty Bell in Old City

Old City

Old City

Independence Hall Old City

Barry Statue in Old City

Cobble stone streets in Old City

Benjamin Franklin in Old City

Carriages in Old City

Statue of George Washington and Independence Hall in the background inOld City

Independence National Historical Park

National Constitution Center in Old City

Coffee Shop

Philly street views

Block party

Block Party

Stumbled across a wedding at Valley Green Inn

Valley Green Inn

Valley Green Inn

Lake near Valley Green Inn

Walking through Philly reminded me of Oakland, California, a mid-sized city just across the bay from San Francisco, because of the mid-size city feel that has a lot of art and culture, a relaxed vibe, and I found as much diversity in Philadelphia as I could find in Oakland.

One of the coolest places I visited was Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens. The Magic Gardens are mosaics made from tiles, glass, statues, mirrors, and many other materials. The gardens serve as a colorful little oasis in the city.

Garage with Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens style mosaics

Garages with Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens style mosaics

Entrance with Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens style mosaics

Philly is definitely a relaxed, and at the same time, vibrant city. Needless to say I will be coming back.

Somehow (probably because of the really good price) I found myself on a popular cruise-liner headed from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas.  As we all went through the security measures of embarking on the ship I was a little apprehensive of getting on the cruise because I couldn’t believe that many people would fit on the ship. It felt like a shopping mall on Black Friday.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much space there actually was. I appreciated the all-inclusive meals and attractions. It felt great not to have to think about where I will be eating that day or sleeping that night. Everything felt so convenient.

After a night at sea we docked in Nassau, Bahamas. We were able to get of the cruise and visit the nearby sites such as the Queen’s staircase, Straw Market, “The Fish Fry” (aka Arawak Cay), and do a little snorkeling and kayaking.

View from up-top

Fluorescent lighting

Swim time

Welcome to Bahamas

Civic Center

Welcome to Queen’s Staircase

Queen’s Staircase

Waterfall at Queen’s Staircase

Fort Fincastle

Fort Fincastle

Bahamarock!

View of Atlantis on the way to snorkel site

Kayaking and Snorkling

Snorkel area

“The Fish Fry”

Bahamian Beer

Cruise-liners docked at the port

It’s always a party on cruises

Pool party on main deck

Sailing back towards Florida

Sunset out at sea

I hopped on a bus headed toward Miami Beach. I got off to get a coffee at Starbuck’s and a meal at a nearby open-air shopping mall where I bought a Miami keychain souvenir.  I hopped back on the bus and headed for the beach. I arrived at a beach that seemed far from where the action took place. The sand was more rocky and the beach was less crowded. I hung out there for just a short period of time before I headed back to the airport where I finally caught my flight home.

Eventually I made it back to Miami. This time I had a whopping 36 hours in Miami. Much better than the last time I end up in that city. I was actually able to enjoy the good food, weather and beach. Our hotel was just a block from the beach in South Beach. We soaked up the rays before embarking on a cruise to the Bahamas.

Bienvenidos a Miami

Sunset on sun-soakers

Art Deco

Miami Beach

Street of Miami

Miami Beach

Street along Miami Beach

Inside Miami Beach

Miami Beach

On the cruise

Adios Miami!

Sailboats on the beach

Laying under palm trees

Street of Playa del Carmen. There was a bit of smoke coming from one of the restaurants on this block.

Evening setting on Playa del Carmen

Below are the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza which are located inland in the state of Yucatan.

Chichen Itza

Pillars of Chichen Itza

Description of Temple of Xtoloc

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza Sculpture

Chichen Itza Sculpture

Chichen Itza

Me in a ruins doorway

Chichen Itza

Tulum is another Mayan ruins site along the Caribbean Coast in the same state as Playa del Carmen called Quintana Roo.

Tulum

Tulum

From Playa del Carmen we took a ferry to the popular Isla Cozumel. We rented a scooter and scooted our way around the small island. We made a pit-stop and relaxed to roots reggae at the Reggae Beach Bar.

Reggae Beach Bar

Relaxing at Reggae Beach Bar

Reggae Beach Bar

Of course we had to visit Cancun just for kicks, so we decided to do some market shopping. Plus, we heard it was much cheaper to buy souvenirs in the infamous spring break destination. So off we went…

Mexican painted plates

Cocos frios

Dos tacos

Dia de los muertos dolls

We arrived at Auckland Airport’s immigration and the officer asked me, “Where will you be staying while in New Zealand?”

My friends and I looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders.

I replied, “I don’t know.”

We picked up our Nissan Sentra and hit the road on the Northern Island of New Zealand.

Beach in North Island

Beach in North Island

Sulfur Springs

Sulfur Springs

Sulfur Springs

Sulfur Springs

Two Kids Trying to Surf

Mangonui Fishing Area

Mangonui Town

Rolling Hills

Cape Reinga

Meeting Point at Cape Reinga

The meeting of the male and female

Me with Cape Reinga and lighthouse in the background

Orientation Sign

Lighthouse and orientation sign

Water coming on to the shore at Cape Reinga

View from the water to land

The view from our car as we drive on the beach

This beach is all ours for miles

Warning!

Driving at the speed of light

Driving through a coastal town

Farm life NZ

New Zealand small town

This road took us through a mountain. The road started out paved then turned to gravel. Three hours later we re-arrived at civilization.

Hiking in Waihi

Rotarua – Sulfur Lake