Traveling and Such

We were in Sans Francisco for almost two weeks for a holiday. Pictures as soon as I get off my butt to download them. But what a trip! I rushed us out of the apartment, my wife left her wallet at home (but we didn't know for sure), 12-14 hours flight with the return starting at 1:30 am, I left a book i bought in the motel, and then left the camera on the plane. Still, all ended well. Wallet and camera found.

All in all, it was a good holiday - cool climate, fresh air, good food, lots of space and some good shopping. wife got clothes, i got books, and Siyuan got to play on a beach and walk in a national park. That's also his 7th trip on a plane in 11 months. Yes, its a bit too much. So this is likely the last one for the rest of the year. The return trip was hellish becos it was way past his bedtime, and the ventaliation wasn't good. It was almost 4 in the morning before we got any sleep, though after that he was reasonably good. Well, as good as an active baby can get on a plane. :)


During the trip, Siyuan also decided he could say bye bye afterall, throwing in waves as well. He did that while we were on a ferry and chatting with fellow Australians from Victoria, which was where he was born. At their departure, he suddenly decided he liked the woman and said good bye. No doubt that was becos he recognised a fellow Aussie, and more probably becos he was totally fascinated by her rings and bagles. haha.

First impressions of Sans Francisco was that it was a lot like Melbourne - cool climate, wide spaces and fresh air. Of course, its also a lot bigger. Everything in the U.S. is large, from the roads, pavements, people to the coke we got. We arrived at 9-10 pm and hit our motel (becos this is the fourth-most expensive city in the U.S.!). It was old, but in good condition and the owners of the Redwood Inn were friendly and helpful.

We got a room with two Queen-sized bed, which gave Siyuan a bit of room to play around, and a place to put down our luggaes, and his food, his diapers, his clothes, his etc. haha. His stuff took up half of Lux's and mine's suitcases. He even has a toy laptop. (I bought a small basketball for him to play, which kept him most amused. Except rather than kicking or throwing it around, he loved to hide it. It got left behind in the motel room in the end becos we couldn't find it. haha)

We visited Fisherman's Wharf, yes, yes its a tourist trap, but there's a small pier and its only 3 blocks away from where we stayed. Went cycling and got sunburnt. Checked out Chinatown, where movies such as Big Trouble in Chinatown and one of Jackie Chan's was filmed and weren't impressed. Afterall, HK is one big Chinatown. There was little italy as well, which again reminded us of Lyon Street in Melbourne, though of a smaller scale.

We went up the famous Crooked Street, climbed up and down lots of slopes. Took a ferry to Sausaulito. Went to Yosemite national park. Checked out Union Square and also visited a friend's place in Richmond. In between the longer trips (such as the 14-hour Yosemite tour) we just relaxed, bringing Siyuan to a local playground and eating out at restaurants we found six blocks away where the locals hang out.

We had big breakfasts most mornings becos we missed them, and they were usually good. Like I told Lux, this was for the rest of the year! I doubt we can get such good breakfasts in HK (point proven when we went to Mid-levels this weekend for some and found it was hardly worth it.)

We had sushi becos it was fresh enough to eat, and burgers and steaks becos we were in Amercia. Went to Hooters becos wife never been to one, ate the Dungree crabs, and tried out chinese food (very good stuff there).

All in all, a good if expensive trip. Pictures and details later!