al don

Went to the Cali on Mar last year: - Landed in SF, spent a couple of days near the Fisherman's Wharf: seafood, GG and Alcatraz Tour, tram to Union Square, Chinatown, City Hall. - Picked up a rental, went to Palace of Fine Arts, then GG Bridge Welcome Center, then drove across the GG Bridge to the Charles Schulz (creator of Snoopy) Museum in Santa Rosa. - Drove down to Silicon Valley and stayed for a night. Drove around and went to the Google campus and Apple HQ, then went to the Computer History Museum. - Wanted to stop by Monterey Bay Aquarium on the way to LA, but it will be closed by the time I get there, so I just continued to LA. - Arrived in LA and went to the Griffith Observatory. Went to a clinic because I got a head cold and needed some meds. Stayed the night at a hotel near Pinoytown in Temple. Had kikiam, fishballs, bituka, and other turo-turo at Dollar Hits. - Went and checked-in at the Disney Hotel, returned the rental because I'll be in Disney for 5 days where I disney'd the fuck out of Disneyland: Star Wars, Marvel, Cars, food, rides, the whole she-bang. Had a priority ticket so I can skip the lines. - Even 5 days is not enough but I had to say goodbye to Mickey and Grogu. So got another rental. - Drove to Joshua Tree National Park, Route 66, Mojave Dessert, and then onwards to Las Vegas. - On the way, because I'm a big Fallout New Vegas fan, stopped by Searchlight, Primm, Goodsprings and Hoover Dam. - After that.. Vegas baby!! For that part you can see my post on the Las Vegas thread. But that's my 2023 Cali adventure. I booked motels or hotels on the fly, just picking the one where I'm in the general area at. Used Expedia a lot. The only hotel that I booked before hand was the one in SF when I landed and the Disney Hotel (and the hotels in Vegas).

Went to Vegas on March last year: - Watched Chicago at the Venetian, then spent the night at the cheaper Thunderbird Boutique Hotel. - Went to the Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, then watched Michael Jackson One by Cirque du Soleil later that night, then spent the night there as well. - Then stayed at Planet Hollywood for a couple of nights. Didn't care much for gambling but went to a Grand Canyon Tour, fired a few guns at a couple of ranges, and just explored the Strip.

It was 90c by time I started commuting to school yung piso mo may sukli ka pang diyes... Tatlong 25c ang isang tawag sa public payphone.. yung kulay red na may rotary dial.. Remember the song: "Tatlong bente singko lang aking kailangan.. upang makausap ka ng kahit sandali lang..."

Funnily enough, none. When he pulled me over, I gave him my license and IDP and told him: "Really sorry officer.. First time driving here in the US.. still getting used to it.. in my mind, 100mph=100kph...". Let me off with a warning and told me to drive safely.

120mph on some road on the Mojave Dessert on my way to Las Vegas on a Ford Mustang EcoSport. Got caught, too, by a Park Ranger after cresting a small hill. 140kph on a long, straight road in rural South Australia on a Subaru WRX

True ka dyan on Sirao and Temple. They're more of Point of Interest than attraction. Unfortunately, yung mga kasama ko are the type that wants to go to *all* the places of interest to get their pictures and selfies for their socials eh. Though it was interesting to hear the tsismis behind the family that owns Temple of Leah. It's ok na rin. Never been to Cebu before so it's all new me.

Hidden View Mansion https://thehiddenviewmansion.com/ https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+Hidden+View+Mansion/@14.0894308,120.8889911,772m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x33bd9d545c74f81d:0x3a4088436b9fa9ce!8m2!3d14.0952113!4d120.8902678!16s%2Fg%2F11pdrrcdqt?authuser=0&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAxMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D There are 2 "mansions" you can rent. Each has multiple bedrooms. We stayed at Mansion A which had the infinity pool that you can see on the pictures. The place is nice and clean. Each bedroom has a/c and toilet, except yung driver's room na electric fan lang. May caretakers that can assist you when you need anything. Meron place para mag bbq. Meron din place for a bonfire. Meron bb halfcourt. Malaki ang parking area (we had 6 cars) and secured with a gate. So very good for overnight or multiple nights stay.

(edit: checked my timeline and pics and updated this post to reflect the actual places that we went to, plus added some personal notes.) bro, this was our iten when we went to Cebu last Mar: Destinations: Day 1: - Oslob: Swimming with the whale sharks. Or you can just go near them in a bangka. Notes: Whole day ito kasi malayo ang Oslob sa Cebu City, so most of the day was spent on travel time. Plus, you have to get there really early as the whales only go near the shore during the morning (it's their feeding time) and there are LOTS of people. We had lunch na rin sa Oslob at the Bangcogon Resort and Restaurant. Only go here if you really want that whale shark encounter. Even then, go to Oslob via Dumaguete as that is much faster than coming from Cebu City. Otherwise, I'd give this a pass. - Monastery of the Holy Eucharist: Impressive-looking church where the supposedly miraculous "weeping" statue of Mary is located. Notes: A must if you're one of the faithful, I guess. Otherwise, it was on the way back to Cebu City from Oslob. Day 2: - Manatayupan Falls Notes: Spent the day here. Swimming and even going directly under the falls itself on a raft. Food is good. Horrible toilet and shower facilities though. I mean, jfc, they really need to spend some time and money on those facilities. Day 3: Cebu City - Sto Niño Church - Magellan Cross - Sirao Garden - Temple of Leah - Fort San Pedro - Pasalubong Center Note: Nothing special. Just spent the day roaming the city and buying pasalubong. Had lunch at Rico's Lechon. Throughout, we stayed at the City POD Hotel in Cebu City.