It's winter time once again and it reminds me of my first winter here in the US last 2003. It was December while we were in California and even though the weather was cold, it didn't stop us to go gallivanting around. Our friends Lina and Manuel took us to Lake Tahoe, about 3 hours drive from Stockton. It was cloudy and showering when we left Stockton but there was no snow. When we approached Lake Tahoe, I was so amazed when I saw the beautiful view of the place. Snow was all around the ground and the trees were white with snow. I can't help myself but exclaimed and said out loud that "I just used to see the snow in the movies and in the Christmas cards but now I see it for real." My friends and my hubby just laughed. Lina and her hubby were used to seeing snow because they resided in Canada before they moved to California. But I was just so excited to see snow for the first time in my life.

We went first to see the cable cars which they called Gondola In The Sky. It was freezing cold and it's good I wore layers of clothes. We wanted to ride the cable car but they were not opened that time because of the cold weather. We just took photos there. Then we headed to the lake. I tell you, the view there is spectacular. We got off the car and took some photos. My hubby and I were like kids that we were throwing snow to each other. We really had fun in the snow. Then we drove to North Lake Tahoe, crossing into Nevada. Our friends took us to Caesar's Palace. That was my first time to go to a casino and we just stayed there for a little while and played in the slot machine. I'm not a gambler so I really didn't enjoy playing. After that we went out and drove back to Stockton. It was a memorable day for me.

taken in Lake Tahoe

with my hubby and at our back is the lake
at the back are the mountains covered with snow, nice view indeed...
the Gondola In The Sky

in front of the Caesar's Palace, North Lake Tahoe, Nevada

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We did a lot of sight-seeing and traveling while we were in California. After our Universal Studios tour, we headed to visit our friend Cesar and his family in Chula Vista. It was a three hour drive from Hollywood so it was already almost midnight when we arrived there. We were so tired gallivanting around so I slept soundly that night. The next day, Cesar took us to Sea World in San Diego. He paid the entrance fee for all of us, me, my hubby, Lina, Manuel and their son. So he paid for 6 people including himself and he must have spent a lot for the entrance fee. It's good he got a discount because he's in the navy.

Sea World is a nice place to go if you are fond of those sea creatures. I enjoyed watching the dolphins' show, sea lion's show, pets' rule and of course who can forget Shamu, the famous whale. I took some photos and also recorded some of the shows in video. We went around seaworld and we've seen lots and lots of different species of fish, also penguins, etc.

During lunch time, we ate there and the foods there were so pricey. My hubby treated everybody for lunch. It's our little way of paying back our friends' hospitality and generosity. We were like having a picnic in one of the public tables in Sea World.
We were in Sea World until evening but still we were not able to watch all the shows. One day is not enough to roam around the place just like Universal Studios. But anyways, we had fun seeing the shows and I was really entertained. My eyes had a feast seeing all those sea creatures. It's an adventure that will always stay fresh in my mind.

at the entrance of Seaworld with my hubby
inside Sea World
with our friends, thank you very much for taking us to Sea World

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It's exactly 5 years this month since my hubby and I went to Universal Studios in Hollywood. My friend Lina and her hubby took us there and they paid the entrance fee for us. They got the celebrity pass which was good for 1 year. If only we live near that place, we could have went back there and we won't pay anything. One day was not enough to see all the shows in that place.

We had a studio tour. We rode the bus and it took us around Hollywood. We had a great time seeing the places where the movie stars shoot their movies. We've seen how they create flood in just one click. They're very good in fooling people with the effect of the camera. They showed us how they make the plane and the bus shake when they're filming. I was fascinated of course. I've also seen KingKong there. He was still alive and kicking.

We went to watch live the movies Water World, Backfire, Spiderman, and a lot more which I can't remember. We watch in 3D the movies Shrek and Terminator. That was my first time to watch 3D movies and it was awesome! The most unforgettable experience we had was the Back To The Future ride. Oh boy, that was a great ride! It was like we were on the outer space. My hubby and I had so much fun and we enjoyed it very much. We stayed there until past 7:00 PM.

How I wish I can go back there again. It was really a great and unforgettable experience.

the red carpet entrance
at the Jurassic Park


inside Hollywood


with the famous Shrek
in front of the big concrete Christmas tree
we ate at Red Ribbon Bakeshop in Panorama City after touring Universal Studios

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Time flies so fast. It's been 5 years since my hubby and I went to California to visit Lina, my best friend in college. When she learned that I was already here in the US, she kept calling me and asked me to go and visit her and her family in Stockton. So my hubby and I flew there and stayed there for 3 weeks. I was happy to see her because it's been a while since we saw each other. She and her husband had been very hospitable to us for the whole time we were there. One of our college friends, Cesar and his wife and youngest daughter were also there visiting. So it's like we had a reunion. My friends took us to different tourist attractions in California. First, they took us to Golden Gate in San Francisco which is just more than an hour drive from Stockton. I was so delighted to see the Golden Gate and we took some photos there. Imagine, I only used to watch this place in the movies then I got to see it that day. Then we drove across the Golden Gate bridge and went to the other side. There were many tourists there and we took some photos again.

Then we drove to Lombar Street, this is what they call the long and winding road. The view was spectacular and we stopped by and took some photos in that street. After that, we went to find the house of one of our college classmates there and we got lost on the way. We managed to find the address after a few turns and it was the birthday of the daughter of our classmate so we had free foods. After eating and chatting, we drove back to my friends' home. We had a good time that day.

Here are some souvenir photos taken in San Francisco 5 years ago. I didn't have a digital camera yet that time so I just scanned these photos. My apologies if they are not that clear.

on the other side of the Golden Gate
with my hubby and friends
at Lombar street, the long and winding road in San Francisco. We had to stop the traffic just to take photos, he-he!!! As you can see the road is only one way...

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