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Week 10: Some of my many favorite adventures

Week 10: Best adventures while traveling

I am going to begin this post but going off-topic. My friend who I’ve known since my college years inquired about starting a blog. We met in LA and it’s funny how we kept in touch after all these years. I moved to San Diego, she moved to Monterey Bay. I moved back to LA, and she moved back to El Salvador. I think she should go for it :-).

It’s Travel Tuesday and I am halfway through the challenge. So far it’s been fun writing all about my adventures and an excuse to pull out some old photos. I am not sure how to organize this post, so why not just list down my many favorite adventures!

Monteverde Cloud Forest Tour – This was from my Costa Rica trip last year. I loved how everything was so green and the fauna was so diverse!

Ziplining – When you are in Costa Rica, you got to go zip-lining. It’s quite a unique 360 experience of the absorbing the rainforest around you.

Going on a boat –– really any activity on a boat is fun. Unless you get seasick.

Me on a boat from Amalfi to Capri

Taking public transit – I enjoy taking the train whether it’s Amtrak at home, the Trenitalia in Italy, or the subway in Paris.

Hiking the Amalfi Coast, National Parks, cities — hike anywhere really… Just go outside!

Mt. Tre Cali at Amalfi Coast

Yosemite, CA

Sequoia, Kings Canyon, CA

Me wandering around Florence, Italy

A lot of times, my adventures are local. I like going to quirky events like the Lego exhibit in Glendale, driving all the way down to San Pedro after work to see the large rubber duck, or taking the subway to downtown LA to see large inflatable bunnies.

Read more posts from the Travel Blogging Challenge:

Week 1: Your Favorite Travel Photo of You and Intro
Week 2: Little Known Travel Tips
Week 3: Funny Travel Story
Week 4: Travel Misadventures
Week 5: Top three cultural foods
Week 6: Unusual Travel Activities and Photos
Week 7: Inspiration for traveling
Week 8: 5 Favorite Blogs
Week 9: Gross/disgusting travel stories

Who else is doing the challenge?

Interested in participating in the Weekly Travel Blogging Challenge? Feel free to make your own today!

Take a break at the Huntington Library

Collage is defined as:

a piece of art made by sticking various different materials such as photographs and pieces of paper or fabric onto a backing,

the art of making collages, and

a combination or collection of various things

For this post, I’ll apply the definition with the last point: “a combination or collection of various things.”

I’ll feature the Huntington Library and Garden at Sierra Madre. It’s one of my favorite places in Los Angeles. Actually Huntington Library hits my Top Ten places in Los Angeles.

The campus is huge and each time I go, I don’t go through everything because there’s so much to see! I enjoy taking this visit in chunks, but then again I am local and I do come back again. If you are in Los Angeles for a visit, go see as much as you can from the Huntington Library and take a break at the Rose Garden Tea Room for some tea and sandwiches.

I took this photo back in I believe 2013. It’s interesting the way the leaves of this deciduous tree is placed against the bamboo.

A cactus collection in the desert garden.

I’ve got quite a photo collection from Huntington Library. Stay tuned for more photos in future photos!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage

Week 5: Bangkok, Los Angeles, Naples

Week 4 of the Weekly Travel Blogging Challenge: Top 3 Cultural Foods

“Travel Tuesday” is a back and I am so excited to post this set because my favorite thing about travel is the food. Here are my Top 3 Cities with the best food.

Bangkok, Thailand

I was in Southeast Asia back in 2012 exploring Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam…and I had a brief, less-than-24-hour stint in Hong Kong. I have to say, Bangkok has AMAZING food or my friend who lives in Bangkok took me to all these great places. Maybe because I was young, I loved how places opened late and there were still people around. It reminded me of living Los Angeles when I was in college. At the time, I lived in sleepy San Diego for about 3 years and being in Bangkok made me miss the liveliness of living in the city.

I have to say, fruit in the food stands in Thailand was good. Keeping the fruit under the shade makes all the difference. It was a contrast in buying fruit laying out in the sun from a stand in Cambodia.

Naples, Italy

This was from our long overdue honeymoon in Italy. We went to Italy in September 2015 — our wedding was in October 2014. See, overdue. We went to Rome, Florence, Venice, Cinque Terre, Naples, and the Amalfi Coast. Out of all the cities, Naples had the best food and the most diverse. Naples had the best pizza — after all, that is where pizza was invented. My favorite snack (from this whole trip!) was this fried seafood medley.

Los Angeles, CA

I know, I live in Los Angeles, but I feel no matter what your budget is you can find really, good food. Sometimes the saying “you get what you pay for” does not apply in food in Los Angeles.

I love how I can always somehow find food reminiscent of my travels somewhere in LA. If I want Neapolitan style pizza, I can go to Midici’s down the street from my house. If I want kanom krok, I can find it in a Thai stand in Grand Central Market.

Read more posts from the Travel Blogging Challenge:

Week 1: Your Favorite Travel Photo of You and Intro
Week 2: Little Known Travel Tips
Week 3: Funny Travel Story
Week 4: Travel Misadventures

Who else is doing the challenge?

Interested in participating in the Weekly Travel Blogging Challenge? Feel free to make your own today!

White Rose and French Espresso ice cream

Because yesterday was 103 degrees and today is 100 degrees. Stay cool everyone!

There a lot of unique flavors such as melon, pink rose, white rose, saffron, orange blossom, cucumber, etc.
Going to Saffron and Rose in Westwood was a real treat because it’s in my college town. I haven’t been to either in ages. Last Friday I went to Westwood to visit my friend who’s leaving California at the end of this month. We had dinner and walked a few blocks for ice cream. It made me nostalgic. It reminded me how awesome living in Westwood was — everything was close by and food wasn’t too bad either. But it’s the end of an era.

Saffron and Rose Ice Cream
1387 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Westwood

“La La Land” Live in concert

Last night, we went to the Hollywood Bowl and watched La La Land in concert. This is where they play the movie La La Land accompanied by a live orchestra — many who are were the original musicians who played in the recording. The conductor of the orchestra was none other than Oscar winning composer, Justin Hurwitz.

When I first purchased this ticket, I did not have high expectations because the time I purchased it, everyone was still on the La La Land-obsession train. I was not sure how much I would like the movie or the concert, but after it was far beyond what I expected. They sure went all out with the dancers, the lighting, and the fireworks!
Continue reading “La La Land” Live in concert