California 2007

In October 2007, we decided to take a break and had our first overseas trip to USA, California. This was a big decision for us, as the long journey flight from Singapore to Los Angeles would be very challenging for our daughters. Filomena was 5 years old and Cordelia was 3 years old then.  It's also the first time both were boarding a plane, not to mention that both were down with flu two weeks before the trip. It's very worrying for us. To our relief, things went on smoothly though Cordelia was telling mummy to go home when the plane took-off from our Changi international airport. Thanks to SIA, both were occupied with kid's movies and entertainment system throughout the journey. Both have a pleasant trip. It's the parents that had to endure and suffer the 16-18 hours flight, to ensure both our princesses were comfortable and resting well.  

Our vacation started from Disneyland Anaheim in Los Angeles. We travelled along highway1 North. We stopped in Santa Barbara for lunch the next day. And travelled further up North to San Simeon for the Hearst Castle visit in the night. The next day, we stopped along Cabrillo highway for the wild seal watching.  We made a few stop-overs for many photo shots along the beautiful Pacific Ocean. The view was awesome. Our next stop was Monterey Bay where we visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We took half a day before rushing to Santa Clara to meet our friend, Ashutosh for dinner. He was the one that drafted our journey in California. It's already past 10pm when our dinner was done. Then, we headed to San Francisco safely, though it's  almost midnight. Thanks to the modern technology, the GPS guiding system that we trusted wholeheartedly to direct us around in this foreign land. We visited the Fisherman Wharf and Golden bridge for the next two days. After that, we drove further to Napa Valley for the vineyard tour in Robert Mondavi. In the afternoon, we skipped our lunch and drove straight to Yosemite National Park. Along the way, we stopped by a strawberry farm for a tour. The berry was sweet and cheap. We brought six small buckets to our next hotel in Yosemite National Park. We stayed for two days searching for the giant trees and waterfalls, before heading to Las Vegas, Nevada for a night rest. This is the longest single day journey that I've done. It's took us almost 8 hours. We've a few breaks along the dessert highway to refresh ourselves. I remembered having 3-4 tea bags to a single cup just to keep us awake during the drive. Next, we visited the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon in Arizona. After that, we drove back to L.A. and stopped over at Las Vegas for a night rest. We visited the San Diego Zoo and the Wildlife parks. Our last day was back in Hollywood before heading back home.  It's a wonderful trip and we've a great time.  It's brought the family much closer.

Cheers papa