Tagged: travel

Summer in Minnesota

I had an unplanned trip to Minnesota last Sunday. I am so glad that I decided to go despite of all the things I have to take care of before I leave for home. It was a short trip so I made sure that I got the best of it. Last time I was there it wasn`t much of an adventure because of the gruesome winter weather and I was there for a whole month (December 2008–January 2009). I never saw snow before so I was overjoy to step and play with snow for the first time. It wasn`t at all like what I imagined because I ended up staying at home for almost the whole time. The snow was pretty but I really couldn`t stand the cold weather. My friends were trying to scare me off by saying I might get frostbite hahaha… And also I kept hearing about the awesome lakes but they`re all frozen. So this time I did my homework, researching about the lakes that were located in Minneapolis.

Minnesota is really different in summer. The weather is extremely hot. It hit 100 degrees when I was there. I wasn`t really prepared for it, since San Francisco pretty much has the coolest summer. But I got to visit many places this time. Even though I didn`t stop for many lakes as I hoped for, I did pass many of them within 3 days. I should say I love Lake Harriet! I was staying at the fishing dock and it was a really peaceful moment. People were so friendly there. There`s always an exchange of “hello” from strangers everywhere I went. It made my stay in Minnesota very pleasant. It was indeed a perfect getaway before returning to Indonesia.

{Some pictures were taken with my Canon T2i and some with La Sardina}

Overweight Squirrels

I did the 17-mile drive, and absolutely loved it! The scenes were gorgeous, I wish the weather could have been better and not as foggy. There`s so many things to see as we moved from one point of interest to another. Lone Cypress was definitely on the top of my list, followed by Seal Rock Picnic Area. When people were paying attention to the seals I was more interested in the overweight squirrels.  They`re soooo adorable. I`d never seen ones that were so chubby and friendly (though I found them a little on the aggressive side). They weren`t scared being near human, and even walked to get the nuts from your hands (which I don`t think we`re supposed to do in the first place). The squirrels were definitely the highlight of my trip.

Over the Rainbow

To be honest, I wasn`t as excited to go to Niagara Falls as I was to Yosemite. I thought it would just be another waterfalls. I was wrong. Before we got to see the waterfalls, we went to the imax theatre to watch the history, legends, and myth of the falls. The story itself was informative, but the execution was pretty bad. I learned all about Lelawala and the incident of Dianne and Roger in 1960. That story made me really alert and cautious when I was standing on the brink of the upper falls.

I was in awe when I finally saw Niagara Falls. It`s really magnificent, and at night it felt magical when the different colors of light hit the water. Unfortunately when I was there, the sun set at 9 pm and we couldn`t stay for long. We went back next day in the morning, and the falls looked different from when it was at night. When the light hit the water, it was grand, majestic in every way but in the morning it looked really peaceful. The rainbow was so pretty and close, it was as if it`s within the reach of the hands.We circled the lower falls with the Maid of the Mist Boat. It was such a fun ride that I wanted to go on it again. We went in to the heart of the falls, and of course the wind and water got us really wet. Lucky that they gave out the blue raincoat before we stepped into the deck. Such a unique experience!

I definitely want to go back to Niagara Falls! It is to put it simply, breathtaking!

Yosemite (part 1)

I want to take this chance to thank each and every one of you for dropping by. Thanks for all the support. It really means a lot to me and I appreciate it.

I just got back from Yosemite (it was a super last-minute trip) for three days. I had a blast. It`s my second time visiting the park, but the first one was just a passing-through. This time I had a road trip with a friend of mine, and the thing about driving is that you can stop whenever and wherever you want. So I got to have a rather intimate experience within the area. Unfortunately the trip was mostly spent on the road and reading the map trying to figure out where to go next. I still hope I can go back there someday and see the coming of the sunrise.

We are quite the heavy packers. We stopped at Wawona Hotel, I love the white wooden chair. The place just looked so cozy.Bridalveil (beautiful waterfall)

 

Rainy Christmas

I thought this year I would have a white Christmas, but as life has always been unexpected I have a warm, humid, rainy Christmas instead. It doesn`t really matter as long as I can be home with my loved ones. My flight was unbelievably short, or it felt like it. I still have jet-lagged, and I hope that it`ll be over soon, I don`t want to take super long nap in the middle of the day and wake up at 4 in the morning. Home has been great. My parents, sister and I went to Bengkayang yesterday, it`s a 2 hours drive from Singkawang. It`s an interesting place, and I wish I could explore more in the city.

I hope the rain will stop so I can head to the beach :D But now I am just gonna have a lazy day in an air con bedroom with my sister catching up with some movies. Have a wonderful blessed Christmas!

Taipei for 23 hours

Just when I thought it was the end of the world that I had to have one night layover in Taipei, everything worked out unbelievably well. I was panicking when the airlines called me 2 days prior to my flight that it was on the 3rd, not the 4th. I had to go to Taipei on the 3rd and then another flight to San Francisco on the 4th. The layover itself was 23 hours, and then I got “kicked out” from the airport because the transit hotel was full. Luckily I applied for the visa and it got approved right away. So after going to one information center to another I finally got a hotel room. It was such a relief because the hotel was literally next to the airport. Even though it cost a lot but I got a good night rest. And early the next day, my friend was kind enough to pick me up at the airport and brought me around to see Taipei. It was a wonderful short tour. Clearly it`s not enough time to see everything, but it`s better than being roomless at the airport trying to kill those 23 hours. I will come back one day, Taiwan.The MRT StationChiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Taipei 101, one of the most difficult building to photograph. I definitely stood too close.Ximending, considered as Taipei`s “Harajuku”..

Last couple of days in Guilin

Guilin is as beautiful as any other places I`ve been to in China, but Yangshuo still wins my heart. They share the same river and all, but then there`s something about Yangshuo that is so dangerously attractive. Nevertheless I still enjoy Guilin and its beauty.

Leaving China was hard, but I yearned to see my nephew at home. After being home for only 3 days I had to leave again. I am exhausted now. I simply want to finish my online classes and relax for 3 weeks before going back to the states. And I realized I have been flying the most this year, new record indeed. From the beginning of the year til now, I have flown for 14 times. Sigh, traveling has worn me out. But China has left me some really memorable moments.

Faces

Million faces pass us by. Sometimes I wonder what story do they have in store for us. People are wearing many kind of faces: sad, happy, love, fear, joy, disappointment, etc. We`re afterall all emotional beings. That what makes us human. We have the ability to feel.

Is it a coincidence that in life we have met certain people, passed them by and never seen them again. Doesn`t it bother you that you`ll never get the chance to know them? Life goes on and it always does. And sometimes I regret not saying hello to some people.

 

 

Cormorant Fishing

This is a method of traditional fishing using the trained cormorants to fish in the rivers. Once the birds are in the water and succeeding in catching the fish, they can`t eat it. The fishermen will put a ring somewhere on the bird`s throat to prevent from any swallowing. But of course the birds will then get their prize after the hunt, they can have the seventh fish. Cormorants are pretty unique, they have long neck and they can stay under the water for quite some time. When I watched this demonstration, I was in awe. I haven`t really seen anything like this. Although not all cormorants come back with the fish, some are found to be more challenging. But it`s amazing to see and learn how people used to fish in the past using these interesting birds. Traditional yet effective.

I took these pictures somewhere along the Li River.