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garcia


26 Blog Entries
1 Trip
527 Photos

Trips:

Got 2 see what's out there!

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http://blogabond.com/garcia


dated for 8 years, married for nearly 4 years, no littlies yet, understandably bored and seeking new adventures... therefore, we go.

young married couple. both born in the same small rice-farming village in the northern Philippines. presently residing in beautiful New Zealand. guy (Kanootz) works in a factory. girl (Joia) works in a preschool. in short, we rely on our gutsy & hardy outlook (5 barley loaves & 2 fish will do) more than our finances.

10 weeks ago: to save some bucks, Kanootz installed a king-single bed in the far end of Joia's grandparents' lounge; furniture & other stuff safe in self-storage; been a real blessing to receive only bank statements; NO power - phone - internet (thanks, uncle Roger for the free Wifi, haha!) - BILLS for the past 3 months. Such FREEDOM!

leaving for San Francisco (ex Auckland) in 10 days as first leg of our first (we hope there to be more) RTW trip. posting opening page now as will be busy with packing & finalizing stuff these coming days, plus some crash-course in DSLR photography this Monday (thanks Steph!).



of subways & the urban jungle

New York, United States


and this is just (official) Day 1...

Rose and Jerico fetched us from JFK in the evening of Sunday (04 Nov). Just as well... we wouldnt have found our way by ourselves. NY subway is definitely unlike anything we've ever seen. realizing how big and scary New York City really is, we felt like scared little puppies. Please understand, we're coming from Auckland City, which is like a block in comparison. sob, sob! the weather is a bit nippy but the Licups' apartment has central heating. Hoorah! we had 'Bistek' for dinner. More hoorahs! Joia was terribly jetlagged, up till 4 am. Kanootz on the other hand knocked off as early as 10pm which made Joia very jealous. more sobs!

Rose woke us up with the smell of scrambled eggs on toast... sniff! Hmmm... so good after a week of microwave food. Rose kindly took the day off to show us around. After breakie, we were off to the subway station... ah, the smell of REAL New York! Out of the station and into Times Square... it was everything we imagined it to be! Busy, large, noisy... we ate pizza for lunch (they were American-sized!) before walking to the Staten Island Ferry. From there we took the... ferry, of course for FREE (yes sir, we like FREE, haha!) Following photos were taken from the ferry and Staten Island: . When we got to Staten Island, although we hadnt planned to, we felt keen to see what was outside the terminal. We were pleasently surprised to find this 9-11 Memorial by an artist named Masayuki Sono which is supposed to resemble postcards, perhaps sent to lost loved ones. From afar, the identical structures appear to be outstretched wings or a flower about to blossom... We had to run to catch the ferry back to Manhattan but we were glad we made the stop and enjoyed our very short visit to the Island.


When we got back to Manhattan, we walked from the ferry terminal to Battery Park. Here, we took a photo of a street busker dressed up as Lady Liberty. Joia had to take it from about 15 meters far, and really really quickly so as not to be caught and charged some buck for taking a snap. There was also this Statue of an eagle dedicated to war veterans. Kenneth was stoked when he found his last name as well as Ian's listed on one of the memorial walls... And to the right is a shot from the nearby Clinton Castle...

From here, we walked to Ground Zero. By this time, Joia's feet were already scorched. cheap shoes are BAD NEWS! So our next mission was to find Joia a decent pair for less. We found Century 21 - a big mess of designer branded clothes, shoes, etc. @ basement prices. Went up and down the mall... no luck there. We left Ground Zero for (New York's) Union Square this time. Further along, still around Union Square is DSW - tada! shoes and handbags at discount prices. Finally, a decent pair which were actually friendly with Joia's fussy feet. This meant that the rest of the evening can be more pleasant for everyone, without Joia's whinging!

From Union Square, we walked some more so we could meet up with Jerico... but it was okay because Joia's feet were okay. haha! By this time, we were getting too hungry. Just as well, the Licups had chosen this really amazing sushi place called 'Todai' where as Rose put it 'food is To-dai for'... wink! Salmon, tuna, seaweed salad, roe, salmon, and more salmon! Yum. Our waitress was a very friendly Filipino lady. Suffice to say that we got out of the restaurant stuffed! We were so stuffed we knew that going straight home wasn't going to be more sensible than a good relaxing stroll along the city streets. We stopped at Bryant Park and enjoyed the sights from there, an iceskating rink, a water fountain, 'buildings with lights' as Kanootz describes them...

Soon, we found ourselves back in Times Square where we took one too many shots of the busiest point probably in the whole wide earth. It was even more beautiful and blinding at night time, with its neon lights! M&M's world was open. We had fun in there... well, we're guessing the boys did more than the girls. From there, we crossed the road to Hershey's world, which is a lot smaller but still worth the visit.

Feeling much better about our tummies, we walked back to the station for Subway train 7 which took us back to Queens on 82nd Street. Home sweet home at 10pm... Rose, Jerico, and Kenneth raced each other to sleep... while Joia stayed up and fought jet-lag-night #2. We hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed our very very busy first whole day in New York City. God bless, everyone!



permalink written by  garcia on November 5, 2007 from New York, United States
from the travel blog: Got 2 see what's out there!
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Sweet Sausalito

San Francisco, United States


sorry guys, been 2 busy for blogging. here's 2 sum up the rest of our time in Sweet San Francisco. We decided that afterall, we do have great memories that we could take from this city. There are some very kind people here, very accomodating of tourists. The other day, we had a very proper lady offer us directions. Yesterday, a very kind and pleasant looking man offered to take pictures of us in a quaint little town along the coast - he even thanked us for visiting their place. And today, on the bus to the church, we didnt have the exact amount for fares - we had an angel in an older lady sitting next to us who gave us her ticket as she was getting off at next stop, and even gave us a dime to complete the other fare needed.

Day 3: Tandem Biking

we took the cable car again from Powell to Hyde at the wharf. From there, we rented a tandem bike (a first for the both of us) for the day @ $45. we got on the seats - on tiptoes - given our ungenerous heights, and started pedalling. It was surprisingly easier than it looked. The funny thing about tandem biking is that people you pass by the road always seem to find it humorous and you get these very funny but friendly grins all the time. Just as we were starting to enjoy it, we were heading uphill. Then the arguements and uncoordination set in. We were basically fighting halfway thorugh the route, yelling at each other everytime we get a chance (away from pedestrians). And then back to being the perfect team again when we get to a crowded area. haha!

Kanootz being the Captain relied on his stalker, Joia for directions. But she isnt a big fan of maps. Plainly, her navigational skills suck! The good thing about this is that we were always pleasantly surprised when we got 2 a really cool place that we hadnt expected.

Just like taking an impromptu turn when we saw a big dome which turned out to be the Palace of Arts. Jane, remember the place? movie? papa Richard G? haha! It was next to an exploratorium - which required a ticket - so obviously, we decided that best things in life are... ehrm, FREE!

Leaving the exploratorium meant an uphill ride to the Golden Gate Bridge. It also meant a lot of arguing. Kanootz would change gears without telling, and this would make Joia's pedals jerk so that her feet would slip off of them.

It wasnt until we got on the bridge that we figured out that sometimes, it can actually be easier for Joia if Kanootz lifted his feet and just drove, while Joia pedalled. Yay, now we're a happier team! haha!. And Kanootz got to rest on some parts of the route.

Riding on the bridge is an amazing feeling! The view is needless to say - magnifico! The city is partly covered in fog, the bridge beams in the sunshine... WOW!

Following bike routes, we got to this pretty little town called Sausalito. Overall, this is our sweetest memory of San Francisco. Mostly because it reminded us a lot of certain parts of Auckland. Funny that, it's like that quote we read somewhere saying we actually really travel to seek the familiar in the unfamiliar.

Haha! Sausalito is a quaint little town along the coast, posh-looking and very scenic, peaceful, victorian homes, romantic. For lunch, we had creamcheese & bagel and then we shared an icecream while waiting for the ferry back to San Francisco. The icecream, man, $4 a scoop. oh, but it was worth it - Ultra Chocolate, it was called, and yes, it was ULTRAH!

On the ferry back, there was this seagull sitting on the flag pole. We were taking a photo of it when it - pooped! Haha! Just as well the wind wasnt in our direction. And from the ferry is where Kenneth got a pretty shot of the San Francisco Skyline. We were knackered! What with the sun constantly on our necks, our legs sore from pedalling, and our bottoms scorched from the tough bike seats and bumpy hills, of course we would be. Ngorrk! That was us for the day.


Day 4: Alcatraz... not!
Tired from yesterday's tandem biking, we only got up at mid-day. We took the cable car to the wharf only to be told that tickets to Alcatraz were sold out for the day. It was amazing how we quickly shrugged our shoulders at the little disappointment. We had some help from the hostel manager telling us last night that he's never been to Alcatraz. Apparently, the city government chose to lease Alcatraz licence to a company who hired less skilled people at cheaper wages.

We then decided to just take in the atmosphere, do some people-watching - which is always interesting anyway. The money we save on the Alcatraz, we agreed that we'd spend it on 1 decent San Francisco dinner. We had grilled salmon - teriyaki for Joia, mango seared for kanootz. Ooooh, that was yum, smokey!We stayed out till late so we were able to grab some sunset photos.

Day 5: Rest Day
By this time, we are pretty tired and as much as we've enjoyed our short stay here, we have had enough. shame though, as we've only just figured out their MUNI public tranport system. In the morning we went to church. We were just happy we could keep Sabbath this week. Anyway, the afternoon meant packing up and finishing this blog entry for you guys. We love you, and y'all stay well.

permalink written by  garcia on November 4, 2007 from San Francisco, United States
from the travel blog: Got 2 see what's out there!
tagged SanFrancisco

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San Pranksisco (Day 2)

San Francisco, United States


we planned to head out the door by 8am today but thanks to jetlag, we only woke at 11am. we walked some blocks and ended up in Union Square where we bought city passports each. this we used to get on the cable car to Pier 39. our funny story today: San Francisco is home to many street performers. Our favourite so far is this man who hides behind bundles of leafy branches waiting for some happy wanderers to frighten. Fortunately, we spotted him from across the street doing his act to some other passersby. We had a good laugh! Well, the rest of the day, we basically were typical tourists exploring the city - which ic slowly growing in us.this tunnel reminds me of a place in... it looks like, and even smells like it. since this is our first walk in a tunnel for a while now, we thought it was worth a shot. at the end of the tunnel was union square.

The park itself is beautiful and mostly clean. It's surrounded by probly a dozen of highend shopping malls. We even braved going into Saks fifth ave and came out alive - whew! There was a woman begging some people for money - but she was wearing nice-looking reebok trainers...


From Union square, we walked along to Powell station where we caught the historic cable car from. the ride was funny but certainly much easier than last night's walk uphill and down. This lead us to Hyde Station near Pier 39. We saw this nice horse and carriage along Embarcadero which we thought was quite romantic, until we learned the coach charged $15/ride. Well, we got the better deal in this photograph - for nothing!Kenneth wanted a shot of this line of junk mailboxes. There's heaps of them in the city. ???

Walking further along the beach, we found ourselves heading to the end of a pier which offered a great view of Alcatraz Island. Took some shots for you folks.

The following shots were taken at the Maritime Museum. They sell tickets to go onboard the ships, but we were quite happy just enjoying the displays on the free-walk:

We got hungry so we looked for some cafe. we ended up at starbucks. we took this shot (Right) of a nice cartoon art along the way and this shot (to the left) too... hehe!

Pier 39 - also known by us as Pier Massive Rip-off If Sucked In - is where you can get CRABS!

More photos at Pier 39:

and man, those seals, do they stink!

We also climbed uphill to the coit tower, which is well, a tower. On the way up, we got our first best view of the Bay Bridge (the other less popular but much longer and newer bridge on the other end of San Francisco). On the way down, we passed through a posh-looking neighborhood and spotted this funky looking pumpkin(above). Also walked further downhill through Little Italy, which was also a very pleasent and clean place.

We came home to some holloween-hyped up hostel peepz. They went to a street party which we were gonna go along to (kuno), except I (unintenionally???) crashed into bed before they even got out of the door.

Six hours of walking meant some really tired JAFAs. Ngorrrrkk! Enjoy the photos... more to come.

permalink written by  garcia on November 1, 2007 from San Francisco, United States
from the travel blog: Got 2 see what's out there!
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Hello, San Francisco!

San Francisco, United States


We left Auckland yesterday (30th) @ 7:40 pm. Arrived in San Francisco today (30th) @ 12 noon, which makes us technically 1 day younger. Haha! After going through the customs clearance (customs officer was a stern-looking Filipino man), we were really surprised – confused even that the big anxiously anticipated baggage inspection, was – well, there was none. We picked our backpacks off the carousel, dragged them a few meters to one doorway, and that was it. Out to the shuttle parking we went, took a shuttle driven by another Filipino man, hailed for us by yet another Filipino porter. It almost felt like we were in Manila.

Our hostel is in Chinatown. We still feel a bit awkward about being a married couple in a mixed dorm room. Fortunately, our roomies – at least for tonight are another couple from Germany. We are slowly getting used to the setup. The hostel manager guy is quite a pleasant young guy who has lived in NZ before. He called us JAFAs! Oh well… and we just learned tonight that 'come to the roof top' means an invitation to go 'magsiga ng damo'. ooops!

These are just some photos we took this afternoon as we strolled down California & Sacramento Streets to find some grocery shop. A loaf of brown bread is US$4!!! A plain croissant is US$1! Heeeelllppp!

We miss Auckland already and we haven’t even been here 24hrs. boohoo!


permalink written by  garcia on October 30, 2007 from San Francisco, United States
from the travel blog: Got 2 see what's out there!
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pre-trip events

North Shore, New Zealand


Pre-trip events:

07 October 2007 – Joia was bride’s maid at Paul & Sweeny’s wedding, together with Radda and Sweeny’s friend Sophie. The wedding was quite tiring but beautiful anyway.

21 October 2007 – Steph took Joia with her for a day of photo shooting at the zoo. Here are two of the many practice shots:

25 October 2007 – fun day at Joia’s work. Diwali festival for the school. Joia got to wear this really neat Sari dress.


29 October 2007 – Uncle Darwin arrives at Auckland Airport the day before our flight to SFO. Following is a photo of our big crazy but beautiful Auckland family.


permalink written by  garcia on October 29, 2007 from North Shore, New Zealand
from the travel blog: Got 2 see what's out there!
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our second home

Auckland, New Zealand


we've called Auckland our home for the past 4-5 years. its relaxed feel was quite a treat after living in busy metropolitan Manila for 4 years. now, we love the fact that we are able to keep up with technological (& other) advances and still enjoy the abundance in nature - pollution free. The CBD's skytower changes colour occassionally. eg: pink during National Breast Cancer Foundation Day, red/green for xmas, etc. The colours on the photo: not quite sure what they're supposed to mean.

we weren't kidding about the 'bedsit' by the far end of grandma/pa's lounge. it's a bit cluttery but hey, it's a small sacrifice for a greater gain.
The volcanic Rangitoto Island is a picturesque vision constant along the East Coast of the North Shore. while the New Zealand "koru" is always a pretty neat find when walking in gardens, treks, etc. This one, was taken by kanootz in Settler's Lodge gardens at a wedding in Whenuapai. It's the size of a large fist. some can be larger though... there's a small colonnial village called Devonport several minutes southeast of where we live. In the summer, we love picnicking on one of its beaches (Cheltenham). In winter time, we like to drive around looking at its pretty little victorian houses and chapels as this one on the right... next, sunset shot taken on a main road in our neighborhood.

we better stop here as it is 3:46 a.m. Auckland time. we've backpacks to pack and stuff to do as we'll still be working full time this coming week & kanootz has quotas to reach at work before he can go. thanks for stopping by.

permalink written by  garcia on October 20, 2007 from Auckland, New Zealand
from the travel blog: Got 2 see what's out there!
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