It's been 21 days since I left for my vacation and it's so nice to be finally back.
The itinerary was simple, spend my vacation with family and friends in Las Vegas- San Francisco- Los Angeles. Each one had a story to tell, but one thing that they all had in common was this statement:
"It's always nice to see people from back home cause they bring so much of the Philippines with them... so I always make an effort to hang out with them. But if you ask me if I want to go back, the answer is no. I'd still much rather stay here."
~~~
Las Vegas. Awesome.
The city that never sleeps... or would never make you sleep. From the moment our plane landed, my parents and I got dragged from one house to the next to rekindle connections with our relatives and old friends. Pass the well-lit hotels at the strip, strip bars and Chippendale billboards, we crossed streets called Frank Sinatra. By 12 midnight, the whole shebang ended and a new welcome wagon greeted me. I finally was with my best gal, Joyce. Despite having jetlag and being tired from the flight, Joyce told me to dress up so we could go clubbing. And clubbing we did.
That whole weekend seemed a blur, only because it felt as if the partying never stopped. From that night, we went to the Jet club at the Mirage, the Wet Republic pool party in MGM Grand and the Rain club at the Palms the next day. It was a surreal and thrilling experience to just go do what people usually do in Vegas-- Party. Non-stop. And yeah, even experiencing crotch dancing and meeting Levy the "big giant"-with-a-little-kid-in-his-pants was something I wouldn't miss for the world.
By the time I had to meet up with my parents, I was already exhausted. That was it for me in Vegas but my uncle thought otherwise. My lack of sleep and hangover was highly disregarded. I felt crappy as we made our way to the Nevada desert for some Wild West action even until the next day when we visited Hoover dam. One thing I learned though, Vegas is hot AND expensive. It was kind of strategic to only stay there for a couple of days.
San Francisco. Breath-taking.
Ah, San Francisco. I finally understand what the song "I left my heart in San Francisco" means. The city by the bay is definitely a place you need to visit when you go to California. Despite it being colder than usual for summer, the place is absolutely beautiful. As we made our way around the city for the tour, each location took my breathe away. It's a small city and finding transportation is very easy that i'm proud to say I could take the Bart from Oakland back to San Francisco alone! You could take the no-frills mode of transportation like the bus or Bart, or choose to take a more scenic route and take the cable car. You can't go wrong in the bay area. It's a good mix of eccentricities, ethnicity and culture. You could take the Cable car to Fisherman's wharf, or take the Bart to the beach (or Union Square) or take a ride all the way to Napa Valley for some culture.
I remember sitting on one of the benches of the look-out point by the Golden Gate bridge and eating a sandwich. It was a foggy day, but as the clouds cleared up and the sun was out you know that you were meant to be at that spot at that moment. Even jogging around Joyce's place was amazing. We were jogging along Alameda beach that morning and I remember being distracted because right across the water was San Francisco. I told her how wonderful it must feel to see it every morning before she goes to work and be welcomed by it when she gets home and she replied as- a- matter- of- fact a stern "yeah".
San Francisco has my heart all right. Despite all the wackos and drug dealers that roam around 6th and 7th street, it's definitely a place I want to go back to again.
Los Angeles.
Though we stayed in the city longer than the others, I can't quite describe this place. It was a big city and I found it difficult to go around from one place to the next without a car. The streets were easy enough to point out in the map but there were so much bus routes that when my uncle would give me directions on which numbered bus to take, i'd zone out.
The weather was much bearable during the day than it was in SF but it did get cold at night. The beach was amazing though! But seeing people surf in Venice and Santa Monica beach made me miss home. Actually, a lot of things in LA made me miss home. Maybe it was because I was homesick by this time.
The good things in LA though? The food, beach and shopping! Places I loved were Ross, Marshall, Kohls, Nordstrom rack, Farmers Market, The Grove and the loooooong stretch of beaches, from Venice beach to Santa Monica. My aunt knew a lot of the good places to eat so we did go on a "healthy" diet (which just means we had an abundance of food). We had Thai, Brazilian BBQ, ribs, pies at Dupar's and the oh-so-to-die-for chocolate chip cookies from The Bakery around the corner.
The best experience in this place though? Was being on the train with Laker fans after game 6 and watching game 7 at a pub in Farmers market with friends and family. Who knew I liked watching basketball?!? But like they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do...
~~~
I won't change anything that happened in the trip, even the little arguments my parents would have (usually its all the shopping and what to place in the balikbayan box ek) so yeah, I know for a fact my family cannot survive Amazing Race let alone win it... But the three of us knew that we wanted to go home already. That though this place is way hotter, and you can work your ass off and won't get as far... home is still home. You can be awarded a green card and be a citizen but you can never take away being Pinoy. It's no wonder Filipino communities abroad are always tight, they have no one else to turn to but their own.
It was always funny how OFWs would talk to us, regardless where we were, when they hear us talking in Tagalog. It would always go like this:
"Kamusta! Pinoy rin pala kayo?"
"Taga san kayo sa Pinas? "
"Ah, taga- (insert province here) ako!"
"Alam niyo mahirap lang dito pero masmaganda pa rin kaysa sa Pinas..."
"Dito na lang kayo!"
If I charged a dollar for every time I was told "lipat ka na dito!" i'd have enough to pay for that darn tattoo I wanted in LA. Tsk. But maybe San Francisco is not so bad... Then again I can only take so much of speaking english non-stop. Nag nosebleed ata ako ng slight.
I'm so glad i'm home.
- Live like there's no tomorrow. Love like it's your last.
