Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

Time was ticking… It was our last day to wander around the city. We were leaving for Los Angeles the next morning, through Greyhound bus.

After our lunch at Bouldin, we continued on walking along The Embarcadero and visited the Ghirardelli Square. Domingo Ghirardelli, the son and apprentice of an Italian chocolatier, established his first chocolate factory in San Francisco, in year 1852.

Busy traffic along the street. Hooters Restaurants seem to be popular in major cities, primarily owe to their attractive waitresses.

An extremely eye-catching gigantic Levi’s jeans on display.

The cable cars are part of the culture in San Francisco.

Here we were! At the Ghirardelli Ice-cream and Chocolate Shop!

Ice-cream with hot chocolate sauce and topped with whipping cream and a cherry. Yummy chocolate sauce….it’s a must-try!

The Ghirardelli Square.

Buying chocolates on a hot sunny day can be a disaster. Keep in mind not to expose them directly under the sun. You want them to melt in your mouth, not your hands, or purse ;)

A crowded cable car. Stand still, hang on to the bar, clench your teeth, and say “cheese!”

The Grace Cathedral, a renowned San Francisco landmark. It’s located at Nob Hill, on California St.

The interior of the cathedral.

Next, Ernest and I walked to the Cable Car Museum on Washington St. Very informative museum with the history of cable cars in the city. And best of all, free admission!

A cable car was moving along Washington St.

After the museum visit, Ernest and I went back to the Chinatown on Grant Ave. and explored parts that we didn’t get to go during our first visit when we just arrived. We went grocery shopping, mainly for our favourite snacks that we didn’t get to taste since we left home.

Since our previous “painful” experience of not able to find a restaurant just before 9 p.m., we’ve learned that we had to find a restaurant sooner for supper. Steps of Rome Cafe was on our list, highly recommended by the locals. We went to the cafe on Columbus Ave. A fine dining Steps of Rome Restaurant can be spotted on the same street too.

Bruschetta. Toasted sliced bread topped with diced tomatoes, garlic, basil, and extra virgin oil.

Ravioli with spinach that Ernest had.

I had a dish of grilled chicken breast with potatoes and greens, topped with creamy sauce.

Dessert time…the “Steps of Rome Famous Tiramisu” is to die for!!

Tiramisu lovers, listen up. This is a MUST-try when you visit San Francisco. It’s the BEST tiramisu ever!!! Very smooth texture, not too sweet, and quite filling! *Two thumbs up*

We’ve planned ahead of time to visit the Alcatraz Island on our third day (a Monday) in San Francisco. It was convenient to make ticket purchase online from the official website. Situated in the San Francisco Bay, the island is about 2.4 km offshore from the pier. It used to serve as lighthouse when it was established in 1934, a military prison later on, and now, a national recreation area. Needless to say, a prominent tourist landmark in California too.

We took an Early Bird Tour to Alcatraz. The view of Coit Tower from the ferry.

A short ferry ride to the island. Ernest and I joined a audio/visual tour in the old prison. There are some bizarre stories from the past.

At the Embarcadero.

Boats, boats, and more boats!

A street entertainer; dancing along with the music like a robot.

It was a happening place by the Fisherman’s Wharf.

Bread making at Boudin Bakery. They looked so yummy…..

Fresh bread for sale. They smelled so wonderful!

We had a nice lunch at the Boudin Cafe. It’s a must-visit!

Ernest ordered  the New England Style Clam Chowder, and I had the Beef Chili with shredded cheddar cheese and onions. Of course, in bread bowls!

It was a long bus ride to the Golden Gate Bridge, due to bus transfer. We passed by the Palace of Fine Arts Exploratorium and visited the Marina Green on our way to the bridge.

Lots of sail boats!

Unique landscape and busy traffic in San Francisco, on a Sunday afternoon.

Finally, we arrived at the bridge!

The city view from the bridge.

The Golden Gate Bridge, an internationally recognizable symbol of San Francisco. The longest suspension bridge in the world when it was opened in 1937.

Very thoughtful facilities on the bridge, including this….

It was a sunny and windy day. Ernest and I walked across the Golden Gate Bridge that boasted 2.737 km (1.71 miles) in length, 27 m (90 ft.) in width, and 227 m (746 ft.) in height.

For those who know me well, walking is one of my biggest enjoyments when traveling. To me, that’s a great way to experience the culture and meet the locals. According to Mom & Dad’s traveling experience with me in Canada, they are witnessed to be darker and skinnier after the trip due to extensive walking and busy itinerary. I’d like to add on, healthier too! I’d like to thank Mom & Dad for putting up with me, and Ernest too (especially our 5.5-hour way in Las Vegas in the wee hours). *v^

In the evening, I met up with Daniel, a good friend I knew from Urbana Conference. It was about two and a half years since we last met. Luckily, we has no problem recognizing each other. We went back to Lombard St. to capture pictures that I missed out from the day before, and visited a few other places after that. Thanks to Daniel for being a nice tour guide.

Lombard St., the “crookedest street.” There are always lots of traffic here. Enthusiasts who are eager to experience the extraordinary landscape of the street. I had an odd feeling that the community must be tired of tourists swarming into their neighbourhood.

Very steep hill on Lombard St. Parking at 90 degrees angle here could be a big challenge!

The Coit Tower at Telegraph Hill, built in 1933 at the bequest of Lillie Hitchcock Coit who was a volunteer firefighter.

Overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge at the top of Telegraph Hill at dusk.

The Bay Bridge from Telegraph Hill.

Before the end of the day, we visited Japantown and had a nice Japanese meal there.

The Japantown.

Interesting road signs in Japanese.

Japanese stores and restaurants everywhere.

This was the first “full-day” that we got to enjoy ourselves in the big city. Based on previous experience, my traveling mindset is very straightforward. Those “must visits” are the priority on my trip itinerary. Another important thing to keep in mind is the day of the week. For example, it won’t be a great idea to try to get into the Universal Studio on a weekend, when it’s loaded with people. So, try to avoid that if you’ve a choice.

It was a crisp Sunday morning. The Golden Gate Park and Golden Gate Bridge were on our list. Another nice thing about staying in the hostel (not all, but most do) is that breakfast is provided! Simple yet filling. Loads of bread, bagel, bun to choose from; fruit jams, peanut butter, and margarine on the side. Toaster was available too. How convenient!

Tourists were everywhere!

Ernest and I took the street car on Market St., before catching the bus that brought us right to the park entrance.

Street car station.

Busy cable lines for street cars and buses.

Attractions in the garden include: Strybing Arboretum, Japanese Tea Garden, California Academy of Sciences, Conservatory of Flowers, DeYoung Museum etc. The was a huge park!

The entrance of Japanese Tea Garden.

The California Academy of Sciences. A busy crowd!

We visited the DeYoung Museum. Palm trees that I missed so much!

Lovely trails in the park.

The Conservatory of Flowers.

Yummy tropical fruits!

It was lunch time by the time we left the park. We had a Mexican lunch at this neat take-out place, Taqueria, on Lombard St.

Enchilada that Ernest ordered; rice, salad, and black beans on the side.

Crispy Quesadilla that I had, with guacamole, salad, and sour cream.

Traveling is one of the many things I enjoy in life. Certainly, it’s among those that I enjoy the most. This is a continuation of the rest of my traveling story to West Coast of U.S.A. in spring 2009, after my posts about Grand Canyon and Las Vegas.

The very first stop, San Francisco! It was a sunny afternoon when I arrived. Due to the flight delay, my brother Ernest waited for my arrival at the airport. There are two important things to have “wandering” in a foreign city: maps & transit pass. We collected maps and brochures (which I considered them as life savers) from the tourist information booth and purchased 3-day transit passes ($20 each), as known as Muni Passports (short for SF Municipal Railway) at the airport.

The 3-day transit pass was great for commuting by bus, cable car, street car etc. within the city. The subway line from the airport to downtown, however, is operated by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). Therefore, the transit pass was invalid and we had to get ourselves one-way subway tickets to downtown.

As we stepped out of the subway station, we spotted the famous San Francisco Cable Car. It costs $5/ride, regardless of the distance. Our transit passes came in handy ;)

This was a backpacking trip for us. After we checked into the Adelaide Hostel, we begun our exciting adventures exploring the city! We took a stroll in Chinatown.

Cable Car traveling across the Chinatown.

Looking for souvenir ideas? How about this unique penny? Insert 2 quarters and 1 penny into these crank machines (available at tourist attractions). Choose the desired image, work through the cranking motion, and there….a reshaped penny for you! Pretty cool!!

Unique architecture. I hope the stairs are only used for emergency exit?

The main entrance of San Francisco Chinatown, the oldest Chinatown in North America. To my surprise, it draws more visitors to the neighbourhood than the well-known Golden Gate Bridge!!

After a quick lunch break in the late afternoon, we explored the downtown area for the rest of the afternoon.

Not a big surprise to find streets that are extremely steep around the city! A great workout for pesdestrian walking up the street and bikers biking up the hill, and certainly a big challenge for drivers parking their cars on a steep hill!

The Transamerica Pyramid. It’s known as the tallest and most recognizable architecture in San Francisco skyline.

We  made our way to the waterfront in the evening. It was a lovely weather for staying outdoor. At dusk, we were at Lombard Street, which known as the “crookedest” street. The dark lighting wasn’t the best for pictures. Then, I thought “I’m gonna have to come back here some time, perhaps tomorrow.”

A piece of advice to San Francisco visitors: don’t expect to capture night pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge. We took the bus to the neighbourhood that overlooked the bridge. And guess what? It was pitch black and not even worth trying to take pictures. Finally, we were hungry enough to have supper around 10 p.m. We had a hard time finding a restaurant at that hour. Something to keep in mind: Don’t expect retails and restaurants open till late hours. We were in North America after all, not Asia ;) We visited the India Curry House on Columbus Ave., near Lombard Street. The pub section at the Indian resturant kept them busy till wee hour. A bonus for us, at least we found a place to dine-in.

It was close to midnight by the time we got back to the hostel. It was a busy yet fulfilling day in San Francisco!

What do you think about whitewater rafting? Exhilarating? Exciting? Adrenaline-pumping? Or all of the above?

My first whitewater rafting trip was five years ago. It was a family adventure trip to the Padas River (a.k.a. Sungai Padas) in Beaufort, Sabah. Two months ago, I had the opportunity to go for my second whitewater rafting adventure with Miles at the Penobscot River in Maine, U.S.A.

The Penobscot River is known as the most technical whitewater rafting river in the Eastern United States. Residing under the Mt. Katahdin and flowing along the banks of Baxter State Park, it offers rafters a breathtaking view of the scenic surroundings. It’s overall a Class 4 river (on a scale of 1-6) with rapids range from Class 3-5 (on a 1-6 scale).

It was a two day/one night trip with a group of 20. The package was offered by the North Country River. It was about a three-hour drive from Fredericton to the camping ground at Big Moose Inn, on a Friday evening.

We started our adventure the next morning. Brr…it was only 6 degree Celsius! To my surprise, the air was colder than the water. We were lucky to have wet suit provided for us. Even with the wet suit, we had to try our best to stay under the sun as soon as we got out of the water. It was a chilly day! I won’t mind a warmer day for whitewater rafting. Nonetheless, with nine of us in the raft (including our guide), we had a blast!

Armoured with a PDF (personal floating device), helmet, and paddle, we were all set to face the challenge!

The Falls. Water was flowing ferociously.

Here we were, on the raft.

We survived the first challenge. Hooray! We rafted along the river (Class 3 & 4) for about two hours before break time.

Oops… a raft that came behind us wasn’t so lucky… All the rafters were plunged into the river!

The Ripogenus Gorge. We were here after our lunch break, for another two hours of rafting.

A nice and steady rafting at the gorge.

This must have been a Class 5! We made it without losing anyone :)

It was simply thrilling! The worst case scenario during whitewater rafting, as you might have already expected, is raft capsize. Staying calm is the key. Knowing that you’re equipped with helmet and PFD, try to stay close to the raft to the best of your ability. The guide will then re-position the raft, hop back into the raft, and extend help to his crew.

Will I do it again? Yes, I will. For those who haven’t yet experienced it, it’s certainly worth a try!

There are exciting activities and fun events scheduled on a daily basis at the Las Vegas Strip. Ranging from musical fountain display, fountain show, volcano simulation, and many more; they are both entertaining and astonishing.

One thing for sure: In Vegas, you’d never get bored. So much to do and see! Due to time constraint, my brother and I tried to fit these activities into our schedule for that day to the best our ability, and hoped that we didn’t miss out any that we wanted to attend.

Fountains of Bellagio. A complimentary Las Vegas show of stunning art of dancing water in the 8-acre lake, accompanied by some classical and Broadway tunes. It’s a wonderful creation of the water, music, and light.

We enjoyed it a lot. Simply breathtaking!

Water dancing with the tune of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.”

We went back for a second time later in the evening, for the night view of the musical fountain.

Fountain show at the Caesars Palace.

Sirens of TI at the Treasure Island Hotel/Casino. A story about pirates, accompanied with captivating melodies and fascinating dances.

This performance takes place in front of the Treasure Island Hotel in Sirens Cove; nightly at 7 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 10:00 p.m., and 11:30 p.m.

Lake of Dreams at the Wynn Resort. Spanning 20,000 square ft. with a sophisticated lighting system and 700 removable panels at the bottom of the lake, the spectacular light-and-water show attracts millions of visitors. There are thousands of underwater LED fixtures. The light and colour combination is marvelous!

Volcano at The Mirage. It erupts nightly from dusk till midnight; every hour on the hour, weather permitting. A nice view of the fascinating and blazing volcano simulation!

The MGM Grand Hotel & Casino is strategically located at the corner of S Pecos Rd. and East Sunset Rd. Billing itself as the City of Entertainment, MGM Grand certainly has a lot to offer.

The City of Entertainment.

The MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.

The Centrifuge Bar at MGM Grand.

The Rainforest Cafe has a unique tropical rainforest setting with animatronic animals and waterfalls.

Have you ever wonder what it takes for a  TV show to be broadcast? How do the producers know if it’s appealing to the audience? Getting a decent feedback from the crowd is important for a new show, prior to its broadcast on televisions. The response collected from the public can be helpful in establishing the show. The next question is, who can the crowd be? You & me!

Are you interested in watching and rating new TV shows? The CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) Television City at MGM Grand is a research centre to gauge audience reactions on new TV shows. Participants use touch-screen computers to record their responses while watching the show in a small theatre.

Free tickets are given out at the centre. Everyone is welcome. Be sure to be there at least 30 minutes prior to the show for a ticket. The screening runs for approximately 60 minutes.

The Television City at MGM Grand.

My ticket to the TV show survey.

We visited the New York New York Hotel & Casino next. The replica of Statue of Liberty signifies the landmark of it. A Big Apple experience in Las Vegas!

A replica of the Statue of Liberty.

The entrance of New York New York Hotel & Casino.

Shopping in the “Big Apple”!

It was busy, and it always is, at the Las Vegas Strip. Busy crowd and heavy traffic. It’s truly a happening place!

The crowd at Las Vegas Strip.

The M&M’s World. Four storey of everything M&M’s!

The Harley Davidson Cafe.

The famous Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.

Booming casinos & hotels, unique architectures, eye-catching limousines…. Everyone seems to be at a busy pace; be it a gambler, fashion lover, or simply a traveler. This place has everything to offer. Las Vegas, is a city that never sleeps.

There were lots tourists. The living cost here is high, and everything is about money. Needless to say, tipping is a big thing here. What made me mad is that, I was even asked to pay for a city map! I understand that most travelers in Las Vegas are part of a city tour or some sort, and don’t have to worry about getting around by themselves in the city. My brother and I, however, were traveling by ourselves. We somehow managed to get on two bus rides from the bus terminal to the inn that we stayed at, without having a city map and what the local bus system is like.

The advantages of staying in Las Vegas? You’ll get to stay in some stunningly majestic hotels at a very resonable rate, due to the competitionamong businesses. On top of that, there are loads of exciting performances & shows offered at no cost.

Here are two of the many hotels that we visited, the Excalibur and Mandalay Bay.

The Excalibur Hotel & Casino.

Stained glass and chandelier at the entrance.

A two-storey high water fountain beside the escalator.

A tram ride to the neighbouring hotel, Mandalay Bay.

Amazing meal deals: All Day Long Buffet for only $25!

Mandalay Bay is easily noticeable from far with its golden, shiny glass windows.

Shopping area in Mandalay Bay.

Mini water fountain near the lobby.

A 12,000 gallon, 14-foot saltwater aquarium at the lobby.

The Shark Reef Aquarium is one of the main attractions of Mandalay Bay. For a reasonable cost of admission fee, visitors get the opportunity to observe more than 2,000 animals in 1.6 million gallons of seawater; sharks, giant rays, sea turtles, moon jellies etc. You name it, they have it!

The hot weather in Vegas was something that we had to get used to, after the long and cold winter. It was around 36 °C when we were there.

The “Slurpee” from the 7-11 convenience store came to our rescue…

If you enjoy the big city nightlife, Las Vegas is the place to be at! Nice architectures, fancy performances, great varieties of food etc. can be found on the Las Vegas strip itself! Besides, it’s a shopping paradise for fashion lovers and gambling heaven for casino visitors.

Mt. Charleston has the highest elevation above sea-level, standing at 11,918 ft (3,633 m) in the Spring Mountains range. Mining is an important industry at the mountains. Snow residues can be observed at the top of Mt. Charleston even on this very day, when it’s close to 40 °C in the city!

This past winter, the weather in Las Vegas set a record low of 29 F (~ 3 °C). It was a shock to the locals as they are not used to the cold. The fact that it took 24 hours to melt away the snow was very unusual. Talking about cold winter, perhaps I should invite some of them to come visit Canada in the winter someday :P

The famous Las Vegas Welcome sign.

Designed by Betty Willis of Western Neon (a sign company) in 1959, the sign has been there for 50 years, to greet visitors arriving in U.S. Highway 91 from California. The letters were hand-drawn and placed in special, eye-catching diamond shape, outlined with neon, surrounded with chasing lights, and tagged by a row of coins spelling out “Welcome.”

This sign is one of the best known images in the world. Recently, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The desert vegetation can be seen along the highway in Las Vegas.

For shopping enthusiasts, you’d find Las Vegas an exciting city to be at! There are two major outlet stores in the city, conveniently located just off the Las Vegas strip; one on the north and the other on the south. A huge selection of name brands can be found at the outlet centre which accommodates as many as 150 stores!

Prices of merchandise were unbelievable! There is no reason(absolutely no) why someone would not go for name brands, when the prices were comparable with, or even lower than the no-name merchandise. It’s a great saving; very reasonable prices for quality products. Who would say “no” to it?

Shopping lovers, allow yourselves one full day at the outlet center. Shop till you drop!!

Upon our arrival at the outlet store in the afternoon:

The Las Vegas Outlet Center, on the south of Las Vegas Boulevard.

We must have spent at least seven hours in this building. Legs were tired from all the walking (good exercise though), hands were sore from carrying multiple bags, back was pain from long hours of standing, and body was exhausted at the end of all the excitements.

It’s worth the pain though. We had great fun picking gifts for ourselves, family, and friends. It was already dark as we left the building:

The Las Vegas Outlet Center in the dark.

What’s the difference between the three main sites of the Grand Canyon? This is how I’d look at them. North Rim, is easily accessible for visitors who would like to pay a quick visit to the canyon from Nevada. West Rim, is well-known for its Skywalk and the site is greatly developed by the natives. Last but not least, South Rim is the home of National Park (one of the first national parks in the States) and is great for outdoor enthusiasts to participate in red rocks hiking and on site camping.

Grand Canyon boasts to be one of the most scenic sites of the world; red rocks, high cliff, and mighty Colorado River. Hydroelectric generation here serves the neighbouring state, California.

Future development plan of Grand Canyon? David Jin, the founder of Skywalk on the West Rim, is developing airplane runways to accommodate international flights. Aircraft will be able to land directly at the Grand Canyon in the near future. Isn’t it bizarre?

I like the saying of David Jin:

Just like an eagle can fly into the Grand Canyon, my vision is to enable visitors to walk the path of the eagle, and become surrounded by the Grand Canyon while standing at the edge of the Glass Bridge……..

My dream was to find a balance between form, function and nature. Once a dream…now a reality.

It has been a great visit to the Grand Canyon. I’m looking forward to visiting the canyon again in the future…

Our third and last stop at the canyon was Hualapai Ranch. Here, we had the opportunity to visit the Hualapai settlement. Buildings from the early days were available for viewing; horse stable, jail, post office, barber shop, dance hall, and more.

The horse stable.

Buildings with unique architectures.

The Horseshoe game.

Getting a hair cut, bath, or just a shave?

Our next stop was the Guano Point, which is also known as the home of the Hualapai tribe. Here, we were treated with a hearty meal prepared by the Hualapai. Dinning in the midst of the majestic Grand Canyon was a wonderful experience.

The entrance of Guano Point.

Lunch served by the natives; corn on the cob, chicken stew, beef, baked beans, and salad on the side.

Tabasco and Mexican hot chili sauce. Yumm..

Overlooking at the Colorado River.

Red rocks of the Grand Canyon.

Climbing to the top of the rocks.

Las Vegas was the last stop of my two-week trip. One of the highlights during my stay there, was of course, a visit to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, a neighbouring state of Nevada. Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time, but follows Mountain Standard Time instead. Therefore, Arizona is an hour ahead of Nevada during the fall and winter months; and they share the same hour for the rest of the year.

How grand is the Grand Canyon? Spanning 446 km in length, stretching between 6.4 and 29 km in range, and extending a depth greater than 1.83 km; the canyon is a creation of the Colorado River over a period of 6 million years. Even though it’s not the deepest canyon in the world, Grand Canyon is well-known for its majestic and colourful landscape.

There are three main visitation points at the Grand Canyon; North Rim, West Rim, and South Rim. Due to time constraint, we only had time for a day-tour to visit one of these points. I’ve always looked forward to exploring the Skywalk on the West Rim. Thus, West Rim it is!

We came across with the highway construction site near the Hoover Dam, on our way to our destination. Upon completion, this highway will ease the traffic flow of larger vehicles in this area. Looking for some big bucks? Apparently, rookies who work here get paid as high as USD 100 an hour. Of course, this comes with great risks for working at high elevations.

The highway construction site.

The Hoover Dam.

A scenic view of the Grand Canyon.

On our way to the West Rim of Grand Canyon, we passed by the 900-year-old Joshua Tree forest.

Joshua Trees (taller) and yucca plants (shorter).

A closer view of the Joshua Trees.

How would you like to visit the Grand Canyon? By land, water, or air?

Upon arrival at our destination, we took a shuttle to the Eagle Point. It’s the home of the famous Skywalk and Native American dwellings.

The breathtaking view of the canyon from the West Rim.

The Skywalk, a horseshoe-shaped glass bridge constructed with five thick layers of heavy-duty glass imported from Germany. The cost of construction was more than USD 40 million.  Suspending 4,000 feet above the Colorado River, visitors have the privilege to step beyond the edge of the Grand Canyon for a closer view of the canyon. How sturdy is the Skywalk? It can withstand the weight of 71 units of fully loaded 747 Boeing aircraft (more than 71 million pounds)!!

Opened on March 28th of year 2007 to the public, the Skywalk has recently celebrated its two-year anniversary.

Looking down the canyon from the Skywalk was an unforgettable experience.

“Eagle Point” was named after the shape of canyon which resembles an eagle with its wings widely spread.

Looking out the majestic Grand Canyon landscape at the edge of the Rim.

The house of the North American tribe, Hualapai (meaning “people of the tall pine”) who live here.

Spring is my favourite time of the year for traveling. Nice and cool weather without having to put on thick winter clothing is wonderful. Furthermore, it’s the perfect time to beat the crowd before summer kicks in. The lower cost of flight ticket and accommodation during the off-peak season is another added bonus!

I’ve travelled to the major cities in Canada in the past; Vancouver and Victoria (British Columbia), Calgary and Edmonton (Alberta), Toronto and Ottawa (Ontario), Quebec city and Montreal (Quebec), Halifax (Nova Scotia) etc. How about the United States? Piscataquis County (Maine),  St. Louis (Missouri), New York City (New York), and Boston (Massachusetts), are among the places I’ve been to before my recent trip.

The West Coast of United States is somewhere I’ve been longing to visit. The majestic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, famous Hollywood in Los Angeles, beautiful beaches in San Diego, the gamblers’ paradise of Las Vegas, mighty Grand Canyon & Colorado River in Arizona…..

My dreams came true, at the end of my two-week backpacking trip to the West Coast of United States. Together with my brother, we got the most out of our trip by traveling to various cities in a short period of time. We walked from one street to the other, hopped on and off buses, took the subway train one after another, travelled from one city to the other… It was certainly an enjoyable and fulfilling one. By overcoming the ups and downs throughout the trip as a team, we savoured the excitement of traveling. Things are made possible, when two are together. Thank you for the laughter and help, my little bro. The trip would not be as fun without you.