Month: February 2012

  • Presidents' Day 2012

    FEBRUARY 28 - TRAIN RIDE TO OAKLAND

    My brother Van dropped my mom and I off at Thailand Plaza on Hollywood Boulevard at around 7:17 am.  At 7:30 am, a Fast Deer Charter bus picked us along with some others up.  Once again we are embarking on a vacation package from President Tours.

    While en route to Wat Thai of Los Angeles for the last pickup, tour leader Pichian Rojsiriwat handed out a croissant and a small bottle of water to everyone.  The croissant was light, buttery, and quite tasty.  At 8 am we arrived at Wat Thai.  It stopped for a little while here because most of the people on this tour boarded here plus Pichian allowed for people to use the restrooms.

    We arrived at Union Station at around 9 am.  Our train was scheduled to depart at 10:15 am so there was some time to kill.  I went around snapping some photos of Union Station.  We were happy to learn that my mom's friend Tassanee Nishimi and her husband George were also on this trip.

    Left: Tassanee Nishimi with mom in background.  Right: Me at fountain outside Union Station

    Union Station

    My mom bought a couple of little cakes from a magazine and newspaper shop inside Union Station.  Seeing that there was still time, I used the men's room and then dragged my mom to Famima!!  My mom regretted buying those cakes because the selection here was so much better including char siu bao that Van told me about.  I bought a corn dog for 99 cents.

    Close to departure time Pichian gathered everyone and took us out to the track.  It turned out that our train was delayed so we just waited until it arrived.  It finally did and we took off at 10:35 am aboard the Amtrak Coast Starlight Superliner.  As I got on board I saw in an adjacent room there were video games.

    Ordinarily this train would head up north via a track that would take us past coastal locales like Santa Barbara.  However, due to track improvement projects, this train would take a different route that cut through Saugus and Palmdale.  It ran along hillsides and snaked through the hills in those locales.  It did stop several times for passing freight trains.  I found that quite annoying.  It was quite rural in these hills.  The locals along the track would snap photos at our train.  It led me to believe that perhaps the Amtrak doesn't come through these parts very often.  Others would wave at us.  Some of us waved back though I'm not sure if they saw us.

    In order to save some money, my mom packed lunch and dinner for the two of us.  My mom had rice with Chinese sausage around 10 am.  At around 1 pm I ate a homemade hamburger.  She cooks a mean burger patty!

    My mom was already not too well before this day.  Some people wondered if she should have even come at all.  In the morning she was all right but now she's getting worse.  She is suffering from flu-like symptoms - body aches, sniffling, headaches, fevers.  She did not feel like going anywhere and tried to get some sleep.

    I went downstairs to kill time with some video games.  It turned out they did not work.  I put a quarter in and it came right out.  What a gip!

    Non-working video games on board

    The lounge car was pretty nice.  It offers bigger windows and windows along the top edges of the bogie allowing for a better viewing experience of the surroundings.  Downstairs was a little shop where you can purchase snacks and beverages.  I utilized this several times.

    Lounge car

    Scenery

    We passed by fields of small trees with many pink and white flowers.  They reminded me of cherry blossoms.  As for these, I am not sure what they are.  My guess is apricot.


    The skies began to darken.  We passed by several cattle ranches.  Later on a mysterious flock of black birds all took off together.  It looked a bit eerie.

    Around 7 pm I had another hamburger for dinner and spent most of the rest of the train ride killing time via listening to my iPod.

    At 8 pm our train stopped.  Then it began going backwards.  I along with many others wondered what was happening.  Turns out our train was on the wrong track.  It had to go back far enough where it could switch tracks and get onto the right one.  I was really wondering when we will ever get to Oakland.  I didn't see any way we were making it at the scheduled 9:15 pm arrival time.

    At long last we finally arrived in Oakland at 10:35 pm.  There was a chilly breeze blowing onto us as we walked to our bus.  Some guy was begging for money there.  After riding in a train (or any vehicle) for 12 hours, I'm not in the mood to do anything let alone hand out money to someone who'd probably use it for booze, or drugs, or whatever.

    We arrive in Oakland

    At 11:35 pm we arrived at Days Hotel, our residence for the next two nights.  Outside our window we could see Oracle Arena and the O.co Coliseum nearby.  Oracle Arena is the home court of the NBA's Golden State Warriors.  O.co Coliseum is the home stadium of the NFL's Oakland Raiders and Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics.

    O.co Coliseum - Home of the NFL's Oakland Raiders and MLB's Oakland Athletics

    Oracle Arena - Home of the NBA's Golden State Warriors

    My mother was miserable.  She said that if feels like this tomorrow morning, she'll just stay at the hotel.

    FEBRUARY 10 - UNDERWOOD PARK

    We woke up at 6 am.  My mom felt good enough to join the rest of us for today's excursion.  At 7 am we had "breakfast" at Charlie Chan Cafe which is a part of this hotel.  I saw the name and thought "Is this for real?"  I put breakfast in quotes because all they had were not-so-great danishes, cereal (corn flakes or Froot Loops), and do-it-yourself waffles.  There were only two waffle makers.  For a tour of 40 that's leaving in a half hour, who had the time?  The two words I would describe this breakfast are uninspiring and unfulfilling.

    Our ride and residence for the weekend

    Our "breakfast" place

    Mom

    At 7:30 am we took off from our hotel en route to Leggett.  This was to be about a 3-hour drive.  I fell in and out of sleep as I was trying to admire the lush, green scenery outside.  Northern California is pretty green.  At around 9:15 am the bus stopped at McDonald's in Healdsburg, I think, for 20 minutes.  This is for people to use the restroom.  I not only did that but also had a sausage McMuffin with egg (my favorite breakfast sandwich), hash browns, and better orange juice than at the Charlie Chan Cafe.  Now I'm satisfied.

    We continued on.  We drove past colorful vineyards and hills adorned with various kinds of trees.  As we drove into Leggett, there were scenic hills and valleys covered with more trees and a bright sunny blue sky.  The weather was cool and absolutely ideal.  Then suddenly it got dark.  We had just driven into the redwood forest.  The sun now had difficulty penetrating all the way through due to the sheer height of the redwoods.

    Golden vineyards

    Shortly afterwards we arrived at Underwood Park which is the home of Judith Underwood.  This is a private park that has redwoods but the star attraction is one particular tree called the Chandelier Tree.  This 2400 year-old tree is the largest tree on the estate, so large that the bottom was hollowed out so a car can drive through it.  Our bus was way too big so we were let off to walk around and do whatever for an hour or so.


    It was pretty neat seeing how large and tall this tree is.  I took several photos while my mom used the restroom.  I snapped some photos of George and Tassanee, too.  My mom later emerged and we had our picture taken with the tree.

    George and Tassanee at Chandelier Tree

    Mom and I

    There are constant visitors to this park.  A car would occasionally appear.  All wanted to drive through the opening of the Chandelier Tree.  As a Mercedes convertible drove through, I took a picture to show it can be done.

    Coming through

    The Chandelier Tree

    Most of the people just hung around the Chandelier Tree.  Others perused the gift shop.  I decided to back track where our bus came in and found a little trail that led past a lot of redwoods.  I decided to walk through and loved it.  I felt like I was in the presence of giants.  The combination of seeing these tall trees plus the cool air and forest surroundings provided a bliss and majesty I rarely experience.  I think I was the only one to explore this much of this park.

    Photos from around a path I found

    Left: George and Tassanee Right: yours truly

    Left: bird I saw nearby.  Right: mom

    We left Underwood Park at around 12:30 pm.  At 1:35 pm we arrived in a small town called Willits.  Most of us had lunch at the Willits Chinese Buffet.  It was your typical Chinese buffet.  As I was eating I also saw that the Miami Heat were killing the Orlando Magic on TV.  I also learned that Linsanity continued as Jeremy Lin scored 28 points and dished out 14 assists as the New York Knicks defeated the Dallas Mavericks. 104-97.  With some time before departing, we went the the McDonald's nearby.  My mom used the restroom as she is once again not well.  I bought a sweet tea.  Man, I got a lot more tea than I thought I'd get for a dollar.  It was very tasty, too.

    Scenic view outside our bus around Leggett

    Our lunching place

    Willits, CA

    We headed back to San Francisco.  Pichian played some games and had some people sing to entertain and kill time during this trek.  My mom wanted me to sing but I did not feel like it.  I wanted to sleep.  After all the games and singers were done, Pichian put on the Beatles' greatest hits.  Due to that, there was no need for my iPod.  You can't go wrong with the Beatles.  When were around Sausalito, we hit very heavy traffic.  Our bus crawled the rest of the way as the Golden Gate Bridge came into view.  I kept snapping photos of the bridge and Alcatraz Island which I could see to my left.  Eventually our bus crawled onto the bridge and over it.

    Left: Alcatraz Island Right: San Francisco

    Golden Gate Bridge

    Shortly after we crossed the bridge we passed by my favorite place in San Francisco, the Palace of Fine Arts.  I snapped whatever pictures I could.

    Palace of Fine Arts

    One definitely knows they are in San Francisco just from the buildings.  Mostly the architecture is Victorian which features windows that jut out in half-hexagons.  Some are more rounded.  With a bunch of these in a row plus the different colors of the buildings makes this city one of the prettiest.  San Francisco also has many steep hills.

    San Francisco

    We passed by a street car.  I haven't figured out all the settings to this somewhat new camera we are using so while we were in motion it was hard to snap a good photo.  It's why so many of my pictures are so blurry.

    We were supposed to visit Chinatown for an hour.  Perhaps we can get dinner or something.  It was between 5 pm and 6 pm.  However due to the traffic, we were unable to park the bus so Chinatown was scrapped from the itinerary. 

    An entrance to Chinatown

    Our bus then proceeded through the financial district and eventually got onto the Bay Bridge.  Pichian decided to park the bus at Treasure Island.  It is situated in the bay between San Francisco and Oakland and offers a pretty view of San Francisco and the connecting Bay Bridge.  To the right in the distance is the Golden Gate Bridge.  My mom has had it and wanted nothing more than returning to the hotel.  I got off and snapped photos despite the cold winds.

    Left: Tassanee Right: Golden Gate Bridge

    Left: me with San Francisco and Bay Bridge in the background Right: San Francisco

    View from Treasure Island

    Bridge to Oakland

    We crossed over into Oakland and the bus dropped most people at the Denny's near the hotel.  My mom and I plus a few others decided to skip Denny's and returned to the Days Hotel.  My mom got in bed right away.  I just relaxed in my bed and watched a very entertaining game between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder.  It went into overtime and the Thunder won behind Kevin Durant's career high 51 points and Russell Westbrook's 40 points.

    I then had dinner at Charlie Chan Cafe.  I had kung pao chicken with steamed rice and a cheesecake.  The kung pao chicken was a tad mild flavor-wise.  However the texture was great - not dry and not overcooked.  It was soft and tender and good to chew on.  It's nice that dinner was way better than "breakfast"

    I dropped seven quarters into a vending machine for a bottle of water and returned to my room.  I did want to walk over to O.co Coliseum and Oracle Arena to take some photos up close but chose to stay with my ailing mom.  I was glad to visit Underwood Park and see the Chandelier Tree.  However I was hoping for more.  I am hoping that tomorrow will be a more productive day.  I ended the night by watching "War of the Worlds" on TNT.

    FEBRUARY 20 - GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

    I got up around 5:50 am.  We packed and went down for "breakfast".  My mom had a danish.  I had a small bowl of corn flakes.  Whoopee!!

    At 7 am we are now aboard our bus.  Shortly we departed.

    It was a cool, overcast day in San Francisco.  We arrived at the Golden Gate Bridge and Pichian gave us an hour and ten minutes here.  My mom, not feeling well, stayed on the bus.  I went out and snapped photos and had others take pictures of me.  Seeing there was time, I decided to get on the bridge.  This is when I realized that all the times I had been to San Francisco I had never walked onto the bridge.  I was on board a car crossing it but never walking onto it so this was going to be special.

    Left: facts Right: cable

    Me with the Golden Gate Bridge


    As I walked onto it I saw a fort below that I had never noticed before.  I wondered if it was the Presidio.  I came to learn that it was called Fort Point.  On the bridge I snapped photos of Alcatraz, San Francisco, the bridge itself, and the Pacific Ocean.  I told myself that I was actually here walking on the Golden Gate Bridge.  A couple of women on our tour walked back past me and said they went halfway.  I thought it would be a good idea to do the same.

    Fort Point

    Left: San Francisco Right: Alcatraz Island

    I'm on the Golden Gate Bridge!


    I got to midway between the first tower and the midpoint of the bridge when I saw a rain cloud in the distance plus I needed to use the restroom so I turned back.  As I hurriedly walked back, I would notice a sprinkle here and there.  I definitely didn't want to be stuck on a bridge in a rainstorm so I quickened my pace.

    Due to the number of suicides via jumping off this bridge, I did notice signs and a phone one can call for crisis counseling.  It was trippy but sad.

    I got to a restroom but it was closed for morning cleaning.  Seeing no other restroom around, I poked my head in and saw nobody inside.  I then walked to the urinal to take care of business.

    The bus then left and it turned out we're leaving San Francisco.  That did not sit well with me.  Other than one end of the Golden Gate Bridge, I did not set one foot in San Francisco this entire trip.  It was still the morning and I felt there was plenty of time to still see something.  I didn't care what it was but at least something.

    Telegraph Hill with Coit Tower atop

    A couple hours later we stopped somewhere for 20 minutes so people can use the restroom at Carl's Jr.  There were too many people there so I walked across the street to Jack-in-the-Box.  I also bought mini-pancakes.

    The rest of the way back to Los Angeles Pichian shows a DVD of a Thai TV show called Khun Phra Chuay.  It's a variety show featuring various talented acts but one that is pretty popular is an old Thai musical style called Choy.  It's like an ancient Thai rap that's set to a beat but is intended to be funny.  I got to admit, it was pretty funny and got people on the bus laughing.

    At 11:35 am we stopped at Villa Lago for lunch.  The bus stopped at Burger King.  I had a big fish while my mom had some sort of chicken sandwich.  With 20 minutes left my mom suggested I use the restroom.  I thought it was a good idea so I did.

    At Tejon Ranch we stopped at Petro one last time before the last jaunt to Los Angeles.  I used the restroom and bought a chocolate shake at Wendy's.

    We got to Thailand Plaza at 5 pm.  My sister-in-law Konie picked us up.

    This trip did not turn out as I had hoped.  I am disappointed by President Tours for not dropping us off in San Francisco at all.  I enjoy train rides as much as the next person but this ride to Oakland was entirely too long.  I liked Underwood Park but thought we were going to Redwood National Park which is bigger and more spectacular.  Due to that, my expectations were sky high.  The only true positive I took from this trip was that I had enough points on one of my credit cards to cover it.