New York

Friday, November 28, 2008 at 8:30 Eastern Time. We were in the John F. Kennedy airport at the Empire state, New York.

Being a day after the most celebrated day in America next only to the 4Th of July,
Thanksgiving day is the joyous family affair in all corners of the United States
homes.

Traffic at the streets in Southern California the night before we boarded our aircraft at Ontario airport going to San Francisco and onward to New York.

The usual fifteen minutes drive on an ordinary day became an hour or more because of
the volume of cars in the streets beating the midnight sale at a 75% discount on most advertised items in a lot of shopping malls and outlets.

At the arrival gates of JFK one could see a lot of people disembarking and towing their luggage prompting towards their exits.

As when we promptly made our exit for the taxi going to our designated hotel room
somewhere in the area between Queens and Bronx, it was so easy for us to just
ask the taxi driver to get us in and brought us to the front office desk clerk
for reconfirmation of previous booking.

New York is just like Manila, in the Philippines. A melting pot. There one could
witness the vastness of flat and highly congested land area devoted primarily to
housing and industrial activities. High rise buildings in the downtown, including
the famous Wall street,the financial district and the ill fated Twin towers are among the many wonders that made New York a magnet to every individual hovering a dream to become big, mighty and powerful.

The Lights at the spectacular 5Th avenue that covers St. Patrick Cathedral, The Rockefeller center where the traditional giant Christmas tree stands drew a multitude
of spectators and tourist at any given time of the day.

The City transport system is so convenient that anyone can go anywhere he wanted
by just taking the Subway the Railroad buses using a single Metro card that you can
secure at any designated vending machines scattered all over the metropolis.

For the people living South of the Empire state such as in the Staten Island a free of charge ferry service is being operated by the Navy and Coastguard to make easy
transport of goods and people.

Where in the world can you find a limo service for barely twenty bucks?

Only in New York.

Bye for now and thank you till your next visit.

Apple picking

Sunday,October 12,2008.We put on our thick jackets and after a thirty minutes drive Northeast from the City of Banning, we arrived at the Oak Glen Highway, in Oak Glen City.
A highland City -Resort in Southern California. A lot of tourists and apple pickers were at the gate of Riley's Farms as early as Eight in the morning.

Riley's farm, being popular for its produce of good quality apples, mature enough and ready to be harvested right at the branches of each vintage apple trees planted in 1910 by the grandparents of the current owners.

Oak Glen is well-known that a lot of visitors coming from different places and traveling far enough just to come every year to witness and experience the joy of
choosing and picking delicious,sweet and crunchy apples.

Right at the vast apple farm.Likewise at the nearby food establishments within the radius of Two miles from the farm,pickers and tourists can take a break and grab a meal to ease their hunger while listening to a live band playing on the side to entertain them.

What a fun isn't it?.

So, come and experience the simple joy of apple picking.

Cave in Napa

One of the best vineyards in Northern California is Napa Valley.

Home to the Trinitas wine cellars that creates fine wines.Noted to be the first in
wine tasting cellars inside a cave.A five star cave.Where weddings,big party receptions are being held.

A vineyard at the top of a hill and a cave just beneath the roots of the grapevines.

Napa is also blessed with Two beautiful Resorts namely, Meritage and Vino Bello.Visitors and guests can enjoy the amenities like a huge swimming pool,the spa
just at the back of the resort main building.For nature lovers,a walk through
a trail going to the top of a hill is most fascinating.Or simply look at a window
from each rooms to witness the vastness of the vineyards just within the vicinity.

Nest -1

It has been weeks since I discovered a bird's nest at the ceiling of a Gazebo in our
backyard.Everyday thereafter,I checked on them on how they keep growing.

It's such a refreshing feeling to see birds like humans, care so much for their
offsprings.

The mother bird keeps the babies to survive their daily needs by providing them
nourishment as regularly as needed.

Oftentimes,the mother bird will try to fly for a while and comes back with a food on her mouth ready to be fed on her babies.

Three weeks later,I found out that the nest was empty.As when I looked at the nearby
tree,there I saw four of them jumping and making striking sounds on the branch.

It seems that they were all ready to face the world.No hesitations as being harmed
or being inexperienced in flying and the lack of feathers on their wings to carry
them high.

I wonder if at night they will sneak and come back to their old nest.Let's find it out.Till your next visit.

Glimpses of Kabayan

Hanging coffins made of Pine tree trunk carefully carved,centuries old mummies and cultural artifacts of the Ibaloi tribe kept intact in Kabayan.

A highland municipality of Benguet, Philippines.

Cool and relaxing away from the noise of urban living.A destination with charm comparable to none other.A paradise amid valleys and mountains.

Try to witness picking strawberries,aside from the usual cabbage,
potatoes,onions and other agricultural crops.

And for the most adventurous, a rustic pension house with rooms lighted by a
lampshade attached to an LPG tank is an exciting experience.

Come aboard and enjoy the fun.Till then.