USA Roadtrip 2013: Part 3

Hello,

I am finally blogging the last part of my USA series!!!

So in this post we were in Las Vegas and Grand Canyon before we headed back to Vancouver!

Maybe I watched too many Hollywood movies and had too high an expectation, or maybe I went there with my parents, but it wasn't as nice as it had been portrayed to be! I was expecting bright lights, casinos everywhere (this bit was true), and free drinks (IDK WHY)... Firstly, the lights were okay - in comparison with NYC's Time Square...their LED light displays were MEH. Secondly, there were a lot of people promoting strip clubs or prostitutes (literally had people dressed up in a t shirt saying "FAST - we get the girls to you in 20 minutes" giving out flyers... I mean, is it really necessary???

But I do get that it's Vegas and I shouldn't hv went with my parents. But still, I expected a lot. The most fun in Vegas was watching Cirque du Soleil "O" at the Bellagio! The show was simply amazing. I was very captivated by most acts (some acts were pretty boring (the ones similar to those you see in Orchard Road), and I did yawn - oops). Nevertheless, the show from the very beginning was extremely interesting and the stage setting was so beautiful. It was kinda like a water show - people were appearing and disappearing from the water. Amazing and once more, amazing!

In Vegas, we also went to a premium outlet. Holy cow! Premium outlets are the places to be at! I think we went to 5 premium outlets in total or something. Some were really lame and boring, but some were freaking amazing! The amazing ones had bigger name brands like Michael Kors, Kate Spade, and even Bally. I didn't buy anything too expensive because I used my own money most of the time. Except for a Michael Kors bag my mommy bought for me! Now that I think of it I wish I had brought it over man................. 

A big regret was not being able to eat at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in Vegas. Also, we didn't go for an international buffet at one of the restaurants which would have probably been amazing. Oh well, there's always a next time! I want to earn money fast and bring my parents around! :)

After Vegas, we were in Arizona!!! To visit the majestic Grand Canyon. It was fucking fabulous!!! But to prepare you for the Grand Canyon, here are some pictures we took even before we were in Grand Canyon City. 

TOP OF THE WORLD - almost...

Somewhere outside, near our hotel! 

And... are you ready for this??? Grand Canyon

in 

3

2

1

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Believe it or not, in the picture below, we weren't blinking, we both just have really small asian eyes. HAHAHA

Zy enjoyed himself very much! He loves nature and all (he's kinda like the complete opposite of me), and look at him standing so close to the edge! My daddy was THIS close to scolding him! My dad has a fear of heights and was afraid Zy was gonna fall backwards! HAHAHA My daddy is the cutest!

It was surprisingly cold and windy when we were in Arizona - which is seldom the case... So my parents decided to hide inside these 'bushes' while waiting for the shuttle bus! Hahahaha Aren't they the cutest? And my daddy is carrying my bag LOL.

Dare devil????? HAHAHA NAH, I just made it look like it was a cliff. Success??? ;)

Peaceful - or I might have been really afraid of falling backwards while taking this picture (below)! HAHAHA

"In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world. I want to ask you to keep this great wonder of nature as it now is. I hope you will not have a building of any kind, not a summer cottage, a hotel or anything else, to mar the wonderful grandeur, the sublimity, the great loneliness and beauty of the canyon. Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it."

- Theodore Roosevelt

We were all extremely in love with Grand Canyon. Like Theodore Roosevelt mentioned, this wonder is unparalleled throughout the world, and I have to agree. This wonder is a natural wonder and it just looked pretty damn amazing to have this grandeur out of nowhere for us to admire. I know Zy loves it there and would want to go back! And I would go back there with him. :) 

After 2 nights at the Grand Canyon, we started our journey back home to Vancouver! It took us 3 days just to get back... 

We passed by Hoover Damn on the way back! Which was also extremely nice to look at - but it was warm, warm, warm there!!!

ON THE ROAD!!!

Some railway we passed by and I decided that zy should pose here. LOL.

Gorgeous sunset!

You're welcome, but I doubt I will go again... Not that their service was bad, but because I don't think we will travel that much on the road again. 

This view is an absolute delight!!! Idk how the clouds worked their magic, but look!!! Half the mountain is gone!!!! Hahaha, oh and we were at yet another premium outlet.

Back to Canada!!!

Here's a picture of my daddy helping out in my uncle's garden. I think he aspires to be a gardener when he retires! Hahahah Or maybe he's just acting diligent. HAHAHA

Zy and I went on another date to Stanley Park! I have been there once...a loooooong looooong time ago! When I was 14! Couldn't remember anything besides the big tree (which you will see later)! 

Look here's ZY and the rest of Vancouver! LOL

And there's me!!!

Okay, then us! Hahahaha the pictures came out really nice so I had to post everything ;)

Okay!!! TREE! Massive hollow tree that some conservationists are still trying to save. It fell some time ago, during a storm, and they are now using metal rods to hold it together. If you look carefully, you'll see a metal rod right behind. It is supposedly really wide - wide enough to fit a car, probably not the whole car but if the other end were open, a small car would be able to drive though.

OH LOOK DOLPHIN!!! We decided to go to the aquarium despite have very little time left and I am glad we did! Hahaha! I haven't been to the SEA aquarium in Singapore, so I can't compare, but this aquarium was really nice! They had a lot of shows - which we didn't manage to catch unfortunately because of the time we had. We caught a 4D show though! Hahaha

STUCK HERE MUAHAHAHA

That was probably it from our little date! Wilfred and Winston brought our families for dinner! We had Japanese food!!! I love the Japanese cuisine! Then we went to somewhere opposite Canada Place and took a couple of pictures here! 

Thanks Winston and Wilfred for the dinner!!! :)

On our last day out in Vancouver before we headed back to Singapore, we just hung out at Canada Place yet again! And went shopping at Robson! Didn't buy a lot of things before we had to head back! 

I really should have taken pictures of our lunch at Red Robin. I seldom like white people places, but my family wanted something Canadian so we went there! Had this orgasmic burger and holy cow Imma bring my friends there - if they ever come!!! GUYS YOU ALL READING THIS???

And then it was back to Singapore! I honestly miss the times when my family and boyfriend were over in Canada with me. Just touring, and enjoying ourselves. I wish Zy can come over again. I miss him :( LDR sucks... I hope Dec comes quick so I get to see him soon!!! I want to travel with Zy again! HELLO YOU READING THIS???

After I went back to Singapore, I took very little pictures. I have grown so lazy to utilize my camera. But I like taking pictures, so I think I will pick it up again very soon! Need to document my life MORE. I have some pictures on film and I will upload them here soon! So stay tuned to mynameiscand! 

In the meantime, instagram: cutheties

FOLLOW ME!!! I update my instagram more often than I update my facebook. Trust me on that. Fb is becoming obsolete in my life right now. Hahahaha! See you on the other side!

XX

Bangkok Diary (1)

Warning: This is a CRAZY picture heavy post ^^

I am finally going to post about Bangkok!!!!! I was in Bangkok, with Ling Ying and Wenrong, about one month ago, for 7 days - which were incredulously short. I thought 7 days would be pretty long, but it wasn't:( I guess it's because I really loved it there!!!

The food is something I miss the most! I'm terrible at controlling when it comes to good food. So imagine what happened to me in the land of smiles, which had no shortage of tasty food sold at a fraction of Singaporean food prices. Not to mention vendors were everywhere!

Platinum Mall, Chatuchak (Jatujak) Weekend market, MBK, Siam, Khao San, Chinatown. Bangkok was just simply amazing.

So here's my Bangkok photo log:

At Singapore's T1 eating...

Tahu telor!!! I had cravings for this magical food item before I flew to Canada and it was never fulfilled. My happiness when I saw it on the menu cannot be explained in words, but can be as seen such (below)...

With Wenrong, waiting for boarding!!!!!

Ling Ying was given a different seat... But we swapped it with a nice lady (who can be seen in the picture below... All the way to the right. LOL)

 

I dread plane flights... But usually the scenery just takes my breath away. And I forget my hate towards the rides instantly.

So the first night at Bangkok saw us arriving at the airport, paying 450Baht for a cab to our hotel (we got cheated in case you were wondering... Nothing more than 400...), walking to Platinum Mall and Pratunam market, and buying fruits, and food. We slept well, I MEAN I SLEPT WELL... The girls complained I was kicking and snatching the blanket most of the times. You see, I was in the center. HEH.

But whatever, on to the next day!

Breakfast at Ecotel! Sad to say, the breakfast wasn't fantastic. But, don't complain, just eat.

Streets near our hotel - Ecotel Bangkok, if you were wondering.

^ And you can see Baiyoke Sky Hotel here. Hahaha

Sawadeeka! Posing with Thai Ronald Macdonalds seems almost like a must for tourists.

IN PLATINUM, (in the midst of) CONQUERING THE MALL. As you can see, we now have additional flower headbands on. Heh. Buy and wear.

CREPE!!!!!!!!! NOMZ.

And then it was back to the hotel!

We bought these lychee from a China uncle. I would love to say good things about him but I'm sorry I can't. Why? He tried all sorts of ways and means to cheat us of our money. It's just terrible. The lychees he gave us, you can see, were not very nice (kinda spoilt). Furthermore, before this picture was taken, I was taking our the stems of the lychees. He charged us by weight - stems = heavy. And he gave us a hell lot of stems... I AM SERIOUS. So angry, and we never purchased from him again.

We also bought mangosteens from him. He chose all the small ones. THANKS MAN. Don't patronize the China man's food stall. It's easy to recognize him. He is situated near Ecotel, and when he measures the weight, he uses a magnifying glass to look at the scale. YA You may think it's cute. But trust me, he knows how to cheat.

But nevermind, on with the trip.

On our 3 days, we went to the floating market!!! And coconut farm, elephant village, before we headed down to Chatuchak!!!

Hand made using coconut.

At the coconut farm, LIKE A BOSS!!!!!

And then we went to the Elephant village! The girls didn't want to ride the elephant, so of course I wouldn't... But instead, we fed elephants!

Got bananas, he so happy. I'm assuming the elephants are males. Except one, because the guide told us she was pregnant.

ALL SO HAPPY^^

Like models. TY.

It was pretty scary, feeding the elephants... The elephants are usually in a hurry to be fed and you'll have to be fast!!! They can eat the whole bunch of bananas, but we chose to give the bananas to them one by one, since we had time to burn.

The majestic elephant. Isn't it a beauty?

I look so unhappy. I guess there was a tinge of fear.

After feeding the elephants, OMG THE HIGHLIGHT OF ALL THE FOOD IN THAILAND. MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE.

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Wait for it . . .
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Can you see it?!?!?!? Did you guess it? COCONUT ICE CREAM. OMG.

If you ever go to Thailand. You HAVE to try coconut ice cream. Honestly, I'm not a fan of coconuts. I don't really like the smell of it in chocolates (Bounty chocolate), but I do LOVE the coconut as a drink.

You will love this, it is very sweet, and there is coconut meat - the person will even scrap it for you.

Everything about this ice cream is just amazing.

You can see the meat has been scrapped very nicely for you hungry people to eat.

LOOK AT THAT. ALL THAT GOODNESS! And this is why I love Thailand!!!

Not just because of the ice cream... Look at their generosity, that is 3 stacks of coconut ice cream :') Not like that mean Chinese man.

Of course the ice cream was amazing, and one of my biggest regrets is not ever encountering it again. I guess we did in Chatuchak but I didn't buy it. My biggest regret:(

JUST EAT!!!!!!!!

Just us posing. With the coconut ice cream. Teehee.

VERY SATISFIED.

Another picture of us and the coconut ice cream.

I really have nothing but good words to say about the ice cream. You HAVE to try it if you go to Thailand, well Bangkok - I'm not sure if other parts of Thailand have this delicious thing.

And after eating, we were all satisfied souls. And off we went to the floating market!!!

Food!!! I actually expected the food to be crazily overpriced there since the floating market is a place for tourists. But the prices were still the same - 20-25 baht.

Pomelos!!! I am craving for some RIGHT NOW!!!

Noodlezzz!

Coffee anybody?

I liked the floating market! I thought it was pretty good, I liked the idea of buying and selling things on the boat. Well, it didn't all go very smoothly, Wenrong got scammed - she bought a wind chime (or somewhat like that) for 250 baht and people were selling it outside this market for 100 baht. And the guy who was rowing our boat kept SHAMELESSLY asking for tips. Bad... Just bad.

Went to a woods craft place - can't think of a better term/name for this place.

The works of this piece has been ongoing for 20 years!!! CRAZY! Look at the details, amazing what patience the Thais have.

Posing awkwardly next to a wooden craft elephant.

And awkwardly again on the chair.

Reading books yo.

I got my elephant ride wish I guess!

I SWEAR PEOPLE WERE LAUGHING AT US. This chair was meant for 1... We wanted a picture together, and it would have been awkward if 2 of us stood at the side, so Wenrong suggested that the 3 of us sat on the chair together. Hahahahaha!

It was a rocking chair, in case you were wondering. LOL. Just imagine how all of us got on. It was HUGE!!!

CHATUCHAK/ JATUJAK TIME!!!!!!

The JJ Weekend Market is a MUST for everybody who goes to Thailand. It is only open during the weekends, and it covers the area of 5 football fields. We went there on both Saturday and Sunday, JUST because we could :)

It is sectioned off into different areas - which all sell different stuff. The female clothes, male clothes, accessories, plants and agriculture, pets (which is actually very bad... I don't support this, just imagine where the pups come from???), vintage, etc. AMAZING place, lots of things to see, you can't finish the whole area!!!

But be alert when you are there. We were followed by a man, very sneakily behind us. I suspected that he was following us because of his intense stare on Wenrong's bag, but I couldn't confirm. Until, I told the girls to stop at a store to see if he will stop too. AND HE DID. OMG CREEPY!!! We carried on walking and he did too!!!

Be careful when you are there! Although having a guy friend around would be a good option, remember to always take care of your belongings and be alert! Be safe, and Chatuchak would be the BEST shopping place on earth!

Don't forget to bargain! But don't be crazy and quote 50% of the original prices... They have to live too you know! And don't worry about food, you'll be able to see food stalls everywhere! Selling all sorts of stuff!

CHOCONANA!!! Definitely on the list of MUST eat in the JJ Market!

Quail eggs! Personally I'm no fan of these eggs, but my friends loved it! And people I know who came to Thailand before RAVED about them.

Remember to try the Thai fishcakes too! I didn't take a picture of them :( But they are also amazing! We bought a lot of small bites along our way in Chatuchak, so that was our lunch. Hahaha!

And that marks the end of our 2 days Chatuchak/JJ market venture!!!!!!! Chatuchak is amazing :') and I'm telling ya, I love that place and I would go back again. Anytime. We bought a lot of things, I honestly don't think I shopped enough:( I didn't buy this bag I wanted really badly...

REGRET. SIGH:(

Street food!!! Which we brought back to our hotel for dinner!!! :) We had an early night to recuperate from the two long shopping days at Chatuchak!

So, that's the end of my Bangkok trip! JUST KIDDING.

I went to Khao San too... And Asiatique - which I LOVE. And Siam, which was very sadly MEH.

Keep reading! One more Bangkok post coming soon!!!

Stay safe, x