A belated post. But my first trip to America is surely worth blogging about. Most people are surprised that I've never been to the States up till now. Well, I guess I can cross off my 3rd continent now. Europe, Africa, South America etc will have to wait.
We had a uneventful, albeit slightly bumpy flight to LA. I was doing my best to follow the advice of beauty program gurus (namely, cleanse and moisturise face,neck and arms every 3-4 hours in a long haul flight), so I was armed with a cleanser, toner and 2 masks. It was very dry on the Eva Air flight, and I hate sitting for long periods of time. So it was great to walk around for a bit when I needed to use the washroom to cleanse and moisturise.
Got to LA and queued up for the LONGEST time at immigration. The Asian officer was VERY unfriendly. But I expected nothing more from the infamous American border officials. So after answering a few questions, he slowly stamped my passport and let me through.
I was FINALLY in America. Legally.
Here are some photos of the first few days.
T took me straight to and In-and-Out burger joint.
I really liked it. Deserves all the accolades it receives. Very flavoursome and fresh-tasting.
We went around to do some errands and headed to Chipotle for a Mexican dinner.
Pretty yummy.
Blue skies. Something we don't often get in Taipei.
A gorgeous suburban sunset I snapped while out jogging
T spiffed up for the night. :)
Unique architecture
Lovely landscaping
Cool temperatures. But very comfy.
They played sooooo beautifully! I haven't heard orchestras of that quality for ages!
Acoustics were superb as well.
We had cocktails and supper after that at a revolving restaurant
The prawns were succulent and the sauce was divine!
And I ate ceviche for the first time! (a Mexican raw seafood and citrus salad)
Sunday service was spent at T's old church, Harvest Rock.
Senior pastor is the well-known Che-Ahn.
My thoughts? People seem a little sleepy and the atmosphere somewhat heavy though the music and ambience was very professional. Church grounds were absolutely gorgeous.
This is the outside of the church. Apparently it's a heritage site that the church purchased.
So they are instructed to stringently maintain the place and the grounds around it.
We had a gorgeous brunch after church at Pasadena.
It was at a bustling place called La Grande Orange Cafe, apparently quite a well-known eatery.
Eggs Benedict with crab cakes and spinach. So good!
Best thing about this place: Free chocolate chip cookies with sea-salt at the counter!!!
The pizzeria beside this cafe had great stuff too.
This is one of their signature dishes: bacon-wrapped dates with goat's cheese and almonds.
I found it a tad rich. One date is enough for me. This appetiser is best shared amongst 4-5 people.
Mr and Mrs Chou at lunch. They are very healthy and youthful for their age.
My Kenneth Cole faux-leather jacket I got at a factory outlet. $29.90. Deal.
We headed to Disneyland the next day. Of course we had to have breakfast before a long day trip (about a 30min drive from San Marino)
Oh this was the best thing ever! Fried chicken and waffles with maple syrup at Roscoe's.
The waffles were fluffy and crispy, the chicken was juicy and the skin was crunchy without any extra fat deposits underneath. Everything was just right, except the calorie count. Hah.
Disneyland for the first time!
Mickey's face
And Mickey himself
Some random stranger insisted on taking a picture for us (so both of us could be in the picture) after seeing T take a few shots of me.
Such nice people
My signature jump-shot
Ah, Mr Walt Disney
Cute?
Minnie
I had gumbo for the first time. A tad salty…
To be honest, Disneyland was a tad boring for me. I think I wasn't at the right age to experience the 'happiest place in the world'. I was never a very big fan of Mickey or Donald etc, and the rides were all a tad too tame. The food was over-priced and usually too salty or too sweet. I did enjoy the parade at the very end though. All the cartoon characters and dancers were very professional and entertaining. That was probably my favourite part.
But hey, at least I've experienced Disneyland :)
To be continued...
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