The Final Trip Favorites!

It's family feedback once again. Gab and Migo's favorites have not changed. Gambit has changed and extended his highlights. I might also add my own favorites ...

Gambit's Highlights:

1 - Yosemite! (I sort of knew this was going to be #1 ... )

2 - California Adventure's 'It's Tough Being a Bug'

3 - Monterey Bay Aquarium

4 - CA-17 drive (winding highway between San Jose and San Francisco)

5 - Tomorrowland's 'Star Tours'

6 - Clam Chowder soup

7 - Outlet Shopping (still uncharacteristically a highlight! I can only attribute it to his Timberland finds.)

Gab's Top 5:

1 - Medieval Times

2 - Legoland's Volvo Driving School

3 - Tomorrowland's Autopia

4 - Tomorrowland's Star Tours

5 - Monterey Bay Aquarium

Migo's favorites:

1 - all the hotels

2 - road trips

3 - bus rides (organised tours)

My Highlights:

1 - Yosemite!

2 - Road trippin'

3 - Outlet Shopping of course!

4 - Eating pancakes at iHOP (International House of Pancakes) for lunch or dinner

5 - Visiting the Infinity Loop (Apple HQ)

6 - Finding Stone Temple Pilot's Core CD at Barnes and Noble

7 - California Adventure's 'It's Tough Being a Bug'

Seeing 'home' with fresh eyes!

Our second attempt to board the V Australia flight to Sydney was uneventful, thank God! We were reunited with our missing luggage. The thought of losing that large suitcase with all our shopping drove me bonkers! Gab too was upset because it had his and Migo's new Lego sets.

So, all is well that ends well. I must say that a trip overseas gives you fresh eyes to appreciate what you take for granted at home. It was a full-on trip that I would love to do all over again (except for the missing flight and missing luggage part!)

Day 17 - the trip back home ... NOT!

Our third drama episode begins ...

The day we were going to fly out of San Francisco was another stormy day. Don't get me wrong. Rain is always good. But not on my holidays please!

A 20 minute taxi ride to the airport easily became one hour in rain traffic (a major road was unpassable).

A rundown of events:

- the Virgin America plane that was meant to take us to LA was stuck in San Diego;

- the staff could not tell us when the plane will arrive because of the unpredictability of bad weather;

- we finally boarded our original 7:30pm flight at 10:30pm;

- just missed our 11:45pm V Australia flight to Sydney;

- missing one of two checked-in suitcases (i refuse to call it 'lost');

- Virgin staff arranged for our hotel accommodation of what's left of the night;

- finally went to bed at 3:00am!

Kudos to Migo and Gab for behaving like grown-ups during the entire drama. Gab just turned ten (this whole trip was a birthday present) and wanted to know what was going on. He tried to listen in on our conversations with airport staff. Migo kept saying "go back to the hotel", not fully comprehending our situation. He just wanted to go to bed, the poor boy!

Handcarry items that saved us: change of clothes, pack of chewy Chips Ahoy! (we were so hungry at 3am), children's paracetamol/panadol, shopping receipts in case we do not recover our missing luggage for Insurance claim, mobile phone chargers, and toothbrush. Hotels do not stock rooms with toothbrush anymore!

Exhausted and irritable, I easily could forget all the many good things and good people in this trip. This open journal will actually help me remember ...

Day 16 - San Francisco in One Day

Itinerary: San Francisco City Tour

By this time, I had a feeling that my party of three boys were experiencing 'holiday overload'. Hence, I had to find a way to see SFo in a short amount of time with as little walking as possible.

There are numerous city tours on offer. A one to two hour tour could only take you around downtown SFo, not enough for my liking. A 'hop-on hop-off' tour is attractive but involves walking. Finally, I found Grayline's 3.5 hour City Tour which had the right elements and included my minimum requirement - a trip to Twin Peaks. You haven't done SFo if you don't do Twin Peaks.

Twin Peaks afford a 360 degree view of beautiful San Francisco.

The tour will take you to the Golden Gate Bridge at both ends, a glimpse of the Presidio and the crooked street, around the Golden Gate Park, Union Square, China Town and many more. The tour could extend longer than the allowed time during traffic. So don't arrange anything close to the end of the 3.5 hours. You might not make it.

Outside of the tour, do try to walk the Golden Gate Bridge even for a few yards. It is such a magnificent display of structural engineering, not to mention that it has my favorite color.

Trivia: a team of painters paint the bridge from one end to the other year round. By the time they finish painting its length, it is time to start over again.

Day 15 - Exploring Pier 39

Itinerary: Pier 39 & Fisherman's Wharf - a walking tour

'San Francisco is to Pier 39, as Sydney is to Darling Harbour.'

Start your day by walking to America's 2nd most crooked street along Lombard Street (Wall Street being the crookedest!). This way, the legs are still fresh and there is energy to battle the uphill walk. Note that to capture the zigzag in your photos, you actually need to have a number of cars traversing the eight sharp turns or 'switchbacks'. This is sure to be not an issue, as this part of Lombard Street is a tourist magnet.

Proceed to Pier 39 and spend the day browsing the nooks and crannies of shops and restaurants.

Things we did (not in order):

- browse books/CDs at the Barnes and Noble Warehouse at Taylor Street

- visit Boudin Bakery

- enjoy Dungeness Crab at Tarantino's

- have more Clam Chowder soup … We do not know when we can have clam chowder again!

- Lunch at Bubba Gump restaurant. We enjoyed reading the Forrest Gump news.

- shop at Hard Rock Cafe

- ice cream break at "Cold Stone Creamery" found at Anchorage Square

- take a 1-hour Bay Cruise (probably do this on a different day)

- we had no time for the Wax Museum and Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museum

- we didn't need to visit Aquarium of the Bay after Monterey

- there are ships and submarines to discover

Finally, view the ever-popular, boisterous and fat sea lions on Pier 39. Find younger ones

playfully nosing one another. Amuse yourself watching some of the sea lions perched half on and half off their floating platforms. Watch them from a vantage second floor view for a good 20 minutes. It is astounding to see so many of them!

Photos - the Dungeness Crab, Bubba Gump dish (with the Gump news used as plate), sea lions galore!

Day 14 - Majestic Yosemite

Itinerary: 1-day organised tour to Yosemite National Park

If you are in the Bay area, the second must-see (next to Twin Peaks) is the Yosemite National Park. I have seen my share of magical vistas. Yet Yosemite had such a massive impact on me 15 years ago, I really needed to share it with Gambit.

I am glad I did. His words - "I am awe-struck"!

As soon as we reached SFo, I thought that we should immediately take a bus tour to Yosemite the following day. No one was sick and the weather was fine, I wanted to strike while the iron was hot. I did not pre-book this tour fearing that the 6:45am start will not bode well with the boys (husband included). I announced the early start of the next event, willed them to agree, held my breath, and was rewarded with assent! We were car-less at this point. One does not need a car in SFo; parking fees are exorbitant for one, and there are numerous transport options available.

Using the hotel guest services, I booked Grayline's "Yosemite in a day by Motorcoach". Booking via the hotel could entitle you to a $5 discount/person off the brochure price. So do compare with current online prices and take the cheaper price, of course. Hotel pickup is included so all you have to do is drag yourself out of bed. This is difficult if you have been used to 10:00am starts to your touristy days. Other tours have 13-passenger mini-vans. This minibus will actually take you to the Giant Sequoias (this gives me a reason to go back when the kids are older). But I thought that with small children, there is safety in numbers (not many people are happy to see kids touring with them).

Pleasantly, there were only about 15 people in our group. This tour is narrated live by our very well-rounded driver, Danny. I must say that an amusing and smart tour guide can make a difference. Danny even shared some local insight about the sub-prime crisis, pointing out developments in the Central Valley that were left unfinished. We crossed the Bay Bridge in thick San Francisco fog giving us no joy for not seeing any views beyond a few meters ahead.

We travelled for 4 hours before reaching Yosemite.

There you will behold El Capitan, Half Dome, Yosemite Waterfalls, and Bridalveil Falls. The height and spectacle of these natural wonders will leave you feeling small and enthralled. It is truly ... inspiring in its majesty. We were blessed with a flowing waterfall as Yosemite has been in drought for awhile now. I guess the rains of the previous days helped.

The verdict: Travel Money wins!

Travellers' Cheques are so 90's!

As mentioned previously, I had a combination of cash, Travellers' Cheques and a Mastercard Debit Card or what the Aussie Banks call Travel Money. 15 years ago, I would travel with TCs which were widely accepted in American shops. I was also unsure if indeed the debit cards work overseas. I was told by the Commonwealth Bank staff to hit "credit card" at the till.

Although the TCs are still accepted almost everywhere, it is very inconvenient to use as it takes longer for inexperienced shop assistants to process the cheques. Since your holiday time is not meant to be wasted, I suggest that you use a debit card instead.

The Mastercard/VISA debit cards masquerading as credit cards worked perfectly. Getting it is easy-peasy, visit any of the big banks.

I used my Citibank Credit Card for big payments such as in hotels and theme parks. Although there is an international transaction fee, this could easily be recouped by all the rewards point you accumulate.

In summary, use the debit card for small payments (eg. food and shopping). Use your credit card with rewards for large payments (eg. hotels, car hire, attractions).

Hotels can make or break a holiday!

Others think that hotels are just places to sleep in so they do not bust the budget to stay in decent ones. I disagree. We love our creature comforts and prefer to pay more for a good 8 hours' sleep (even more hours if you included downtime in your itinerary). We like going back to a nice bed after a tiring touristy day. For me, a bad hotel can truly break a holiday.

Hotel #4 - Courtyard by Marriott, Beach Street, San Francisco CA (stay 4 nights)

We were very happy with our fourth hotel. It had location x 3, newly renovated rooms (sans the paint smell), flat screen TV with cable, onsite coin laundry (surprise!), choice of wireless or wired in-room Free internet, and complimentary "to-go" breakfast. The free breakfast was not its usual offering. They only added it to compensate for the inconvenience of having no hotel lobby and restaurant due to renovations. Come mid-November it will all be completed, I was told.

Our new room had my favorite color scheme - maroon and red hues.

It had a large bathroom sink, lovely paintings, and the housecleaning staff did not scrimp on the bathroom items.

Other features:

- close to: Walgreens, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Lombard Street (most crooked street), Barnes and Noble and tram station;

- if you ask for a 4th floor room (the highest level), you may

have water glimpses (aside: buildings along the waterfront are low-rises anyway);

For a US$5 tip, the cleaning lady left me tons of toiletry items and multiple bags of coffee! Notice that they also use Kleenex tissues, a small luxury. It amuses me to wonder whether the cleaning lady was very grateful for the tip, or being sarcastic!

Day 13 - The long way to San Francisco

San Francisco via Santa Cruz and San Jose

To make it more exciting, we had several stops along the way to SF. So the 2-hour drive became an eventful 3 hours.

Santa Cruz Boardwalk

The boardwalk is a seaside amusement park. We arrived around 11:00am but were disappointed to find the place still closed.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley refers to a section of Santa Clara Valley which houses numerous high-tech companies. Towns include Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto and San Jose (the capital).

I 'swooned' outside Apple Headquarters

at Cupertino.

We also ogled Google's Mountain View Head Office.

a Borders stop

An important footnote for 40% off ...

My husband finished the book he was reading after a week into our holiday. He was bored out of his wits, he needed something to read during the lull moments between dinner and bedtime. (Gab and I were hogging the laptop).

We found a Borders Express at Del Monte Shopping Center, Monterey. At the till, with Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses" in hand, the shop assistant asked if my husband was a Borders member. No, he wasn't, is there a fee to become one? We are from Australia ... The guy then said that membership was free and living overseas was not an issue for as long as my husband had an email address! A no-brainer ... then he declared that as a signing up bonus our purchase that day was discounted at 40% off.

In retrospect, we should have bought more than one book ... but then it would not fit in our luggage. Darn!

CA-17

Monterey to San Francisco, via San Jose

Highway 17 is a freeway that runs between Santa Cruz to San Jose. I mention this here because it was a memorable drive. It was like riding a roller coaster.

Highway 17 has a combination of narrow shoulders, sharp turns and blind curves. It is also the most leafy highway we have seen so far.

And who enjoyed this drive the most? Our driver, of course, pretending to be Mark Webber in a Formula One car!

Day 12 - Monterey Peninsula in a day

The Big Sur

A coastline drive is different from place to place but it is always dazzling to behold. So it is with The Big Sur, with 90 miles of Central California coastline. It means the big south.

Carmel-by-the-Sea

Or simply called Carmel is a town which, to me, evokes of storybook ambience.

It is known for its art galleries, boutiques, boutique hotels, fine restaurants and stylish homes. It was made even more famous by its famous civil servant, former Mayor Clint Eastwood.

The Carmel Mission, a Catholic mission church, is also a must-see.

Pebble Beach and the 17-Mile Drive

The 17-mile drive is a scenic drive through Pebble Beach which hugs the Pacific coast and passes famous golf courses and mansions. It's outstanding feature is the stunning Lone Cypress Tree, shown here for your inspiration ...

Family Feedback!

I am constantly asking everyone if they are having fun. Since being a mum, event manager, problem solver, decision maker and spokesperson is pretty much a thankless job, I have devised a means to reward myself. And that is to ask Gambit and the boys' what parts of the trip are memorable so far! I gotta have my joy!

Gambit's Top 5:

1 - California Adventure's It's Tough Being a Bug

2 - Monterey Bay Aquarium

3 - Tomorrowland's Star Tours

4 - Clam Chowder soup (found in Monterey and SF)

5 - Outlet Shopping (very out of character!)

Gab's Top 5:

1 - Medieval Times

2 - Legoland's Volvo Driving School

3 - Tomorrowland's Autopia

4 - Tomorrowland's Star Tours

5 - Monterey Bay Aquarium

Migo's favorites:

1 - all the hotels

2 - road trips

3 - bus rides (organised tours)

How did my special needs child cope with our adventure? As far as I can tell, the only thing that Migo did not like was the ascent and descent of the airplane. His ears are quite sensitive.

Regarding the many events and attractions we saw, I think my son got tired of all the walking we've done everyday. His constant comments were "headache", "legs hurt", "go back to the hotel"!

A traveler's worst nightmare!

There's nothing like being cooped up in a hotel to heighten ones' taste buds for adobo and dinuguan.

On the morning of our 11th day in California, we woke up to heavy rainfall outside. No, more than that, it was a rainstorm. Yet, we still managed to visit the Aquarium. On the way home around 4pm, we made a detour to a Filipino store in another small town called Seaside. Such was our hunger for any rice dish.

Upon returning to the hotel, we realised that power was out. Candles were unavailable as according to the hotel staff, "they've never had a power failure before". So there we were - hard rain, high winds and a blackout. That meant there was no TV (the horror!), no computer, no internet, no blog, and no airconditining! The good news was - hot water remained available and so was gas for the fireplace. The fireplace kept us warm that long stormy night.

How can you plan for such an event?

For as long as everyone remain in high spirits, then all will be well. We had dinner at 5pm while there was still little light from the stormy skies. My husband commented that the adobo was better than his own! That's saying a lot!

The next day, we were blessed with sunshine. But the city remained without power which rendered most shops and restaurants closed. Many trees fell along the 17-mile drive. This disaster is common in Sydney. But I had the feeling that it was unheard of in this part of California.

Sidebar #10 - Dirty Laundry

Launderette at the corner of Munras Avenue and Soledad Drive

Reality will always catch up with you even in beautiful places. You gotta do your laundry. And a smart mum will not use the hotel's costly laundry service. With 4 peoples' clothes to wash, it's going to cost me a fortune!

So for the first time, I wuz at an American laundromat. I admit I was a bit apprehensive because of the movies I have seen. But why should I be? I was at Monterey, it's not a ghetto. On the other hand, I met some interesting characters.

Bring lots of quarters or the laundrymat person can change your notes to quarters. Don't forget to bring your own laundry soap. After inserting my eight quarters into the washer (one quarter will give you 7 minutes in the dryer), I struck a conversation with a Filipina (whom I gathered was someone's babysitter). She gave me directions to a Filipino store because we were craving for home made dishes after 11 days on the road.

Then I sat down to read a Twilight book while discreetly hearing casual conversation of the other patrons.

There's nothing like a laundromat to make you feel like a local!

Day 11 - Monterey Bay Aquarium

Our first full day at Monterey did not start out well. We were greeted with a deluge of unseasonal downpour. Determined not to waste the day, we braved the weather to spend the day at the Aquarium.

More tips: Always pack a light raincoat or poncho in case of rain!

My family agrees with me that the Monterey Bay Aquarium is better than other aquariums we have been to. First of all, the layout of the exhibit is not confusing. It has a central foyer where everything is connected; there's no snaking around to get to something. Navigating from one exhibit to another (even from first to second floor) is a breeze. Second, the displays are uncluttered with brief yet powerful descriptions. The display background is mostly a solid blue hue such that your attention is focused on the sea creature itself with no backdrop distractions. Thirdly, less is more. There is less to see avoiding information overload.

What sets it apart is the Aquarium's message of environmental awareness. Their shows, videos and live feedings always talk about saving the ocean. It's evident that they do 'walk the talk'. The Aquarium is a conservation and research facility spearheaded by scientists from Stanford University.

A must-see for the children if you ever visit Monterey.

What's in Monterey?

Why did we make Monterey a destination? We could have driven straight to San Francisco for another couple of hours. There are many answers to the question. It's a picturesque seaside town. It has the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Clint Eastwood's hometown Carmel (where he was a mayor for years), it has Pebble Beach home to one of the world's best golf course, it has Big Sur and the 17-mile drive along a coastline ...

If I were to live in America, it will be at Monterey. I fell in love with this city 15 years ago when my 'bestest' friend from college brought me here from San Jose where I was staying for a one month business trip.

I've always wanted to come back and show Gambit around. I warned Gab and Migo that this leg of our trip is mostly for grown-ups. The thrill rides have ended.

Good value for money

Hotel #3 - Quality Inn Munras, Munras Avenue, Monterey, CA (stay 3 nights)

I would recommend staying at Quality Inn along Munras Avenue. For one, it's Wi-Fi works beautifully. Secondly, it is a boutique inn with a quaint landscape and an intimate atmosphere.

The Executive 2 Queenbeds we got costs only US$99 + taxes nightly on the hotel website.

Room amenities:

1 - Fridge and microwave

2 - Coffeemaker

3 - Airconditioner

4 - a large fireplace

5 - Cable TV

6 - a decent Breakfast Bar (Gab loved the waffle maker. They had sausages and eggs too.)

7 - indoor pool and spa

Do get a room at the second floor because the ceiling will be higher, giving you more space.

You do not have to stay in hotels near the Cannery Row which will cost more. Since Monterey is a small city, everything is a short driving distance away. Quality Inn is also close to an upscale shopping center called Del Monte Shopping Center.

Day 10 - Road Trippin'

The long drive from Anaheim to Monterey

I have always dreamed of a road trip in the U.S.A. It must be all those movies I have seen in my youth. Or it could have been the Chili Peppers' "Road Trippin" ... "It's time to leave this town, it's time to steal away. Let's go get lost anywhere in the USA ..."

So here I am living the song ... waxing poetry ...

Google Maps says that this will be a 6-hour drive along Interstate 5 (I5), CA-46, then US-101. We left Anaheim in our rented SUV at 6:30am to beat the Los Angeles morning rush hour. I packed nutella sandwiches for the boys and more or less moved them from the bed to the car in their pyjamas. Indeed we made it through L.A. smoothly. I am proud to say that this drive was just as I expected it to be. We experienced the vastness of California and I really felt that I was here. Connected and living the moment.

I relieved my husband once of the driving duties, along I-5 . We made four stops in small towns. We arrived at Monterey around 1:00pm, neither tired nor cranky.

One thing to note about the drive is the changing landscape. From Southern California's barren landscape to the lush green of Monterey Peninsula. Here it is in pictures ...

Day 9 - DISNEYLAND

Disneyland park gates open at 8:00am. Earlier if you have an Early Entry ticket (7:00am). Most forums even advise to be at the gates 30 minutes early to be the very first in line for that much sought after ride. I decided that I will not be cruel to my husband and kids, we are not waking up that early on our big vacation.

So there we were again at the gates at 10:30am. There were lots of people but the short line was moving, so no problems there. I should mention that it was a Sunday of a long weekend (the following Monday was Columbus Day).

I was armed with my RideMax itinerary once again, plus the Disney map and show guide. Once you get the orientation of how the different sections are laid out, send your partner to get your FastPass for the very first ride you want. Make sure he knows where he can catch up with you. If you have time before the Fastpass return window, I highly recommend that you take a ride on the Disneyland Railroad which has a stop at Main Street. This is an enlightening narrated ride. We passed through a replica of the Dinosaur Age and other displays that I haven't read about in my research.

These are the rides and attractions that we did:

1 - Indiana Jones Adventure - a bumpy and jolty fun ride. Amazingly, the way to the ride is a very long snaking maze. Even with a Fastpass, it took us ages to reach the actual ride! Don't ever queue up without a Fastpass on this one.

2 - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - another worthwhile ride

3 - Autopia - the kids loved this! They get to drive cars, but need a grown-up to step on the gas/brakes pedal.

4 - Sailing Ship Columbia - a must do! A full scale replica of the first American ship to sail around the world.

5 - Tarzan's Treehouse

Lunch was Mexican fare at Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante located at Frontierland. They have plenty of tables even on a busy lunch hour.

Finally, the Disneyland Monorail takes you out of the Park and into Downtown Disney. Downtown Disney is just adjacent to the park. It has all the Disney merchandise and other shops and food outlets. What a pleasant surprise to find a Lego shop. So of course, the kids' tiredness vanished!

The list above may not sound much. But believe me, with two children in tow plus a husband who would rather be elsewhere with no people preferably, this day was very big and quite draining (bring sunblock!). I was glad that we did Tomorrowland the previous night. It made our second day at Disneyland less painful than it would have been!

Sidebar #8 - Swine flu repelled!

Being in close proximity to Mexico, it is small wonder that Californians are obsessed with personal hygiene. Most public places have hand sanitizers available for free. Y'know that liquid soap that you are supposed to rub in without the use of water. There are also anti-bacterial 'wet ones' at the grocery trolley bays.

I have overheard mums telling their children not to touch walls and poles. Mums constantly reminding their children to use wet wipes or hand sanitizers conveniently attached to prams. I don't blame them at all!

With or without swine flu, I always tell my children not to use their hands to flush toilets or open toilet doors. Instead, I tell them to use their feet to flush or use a tissue or use the sleeve of their jumpers to open doors.

So always keep wet wipes handy in your handbag. It pays to be vigilant about sanitation.

The price you see is not what you pay!

In Australia, the price we see on goods and services is what we actually pay for. Not so in the U.S.A. The 8.75% tax is only added at the till.

So don't be surprised to fork out more than you expected, especially if you go to the cash register with an armful of jeans at that Outlet Store I told you about earlier ... !

Sidebar #5 - Handy tipping tips

USA is also a land of tipping. (Nope, not the Aussie meaning of tipping which is actually betting.)

We Australians do not have the 'tipping culture'. In truth, we feel quite uncomfortable paying someone for their services. I suppose we just expect excellent customer service for free!

But not in the USA. My understanding is that the service people are not paid much, hence their reliance on tips to eke out a living.

Some hotels have gratuity envelopes which make it easy and discrete to leave money for the housekeeping lady. Worldmark had the gratuity envelope. But not the other three hotels we stayed in. So I simply leave my tip on top of my pillow. I normally leave between US$5 to $10 depending on my frame of mind.

I gave a $20 tip to the cab driver who drove us to the hotel from Los Angeles airport because I thought he was just so helpful. I also give $5 to waiting staff in restaurants.

My rule of thumb is to tip the amount that you feel comfortable with. If you are so happy, then by all means tip generously!

FASTPASS Explained!

To beat the very long queues in the rides and attractions, Disneyland had to come up with a solution quickly. And so the Fastpass was conceived.

In a nutshell from Wikipedia: Fastpass allows guests to avoid long lines at the attractions on which the system is installed, freeing them to enjoy other attractions during their wait. The service is available at no additional charge to all park guests.

Ok, here's what you do. The moment you enter Disneyland, make a beeline straight to your most desired ride/attraction. There is no time to dilly-dally and go "oh-ah" admiring the sceneries of Main Street. Grab a map and locate your first ride! For our case, we wanted Indiana Jones. So send the husband to Indiana Jones to quickly get a Fastpass for your group (don't forget to give him your Disney tickets!!!). The reason for all this hassle is that the wait time for a Fastpass return can easily go later ... and later. For example, when you enter Disneyland at 10:00am, you will be lucky if your Fastpass tells you to return between 12:00nn to 1:00pm. I have seen Fastpasses asking you to return at 4:00pm!

As soon as you get a Fastpass, you can now relax and browse your merry way around the park. Remember that you cannot get a new Fastpass for a different ride until the Fastpass return window arrives. That is, there is a 'one Fastpass at a time' virtual policy. However, as soon as your return time lapses, e.g. it is now 12:01nn, you can get your 2nd Fastpass even if you haven't used the first one yet! Yes. The system does not check if you have used the first Fastpass. And if your brain is working overtime, this means that you can actually go back to your ride long after your Fastpass window has elapsed. Say for example you cannot get away from another show or you are having a lunch break. You can still go back to your ride even after the Fastpass window has elapsed. This last statement is just something that dawned upon me and which RideMax has confirmed. I, personally, have not proven it. As we would always go back to our Fastpass ride during the return window.

If I am wrong, please do let me know!

I am amazed at the long queues despite this Fastpass being available. Once you show your valid Fastpass, you are waved through a different line. It is quite exciting to leave behind all those people patiently waiting. It boggles my mind why on earth everybody else wait for long minutes and not take advantage of the Fastpass!

Of knights and armours!

Medieval Times - the boys' holiday highlight!

I have been to a Medieval Times show once in my life at Schaumburg, IL. That was about 15 years ago during the 'before-husband' stage. I remembered that my female workmates and I enjoyed it so much especially because the knights were all very good-looking!

Fast forward to the present time ... Because of my stories, the boys were so excited for the Medieval Times that I got hounded by questions long before we reached Anaheim! "What is the story, mum?", "how do they fight?", "what weapons do they use?" and on and on it goes ...

Our first night and our first dinner at Anaheim was at the Medieval Times.

First the food. The food is served while you are watching the show. This means eating in semi-darkness. The feast comprises of soup, garlic bread, half chicken, potato slab, one pork rib, a pastry for desert, coffee and a choice of coke, water or tea. Since we were medieval, there are no cutlery. One uses ones hands to eat! We quite enjoyed it!

Now for the show. In a few words - very entertaining. It was a gallant display of horsemanship and the production design was impressive. There were six knights who jousted, dueled and showed off their fighting prowess. It's all scripted of course. But one should just enjoy the show and not see the errors nor the careful exchange of blows. All guests were given their colors at the beginning of the show. We were placed in the red team. Gab's favorite color was blue, and he was quite

upset that we got red. Once inside the arena and after seeing our handsome red knight, I told him that red will win so he should not fret. Of course, I just 'willed' it to happen. And sure enough, our red knight won the tournament! Don't ask how I knew ... because I didn't!

In a nutshell, do watch a Medieval Times show. I am telling you, you can skip Disneyland but not a knights' tournament. Just ask my son!

Of car hires ... part 2

It is important to mention that one should not be shy to ask for something ... because one could end up getting an upgrade!

Back at Oceanside, Enterprise gave us a low-slung 2-door Pontiac (see right photo). Having two children, you can just imagine the difficulty of getting in and out of the car. The husband thought that we can probably live with it for the rest of the week (read: "I don't want to go back to Enterprise and complain"). But I was not easily pacified. So I rang Enterprise and asked for a 4-door car (our booking was for a mid-size). They told us to just come and they will give us a

different car. We ended up with Chrysler's PT Cruiser (below). The boys' called it the gangster car!

For the long drive to San Francisco, we got upgraded to a full-sized SUV by Avis (a Ford Edge).

How bloody good is that?

Here is a snapshot of Ford's Edge ...

One more thing to note. Not all rental agencies allow a one-way rental. Meaning, different pick-up and drop off location. Hotwire did not have any option for a one-way rental in their website. But Travelocity and Expedia do. Having booked online with Hotwire, I rang both Enterprise and Avis to tell them about my intention of a one-way rental. I was told that only the airport locations allow such an arrangement. However, they may allow a one-way rental but your daily rate will increase because of this, or you will be charged a drop-off fee. So please call in and ask!

Day 8 - Disney's California Adventure Park

Day: Disney's California Adventure (or CA)

Night: Disneyland Park

My RideMax original itinerary starts at 10:00am. But of course, this was not meant to be. So a couple of nights before the day, I quickly put together a revised IT that began at 11:30am and 12:00 noon.

I figured that since CA opens its gates at 10:00am, I will let the mad crowd go first. We arrived at the CA entrance at 10:15. I felt that although it was a Saturday and it was a long weekend, the amount of people that day at CA was manageable. We saw several attractions during our first hour @ the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. I felt quite smug about it! We ended up not really following the RideMax IT as there were just no lines! RideMax just served as a guide as to which attractions/ride we wanted to do.

Here is a list of what we did:

1 - Playhouse Disney = very entertaining especially for pre-schoolers. I was impressed by the production design.

2 - Drawn to the Magic = three wonderful singers doing a medley of Disney's popular movies and songs. Female grown-ups will enjoy this.

3 - Monsters Inc.

4 - Muppet Vision 3D

5 - It's Tough to be a Bug - this was my personal favourite at CA. This 4D movie was scary and had a very surprising ending. Get ready to be sprayed with a bit of water, it's part of the fun!

6 - Disney Animation: Turtle Talk with Crush - very funny! You will love this.

7 - Disney Animation - Animation Academy - rekindled my love for sketching.

8 - Redwood Creek Challenge Trail - where the kids had the most fun!

We skipped Toy Story Mania. They did not have any Fastpass and we just don't have the energy for the queue.

Late lunch was at the 'Golden State'. I enjoyed a stir-fry at the Lucky Fortune Cookery. It was worth the wait!

We missed a lot of other rides/attractions, but felt that 4 hours is all we can muster. So we decided to take a late afternoon break at the hotel, grab dinner and go to Disneyland later at night.

Night: Disneyland Park

We returned to Disneyland after dinner at IHOP. More on IHOP later. Having decided that we had CA under our belt, we were at Disneyland Park gates around 8pm. I was hoping to see the fireworks later at 9:25pm.

Disneyland was divided into 8 sections of different themes. Since my children were pre-teens, we will be skipping Mickey's Toontown and Fantasyland.

For our one night, I decided best to spend it at Tomorrowland alone.

Rides/Attractions we did at Tomorrowland:

1 - Buzz Lightyear (get a FASTPASS)

2 - Honey, I Shrunk the Audience

3 - Star Tours - we all agreed that this was our favorite ride!

4 - Innoventions

Day 7 - Finally, Anaheim

Hotel #2 - RAMADA Maingate, S. Harbor Blvd, Anaheim, CA (stay 3 nights)

The drive to Anaheim from Oceanside was like a thrill ride. All those interweaving highways and multiple exits are nerve wracking. I don't think we would have been able to deal with it if it hadn't been for the Nokia Navigator phone.

Ramada Maingate (there are many Ramadas) has the perfect location, it was almost across Disneyland. You do not have to worry about getting hungry, as IHOP, Tony Roma's and Denny's are all located adjacent to the hotels dotting South Harbor Blvd. Ramada had a good sized pool (kept warm), a spa and an onsite coin-operated laundry. I mention the laundry because this is quite important for families traveling with children. They also have a complimentary Continental Breakfast shed (in the pool area) where guests walk through, pickup their food and eat them either on poolside or carry them back to the room.

Other room amenities were a fridge, a microwave, a coffee maker and condiments, a cable TV, and Wi-Fi.

Our room was too far from the office such that the WiFi signal was very weak. I was told to ring their IT help desk but I never bothered to.

Unfortunately, I will not go back to this hotel. The room we had was very small and felt very constricted. Ramada Maingate badly needs to be renovated, in my opinion.

Days 5 & 6 - Downtime

Original itinerary for Day 5: Los Angeles organised tour

Original itinerary for Day 6: Universal Studios

Revised itinerary for Day 5 and Day 6: Stay in resort and chill

Originally, I wanted to book a bus tour that will pick us up from the hotel and take us around the many sights of LA. But the reality is, the children will not enjoy it. And my husband would rather spend a very slow couple of days before we hit Disneyland.

So both LA tour and Universal Studios tour got shelved! Oh well, there goes a reason to come back to LA then ...

Fortunately, Worldmark by Wyndham had a heated pool and a warm spa (aka a hot tub by the Americans). We also enjoyed the basketball and tennis courts. Gambit cooked a wicked BBQ dinner on our balcony (bought from Ralphs). The children enjoyed the cable TV and we enjoyed reruns of Iron Chef America.

Happy kids equals happy parents!

Day 4 - Shopping again!

Itinerary: Desert Hills Premium Outlet

This shopping outlet is in the middle of nowhere (well, in the middle of a desert to be exact). Cabazon is a 1.5-2 hour drive from Oceanside. This outlet had Levis and Timberland, and more shops than the Carlsbad outlet - it is worth the long drive.

Levis was selling @ US$19.99! Of course this was another no-brainer. My husband was aghast when he saw me with an armful of jeans. I had to justify it all by saying I am not buying anymore for the next decade! I even added that this will encourage me in keeping my weight down else I will not fit in any of my spare jeans. It must have worked, coz he fell silent ... I knew he was already picturing how all these jeans (plus the boots) will fit into our two suitcases ... Men!

Timberland was another shoppers paradise. If you like hiking boots or outdoor clothes, this shop is for you. Hiking boots were selling for one half of their original price.

Did I mention Nike? Ha! One could go crazy over the US$10 Nike shirts.

Of car hires ...

Always check what arrangements are available at your car hire location.

Conveniently, Enterprise have a "We'll Pick You Up" service. You do not have to spend cab fare to pick up your car!

Avis on the other hand have what is called a "Delivery and Collection Service".

Do remember to return your rental car with the same amount of petrol to avoid exorbitant charges.

Note that online travel agents may not disclose the final daily rate of your car rental. There is an 8.75% tax added, as well as many optional insurance add-ons. Check your Travel Insurance and be ready to accept/decline which cover. It is probably a good idea to purchase an additional liability insurance which protects you from Third Party claims.

I quote verbatim below from the AVIS website:

Loss Damage Waiver (LDW)

Renters may purchase loss damage waiver (LDW) that reduces the financial liability for loss or damage to the Avis car as long as they comply with the terms of the Avis rental agreement. Cost of LDW will vary by location, car group and rate. If you have rental car coverage through your personal insurance or charge card, LDW offers maximum protection while your personal insurance or charge car may contain a deductible.

Personal Accident Insurance (PAI)

Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) provides accidental death benefits and emergency medical expense benefits to the renter and all passengers in the Avis car.

The renter is covered 24 hours a day during the rental for the following:
-$175,000.00 accidental death
-$2,500.00 medical coverage for injuries due to an accident
-$250.00 for ambulance expenses

The passengers are covered while in the car for the following:
-$17,500.00 accidental death
-$2,500.00 medical coverage for injuries due to accident
-$250.00 for ambulance expenses Exceptions:

NEW YORK: The renter is covered 24 hours a day during the rental for the following:
-$175,000.00 accidental death
-$3,500.00 medical coverage for injuries due to an accident
-$250.00 for ambulance expenses

Personal Effects Protection (PEP)

Personal Effects Protection insures the personal belongings of the renter and the immediate family members who are traveling with the renter. The maximum coverage is $600.00 per claim, with a maximum coverage for individuals of $1,800.00. Exceptions:

NEW YORK: Personal Effects Protection insures the personal belongings of the renter and the immediate family members who are traveling with the renter. The maximum coverage is $500.00 per claim, with a maximum coverage for individuals of $1,500.00.

Additional Liability Insurance (ALI)

Renter may purchase Additional Liability Insurance (ALI) at the time of rental. ALI provides additional protection for bodily injury, death or property damage and increase the limits to one million dollars. When ALI is purchased, Avis will always provide the Financial Responsibility Limits (FRL) on a primary basis.

Coupons coupons and more coupons!

U.S.A. is a land of coupons!

For the smart mum, here are some coupon tips for you. The more savings you make, the more shopping money there is! How good is that?

1 - When you do your grocery shopping (at Ralphs for example), sign up for membersip. You do not have to tell them you are a tourist. They just give you a Discount card which dramatically reduces your costs. Our first purchase was reduced from $21 to $13 (I think I got the Orange Juice for free)! Look out for those register receipts for more coupons (eg. $1 off your next loaf of bread).

2 - If you know you are eating out at Boston Market or Dennys for example, go to their website and check out any coupons. If not, Google for "Dennys coupons" for example.

3 - Premium Outlet Shopping VIP Club - sign up and enjoy more savings. Once a Club Member, you can claim your voucher booklet at the Guest Services. What's more there are additional coupons online.

Day 3 - Legoland again!

It was not crowded when we went to Legoland (it was a Monday). The queues were only a 10 to 15 minute wait. Most attractions do not have any lines at all. Parking was $12.

Rides/attractions/shows we did:

1 - Dragon ride (a roller coaster designed to introduce small children to thrill rides)

2 - Pharaoh's Revenge

3 - 4D Show: Racers (12 minutes)

4 - 4D Show: Spellbreaker (12 minutes)

5 - Factory Tour

6 - Clubhouse shop (here you will be able to buy Lego bricks by the pounds. I don't think you can buy it anywhere else.)

7 - Bionicle Evolution

8 - Build and Test

9 - Xbox Challenge

10 - Mindstorms workshop (this is a 45 minute workshop that requires booking. So pre-book first before proceeding to do other parts of Legoland)

11 - Miniland (the most enjoyable section for mums and dads)

11 - Lastly and the most fun of all was the Volvo Driving School. This is basically a mini-highway where kids can practice reading road signs. Migo ignored all road rules; overtaking all cars and making two illegal U-turns because he wanted to keep up with his brother. Gab in the meantime followed all road rules correctly.

Traveling with children Tips 101

Here are some handy tips when travelling with children:

1 - Always pack thongs (that's slippers in Australia!). You can never be sure of the hotel's dodgy carpets.

2 - Bring (children's) medicines such as Paracetamol, nasal sprays, immodium and any other emergency supply. I can never emphasize the importance of multiple barf bags!

3 - Always research what prepaid SIM card you will get. Especially if you plan to use your mobile phone's navigation app. Unfortunately, the Americans do not have any SIM card kits if you have your own phone (like the one we get from Woolworths). They normally offer a phone plan with all their products. We purchased an O2 Wireless Universal SIM card from BEST BUY, only to find out that it does not carry any data services. I rang T-Mobile and explained our requirements (2 weeks usage only). They kindly arranged a monthly plan that do not charge any termination fees once we leave the country (make sure your credit card will not get charged!). Ensure it allows for unlimited internet access.

4 - DO NOT PRE-BOOK EVERYTHING IN YOUR ITINERARY! Remember that your itinerary is merely a guide. Kids get sick all the time. You will be wasting money if you cannot make it to a pre-booked event! Additionally, i found that most hotels have vouchers in the lobby. You can save at least $10 per head even for online bookings. Remember how American websites always ask for coupon numbers when you are booking online? These coupon numbers can be Googled! I only found out 5 days into our travel ... you in the meantime can take advantage of this tip!

5 - Always bring swimmers (aka swim suits) and goggles. There are wet rides in theme parks. You will also want to have some downtime by just enjoying your resorts facilities such as pool, tennis courts etc.

Day 2 - Premium Outlet Shopping

Itinerary - Carlsbad Premium Outlet

The next day, Gab was feeling a whole lot better (thank god!). He managed to hold down a slice of toast and an egg. I forewarned him that this day was dedicated to "serious" shopping. Therefore, no complaints and no whining allowed.

It was a Sunday and the Carlsbad Shopping Outlet was packed. If you are in America, take the time to include a one day trip to the closest premium outlet. The kids have their fun, mums should have theirs too!

Where in the world can you find BASS boots selling for "buy one pair, take two pairs"?! It's a no-brainer, I immediately went and secured my three pairs! Skechers shoes selling for a song, bargains everywhere ...

Lunch was at Rubys Diner. The lovely Amethyst served us well. Not knowing the place, I asked her for her favorite dish. True enough, the Super Burger (with a slice of avocado. Ask for the ricotta cheese as a side.) was lovely! Get the onion rings too while you're at it.

Day 1 - Semi Legoland

Original itinerary: Legoland from 10am to 2pm; and again from 6pm to 9pm for an evening event

Revised itinerary: stay in hotel all day, Legoland from 7:30pm to 9pm

We were closely monitoring Gab's health so we decided against any activities for the day. We all woke up at around 11am the next day. A first for me! The last time I woke so late was 'before kids'.

Gab was very weak. So i sent Gambit to firstly collect our car hire from Enterprise, then proceed to pick up food essentials at a grocery called Ralph's. Of course, I researched the address beforehand. We had all the addresses stored in Gambit's Nokia Navigator including the car rental location. All he had to do was trust his GPS and get his head around to driving at the 'right' side of the road (once again). It is Gambit's first trip to America, and so very out of his comfort zone. Not to mention a sick kid to tend to. Kudos to my partner, he managed to come back in one piece and with an armful of groceries.

Gab managed to eat a couple of toast slices and some gatorade for rehydration. Gradually, he regained his strength. He would not give up on going to Legoland on our first day in America (that's how the Aussies call USA. It's America, not the US). I told him to convince his dad that he is indeed well enough to go to Legoland. So at 7pm, we spontanouesly made the trip with a semi sick child!

After all, this is their holiday!

Day 0 - Arriving at LAX

My heart skipped a bit when we touched down at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Gab was more animated! But Migo was quite upset with all the noise and plane vibrations. He kept complaining about his ears hurting. I gave him a couple of lollies/snakes so he can clear his eardrums while chewing. He kept yelling: "Stop the plane!" I could only hold his hands ... the poor boy.

Even with all the dra

ma, the three ladies seating behind us complimented me about how well behaved the boys were! If only they knew what went on ... perhaps it is better that they don't.

ANGELS ARE EVERYWHERE!

We cleared immigration and customs with no drama. But those queues are unbelievably slow! It aggravates the nerves of someone who's had no sleep.

It is a good idea to grab dinner at any of the shops inside or outside the airport. Having arrived at 4pm, I expected to be at the hotel at 7pm at the earliest. According to Google, our accomodation was 1.5 hours away, however, we were in the middle of a Los Angeles Friday rush hour. After buying a box of Cinnabons (yum!) and 4 hotdog sandwiches, we made a beeline for the taxi rank. The first angel was a female Hispanic volunteer who asked if we had any transportation. She commented that a taxi will most likely charge over US$200 for a trip to Oceanside. She suggested that we go take the Ride-share mini vans instead. We probably saved at least US$50 from that advise. We gladly gave her a AU$10 note for her valuable advise. I know, I should have given more!

The second unnamed angel was our African-American van driver who charged our party of four US$150. Although we arrived at the hotel at 8pm, having two other groups being dropped in various locations along the way, the driver regaled us with local stories. He made a very entertaining tour guide.

The goodness of these two ordinary folks eased the strain of our flight.

HOTEL#1 - WORLDMARK by WYNDHAM, Oceanside, CA (stay 7 nights)

This serviced apartment was part of the Interval Exchange group of which my mother was a member of as part of her Accor Club Membership.

During my research, there were better known hotels at Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Carlsbad that I considered. I chose Worldmark for its location (15 mins. to Legoland) and because it had a murphy bed for the boys. This is a bed that is hidden against the wall when not in use. So my husband and I have privacy and the boys have the entire living room to themselves.

The 1 bed apartment was clean, the kitchen was self contained, there was a laundry/dryer, and we had a large balcony with a BBQ grill. There was even a coffee maker, hurray! Our 2nd level apartment looked out into the tennis court, basketball court and a partial view of the pool. Lots of apartments dot the distance, all overlooking the ocean. I knew that behind the train tracks lies the ocean. Yes, trains pass by every half hour or so. This may be bothersome to other folks, but Migo enjoyed watching every train that passes. Our last day at this resort is a beach day. I can't wait!

There was no restaurant on site, so the takeaway food (or the "to go" food as Americans would say) saved us from imminent hunger.

Other hotel details: internet computer with printer was available at the lobby; internet was available inside the room for a small fee of US$15 per 10 days; unit supplies can be replenished anytime saving me from buying laundry and dishwasher detergents. Oh and it includes supply of the coffee beans. Little joys.

Come undone!

Even the best planning comes undone when kids are involved, big and small (sigh!).

Based on previous holiday experience, my children (well just one child in particular) get sick towards the last days of travel. Gab had an ear infection two days before we were scheduled to travel home from the Gold Coast to Sydney. During an overseas trip to Manila, Gab suffered gastroenteritis, again, two days before the trip home.

Hence, I made sure we do Legoland (the kids' highlight, it's not Disney) in the first leg of our journey. Mummy was feeling very smart about this.

Surprise, surprise ... Gab became ill even before we boarded the plane!

We did have comprehensive Travel Insurance so I was not worried in that regard. I prayed hard that we did not have to see any doctor!

The longest twelve hours of my life.

The pilot said we were traveling for 12 hours!

Gab complained of stomach pain, was listless, and was whinging. At some stage, he 'sharted' on his undies. Fortunately, there was no queue at the toilets. We packed overnight clothes in our handcarry such that Gab was able to make a change of underwear.

The B777 had three three-seater segments in each row. So I sat with the children while Gambit sat at the other aisle seat next to mine. Once we were on air, I decided to give up my seat so Gab can sleep on at least two seats. Gambit went and found an empty seat while I took his.

Airline crew are not prepared for children falling ill (or anyone for that matter). They did not have any hot water bottle. So I just used the drinking bottle and filled it up with cold and hot water (pure hot water will melt the plastic). This helped ease Gab's pain a bit. He slept most of the way, thank god. I however was too worried to get even a nap. Bless Migo for taking everything in stride (the trip, the sick brother who was sleeping almost on his lap!). Migo managed to sleep sitting upright.