Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Puerto Vallarta


A much needed mini-vacation! Check out the awesome view from our hotel room!

PV was so much more than I expected. For one thing, it was relatively CLEAN (except the ocean). There was also, surprisingly, a lot of the mexican culture that was definitely not evident in the only other Mexican city I've been to (Cancun). Puerto, from that perspective, was much more enriching. Since it was a "real" city, lots of historic buildings, churches, and even art (which was shockingly modern!) lining the streets of downtown. Plus the locals were extremely pleasant, friendly and helpful (much more so than in Cancun or even Costa Rica). And the weather was perfect. Not too humid with a nice ocean breeze. Ed and I really enjoyed our time there. It's always nice to get away by ourselves for some time, with nothing to really worry about. We didn't have any tours or appointments lined up, which made it even nicer. :) The food was incredible compared to anything you could ever get in the states for mexican, of course. We did get inspired by some special mexican recipes, with I am likely going to try out. Funny how we ate 4 days of mexican and are still craving it. They had this really neat lime-ade drink at this one restaurant. And some yummy seafood quesadillas.
We did almost get lost in the depths of PV one day on the bus, but you can ask me about that story another time. :) I guess Ed got me back for our incident in Venice. :) Good thing the people are friendly. I was reminded how much fun the water is though. Always looking for a way to get in some exercise, of course. I really want a pool someday.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Yosemite Falls and Relationships


Conquered again!

http://picasaweb.google.com/pachi.chen/YosemiteSpring08

This time it was with a whole different crew. Minus Peter, which doesn't happen often, but we had him in our hearts as the person who challenged Ed/Fan and I initially and introduced us to this wonderful park (I think there was a toast to Peter at one point).

Crew: Howard, Yeelo, Jing, Alex, Tracy, Fan, Ed and I.

Fond memories include:
-trying to climb up Jing's pole prior to departure
-the really good Vietnamese restaurant in Milpitas (although slightly overpriced)
-NO snowstorm during the drive up
-new bear lockers directly outside of each tent cabin (awesome)
-Only 30 degrees (vs sub 20) overnight
-full stomachs with lots of fresh fruit and goodies before the hike
-everyone traveling pretty much the same pace (no man/woman left behind) during the hike
-rainbows!
-relatively warm hiking weather
-whole grain bread was good!
-"10 minutes away"...eventually became reality!
-no complainers or people who wanted to turn back!
-hamburger shaped cookies
-Tracy sets the pace!
-Yeelo and Howard "run" the last mile. How come they stopped already? :)
-Snow for the last 500 feet
-upper falls views
-upgraded shower hall! (hot water!!)
-decent pizza!
-hiding our beer from the yosemite cafe nazis
-Australian cheddar from Whole Foods. Yum.
-drinking outside the lodge
-chatting inside the lodge
-The Pub mix Ed didn't want me to buy (yum)
-WARM Saturday night!
-The "intense" hike up to Bridalveil.
-The "chair" tree branch that we all straddled. The boys were supposed to face each other! ha ha.
-The House of Beef is CLOSED!!! Cry, cry..
-But the mexican place is GOOD!!
-Yeelo and Howard want to go biking and running afterwards (crazies)

-But end up sleeping (that sounds better)
-Steak at Black Angus. (not too good for some though)
-Meeting up with Peggy and Casey

Lots of thoughts regarding relationships between couples as well as just people during the trip. Between the "couples" on the trip and how each of them relate and support one another. In summary, my assessment was quite positive for all the peeps on the trip. ;) For example:

1. Fan-Cy: Instead of showering after the hike, Fan knew Tracy would be hungry as expected after the hike, so went to eat cup of noodles with her while we all showered and then went to get dinner. Ended up that Fan never made it to have pizza with us, and chose to cuddle with Tracy to keep her warm in the tent (and God knows what else) while the rest of us ate dinner near the cafe. Fan sacrifices food for love, who knew? :)

2. Al-ing or Jex (need a nickname): Patience and support. Alex would always wait for Jing, regardless if it was because she was falling behind relative to us going to eat, or if she was falling behind on the hike. He was always by her side, regardless of everyone else's pace.

3. Yee-Wie: We all know they are inseparable (either that or competitive!). If Yeelo wants to run the last mile, Howard is there with her. If Yeelo hates sausage, we get canadian bacon (lucky for me!). Note Howard is the only guy who waited for Yeelo after the showers.

All the above encourages me, knowing that our friends are in happy relationships, and in the meantime, allowing Ed and I to evaluate our relationship in light of those around us. It's nice to be able to be amongst people that are in healthy relationships and can help us grow in ours.

May we continue to grow as much as we have since we've met!