We then took a flight to Frisco. It was an hour and I enjoyed the brainteasers we could do on their television screen. This exercise bonded my father and I. After having landed, we went on a city tour. We went to Golden Gate Bridge and walked along it. We also went to the area where gays and lesbians live in. We learnt that when there is a rainbow flag flown outside a house, that is an indication that its occupants are not straight. We went to a high vantage point of Frisco and gazed in wonder at the city's view.
We then went to Fisherman's Wharf to eat crab and calm chowder. We ordered crab cakes and they were delicious. I was initially sceptical about eating them because I had a bad experience of vomiting them out a few years back. The calm chowder was too but a little salty though. Then we ate crepes at Starbucks. There are sweet and savoury fillings sold. We made friends with an American couple and their grandson. We then took a cruise around Frisco. It was really cold and noisy on the upper deck but that is where the best view is too. We managed to see Alcatraz too.
We also saw the sun set for the second time during this trip. It is such an indescribable gift from God. There are colours of red, orange and yellow along the horizon. A disgusting thing happened at dinner time. We were seated at 2 tables and the other found a fingernail in one of the dishes!
We went to take the tram on the second day. We went to Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world. It winds all the way down, is long and steep. I am afraid of heights and was holding the railing while walking. We did not finish climbing it. We went to Fisherman's Wharf again. We ate boiled crab, salad, fish and chips as well as seafood pasta. There is a bakery called Boudain where the bread is made into diff shapes. There are shapes of crabs and teddy bears!
Then we went to Union Square, Singapore's Orchard Road. Macy is the anchor store there but the prices are steep and the fashions are too trendy for my liking. My mum spent a few hours but bought only 2 outfits eventually. My dad was a little grumpy having to wait for her but made friends in the process. They were also husbands waiting for their wives! The Christmas Trim Shoppe is lavishly awesome, with all the ornaments and tinsel based on different themes and colours. I was so entranced by it.
On the third day, we took a day-trip to Muir Woods and Sausalito. The trees there are straight and tall, a rare occurrence in the field of botany. It was awfully cold there and we were chilled to the bones, not with fear though. We sought shelter in the cafe but silly old me spilled hot chocolate on my dad's pants. You can imagine how hot, wet, sweet and sticky he felt. After that, we went to Sausalito, a coastal and artistic town. Leon Lai and Maggie Cheung had acted out a love story movie there. We saw a group of Filipinos picnicking there, eating their local food. It was a good feeling seeing fellow Asians in a foreign country.
On our last day, we went for morning mass at St Mary's Cathedral. We actually met a fellow Singaporean family at the bookshop! It was a blessing in disguise as we had originally planned to go to another church. They are from Holy Family Church and guess what, they know one of my choir aunties! It was such a small world. The bookshop's range of products is quite narrow though. The church is aesthetically beautiful but for me, the first thing I look for is where God is. I flock to Him in a foreign church so that I know I am safe because He is around.
There are representations of our Lord's and our Lady's lives in the form of sculptures. What nearly reduced me to tears were the Assumption and the Crucifixion. We got to attend mass with a choir leading, another blessing! The cantor's voice is way better than any of my choir members' voice. It is really operatic and clear. The homily was so inspiring. The priest compared the Church's version of Christmas with the secular version and also linked the story of A Christmas Carol to our Church's teachings. That was a plus point for me, as this is my favourite story and I never tire of watching its various versions over and over again.
We also went to an open-air market in front of City Hall Building and then Chinatown for lunch. The barbecued pork's so hard to chew, different from our local version. We took a bus to a theatre. That was an unforgettable experience! The people behind don't move in for the people in front to have more space. My dad was scolded for not doing so when it wasn't even his fault! People adamantly squeeze into the bus even when they can see there's no more space and refuse to go out till they are badgered for a long time. Youths try to avoid paying bus fares by squeezing into the exit door, thus obstructing people trying to exit.
We booked tickets for a musical White Christmas at the theatre. It gives the story behind the famous Christmas song of the same name and is a love story between 2 couples. I liked it and almost cried during the happy ending. We had a huge buffet at a Chinese restaurant near our hotel. There was so much to eat but we did not have much time. I had to be selective with my portions and items. Sigh.
We also went to Borders and Disney Store. However, the latter is really selling useless stuff. My dad was really in paradise at Borders. He got to buy old movies and musicals which he had grown up with. Oh well, he finally got to buy something he wanted a lot, not just fridge magnets. :) There are many homeless people along the streets and we felt rather unsafe while walking. I was so scared that I kept praying. Timid old me!
We flew back the next day. As we ate at the airport, that was the only time I really enjoyed my meal, which is pathetic. I had Japanese food and it tasted authentic! Soon it was time to board the plane and I spent my 18 hours on Singapore Airlines reading, sleeping and watching movies. I watched Kungfu Mahjong, Beauty and the Beast, Wedding Crashers and a Hindi ghost story. The food was getting unappealing and I was yearning for local food, so I opted for instant noodles for one meal. I tried the Indian set and that was a delight though.
When I arrived home, I took 3 days to recover from jet lag because of the time difference of 16 hours. I also suffered from rashes and dry lips due to the extreme change in climates. I got souvenirs for my friends but one of the most heartening remarks was from my friend who said the earrings I got for her is something pure and as if it had been meant for her. She said she felt happy wearing it. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment