travel – Page 6 – The Empty Nest Projects

Reinvention

January 25, 2017January 25, 2017Posted in travel1 Comment

When your kids become adults, do you change?

This new year has definitely been a redefining process for me and my identity. It’s not that my kids got older and I changed completely. Our lives are multifaceted and dynamic, so the changes were there happening slowly. But this was definitely a milestone that causes a person to reflect and reevaluate. I spent a lot of time this last year wondering what I was going to be doing and who I am. And that reflection, combined with a change in life circumstances as well as a change in world circumstances has catapulted me into a new place.

Case in point:

Lisa the activist went to DC.

The issues I care about have become increasingly more important and my desire to act has also grown. I have also found myself respectful to others and their beliefs, but less afraid to speak about mine. I am who I am. My faith, my experiences, and my education have brought me to this. So what am I rambling about? I finally feel my constant reflection and wondering what’s next is actually morphing into something.

Done, I Swear.

December 18, 2016Posted in travel1 Comment

You know how Facebook shows you your memories, and you get to see what things you posted 1,2,3, 4, even 5 years ago? Well it turns out most of my Facebook posts are about school. For like the entire time I’ve been on Facebook. Which is like 8 years. Because since I have been on Facebook, I have studied and earned 3 degrees. Yep. 2 Bachleors and now my Masters. And lately I keep seeing all of these posts from years past about school (which I mostly loved) and how much work I was doing. It made me realize a few things.

First, I’m pretty impressive. 3 degrees? And a full time job 6 of those 8 years (part time for 2)? And kids? Wow. I can sure accomplish stuff.

Second, man am I tired of school. No, I swear. I LOVE school and learning, but man am I over studying. I want to do other stuff. Like bake. Or cook. Or exercise. Or read for fun.

And last of all, I am still trying to figure out what’s next. My youngest just finished her first quarter of college (yay!). And I am working on my résumé. And I have two Europe trips planned. But other than that? It’s not entirely planned out, which is usually pretty stressful for me, but I am mostly relaxed about it. People at work keep asking me what I am doing next, what do I want to do next, and I have no solid answer. Classmates have asked me if I will do a Ph D. I don’t know. I am covering someone on maternity leave for the next 4 months. That’s the extent of my plans. Maybe we all need a little uncertainty once in a while.

Overchoice

September 19, 2016September 19, 2016Posted in travel1 Comment

I just left my kid at her college two days ago. In a dorm with two nice girls from the bay area. I mean they seem nice. But the dorm hallway wall also had an informative graphic about how much alcohol a red solo cup holds. This is the time of letting them make their own choices with your fingers crossed.

These days, when kids are applying for college, they are frequently applying for 6 or 7 schools. Everyone seems frantic to get in to a school, and they seem to think this means apply for as many as possible. But then they have to choose one. Which is very hard. And that is why my youngest was able to get in off of the wait list and get into the school she wanted. Because someone decided not to choose that school. And despite being accepted into several other schools, she really only wanted to choose from two in the end.

Isn’t that what we all really like sometimes?

Too many choices ain’t all its cracked up to be. I mean, a five page restaurant menu isn’t always better than one page. I don’t want a wine book, just a wine list. I don’t want 21 flavors actually, I want like 5. Otherwise, sometimes I just can’t decide what to do next. This happens to my husband and I a lot. We are like those two vultures from The Jungle Book. What do you want to eat for dinner? I dunno, what do you want? We could get sushi? No I don’t feel like it. How about Thai food? No. Pizza? Oh no, I’m sick of pizza.

Too many people running for a political office, and you end up with Arnold as the Govenator or Trump, right?

I can’t take the overchoice. And I am not the only one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overchoice

Lately, as I plan whatever it is I am going to next with My Life, I have a million ideas. Twenty different paths. I just watched a documentary on people who work in Antarctica. Did you know that was a choice? Now you do. Along with volunteering for an NGO, Peace Corp, Travel Nursing, Teaching in Asia….You can do anything, but instead you just scroll through pinterest thinking about what you could be doing.

I mean, it’s not all that I do, but yeah.

In order to force myself to do something, I bought some plane tickets. In 2107, I have two trips to Europe scheduled. One is 7 days and the other is an entire month. I got them cheap, basically two trips with airfare costing me about $1100 for both. I figured there is no time like now. Before I get settled on a job, or a path, or something. And now I am locked in. Can’t back out now.

Trip # 1

Belgrade, Budapest, and Vienna in the Winter

Trip #2

Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland in May

If you are thinking I am just procrastinating, then you are correct. I finish school in December. I am going to Europe twice. Then I’ll figure it out. Right?

Vacationing Off The Grid-the internet one

June 22, 2016January 7, 2017Posted in beaches, cook islands, fun, hiking, summer, travel, vacations, wanderlustTagged cook islands, Raratonga, travel5 Comments

Months ago I made a spontaneous purchase from Air New Zealand and presented it as a gift to my husband for Christmas. A trip to Raratonga. He looked excited but also followed it up with, “Where is that?”

Where is it? The South Pacific. Remote Oceania. You know Fiji, Somoa, & American Samoa? Their neighbor to the south is the Cook Islands, and its main island, Rarotonga. Now independent from New Zealand, they still use New Zealand currency and are a popular vacation spot for Kiwis and Australians.

For us, it’s a ten hour flight from LA and I was really looking forward to being away from everything. I decided to even take a social media vacation along with my vacation. Turns out I didn’t need a planned social media break, because internet on Raratonga is priced by the MB. So we saved our purchased MB for messages to our kids, no photos, those average about 2.5 MB. Have you ever thought about your every day data use? So many MB.

So what did we do? Sleep. We stayed at an eco retreat with only 6 individual above ground tents or structures. It was tucked away from the main road and the main tourist attractions. The only sound we often heard were birds, roosters, and the rain. The first night we slept from 8:30 pm until 6:30. It’s winter in Raratonga, so the nights are longer than at home. We also took naps whenever we felt like it.

I finished 3 books on the island. It would have been four, but it turned out that one book I bought was missing 32 pages in the middle. I borrowed a book from the small library at our retreat. We didn’t have a radio or a t.v. So books were the extent of my media consumption. The island has two radio stations and we occasionally heard them when in a taxi. We were oblivious to news. If we had really wanted too, we could have looked for it, but we needed a respite.

We also walked and hiked and rode the bus around the island. There is a bus that runs clockwise around the island every hour and one that runs counterclockwise every hour. So if you miss it, it’s a long wait. The bus costs 5 NZ unless you buy the 10 ride punch card for 30 NZ. If you’re lucky, you will get on the bus with the driver who wears a microphone and sings the whole way.

We did a hike across the island that many people said was a good hike. It was a good hike, but it was also a strenuous and challenging hike. Steep, slippery slopes, across rocks and streams, through narrow passages where you had to climb over and under tree trunks, and down steep ridges with ropes. It took about 4 hours to do it, but we came out of the other side caked with mud, sweaty, but pretty satisfied with ourselves. The view from the top of the hike, by the Needle, was worth it.

We attended the Highland Paradise show. It’s one of the main shows on the island, the reports have some too. Josie, at our retreat, recommended it to us and said it was culturally authentic. It started with a presentation of the history and culture of Raratonga and then moved forward showing the changes over the years through music and dance. We had a dinner and answered the most popular question from anyone who wasn’t American, So why is Donald Trump popular? I still don’t have an answer for that question. Sometimes they talked so fast, we couldn’t understand their New Zealand accents!

Most of the time I was lazy. And it was great. But along with the hike, we did kayak and ride bikes. So I guess we weren’t completely lazy. Everything was green and lush. Everywhere you looked was green with banana trees, coconut trees, and Pawpaw trees. People were friendly and will offer you assistance if you are walking along the road away from popular tourist areas.

Rarotonga details:

Flight

Air New Zealand: the island subsidizes air New Zealand flights from the US because they are actively trying to grow tourism. Which means we got a good deal.

Stay

Ikurangi Resort

https://www.ikurangi.com/

In the Matavera area, off from the main tourist areas. They focus on sustainable tourism including Eco friendly soaps and toilet paper in the bathroom, and above ground structures to limit the impact of the environment.

Currency:

New Zealand dollars, we usually got 1.35-1.40 for each US dollar.

Good to know

Renting a car or scooter is popular on the island. You do need a drivers license for the island, which is like 20 NZ and can be done quickly. Some scooter places were just 13 NZ a day.

Water should be filtered at your resort or bottled, ask about it.

The island is protected by a barrier that creates the calm lagoon. Muri Lagoon is very popular for water activities, but the best snorkeling is in Fruits of Raratonga. Protecting the beauty of the Cook Islands is important for tourists to consider, so don’t step on coral, it is alive. Wear reef shoes and avoid getting close to breaks in the barrier, where the ocean current can pull you out.

What’s Good Royal Caribbean?

May 28, 2016January 7, 2017Posted in beach, beaches, pictures, travel, vacationsTagged cruises, royal caribbean, travel2 Comments

Ok, so the last post was a list of complaining about my cruise and why it’s just not my cup of tea. So what was good on my cruise?

1. Tapas in the “park”

The cruise ship had a park. With real trees and plants (ok they were small trees). I usually visited it in the morning for coffee while I let my cabin mate sleep in. But one evening, I went to the Tapas restaurant (that costs extra mind you) and had gazpacho and Rosé while listening to jazz. Great way to unwind.

2. Hiking in Loterie farm and preserve

So hard, but this was my highlight. I can’t believe I made it through the “not strenuous” part of the hike. It was uphill and downhill, included climbing up rocks and using ropes to pull myself uphill. I was drenched in sweat at the end. This hike requires water (had it), snacks (that too), mosquito repellent (check) and better shoes than I wore. But it made my strawberry sorbet at the treehouse lounge so much sweeter of a reward.

3. Balcony views: Always stunning.

4. Random Dunkin Donut experiences

In the Bahamas, I stopped at a random Dunkin donuts for coffee and a chance to consult the pictures of maps I took (no data). I found the local coffee shop retired group arguing about politics just like everywhere else I have lived. It must be some kind of rule that a group of older men can be found drinking coffee and arguing about things.

5. The Vitality Cafe

On days I worked out, I finished each work out with freshly juiced ginger, celery, cucumber, and apple. It made me feel like I wasn’t just stuffing my face with bad food.

6. Entertainment: Mama Mia & Comedy

The cruise ship had a variety of entertainment, but the two that I enjoyed were Mama Mia, which I hated as a movie (Pierce Brosnan should not sing) but enjoyed in this production. I also laughed a lot at the comedy show. It might have been the comedian making fun of the cruise experience that I completely related to, but it was funny!

7. Swimming in the Caribbean Sea

I did swim. And walked along the beach. And watched sailboats and people snorkel. And read a book. And relaxed.

8. Navigating islands alone without google maps

Most of the time data was inaccessible on the different islands. Even if T-Mobile said I had 2G data, it was pretty nonexistent. So in order to get around the islands I took photos of maps, asked my husband to text me google map images (because texting worked) and relied on the kindness of strangers. On St. Maarten, a taxi ride to Loterie farm was quoted at $30 one way. Which was crazy to me, but I was standing in front of the place where all of the cruise ship passengers disembark, so I walked on until I spotted a van with sign in the window for Marigot. I didn’t know what it meant but I saw a passenger get on, so I hopped on too. $2 to the French side of the island and $11 taxi to the farm. Much better price and I rode with locals around the island.

On St. Thomas, we rode the safari like van to Sapphire beach. On all of the islands, we realized driving was an adventure. Stop signs? Who needs those when your driver has a horn?

In the Bahamas, our stay was too short for long exploration, so I walked around churches and neighborhoods.

Bright Lights, Big City

April 19, 2016April 8, 2017Posted in America, friends, friendship, New York, travelTagged New York, Photography, tourism, travel3 Comments

There is nothing more fun than traveling with your people. Whoever your people are, your spouse, your family, or your life long friends. But they are the people who really get you and you feel most comfortable with. I definitely find that I have trouble traveling with certain types of people. I need some space to wind down. I have my own likes and interests and want to venture off at times from a group. I love traveling with my husband. He is my favorite travel partner and we really know each other’s likes and dislikes. We don’t worry about about splitting up or saying no to each other’s ideas. We also both like to get up early and get out to see things. We also like naps so we can reenergize for the afternoon/evening.

When I went to New York in March, I went with my BFF, who I have known for twenty four years. Wow. That’s crazy now that I write that out. We also went with our friend Jen, who moved next door to my BFF after I moved out to live in Southern California. This isn’t the first time the three of us have traveled together, but it’s been awhile since we went to Vegas together. A long while. Back then our kids were all small, now they are teenagers and adults.

New York, New York

Sometimes travel falls into your lap. At least this year it is for me. Kristin had a conference in New York and insisted I join her and Jen. I used miles for one flight and booked American for the other. I had never been to New York and part of the reason is the cost. The other is the distance. It’s hard to do a quick weekend trip when the travel sucks up so much time. I left on a Thursday and came back Monday, so I could enjoy myself. It also helps the search for award flights and prices when you aren’t traveling on peak days.

We packed a lot into our weekend. A broadway play. The statue of liberty. The Highline. So much food. The Russian Tea Room. But we also talked about our lives and where we’ve come. We laughed until we cried. We ate cupcakes in bed. And we walked until our feet hurt. These are definitely my people.

One More Hawaii Post

March 16, 2016June 20, 2017Posted in eating, food, Hawaii, oahu, travel, vacationsTagged Hawaii, restaurants, travel, vacation1 Comment

Okay, I just went to New York for the first time and I had a great time. Part of it was the company, part of it was the city, and a big part was the food. I love to eat when I go on trips. And it was no different when we were in Hawaii. Some places we eat at because it’s what that place is known for, some we go based on recommendations, and some we go to because location, location, location.

A good chunk of eating we did at the Hilton resort. Like the coffee shop/ice cream place in the picture above. Those sticky buns? I didn’t end up eating them. I ended up with ice cream and it was good. So where did we go to eat outside of the resort in Hawaii?

Local food:

Rainbow Drive In

We went for the traditional plate lunch with macaroni salad. Here I ate the fish and Will got the Mix plate. We went after we hiked Diamond Head, figuring that would be a good time to eat a ton of food. I don’t know why, but I love how Hawaiian plate lunches come with macaroni salad. Its really the only time I eat macaroni salad. What was good: the portion sizes were big, the price is cheap, and the macaroni salad was yummy. I liked my mahi mahi, which was breaded and cooked. I got so stuffed. And it was an bus stop between Diamond Head and our hotel. What wasn’t: they mixed up that I wanted fries and gave me rice, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. I just ate my husband’s fries.

Rainbow Drive-In
3308 Kanaina Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96815

As good as they say?

Bills

I liked the decor and had read that it was a great place for coffee. So of course I had to check it out. Bills is a Sydney based restaurant that has a location on Oahu and in London, Tokyo, and Seoul. What was good: the coffee and food. I liked my avocado toast and latte. They have a lot of options for the veggie inclined and some for gluten free people too. What wasn’t: the service. It was impersonal and not too friendly. Maybe they were just busy and it was a bit of a wait, but the hostess did not have the mostess.

280 Beachwalk Ave
Honolulu 96815

Location, location, location:

Top of Waikiki

Maybe this seems cheesy and some people would say it’s not worth they hype, but my husband and I did enjoy our date night at the Top of Waikiki. The restaurant rotates 360 degrees, although if construction on Waikiki continues, the view may not be worth it much longer. We went right at sunset. What was good: The view. The service. Our waiter was friendly and even talked to us about where to eat like a local. He was the one who recommended the plate lunch place. What wasn’t: Nothing was bad. The food was good. We ordered several things from the Sunset appetizers and salad, but still got pretty stuffed. It wasn’t the best we’d ever had, but we really came for the view. They even have a bar that does not rotate, if you just want to relax and look out over Waikiki.

2270 Kalakaua Avenue, 18th Floor

Any favorite food spots in Hawaii?

Resort Life: Hilton Grand Vacation Resort

February 26, 2016April 3, 2017Posted in Hawaii, Hotels, oahu, travel, vacationsTagged oahu, travel, vacation3 Comments

When we went to Hawaii in january, we did the timeshare trip. You know the one? The kind where you are invited to stay for cheap and watch a 2 hour presentation on vacation club ownership. I have a Hilton Honors membership and they offered me a 5 night stay for $699 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. On a whim, way back in June of 2015, I bought it. Originally we planned to go in the fall, but with the new teaching job I moved our trip to January (for a small fee).

our room

view from our balcony

We almost never stay at resort type locations because I am so thrifty. I stay more at Hampton Inns and Hilton Garden properties to save some cash (and give my family a free breakfast). But a while back for mother’s day I stayed at a Loews and loved it. I decided I deserved a little resort life.

Amenities we took advantage of:

On site restaurants:

When we ate on the property, we ate most of the time at the Tropics Bar and Grill next to the beach. I enjoyed their happy hour. There are multiple restaurants with different foods and prices. The cheapest one had take out pizza and food I didn’t want in Hawaii. There was a Starbucks on site that we used for early morning coffee on the way to the airport, but we also tried the other coffee shop (that also had amazing ice cream) on site. There are a lot of choices on site.

Pools:

There are several pools on the property with an ability to order food and drink poolside. Yessss. Getting lounge chairs by the pool can be competitive, but I prefer a chair a row or so back so I don’t get splashed by kids. The only bummer about the jacuzzi was that it was adjacent to the kiddie pool and frequently had a lot of kids in it. I don’t mind kids, mine are just grown so I don’t need to hang out with lots of them.

Fireworks on Friday:

Okay, we didn’t really see these. Because the guy at the timeshare presentation said we would be able to see the free Friday firework show from out balcony. But we could not. At all. You really need to be down at the beach to see it.

Starlight Luau:

Fun luau, but not the best luau we had ever seen. We enjoyed meeting the people at our table. It turns out Dec/Jan is a popular time for Australians to visit Hawaii. The luau is on the roof of the parking garage, and we could actually hear it from our balcony on other nights. The food was okay, but the performances were good. The best out of all three we have seen is Paradise cove.

Free movies:

One night we decided to get a movie and chill in the room. We were so beat from our busy day out and waking up at 4 am (time difference), we thought relaxing in our room was in order. When you check in, they give you a card to access the dvds and then you return them the next day.

We enjoyed our Hawaiian stay. The staff was extremely helpful all of the time. The grounds were clean and everything was beautiful. All in all, the resort is a very convenient way to visit Waikiki. The last time we came to Oahu was 11 1/2 years ago. So much has changed in Waikiki, we almost didn’t recognize some parts. We did a lot of things we hadn’t done previously. I think if we had younger kids all of the amenities would have been appreciated even more. Renting movies for kids, the food options, the pools, club penguin for kids, etc. But as a couple who enjoys exploration of new places, a resort isn’t as necessary for us. But we loved our pool lounge time, charging drinks to the room, and the pineapple salsa nachos (minus the pork) at Tropics Bar and Grill. And honestly, in terms of Waikiki hotel locations, the Hilton Village is in one of the best spots. Great access to transportation and beaches. The one thing I wish I would have done, was morning yoga at the resort. But the morning I was headed out, I was digging in my suitcase (under the safe in the closet) and hit my head on the in room safe. Hard. So I gave up on yoga.

I am so glad we got the chance to revisit Oahu and enjoy time together. Have you been to Hawaii? Do you love resort life?

Hiking Diamond Head

January 14, 2016April 2, 2017Posted in America, Hawaii, hiking, photography, travel, vacations1 Comment

Diamond Head crater on the island of Oahu, is from a volcanic eruption that occurred some 200,000 years ago. The view of the outside of the crater, as seen from Waikiki, is an iconic image used in many images of Honolulu.

For our first trip of the new year, my husband decided to head to warmer weather. I know your thinking, but California is warmer weather. But the day we left, El Niño storms were settling in. We traded rain for 80 degree weather. On our trip, we decided to hike Diamond head.

We did not rent a car on our trip, but taking TheBus from our hotel to the park entrance was easy and only $2.50 each way per person. We walk in the park on an easy ascent and paid a $1 fee to enter.

The hike would not be as easy.
Hiking Diamond Head is best done early. There is some shade along the hike but it got pretty hot and humid. You should wear appropriate clothes and bring water. Wear hats and apply sunscreen. I saw some people who looked unprepared in flip flops. The dirt trail can get slippery and I don’t how they managed.

At the top, there was a tunnel that came after a strenuous ascent. If you are claustrophobic, that tunnel may be a challenge. The top can be reached by a very steep staircase or a slower ascent with stairs and switchbacks. We chose the slower ascent, which was still a good workout.

We rewarded ourselves with shaved ice after we came back down. There is a burger food truck that has the only food in the park for sale. The people who run it are super friendly. When we approached tired from our hike, they handed us cool, wet napkins.
I am so glad we included this adventure on our trip. The reward when you reach the top includes amazing views of the ocean and Waikiki. Plus you have the shaved ice waiting for you at the bottom.

College Road Trippin

January 1, 2016June 20, 2017Posted in travelLeave a comment

This December, with the school break, I decided to embark on an inspirational trip with my youngest. Just mother and daughter, driving through California, checking out the colleges she may attend. She has had anxiety about the important life decision of going to college and pretty much did her applications at the last second. None of her friends are planning to go away to college. They are all planning to attend the local junior college. I was hoping seeing the campuses would help her imagine herself there.

First stop was my oldest apartment. She was under the weather so we brought her soup. I checked out her refrigerator and it wasn’t as unhealthy as I thought.

After visiting with my sick kid, we headed to the central coast to see CSUMB. All of the schools she applied for have great mascots like banana slugs, sea otters and anteaters. My husband and I want sweatshirts from one of these schools. The tours were stressful for her. Partly because we were the only ones on them. Apparently no one tours schools right before the holidays. That makes my daughter uncomfortable because the focus is completely on her. But in the end I think was a good thing because she got to ask anything she wanted.

Dorm rooms with a en suite bathroom???? Bonus!

Banana Slug territory.

Morning coffee/hot chocolate in Santa Cruz. I had my daughter play navigator a lot to help us find what she wanted (like In N Out).

Walking around Capitola. This colorful houses can be rented.

Katie chose for us to drive back along the 101, through Morro Bay. We watched the sunset over the ocean. I think in the end, the trip was a success. I think she got a taste of a life that she can picture herself in. And I think she knows which school she would rather attend. That’s one of the reasons I love travel. It lets you imagine yourself in a different life than the one you live now. You literally see yourself in a new place with new possibilities.

2016 will bring new things to all of us. I will send my youngest to college. I will finish my Masters. My husband and I will visit an island we have never been to before. Our stepson will do an internship with a congressman. My oldest will apply for a program in the UK. Who knows where we will end up. Whatever 2016 brings you, I hope it is more of the life you want for yourself.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.