Our last full day in this alluring cidade was partially spent walking hot scorching sand of probably the two most famous beaches in the world – Copacabana (“Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl…”) and Ipanema (“Tall and tan and young and lovely…”) memorialized by these popular songs. As I mentioned in my earlier blogs our hotel is right next door to Copacabana Beach so we can watch the early risers jog, walk, play beach volleyball and pickle ball while eating breakfast.

If you want to see what a perfect tan looks like, all you have to do is walk the many beaches that surround Rio. I’m sure there are no tanning salons here. I do wonder what their rate for skin cancer is?

Although we’ve lived more than 40 years in sunny California where the best beaches are found, our group are unfortunately NOT sun-worshippers! Walking barefoot, feeling the warm sands between our toes and people-watching (read: bikini watching for me) was more exciting for us than taking a dip in the cool Atlantic Ocean water.

The view from our hotel’s restaurant – the iconic Copacabana Beach.

We planned on walking from our hotel to Ipanema Beach since it was only a few miles away; however, the oppressive heat and humidity discouraged us! Also, my colds was already starting so I was not really in a good mood to do any physical activity no matter how light and easy. So we took a cab to take us there.

We didn’t feel like renting chairs and umbrellas as we were not in our swim suits so we found a tiny place with a few tables selling coconuts and beer. We ordered the refreshing coconuts nicely chilled in the icebox. After we sipped all the coconut juice I asked the vendor to cut the coconuts in half – he gave me a, “Are you serious, dude?” look! I confirmed it by giving him 5 Brazilian reais (about US$1). While we were scraping the coconut meet with the spoon provided and eating them, we noticed that the locals who also bought the coconuts for their juice threw them away in the nearby trash bins after sucking the juice! We were the only ones who went into the trouble of eating the meat. Now I know why the beach dude looked at me funny!

They must be tourists like us, they have only started to get their tan!

We left Rio with yesterday to fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico to embark on our cruise with Viking Sea. Our short vacay in Rio will be a memorable one and the experience will be cherished. Imagine setting foot in a city that we’ve only seen in the movies and actually walking on those sandy beaches of the iconic Copacabana and Ipanema.

Like I mentioned, Rio is somewhat cheaper than many tourist places. Our hotel accommodations would have cost us three times more had it been in San Diego CA or Cancun, Mexico considering the proximity to the popular beaches. The locals are very helpful and willing to help when asking for directions except most of them barely could speak English. None of the taxi drivers we met spoke English and I could only communicate with them with my basic Spanish.

One of the vendors even told me to remove my gold chain from my neck explaining in sign that someone might grab it. Overall, Rio de Janeiro is a beautiful and alluring city that one should visit at least once! If you can, visit Rio during the Carnival celebration (still in my bucket list).

ADEUS RIO ATÉ A PRÓXIMA….

This post is several days late and I apologize for not updating my blog sooner!

After our visit of the Arches on June 1, 2023, we arrived late in our hotel in Tusayan which is just outside of the South Entrance of the Grand Canyon National Park. We entered from the East Entrance and the last two hours or so of the driving was somewhat slower than the posted speed limit since the sun was directly in my eyes and it was difficult to see the vehicles in front of you! Some of the more cautious drivers put on their hazard lights so they can be spotted better and that was a relief!

This was our fourth visit to Grand Canyon, the last one we took the Grand Canyon Railway (and stayed in their hotel too) that started in Williams, Arizona. The ride was very entertaining and inspiring. Talented Western musicians and cowboys entertained us while we enjoyed the breathtaking vista along the way!

No matter how many times you’ve visited Grand Canyon you will be awestruck with its majestic beauty, especially how it was formed – one of the most spectacular examples of erosion in the world!

It was nice to see the Welcome sign in the visitors’ center include “MABUHAY” – the Filipino word for welcome!

We didn’t stay very long at the park. We headed for Chandler, AZ (a suburb of Phoenix) to visit Trini’s first cousin, Rock Calvo who we haven’t seen in years. The estimated 3.5 hours of driving turned into more than 4 hours due to the terrible roads!!!! Highway construction was all over – roads were dusty and rutted that turned a leisurely drive into a grueling one! We tried to find rest areas so we could rest our butts from the bumpy ride but they were few and far in between!

We heaved a sigh of relief when we neared our destination!

As soon as we got inside the house I asked if I can take a nap as I was exhausted! Florence, Rock’s wife cooked a very delectable HOT POT! While Flor was cooking, I went to our car’s ice box and took the last remaining IPA beer that was perfectly chilled already! We stayed overnight in Chandler and we were sad to leave, thankfully we all have FaceTime and messenger accounts nowadays.

Our next itinerary was in the beautiful city of San Diego, California. San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of California known for its beaches, parks and pleasant climate. Immense Balboa Park is the site of the renowned San Diego Zoo, as well as numerous art galleries, artist studios, museums and gardens. A deep harbor is home to a large active naval fleet, with the USS Midway, an aircraft-carrier-turned-museum, open to the public. 

We stayed in a hotel in Old Town. It is a neighborhood of San Diego. It is the oldest settled area in San Diego and is the site of the first European settlement in present-day California. 

A couple of days before arriving I contacted my old Navy buddy who happened to be our oldest son Gerald’s godfather. Danny Yu and I were stationed in Long Beach Naval Hospital as pharmacy technicians. I went on to become a Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman while Danny retired as a Commander (O-5) in the Medical Service Corps! A truly significant accomplishment!

Danny Yu and his wife, Micy treating us to dinner!

After the brief overnight stay in San Diego we headed to Los Angeles to see our traveling dear friends – Tommy and Oya Holgado (they just came back from their Philippine vacation). Our friends of more than 40 years – Alex and Nel Baes also came to see us since we rarely see other since we moved to Las Vegas.

Our friends Tommy and Oya Holgado posing during our March 2023 vacation trip in Norway. This one was taken in Fläm.

We stayed overnight in La La Land then our last stop was in Claremont, CA to see our two handsome grandsons – Geo and Gavin – who we only see on a monthly basis!

We’re back in Sin City! There ain’t no place like home….

After eating breakfast, Trini suggested that we go visit Canyonlands National Park also known as “Island in the Sky“. Canyonlands National Park in southeastern Utah is known for its dramatic desert landscape carved by the Colorado River. Island in the Sky is a huge, flat-topped mesa with panoramic overlooks. Other notable areas include the towering rock pinnacles known as the Needles, the remote canyons of the Maze and the Native American rock paintings in Horseshoe Canyon. Whitewater rapids flow through Cataract Canyon.

We arrived at Canyonlands before the crowd started to arrive. Since we only had an hour and a half before we proceed to the Arches again, we drove straight to the most popular tourist site – the Grand View Point Overlook. The rock formation reminded me a little bit of the Grand Canyon although this park has its own unique colors on top. Like all the amazing rock formations we’ve visited this one too is really breathtaking!

Trini and I feasting our eyes with this wonderful view!

We arrived in the Arches National Park just in time for our 11:00 – 12:00 timed entry reservation. This time there was a longer line of vehicles compared from yesterday. We decided to go back since we wanted to hike a little bit and see the “hidden” arch called the Landscape Arch which has a span of 300 feet. There was some showers before we arrived and the sky was mostly cloudy – good for hiking. However, the slight breeze became windy making it cooler. Luckily we brought our sweaters with us. The parking lot was almost full and we had to walk quite a ways to find one.

I hate to keep repeating myself but the rock formations were really amazing! No wonder people from all over the world come here just to see it! When you’re standing on a slope and scan all those fantastic humongous rocks scattered all over the place, you have to pinch yourself to make sure you are not dreaming. You wonder how on earth they were formed so beautifully!

We’re now in our hotel room after a long (almost 7 hours) drive. Our hotel is located just outside of Grand Canyon so we do not have to wake up early.

Last night after the tour of the Lower Antelope Canyon we rested a little bit then went to Big John’s Texas Barbecue. We saw a lot of people eating there so we decided to give it a try. we ordered margaritas to cool us off after the tour. I ordered pulled beef brisket sandwich and Trini ordered the pulled chicken sandwich and baby back ribs that we shared. Side orders of Cole slaw and beans. Verdict: Not bad but I’ve had better Texas barbecue. Despite my lackluster review of the food I give them a one thumb up for their hee-haw band. They were good and at times I had to clap and stomp to keep up the rhythm.

We checked out of our hotel at 7:00 am and went to Safeway Supermarket to buy more water and ice and of course, the strong Joe from Starbucks!

My loyal GPS took us to two-laned US Routes. You know you are driving through a rural area when the signs say: “Watch out for deer next 5 miles”, “watch out for cow next 20 miles”, “watch out for animals next 80 miles”! An uneventful driving for almost 6 hours of driving within the speed limit with three rest stops.

We also occasionally stopped to admire the various rock formations along the way – they were truly amazing! It was interesting to see how the landscape scenery gradually changed as we were nearing Utah – from the reddish almost barren soil in Arizona to green vegetation in Utah.

After checking in at the hotel and dropping off our stuff in our room, we drove directly to the Arches National Park (about 3 miles away) since we had a 3:00-4:00 pm timed entry reservation. That’s right, you have to get online weeks if not months to get a reservation for entry. This is to control the influx of tourists especially during the peak months. There was a long line of vehicles but it only took 15 minutes to get to the booths. I showed my digital reservation bar code and my national parks access card (otherwise we would have been charged $30).

How the Arches were formed: The entire region began to rise 15 million years ago, and increasing erosion caused removal of the sedimentary rocks above the Entrada Sandstone. Once at the surface, erosional forces began to act upon the sandstone layers creating the famous arches with the national park. There are over 2,000 documented arches in the park, ranging from sliver thin cracks to spans greater than 300 feet.

The park was not crowded as it would usually be during the summer although the parking lots are almost full wherever you go. We were able to access a few arches by walking a little bit; however, many of the arches were hard to reach – a couple of them you had to hike for a couple of hours! We didn’t do this since we were still tired from yesterday’s Antelope Canyon tours.

We drove to the farthest area in the park – the Devil’s Garden where we had our photo ops near the beautifu arch. The arches were named like Skyline Arch, Tapestry Arch, Sand Dune Arch, Delicate Arch, etc. After admiring these breathtaking sceneries we decided to leave as we were famished. We were sad to leave but leave we must.

We drove through downtown Moab and we spotted a sign that says “Food Truck Park” and we followed that. We ended eating Chinese food for dinner under a huge tent with a mister to cool the customers (I felt it was not necessary as the temperature was in the low 80’s and there was a nice breeze).

After we arrived at our hotel room I immediately changed to my swim shorts and went to the jacuzzi with a glass of cabernet to relax! Aaah, so soothing and relaxing – the place was empty and I savored my solitude…..

UPPER ANTELOPE CANYON – If today you decide that you do not wish to travel anymore; if today you tell yourself that you’re tired and have no more energy to see places you’ve never seen before, I implore you to pack your outdoor apparel and go see the Antelope Canyon – IT WILL BE WORTH YOUR EFFORT AND ENERGY! However, if you’ve been a perennial couch potato I advise you do a little hiking/exercise before you do visit this amazing place! The tour advertisers may tell you that the tour is easy to moderate level and that may be so but there were folks who barely made the return walk at the end of the Upper Antelope Canyon tour. The Lower Antelope Canyon had shorter walks but the stairs to go up and down to the two chambers were very steep!

We visited the Upper Antelope Canyon in the morning and it started at 9:50 am. We checked in at the tour office and a “safari truck” with the sides open drove us to the place. Ten minutes of paved road and another ten minutes of unpaved bumpy, dusty ride! No wonder the tour guide insisted we wear seatbelts (two persons per seatbelt). Most of the tourist were foreigners – from Germany, Belgium, Korea, etc.

Oscar, our guide asked how many of us had iPhones (everyone did!). He guided us on how to change the settings of our iPhone cameras to optimize features. The result was remarkable as you can see in the posted photos!

The swirling effects of the lights coming from the slots above is the real photo cause and effect of this unbelievable rock formation from millions of years of wind and rain erosion to flash flooding throughout the years! Honestly, those swirling light shadows would be very different if your timing to visit is not right since clouds would interfere with the diffused light seeping into the canyon.

LOWER ANTELOPE CANYON – Just as impressive as the Upper Antelope Canyon except it is longer and narrower and you had to go up and down steep steel ladders! Our group again was composed of mostly Europeans who were very attentive and interested in the history of the canyons. There was this young couple who kept stopping and the guy took a photo of his young female companion to the point where they were causing delays at they were blocking the narrow corridors. After many more photo ops by the guy, I approached them and asked (sarcastically), “Do you want me to take a picture of you both since I noticed that you’ve been photographing your friend here all the time?” Of course, they said NO.

Our fellow tourists coming out of the canyon’s “crack”.

Tomorrow we will drive to Moab, Utah and visit the Arches National Park for the second time!

One advantage we have over our friends and families in California is that Nevada is much closer to the country’s best natural rock formations that have been formed millions of years ago. Almost two year ago, we were able to visit several National Parks – Zion, Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone, Arches, Mount Rushmore and Sedona.and we totally enjoyed that road trip (there were ten of us and Trini and I were the only ones from Nevada). So we decided to go on our own and visit the famous Antelope Canyon inside the Navajo Reservation near Page, AZ.

We decided to start our trip on May 29, 2023, Monday, Memorial Day since we thought traffic would be lighter and most of the crowd have gone back home. We took our time and started before 9:00 am. Traffic was not heavy but there were several bottlenecks in I-15 due to road constructions. Luckily, my faithful and sexy GPS friend re-routed us to avoid most of the traffic and construction. We took our time and had a couple of “pit stops” – one in St George UT and the last one in Kanab AZ.

Glen Canyon Dam is the second highest concrete-arch dam in the United States, second only to Hoover Dam which stands at 726 feet. The 25.16 million acre-feet of water storage capacity in Lake Powell, created by Glen Canyon Dam, serves as a ‘bank account’ of water that is drawn on in times of drought. This stored water has made it possible to successfully weather extended dry periods by sustaining the needs of cities, industries, and agriculture throughout the West. 

After visiting Glen Canyon Dam we drove a few miles to see the famous Horseshoe Bend. There is a fee for vehicles, $10 for cars and RV’s. I showed my lifetime national parks access card to the Native American lady collecting the fees and she shyly smiled and apologized that my card was no good in the park (I knew that but I had to try anyway).

We walked about 3/4 mile to the Horseshoe Bend and the temperature was in the high 80’s although there was some breeze that helped cool us off. We saw these foolhardy folks taking photos just inches from the rim – there were no barriers, of course!

Horseshoe Bend is a horseshoe-shaped incised meander of the Colorado River located near the town of Page, Arizona, United States.^[1] It is also referred to as the “east rim of the Grand Canyon.”

Despite the signs, people still won’t heed them! It’s for your own safety, fools!

This morning we are going to the Upper Antelope Canyon ! Then we will visit the Lower Antelope Canyon this afternoon. I will try to capture the amazing colored wavy rock formations…..

Bergen is a city on Norway’s southwestern coast. It’s surrounded by mountains and fjords, including Sognefjord, the country’s longest and deepest. Bryggen features colorful wooden houses on the old wharf, once a center of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire. The Fløibanen Funicular goes up Fløyen Mountain for panoramic views and hiking trails. The Edvard Grieg House is where the renowned composer once lived. – Google

The Hanseatic League, also called Hansa, German Hanse, organization founded by north German towns and German merchant communities abroad to protect their mutual trading interests. The league dominated commercial activity in northern Europe from the 13th to the 15th century. This group includes the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark and Latvia.

In a hurry to catch our tour bus.

We arrived in Bergen after 16 long hours including the 4-hour lay over in Amsterdam, Netherlands. After a quick bite and a much needed hot shower, we went to bed. Tommy and Oya Holgado our friends accompanying us in this cruise arrived much later after 11:00 pm and we did not get to see them until the following morning when we all went to the city tour.

The temperature was in the low 30 degrees Fahrenheit and was cloudy. The streets were practically deserted except for a couple of diehard joggers and a few souls probably heading to work. As expected, we all donned our warmest winter garments to cope with the freezing temperature. The sun did peek a few times but was not enough to provide warmth to our shivering bodies (thank God for the warm clothings)!

Our tour guide was a pretty young German lady, Mia, who is finishing her master’s degree in Bergen. Although a German she was surprisingly very knowledgeable about the history of the city and the country itself!

Mia, our German tour guide beside a statue of Norway’s famous composer Edvard Grieg.

After we finished the tour, Trini and I, changed to our swim suits and headed to the almost empty spa (most of the cruisers are still doing excursions). Two hours in the relaxing sauna, jacuzzi, “ice’ room, and steam room rejuvenated our tired bodies. Tommy and Oya rested to recuperate from their lengthy travel and did not get enough sleep.