Hiking Iron Mountain

Ever since I got to San Diego, I was alone with nothing to do. So I joined this really fancy gym that I have been going quite religiously to make my money's worth, but I also joined the hiking group organized by one of the guys at my office~

The hikes would be routine and scheduled to go from easy hikes to difficult one, and finally Mount Whitney which is the highest mountain in California, and also one of the best in the USA.

The first hike was at Iron Mountain, not too far from the office. It was a relatively easy hike but I was totally not equipped for it. I wore sport shoes, winter jacket, my bulky camera, and held to my water bottle~! Needless to say, I was clumsy during the hike.

The Brandes Gang

At the peak

L to L

First L: Los Angeles, Lovely, and Lively!

City of Angels, I'm back! And I foresee more trips to this bustling city now that it's just 2 hours away from San Diego. I rendezvoused with Hillarree and Jacinto at LAX airport at the Sheraton's Four Points hotel as we will tour the city a little bit.

First stop, Venice Beach!

Similar to Ocean Drive in Miami, Venice beach offers street performances, long stretches of beach activities and a variety of shops with a "hippi" theme.

BEE-YOO-TEE-FOOL Venice Beach!

Don't you love this pic of a threesome-lifeguard-house?
*okay, that sounded abit dirty*

Dizzy~ Have to put on glasses

The pelican that delivered me to my parent's doorstep!

I meet alot of quacks in my life, but this is ridiculous! *pun intended*

I couldn't help but touch the poor fellow who has a foot as a crotch... and I wonder what he has for his left foot then~?!

Lunch: Bacon-covered-sausage hotdog! Yummy!

Really trendy houses

Not to mention weird~!

...and very lushful!

Even the trees are weird :-/

We then headed to Melrose Ave, the fashion district for the young at heart and where budding fashionitas start off with some quirky showcases, all in the highly competitive fashion industry.

Just a few blocks away, is Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, the ultra highclass street where you can find all the most upscale brands known! From Versace to LV, Ralph Lauren to Hugo Boss, it is a dream to walk in one of these stores and walk out with something at hand... But wait~ I did buy something!!! I actually used my Hugo Boss store credit from last Thanksgiving sale to get myself a polo shirt from Hugo Boss. Luckily it was on sale and within my budget which was the store credit I had. *walks out of the store with a gleaming smile~!*

My beastly equivalent

More of my cousins... They sure know where to swim in class!

Yee-Haw~ Rodeo Drive!

Look at me, not the background... *hmmph!*

Santa having a relaxing time after Christmas

Oh My God! Oh My God! Oh My God! VERSACE!!!

It was already quite late so we decided head back to the hotel and leave the rest of the places on our itinerary for the next day.

The next day we went to Union Station and right next to it is sort of a Little Mexico area. Very quaint and lovely...

Union Station is very rich in heritage

Further more, it is still functional. It also serves as a train station and a bus terminal I believe.

You don't get to see many historical architectures of Spanish influence

Love those lights

Scene: checking the business section while waiting for train on business trip~ yeah right~!

Honestly, it the little hidden places that fascinate me more when I travel.

And this little Mexico place is almost exactly what I'm talking about

This Mexican street cafe served the best Burritos I've ever had!

And to think that I'm not actually a big fan of Mexican food

Yummy!

Hollywood Boulevard was our next stop. Although I've already been there not too long ago, I still enjoyed it as you find something different to see in every corner (okay, that was an exegeration; movies are always have the same focus!).

Street Performers: Throw in a tip and he will do the moonwalk~!

We basically spent the whole day there actually, we even attempted to go to Universal City but it was pretty late, we were tired, and heck, we have to pay 10 bucks to park! No way~!
So we headed back to the hotel to get my car and drove down to San Diego where Hillarree and Jacinto crashed at my place.


Second L: Legoland, Lousy, Lame!

Easily said and direct to the point! Don't go to Legoland unless you want to rekindle your childhood experience, or have kids of your own!

But of course, Sean always finds a way to make boring moments... a little less boring~!

Welcome to LEGOLAND, California!

Where the world of tiny brick blocks come to life~

From ancient medieval times like castles...

And dragons...

And everything beastly come to life~!

Grand cities of the Americas like San Francisco...

And well known tourist attractions in LA like the Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard

have been constructed so intricately and in very fine detail.

To the cities of New York

Where Santa was paying a short visit

To the streets of New Orleans

Where the Mardi Gras was in procession~!

Everything was constructed is fine detail~

Hillarree got creeped out...

So she was making funny faces in rebellion...

Only to realize she was making a monkey out of Jacinto :P

But while she got some makeup tips from Ms. Lego

To posing with Ms. A-Go-Go, while getting a peculiar grin from Jacinto

the wolves were hunting!

But luckily Officer Stern was there to save the day~!

Although Legoland was a little kiddy and unexciting, it rekindled some childhood memories. See, I used to play with Lego ALL THE TIME~! So it was really fun to see all the structures that were displayed, and only wished that I visited this place when I was younger, cuz I could have easily gone ga-ga over Legoland~