Category Archives: Food

Hiking in Joshua Tree National Park

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After Palm Springs, I spotted another sign on the road that interest me. I did a little bit of research, found a decent price hotel, and off I went to 29 Palms.

I got there at night, perfect timing actually. Palm Springs was so good, Joshua Tree was very promising, and Rommel was just pumped up ready to do something but was getting eaten by boredom.

I remedied that with a relaxing, feel-good undertaking …

Drive-In Theater

A blast from the past, very cool Drive-In Theater! I got me a popcorn, nachos and soda, and was just eating and sitting at the comfort of my car. It sounds low but it really was just awesome experience to me. I mean, you don’t have to worry about cellphone ringing, muttering voices, people standing up for nature calls and tugging feet at the back of your chair.

Ow, I also found this on the way to 29 Palms…

Sonic in California

America’s Drive-In. Weee!Two Drive-In,’s sweet! I miss this so much.
i used to go here all the time when I was in Mississippi. Basically, for those who are not acquainted, this is Southerners’ pride Fast Food where you can park your car, get your order, stay there because they bring your food to your car so you just sit back and relax, and eat! I got me a grilled cheese sandwich, a hotdog, their tots and a slush. Exactly the signature Sonic meal.

Do check out my post on the Jumbo Rocks in Joshua Tree National Park


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Continuing on …

Being a mecca for all things outdoorsy including numerous hiking trails, Joshua Tree National Parks, to me, is an instant addition to my list of Absolute Musts.

Cholla Cactus Garden

First off was a quick stroll with these interesting kind of cactus …

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It was cool because there’s a garden of these Cholla cacti. But then, one spool of spines clung to my jacket and poked me. It was so hard to detach it without any gloves. That’s all I’m gonna say :D ..

Skull Rock Trail

I was confused with this trail. I didn’t think I followed the trail. I stayed around because the entrance area alone is already magnificent, and fun! There were people going up the rocks, jumping from one rock to another, ducking in between rocks, and just reeling in the fascination of these rocks…

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Clever of them to call this Skull Rock Trail.

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There’s a cool guy who posed for the camera…
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Unto the Wall Street Mill Trail I went on…
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At the edge of the Wonderland of Rocks sits the Wall Street Mill, a finest example of gold processing mill remaining in the park. This trail shows what’s left during the second gold rush which happened here – the mill, dilapidated buildings, windmill, and some awesome old cars.
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Last Call..
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At times I get frustrated when a pamphlet would tell you that you can see these species and flowers that a lot of times, in reality, are actually hard to come by. Well, after coming back from this 2-mile round hike, I spotted this bird. :)
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I even sushed some people, not to startle the bird so I can capture it. :D

I always envy those who hike farther and more regularly, esp. RV’ers. I guess with Joshua Tree National Park, i found myself extremely content having gone to a RV-type, kind of location. :) And eventhough I resulted to shorter hikes, as I always do, it’s just not at all hard to love Joshua Tree National Park. Driving there alone, seeing the magnificent rock formations is already a bliss.

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Food and Travel

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How much is food a part of your travel? What’s your most notable food exploration amongst all your travels?

Some people would say, “What is travel without food”. I say it’s still a travel. My blog shows evidences that food is not a big part of my travel. Being a very spontaneous, shoot-from-the-hip kind of guy who just let the chips fall where they may (I actually don’t get the phrase, I’m pretty sure chips fall on one place, which is a poker table :D ), let alone I plan on what I was going to eat when I travel. I’m actually stingy with food when I travel. I sometimes just bring a lunch box before I head out. I am no epicurean. I buy those taquitos, hotdog or small burger at a gas station because they’re filling for such small price. If you eat near your travel destination, you expect the cost to be higher than regular. I sure can sacrifice food in replacement to the price of parking or admission to where I go.

There’s an exception to every rule, of course. That means, there must also be an exception to the rule that every rule has an exception. :D Unless the food is the travel destination itself, then I’m all for it!

All that I mention here are from California. There’s definitely much better food exploration opportunities outside the country. Here is the post where I sum up my food explorations outside the country – I Crave (Expanded).

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One of my notables is in City Heights in San Diego. The special thing about eating at an African restaurant is that you have to get your hands dirty, not literally of course. You eat without any utensil. No spoon, no fork, no knife, nada, niente, wala! You tear the sponge-like bread, injera, and use it to scoop the sauce and the meat. I went to Asmara, a very decent establishment, and actually quite popular. You can definately taste the spices, this time literally. The taste truly emanates and the hot-ness will have you constantly reach for the glass of water.

Next. When I went to San Francisco a month ago, I got to indulge into a “Menage A Trios”. :D :P

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… Sorry, it’s not the kinky stuff you have in mind. :P Ike’s Place is a cool place. That is, your regular Joe kind of sandwich joint. They don’t even have tables for crying out loud. Their cashier is just a regular stainless table. Another interesting thing is that they do not have Doritos for you. They have some unknown brand names of chips and drinks. The best part is their sandwich names – Backstabber, Hot Momma Huda, [Name The Girl I'm Dating?], Ugly Owl, We’re Just Friends… and you can read the others from the picture. Geez, I don’t have to write it all for you :D . Do take a notice the numbering on the menu. :D
There is a complete listing of sandwich names on their website – ilikeikesplace.com

Ike’s Place was featured on a TV show “Man Vs. Food”.

Let’s go back down South. Philippe’s The Original is THE birthplace of, air-quote, French Dipped Sandwich. It is surprisingly located in Chinatown in LA. Look at all the cool old signs!

It’s another no supercilious food place. Going down the stairs upon entering, it was like getting into an underground banquet, only workers and locals frequently hang out here. Looking around, there are old newspaper articles in frames where you can read significant periods of this old place all the way back when they were serving .05c per cup of coffee. They also made room for a little Museum of Railroading.

Last one, hang in there. :D My favorite hang-out spot in California is a food place slash vintage store slash bath accessory store slash candy store slash PHARMACY!

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This is Fair Oaks Pharmacy. Like said, it’s a blast-from-the-past establishment where you can buy vintage memorabilia, old candies, wind-up toys, etc. They also have made-to-order sodas!
And their ice cream is just … wait, what’s that food adjective again? …

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Their ice cream is just … hmmm …. More on my post about Fair Oaks Pharmacy.

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Gourmand Chic is my favorite food blogger. She cooks, shares food stories, writes restaurant reviews, explores exotic food, and shares her recipe and tips. What I love about her is she’s not your ordinary snooty food bloggers who only focuses on their blogs :D . She’s one cool gal who also participates to Weekly Photo Challenge, travels around, and even shares some Youtube videos.

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So, what’s your most notable food exploration again?

My post on Italian Food.

Banana Festival and The Port of Port Hueneme

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Another event that is just a stone-throw away from where I’m residing- it’s the 75th Banana Festival. Extra activities from the usual music stage, booths, contests, car shows, etc. are Banana Arts and Crafts, K9 demonstration, Underwater Construction Greet and Exhibit, and the real highlight, a boat tour ride of the port of Port Hueneme.

I was going with somebody else but she cancelled on me the last minute for something else. No worries, I met a bunch of acquaintances and familiar faces there. To be completely, utterly, openly honest, as much as I want to brag for the community, she wasn’t really missing much out of this event. It was quite disappointing, I must say. Even the “banana” food treats were so limited to just banana shakes/smoothies, banana dipped in chocolate and banana split. Yellow was highly visible but there wasn’t truthfully much “banana” decorations around. I wish the fair and arcade were included, might had lightened the event. It’s not usually “the” center of attention during cultural festivals, but this time, the music stage, however, seemed to gained the spotlight. The Military’s Underwater Construction Team 2 was generous enough to entertain the attendees. Lots of smiles to their area. I also liked the kiddie drawings.

- This drawing made me laugh. It actually took me a bit before I got it. *BIG GRIN* -

Although I got ditched, something good came out of it. The Port Tour line was long, and that people that were in line didn’t actually sign-up for it. They were in line only hoping to get free spots left by those who did sign up. I was one of them who tried and stood for good minutes just hoping to get on the boat. They only board about 60 people every hour, for 5 different times. That means -only about 300 people, adult and walking kids, were fortunate enough to take the tour that day. The others waited long hours and got nothing out of it. Now for my good luck *KNOCK ON WOOD*. They called out, “Who’s by himself?” . I immediately raised my hands, and as instantly, I was given the head of the line privilege. I blurted my favorite WP comment word, “Awesome”, as I left the long line to the port gate.

I was static. This exclusive boat tour made up for the wow and whoa moments this event was lack of. On board, with a tour guide narrator, we received the ins and outs of what goes around this busy port. Importing and exporting globally throughout six continents, the Port of Hueneme is among the top 10 U.S. ports for automobiles and fresh produce generating 1,500 jobs locally. The California weather was fine. Seal were visiting. Military, cargo and armory ships were gorgeous sights. And just the general feeling of being on a boat cruising over the water is always a good experience.

Belly growled, and I looked forward for my very first banana split. Yup. I just couldn’t grasp the concept. A banana cut in half, with ice cream on top -I’m shrugging that it ain’t anything special to get quite remarkably popular identification and name for itself. Since it fits for the occasion, I finally welcomed it.

I think I let the picture tell my conclusion of it.