Day before Cars Land opens at Disney's California Adventure

I went to Disneyland on Wednesday to try to get tickets to a special World of Color performance for annual passholders but it was sold out by the time I got there. Rather than wasting a trip there, I had my SLR camera and decided to take some pictures of California Adventure as it was going to be closed on Thursday for Media Day in anticipation of Cars Land opening on Friday. 

Being able to see what the new entrance area looked like after months of having to go around it to access the park was interesting. The area was roped off to the general public but worked out to my advantage. I love taking photos of landscapes and liked not having to worry about strangers ruining a shot by getting in the way. I knew I would never have this opportunity again.

Buena Vista Street

I love the retro look of the food stands. Mmmm...I'm getting hungry...

Starbucks is finally coming to Disney Parks!!

This quote was the inspiration that launched California Adventure

I couldn't get anywhere near Cars Land but I was able to see part of the new walkway below. 

 Cars Land side entrance by Pacific Wharf

Up close of the canyon using my 200mm lens

Beautiful flowers that I noticed on my way out. That's all folks! (For now)

Another beautiful sunset...

 Two postings in one day? It's almost 3am and I still can't sleep that's why. This week I attended a funeral service of someone I worked for years ago. It was a beautiful service and left reflecting about life in general. I decided to stroll through Fashion Island afterwards for a bit before going home and then realized the sun would be setting soon. Since last week I've been looking up at the sky to see if it's another beautiful sunset kind of day and this week was no exception. I didn't quite know where I could park and have a good view of the sunset so I turned on one street but ended up going the wrong way and no where to stop. I kept going thinking where I could go not knowing exactly how much time I had left to enjoy it. 

I ended up turning into a residential neighborhood, parked and I ran to the beach not wanting to miss a moment. I tend to take a lot of photos even within seconds of each other in case a different photo setting yields more vibrant colors or just to capture the time lapsing. I was at the beach for 30 minutes and took over 65 photos. I always have a hard time picking the "best of the best" because each photo has a unique take on capturing that moment in time.

I loved that it wasn't just a yellow and orange sunset but that the clouds were a pink hue as well.

Then the clouds became more peachy...

I loved how the light reflecting off the houses made it look like all the lights were on.

The tide started coming in which made it look like the ground was on fire.

I went home feeling happy that I experienced yet another wonderful moment that Mother Nature provided,

We interrupt this blog for a beautiful sunset...

Living relatively close to the beach, you would think I would go every once in a while but to the contrary. Since I've moved here years ago I've been at most twice in any one year. Not that the beach is bad but when you've seen clear blue warm waters in Hawaii and the Caribbean, California beaches are no match.

Last week I broke my dry spell and ventured out to the beach to view an amazing sunset. I was running errands after being bedridden for over a week due to a supposed bad cold that rendered me useless with the exception of sleeping or watching TV.

As I was running my errands, I realized that since the rain that just left an hour before that it would be an incredible sunset to photograph by the beach. I got back into my car, drove home to get my camera & drove as quickly as I could. Of course I hit every red light possible but watching the reds and oranges against the deepening sky kept me eager to see what awaited me. I reached the beach and parked my car in a red zone next to someone else who wanted to watch the sunset as well.

This was my first photo I snapped and I loved it! I didn't care that it was cold outside and didn't have a jacket on or that sand was getting inside my shoes. I was mesmerized by the beautiful sunset and the calming effect it had on me. It was over in a matter of minutes but the happy feeling stayed with me on the drive home and into the night.

Looking over Long Beach 

It was also the first day that I had my energy back and fitting that the day ended on such a great note!

Why Peru? Why anywhere?

"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move. " - Robert Louis Stevenson

When people ask me where we are going on our next trip and I mention a foreign country, I sometimes get asked why there and I say why not? I have really loved travelling especially to foreign countries because it puts me out of my comfort zone, forces me to see things from a different perspective and appreciate what I already have. 


After coming back from Australia, I was not just physically exhausted but mentally from such a whirlwind trip. People asked me how the trip was and and where we were headed to next. I was just looking forward to getting back into the swing of things before thinking of where to go next. Once I become restless from the usual routine, that's when I look to see our next adventure will take us to.


In this case it came from an email from my friend Candice. She asked if anyone was interested in going to Peru for a possible yoga retreat/vacation. My eyes immediately lit up as Machu Picchu  was next on my list of places to go. One of the main reasons I had wanted to go to Australia was to see the Great Barrier reef as it is endangered due to climate change. Peru or specifically Machu Picchu was also on the list except endangered due to so much tourism.


Candice had her friend Amanda join us on the trip and we decided the yoga retreat and not suited for us and ended up going on a 10 day escorted tour of Peru which includes stops to Lima, Urubamba, Cuzco and Puno. This was my first trip where I didn't have to plan all aspects of the trip. This was a good and bad thing as I realized during the trip that we would have missed out on some great experiences but at the same time planning a trip is half the fun.

Three Kings Day at Disneyland (Dia de Reyes)

I was going to start my post on the last trip I took which was Peru but I also wanted to include local places that I find interesting, Last weekend was Dia de Reyes which Disneyland celebrated for the first time. I wanted to check it out since it had been a long time since I had celebrated this and was curious as to what they would do. It celebrates the visit of the Three Kings or Three Wise Men who visited Jesus when he was born.

The events all took place in Zocalo Park which is between Big Thunder Mountain and Rancho Del Zocalo restaurant in Frontierland. When we arrived Mariachi Divas was just starting, We had seen them perform at California Adventure and enjoy listening to them whenever we can.

They had traditional Mexican dancers who danced various styles from the different regions of Mexico.

They also had displays explaining the celebration and traditions which were very colorful! 

Mariachi Divas took requests and everyone wanted them to do "Volver, Volver" which is a classic song sung by Vicente Fernandez and a song I grew up listening to. They wrapped their set with "It's A Small World" which has a place in my heart since I grew up with the record single.

Check out my YouTube video of their performance below:

http://youtu.be/OpGqjSlSA6I

When they took a break, we were going to start going on some rides and lo and behold, music started playing and an impromptu parade started. It featuring dancers and Mickey & Minnie Mouse dressed in traditional Mexican outfits. It reminded me of Peru where we were lucky enough to watch parades in several of the cities.

They even brought out Los Tres Caballeros!

Disneyland also had a special menu at Rancho Del Zocalo restaurant of holiday tamales which I wanted to try out. It certainly didn't have the homemade flavor but it was decent and the green chile sauce gave it a little kick (i.e. flavor).

They also had mini Rosca de Reyes or Kings ring bread. I considered buying one but the one they had on display didn't look too appetizing. In the traditional bread, a plastic baby Jesus is baked in the bread to represent that Jesus had to be hidden to avoid being killed. Whoever gets that piece is blessed and in charge of hosting the next get together. In the Disneyland version, they use an almond in place of Jesus. 

I really enjoyed it and one of the cast members interviewed me to ask me questions about the festivities. I could tell they were doing research to see whether it should be brought back again next year. I highly recommend it and hopefully they will bring it back next year. I missed the Dia de la Muerte last year but won't miss it again!