"My Favorite State In The Whole U.S.A.! " a California Travel Page by Krystynn

Isn't it great to be able to relive some of your most wonderful holidays again?

Of all the states in the USA, California ranks #1 on my list. You can visit this place ever-so-often and yet, you will never feel bored. Guaranteed. There is always some new place to visit, some new adventures to experience (er, I mean... theme parks that is. What were you thinking?)... some new exotic restaurants to visit... California has it all!

My very first visit to California was in the summer of the early 1990s.

I have to warn you though: As I slowly pen my travel "adventure" (it's NOT what you would imagine i.e. go rock-climbing or take up some adventure sports!), you might NOT want to return to your homeland ever again. Yes, California is THIS captivating.

I really hope you will GO BACK HOME after your trip and not give the US government a headache. Besides, seeing your photo being flashed on "America's Most Wanted" TV program is not funny at all.

O.K., back to my first visit here....

In any case, my travel companions (read: my best girlfriends) and I are not your usual type of tourists. When we travel, we really love to live it up. We will open our hearts to a countrry's culture and basically live like a local for the duration of our trip!

Yes, we certainly know how to live life!

I also like to do things that most women enjoy. Yes, MOST women. NOT those rare few. For a start, I sincerely feel SHOPPING should be made an Olympic event. I seem to do sooo well in this department especially in USA. ;-) OK, this is a joke.

Please browse through some of my individual pages on the different cities, towns and sights here in California.

I'm still in the midst of updating some of my individual travel pages. You may come across pages that seemed a little disorganized. I'll get that rectified soon.

Now back to California...

I don't know about you but for a foreign visitor like myself, and having grown up watching predominantly (99.9%) American TV shows and movies, I had expected the most bustling city in California be...ya know...like what I see in the movies. But boy, was I reeeally surprised with what I saw!

Yes, I am referring to the city of LOS ANGELES. If you wish to know how a country bumpkin like me ;-D fared in such a metropolis, why don't you check that travel page in detail?

Or how about the place that I consider to be the most beautiful place in the whole USA. Hint: It's a National Park. You can read on in detail right on this travel page.

Or what about the city that is guaranteed to hypnotize you in such a way that you will lose your heart? Yes, I lost my heart in SAN FRANCISCO. I never once felt out of place in SanFran. The large Asian population there made me 'feel at home!' And the people there are all so nice. I really miss SanFran. Imagine, I extended my trip and stayed in SanFran for another month. Yes, an entire month living like a local.

There were also smaller towns that we covered on our first major road trip in the mid-1990s.

If you wish to know the kind of town that Clint Eastwood (yes, THAT macho Hollywood superstar) was once the mayor, then you must head straight to CARMEL and CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA. If you like art, you can visit the Thomas Kinkade Museum. He is the only American artist I adore (Impressionist and Renaissance painters are my favorites).

Or if you like to see just how wealthy the Hearst family really are, then you must definitely visit Hearst Castle at SAN SIMEON. Do bring along an extra thick sweater. Even in summer, this place can get pretty chilly and foggy!

As you drive along Pacific Highway 1 (along the Californian coast from LA to SanFran), you'll surely want to stop by BIG SUR for say, a quick bite and snap some mind-boggling photos. If you wish to know more, please take a look at that particular travel page.

Well, California is not only for the nature lovers, children and those young-at-heart will definitely enjoy the theme parks too. It is my life long dream to visit Disneyland and all the Disney theme parks in the world... and I'm so glad I've done it. In fact, I loved Disneyland so much that I visited it twice. Both times I bought the Disney 2-day pass. Since I come all the way from the other side of the world, I wasn't going to miss a single ride in Disneyland or at the Knotts Berry Farm - regardless of my fear of rollercoasters or whether when I actually rode on one, it made my tummy churned so bad as if my heart was going to fall right out of my mouth! ;-) But don't let my fear of the rollercoaster deter you from trying. Check out my travel page on ANAHEIM.

If you consider yourself a daredevil (and I don't mean that comics superhero), you must try those scary rollercoasters at Six Flags Magic Mountain. ;-D

I just know you guys will enjoy CALIFORNIA. Have fun and do share your travel experience with me (when you get back, that is).

Footnote: This travel page is written from my very first impressions of this beautiful city on my first visit in the mid-1990s. I hope you'll find my first-time experience(s) useful in helping you plan for your forthcoming holiday. My last trip to California was in January 2002. That's a long time ago. ;-) I think it's time to plan for another visit.


"Jet lag is for amateurs."
- Dick Clark

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Copyright (c) Krystynn 2004
Please do not take my personal pics without prior permission. Thanks.