Its been a year and a half since we were last back in the states. We are so excited about spending the month of May in Cali that we booked a cheap flight on an airline that we've never even heard of (China Eastern). However, by saving money on our travel (thank you Mango Tours) , that leaves us extra money to spend on some of our favorite things.. mostly food. Outside of spending time with our family and friends, here are some of the things we are looking forward to:
Val's Burgers in Hayward is home to my favorite burger in the bay. I know there are a lot of other new burger spots that that popped up in the last few years, but this old school diner is still my favorite. Rule of thumb: If John Madden says a restaurant is the best at something, it probably is.
The burrito is the one thing we miss most about California. Pho used to be high on that list as well, but after going to Vietnam, buying pho anywhere else is a big let down. We have our list of favorite taquerias and i'm sure we'll visit most, if not, all of them. We'll be there for a month, so I anticipate about 12 carne asada burritos each.
La Vics Orange Sauce is either made from crack or nicotine, the stuff is just that addictive. While the food itself at La Vics is very average, the sauce makes it, as well as pretty much anything, heavenly. I'll probably buy a few bottles and bring them to the before mentioned taquerias, Val's burgers, pizza spot, etc.
One place I will not bring La Vics sauce will be our dinner w/ Nikki and Robbie at House of Prime Rib in San Francisco. Just thinking about this makes my mouth water and my gout tingle. I already know what i'm ordering: King Cut, no potatoes, double spinach with a side of tobasco horse radish. This is my favorite restaurant in the bay area hands down. I have no plans of ending up on death row, but I do have plans of ordering this for my last meal if I find myself there.
That being said, there are a few things we are NOT looking forward to:
I remember when getting on an airplane was exciting. I was 12 years old and fit comfortably in an airplane seat. The plane was safe for me and cousin Ralph to explore, provided we stayed away from the smoking section in the back of the plane. I got all the soda I wanted, and could always get a snack from the stewardess (you could still call them that back then). Now I absolutely hate airplane travel. At 6'4" there is never enough leg room, and the food always sucks. Somehow an 80 year old woman always gets the emergency exit row instead of someone who is actually physically fit enough to open the hatch, but i'm sure we're safe since there haven't been any transit disasters in Asia recently.
Technically speaking gas cost more in the Philippines. However, everything is really close for us here. We spend less than 450 php ($10) per week on gas. Seriously, I haven't had to put gas in the car since my dad left on April 2nd. Union City and San Martin are really far away from each other and the prospect of going back and forth will definitely put a dent in our budget. I need to download the CalTrain schedule ASAP.
However, those things are a small price to pay to spend some time in the place we still call home and with the people we miss the most. Time to start shopping for pasalubong and packing our bags. Get ready folks, we're......
