California!

Well, after about four months of telling people "San Francisco or Boston," the stars aligned and  we've moved to California!  It feels good to have the decision made, and to be on the West Coast, but we remain in a holding pattern at a Residence Inn (corporate housing) until we find a place of our own in San Francisco. 

Yesterday we did some exploring of a few neighborhoods we're looking at and we checked out a few open apartments.  We found an awesome flat, and I fell in love, but of course it's a bit over our max.  We applied but had to offer less than the asking price, so I'm sure that we'll be passed.  It's too bad because it's such a cool place, but it was only the second apt we looked at and I'm certain we'll find something we like!  

Yeti's first lunch out 'n about in San Francisco

After a lot of walking around town, we drove through Golden Gate Park and ended up at Ocean Beach.  Devin and I have been so excited to see Yeti's reaction to the ocean and he didn't disappoint.  (He's been to the coast in Washington and Alaska, but never in California.)  He dug in the sand, chased some seagulls, dug in the sand, chased more seagulls, and dug in more sand.  (Oh, and sorry about the wind in the video, I don't know how to get rid of it and I realize it's annoying.)  

Yeti on the beach a video by EmilyJWC on Flickr.

We didn't let him off leash for too long because we aren't familiar with dog/beach rules yet.  Once we get the when and where down we plan to take full advantage of such amazing "dog parks."  One of the best things about this area: it's incredibly dog friendly! 

  

Devin starts work at Stryker on Monday and I am waiting on an offer from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (where I'll learn when I go in for RN orientation.)  In the meantime, I'll be apartment hunting, hanging out at the DMV, exploring with Yeti, and trying to smooth out our adjustment to this new reality.

That's it for now!  I just wanted to say hello and get back on the blog!

The End!

Monkey

One of my favorite pictures from our travels, this picture was taken on Observatory Hill in Darjeeling, India.
(Also, one of our favorite places in India.)

Takayama, Japan

Written on 24 August, 2010 - decided to post it today...

Per the Lonely Planet, the train-ride from Nagoya to Takayama is "gorge-ous". LP, we strongly second that statement. Over the river, through the woods / mountains....to Takayama we go (or went...back on August 14th, 2010). The misty opaque-hued river that cuts a gorge through the surrounding elevations is dubbed the 'Japanese Rhine' and was dotted with fly-fisherman; the train ached and groaned at every ascent / descent / tunnel. The ride alone was worth the visit.

We arrived at our hostel - our first dormitory stay... Devin with 7 strangers (boys and girls), Emily with 5 (girls only). Each bunk had curtains for privacy. which was nice...and the crowd was very 'Japanese' (that is to say: respectful).


Takayama itself is a small-ish city on the doorstep of the Japanese Alps... While there, we wandered, saw a couple shrines, hit a morning market...and had our first Japenese toast. It is normal bread, but ~ 2 inches thick...perfectly toasted...with butter and an option of honey...

Again, a place worth spending more time... But the beat goes on.

(Awesome magazine cover.)

Ironicness

We think it's funny that we posted about ENCA farm and eating local and organic foods, and followed said post with a note about eating at Burger King. Whoopsies...

Have it your way?

Date: December 22, 2010

We've eaten a lot of FANTASTIC food on our tour of Asia thus far, but here, I thought I'd share a couple of photos of our most expensive meal.

These were taken at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport. And 450 baht translates to about $15. Pretty steep for these parts. Actually, pretty steep anywhere. We were searching excitedly for a Subway, after seeing one near the check-in counters, when instead we wandered into a Burger King and noted that they had a veggie burger. Do they have veggie burgers at BK's in the States? I can't tell you the last time I was in a Burger King, but do know that the faux meat patty was not on the menu. Anyway, it pulled us in...and was seriously AWESOME. I am not kidding. Nor am I kidding about the expense. We shook our heads all the way to Cambodia once we realized that the meal cost more than our previous night's lodging, breakfast, and transportation to the airport combined. Whoops-a-daisy!