ski and snowboard fest was the main event at whistler for the past two weeks and we all drove up just in time to catch some of it last friday. sleet followed us as we escaped the city limits but good thing it stopped when we finally reached the mountains. we stayed at the fairmont and explored the village while the rest of the more athletic and cold resistant people went on their ways to catch a few jumps and drops – probably one of their lasts before winter finally bids goodbye. saturday midnight found me taking the greyhound back to the mainland, just in time for another sunday roadtrip.

it seems like almost every weekend is spent driving south and running away from safety. i can’t help it, i feel better when i’m on the road, moving, walking, hiking.. i get nauseated when i’m stuck in one place with the same monotonous background and people around me, i need to find clarity.

why this restless heart? to escape boredom? to not fall into the trap and break my walls? i don’t want to think too much, all i know is i want to run as far away as i can and never look back.

weekends end too soon, whoever decided that there should be 5 work days and only 2 days for fun and relaxation is a saddist. but hey maybe it was meant to be this way so that we could appreciate it more. some people tend to put more value on things that don’t last, that’s the law of supply and demand right there. so they cram all activities they can fit in those 48 hours then spend the next hundred and twenty wishing it was shumatsu once again.

tulip town – that was our itinerary for saturday, and we got lost in skagit looking for this quaint place. we were almost on the verge of giving up after going around in circles for the nth time but luckily or rather magically, we found our way and feasted our eyes on the endless rows of petals struggling to come out from the ground. the sun was high up in the sky and people were flying kites, truly spring is in the air. and we don’t even have to drive all the way down to washington just to feel it, the sakura that greets me when i disembark at burrard reminds me of hanami at osaka jo, raincouver is actually a nice place to be when it’s not all gray and gloomy.

sunday was spent biking along the seawall of stanley park and crusing along english bay. finally after countless weeks in this city, i was able to take off my jacket and shoes and walk barefoot on the sand. it’s still blech compared to the beaches i’ve been to back home but it’s all good, every place offers its own gift, sometimes you just have to look for it in other corners.

it’s always the beautiful days like these that i fear the most. they kill words, because beauty is a reason unto itself.

– is the magic number. that’s how many we were at the lower mainland roadtrip last saturday.

it was 630am, when the 3 mini vans converged at tim horton’s, 3 dozen donuts and a dozen coffee orders later, we were all set to conquer the peace arch, aldergrove, cloverdale, lynn valley, burnaby mountain, cleveland dam and stanley park. i’ve been to most of these places but for me, it’s not really the destination that counts but the journey and the people you’re with that matters. in this case, i wouldn’t want to miss the company of new and old friends shouting at each other over missed stop lights and u turns haha

well, it was definitely worth it, wouldn’t miss it for the world.. ahhh, the comfort of friendship, where you expect nothing and nothing is expected of you, where you can leave your scripts at home and just be yourself, what a fresh break from the toxic fumes of everyday living..

maundy thursday found me at yvr waiting for my flight to sacramento. couldn’t wait to see the sun again after a month of clouds and rain. when i arrived at smf, gerry was there waiting to tell me about his novel which will be published this year. shing flew in from chicago, bringing with her the stuff that i bought., and that’s how our adventure began =)

g’s place is an ultimate bachelor’s pad, with a pool table, mini bar, wii, ps3, xbox, and home theater to boot. i wouldn’t mind staying here for a year ^_^ friday was spent touring the airbase and shopping at downtown sacramento. we tried the burgers at in and out and enjoyed the warm sunshine while driving top down on g’s solara, a convertible is a necessity in california, so he says. to cap the day, we had dinner at this sushi place with the revolving tray.

woke up early on saturday to pick up jake and reenact sideways at napa and sonoma ^_^. had lunch at the wine train and went on the cable car to the top of sterling which has a nice view of the whole valley. got lost along the way and blamed it on the the bottle of pinot noir, haha. to cheer up gerry who wanted to get drunk but couldnt. we went to jollibee and red ribbon for peach mango pie and empanada =)

on sunday we drove to muir woods to hug the giant sequioa trees for my mom, apparently this has been one of her childhood dreams. we followed the hillside trail to burn off all the calories we had for the past two days and then proceeded to the golden gate bridge. the scenic view is picture perfect. lunch was at the fisherman’s wharf and a boat tour followed afterwards. g bought popcorn and chips to feed the seagulls while s was busy taking snapshots. i was at the other side of the boat looking out to the city skyline and wishing my mom was there to enjoy it with me. we wandered on the streets of san francisco, looking for the magic that people saw in this place, we never really found it.. at dusk, we went back to being children and played our hearts out at dave and buster’s.

fenton’s ice cream was the last treat we had before real planes came to take us back to the life we left. and that’s how i spent my long weekend.

after mike’s birthday dinner at red robin last friday, jake, krissy, alvin, jason and i walked to hilton to pick up our rental, the roadtrip to portland has begun. armed only with a gps and a bag of cheetos, we bravely went where no frugal man has ever gone to – oregon – for nature trips, and what else – shopping, (again!?).

ok i didn’t really buy much in this trip, i was just in for the company and the travel, to get away from what’s familiar and see something new. i get bored when i’m in one place all the time, i always have this need to explore and discover the unknown, even if it will end up to be the same terrain as the one i left; so that was my excuse.

we spent the night in seattle tacoma and woke up bright and early to follow the columbia river gorge. multnomah falls was a sight to behold, it’s definitely not niagara but not kawasan either, pagsanjan is definitely much better, but hey, who’s comparing right? the trail up to the bridge was good exercise for our cramped feet. after the short homage, we went straight to business – filling the trunk till it can’t be closed unless you jump on it. broke and utterly content, we drove back to vancouver to reflect on our splurge ^_^