Monterey Bay Aquarium - Worth the Drive

Monteray Bay is very close to San Fransisco - only about 1 1/2 drive so many people refer to it as part of the Bay Area.  It's close to Santa Cruz, hosts a Jazz Festival but, if you have kids the thing not to miss here is the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  Connected to the bay so many of the fish are actually swimming in the bay water so it's a pretty neat use of the eco-system and a very informative but amazing place to see.  We thought it would be a couple hours but instead, yes as always, we pretty much shut it down.  I almost don't want to write a blog this time.  I feel like just posting photo after photo about the different animals we saw there and the different experiences - shows / feedings. 

They don't put the animals on display but do the feedings and let you watch.  Divers go in and feed the animals wearing a headset and you can ask questions from the outside while the feed.  It's very different than our expereince at SeaWorld which is also an aquarium but is so much more focused on the entertainment value.  This was the opposite.  Much more on the educational.  We loved it and would definately recommend you go!

The picture below is inside the shark tank just after the feeding.  You can see a leopard shark and a school of fish.  The live together because they keep them fed.... otherwise they would go back to natures ways.

This next photo is the kelp forest feeding.  They send the diver in with a bucket of food.  Again, the diver has a mic and outside there is an interpreter who takes questions from the audience.  How great is that....  This is the tank where they let the water come right in from the bay area.  The kelp is grown from the seeds that come from the outside and that grow in the tank naturally.  How amazing is that?  They are truly keeping nature alive.  And, when the fishes get big enough they are able to release them back into the bay waters with no issues.

Next is in the the jellyfish area - loved it!  I had no idea there were so many varieties of jellyfish.  Some that glow in the dark.  Some small.  Some HUGE.  It's amazing to see them all.

And, wow real sea horses and seadragons... did you know they existed?  How cool are they?  Can you spot them in the photos?

Here are some of our favourites - sea otters - splashing and playing!

And, some other fun photos - they have lots of areas where you can touch the sea creatures and they teach you ways to save them.  Which fish you can eat from the part of the world you are from and which fish you should avoid.  They call it Seafood Watch and you can get your copy HERE.  And, yes, we went for seafood because they don't discourage it, but we ate the proper foods!

It's suppose to be for babies - but look how big my babies are now.....

And, then after a fun filled day we were finally off to San Franscico - late but happy!

PCH to Monteray Bay

August 12 - We left LA today and headed off to San Fransisco but it was a lot later in the day than we expected to leave.  Not that we really pushed ourselves, lets be honest!  And, because it was the first day on the road after a long break away from the trailer; and with it being the first time that Maujoo has been in the trailer at all, I decided it might be nice not to push it too hard.  We only went as far as San Luis Obisbo before we pulled into a campground the first night. 

To be quite honest it was kinda nice.  We had a relaxing night. We had time to set up, eat dinner and the kids and I enjoyed time in the pool.  It was a good way to get back into the swing of things.

The next day (Aug 13) we were definately on the Pacific Coast Highway.  The PCH was totally worth the bit slower drive.  It took us 2 extra days to get to San Fransisco than we expected but it was worth it.  The two lane drive took us through small towns, and scenic areas.   It is the coastal drive that winds it's way along the mountains, up and down and sometimes you are above the clouds and it feels like you are floating on air.  It is so fantastic. I kept telling everyone - take photos cause I can't even look away for a minute and I kept pulling over to the Vista Points so I could enjoy the views so the drive took a lot longer than it should have but it was OK.

 

 

One of the best viewpoints was the Elephant Seal viewpoints.  It is the area where Elephant Seals are known to come and it was so neat to be able to see the age range of seals on the beach there.  Sunning themselves, playing the water, play fighting!

We finally made it to Monteray Bay at 5 PM - the aquarium closed at 6 PM so we decided to stay overnight instead of coming back from San Fransisco.  When I had initially told Manu Bhaiya we were planning on taking the PCH to San Fransisco he said, "See you in a week!" turns out we were running 2 days late - not too bad but would I do it again?  In a heartbeat!

Sanity Returns - Along with Maujoo

I finally know the date again.... That's because last night Maujoo arrived in Los Angeles!  He arrived on an evening flight and a few hours later we arrived home but went straight to bed.  So, this morning the kids and I were excited to see him again and we quickly got to getting him to the spirit of sightseeing by taking him to the California Science Centre.

The kids were so exciting about being here because the feature exhibit was the Endeavour Space Shuttle.  The moved the shuttle here after the final flight and into a temporary facility for now and we were able to go and see it on display.  It was amazing.  This is just the tire....

You can see how smooth it is from the use.  But, it was neat to see the videos of how it shuttle was moved, to see even how the astronauts use the toilet in space - who knew???? 

LOL!  It was VERY informative!  You will have to ask the children to tell you....

From there we went to the Santa Monica Pier.  Now, you may not know the name but let me show you the photo and you know the place.

We had a great time.  Seema was able to come and hang out with us and spend the day as well so that was fantastic as well to have the time with her as well.  The evening was great fun - Bubba Gump Sprimp Factory for supper and then spending the time in the hot tub at home!  What a great time in LA.  We all had a great time but soon enough it was time to pack the trailer and head out to our next stop.... We were heading to San Fransisco.

Disney - Both Days of Crazy!

OK - R U READY TO GO???

It is tiring just to read all of this so you best be sitting down!

We didn't do the Magic Morning - we would have had to leave the house at 5 AM and while I am crazy I am not quite THAT crazy.  We left at a normal time of 9 AM!  Got to the park (after traffic and construction by 10:30).

The first thing we decided to do was see the Woody and Jess Roundup!  It was great.  Shanti got pulled up by Jessie to dance with the gang!  After we lined up for autographs....  that's part of the show as well and part of the Disney experience.  Hurry up and wait.  Wait for the rides, wait for the shows and wait for the autographs.  But, it's all good.  We don't mind.  We knew this is what we were getting ourselves in for so we were mentally prepared!  And, it was great.  We lined up for Goofy in his cowboy gear (very rare we heard!); Mickey and Minnie in their cowboy gear as well; and then when we lined up for Jessie and Woody they were ready to go.  But, I had chatted with the person who was their 'handler' beforehand and she snuck us in to the line up as the final people.  It's good to chat with folks!

We did the classic rides - Tea Cups; It's a Small World; Peter Pan; Splash Mountain (which had a log jam when we were in line for it); Space Mountain (which I think was one of the favourite rides for the kids).  We did the newer rides - Star Tours (which was SO much fun and so much more real with the kid next to us yelling please Mum stop the spaceship!); Innovations (which was like a science centre feature Ironman suits!).  And, we watched all the shows, parades, and light shows!

It was hard to say what was our favourite part of being at Disney - some of it I remember from when I went years ago and some of it is so different it's like being in a different country.  I was so impressed by how nice some people were.  The workers at Disney when they found out it was the kids first time visiting the parks gave the kids first time buttons; when they found out it was close to Shanti's birthday gave her a Happy Birthday button; and when they found out we didn't know about the pin exchange not only told us about it but gave us starter pins and gave us the chance to get involved.  Another person in the park who we met in line gave the kids a little stuffie they found and wanted to give to kids.  It truly is the happiest place on earth!  We didn't want to leave....  and we almost didn't.  In the two days we spent many hours in the park.  Only 1 1/2 hours we left but spent it in Downtown Disney visiting cousins and having dinner with them and their kids - it was great to see Adesh and his family as well!

But, we had to be back in the park in time to see fireworks!  And, we were glad we did - those are not to be missed!  With Tinkerbell flying over the castle it was hard to capture the moment on film but it was worth watching for sure.  I would definitely go back in a heartbeat....

It's funny because many have asked why I waited so long to take the kids and in so many ways I'm glad I waited.  We did, are U sitting down? 51 HOURS of amusement parks this week in total.  That's JUST park hours.  Not including driving time or parking time....  But, the managed.  Yes, we got our money worth I would say.  They loved it and I loved it.  It is a memory they will actually remember....  I saw so many parents with their little ones they had brought for the child's 1st or 2nd birthday and I thought no way.  Not worth it!  This was fun.  We totally DID Disney!  Three days of walking til our feet fell off.  We couldn't get enough - running til the bitter end.  Just one more ride.  The Jungle Run to finish it off and a Dole Whip.  Have to have a Dole Whip.  And, can we squeeze in one last photo???  And, I need a coffee from the Jolly Holiday before I can drive the hour and half home (oh and we hit a detour on the final day it took 2 hours to drive home...).  We need a holiday from our holiday for sure but WOW.....

WE WILL BE BACK!

Behind the Scenes

Well, today was an exciting day - we got an opportunity to go behind the scenes at Disney Animation Studios.  A friend of Seema's works at Disney and very kindly offered to give us a tour of Disney.  It was beyond anything we have ever seen.  Things we can speak about here!  JUST KIDDING!

But, we did get a chance to see things that made Disney what it is today - the cameras that allowed animation to look like it had different layers; different models used in Disney shows; and the original house where Walt Disney started drawing his cartoons that became the world renowned film studio that it is today.

It was pretty cool to see what very few people get to see....  Zubin showed us what he is working on now and the kids are already excited about watching it when it is released.  Navras is getting excited about possibly working in animation as a result of seeing the work but it certainly has not detracted from his interest in film.  And, Arjun is now excited about the possibilities of where his drawing may take him in the future!

From here we went to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Ripley's Museum...

And, of course, don't forget the famous Hollywood sign....  we were a long ways away but we saw it!  Hard to get a good shot with us in it but you can see we were there!

And, when we get back you will have to ask the kids about the SWEET story they have to share with you all.  It was fantastic.... A good day for sure and a nice break from the parks before the craziness continued.

Day 2 - California Adventure

Our day began early because while it was great to stay at a home, it came with a small downside - the drive to Anaheim.  The Disney Resort was 1 1/2 hr drive from Seema's house so (because we didn't want to miss out on the park experience), we left the house around 8 so we could get there by 10.  We decided our first day would be at the California Adventure Park.  We got there a little later than expected but we got our tickets and got onto the tram to get through security and in for our first full-fledged sighting.....

We again did so many rides - even though they were so many geared towards the younger genre we had fun.  The Carsland rides were great fun.... even Bugs Life was a hoot!  It's so much fun to be a kids again.  We, of course, had to watch the Pixas characters parade where we got to watch all the famous characters come to life and dance their way past us - blowing bubbles or shooting us with water as they went!

We did do some of the scarier rides as well - but I think I was the most scared of us all.  We did the ferris wheel where we had the option of going on the moving gondolas which we took.  I thought it would be fun to take video of the park from above but I think the video is of my hand gripping the cage of the swinging gondola and me screaming while the kids talk calmly to me!  AH, the memories!

It was great fun - seeing the characters, getting the autographs,, taking the snapshots!

We stayed til the bitter end... World of Color finishes California Adventure with an breathtaking lightshow of mist, light, colour showcasing the Disney characters.  It was so amazing, so worthwhile.  WOW....  The pictures can't capture it because the characters and the story is shown in the mist so it's impossible to take pictures of it.... WOW is all I can say!

Last thing we did was grab a coffee for the ride home...  so park hours 10.5 hours (total park time 21 hours and counting) driving time 3 hours.

And the Craziness Begins - Universal

If you have read our blogs from last year you know we are a little crazy - if we are here we are not leaving things behind so this was the start of the week of crazy.  Universal was our first amusement park in the LA area.  Navras was the most excited with his growing interest in the entertainment industry he wanted to get a look at behind the scenes; while Shanti wanted to see the stars!  In the end, we got to do both!

We started the day at 10 AM with the studio tour - and while the lines are long, they move at a decent pace and they keep you entertained during the wait (imagine that - being the business and all!).  We got to see lots of fascinating things - Whoville; Psycho; Floods; Jurassic Park; famous movie vehicles, and War of the Worlds set.

We got to meet some of our favourite characters as well!

 

We had a great time - went on all the rides and because they had an issue with the Transformer ride they had to keep the park open an hour after they normally close we stayed until after they closed... we didn't leave til 10:30 PM...  it was a long day but so worth it.  The rides were fantastic and so much fun.... so the count begins - 10.5 hrs at the first park!