The famous Sea to Sky Highway is the most scenic section of Highway 99 in British Columbia, Canada that runs from Horseshoe Bay to Pemberton. As the name suggests, you will get incredible views from the ocean to mountains on the highway. In addition, this scenic route gets you to many beautiful provincial parks along the way.
I don’t understand why North Cascades National Park doesn’t get as much hype as other national parks. It has spectacular views, dog friendly hiking trails, and an epic main driveway. So far, it is my favorite national park mainly because it’s much more dog friendly than others.
Although national parks are not very dog friendly, we were able to find some spots for Ariel to enjoy Olympic National Park. This’s our easy-to-follow two-day itinerary.
Portland has been on my roadtrip list for a long time. I finally made it happen in June this year. I love all its nature but not so much the downtown. The converge of Willamette River and Columbia River at the city makes everything different. It brings lives to the area and adds to its beauty. Ariel loves the various types of greens and shaded trails. Hiking with dogs in summer is not that miserable afterall.
North California redwoods are magnificent and worth a visit. Some of them are the oldest and tallest in the world. There are several places you can admire them: from south to north, Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Redwood National Park, and Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park. However, almost none of them allow dogs on hiking trails. I was able to find some dog friendly places around those redwood parks. Ariel and I had a wonderful time.
Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province in China and located in the center of Chengdu Plain which is known as “Country of Heaven” or “Land of Abundance”. It is a city of gastronomy, famous for its delicious spicy food. Its surroundings have stunning natural attractions, rich cultural heritage, and are living habitats of China’s national symbol – giant pandas.
Xi’an, once named Chang’an, boasts a long history of over 3,000 years and was the capital of 13 Chinese dynasties in the past, including the most important ones like Qin, Western Han, Sui, and Tang. If I have to pick one city to admire China’s rich cultural and historical heritage, it is Xi’an.
For my 2023 vacation in Asia, I laid over in Hong Kong for two days and decided to give it a proper visit, most of which was around food. As a big TVB fan deeply influenced by Hong Kong TV shows, I was glad the city was just what I imagined it would be – fancy luxuries and modern skyscrapers co-existing with mundane mom-and-pop businesses on the same streets, busy, crowded, and bustling.
Thanks to a cold and rainy winter, California is having another superbloom in 2023. After years of sever drought, California is green and colorful again! April was the best time to appreciate the beautiful wildflowers and the resilience of nature. I went to Carrizo Plain National Monument to enjoy the superbloom and was blown away by the bright colors, aromatic fragrances, vigorous blossoms, and the energy and hope they bring.
Marina Bay Sands is the most iconic landmark of Singapore with a ship-like rooftop platform connecting three hotel towers. The big platform on the top boasts the world’s biggest infinity pool, which is probably the most attractive selling point of this resort. I splurged and spent one day there during my stay in Singapore.