Laguna Beach

Ever since I watched "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills", I've wished I could live in Laguna Beach ... in a house like the one Lauren Conrad lived in ... so I was so excited to visit Laguna Beach! I was even willing to forgo precious shopping hours at the mall just to come see Laguna Beach (where B and A were once again so kind to take us to in their jeep).

Main Street on Laguna Beach ...

B & A took us to the Hotel Laguna for a lovely lunch on "The Terrace" ... right next to the beach ...

My fish and chips ...

Hotel Laguna Burger (with a cream cheese and jalapeno dressing) ... YUM!

Laguna Beach, Crescent Bay Point Park ...

The breathtaking view ...

Sea lions sunbathing on a rock outcrop ...

One of the many beautiful houses in Laguna Beach ...

A wild rabbit!

Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous - Part 3

Doesn't this look like something out of the pages of a Home Decor magazine?

Check out the amazing view! The moment the doors opened, this spectacular view took my breath away ...

The dining room ...

The gorgeous view from the guest bedroom that B and A so graciously offered us to use while waiting for our flight home ...

The lovely outdoor terrace next to the pool ...

The family room ...

Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous - Part 2

When I thought of going shopping at Desert Hills Premium Outlet Mall in Cabazon, Palm Springs, California, I never dreamt I'd be going there in this ...

Yes! A twin engine Cessna! Imagine! Going shopping by plane!!!! What a treat!

This beauty was piloted by B, the very same kind person who took us to The Cannery at Newport Bay for dinner! And I need to mention a big word of thanks to him and his wife, A, who very thoughtfully ensured I'd be comfortable with the idea of flying in a small plane. She assured me that her husband is a safe and good pilot, which I can now testify to :) His was one of the best take-offs and landings I've ever experienced!

This was truly an experience of a lifetime! And a peep into the lives of the rich and famous :)

Some scenes taken from the plane ...

Laguna Beach ... from the air ...

(this wasn't one of my favorite parts, as the flight plan called for a u-turn at this point ... watching the horizon change positively made me turn quite green ... being motion-sickness prone is not fun ... it was at this point that I realised that the lifestyle of the rich and famous is not for me ...)

Snow-capped mountains!

Wonderful shopping at Desert Hills Premium Outlet!

And just check out that beautiful backdrop! What more can a gal ask for?

(Here, I need to thank our friend and pilot, B, for his patience in indulging us in our shopping quest :) )

Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous - Part 1

Our last 2 days in California were, in my opinion, the highlight of our stay there. All thanks to hubby's very kind business associate who showed us a truly memorable experience by inviting us to taste a slice of the lifestyle of the rich and famous in California.... starting off with a visit to a most charming home in Newport Beach, then on a duffy boat (with a thoughtfully prepared crackers and cheese picnic on board) ...

Along the way, we saw Nicholas Cage's home ...

John Wayne's house ...

Houses with their own private beaches ...

A lovely sunset on Newport Bay ...

On route to our destination ... dinner at The Cannery ...

Seafood bouillabaisse ...

Macademia nut crusted halibut ...

After dinner, we were off to Balboa Island for some ice cream ... mainly for Britty (short for Brittany), our lovely hosts' yellow lab ...

Last Meal at Claim Jumper ...

One thing that I think Americans do so well is BBQ ribs .... doesn't this just make you crave for some ribs?

Sides: Mashed potatoes with skin and roasted vegetables ...

Citrus Shrimp Fettucine ...

A Visit to The Lab

I stumbled upon this shopping area called "The Lab" about a half hour walk from the South Coast Plaza mall. They pride themselves in being an "anti-mall"... And boy did they have character ... I didn't even realise there were shops here until I had a closer look. Talk about having personality!

The reason for me coming to The Lab ... Urban Outfitters! One of my fav shops in USA.

A hair salon named "Crew" ... which seemed to be pretty popular ...

California Rolls and Such ...

We were craving some Vietnamese pho, but sadly the shop was closed. Fortunately, this Japanese restaurant was open ... and so began our introduction to California Rolls, aka sushi rolls catering to the American taste buds. Actually, we have quite a number of these rolls in Asia, except we use different names to identify them. So, we spent quite some time figuring out the difference between a California roll, a Caterpillar roll, a Spider roll, a Rainbow roll ...

Finally, we chose a Rainbow roll, which turned out to be this:

We also had some lovely chicken salad ...

... and teppanyaki style beef slices ...