Palm Springs

June 14th
Pictures Ahead

The past few days, nothing much has happened in my life. I've been planning fun things to do with my friends for the next two weeks, but I have not been actually doing anything fun. I have been reading, studying, going to the gym, and watching Filipino TV shows and movies.

Yesterday, however, my parents decided to go to Palm Springs (more like my mom wanted to, and she somehow convinced my dad literally fifteen minutes before we left the house). My mom has been having these moments where she feels the need to just "enjoy life," and "cherish every moment with [her] children." The three of my siblings and I are leaving the nest at least by the end of this year, so my mom has been trying to make the most of this year. These mother-children bonding moments always end up being fun.

So around one in the afternoon yesterday, my brother, little sister, parents and I hopped onto our minivan and drove to Palm Springs. The whole entire time, my brother would keep trying to direct my dad to McDonald's because he was craving a sundae. My dad would just say, "Sorry, muchacho!"

The ride there took about two hours, and when we got there the van started overheating. We weren't quite sure if the van was going to make it, but oh boy... once we turned off the air conditioning to help cool off the engine, we realized how hot and humid it is in Palm Springs. Hats off to everyone who lives there.

There were only two things we really did there: go on the tram, and hike. My mother is a huge fan of the tram... which she didn't tell me revolves. It is apparently one of the highest trams in the world, which did not make me feel any better. I am afraid of heights.

How afraid?

I can't even ride ferris wheels. The roller coaster rides at Knott's that are meant for little kids freak me out. I screamed on the Rocket Ships at Disneyland. When I was filming back in junior year, I had to stand on top of a table that's only about five feet off the floor. After filming, my friend told me to get off, but it took me about ten minutes to get off because I was too scared I was going to fall off.

So as you can imagine, getting on one of the highest trams in the world freaked me out. I just tried to calm myself down and distract myself, but once the thing started revolving, I started hanging onto my mom or the railings. It was terrifying for me, but totally worth it; the view was beautiful.

85,000 miles upwards later, the tram finally made it to the top. The view was beautiful. You could see the wind mills, the whole entire city, and the mountains from the top. My family and I then hiked around, stopping once a while to, of course, take pictures.

counting how old the tree was based on the rings

After hiking, we were all hungry. My brother kept saying, "Can we go to McDonald's now?" while my mother wanted to try the restaurant at the tram station. We sat at the restaurant at the tram station, saw the prices on the menu ($$$), and took off without telling the waitress. I really wonder what the waitress thought when she found our table empty. 

We exited the tram place, and drove around. We found this place called Rick's Desert Grill, and at first my dad thought it was just a regular American food joint, but then he found out that the place served Cuban food. He wanted to leave because he's never had Cuban cuisine (and he's picky), but we all convinced him to stay. 

Rick's Desert Grill

No regrets. 

First of all, the service was amazing. Our waiter was extremely friendly, very down-to-earth, and explained Cuban cuisine to my dad. 

Second of all, the ambiance was awesome. Walls were filled with old pictures, either of famous people or of a historic event that occurred in Palm Springs. There were a lot of families and older people in the restaurant, as well, which gave the place a very homey feel.

Lastly, and most importantly, the food was amazing. No complaints from my father at all, nothing from my mom either, and us kids loved it. Every time the waiter came around and asked how to food was, our mouths were either full or we'd say, "SO GOOD." 

Definitely try Cuban food. 

Cuban Picadillo Stuffed Tostones (or something like that)

Ditch the whipped cream - the flan is heaven by itself

Anyway, eventually the night ended, and we drove home. Once again, it took about two hours, and my brother kept on trying to direct my dad towards McDonald's. 

Don't worry -- my brother got his fix of sundae today.

If  you're off to college next year, make sure to spend some time with your family!

Also, plan on hiking this summer if you haven't gone! 

Much sun,

Annika.