American Odyssey

I’m sure a lot of you are wondering where I was the last two months.  Did I become a hermit, hiding in the mountains of Canlaon or Benguet? or did I have a face off so nobody would recognize me?  Well, actually I was traversing the vast lands of America covering several states including California, Nevada,Tennessee and New York, all in five weeks.  One of  the reasons for my trip was to attend my niece Kayes’ wedding in Sacramento while reuniting  with my six siblings, some I haven’t seen for years. First stop was Los Angeles where  my sisters Iris and Sonnie and brother Joey reside.  After meeting two more siblings, BingBing from Canada and Dr. JunJun from NewYork, we all got into an SUV and drove hundreds of miles, stopping at Sta. Barbara and Solvang while spending the night at Salinas. The next morning,  we were off to San Francisco  where we spent time to ride  the cable cars and sumptuous Chinese cuisine in Chinatown.  We wanted to cross the Alcatraz but ran out of time. So it was off  to Sacramento.  We have to stop at the Golden Gate Bridge for photo op.  More hours passed and before dusk, we reached Vacaville in Sacramento where we were whisked to Holiday Inn for the night. The following day, we were off to Napa Valley, the winery capital of the US, where we tasted all kinds of  wines. More siblings arrived for the wedding reception including Eloise.  The reception was held at Travis Air Base.  My brother Joey, a former Ateneo Glee Club member and Jun a choir singer at St. Anne’s Church in the Bronx, joined me for a song we last performed 17 years ago at our parents golden wedding anniversary.  The song was “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.” After the wedding, we drove  back to Los Angeles where I  prepared  for my trip to Las Vegas.  After recharging for a day, we  buckeled  80-mile winds as we drove  to  Las Vegas where 3,000 big bikers convened for the Harley Davidson Convention.  My cousin-in-law, Boy Tadeo, who is chief waiter at Ceasar’s Palace played host as he tourded us to the glittering Vegas Strip.  I was in a dilemma which shows to watch. Elton John was at Ceasar’s Palace, Donnie and Marie Osmond, the Temptations, and Lionel Richie where also performing in other hotels.  The following day, another cousin Evie Izar, a former UCPB executive and husband Rey treated us for brunch and showed us more sights such as the Venetian, Palazzo and New York, New York.  Of course we played at the casinos.  We were again on the freeways as we drove back to Los Angeles as I prepare for  my trip to Memphis and Nashville.  Sonnie and husband Jungie and I were soon in a US Airways flight to Nashville while laying over in Charlotte, N.C. After arriving, we rented a Dodge Charger for our trip to Memphis, some 300 miles away.  I told Jungie if  he watched the movie “Bullitt.”  Steve Mc. Queen, driving a Ford Mustang, had an electrifying car chase along the hills of San Francisco. While his predators used a Dodge Charger. I’m still encountering jetlag and signing off  for now.  My experience in ultra races, where you are up for 48 hours, really helped.  Next column, we travel to Elvis’ Graceland and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.

Note:  I’m also trying to get back to my old weight.  The food in the States are just too much. By the way, while I was away, our sports editor at The Freeman Manny Villaruel, tied the knot.  Congratulations  Buddy!