Photo taken by Daynah using Camera+ on the iPhone 4

Niagara Falls was such a magical experience. I touched the Falls up close and felt mother nature’s beauty and power.

Thursday night, Albert and I hopped on a plane and headed to Toronto (one of Virgin America’s new stops). It was a red eye flight so I was trying to get as much sleep as possible. Every seat has a tv, but I was good and didn’t flip through much of he entertainment.

Our plane landed in Toronto at 7am EST (to me, 4am PST) and we hurried off and got our rental car and drove to Niagara Falls. It’s about 2 hours away from Toronoto. The weather in Canada could not have been more perfect! It was sunny, nice, and warm and I was just overjoyed.

We headed straight to see one of the ace wonders of the world! You can easily see the Niagara Falls from the Fallsview Casino. Just walk out to the back patio, and you’ll see the natural beauty from a distance. Follow the path on the right, take a ride down the steep hill, and it takes you right in front of the Falls. Believe me, it’s an amazing sight! I could probably stand there for hours if they sun wasn’t beaming so much. You can stand right next to where the water falls over. There’s a railing of course, but it’ll take your breath away nevertheless. Once you’re done snapping your photos, take a walk and follow the path to the left side.

Be sure to have your sandles on, because your journey to the Maid of the Mist will leave you soaked with fantastic memories! It’s a boat ride that goes right into the mist of the waterfall. Once you get on the boat, the best viewing area is on the left side and if possible, closer to the front. I can’t really explain it, but being that close to the waterfalls was quite an invigorating experience! You’re given blue ponchos to wear so your clothes and bags don’t get wet, but your feet/shoes might. Oh, and your face and hair will definitely get wet, even if you’re on the bottom deck! Be sure to bring a water camera and capture the magical moment!

After you get off the boat, you walk into a fun souvenir store. When you leave the store, you can pick you your Maid of the Mist photos! It’s green-screened, but looks magnificent! This is a good wifi spot and you have a nice view of the Falls there too.

If you’re lucky enough to be in Niagara Falls on a Friday or Saturday night, watch the spectacular fireworks show over the waterfalls. The show starts around 10pm, so plan accordingly. After the show, take a walk down to the rails and watch the waterfalls change colors in the night. The lights will be on until midnight.

If you’re up for some adventure, check out the attractions at Niagara Falls. From what I heard from locals, the Maid of the Mist is the best ride, but I also had my heart set on “Cave of the Winds” too. You can climb up and see the back of the waterfalls. If only my vacation was a bit longer.. :)

Tip: If you don’t have an international phone plan, there’s free wifi at the Toronto Pearson International Airport, in the FallsView Casino (next to the water fountain0, and in the gift shop after you get off the Maid of the Mist. ;) Check into Foursquare after you get off the boat… you’ll get a special badge!

Disclosure: Many thanks to Virgin America and Klout for their special promotion. I was given free roundtrip tickets for LA-Toronto as part of a Klout Perk.

I made it safely to Northern California. I’ve forgotten how vast this state was. It was a long drive, but DragonAl and I made a few stops along the way. We’re both tired and achy, but very happy to be here!

We had a quick dinner at In-n-Out. But this In-n-Out was special.. you can see the Yahoo! building outside of it’s windows. :)

And I have this geeky beauty to look forward to in the morning! Google I/O, here I come!

Today was a nice sunny day in NYC! My friends and I spent half the day taking photos at Liberty Island. We walked up as high as we can in the monument — to her feet! It was quite the exercise.. work those stairmasters. :) The day was quite fun and peaceful.

We were going to Ellis Island, but spent way too much time at Liberty Island. Oops!

Then we ventured onto the Brooklyn Bridge! That was a fun walk. I only wish I had a bike!

After our hike, we went to dinner at Peter Luger Steakhouse. Yum. Love the bacon there. :)

I had an absolutely great time today in Washington DC. We went back to the National Mall to soak in more of the touristy landmarks.

The Museum of Natural History was one of my favorite museums. I just love nature, and to top it off, they had the “Orchids through Darwin’s Eyes” exhibit this month. Orchids are my favorite flowers! There’s also a huge fail whale floating on top of the ceiling inside. ;) Oh look, they even have a twitter account @NMNH!

By 5:30pm, we kept walking around the National Mall taking photos of the cherry blossoms and gardens. We had a wonderful dinner at Teaism. Yummy teas and delicious foods. It was one of the places Rachel Ray stopped at. ;)

We walked on over to the Union Station to stay warm and do some shopping. I managed to buy Washington DC cherry blossom scrapbook paper.. heh

Our last stop of the night was the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. We took a ton of photos and called it a night. Tonight is our last night out here in DC. We’ll be on a road trip to NYC tomorrow. Follow my tweets to see what city I end up being in next. :)

Day 4.. was a more mellow day. We woke up early in the morning and visited the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial for a few hours. Admission is free, but I highly recommend getting the audio tour for $5. There’s just so much to learn from such a historical place. Once you watch the movie about December 7, 1941, you’re taken on a boat ride to visit the final resting place of our brave men. A beautiful memorial has been built on top of the ship to help us remember their sacrifice.

We went to the Aloha Swap Meet afterward since it was close by. This is probably where you want to get your souvenirs! Lots of magnets, flowers, and many Hawaii clothes and crafts. I loved it. We walked around the entire swap meet. And I want to add, it’s one huge stadium! We bought some packages of exotic dried fruit. Yum!

Lots of great deals for $1.

Buffet Lunch at Oceanarium and we got to sit right next to the giant aquarium.

We drove back to Honolulu and had a big buffet lunch at Oceanarium. The food wasn’t bad, but the aquarium was amazing. We were lucky enough to have a table right next to it.

After a big lunch, we decided to work it all off by hiking up Diamond Head Crater. I wasn’t too thrilled with this idea because I left my walking shoes at home and only had sandals. There are stairs. Lots of them! It took a little over an hour to get to the top. Once you get there, you forget how tired you were and just soak the beautiful view. You can see all of Waikiki from there. It was wonderful! The hike down was much faster. I suggest doing the hike in the late afternoon since it’s cooler. Pack water and wear proper shoes too. ;)

Hike through the tunnel but only halfway!

Hike through another tunnel, but this one is lighted.. and there’s more stairs!

The view up here is gorgeous! I can see our hotel from here. haha Behind me is all of Waikiki.

For more photos of Oahu Day 4

Day 3.. we got up extra early today and left before the hotel even served breakfast. We wanted to get to Hanauma Bay Beach as quickly as possible since parking is limited, and the beach gets crowded quickly.

The view from the top of Hanauma Bay Beach was quite amazing! And the view in the ocean was even more magnificent. We went snorkeling for a good two hours or so, and so all sorts of fishes. The highlight of course was the sea turtle that my friends and I managed to follow around.

Sea Turtle!

We had lunch at a nearby Ono Shrimp truck. Yum.

Afterward, we went to rent some kayaks in Kailua! There’s a great place called Kailua Sailboards and Kayaks, Inc.. For a half day Double Kayak, it’s $49.00. Backrests are $3 each. I definitely suggest getting on.

We kayaked to Flat Island which is a bird sanctuary. I think it’s off season though.. not too many birds nesting there. You can also kayak to the other nearby islands too.

For dinner, we had lunch at Todai which was conveniently across the street from hotel.

And since it was Friday night, The Hilton Hotel (which is also located across the street) was having a free Polynesian show and fireworks. It’s a weekly event, so do plan to go on your next trip to Oahu! By 9pm, the fireworks started to go off. I have never been THAT close to fireworks before. And seeing it above the ocean was beautiful. The only thing that would make it better is if they did the show to music. But no complaints. It was awesome sitting on the beach and looking up at the lights.

Day 3 at Oahu was awesome. :) More photos from Oahu Day 3.

Had dinner at Wolfgang’s Steakhouse tonight. It was yummmmmy! Steak was so tender that it was like eating sushi. :)

We took a ferry that went around Liberty Island.. and saw the lady herself!

And here’s me, not wanting to leave the ferry. haha

Live footage.. sorry for the lag! :(

Today was just the PERFECT day to walk in the park! It’s been so cold and drizzly the past few days…. that this was just a blessing. It was nice, sunny, and warm… We arrived at the park around the afternoon, and had a wonderful day… taking photos and just enjoying the nature around us.

It was getting really cold, so we walked through Grand Central Station. It’s much warmer inside. ;) Isn’t it lovely at night? This was one of my favorite places in New York.