Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

In late May my husband and I make a weekend trip to visit the Grand Canyon. Of course, I’ve seen many pictures of the Grand Canyon over the years, but I was quite curious to see if the beauty witnessed in person could possibly measure-up to what I’ve seen on TV over the years. People from all over the world come to visit this natural beauty, so it must be something really, really special – right?

 It was a long drive from Phoenix. We left around 9:00 AM and reached Flagstaff, the largest city near the Canyon, around 11:00. The road from Flagstaff was only two lanes and had surprisingly little traffic. The cost to enter the Grand Canyon Park was $25 per vehicle. When you think about it, $25 was not much to pay for such a famous attraction.

Once we paid our entrance fee, it only took about ten minutes to reach a place to park our car and begin hiking toward one of the many viewing spots. I know it sounds like a cliché, but seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time in person, really does take your breathe away. It is so very, very huge – much larger than I imagined. Once you adjust to the shear size of the Canyon, you begin to appreciate the great variety and beauty of the colors in the rock formations.

Now I understand why people from so many nations come to witness the Grand Canyon. It really was worth the trip. However, now that I seen it, I’m not so anxious to make a return trip. One additional stop, just a couple of miles outside the Grand Canyon Park that really was worth some time, is the IMAX theatre presentation about the Canyon. A friend strongly recommended watching the 30-minute presentation after visiting the Grand Canyon in person. During the first few minutes of the IMAX show, you really get the feeling that you jump off the side of the Canyon, are diving down to the bottom, and pull up just before crashing into the Colorado River. The IMAX show was really thrilling and a great way to compliment visiting the Grand Canyon in person.

On the way back to Phoenix, we stopped in Flagstaff where we stayed in a hotel that left a great deal to be desired. It seems the hotel was in the midst of remodeling – which was long overdue. Many dozens of guests had to pack into one of the small guest rooms to have breakfast, rather than enjoy breakfast in a dining room. The BBQ we had the previous night was not much better. The ribs I ordered were badly burned on one side and generally not delicious at all. All I could really taste was the BBQ sauce – not the smoked meat. At least the waitress replaced the burned ribs with another order, but they were only marginally better.

All in all, the Grand Canyon was fantastic. You really do have to see it in person to fully appreciate what a miracle of nature it truly is. To complete the experience, I would also recommend taking in the IMAX presentation – but avoid spending the night in Flagstaff or having BBQ there

Badminton and Pickleball - Sports I Love

The Sports I love Badminton and Pickleball

When I was in high school I played badminton in our school but not really seriously until few years after. We bought a beach property in Compostela Cebu, Philippines that had some extra land, so we had decided to build a badminton court near our house. I invited my friends from high school to play with me but I was not competitive – at least not yet. There came a time when we had enough of living on the beach front anymore and wanted to live closer to the city. When we moved to Mabolo, Cebu City, I started to play badminton more seriously. I played for a couple of months with some good players and a couple of badminton coaches. My badminton prowess slowly improved.

In 2009 we had moved again - this time to Manila. It did not take me long to find two badminton facilities where they played the game at a high level. Metrosports and Yonex Badminton became my second homes in Manila. These courts are not so far away from the hotels where we stayed for four years. I meet a couple of friends who were serious badminton “addicts.” Before long, I was playing four hours a day, three times a week. I became hooked on badminton like many of my competitive friends. I started to joined badminton tournaments. My first tournament was women’s’ doubles. Much to my surprise, my partner and I won the doubles championship. It was an amazing feeling for me to win “the gold” at my first tournament. The longer we stayed in Manila, I become better and better at badminton and winning tournaments.

Early in 2013 we had to move again and this time to the United States of America. MY hubby wanted to retire where he was born, after living more than seventeen years in Asia. In America, badminton is not a serious game like in Asia. It seemed my badminton playing days were over. In the spring of 2013, I started playing a different sport called pickleball. Pickleball plays much like tennis but in a half-size court and a hard plastic ball. You use a paddle which is three times bigger than a Ping-Pong paddle. I started playing as a Novice, but reached the advanced level after six months.

In January of 2014, I was asked to play at pickleball tournament in Surprise, Arizona (not far from our home in Peoria). I played in a 3.5 skill level in the mixed doubles competition. I was so nervous because I have never played pickleball in a tournament before. My partner and I played really well and won the gold. I was so happy I pulled it out to win the first pickleball tournament I entered. Three months after I was asked if I would like to play in 4.0 skill level in both mixed and women’s doubles. I was hesitant at first since I did not know who would be my partner in mixed doubles but eventually said “yes.” On the womens doubles game we won our first two games but lost the next two matches- so no medal. The next day I played mixed doubles with this guy that I only met once before the tournament, but surprisingly, we played well together. I had so much fun as we played one awesome match after another. We won silver in spite of the uncooperatively gusting winds that day.

Now that I am living in America permanently, I don’t think I will be able to play competitive badminton like I used to. I need to focus improving my pickleball game since I am no longer a serious badminton player. I was initially so sad about not being able to play the same competitive level of badminton to which I had grown accustomed in Asia, but now I have pickleball. What’s more, they say that pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. I have even started coaching newer pickleball players.