I’ve been coming to California every few years since I was 11 —- it’s among the handful of “default” US destinations for Filipino families, seeing as there are so many Filipinos here and, of course, stuff like the Golden Gate Bridge and Disneyland. But when I came to San Francisco as a 29-year-old solo backpacker last year, something finally registered in my mind: the energy and utter intertestingness of this place and the people in it, the vibrance of it all, and the beauty of the Pacific from this side of the world. I feel like, if I had the money (far from it), I wouldn’t mind living here for a while.

I don’t have as much time here as I would like —- I need to fly home on the 17th —- but I am glad to be back. I’ll be in Santa Cruz from tomorrow until the 9th and after that I hope to spend some time soaking in the city, and maybe make some new friends. :-)