Hello LA

We're back!

One of our luggage got left behind in Heathrow. Will tell you more about it next blog.

Now let me go to sleep!

'Bye Spain

Finally, I finished updating my blog. I've attached all the pictures which I needed to attach to my previous (old) blogs. Check them out when you have time. See the fifth paragraph of post "September in Spain 5" for instructions to see older posts.

This will be my last post here in Europe. I was just chatting with friend Mike Estacio on YM and I think he's getting tired of seeing my Tanger, Morocco post! The next time you visit, you'll most likely see posts from the US.

I got a call from Fumio from Rome saying Lita's surgery went well and he thanked everyone for praying for her. Let's continue to pray for Lita's full recovery. He's leaving on Oct. 10 for Tokyo but Lita's friends from the LA and Seattle area are coming to see her. He's also sending his condolences to Robert and family.

Donna and I have been going with Mary to work everyday for the last several days. That's how I found the time to update and sort of clean out my blog. We've been having our lunch here on base and since Monday, Flor has been cooking dinner for us, bless her heart. And tonight won't be an exception. In fact I called to tell her not to cook anymore because we had a lot of leftover from last night but she said she's already fixed some pansit! Mark and Flor will be house sitting Mary and Robert's house by the beach until they come back from the States. Flor has already told Mary that their massage chair will probably be dented with her butt by the time they're back!

Last night Flor cooked a slew of fried lumpia, squid, tinola and she marinated a lot of fish that Donna grilled afterwards. We had Mary and Robert's friends have dinner with us; Ludy and husband Jim with their two daughters, Rey (who'll be taking us to the airport in his BMW with Mark).

Early tomorrow we'll be leaving for the US. We'll all be flying from Jerez airport on the same flight to Madrid but Donna and I will then fly to Heathrow, then to LAX, while Mary will fly from Madrid to Philly, then to Phoenix with San Diego as her final destination.

The plan right now is to have Ed pick us up from La Mirada Friday morning so we can drive up to Lake Tahoe to go to Cesar's memorial services. Robert and the rest will be driving from San Diego.

Our European extended vacation/reunion has been a lot of fun. I'm just hoping Mary and Robert didn't feel they bit more than they could chew by inviting all of us here. There were a few days there when there was 18 of us! Don't want to bore you further so please see my previous post "IN GRATITUDE".

Tanger, Morocco

In light of Cesar’s passing, Mary had to modify her US itinerary next month. Instead of leaving Oct 17, she had Robert arrange it so she’ll fly from Jerez with us on Thursday Oct 4. However, we’ll have to part in Madrid where Donna and I will fly to Heathrow and then to LAX while she’ll fly to Philadelphia, Phoenix and then to San Diego.

We woke up really early yesterday to pick up Mark and Flor on our way to Morocco. They fixed breakfast of fried rice, chicken tocino, longanisa and fish. What we didn’t finish we brought with us.

Mark drove with Flor navigating as usual, with directions provided for us by Robert. It was still dark out and Flor was having some difficulty in navigating. We were hoping it wouldn’t rain because it was raining the day before. Once we passed through downtown Cadiz, we passed by La Nina, one of Christopher Columbus’s ship on his way to discover the New World, displayed in the middle of a turnabout in front of a mall.

It rained on and off on the way. When we were getting close to Tarifa where we’ll ride the ferry to Morocco, the windshield wiper blade came loose on the right side and Mark had to pull over so he can reattach it but with no success.

We arrived into Tarifa and parked quite a ways from the port. We then walked towards the port, checked in and filled out immigration forms.


At around 8:15 we boarded into the ferry. It was a fairly big one. I slept through the 35 minute trip.


When we arrived in Tanger (also sometimes called Tangier or Tangiers), we got off and a tour guide met us on the shore then gathered about 15 of us into the bus. They took us around Tanger, the summer capital of Morocco with its population swelling during the summer as was stated by the tour guide.


Apparently there are a lot of rich people and celebrities including Malcolm Forbes (we passed by his former residence)

who’ve resided in Tanger over the years.

Then they took us where tourists can experience camel rides. Donna’s shoulder was bothering her a bit so she decided to pass so I just took her picture next to one.


We then went to the casbah – the former walled area of Tanger,
the old town – where residential buildings stand so close together they seem to almost touch. Streets are so narrow people can only walk two side by side at a time.


They took us to a Moroccan restaurant where they served bread and ground beef kebab as appetizers and chicken in couscous for lunch. There was some sweet Moroccan baklava and tea afterwards. Coke bottles have Arabic characters on them just like the stop sign the guide showed us, they look like a couple of worms having a fight.


There was quite a bit of shopping with street vendors hawking their wares to the point of annoyance in their persistence. The snake charmers were cool.


One had me coil a King Cobra around my neck and shoulders. I still couldn’t believe I did that!


Part of the tour was a huge shop displaying Arab and Berber carpets
and a Moroccan pharmacy selling spices and all kinds of oils and herbal medications that cure practically everything. The salesman even gave Donna a massage to display the effect of some ointment.


After our tour, we ate our baon underneath a huge rubber tree in Tarifa before we finally headed on home.


On the way to El Puerto we passed by some really cool sceneries in the light of day like a few camp grounds in Tarifa and hundreds of those windmill looking things on the mountains that generate electricity just like on the way up to San Francisco from LA. It was pretty windy on that stretch of the highway.


There was also this gorgeous white village on top of a hill. I think it’s called Medina Sidonia. It’ll be nice to go back and visit one day.


We missed the exit going home and we got to downtown Cadiz instead. Actually Mark was going to take it but all of us insisted we should go straight to Cadiz. I had Mark park by the mall so I can take pictures of La Nina.


Robert mentioned that these Spanish galleons are fairly small considering the world class sailing they were put through. The La Nina is no bigger than the ship (see below) docked over the Puerto Sherry Marina.


It was a pretty hectic tour but it was worth it I thought. It would have been nice if it was a private tour so we can stop by and visit the church in Tanger but perhaps that’s for next time.

Cesar

He’s one of the three Custodio brothers who retired from the US Navy. With his wife Onor and their two children John C and Leanne, they decided to plant their roots in Carson City, Nevada where his sister Mila is living with her family. Mila eventually moved to Las Vegas but Cesar and family stayed and thrived up north.

In October of 2004, he got diagnosed with lung cancer and he was given a few months to live but he fought mightily. Whether it be chemo, radiation or alternative treatment - as in acupuncture or herbal medication, he did it all. Onor and daughter Leanne researched the Internet extensively for any treatment possible. Last July, when his oncologists pretty much gave up on him, he decided to give the City of Hope in Southern California a try but to no avail. Unfortunately, he would never go into remission and last Friday, his Maker took him home. He would have been 54 on October 30.

He loved singing and jamming with his brothers.


Goodbye, Cesar. You’ll be missed.