My sister and brother-in-law, Marlon, convoyed behind us while the girls, my nieces, joined us in our car. It was a long 18-hour drive from Houston to Arizona. Good thing there were places we can visit along the way. We did not have a lot of time to plan, so we just agreed to see sites as we drive. Instead of checking the paper map (or..er..asking for directions) which we sometimes do, all Doods, my husband, has to do is consult his GPS or Global Positioning System. This new device is really great for locating places and giving driving directions. If you are directionally challenged like me, then you really need to get one.
Our ever-dependable GPS
my sister and brother-in-law's car as seen from our side mirror
First stop, three hours away from Houston is San Antonio. We checked the historical Alamo and the entertainment district of San Antonio. We had fun at Ripley’s Believe it or Not, Tomb Rider and the Guinness Book of World Record. The next day, we checked out Sea World. The girls had a blast with Shamu, the sea lions, the walrus and the dolphins.
Ripley's Believe it or Not
Guinness Book of World Record
Sea World, San Antonio, Texas
Fascinating Shamu
Much as we would want to be on the go all the time, our stomachs protest. Every time we had to eat, since we’re not from San Antonio, and had no idea of the whereabouts of places, Doods has to rely on his GPS to check for restaurants. All he has to do is type the name of the restaurant and voila, the GPS will supply us the location and driving direction.
After two days in San Antonio, we hit the road for a longer drive -our destination: Arizona- straight, except for the occasional rest stops and a night at an inn. With three children all younger than twelve and had no previous experience of long driving, the experience would have been horrifying or worse, a trauma, so we decided to make the trip fun. Having witnessed three fidgety girls on our initial three-hour drive to San Antonio, Doods and I decided to gear up for provisions to keep the girls occupied and -best of all- entertained. We stopped by Best Buy to grab ourselves a DVD player for the car, one that we get to strap at the back of the front seat -very easy to remove, safe from being burglarized. Gadgets like these are good companions on a long drive. Another good thing that made the long drive pleasant is the fact that we can hook up the Ipod to the car stereo system. This is good particularly since the girls have their own brand of music.
Shadow of our car as it traverse the empty interstate hiway
The sun is not a constant companion. . . it bids goodbye and we are left alone on the road.
Say goodbye to the day
Alas, we have arrived in Arizona, the girls’ new home. My sister and her family migrated to Arizona from the Philippines. This is their first experience of interstate trip and we’re glad with the help of technology, the girls found the experience diverting!
Home at last!
Grand Canyon
My husband, Doods and I with my sister and her husband, Marlon and my nieces Therese, Cate and Yami
