This past winter was unusually warm. I wasn't states side for the major end of the year holidays but my friends kept me well updated on just how toasty it felt for November and December. With the weather the way it was and scheduling considerations, we couldn't make a cold wintery getaway like last year's.
Instead, our only option was in early March. Even then the days we stayed at the ski resort were in the 60s-70s! Much too warm for snow activities but at least, thankfully, they were still open (as we paid in advance for lessons). And hey, it's the time we spent together that matters most.
The first day we arrived at Camelback Resort was spent at their newly opened indoor water park: Aquatopia. I believe this indoor park is for lodge/resort/hotel guests only. They do have an outdoor park during the warmer months which replaces the ski resort. That park may be open to all but don't quote me on that.
Aquatopia is on the small side but considering it is indoor and included with the stay there's enough to keep you entertained. The lines can get pretty long but it seemed to move relatively fast. I am not the biggest fan of water activities but my friends are and they enjoyed the water park very much.
I think the highlight for us was the Venus Slydetrap. As long as you stay within the weight limit, your group can all sit in one big float and enjoy being shot into darkness, spheres, and up & down the plant inspired mouth trap. Another one of the park's special features are the two very tall and steep slides with trap door contraption. (I think they're called the Paradise Plunge and Skydive Plummet.) Brave souls stand atop the door and way to be released & drop down below. I was barely willing to go on other the "tame" slides, so I steered clear of that thrill ride.
The activity that I was most excited for during the trip was snowboarding. A part of me was hoping that it would be like riding a bike, i.e. pick up right where I left off. If that were to happen it would mean I wouldn't fall much and be able to stop myself at will.
I think I did relatively well at our beginner class. I had some memory of how I should position my butt to steer a certain way. Our instructor this time was stellar. I can't remember his name but I do remember him putting a lot of care and effort into building our confidence. It also helped that the school was terribly busy the day we went because our instructor was able to extend our lesson and let us practice more with him. We also witnessed him giving advice to other beginner snowboarders on the bunny hill later in the day who weren't his students. The guy just can't help but help others!
Once we were set free to the bunny hills, my "skills" gradually went downhill as the day progressed. More falls. More unexpected crashes into the fences. Less control of turns. I want to attribute it to the melting snow conditions. Maybe I just do better on soft powdery hills? But it could have been...probably was due to the fact that I was losing confidence in myself after continuously falling. Guess I won't know unless I try again next time.
Yes, I am aware I look like a gray Michelin man. I was prepared for coldness! This get-up worked for me last year in what felt like the extreme cold. Little did I know...even though there is "snow" on the slopes, with 50s-60's°F weather, snowboarding can get HOT.
After the disappointing snowboarding session I had the day before, snow tubing sounded like it would be the highlight of the trip. I wasn't intimidated by it since we had so much fun on these slopes last year. Plus (I thought) the warm weather would make it more enjoyable this time. No more frozen fingers and toes! (Despite all the fun we had last year snow tubing, the freezing temps got to us fast.)
My prediction was half true. Snow tubing made up all the falls I had the day before. The weather was a nice cozy warm yet the breeze from going down the hill was refreshing. The only downside was the hill wasn't icy enough, which meant snow tubing wasn't as fast. It was more akin to a leisure car drive than being in a speedy race car. You get some, you lose some.
With the near indoor water park, there also came the Camelback Lodge. The two are directly connected. While the ski/snowboarding hills are a short drive away, there is a free shuttle bus for transport. Don't fret if anyone is more experienced and could take the lifts up to the higher slopes. There is supposedly a ski in and out area of the hotel as well (according to my friends who explored the lodge). I think Camelback frequently has specials on their site if you're interested.
What travel post is complete without food?
Landmark Restaurant
809 Seven Bridge Road East Stroudsburg, PA 18301
Country Fried Steak Breakfast Platter $8.95
Yes that is 2 very full plates of food for $8.95! It is a very cozy spot where a lot of other skiers and snowboarders dined before hitting the slopes. Affordable, big portions, and tasty...can't go wrong.
Dinner at Red Lobsters in Bartonsville, PA
Lunch from Camelback's Big Pocono Family Eatery
Get the fries! They were definitely the highlight of the pricey lunch.
The sandwich and pasta I got weren't too shabby either. This lunch was definitely much better than what I remembered having last year.
Buffet dinner from Camelback Lodge's Hemispheres
The selection is alright. It IS a buffet at the resort lodge so it is expected for it to be pricey. But since we were pooped from snowboarding all day it was worth the convenience.
If you do eat in, get the chocolate chip looking cookie with all the nuts (if you're not allergic)!
Meal from Sonic Drive-In in Bartonsville, PA
I've seen their commercials with the two guys on TV all the time! Since NYC doesn't have any Sonic's (I don't think) we were all excited to try it. Yes, excited to try fast food. We can indulge sometimes too. The Cheeseburger was standard. The chili cheese tots sound great but the tater tots were pretty soft and crisp-less. Just go for the plain tots, they're much better. Their shakes are great for sharing. Unless of course you can handle the cup full of sugar and cream. Then more powder to ya!
There is a video to accompany this post, just like last year!
In fact there are 2 videos this year. My friends found Jelly Belly's ever so popular Bean Boozled at the lodge gift shop. We've been curious to try it out but never had the time to all sit down for so long to attempt the challenge. Let's just say, we were defeated.
Even though NYC didn't get hit quite as hard as predicted by this recent storm Juno, it was enough to make me want to stay inside for a couple days. I was nice and cozy under blankets & got my Doctor Who binge on. (TV watching = great break activity in my books.)
But still, nothing like a winter storm and the start of a new school semester to get me missing this past winter break. I want to say I didn't do much this break but if I listed it out it's probably not true.
One of the more fun events this month was the mini-trip the Besties and I took in the beginning of this new year. It was a pretty last minute getaway but we were able to finally find the time to go snowboarding together.
Disclaimer: None of us knew a thing about snowboarding or skiing prior to the trip.
Since our first ever lesson was in the afternoon, we headed out of NYC later than normal. We arrived at Camelback Mountain just in the nick of time and was instructed by Billy for about an hour on the basics. He was super patient with all of us. But it's safe to say that I was pretty nervous and never wanted to volunteer first out of the four of us during the class.
By the time lessons were over we were all pretty hungry and filled our tummies in the food court like area at the resort. The food wasn't great or anything but it filled the belly.
The most fun I had was practicing on the small learning slope at night. There weren't as many people there and was therefore way less hectic—definitely helps with easing the nerves. After a bunch of falls, I somehow got the hang of things and was able to stop without falling down. The main problem I had at the end was not being able to control myself while going downhill. I would begin with my right side in front and end with the left, fully 180° turn and all unintentional. If only Billy could have seen me then! Otherwise, I came home pretty much the same as I went: bruise- and (pretty much) pain-free.
We ended up booking a room at a (very) nearby hotel via Groupon at the Chateau Resort. There was a nice view of the slopes outside and we got to experience snowfall during the trip, although fake. It will take a few more snowboarding trips before I have the guts to take the chair lifts to the higher slopes.
I was pretty hesitant at first with the whole snow tubing idea when I saw the hill we would be going down.
After going down the slope a couple times I wish we were able to stay for even longer. But it doesn't help that the snow tubing area opens late and gets pretty busy just a couple hours after opening.
Otherwise a few tips to anyone else who's never been snowboarding/skiing/snow tubing before & a reminder to myself for future snowboarding trips:
layers, layers, layers!
waterproof pants and gloves are a must
better to have those hand/toe warmers than not
Something a little different from my typical posts...
I've had the GoPro for a while now and haven't given it much love recently. But I made sure to pack it for this trip and managed to get enough footage (with the help of Bestie S) to make a short clip. Hooray for video keepsakes!
If you have, how long did it take for you to get the hang of things?
If not, do you have plans to give it a try?
Hi, everyone! I really hate myself for leaving my blog not updated for a whole month. But nonetheless, it happened anyway *sigh* The last couple of months was jam-packed full of activities. In the short period of time, I went to quite a few places and tried many new things. Compared to the last summer vacation I had...this one was definitely more memorable! (I admit! I just lazed around the house before :X) I was able to even get my first job...although for my own good (mentally and grade wise) I resigned from my first job as well. It was interesting while it lasted though!
Enough of why I wasn't on blogger! & Onto what I actually did :]
Besties and I made it a must to hang out more often this summer vacation. Last year we said the same thing and ended up doing absolutely nothing together! In June we went biking. In July we went ice skating in the indoor rink at Flushing Meadows Park. It was so refreshing to be inside somewhere coolcold freezing on a hot summer day. Mental note...next time I must bring a hoodie, even if it's the summer! Skating inside was definitely different from gliding outside in say Bryant Park/Central Park/Rockefeller Center. A lot of skating students of much higher levels were skating around so it was a bit more embarrassing for us newbies to skate there. But after a couple of circles, it didn't matter anyways hah
After we had our share of fun, we headed toward Flushing for dinner. We planned to go to an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurant (Picnic Garden). Initially, we went there very excited. Sadly we left annoyed/disappointed. The food wasn't the problem. It was the service more than anything. Our group of 4 would get a couple of plates with a lot of food to grill thinking we'd sit and cook what we got a little at a time. However, the servers/waitresses would walk around and dump everything onto the grill (this was even before they had a dinner time rush!). We were rushed to eat and leave before we even started...I don't know if this is what happens at other similar restaurants but the four of us all agreed we'd be happier going somewhere else the next time we're in Queens.
In August we already ran out of ideas on what to do together. We always have somewhere we'd want to eat at but never anything to do! Since we decided to eat somewhere close to the Brooklyn Bridge (on the Brooklyn side) we decided to take a walk across it. As surprising as this may sound to non-New Yorkers, neither of us 4 have ever walked across before. It was very relaxing...even despite the heat that day. But please bring a lot of water (one bottle isn't enough)! We were all dying of thirst by the time we reached the other end. The walk was actually much faster than we originally anticipated. It took about half an hour to reach the other end. Do keep in mind, we were walking at our slow pace and stopped multiple times to take pictures and stare at the view!
Other than going out with the besties, I was also able to finally go to Dorney Park with my mom and brother. Times like this where I wish I had more courage to go on the 'fun' rides. Perhaps if I was with a group of friends who were also going on the roller coasters. By myself? Never! heh Instead, my brother and I spent most of the day in the water park area and boy did I get tanned. Sad to admit but I nearly drowned twice and even caused a big accident (my glasses had to be searched for...that's all I'm going to say) at one of the water slides. Oh, the troubles of not knowing how to swim and being afraid to stick my head in the water. I shall conquer my water fear...next summer! xD
MmmM! The yummy goodness~
My fave steamed rice noodle wrapped around donut(?) - 油條 (youtiao)!! Actually, this particular one was not so good...it wasn't crunchy enough!
The whole summer I was trying hard to curb my eating habits but sometimes when you're out...having a refreshing tea drink isn't too bad right?
Paris Baguette goodies
I think this was the Fruit Green Tea Cup Patbingsoo (팥빙수) & Berry Ade.
I really loved the Patbingsoo! I only wished I was eating it there with friends because even the cup size was too big for me to eat alone. Definitely a sharing food!
The Berry Ade, on the other hand, was just so-so for me. It tasted a lot like Sprite with a hint of berry. Perhaps they were just light-handed on the berry syrup?
Just like in June, I had a big cooking adventure. There were some big failures and great successes!
Curry ddeokboki & Kimchi Fried Rice (김치볶음밥)
I cheated and used a pre-made curry but it tasted pretty good nonetheless!
Fried rice, though, was amazing. (The photo is the first time I made the rice.) I don't know what I did differently the second time around but it did not taste right at all...*sigh* Just when my confidence in cooking was high!
The other fail dish: MacNCheese (left photo) & The more successful second attempt (right photo). Thank goodness it wasn't bad too since I made a big batch of the second one for both my brother and I. If it was terrible I'd either have to eat it all myself or it would go to waste...
The photo does all the talking no? It is easy to tell how bad the first attempt was just by looking!
The only baking I did was for a house party my family had in July. I love cheesecake! So I decided to give it a try and make it myself. After searching a dozen...or two...recipes I was surprised by how much cream cheese was used but it came out alright. I shall try a different recipe next time though! Anyone have one to share?
My other summer project: gardening. Well, to be exact...my mom put everything into pots and I just watered them every day. heh! Is it weird if I thought the lettuce seedlings were cute?
I couldn't believe how fast my lettuce plants grew, only been about a month!
Tomatoes...felt like it took forever to grow! Close to 2 maybe even 3 months? Some of the cherry tomatoes finally ripened. Perfect time for me to try cherry tomatoes (I've never had them before...) The iPhone's camera quality really surprises me when I get photos like these!
As for what I did the rest of my summer...
Watched the Olympics & Went to work
I quite literally woke up and caught the Olympics and went to sleep watching it as well!
Work is a whole 'nother story that is too long and complicated to share here. Let's just say there was a lot of stress and the first couple of days I felt like I was going to go crazy from all the pressure. Retail at a big store is scary...
Gave DIY bracelets a go
Made sure I used all my beauty products more than I did the last summer
And of course went shopping! center
The dress I wish I bought from Forever21.
The trench coat that I've been eyeing from Uniqlo and bought a couple of days ago because it finally went on sale!
The outfit I wore (sans the pants...decided to wear something less skin hugging) to my job interview.
The booties I tried and decided was too much for me to handle right now (still need more practice walking in heels first!) &
The wedged sneakers from Steve Madden that I just couldn't pass up on!!
I literally saw these Olympiaa photos on Pinterest the night earlier and thought wow! it looks so close to the (way too expensive for me) Ash wedged sneakers. The next day Bestie C and I went to walk around 34th Street after class and I suggested to go into the store to ONLY try on the shoe to see if it'll fit me. Then I was completely suckered in by how comfortable they were despite being heeled shoes. Yet that wasn't the final kicker that made me purchase these...Steve Madden had a Scratch-off promo going on and I got a $20 off! The shoes are still much more expensive than I normally buy but from $99.95 to $79.95...it's probably the best price I can get them for before they go on sale and run out of my size completely (or perhaps I'm just trying to make myself feel better for buying expensive shoes in general ha!).
So that was my July & August for you! How were your summers?
Classes started last Monday. Hopefully, I won't be too caught up by school work that I ignore the blog again! Please don't get mad if that does happen :X
