Holiday

It was the final week of Li-Ann's parents' holiday here. On the weekend, we attended her cousin's wedding in Markham, about 2.5 hours drive from us. Well, actually, she's Li-Ann's niece although we're younger than her. It was our first time being served tea at the tea ceremony. The night before the wedding, there were plenty of delicious hakka cuisine, all cooked by her mum. Congratulations Eve and Bernard on your wedding! And thank you and your family for the warm hospitality.

The next day we left for the Billy Bishop Toronto City airport to catch our flight to New York. Boy, was it a stressful event. We did not expect the Toronto traffic to be so bad. What was meant to be a 45 minute journey took us nearly 1.5 hours and we got to the check-in counter 15 minutes before the flight departure! The check-in staff were not happy and we pleaded and pleaded. Even though they checked us in, it was still not guaranteed that we would be flying as we still had to catch the plane before it flies! Anyway, we rushed through all the security procedures and just made it before take-off. My heart rate probably stayed high for at least the first half of the flight!

We stayed with another one of Li-Ann's cousins in New Jersey. Having a big family has it's perks as you are bound to have someone, somewhere! Her cousin in law is a chef and we were welcomed by a delicious Taiwanese style steamboat with geoduck and sliced kobe beef!

The next 2 days were spent visiting New York city. It's such a busy city and luckily we had Li-Ann's cousin to bring us around. It was great weather, cool with sunny skies. We managed to watch Mama Mia on broadway - it was a fantastic performance and it was difficult to resist dancing to the show.

The bomber sandwich at the local diner - pork sausage, ham, bacon, two eggs, hash brown and cheese - all in one sandwich!

9/11 memorial - this is one of the pools where one of the twin towers was originally built. It was an eerie feeling thinking how the water fall represents the fallen souls on that tragic day.

Empire state building at the Rockefeller Plaza. We didn't go up the building. It was US$50 per person and there was such a long queue.

Time Square. It was the opening night of the opera, so the roads were closed off to lay out chairs to air the opera to the public, we watch the same show as those inside - free of charge! Can't say I'm an opera fan though. I found myself walking away to the nearby shops after 10 minutes!

On the ferry to the Statue of Liberty island. Because of hurricane Sandy, the port had to be rebuilt and Ellis Island, was closed due to damage

Aih... posing fail, crooked arm! And, what a sunny day! My lips cracked and my sun burnt for that day.

The final day of my trip was at Atlantic City. Li-Ann's cousin is a member and put us up in a really nice and luxurious suite at Borgata Hotel. As it was a weeknight, it was pretty quiet at the casino. I returned to London early as I had to work. Li-Ann stayed with her parents for a trip to Washington DC for a couple more days.

Big thank you to Li-Ann's cousin and cousin-in-law for the warm hospitality and taking us around. We truly enjoyed our trip!

I came down with a bit of a cold and sore throat from the travelling. It's ironic how my body can tolerate hours and miles of training but struggle with the late nights and rich food while travelling. Resting lots and taking my meds now and hope to recover soon. In a way, it is off season from my racing and this is the first time I've been sick all year. So I'm counting my blessings!