Who would say no to an adventure of exploring new places which were just few miles away from where you at?

After a business appointment in one of the places in San Francisco we drove up ourselves to visit some of the closest attractive spots that we saw on our way. From a further view, we saw a tower prominently standing on the hills of the city, The Sutro Tower featured itself in the foggy skyline, it’s one of the city’s landmark.

We have seen this view in some famous movies and that is what made us eager to take a closer look and see it in reality. We had to park on the last street where the last home is and walked up hoping to get some beautiful views and that made us have a good walking adventure. It was a perfect cool sunny day near noon time when we reached the tower, the cold breeze blew constantly from the tall trees and wild flowers bloomed silently in the corner of tall grasses.

The sky started to clear as the day progressed and it made us saw the tower standing in the clear sky in stripes of red color and white. The surroundings of the tower was clean, peaceful, quiet and a pet friendly environment. There were big logs on the side-walks which I suppose were benches to rest upon.We walked around the place to explore some interesting things this place offered and as we walked a bit further we have discovered a view of a small water reservoir lying in few meters away down the lower hill. The water showed the reflection of the clear sky and sparkled with the sun’s heat, it was indeed very refreshing view. During our walk we saw beautiful sights of the city but it was not a full view of the entire city because there were some trees and houses blocking the view.  And from where we were, we saw cars passing the roads on the other hill close by and we thought of going there too with hopes to see a better view of the entire city. We headed where those cars where going and we saw a lot of people who were walking along the road uphill and taking pictures while enjoying the very nice view, it was for sure the perfect location for the view that we were looking for the whole city.

A very scenic and picturesque view of San Francisco, peaceful and lovely. It was sunny and windy, just so perfect to enjoy the moment of peace and beauty of the place. The Twin Peaks of San Francisco is one of the must visit destination for tourists or locals within the city, best for family or friends outdoor adventure exploration that could be a perfect place for dating couples.

It was my first time to visit these places and I will forever be thankful to God for giving me this opportunity to see all these wonders. Times like this will always be memorable to me.

Is it just me or would this be a place you would visit if you haven’t? I for sure will visit The Twin Peaks again when I get the chance.

 

 

Field of Sunflowers in Davis California

             I am a huge lover of flowers and that Flower Farm had always been one of my dream bucket list place to go to. This past week we went to Sacramento and while on our way, passing by the roads of Davis we saw a beautiful blooming field of sunflowers. I felt so amazed with the stunning yellow colors brightly shining under the sun’s heat in the widest field. My husband knew how I loved flowers so to satisfy my excitement he explored the road and drove into a rocky trail going to the field. We passed through a train railroad and in a few more distance there was an open gate with a sign board saying “Private, No Trespassing”.

            To my surprise, without hesitation my husband just continued driving breaking in into the property closer to the field of flowers.            I saw the charming scenery of the field just a few steps away from where we parked. I had the spark of joy that delighted my eyes when I saw the blooming field of bright yellow shades from the big flowers.

            It was amazing to see how these flowers grew together so tall and bloom as big as they can in a very hot season. It was noon time, a perfect timing of summer which I believed was the sunflower’s fullest peak blossom. It stood high and swayed with the blowing wind. I had the urge and excitement to see the flowers up close but I was reluctant to do so because of the bees that were swarming around, here I realized that bees were very common to sunflower farms. Though I was hesitant I still took my steps towards the flowers and with my very supportive husband he guided me to get so close to a single flower.

             It was my first time to have seen how big sunflowers can grow and measure how tall its stems could reach. It was simply a wonderful experience, we had fun taking some videos and photographs and enjoyed watching the bees that buzzed around each flower.

It was a hot day but indeed a very worth the risk experience.

            Though being mindful that we had just taken the chance of breaking in into the private property, we allowed ourselves to enjoy together the lovely moment of being in a very beautiful place like this. My happiness to achieve one of my dream bucket list was fulfilled by my loving husband and it was a very memorable moment for the two of us together that will surely last a lifetime.

            If you are looking for some outdoor adventure, why not try to visit such a lovely place of flower farms like a sunflower field. It’s one way to take a break from the normal routine and usual environment. A great walk along the beautiful flowers will relax your mind and it’s a fun way to at least enjoy a moment of peace and appreciate nature’s beauty.

Have you been in a flower farm or flower field and had the same experience or experience more fun than we did? Let us know where, we would appreciate to hear the story of your experience.

My K1 Visa Application: October 2016

Stey-by-step Process Experience

A fiancé visa is considered a K1 nonimmigrant visa type but in some cases, it can be considered as an immigrant type in some steps of the process. For instance, on the day of your interview appointment at the consulate you’ll be asked to fall in line to the immigrant area when you are a k1 applicant and separated from the nonimmigrant visa type applicants. It is important to have an overview of the visa type you want to apply to and know the first steps to take and what goes through after each process. Upon doing some research we found the U.S Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs website travel.state.gov, typed in fiancé and directed us to the information we needed.

The first step is filing the petition; As a U.S citizen sponsor/petitioner, N as my fiancé filled up the form I-129F Petition for an Alien Fiance from the website of U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services www.uscis.gov which where you’ll be directed by the first website when you clicked into that form.

REMEMBER: Download all the forms from the USCIS website because all the forms were updated per year and this is the legal website that contains all the necessary information for all U.S visa type application.

Before filing the petition, we have completed the required documents such as: individual form G-325A Biographic Information, form G-1145 E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, individual photographs, a copy of my fiance’s proof of citizenship, individual letter or original statement of intent to marry and photos as proof that we have met in person within 2 years before filing the form.

There are other requirements that applies to different case as fiancé so be sure to read the special instructions on how to fill up the form and important details available on the website. With these requirements, he filed the form together with the filing fee to USCIS and we waited for the approval of our petition and it took more than 2 weeks until we received our I-797 Notice of Action/Approval Notice, Nov.02,2016.

From the USCIS I-797 approval notice we received, we tracked our petition application status through USCIS website https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do using the provided receipt number. Our approved petition from USCIS was then sent to the National Visa Center (NVC). Exactly a month after, Dec.02,2016 we received a letter from the National Visa Center that they have received our petition from USCIS and stated that they will now forward our petition to the U.S embassy or consulate in Manila and the process will take several weeks.

Based to the NVC letter we received, NVC will send an email to me as the fiancé to inform me of the specific requirements I should prepare before scheduling an appointment of interview that would also mean that the consulate in Manila has already received our petition. But weeks have passed and I never received an email. However, as we tracked our case status online from the USCIS website we knew that the consulate in Manila already got our petition so I started to comply with the specific requirements for the interview. The required documentation is also enumerated from the website http://nvc.state.gov/k1

The second step is applying for a visa; I, the applicant and fiancé of a U.S citizen have process all the required documentation before the interview. While I am processing all the requirements I have called through their call center to set a schedule for appointment interview. The requirements I needed before scheduling an appointment is just the same with the first steps of application I made when I applied for a tourist visa before.  I paid the K1 visa fee to the BPI bank and filed the DS-160 form online. It was December 15, 2016 that I received my interview appointment confirmation through email scheduled on December 22,2016 at 7:30 a.m. Note that scheduling an appointment can also be done online, you can choose of whatever option that is more convenient for you.

*Required Documentation before the interview:

1. Passport valid for travel- make sure that its not yet expired and valid at least six months or more of your intended period of stay in U.S. I checked mine and its still valid until year 2019.

2. Completed form DS-160 and Confirmation Page print out- After submission of the form online I printed the copy of the confirmation page and kept it for the day of my interview.

3. Divorce/Death Certificate- this is if you or your fiancé/sponsor got any previous marriages before so this does not apply to us.

4. Police Certificate- To make sure of what to bring I applied for two certificates, NBI clearance certificate and Police Clearance Certificate.

5. Evidence of Relationship- this includes photos of us together on scrapbooks and albums, letters, emails, messages on messenger (the usual means of our conversation), summary of bank accounts where he used to send me money, receipts of our travel together, invoices of our online mobile balances we spent talking by phone, receipts of the packages we received from each other and all the proof of evidences I could provide I prepared it in case.

6. Evidence of financial support-  all the required documents were done by my fiancé and he sent me copies of it so I can bring it to the interview as proof of evidence that he can support me financially when I arrive in U.S.

He filled up the latest version of form I-134 Affidavit of Support from the website www.uscis.gov and send me a copy of it for my records. Aside from I-134 form he also sent me copies of his bank statement of account with deposits, his recent filed Income Tax Return, W-2 form and recent pay stubs from his employer.

REMEMBER: Keep your copy of the Affidavit of Support for it will be included to the documents that the U.S immigration requires upon arrival and entry.

7. Medical Examination-  full details are stated in the official website of USCIS travel.state.gov and St.Luke’s Medical Center Extension Clinic website http://www.slec.ph/us-visa-applicants.shtml.

As a K1 visa applicant I got my checklist of the requirements prior to my medical examination from the official website of St.Luke’s. First step I made was to register online on the same website. I completed the registration with the following information: Case information (details can be found on the NVC letter we received after our petition approval from USCIS), my detail information as the applicant and my petitioner’s information or my fiancé’s information. I printed out the copy of my online registration confirmation form as it was one of the requirements for my medical exam.

Next step was to complete the other requirements and provide photocopies for each of them. These are the following: valid passport, copy of passport biographic data page, letter with case number (from NVC letter), interview appointment confirmation from U.S embassy and 4 pcs. Recent 2x2 visa photo’s.

REMEMBER: There are additional other instructions which apply for a different K1 visa applicant case like for example applicants applying with their kids as their derivative or applicants with previous marriages. There are also more additional documents that you may bring on the day of your medical exam if its available and applicable for your case. Make sure to read all necessary information and instruction on the website for your complete requirements. This blog is for the requirements and procedures of a k1 visa applicant only without any derivative or kids.

After completing all the processes in the medical examination for 2 consecutive days, with my passport and the receipt that St.Luke's Clinic provided, I claimed the sealed envelope packet that contains my medical examination records which I presented to the consulate officer on the day of my interview.

8. Passport Photos (2 pcs. 2x2 photographs)

9. Payment Fees

December 22,2016 at 7:30 a.m, Interview Day
With my ever supportive Mama, we traveled early in the morning going to the U.S Embassy for my interview. I brought all the required documents with me compiled in a clear book, well organized to ensure that I have all the necessary documents and proofs that the consulate might ask.

It was a consulate officer who was a foreign white young man with very decent look who called me in the line for my actual interview.  He greeted me politely, asked for all the necessary documents and some questions about my fiance and a little background of our love story. With all those simple questions, he continued checking my documents and after he had done through all of it, he finally congratulated me for being approved with my K1 visa application. He then informed me that my visa will be sent directly to my given address for 10 working days.

I got so happy that after 3 months of preparing and processing all the documents, it was all worth it.

Before the year of 2016 ended, I have received the packet from U.S Embassy which contains my passport with the visa and the sealed packet of my documents and my medical records.

 

Romblon, Philippines

Located in the heart of the Philippines lies the marble island of the country, the beautiful islands of Romblon. The 3 main islands that makes up the province are named Tablas, Sibuyan and Romblon. Separated and surrounded by the blue waters of the sea, these islands are abundant with the best of nature from the beautiful white sand beaches to the clean wonderful waterfalls, untouched small islands with uncrowded resorts and a lot more tourist destinations.

I am a proud Romblomanon, born and raised in the capital of the province, Romblon, Romblon. With my family, blessed and know how lucky we are to have seen the wonders of these islands. Island hopping adventure was one of our hobbies especially going through a motorcycle island tour. These are compiled stories of adventure that will navigate you to the unspoiled wonders and undiscovered treasures of this small island, Romblon.

ROMBLON, ROMBLON

Considered to be the marble island of the country; this island contains the main product that the whole province is known for. The island is rich with Marble Stone in which the people or the locals earn their way of living. The marble stone gets handcrafted or machine processed and are then sent to businesses to different parts of the country and even exported by some locals to different parts of the world.

Romblon, Romblon is not only about marble stone, you can also find fine white sand beaches in the main island to the small islands that surrounded it. Some islands are uninhabited and some are uncrowded which are inhabited only by few local people and are very attractive for tourists and island adventurers. . There are 3 small isolated islands in Romblon,Romblon, these are the virgin islands of Logbon, Alad and Cobrador.

Few kilometers from the main town of the island is the place called Brgy. Lonos, where my family’s residence is and where you can find the white beaches that are considered as the 2 main attractions or tourist destinations of Romblon,Romblon. You can walk in a long white sand bar of Bonbon Beach, a very peaceful place to relax and  where you can be one with nature. But if you would want to stay in a resort and experience the same, you can visit Tiamban Beach Resort located just few steps away from Bonbon Beach.

The white sand beach of Tiamban Resort in Brgy. Lonos, Romblon,Romblon

SIBUYAN, ROMBLON

Almost 37 kilometers away or two hours travel by boat or RoRo ship from Romblon,Romblon is the Island of Sibuyan. Considered as the “Galapagos Island of Asia”, the smallest among the three islands that consist the province of Romblon.  Different from the island of Romblon, Sibuyan was not known by its beaches but by the numerous beautiful waterfalls, clean rivers and is the most visited by hikers to explore the Mountain of Guiting-Guiting. These are the main attractions that can be visited by anyone who seeks adventure in the deep forest of the island.

View of Mount Guiting-Guiting, Uphill of Sanctuary Garden Resort in Magdiwang, Sibuyan Romblon

When we visited Sibuyan, we stayed for 2 days in 2 different places but both were owned by my Papa’s friends, private residence in Brgy.Magdiwang and in Sanctuary Garden Resort.  We Packed all the things we needed such as bag of clothes, snacks, water, hat and sun glasses, My brother and I took the challenge to visit each and every falls that Sibuyan offers. We traveled by a motorcycle to reach each location, hiked through the woods of the forest, followed the path of the river until we reached and witnessed the unique beauty of each falls. The long journey going through the forest, rocks and difficult narrow trails were all worth it when we reached the very end. We were amazed how pure and clean the water is, flowing down the falls going through the river.

Lambingan Falls in Magdiwang, Sibuyan Romblon

Bila Bila Falls- 3rd level in Cajidiocan, Sibuyan, Romblon

Cantingas River in San Fernando, Sibuyan Romblon

Due to a very limited time we missed to visit some of the places but the experience was great and very memorable.

TABLAS,ROMBLON

Facing the island of Romblon,Romblon, 5.6 kilometers away and an hour travel by boat or Roro ship from the capital, you will reach the island of Tablas. The largest among the three island of Romblon is Tablas Island, where you can find the only airport in the province, Tugdan Airport located in the locality of Alcantara. Tablas is also the closest island to Boracay, which is the most popular Philippines tourists destination. Though it’s the biggest island, there are only few resorts that are known to people there like Tablas Point Resort in Sta.Fe, Villa M. Exclusive Resort in Looc and Cummings Highlands Accommodation. Tourists destination here also include Looc Bay Marine Refuge Sanctuary- which are fish sanctuary treasured by the locals of Looc, the Groto de Banloc and the lights of Bantigue Resort  located in the same  locality.

Beautiful sunset setting off at Tablas Island, Romblon

My father and I visited Tablas for an island tour, it took us almost 5 hours to tour the whole island by the motorcycle and few minutes of stop over in a store to grab a drink and food. We passed through concrete roads and rough roads along the way and most of it were near a cliff or near the bay looking over the wide ocean of Tablas Strait. The island has rivers too but it was not as many as what Sibuyan island has. Some rivers here are wide that we have to passed through bridges to cross some roads.

 

 

Monte Rio

It was a nice hot sunny day and we were going to spend it like any other day, as simple as it could be; stay at home. In the middle of our morning routine, my husband’s cousin calls him to invite us to spend the day somewhere. It was a spontaneous trip to East of Monte Rio.. We took an hour and a half road trip ride to reach Monte Rio Recreation and Park District located below a bridge right after we pass the Rio Theater in the town of Monte Rio California.

It was the natural tranquility of nature that brought this place so perfect to relax and enjoy for families like us. We got very excited when we reached the place and saw the sparkling water from the flowing river. What’s best here is that there is NO entrance fee for visitors or tourists which brings a lot of people to come to enjoy the serenity of the place for free. We were able to bring our own stuff like food,umbrella and a tent. We arrived there around 9 A.M, by that time you could already see people enjoying their time with their families and dogs too. Yes, that’s right! it’s a dog-friendly-beach unlike other beaches but unfortunately we were unaware of that because we had deliberately left our dog Rio at home and we wished we had brought him along with us.

Russian River as it is named is scattered with small pebbles mixed with sand, It felt more like as if we were at the beach and like the usual beach there was strong cool wind that was blowing from the trees that were surrounding it. The river was very appealing with its sparkling flowing water that I had to restrain myself from diving into it to feel its cleanliness and coldness right on my skin because before we could do anything else, we had to find a nice spot to settle in. We decided to start grilling what we had brought to eat first while enjoying the calmness of the river and shared some laughs with everybody in the family. After getting full from a very delicious barbecue lunch we jumped off to the water, swam into the shallow part of the river and enjoyed the massage effect of the flowing water.

 

While we were in the water, groups of people passed by with kayaks, canoes, paddle board and lifebuoy heading downstream and into the deepest part of the river. It looked fun so we swam ashore and went to discover how to get one for ourselves. We found out that all those were for rent in different rates, one of us had to surrender an I.D before we could get hold of one. We ended up getting a lifebuoy, a kayak and a canoe and paid the renting fees for each of $35 a day which included life jackets too. We had to be extra cautious though because there is NO lifeguards or any patrolling guard around the area to check for everyone especially for those who are in the water, so we had to keep a close eye on the kids. We had a fantastic time paddling through the current of the river going downstream but struggled against it coming upstream. We explored much of the river’s wonders and its beauty was breathtaking.

It was indeed a fun and memorable family get-away experience, a spontaneous trip becomes very special because it is never planned and you never know what type of adventures you will encounter. Moments like this is what we live for and it is essential to appreciate what life offers us and live it to the fullest..