Hello! It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I hope everyone is enjoying themselves and gearing up for the 4th of July weekend. Before things get busier, I wanted to give you guys a quick recap of my trip down to Cabo San Lucas this past week with Nancy.

It was really nice to escape the working world for a few days and celebrate us just living life together. We booked our flight + hotel via Expedia and dare I say got a good deal. I guess the trick was to go during the week and even book last minute like we did :).

We stayed at the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf and Spa Resort, which is about a 40-minute ride from the Los Cabos Airport and less than 10 minutes from Downtown Cabo. We got round-trip shuttle service via Cabo San Lucas Tours website, which took us from the airport to the hotel and back. You can also book activities through them.

Here’s a few shots we took while hanging out at the resort:

This was my first time to Cabo and pretty much staying at a resort. It’s safe to say you’ll have plenty to do on the actual premise of the hotel, and most outdoor activities are only a few minutes away (like zip-lining, as you’ll see later in this post). The service was absolutely top-notch at the Sheraton. They have everything you need: spa, pool, several restaurants, and just a lot of real estate for you to relax.

My only gripe about the place was that there was no WIFI in the room and you have to pay for the internet service via an Ethernet cable. They do have a WIFI area with public computers in the lobby, where the first 30 minutes each day is free. Afterward, you have to pay to go online. Cellular service (at least on AT&T) was spotty throughout the resort. But that might be a good thing since you’re on vacation and don’t want to be distracted/bothered by e-mails/phone calls :). I can’t speak for other resorts yet, but if you’re looking to consider one, I definitely recommend the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar!

Since we went during the week and I think things were already a bit slow with people not vacationing as much, Nancy and I felt like we had the entire resort to ourselves. So it was really nice to not have to wait in line, make reservations, or share the commons with other guests (not that I don’t like to share :P). We hung out by the pool, walked around the entire resort, ate at a few of the restaurants as well as on the beach, did a spa, and I managed to squeeze in a haircut as well :).

E-session time! Just kidding :). And yes, my Version 1 Boda Bag is on its last leg, but I still like it more than any other camera bag (especially for travel).

We also took a cab to Downtown Cabo two of the days we were there. Nancy recommended we eat at Cabo Wabo Restaurant. The next evening, we tried out Ole Ole Restaurant, which was right in Marina Los Cabos.

We also checked out what looked like the hottest club in Cabo, Pink Kitty. If you ever want to get in for free, go on a Wednesday night at 9PM, or go with a girl :P. And if you’re a girl, you’ll get free drinks. It was laaaaadies night!

Here’s the marina area at night (obviously :P):

Random photos from the point-and-shoot camera; from top-left going CW: dinner at Ole Ole Restaurant, dinner at De Cortez Grill and Restaurant, our room at the resort, and a view of the beach/pool.

Last but not least, and to the chagrin of my mother (who’ll most likely be the first person to read this), here are some photos and video of us zip-lining at Wild Canyon. This place wasn’t too far from our resort, about a 15-minute drive. You just call them up, tell them where you’re staying, when you’d like to do the activities, how many guests, and they’ll take care of the rest.

Here’s a quick video recap of us trying to be hardcore…

Zip-ling In Cabo San Lucas – 6/22/10 from Henry Chen Photography on Vimeo.

In the words of Nancy, “Henry, you’re sweating!” And as I’d like to think to myself, “No beeeeep Nancy! It’s like 90 degrees and we’re walking up a bloody canyon!” Just kidding. It was a bit hot and the more water you drank (which you should of course), the more you ended up sweating. And boy was I sweating like a pig, as evident in the video.

It was lots of fun and a great workout. You spend over 3 hours in the canyon, of which 90% of the time was walking/waiting and 10% actually zip-lining. I definitely recommend trying it out if you haven’t yet. Just remember to cross your legs, put all the weight on the harness, and turn your hands side-to-side to break.

Well, that does it on the recap. Back to the wedding world I go. If you’re interested in going to Cabo and have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I’m definitely no expert or experienced traveler to Los Cabos, but might be able to provide a tip or two :). Adios for now!

Wow what a FUN, FUN, FUN night! Just a few hours ago, Nancy and I threw Ace (the real love of her life :P) his first birthday party. We invited a few friends who also have their own dog(s). All the little ones were so adorable and got along with each other so well! We played a few dog games and had treats for them all, including a birthday cake for the birthday boy Ace!

Thanks to those that attended: Trini, Gary, and their dogs Bella and Rocky; Jenny, Joe, and their dogs Moochi (sp?) and Cotton; Sharlene, John, and their dog Bailey; as well as a few other friends who made it but without a four-legged friend: Will, Mark, Stephanie, Morgan, and even our parents!

Check these video clips of Ace and the gang having a good time. Warning, there might be a lot of awwwing and more awwwing after seeing these ooberly cute friends!

Ace’s 1st Birthday Party – Part 1 from Henry Chen Photography on Vimeo.

Ace’s 1st Birthday Party – Part 2 from Henry Chen Photography on Vimeo.

I just wanted to give a big shout out and thank you to the owner of the place we stayed at while in Pretoria, South Africa for Vasti and Pieter’s wedding. Her name is Beatrix van de Merwe and she’s the kind, thoughtful, and super sweet owner of LynnRidge Guesthouse. It’s a bed and breakfast place suited for families, individuals, and couples.

The food was delicious at the guesthouse but what I really liked about the place was Beatrix herself. She was always there in the morning to greet us for breakfast and just knew what we needed before we even asked. If you’re ever thinking about going to South Africa, particularly Pretoria, then I HIGHLY recommend you staying at LynnRidge Guesthouse. Hopefully the video and photos will convince you of how much Nancy and I enjoyed staying there.

South Africa Trip Part 5 – 12/15/09 from Henry Chen Photography on Vimeo.

Here’s Beatrix’s contact info:

LynnRidge Guesthouse
Patula 293
Lynnwood Ridge
Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

Contact: Beatrix van de Merwe
Local Tel: 012-3480816 (office)
INT Tel: +27-12-3480816 (office)
Local Fax: 012-3483499
INT Fax: +27-12-3483499
Cell: 082-8528415

Here are a few interior shots of the different rooms Beatrix has to offer. Each one is furnished differently from the rest. Enjoy!

Happy holidays everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas celebration with your loved ones. It’s been really nice having the past few days to relax and catch up on things after being in South Africa for the last two weeks.

I wanted to share a few more photos with you, mainly from our trip out to Sun City, which is about two hours outside of Pretoria/Johannesburg. The place is filled with a safari, man-made water park, casino, games, segway tours, hot air balloon rides, and even a crocodile zoo! Nancy and I got up extra early two Mondays ago (12/14) and caught a taxi ride (shoutout to Trevor our driver and Meline who organized the whole thing for us) out to Sun City.

We were a bit nervous driving there as the weather got really bad, with both rain and thunderstorms hitting us. But things cleared up when we started the safari tour around 8:30AM. Although the day was a bit cloudy and I wished more animals came out, we were glad to just be out and about enjoying the wildlife of South Africa :). We also stopped by the water park (wished I had brought some swimming trunks!). Below are a few videos and photos of the safari/crocodile tours:

South Africa Trip Part 4 – 12/14/09 from Henry Chen Photography on Vimeo.

South Africa Trip Part 4 – 12/14/09 from Henry Chen Photography on Vimeo.

South Africa Trip Part 4 – 12/14/09 from Henry Chen Photography on Vimeo.

We got to see wilderbeests, zeebras, impalas, giraffes, hippos, elephants, rhinos, and even a lion. Unfortunately, most were at a distant, so far that my 70-200mm on a 5DM2 was just not good enough to get a close-up shot of the animals :(. Next time, I’m bringing a teleconverter and a cropped sensor body. Excuse to go back to South Africa and visit the best safari in the country :).

A view of Sun City from afar:

Here’s the entrance to the Valley of the Waves, aka a mini Raging Waters:

And lastly, the crocodile zoo. I forgot the actual name of it (as you might be able to tell from the third video above, I was too distracted being nervous to listen to our tour guide):

There were a few other animals in the zoo. Fortunately, we didn’t run across any snakes. I felt so lucky to go through two weeks without seeing a single one. As some of you might know, I’m TERRIFIED of snakes. More on that later…

And here are a few more photos of our good times in Pretoria/Johannesburg/Sun City from Nancy’s point-and-shoot camera, starting with Vasti and Pieter. They took us to a South African lounge/restaurant called Moyo. The vibe was amazing there, it should definitely be a place you check out if you ever visit SA. We even got our faces painted!

Here’s our safari tour guide named Solly; we loved his insight on the animals but more so his subtle jokes and sarcasm. We learned a few South African terms and gestures, including a “secret” handshake with the locals…ayoba!!!

We also had a chance to try out Wimpy, a fun fast food joint across the major cities in SA. Their morning breakfast burrito was the you know what!

You can’t go two weeks in SA without being hyped up for FIFA World Cup 2010. There were quite a few constructions going on in preparation for the big event next May/June. Oh yeah, we also had a lovely picnic the day before our safari trip in Pretoria.

Lastly, check back again soon for photo and video of the place we stayed at while in Pretoria. Our time in SA can sorta be divided into two parts: Pretoria/Johannesburg and Cape Town/Stellenbosch. This concludes the first part of the trip. But I can’t wait to share with you part two, which consists of the three weddings I second shot with Christine Meintjes. Bye for now!