It was a weekend when we landed in San Mateo, California. Our team's activity plan was as usual - to eat and to shop (sounds familiar? 😂). Whenever the team is out in the US, it's always a tradition to go to Outlets to check out the stores because we all well know how the branded items are a lot cheaper in the US compared to those on sale in the Philippines.
We started our day at this nice breakfast restaurant aptly named A Good Morning Cafe. :D
Then we went to Gilroy (again) for shopping!
I tried to check out some of the items in the stores. I was able to get something for my parents. Honestly I didn't really enjoy shopping here (even during the previous year) because I'm not into branded items that much. Initially I did not appreciate the price difference compared to that in my country because I didn't have an idea. Well things changed a bit during this trip. The game changer? Sports/outdoor outfits! Some brands (such as Columbia and North Face) cost way cheaper here! I bought my violet fleece jacket (which has become by go-to jacket for cold weathers - you'll see me wearing that on future travel posts!) and gloves here, as preparation for our Mt. Pulag escapade. Aside from that, I also bought some work-out clothes.
After the shopping, we ate at US' infamous In-N-Out fast food chain. Is it comparable to our Jollibee here in the Philippines (based on popularity)? 😛
I cannot remember much of what we did for the rest of the day - I think our shopping lasted for the whole day? Then dinner time, we met up with another teammate to eat at a shabu-shabu place named Little Sheep Mongolian Hotpot. Our boss said this place was popular - and sure it was because it was packed that night. Good thing we were able to get a table without waiting that long.
After that meal you'd think we're full already? Nah, we still had room for dessert!
We searched for nearby dessert stores via an app (Yelp, if I remember correctly). That's how we found CREAM (Cookies Rule Everything Around Me).
Their ice cream was soooo good! Everyone of us liked it, especially their ice cream sandwich. They serve the cookie warm and it perfectly matches with the cool ice cream! Yum!
That's how our first day went basically, just chillin and relaxing, while our bodies are still adjusting to the place's new timezone (a.k.a. jetlag). For this trip, I shared a room with a teammate. That was a good thing because I was a bit uncomfortable being alone in the hotel room last time. 😅 Also, I remember during this trip I went alone at night to Target a few times to buy some grocery stuff. It was a 5-minute walk from the hotel anyway but I realized it was still a bit scary. Our hotel was in the middle of high-ways and I had to cross major roads and shady sidewalks to get to the store. Also, not much people (or cars) pass by so I was literally alone walking. Good thing my walks left me unscathed. It was always near closing time when I went there so I just walked briskly to my destination so I could still make it within their time.
More of my adventures (jogging and going around San Fransisco) on the next posts! 👍
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