A beautiful day should not be wasted

The weather has been glorious in the Bay Area these past few weeks. Sunny, blue skies in the middle of winter! It feels like the beginning of Spring and it makes me so happy. I love feeling the sun cast its warmth on my face as I drive with the sunroof open. I love running-friendly weather. I love not feeling lethargic and hibernating to avoid the cold for the rest of winter.

On this particular weekend, wanting to take advantage of the gorgeous weather before it goes away, I went on a mini-road trip to Antioch for a hike with my college roommates--Amy, Kathy, and Anne. Anne, who is from Antioch, recommended a hike through Black Diamond Mines Regional Park to explore the salt mines. Apparently, Anne was once employed there as a tour guide! Who knew we had an expert on salt mines in our midst!

Black Diamond Park was once a bustling salt/coal mining town in the mid-19th century before that industry died out. Today, it is transformed into a large nature preserve. Driving into the park on the twisting roads alongside mountainsides sprouting with fresh greenery, wild cattle, and old farm houses was too picturesque not for us to stop on the side of the road to admire.

   

Remnants of the coal mining past is still intact, such as this huge pile of dirt with coal pieces still left in the ground. Kathy actually wanted to collect some to put in a baggy for memory's sake (we're nerds, okay!), but Anne said that this place is cursed (?!) and that we shouldn't because it would only bring bad luck. She said that she once found an old button, decided to keep it, and bad luck came to her. May not be true, but considering that this land once belonged to Indians and that men died in coal mining disasters on this very land. Yeah... no, not risking it no matter how nerdy we are.

Sifting for coal pieces

Coal pieces

On that morbid note, we also hiked up a small hill to visit Rose Hill Cemetery, a Protestant resting place for those who once lived in the mining town. Sadly, we saw a lot of infant tombstones. This one here is the resting spot for three infants, all aged no more than a year old when they died.

 

The cemetery was small and oddly peaceful. Usually, cemeteries freak me out, but not this one. It was so pretty that we decided to settle there for lunch.

Anne made delicious Turkey guacamole sandwiches!

The hike through the park was spectacular. Varied terrain and beautiful scenery.

 

Our main goal of the day was to explore the salt mines. Unfortunately on that day, the mines were closed. But honestly, we were so tired after the hike that we didn't care if we got to see the mines (and it kinda smelled like urine).

 

SO...no mines. No loss though. The weather was impossibly perfect. We got to hike through picturesque mountainsides while gasping for air between strenuous inclines and (mostly) laugh attacks. It's beautiful days like these that I live for, especially in the company of good friends.

I will always have Berkeley

Driving into Berkeley always puts me into a nostalgic mood. You know you're in Berkeley the moment you get off the freeway. There's a uniqueness to the city that hits you right away--be it the Welcome to Berkeley  "nuclear-free zone" sign, the smell, or the counter-cultural scenes on Telegraph. There is just so much character and interesting history packed in this dense, urban city. I miss it so much. I miss walking the streets, running around Northside on those breezy Spring weekends, and eating at the plethora of affordable and delicious restaurants. And...I miss waking up to the music of the Companile bells, a daily reminder of my good fortune to live in this wonderful city.

Pattaya Thai Cuisine

I am always on the lookout for good Thai restaurants. They are hard to come by in San Jose, which is more of a chain restaurant type of city. Luckily, I work around the Mountain View/Sunnyvale/Palo Alto area, where there is a wide variety of ethnic restaurants. Not the typical Vietnamese/Mexican places you would find in San Jose, but there are actually quite a lot of Indian, Korean, and some Middle Eastern places to eat--all of which I plan to sample in the coming year I am there.

Today, I had the fortunate opportunity of eating at Pattaya Thai Cuisine with my coworker. At first glance, it's not quite the place that would attract you inside. It is located (attached?) to a bowling alley and when we arrived around lunch time, the parking lot was empty. This was not a good sign, considering all the office buildings in the surrounding area. When we stepped inside, the first thing you notice isn't the bright red/gold decor but rather, the musky stench old sneakers. My coworker commented, "Well, it smells like a bowling alley." Aside from us, there was only one other table seated with customers. Normally, these first impression assessments correlate with food quality, but I was really surprised by the delicious food they served.

Before our food came out, we were served a small bowl of soup. I don't know exactly what type of Thai soup this was, but it was SO INCREDIBLY GOOD. It had a bit of a curry taste to it, but also gave the mild impression of a sweet/sour soup. I can't define what it was because it was such an unusual combination of flavors, but my gosh. It was one of the best new foods I've eaten in a long time.

My main dish was pineapple fried rice. The serving size was huge, definitely a family size dish. I've only had good pineapple fried rice at Thai House in Berkeley and this rivals it. This version was a bit different. It was sweeter and I would have preferred if it was a bit spicy, but that's just me. I eat Sriracha sauce with just about anything, so my tastebuds are somewhat flawed in that respect. I finished eating the leftovers just right now, scarfing the whole thing down. Still good.

The best part? Pattaya is only a two minute drive from my office. Though a bit pricier than I'm used to paying for Thai food, this place will definitely become a go-to spot whenever those Thai food cravings come about.

Pattaya Thai Cuisine
4329 El Camino Real 
Palo Alto, CA 94306