Davis, my second home

I have been in Malaysia for almost 11 months now. Wow, I did not notice it at all.

It has been almost a year, but I still miss my second home, Davis, a small town in North California.

official logo of Davis (wikipedia)

Maybe for those who are used to living in the city would not like Davis the first time they go there. No malls, no tall buildings, lots of bicycles and not that many cars..the smell of cows..is that a nightmare or what?

cows eating

lembu-lembu kepanasan?

But no, Davis is actually a paradise. Or like I used to describe it--a fantasy town. A perfect world of their own, secluded from the brutal world outside. You know, kinda like Disneyland, but less extreme.

Davis is known to be as an environmental-friendly town, with recycle bins scattered everywhere, people use their bikes as the main transportation, and not that many street lights so that people can enjoy star-gazing at night. And during the spring time, there will be Whole Earth Festival on campus (open for the public, of course), which is fully environmental friendly. Electricity is generated by solar panels, and no plastics/non-biodegradable items are used.

You can find this everywhere

We used to have this in our apartment

This is located on campus

Crafts sold during Whole Earth Festival

Buy your food, pay deposit for the plates/cutleries/cups, and get it back after returning the dishes

Solar panel

A sign during the Whole Earth Festival. Notice the number of bikes

Being a university town, Davis is populated with mostly educated people from different walks of life. A small town full of educated people is really a very welcoming experience. We can express our opinion about sensitive topics and people are open about that. No one is a majority and everyone is so friendly. People at the grocery stores will ask us if we need help getting the stuffs to our car. The lady at the Asian Market asks about the scarfs that we wear. Once, a stranger on campus said hello to me even though I did not know him.

Also being a university town, UC Davis will organize Picnic Day during spring every year. It is like a open day for the university. Picnic Day is the largest event held on campus, and "is believed to be the largest student-run event in the US" (wikipedia). There will be parade, exhibitions, demonstrations, competitions, booths, and performances on this day. I would say it is the most-waited event every year. Students might also see their professors cow-milking on this day.

Parade on Picnic Day

Dog race (?) on Picnic Day

People always think that a small town usually has nothing. But think again. In Davis, we can plan on eating Thai food for dinner and change the plan at the very last minute to sushi buffet, since the restaurants are just 2-3 minutes apart by foot. Thai food, Chinese food, Mediterranean food, Italian food, Korean food, Japanese food--you name it, Davis has it (although I wish they have Malaysian and Indonesian restaurants in town). And do not worry about entertainment. There are three cinemas and a paintball field in this small town. There are also a bowling alley, and a game archade on campus. And we also have a large theatre hall called Mondavi Center. When there is a need for shopping, there is a GAP store and a Gottschalk about 5 minutes away by bike from the campus. And if you feel like browsing through a larger variety, Vacaville factory outlets is only 30 minutes away by car and Sacramento city is only 20 minutes away by car. No car? Not to worry. Buses are always there to serve you.

Fuji Chef - the most popular sushi buffet in town

University Mall

I used to stop here on my way back to my apartment

Owh, almost forgot about the Farmer's market. A market selling local products. Those cheeses, juicy oranges, strawberries.. And your visit to the Farmer's market on a Saturday morning will usually be welcomed by some live music. Such a peaceful and lively atmosphere.

Farmers Market..love the free samples. hehe

musicians performing at Farmers Market

Ahh~ I do not care what other people say. I just love Davis.

Owh, did I mention UCD still use those red double-decker buses from London? Yup, with the driver seat on the right.

Red double decker Unitrans bus. This is on campus

Owh, and did I mention about the Arboretum and the ducks? A LOT of ducks..

The main entrance to the UCD Arboretum

Part of Arboretum. (Arboretum is a long lake..this is the middle part of it)

Ducks at the arboretum, although sometimes they fly to the downtown area. Wait for the spring to come. You could see 'duck rape' almost everywhere. haha

Ahh..~ how I wish I could go back to Davis with my bf and walk the Arboretum with him...

(Most of the pictures are taken from DavisWiki. The logo is from Wikipedia)