Ingrid and Trieu

Update: Check Info Booth Upon Arrival

Upon arrival, please check the information booth for, you guessed it, information. The weather is unpredictable right now and there may be last minute changes of plans. You will see the info booth on your right after you turn up the drive to Pema Osel Ling. It has the pay phone in it. Refer to the wall with the map and info sheets (lodging locations, bbq, etc.). Also, remember that there will be a time change (Fall Backwards) at 12:00am on Sunday 11/2.

Update: No Cell Phone Service at Pema Osel Ling

Please note that we may not get any cell phone coverage at Pema Osel Ling. Because you may not be able to reach us from Friday afternoon through Sunday, please call or email earlier if you have any questions (including direction info). Sorry.

Update: Checkin Time

If you are staying at Pema Osel Ling, you are free to “check in” there after 4 pm on Friday (I put that in quotes because there is no check in – basically, you just show up and there will a map telling you where to go). There will be a barbeque (info below) later on in the evening. If you are getting into Santa Cruz before that, check out the sites, or stop by our house, where there will most likely be people hanging out. Just give us a call or an email and we can orient you to whatever activity you choose.

Update: Friday Barbeque

We are putting together a barbeque on Friday night at Pema Osel Ling for anyone who wants to attend. There will be enough food/drinks for everyone, but if you have something special that you want to eat or drink, feel free to bring it. There will also be veggie burgers. We think it will be a good opportunity for people to meet each other, and are hoping you all can make it (the barbeque will start at around 7 pm)!

Wedding Info

We hope you will be able to join us at our wedding, 3:00pm on Saturday November 1, 2008 at Pema Osel Ling, located in the Santa Cruz mountains. A reception will follow.

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Below is information regarding the location, lodging, activities, gifts, etc. This info may be useful considering the isolated location and unpredictability of the weather, coupled with the strangeness of the Santa Cruz region. Please do not hesitate to call (831.588.6815) or email (trieu.mai@gmail.com or ingridander@gmail.com) if you have any questions.

Pema Osel Ling

Just like everywhere else in Santa Cruz, Pema Osel Ling is a peculiar and beautiful place. It is run by the Vajrayana Foundation, a non-profit Tibetan Buddhist organization, and is located in a sparsely populated region of the Santa Cruz mountains. We were drawn to it by the natural beauty all around, including the redwoods, the steep slopes, and, of course, Monterey Bay lying in the background. We hope you enjoy the drive up through the orchards and farmlands.

To respect this beauty and in following with the Buddhist philosophy, Pema Osel Ling has established some rules that we would like all our guests to follow:

1. Shoes are not permitted in the houses, the shrine room, and the round house.
2. Smoking and non-medicinal drugs of any kind are not permitted (strictly enforced). Smoking is permitted on Eureka Canyon road.
3. Please use the bathrooms for all restroom activity (number 1 and number 2).
4. Please refrain from killing any animals, including insects (insect repellant is allowed).
5. Children must be supervised at all times, especially near the pool.

Sleeping Options

Lodging is available at Pema Osel Ling. Lodging options include very rustic cabins, campsites, and a yurt! The cabins are simple rooms with one or more full- or twin-size beds and a space heater. Shared bathrooms and showers are available (similar to a typical campground) and are nearby the cabins. The yurt has numerous twin-size beds. No television, internet, or phone service (except for a pay phone) is available on site. There are a few nice grassy fields for camping and a bonfire pit.

Cabin and yurt rates are $45 per person per night and the camping rate is $20 per person per night. Children under 4 are free; children 4-11 are half-price. Pema Osel Ling lodgings are available for Friday and Saturday nights. If you are interested in staying at Pema Osel Ling, please let us know in advance via your RSVP card so we can organize the rooms. Please also state your preference of cabin, yurt, or campsite, and let us know if you’re willing to share a room with other friends/family.

All the lodging at Pema Osel Ling is going through us, so let us, rather than Pema Osel Ling, know about any preferences or changes of plan and we will try to accomodate you to the best of our ability. There will be a basket at the wedding site in one of the main houses for payment in either cash or check (made out to Ingrid Anderson or Trieu Mai).

If you are going to stay in the cabins or camp, please bring your own towels, toiletry, water bottles, flashlights, comfortable shoes, and, if you are camping, your own bedding (treat it like summer camp). Also, we recommend layered clothing and raingear as the weather can be unpredictable. In general, weather in fall is pretty good here (average high for Nov. 1 is 69F and average low is 46F), but it could rain. If you are camping and it rains, there will be space in the yurt for you to sleep or at least put your stuff.

We encourage you to stay at Pema Osel Ling as it is far away from other accommodations. In addition, we think it would be great to have many of our friends and family together. If you are planning on staying longer and making a vacation out of the trip, or just want to stay somewhere a little closer to the ocean, we do have space at our home for you to stay. Our landlords have also generously offered their house to anyone who wants to stay in town. The house is a couple blocks from the ocean and downtown Santa Cruz. Please do not feel bashful about sending us an email if you are interested.

If you want to stay at a hotel, we have added links to other nearby accommodations below. We recommend the Sea and Sand Inn (especially if you have children) because of its proximity to the Boardwalk, pretty views, somewhat reasonable prices, and quiet atmosphere. We suggest booking early as Santa Cruz can fill up on nice weekends.

Airport Information

The closest major airport is in San Jose. SJC, which is a 40 minute drive to Santa Cruz (and about 1-1.5 hours to Corralitos). Other major bay area airports include San Francisco SFO and Oakland OAK. Car rental companies operate at all three airports and rental info can be found through the airport links. Public transportation from any of the airports to Santa Cruz is available (though many transfers are generally required). Public transport itineraries can be planned using this website.

Gifts

We hope you will all attend and know that the date and location will provide many inconveniences. We know that many of you will be traveling from a great distance, taking up valuable time, and/or expending a lot of limited financial resources. And we thank you for these sacrifices. We also would like to let you know that we sincerely do not expect you to bring any wedding gifts; your presence is more than enough.

With that being said, if you do feel strongly about giving us a wedding present, then we urge you to donate to a charity or organization in lieu of a physical gift to us (God knows we don’t need anything). Listed below are some organizations that we recommend.

Hoa Tinh Thuong
937 W. Carol Ave
Santa Ana CA 92707
(714) 434-0106
(714) 791-3515 Quang Minh Ha
Make note on check “in honor of Trieu and Ingrid”

Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Seattle/King Co.
5950 4th Ave. S.
Seattle, Wa 98144
(206) 957-7241 Richard Bray
Make note on check “in honor of Ingrid and Trieu”

We also know that some of you simply cannot resist giving a tangible present. And we will appreciate all of those as well, though we honestly prefer you donate the money to one of the organizations above. For these instances, we have set up a registry that can be reached here:

Wedding Registry

We also have plenty of small items on the registry, so you could mix and match with gifts to us and gifts to the aforementioned organizations.

We hope that you will be able to attend our celebration, that our friends and family can come together, eat good food, play fun games, and simply have a nice relaxing weekend. These are what we hope to experience and these are the gifts we hope everyone shares together.

Activities in Santa Cruz

There are countless activities in Santa Cruz, especially if you want to be outside. Of course, there are miles of sun, sand, and surf. Beach breaks at Manresa State Beach can be found straight down the mountain from Pema Osel Ling. Check out SurfingSantaCruz.com for tide and swell updates. If you’re a kook or a grom, we suggest heading down to Cowell beach by the Boardwalk. There are rentals available nearby. Of course, you can just hang out on the sand or go for a swim in the ocean and freeze.

Eureka Canyon Road also offers very scenic and challenging cycling roads. We strongly suggest bringing your bike (or borrowing one … we have a couple) to ride up and down the mountains. For a long ride, you can power through to reach the summit and then coast down to the water. Mountain biking trails are also available throughout the area. If you don’t desire an adrenaline rush, but still want to experience the natural surroundings, there are numerous State Parks nearby. For example, Big Sur is only an hour south.

For the young kids, the Boardwalk can provide hours of fun on the rickety rides and the incessant beep bloop blams from the arcade. Monterey Bay Aquarium is also only 45 minutes south on Highway 1. We have already heard numerous complaints and jeers that our wedding is the day after Halloween. Fortunately, Halloween in Santa Cruz is quite an event, for young children and grown-ups who act like children. During the day, the downtown businesses on Pacific Ave provide cookies and other treats to the zillions of costumed kids who head down there. We recommend this event if you’re looking for a safe place for your kids to go trick-or-treating. At night, however, Pacific Ave becomes an adults-only activity; if that’s your thing – go at it!

There are numerous other activities, including wine tasting, whale watching, and sailing. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or want reccommendations

Most of you know that both of us are very competitive, especially when it comes to seemingly innocent games, therefore, we will set up a few fun games and activities for your enjoyment. We hope to have a volleyball net set up, at least one Bocce set, a few boardgames, and, of course, a cribbage board. Please feel free to bring your own games and activities.