My little chihuahua Abutiu Khufu (aka Abu) grew up this summer hiking in the Himalayas of Tibet — so ever since we landed in America he’s been eager to take to the mountains in California and explore Yosemite National Park. Driving across all of the China (from Sichuan to Shanghai — Wuhan included!) wasn’t enough for him, so I agreed to take him on another big adventure!
Abu’s usual haunts in California include Sunset Boulevard, Los Feliz, and the beach — so he didn’t know what to expect when we hit the road to drive to Yosemite.
Abu wakes up every day hungry for a new adventure. Our first day in Yosemite, we loaded up on a big breakfast at Tenaya before heading out to hike.
Abu’s colorful poncho has been a big hit on the streets of Los Angeles (especially in our majority Latinx neighborhood), and he’s also gotten many compliments on it on his way to Yosemite and in the park.
One of Abu’s favorite new places for relaxing is The Ahwahnee in Yosemite — which is stunning inside and out (the kid’s got taste).
This lovely room (those windows!) is perfect for playing card games or reading a book — or just snuggling Abu and enjoying the view.
Abu wanted to explore every inch of The Ahwahnee before heading out to explore the famous cliffs, waterfalls, and valleys of the park.
He was impressed most of all with Yosemite Falls — where he ran into a lot of other dogs and let them know who’s boss.
As a crazy former rock climber, it was a dream come true for me to finally see El Capitan — and Abu enjoyed breathing in the crisp, clean air after having been born and raised in heavily polluted China.
I also took Abu to lakes big and small for him to soak in the different landscapes and leisure activities in the area — he even made a chihuahua friend made Roxy on these quiet banks (love at first sight!).
Our friend surprised us with this awesome new sweatshirt, which she kindly bought for us while we waited for our lakeside lunch.
Abu was surprised to find this ice cream stop on the lake has an entire pet menu!
But it was no surprise that Abu was a big hit at the lake. And this peanut butter ice cream really hit the spot!
We’ve also enjoyed exploring nearby towns — hiking through the hills to take in secluded homes and shopping in historic storefronts that harken back to the region’s gold mining days.
Turns out Abu is a fan of walking through tall grass and he’s loved watching all the new birds he’d never seen before — not to mention deer!
Abu got to spend his first Easter in America in the mountains — taking time to smell the flowers and be on the lookout for bears.
Later on Easter Sunday, when we wandered into an antique store in Mariposa, I was shocked to find they had two khanjars from the Sultanate of Oman, where I used to live. Of course, I had to buy them!
Every day at sunset, out here in the Sierras, Abu likes to hike up as high as he can to enjoy the stunning view and then head back home in his trusty bag — the raucous singing of the frogs in the creek leading us home.
