Christ the Redeemer…Brazil

Christ the Redeemer. Brazil

So, Brazil happened. Rio De Janiero to be exact. I have been working on a bucket list of places in the world that I would like to visit and the 7 wonders of the world keep popping up. Who knew they change? I remember as a kid a few of them such as the Grand Canyon, but now it seems the wonders are different. This does not deter me, I just expanded my list! I have googled the “old” wonders along with the “new” world wonders and just have added them all to my bucket list.

So, my first item checked off was Christ the Redeemer in Brazil. I did not know a whole lot about it until I was researching the “wonders” and BAM there it was. I was slightly hesitant because I have heard Rio is slightly more dangerous for pick pockets, plus huge language barrier with the country’s language being Portuguese. However, I am a doer by nature and do not scare easily. (plus it helps that I am 6’4″ and do not intimidate easily) AND I figured between my English and Spanish I could figure out what to do. Well, Spanish and Portuguese are NOT the same and the language barrier WAS a bit of a challenge, but I also do pretty good hand signals…. so I made it! Recommendation #1 contact your phone carrier and get the unlimited international text and internet plan. I can not stress this enough. My husband got it on his phone from AT&T and let me tell you it really saved us multiple times. He paid $10 per day for only the days we were there and it was well worth it. Let me explain, firstly the google translate was awesome. We always attempted English first, Spanish second, hand signals third and google translate fourth; google came in handy, especially at local restaurants where we could scan the menu with the google translate camera and it would translate it on the screen for us. Our stomachs thanked us! Also we learned a few words, Thank you ( “Abrigado”) very much! More than the translation service we used google maps every single day. Read that again, We used google maps EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. and we really needed it. Let me explain something, the roads in Brazil are….shall we say …challenging? Don’t get me wrong, the main roads are wonderful and beautifully paved and modern, but where we went they were jagged, steeply inclined and made of cobblestones and super curvy is an understatement! A lot of the streets are one way, so you have to really go further than your destination to come back and hit the right road. Seriously, get the internet deal so you can have google maps. You will thank me later.

Please do yourself a favor and bring good walking shoes, but also flip flops. I used my flip flops in the hotel bathroom as well as the street and beach. you are going to want to walk everywhere , again the one way streets makes walking faster much of the time. We stayed at Hotel Ducasse (not recommending, but its not trashy either…just ho hum)which is a fantastic location. This is NOT an upscale hotel, think motel 6, BUT the price was right ($137 for 3 nights including breakfast and wifi) and the location was ideal. We were a block and a half off the ocean and could walk to all the restaurants and shops. They do not have English speaking staff so those hand signals really came in handy here. also check out was noon so we got a whole great morning of beach before we had to leave. (check in was 2) If I go back I think I would splurge a little and stay right on the ocean. All hotels are reasonably priced no matter where you stay.

Brazil is a huge rocky mountain. Be prepared to drive or walk up and down A LOT. We rented a car, (highly recommend doing this) and thank goodness because we stayed right at Copacabana beach and Christ the Redeemer was about an hour drive… not because of long distance mind you, but because of the curvy cobblestone roads and the huge hills!Plus there is NO WAY I was walking up that huge mountain to see my statue…. no way. We chose Hertz car rental, not necessarily because it was great, but because the desk lady at the airport spoke English and could explain everything. It ended up costing $100 for four FULL days. WARNING every car is a stick shift! ( and small compact car) Never the less, I recommend renting a car. It really was super convenient.

The beautiful beach has great clean white sand and the water is clean and clear. During the day you can find all sorts of people and families at the beach swimming and there are vendors walking around to sell drinks, shrimp, towels, shell necklaces, hats etc. Be warned there are ALWAYS people asking you to buy something. So keep that in mind because they are everywhere. Right behind the beach is a boardwalk that goes all the way through Copacabana with beach side restaurants, vendors, artists, food carts, drink carts… just a whole lot of stuff to look at and buy and enjoy. Many of the beach side restaurants have live music. We walked the beach and enjoyed all the activity every night. There is also fishermen on the beach who are happy to show off the catch of the night. We saw a very ugly fish that I still don’t know what kind it is but interesting to see. It seriously looked like a piranha head, crab like legs on the front, a fish tail and bat/butterfly wings… ugh but the fisherman was happy!

The second day we were there was our first attempt to see Christ the Redeemer. We got already and made the white knuckle drive to the mountain top (side note, people jump out at you on the street telling you to stop, buy something, don’t go down a road due to danger, it was wild) super curvy, super sharp turns, very inclined, cobblestone roads brought us up the mountain to a fork in the road and we took left, it was not the statue, but it was a wonderful park and look out over the city. It was a breathtaking view. You can see the labor of love put into the stone paths, the intricate detail of the catholic church and the dedication it took to complete the paths. It really was a once in a life time experience. Once we finished there we went back to the fork in the road and went right up to Christ the Redeemer, well as far as we were able and allowed to go! There is a point where you just simply can not go any further with out assistance. You have two choices; cable car or bus. The cable car looked like it would be more exciting and a better view, BUT after riding it I would choose the bus. WHY? the views are the same in either and the real attraction is at the top . Plus the train is double the amount of money as the bus. So take the bus. You will also need to valet park your car which will cost you about $60 reals (Brazilian money) As a side note the exchange rate is in our favor, $1 American dollar is about $4.30 reals money. While I’m on that subject, the airport exchange places rip you off…. just get out of the airport and use and exchange house, its a huge difference! OK, back to the mountain….. so get on something to go up further, side note again, the train station has a monitor to show you how the visibility is that day… which is why I said attempt one, this particular day the visibility was bad… it is SO high up, literally in the clouds, that you really need a super clear day to see everything. So we opted to not go and try the next morning when the weather was supposed to be clearer. ( weather was FANTASTIC the whole time, you are , again, literally up in the clouds so it has to be a cloudless day to see everything you want to see) On the way down, down, down we took a side street and ended up in a town called Lapa. Ever heard of the Arcos do Lapa? yup the lapa arcs are awesome too. It was like a bonus trip. We parked and walked all around the city, going into parks, art museums(free) gardens, and really toured the whole city. It was a great side trip experience. I feel like I am starting to ramble, but there is so much to tell!!! Our car almost got towed, hehehe but I think they took pity on us because we had no idea what they were saying and just let the car down and let us go. A little excitement for the night I guess!

On the third day of our trip, and the second attempt to see Christ the Redeemer…. We decided to go ahead and make the trek again even though the train station said partial visibilty, we were on a time limit and decided to just go. Good decision. There was a breeze, so if a could came by it was only short lived. We got spectacular views, Read this twice, the views were awe inspiring, mouth dropping, no picture could ever capture, breath taking, miraculous, stop you in your tracks kind of views. No joke. I took SO many pictures and they seriously do not compare to the live sight. You can just stand there and stare and never get sick of the view. Brazil is a rocky mountainous country and everything is either super high or super low ….. no in between and the views showed it; rocks, valleys, ocean, islands and clear beautiful sky and water. As we were standing up there on this huge mountain top, a cloud rolled by, er or through, us… literally…. you could feel the participation and moisture on your skin, you went from clear to cloudy and not being able to see 3 feet in front of you in an instant… but as fast as it came it was gone with the wind. How many people can say they were LITERALLY inside a cloud??? On the next level down (about a story ish) there is a little cafe and gift shop and bathrooms. This is where you catch the train or bus to go back down the mountain. I am so thankful that we took this trip. It brings you closer to GOD, and if you are already a believer it allows you to see the humble and never ending dedication the people had who built the paths and monument. It is humbling and inspiring.

Day four, a sad day to go home… BUT because the flight was at night we got the whole day! So, as mentioned before, check out was at noon, so we got up and went to the beach for the morning and sunbathed and swam. The weather was perfect! Then came back to hotel room, showered up and checked out and went out for lunch. IF you remember I said we rented a car, so we had somewhere to stash our luggage and walk around leisurely. On our way to the airport we really took our time and stopped at a lake front park and it was so nice we stayed for several hours enjoying the water, the little groves, the pathway, all the sights. It was a great park and would be a wonderful family friendly day. It has bike/ walking paths, bike rentals, boat rentals, a play area, food vendors and beautiful scenery. I think everywhere we went was nice. I never felt that we were in danger or any kind of shady-ness. People were friendly. I was surprised at how clean the streets and beach are… a nice bonus.

All in all, I highly recommend visiting Rio De Janiero, Brazil. I would go for 5 to 6 days, as there is so much to do! (we did not even scratch the surface of activities) , the price is right, no visa needed, and perfect weather. Abrigado Brazil! You have a special place in my heart.

MSY. NOLA

#MardiGras world

Welcome to New Orleans! This past week I had the pleasure of visiting New Orleans for an annual convention. Every year it is held in a different and exciting place and after the meetings are over, I explore wherever I may be. This year New Orleans was the destination and it certainly did not disappoint! I had business development during the day at the lovely Ernest N. Morial Convention center, which was a short walk from my Marriott hotel (I loved this hotel). The networking, learning and new product display was fantastic. My company sure does things first class! (Avon, in case you are wondering) We had an opening night celebration for all the PC reps, (people who sell at a certain level) and it included traditional NOLA food, (LOVE the red beans and rice!) a really happening live band that rocked the house and then we were escorted by another band down to the river right into Mardi Gras world! We got a tour of the floats used in Mardi Gras, there was entertainers all around giving us a mini Gras to experience, then we had drinks, fireworks and dancing right at the river. How wonderful is that??? I had SO much fun dancing and laughing and enjoying the VIP treatment!

I bought my traditional piece of tile as memorabilia at the Riverwalk outlet mall. I find tiles are colorful memories without the bulk or clutter. I also hit Bourbon Street. That is a whole different world! Bourbon Street had every imaginable type of music, every conceivable cocktail, every type of person made on this planet, fashion mishaps as well as pure genius creations on the street, food on every corner and the people were SO friendly! A word to the wise, the bartenders will NOT cut you off if you get drunk. You can walk in the streets with your drinks as long as they are in plastic. There are police present but they don’t really interfere with anything, even though it was not Mardi Gras I saw WAY too many body parts. I had the BEST time dancing and talking with the locals. There are so many things I wanted to see and ran out of time. I will certainly be back. If you go I highly recommend walking through Bourbon street and continuing to Frenchman , it is more relaxed there and slightly less expensive. You should take a trolley ride. ( cheap and fun) You should step out of your comfort zone and just have fun. New Orleans was good to me and I will be seeing her again.

FYI I stayed at the New Orleans Marriott hotel on Canal street and it was very centrally located and had easy access to everything I needed. (plus affordable!)They have a Marriott reward program that if you “go green” and do not have them clean your room you get 500 points added to your membership. It was very clean and the staff was super friendly. Plus breakfast delivery is fantastic!

The Windy City Wedding….

#chicago O’Hare Airport ground transportation tunnel. Feel the power!

Have you ever been somewhere, several times, and still feel like you crave more? Well, that is how I feel about #Chicago . I have visited the windy city at least 20 times and STILL have not done the tourist thing, still have not seen all that needs to be seen, STILL do not know the city like I want to. Here is the back story, my husband lived in Chicago for 15+ years, so whenever we go back he does not want to do the tourist thing; we go see his familia. Thats great and all, but I am CRAVING more! I want to know the Chicago that people rave about, brag about, are freakishly crazy about…….. alas I see little bits and pieces here and there that always have me longing for more. I guess this is a good thing because we do have familia there and we will continue to go….. so maybe a good thing I won’t get sick of it? What do you think? Do you love a certain city? Well, here is our short little Chicago adventure THIS time……..

My husband and I flew down on Saturday morning, took a little walking tour of the ground transportation tunnel (which was fun I thought) on our way to hop on the LEOWS bus. (it’s a hotel near the Rosemont mall and if you act like you are staying at the hotel the bus is free…a little shady, but it was my first time and I wanted to see if it worked. it did) The bus driver could not have cared any less who we were or what we were doing and just loaded the luggage and off we went. We walked the sidewalk to the fashion outlet mall and went shopping at all the lovely designer outlet stores. As you know, being tall is not an easy thing when your shopping, especially when you are drolling over beautiful designer wear that won’t fit. I will say though that Nordstrom rack has shoes up to size 12 at this location. I had fun though looking and dreaming of all the super expensive stuff I will more than likely never own. Even at discounts that brand stuff is very pricey! ( side note: I am fairly cheap and if a shirt costs the same as your car payment…it’s a pass for me) I really enjoyed seeing all the people though, and dreaming up ideas for outfits that I can “hack” back in my own closet.

We then got a Lyft and proceeded to a HUGE fancy Catholic church that had several small cathedrals and it was beautiful! (side note, we took a detour to the hotel to change clothes and get ready for the wedding) The cool thing about a big city is Lyft is always available and there in 5 minutes! Back to the subject at hand, the church was amazing. The wedding was amazing. It was a very traditional catholic Mexican wedding with many parts I had never seen before. There was gifts, blessings, lasso’s, offerings, communion, incense, jokes, and lots of love for the happy couple. It was so refreshing to see a wedding taken seriously and with traditions and honor and respect and with vows from the Bible. It was beautiful.

Then off we went to Allegra Banquet hall. Have you been there? It is a pretty darn nice place to have a reception! Open bar, tons of food, mariachi band, dance floor, place for kids to play, clean bathrooms, second band for the dance party, more open bar happiness, and the service was great. Good food. Good friends. and Good music. What more do you want from a party? Did I mention there was a DAY TWO PARTY? oh yes, let me not forget the day after party in the park! The family rented the pavilion style section of the nearby park and had another band, tons of food and drink and lots of laughter. Seriously, if you ever get married or want a party, just ask a Latina to plan it….they truely know how to have a good time.

I think I have a fascination with Chicago because of the size, the mystery the reputation, the ever availability of EVERYTHING. I live in a small town, and Chicago is so diverse. It holds my attention. It captures my interest of languages and ethnicity and cultural differences. And did you know that there are more TALL people??? Yes, I see more tall people hanging around than ever before in my life, and it is cool. I walk a little taller, a little straighter and with a little more worldly know how just by being there. It is exciting to me. I still have yet to see it all, but I will be back.

Accommodations for my tall self from American Airlines (first class), Comfort Inn (with airport shuttle) Alloy jeans in dark wash and a mosh posh of other stuff I have found. #standtall ladies!

Mexico, land of the littles…….

Tapachula is the city that has the airport!!!! It was about an hour from my actual destination.

So, maybe I should not call Mexico the land of the littles….. there certainly are areas and states that have taller people, but in general, the Mexican people are shorter than here in the states or European descent. If you are reading this or follow me at all you know I am above average height even for tall people! So, visiting Mexico was definitely a learning curve and a little cramped. Let me explain, I went to visit some family down in a small town in Acapetahua Mexico. This town is just about 40 minutes from the border of Guatemala, so WAY down there in the southern most state of Chiapas. I flew on American Airlines into Mexico City and then switched to Aeromex to go to Tapachula. Aeromex is a whole article in itself, but its small, tight quarters and they charge for EVERYTHING. ( more on that at a different date) Upon arrival in Tapachula, it was night and there was very few people working in the airport and even less availability outside for taxis. I waited an hour to get a taxi. The cars are SMALL. I mean, ALL the cars are small. Every single one of them. the small that you have to climb in head first and drag your feet in after you and sit sideways. Then to get out its like a jungle gym activity to unfold yourself and climb out. It’s not pretty, or lady like or smooth in any way what so ever …….alas you do what you have to do to get to your final destination! So, because I was so close to the border, we had to go through a security border stop, that was interesting. The taxi stopped and the border control agents came to the car and asked for all our paperwork, searched through all our luggage, made us get out of the car (struggle is real) and we had to send the taxi through a whole car xray scanner thing. I, of course was the only white person and was questioned more as to why I was there……it was like a movie scene, the military uniforms with the high boots and the automatic weapons. I made it though. I think the agents were just surprised to see an american in that area.(AKA a 6’4″ pasty pale white lady) I like to think I was the highlight of the evening!

Acapetahua is a town situated on a hill with a river and the houses are all cement. It is a poor town. It is, by the first world, considered to be third world conditions. I was at first not happy with the living conditions, nor the water conditions or the cleanliness or much of anything to be honest. However, as I got over my privileged self, I fell in love with the people. For the purposes of the “tall”stuff, it was hard because EVERYTHING was small. (cars, houses, bikes, streets, bathrooms, beds, clothes, shoes, appliances, counters, seriously everything) BUT the people, oh the people were so happy. My heart changed in that town. I have always been a happy person and don’t need fancy stuff but this town really opened up my eyes to how seriously poor people live and remain happy. They were joyful, deep down in their hearts. Joyful for the sun, joyful for the relief of a rain shower, joyful to have food on the table and even to share what little they had, joyful to listen to music, joyful to be free and walk the town with no problems, joyful to go swimming in the river. The pace of life is way slower and the little things are what make life amazing. I wish I had enough money to give the town a new water source. You know what though? The people don’t know any different so they don’t know what they are missing, in turn not missing anything at all. I was amused by the wandering goats. I was tickled to find an ice cream shop in the town square. I was amazed at how the women came out at night in crisp white dresses with their boyfriend or family to gather in the town square and just “be” and enjoy everyone’s company. I was happy to see people share what they had even if it wasn’t much, even with me, the privileged white lady. It was a life changing visit.

I was amused by my instant fame! First, I was a good foot taller than most of the town. Second I was glow in the dark white in a town of all beautiful brown skinned people. Thirdly, my ginger mane and blue eyes were something of a novelty. I experienced paparazzi at its best! People (literally) crashed their bikes from rubber necking. The people knew where I was at all times, who I belonged with, and what I was doing. Some might think that would be unsettling, but it wasn’t! It was fairly amusing to be honest. My husband was slightly more protective (hahahahaha) and my 10 year old nephew appointed himself as my tour guide and body guard. It was fun. It was eye opening and enlightening. I have never been to a place like that before and next time I will pack differently, but I will be back.

Acapetahua is not a tourist destination. I would not necessarily recommend going there for a vacation. BUT, if you know someone who lives there or you are traveling through, it would be worth visiting for a few hours just to see the happiness of the people. Maybe take a bike taxi ride or visit the river. If you ever have the chance to donate to anything in that town please do, the people are very appreciative for all the have.

I have been forever changed by this little village in southern Mexico. I won’t drink the water, but I will soak in all the joy and sunshine that I can get. Volvere a mi Acapetahua!

Home is where the Heart is….

surrounded by water in beautiful Northern Michigan

Do you agree with this? Or do you think home is where you lay your hat? Very different view points of course and neither is bad or wrong, it is just a difference in feelings. My “home” is neither where I was born, (Jersey girl here!) nor where I lay my hat; but rather the childhood home I grew up in. I live down the road from that spot now, and consider my own physical house my home of course, but it is a different town than where I learned how to drive or ride a bike or grow into the fiercely stubborn, independent and vertically gifted woman that I am today. I have developed a love for travel, but always am relieved when I get to go home. I live in a beautiful town, surrounded by water and beaches and hiking trails and wine country. We are the cherry capitol of the world and have amazing orchards of fruit and fields of corn and strawberries. We are a small town feel with big town opportunities. Did I mention we are completely surrounded by water? I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, and this is why as much as I love to see other places, I always love to come home.

Have you taken the time to explore your own town? Really play tourist? You should. I’m sure there are hidden treasures and adventures around every corner that maybe have been over looked simply because they are always there and available. My husband and I make a point of always trying to find a new restaurant and a new place to take out of town friends. It keeps life interesting. It also lets you enjoy exactly where you are, and that contentment is wonderful. I also like my own home specifically because it is custom made for my tall frame. Have you had your counter tops raised? I highly recommend it! Doing dishes is so much easier when your not hunched over. (My shower head is taller too!) I live in the home of the National Cherry Festival, the Film festival, the Sleeping Bear Dunes and some of the worlds best vineyards and winery’s. I live where there is kayaking, canoeing, hiking, biking, running, beaching, boating and any outdoor activity you could imagine. Where our summers are warm, our fall is bursting with color , our winters are cold and snowy and our spring is a breath of fresh air. I live where there is no natural disasters. I live in Gods’ country where the air is the cleanest in the world. Although I have wanderlust, I will always come home.

How to fit, in Cuba

my lanky self on the rocky beach in Havana Cuba

Recently I took a week long trip to Cuba with my very average size husband. I had my reservations going to a Latin country. Not for what you might think, but for the size of things. I have been to Mexico several times and everything, EVERYTHING is made for short people. Yes, I know the Mexican people are shorter than the average American, but I always feel so cramped and squished when I go there. So I was a little nervous about paying good money to be uncomfortable. However, Cuba has been on my bucket list for many, many years and I was determined to go and see and experience.

I was pleasantly surprised! I guess my brain was not computing that “old” (read 50’s style) was built taller and bigger than todays standards. (yay!) Let us back track for a minute and look at WHY I actually wanted to go….. the old cars, the old buildings, the fantastic music, the delicious food, the beautiful people of all colors and sizes (who knew?) the fact that it has been closed off to America for so long and really just had the pause button pushed peeked my curiosity. I also wanted to see if the awful history had been over thrown (for real) and if the people were in fact, free.

So, now you know my reasons for going, lets explore what I found and how I fell more in love with Cuban music and the vibrant people and lovely sunshine….alas and why I more than likely will not be going back.

First, because I am an American citizen I have strict rules placed on me for traveling to Cuba. It costs more. It is restricted more. You can not (really) use a credit card. period. it is cash only, cash is king, cash a do da day all the way with everything. I was lucky enough to book an airbnb that I could prepay from the USA and use my credit card. However, it does take some planning to make sure you have enough cash with you because there are no banks to help you, no atm machines to help, no cash advance on the card, you are SOL so to speak. Also (apparently I did not research enough) as the exchange rate (when I was there) was 100 American dollars equals 80 Cuban pesos, so you are loosing 20% right from the get go. (this threw me off ) The prices all listed in Cuban pesos (ummm of course) were comparable to the prices here in the states. (but catch that conversion rate) So, shopping in a foreign land with foreign currency is kind of like being in a casino with fake money, you just spend it. So for example, you go to eat lunch and the bill of $24 is really like $30 US dollars… after a week it adds up. I don’t know about you, but when I am on vacation I like to enjoy myself and splurge a little… so now the $50 dinner for two is really $63 US dollars, multiply that by 5 nights and you have $315 spent just on DINNER! SO, ok, live and learn. If you go to Cuba take some extra cash and be ready to spend it.

WITH THAT BEING SAID, the food was FANTASTIC! Not a tortilla in site (much to the dismay of my Mexican husband) but there was bread at every meal, black beans were prevalent, the fresh pineapple juice was the best I have ever had in my life, the black rice was delicious, the fresh fruit made me literally change my entire diet when I got home to eat more of it, and the Cuban coffee was knock you out strong. All in all I could eat Cuban food everyday of my life and be good.

The music, aahhhh the music! ( I already love the Latin mix of island, African rhythm ) I loved the music, it was everywhere, blaring from every car, every window, every restaurant had a live band and people danced! People danced in the restaurant, in the street, in the hallways, on the sidewalks, in their seats…. everywhere! It was energizing. It was happy. It was intoxicating. We visited the famous Floridian (where Hemingway spent many years) and it had a wonderful live band and we bought a cd to bring home. It was a wonderful experience and the musicians are so talented!

I liked Old Habana more than the “new” part simply for the people. The buildings were beautiful in both places. The buildings all over are being restored and many have barricades around so you can’t entire, but to see the beauty of the tall windows and huge door frames was awe inspiring to me. The renovated buildings were so alive with bright colors and life, the old buildings were history and had stories in the walls. The churches were extravagant and ornate and you could feel the strong faith carried in the history and traditions and rituals. The horse drawn carriage ride is a must do, make sure you get a carriage with no top for optimal picture taking opportunity. It costs about $30 pesos per hour or if you prefer you can take a city tour in a vintage car. ( price is about the same) The cars are SO cool to look at and they are the daily drivers of many. They are the taxis and lined up waiting for passengers so you can get plenty of pictures at your leisure. I spent two days in the city and enjoyed every minute of it. ( I was tired from walking 10 hours a day) There is a flea market building right on the waters edge and I bought a nice beach bag and a beautiful silk scarf. However, two days was enough for me.

HUGE NOTE to you tall girls, the cars were bigger than the standard ones today. The doorways were bigger than the standard ones of today. The windows were large and lovely, the walking paths were wide, the steps were wide, the carriages were good sized. The people were even a little taller than the average Latino person. The clothes, alas, did not work for me (at 6’4″ its tough) BUT they would work for a proportioned 5’10” or 6′ gal. I give it the tall friendly thumbs up. #teamtall (NOTE* I still got stares and questions and people wanting pictures with the tall white lady, but it was not AS bad as normal… so there’s that.) Also, on the way home we got upgraded to first class on a HUGE plane with PLENTY of room for long legs. It was the kind for international travel and the seats folded down and we got a 3 course meal and my long legs could actually extend and be comfortable as I napped. Thank you to American Airlines for being awesome.

The other days on our vacation were reserved for the beach! When we booked the airbnb, we opted for close to the beach (rather than close to the city, we just took a taxi for the 2 city days) and for us it was the right choice. We could walk to two different beaches and stroll to a little store and explore at our leisure. It also allowed us to return to the airbnb anytime we wanted to rest or enjoy the pool there. One beach was not really for swimming, it was one big rock, but it was great to see and smell the fresh salty air and just explore. The other beach however was great for swimming. It had a sandy beach with a little restaurant right there to deliver as many Cuba Libres (similar to rum and coke) as you needed. It was family friendly and safe. This was great to unwind and really relax (especially after walking so much in the city) The weather was perfect, a sunny 90 degrees with a light breeze. I didn’t notice any bugs during the day, (huge bonus for me)

A few little details, be sure to leave ample time in the airport. The airport is SOOOOO slow it was ridiculous. You will need to purchase a visa before you go and I have found they are the cheapest and fastest if purchased right at the gate in the Miami airport before boarding the plane. It is $50 CASH per person. (yes you can order ahead but the shipping ends up costing you more than the purchase price in the airport) Be prepared to fend off cigar sellers, they are everywhere and fairly pushy. Yes, I know Cuba is famous for their cigars, but come on man, it gets a little redundant. Also, fun fact, Cuba has very little to no crime ( due to such stiff penalties nobody breaks the law) and drugs are just not a problem. The people are free, to an extent. There are rations. Food rations, alcohol rations…….. to leave Cuba is very difficult according to the people I talked to, you are restricted on how much money you can make, ( again according to whom I talked to) Land is VERY expensive, and with the whole island being on pause for so long the standards of living are just simply not the same. (I did NOT like having no toilet seat) I loved the people. I loved the culture. I fell in love with Cuba. and there it shall stay.

With all of this being said, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I planned. I went. I saw. I checked off my bucket list. On to the next adventure!