1 01, 2019

2018 Year in Review

By |January 1st, 2019|Categories: Year in Review|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

2018 was a Year of Culture for me: 10 museums (California Science Center, LA Natural History Museum, La Brea Tar Pits, The Getty, The Getty Villa, The Last Bookstore, Next Stage Gallery, Denver Art Museum x2, Denver Museum of Nature and Science x2, Molly Brown's House) 5 plays (Hamilton, Aladdin, Love's Labour's Lost, Book of Mormon, White Christmas) 4 trips (Puerto Vallarta, Boston, Los Angeles, Orlando) 3 concerts (Dandy Warhols, The Fray, Scottish/Highland Bands) 3 theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios, Universal Islands of Adventure) 2 comedy shows (Lewis Black, Steve Martin & Martin Short) 2 ghost tours (Brown Palace,

6 04, 2018

March 2018 Recap

By |April 6th, 2018|Categories: Blog Recaps and Roundups|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Travel This month was the month of opposite travel: Pacific Ocean/Atlantic Ocean, Pleasure/Business Trip, Hot/Cold. At the beginning of the month I went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a beach break! And then at the end of the month I went to Boston, MA for a quick business trip! Puerto Vallarta This was an unplanned last minute trip. My mother was going to go to PV again with my aunt, but my aunt backed out. So my mother invited me to come, and then my aunt figured things out so she could come! I've never traveled with the two of them

23 10, 2017

Travel Missteps: Kayak Misadventure

By |October 23rd, 2017|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

I have a love/hate relationship with kayaking. My previous experience being swept out to sea in Mexico (hate) and then a clam lake kayaking in Costa Rica (love). So when the opportunity to kayak in Bocas del Toro, Panama I was excited to love it again (spoiler...no I did not love it.) I had had a lazy morning, mostly because I could tell I was starting to feel sick. So when I bumped into some of the group heading back out to kayak I joined them.  Kristy and Arianna had already kayaked that morning and they were excited to do it

29 12, 2016

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

By |December 29th, 2016|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

"Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration." - UNESCO There are thousands of world heritage sites. I've been to 30 of them: Salzburg Austria Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg A turtle in Belize Belize Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System Ramses Temple at Abu Simbel Egypt Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis Historic Cairo Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to

10 12, 2016

Souvenir Saturday: Christmas Pyramid

By |December 10th, 2016|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

I've seen ancient pyramids in Egypt, Guatemala, & Mexico. But while traveling in Germany I frequently saw larger than life Christmas Pyramids at the Christmas Markets. A glowing Pyramid in Munich Christmas Pyramids originated in Erzgebirge aka Ore Mountains of Germany (like the Nutcracker) and is rumored to be a predecessor to the Christmas Tree. It is designed more like a tiered carousel which often depicted Christian scenes like angles or mangers, while others might feature forests or everyday life. The spinning motion at the top was often achieved by candles whose rising heat would help spin the propeller.

11 08, 2016

Cooling off at Ik Kil Cenote

By |August 11th, 2016|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

There is something scary and a bit mysterious about venturing into a cenote.  Staring down into the dark abyss, I was a bit apprehensive. It looked so deep. It also was much bigger than I had thought it would be.  Those were my first thoughts of seeing the Ik Kil Cenote. After traversing the winding path 85 feet below the earth I looked back up. Small waterfalls decorate the walls, and roots from the plants above dive below the water. I shivered a bit in the darkness, no longer afraid but due to the temperature change for being so far below the

18 07, 2016

Travel Missteps: Late to the Party

By |July 18th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

My last full day of my G Adventures Mayan Encounter Tour was a free day. I had already been to Playa Del Carmen before, and so wanted to see Chichen Itza as I had missed that on my last trip. The problem was, many of my tour-mates had already seen it earlier in their own trips. So I was the only one who wanted to go. No problem! My tour guide arranged for me to join a day trip to see it. And both she and I explained to that tour company that I needed to be back by 5PM

30 04, 2016

Souvenir Saturday: Tile Art of Mexico

By |April 30th, 2016|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

The drive from Playa del Carmen to Chichén Itzá is about 3 hours one way. So it helps to stop a few times along the way. At the first rest stop, I saw a man on the side of the road painting. I like to get a piece of nice artwork when I find it, and so purchased this for $20 from him. Its quite small, but the quality seemed good. I was a bit shocked when he handed it to me and it was much heavier than I anticipated. I didn't open the back of the box until I got