New Years in Mexico with Friends!

Brian and I have this unwritten rule that whenever we take a trip, we must do something kind of adventureous and different together. In other words, we like to share AN EXPERIENCE. The trip we took to Mexico with our friends was an experience in itself, as we traveled to celebrate the new year with our bestest friends on the cobalt blue beaches of the Riviera maya.

Brian and I took a couple of excursions to experience something together, that would be our own special memory. We went underwater caving and also horseback riding on the beach!

The underwater caving was definietly different for me... to be honest the thing I enjoyed the least about it was the butchy ensamble I was forced to wear--> aka a wetsuit. Its name alone turns me OFF. I enjoyed the cool crystal water we swam in.
Also the amazing feeling of smelling and seeing colors more vividly when coming out of the cave, was a beautiful feeling.

We had been horseback riding in Alaska, and although we enjoyed that experience much more, this was also very fun. I think it would have been more fun to go into the ocean's shore and wet the horse's shoes in the salty water, but we were not allowed to do that.

Traveling with such a great and large group of friends was a lot more fun than I had expected (I was a bit skeptical at first) but we all got along very well and were always entertained by each other.

Overall this was such a great trip to relax and escape the January cold.

Next big trip is a 19 day EURO TRIP in late Sept. early Oct. !!!!
Huntsville-->London-->Paris-->Munich-->Venice-->Rome-->London-->Huntsville

I know that I wont last until then to take a vacation so i m hoping Brian and I can squeeze a little something around the 4th of July!

Hong Kong China Nov 2010

Our trip to China came and went like a blur.
We were there about 5 days and it was surreal and amazing.
Now, thinking about "China" as a far-away mysterious land is no longer the case, now it all seems so much more attainable and palpable.

Driving into the city from the airport, we immediately felt as if we were in a very futuristic city, a metropolis, on steroids.

I would say 40% of people in Hong Kong speak English enough to be understood. People were so polite and kind. However on the streets, I have never seen such fierceness-- and what I mean by that specifically is that: PEOPLE WOULD NOT MOVE if they saw you coming towards them. NOT BUDGE! In no other city had i ever seen such ferocity in the streets.

Mon Gok must be mentioned first. Here is where I truly realized how wild China really is, specifically the amount of people. I was OVERWHELMED with the crowds, and I use the word "crowd" loosely, I should actually say MOBS!

In Mon Gok there was no place, no where to escape the MOBS.

In this wild district of Kowloon, we visited the Ladies' Market. This is a street market that sells everything from very good Louis Vuitton fakes to touristy trinkets.
The markets didnt feel as intimidating, because I was expecting the crowds there, however even upon LEAVING the market it never got more quiet.

One of the most typically Chinese places we visited was the 10,000 Buddhas temple. It was glorious, rich, mysterious and authentic.

After climbing up an uphill road surrounded with 14 thousand Buddha statues, we reached the monastery at the top of the mountain, where more golden statues awaited. At the top, we also saw a momma monkey and her babies. Let's just say the momma almost mauled me as I was taking pics of her... SCARY moment!

Visiting the Tian tan (Giant Buddha) was also INCREDIBLE, however getting TO the giant bronze statue was not so fun for those of us who are deathly afraid of heights.
We ventured on one of the highest and longest cable car rides in the world and it was like flying in a helicopter... oh, and did I mention that the cable cars had a GLASS BOTTOM!!?!?!?!? it was an horrific experience for me, exhilarating yes, but also terrifying. You may see pics of this below, where it looks like I am in labor...

I cannot deny that the views were unspeakably amazing. While enjoying the 25 minute ride UP UP UP, when you finally begin to see the enormous statue approaching, you feel you are indeed in another land.

The food was tasty but sort of bland. Two of the nights we ate Japanese and it was INCREDIBLE!!!! oh my gosh, perhaps some of the best food of my life-- If you are traveling there I would suggest KANEDA Japanese food! so mouthwatering and incredible.







10,000 BUDDHAS TEMPLE









































GIANT BUDDHA HONG KONG
























MARKET

















MON GOK (KOWLOON)




THE PEAK











HONG KONG SKYLINE BY NIGHT