Welcome to Las Vegas!

Where?: Las Vegas, Nevada

When:? Memorial Day Weekend 2006 with my mother and boyfriend, Jonathan. I have also been there previous times with my mother but this specific trip was one of the best ones.

Hotels?: Mandalay Bay but have also stayed at the Luxor and Paris Hotels in my previous trips.

Duration of Flight?: Around 5 1/2 hours

Population?: 1,998,257 (Nevada)

478,434 (Las Vegas)

Why:? Memorial Day Weekend!

My experience (Memorial Day Weekend): My mother, boyfriend, and I all stayed at the Mandalay Bay which I might say is by far my 

favorite hotel in Las Vegas. The reason that I say this is because this hotel has multiple pools, a lazy river, and a beach (wave pool with sand). It so much fun because you never get tired of just doing the same thing over and over because here you have a selection of different things to do. The different restaurants it has are also amazing. Las Vegas in general is a good place to go have a 

good time and you don't have to be of legal age to have a good time, thats the best part. 

Besides the relaxing laying by the pool type of day, there are shows that one could see in all the different hotels, some are even for FREE! Outside the Treasure Island hotel (picture on the left) they have daily pirate shows outside their hotel (mostly at night). You know something is going on when you see a lot of people outside this hotel at night just watching the awesome pirate show this hotel has to offer. 

Another hotel that offers a little show but it doesn't involve people or anything just music is Bellagio (picture on the left). Bellagio has the music fountain in which the water dances to whatever song it is playing at the time (majority of times when I went it was Andrea Bocelli). This is another great free show that some of the Las Vegas hotels have to offer to the public. This is just amazing to see in person because the water just moves gracefully with the music. It's a beautiful relaxing moment.

Now there are also real shows that one has to pay for that are also outstanding. Cirque Du Soleil has awesome shows. They have different shows that pertain to different climates. For example, we watched "Ka" which had to do with fire but there are ones that are about water and of course other shows that aren't only about certain climates. The 

one we watched "Ka" was probably one of the best shows I have ever seen. This show is about a heroic journey of love and conflict, set within a dynamic theatrical landscape, and an entire empire appears, on Ka's colossal stage and captivating display of acrobatics envelops the audience (given from the website). I would definitely recommend anyone going to any of the Cirque Du Soleil shows because every person that has seen one of them has never had anything bad to say about the shows, on the contrary everything they say is how amazing the show was. 

For fine dining, a restaurant I would definitely recommend is the Eiffel Tower Restaurant. You are eating at the first level of the Eiffel Tower which enables you to see all the hotels and attractions. The food there is good the only downfall is the fact that it is a little expensive but with the gorgeous view you have, it kind of equals out with how much the food is. Now when I previously stayed at the Paris hotel with my mother a couple of years before this trip, we both went all the way up to the top of the tower. Jesus was it high! But of course its nowhere near the actual size of the real Eiffel Tower in Paris, France but it is still very high. 

Quick Fact: The height of the original Eiffel Tower in Paris is about 1,063 feet now the Eiffel Tower in Vegas is only 540 feet so its not as big, but it is still pretty high.

Overall, the many trips I have taken to Las Vegas, I have never been disappointed. The hotels are great, the food is awesome, the service you receive everywhere you go is great. I really have nothing to complain about Vegas at all. I would definitely recommend everyone to go here at one point in your life. The best part about it was that you don't have to be of legal age to drink to have a good time, although I did hear that the night life in Vegas is pretty sick! I will find that out on my own one day :)

Come back soon!

My first traveling journey as a child began in Florida

Where?: 

Davie, Florida

Miami, Florida

Orlando, Florida

Hialeah, Florida

When?: All throughout my childhood years.

Hotels?: 

Aunts' house in Davie, Florida

Disney World in Orlando

Grandpas' house in Miami, Florida

Relatives' house in Hialeah, Florida

Duration of Flight?: Close to 3 hours

Population?: 15, 982, 378 (Florida)

90,329 (Davie)

227,907 (Orlando)

409,719 (Miami)

209,971 (Hialeah)

Why?: 

Visit my Aunt, Uncle, Grandpa, and cousins.

Went to Disney World a couple of times.

My experience: Florida is a very nice place to go to especially if you want to get away from the cold weather in areas like my state of New Jersey. It is never really cold there unless you consider 50 degrees cold. Davie, Florida which is where I visited the most whenever I went to Florida, is a nice area but the only thing I do not like about it is that (which accounts for all of Florida), is the fact that you can not walk anywhere. In order to go anywhere, you have to drive your car to the destination you wish to go to. Is there a night life in Davie? I wouldn't know because I was not of legal age to drink the times that I went there. But I will soon find out, now that I am of legal age to drink :) I would say that the majority of Davie would be predominantly White with an exception of some Spanish people here and there. Good place to visit, just not for a vacation.

My next journey in Florida was DISNEY WORLD, a children's dream! I went there I would say a total of 3 or 4 times excluding when I went to Disney Land in California. I might say that even as a child, I can still remember everything about Disney just because... IT'S DISNEY! Who can forget Disney? With all the great characters that you are so used to seeing as a child on T.V., come on now. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and the list goes on forever. One of the best parts of going to Disney is the fact that you get autographs from all the characters, in your little red Disney covered autograph book (which I still have somewhere around my house, hopefully). The rides are awesome and they just make you feel like you at home with all your wishes coming true right before your eyes. I truly recommend ANYONE of ANY age to go to Disney before they die, honestly. 

Last journeys in Florida, were in Miami and Hialeah. These two cities are very similar, only difference is that Miami has a crazy night life and Hialeah doesn't. Similar in the sense that both of these cities have a lot of Cubans in the area and a big Spanish population. Miami, Florida is somewhere you would want to go to have a great time (if of legal age, of course). They have great clubs where celebrities go to, great restaurants, and most of all... the beaches! Miami's beaches are as nice as the Caribbean beaches because it has the Atlantic Ocean right there. 

Quick fact many might not know: Cuba is only 90 miles from Key West! How close is that? 

Well everyone, Florida is a great place to go to for a nice vacation by the beach, laying down by the water, with a Corona in your hand :)

Let me know what you guys think! Don't be shy to offer your opinion!

See ya later!

My next journey is... Cancun, Mexico!

Where?: Cancun, Mexico

When?: July 2005 with my mother

Hotels?: Sun Palace

Duration of Flight?: 3 hours

Population?: 100,700,891 (Mexico)

572,973 (Cancun)

Why?: Summer vacation before entering my freshman year of college.

My experience: Amazing! The part of the country that I was at was beautiful and the people are very nice people who are always looking to help you in any way possible. The best part of my vacation? Was the fact that I met the boy that I am currently dating for 3 1/2 years, crazy huh? Yup, it's the truth. My boyfriend and I met in Cancun, Mexico. We both stayed in the same hotel and both happen to live 25-30 minutes away from each other in New Jersey. Once we got back to New Jersey he called me up, we hung out, and here we are almost 4 years later. I can honestly say that he has been one of the best parts of my life. Thank god for Cancun right? ha ha

Well back to the actual vacation, got a little too happy about righting about my love life :) Cancun is a very pretty city. The beaches, restaurants, night life, 

people, and hotels are all so much fun. Sun Palace (picture on the left) was the hotel in which my mother and I stayed in (along with my future boyfriend, parents, and his brothers). This hotel was actually very nice. It had multiple 

pools and bars, and great restaurants. The great thing about this hotel is the fact that they give the option of having everything inclusive if you buy a package, meaning that all the drinks and food you wish to get are all included in your package which is great. Sun palace is owned by the same people as Moon Palace, Beach Palace, and Cancun Palace meaning that if you stay in any of these 4 resorts, you have the option of using their facilities for no additional price. How awesome is that? 

Now onto the most exciting part of any young and fun persons life... the night life! Cancun has a lot of different places to have a good time. One of the places is called The City (picture to your left), this place was probably one of the most fun places I have ever been to, besides Coco Bongo which I will discuss in a moment.  The music was great and the vibe of the entire place made it such a good night. Had a big area to dance ( I love to dance) and also had a lot of places to just sit and chill, if that is what you wanted to do. What is cool about going out in general in any country is the fact that you meet people from different parts of the world. I actually became really good friends with a girl named Shelby and she was from I believe Chicago. And there were many other people that I met from different states as well. I personally love seeing how people talk and their accents because everywhere I go they always ask me, "are you from New York?" I'm like close but no New Jersey, they are like yeah we could tell. So I like to see the different accents of people from different states and of course different countries, it is very interesting to me. 

Next place on the list of exciting places to go to in Cancun was Coco Bongo (picture on your left). This place was awesome! As you can see from the picture they have different themes ones with Beetlejuice and others with the guy from the movie Mask with Jim Carrey. But when I went with some friends I met in Cancun (including my future boyfriend), they had a Spider Man theme in which you would see "Spider Man" fly all around the club above you from stage to stage. It was pretty cool I might say. They had a little video/movie going on about Spider Man then all of the sudden you see Spider Man flying everywhere throwing stuff around, it was awesome if you were there to witness it. I would definitely recommend anyone to come here in you happen to be in Cancun at some point in your life. 

Overall, the beaches were beautiful, the hotel I stayed was great, the places I went to have a good time, AND I met the man of my dreams, I can honestly say Cancun was one of the BEST vacations EVER! 

My next traveling destination is.... Cuba!

Where?: 

Havana, Cuba

Matanzas, Cuba

Varadero, Cuba

When?: 

July 2000 with my mother.

July 2002 with my mother.

July 2004 with my mother.

Hotels?:

Melia Havana

Beaches in Varadero

Duration of Flight?: Close to 3 hours

Population?: 11, 423, 952 (Cuba)

2,400,300 (Havana)

20,000 (Varadero)

Why?: My mother was born in Cuba but had not been there since she left (at 11 years old). Therefore, we went there: 1) To visit the beautiful country itself & 2) Visit some family members

My experience: I thought Cuba was a beautiful country but unfortunate to not have the rights that many other countries like ours has. One would think though that because of the fact that they aren't really allowed to do much, that they would be miserable and unhappy people. But this is not true at all, Cubans are probably one of the most friendly people I have ever encountered in my life. They are always open to help anyone they could, invite them over for dinner, talk to whoever, whenever, and just be genuinely nice people. 

Whoever isn't familiar with the Cuban culture, I will give you some background information. Cuba which I am sure that many do know is a communist country/island and has been for a very long time under the regime of Fidel Castro. Cubans unlike most other human beings around the world, are not allowed to leave the country for any circumstances even for pleasure unless it is a very extreme situation in which a close family member is ill in another country. This is why you see Cubans leaving Cuba in a little "banana boat" like we call it because they are desperate to leave a country that does not let them expression their voice. If anyone in Cuba were to talk bad about their president, Fidel Castro, they will get arrested just for voicing their opinion, but in Cuba there isn't such thing as freedom of speech. Cubans do not know what that is.  

Back to the vacation. The beaches in Varadero, Cuba are one of the most beautiful, clean, and clear blue watered beaches I have ever seen. You would be surprised as to how many Canadians one sees in Varadero. I was appalled. 

In Matanzas, Cuba this was a different story. Here is where the poverty was really shown. There were houses, including my families, which the entire house was held by one single stick. If that stick ever fell, the entire house would fall. That just gives you a visual of what these houses look like. This is where I honestly started to feel bad because it is just so sad to see people live how these people lived. The toilet is something that us Americans would like to call a bucket. Yup you heard it, a bucket!

On a better note, Cuba is a beautiful country with beautiful people and I think that everyone at one point in their life should take the time to visit the island! 

Adios!