Drive to the... Ocean?

So you know me, I move to a town and immediately explore everything around. The first exploration I did was to try and see the Ocean nearby. We went to Bahia de los Lobos. It turns out the ocean had no access by road only hike or river, but the traditional town was very neat to see.

 It was such a fun adventure to check out, even if we never made it to the sea.

My move to México

 
 So I haven't gotten a job as a massage therapist yet so I decided to try for México for a bit. My dad lives there and my sister was visiting so I figured why not?! Worst case scenario I live in México for a month.

   Driving was not so bad, but I am eternally grateful for my new friends I was able to follow from Nogales, Arizona to San Carlos, México.  I got lost leaving Tucson so I know I wouldn't have done so well. Also, my car is highly unreliable, but good thing auto work is cheaper in México.  I drove the entire way on the 15, paying tolls for my safety.  I saw a strike in the town of Vicam , large guns, and scarey drivers, but the hardest part of the trip was adjusting to the crazy driving. If the speed limit says 100 kph, drive 80 mph, if it drops to 60 kph, drive 60 mph. It's madness, and people drive all over the road not caring about right or left and when you turn left you pull over right first. But it works. Just drive safe and slow for towns.

 Can you believe that LEMON?!

   Obregón is a wealthier city. It has poor people too but people have cars for the most part and wear nice cloths. The pollution is bad and the roads are crazy, but the food is fresh and cheap and the people are nice.

I've had fun with family.

Made new friends and ate lots of amazing food at restaurants, stands and the Tianguis. 

Louisiana

To head out on this trip we camped by New Orleans.  Our campground at Segnette Bayou State Park, had nice bathrooms, free laundry, walking paths everywhere, and playgrounds for kids. This is a much better way to stay close to the city, budget friendly, and you don't have to eat out all the time.

I really like how close we were to the beautiful nature of Louisiana. 

New Orleans

I was able to enjoy the city of New Orleans with not only my awesome sister, brother-in-law, and adorable niece, but also with my best friend of so many years, Bianca. It was an awesome surprise! We ate at Toast a couple times for breakfast yummy!!! And ate some great crawfish feeds at any local place we could. (Sorry I don't remember the names of those killer places) The city was a sight to see. I'm not a city girl and the party scene was kind of... well gross through alot of the city but I'm glad I got to see the city with my family and  adopted family :)

I

it was awesome to see such old architecture.

The cemetery was neat to see.

and it was so wild to see the destruction of Katrina in parts of the city.

Thanks for bringing me along and having Bianca there for all our fun John and Bekah!

Cruising on the Carnival Dream

Cruises are hard to compare. The trips were totally different.  The first cruise was with family, but I stayed with and spent most of my time with my friend. We stayed up late and did what we wanted and never made it to breakfast because we needed sleep so much. I also traveled over Christmas the second cruise on the  Carnival Dream, so that changed the dynamic too. I will do my best to compare nonetheless.

The ships: Royal Caribbean

• had a Rockwall yay
• had a crummy inline skating track boo
• needed to care for the ice skating rink more often boo
• better hottubs yay

Carnival Dream

• Had waterslides yay
• outdated decor boo
• had great buffet options with specific restaurants yay
• lines were long at buffet boo
• much cheaper yay

They both had good food, good entertainment and gyms,  the rooms were the same, and had good stuff for kids. I care most about price so since they are both comparable I would book the cheaper would I go again. After traveling for longer beforehand, I feel like cruises are a great sampler. You don't get to experience the culture and the real feel of the place but if you do it right, it gives you  a good opportunity to see more if you don't have much time.  I had a great time.

Thanks John and Bekah for having me join this trip.                                  

Snorkeling Cozumel

I'm back! Beautiful Cozumel, where it's a bit more pricey then other places but if you are smart about it, you can enjoy this beautiful little island with it's beaches, snorkeling, and sights to see for not too much. This time we took a taxi to Chankanaab, paid the entrance, and enjoyed the sea life. Do not, I repeat, do not book this through your ship! They charge you way more than we paid and you will be stuck in a crowd!

   Our favorite part was the snorkeling!  The water was so many beautiful colors of aqua and  was swarming with so many colorful fish and squids!

There was two statues in the water for you to go swim out to...

And last but not least the beach and palms

If you were planning on going their for the dolphins, forget it. You can't get close to them without paying mucho $$. But overall I was impressed by how well they kept up the nature and beauty.

 We had fun on the imitation ruins too.

Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman is a very beautiful, very wealthy island. If you are just looking to visit, expect to spend lots of money! The dollar is worth more than the American dollar and they are high tech and expensive. I'm glad I went for STINGRAYS, but I don't think it's a place I would want to go visit, mostly for economic reasons. If I wanted to work there, though, they have no taxes, so who knows I might be back to this beautiful little island with white sandy beaches and amazing water.

    Stingray city was WOW!  They give you squid so you can feed them and you can hold them (with assistance) and kiss them "for good luck". The water was once again the shocking blue full of stingrays and other beautiful fish. I have wanted to do this for a long time so it made me very happy to swim with these amazing creatures.

Can you believe how cute she is?!
     Now we ate at Rum Point when we were there, where the service was nice and the food was good but remember, $$, because their dollar has so much value, so be warned. Overall, if I go back, it will be to work, but I'm glad I had the exexperience.

No filter on that water! You wouldn't believe it!

Smooches!