Cerro de Monserrate

What a phenomenal experience!!! My mum, dad and I went to the top via cable car to see the view of Bogota and the church. It was a little scary going up because we were basically held onto by a cable, and we went about 1200 meters up.

At the top, the view was amazing!! You could see the entire city, absolutely stunning. Since it was a tourist attraction, we ended up meeting lots of foreigners from all around the world, it was like the United Nations.

Coming down was way more scary; I could see the cable shaking and it went faster than it did going up.

Colombia bound

The worst thing about traveling is the transportation part of the trip. Long, tiring and unnecessary stress. What made this a lengthy process was that I had to wake up at 5:30am for my flight, but on the same day as daylight savings. I was so worried that my alarm would ring an hour late, and that the clocks wouldn’t automatically change.

I woke up periodically through the night in panic that I would miss my flight.

GOOD NEWS. I didn’t miss it. I had a stop over in Fort Lauderdale, which wasn’t bad since the fight was only about 45 minutes with the same layover time.

Arrival: the stress continued as I landed in Colombia and my bag wasn’t at baggage claim. I saw the same suitcases going around and around, but no sign of mine. The conveyer belt had stopped moving so no new bags were coming. I started to feel slightly anxious; 45 minutes passed by, and I went to a lady who worked there to ask but she didn’t speak English. I thought to myself, GREAT, another problem -__-.

After about an hour, the conveyer belt started moving; I was the happiest girl ever.

Martha (the bride) and her family came to pick me up from the airport, and took me out to eat some lunch. The restaurant was called Colombia Club; the food was amazing. I was able to eat the traditional Colombian food [arepas, empanadas, arroz con pollo, fresh juice].

Hotel: WOW!! The hotel is beautiful, very nicely decorated and lots to do. No others were in Colombia yet, so I was alone at the hotel. It was time to order room service, hit up the spa, and just relax. I went into the sauna, and Jacuzzi and it was so relaxing.

Turned out to be a great day after all.

Day trips are fun too

Pretty spontaneous trip to Miami. Two days and One night.
It doesn't matter how long you go, but what you do and who you go with.

This trip started off being really hectic, a four hour journey from Orlando to Miami, two stop overs, many re-routes of direction, and a wining person wanting to use the bathroom (me).

My mum and I decided to go to Miami for the night as she had an appointment the next day in downtown. Why not make a trip out of it?
I'm trying to find this hotel amongst all the tall buildings, cars hooting at me, and being just completely unfamilar with the area. I ended up going down the wrong way on a "one way" road, driving around in circles, and entering a parking garage thinking it would lead us to the hotel. (It didn't).

We had to ask for directions and call the hotel.
Finally, we found it and boy were we happy!
The exterior of the hotel didn't seem that great, but the inside was beautiful!! The amenities, decoration, and service was astounding. My mum and I went to go check in, and they asked if we wanted to be upgraded to the suite complementary!! Obviously we said yes!

Our room was HUGEEEEEE!!! it had a king bed, a study room, living room, two bathrooms, and a tv in the toilet! It was crazy; and the view was fantastic. We were right on the water, surrounded by tall buildings, and the city lights.
We explored the hotel and saw that the hotel had an indoor billards room, bowling alley, swimming pool, and fitness center. Pretty nice.... I just wish we were here for longer than one day. So much to do but very little time.

Our night ended with visiting the bar in the hotel; the food and company was great!

San Fran bound

Day 0

So the journey begins, unfortunately at 4am. I figured if we left early morning then we would have more down time upon arriving, but I never considered the fact that I'm not a morning person. My alarm goes off at 4am, just 3 hours after I actually went to sleep. I thought I was dreaming.... Reality kicked in though.

We boarded the flight and headed to Charlotte, North Carolina (our stopover). It was such a crowded airport especially for 9am... But it was lovely and so big. Restaurants and stores everywhere. Our next fright rolls around and we get good seats until it all began....the man behind us had a slight problem, actually a huge problem. SNORING. from the time we sat down to the minute we landed. It was so loud, the loudest I've ever heard, the worst part was that he sat directly behind me and it honestly sounded like he was going to die. All the surrounding people around were laughing and debating on what to do. My mum was ready to spill some water on him to wake him up, she was getting a headache. LONGEST 5 HOURS OF MY LIFE!!

It was quite the adventure, but just happy to finally arrive in San Francisco.

Arriving in San Francisco and greeted by the cold and windy weather. That's something that reminded me of England. My dad was already in Cali so he picked us up and we did some minor sight seeing around the city. We started off at fishermans wharf and strolled along hitting up In n' Out burger. Now, this has been something I've been craving for years now. I got so excited seeing the sign and rushed in to put in my order. Delicious.

One thing that I noticed about people from Cali are that they are extremely happy and nice! They are all willing to help and always have a smile on their face.

It's dinner time - we hit up a Thai restaurant that was recommended to us! I'm so excited because I really like eating noodles, veggies etc. we order our food to be spicy because we figured that since we were Indian, we could handle it. Boy were we more than wrong. It was the spiciest thing I have ever tasted!!! We had to get ice cream to cool our mouths.

Day 1

The first full day in California was spent roaming the streets of San Francisco. It was a typical tourist day hitting all the major sites: the coit tower, ghirardeli chocolate factory, Kara's cupcakes, Lombard street, and some famous houses.

We got to have free chocolate samples at the factory along with wine tasting at the store close by. We picked up some famous cupcakes for the journey to satisfy our sweet tooth. It was worth it. After walking around for a little we went to the local pub for lunch. The view was spectacular, and it was nice just to be inside away from the cold and wind.

One of my favorite shows is full house, and I knew that the house that it was filmed in was in SF, so I made sure we went to see the actual house. It looked really different on the outside since this big tree was built in front but it was so cool knowing that once upon a time, all the actors and actresses were there. Also we went to the house where Mrs. Doubtfire was filmed! This is one of my favorites movies, the houses were close together so it wasn't a hassle!

We ended the day at our friends house for dinner. They had just renovated their house and it looked amazing, so high tech and modern. It felt good to have a home cooked meal.

Day 2

It's always good to relax, especially when you're on holiday. I slept in.... We'll my parents version of sleeping in (8am), and lounged around the house admiring our amazing view of Santana row. We played cards with the family, and my mum made a big breakfast for all of us. It was delicious. My brother and I went to whole foods for some groceries and then got a car wash. I was fascinated by this car wash lol, it was much different than the ones I've seen, so high tech and just quick. It was an automatic car wash but then they had a bunch of workers approach either car after to dry it, they were on a conveyer belt taking turns on every angle of the vehicle. We were in and out of that place in a jiffy and the car was sparkling clean.

Next on the agenda was lunch and walking around Santana Row. It was filled with boutiques, shops, restaurants, and cafés. Beautiful place to walk around and the weather was spectacular. Stopping by at Pizza Antics for lunch, we ordered two pizzas that reminded me of being back in Italy. There was so much flavor and the portions were on point. Not to mention, they had my favorite drink, elderflower.

Ending the day right by driving to Oakland for dinner. Blackhawk grill. Great food, drinks and company. The scenery was really cool, they had this fountain filled with ducks and a bunch of stores around it. My brother bought duck food so we sat outside and fed the ducks, they all swarmed us. I put some in my hand and the ducks pecked at my hand, it felt like a drill.

Day 3

The day started early as we set off to monetary, pebble beach and the 17 mile drive. The journey felt like forever but was definitely worth it by the time we got there. The bright blue water, sandy beaches, and huge waves were so picturesque. I distinctly remember looking out in the ocean and seeing a huge splash, and the people around me saying 'Wow did you see that?' I became extremely curious, thinking what could be out there, I took off my sunglasses to get a better look and there I saw it, a huge splash again. WHALES. There were a few whales jumping out of the water playing with each other in the distance. It was magical. My first time ever seeing a whale, well besides sea world of course. Besides whales, we also saw some sea otters. It was kind of hard to miss as they smelt terrible and made so much noise. This trip was different than regular beach trips because it wasn't somewhere you could sit and suntan, it was completely scenic. What a better way to end the day than to tour the actual google headquarters!!!! I was so shocked when we were able to do this. My brother and dad had a connection with a worker there and he offered to take us on a tour. I've only seen bits and pieces from the movie The Internship and it just looked so cool. We met up with the guy and he took us into the buildings and we saw pele working in the rooms and their cubicles. They had a gym, an arcade, bikes, volleyball court, and much more. It was such a fun work environment. We took tons if pictures and we even got to ride the google bikes around the google campus. This experience honestly felt like a dream. Too good to be true. It was sooo cool to do this.

Day 4

So everything we wanted to do on this trip was done except going to the Golden Gate Bridge, well we did go but this time we wanted to go really close and actually cross the bridge. We woke up early and all of us drove to San Francisco to look at the bridge. It was breathtaking. Since it was early morning, it was extremely foggy so it was hard to see the entire thing, but the parts that were visible was awesome. I can see why it's one of the world wonders. Taking pictures was interesting as the wind was going against us and our hair was flying everywhere, but besides the point. There was a little spot where cars could park to take a picture of the view, and it was packed with tourists. People asking each other to take pictures and taking turns to stand in front of the bridge. Completely touristy.

My brother had a meeting to go to so we were crunched for time so we went to this sandwich place that he recommended. Thankfully we went there. They had healthy sandwiches and the most amazing creeps ever. It was so tasty. Turns out my brothers meeting got cancelled so we took it easy and wandered around downtown San Francisco. At that point, we saw the tram service going up and down the streets. My mum and I looked at each other and knew we both wanted to ride one, we hopped on one and took it for a few stops. It was so cool hanging over the edge. The man in charge had told me to stay close to the tram otherwise I'd hit the cars. Pretty crazy how they would allow that, a huge safety hazard but so worth it. Done. Everything on our holiday check list.

It's basically impossible to go to San Francisco without shopping we left the boys at the apartment and my mum and I hit the town. There were is many stores and so many possible spending opportunities lol. *in conclusion! not that much damage was done*

That night we went to Santa Cruz for dinner. We had a chiropractor appointment for all of us and then we stayed and had dinner with the doctor himself. We went to this Italian place where the portions were HUGE. My brother and I ordered a salad and pasta to share~ the salad came out first and we were full before the main dish even came out. The food was super good though. We ended up taking home 4 boxes of food, one from each of us.

2013

I say this every time, but seriously, I have not written in here in ages.
My English Composition class gave me the motivation to actually write; we are writing about our Worldview and I planned on incorporating my blog into it.

A lot has changed since I last wrote. I have completed Summer and Fall semesters at college and currently in my Spring semester. I have a great room mate that we hang out all the time, and actually get along (very unusual so i've heard).

I am currently doing homework and then studying for a huge biology test that I have tomorrow, the perks of being a Biomedical Science major.

But nothing new to say here, I'll be sure to actually write more interesting stuff once it happens!

OH BUT IT IS A NEW YEAR SO THATS A PLUS :D

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico bounddd! I just recently went to PR with my family for a week, we visited San Juan and Fajardo! Both were absolutely beautiful.

Fajardo - We stayed in the El Conquistador which was by far one of the most beautiful resorts I've ever been to. The resort amenities were fantastic, and the activities in the area were awesome! The resort made it possible for people to enjoy and relax in the area without leaving the resort itself. They provided us with ferry transportation to their private island, Palomino Island, an on site water park, 2 swimming pools, and a huge gym!

On top of that, they had a casino indoors in which i won $7! CRAZY RIGHTTT? haha. I stopped before i got addicted and just lost everything.

Our day consisted of a buffet breakfast in the cafe, soaking up the sun by the pool and beach, adventuring in the local area, and then a pleasant meal at the hotel. I couldn't of asked for a more relaxing hotel!

But a vacation isn't all about soaking up the sun, and sitting out by the pool; there has to be some adventure involved. One of the days we went to El Yunque National Rainforest! Besides the rain, it was good. There were waterfalls, real rock climbing lol, and hiking/nature trails. One of the hiking trails that we went on took about 2 hours round trip, but it was so worth it. You walk for about an hour through the rain forest only to come to a huge waterfall where you're allowed to go for a swim, sit on the rocks, and just relax! I unfortunately didn't have my swim suit so I didn't go in.... intentionally. The water was absolutely freezing. I did put my feet in and walked around, only to slip on a rock and fall in the water; huge shock to the brain as the water was ice cold. Overall it was a great experience, I'm just glad that I wasn't the only one to fall in. The hike back seemed longer and more tiring as most of it was uphill but we made it!!

San Juan - If you look up on all the tourism websites as to what to do in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Rum/Bacardi Factory is a must see! It was actually really cool there because everything is alcohol based (obviously). They have this huge bar where they serve drinks, and then a really big gift shop where they sell everything from bottles of Bacardi, to magnets. Then they send you on an hour tour where they tell you the origin of the alcohol, how it's made, and how much is produced yearly. It was a little interesting and a bit boring at the same time!

ALL OVER PUERTO RICO! Something that took me a while to get used to was the size of the lizards. I live in Florida and have been to India, so i'm used to lizards but the ones here are huge! At first I thought I was seeing things until they literally turned up everywhere! They are really fat and look scary. When my family and I were walking behind the hotel near the pool area, there was a huge lizard "structure" just in the grass, and at first I thought it was a sculpture just there for decoration, UNTIL it started to move!!!! :O It was just a huge Iguana just minding its own business, one of the most randomest things i've ever seen!

REGARDLESS. Puerto Rico was awesome (: Definitely go and visitttt!

It's never too late

WOW! it's been forever since I actually updated my blog and I'm sorry for those who read this and followed me! But I'm back :]

After China, i went to England where i got to spend time with my friends and family, and then finally reached home sweet home, FLO-RIDA <3

I've been home for just over a month now and it feels so great to be reunited with my friends and family. It was kind of weird at first, everything seemed hazy and make belief, kind of 'too good to be true' but now i'm used to it.

Going to sleep in my own bed, not living out of a suitcase, and driving my car was amazing! I was so grateful for the small things: leaving my toothbrush in the bathroom instead of packing it up, and choosing clothes out of a closet instead of a suitcase. IT FELT GOOD.

Journey home: it was a mission and a half to get back home with the offloading, airport conveyer belts not working, taxi's, compensation, and delays, but i finally made it home. My friends came and visited me that night and it was such a surprise. They came running to the door and gave me a hug, it was SOO good to see them again and reconnect. Although we stayed in touch while I was gone, there was still so much to catch up on. The next day, they all threw me a surprise party in which my friends from highschool came, it was like a reunion. Although the surprise was kind of ruined, it was good to see everybody. We all talked, shared stories, and ate food. Perfect day!

Anyways, these past 2 weeks have been so great and hectic at the same time. My family from England, and California came into town to visit so they were staying at our house. As usual, the disney runs, touring, shopping had to be done so it was constant trips to the theme parks and outlet malls. Its always nice to have family over especially when all the kids get together and joke around, play cards, and have crazy adventures. The only bad thing is at the end when everybody leaves because the house is so empty and quiet. Kinda depressing. 

But the best thing to do is just focus on the good times and know that it will happen again real soon.