Since you’ve been hearing about Puerto Rico a lot lately (hehe), I decided to choose a totally different country for Beach Thursday this week. Below, a photo of a secret beach in Morocco, found during the first road trip I took while living and studying there in the fall of 2009. Ohhh man, so many great memories! =)
[click here for more photos of this road trip & secret beach in Morocco!]
secret beach in Morocco
Have you found a secret beach in Morocco? Tell me about it in a comment!
This week’s Beach Thursday pick is Cancun, Mexico. Below, photos of me at different beaches around the main hotel strip, taken during my spring break 2008. Personally, I felt that trip was such a rip-off, for so many reasons. Cancun trip report, naturally, will come soon enough *wink* For now, enjoy the pics!
view from my hotel room. Saweeet!
New friend I made TJ (left) and me (right) after I won a booty-shaking contest + some VIP passes to Akon's Cancun concert. Oh yah, full story to come! 
we hijacked a kayak (and that rhymed)
Me at one of the many gorgeous beaches. And yes, I AM wearing a THONG! =P
Have you visited Cancun? What did you think of it? Comment below!
Whether you call it a bucket list, or travel bucket list, or things to do before I die; or if you simply call them dreams or goals: Everybody has one of those “lists,” either written on paper, on a computer, in their mind, or in their heart. My bucket list has always involved traveling, and so I have called it the travel bucket list, and this shall be part 2! (click here for part 1). It contains my written dreams and goals yet to accomplish. However, in the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to cross some “items” out! And so here, for the first time ever, I make it openly public! Btw, all crossed-off items on this entry are clickable! So if you wish to hear more details and tales about each experience on this travel bucket list, click on any bullet point (opens in new window, btw)! So I present you with items on part 2, in no particular order:
Elacatinus evelynae cleaning my teeth! @Canyon Gardens
After many years of hesitation I finally crossed this item off my bucket list in spring 2009. Diving in Egypt was definitely one of the highlights of my year living there. Nothing rivals the Red Sea and its vast beauty! Lucky me, I got to dive some of the top diving sites in the world as part of my PADI certifications: Open Water and Advanced! In less than 2 weeks and for under $600 US dollars, I got both PADI certifications, paid for accommodation and meals. Still can’t believe it!
Great Migration, Masai Mara from the air by T. R. Shankar Raman
At a very young age, I “digitally witnessed” the Great Migration from my living room in Puerto Rico thanks to National Geographic. But now that I am old enough, I wish to witness it LIVE through an African Safari. I wish to do a full-blown safari in Tanzania, while seeing the great Migration up from the air in Kenya on a hot air balloon ride. Also, I wish to go down south to the highly-acclaimed South African reserves and see the Big 5 down there on a different season. And, most importantly, kiss a giraffe, pet a tiger, etc. etc…can’t wait to do all this!
Lake Malawi beach by JackyR, Wiki Commons
Continuing with my African dreams, after I do all of the above in one single trip, I’m sure I’ll be tired as heck. Thus, chilling around Lake Malawi will be the perfect break. According to a RTW Guidebook I read several years ago, this spot is up there with Dahab, Egypt (which happens to be my favorite spot on Earth) on chillaxation and guilty of trapping travelers for weeks to an end. Oh yes please, trap me. Seduce me. I’m so down
Paragliding in Fethiye, Turkey by turkeyholidaytours.com
OK, I’ll admit it: I don’t have the balls to do hangliding. Really, I think I would die. But gliding through the heavens was still a dream of mine, and as I looked for alternatives, I found paragliding! Yay for adding some risk to my travel bucket list! =D Don’t know what makes me feel safer about this, but I’m down! And Fethiye, Turkey seems to be the beautiful, perfect spot for the feat. Ahhh, one day!
Turkey map by Thomas Steiner, Wiki Commons
Speaking of Turkish delights…I was supposed to go on a 40-day Turkish Odyssey, couchsurfing and road tripping throughout the entire country, circumnavigating it from west to east and back (and note: I planned all by myself for months) back in 2008. What happened, you may ask? Well, I was engaged and studying abroad for a year, so I thought, what most *delightful* surprise than to go visit my fiance for Christmas, when he’s not expecting to see me until June? Bought the flight from Egypt to America in October. Come December, exactly 10 days before my surprise flight–and fiance breaks up with me. Yeah, talk about major OUCH. Still, low and behold, I got my travel bucket list itinerary and months of research saved for when I finally go for the Turkish invasion!
Underwater ruins in Alexandria, Egypt by dailyscubadiving.com
So back to the water indeed. I love it, reason why my mom called me “little fishie” when I was young. Grew up in a Caribbean island, kind of expected! So yeah, another diving item on my travel bucket list is to wander through submerged ancient cities and sites. Mix water with history and I’ll get so wet without thinking about it twice (literally)
And that shall be it for my travel bucket list, part DOS! I think I’ll make it habitual and every Wednesday post will be about my travel bucket list. What do you think? =)
FotoFri theme this week is ADVENTURE, so I decided to make a trip report photo essay of my Panama adventures: Sleeping in a hammock at the over-water hostel Aqua Lounge in Bocas Del Toro and island hopping on The Andiamo sailboat through the San Blas Islands, to name a few! I went there for my last college Spring Break in March 2010. As with most of my trips, my Panama adventures were epitomes of budget travel, solo travel, and woman travel combined. Enjoy! =)
I flew from Miami, FL to Panama City and stayed there overnight, as my flight got in late. Early in the morning, I went to the bus station and took a cheap bus to Almirante, where I would then catch a boat that would take me to my overwater hostel in Bocas Del Toro.
boat from Almirante to Bocas del Toro
Aqua Lounge hostel from the boat! *gasps* awesome!
I instantly fell in love with the AquaLounge Hostel. I heard some rumors of bedbugs on the top bunk beds in the dormitories, but no worries here, as smarty pants chose to sleep on 5-dolla-a-night HAMMOCK!
My "bed" for 2 nights, 5 bucks each! Hammock was great
View from my "outdoor bedroom" *wink!*
While it was raining for most of my stay (3 days), that didn’t take away from the fun! I met several travelers and surfers from all over the world, hiked around the islands with them, followed the waves, and partied partied PARTIED!
From left: American, Puerto Rican (me!), Australian, American, and Israeli at over-water hostel
Around Bocas Del Toro, in search of the surfing beach!
Surfing!
Bar of my over-the-water hostel
Coming back from the surf
The highlights of my trip to Bocas Del Toro Panama were definitely the high diving board on the roof, the “pool” which happened to be a hole on the deck taking you straight to the ocean, and the 80′s techno party on my last night there! It rained during the latter, which made it even MORE EPIC!
High diving board! Aussie jump
The "pool" at Aqua Lounge Hostel!
Aqua Lounge Hostel 80's party in the RAIN!
Waterproof cameras - thank you, humanity!
But all the fun wasn’t in Bocas Del Toro: After partying it up there, it was time for me to wind down and hop on The Andiamo with Captain Tony to go island hopping through Caribbean waters and encounter the Kuna Yala in the San Blas Archipelago.
Our sailboat, Andiamo!
View of Kuna Yala from my sailboat cabin
What’s interesting about Kuna Yala people is that they are indigenous people who are still politically autonomous from the Panamanian government, in addition to be the only indigenous people to have not been conquered by Christopher Columbus nor any other Conquistadors!
Me mingling with the Kunas
And so for the next few days, I was chilling with some interesting passengers from all over the world, most notably two Foreign Service Officers, aka diplomats, from the USA serving in Panama. They were happily married and had managed to travel all over the world and get the same assignments through the Dept. of State! At times, they told me, they would have to separate for months at a time when new assignments were due every 2 years or so (about 3 months on average), but that they loved the unpredictability of their lifestyle and the joy to still being able to enjoy their dream careers and each other–AWW!!! Unfortunately I somehow missed taking my pic with them (how come!? *hits head*), but the memories are engraved in my mind and heart. In addition to some pretty awesome pictures I took of the scenery throughout my journey:
LOBSTER written all over my face =P
Water was beautiful, different shades of blue
Kunas live all throughout the archipelago, sometimes in desolated islands
Ahh, relaxation at best
And so that’s a perfect summary and concise trip report of my Panamanian adventures! Hope you enjoyed it and “Like” me on Facebook and Follow me on Twitter for updates and more fun travel tales!
I miss this place!
Have you been to Panama? Which towns did you visit? What did you do?
My silhouette in the Panamanian sun. Shot while island hopping San Blas Islands Panama in 3/2010
San Blas Islands Panama
Have you visited the San Blas Islands Panama?
Curacao, the Dutch Caribbean
It’s official: My flight to Curaçao is booked and I’m heading there for the first time from November 25th-30th (Thanksgiving weekend)! I am thrilled. While I grew up in the Enchanted Island of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean never gets old. There is something about its palm-fringed coasts, ocean breeze, sand between my toes, and year-long sunshine that I just can never get enough! Most of my excitement, however, stems from the fact that Curaçao is so culturally diverse from the Caribbean I’m “used” to.
Located in the deep south of the Caribbean, Curacao is about 60 km off Venezuelan coasts. For this reason, it is considered a “transcontinental country,” meaning that it is part of both North and South America, as the division of Caribbean islands between the two continents is deemed complex. In addition to its ambiguous geographical location, its cultural background is just as broad. While the first conquistadors to see the island were Spaniards, the territory was invaded by the Dutch in 1634. Then, 28 years later, Curacao became the center of the Atlantic slave trade, bringing a heavy influx of African slaves into the island. From there, they were shipped to several colonies in the Caribbean and South America.
The island became prosperous, and since the Dutch made a contract with the Spaniards for slave trade, the island’s development and architecture was influenced by a mix of both Spanish and Dutch styles. Naturally, as with many Caribbean islands, Curacao’s strategic location and wealth caught the eye of other colonial powers. Consequently, Curacao was occupied by the French, the British, and the Dutch interchangeably between the 18th and 19th centuries. Then, in 1815 (post-Napoleonic wars), the Dutch regained control of the island.
It is easy to see why I am so excited about visiting this culturally-rich haven. Not only is it off-the-beaten path in comparison to other popular Caribbean destinations, but its background is quite unique. While my island of Puerto Rico has Taíno, African, and Spanish influences, the Spaniards successfully retained control of the island for more than 400 years, ever since its discovery by Columbus on November 19th, 1493. In fact, it was not until the Spanish-American War that Spain lost the island to American forces. In contrast, Curacao was occupied and juggled between colonial powers repeatedly for about two centuries, which makes its background that more diverse in my opinion. It will be wonderful see for myself and discover whether this assumption of mine is true or if the cultural background is as equally diverse, and not more, than Puerto Rico’s.
According to the government’s website, Curacao’s unique society has seen interactions between the Indian, European, African, Asian, and Arab cultures. I wonder how that will translate into its architecture, food, customs, etc. I plan on Couchsurfing there, just so I get to see the country from a local’s perspective and am able to ask several questions about traditions and current influences and changes.
I’m still not sure what I will do there. A friend of mine, named Jessica, might join me, but seems like I will be going as a solo woman traveler again *smiles* I think I’ll want to cycle around the island, given the fact that it is only 61 km long by 5-14 km wide, plus I will have about 5-6 days to explore (yay). Additionally, I plan on doing some diving and snorkeling, as I have heard Curacao boasts some of the most virgin, vibrant corals in the whole Caribbean. Moreover, it was considered one of the top budget diving destinations in the world–say whaaaat!? Guys, I’m so excited about this trip! By the way, I found my flight from Miami-Curacao for only $215 RT including taxes on a special sale from American Airlines, which ends on July 18th (in four days!). They have tons of cities on sale so you might want to check it out. Oh and hey, if you decide to visit the magical Dutch Caribbean after snatching a cheap flight, let me know! *wink*
Have you visited Curacao or any other Caribbean island? Tell us about your experience
These San Blas Islands pictures were taken during a sailing trip I took while in Panama (2010). The trip was great value & I highly recommend it. The boat is called The Andiamo, with Captain Tony. =)
Gorgeous beach - found while island hopping
Me being silly =P
Snorkeling
Just so you get to know me (and my background) a little better, here is a video of possibly my favorite secret beach back home in Puerto Rico.
Located on the east coast of Puerto Rico, Fajardo is one of my favorite towns in the island. And this secret beach, my friends, is how the Caribbean used to be! Disclaimer: Verrry strong Latina accent
Have you been to Puerto Rico? Which are your favorite beaches there?
