[VIDEO] Female Expat in Saudi Arabia – It’s Not That Bad

July 29, 2012 By 8 Comments

It’s been almost a year since I recorded this video.  I made it for Terri Davis-Merchant for Expat Week on her blog; Try Anything Once.   This video is short piece about what it feels like for me being an expat, and a woman living in Saudi Arabia.

You may be surprised to find that for me being a woman in Saudi Arabia is largely about being inconvenienced versus what you may have heard or read in the media.  Largely what you may have read or heard is about women’s movements being restricted, that they need permission for most things, and a lot of what she’s allowed to do is dependent on the men in her family, etc. etc.  Though those things are true for most Saudi women, I can’t speak to this.  I’m American, and I’m not subject to the customs of their culture on that level.  I come and go as I please, and my husband still can’t tell me to do a thing I don’t want to do.  :) LOL.  However, I am subject to the laws of the land.  So, for me I’m mainly affected by not being able to drive and what I wear.  Whenever I leave the compound I must  the abaya, however, even on the compound I have to be cognizant of what I’m wearing.

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Capture The Color Competition

July 21, 2012 By

I was nominated by Runaway Brit to enter the Capture The Color Travel Blogger Competition.   So, what is it?  Basically, a travel blogger submits a photo that showcase the following colors:  blue, green, yellow, white, and red.  And, then they nominate 5 other bloggers.  It’s a simple as that.  Well…until I had to start sorting through my photos to decide which ones were worthy enough.  And, I never think my photos are as good as they could be.  But, I’m going for it anyway. :D

Following are my entries:

Blue:

Amsterdam is one of my favorite cities.  I’m there on a day visit 2 – 3 times a year on an extended layover in and out of the Middle East.  This photo was taken early one rainy morning in December.

Amsterdam Canal Houses

Green:

Off the beaten path deep in the woods in Sweden:

Birch Tree Forest (Sweden)

Yellow:

During an early Saturday morning photography meetup in Ocean Beach, CA, this bi-plane came right into my focal view.

Bi-Plane Over The Pacific Ocean

Red:

Taken during a tour of the Los Angeles Arboretum located in Pasadena, CA

Cactus with Red Flower

White:

This photo was taken in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  Though it’s not an awe inspiring shot, the way I got the shot was such a pleasant surprise and these guys were so “cool” that it will be one of my favorite shots of all time.  Saudi’s typically frown on people taking photos, but these guys waved me over and let me share their world for this brief moment in time.

Older Men Playing Dominoes

 

Now the pressure is on for these cool travel chicks.  Ladies, you have been nominated!! :)

 Try Anything Once:  Terri is a foodie who loves to travel

Mo Travels: Monique is a globetrotting wife & mom isn’t content to travel the world, wants to run around it too.

The Absolute Travel Addict: April is a self proclaimed travel addict, Jamaicaholic and cupcake connoisseur.

Nicole Is The New Black: Nicole is Licensed Jet-setter and Perpetual Expatriate and has no intentions of turning back.

A View To A Thrill:  Renee spends most of her waking hours plotting the next excursion outside of her zip code.

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Where In The Hell Have I Been?

June 7, 2012 By 4 Comments

It’s been months since I’ve written a post.  The thing is, I don’t really like to write when I’m traveling.  I left home on January 22nd and hung out in the States for 5 months, living out of a suitcase.  And, though I did some traveling and took a decent amount of photos, I couldn’t bring myself to write a post for my blog. :(   I don’t know why.  Thank goodness I don’t “have” to blog.  I do post regularly to my Facebook page.  So, those following my Black Chick On Tour FB page saw my shenanigans in real time.  :)   Well, I’m back home now.  For all those who don’t like me on FB (tsk, tsk, tsk) I’m gonna catch you up.

I left the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in January, this became my trajectory:  DMM > AMS > SEA > LAX > SAN > ATL > SAN > SEA >  SAN > LAS > Road Trip > SAN > SEA > AMS > DMM. All this, with a few day trips to LA and Portland, Oregon thrown in.

Let’s start with Seattle.  Seattle is my adopted hometown.  We moved there in September 2000.  This is where I will settle when I move back to the States (at least that is my intention).  However, I no longer have an actually place of residence in Seattle, and since I’m in town way too long to stay at a friends, I typically rent an apartment while in town.  This time I had a really cute newly remodeled 1 bedroom apartment in a nice central location in Capital Hill.

Seattle Skyline from Balcony

I was in Seattle on three separate occasions this time around.  On one of those occasions I teamed up with a video production company.  One of the scenes involved me skydiving.  It was my idea.  I had been wanting to try it, so why not?  Then I chickened out.  I tried to write the skydive scene out of the project, but it left the project feeling flat, so I had to put it back in. On the day of the “big” event.  The weather couldn’t have been more perfect.  After 6 days of rain, the skies in the Pacific Northwest opened up to give me a beautiful sun filled day.  I loved it!!  One of the best experiences ever!!   And, would totally do it again.  Wanna see my scared face?  You can see more photos here: Terri Skydiving

Flying High In The Sky

Skydive Exhileration!!

Even though I consider Seattle home and prefer spending my time there; I’m a native San Diegan.  By default, I end up spending more time in San Diego because my family is there and most importantly I can get a roof over my head for free. :D LOL.  It’s kinda funny that I go to San Diego to save money considering that it’s an expensive place to live.  When I’m in San Diego, I’m doing all sorts of things.  And, going to the beach; a lot.  Basically I’m just living (grocery shopping, going to the movies, shopping, etc.); but I’m also almost always planning my escape.  Even though I love San Diego, as a city I think it’s kinda boring.  But, what can I do…I love it still and it will always feel like home.

San Diego Skyline

My mother was in Atlanta when I first arrived in San Diego from Saudi Arabia.  So, right about the time I was turning the jet lag around, I decided to go to Atlanta.  I had bad memories of Georgia in general.  And, said I’d never go back.  Well…never say never.  To my welcomed surprise, I had a great time.  I stayed with a close family friend; who is one of the best hosts ever!  What’s not to love about free accommodations!!?  I didn’t do anything touristy since I had seen a lot of what they had to offer while I lived there years ago.  I just hung out with family and new friends.  I went for no particular purpose other than “why not?”  I was only there 5 days, but I will definitely check out Atlanta again.

Mother Daughter Dinner at Ray’s By The River in Atlanta

From Atlanta I went back to San Diego for a few weeks and then headed to Seattle for another 2 weeks.  In between all of this Roland arrived Stateside, so now I have a travel partner.  After our stay in Seattle we went on a Road Trip.   This wasn’t a road trip from hell but it was close.  We started out from San Diego and the plan was to go to Vegas and from there the Grand Canyon and from there, where ever the wind took us.  Well…Vegas was fabulous as always.  we cashed in on the free nights stay given to us by the Aria because of the horrible experience we had there last year.  The room had a great view.  If only they’d wash the damned windows!  Anyway…we were there to see Jerry Seinfeld at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace.  He was wonderful.  Still funny as hell, talking about nothing and everything.

Aria Las Vegas – Room with a View

We did a little day trip outside of Las Vegas to Red Rock Conservatory.  It was okay.  Of course, nature was in all her splendor.  However, the price we paid to drive through the conservatory I could have saved.  The fee for automobiles is only $7 but the deal is this, you can see the rock from the road, but if you want to hike around the park, or get a closer look, you have to pay to get in.  Do I think I wasted money. Not really.  But, I took note that I could have saved that money once it was over and I drove back past the rock on the “free” road.   With all that said, it’s a do.  Not far from Red Rock Conservatory, a 10 minute drive south on Highway 159 is a small town (population 290) called Blue Diamond that has wild burros roaming around.  That was kinda cool to see.

The Red Rock at Red Rock Conservatory

Blue Diamond Burro

We left Vegas going towards the Grand Canyon.  Instead of staying inside the park, we stayed in a little town called Williams, right on Route 66, which was about 40 minutes drive from the park.  Upon arrival at the hotel we rushed out trying to reach the park before sunset.  When we arrived inside the park we were immediately met by the locals, a group of Mule Deer.  Once we turned onto Desert View Drive and it didn’t take long for us to see the canyon.  It was breath taking.  At the first turn out, we parked and were awe struck.  Nature truly is the greatest artist.  I got some decent photos. However, they don’t do it justice.   The scene the next morning at sunrise was just as spectacular.

Mule Deer

Grand Canyon At Sunrise

Somewhere along the way we decided Sedona was our next stop.  It was just a few hours away and on our way we would stop at Meteor Crater, a meteorite impact site.  Basically it’s a whole in the ground.  But, it was cool.  There’s a fragment of the actual meteorite in the museum.  I can now say that I’ve touched a meteorite. :)   I was while we were at the Meteor site when I couldn’t stand any more so I went back to the car to wait for Roland.  I just felt weak.  As the day wore on, I got progressively worse.  While Roland drove to Sedona I knew he was passing fabulous “stuff” because he kept stopping to take pictures, but I couldn’t lift my head off of the car seat.

Meteor Crater

Meteorite

We spent 2 days in Sedona.  I never saw Sedona. Roland climbed rocks.  I climbed out of the bed and hugged the toilet.   I did see a smidgen of what the town had the offer from the room balcony.  It was after this that we decided to go back to San Diego, which is about a 6 or 7 hour drive away.  I don’t know what I had, but it was like a flu bug.  It lasted for about 10 days but the cough stayed for almost a month!!  The upshot was that I lost at least 10 pounds. :)

View from Balcony – Sedona

At this point my time in the States was winding down.  We spent the last 10 days hanging out in San Diego before we left and returned to The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

There you have it.  That’s where I’ve been :D

*You can click on the photo to bring it up in a separate page then click again to enlarge. 

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Life Lessons: My First Solo Vacation

January 13, 2012 By 2 Comments

I’ve traveled solo numerous times.  Typically, those were business trips in which I was in and out of the city so quickly that I didn’t have time for anything except the business I was there to conduct.   I had never really considered going on a vacation by myself.   I don’t know why.  However, when a suggestion was made that I visit  Sweden versus sitting up in the house in Saudi Arabia alone for the next three weeks while my husband Roland was out of town, I let it swirl around for a minute.  Then, the next thing I know I was booking a flight to Stockholm and looking for an apartment that was available for 10 days, starting  the following day.  Argh!!!  I couldn’t believe I was doing it.  It was exciting.

I arrived in Stockholm without any problems, took the express train into town and got settled in the apartment.  Then all of a sudden, I felt out of my comfort zone.  I didn’t understand why, since I had been to Stockholm numerous times, and at one point had actually lived there.  However, I wasn’t deterred.  I put on something cute and my comfortable, ugly-ass sandals and hit the streets.  However, I had forgotten that on Sundays most stores are closed and the ones that are open, close early.  So, when I found an open grocery store, I stocked up on the essentials I’d need for the week, and went back to the apartment to make a plan for the next day.

See…that’s the secret.  You have to have a plan.  Know what you want to see.  Even if you just want to meander around, know where you want to go.  This will give you a sense of purpose.  So every day, I made a plan to do something.  I visited every site I wanted, without compromise.  I left the apartment when I wanted.  I came back when I wanted.  I toured subway stations, I visited their world heritage site, and it was all on my terms.  It was awesome.

Another trick I did was to not view it as a foreign city.  I viewed it as if I were just hanging out, like I’d do at home.  And, that’s really how we do it.  Most people run their errands around the city they live in, alone, without giving it a second thought.

So, what did I learn about myself during this vacation?  I learned that I stayed in the background a lot when it came to interacting with the locals; if I were unsure, I’d push Roland out front to take care of it.  In “real life” I’m not this person.  I’m outgoing and not afraid of people.  However, I didn’t realize that I actually became shy and somewhat timid when I traveled.  I love that I discovered that, so I could change it. Now, I don’t do that anymore

Even though I prefer to have a partner-in-crime, I’d absolutely do a solo trip again.  In fact, I enjoyed it so much, that what started out as a 10 day vacation turned into a 2 week getaway.

Having Fun During My Solo Trip: Me on Lions In Kungsträdgården

 

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Guest Post: A Week in Botswana

January 10, 2012 By 4 Comments

If you were looking for a relatively inexpensive, highly entertaining, clean, uncrowded, friendly and relatively safe place to vacation, you would probably not think to look for it in sub-Saharan Africa.  To our surprise, we found all these things, and more, in Botswana. Nestled quietly among its notorious neighbors, it has enjoyed peace and prosperity for more than 40 years, and has been determined by Transparency International to be led by the least corrupt government in Africa. The year after peacefully gaining its independence from Britain in 1966, diamonds were discovered in the southeast.  Today, 40% of the world’s diamonds come from Botswana, elevating their GDP per capita from $70 to $14,000 in just over 40 years. 60% of its government’s revenue comes from diamond sales, and, unlike much of the rest of the world, the government has returned that wealth back to the the country’s infrastructure.

Our impressions of Botswana are almost all positive.  To our surprise the the tap-water was drinkable, the bathrooms were clean and the people loved to sing.  It was not uncommon to see a group of people spontaneously break out in three or four part harmony while dancing to some local song. Quick to return a smile or wish you a good day, the people were just friendly enough.  Unless, of course, they were trying to sell you something, such as at souvenir shops where “friendliness” morphed quickly into intrusiveness.  However even with all this friendliness, it’s not the people that bring in Botswana’s second largest source of revenue, it’s the tourist coming if from all over the world.  With the worlds largest herds of elephants, as well as many other exotic animals easily found in their natural habitat all over northern Botswana it’s easy to see why.

Catering to the most high heeled, some tourist packages in the Okavango Delta include five star camping among these animals for more than $3000 a night!   If you are more like the rest of us and would rather use your money on something other than air conditioned tents and velvet napkins, I would suggest the Chobe Safari Lodge in Kasane, Botswana. At only about $120 a night, one can sleep in a luxurious grass roof hut, along side the Chobe river. The lodge’s restaurant, bar, and all around service was impeccable and the ambiance was perfect with its open air dining around a dimly lit pool overlooking a heavily wooded riverside.  The only annoyance was the mosquitoes. These were remedied with mosquito repellant that the staff quickly provided when they saw us scratching; we hadn’t yet realized small bottles of repellant were also next to our shampoo and conditioner bottles in our bathroom courtesy baskets. Mosquito nets were also provided for our beds, although they weren’t really needed if the door remained closed.  Curiously, all windows were barred but without wire screens, suggesting theft is still more of a threat than mosquitoes. Fortunately our little hut came with full length loosely woven inner curtains that allowed light and air in, while turning away the mosquitoes.

Bungalow at Chobe Safari Lodge

Chobe Safari Lodge

Another convenience of the lodge was that we could arrange all safari activities at the hotel and bill them directly to our room. We chose a fantastic three hour early evening “game drive” in the Chobe National Park, which is chocked full of wild animals living unrestrictedly immediately next to the lodge. Within those three hours we saw elephants, giraffes, impalas, wildebeests, a wild boar, mongoose, painted dogs and even the occasional dung beetle.

Giraffes Eating in Botswana

The next day we went on a day trip to Victoria Falls which was only a few hours away.  This included a border crossing into Zimbabwe and Zambia, and opportunities to bungee jump, swing, or zip line across the gorge  just southeast of the falls. The falls themselves were quite the spectacle to behold to of all the senses as they were not only majestically beautiful and thunderously loud, they were also hard to get anywhere near without getting soaked with the overspray, and there was the delicious smell of continuously watered plant life all along the pathway overlooking the falls.

Victoria Falls

The last morning we arranged a two hour private boat tour along the Chobe river where a very knowledgable tour guide / boat driver showed us more elephants, crocodiles, hippos, and many exotic birds.  I will never forget the sight of a massive elephant swimming just 40 feet in front of us while eight others drank at the water’s edge, and a crocodile sunned himself almost obliviously next to them.

Elephants Bathing in Botswana

Botswana’s population of around two million people in a county roughly the size of Texas, has enjoyed a lot of recent prosperity, but also continues to endure one of the worst percentages of HIV/AIDS in the world.  Unfortunately, this seems to be most prevalent in the universities, targeting an already meager educated work force, and posing possibly the biggest threat to Botswana’s continued success.  But despite its challenges, Botswana still offers, in my opinion, a uniquely charming and unforgettable getaway.

 A Special THANKS for Charlie and Nikki Cliffe for sharing their experience on this recent family vacation to Botswana.  I officially now have to add Botswana to my list of “must go to” places.  

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VIDEO: I Love New York

November 22, 2011 By 3 Comments

Yesterday morning I left New York after 6 fabulous days cruising this city.  It didn’t take long for me to fall in love…

 

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ARGH!!!!!  Jet Lag is Horrible!!

October 26, 2011 By 6 Comments

Jet lag is a mutha!!  I’m talking about straight up, 11 hour time difference and trying to get on track in your new location.  Whenever I fly back to the west coast of the United States from the Middle East, I experience a jet lagging situation which takes no less than 2 weeks for my body to reverse.  I’ve now been in San Diego for 2.5 weeks, and I’m still not on PDT.

I’ve made this trip 7 times in the past 3 years and it hasn’t gotten any easier.  I’ve done the working out when you arrive, the melatonin, the “pushing it through the day” hopped up on double espressos and Red Bull, and I’ve tried doing nothing.  It doesn’t matter.  And, just when I think I’ve gotten it beat, I pass out at 4:30PM and I’m up all night.

So this is what it looks like:

I came from Arabian Standard Time (AST) and I’m now on Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)

I woke up this morning at 11:00AM (9:00PM AST), after going to bed at about 4:30AM (2:30PM AST) that same morning. At 3:30PM PDT (1:30AM AST) I was fighting to stay awake.  On my way home, I stopped at Starbucks and grabbed a tall bold drip with 4 raw sugars, hoping to stay up until at least 9:00PM.  The plan was to edit some photos and work my way through it.

Well…at 9:00PM (7:00AM AST) I woke up.  I don’t know what happened.  It’s like I have narcolepsy.  I have no control.  I don’t even really remember laying down.

So, there I was, fixing a breakfast of hash browns, vegan sausage patties and applesauce and it’s was 12:45AM PDT (10:45AM AST).  Because this thing called jet lag does not only affect your sleep cycle, it affects your food cycle.  I’m hungry when I should be sleeping and I go all day without feeling hungry or wanting to eat.  Of course that always leads to a 5 pound weight gain whenever I go back to the States from this alone.

Well…

It’s now 3:30AM (1:30PM AST).  I know I have about two more hours max, before I’m going to have to make a decision whether to turn the TV off and try to get some sleep, or to say “eff it” and let daybreak hit my eyes.  Either way, my day is screwed.  Screwed in the sense that, regardless if I stay up or go to sleep, today will be a day of not having that “refreshed after a good night’s sleep” feeling.  I am assured that today will be a low energy day, and I’ll be hoping that today will be the day that I turn it around.

A few days back, it was 5:30AM (3:30PM AST), when I headed out for Coronado in the hopes of getting some nice sunrise photos of the Coronado bridge.  Well…it was overcast and foggy, but I got a few decent shots. 

 

Overcast and Foggy Downtown San Diego at Dawn

Coronado Bridge at Dawn

Early Morning Dawn on Coronado

 

 

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Photo Tour: Stockholm’s Archipelago

September 28, 2011 By 4 Comments

Over 30,000 islands make up Stockholm’s Archipelago.  Starting in Stockholm, extending out to the Baltic, it’s the largest archipelago in the world.  On a recent stay in Stockholm, I decided to take the 1 hour boat ride to it’s capital of Vaxholm.  Our time was pressed so we didn’t get off of the boat, we just made the round trip ride.  Still, this was a good way for us to have a little bit of down time and take in some of natures magnificence.  Nature really is the greatest artist.  Next time I’m in Stockholm, I hope to spend a few days island hopping.

For more information on how you can visit Stockholm’s Archipelago check out:

Visit Skärgården, Strandvägen,
kajplats, 18, 11456 Stockholm
Tel: 08-100-222
info@visitskargarden.se
www.visitskargarden.se  

 

 

 

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Photo Tour: Akaka Falls, Hawaii

September 14, 2011 By 2 Comments

Cascading waterfalls, lush tropical vegetation, fragrant flowers, huge ferns and towering bamboo trees.  This is what I found on my half mile leisurely stroll through Akaka Falls State Park.  A place with this type of description is bound to have plenty of photo opportunities.  Therefore, I will let my photos tell the story. :)

Click on photo to enlarge.

Directions:  From Highway 19 turn right on Rte 220 (after 13 mile marker) off of  towards Honomu and drive through the town.  Follow signs for Akaka falls.

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Remembering Cancun

September 12, 2011 By 1 Comment

This was a short vacation break.  We had no plans other than to get away from work and the rain, rain, and mo’ rain in Seattle. For four days we resided at the Fiesta Americana in Cancun, Mexico with a view of the Caribbean from our balcony.

Room Balcony with a View

Sunrise View From Room

I can’t remember a lot of  the day to day details; we went on this trip to Cancun in April 2007, before my days of blogging and Facebooking.  What I do remember is that most of the time I seemed to have a Styrofoam cup in my hand with a Margarita in it.   With that being the case, it’s a wonder I remember as much as I do.   Looking at the photos in chronological order helped a lot.  It’s even a wonder the photos were half way decent considering that we were using disposable cameras we picked up at a roadside store in the middle of the jungle just outside of Cobá.  It was on our road trip to Cobá that our camera batteries decided to die.

Following is what I semi-remember doing :) :

Tulum and Cobá:

On our 2nd day we decided to rent a car for a day trip to Cobá.  It was approximately 1.5 hours to get there from our hotel, and the drive was straight forward and easy.   Since this was a quick getaway, we didn’t have much of a plan, however, before leaving Seattle I did pick up a Lonely Planet guide.  I carried it along, just in case.  Well, the description for Cobá in the LP guide read, “ascend to the top of Nohoch Mul, one of the few pyramids in the Yucatán visitors are allowed to climb.”  There was also a mention of bike riding through the jungle amongst the ruins.  We were sold.  So, we set out for Cobá.

Road Sign to Cobá

Jungle Road to Cobá

Lake Near Cobá Ruins

Cobá Policia

We arrived early, before the tour buses so we were able to park in the parking lot a short distance from the entrance.  Once inside, we rented two bicycles and started on our self-guided tour.  There weren’t hordes of visitors and it easy for us get around on the bikes.

Pyramid Structures

Riding to Ruins

We eventually end up at Nohoch Mul.  And, since the reason I was there was to climb a pyramid, I didn’t waste any time in parking my bike and starting my climb.  My enthusiasm was quickly beat down.  I had to stop and take a brief “break” in my climbing.  I wanted to blame it on the heat, but it was really because I was out of shape. When I finally made it to the top, I let out a loud, exhausted moan to the amusement of a guy from Texas.  The view from the top was totally worth the effort of the climb.

Resting on Nohoch Mul

Working My Way To The Top

View From The Top

inside Nohoch Mul Looking Out

Our stop at Tulum was unplanned.   We had left Cobá about an hour before and still had several hours left on the rental car.  So as we approached the parking lot for Tulum we decided check it out.

Unlike Cobá you’re not free to roam and touch the ruins. Visitors are herded around the ruins on a predetermined route.  These ruins are perched on top of the rocky coastline, overlooking a soft sandy beach, and the bluest cobalt-blue water I’d ever seen.  Seeing El Castillo resting on top of the cliff with the beach leading to the Caribbean Sea was like, “Aaaaaaaah.”  It’s a beautiful sight and site.

El Castillo At Tulum

El Castillo and the Caribbean

Hanging By The Beach Drinking and Parasailing:

What is a trip to Cancun without at least one beach day?  It’s a beach vacation without the beach!  And, since I can sit on a lounge chair with music, magazines, and a margarita all day long we had a beach day. :)

After finding a set of loungers under a thatch roof parasol that was as far away from everyone else as possible I set up camp.  Once I got the attention of the attendant, I let him know that I would be sitting here for a while, and I placed an order for our drinks.  It was at this point that I was able to lay back, relax, and chill out.

Chillin With My Margarita

I don’t know at which point I decided to go parasailing.  But, after watching people sailing in the air past me all day without incident, and Roland semi daring me, and another margarita to loosen me up, I went for it.  We decided on the outfit that had the most personable tout hustling at the beach.  After a jet ski ride to a boat that took us out further to the main boat, and a brief safety lecture, I found myself being harnessed in and hooked up to the contraption that holds the parachute.  The next thing I know, the boat starts moving, the wind catches the parachute and we’re airborne, going up, higher and higher.  I’m smiling right now, reminiscing as I write this.  It was cool.

Parachute

Weeeeeeeeee! We’re Parasailing

I have vague memories of us hanging out one evening and walking around Cancun Centro, past busy restaurants, lively bars and packed shopping arcades. This is where you go when you want to escape hotel row, and have an authentic experience with the locals.  I may not remember a lot of the nuances and details of my trip to Cancun, however, I do remember thinking that I had a blast and wishing I had more time to spend there.

 

 

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