Everglades//Miami, Florida

I was only in Miami, Florida for two days and it seemed like we ran out of time to do a lot of things. Most of the trip was spent driving, especially when we went to the Keys.

First day I got my family a private tour into the Everglades. It was really fun and actually quite pretty. I was afraid we’d go all the way into the everglades and not see any gators but luckily we did! It was so cool to see them swimming besides our boat (apparently the boat’s motor disturbs all the fishes and it’s like a dinner bell for the gators). They were all kind of small in size but right before we docked we saw a huge one. He was NOT afraid of us and even our guide was surprised to see it come so close to us. One funny thing happened that only I witness was when we were zipping through the everglades, and mind you we were going FAST, we almost ran over an alligator! I saw it flip over and scurry away clumsily and although it sounds horrible, was one of the funniest things I ever saw. I really wished I caught it on video ‘cos it was hilarious and don’t worry, it was fiiiine.

After the tour we went on a jungle walking trail where we saw exotic birds, butterflies, more gators & crocodiles in a pond. This trip was really fun and I definitely recommend dishing out the extra cash for the private tour.

That alligator looked so cute sitting like that!

*Everglades Safari Park and the private tour I booked was #3. There is a 10% off coupon on the site so be sure to print it out if you go!

After our day in the everglades we headed back into Miami and stopped at Versailles to eat. I’ve been to Versailles here in L.A. and I have to say my experience on the west coast was definitely better than in Miami. My usual dish of garlic fish was beyond bland but the rice and plantains were excellent. Both my mother’s and step-dad’s dishes were overcooked and tasteless. However, my sister’s seafood paella was delicious and so was my brother’s papaya smoothie. All in all a big thumbs down from us.

I’m baaack!

My trip to the Caribbean was truly amazing and memorable. One of the reasons why it was so memorable was because anything and everything that could happen to me, HAPPENED TO ME, good and bad. All in all the trip was really fun but unfortunately for me and only me, I got a bad case of sunburn/sun poison after the trip to the Caymans. That along with motion sickness did not help. For those that have not experienced this you do not ever want to. I had nausea, blurry vision, and loss of appetite all at once. Luckily I only started to experience these symptoms the last few days of the trip.

Our first few days in Miami were short. We jammed packed a day at the Everglades on our first day and on the second day we took the long drive into the Key West. I have never seen such beautiful waters ever before. Living on the West Coast I am use to looking at our cold dark waters but in the Key West the waters are a clear seafoam, aqua green and and baby blue.

I still have to go through all the pictures I took. We had three cameras during this trip, mine and my family had 2. My camera is not waterproof so many of the ones taken in the Cayman Islands should be on my family’s. Once I get all the pictures together I can give each destination a proper posting. In the meantime here are just some of the pics I took.

Tomorrow is back to work, boooo, I can’t believe just a week ago I was snorkling and feeding sting rays in the middle of the ocean…

Vacation time!!!

Woohoo, my vacation officially starts TODAY!! I am looking forward to visiting Miami and then the Caribbean. I never really gave much thought of visiting either of these places but now I’m truly excited. My mother surprised the family with this trip and it’s a trip that must be taken since my little sister will soon start Le Cordon Bleu(holla) in the Fall and will probably be too engrossed in her classes for us. As a last hurrah before the madness starts, my mother booked us a cruise to the Caribbean. Heck, I am not saying no to a free trip, a trip that I know will consist of much laughter, lots of good eating, beautiful scenery, and quality time with the family. Here I come Miami, Grand Cayman Islands, Jamaica, and Labadee!

*photo taken off the web, although that is definitely what I’ll be doing!

I gotta wear shades

o1. cartier \\ 02. fendi \\ 03. karen walker \\ 04. house of harlow

The cutest baby orphaned owls

Oooooooomuhgosh! They are too cute!! Meet Linford & Christie, two six-week-old burrowing owlets who are being hand-reared by wildlife park keeper, Jimmy Robinson, and are given 24-hour care.

Jimmy, 25, said: ‘As I spend so much time with them, they do look at me as their surrogate mum and will follow me around the house or sit on my shoulder.’

Cute overload!!

Read article here.