From Merida to Uxmal

 Here's a pic of the party I talked about on my last post! People have such cool faces! I can't get over them. So, we arrived in Merida at around 8 pm and proceeded to have dinner in a delightful restaurant called Oliva. Then we took a stroll around Merida's historical center. It's a very alluring city with a lot of things going on. There's a square where we had a couple of beers called Parque de Santa Lucía, which has a bunch of busts from famous singers of Serenatas Yucatecas and music to go with it. On our way back we got to try marquesitos from a street food stand and they are superb (it's like a thin wafer rolled like a crepe, usually with goat milk caramel and cheese inside).  It would've been amazing if we wouldn't have to leave the next day so we could explore even more this youthful city. If you go there, be sure to hit the Lucas de Galvez market.We stayed at this wonderful airbnb Colonial Villa. The room was huge with lovely antiques and the bed was like a fluffy cloud with tons of pillows. We couldn't resist a midnight swim on the beautiful swimming pool.We had an early swim and breakfast and headed towards Uxmal (always through secondary roads). Did you know that most little villages have their own tortilla factory? A real meal doesn't come without tortillas, how would you grab your food otherwise?Uxmal is a beauty hidden in the jungle. There were almost no tourists, so the place was very quiet and those otherworldly buildings were just standing there, waiting. It's understandable that in other monuments alike they don't let you climb the stairs of the tallest pyramids. We got up the great pyramid fine, but going down was seriously dreadful for me as I'm a bit of an acrophobic and the steps are so steep that it looks like you'll fall straight to the ground below.Going back to the coast we visited Izamal, the Pueblo Magico, a pleasant little city with a very cool monastery. From there we calmly went towards Playa del Carmen, to spend some days at the beach.<3

Hola Mexico!

Luis and I arrived in Cancún at lunch time and as soon as we picked our super cheap rental car we started driving towards Valladolid. We didn't take the highway, so we got to drive in a road that connects little villages. And what a road! We drove through the wonderful jungle and met the people from those pueblos, who are actual Mayans (some of them don't even speak Spanish)! We saw the most amazing pink sunset and took our time absorbing little things that crossed our path, from Mexican red rump tarantulas to amazing birds (Altamira Oriole) and their hanging nests.Just a bit before we got to our destination we found a village that was having a traditional popular party. We had dinner there and that was where our gastronomic journey began! Maybe because we were the tallest ones over there, there were a few people staring at us. I guess they're not very used to having tourists attending their parties. Mayans speak really low, so apart from the music you could almost hear the crickets. Everybody was warm and beautiful in their own way. Women were all wearing the famous Yucatan traditional dresses, blouses and skirts embroidered with amazing flowers, which I'll forever be in love with.Valladolid is a very cute little city, with a stunning tiny park (La Mestiza) in front of the church (San Gervacio). It was late when we arrived so most things were already closed. We took a stroll around and came across Coqui Coqui's perfume shop and hat shop (they also have a restaurant and hotels, where I would stay if I go back, for sure). Both shops are amazingly decorated and made me want to live there without even knowing their products!The next morning we visited Chichen Itza, which is much more than a big Mayan pyramid! It is a city, a civilisation, there are so many thing to see and to feel over there. It's so mystical and beautiful. By the way, if you're thinking about buying cool souvenirs, don't miss the opportunity to bargain.One thing that amazes me is how Mexicans use colours! They are surely not afraid of them and they write on the walls to publicise a vast extent of things, from Coca-Cola to the next parties in town.  We stopped for lunch in a village and we ate a mix of amazing food! Don't be afraid with the looks of the Loncherias, the more simple and humble the place looks, the better the food will be. Everything is so fresh and tasty! Imagine how hysterical I got when I learnt that every meal should be accompanied by Agua de Jamaica or Horchata (two of my favourite beverages in the world).We decided to drive around and found these pink salines. They're the first pink ones I saw in real life, and what made them even more special were the flamingos in the lake nearby, in Dzemul. As if pink lakes and flamingos weren't enough, we were able to see some pretty cool pelicans in Progresso.After this we got in the car and started driving towards Merida, our next stop. <3

Alone in Petra

After the snow from the previous night, we were so afraid that Petra would be frizzing and that we wouldn't be able to visit it. I didn't even brought socks (I left them back at the car in Eilat)! But, against all odds, the weather was just lovely, and the blue skies matched perfectly with the beautiful orange and pink from the mountains! We stayed at Rocky Mountain Hotel in Wadi Musa, which is owned by Jane, who's a Kiwi married to a Jordanian and was really helpful and so interesting to talk to.After breakfast we went down the hill on foot, as Wadi Musa is not that big. Jordan is not a cheap country and because there are so many people who want to visit Petra, the entrance ticket to Petra doesn't come cheap (around 50€ per person). The light on the rocks was amazing, so orange and pink and if you pay attention to the sediments it is possible to identify all the layers serpentining with different shades and colors.Jane, the hotel owner told us that the week before there were a lot of tourists that weren't able to visit Petra because of extreme fog and low temperatures, so maybe that's why there weren't a lot of people visiting. I guess that if the weather is on your side, Winter can be wonderful to visit this kind of places, as the feeling of grandeur becomes stronger because you feel you're discovering everything by yourself.Petra was a huge city since around 300 BC, and the Nabataeans proliferated with its proximity to trading routes. There were about 20.000 people living there and besides their skills for carving stone they were also very good in finding ways to make the most out of the water (which was a scarce resource). The city was conquered by the Roman Empire circa 100 AD and it started declining when sea trading routes emerged. After two earthquakes (one in 363 and other in 551) the city couldn't survive the damage and it became deserted.<3

Oh, Holy Land!

After leaving Jerusalem we headed to the Dead Sea. There we stayed at Herods Dead Sea Hotel, a birthday gift from the sweetest mother-in-law. We arrived around 7 pm and we wanted to explore a little, it was 22º (celsius) so we strolled outside, to the Dead Sea, to touch the water. I can assure you I never tasted anything saltier! Because the only options to dine in Neve Zohar were the hotel restaurant and McDonalds, we decided to have dinner in bed: some Labneh with Za'atar with the most amazing pita crackers and some fruit.As we had to make the most out of our morning, we were ready to enjoy the spa at 7 am. Not my usual wake up time, but it's easy to wake up when you know there'll be relaxing time and loads of food. The hotel has a big swimming pool with hot Dead Sea water and I guess I shouldn't have tried it before actually 'diving' in the real thing. The morning was not as warm as the night before. Anyway, I swam a bit, floated a bit and then run back to the sauna. The weather was absolutely bipolar that day: we had a weird mix of warm sun, black clouds and wind!After enjoying the spa and eating the most amazing hotel breakfast we went to Masada, not far from where we were staying and really worth visiting! Masada is a fortification that lies on the top of a rock plateau. The first data about the place goes back to historian Josephus, that wrote about it back in the first century.On the surroundings we found amazing sights that resemble some grand canyon rock formations. Don't they seem holy? I just love these desert lands, they look so peaceful, so still, so lost in time. I think that, in the end, the weather actually helped us to give our photos a more dramatic look. Thumbs up for bipolar weather!After this we drove our way down south, towards Eilat, so that we could cross the border to Jordan. It was 8pm when we arrived and we had to leave the car 100m away from the border because it's not possible to cross it by car. We had to pay something like 20€ to leave Israel and I would advise you to change a lot of money to Jordanian Dinars. Jordan is not cheap, and because we arrived late there were no buses to go to Petra, so we had to take a taxi. It's a 126km drive and it costs 45JOD (about 50€). You can tell the cultural difference right away, but Jordan is rather safe. On our way there we left Kings Highway to a very bumpy road where we weren't able to see anything because of the fog and there was actually snow! WHAT?! I wasn't ready for that!Next stop: Petra! <3

January in Israel

Starting the new year traveling came as a surprise. I've always traveled with Luis in Winter when I was in college because we had time then, but we got super bored of traveling to countries colder than Portugal. Traveling in Winter can be a struggle for me because first of all I hate cold weather and second because it never seems to cooperate with our plans. Anyhow, we kick-started the year with the decision to spend my birthday in Israel, as the weather is only mildly cold in January.We arrived in Tel Aviv late at night and rented a car, so the next day we headed up North. We downloaded Israel map from google maps and our drive went smoothly, this system helped us driving in other countries many times before. Anyway, most of the freeway signs are written in hebrew, arabic and english. We stopped at Tel Megiddo, a village that goes back as far as 7000BC!We decided to go East, skipping Haifa, which is on the coast, North of Tel Aviv, because it was going to rain all day over there. We opted to go to Nazareth where it rained a little as well, but we were able to hide from it under the market's roofs. I guess that the reason why many of the stands were closed is because it's low season. But I can assure you that it's still wonderful to walk around those maze like markets, in the Old City. We visited Basilica of the Annunciation, where they have a lot of mosaic and tile panels that were gifts from countries all over the world! It's really cool to see how Virgin Mary is  interpreted in so many different cultures.After Nazareth we headed to the Sea of Galilee. (Everything sounds so biblical!) When we were getting out of Nazareth, which is on a hill we saw a mind blowing rainbow and though there were clouds, the whole place was flooded with a beautiful golden light. It was miles away from a normal cloudy grey sky.Because Israel is a tiny country, we were able to arrive in Jerusalem by 9pm. We didn't go to a restaurant because we went to a supermarket and bought a lot of cheap and amazing Israeli food (such as hummus and pita bread). Our hotel stood a short walk away from the Old City of Jerusalem and the next day we made our entrance through Jaffa Gate.On many of the alleyways you'll be able to find amazing food and pomegranate juice. By accident we came upon Zalatimo, which has a rather controversial reputation. As we were already there, we decided to try the famous mutabak. We ordered 2 coffees and a mutabak with nuts. I have to say that the pastry was incredibly delicious but paying about 11€ for the three things sounds like a ripoff. Nevertheless, I would eat it again!Jerusalem is divided in 4 quarters: Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian. And you can really see the difference when transitioning from one to the other. As I'm not muslim I couldn't enter the walls that lead to the Dome of the Rock (on the photo above), which was really disappointing as I would have loved to see that tile work closer.As a city that welcomes crowds of religious tourists and curious from all over the world, I was expecting to be crushed by excursion groups but that was not the case. We just walked around, sometimes entering some dark little passages that end up in patios. We never felt in danger and you can see a lot of police and military around.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a very peculiar place. It is said that Jesus was crucified there, as well as buried. It has a lot of chapels and the decor is super eccentric. There you can find people manifesting their faith in a lot of unusual ways. There was a lady that was rubbing each day of a daily appointment book on the Stone of Anointing (the place where Jesus's body was prepared to be buried). There were also people pouring oils and spreading their new souvenirs all over, in order to bless them (fake Michael Kors bags included!).After the Holy Sepulchre Church we visited the Western Wall. For us it was super odd, as there are not many jews in Portugal, and though I've lived in Antwerp for a while, which is a city with loads of them, it was truly enriching to see the way they worship god and their traditions.I guess that one day in Jerusalem is maybe too short to visit everything, but we actually ended our visit at around 4pm, with the beautiful sight of the Mount of Olives and still had time to get to the Mahane Yehuda Market. There we bought what would be our dinner later on: fresh bread, olives, some snacks and the most amazing Labneh with olive oil and Za'atar.As we only had 5 days to explore Israel and in between we also wanted to visit Petra, in Jordan, we had to plan our route in advance. One thing we had to consider was the weekend, which is actually on Fridays and Saturdays. During these days nothing happens and most places are closed or open only for a couple of hours.<3

The German Wedding

Back in 2013, as an intern at Ann iDemeulemeester I was blessed to meet a lot of amazing people. One of them was my dear Katharina. She and her boyfriend Daniel came to Portugal twice since then and on the last time they were here, which was last Summer, he proposed! Of course we wouldn't miss their wedding for the world!Luis, Tim and Andreia came along and we spent the time that we weren't with the wedding party getting to know the countryside in the south of Frankfurt.As we were not going back to the hotel to change, we dressed up for the wedding in the morning though the party would only happen in the afternoon. I have to say that Portuguese people are not that used to attend to Winter weddings. But we got lucky with the weather.We met Katharina and Daniel's friends the day before the party and we had a blast. We were also so glad to see Ingo again (a friend of them who also stayed in Portugal before), and we were able to meet his lovely wife and baby! We couldn't be happier and we danced all night and laughed at german jokes even though we couldn't understand everything. I have to say that it's a shame that we never take pictures together, so this time, we took a lot but still weren't able to take one with the groom.There was a lot of dancing to 90's tunes and there was even a concert by Daniel and his friend Maurice! I was so touched when they played the song that Daniel wrote with my name on it! Daniel actually wrote it when they were in Portugal for the first time and the song title is pretty badass: Bitten by a Rottweiler! I just loved everything! On our last day, we came to Katharina's parents house to say goodbye and we spent the day visiting Heidelberg and then Frankfurt.Here are some photos that I found from our time in Antwerp, taken with my polaroid camera.On this last one I was crying because I was leaving on the the next day. Little did I know, back then, that we would keep on being friends and that we would share so many moment together. Hope that there are still a lot more to come! Love you guys! <3

Last days in Havana

So, on our last days in Havana, we walked around a lot and were able to find this amazing old theatre that is now a carpentry. Also in walks we couldn't help starring at the women practicing Santeria at Plaza de la Catedral, I just love their style! <3We really walked and walked and walked! From Habana Vieja to Centro Habana, we just rambled around. We actually started walking on the Malecón and only stopped after we walked for 14km. On our way we saw 2 women having a very dark Santeria ritual where they were killing a chicken right next to a bay. How bizarre!? Then we took a bus, which cost only a few cents to come back. That way it was possible to get to know Havana's surroundings, and we didn't meet any tourists on our way there and back.La Bodeguita del Medio and El Floridita are two of the most famous bars in Havana, where Ernest Hemingway used to hangout. Today they're crowded with tourists but the old environment is still striking. On the way between both bars we bumped into some people in the street selling puff pastry treats filled with guava paste. They're absolutely delicious!We went to La Guarida, to book an early dinner and we fell in love with the old building. The dinner was good and I would tell you to order as many starters and desserts as you're able to. When you're finished head to the rooftop terrace to enjoy the sunset and the view of nightlife starting to burst. After our dinner we proceeded to have a couple more drinks and soak in the culture one last time.<3

Welcome to Viñales

After a four hour drive in our taxi colectivo we arrived in Viñales. We couldn't have wished for a lovelier hostess. We stayed at Casa Dra. Alicia, a little house in the quietest part of the village. Alicia was just amazing and we got to spend 3 nights at her place. We had lovely late night talks on her balcony and a delightful dinner in a nearby restaurant where we talked about our cultures and living in Cuba. Juanky, Alicia's boyfriend used to be a history teacher and now he earns a lot more as a barman. Words can't describe how amazing they were to us.On our last day we went to a beach called Playa de Cayo Jutías. It's only about 50 kilometres away from Viñales but the roads were in such poor condition that it took us 1 hour to get there. Anyway, it was totally worth it! The beach is super clean and you can easily get away from the crowd if you walk a bit along the shore. Our driver stopped on the way to get his lunch and that's where we bought ours as well. It was super cheap and incredibly delicious (it included a delicious stewed pork, yellow rice, avocado and manioc)!Because we spent a little too much money in New York, we had to compensate in Cuba, so we decided to walk everywhere we wanted to go and pass the horse rides and the tours. The furthest we went was Cueva del Indio (which is 6,3km away) and we were the only people walking. We had a lot of water to hydrate and we stopped to drink some fresh guava juice on our way. The cave is actually not that amazing, considering the time we had to wait plus the whole experience inside it, which was too short. Anyway, the walk was absolutely worth it as we took in the landscape and were able to spot a snake, some griffons, a buffalo and an incredibly cute hummingbird.The houses are so colourful and cute. Alicia told us that the houses are blue and pink because that's the only colours you can get when you go and buy paint, you can't really choose. Her dream was to have a sand colour house and she made it come true. Though I preferred the former flamingo pink. There are no glass windows in most houses, so there are quite a lot of bugs. We didn't have insect repellent, but I would advise you to bring some, as the itchiness can get quite annoying. While at the balcony one night we were able to see a tarantula! It was the first we saw on our trip and it was rad!If you walk around Viñales you'll be able to find some cool caves to explore! Remember to bring a flashlight (of course we didn't have one, only our cellphones). Also, try some mamoncillo, a little fruit that you can find in trees over there. We ate way too many! Luis climbed up a tree to pick them and we shared them with some kids that were playing baseball nearby.We usually don't go to the beach that often but if we've known beforehand how wonderful the beach was we would've stayed longer. The water is so incredibly hot that you never want to get out of it and the view is so stunning that you could stare at the ocean for the rest of your life. The sky became super cloudy in the afternoon and it started raining but I think that only made the beach look more appealing and mystical.<3

Cuba is Blue and Pink

 Havana was our next stop after New York. We decided to stay for 1 day there first, then go to Viñales for 3 days and come back to Havana for our last days in Cuba. That way it was possible to get to know this amazing city a little and come back for more! I've never seen so much colorful buildings in my whole life, and boy, do I love color!People are polite and helpful. Though there are already a lot of schemes for tourists, so be careful. Also, if you want to visit Havana's surroundings and neighborhoods, try to exchange some CUC (Cuban Convertible Pesos, the money that you get from the ATM) for CUP (Cuban Peso or Moeda Nacional) at a Casa de Cambio. With CUP you can have a meal or a juice almost for free!Traveling by bus is the cheapest way to travel but buses are often super crowded and surely are not for pussies! Try to negotiate if you're traveling in a taxi colectivo. Also, don't be surprised if your driver honks to every woman and teenage girl that passes by! Men are still very sexist. As I was with Luis, I never felt unsafe, but a lot of women I know who traveled to Cuba by themselves felt disrespected.Sundays are baseball days. You can buy a ticket for a few cents and enjoy a social afternoon with a lot of cheap snacks and  plenty of excitement. We watched Industriales against Isla de la Juventud.Stay tuned for more from my trip to Cuba!

NY #2

Because we only had 2 days to enjoy NY, and all the best photos were taken on our 1st day, here are some of them. It's incredible how much you can do in a day if you wake up super early. I'm usually very lazy when it comes to mornings, I can sleep for 12 hours easily. But while traveling, there's so much to see that it's not so hard waking up!Night time in New York is magical because of all the lights and neon signs, but I can assure you that 'the city that never sleeps' does actually sleep. It's easier to walk/bike and everything becomes like it has stopped in time.The windows at Tiffany's were so mesmerizing. I cold have stayed there gazing at them for the whole night.We felt so grateful that we didn't have to use the subway that much. Citi Bikes are an amazing way to get around and they have stations everywhere in town!We couldn't miss a stand up comedy show at The Comedy Cellar! It was so much fun! If you ever think about going there, you should make your reservation beforehand. We didn't know that, so we had to wait a bit after giving our names to the bouncer. Some people that arrived after us weren't able to watch the show.We were very sad to leave because there are so many things that were left undiscovered and unseen. If you're thinking abou going to NYC, I would advise you to stay longer than I did because there are so many things to see, do, watch and experience! Of course it's better when you're loaded with money up to your teeth but there are also a lot of free and/or inexpensive things to do that will fill you up with joy!Next stop: Cuba! Stay tuned!

NY #1

We arrived at about 11pm, so we went straight to the hotel by public transportation. I felt I belonged with all the crazy people on the subway! 😜 The next morning we went right out and we walked non stop.As a NY first timer I felt bliss wherever I was. It was all I ever imagined and more. I just felt I belonged to all that frenzy! And because we don't really like to stick to rules, we just decided to ramble around.Our rambling drove us (not in a correct timeline order) to Central Station, China Town (where we had a great foot massage), Little Italy, The Met ♥ and Rockefeller Center.As we went on, we came upon Brooklyn Bridge, so we crossed it and continued strolling towards the South. There's an amazing park over there, where people go to play sports, chill or have a collective BBQ with friends and neighbors.At the end of the afternoon we were starving, so we looked up for a cool restaurant to eat and we ended up going to Yemen Café (176 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn). I can tell you that I would eat the same lamb with hummus for the rest of my life!Stay tuned to find out what's next! ♥

From Oslo to NY

I've planned a trip earlier this year and I want to show you the wonderful places I've been. Me and my boyfriend sold everything, from our car to guitars, so we could have enough money to spend 40 days away from home. Our journey began with a stop in Oslo, Norway. I'm not very into super cold countries, nevertheless it's impossible to stay indifferent to their culture and politeness. We only had 6 hours to visit the city, so we tried to enjoy it the best we could.We were able to visit the Oslo Opera House, and walked our way to Slottsplassen, the square where the Royal Palace stands. All the way from the train station to there, there are a lot of smaller streets where you can find second hand shops. I fell in love with a traditional costumes shop called Heimen Husfliden. There you can find a huge collection of amazing jewellery and clothing made with the best materials.We went back to the airport by train. Next stop -> NY, USA! Stay tuned for what's next! :)Oh! I loved the psychedelic vibe on the plane!While we were on our flight to New York, I actually felt an urge to go to the window, because I had the feeling we were flying over Greenland and my instinct was right! The view was just mesmerizing. No photos can do it justice.