Curacao in colors

When I think of Curacao I think of the gorgeous colors of the island and my checking off an item on my bucket list -- to swim with dolphins.  I finally achieved that dream in Curacao amid the vibrant colors of the island.  Sure, others might say that it is a dry, arid place akin to its neighbor Aruba, but I only see the colors when I think of this place.

This shot to me is quintessential Curacao ...

There is some irony in this shot.  

It's sort of an inside joke!

Dominica in pictures

I once shared some pictures of Dominica with a friend and they asked me to define what Dominica is. That's a toughie because it is an island that defies description.

If I had to describe it (and my DH agrees) we would say Dominica is:

• Rugged

• Lush

• Volcanic

• Hot, extremely hot (eclipsed only by St Kitts!) -- DH disagrees on this one!

• Sultry

• a very physically active place

• Colorful

That said, I will let these pictures of Dominica tell the story.  It's a beautiful island that's very physical.  If you go, be prepared to stretch the limits of your physical endurance.  There are lots of hills, lots of hiking and lots of waterfalls.  We stayed at Calibishie Lodges in (you guessed it) the village of Calibishie.  It's a lovely, colorful property that features houses on stilts.  You need the height because of the heat!

Dominica is where I saw a real, live whale for the first time (Bucket List!) and so it will always have a special place in my heart because of that.

Looking up at our apartment at Calibishie Lodges

The view from our porch at Calibishie Lodges

View of the village of Calibishie

 



Some other scenes from Dominica

Happy anniversary to the best travel buddy in the world

Twenty three years ago I met the cutest, kindest guy I know.  I'm happy to say that over the past 21 years he's turned out to be the best travel buddy and husband I could ever have dreamed of.  You never really know someone until you travel with them, and although he keeps surprising me in lots of really cool ways day-to-day, he can always be counted on in a travel crisis.  When I'm itching to pack my bags for another travel adventure, he's the gift that keeps on giving, because he never says no, he just says "where", "when" and "how much"!  LOL.  So today, I say happy 21st wedding anniversary to my best friend, my best travel buddy and my best everything!  There would be no Mrs. Itchy Feet without a Mr. Itchy Feet and I'm grateful for mine!

Visiting with some blue men

 For many years I had wanted to visit Las Vegas.  Maybe it was seeing pictures of the Las Vegas strip,  movies like Oceans Eleven, or pictures of some Blue Men.  Anyway, for my 36^th birthday, I was able to convince my DH that we should go to Vegas.   We went for 5 days and still didn’t get to do all the things that were on my bucket list.  For our hotel we chose the Orleans Hotel which was a very nice hotel, but it was off-strip.   Take my advice, stay on the strip.  Even though many off-strip hotels are nice, you lose time going to/from the strip each day.

Las Vegas is one of those unique places that you should visit at least once.  It’s one of the few places where I’ve been where for absolutely nothing you can entertain yourself for the day.  You can stroll through a hotel for free and see fascinating sights and people.  Of course, if you want to, Las Vegas can be a place where you can spend lots too especially if you like to go to shows, drink and gamble.   I will confess that although we don’t drink, I absolutely love the penny slots and hotel buffets.

Some of our Las Vegas favorites

The Venetian – it was so fascinating to me to see gondolas floating in the water inside a hotel!

The Blue Man Group show (when we saw it, it was in the Venetian)

Go to the top of the Paris hotel at night.  What a view!

The Secret Garden of Siegfried and Roy

Visit Shark Reef

Free Stuff

    The Flamingos and Koi at the Flamingo hotel

For a nice change of pace, visit Red Rock Canyon – rent a car for a day and take a drive outside of the city.

When (not if) you go

·          Stay on the strip (assuming you aren’t visiting during prime times like New Year’s and the like, there are affordable hotels to be had on the strip and otherwise you lose too much time waiting for hotel shuttles to pick you up and drop you off)

·          At least 6 months in advance of your trip you should sign up for emails from as many hotels as you can stand (or at least the ones you’d consider staying at).  I have received emails that offer hotel room nights in nice hotels for $40 - $50 a night.  As long as you’re not fussy on time of year, you can get a cheap hotel in Vegas.  You do have to sign up for those hotel emails though so you can get the deals.

·          Ride the bus.  The Las Vegas strip buses (AKA The Deuce) are clean, comfortable, affordable and very convenient.  Sure, you can walk everywhere, but for those moments when you’re tired, those buses are a God-send.

·          Unless you’re traveling with a large group, definitely spring for the professional photos.  I have never regretted paying for the professional pictures we got on any of our trips including Las Vegas.


Some scenes from our Vegas trip