Trip Report: Cancun, Mexico

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div>This past December I traveled to Cancun, Mexico with my girlfriend Emily for the 2015 New Year!  We spent 7 days and 6 nights in Cancun - split between two different resorts. <b> The total cost of the airfare and hotels was just $166.22 for the two of us!</b>  You can read how to get the exact same deal with less than 2 hours of total work in this post:  <a href="http://liveexecutively.blogspot.com/2014/10/how-to-6-days-in-cancun-mexico-for-16622.html">Seven Days in Cancun Mexico for $166.22</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4SWargtRCDdCIza0KAcQ7Rw3jym4WjqBQ-_gAZGDSP0CjC-eQdan7NChnm1ZWmXtdnrmbKJThsfkV3mEi8d4r8Ypa0h0tVeHx3788AKwe_BXsq6jtQbzvJYnX0leBuctBnlAhuFFkJ92/s1600/10885591_10205943897661275_7892665122059913203_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4SWargtRCDdCIza0KAcQ7Rw3jym4WjqBQ-_gAZGDSP0CjC-eQdan7NChnm1ZWmXtdnrmbKJThsfkV3mEi8d4r8Ypa0h0tVeHx3788AKwe_BXsq6jtQbzvJYnX0leBuctBnlAhuFFkJ92/s1600/10885591_10205943897661275_7892665122059913203_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our room at the Westin Lagunamr Ocean Resort in Cancun, Mexico</td></tr></tbody></table><h2>Landing in Cancun and Making Mistakes</h2><div><br /></div><div>Emily and I flew from Chicago's Midway airport directly to Cancun, Mexico via Southwest airlines on New Year's Eve day.  We landed mid-afternoon.  The only issues we had throughout the entire trip were within our first hour in Cancun, but they were two lessons that make for wise travel in the future.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Lesson 1:</b> Instead of exchanging money at an airport currency exchange, use the local ATMs.  The exchange rate at the airport kiosk was 11.5 Mexican Pesos (MXN) to 1 USD where as you get the full valued exchange rate of ~15 MXN to 1 USD when withdrawing Pesos from your checking account at the ATM.   Here's the math showing why this can be a very expensive mistake:</div><div><br /></div><div>Person 1 exchanges $300 USD at a rate of 11.5 MXN at the airport exchange kiosk = <b>3,450 MXN</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Person 2 withdraws $300 USD from the ATM and pays a withdrawal fee of $3 USD = <b>4,500 MXN</b></div><div><br /></div><div>With the exchange rate of 15 MXN - 1 USD, <b>Person 1 now only has $230</b> USD ( 3,450 / 15 ) worth of Pesos!  <b>Person 2 has $300</b> USD worth of Pesos.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Person 1 lost </b>$<b>70 USD </b>by using the airport currency exchange instead of the ATM! </div><div><br /></div><div>If it's your first time travelling internationally just give your bank a quick call and let them know you will be heading to Mexico and you will have no problems using the local Mexican ATMs with your debit card.  I always advise to bring extra cash along in case of an emergency as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>The second lesson we learned was that there's no easy way to escape the Cancun airport.  The transportation services at the exit of the airport are highly regulated and very expensive.  Emily and I didn't plan ahead and had to pay <b>$55 USD for a 4 mile trip</b> from the airport to our first hotel... It was a very upsetting experience, but it doesn't have to be...</div><div><br /></div><div>There are two better options for escaping the Cancun airport.  The first is to book transportation ahead of time.  A company like <a href="http://www.entertainment-plus.net/affiliates/transfers/cancun-transfers.asp?affid=1082">USA transfers</a> will charge you $25 USD for the trip.  The second option is to take a bus from the airport to downtown Cancun and then another bus from downtown Cancun to the hotel zone.  A bus ride costs $0.75 USD, so the second option will cost $1.50 USD per person but will take between 1 and 1.5 hours.  The second option is a lot of work and after a long flight I would recommend just paying the overpriced van transfer service so you can begin enjoying your time in Cancun.</div><div><br /></div><div>After making our two mistakes at the airport we had finally arrived at our first hotel which was the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCEQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.starwoodhotels.com%2Fwestin%2Fproperty%2Foverview%2Findex.html%3FpropertyID%3D1092%26language%3Des_ES%26localeCode%3Des_ES&ei=a_qyVNypBJOnyQSmlYHAAg&usg=AFQjCNHjUY2vaGj3AdQHOOO_P9DmLcUc2A&sig2=1jx-qRCQrF-U-pnIksh4Fg&bvm=bv.83339334,d.aWw">Westin Resort & Spa Cancun</a>.  </div><div><br /></div><h2>Westin Resort & Spa Cancun </h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVD0uIc-bJQUc5LGYIXpPEuIwcO_anuJE7r2Act2SZVjXrNETitlFLAz_Wpy-2mzIsek6u5PezQtif9GsCLo83mCXw5j2BnxpdGxxGWyd83HmZQf1Lmr9RkKfT5JAm6ecfIJHEyRD8jTb/s1600/cun_wstn_wstn_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVD0uIc-bJQUc5LGYIXpPEuIwcO_anuJE7r2Act2SZVjXrNETitlFLAz_Wpy-2mzIsek6u5PezQtif9GsCLo83mCXw5j2BnxpdGxxGWyd83HmZQf1Lmr9RkKfT5JAm6ecfIJHEyRD8jTb/s1600/cun_wstn_wstn_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Westin Resort & Spa Cancun is located at the far South end of the Hotel Zone.  The Hotel Zone is a seven mile stretch of land situated between the Caribbean sea and a large lagoon.  Here's a rough map of Cancun and the Hotel Zone:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQ8-woFPlgT9OlIKdMmli1QNYh-5nOUusABql2BQMIZYQV_cAx4HMyPooHAFOlKDsgs58-w1s9k4jfrW8rbVRc1mIRGRw2bJ_9IZOT5XLr-yGbGal7CgaAJsMjq1LiNfdZVQD-99Kpr4K/s1600/westin+map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQ8-woFPlgT9OlIKdMmli1QNYh-5nOUusABql2BQMIZYQV_cAx4HMyPooHAFOlKDsgs58-w1s9k4jfrW8rbVRc1mIRGRw2bJ_9IZOT5XLr-yGbGal7CgaAJsMjq1LiNfdZVQD-99Kpr4K/s1600/westin+map.JPG" width="508" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Westin Resort and Spa was at the far South end of the hotel zone which I've circled in red.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The Westin was amazing, relaxing, and peaceful.  The South end of the hotel zone is much quieter than the North end.  The rooms were clean and spacious.  Half of the rooms had views of the ocean and the other half had views of the lagoon, which were just as beautiful:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31rpHk5MmHhQt96G60q7Dxlffb3p3_JtcTV_g1e9xKUYRhIg_WARMfni_TanwK8A09MoyIMvTCqQudEYaX2VTsPSiFw5OCeCn5X_ccIplRAfqzmNszZr-p2JIxQl1bGqYDMCxMgIOuxTR/s1600/IMAG2872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31rpHk5MmHhQt96G60q7Dxlffb3p3_JtcTV_g1e9xKUYRhIg_WARMfni_TanwK8A09MoyIMvTCqQudEYaX2VTsPSiFw5OCeCn5X_ccIplRAfqzmNszZr-p2JIxQl1bGqYDMCxMgIOuxTR/s1600/IMAG2872.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our view of the lagoon from our room at the Westin.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>There were numerous pools as well as an amazing beach for swimming in the ocean.  As a Platinum SPG member Emily and I received complimentary breakfast each morning and also had access to a free nightly manager's reception with a full service bar (lot's of delicious Mexican margaritas for free!)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgEuw7q2SwnU9_QjMT0gC9v5Sh449b2ra8c7WscDcTQzbsB3DTLL4Z9vgrguSHrYTbTvZnQd7-lMsoCfK1xx81xbLbs1O6hbnkk_alg6F-aZmiku7SIlxe2WfJxmlWdP_wQNz0oKyrQvu/s1600/westin+lagoon+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgEuw7q2SwnU9_QjMT0gC9v5Sh449b2ra8c7WscDcTQzbsB3DTLL4Z9vgrguSHrYTbTvZnQd7-lMsoCfK1xx81xbLbs1O6hbnkk_alg6F-aZmiku7SIlxe2WfJxmlWdP_wQNz0oKyrQvu/s1600/westin+lagoon+view.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very spacious room at the Westin Resort and Spa Cancun</td></tr></tbody></table></div><h2>NYE in Cancun and David Guetta</h2><div>Cancun is a very popular destination during New Year's Eve which can result in sky-high rates at the resorts.  Thankfully, SPG's free night redemption policy for points doesn't fluctuate based on popularity!  We had no plans for NYE but meet up with a fraternity brother of mine, Matt Dohse, who was also vacationing in Cancun.  The three of us jumped on a city bus next to the hotel and went to the North part of the hotel zone in search of a place to celebrate NYE.  When we got to the bar area we were bombarded by salesmen trying to sell us tickets to NYE parties in the various bars.  The majority of the salesmen were charging between $70-$120 for the night with drinks included, but we decided to instead grab beers from a convenience store and enjoyed the celebration in the streets with the locals.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJ-12pr6kNoPKmw8U9U-7ftc9s-BhLhFXlVcsQNdOf46ndUzN7eqefzGeG0rI70ugfmtFrTf0b96Yx20qwtT43l8pmSXdu7mxiFewE1G_Ny7rjw3HCRgNwgBEs82hPCQMfCipBr6WOSYf/s1600/epic+cancun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJ-12pr6kNoPKmw8U9U-7ftc9s-BhLhFXlVcsQNdOf46ndUzN7eqefzGeG0rI70ugfmtFrTf0b96Yx20qwtT43l8pmSXdu7mxiFewE1G_Ny7rjw3HCRgNwgBEs82hPCQMfCipBr6WOSYf/s1600/epic+cancun.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating NYE in the streets of Cancun with Emily and Matt.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIBVlr2zZvX78KOaOJ_Ky7eaSavWJzfCXMDlJkAGlgZZ1McyWr2qghuIptVEkCtHYRAqIJ2xz2sTyYAp_1a2s4Ne-8vccsbqm0_lhm9JwEn2dwujGSxOyhQuV9CTlqU3Ye-xuNl8bzTD_/s1600/10881313_10152715829063952_450605756_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIBVlr2zZvX78KOaOJ_Ky7eaSavWJzfCXMDlJkAGlgZZ1McyWr2qghuIptVEkCtHYRAqIJ2xz2sTyYAp_1a2s4Ne-8vccsbqm0_lhm9JwEn2dwujGSxOyhQuV9CTlqU3Ye-xuNl8bzTD_/s1600/10881313_10152715829063952_450605756_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our NYE Midnight hike</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div>After midnight we walked South on the beach to see if we could reach a concert headlined by David Guetta (a very popular DJ) that was happening in the middle of the Hotel Zone.  After a 3.6 mile walk  we arrived at the concert and were able to find a great spot to watch the concert from the beach for free!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br />Standing in the sand on a warm NYE night in Cancun while watching David Guetta perform, with two people who are very special to me, was an amazing start to 2015 and definitely a magical memory!</div><div><br /></div><h2><br />Cancun Adventures </h2><div>Cancun is full of awesome and exciting things to do.  There's scuba diving, snorkeling, Mayan ruins, Cenotes, dolphins, and much more.   Emily and I went on one guided tour while in Cancun to see the Cenotes.  Cenotes are sinkholes in the limestone bedrock with fresh water feed from underground rivers.  The Mayans swam in the sinkholes and performed religious rituals as well as sacrifices at them.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj912xsmbPlgDS1br9sChWSRIUzo_9u6KZNMEINdKdk9hnAwRUveBcSt5GrECsI8hU8yQozR5ZKNydrPHj0zOSJr8LlyoKkB8bKumBS04y37u-GWHF6XO7IlnAyZLci3esIOJZ_akTP6KCw/s1600/cenote-280253_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj912xsmbPlgDS1br9sChWSRIUzo_9u6KZNMEINdKdk9hnAwRUveBcSt5GrECsI8hU8yQozR5ZKNydrPHj0zOSJr8LlyoKkB8bKumBS04y37u-GWHF6XO7IlnAyZLci3esIOJZ_akTP6KCw/s1600/cenote-280253_1920.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the larger Cenotes in the area with a relatively well preserved limestone ceiling.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynAt5wtcj3lqwDsp3NNjKeETMaBENUeALQ5VQNawDCiG6HKU2FOO5D7kXStw9diuSiYwkqrefGN6SzfPuo_KKhniIPtwRcHNKNbTQXW0dEf_iQvJYDZGKtY_8TZTWYT2I0yxnvK2mBmj2/s1600/cenotre+zip+line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynAt5wtcj3lqwDsp3NNjKeETMaBENUeALQ5VQNawDCiG6HKU2FOO5D7kXStw9diuSiYwkqrefGN6SzfPuo_KKhniIPtwRcHNKNbTQXW0dEf_iQvJYDZGKtY_8TZTWYT2I0yxnvK2mBmj2/s1600/cenotre+zip+line.jpg" width="222" /></a><br /><br /><br />We visited 5 Cenotes on our tour and got to repel, zip-line, canoe, swim, and snorkel at each one.  It was a full day tour and cost $100 USD per person.  We booked the tour through <a href="http://www.xenotes.com/">Xenotes</a>.  Xenotes is part of a huge tour company and the entire trip was safe, well organized, and fun.  If you're looking for a guaranteed enjoyable tour trip I'd recommend using their service.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We also took the bus from the Hotel Zone to downtown Cancun one evening and checked out the local shops and restaurants.  The people were welcoming and it was nice to get away from the tourist area.  The rest of our time in Cancun was spent swimming in the ocean, hanging out poolside, and relaxing!  </div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafWsRCeXzhfN_pXdOjMbqnD3xRLBsJrryBIgRdf3_NkYMmk8irR9hXj9BnIN4YBPj2lOOmyd-zWe7TtRvatRRTHfWalKDR2O0dO9rF1bIvfV6iWbuwTfgV6EUD4VNDCyrAdFWZ35LK8xO/s1600/cenotesssss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafWsRCeXzhfN_pXdOjMbqnD3xRLBsJrryBIgRdf3_NkYMmk8irR9hXj9BnIN4YBPj2lOOmyd-zWe7TtRvatRRTHfWalKDR2O0dO9rF1bIvfV6iWbuwTfgV6EUD4VNDCyrAdFWZ35LK8xO/s1600/cenotesssss.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily and I enjoying the pristine waters of a cenote.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DUgggVVi1RGBLjxp0aK5ygsQDcVDz8nqX-FVO69yFldKfTl8Vu0wPDY3BbxdVEzPk70m4bzn6bhJJ4HVcX0FmEXSmNsSNg-rzOuGdvPEeo63Rpulg5wz09xtWTV6RAJ2Bjn4WyzPeOCm/s1600/11414_10206037301596315_5207445674560003145_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DUgggVVi1RGBLjxp0aK5ygsQDcVDz8nqX-FVO69yFldKfTl8Vu0wPDY3BbxdVEzPk70m4bzn6bhJJ4HVcX0FmEXSmNsSNg-rzOuGdvPEeo63Rpulg5wz09xtWTV6RAJ2Bjn4WyzPeOCm/s1600/11414_10206037301596315_5207445674560003145_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beach along the Hotel Zone in Cancun had beautiful sand, the water was warm, and very clean.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafWsRCeXzhfN_pXdOjMbqnD3xRLBsJrryBIgRdf3_NkYMmk8irR9hXj9BnIN4YBPj2lOOmyd-zWe7TtRvatRRTHfWalKDR2O0dO9rF1bIvfV6iWbuwTfgV6EUD4VNDCyrAdFWZ35LK8xO/s1600/cenotesssss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><h2><br />The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort</h2><div>Midway through our trip we changed hotels and went to the <a href="http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=5646&language=en_US">Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort</a>.  The Westin Lagunamar was near the North side of the Hotel Zone.  It is a villa property which means every room has a kitchen with dishes, pots and pans, and all other necessary cooking equipment.  The room also had a washer and dryer, Jacuzzi tub, and a balcony with amazing ocean views!  The resort was massive and had 5 heated infinity pools and 4 hot tubs scattered throughout.  </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3R0TS25HTmpydzAXaIptqTmJiW0hxyMGv6V81zTr-GMZTq4fMUdUp1PZB2qCAiswZ4W7Nhv6xq3CPyz2TtbEj_ShTLMaPkDfhKv96t-DlCAoBXEz9Udc4ykJOggiJuGW-UwQR7aJJSi2r/s1600/10417496_10206037300676292_7484844550376210762_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3R0TS25HTmpydzAXaIptqTmJiW0hxyMGv6V81zTr-GMZTq4fMUdUp1PZB2qCAiswZ4W7Nhv6xq3CPyz2TtbEj_ShTLMaPkDfhKv96t-DlCAoBXEz9Udc4ykJOggiJuGW-UwQR7aJJSi2r/s1600/10417496_10206037300676292_7484844550376210762_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the infinity pools above the ocean at the Westin Lagunamar.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>The Westin Lagunamar is a timeshare property which means that many of the employees who have guest relation job titles are most likely salespeople...  We were contacted multiple times throughout the stay via letters under our door regarding a free welcoming gift, a deeply discounted rate on our next visit, and local activity advice.  However, knowing that accepting any of the offers would most likely result in a 2-3 hour sales pitch to buy into the time share, we politely declined all offers. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also, a note for SPG snobs -- the only benefit we received for having SPG Platinum status was our welcoming gift which we chose to be free continental breakfast each morning and because it was a villa property suite, night upgrade awards could not be used.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQ5-msc0VIKBQUbNfPoOLfbdWB97rsCrqsNDzM1D1CiEi5sdzrOIRiBsFY-ihdUMlanxJpi_Z3PHN83vKMsvUKYMN3f_DhQQCSaYj5HA1hJ1EQo9anKW0H5-vZx0SR2Au-CRHL5cRxCRA/s1600/10343011_10206037304076377_4013806528164493993_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQ5-msc0VIKBQUbNfPoOLfbdWB97rsCrqsNDzM1D1CiEi5sdzrOIRiBsFY-ihdUMlanxJpi_Z3PHN83vKMsvUKYMN3f_DhQQCSaYj5HA1hJ1EQo9anKW0H5-vZx0SR2Au-CRHL5cRxCRA/s1600/10343011_10206037304076377_4013806528164493993_n.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our villa balcony at the Westin Lagunamar</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Mayan ruins are very common in the area but I had no idea how common they actually were!  Steps away from the Westin Lagunamar property there is a small Mayan ruin overlooking the ocean that used to be a look-out tower.  It was a fun and quick way to experience a part of the area's history.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ei57o-ePkVBGX9waQsJqiXTyMrBmzHBi9sOhZx37o4KR-p5FmhNFXhB-jcpdI-wiWGP-ePzphmgK3JNemCCTHwcnOxaiaNyh-BRjdD9sTsi104TMUFLCjYzoaAV656yIfqhDm0OgJ5FF/s1600/10931273_10206037303276357_8254557044720258697_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ei57o-ePkVBGX9waQsJqiXTyMrBmzHBi9sOhZx37o4KR-p5FmhNFXhB-jcpdI-wiWGP-ePzphmgK3JNemCCTHwcnOxaiaNyh-BRjdD9sTsi104TMUFLCjYzoaAV656yIfqhDm0OgJ5FF/s1600/10931273_10206037303276357_8254557044720258697_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mayan ruin steps away from our hotel looking out towards the ocean.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-oYlC1Z0kpqQR4kA258iZRgoQsePHbeQztbYzFY24t8v661cF7Nrgly-jgctlTYyZEWrWMTBszrz5Jt8dj_gCrMXGEnBDxNzfAc0fucJUh_8CpsNe05U4sUupI5yWq3oD7NA-U895QJ9/s1600/westin+lagunamar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-oYlC1Z0kpqQR4kA258iZRgoQsePHbeQztbYzFY24t8v661cF7Nrgly-jgctlTYyZEWrWMTBszrz5Jt8dj_gCrMXGEnBDxNzfAc0fucJUh_8CpsNe05U4sUupI5yWq3oD7NA-U895QJ9/s1600/westin+lagunamar.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Westin Lagunamar.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><h2>Words for Wise Wandering</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div>Spending the first week of 2015 basking in the sun in Cancun, Mexico was epic.  It was also very affordable!  Thanks to the SPG credit card I was able to redeem Starpoints for all of the hotels stays and paid $0.  The Chase Sapphire Preferred card also gave me enough points to fly two people round-trip from Chicago to Cancun with only $166.22 total in taxes.  Here's the link to the full post on how you can have the exact same trip for the same price: <a href="http://liveexecutively.blogspot.com/2014/10/how-to-6-days-in-cancun-mexico-for-16622.html">Six Days in Cancun Mexico for $166.22</a>.</div><div><br />I highly recommend <b>taking the bus everywhere in Cancun</b>.  It costs $0.75 USD per person, is safe, and the drivers speak enough English to be able to help you navigate around the city.<br /><br />Also, be sure to leave your phone on airplane mode throughout your visit to avoid the ridiculous international fees phone carriers charge.<br /><b><br /></b><b>You should be using the GPS on your phone whenever you leave your hotel.</b>  Using the GPS system in your phone will never cost you data or fees because it is a separate piece of hardware from your cell provider's network.  Google Maps also has a great <a href="https://support.google.com/gmm/answer/3273567?hl=en">feature</a> that allows you to download maps for use offline so you can <b>easily navigate any place in the world for free without a data connection.</b><br /><br /></div><div>Both of the SPG properties we stayed at were amazing.  Here are the major differences between each property which may help you decide what one would be a better fit for your own trip.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Westin Resort and Spa Cancun (7,000 starpoints per night):</b></div><div><b>Pros:</b></div><div><ul><li>Calm and Relaxed (away from major party areas and bars)</li><li>Great SPG Platinum member benefits</li></ul><div><b>Cons:</b></div></div><div><ul><li>Not within walking distance of the majority of restaurants/shopping, so you will need to take the bus or taxi often</li><li>Limited kid activities offered by resort</li><li>Water is not filtered, you must drink from water bottles</li></ul></div><div><b>Westin Lagunamar (10,000 starpoints per night):</b></div><div><div><b>Pros:</b></div><div><ul><li>Full kitchen with laundry and balcony, ocean views</li><li>Very close to majority of restaurants and shopping</li><li>Heated pool and hot tubs</li><li>Great resort organized activities for teens and kids</li><li>Water is filtered </li></ul><div><b>Cons:</b></div></div><div><ul><li>Can be loud </li><li>May have to listen to a timeshare sales pitch</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>Do be aware that the food and shopping is very expensive in the hotel zone and even in parts of downtown Cancun compared to the rest of Mexico.  The prices are comparable to any vacation zone in the United States.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>I am already looking forward to the next time I get to return to Cancun.  The people were so incredibly kind, the weather was perfect, and we felt very safe the entire time.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Cancun is the ultimate balance of relaxation and adventure with modern day amenities!</b></div><div><br />Feel free to ask any questions you may have or add your own Cancun tips in the comment section below!<br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><br /><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-QM2i6dJymDQ%2FVLRp8Rrx3uI%2FAAAAAAAADFU%2FtCrAVUoZQhs%2Fs1600%2Fcenotesssss.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafWsRCeXzhfN_pXdOjMbqnD3xRLBsJrryBIgRdf3_NkYMmk8irR9hXj9BnIN4YBPj2lOOmyd-zWe7TtRvatRRTHfWalKDR2O0dO9rF1bIvfV6iWbuwTfgV6EUD4VNDCyrAdFWZ35LK8xO/s1600/cenotesssss.jpg" -->

Trip Report: Cancun, Mexico

This past December I traveled to Cancun, Mexico with my girlfriend Emily for the 2015 New Year!  We spent 7 days and 6 nights in Cancun - split between two different resorts.  The total cost of the airfare and hotels was just $166.22 for the two of us!  You can read how to get the exact same deal with less than 2 hours of total work in this post:  …

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The Only Flight Search Tool You Should Be Using

<div>There's a myriad of flight booking tools on the web toting the cheapest flights, package deals, and  booking discounts.  Which of these booking tools is the absolute best?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGG96wnmbl94yfVpdywLkvh1wfv5ruCF4sWiJBsQxeo_b6hVzJDEiUo7bCREJgffrhq78BT0uV9k1OyDFv3E7q1W2WSUTfmdUws4_Dg_S46frAx6LA5ncclEZRAU8JnqM34Lzm9-U1K8w9/s1600/airport+board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGG96wnmbl94yfVpdywLkvh1wfv5ruCF4sWiJBsQxeo_b6hVzJDEiUo7bCREJgffrhq78BT0uV9k1OyDFv3E7q1W2WSUTfmdUws4_Dg_S46frAx6LA5ncclEZRAU8JnqM34Lzm9-U1K8w9/s1600/airport+board.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It's impossible to know what site actually offers the best deals without running multiple comparison checks on each one but even after all of that work there are often hidden fees that only show up when  you are completing the purchase.  The only thing worse than hidden fees while checking out is showing up at the airport and having the airline-counter employee inform you that each checked bag will cost an extra $50.00.  A flight booking tool may offer a first time booking fare discount or show well designed graphics when filtering flights, but what I care about is the tool that will always give me the best prices, is fast, and consistent.  </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Google Flights</b> is the ultimate flight booking tool.  <a href="https://www.google.com/flights/">Google Flights</a> shows the lowest prices, is extremely fast, and provides data that can make or break your trip.<br /><br /><i>(NOTE: I am not in any way compensated by Google through the recommendation of their product: Google Flights.  The opinions expressed here are solely my own.)</i><br /><br /> Here are 7 reasons why <a href="https://www.google.com/flights/">Google Flights</a> is the only flight search tool you should be using:</div><div><h2>1. Combines other flight booking websites, airline's websites, travel agent prices, and more in search.</h2><div><br /></div>Nearly all travel booking tools let you "compare" the competitors prices and "guarantee" to give you the best prices.  The truth is each of those sites gives you the exact same final price and usually that price is the same as it would be booking directly on the airline's website.<br /><br />This flight search from Google Flights shows that regardless of booking through Spirit, Priceline, CheapOair, or Orbitz you're still going to pay $117:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83MKU9lvaVWUt_ClY7z9hKm-o3wZSpcV58pG3pHq9RnSkLEwli5gokYL9gKclxXEzf1SeQqdg2Su4PzFHd4TLhTkFDl8oaiKmoLmMBVWd5xwhUf1EWlJM4ZStomc2PTkfyZJ1cu0e7JnQ/s1600/ads+on+google+flights.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83MKU9lvaVWUt_ClY7z9hKm-o3wZSpcV58pG3pHq9RnSkLEwli5gokYL9gKclxXEzf1SeQqdg2Su4PzFHd4TLhTkFDl8oaiKmoLmMBVWd5xwhUf1EWlJM4ZStomc2PTkfyZJ1cu0e7JnQ/s1600/ads+on+google+flights.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All booking options are displayed in each search.  Image from Google Flights.   </td></tr></tbody></table>From the graphic we see that the booking companies are charging the exact same price for the ticket as Spirit Airlines.  Those booking companies have employees and bills to pay so if they are not marking the price in flights up any how are they making money? <br /><br />They make money by suggesting hotels and rental car packages to include with your flight.  These suggestions can result in a very cluttered and confusing check out process on the website and you may end up paying way too much for a hotel room! <br /><br />The difference between other airfare booking tools and Google Flights is that Google makes their money from advertisements and not through expensive trip add-on's.  The Google Flights platform has very few ads and the ads that do appear have never ruined my flight search experience.<br /><br /></div><div><h2>2. Immediately Displays Final Price including all fees </h2><div><br /></div>The displayed price on a Google Flight's searches includes all government taxes, booking, and airport fees.  A flight from Chicago to Dallas provides us with a great example showing how important displaying the final price immediately is:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbLB0w92F08e14Rb9pT1kfC4n7QB6TDBysfRk7j-Ov_DF0rYPiZXB2W6OTZvuEVKRtENyBwUWe6PvrfXWDICdJ4iU_fVO9wooWrdk8gLrkbvyC1b3QGgJ6Zru42z6Y2E2Q0iVW9tjgkkX/s1600/total+fees+shown+google+flights.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbLB0w92F08e14Rb9pT1kfC4n7QB6TDBysfRk7j-Ov_DF0rYPiZXB2W6OTZvuEVKRtENyBwUWe6PvrfXWDICdJ4iU_fVO9wooWrdk8gLrkbvyC1b3QGgJ6Zru42z6Y2E2Q0iVW9tjgkkX/s1600/total+fees+shown+google+flights.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extra fees are added into the final displayed price.  Image from Google Flights.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>We can either book online through the American Airlines webpage or call US Airways to book the flight, but when calling US Airways a $25 phone service fee is added onto the cost of the flight.  This sort of detail is very important when purchasing high cost items like airfare.<br /><br /></div><div><h2>3. Provides important details regarding baggage fees, in flight Wi-Fi, and average on-time departure statistics.</h2><br />Spirit airlines usually has the lowest prices in the United States for common routes but is also notorious for delayed flights, high baggage fees, and limited in-flight amenities.  Only Google Flights shows the exact percentage of time the flight is delayed and the average legroom on each flight:</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SBVSkPn0AM1rZYFRyauKxilstvjGjhkXOA51LOmZ9qtKKSR-JGgIGjw25KlZh7rGM-TzJkvimFm1pwT1KsN3GdIv6jzIMNNJsLl2VX6SBFfLj6jtCylxrNGE8f3N352kTu0xIN5TCLI9/s1600/extra+details+google+flights.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SBVSkPn0AM1rZYFRyauKxilstvjGjhkXOA51LOmZ9qtKKSR-JGgIGjw25KlZh7rGM-TzJkvimFm1pwT1KsN3GdIv6jzIMNNJsLl2VX6SBFfLj6jtCylxrNGE8f3N352kTu0xIN5TCLI9/s1600/extra+details+google+flights.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Important details like the percentage of the time the flight is delayed.  Image from Google Flights.</td></tr></tbody></table>The statistics provided by Google Flights can truly make or break a trip.  I've missed my fare share of connecting flights because my first flight was delayed, but with details like the percentage of time the flight is delayed I've been able to better plan and avoid the classic <i><b>airport sleepover</b></i>!<br /><br /></div><div><h2>4. Map view lets you quickly check nearby airport prices and adjust flights</h2><br />The Google Flight's map view is one of the most powerful features of the tool.  You are able to quickly see the prices of flights to nearby airports, adjust the dates of your flight, and see a monthly average price for flights to your destination.   On most travel booking sites it would take 30 extra searches to get these statistics, but with Google Flight's you are served the details on a silver platter in the form of a map with pretty city pictures.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YTAafevNIDRJA5aB7q7b1oPkw7vOoen3hoCitnXy0a72xMvbMhGpPZXPt3NxwrxQt0va-dDSIX34ZFr5o46ZYm5ippWxjQZIZbJZ8rvsBkubQPSgGZIuid8R_Rd7NjnkbZFL10DMIT8C/s1600/map+view+google+flights.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YTAafevNIDRJA5aB7q7b1oPkw7vOoen3hoCitnXy0a72xMvbMhGpPZXPt3NxwrxQt0va-dDSIX34ZFr5o46ZYm5ippWxjQZIZbJZ8rvsBkubQPSgGZIuid8R_Rd7NjnkbZFL10DMIT8C/s1600/map+view+google+flights.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The map view provides prices for flying into nearby airports as well as a monthly fare view.  Image from Google Flights.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><h2>5. Fastest Flight Searches and Results</h2><div><br /></div>I've never had a Google Flights search take longer than 6 seconds!  In comparison the same search on <a href="http://hipmunk.com/">HipMunk.com</a>, a popular travel booking website, took over 15 seconds and I was asked to subscribe to their news and announcements (aka advertisements) while I was waiting on the search.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITNt1gy8SGK9sKZVRwMHkJ4HQYHPAjPDeybHL2FibQALSmU7itetP27D5tX6NrFgnlM-l1H-cgvPt8AkTXPZRFpyk61GchS8dkvJL4CsWGEAcZ5LdwfWcfYUBLYZA_Cv1VlTAvAU1vkKp/s1600/searching+other+site.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITNt1gy8SGK9sKZVRwMHkJ4HQYHPAjPDeybHL2FibQALSmU7itetP27D5tX6NrFgnlM-l1H-cgvPt8AkTXPZRFpyk61GchS8dkvJL4CsWGEAcZ5LdwfWcfYUBLYZA_Cv1VlTAvAU1vkKp/s1600/searching+other+site.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Searching for a new route on HipMunk can take longer than 15 seconds.  Image from HipMunk.com</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><h2>6. Previous flight searches are stored -- Makes checking flight prices super quick</h2><div><br /></div>One secret to finding super cheap flights is persistence.  Watching flight prices on a daily basis can save you hundreds of dollars each year, but the pace of our world makes the extra 5 minutes a day it used to take to check flight searches too burdensome.  With Google Flights previous searches it literally takes 1 second to check changes in flight prices each day.  You don't need to save any flight searches or subscribe to any updates Google Flights automatically remembers your previous searches. </div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjenQS0A-GzLND9mioTfgilf84_ZKUsznjOsHU5kJl6cl45JbaQJRWyGqHStGLJj4gHhyH903dtvb292MasfLmiyDkTt_XYzgg8ERqgGeFhmf9aJpXtI4JIfSFpYWQUPwe7dki0LN5jynN/s1600/previous+searches+google+flights.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjenQS0A-GzLND9mioTfgilf84_ZKUsznjOsHU5kJl6cl45JbaQJRWyGqHStGLJj4gHhyH903dtvb292MasfLmiyDkTt_XYzgg8ERqgGeFhmf9aJpXtI4JIfSFpYWQUPwe7dki0LN5jynN/s1600/previous+searches+google+flights.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When hunting for great airfare deals be sure to check your previous searches daily in Google Flights.  Image from Google Flights.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><h2><br />7. Best Flights Filtering</h2></div><div><br />The luxury of comparing every possible route, fare, and airline provider isn't always available when you're in a rush.  Thankfully, with Google Flight's Best Flights listings you don't need to be a financial analyst to find the best option for you!<br /><br />Best Flights calculates the trade-off between price, duration, number of stops as well as baggage fees and based off of the majority of users preferences suggests the best flight options for you!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkChuaU0JxOu_G-CAjE8RLQ-cKiXWTZNPIfiOTsA_361NkTEkM0G2LMIzGdd_woZrXFKItr4tpmFjzEchnpiJAoQ46tTV7kDL-aVLuzOhO8OAD7E8h_5MDfRA3uDIGfmZ4BSHypXYmCqT/s1600/Best+Flights+google+flights.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkChuaU0JxOu_G-CAjE8RLQ-cKiXWTZNPIfiOTsA_361NkTEkM0G2LMIzGdd_woZrXFKItr4tpmFjzEchnpiJAoQ46tTV7kDL-aVLuzOhO8OAD7E8h_5MDfRA3uDIGfmZ4BSHypXYmCqT/s1600/Best+Flights+google+flights.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best Flights service by Google Flights.  Image from Google Flights.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><h2>Are there reasons to not use Google Flights?</h2></div><div><br /></div><div>No, at the end of the day you'll be most successful using Google Flights.  It is important to note that Southwest airlines fare prices do not show on Google Flights, but the search will still display any Southwest flights on that route and then provide a direct link for you to check price of the fare on Southwest's website.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtsqdSro1-7g0tpRBfhtPXXIQq0lHEsz6p4-S9bOBCfCmFMsVJ_wVdhUWREWbfgRvr7a515fGDJmCpdF7iGONI5B3oPNGqYwiDgy6AHiZubg7CSALxl4eHOay1EWgD7qTLYcdZhyphenhyphengAAjt/s1600/southwest+google+flights.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtsqdSro1-7g0tpRBfhtPXXIQq0lHEsz6p4-S9bOBCfCmFMsVJ_wVdhUWREWbfgRvr7a515fGDJmCpdF7iGONI5B3oPNGqYwiDgy6AHiZubg7CSALxl4eHOay1EWgD7qTLYcdZhyphenhyphengAAjt/s1600/southwest+google+flights.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You must go to southwest.com to check the price of airfare for flights.  Image from Google Flights.</td></tr></tbody></table>Southwest airlines does not participate in the GDS airline system so their prices will not show up on any 3rd party websites.  It is always useful to check Southwest's website if they do have lots of flights on your route as Southwest usually has very competitive rates.<br /><h2>The Bottom Line</h2><div><br /></div>There are hundreds of websites that provide travel booking services available online.  Save yourself time, money, and confusion by using the simple <a href="https://www.google.com/flights/">Google Flights</a> booking tool.<br /><br />Please share any experiences you've had using Google Flights in the comments below!<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div>

The Only Flight Search Tool You Should Be Using

There's a myriad of flight booking tools on the web toting the cheapest flights, package deals, and  booking discounts.  Which of these booking tools is the absolute best?It's impossible to know what site actually offers the best deals without running multiple comparison checks on each one but even after all of that work there are often hidden fees…

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Singapore

After a few very rough days I have finally settled into my life here in Singapore, and I absolutely love it.  The first day I was here I was so exhausted I passed out at noon and didn't wake up until 3AM.  Unfortunately, at that time all of the places to eat were closed and I didn't get around to eating before so I was very hungry and after sleeping for 13 hours there was no chance I was going back to sleep. <br /><br />The second day we had an orientation and<i> </i>I got to meet all of the kids who are also studying abroad at the school.  The mix of students at this school is amazing.  There are actually more British, Canadian, and Swedish students then American studying abroad here.  I have meet students from all over the world.  But, on the second day I made the same mistake and decided it would be smart to take a nap at 4PM.... only to sleep through all of my alarms and wake up at 2AM very hungry!. I was starting to get  upset with myself because I was missing all of the fun but I guess the sleep was much needed. <br /><br />After the second day things have gotten much easier and I am finally adjusted to the sleeping schedule here.  I have had some amazing experiences so far and love exploring the city.  There is so much character, history, and life in Singapore.  It amazes me to see people of all religions live so close together and all get along with literally ZERO violence. <br /><br />Here are some interesting facts I've picked up on in the past few days exploring the city:<br /><br /><ul><li>1 in 6 Singaporean families are millionaires, it is a very wealthy country</li><li>Drinking in public is not only legal, it is also very common and the normal.  (Picture proof, enjoying a beer while shopping in the mall)</li><li>5 Million people live in Singapore, Singapore is only 130 sq. miles wide.</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzGwT8NrN_FHizzgW6UUvMYBOR973OTz2z7Apg2YFGTrNsfek8PvGBAKaZlNKawDKE1kW2HtZeSPzomZU825wta1wnq1UYVUKXZi3pmV2vE91Gq3Zhh0Qdyy5Vg_Q9qwFT62Uo9CcC4U/s1600/DSCN0104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzGwT8NrN_FHizzgW6UUvMYBOR973OTz2z7Apg2YFGTrNsfek8PvGBAKaZlNKawDKE1kW2HtZeSPzomZU825wta1wnq1UYVUKXZi3pmV2vE91Gq3Zhh0Qdyy5Vg_Q9qwFT62Uo9CcC4U/s400/DSCN0104.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I went with a group of about 13 random students to the local beach on an island just off of Singapore called Sentosa.  Our group had students from New Zealand, Egypt, Canada, Germany, Finland and Amsterdam   It was so much fun to spend the day with these guys and get to talk with each one of them about their lives.  It is amazing how similar we all are and how easy it was to get to know everyone.  Below are some pictures of Singapore and our trip around the town.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7b-l8LxDKBl3KgEtEnXyVjxrxtOmYkysGNrZ0LtjkQibksJmu0VcYiU-4akEKqktHFhD544tyhAoVa2c1N242ZaWN-VlFKysIyypZxSjZ2GUzgqItq1Gi3BgRIPkt8L8Uq9JvrVByug/s1600/DSCN0110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7b-l8LxDKBl3KgEtEnXyVjxrxtOmYkysGNrZ0LtjkQibksJmu0VcYiU-4akEKqktHFhD544tyhAoVa2c1N242ZaWN-VlFKysIyypZxSjZ2GUzgqItq1Gi3BgRIPkt8L8Uq9JvrVByug/s640/DSCN0110.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />The entire city is covered in apartments that looks similar to these.  Nearly all of the living in Singapore is actually government housing.  It is very different then government housing in America though.  The government controls the housing for two reasons.  The main reason is because they are so limited on space everyone each building must offer the maximum amount of living space, and the second is to keep the religious groups mixed so that the city doesn't become secular.  Even millionaires use government housing.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1itd01yYO-APVZhlXqSa_OPQWnfYf-9iuzOOePU_5q0SwfVdUx5_0i9f6PEYyvMAMuch-DRr_XImb8wq875FfN0JacKZdCb4a8mMujK6nO0A9pw3-KWHN0DIkYdmwKuX6UCDSdSu0wHQ/s1600/DSCN0159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1itd01yYO-APVZhlXqSa_OPQWnfYf-9iuzOOePU_5q0SwfVdUx5_0i9f6PEYyvMAMuch-DRr_XImb8wq875FfN0JacKZdCb4a8mMujK6nO0A9pw3-KWHN0DIkYdmwKuX6UCDSdSu0wHQ/s400/DSCN0159.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the Sentosa beach.  It was beautiful!  I am enjoying the most famous drink in Singapore, the Singapore Sling.  Behind me is a bridge to the "Most southern point in Asia".</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhogVQZlMiZ4IAff88SjDsf2-QWJZK7SKNCxFe314qV3gtUsjWQ87mLa_M9EWu4xORsdbpsclRLR8C_pIaYgO5A7uqBLnJBuR3N1PhSL5mttBtg8WdOJ5vnJmsZ9k46w8QBx9CLGE8avk0/s1600/DSCN0169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhogVQZlMiZ4IAff88SjDsf2-QWJZK7SKNCxFe314qV3gtUsjWQ87mLa_M9EWu4xORsdbpsclRLR8C_pIaYgO5A7uqBLnJBuR3N1PhSL5mttBtg8WdOJ5vnJmsZ9k46w8QBx9CLGE8avk0/s320/DSCN0169.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here we are walking across the bridge.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3vJ1hj80l1qBvaaRIevgFoEZv4TRWFleihZn8BgxHCf0v0oGuy5aCwWN1WVGGFw_mdcw1exAEbjSWdPjWWvynhAX36aHi3Ddtsh5VY3u7lT2RGSbm0qHtmtg77yk3Z_W9-cH6oHZZvQ/s1600/DSCN0175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3vJ1hj80l1qBvaaRIevgFoEZv4TRWFleihZn8BgxHCf0v0oGuy5aCwWN1WVGGFw_mdcw1exAEbjSWdPjWWvynhAX36aHi3Ddtsh5VY3u7lT2RGSbm0qHtmtg77yk3Z_W9-cH6oHZZvQ/s320/DSCN0175.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnSixSux8YDMPKKwiujnROdfn7EZ-HCQiR9IFA9na9EIYbEWoVuUgmUTdCDHjNoH0pzBQZHo8jqfnC91EZVB5KEgeDCkjEscdYwd371VkxQ1tseTOCqKc5KgP2hjxOnsD3U9vZTl2yQU/s1600/DSCN0188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnSixSux8YDMPKKwiujnROdfn7EZ-HCQiR9IFA9na9EIYbEWoVuUgmUTdCDHjNoH0pzBQZHo8jqfnC91EZVB5KEgeDCkjEscdYwd371VkxQ1tseTOCqKc5KgP2hjxOnsD3U9vZTl2yQU/s640/DSCN0188.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> It was "cold" the day we went, 86 degrees, so there were no locals which was very nice.  We nearly had the entire beach to ourselves.  </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwxfTFPBWLxV41ap7hjzQTF19o79tXUIehTB-pa9YzTx2rlsSgz_EA5S-N0JECT1mNm7JE-3yAN5dzv3QVTxWMQgtWyT8VhI9JMJosotryLJ3HQZeO1ddVzSZ4GzchlMVJ7sS4qFOIwM/s1600/DSCN0189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwxfTFPBWLxV41ap7hjzQTF19o79tXUIehTB-pa9YzTx2rlsSgz_EA5S-N0JECT1mNm7JE-3yAN5dzv3QVTxWMQgtWyT8VhI9JMJosotryLJ3HQZeO1ddVzSZ4GzchlMVJ7sS4qFOIwM/s640/DSCN0189.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />We then headed downtown to Little India.  This is a picture with some of the other international students.  We were enjoying a coconut at the hawker center.  A hawker center is a large market where you go for meals.  It is like a mall food court but ten times bigger.  I didn't understand anything and ended up getting a plate full of noodles and small sardine like fish.  It wasn't the most appetizing dinner but a good cultural  experience none the less haha.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-L7H-YSj3YnOCuN_0v_GWmzivYN5GUp3ziCZZHZkH6FkpUh6JNv1CZS6B5kB3dTvZeOUyEkgk-NNSB8C5TT01vXUjIMK1-El8vWXG-Z9Fro2-1XH_6JIlw_S-CQkLZ4__MaS8YiX2NMk/s1600/DSCN0193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-L7H-YSj3YnOCuN_0v_GWmzivYN5GUp3ziCZZHZkH6FkpUh6JNv1CZS6B5kB3dTvZeOUyEkgk-NNSB8C5TT01vXUjIMK1-El8vWXG-Z9Fro2-1XH_6JIlw_S-CQkLZ4__MaS8YiX2NMk/s640/DSCN0193.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The market wasn't very busy, but it was huge.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0m-njhQXteGlS0Cw8soOp9Pbb1qOmg6ta8SzE5mUT-3Lx36037_5ZtC5x8p3je31pyvu4tl6nnVaWihCHSppxp_V3NU0g-KP_6rMr8SzL0C5ROYIYl5Vo5lnAnwGlguPFuVC0F74BSN4/s1600/DSCN0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0m-njhQXteGlS0Cw8soOp9Pbb1qOmg6ta8SzE5mUT-3Lx36037_5ZtC5x8p3je31pyvu4tl6nnVaWihCHSppxp_V3NU0g-KP_6rMr8SzL0C5ROYIYl5Vo5lnAnwGlguPFuVC0F74BSN4/s400/DSCN0220.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Here is a temple in Little India.  There were tons of huge temples on every corner of the city.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for following my posts!  From here on out the posts will most likely be shorter with more pictures and hopefully they will be more exciting!</div><br /><div><br /></div>

Singapore

After a few very rough days I have finally settled into my life here in Singapore, and I absolutely love it.  The first day I was here I was so exhausted I passed out at noon and didn't wake up until 3AM.  Unfortunately, at that time all of the places to eat were closed and I didn't get around to eating before so I was very hungry and after sleepin…

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Trip Report: Kuala Lampur and the Cameron Highlands

My first destination in Malaysia was the capital city, Kuala Lampur.  Kuala Lampur is a huge city with over 6.9 million people in the metro area.  It is a five hour bus ride from Singapore, costing around $30 USD.  A great deal... unless you get stuck on my bus.<div><br /></div><div>The bus I took from Singapore left at 5PM... perfect timing to catch rush hour!  We spent two hours traveling through Singapore (20 miles) to get to the border of Singapore and Malaysia.  At the border everyone must jump off the bus with all of their luggage, go through customs, and hop back on.  We then spent an hour traveling across a two mile stretch of bridge moving less then a dozen feet a minute!  On the other side of the bridge we had to hop off again and check through the customs in Malaysia.  After all of the shuffling we were finally on the road to KL at 8PM.  An hour later we stopped for a 30 minute dinner break.  After the dinner break we fell into a routine of driving for an hour, stopping to drop a person off, and then driving another hour.  About three hours of that and the ride got very interesting....  </div><div><br /></div><div>I woke up to the bus slamming to a stop on the side of the road and police lights everywhere.  From what I could see in the bus window the driver was in pretty big trouble for something.  We spent nearly an hour on the side of the road waiting for the cops to figure it out, after it was all done the driver received a ticket that must have been very large judging by his reaction and face when he got back in the bus... talk about road rage!  We arrived in KL at 2 AM, 4 hours after I was told.  I headed towards the ATM to withdraw the correct currency for a taxi ride to the hostel, only to find out that all of the ATM's go "offline" from 12-3 AM.  So my only option was to walk to the hostel.  I had printed off from the hostel's webpage and thought I was set... Turns out I ended up doing circles around the city center.  I tried the ATM as soon as the clock ticked 3 AM, only to find out that my bank card had been blocked by the bank... </div><div><br /></div><div>As I walked away from the ATM I was out of ideas and very tired, I started looking for a small corner to sleep in on the street and wait until the morning for the money exchange to open up... I couldn't even find a decent spot to sit down, but that was when I saw it, a shining beacon of light in the night, my savior: McDonald's.  A massive two story building housed the most amazing McDonald's ever. open 24-Hour, leather couches to lounge in, and free Wi-Fi.  I sat down, called my bank, got my card unblocked, enjoyed a Big Mac meal, and withdrew money for the taxi.  I finally made it to the hostel at 4AM.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1mxYNgO_BWDTTKJdaBZpmNyThjYyRKUpIAhSpld59ibABY1SVQGqnG_ugppSppyxCPjQKNgt-1DS5j_tEbxL1OD8wZfXFGcn12RwgKupwTj_9FOX6StB4n93LlM947LJHbc8fF7DNSk/s1600/DSCN1100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1mxYNgO_BWDTTKJdaBZpmNyThjYyRKUpIAhSpld59ibABY1SVQGqnG_ugppSppyxCPjQKNgt-1DS5j_tEbxL1OD8wZfXFGcn12RwgKupwTj_9FOX6StB4n93LlM947LJHbc8fF7DNSk/s320/DSCN1100.JPG" width="320" /></a>Thankfully I got the rough part of the trip out of the way early!  The rest of my nine days in Malaysia were absolutely perfect.  </div><div></div><div>I meet up with Logan from California the next morning and a few other students who go to NTU.  We started our day off visiting the famous Batu caves just outside of downtown KL.  They were nice.  In all honestly it was extremely hot, crowded, smelly, and pretty average.  The photo's look cool though!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3PNUgDhceyiYpnsA1RsmsQOZL1JCAtuKHM032eE_7uQKVyej_WFTbahpWpYtvMATYn-_TFwoDFwbj5aEV-ykWq7CaOfQAl8cHAfOcatwYmz7OXZ2iOO9XG-6NVTRgbOhyphenhyphencv8QMPjxaw/s1600/DSCN1073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3PNUgDhceyiYpnsA1RsmsQOZL1JCAtuKHM032eE_7uQKVyej_WFTbahpWpYtvMATYn-_TFwoDFwbj5aEV-ykWq7CaOfQAl8cHAfOcatwYmz7OXZ2iOO9XG-6NVTRgbOhyphenhyphencv8QMPjxaw/s640/DSCN1073.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />We then spent the afternoon in Chinatown  bargaining with street vendors for all sorts of random stuff.  I got a few fake but nice Polo Ralph Lauren shirts for $6 USD each, and a few nice "name brand" (fake) ties for $3 USD.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipla4O7W-WeC7-MuaHI3mwGvp8jJbCUnxyMsz4W_3wymNxqLpptvX2gbAsZqp_tA0Agz8aOT_eML5jXJp6e5mXUXRaeiIMQ-Ex0hKFfgxdrWIyTPJnC04teilCLEtxFYcfvuuuw85O3Y8/s1600/DSCN1127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipla4O7W-WeC7-MuaHI3mwGvp8jJbCUnxyMsz4W_3wymNxqLpptvX2gbAsZqp_tA0Agz8aOT_eML5jXJp6e5mXUXRaeiIMQ-Ex0hKFfgxdrWIyTPJnC04teilCLEtxFYcfvuuuw85O3Y8/s400/DSCN1127.JPG" width="300" /></a>The next day we went to see the famous Petronas Towers which stand as the third tallest building in the world.  They we're very impressive, not only for their height but their design is incredible.<br /><br />It was a rather short visit to Kuala Lampur.  Many people told me that two days was enough to see all that Kuala Lampur had to offer and I completely agree with them.  Kuala Lampur is a carbon copy of Singapore, just dirtier and smellier.  That afternoon Logan and I hopped on a bus north to the city of Ipoh in the middle of Malaysia.  Thankfully it was a smooth and short bus ride, no cops, and we arrived at a decent time.  <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9ecAJ4_KkAmfWT6TYd382u2pBTHctI0d0TCC2_l5DfRe9cfjtLXbkgFUEGZmPsZ41-ASrCvkSfSZCw50gKjUpMM9hSVW0xL1i0W2dXul2Oio0qYjS9Uk56WBqqW1CBy84a9quWQvYuM/s1600/DSCN1153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9ecAJ4_KkAmfWT6TYd382u2pBTHctI0d0TCC2_l5DfRe9cfjtLXbkgFUEGZmPsZ41-ASrCvkSfSZCw50gKjUpMM9hSVW0xL1i0W2dXul2Oio0qYjS9Uk56WBqqW1CBy84a9quWQvYuM/s400/DSCN1153.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Ipoh is one of the largest limestone producers in south-east Asia.  It was easy to see why, on our drive, massive rocks of limestone were scattered throughout the landscape.<br /><br />Our main reason to visit Ipoh was to see the Cameron Highlands.  The Cameron Highlands are located about two hours outside of Ipoh in the mountains of Malaysia.  We first planned to take a bus, but with it being Chinese New Year the buses were all sold out.  We asked the hotel receptionist if he could call to get us a taxi for the ride.  Normally a taxi ride to the Highlands and back is around $150 USD for two people.  When the hotel receptionist got off the phone he told us he found us a great deal; our own personal driver for the day, who would take us to all of the major attractions and show us all there was to see for only $80 USD!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7NsDJHIgsq79-qrlnc_zUHEWjpELZHc0H-AoPGCi52Ts3UVH3n57TXcMpt2Kssw5LKzX37hZjQ50aNU4161-ZWwxp29rNnbgTyLu9JAxB8-KV40MyXHGM_MLoL4DcF2XQAHCGuYV3YY/s1600/DSCN1191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7NsDJHIgsq79-qrlnc_zUHEWjpELZHc0H-AoPGCi52Ts3UVH3n57TXcMpt2Kssw5LKzX37hZjQ50aNU4161-ZWwxp29rNnbgTyLu9JAxB8-KV40MyXHGM_MLoL4DcF2XQAHCGuYV3YY/s400/DSCN1191.JPG" width="400" /></a>The next morning we hopped in the car with a kid who looked to be our age.  It was a really nice drive through the mountains and we had a good time talking with our driver about school in Malaysia and his life there.  He was a little older then us, majoring in Mechanical Engineering at school. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqS4mHxJRy3mKNXF0fnYNcwDPNQq9Vv89DiKMhaPATm8OY9_SpZSH9Mt2a_8ypNcd_aW9L-59BUlxKcZ2Ioc_e62iLp1fESIRT_JoVtGRMLabytf3TjBGXO0M3xw0mUbveH5n9vLi-fI/s1600/DSCN1231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqS4mHxJRy3mKNXF0fnYNcwDPNQq9Vv89DiKMhaPATm8OY9_SpZSH9Mt2a_8ypNcd_aW9L-59BUlxKcZ2Ioc_e62iLp1fESIRT_JoVtGRMLabytf3TjBGXO0M3xw0mUbveH5n9vLi-fI/s400/DSCN1231.JPG" width="400" /></a>I was awestruck when we reached the Highlands.  The temperate had dropped over thirty degrees to a balmy 60 F.  The hills were covered in farms of all kinds!   There were rows and rows of cabbages up and down the hills, millions of green houses with the most amazing flowers I have ever seen.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4DzkbkSFXDyQGnphHRNDypNLMAW8Zy2iGWs4SyOU1efbi8eSJlYIC24HbAyXSp6xnfi_Wkga2d-GfrL01iuY_wT6otwJLE8gm9X0dxGB1_vSkhVccNVQUFLEAO3HZ2SWZqt8yNA7nto/s1600/DSCN1472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4DzkbkSFXDyQGnphHRNDypNLMAW8Zy2iGWs4SyOU1efbi8eSJlYIC24HbAyXSp6xnfi_Wkga2d-GfrL01iuY_wT6otwJLE8gm9X0dxGB1_vSkhVccNVQUFLEAO3HZ2SWZqt8yNA7nto/s640/DSCN1472.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMakGlDYQ4jL5vnr8CcCA3EDX_iK6S-6OtArOZb1lLmtzKYPTW5ElK2timcYPKsPWEeHrhNCSoUmcoNAPKbUVzWmrOYs2JVPuIOXooidbH9jA2kuNnnBit7dsKAMIdfEGoUYgxCFMNhQ/s1600/DSCN1325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMakGlDYQ4jL5vnr8CcCA3EDX_iK6S-6OtArOZb1lLmtzKYPTW5ElK2timcYPKsPWEeHrhNCSoUmcoNAPKbUVzWmrOYs2JVPuIOXooidbH9jA2kuNnnBit7dsKAMIdfEGoUYgxCFMNhQ/s320/DSCN1325.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Our first stop was to the strawberry farm.  Because of the climate and location they have fresh strawberries year round and because we were in Malaysia the prices were incredible.  We demolished the entire menu.  An hour of pure strawberry bliss!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLzzBdPuc8niDW-55c51S6IIy11dA58BcTE6cUPYA1Uq-Q740TWpeY7QnrApWxu1nBC0aLFCbpiNUKYIpVK7imybocKgOoJNZXU3qBqD2eKKOSCnqOG0crrVqtvY7A4XkbLR2nY_sGoE/s1600/DSCN1328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLzzBdPuc8niDW-55c51S6IIy11dA58BcTE6cUPYA1Uq-Q740TWpeY7QnrApWxu1nBC0aLFCbpiNUKYIpVK7imybocKgOoJNZXU3qBqD2eKKOSCnqOG0crrVqtvY7A4XkbLR2nY_sGoE/s400/DSCN1328.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsCH7N7D4lJkpa7AnYqwoZaCIHuXLgCs3HIObNJzOTBzjUKlic2X7N4525Fz98YXh_C4552m-UBU6EHPzKa2DUgRT-B1G5m7Wo1ZOElaiN569a42WIW-4k_T65Z3GbuCIETcKpfpyDnw/s1600/DSCN1396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsCH7N7D4lJkpa7AnYqwoZaCIHuXLgCs3HIObNJzOTBzjUKlic2X7N4525Fz98YXh_C4552m-UBU6EHPzKa2DUgRT-B1G5m7Wo1ZOElaiN569a42WIW-4k_T65Z3GbuCIETcKpfpyDnw/s320/DSCN1396.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>After the strawberry farm we headed up the mountain even further to see the tea plantation.  The tea plantation is what the Cameron Highlands are known for.  It is massive, there are tea plants covering the hills for miles in every direction.  The way they lay out the plants makes for an incredible view.  We enjoyed one of the freshest and finest teas in the world!  It was definitely a once in a life time experience. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1repL5BRRvfW0STflg6NjRwecPs8dSHqdln0prkA6oqm4OUDTnjRXdb6X2eoIc_snKYXmg3dz5z13ym6k9VkB_w6XE0SLiAZ7GpgQdSu39tQHwwouIRyYNZD_OevzWc_TMFMAF5vDBL0/s1600/DSCN1403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1repL5BRRvfW0STflg6NjRwecPs8dSHqdln0prkA6oqm4OUDTnjRXdb6X2eoIc_snKYXmg3dz5z13ym6k9VkB_w6XE0SLiAZ7GpgQdSu39tQHwwouIRyYNZD_OevzWc_TMFMAF5vDBL0/s640/DSCN1403.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00WmJ20zfat4NuKj063-77vVqW5RBgmD42xTMYCTo4yY3ANmto3qgrsE-JwGVuaewY2-_i8tM-zQEAwleyMvOBvcbidQIS8ffS9TcihsEfeC3w6WN9XMuwTLMnULgfeNCT29xqj7LGaE/s1600/DSCN1419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00WmJ20zfat4NuKj063-77vVqW5RBgmD42xTMYCTo4yY3ANmto3qgrsE-JwGVuaewY2-_i8tM-zQEAwleyMvOBvcbidQIS8ffS9TcihsEfeC3w6WN9XMuwTLMnULgfeNCT29xqj7LGaE/s640/DSCN1419.JPG" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyY_hw4c7pox4n0HE96Q_ogxr7oI4Jn_uwh4XzD82jpATLUPQJmn5r8JRRBylxZLCs102TAQjiKomChV_QVHs8CRnuNmi4uiFsAduRakAR-8DI1BDgZOUoioLhETJE8iBIeXBqy8huYRs/s1600/DSCN1410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyY_hw4c7pox4n0HE96Q_ogxr7oI4Jn_uwh4XzD82jpATLUPQJmn5r8JRRBylxZLCs102TAQjiKomChV_QVHs8CRnuNmi4uiFsAduRakAR-8DI1BDgZOUoioLhETJE8iBIeXBqy8huYRs/s640/DSCN1410.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjom-pPaCMx0oMKW5-cUeh9L0cB3_q5V-0QumOjruHWoGC-8_Ka3K8QEG3wN92pkiXHuCI1lfAmoiXU1jl83aX0z1kz-QucIMj5P0haB6okO-MMKQTlgpb2ZImVULvLwVjcpmy8X_nQ-qc/s1600/DSCN1478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjom-pPaCMx0oMKW5-cUeh9L0cB3_q5V-0QumOjruHWoGC-8_Ka3K8QEG3wN92pkiXHuCI1lfAmoiXU1jl83aX0z1kz-QucIMj5P0haB6okO-MMKQTlgpb2ZImVULvLwVjcpmy8X_nQ-qc/s320/DSCN1478.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_V3guUC28HDvMYlc_w1JEk0x5fM_RvuZGSUtmowHRiFPrXP2JV8_HhUJLaNz-uPyV-2yQa6WL2EVIBpC9VxcizwLGOAUjCdKCkZx80l2mabUGSdPuQPC-KsAbbSCl_JTD2979sxN_kzY/s1600/DSCN1475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_V3guUC28HDvMYlc_w1JEk0x5fM_RvuZGSUtmowHRiFPrXP2JV8_HhUJLaNz-uPyV-2yQa6WL2EVIBpC9VxcizwLGOAUjCdKCkZx80l2mabUGSdPuQPC-KsAbbSCl_JTD2979sxN_kzY/s640/DSCN1475.JPG" width="640" /></a> We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying different fresh vegetables and then headed back down the mountain.  We were so lucky to have our own tour guide and driver.  The roads were backed up for miles in every direction due to the influx of visitors for holiday.  The bus would have been miserable and we wouldn't have been able to see half the stuff we got to see.  Our driver did a great job at avoiding the traffic, we hardly had to sit in it.  It was backed up for nearly 20 km in every direction!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />When we arrived back at the hotel the same receptionist greeted us with a big smile and asked how our trip was.  We told him how amazing the place was and thanked him so much for setting us up with such a great driver.  He smiled again and said "Well I'm glad he did a good job, I thought you guys would get along well with my son".  It turns out he called his son on his day off from school and asked him if he would spend his entire day driving us around.... we were speechless.... He couldn't have made more then $40 USD after gas and other expenses, what a great guy! <br /><br />What I loved most about Malaysia, more then the food, sights, and prices; was the people.  The people were incredible.  Most of them spoke English better then people in Singapore, everyone did a great job at pointing us in the right directions when we got lost, and they were always giving us big smiles.  A stunning fact I read about Malaysia was the unemployment rate is only at 3%, which allows the majority of people to live in the middle class.  Because of that there are less beggars, less people selling random junk, less people try to make every dollar they can off of tourists  and more people who are happy and willing to open up their minds and home to travelers   The generosity and kindness of the people continued throughout the trip which made for a very pleasurable time.<br /><br />This post is though day three of my ten day trip.  I will try to write up the posts for the rest of the trip as soon as I can!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><br /></div>

Trip Report: Kuala Lampur and the Cameron Highlands

My first destination in Malaysia was the capital city, Kuala Lampur.  Kuala Lampur is a huge city with over 6.9 million people in the metro area.  It is a five hour bus ride from Singapore, costing around $30 USD.  A great deal... unless you get stuck on my bus.The bus I took from Singapore left at 5PM... perfect timing to catch rush hour!  We spen…

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Trip Review: Boracay, Philippines

Last weekend Matt, a fellow Iowa State student, and I ventured off to the Philippines in search for the most beautiful island in the world.  It was a long and difficult journey, but well worth it! <br /><br />We left from Singapore at 6AM on Friday morning to the Philippines.  As college students we want to make the most of every minute, especially the minutes we get to sleep.... Unfortunately this almost cost us a missed flight to Bali last weekend as we only showed up an hour ahead of time.  So, Matt and I arrived with plenty of time to spare and had no issues catching our first plane.  We first flew into Angeles City.  Angeles City may be one of my least favorite places in the world, but more on that later.  Just when Matt and I were starting to think we were pro travelers, we ran into a brick wall.  For some incredibly stupid reason we booked our second flight of the day, from Angeles City to Boracay 40 minutes apart from when we were supposed to land in Angeles City from Singapore.  Due to a short delay our plane didn't even land in Angeles City before our connecting flight took off....<br /><br /><b>Note to self: Always give <i>at least</i> two hours between flights for delays</b>.<br /><br />Our only option was to suck up the loss and pay $65 for a one way flight to Boracay later that afternoon.  After a few hours in the airport we finally flew into the city of Kalibo.  To get to Boracay from Kalibo we then had to take a 2 hour bus ride and an hour long ferry trip.  Much to our disappointment we arrived in Boracay at 1 AM instead of 3 PM. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEAO0jbSisBkPyQycsaIe4VWp_0mt2hlRXFmsdnFPa1XL5NJKjUdxlSY1AQiTfvAvZEAx4IheYVd3BbeqJ4FCO1axEBa_w6SOM5BWXPSYObZvabGaUPN_YAKGpC-BmpgLIT4bGMl0Dlg/s1600/DSCN0903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEAO0jbSisBkPyQycsaIe4VWp_0mt2hlRXFmsdnFPa1XL5NJKjUdxlSY1AQiTfvAvZEAx4IheYVd3BbeqJ4FCO1axEBa_w6SOM5BWXPSYObZvabGaUPN_YAKGpC-BmpgLIT4bGMl0Dlg/s320/DSCN0903.JPG" width="320" /></a>Matt and I have found that no matter where you travel and how much you try to save, you will still end up spending lots of money.  To help cut back on the amount of money we spent we decided to stay in a hostel in Boracay.  The hostel was nice for the standards of the area, but we were very surprised at the lack of amenities provided.  Of course we knew the water was no good to drink, but there was also no hot water and the toilet did not flush...  To flush the toilet you had to scoop in buckets of water.  We stayed at the Trafalgar hostel on Boracay island.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLuJUdlImW0S9QBm-bmqkNcPVThBgEA3op31cFnww8KX1uXMnI2BAfeYjvgZ6iAclkwKifvYO6SvKriCcqP3iQo7-gQNt7rCDa4-ANtyabmSaZBY8MJUaq6s1BFW4mVlMUcj-1M3MHtQ/s1600/DSCN0895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLuJUdlImW0S9QBm-bmqkNcPVThBgEA3op31cFnww8KX1uXMnI2BAfeYjvgZ6iAclkwKifvYO6SvKriCcqP3iQo7-gQNt7rCDa4-ANtyabmSaZBY8MJUaq6s1BFW4mVlMUcj-1M3MHtQ/s1600/DSCN0895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiih3_qND3xQB7yDwfoJi2GjyDtfn5Mun8owD4iwW_RfPp05ufBLMldh_tuCd6ej4GowQlgV8zUImuufeD3ezOuxNdHytKup9xN7tyhAS4zREV7DQ9GaWb0uotOB2ssn2qaczmHhRzg5vw/s1600/DSCN0898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiih3_qND3xQB7yDwfoJi2GjyDtfn5Mun8owD4iwW_RfPp05ufBLMldh_tuCd6ej4GowQlgV8zUImuufeD3ezOuxNdHytKup9xN7tyhAS4zREV7DQ9GaWb0uotOB2ssn2qaczmHhRzg5vw/s400/DSCN0898.JPG" width="300" /></a><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLuJUdlImW0S9QBm-bmqkNcPVThBgEA3op31cFnww8KX1uXMnI2BAfeYjvgZ6iAclkwKifvYO6SvKriCcqP3iQo7-gQNt7rCDa4-ANtyabmSaZBY8MJUaq6s1BFW4mVlMUcj-1M3MHtQ/s400/DSCN0895.JPG" width="300" /></div><br /><br /><br /> The long day of travel was quickly forgotten when we woke up Saturday morning and got to see the beach for the first time.  The sand was incredible.  Perfectly white and incredibly fine.  The water was so clear one could still see the ocean floor twenty feet in.<span style="text-align: center;"></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9WezegUprnG2fiWAP37dEjsjEO-g_pRBftFuL9Qwi-7DY90xHaMmkrIpGxaH5YiUSCZw1IrzI4Wzk2mHcAU0hmsDyCGJYuT4rcXbiLPZNp07Phes4mRvkyeVIWJC7x-h6NQiQYJpZVk/s1600/DSCN0909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9WezegUprnG2fiWAP37dEjsjEO-g_pRBftFuL9Qwi-7DY90xHaMmkrIpGxaH5YiUSCZw1IrzI4Wzk2mHcAU0hmsDyCGJYuT4rcXbiLPZNp07Phes4mRvkyeVIWJC7x-h6NQiQYJpZVk/s640/DSCN0909.JPG" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kuuuF9BJNjjm62Vm43N_Mbso87rnQGszXcvrLUmRItadApfgtLiEoUoIxnvV_Gv4sElOpebfK7_8F2JqAeAoZqGyehhEmvEcZw0CtF0kKpRdKqCu7buaa0BY0v9Y4jaWB-_YhxPgTac/s1600/DSCN0911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kuuuF9BJNjjm62Vm43N_Mbso87rnQGszXcvrLUmRItadApfgtLiEoUoIxnvV_Gv4sElOpebfK7_8F2JqAeAoZqGyehhEmvEcZw0CtF0kKpRdKqCu7buaa0BY0v9Y4jaWB-_YhxPgTac/s640/DSCN0911.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJLayeaxUeYGSCiaRKfieEEzkTlE9FDW8hu2pUPXKH3sLHi1-YLIPyH3SgAfjgJXT2BdXvVLG6gKygF7XERfVA6JC3TSuXbp8b7efSUeCYn8IxyDRW9bawLrG0LaLtgAQ7gnHFdJQoEw/s1600/DSCN0928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJLayeaxUeYGSCiaRKfieEEzkTlE9FDW8hu2pUPXKH3sLHi1-YLIPyH3SgAfjgJXT2BdXvVLG6gKygF7XERfVA6JC3TSuXbp8b7efSUeCYn8IxyDRW9bawLrG0LaLtgAQ7gnHFdJQoEw/s640/DSCN0928.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACJ9yuXuzeUsmZwKFM2U5HcPtEpAqm346yz9tuzL8S3w0suMwDMZjB96fGS0z1pydb1GsWivCvYwLgW_30uHIOrNGs8FCdw3HZRqQ-d9mc6z0MVQTUWDbW6CJKbA4N1UZerd8WJ3qLJ8/s1600/DSCN0956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACJ9yuXuzeUsmZwKFM2U5HcPtEpAqm346yz9tuzL8S3w0suMwDMZjB96fGS0z1pydb1GsWivCvYwLgW_30uHIOrNGs8FCdw3HZRqQ-d9mc6z0MVQTUWDbW6CJKbA4N1UZerd8WJ3qLJ8/s320/DSCN0956.JPG" width="320" /></a>We were so amazed by the water and the beach that we didn't really get around to planning any activities for our day.  After a swim in the ocean we both fell asleep on the sand, because it is so white it does not absorb heat so despite the sun baking it all day it was still cool.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JHxctY9YCTjVkvSeWhAuRUR-wi0YaIMn9yjRH3iLulxgG3t8tDryQsXMpyhH2JiuYOOPh-wKj49q5VJiQD7RJQas4Ub5AiHWO-KVEc-CM3N7dpAOyg6oVroNgDNAZOJdHlivVnQ6EF8/s1600/DSCN0968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JHxctY9YCTjVkvSeWhAuRUR-wi0YaIMn9yjRH3iLulxgG3t8tDryQsXMpyhH2JiuYOOPh-wKj49q5VJiQD7RJQas4Ub5AiHWO-KVEc-CM3N7dpAOyg6oVroNgDNAZOJdHlivVnQ6EF8/s640/DSCN0968.JPG" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vpR23MiDARe5AtHtIkVHTcZajr3hl737Oa3hbcw-xgAXAvBpxPh198DimhwW2x7p9kfUpnbmph6gMmWvf9l5JOLOoGD1alsbpbDxJHD077dM4pi2YMmbW1fPzTb4xKYhmHWfGbiG134/s1600/DSCN0970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vpR23MiDARe5AtHtIkVHTcZajr3hl737Oa3hbcw-xgAXAvBpxPh198DimhwW2x7p9kfUpnbmph6gMmWvf9l5JOLOoGD1alsbpbDxJHD077dM4pi2YMmbW1fPzTb4xKYhmHWfGbiG134/s320/DSCN0970.JPG" width="320" /></a><br /> Mid afternoon we decided para-sailing would be exciting and the easiest way to see the entire island.  The awesome part was the cord was 2x as long as any para-sailing cord I had ever seen before.  At our max height we could see the entire island and the ocean that surrounds it.  The view was breath taking I really wish I brought my camera up to the top with me.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfjIPVf2ZoJTpO9B8OJK-3DRY9K09v9auXDGdXQBLt7Innc7jefJ9sOjG6Qqhc3e3r3k_iRvV1Mm6W0DnyM-gwCZJCKWf-I0Vr-zuYNsXV0_3qfDuyqVVUrg8efrq6Pxn230T0JyffZc/s1600/DSCN0973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfjIPVf2ZoJTpO9B8OJK-3DRY9K09v9auXDGdXQBLt7Innc7jefJ9sOjG6Qqhc3e3r3k_iRvV1Mm6W0DnyM-gwCZJCKWf-I0Vr-zuYNsXV0_3qfDuyqVVUrg8efrq6Pxn230T0JyffZc/s640/DSCN0973.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lCgJW8EbkTFWrxlXknRQOwoCF8u72RwmSROsyqL4yjbodBL6XZ629jLftTFvNIyfVyUParRzdB1tXuA1N1G4maUuRRApe9t8rnFjpr1m5tDchC9m5T5vDrn_XWsDWtskywlGUfQcSdY/s1600/DSCN0995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lCgJW8EbkTFWrxlXknRQOwoCF8u72RwmSROsyqL4yjbodBL6XZ629jLftTFvNIyfVyUParRzdB1tXuA1N1G4maUuRRApe9t8rnFjpr1m5tDchC9m5T5vDrn_XWsDWtskywlGUfQcSdY/s640/DSCN0995.JPG" width="640" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-Um5oe-dLpL6d0KOAs-QV5OrFIguKCrCrrKNdV6HYyg36mLneOibuQbsRuKabWkrrgW5xYEeg97w3QC5BBZRfU3W60WXOMM6y3zw2TWMfAiF7jyluggdYWKbfJfMsqkXCt73d90hNaM/s1600/DSCN0919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-Um5oe-dLpL6d0KOAs-QV5OrFIguKCrCrrKNdV6HYyg36mLneOibuQbsRuKabWkrrgW5xYEeg97w3QC5BBZRfU3W60WXOMM6y3zw2TWMfAiF7jyluggdYWKbfJfMsqkXCt73d90hNaM/s400/DSCN0919.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /> After para-sailing we enjoyed a wonderful buffet that was set up right on the beach and watched the sun go down.  It was by far the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen.  I am an idiot for not bringing my camera to capture the moment! <br /><br />After dinner we walked around the island and ran into a college student from Canada.  We started making small talk and eventually the conversation got around to why he was in Boracay.  It turns out he was working at his uncles bar for a month and just enjoying the island.  He took us to the bar saying it was "One of the top spots in Boracay". <br /><br />On the way to the bar he started telling us about the history of it.  It turns out, when his uncle was 21 he was vising the Philippines from Canada.  He was midway through his travels through the Philippines and found Boracay.  He was so amazed and in love with the island that he decided he was never going to leave.  So, he opened up one of the first bars on the island and has had incredible successful in running it.  True to his word thirty years later and he has yet to leave Boracay!  What an amazing story, I considered multiple times following in his footsteps and staying in Boracay forever, but then I realized I would miss my dog too much!  The bar was called Cocomangas.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DPm6vMl3VOWmeCHkp_3yUOt0k39Gh_DpP731if2C676q58bDDzi9D_1AaigSXM1Slu-joScyDc1u0Ig7Kd9winv03Cv0ZWWDWqJWD-ZL-tJp-ND3P3sWeOkSYffHbBrxR08_58RBNeQ/s1600/DSCN1032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DPm6vMl3VOWmeCHkp_3yUOt0k39Gh_DpP731if2C676q58bDDzi9D_1AaigSXM1Slu-joScyDc1u0Ig7Kd9winv03Cv0ZWWDWqJWD-ZL-tJp-ND3P3sWeOkSYffHbBrxR08_58RBNeQ/s400/DSCN1032.JPG" width="400" /></a>We had a wonderful night with the Canadian and a few other guys we meet from Holland.  Reality set in the next morning and if we were going to catch our flight back to Singapore we had to leave at noon on Sunday.  So less then 32 hours of being in paradise we had to leave.   The island is too small for taxis, so instead they have tuk tuk's.  A tuk tuk is basically a motorcycle with a side cab for two people and some luggage or as the locals did it about 5 people....  Matt and I hardly fit, but it made for an interesting ride back to the ferry port.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpytA-hdKNKUOQoifFFiCW5sFjQb34iuvsOWqHT-yuOPBRYQQcx4oXXcIDzoXQQeB1ybk6knd-0mIJzneYiZhbWbIiU10x6d4j2TW10TNBAMByR05C_fvnUMo_Pic3-BQmBpHf1YTIX4/s1600/DSCN1037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpytA-hdKNKUOQoifFFiCW5sFjQb34iuvsOWqHT-yuOPBRYQQcx4oXXcIDzoXQQeB1ybk6knd-0mIJzneYiZhbWbIiU10x6d4j2TW10TNBAMByR05C_fvnUMo_Pic3-BQmBpHf1YTIX4/s320/DSCN1037.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a>We then hopped on the ferry and took the two hour bus ride back to the airport.  We caught a plane back to Angeles City.  The plane ride home was interesting... The pilot missed the run way the first time trying to land so we had to loop back around and try again... The pilot's only job is to land on the run way!  I couldn't believe it, I didn't even think it was possible, his second attempt to land was successful and the passengers all let out a loud cheer.  We then had to wait until 6AM Monday morning for our flight back to Singapore, so we went to Angeles City and staying in a hotel we found for only $20 USD.  This one actually had hot water and <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrUQfLRXFHj998_jfHjTs18y7aMxlHIYe5KzV7ZrupV8bAyILsBnMvJJYzTYjYQ7QmBWaS1CvdNnLX98vH08ivFTt1BuzGKWREbxrzAmBpZHo3Ids1cfkUiePeOXXDJaj04Y1oDsNuEBw/s1600/DSCN1038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrUQfLRXFHj998_jfHjTs18y7aMxlHIYe5KzV7ZrupV8bAyILsBnMvJJYzTYjYQ7QmBWaS1CvdNnLX98vH08ivFTt1BuzGKWREbxrzAmBpZHo3Ids1cfkUiePeOXXDJaj04Y1oDsNuEBw/s400/DSCN1038.JPG" width="400" /></a>a working toilet which was a miracle, but still not paradise.  A view out the "window" was all one had to do to see that the hotel was lacking in some areas...<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>This part is not appropriate for children under the age of 18.</b> (Anna and Truman skip this paragraph...) What made Angeles City the worst city I've ever been to and ruined part of the experience in Boracay was the other visitors to the area.....  The truth is almost all of the visitors were old while men who were paying young Filipino girls to stay and travel with them.  Probably 50% of people on the beach were old white men with their Filipino girls... It was one of the most horrendous sights I have ever seen and completely disgusted me.  All Angeles City is known for is places to find young Filipino girls.  It was by far the worst place I have ever visited.<br /><br />We left our hotel early Monday morning and flew back to Singapore.  After a three hour flight and then an hour and a half ride on the subway back to school I was exhausted.  I still made it to all of my afternoon classes though! <br /><br />Boracay most definitely lived up to its status as one of the "most beautiful islands in the world"!   I just wish we had more time to enjoy it.  We spent nearly 2/3 of our time traveling to it and then home again but I guess that is the life of a full time college student attempting to see the world!  Some day I hope to go back to Boracay and spend more time there relaxing and enjoying the best parts of life!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg008gflHuhmuHaj-jZ4kH0Z1SRnrFS0aBRfDpC-VWKULb5Luq6imkxd413dTQsFZxQ98wdpD8f67LSn3IH6hEvWUWrf0919rBkIojiYION0vgJhRsfjc9dCTlbz-oXjGWJGTeLFIxr684/s1600/DSCN0907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg008gflHuhmuHaj-jZ4kH0Z1SRnrFS0aBRfDpC-VWKULb5Luq6imkxd413dTQsFZxQ98wdpD8f67LSn3IH6hEvWUWrf0919rBkIojiYION0vgJhRsfjc9dCTlbz-oXjGWJGTeLFIxr684/s640/DSCN0907.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>. <br /><br />It's another busy week of school for me and then this weekend is Chinese New Year.  Unlike our new year theirs is more of a family gathering with presents and gifts so I most likely will be traveling through Malaysia with a few guys from school.  Hope all is well at home!  If you have any questions about Singapore or anything I mention in my posts please feel free to comment on the post or you can email me at charlesp@iastate.edu.<br /><br /><br />

Trip Review: Boracay, Philippines

Last weekend Matt, a fellow Iowa State student, and I ventured off to the Philippines in search for the most beautiful island in the world.  It was a long and difficult journey, but well worth it! We left from Singapore at 6AM on Friday morning to the Philippines.  As college students we want to make the most of every minute, especially the minutes…

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