Nifty Travel Gadget of the Day ~ Packed Suitcase

skip to main | skip to sidebar

November 12, 2008

Nifty Travel Gadget of the Day

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under:
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]>

I found this great travel gadget on Flight 001, a site that advertises “Modern and Innovative Travel Products.” The Solio Hybrid Charger for those moments when your cell phone or iPod lose their charge, and you’re just not somewhere with a plug for your dozens of various chargers.

When you want to charge something, all you need to do is fan out the “petals” and it absorbs solar power immediately, keeping the energy it gathers on it’s internal battery.

They advertise that 1 hour of sun collects enough power to play an iPod for an hour, and when it’s fully charged up of all that solar energy, it has enough power stored to charge a cell phone at least 2 times!

Plus, it looks cool, and it has “Hybrid” in the title. What more can a trendy jetsetter want?
By Packed Suitcase with No comments

0 comments:

Post a Comment

 

Best deals of the week ~ Packed Suitcase

skip to main | skip to sidebar

November 14, 2008

Best deals of the week

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under:
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]> In addition to all of the airline generated deal and discount emails I receive, I subscribe to a couple of fantastic weekly travel discount e-newsletters. They highlight the many places I can go for just a little bit of cash.

First, I present the Travelzoo Top 20. It shows the best of the best of cool available travel deals. For example, today it shows Paris for 6 nights w/ air for $699. Or a Hawaii 5 night vacation from Baltimore for $758. Not bad! Also, there almost always is a deal along the lines of “Fly to 20 European Cities from Across the US” for some insanely low price. (This week is $198 and up.)

You can see the current Top 20 deals as a little ad in at the very bottom of the page here. But you can also go to travelzoo.com to sign up for their e-newsletter to get the insider scoop before it gets posted to their website.

PROS: What I like about TravelZoo is that there’s a mix of both inspirational and realistic travel opportunites. So you don’t have the $700 to go to Paris? Then you can try the $89/night luxury hotel in Savannah for the weekend. It’s got a good balance for the get-up-and-go traveler on any budget.

CONS: Their deals can go really fast, since it’s a very popular resource.

Then, to help embrace my inner diva, another favorite of mine is the Perfect Escapes Perfect 10 (http://perfectescapes.com/ThePerfect10.aspx). There’s no airfare vacation packages here, just pure unadulterated luxurious hotels at the best possible rates with special VIP perks.

For example, this week, there is a deal at a beautiful resort in Santa Fe. The La Posada de Santa Fe resort is a 4 star rated hotel near downtown Santa Fe. Not only do you get their best possible rate ($148/night) but if you book through Perfect Escapes, you’ll get the 3rd night free. Great deal!

PROS: Great perks- such as early/ late check-in, spa credits, free champagne, free nights, room upgrades, and free meals at hotel restaurants. Also, can have some very good deals in cities like NYC and other off the beaten path destinations.

CONS: Deals can still be a little pricey ($494/ night at luxury hotel in LA). Also, there are often repeat deals from the same hotels from week to week. When you only have 10 deals a week, a little more variety would be nice.

Finally, I recently discovered CheapCaribbean.com. I can’t really speak to the website, which also has a lot of searchable deals, but from there you can sign up for the Caribbean Hot Deals list, where you’ll receive emails with relevent deals as they come up. The one I recevied yesterday had 3 Riveria Maya all-inclusive deals ranging from $429-459 for 4 nights including air. Not bad for a long weekend!

PROS: Great resource for Caribbean deals. Good prices.

CONS: Their deals tend to focus more on the traditional Caribbean locales. (Mexico, Puerto Rico, Bahamas.) There are still some deals for the more exotic, but not as many.
By Packed Suitcase with 1 comment

1 comments:

i love this! thanks for the resources, i’ll definitely check them out. have fun in cancun!

Post a Comment

 

Atlantis found? ~ Packed Suitcase

skip to main | skip to sidebar

Another Templates

December 03, 2008

Atlantis found?

4:40 PM  Packed Suitcase  No comments

So, I am back and tan from my Mexican siesta, and I haven’t wasted any time planning my next adventure! Where I’m going next, no one knows (least of all me… I change my mind every 5 minutes!) but the TravelZoo Top 20 Deals are in full force this week. I guess there are some advantages to the bad economy. Now’s the absolute best time to GO and EXPLORE THE WORLD!


There is a fanastic deal this week at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, with travel from January 4 – April 1st. All of their rooms are heavily discounted (like $179 discounted from $440. WHA?) All you have to do is book by December 12, and pack your suitcase!

Click here to get all of the details!

Posted in:

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More
 

And the next adventure is… Cancun! ~ Packed Suitcase

skip to main | skip to sidebar

November 11, 2008

And the next adventure is… Cancun!

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under: ,
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]> 11 days and counting!!!




I’ve been going to beautiful Cancun, Mexico every Thanksgiving since I was 12. While I realize it’s not a traditional way to spend Turkey Day, I can’t think of any place I would rather be the last week in November.
My family has a timeshare at the Royal Caribbean, one of the 5 Royal Resorts properties in Cancun. With staff so nice that they remember your name from year to year, it’s situated right in the middle of the Hotel Zone which makes it a perfect place to get to all of Cancun’s hotspots.


While I realize that Cancun has a reputation for tequila shots and wet t-shirt contests, that tends to be later in the season (think: spring break). The Cancun I know and love is one of utter relaxation. Full of sunshine, mixed drinks (lots of them) and great friends. Since the Royal Caribbean is a timeshare, not a hotel, the same people come year after year. It didn’t take long to make friends that have become our “Cancun family.”

During these trips over the years, we’ve visited Chichén Itzá, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, and Tulum– just to name a few. Heck, we’ve even been to the Rivieria Maya before it became trendy! Cancun has a lot of hubbub and amazing places to see all around it, which makes it the perfect place to visit- whether you want to relax, or explore.



By Packed Suitcase with No comments

0 comments:

Post a Comment

 

November 2008 ~ Packed Suitcase

skip to main | skip to sidebar

FEATURED POST: 55 Places… a bucket list

So many places, so little time. Check out my 55 Places post to check on my progress and get some inspiration for your own bucket list!

November 26, 2008

Cancun (Days 4 & 5)

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under: ,
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]>
Another couple of days have gone by, and I’m long overdue for an update! Things are still going great- can you believe the week is half over?? Monday night and Tuesday, we stuck pretty close to home. With a couple notables.

After blogging on Monday night, I rushed upstairs for our yearly traditional spaghetti dinner. Yum!
Then, yesterday (Tuesday) we spent the day at the hotel- enjoying the sun. Later that night, everyone, sans Mom and Dad, went out to Pat O’Briens, a fun place with lots of music and dancing. Everyone had a great time, but the kids especially did, with karaoke (can you believe they rapped? Seriously!) and they danced practically every organized line dance ever invented. (Macarena, Electric Slide, Cha Cha Slide, Solja Boy, etc.) And Tommy got a hat with our friend Joe, so they looked like twin gangstas 🙂

Then today (Wednesday) we decided to do something different, and try out the Royal Haciendas. The Haciendas are one of our sister resorts located about an hour away in the Riviera Maya. For $15/ person we could get a lift down there to spend the whole day. Turned out to be a fabulous deal! The beach was beautiful, with sand so fine it was like extra fine sugar. And they had hammocks all around that you could rest in, and the pool was very heated, and infinity-style that was right on the beach and looked over the ocean. It was the perfect way to spend the day.

And I had the most amazing lunch at the pool bar. Sure, the service was awful (it really was) and they brought me the wrong thing, but man was it good! I ended up with shrimp tacos, and they were so delicious. The shrimp were prepared like a really delicate tempura and very lightly fried and soft, in great tortillas with chipotle mayo and also a garlic mayo drizzle. Mmmm! So good I had to take a picture. Isn’t it pretty?

We kept saying all day that the Haciendas reminded us of a Disney resort. I’m not sure if it was the ultra vivid colors the buildings are painted, or how immaculate everything was, but it was just very together. Not like that’s a bad thing, but it did seem a little un-authentic. I’m not sure if I’d want to stay there for a whole week, because there’s not much else to do outside of your hotel, but it was a great day trip and totally worth the $15. And they didn’t even make us sit through a timeshare presentation!

I’m super tired after the day in the sun (hard life, right?) so everyone have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow and I’ll update soon. Save some turkey for me! xoxo
By Packed Suitcase with 1 comment

November 24, 2008

Cancun (Days 2 & 3)

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under: ,
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]>
Hola!

Everything is still going great in Mexico. Weather is beautful, family is fun- perfect perfect.

Yesterday, Sunday, we spent the day on the (limited, rocky) beach and by the pool with a break mid-day at 1 for the Welcome Party. I never miss the Welcome Party- sure, the music is cheesy, but there is free beer and rum and cokes. And the view of the ocean can’t be beat. And, did I mention that they have free beer? 🙂 Here’s a pic of this goofy old man, who always without fail wears a bikini shirt. Nothing changes, year after year.
We went to dinner last night at La Isla, a nice outdoor shopping area with some good restaurants. We ate at this restaurant called La Madonna, an italian restaurant/ martini bar. Cool atmosphere and over 30 different varieties of martinis- score!

Today, some of us went to the water park Wet ‘n Wild. I’ve been avoiding it for years, because from the outside it looked not-so-nice. But, after Mikey and co. convinced me that it’s awesome, I went and it totally IS awesome! Wave pools, slides, lazy river, “beach”, and you can even see the caribbean and the Cancun strip. Very fun. And the best part was that there were no lines at all. That, and there was also free beer. I’m telling ya- they love their free beer down here! Actually, with the price of admission, all food and drinks were included. Amazing. I never want to go home.

They had all kinds of slides, including the “toilet bowl”- a slide that shoots you out into this bowl and you go round and round until you fall through the hole. Hence, the toilet bowl. (You can see why I never wanted to go to the water park before!)

Then, they had these coconuts that they would cut open and put drinks in them. Joe, me and Griffin had to get one, if nothing other than to take advantage of the good photo op. (Don’t worry- the boys were alcohol free!)


Then, after our hours of fun in the sun, it was time to get back to our hotel. We ran into my parents, and our friends Katherine and Chris from Vancouver and sat on the beach until the sun went down. This, my friends, is heaven.
By Packed Suitcase with 1 comment

November 23, 2008

Walmart… a truly cultural experience

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under:
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]>
I know what you must be thinking- how on earth can Walmart be considered cultural under any circumstances? I mean, I am a Target girl through and through, and only go to Walmart back home under the most extreme, dire conditions. But, after a couple of years mocking Mom for making the first night pilgrimage to get our groceries for the week, one time a few years ago I decided to go too. And, man, is it an experience. The Walmart here is nothing like the ones back home. It’s filled with authentic touches and all the locals go there for their groceries.

First of all, it’s located all the way downtown, in real Cancun. Real Cancun is great, just different. Tourists don’t have too much reason to go down there very often, but the locals are always welcoming. So, you take the bus or cab about 30 minutes into downtown, and when you pull up to Walmart, it’s pure chaos. People and cars are everywhere, vying for a place to park or walk through. The external Christmas display is up now, so people were buying Christmas trees, and the Salvation Army had a little Christmas concert going on outside with kids singing carols in Spanish.

Luckily, when you finally make your way through the traffic to find a cart and get inside, it is very organized with lots of room to move around. There’s a fantastic bakery, full of cases dedicated to flan and tres leches cakes. The fresh produce is amazing- they even have pieces of cactus you can buy- for cooking! (Cactus stew, anyone?) And, as you might expect, they have a whole tortilla section, with giant machines making fresh, steaming tortillas by the thousand. I don’t think anyone goes into Walmart without leaving with at least one packet of 50 or so tortillas.

The exchange rate is kind of crazy right now for us down here. $1 USD = $13 pesos. Which means that some of the things we bought are just ridiculously cheap.
A whole flan the size of a cake = $5.50
A stack of 50 tortillas = $.39 (that’s right, 39 cents!)
A giant 2+ gallon water jug = $3.75
The most amazing coconut yogurt ever = $.35
A big bag of potato chips = $1.65

At the end of the day it’s still Walmart, but as long as you stick to the extensive grocery section and avoid the rest of the store, you can almost pretend you’re in an authentic Mexican supermercado.



By Packed Suitcase with No comments

We’re here! (Cancun Day 1)

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under: ,
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]>
Woke up yesterday morning at 5:15 am (ack!) and headed to National for our flight. The American Airlines counter was really unorganized, so it all was a blur to me since I wasn’t caffeinated yet, but other than that, our trip was relatively travel-trouble free. While there was no food on the flights, they did have in-flight entertainment, most notably episodes of one of my favorite shows- How I Met Your Mother. They played the “Sandcastles in the Sand” episode, and the “Searching for the Perfect Burger” episode- both very funny.

We finally arrived in Mexico around 1:30 pm CST. Our bags arrived without a hitch, so within a half hour we were on our way to our hotel. Greeted with “Welcome Home” by the concierge it truly was great to back. Weather has been beautiful but a little windy. The wind evidently took away a lot of the beach Friday night, so I’ll probably mostly be by the pool until mother nature remedies itself.

We found Mike, Kim and the rest of the crew almost immediately, and thus our vacation began. After a few quality pool hours filled with margaritas and catching up with our Cancun family, we got ready quickly for a dinner at the Palapa restaurant.

The Palapa is at the neighboring Royal Mayan, which is where Mike & co. are staying. It’s great, casual Mexican dining, under this giant thatched Palapa by the pool. So, you’re covered but still outside. I really enjoy going there because the atmosphere is great. I had a chicken chimichanga and it was yummy!

After a nice dinner, all of us but Dad headed to the ultimate in Cancun culture. WALMART! Stay tuned… it’s not as bad as you might think.
By Packed Suitcase with No comments

November 21, 2008

Cancun: Packing Edition

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under:
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]>
Finally! We leave for Cancun tomorrow! I’ve done pretty much everything I need to do to get ready, from laundry, to pedicure, to random errands, to packing and now it’s just a matter of finishing things up at work so I can leave without a second thought.

Next week, the Yucatan weather looks to be perfect. Low 80s, and sunny, with just a small potential for showers a couple days. Hey, that’s fine by me. There’s no hurricane on the horizon so we’re in good shape.

The worst part will be the trip from my apartment at 6 am to the airport, with no jacket, just a hooded sweatshirt to keep me warm. But from then on, it’s sunshine, baby!

I’ve packed with beach fun in mind, and have a few essentials that I’m bringing with me:
  • a Royal Resorts beach bag
  • sunglasses
  • sunscreen (SPF 30 for the first half of the week, and SPF 15 for the rest)
  • rugged Teva sandels (in case I end up adventuring anywhere)
  • Books (A Year in the World by Francis Mayes, Slacker Girl by Alexandra Koslow, The Joy of Living by Yongey Rinpoche Mingyur, and Enchanted, Inc. by Shanna Swendson)
  • iPod shuffle (for the beach)
  • iPod touch (for the room, loaded with Dexter, Three Sheets, and a bunch of new tunes)
Looks like I’ve got everything I need to relax and enjoy the vacation. I will try to post while I’m there to give you the scoop on the trip. Happy holidays!
By Packed Suitcase with No comments

November 14, 2008

Best deals of the week

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under:
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]>
In addition to all of the airline generated deal and discount emails I receive, I subscribe to a couple of fantastic weekly travel discount e-newsletters. They highlight the many places I can go for just a little bit of cash.

First, I present the Travelzoo Top 20. It shows the best of the best of cool available travel deals. For example, today it shows Paris for 6 nights w/ air for $699. Or a Hawaii 5 night vacation from Baltimore for $758. Not bad! Also, there almost always is a deal along the lines of “Fly to 20 European Cities from Across the US” for some insanely low price. (This week is $198 and up.)

You can see the current Top 20 deals as a little ad in at the very bottom of the page here. But you can also go to travelzoo.com to sign up for their e-newsletter to get the insider scoop before it gets posted to their website.

PROS: What I like about TravelZoo is that there’s a mix of both inspirational and realistic travel opportunites. So you don’t have the $700 to go to Paris? Then you can try the $89/night luxury hotel in Savannah for the weekend. It’s got a good balance for the get-up-and-go traveler on any budget.

CONS: Their deals can go really fast, since it’s a very popular resource.

Then, to help embrace my inner diva, another favorite of mine is the Perfect Escapes Perfect 10 (http://perfectescapes.com/ThePerfect10.aspx). There’s no airfare vacation packages here, just pure unadulterated luxurious hotels at the best possible rates with special VIP perks.

For example, this week, there is a deal at a beautiful resort in Santa Fe. The La Posada de Santa Fe resort is a 4 star rated hotel near downtown Santa Fe. Not only do you get their best possible rate ($148/night) but if you book through Perfect Escapes, you’ll get the 3rd night free. Great deal!

PROS: Great perks- such as early/ late check-in, spa credits, free champagne, free nights, room upgrades, and free meals at hotel restaurants. Also, can have some very good deals in cities like NYC and other off the beaten path destinations.

CONS: Deals can still be a little pricey ($494/ night at luxury hotel in LA). Also, there are often repeat deals from the same hotels from week to week. When you only have 10 deals a week, a little more variety would be nice.

Finally, I recently discovered CheapCaribbean.com. I can’t really speak to the website, which also has a lot of searchable deals, but from there you can sign up for the Caribbean Hot Deals list, where you’ll receive emails with relevent deals as they come up. The one I recevied yesterday had 3 Riveria Maya all-inclusive deals ranging from $429-459 for 4 nights including air. Not bad for a long weekend!

PROS: Great resource for Caribbean deals. Good prices.

CONS: Their deals tend to focus more on the traditional Caribbean locales. (Mexico, Puerto Rico, Bahamas.) There are still some deals for the more exotic, but not as many.
By Packed Suitcase with 1 comment

November 13, 2008

Memorable Cancun photos

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under:
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]>
It’s cold, it’s rainy, and I’m bored, so it’s time to start gearing up for my vacation in paradise. Here are some of my favorite Cancun photos. (at least, since I’ve had a digital camera.) I’m having some trouble putting space between lines, so please bear with me as I work though the woes of being a new blogger.


While it’s hard to get too much sun, sometimes there’s nothing better than a lazy afternoon in out of the sun. I captured this picture on one of those rainy days in 2006. This is usually the point when Dad beats me at Scrabble. (The “Q” gets me every time!) At least I hold my own in Rummy.
The iguanas are everywhere, and for the most part are very oblivious to us walking around them. However, every once in a while you’ll get a grumpy one, and he’ll charge you. Totally scary in the moment, but generally harmless.
Dad will, naturally, kill me for posting this picture. But I love it. It’s him (left) with our friend Alan from PA. They look like long lost brothers, drinking beer at 10 am. It’s always happy hour somewhere.
Taking a dip in the cenote (underground sinkholes filled with water) near Ek’ Balam. Kind of spooky when you can’t see what’s underneath you…
The quintessential Chichén Itzá picture. (L-R Uncle Mike, Cancun friend Katherine from Vancouver, cousins Griffin and Bailey, Mom and Dad) Yes, we climbed to the top. All I can say is very narrow steps and lots of scared tourists getting in the way.
Conga line at Pericos a place designed for tourists looking for the crazy Cancun atmosphere. Live mariachi bands, encouraged dancing and drinking… what more can you want for a Thanksgiving dinner? This picture was taken in 2002 right before I graduated college. Fiesta.

There’s no real story to this picture. I don’t even remember where it was taken. I just thought it was pretty and perfectly cliché.
By Packed Suitcase with No comments

November 12, 2008

Nifty Travel Gadget of the Day

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under:
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]>


I found this great travel gadget on Flight 001, a site that advertises “Modern and Innovative Travel Products.” The Solio Hybrid Charger for those moments when your cell phone or iPod lose their charge, and you’re just not somewhere with a plug for your dozens of various chargers.

When you want to charge something, all you need to do is fan out the “petals” and it absorbs solar power immediately, keeping the energy it gathers on it’s internal battery.

They advertise that 1 hour of sun collects enough power to play an iPod for an hour, and when it’s fully charged up of all that solar energy, it has enough power stored to charge a cell phone at least 2 times!

Plus, it looks cool, and it has “Hybrid” in the title. What more can a trendy jetsetter want?
By Packed Suitcase with No comments

November 11, 2008

And the next adventure is… Cancun!

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under: ,
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]>
11 days and counting!!!




I’ve been going to beautiful Cancun, Mexico every Thanksgiving since I was 12. While I realize it’s not a traditional way to spend Turkey Day, I can’t think of any place I would rather be the last week in November.
My family has a timeshare at the Royal Caribbean, one of the 5 Royal Resorts properties in Cancun. With staff so nice that they remember your name from year to year, it’s situated right in the middle of the Hotel Zone which makes it a perfect place to get to all of Cancun’s hotspots.


While I realize that Cancun has a reputation for tequila shots and wet t-shirt contests, that tends to be later in the season (think: spring break). The Cancun I know and love is one of utter relaxation. Full of sunshine, mixed drinks (lots of them) and great friends. Since the Royal Caribbean is a timeshare, not a hotel, the same people come year after year. It didn’t take long to make friends that have become our “Cancun family.”

During these trips over the years, we’ve visited Chichén Itzá, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, and Tulum– just to name a few. Heck, we’ve even been to the Rivieria Maya before it became trendy! Cancun has a lot of hubbub and amazing places to see all around it, which makes it the perfect place to visit- whether you want to relax, or explore.



By Packed Suitcase with No comments

We’re here! (Cancun Day 1) ~ Packed Suitcase

skip to main | skip to sidebar

November 23, 2008

We’re here! (Cancun Day 1)

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under: ,
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]> Woke up yesterday morning at 5:15 am (ack!) and headed to National for our flight. The American Airlines counter was really unorganized, so it all was a blur to me since I wasn’t caffeinated yet, but other than that, our trip was relatively travel-trouble free. While there was no food on the flights, they did have in-flight entertainment, most notably episodes of one of my favorite shows- How I Met Your Mother. They played the “Sandcastles in the Sand” episode, and the “Searching for the Perfect Burger” episode- both very funny.

We finally arrived in Mexico around 1:30 pm CST. Our bags arrived without a hitch, so within a half hour we were on our way to our hotel. Greeted with “Welcome Home” by the concierge it truly was great to back. Weather has been beautiful but a little windy. The wind evidently took away a lot of the beach Friday night, so I’ll probably mostly be by the pool until mother nature remedies itself.

We found Mike, Kim and the rest of the crew almost immediately, and thus our vacation began. After a few quality pool hours filled with margaritas and catching up with our Cancun family, we got ready quickly for a dinner at the Palapa restaurant.

The Palapa is at the neighboring Royal Mayan, which is where Mike & co. are staying. It’s great, casual Mexican dining, under this giant thatched Palapa by the pool. So, you’re covered but still outside. I really enjoy going there because the atmosphere is great. I had a chicken chimichanga and it was yummy!

After a nice dinner, all of us but Dad headed to the ultimate in Cancun culture. WALMART! Stay tuned… it’s not as bad as you might think.
By Packed Suitcase with No comments

0 comments:

Post a Comment

 

Walmart… a truly cultural experience ~ Packed Suitcase

skip to main | skip to sidebar

November 23, 2008

Walmart… a truly cultural experience

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under:
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]> I know what you must be thinking- how on earth can Walmart be considered cultural under any circumstances? I mean, I am a Target girl through and through, and only go to Walmart back home under the most extreme, dire conditions. But, after a couple of years mocking Mom for making the first night pilgrimage to get our groceries for the week, one time a few years ago I decided to go too. And, man, is it an experience. The Walmart here is nothing like the ones back home. It’s filled with authentic touches and all the locals go there for their groceries.

First of all, it’s located all the way downtown, in real Cancun. Real Cancun is great, just different. Tourists don’t have too much reason to go down there very often, but the locals are always welcoming. So, you take the bus or cab about 30 minutes into downtown, and when you pull up to Walmart, it’s pure chaos. People and cars are everywhere, vying for a place to park or walk through. The external Christmas display is up now, so people were buying Christmas trees, and the Salvation Army had a little Christmas concert going on outside with kids singing carols in Spanish.

Luckily, when you finally make your way through the traffic to find a cart and get inside, it is very organized with lots of room to move around. There’s a fantastic bakery, full of cases dedicated to flan and tres leches cakes. The fresh produce is amazing- they even have pieces of cactus you can buy- for cooking! (Cactus stew, anyone?) And, as you might expect, they have a whole tortilla section, with giant machines making fresh, steaming tortillas by the thousand. I don’t think anyone goes into Walmart without leaving with at least one packet of 50 or so tortillas.

The exchange rate is kind of crazy right now for us down here. $1 USD = $13 pesos. Which means that some of the things we bought are just ridiculously cheap.
A whole flan the size of a cake = $5.50
A stack of 50 tortillas = $.39 (that’s right, 39 cents!)
A giant 2+ gallon water jug = $3.75
The most amazing coconut yogurt ever = $.35
A big bag of potato chips = $1.65

At the end of the day it’s still Walmart, but as long as you stick to the extensive grocery section and avoid the rest of the store, you can almost pretend you’re in an authentic Mexican supermercado.



By Packed Suitcase with No comments

0 comments:

Post a Comment

 

Memorable Cancun photos ~ Packed Suitcase

skip to main | skip to sidebar

November 13, 2008

Memorable Cancun photos

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under:
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]> It’s cold, it’s rainy, and I’m bored, so it’s time to start gearing up for my vacation in paradise. Here are some of my favorite Cancun photos. (at least, since I’ve had a digital camera.) I’m having some trouble putting space between lines, so please bear with me as I work though the woes of being a new blogger.


While it’s hard to get too much sun, sometimes there’s nothing better than a lazy afternoon in out of the sun. I captured this picture on one of those rainy days in 2006. This is usually the point when Dad beats me at Scrabble. (The “Q” gets me every time!) At least I hold my own in Rummy.
The iguanas are everywhere, and for the most part are very oblivious to us walking around them. However, every once in a while you’ll get a grumpy one, and he’ll charge you. Totally scary in the moment, but generally harmless.
Dad will, naturally, kill me for posting this picture. But I love it. It’s him (left) with our friend Alan from PA. They look like long lost brothers, drinking beer at 10 am. It’s always happy hour somewhere.
Taking a dip in the cenote (underground sinkholes filled with water) near Ek’ Balam. Kind of spooky when you can’t see what’s underneath you…
The quintessential Chichén Itzá picture. (L-R Uncle Mike, Cancun friend Katherine from Vancouver, cousins Griffin and Bailey, Mom and Dad) Yes, we climbed to the top. All I can say is very narrow steps and lots of scared tourists getting in the way.
Conga line at Pericos a place designed for tourists looking for the crazy Cancun atmosphere. Live mariachi bands, encouraged dancing and drinking… what more can you want for a Thanksgiving dinner? This picture was taken in 2002 right before I graduated college. Fiesta.

There’s no real story to this picture. I don’t even remember where it was taken. I just thought it was pretty and perfectly cliché.
By Packed Suitcase with No comments

0 comments:

Post a Comment

 

Cancun: Packing Edition ~ Packed Suitcase

skip to main | skip to sidebar

November 21, 2008

Cancun: Packing Edition

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under:
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]> Finally! We leave for Cancun tomorrow! I’ve done pretty much everything I need to do to get ready, from laundry, to pedicure, to random errands, to packing and now it’s just a matter of finishing things up at work so I can leave without a second thought.

Next week, the Yucatan weather looks to be perfect. Low 80s, and sunny, with just a small potential for showers a couple days. Hey, that’s fine by me. There’s no hurricane on the horizon so we’re in good shape.

The worst part will be the trip from my apartment at 6 am to the airport, with no jacket, just a hooded sweatshirt to keep me warm. But from then on, it’s sunshine, baby!

I’ve packed with beach fun in mind, and have a few essentials that I’m bringing with me:
  • a Royal Resorts beach bag
  • sunglasses
  • sunscreen (SPF 30 for the first half of the week, and SPF 15 for the rest)
  • rugged Teva sandels (in case I end up adventuring anywhere)
  • Books (A Year in the World by Francis Mayes, Slacker Girl by Alexandra Koslow, The Joy of Living by Yongey Rinpoche Mingyur, and Enchanted, Inc. by Shanna Swendson)
  • iPod shuffle (for the beach)
  • iPod touch (for the room, loaded with Dexter, Three Sheets, and a bunch of new tunes)
Looks like I’ve got everything I need to relax and enjoy the vacation. I will try to post while I’m there to give you the scoop on the trip. Happy holidays!
By Packed Suitcase with No comments

0 comments:

Post a Comment

 

Cancun (Days 4 & 5) ~ Packed Suitcase

skip to main | skip to sidebar

November 26, 2008

Cancun (Days 4 & 5)

Added Jan 6, 2010, Under: ,
‘; div.innerHTML = summary; } //]]>
Another couple of days have gone by, and I’m long overdue for an update! Things are still going great- can you believe the week is half over?? Monday night and Tuesday, we stuck pretty close to home. With a couple notables.

After blogging on Monday night, I rushed upstairs for our yearly traditional spaghetti dinner. Yum!
Then, yesterday (Tuesday) we spent the day at the hotel- enjoying the sun. Later that night, everyone, sans Mom and Dad, went out to Pat O’Briens, a fun place with lots of music and dancing. Everyone had a great time, but the kids especially did, with karaoke (can you believe they rapped? Seriously!) and they danced practically every organized line dance ever invented. (Macarena, Electric Slide, Cha Cha Slide, Solja Boy, etc.) And Tommy got a hat with our friend Joe, so they looked like twin gangstas 🙂

Then today (Wednesday) we decided to do something different, and try out the Royal Haciendas. The Haciendas are one of our sister resorts located about an hour away in the Riviera Maya. For $15/ person we could get a lift down there to spend the whole day. Turned out to be a fabulous deal! The beach was beautiful, with sand so fine it was like extra fine sugar. And they had hammocks all around that you could rest in, and the pool was very heated, and infinity-style that was right on the beach and looked over the ocean. It was the perfect way to spend the day.

And I had the most amazing lunch at the pool bar. Sure, the service was awful (it really was) and they brought me the wrong thing, but man was it good! I ended up with shrimp tacos, and they were so delicious. The shrimp were prepared like a really delicate tempura and very lightly fried and soft, in great tortillas with chipotle mayo and also a garlic mayo drizzle. Mmmm! So good I had to take a picture. Isn’t it pretty?

We kept saying all day that the Haciendas reminded us of a Disney resort. I’m not sure if it was the ultra vivid colors the buildings are painted, or how immaculate everything was, but it was just very together. Not like that’s a bad thing, but it did seem a little un-authentic. I’m not sure if I’d want to stay there for a whole week, because there’s not much else to do outside of your hotel, but it was a great day trip and totally worth the $15. And they didn’t even make us sit through a timeshare presentation!

I’m super tired after the day in the sun (hard life, right?) so everyone have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow and I’ll update soon. Save some turkey for me! xoxo
By Packed Suitcase with 1 comment

1 comments:

Hey thanks for putting me on your blog it makes it a lot more gangsta.

Post a Comment