two out of six: travel

This past year I had the opportunity to travel A LOT! I was fearful that after graduating from college my traveling would slow down. Fortunately, I don’t think this will ever happen. I have had the travel bug since I was a little girl. I remember back in high school I used to look at study abroad programs and I desired so much to do one but not being able to travel out of the country and not being able to afford it made my dreams…well, just dreams! In 2005 when I became a US resident I was given the green light to travel and that is just what I did. In the past 5 years I have been able to travel to 15 different countries (not even counting all the different states I have been to in the US). I have been to 6 out of the 15 countries twice. As you can tell, I see travel as an investment to my personal development and it is a must in my life philosophy (at least this is what I will tell myself for the rest of my life). I have a few travel logs that I have kept in the past and plan on posting them on the blog in the future, but I will refocus this post on the travel I did this past year.

Oregon: I was given the opportunity to travel to Waldport, OR to visit my godmothers Jaye and Susan back in December and then again in January. Oregon is such a gorgeous state and I love how much slower it is from California. Although I went to help in their business, I got the opportunity to relax, cook, exercise, enjoy peaceful time in the sauna, read, and watch old movies. The best part is that I got to spend time with Susan; it is rare when I get to see her since she doesn’t come to the Bay Area that frequently and spending this time with her allows us to get to know each other much better. I know this sounds funny because she is practically my 2nd mother and has known me since the age of 9. However, due to college, work and the distance, it is harder to get together and I am now an adult.

Puerto Rico: I traveled to Puerto Rico in March to attend Sammy and Becca’s wedding. The trip was so much fun but I do wish I could have explored the island a lot more. I am not going to complain because I love weddings and I was perfectly fine making this trip all about the wedding. I was able to meet a lot of new people as well as enjoy the company of many friends that also traveled to the wedding. We were able to explore old San Juan and enjoy a few salsa dances here and there. The whole time I was there the days were planned with fun affairs: girls night out, snorkeling and booze cruise, ladies’ luncheon, rehearsal dinner, wedding, after party…there was a lot of fun things to do! Nevertheless, I must say it was an exhausting trip. Vicky and Radha were the wedding photographers and I did Becca’s hair and makeup as well as give a salsa lesson during the ladies’ luncheon. This is where we got the idea to begin Alarcon Murakami Photography and I must say that there is no better place to begin a business than in Puerto Rico with some scrumptious piña coladas! I can’t wait to go back to Puerto Rico and next time I will invest more time eating the local food (which is delicious!) and dancing the night away.

Europe (Italy, France and the UK): I can talk for ever about this trip but I will try to keep it short. Susan and I traveled through Europe for 2 weeks. We began our trip in Bologna where we got to spend some time with Leah, Lindsey’s (sister-in-law) sister. On my first night we stayed at a B&B farm that makes parmesan cheese. Ok…I can already see this is going to take forever to write so I will really make it short. We got to spend some time in Bussetto, Milan, Lago di Garda, Paris, Marseilles, Burmingham and London. One of my favorite things to do was antiquing in Italy and vintage shopping in Paris. I got 2 beautiful vintage dresses in Paris (10 euros each!) and an amazing vintage leather purse for Radha’s birthday gift. In Paris we were able to see Susan’s family friend from a long time, Marianne and my friend Livia who I met while traveling on the Scholar Ship. In London we were able to spend some time with Melissa who I also met on the Scholar Ship. It was great seeing old friends! I have to mention that this trip was full of tasty food and great restaurant finds. It inspired me to continue to cook and my goal for this next year is to improve my sauce making skills.

New Orleans: Tony got deployed for a little over a month to New Orleans to help with the oil spill cleaning efforts (he is still there and won’t return until this Sunday). Luckily Terrie had a free flight ticket that she graciously gave to me to go visit Tony. This was a short trip but it was filled with lots of fun and the best part is that I got to spend time with my husband! We explored Bourbon Street, the rest of the French Quarter and we went on a tour of two plantations (one Anglo-Saxon and the other Creole). New Orleans is wonderful and full of rich history, vibrant culture and delicious food. It reminds me of Latin America as the French Quarter is pretty much a colonial city (just like the ones that you can find all over Latin America). The weather, being able to walk around with a drink in your hand any time of the day and the live music blasting from every open door, make New Orleans an extremely festive place.

I tried to keep this posting short but was not too successful.