Albufeira, Portugal

"Nossa maior tragédia é não saber o que fazer com a vida." (Our biggest tragedy is not knowing what to do with our lives)
José Saramago

A great place to go shopping in the market and barter with the locals for a good price on items. I bought a couple of bottles of 'vinho tinto verde' and brought them back to the ship to take back to Florida. If you're a seafood lover like myself, go to the seafood market or try a seafood dish at a local restaurant. Other then that, relax by the beach during the day and go to the strip in the night time to listen to music or dance.
     I didn't get a chance to go out in the night, I had to return to Spain that night.  Though, I would of gone to a discoteca and danced to some Latin house music. I love swaying my hips to Latin music, actually I love swaying my hips to any music, especially to Shakira, Thalia and Celia Cruz. I love going out dancing in Europe, I have never had to worry about missing my favorite Latin American music. When I used to live in North Carolina 15 years ago, I was homesick and culture shock. Growing up in California gives you a sense that America as a whole was a melting pot.  That is the great thing about traveling, it exposes you to new cultures and ideas and forces you to learn more about your own home country.

Jebel Ali / Dubai, United Arab Emirates

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” Henry Miller

You can go snow skiing or snowboarding in the mall in Dubai.

The mall has every major store that you can find in NYC or LA and it seemed pretty westernized to me. However, it would be wise to be respectful and aware of the cultural customs of Dubai. Make sure not to take pictures of females, show a lot of skin, and ask for permission to take picture.
I found out that there were a lot of manmade islands as I went for a tour. When I arrived to the mall via the bus, I've never seen so many lamborghinis, ferraris, porsches, etc in one area waiting to get valet parking. Good grief... it definitely felt like a playground for the extremely wealthy, a place to party and to meet for business. It's Las Vegas in an international style. Though this is not my cup of tea when it comes to places I prefer to visit, it didn't stop me from having a great experience with my friends. 

Suez Canal

"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt." Mark Twain

The Suez Canal was opened in 1869 to provide navigational traffic between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. This makes navigating from Europe to Asia economical beneficial without the need of navigating around Africa. It takes most ships 11 to 16 hours to navigate through the Suez Canal. It is 300 meters wide( (984 feets) and 163 kms(101 miles) long. It's extremely important for ships to reduce speed to prevent erosion to the canal banks by the ship's wakes. Follow me from the North to the South of the Suez Canal as my ship leaves the Mediterranean to enter the Red Sea enroute to the Persian Gulf.

Venice, Italy

“Il mondo è un bel libro, ma poco serve a chi non lo sa leggere.” (The world is a beautiful book, but of little use to those who do not know how to read) Carlo Goldoni

Ciao bella! Venice, from the surface, is romantic.

I say from the surface, since I never lived there before. There were a couple of rainy days when I was there, but somehow, it brought a wave of romantic nostalgia over me. I let myself get lost in the streets and entwined my imagination with every corner I found.
    Embracing myself to the Italian way of life as I order a tomato salad only to find out that it was only tomatoes with olive oil. My friend got the lettuce salad and we exchange half our tomatoes and lettuce to make a salad for each of us. We had some pasta that was delicious as I finished my meal with a small cup of expresso.  These are the nuisances that make the trip more interesting, as you become entwined in the city of....la vita buona...   
          The next couple of days I found a couple of masks that have gone well with decorating my apartment. Even though I had used only a point and shoot camera, I was still able to print some pictures in black and white. Venice has help me complete a couple of things off my bucket list. I always wanted to decorated my apartment with some art pieces or pictures that were made by me.  I now have some pictures of Venice in random places in my apartment. I want to come back and use a film camera since I have taken an interest to darkroom room photography. Even better, come back and take art classes in Florence. But for now, I'm still learning how to use my Om-d Em-5 camera that I just bought.

Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace to the right and Saint Mark's Basilica left)

Santa Maria della Salute Basilica

San Marco Basilica

Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs)

Cartagena, Colombia

"La vida no es la que uno vivió, sino la que uno recuerda, y cómo la recuerda para contarla."
(Life is not what one lived, but what One remembers and how One remembers it in order to recount it)
Gabriel García Márquez

I had a blast in Cartagena, Colombia. At times it reminded me of Puerto Rico, except that Puerto Rico has more tropical colors, hills that reminded me of San Francisco and more salsa music vice the cumbia music in Colombia.
     I got to practice my Spanish with my taxi driver, which lately, the only person I had spoken to was my mother.  I make sure to speak to my mother at least once a week in Spanish, who is from Mexico, to keep up with my fluency. It's a great feeling to go to any Latin country and feel a connection with the people. I was born and raised in the US, and even though I enjoy being American, I also enjoy my connection with my Latin American roots.
       The taxi driver that I hired for the day took me to every place that I had wished for. He told me some stories about Colombia, some great tips, and he took me to an up and running mariscos(seafood) place where he knew the owner and I didn't have to wait in line.
  So what happens if you don't know Spanish, pick up a couple of phrases or show that you made an attempt. During my visit, the Colombian people as a whole, were warm an welcoming.

St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral.