Artiscence

I went on my trip to Mexico by myself, but met two awesome people and became fast friends with them. We took a road trip to Chichen Itza, Merida, Campeche, and Uxmal. We discussed politics, social issues and construct, graduate school, law school, jobs and relationships. We compared life in the U.S, Israel, Austria and parts of Africa using our experiences as focal points. We were different, certainly unique, but those differences were complementary and provided for stimulating conversations. And of course, we took lots and lots of photos, silly photos, serious photos and everything in between. Yay, Starbucks in Merida! Frolicking in the Campeche cathedral Lounging around Uxmal Eating in and experiencing Chichen Itza Enjoying the night life in Merida The best part of friendship is its continuation!

Campeche is very pretty. Historical, no doubt, yet pretty (I never thought I'd put those two words ever together).  Colors are always a beauty and Campeche had this in abundance. From the colonial Spanish houses, to the cathedral, to the bay, Campeche definitely earned its place as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . I went to Campeche for a day with a couple of friends I met while in Cancun. I found that Campeche is really more of a day trip destination than a few days stay.  There isn't much to do in Campeche, it is not quite as touristy as the other states in the Yucatan peninsula. But that is its appeal. It is laid back and relaxed and slightly windy along the coast, while warm and scenting within the market and the central square. Campeche is definitely a sea-side low-key, fortified town. I do not have a photo of the central square (I've searched in my iPhotos to no avail :(...) but I find it reminiscent of the central square in Merida, although again...

This need no fancy poetry or spoken words. It was fun, it was all girls, it was exactly as it should be. We stayed a day in Miami, Florida before continuing on our trip to Jamaica. The pictures below remind me a bit of when I lived in NY and would occasionally find myself in Manhattan at night. Life in a village on the Cape is quiet. It is eerily silent at night and the horn on the Martha's Vineyard bound boat is the only sound that travel across the village at night. It contrast with the night life, bright lights and noises in South Beach, in Miami. This contrast makes me think I would eventually like to settle for a place with a bit of peace and quiet but with a bit of night life a few walkable (or taxi-able) distance away.  We walked around the area a bit, but taxied our way through for the most part. It was late at night and as much as we love experiments and have a heightened sense of curiosity, we were not interested in ex...

Few weeks ago, I found myself in Boston, Massachusetts. On my way out of Boston, at the downtown crossing square, I asked a food vendor lady to take a photo of me, as I politely pass her my iPod. Lo and behold, when I looked at the photo, I found this woman, with the yellow face, staring straight ahead in my photo. At first glance, I thought her eyes were closed, but they are actually open. You can see two distinct dots that I suppose represent her pupils. Is she smiling? Is she frowning? Or is she just dispassionately looking on?                   And because she's already in my pictures, I decided to take a couple of photos of her, just for her.

Twas the evening before my birthday. Good food, appealing atmosphere and a vibrant mariachi. Twas a memorable night in downtown Cancun, Mexico.  I asked a few locals where to eat and a good number of them pointed me to La Parilla. So, I made my way there. It's a little hidden, so someone expecting a huge sign by the entrance might miss it. The mariachi played through-out but they weren't loud, almost like listening to music in any typical restaurant really, except here, you can see the people singing. My meal was about 160pesos, roughly $12.  Not bad! La Parilla