Weekend in Miami, Day 1

Miami is a 4 hour drive from Tampa. We were lazy and decided to drive Saturday morning instead of Friday night. The reason for the trip was a Juan Luis Guerra concert at the AmericanAirlines Arena. I reserved a hotel room at the Marriott in downtown Miami. This hotel is within walking distance to the arena and a short taxi ride from the club where we were planning to go after the concert. I really wanted to stay at the Viceroy again specially because they have the best pool that I've ever seen. However, spring break and the upcoming Sony Ericsson Open, Ultra Music Festival, and the Winter Music Conference had hotel room prices in Miami extremely high. 

We drove with another friend from Tampa. It is always nice to have as many people as possible in the car for the long ride. I felt that it was a shorter drive just because we didn't stop talking. We dropped her off at her sister’s place in Miami. We were going to meet them at the concert later that night. Andre and I headed to one of my favorite restaurants in Miami where he had never been. The Knife is an Argentinean style steak house that is also affordable. We payed $25.75 each for an all you can eat style meat grill (parrilla) and a great salad bar. The price includes one bottle of wine per person (or 2 beers) and one dessert from the menu. I started going to this place about 11 years ago and I still like it. The price varies from lunch to dinner and between weekends and weekdays. We didn’t order 2 bottles of wine because we still had to drive to our hotel. The one bottle that we had was really good. For dessert I ordered the dulce de leche crepe and Andre was too full for anything other than ice cream. Andre was so happy with his meal that he said he would consider moving to Miami just because of the knife. 

After our large lunch we headed to the Marriott in Biscayne Bay. We had a very nice room with partial bay view. We decided to walk towards the arena and start the night without worrying about our car. We met with our 2 friends inside and had an amazing time at the Juan Luis Guerra concert. You can read all about the concert here. 

The view from our room

Biscayne Bay from our room

Downtown Miami

After the concert, it was time to party Colombian style. There is a club that is originally from Cali that was so successful that they opened in 2 more cities in Colombia and one in Miami. I love this place, Kukaramakara, because you dance with a live band instead of a DJ all night long. We completely underestimated St. Patrick’s day. I really thought that nobody cared about this day in Miami. We were in the car for at least 1 hour because of traffic when normally that drive takes 10 minutes or less. Finding a parking spot was another challenge that night. We finally made it and we got a small table close to the stage. The 4 of us ordered a bottle of Aguardiente and danced the night away. 

Andre and I left at around 4:00 AM and took a taxi to the hotel. Considering that most clubs close at 5:00 AM, we left early. We were exhausted after a long day and were ready for bed. Kukaramakara was a lot of fun. I would love to go back on our next trip to Miami. 

Weekend in Miami, Juan Luis Guerra Concert

A few months ago, I found out that one of my favorite singers was coming to Florida. Juan Luis Guerra is a very famous merengue singer from Dominican Republic. He has been around for as long as I remember. I learned how to dance with his songs in the 1980s. He announced in his twitter that the US tour included Miami, Orlando, and NYC. The Orlando show was never scheduled. I debated if I should spend the money to go see him. Two weeks before the show we decided to drive to Miami and see him.  I was going to regret not going to his concert. His last album is as good as the ones from 20 years ago.

Photo Credit: Guaberry.net

American Airlines Arena, Miami

I went to a Luis Miguel concert in Miami alone last year. I won’t mind going to another concert alone except that this kind of music makes you want to dance. I’m OK singing alone, but dancing alone is different. Andre is not a big fan of any kind of tropical music, but he knows how much I like Juan Luis Guerra. He said that he would come with me to the concert. I gave him an opportunity not to go since I was going with 2 other friends. He surprised me when he said that he likes Juan Luis Guerra. The best thing about his concerts is that he doesn’t just sing merengue, he also sings bachatas, boleros, and even a rock song with Juanes (on a screen). I enjoyed singing all of the old and new songs. We didn’t stop moving our feet for 2 hours. The concert was last Saturday and my voice is not completely back.

The arena getting full minutes before the show

Since we didn’t get the tickets in advance, we had seats on a high level section. When I got the tickets, I was informed that the concert was close to be sold out. I didn’t see a single seat empty in the AmericanAirlines Arena. I enjoyed every single minute of the show, but it is not the same as a watching the concert from the floor. I’m only 5’3” (161 cm) and I can’t see that much on the floor. However, the energy is completely different. I got a few pictures and videos but the quality is not great.

Juan Luis Guerra, a son de guerra tour, Miami

from our seats

The last song of the night was an acoustic version of "Ojala que llueva Cafe". I made the video below which is probably the only one worth sharing. All of the others have me and my friends screaming and singing with my not so beautiful voice. 

SONG LIST

1. Apaga y Vámonos
2. La Bilirrubina
3. La Travesía
4. La Llave de Mi Corazón
5. Bachata Rosa
6. Salsa Medley
7. Son Al Rey
8. Como Yo
9. El Costo de la vida
10. La Calle
11. Mi Bendición
12. Para ti
13. Niagara en Bicicleta
14. Visa Para un Sueno
15. La Avispas
16. Bachata en Fukuoka
17. La guagua
18. En el Cielo no hay hospital
19. La Cosquillita
20. Voy a pedir tu mano
21. Bachata Medley

Sunset from Brooksville, FL

Last weekend, my uncle turned 70. He had a birthday party in his country house in Brooksville, Florida. This is a small town located about one hour north of Tampa. My plan was to find a perfect spot to take sunset pictures and wait for the sun to come down. However, dinner was served right around this time. I was only able to take one picture before and one after the sunset. If you want to see the pictures from the party click here.

How to Party Like Indians and Cowboys

Last Saturday, for my uncle’s 70th birthday, we went to a costume party. The theme was Indians and cowboys. At first I was not too excited to dress up but after getting there It was more fun than I expected. The party was in my uncle’s country house in Brooksville which is located about 100 miles north of Tampa. I only go there once a year for our family’s Christmas party. They had a live band playing Country music. I don't like country but it was nice to have everything themed. After the band, the real party started. Sadly, I had to work last weekend and we couldn't stay late. 

The big Chief aka Birthday boy

my parents

My dad's 70th birthday is in May. We have some large shoes to fill. Does anyone have any fun ideas for a party?

Gasparrilla Art Fest

This year was the first year that I went to the Gasparrilla Festival of the Arts in the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. I went with my parents, one of my sisters, and my husband. The only thing that they have in common with the Gasparilla parade is the name and that they are scheduled around the same time of the year. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the Gasparrilla Parade if you want to know more about it. It was a perfect sunny day to be out. We only stayed for about 2 hours and walked around all of the booths. Some of them were great, some other not so great. I wanted to take more pictures of my favorite paintings, but artists are very reserved with pictures. I understand why and I didn't do it unless it was something out of the ordinary like the airplanes made of soda cans. Maybe my mom will have a booth next year. She is a great painter and it would be nice for her to show her work. We are trying to encourage her to do it. 

We enjoyed to be out doing something different in one of my favorite places in Tampa. Seeing so many creative artists makes me want to do something again. I used to draw a lot, but since I don't practice everything I do looks terrible. I still appreciate other people's good work. I was also excited when one of the food vendors was an arepa stand. Arepas are typical Colombian food that we normally eat for breakfast. It is something like a corn bread and you can eat it with cheese or meat on top. I like it with just cheese and butter. I can buy arepas at the latin markets, but I was happy to have more options besides hot dogs and hamburgers. 

Gasparrilla Art Fest 2012

University of Tampa in the background

Tampa Museum of Art

My favorite were these airplanes made of soda cans

If you want to see more pictures of Downtown Tampa see them here. 

Hawaii Underwater

Several months after coming back from our honeymoon in Hawaii, I finally took the underwater disposable cameras to develop. Sadly, the results were not what I expected. The water was very deep and we didn't get to see many fishes. We were basically floating since the life jackets made it impossible to go deeper. We saw a couple of turtles while we were snorkeling. Hawaiian green sea turtles (Honu) are an endangered species and they are protected. You can't touch them and you must keep a distance from them. If you want to see the pictures from outside the water click here. 

Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle

Our Catamaran

The Diamond head in the background

We have an upcoming excursion to snorkel with the Manatees in Crystal River located about one hour north of Tampa. Before revealing these pictures I was planning to buy more underwater cameras. I'm excited to see how close we can get to the manatees. Supposedly, they are very friendly and you are allowed to touch them if they come near you. I would love to be able to take a few (nice) pictures of them. I don't want to spend a lot of money in an underwater camera. Can anyone recommend a cheap/good one available?

Orlando for Floridians

Last year was the first time that I got the Florida Resident Walt Disney World Annual Pass. We bought it because we were saving our vacation days for the wedding and honeymoon. Orlando is only one hour away from Tampa. Sometimes if we find a good hotel deal we stay there. It is always nice to spend the night in Orlando after a long day at the parks. I feel that if I sleep in a hotel, I'm on vacation. Disney was a good option for us since I hadn't been to Magic Kingdom since 2000 and to Epcot since 2007. I had never been to Animal Kingdom or Disney Hollywood Studios. Andre's last visit to a Disney park was in 2008 when his family visited from Ecuador. In the past 11 months, we've visited each Disney Wold park once.

Epcot is my favorite Disney World theme park. My favorite part is the World Showcase with shops, attractions and restaurants from 11 countries: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, United States, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada. My second favorite thing in Epcot is "Soarin". This simulated ride makes you fly over California. This is probably the only ride where we waited in line for over 1 hour. We don't do lines that are longer than 15 minutes. What I love about the annual passes is that there is no reason to do a 90 minute line because you can return any other day. The pictures below are from our previous visit to Epcot.

Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival 2011

Japan

Venezia

Paris

Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival 2011

I want to go at least one more time to Epcot and once to Animal Kingdom. If you want to see the pictures from our last visit to Animal Kingdom click here. 

I have to be careful with Minnie next time

Our Disney pass will expire in April. Until then, we will make a few more trips to Orlando. I don't think that we will be renewing it. I want to buy the Busch Gardens/Sea World Annual pass. I love Busch Gardens and I have never been to Sea World. It's time to meet Shamu.

Hand feeding the giraffes at Busch Gardens (2005)

There is a latin music festival, Viva la Musica, every April where famous latin singers/groups play at Busch Gardens and Sea World. This year El Grupo Niche will be playing in Sea World. They are a salsa group from my hometown in Colombia. They sing many songs about Cali and La feria de Cali. Cali is known as the Salsa capital of the world. When you live far away these songs make you very nostalgic. My sisters and I are big fans and we will be there to see them. Andre doesn't like to dance. We went to a party in Cali where El Grupo Niche was playing, and Andre enjoyed it very much. I'm sure that the aguardiente that night had a lot to do with it. He might come with us just to get out of town.

There are many other things to do in Orlando that I haven't done like the Blue Man Group show or having a drink at Ice Bar. I love going to Downtown Disney to walk around, or to have dinner at Bongos (Gloria Estefan's Cuban Restaurant). Cirque du Soleil has a permanent show, La Nouba, that I've seen several times. This show is probably the best of all the Cirque du Soleil shows that I've seen. Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure will probably be the season pass that we will like to buy the following year. I have been countless times to these parks, but still haven't been to the Harry Potter attraction. I have heard many good things about it and after watching the 8 movies I want to visit Hogsmeade. Orlando will always be a great option to change our routine and it is less than 80 miles away.