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Friday, January 28, 2011

San Francisco!!

San Francisco is a lot like in the movies... a great city, beautiful, but big and with lots of things to do.
I´ve stayed 5 days there, but one day I did a wine tour, and other day I went to the Six Flags park. But that´s another chapter.. in fact 2 chapters.. :)


The Golden Gate Bridge!!! is an Icon of the city, bult in 1933-1937, by Joseph Strauss a german engenier.

Golden Gate Bridge at sunset.

Pier 39 - Fisherman´s Warft

Fisherman´s Warft is an area of the Pier 39 (http://www.pier39.com/index.cfm), where you will find lot´s os Californian Sea Lions. They moved there many years ago, and the city tried to send them away, they even did many rock concerts, to scare the animals out, but nothing worked. so the area is no longer a pier in an economic matter, but is a great touristic place. Great restaurants, shops and an amazing aquarium!! (http://www.aquariumofthebay.org/)

Aquarium of the bay - Gelly Fishes!!

Hard Rock Café at Fisherma´s Warft

Alcatraz Island - the movie the ROCK was shoot here.It used to be a federal penitentiary of maximum secutiry.



Still in the Pier 39 you can get the cable car. there are 2 different lines.

The oldest cable line

The touristic cable car - it cost 5usd each ride.

Along the city you will see a lot of hills street. there are some that will have a end. look at this pic:

Street next to China Town


Lombard Street - that´s the famous street, where the cars have to go around.. to go down the street.


Civic Center

I´ve stayed at a Holiday Inn (http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/san-francisco/sfocc/hoteldetail) close to the Civic Center. It was expensive, but everything there was that. To park your car at the hotel costs 40 usd a night. So, we used it till we need it then we return it before the set date. and we visit the city by bus, cable car, taxi....
MOMA SF - Museum of Modern Art

One of the most important cultural organizations in the world, the MOMA museum offers different exhibitions and great art work.


There´s still so many things to write about. I´ll complete this post little by little.
There´s China Town, Little Italy, Union Square, and other places!

GREAT VIEW!!!

Las Vegas!!!!!

If you don´t wanna go and visit all main cities in the world, come to Las Vegas an visit all at one!

You can see Paris, eat a baggete and go to the Eiffel Tower, and the next minute you are in Venice, in a Gongola along the canale grande; next you will be visiting New York and the Liberty Statue!
The city resume´s itself to a main avenue called The Strip.

The Srip

There are many hotels with different themes.. and ideas. I stayed at Stratosphere Hotel (http://www.stratospherehotel.com/) It was at the end of the avenue, with a great view of it. They have a huge tower, with 117 floors, and at the top they have attractions like ... rides.. such as: Sky Jump, Insanity, X-Cream, Big Shot. I didn´t have the courage to go to all of them, I went to Insanity.. and it was really INSANE!!!! Check this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbehfUGx6Rs

A Mustang.. convertible mustang.. :)
It was really cheap to rent this car.. so worth it!!!

Both, the hotel and car rent was really cheaper then any other city I´ve been. Like, I stayed at Stratosphere, november, 2009, and I payed 70usd a day.

There are many shopping malls and outlet. like any other city in USA, but I LOVE IT TOO! my favorite is Premium Outlet.
I arrived before it opens! :)


The best thing is the Cirque du Soleil and other shows. Of course the Helicopter ride was awsome too!! we did it with viator (http://www.viator.com/). We watch a show every night! and there´s still so many to see. The first night we watch the Blue Man Group. We have already seen the show in São Paulo, but in their theater was way better. Then we saw Ka... a cirque du soleil show.. The stage is already a show! And the story is soooooo good!! :)


Ka Theater at MGM HOTEL

Then we saw The Phantom of the Opera (http://www.phantomlasvegas.com/), quite different from the Brodway one.. but I did love it!! they change a bit the speaches... meaning lines.. and parts of some songs.. but they did it very well!It was at Venetian.

We also saw Chris Angel (http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/believe/default.aspx), the Cirque du Soleil show.. but it wasn´t that good. :( this one was at Luxor. I didn´t like the food there too. too different from what I´m used to eat.

My favorit show was "O" at belalgio (http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/o/default.aspx).
The hotels are great.. It is good to just go and visit all of them...

MGM is the biggest hotel, with more the 5000 rooms. It´s where they have all the UFC fights, and Blue Man group.

THE MGM

Entrance Hall - MGM

Paris Hotel

Ceasar Hotel

The Venetian Hotel

The Gondolla Ride


Madame Toussaud Wax Museum

Another great place to visit is the Madam Toussaud Wax Museum (http://www.madametussauds.com/lasvegas/) . I´ve bought a pack at Viator that it was so worth it. I payed like 50 usd each to go to the museum (normally 25 usd), the gondolla ride out side cannal, and a lunch at Zeffirino. Itas was Awsome.. like our best Italian restaurant in Brazil Fasano!!!


We went for a day trip to Grand Canyon! It was Awsome!! but that is another chapter.....

Grand Canyon!

We went on a day trip... it was tiring but good!!
I recommend a couple of days there.. there´s so much to explore and see.. and it is definatelly gourgeos the sky there .. specially in the morning.. :) I can imagine....
so we went for just a couple of hours. it was a 5 hour drive from Vegas.. and we stop to watch a IMAX movie in a research center....




Cancun!!


Fomos para
Cancun em 2010, no mes de outubro.

Ficamos hospedados no hotel Dreams Cancun - http://www.dreamsresorts.com/drecu/

Ficamos 10 dias e ainda tem coisas q nao conseguimos fazer
!



O melhor serviço q eu ja vi
!

o hotel
Dreams é um hotel all-inclusive e aceita crianças.


Quando chegamos, nos informaram q nosso quarto não estava pronto, mas que nos dariam um upgrade.
Acabamos ficando num quarto com varanda e vista pro mar
!
!
!
!

o
Dreams é uma rede de hoteis no caribe, com serviço all-inclusive 5
*.

o all- inclusive deles nao da acesso apenas aos restaurante, bares e cafes. ele ainda oferece frigobar e serviço de quarto 24hs.


Entao, por exemplo, quando saiamos para algum dos passeios de dia inteiro e voltavamos tarde, os restaurantes ja estavam fechados. mas voce tinha acesso ao servico de quarto q levava comida para o seu quarto.
sem contar q o frigobar era reestocado 3 x por dia.

My husband in our SUPER BEDROOM! 

porch view from our bedroom!

Breakfast area! Amaizing! I couldn´t stop eating!

Hotel beach area

Hotel beach area

Hotel beach area - other side

Hotel resting area



We had a great time in the hotel and with all the activites we´ve done.

The Hotel Zone in Cancun is really great. For those who like to party, there´s many places to go..The City, Mambo Café, Buldog Café and of course.. Senor Frog!! . and even for those, like me, that don´t like to party till dawn... you must go to COCO BONGO (http://www.cocobongo.com.mx/home.php?Lenguaje=en). they are not a regular dance place... they have shows and magic and dancers and covers.. lot´s of things.. it is really a must do thing in Cancun!

We used the Viator company for tours - http://www.viator.com/ - they have really good service too, and many options in different places around the world.

Also we did the Dolphin Activity in the hotel, you have to pay an extra fee for it, but is so worthy. We had an hour with them, they are so smart and loving... :)  http://www.delphinusworld.com/





About the "rules" in Cancun or Cozumel... you should buy biodegradable sunscreen on. Don´t worry, is easy to find it there: all the parks, hotels, markets, stores have them.

We went to Chichen Itza to visit some Mayan Ruins. They have there the most important mayan building - Kukulkan temple. We went with the viator tour too. The guide was great! we learned a lot!


Kukulcan Temple

Chichen Itza National Park



We went to diferent natural park to: Xel-Ha (http://www.xelha.com/)  and Xcaret - (http://www.xcaret.com/)
They have diferent activities. And I suggest you go to both of them. but if you don´t have time, you SHOULD go to Xcaret. You will understand why....

Xcaret - beach area

Xcaret - beach area

Xcaret - animals
Xcaret - Night Show

Xcaret is a planed park, with animals, a beach and a river. They have some Maya ruins, and they have a night show with some Maya culture too, and Mexican folklore. It was really nice!! Lot´s of musicians.. dancers, singers... :)

Xel-Ha - snorkeling area

Xel-ha, instead, is a natural park, with places to do snorkel and a river too, but they have lot´s of fishes, and sting rays, so we are not aloud to put on sunscreen, not even the biodegradeble one.

We did a snorkel tour and a scuba dive in Cancun too, we got a boat just next our hotel, there´s lots of different companies available. We had a great time, saw a lot of fishes.... sting ray...

We went to Cozumel too, but that would be another chapter!!

Cozumel!!

We went diving in Cozumel!!
We got a bus from the AquaWorld company (http://www.aquaworld.com.mx/) till the farry to Cozumel. it was like an hour drive. Then more 40 minutes on the ferry. Really good, clean, huge, and safe :)
then more an hour till the first spot of diving. And the second was like 30 min distance.
The water was really hot.. like 30 C, not in the surface, but 24 meters deep.

IT was SOOOO worthy... great animals... different fishes and sponges... :) very colorfull
:)

Ready to dive!

Lobster

Sponges....

Turtle!