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Chiapas, Mexico Part I

Central America

My niece and I arrived in Chiapas on a Friday evening. It was such a long journey! We took three flights starting from Baltimore. Although it was long, it was worth it the moment I began to see where we would be landing. Out of the airplane window I started to see lush green land and mountains and I was already in awe of all the beauty in front of me. We were picked up by the Humanity First Guatemala Team* from the Tuxtala Airport which was about an hour drive from San Cristobal De Las Casas, our final desitnation. San Cristobal is located in the Central Highlands region of Mexico in the state of Chiapas which makes for some interesting weather conditions. We were greeted by rain and a pleasant 70 degree temperature. As soon as we got into town and checked into our hotel, it was time for…

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Outer Banks, NC

Outer Banks, North Carolina

Tay Explores

My friend F and I booked a trip to Outer Banks, North Carolina a couple of weekends ago in the hopes of getting away from the cold. Now, I know that it was going to be a hit or miss and it wouldn’t be that much warmer than Harrisburg or D.C., but we still decided to give it a shot. Of course, the forecast called for overcast and rain 70% of the time but we made the most of it. What made our stay great was picking a really nice AirBnb. Our Stay We stayed at a house in Kill Devils Hill with a view of the bay. The house was beautiful and beach themed. It was super clean and cozy. Despite the weather, the views we enjoyed during breakfast time were incredible! The listing says they have some of the best sunset views, and although we didn’t get to…

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Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Central America

I honestly don’t know how to describe this place. It is the most magical place I’ve been to so far. It’s beauty transcends everything I’ve seen! If you ever find yourself in Guatemala, you should make it a point to visit Lake Atitlan and you MUST go for more than just a day. Lake Atitlan is a volcanic crater lake located in the south western highlands of Guatemala. Besides the views, it’s known for its Mayan villages. Each town is so diverse and even has their own textile patterns which tells them apart from town to town. There is so much to see and do here but in our short 2 day trip, all we wanted to do was sit and admire the beauty. How to get there from Antigua: Our hotel in Antigua offered transportation to the lake for just $11 per person! I noticed that lots of hotels…

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Antigua, Guatemala

Antigua, Guatemala

Central America

*This post contains affiliate links. I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you if you make a purchase using my links.* I don’t really know how to begin describing my time in Guatemala. It truly is a gem of a country and more people need to go visit it! My friend, A has been going there for years, multiple times in a year and I never understood why. Yes, the photos she took were nice and I always imagined wanting to go at least once. But never did I think that I would want to come back. I usually want to go see newer places. But man, there is something so magical about the country that I can’t quite describe it. I will definitely be back (God willing)! For now I just want to break it down to what I did while i was there. Accommodation: Hotel…

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Road Trip: LA to San Francisco to Las Vegas

Road Trip: Los Angeles > San Francisco > Las Vegas – Part II

Road Trip

*This post contains affiliate links. I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you if you make a purchase using my links.* Okay, so this is a continuation of my previous blog post about my recent road trip. Day 3 San Francisco, CA to Bakersfield, CA Stop 1: Crissy Field, San Fancisco After eating breakfast, we headed up towards San Francisco. We went straight to Crissy Field to see the views of the Golden Gate Bridge, which was on the top of my friend, S’s list. We could have seen it up close and personal from the bridge itself, but I think we preferred this because it was less crowded here. There is a little hike here where you can go up and get better views. I only went up a little bit. Stop 2: Cod Mother’s Fish & Chips on Fisherman’s Wharf This was also another taco place…

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Road Trip: LA to San Francisco to Las Vegas

Road Trip: Los Angeles > San Francisco > Las Vegas – Part I

Road Trip

I did a crazy thing last month and it was absolutely incredible! My friend, S and I did a 5-day road trip from LA to San Francisco to Vegas and back to LA. I say this was crazy because it was a lot of driving in the last end of the trip! It was also crazy because I planned it last minute. I was in the west coast for a week and S and I hit the road the day that I landed! I landed in Orange County, had lunch with a couple of friends and then started to heard up north. I will break the trip down in two parts because I have so many photos I want to share. Day 1 Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo (SLO) After having lunch in the OC at Eat Chow, and gelato from Scoops, we headed for San Luis Obispo. This…

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Detroit Michigan

Exploring US Cities: More From Detroit, Michigan

Eating Out

I’ve been to the Detroit area before; however, ever since my parents moved here, I have been going back more often and have discovered many new places! On one of the recent trips, I had a chance to go into the actual city and explore other places around the area. The Places I Visited Heidelberg Project Before the trip, I had researched a few places to check out and kept coming across this community art project, Heidelberg Project. It was started by Tyree Guyton, who upon returning to the street where he grew up, found it in a state of disaster. With the help and encouragement of his grandfather, he cleaned it up and ultimately turned it into a huge art installation. In 1988 they turned this effort into the Heidlberg Project whose mission is to “inspire people to appreciate and use artistic expression to enrich their lives and to improve…

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Falling Water, Mill Run, PA

A Weekend Getaway – Falling Water, Mill Run, PA & Berkeley Springs, WV

Tay Explores

FALLING WATER!!!! I studied about this architectural masterpiece by Frank Lloyd Wright in school and ever since, I knew I HAD to check it out in person! In planning it all out, my friend, M (my fellow architect friend and appreciator of everything design) and I debated whether it would be a day trip or a weekend trip. We ultimately decided that a weekend trip would be perfect because  we wanted to get away and find a cool cabin near it and just relax. However, it was hard to find a good place near Mill Run that was decently priced so I had the genius idea to look up places in West Virginia which didn’t seem too far from Mill Run, PA. It actually wasn’t that practical at all lol but it all worked out for us. The cottage we got via airbnb was 1 hour and 45 minutes from…

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Hawk Rock Overlook on Appalachian Trail

Hiking

One of my favorite trails in Pennsylvania so far is Hawk Rock in Duncannon, PA. I hiked this trail for the first time ever, 2 years ago. Since then, I’ve gone back to it a couple of times. It’s beautiful both on cool, cloudy days as well as on bright, clear sunny days. We even spotted a hawk (I think). But also, I think it’s named Hawk Rock because the rock looks like a hawk from afar. It takes us about 2 hours to climb up and back down which is a pretty decent workout. Hike Details: Parking Location: Watershed Dr, Duncannon, PA 17020 Hours: It looks like it’s open daily Length: 1.6 miles out-and-back Level: Moderate Elevation Gain: 750 ft Helpful Llinks: All Trails – A lot of helpful reviews Uncovering PA – Detailed map and outline of how to see Hawk Rock Overlook as well as Cove Mountain Overlook…

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day in chicago

A Perfect Day in Chicago

Tay Explores

It’s kind of ironic that I didn’t post this sooner, when I was actually living in Chicago. I think I procrastinated it because I kind of wanted it to be perfect. In my three years living there, I had many visitors and I think just before moving, I got the tour down to perfection. This is not one of those “local tour guide” posts. In fact, a lot of these things are pretty touristy. But I liked going to them, and no matter how many times I went, I never got tired. I think that’s just kind of the person I am. The place might be the same no matter how many times I visit, but the experience is different every time. Okay without further ado here is what a perfect day in Chicago is for me. 1. Parking Most parking lots on Wabash cost $15-$20 a day. I always…

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