See you later blogger.com

When I signed up for English 112 this semester I never thought my class was going to do weekly blogging. I didn't have any idea about blogging but I wanted to try it, the only "blogging" experience I had was tumblr but that didn't really count because all I would do on there was re-blog pictures. When we had to come up with a topic that we had to write about for the entire semester I was confused and didn't know what to blog about, so then I started to think about traveling. Traveling has been a dream of mine since forever I want to go all over the world someday, and experience that foreign lifestyle. Also I think my major came into play as well, I'm majoring in International Relations so it only made sense to write about blogging.


I enjoyed writing this semester in English, although I did get lazy a few times I always made a post. I didn't think it was going to be easy but I didn't think it was going to be as hard as it was well. There was so much time put into this blog. I had to search many websites so that my info would match with a specific website I was writing about that week. 

I'm glad to say that in the future I am for sure going to look back at my blog and take some pointer for myself from myself. One day I would like to come back to blogger and blog about my experience from traveling. I want my first trip abroad to be the best experience I can have. I do feel I could have done a better job with these post, I would recommend myself to do a little more research. 

All in all I did enjoy this blogging experience. I love how my professor is different from other English teachers because from what I know I don't think other professors do a weekly blog assignment. I appreciate all of Professor Quinns advice this semester because in the end she wants each of her students to do better. 

For now this is a see you later blogger, until next time (when I come back form a trip). 

Cruises

For the longest time I’ve been scared to get on a boat but you haven’t really experienced the “travel” world if you haven’t been on a cruise. Even though I’m scared to get on a boat let alone a cruise boat I really want to go on a cruise . There are cruises that go all over the world for example the Caribbean,  Mexico, Alaska and the Bahamas. 

            One of the biggest cruise companies is Carnival. They go everywhere even to Europe. Depending what time of the year and the place you want to visit would vary your price. I looked up on the carnival website departing from Norfolk Virginia to be aboard the Glory Carnival Cruise (which is the cruise that has all the nice things like the pool, shopping mall center etc.) for the date July 2013 for 5 days to the Bahamas and the price came out to be $336.00 per person, I did not expect that price. I thought it was going to be more but $336.00 for that type of trip is not bad. Couple days in paradise for that amount is so worth it.

Considering the amount $336.00 you probably don’t expect to have a fancy suite room and such. That package deal is cheap because its an interior room  does not have nice ocean views or anything. An interior room is A comfortable stateroom retreat, where some rooms also feature pull-down beds – ideal for families. Stateroom amenities: Television Soft, comfortable, and cozy linens Hairdryer/Bathrobes 24-hour stateroom service fair closet and drawer space, I wouldn’t mind that because I’m not going to be in the room that much time anyways right? 

Also you get free breakfast everyday and access to the gym (included in price).  This is how the schedule of the cruise would look like. Day 1 depart from Norfolk, Day 2 would be the fun day at sea, Day 3 arrive   Nassau, the Bahamas at be there for about 12 hours Day 4 arrive at Freeport, the Bahamas and stay there for another 12 hours and Day 5 you’ll be back home. While on the island you will get to visit Atlantis (ever since I was little I have been wanting to go) and go swimming with dolphins and snorkel in the beautiful crystal blue waters and witness life under water.

I’m getting myself way too excited by learning about this cruise. I could get over my fear getting on boats but taking little river trips around the area and then by the time I know it I will be on a cruise boat. After looking at what the cruise package includes all I can say is, I need to start saving up so I can go on this cruise. 

Barcelona the perftct European city

My love for the city of Barcelona came along when I was in middle school, I was a huge F.C Barcelona fan (still am)  from then on I started learning about the city and knew that not only I wanted to visit but live there some day.

The things that attract me the most about Barcelona are the peoples style, the awesome seafood and food in general, shopping and of course the fact that F.C Barcelona is the home team. I’ve made a plan for myself so when I go visit one day the top things I want to do when I get there are go to  Barceloneta Beach and walk on the board walk,  Visit La Sagrada Familia, Park Güell , climb up Montjuic and of course go visit Camp Nou and if I get lucky enough to watch a home Barcelona game.

 

            Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and is the second largest city of Spain. Located on the Northeast coast facing the Mediterranean of course I would want to go the beach while there. The beach that has caught my eye is Barceloneta Beach. The best month out of the year temperature wise to go is in August the climate is perfect, the only thing is that during the month of August is the season when tourists from all over the world come so you can imagine how many people will be there. Walk on the board walk enjoy the beautiful scenery of the beach and vendors with souvenirs to take back home. Also you can’t forget the amazing seafood restaurants.

 

            Visit the Sagrada familia an amazing church in the heart of Barcelona that was designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudi, the church is still incomplete.  If you want more beautiful scenery places go to Park Güell  in the district of Barcelona once you get to the top you see down on the city of Barcelona.

 

Last but not least the place where I have been dying to go for years, Camp Nou. Camp Nou is the home stadium of the world popular team Futbol Club Barcelona  I have dreams of going and watch a classical game of Barcelona Vs. Real Madrid one day. Even if you’re there in the season of “break” (when the soccer league takes a break) you can still go and tour around the stadium. The tour guides take you in onto the pitch and see what the players see when its game day. You get a tour of the players dressing rooms, the pitch and even where journalist/commenter’s sit when its game day. Walk onto that soccer pitch and see the large logo “Mes Que Un Club” imprinted on the seats of the stadium. Once you’re done touring inside the stadium they have a gift shop where you can go and buy yourself some soccer gear, the day I go I’m buying myself an original jersey so I can wear it with pride.

 

            Even though I have never been to Barcelona I have already fell in love with the  European life style people have there. Just by looking at pictures and hearing other peoples story of when they went makes me more eager to go . When I go I know I will have amazing stories to tell about the wonderful city. Barcelona is the perfect European city to go and fall in love with. Safe to say I have been saving up my money to go soon and buy myself many FCB gear.

 

Works Cited

Chandler Ryan, Sorensen Annelise. Top 10 Barcelona Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide.New York. 2012. Print.  

High speed railway (Train) from London to Paris

I've heard a couple of times from different people  that when you're in Europe you can take a train to any other city in Europe  for an affordable price. I did some looking and it is true. 

I started looking into some train companies (Eurostar) and a trip from London to Paris is 69 British pounds (110 US dollars). If I lived in London I would travel to Paris as many times as I could. $110 is such a good price. Imagine  if you go visit London one day buy a plane ticket stay there for a couple of days and then in the same travel deal package you go to Paris as well thats about another $300 instead of $110 taking the train to Paris in the middle of your vacations time. 

Personal "testimony" 

My aunt 2 years ago traveled to London she bought her ticket for two and a half weeks (it cost her $880 9 months in advance, that alone is already a good deal because some tickets cost more than $1,000). At first she looked up travel packages that take you from city to city and Europe she wanted to visit Paris and Barcelona  but once she started looking at the deals they totaled out to about $2,500 or more.After she saw how much it would cost her she didn't have the intentions of visiting any other places other than London. Once she was there with her friend they found Eurostar and saw that a one day trip to Paris cost her 95 US dollars, her friend and her couldn't let the deal go so they went. They were there for the entire day, the ride only lasted 2 hours and 50 almost 3 hours so about  6 hours in total in traveling to and from. She said that her being in Paris just for one day was enough she got to go to the Eiffel Tour, the Louvre and of course some French restaurants and cafes. She got two trips instead of one. 

Looking at some alternatives is worth the money and time. You can get two trips instead of one just like my aunt did. Don't get me wrong not all other cities are going to be as cheap as the price my aunt got but looking at some train companies is worth it.  If one day I'm in London for a week you bet I'm buying myself a train ticket and heading to Paris. 

Australia the land down under

Australia the land down under seems like one of the most fascinating places to visit there  because there is so much nature life and beaches. I've seen travel shows and whenever they go to Australia it looks like they're having the time of their life. There is so much nature to see you can go swimming the ocean with marine  animals and also just walk around on the Sydney Park boardwalk in the very popular city of  Sydney where you have a perfect view of the ocean.

Australia  is a country/island and  the capital is Canberra. Australia neighboring countries include Indonesia Papua New Guinea up north and New Zealand  south-east. The currency they use is the Australian dollar, approximately 1 US dollar equals  0.9640 (not even a dollar). 

The day I go to Australia the number one thing I want to do is go swimming in the "World Heritage-listed" Great Barrier Reef. I have always been interested in marine life. Australia to has such  beautiful places to go snorkeling. It  is amazing.  Mainlands include  towns of Port Douglas and Bundaberg.  There you can explore the rainbow-coloured coral islands and marine life below. There they offer boats where you can aboard  those boats have glass-bottom, when while you're on the boat you can see the ocean below your feet. The boat stops in the middle of  Airlie Beach, from there you put on your snorkeling gear and you can jump in the crystal clear water. While in the water you'll  see sea stars, crabs corals, molluscs, Capricorn and Bunker Reefs. The biggest reason why I want to do diving is because when in the water you pass  past marine turtles swimming next to you, how great and a wonderful experience is that? 

From what I wrote you can get a general idea that you'll have to take summer clothes because the climate is so nice and sunny during the months of October-January . Australia is not a cheap place to go but trust me the money is going to be worth it when you're there , even though I have never been there I know its going to be worth it.

Works Cited

Westcott, Simon., The Travel Book: A Journey Through every Country in the World. 2004. Print.

Plane Alternatives

If you want to visit a place close by like New York (when living in Virginia) you don’t have to take a plane. You have some other options for example a bus, train and even a car. My friends and I are thinking about taking a trip to New York for Spring break and we want to figure out what’s the cheapest way of getting there, I am sure this can help others and not just me. This week I’m going to talk about these alternatives rather than taking a plane (because that’s way too pricey for the three days we’re planning on spending there) and also comparing prices. 

Our first option is taking a bus to New York. How much does it cost? When I searched the dates we wanted to go and round trip is $65 (on Greyhound)  which I was very surprised because I didn't think it would be that cheap.  Another bus company I found chinabus-town.org  is another cheap one but I couldn't find the dates I wanted. From the looks of it is really inexpensive because a round trip from DC to Philadelphia is only $20 how crazy cheap?  From the looks of this I have to keep both companies in mind because who knows maybe one day all the tickets will be cheap. 

Another option Is taking a train. I haven’t been on a train for a long trip, just the usual 10 minutes when I hop on the metro in DC but this time it would be different. This is a little different from taking a bus (as far as prices) a regular trip would be $100 round trip for coach. First class or “business class” cost $230 I’m not sure if I want to pay that much, because then it would leave me with a little less money to spend on my trip. Then there was another option the “shortest trip option” what that is a shorter trip. The usual time it would take to get to NYC from DC is 3 hours and half but with the “shortest trip option” it would only take two hours and forty-five minutes. Is it really worth buy a faster trip ? I think the only way I would take that  “shortest trip option” is if someone paid for me. 

Lastly, my other option would be to take a car. For my car to fill up the tank Supreme Gas is about $43 average (11 gallons that’s how much my car takes in). On the last New York trip my family and I took it took us one fill tank of gas to get there, we didn't stop to get gas we went straight there and the gas was enough. If my friends and I were to take a car we would chip in for gas for the way there and back. Also I would have to consider if we did go in car we would spend more money on gas because we would drive around in New York a lot, and finding parking in the city is a pain so I don’t think I would like to take a car.

So what options am I considering? I’m not sure yet the bus ride seems like the cheapest but boring. The train ride seems like fun but it’s pricey and to take a car also seems like fun because what’s more fun to be in car full of your friends? But then again I don’t want to spend so much money on gas. I’m leaning towards a bus ride, why? Well because it’s the cheapest and I want some money to spend on my trip and because I’m pretty sure that through the whole trip I’ll be sleeping so it won’t matter to me.  

Airlines

What airlines to take?

The first thing you should think about when wanting to travel is “what airline should I take?” you want the cheapest and the best quality you can find. I know how hard it is to find airlines that are cheap because when my family looks for plane tickets to go to El Salvador we get pushed off by the prices because they are crazy high. Even when wanting to travel within the United Stated they can range from $300-$500 for just a week, that’s pretty ridiculous if you ask me we should be at the most $200 since you’re traveling within the country (for at least a week). So what are the best airlines to take when traveling nationally (in the United States) and internationally?

                When wanting to travel inside the United States look up different airlines compare and contrast the prices. You’ll notice that if you search for tickets at different times of the day the prices will change they can be up to $200 cheaper, I know by experience. Over the summer my aunt went to Houston for 2 months she flew out of National Regan on Spirit Airlines she paid about  $256 for a round trip. That’s crazy cheap when compared to other airlines for example American Airlines which was about $600 in total,  she saved a lot of money with booking with Spirit. When I looked online so see what were the cheapest airlines to travel within the United States American came in fourth, I though that was pretty weird because to me that was the expensive airline but then again it depends when you’re traveling and to where. Spirit Airlines is affordable and good quality, don’t think only because its cheap you’ll have crapy service no you will get the best service.

                Now lets talk about what airlines are the best choices to take internationally. Well Spirit is another good choice but the only places out of the US they travel to is Central America they tickets are cheaper than other but the downfall is that you have to layover in other airports for hours. So are you willing to layover for about 6 hours to get a good deal? How about if you want to go to Itlay, Spain or Germany? I found that Turkish Airlines provide first class service for a good price, I checked the dates for mid November and the average price was $740 for 2 weeks not bad if you think about the time of year. Turkish Airlines goes around the world so if you want to go somewhere else check with Turkish Airlines.

               

  A few pointers, check with the airlines in advance. Check for you tickets 5-8 months on advance to see what you find. Some airlines offer “mileage” which is basically the more you travel the airline counts the miles you have flew and if you have traveled enough mileage you can get a discount or a free plane ticket, so I 

would make sure to ask.

So after all of this which airlines do I prefer? Nationally Spirit, hey if I’m saving up to $200 on a trip I am up for it I can spend that money on my vacation. International wise I would pick Turkish Airlines.  People who work for airlines are lucky because they don’t have to pay much to travel, how lucky of them. From what I have seen I have to start saving my money if I want to visit another country. 

Thailand

Thailand

            Who hasn’t heard of Thailand? Thailand is such a popular Asian country and when I think of Thailand I think of the food stands  in Bangkok at night with vendors waving fans at themselves to  make the heat a little less irritating, but the people who live there are used to it. There is so much to do when visiting Thailand, you can go to the temples, go to the food stands any time of the day and take boat river rides. In Thailand they speak Thai and use the currency Baht.

 (temple 

Wat Benchamabophit  Photo  Darko Pevec.)

            There are thousands of Temples in Thailand visiting every single one in a short period of time would be very difficult so visit the most popular ones. One temple is  Wat Chedi Luang in  Chiang Mai, Thailand One of the best times to see this  is during the wian tian ceremony  that takes place in June one of the main Buddhist festival days, so many tourist come here to visit (Stig Albeck).  Wat Benchamabophit the marble temple is located in Bangkok it is the most visited temple Thialands capital, its style is Thai but inspiration from European neo-classicism can also be seen. The lovely proportions of this temple make it one of the most beautiful  (Stig Albeck).  Wat Mahathat is another and it is located in the historic Sukothai’s Royal City. It is the oldest building in the area. Visiting these beautiful places is an eye opener you see the hard dedication to these temples.

 

One day I was watching Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and he was visiting Thailand and he showed the food stands Bangkok, the amount of food that was being sold is unexplainable. The Thai papaya salad looked so amazing, what it is a dish that combines sour lime, hot chili, salty, savoryfish sauce, sweetness added by palm sugar and lastly the papaya. Most people eat the papaya salad with a small cup of tea. Another dish is Khao man gai (chicken and rice) served mostly during the daytime he chicken is gently boiled until it is tender then the water is used in boiling the rice. This means that khao man gai – apart from being delicious – its high in cholesterol. Served with a chicken broth and delicious sweet and spicy sauces, it’s the perfect midday snack (Stig Albeck). I can’t imagine drinking soup in the heat of Thailand but when I see Thai soup I have to drink it, my favorite is  Thai Pumpkin Soup with Shrimp & Cucumber sounds kind of odd but it is very delicious when I have it here in the States, I can’t imagine how good it is in Thailand.

 

Take a boat trip on the Chao Phraya River, in Thai it means “the river of the Kings”.  Not only can you use it to see the city of Bangkok but you can use it as a “bus” to get from one point to another. There are boats you can chose from like the really nice fancy ones or the not so fancy but neither will cost you more than $8 US dollars or even less that is amazing for a boat ride. In Thailand they  have many large and small rivers, the small rivers they use as rice paddies.

I hope to go to Thailand one day and see all cultural aspects this country has to offer. This country takes in so many tourists you’ll never feel alone. From what I have seen and read the people of Thailand are very respectful and caring. That’s the kind of hospitality I want when going to another country because that’s what I would give to a traveler from another country when here in the United States.

Work Cited

Stig Albeck. Thailand: Travel to Thailand. 2008. Print.

Brazil

            When I think of Brazil I always think of nice beaches, very populated the Amazon and soccer. My dream is to go to Brazil and experience the full culture of the beautiful country. There is so much to do in Brazil from surfing on the gorgeous beaches to visiting the popular Cristo Redentor (Statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).

 

            Brazil is a country in South America the biggest and most populated the main language is Brazilian Portuguese, if you know Spanish it will sound a little similar but im sure many people there speak English so I wouldn’t be a problem.  The currency they use is the Brazilian Real  $1 is 2 Brazilian Real . The capital of Brazil Brasilia is now modern populated city, I know that many people from other countries are moving to Brasilia because of their economy which is doing very well and also because it’s a place for modern business, take a trip there  eat all the foods like Feijoada a pork stew served with rice and a bowl of beans. In Brazil you’ll find beans everywhere, as to coffee. Coffee is a very popular drink almost everyone drinks it but isn’t it here in America as well? Who hasn’t seen a picture of Ipenema Beach in Rio de Janiero, the people walking on the white sand having a cold drink while looking out on the beach with the view of the cliffs, who wouldn’t want to have that view? In Rio (as in all of Brazil) there are Churrasco restaurants everywhere. Churrasco is cooked meet on the grill, I have been to a couple of Churrasco restaurants and they are amazingly good but to eat in a restaurant  in Brazil how amazing would that be with a beach view. In Brazil you won’t need a car everything is close by or take a taxi the traffic there is crazy.

 

            If you’re the adventurous type take a trip to the Rainforest Amazon. I still remember in Elementary school learning about the Amazon and thinking “Wow that’s so cool, what beautiful nature I want to go there”. It might be a little expensive to take a trip to the Amazon but it would be so worth it to take a boat ride on the Amazon River and hiking in the Rainforest to see mother nature in front of you, not many people can say they have been to the Amazon, wouldn’t you like to be one of them?  

 

 

Take a walk on the coble stone stay for carnival dance Samba it is never a bad time to go to Brazil the tropical weather will never disappoint you. I know I’ll be visiting Brazil one day and I’ll fall in love. 

What Sources can I use?

For my final analysis paper there are only a few sources I'm thinking I can use since my topic is Traveling I can't really use an academic website because I'm not sure that would give me too much information on traveling but the two sources I am thinking of using are an Encyclopedia and Travel books or a traveling website.

Using an Encyclopedia can help me with the history of the country of choice I'm writing about . The use of an official (if that exists) travel book or website can help me grateful because my whole blog is just on traveling. Although I think I'll need some help choosing these  sources. 

New York City "The Concrete Jungle"

Have you ever been to New York?  Well I have been there a couple of times and every time I go there I fall in love with the city more and more.  This summer my family and close family friends took a weekend trip to New York, the amount of fun we had is unexplainable. In New York there is also a lot to see from Ground Zero, Statue of Liberty, Empire State building, China Town, Little Italy and of course the very international famous Times Square.

We were there for only two days and a half and we got to visit many places in such a few amount of days.  If you’re in China town in you’re in for a treat so much cheap shopping and food. There are so many little shops and stands where people sell clothes, jewelry and accessories. Everywhere you turn your head there are Chinese restaurants my favorite thing to eat there are steamed chicken dumplings.  Everyone wants to see the Statue of Liberty upclose and you can for about $75 or above( I believe) or you can take a free ride for about 15 minutes on the Staten Island Ferry from New York to Staten Island and pass real close to the Statute of Liberty my family and I went on it and it was fun , although  the lines are sometimes long it’s a nice ride to go on.  Little Italy is a little town close to China Town so if you’re in either place take a walk and you get to go to those places. Little Italy is all Italian restaurants all the food looks amazing  I have been to one and there is always a long line for all of them but its fun to go and experience but I recommended going to any restaurant . Another interesting thing to do is visit the Brooklyn Bridge " A wide wood-plank pedestrian walkway is elevated above the traffic, making it a relatively peaceful, and popular, walk. It’s a great vantage point from which to contemplate the New York skyline and the East River." a perfect way to describe it such a fast pacing place yet peaceful environment when I visited.  Whenever in New York you have to go visit Times Square doesn’t matter day or night everyone should go and visit! I like going to Times Square at night because of all of the lights there the experience is that much better, it is always packed with people no matter the time of day they don’t call it the city that never sleeps for nothing.  When in New York don’t forget your “I heart NY” shirt I know I didn’t!

New York is a very diverse place, you see so many people from different countries touring there is nice to see that. I love going and if I had the chance of moving there I so would, I know I would have so much fun.

Work Cited

New York City Attractions: Brooklyn Bridge. http:/.nytimes.com. December 8th 2010. September 12th 2012.

DC right in our backyard

This week I wanted to talk about traveling but to a place near all of us.  Traveling doesn’t just mean you have to go somewhere foreign abroad, there are little towns or hotspots around us where we can take a day trip and have fun. We all live somewhat close to Washington DC and when I go there I always have something fun to do, there is always something going on from festivals to just walking around the National Mall taking pictures like a tourist.

My best friend and I love going to down town DC we have a lot of fun, from taking pictures to sitting down and eat lunch in front of the Washington Monument. When I mention to people that I love going to DC people look at me weird and ask “Why?” well the answer I always give them is “Because its fun and there is so much to go and see!”. 

There are so many museums to go to in DC most of them are free to get into so that’s always good! One of my favorites is the National Museum of the American Indians. Last year in December my family came from Texas to visit and we took them there, they had so much fun looking and reading about all the displays shown. You get to see everything from political, social and cultural history.  Another popular museum is the Holocaust Memorial Museum where people learn and see everything that happened during the Holocaust. Sometimes the museum has Holocaust survival speakers to talk about how it was and how they survived during those terrible times.  In DC they have a variety of museums for everyones likes.

Of course while in DC you have to eat something! DC provides restaurants from all different countries like Spain, Italy, Brazil and Peru. One place where I have been dying to go is Jaleo a restaurant owned and operated a very famous Spanish chef Jose Andres, I always see him on TV and when he starts cooking I’m so tempted to hop in my car and go eat at his restaurant. It’s a tapas bar restaurant so you know you will be getting a large amount of delicious food. Just out of DC in Arlington there is a little Peruvian Chicken place called “The Chicken Place” their chicken is so good! As soon as you walk in you smell the roasted chicken with fried yucca, its always packed there that just means to show how good the food is.  Another popular place is Georgetown Cupcakes located in the heart of Georgetown. It’s a well known cupcake shop owned by two sisters, they got extremely popular because they started their own show on TLC called DC Cupcakes. Their cupcakes are so delicious, I recommend the red velvet cupcakes they’re so yummy and so cute to look at.  Sometimes if you’re lucky enough you will get to try Latino food from all over Latin America because of the festivals in DC. This upcoming September 23^rd there is going to be the Latino Festival they have food from Argentina, El Salvador, Bolivia, Honduras you name it they will have it. Also stick around for the performances, dance teams from the area perform for everyone to see! I have been to this festival for the past 3 years and its amazingly fun so I do recommend everyone to go and have fun.

Take a day trip to DC one day and see what its like, there is always something fun going on and so many places to go and eat!

 

El Salvador, the mother country

               When I first went to El Salvador I was 10 or 11 years old I didn’t really know what to pack luckily I had my parents to do everything for me but now I am older and that I might go back this year in December  I know what to take and what not to take.  The climate in El Salvador is very tropical  it is never cold its summer weather 100% throughout the year, the only time it isn’t sunny are during the months of June, July and August . The rain is non stop but I would still recommend going during those times.

             
  When I was in El Salvador I wanted to do as many activities I as I could mostly tourist things because I wanted to see what El Salvador  was like other than just being with my parents family I wanted to get out there and explore.  The first thing we did was to go a place in the capital called La Puerta del Diablo “The Devils Gate” sounds like a scary place but by no means is it scary. La Puerta del Diablo  is a beautiful place in San Salvador on to of the mountains looking down on the city, They call it that because when looking down to the city there are two mountains in the way shaped as “doors” or a
gate”. As soon as you get there you can smell the vendors selling tamales, altol, corn on the grill and of course some yummy authentic pupusas. I bought so many little souvenirs like key chains. T-shirts, and some art the people there are so friendly so I recommended people visiting there.

 Another tourist place to visit is Alegria it’s a little village in the Department of Usulutan (also on top of a mountain) that views over the small city of Usulutan and some beautiful gardens. They have a little “zoo” where people can come and see animals like parrots, armadillos and horses. They have a little restaurant that looks over  one of the gardens there and the food is amazing. Another essential percipience "Hiking in the mountains surrounding the former guerilla stronghold of Perquin" (Wescott.123).

 Since its always summer weather the beach is a must! My favorite beach is in the department of La Libertad there they have such a nice beach and a restaurant that’s on the beach and serve amazing sea food. I never though that El Salvador would be a place of surfing but when I was there on the beach I saw so many surfers, not only from El Salvador but from New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii and around the world.  Of course when going to El Salvador you HAVE to eat pupusas they’re the national dish of El Salvador. They are a handmade tortilla stuffed with cheese,  refried beans or cooked pork and you always have to eat them with a side of tomato sauce and curtido  which is a salvadorean cold slaw and the beverage of horhcata (rice water) so yummy! When thinking of what to pack to take to El Salvador only take summer clothes! Shorts, tanks, flip flops and bathing suits that’s really you’ll ever wear because of the climate.

                Since I might go this year in December I want to go to many more places like Decameron Salinitas which is a resort on the beach, I have seen pictures and it looks really relaxing. I love going to El Salvador  and I hope I can go more often.

Works Cited

Westcott, Simon., The Travel Book: A Journey Through every Country in the World. 2004. Print.

The first time traveler like me

Think about traveling to another country and how exciting it would be. When I went to El Salvador for the first time in 2005 I was so excited to visit the place of my parents hometown where they grew up. They always talked about how much they missed it and how the day they would go back to visit would be the best day ever especially traveling as a family. From the moment I set foot on that plane I knew that I was going to want to travel the world.

Knowing that traveling was going to be my blogging topic for the rest of the semester I started to look at other travel/tip blogs and I came across http://www.woltersworld.com/. He was so much information I did not know about when going to another country (he also has a youtube channel so check him out here!). I also started to look at a book I saw in the library called " The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World" and you would not believe how big the book is. It talks about 230 countries and gives a little history description of each of the countries. 

I love different cultures and to one day experience that it would be so awesome. So what can I expect when going to another country? For starters the money in other countries will be different, so if you were to travel to Europe you would have to use the Euro or in England the English Pound. Second would the language barrier. Spanish being my first language I can definitely use that to my benefit if I were going to South America (except in Brazil because they speak Portuguese but it sounds a little like Spanish), Mexico, Central America and even Spain. Also know what to pack! You don't want to over pack because you're going to want to bring back some souvenirs for yourself, family and friends!  

I'm going to do as much research to help myself and others out for what to know when traveling!

Hello there,

My name is Jennifer this will be my weekly blog for my English 112 class and I'm pretty excited to see what this semester has in store for me. Before this class I probably would have not thought of blogging about anything but that's about to change for me. For the next couple of months I am going to be posting weekly blogs here required for my English class and the great thing about that  is that I'm able to choose what I want to write about.

I had some time to think about what I want to base my blog on and I have finally chosen my topic. What is it? Well traveling of course! My all time dream is for me to one day travel around the world and based on that I knew that traveling would be the best choice of topic for me to write on. Being an International Relations major I most likely one day get to study in another country and just the thought of that makes me so happy because who wouldn't like to study abroad? Although I have only been out of the country only twice (El Salvador) I want to create a blog for those first time travelers and even multi time travelers to read and get an understanding of what it would be like to travel to another country,  for example talk about the culture, language, and the many activities to do when in another country.

As I said before even though I have been out of the country only twice with this blog I will also be helping myself out learning much more about traveling abroad. Well lets get this journey started!