Pic(k) of the week: Disastrous Republic

In January of 2010 (almost a year ago!) we traveled to Punta Cana, DR. Now, I have mentioned that I wasn't a huge fan of our DR trip. Mostly because there was a lot of stress around it - the huge earthquake that hit Haiti happened a few days before we were supposed to leave for the trip. Yes my friends, Haiti and DR are on the same island. I can't even tell you about the nausea.....I was a nervous wreck until the plane landed and we were safely at our resort.  


We stayed 5 nights at the Majestic Elegance, which was very beautiful and our accomodations were gorgeous. The food left a bit to be desired, but I guess you take the good with bad. I believe I said it in my other post; you get what you pay for...The main thing was that were safe and had some funny stories to come back home with. Here are some of my favorite parts of the trip:

Side note: Beware of the "Bali Beds" - I layed on one and got little bug bites all over the side of my face and caused me to have an allergic reaction. I took benadryl and wore cortizone cream for about a week straight. Strangers were asking me what happened to my face...you can imagine my horror....and not to mention my fear of bed bugs...

I look forward to bringing you some good travel posts in 2011!

Look sharp!

xoxo mevans  

What's the Deal-io (Thursday): End of Year Sentiments

Do you ever feel like time is flying by so quickly you can't even deal with it? I can't believe that we are on the verge of 2011. Where did the time go? Before I get all nostalgic and sentimental about the goings-on of this past year, I should jump into my deal-io for the week. I apologize for the delay. Wednesday caught me by surprise this week. I blame it on the snow - and, well, my laziness. 

Since it is the end of the year, now is a good time to try to negotiate deals because, like retail stores, everyone is trying to get rid of their "inventory" and gear up for a new travel year. Domestic travel is especially discounted. This Best Western located on Disney Property (close to the Downtown area) has $79 per night (with a two night minimum) including a continental breakfast and free shuttles to the Parks. Honestly, you really can't get much better than that. The special runs from January 1 to March 31, with some blackout dates. The TA reviews are very favorable. Try to complement with some cheap fares from Jet Blue and Southwest, and you are good to go!

xoxo mevans

A Familiar Feeling

Welcome to winter my friends. An exhausting time of year where snow boots, gloves, shoveling, blizzards, and other wintry-what-have you are part of every day life here in NY. This is when I trade in my flip flops and T-Shirts and opt for my snowboarding coat and fake Uggs. It's a sad day when the flips get traded in *sigh* - an all too familiar feeling that, yes, it's that time of year again - which means that snowboarding trips are right around the corner.


With that being said, and to follow-up from Wednesday's post, Bud, our friends Jay and Josh, and myself drove up to Belleayre Mountain Saturday for some winter sport-age. Our journey began at around 6:30am and after surviving the Thru-way *shudder* and Bud's early 2000's play list, we made it up to the mountain by around 10am. For a holiday, the mountain was EXTREMELY busy and everyone was quite frenzied. Note to self: never wear sneakers with ankle socks and leggings when having to walk from a snowy parking lot to the main lodge. It was a beautiful wintry day though, with some sun and clouds, although the conditions on the mountain were a bit icy. The views from the lift were absolutely breathtaking. Trees trimmed with snow and icicles, and a blanket of white snow underneath? Sounds so Disney, I love it!  


Remember what I said about my snowboarding skills being "awkwardly mediocre" at best? Well, I think I can drop the mediocre and crank it up a notch to "awkwardly average" at best. Hey, at least it's progress. There were a few low points though. Josh did get seriously hurt and had to visit the ER in Kingston (poor Josh - he's OK though). I suffered a number of less than graceful falls from the lift, had some tears here and there, and in one section of the trail, a face-full of snow.

Snowboarding is always an experience and you never know what day you are going to have until you get there. What makes the experience worthwhile for me is sharing it with Bud and my friends. Their smiles and laughs usually get me through the somewhat terrifying experience of flying down a mountain at what seems like 50 miles an hour. At least I can say I did it, right? Maybe we'll have to put snowboarding in the Alps on hold for awhile......I still need to learn toe-side...

Stay warm guys!

PS - This post is dedicated to Josh! Feel better!


xoxo mevans

Pic(k) of the Week: View from the Top (not the movie)

Wow, Friday already! I can't believe it! Since I shared some snow with you guys on Wednesday, I figured we'd bring it back to some nice warm weather! This pic was taken from our hotel room when we visited Cancun (shout to the Hilton Cancun!!). I wanted to remember this view forever. There's something about the sun glistening on the water, the palm trees, and the intricate design of the pool. Doesn't it look perfect? *Sigh* Memories of the warm Mexico sun are all I have right now....as I sit and type with my hot chocolate and am bundled up in my blanket. I really need a Snuggie! 

Have a great weekend everyone!


xoxo mevans

What's the Deal-io Wednesday: Winter Sport-age

Yes my friends, winter is *OFFICIALLY* here, although it seems like it was here two months ago. These blustery, obnoxiously cold NY days have contributed to some pretty nice snowboarding/skiing weather. Now, you know I'm all about the sand and sun, and you know how much I hate the Thru-way, but I do like to sport a snowboarding jacket every now and then. I'm thinking of adding a helmet this year to the wardrobe though - I've had some nasty spills. 

Snowboarding is one of Bud's favorite past times and he is really good at it (I'm not just saying that, he really is!). I would rate myself as " awkwardly mediocre" at best (and you know how much it kills me, because I hate mediocrity). What I lack in snowboarding experience I make up for in my writing skills...

Anyway, my deal-io for this week is $25 lift tickets this Friday and Saturday at Belleayre Mountain. Usually lift tickets are around $50+. If you are willing to hit the slopes, I highly recommend this deal. Sure, there are better mountains, I'm not disagreeing. I'm a big fan of Stratton, VT myself. However, Belleayre is a pretty easy mountain to navigate and if you haven't experienced the winter sport-age before, it's a great place to start. The lifts are open from 9a-4p. If you don't have any gear, rentals are $25. 

These pics are actually from Bud's trip to Hunter - not Belleayre, but I still thought it was appropriate (sorry):

This is my girl Brita. Killin' it! You go Brita! This was her first time and she did awesome! You can't see her, but she's super cute.

Have fun you guys!

xoxo mevans

Literally Laughing Out Loud

Well, it's Monday, and I think we all need a good laugh. I definitely have a case of the Mondays today. I was looking at some old pics that instantly brightened my day by bringing back some fun memories. 

Have you every visited somewhere and found the most random things amusing? That's on of my favorite parts of traveling. The memories you make and the good laughs you have along the way are priceless. These photos below were taken last year over Thanksgiving that made us "LOL".

Cancun is notorious for little market places and great deals. Don't forget to haggle! I don't even know what this is, but apparently "it's is a bag"....



 El Shrimp Bucket, anyone?

I mean come on, who doesn't want to eat out of a bucket? Classy.

I don't remember these guys' names, but I know one of them is German and they have tequila. Enough. Said.

I'm not sure why this is funny. We sure had a fun time taking silly pictures in Chedrauí, a Mexican grocery store in Old Cancun. Picture if you will, the Mexican version of Target, 

and for some reason it smelled like cheese....

Happy Monday everyone! 

**Shout out again to J-Mills for some of the pics.....

Pic(k)s of the week: Galapagos Much?

I really wish I could come up with a jazzy-er title for today's post - but it's been a long week and I have been sick (excuses, excuses, I know). My wit only goes so far. Sorry folks (you know how I hate mediocrity).


What's not mediocre are the pic(k)s for this week. HUGE shout to J-Mills and his little bro, PastaMillerBoy for helping me out this week. Let's give them a round of applause *clapping*. These adventurous guys share my love of travel and seeing the world. These pics are courtesy of the Miller family photo album.

They embarked on a journey to the Galapagos Islands back in the Spring of 2009. Believe it or not, you CAN visit the Galapago Islands (which are islands off the coast of Ecuador). Fun factoid, they only let a certain number of guests visit the Islands each year. You are not allowed to disturb the animals in their natural habitat. From what I understand, you are almost tripping over the animals...they are like, literally crossing your path!

I will let the photos speak for themselves. This one is J-Mills' pic(k):

This is Kicker Rock of the Northeast coast of San Cristobal Island. So pretty!

And now for PastaMillerBoy's:  

A sun-bathing iguana (it would probably attack me if I was there)

A baby seal and his mom (aww cute, right?)

Thanks again guys! Enjoy the weekend everyone! 


xoxo mevans