Farsighted Fly Girl

I try to travel to a different part of Mexico at least once a year so I'm excited to visit San Jose Del Cabo for the first time this week. Located on the Southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, it's quieter and more relaxed than the party haven of Cabo San Lucas. I'll be hosted by  Paradisus Los Cabos,   a stylish new resort that just opened in December.  Surrounded by mountains and sparkling views of the Sea of Cortez, this expansive property features one of the only swimmable beaches in the area as well as seven restaurants , with the standout being  the Basque-French cuisine of Gastro Bar, helmed by Michelin star rated chef Martin Berasategui. I'll also be checking out the famous Los Cabos coastline and view the majestic El Arco   rock formations, hopefully along with a few whales and sea lions during a cruise on the Sea of Cortez. Please stay tuned for details!

Havana is super charming. It's really difficult to step foot into this energetic, multi-layered city and not be swept away by its appeal. Music flows from every surface, the locals are warm and gracious and the streets are crammed with striking images. There's a lot to see and what you capture depends on how you look and what you're looking for. The colorful buildings of Old Havana are every visitor's fave but I was also taken by the modern structures. El Capitolo , pictured above, resembles the American capitol building but was actually modeled after the Pantheon in Paris. It's interesting that you don't see photos of this lovely building half as much as you see images of the old,classic cars. Notice that there are modern cars rolling down the street in front of El Capitolo. Plaza de la Revolucion is another popular pic but the iconic portrait of Che' Guevara is almost always highlighted. I discovered that Camilo Cienfuegos , a revolutionary who l...

I can barely contain the joy and excitement that's bubbling through me. This week, I'm finally visiting the place that's topped my bucket list for years-- Cuba! My love of Cuban music has connected me to the culture for a long time and I feel like I'll be entering a vaguely familiar place, even though I've never been. As an American, visiting Cuba requires a few hoops to jump but it's not a big deal when compared with the reward. Except for an essential visit to the Tropicana Cabaret,  I won't be doing many touristy excursions in Havana.  I'll be mingling and living with locals as I am celebrating the engagement of my talented friend Ugochi and her fiancee, Juan Miguel. I will  be supplying posts from a local perspective as well as tips on how to experience the vibrant Cuban culture when I return, so please be on the look out!

Photo courtesy of Bahamas Tourism It's that time again. No matter the destination, I never turn down the chance to participate in the joyful celebration of carnival. This weekend, I'm headed to Nassau for the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival.   I was in Nassau three years ago when plans for the inaugural event  were kicking off and I'm excited to be able to experience the festivities in person. Junkanoo is a series of concerts, costumes, competitions and street parties that incorporate Bahamian cultural elements like rake n scrape folk music. One of my best Bahamian memories was hearing rake n- scrape for the first time at the iconic Elvina's on Eleuthera.  I can't wait to hear it in another setting and learn about the history Junkanoo traditions as well as possibly participating in the Road Fever  parade, so stay tuned!

One of the hallmarks of Santa Fe are the beautiful adobe buildings that fill the city and supply a distinctive, organic vibe. I've never been in adobe structures so I was thrilled to see them up close, touch their smooth walls and experience their indoor cooling effects. Historically, Pueblo Indians in the Rio Grande valley constructed expansive homes made from sun-dried mud and straw. Stone floors and rooms surrounding a central plaza was another aspect of the architectural style that has been preserved as Santa Fe  Pueblo style. Santa Fe features so many adobe buildings that it's actually startlingly when you see places made from regular bricks and wood. I fell in love with gazing at the soft clay colors of adobe under the bright Santa Fe sun. Many Santa Fe museums and galleries are made from adobe but when you consider the ancient history of  adobe architecture , the art and history is reflected not just inside but outside as well.

Any place with the tag line, "the city different" immediately attracts my attention but its vivid and multi-layered culture and history placed Santa Fe, New Mexico at the top of my bucket list for a long time. After years of scheduling conflicts, I'm finally visiting this magical mountain town this week, courtesy of  Tourism Santa Fe. I 'm delirious with excitement about exploring the city's art museums including the Museum of International Folk Art, New Mexico Museum of Art and of course, the Georgia O'Keefe Museum . I'll be taking a few art classes as well as sampling the distinctive Santa Fe cuisine. As the nation's oldest and highest elevation (7,198 feet!) state capital,Santa Fe promises an unforgettable trip. Stay tuned for posts!

When I traveled to Haiti for the first time, I expected to be moved. For centuries, the island was called the "Pearl of the Caribbean" and the waterfalls and rolling, emerald mountains that prompted Tainos to name the paradise Ayiti , which means mountainous land. was just one of the reasons. But I didn't even consider this. I expected to be thrilled because as the world's first Black Republic , Haiti represents the pride of Black people. Haitians dared to snatch their freedom back from a European power and its entrenched system of slavery and injustice. Despite decades of contemporary oppression and natural disaster, Haitian pride and spirit remain intact. That's what I came to experience. But I was blown away because it's not just the Haitian people and culture that are beautiful but the land itself. There were so many aspects of  Haiti that mesmerized me, my instagram is already overloaded with them. So I thought that I would start with the landscape f...