Cancun for new years

Last New Year, we were sleeping in Hilo when the clock struck midnight, only to have an epic new year's day. This year, we went to Cancun with 4 families. 8 adults and 8 kids so it was a blast.

We were supposed to stay at the Moon Palace in Cancun for 6 days, but we upgraded to the Grand for last 2 of those days, which was totally worth it. Both places were beautifully kept and the hospitality was perfect.

The highlights of the trip were:

• A boat ride to a reef where I saw an eagle ray, totally unexpected given the reef was not great. The eagle ray was digging into the sandy bottom for something. I thought it was a sting ray but only after some research, I found that it was way bigger than sting rays with a long straight tail. Also, I realized I was too close to it after reading stories about ray stings. Seeing a majestic animal like this was out of this world. Surabhi's first snorkeling day was great, she was tentative but also very happy when she saw a fish.
• The boat ride was on a speed boat which 2 people drove. I was with Surabhi and Anu was with Adi. We were pretty tentative about riding the boats but it turned out to be awesome
• Ziplining with kids. Adi still can't get over his fear of heights while Surabhi totally loves it!
• A day at the Beach Palace where the beach waters were turquoise and warm. It was not great for boogie boarding but the waves and water were amazing
• Trying the flowrider at Moon Palace which is an artificial boogie boarding machine
• A magic show on Saturday night by David Magee the magician and mentalist in the Grand's theater
• Couples massage at the grand. Both the massage and the swimming pool inside the massage place were out of this world
• The water park in the Grand where the kids had a lot of fun

This time, we were wide awake at midnight on new years, with food, DJ and friends, which was great. But I would rather sleep if the next day would be the one like in Big Island a year ago!

Cruise to Mexico

We were a group of four families who took a Carnival cruise to Mexico. It was a blast!! The ship had a water park which was the highlight. The food, beautiful sunsets, mini-golf and shows all added to the experience. We also a dozens of dolphins playing next to the front of the ship as we cruised into the sunset. The port of Ensenada was fun to get out to, but there wasn't much to do, except get a glimpse of Mexico.

Italy

This was our first family trip to Europe and we covered Rome, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Lake Garda and Verona!

Rome was beautiful with so much history that I was amazed at how well they have sustained these structures for so long, each with its rich history. We did the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palantine Hill, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and each had its own beauty. We ate the best gelato near Trevi fountain. I have never had Kumquat gelato and it was really awesome! We also went to Vatican City museum and Sistine Chapel. St Peter's basilica is the best church I have seen from inside!

Florence is probably the most beautiful city with its beautiful sunsets and all the art. We did Michelangelo Square, where Surabhi fell trying to climb the statue and slit her chin. That night we went to the hospital and got it glued back. That would be the only tense few hours on the trip. We did Uffizi with a guide and it was awesome. I also hiked to Boboli gardens and of course the beautiful Ponte Vecchio.

We did a one day trip to Pisa and it was really beautiful. Climbing to the top, we felt the tilt. Before that we had Pizza watching the Soccer WC in Italy!

Next stop was Venice. We probably walked the entire city in 2 days, going to various touristy and non-touristy areas (well, almost all of Venice is touristy, so...). Highlights were a nice gondola ride, an amazing restaurant that made ketchup from scratch for our kids and an amazing Polenta meal on the canal!

Next stop was off the beaten path to Lake Garda which is a tourist spot but more frequented by locals. Its a beautiful alpine lake where we had dinners on the lake. It was just beautiful. We took the cable car to Monte Baldo which had unbelievable vistas. There were Alpacas on the top which made my day.

Finally, we came to Verona, the home of the real characters that inspired Shakespeare to write Romeo and Juliet. We saw the first century arena which still houses concerts. It was really surreal to see something operational that is from the 1st century!

We never rented a car, but used trains all over Italy. I loved the trains! They were fast, clean and fun!