This particular Latin American adventure was in honor of my mother’s 60th Birthday, a happy occasion indeed since it resulted in Jessica and I getting a free trip to Belize. It’d been a solid decade since my parents and I went on a bona fide family vacation. Hopefully we’ll do it again before 2018 rolls around. I really enjoy traveling with my parents, but after so many only-childhood trips, it’s quite nice having a girlfriend along.

We spent the first half of our trip at the Mopan River Resort, a lovely little jungle getaway conveniently located two hours east of the Belize airport on the western bank of the Mopan River (and accessed by boat). The resort was a lot of fun, kind of like a luxury/tropical version of summer camp. Each of the 12 rooms is a private thatched cabin, meals are eaten as a group at two long tables, and each day activities are planned involving caves, rivers, wildlife, and plenty of Mayan ruins. Interestingly, the couple that runs the place took over just this year. As they explained when we arrived, their longtime dream had been to flee the wintery Canadian lifestyle and opening a tropical ecotourism resort. When they saw Mopan for sale on the internet, they decided to go for it, and fortunately it’s going extremely well.

For the second half of our trip we headed south, where we stayed in a beachside condo at Larubeya Resort and Villas. (If you’re geographically inclined, here’s a map, our first hotel was near San Ignacio, the second outside Placencia.) I haven’t been to many Caribbean beaches, but this one more than fits the stereo type. It was very blue and very relaxing. I think my family tends to prefer forests over beaches, but we were happy to get in some snorkeling (apparently we almost saw a shark) and walk around the town (after Mopan, it was nice to be out on our own). I’m told that Belize is also a great place to go scuba diving, but no one in my party was eager to pursue the required training.

The highlight of the whole trip was certainly Tikal, which is actually Guatemala. That’s right, if you only have one day to spend in Belize, spend it in Guatemala (as well as the small border crossing zone between Belize and Guatemala). The great thing about Tikal is that you get to experience Mayan ruins, the layout of a Mayan city, and, since it’s in a rainforest, lots of wildlife. I think the monkey’s were everyone’s favorite, but I didn’t get very good pictures. Instead, I’ve included a picture of the central ruins, followed by one of me holding a giant spider. As you can tell, I’m in mortal danger.

And there you have it, I went to Belize, it was excellent. Maybe you should go too. I wish I had more to say about the actual nation of Belize and its remarkably diverse population, but that would require a different kind of trip. For now I remain an ignorant tourist.

In case you live in a cave (and thus have no interest in houses), Flip This/That House are both home improvement shows where someone buys a house, renovates the house, and then sells, or “flips”, their house for a hefty profit. The shows don’t actually show the house being sold, nor do they explain how to actually do any of the renovations. They do, however, make it abundantly clear that refinished flooring, walk-in closets, and stone countertops are crucial if you’re trying to woo potential buyers. Also you’ll need “curb appeal”, so you should definitely trim the hedges and pick up stray garbage that the previous owner left lying around.

As an aspiring home owner and son of an architect, I enjoy the idea of fixing up a house, and as a tv enthusiast and member of the Rachlin family, I like that these shows are on over 10 times a week (we Rachlins watch a lot of TV). Next weekend, both shows are on from 11pm to 1am, so I’ll probably watch Flip This House for the first hour, and then watch Flip That House for the second hour, that way, if things get too crazy, I can skip the second episode of Flip That House and go to sleep at 12:30. My only concern is that I’ll be in traveling that day, so if my flight gets delayed, I might miss the beginning of Flip This House. Since it’s an hour long program, it might be tough to follow if I tune in halfway through. In that case, I’ll probably switch things up.

Idea: Create a low budget flip show entitled “Flip That Burger”. Participants find cheap/discarded food, add attractive garnishes, then sell the food for a tidy profit.

Merry Christmas to all! For the first time ever I’m spending Christmas in Florida with (GASP!) my girlfriend Jessica’s family. For the first time in years I was woken up at (GASP!) 7AM. Since this was my first time spending Christmas down south, I feared that the lack of snow, or even cold, might dilute the traditional Christmas experience. I was a fool, since it turns out that the Purmorts/Hoods celebrate Christmas with far more zeal than the Rachlins, plus I got to drive around in a convertible.

I was by no means a deprived child, but I was quite taken with the abundance of gifts underneath the tree (pictured above), the 10 supplemental stockings, and a very substantial second round of gifts midday. Also there were santa hats, and a dog wearing a costume. In contrast, my dad stopped buying a tree after the year our trunk broke during the transportation process (although we did have a tree at my grandmother’s house).

If you haven’t spent a major holiday with a family other then your own, you really should give it a try. Ideally, you’ll be able to select a family to which you are somehow strongly connected. For example, a girlfriend of four years will do nicely. Also if you’re an only child with two male cousins (and aren’t we all?), why not find a girl with 3 sisters and 2 nieces. You’ll definitely be a little nervous at first, but trust me, you’ll end up having a really great time. Also, it always helps if your Christmas celebration includes 4 dogs, 5 puppies and a cat.

On a related note, here’s a picture of a whole bunch of dogs, followed by one of a cat named Holly looking a lot like a panda.

7/26, 9:30 pm: After only 2 hours on the runway we’re finally taking off for Fort Lauderdale (birthplace of my absolute favorite girlfriend, Jessica). Even though flying totally sucks, Jessica and I happen to be on the same flight as her good friend returning from 4 months in Israel. After some successful seat swapping, we’ve had plenty of time to catch up.

7/27, 12:30 pm: I’m dining at Chili’s with Jessica’s two younger sisters (and briefly her Dad). As a native New Yorker, I don’t have a lot of experience with chain restaurants, but apparently today’s service is quite poor. I’m just happy to be in free refill country.

7/27, 2:00 pm: We’re at Staples buying teaching supplies for Jessica’s sister. For 48 cents I can buy (get ready for this): 10 folders (1 cent each), 3 boxes of 8 pencils (5 cents each), 2 plastic rulers (5 cents each), 2 bags of 12 cap erasers (5 cents each). These savings are ludicrous! Gooooooooo discounts!!!

7/27, 3:00 pm: The Target has a Wii! I shrewdly purchase it along with several games and controllers. My roommates and I didn’t look that hard for one in Providence, but I’m pretty sure they are still hard to find up north. Plus, what better way is their to enjoy a Florida family vacation than indoors with 400 dollars worth of video game entertainment?

7/28, 11:00 pm: Jessica and I are departing for The Marco Beach Ocean Resort with her two younger sisters, their dad, and his wife. We’re going to drive from Fort Lauderdale to Marco Island via the infamous Alligator Alley. Once there we’ll meet up with Jessica’s older sister, her husband, and their two daughters. Since I’m an only child, it seems like a lot of impending family vacationing.

7/28, 4:00 pm: After a big ol’ family reunion/lunch, we’re enjoying drinks by the pool. The perfect Marco Island activity.

7/28, 8:20 pm: The resort just told us we weren’t dressed up enough to enjoy the complimentary canapés being served on the terrace at sunset. What kind of Florida resort doesn’t allow shorts and sandals, it’s 90 degrees outside! Jessica’s family is rightfully outraged.

7/28, 8:40 pm: We just ordered Chinese food, but I’m not sure how many Chinese people really live on Marco Island. I’m also happy to see that the Wii is a big hit with the nieces. Before the trip Jessica explained that it was my mission to make her their favorite aunt. To that end, I probably should have picked up some candy at Target as well.

7/29, 11:00 am: We’re at the beach. The water is much warmer than in Rhode Island. The sand is also a lot softer, and the sun a lot more burning.

7/29, 12:30 am: It’s time to break for lunch and eventually hit the pool. In between we’re going to watch an episode of BBC’s planet earth. It’s on DVD, so it’s the classy British version narrated by David Attenborough (he’s a knight you know). If you have the means, I highly recommend it (particularly in HD).

7/29, 9:00 pm: After a very aquatic day (by New England standards), we’re celebrating Jessica’s sister’s birthday at the Snook Inn (check out the live webcams!) The seafood is great, particularly the broiled seafood combo and eagerly anticipated Shrimp de Jonghe.

7/30, 10:00 am: I’m on a jet ski for my first time ever. It’s frickin’ awesome. I’ve now been on both a jet ski and a snowmobile. If you have an ATV, I’d love to give it a try.

7/30, 12:00 pm: It’s time to check out and kick it by the pool before departing. The family vacation has been most excellent. As a pale nerd from up north, I hope I’ve made a good impression.

7/30, 9:00 pm: Having driven home from Marco Island, Jessica and I are dining in Delray. We’re there to meet up with my old buddy Andrew, who ended up in Florida about a year ago. It’s really good to see him, and I’m relieved to see that Florida hasn’t changed him too much. As an added bonus, his apartment has a sweet balcony. Next time I’m definitely going to schedule a longer visit, although hopefully he won’t stay south forever.

7/31, 4:45 pm: We have triumphantly returned to JFK. The flight was a bit better than last time, but after landing, we spent 45 minutes waiting to pull into the gate. Apparently someone threw up on the plane in front of us, and it took quite a while to clean up. JFK and puke are no way to welcome people to the greatest city on earth.