Arrival & Exploration | CUBA 2013

Arrival & Exploration | CUBA 2013

So far, we have arrived at the airport and had delicious food. If you have not seen the previous blogpost, then please click here to take a look.

After a long 9 hour flight, we finally landed at Holguin Airport. The Airport was really tiny and highly controlled. According to my knowledge, Cuba is a strongly communist, censored country that does not allow US citizens to cross the border and trust me, the amount of security measures taken at this Airport must make it near enough impossible. There was no way to exit the airport without entering one of the booths that ran all the way across the small room, therefore blocking the exit. You needed to enter one of the booths, shut the door behind you and get questioned. Once you had been approved, the person behind the desk pressed a button which unlocked the door to the other side. I found this so scary as she actually looked at my passport and said, "Megan, is this really you?" To be honest, this was fair because it looks nothing like me, especially considering I have makeup on in the picture and had none on at the airport.

After collecting our luggage, we were guided to a lovely air-conditioned coach that was to take us to our hotel.

As you can see from the above photo of my sister and me, everybody in the background is looking out of the window. This is because Cuba is absolutely beautiful. As far as the saying goes, Cuba taught me that there really is 'beauty in everything'. Cuba is in a state of poverty, but not once did I see anybody that wasn't beaming with happiness by simply being grateful for what they have. The rural roads were dotted with gorgeous little family run market stalls in the shapes of huts, with bananas and mangos hanging from the roofs. Tiny, tiny little houses were painted in lovely pastels, making them the most beautiful houses I have ever seen, even if they weren't the most posh and expensive. And then the school. Oh my word, that wonderful little school. The children all had smiles on their faces, and I can imagine just exactly how grateful they were for one of the things that is most common for us to take for granted.

I didn't get to take any photos because I was simply in awe of my surroundings, but it was truly amazing and if I am to ever to return (which is one of my plans for the future), I am definitely going to make it more of a cultural trip, as looking out of the window after just arriving in the country was one of my highlights. Breathtaking.

On arrival, we were driven up to a huge open plan lobby and were greeted with cocktails. Mine and my sister's were of course fruit cocktails, but we did not mind one bit because they were delicious, and it was the first sign of us being properly on holiday. We then got given our all inclusive wristbands.

When I say that the complex was huge, I mean it was basically (with no exaggerations), a private village. The beach was private with free water sports, and there were restaurants and such on the beach that were also free. (Pictures soon) In terms of money, we fully understand why this holiday was so expensive because literally everything had already been payed for and unlike most all-inclusive packages, there were no extra costs. The complex was that big that they had a combination of driven trains and buggies that took you wherever you needed to go within the hotel grounds.

The train that took us to our room

Continuing with this 'Cuban Village' theme, the design of the apartments were made to look like bigger versions of Cuban houses. Each block of houses (like a street) had a name, and were in pastel colours. Each 'house' had hotel rooms upstairs and downstairs, as the houses had 2 floors. Our rooms (we had two) were upstairs which was nice as we had higher balconies. This next photo is unedited so that you can see the beauty of the side of the apartment in it's rawest form.

One of the apartments with a little road looking like a street.

The train dropped us and our luggage off out our block, and drove us up to the house. He gave us the keys and we went up stairs and found our rooms which were next door. Wow. Here is a beautiful photo of Georgia on the balcony.

The beds reminded me of something that a princess would sleep in.

This was painted onto the wall, incredible!

By the time we had arrived, the sun was setting, but Georgia and I were so eager to explore the complex, so off we went whilst my Mum and Nanna unpacked.

Another block of apartments

Georgia with a huge palm tree, I love this photo.

I love my heart sunglasses!

As we were walking along to check out the beach, this little fella bit Georgia! He is kind of cute though...

I tried to take a picture of this so many times, but could not do it any justice. It had water flowing through it and was much bigger than it looks in the image, it's so pretty!

After our wander, we went back to our room (which took FOREVER to find), and told our Mum and Nanna all about it and how amazing it is. We then relaxed and continued our crosswords from on the plane.

The craziness of our room whilst unpacking.

The fridges were full of fizzy drinks and beer, and the Cuban version of Fanta is so good!

So that was our arrival day pretty much over and done with, and I really hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to like & follow me on bloglovin' and stay tuned for my next CUBA 2013 blogpost! I love you, thanks for reading.

Travelling & Airport Food | CUBA 2013

Travelling & Airport Food | CUBA 2013
So, it is that time of the year again; January Blues. Post-Christmas, Pre-Summer, and nobody really knows what to do with themselves. During the run-up to Christmas, I absolutely love the cozy, cold sweater weather as it gets me into the festive spirit, but now it's all a bit miserable. I'm craving sunshine, barbecues, ice cream and of course, our annual holiday abroad. Every year without fail, we are fortunate enough to fly out internationally for usually a beach holiday, filled with friends, family, trips, sea and sunshine. We usually go in July, unless we are flying out to the US, (mostly Florida) where we tend to choose the Spring/Autumn months due to extreme sub-tropical climates and hurricanes in the summer, and it still being so warm over there in October.

Other than International Drive in Orlando of which we absolutely adore to pieces and my Dad has labelled 'our second home', we have never returned to one place more than once. We like to see different parts of the world to experience new cultures and landscapes. I am so so passionate about travelling. Anyhow, because of this, my extended family all spend hours upon hours searching for a nice location at a reasonable price, that meets the requirements of all eight of us. I was casually scrolling through hotel after hotel in country after country both online and in brochures, and I came across one and I just fell in love with it. "MUM, I'VE FOUND ONE!!" She of course asked where, and my response was; "A FIVE STAR IN CUBA". Mum sighed and had a look. This is what she saw:

Clearly, she fell in love too, but after looking at the price, gave it a definite no. I should have known that the price of a 5 Star in the Caribbean was going to be beyond affordable. That was until my Nanna saw it, fell in love, and offered to pay for me or my sister, therefore splitting the price directly in half making the holiday a whole lot more achievable. The next day, we went off to the travel agents to book for just the four of us. I am so grateful that we were able to go to such a luxurious place, and this is a vow to myself to take my Nanna and Mum back when I'm older to thank them.
This is by far one of the best holidays I've been on, so I really hope you enjoy my pictures and that it gets you excited for Summer 2014. Oh and by the way, some of these were taken on a Panasonic of which I've had for years, and the majority on my Canon, hence the occasional differ in quality.

Travelling & Airport Food

The stressful morning came by, and everyone was rushing around in order to get everything done in time. Soon enough, our pre-booked taxi arrived and we were on our way to Manchester Airport. This is a really grim photo of my sister and myself, but I wanted to share it as it's the only picture I got in the taxi and we were so excited.

After arriving, checking in and dropping our luggage off, it was time for Breakfast. We were mooching around for a while trying to find the perfect place, and we finally found one that was cozy, and not busy in the slightest. It also had this really great policy stating that if you're food wasn't delivered in a maximum of 13 minutes, you got you're food for free! I'm not too sure what it was called because I can't figure out whether 'The Food' is the name, or it is simply advertising the menu.

We sat sipping on fresh orange juices whilst we waited, which was so nice in contrast with the craziness of earlier that morning.

Sure enough, our food came in only 7 minutes! I can honestly say that it was one of the nicest, freshest Breakfasts that I have ever had, and I would definitely return.

I don't even like toast, yet this bread made it taste amazing!

Here is a silly photo of my sister and me after our Breakfast.

Stay tuned for the next part of CUBA 2013! Thanks for reading. Please like & follow me on bloglovin'!

2013 in Photos

January

January was the month of no school because of snow,

 the consumption of mini eggs,

the purchase of many books,

happy nephews,

to kill a mockingbird,

 Harry Potter necklaces,

bookshops,

and rainy bus stops.

January was friends, family and happiness. January was happy pictures of friends I can no longer show. January was good to me.

February

February was the month of Temple Run 2,

a very 'sweet' valentines day,

mild, sunshiney motorways,

and baking.

February was friends, family, happiness and the Believe Tour. February was happy pictures of friends I can no longer show. February was amazing to me.

March

March was the month of a very happy Megan,

sparkly hello kitty pez dispensers,

panda nails,

the first signs of spring,

and hiding from the cold at friend's houses.

March was friends, family, happiness, pastels, Beautiful Creatures and cinemas. March was happy pictures of friends I can no longer show. March was wonderful.

April

April was the month of sibling love,

selfies with nephews,

a new found love for Yankee Candle,

my braces off,

and fluffy doggy love.

April was friends, family, happiness, barbecues, instagram and ice cream. April was happy pictures of friends I can no longer show. April was lovely.

May

May was the month of pretty lace dresses,

pastel skater skirts,

heart shaped sunglasses,

sunshine,

fanpages,

and loss. May was the breakdown of friendships and twists of fate. May was a sudden state of depression. It was anger, hurt and fear. May was lonely.

May was making myself sick at school so that I could escape. This was wrong.

May was my Mum bringing iced coffee and tea cakes into my bedroom as an attempt to cheer me up as I sobbed into my pillow, begging to move schools. I love her.

May was a lot of love from you guys. I can not express just how much your love impacted me to keep smiling. Without the knowledge of always having someone to talk to, I have no I idea where I would be right now. Thank you.

May was a blur. It was sitting in the school library on my own during break and lunch times, hiding from the world. May was a constant stinging of blood shot eyes. It was no friends and many disappointments. May made me stronger.

June

June was being saved by new people, and being welcomed into a new friendship group where I felt supported and accepted. June was me rebuilding myself, and regaining happiness. It was hard, but I was getting there. June would still have spells of tears.

June was regaining strength through God and The Lord, making be a better person,

sunshiney shopping with my sister,

lemon meringue pie,

building bonds,

work experience,

and my sister planting pictures of Phil Mitchell all over my room whilst I was out.

June was hard at times due to something that was still raw, but June was showing signs of happiness. It was adjusting to new surroundings and people, but June was me seeing the light, and I am forever thankful.

July

July was the month of flowers,

and my first true smile in weeks, months even.

And the smiles kept coming.

I was even smiling on SPORTS DAY!!!!

It was drinking strawberry water outside with a friend,

silly faces crossed with class A photobombing from my sister,

failed selfies with friends,

sparkly watermelon nails,

swimming with dolphins,

and a holiday to Cuba that I will never forget. (I'm so tempted to do a blogpost!! What do you think?)

It was coming back super tanned (for me anyway),

reflecting on how far I had come,

and cuddles for my teddy to thank him for being there for me when I'd find the memories resurfacing at night.

July was myself being happy again. July was meals out, sunshine, and a holiday that I will never forget. It was also a time that I got verbally abused via phone call which destroyed me again, but this time I was stronger, and I was surrounded by friends who all witnessed it for themselves. I was too strong to care.

August

August was experimenting with creative makeup,

sleepovers with my sister,

volleyball with my cousins in the sun,

playful doggies,

a new found love for highlighter,

playgrounds with my nephew,

and sibling love.

August was happy, sunny, and the last bits of Cuba and the Summer holidays. August was amazing.

September

September was the month of my Mum telling me she had seen my sparkle back,

waking up for school with crazy hair,

Disney trivia,

a lot of love for Miley Cyrus,

selfies with my Mummy,

a CHRISTMAS TREE! (In September, I know right,)

falling down slides,

party planning with Nat,

Nat drowning me in orange juice,

the first signs of autumn,

and finding my childhood sleeping bag.

September was returning to school with a clear head, feeling comfortable and secure. It was 'We Can't Stop' on replay, and a whole lot of happiness. September was beautiful.

October

October was the month of a huge Boohoo delivery,

recreating Halloween nails,

3 teenage girls attempting to fix a phone,

Halloween cake pops,

the cotton wool ball challenge with my sister,

shopping with Gina,

finding my personal 'style',

new born piglets,

pizza,

a family outing to pizza hut,

posing quite literally 'in' a tree for my sisters Media Studies photoshoot,

crazy dark makeup for a Halloween party,

a trip to Blackpool to see the lights (it really is quite beautiful),

a picture of Millie and my sister who are both 13 looking older than myself who is 16,

home made chocolate orange cake shaped like a pumpkin,

Halloween decorations,

and reminiscing.

October was busy and fun filled. October was one of my favourite months of the year. It was friends, family and mild chilly days. October was a mad Halloween party and seeing my niece and nephew dressed up for Halloween. It was happy and that is all that I could have asked for. October was special.

November

November was the month of finding ridiculous yet cute snowflake glasses in primark,

sparkly gold heels,

my birthday,

being sent this by Britt who since watching my videos has become a great friend,

a surprising pleasant birthday at school with my favourite people,

the most AMAZING birthday cake ever, made by my Mum,

receiving what I call 'my bear',

the most thoughtful gift ever off my best friends,

daring lip colours,

and a beautiful Christmas Tree in Manchester.

November was my birthday, dressing up and love. It was a sense of Christmas everywhere and I'm a Celeb 2013, which is always a highlight. It was the hacking of my first YouTube channel which I had worked so hard on for a year, but the start of a new one. It was new opportunities. November was nice.

December

December was the month of mock exams,

my disgusting school photo,

our beautiful Christmas Tree,

meek December sunlight,

being silly in a Santa hat,

and the most beautiful ring.

Most importantly, December was family, friends and delicious food. It was a time to be thankful and to look back on the year. It was time to correct our mistakes and praise our successes. December was remembering, but also forgetting and moving on. 

It was lovely writing this blogpost, but difficult all the same. It was an opportunity for me to reflect on 2013, and to see how far I'd come. It was nice to refresh myself of the memories that I will never forget. If you take anything away from this post, please let it be the fact that things really do get better. I was depressed and I felt trapped. I was suffocating in my own sadness and I was panicked that I would never be able to escape it. But I did. You can do it, and you will do it, no matter what obstacles you may come across. Make 2014 your year, and forget about any horrors you were faced with. Pack up the memories and the good things in a suitcase that I like to call your heart, and leave the bad things behind. I love you, and I hope 2014 is everything you could hope for. Live for the now, take pictures, and be optimistic. This is what will make your year the most memorable. Thanks for reading my vague description of last year and letting me share things with you. Don't forget to follow me on bloglovin' to keep up to date with what I post on 'My Diary' by clicking here.