MIAMI/SOUTH BEACH HERE I COME!!!!

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So in a little while, the fam and I are heading out to LAX to catch our flight to Miami. Very few things in life excite me to the extent that traveling does. This should be a great trip with a little bit of everything: some relaxation, some quality time with the family, and some balls to the walls partying 😊 This will be my second time there, so I have a little knowledge of the city layout, the bomb restaurants, and the crackin' clubs. Plus, it helps I have friends & family there to update me and act as my wingmen 😉 haha. I'll try to post updates, but in case I don't, I wanna wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season......


Days 1&2:
So we arrived the morning of the 23rd at 5:10am. Much to our dismay, 5 of the fams 7 pieces of luggage, did not show up. We waited almost 2 hours at the airport and kept geting the run around. Luckily, they found them later on in the night and delivered them to our friend's pad that we are staying at. After chillin' out for a few hours, I met up with the fam that lives here in Miami and the fam that came out from Colombia and LA. We went and chilled out on Ocean Drive, and I made sure to make a stop at Wet Willy's 😉 All I know is that if you're ever in South Beach, make sure to get a Call-A-Cab, ish is OFF DA HOOK! We then finished off the night drinkin' till 8am or so.
Yesterday the 24th, just chilled during the day, watched movies, and then met up with the fam for a Christmas Party. I opened my gifts in LA, so I wasn't expecting to get anything, but got hooked up with a few dope shirts, some cash, and some other ish. All I know is that it had been a LONG time since I had seen my dad buzzed off the liks. It was pretty entertaining seeing him in such a good mood. Also, nice to seea lot of the fam from Colombia that I rarely get to see. Amazing how much love people you barely ever see can have for you 😊
In any case, today is Christmas so I've been lazy so far. About to start getting ready to get this night started. Merry Christmas and stay tuned for more trip updates 😊

Day 3 recap:
Ok, so day 3 was Christmas. It was a pretty lazy day during the day. Just kicked it during the day with the fam and then went out to a bar at night with a friend. After the bar, we ended up goin' to a club and got home at like 6am. Sorry for the lack of details, but its day 7 so give a sucka a break haha.

Day 4 recap:
So today I woke up rather late. As I walked into the living room expecting to see the fam, I noticed everyone was gone. I look outside and they left me without the Lexus my brother let me borrow for the week........damn. So, "they'll be back soon" I said. 5 o'clock.........nothing. 8 o'clock......nothing. 11 o'clock nothing. Damn, stranded bored as hell. Just when I couldn't take it any longer, my friend's parents came home and let me borrow their car to go out. I had made plans to meet up with a friend at Miccosukee (its a casino). Afterall, had to get my poker fix. I notice the card houses out here have NOTHING on the ones in LA or Vegas. There were a few good players, but not too many even compared to the players in the home games I go to. I made some amazing folds (like folding trip 6's on the flop cause I knew a guy had trip Aces) and amazing calls (like calling 50 bucks with only King high.......KING HIGH! After everything was said and done, I won 350 bucks 😊 Nice, more spending cash for this trip..... won't have to take more out of the Europe fund 😊

Day 5:
Ok, so I've been in South Beach 5 freakin' days and I STILL hadn't gone to the beach. This day was the day. We got up, had breakfast with the fam (all of 'em that came to visit from Colombia as well). All I know is that i LOVE how people are able to drink on the streets out here (it can't be in a bottle, but that's only a minor formality). So about 20+ of us got together and went to South beach by Nikki Beach (it's a club). I believe it was 17th and Collins for those of you interested in where to go shall you ever decide to visit here. The FUNNIEST thing happened. So there was a jelly fish warning, but we decided to go in the water anyway (aren't we brave haha.) So my little cousins would get in the water, but were DEATHLY afraid of these globs of jelly. Anyways, to make a long story short, my cousin Melissa got stung by one. In case you don't know what you gotta do when you get stung by a jelly fish, I peed in a cup right smack dab in the middle of South Beach and had to pour it on her leg hahahahahaha. While she thought it was the grossest (yet most pain relieving thing ever), the rest of the fam was laughin' their asses off. Furthermore, you'd think my little cousins would learn their lessons eh? No dice. My cousin Laura (a.k.a Laurita) got stung about an hour later and was screaming frantically. So out comes Gio to the rescue (thanks to the beer) and peed in a cup again HAHAHAHHA. I still find that distrubingly disgusting, but SOOOO hilarious. So after having a delicious dinner we decided to call it an early night since we were taking off to Key West early the next morning.

Day 6 recap:
Damnit, the folks didn't set the alarm properly! =/ So after waking up at exactly the time we were supposed to meet up with the rest of the fam, we hurried to get ready. It was all good, cause it seemed we weren't the only ones to be running a bit late (which is not usual for me.) So we all jump into our cars and head to Key West from Coral Gables. The drive was good, until the road was a two lane highway (one lane in each direction). Also, with my uncle Luis (a.k.a Flaco) leading the pack, we were going at a snail's pace. After about a 4 hour drive, we FINALLY made it. All I have to say is the Southern most point in Key West has to be BY FAR the most OVERhyped tourist trap I've ever seen. Key West itself was cool, but that "novelty attraction" was retarded in my opinion. All it is is some stupid 10 foot barrel looking thing that says "southernmost point in the United States). Which is funny, because its not even at the very, VERY end. Also, although I'm sure Key West would be cool if you stayed there for a few nights (there were a lot of clubs/bars in the tourist area) it wasn't that great just for the day. We did, however, eat at a great Cuban restaurant. After that, we walked to a street by the water that reminds me of a mix of Venice Beach and Third street promenade. I say Venice Beach because there's a boardwalk type deal and lots of street performers, and I say Third Street for the abundance of shops ...... and yes, I know.... there are plenty of street performers there as well.
Let me just say, there are very few things as annoying as being in a group with your aunt's while they are shopping. They literally stopped in EVERY store and took FOREVER! at one point, we had advanced 100 feet in an hour. So annoying. Once 6 o'clock came around, we were getting antsy to get moving. If were were to get back in time and be able to get ready to go out clubbing, we would have to get moving soon. After a couple of my uncles got mad that we put "partying ahead of being with the family", they understood that chililng with the aunt's while shopping wasn't exactly the most enticing activity for 25 year old guys. So on our way we went.
After that terrible drive again, we made a few stops to pick up our pimpin' clubbing attire. Got ready quick as hell and headed to a club. Apparently my cousin Adrian (he lives in FL) knew the promoter, cause we bypassed the line and were given VIP table with bottles of grey goose all night. Let's just say, nothing makes you recall salsa dancing from when you're drunk like a few bottles of grey goose haha. Ended up partying till about 6:30 in the morning and got back to the fam's hotel room at about 7 or so after stopping outside the club for a quick late night ...errrr I mean early morning snack. When we got back to the room, we were in a playful mood and all jumped on my cousin sebastian...... also, my cousin javier and daniel did it to my sister as well to wake her up. All I know is hell knows no fury like my lil' sis when woken up by my cousins haha. She got up and kicked my cousin javier's ASS haha. It .......was........HILARIOUS! she even kicked him out of his OWN bedroom and took over. Looks like all those self defense lessons I gave her have paid off 10 fold 😊 After that, we knocked out....... tomorrow will be another day. Not sure when I'll be on the comp again, but if I'm not on before New years ...... I want to wish all you guys the happiest of New Year's 😊

Day 7 recap:
So today, we woke up at one of my uncle's hotel suites at about noon. Surprisingly, we all feel pretty damn good considering we only slept a few hours and drank quite a bit of alky. I went back to the home base and basically hung out for a while with the friends whose house I'm staying at during the trip. Basically just chilled, watched movies, and hung out till 11pm or so. We then went to a dope Uruguayan restaurant then I met up with the fam at the Crown Plaza. We hung out and drank some aguardiente for a few hours then went to a bar. After that, we went to a club we had been looking forward to going this whole trip...... Club Space. The dope thing about this club is that it OPENS at 4am 😊 Last time I came to Florida I remember leaving my godmothers house at 6pm and not coming back till 1pm the next. That's a huge difference between the partying here and in LA. In LA, 99% of parties are over by 2am (BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!). In any case, we made a quick red bull stop and headed to Club Space. Unfortunately, when we got there, they wouldn't let 2 of my cousins in =/ Since they were using their colombian id's, they said they had to have their passport with them. The guy at the door was kind of rude, so we were like "F*** THIS PLACE!" Instead we ended up going to some other spots. Since the rest of the fam was leaving to Naples, FL for the day at 9:30 in the morning we told them we would be back by 9 (so that my cousins could change). Another interesting point is that while we were on one of the expressways, we saw a car driving on the WRONG side. We were going about 90 on the lane all the way to the left and some crazy mofo was driving on the lane all the way on the right against traffic. We watched as some guy BARELY managed to swerves out of that crazy mofos way.
Anyways, We ended up gettin' back to the hotel a little early (couple hours before they were set to leave to Naples) so we picked up an 18 pack and drank in front of the hotel. The funniest thing was that my uncle Luis passed out the night before early (he works 12 hour days and still parties with the fam. In fact, he's the only one of the siblings that lives out here, so he's been waiting for this vacation for 6 years.) and he came walkin' out and we were still drinkin' up from the night before. So he just sat down and joined us. Basically sat around bullshitted till the rest of the fam was ready to go which was about 11 or so.

Day 8 recap:
So I went to bed at 11:30am and woke up at 1:45pm due to the fact that I was gonna hang out with my godmother today. I felt suprisingly refreshed after only sleeping 2 hours or so. So I quickly got ready and headed to my godmother's pad. We hung out at her PIMP ass house on East Dilido Island. It's crazy because when we walked the dogs, I found out Paulina Rubio (super famous latin singer) is one of her neighbors. In case you've ever seen the episode of MTV Cribs with Paulina Rubio, you know that area is pretty upscale. Anyways, we hung out for a while and headed to Lincoln Road (It's just like Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica). We had some AMAZING grub at this pretty famous place called Sushi Samba. Since my China trip, I'm way more willing to try weird foods, so I tried something called Sawagani (which is miniature japanese flash fried crabs). It was pretty crazy. A bit on the salty tip. We then had some calamari, a neo tokyo roll, and a bobo domo roll (had kobe beef and some special sauce). Food was GREAT. This place also boasts the best Mojitos in town...... and from what I've experienced, that claim is very legit. After dinner we hung out and watched football at her house for a bit and chatted. Then I was GOING to go clubbing with my cousins over at Nikki Beach, but they were exhausted from their day trip to Naples, so we decided to call it an early night (well, relatively early since it was 2am when we decided to stay in.) I guess it all worked out because after sleeping 2 hours, I guess it was better for me to recharge my battery for New Year's. Anyways, hope you are all having a great time and enjoying your holidays 😊




Day 9 recap:
So today is it. The day that will conclude one of the best (if not THE best) years of my life. This year has opened my eyes and allowed me to travel to different corners of the world. From starting the year in Colombia, to going to China in April, to going to Philly/New Jersey in April, Wisconsin, and now Miami, this year has blessed me with the opportunity to get out of town and experience life in a new way. It has also instilled in me a passion for traveling.
Anyways, woke up this morning and just hung out with the fam. Kept it on the mellow tip for most of the day. At night, however, the Gio of old came out haha. We got to a club called "La Copa Rota" (the broken glass for my Spanish challenged friends 😉 hehe) at about 10 or 10:30 or so. My fam rented out the spot pretty much, so we had a GRIP of people roll thru. As we walked in, there was lively music, great food, plenty of smiles, and an open bar 😊 Obviously, my cousins and I made sure to take full advantage of that.
I must say, I haven't danced that much salsa since I was a young kid stuck at my parents parties. The dj was OUTSTANDING putting nothing but dope salsa jams, mixed with some ill merengue, cumbia, etc.
5......4........3........2........1....... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Good bye to one of the best years of my life, and hello to a year that's poised to be even better. After a quick moment to reflect about the year, I did the customary hug and kiss with the different memebers of the fam. It's wild how close my family from Colombia is. Like my family here in the states is close, but they take it to a whole other level. It's kind of nice to be in that kind of environment. Anyways, we ended up dancing till about 6am or so. Then followed it up with the drunken IHOP trip haha. Nothing like greasy food to help cure the drunken hunger. Got home, and knocked out for the first good sleep of the New Year.

Day 10:
Damn, went to bed at like 7 or so and woke up at about 11am. I had a pretty crazy dream involving my dead grandpa and couldn't go back to sleep. It was a while until my cousins woke up, so I spent most of the morning and early afternoon just watching tv. After last night, we knew today would be a lazy day....... a day of recovery.I basically just spent the day relaxing, chilling with the fam from Colombia and my half brother. At night, had to say goodbye to the fam from Colombia. They were going to leave to Orlando the next day for a few days, so I wouldn't get the chance to see them since I leave the day after tomorrow.
As usual, my grandma cried non-stop while saying goodbye. She gets pretty sad cause she doesn't know when or IF she'll ever see us again. She's getting up in age, so I can relate on that way of thinking. Also, my little cousin Alejandra was crying too. Eventhough this was the first time we really kicked it, we just clicked in a kew way. The type of thing where we didn't even have to say anything and would just start laughin' our asses off. She called me her favorite cousin haha.....THAT'S RIGHT!!!! Anyways, after they left, I went back to the spot and kicked it with the homie Carlos and just ended up watching movies and stuff.

Day 11:
Ahhh damn. Today is the last real day of my trip =/ In a way I'm glad to go home, but at the same time kind of sad to go back home. Miami has been good to me. After just hanging out in the morning, my brother, my dad, and myself decided to hit up the casino "Miccosukee" one last time. Last time I went, I came up 350 so I figured I'd try my luck again. I ended up winning about 100 bucks, but got ROBBED of not leaving with 500-600 bucks. (For you poker players, I had a guy all in with 2 outs after the turn...... and he caught one of those on the river...... GARBAGE I SAY! haha) After the casino, we went to a delicious dinner at an Uruguayan restaurant.
After that, my friend Carlos and I WERE gonna go out, but I was more in the just chill and hang out mood. Picked up a case of Heineken and watched that movie "We were Soldiers". For anyone that hasn't seen that movie, I HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you're into action/war flicks.

Day 12:
So it's nearly 4am and I decided to not sleep before heading to the airport. Finished packing my stuff and said my goodbyes to the family friends that opened their home to my fam. They had been great and made us feel at home. Ended up catching a flight at 6:20am and catching my connection flight in Houston. I noticed I tend to stare off out of plane windows and just let my mind wander. It's pretty crazy getting a bird's eye view of cities. In a way it's humbling knowing that you're only one out of MILLIONS and MILLIONS of people. We landed in LA at about 11 and took the Flyaway back home. Kind of sweet to see to be back home and sleep in my own bed again.


Looking back on this trip, it had great balance. Good amount of family time, good amount of relaxation time, and a good amount of balls to the walls partying time. This trip definitely ranks up there for me. For the next few days I'll be hanging out with friends and chilling until I leave for Lacrosse, Wisconsin to visit my main ninja Nick. Althought I'm a little worried cause that shit is gonna be super SUPER cold, I'm a little excited to experience those crazy conditions. I just hope the jibblies don't freeze haha. Bring on the new adventure!

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