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River Rafting Down the Grand Canyon

When I was eight years old my parents took me and my siblings river rafting down the Grand Canyon. It was for eight days and seven nights with a group of about thirty people. I had just passed the age limit so I was the youngest one on our journey. There were three guides who were so friendly and made it such an amazing experience. We started at the very top and had to place our belongings in a big blue bag. This was to stay with us until we got to our destination. My family and I started making friends right away and got to learn everyone’s names very quickly. Every day we would stop for lunch and then set up camp at dinner time and stay the night. Along the way there were natural waterfalls that we would bathe under. When we were docked my siblings and I would jump in the river and just have a great time. The guides carried a portable toilet that went with us everywhere, and brought tons of food and sodas. Every night our group would have a camp fire and tell tons of stories. We were able to sleep under the stars and not have to worry about anything. When we were in the water our boat would go down tons of crazy and fun rapids! The guides had different names for each one and it made it so much fun. So many people told me that I was crazy to go on this trip but it was an awesome experience that I will never forget. I recommended it to all of my friends and I would go on it again in a heartbeat! The guides had so many cool things for us to do and it was a once in a life time experience.

New Cultures and Food

Traveling to new countries or continents allows you to explore so many interesting cultures. There are so many people around the world that celebrate different holidays that we might not. It is always so much fun to visit a different place because after you leave you feel like you know a little bit more about their culture and the way they live. In Paris and other parts of Europe, there are no public trash cans because they think a dangerous person could hurt them through the trashcan. Also China and other places celebrate Chinese New Year, something American’s do not. Learning about other cultures can help with your understanding of the world and the people around us. Other than cultures, there are so many unique food choices that some people don’t have. In America, people tend to eat more hamburgers and fries, while in Europe they are big on meats and fondu. A lot of people will go to China or Vietnam from America and not eat any of their food because they say it is gross or different. That in my opinion is a waste of a trip.  When you get to experience a different part of the world, why not experience their food and culture too! Learning about a person or a city mostly comes from the type of food they like and it is so cool to live it first-hand. When visiting a unique place around the world you should never be scared to try something new, because who knows, you might end up loving it!

Florida

On my trip to Florida I got to visit with all of my relatives. It was so much fun because I hadn’t seen them in forever! My family and I were there for nine days and one of those days was Christmas. When we first got there, we hung out at my cousins house and got to catch up on our crazy lives. Whenever we visit my grandma always makes a huge dinner and invites my whole family. The next day my family and I hung out with all of my relatives at the state beach for a long time. Then we went back and started watching a show called Gator Boys which is located in Florida. After looking them up, we found out where they are set up. My dad took me and my cousins to the Everglades National Park where we were allowed to go on an air boat ride around the Everglades and see tons of gators. After the air boat ride we got to watch an alligator show and it was so cool. We then got to hold a baby alligator and take a picture with it! It was such a great experience that I will never forget because I became so obsessed with the show Gator Boys. Having Christmas in Florida with all my relatives was so much fun. On Christmas we went to the South of Florida and get to take a jet ski into the ocean. I can’t wait until the next time I can visit all my family again!

Where would you rather go?

My Cruise to Jamaica

When I was little I went on a cruise to Jamaica. It was my second cruise so I was still a little bit scared. My Jamaican cruise was seven days long and it was so much fun. We did so many interesting excursions that I will never forget. One of them was swimming with the dolphins. I wish I could swim with them now because I wouldn’t be so scared but it was still so cool. At first the crew had the dolphins jumping up and down, but then they let them come right up next to us. We got to ride with them and watch them perform tricks. Right before it was over they let us give the dolphins and kiss and then they waved goodbye to us with their fins! When we got back to the cruise ship we sat out by the pool and just relaxed. The crew on the ship passed out free ice cream and we got food at the bar. My family and I went on another excursion and it was such a fun time. The last event we did in Jamaica was climb up a waterfall. There was a really long rope that went all the way to the top and we could stop at anytime because they had resting stops along the way. Climbing up a waterfall was one of the craziest things ever. At some points there would be little slides of rock that people would go down. This cruise was one of the best ones I went on and I never wanted to leave.

Switzerland

My next big vacation was to Switzerland. In this little trip my family and I were only there for five days and visited six places. We stayed at a new hotel or apartment every night. The first day we landed in the city of Zürich. It took us about an hour after finding our luggage and going through customs, to finally be able to explore the city. My parents had bought me and my family train tickets for the rest of the trip, so we took a train and headed off to our first stop, Montreux. Montreux is located on Lake Geneva and it was such a beautiful place! We walked along the water and fed some of the geese that swam by. Lucerne was our next stop and there it was very cold and under construction. Besides all of the work that was going on around us, it was such a fun place with lots of little towns and shops. Our next destination was to the town of Zermatt known as the city with the Matterhorn. The first thing we did after getting our apartment was going to the top of the Matterhorn. It started snowing just for a little when we got to the top. At the top there was a little shop and restaurant where we stopped and had dinner. By the time we were done it was night-time and we headed back for our apartment. One of the last places I visited in Switzerland was St. Moritz. St. Moritz is such a rich city and has very big shopping centers. My family and I visited one of the world’s largest escalators and it was so cool! We then headed back to Zurich and took a very long flight back.

Paris, France

My most recent trip to Europe was the time I went to Pairs, France for only two days. It was during spring break so my family and I were very limited on time. We arrived in Paris through an underground train from London, England. After we checked into our hotel and dropped our luggage off, we quickly hopped on the nearest underground subway and went straight to the Eiffel Tower. Seeing the Eiffel Tower in person is nothing like seeing it in pictures or movies. It is one of the biggest more beautiful monuments I have ever seen in my life. I could not believe my eyes when I took my first glance at one of the world’s most famous monuments. My family took lots of pictures of it, and then headed up to the very top of it. From there we had a great view of Paris and everything that was going on around us. After our amazing experience, we walked to the Arc de Triomphe where we got our picture taken with it right in the middle of the street. After that we saw the Tracadero and was in awe at how beautiful it is. the next and very last day of my European trip, we took our way down to the Louvre which hold the original Mona Lisa. It was so incredible seeing in person rather than a textbook. Soon after we headed to Notre Dame and walked inside for a little. Then the very last thing we did was visit the Saint Chapelle and got to see what it was like in there. Going on this journey made me realize that things are so much better when you are able to see them in person and that’s why traveling is such an amazing thing.

London, England

My second time to Europe was when I visited London, England. As soon and my family and I landed in London, we took the underground bus to our hotel. Once we got there, we settled down and then made our way to Saint Paul’s Cathedral because it was Easter morning. After visiting the church, we headed over to the Tower Bridge. They allowed us to look inside and get a tour of it. Then as we kept walking we saw a big building known as the Gherkin and another building called the Chard. The Chard was in construction and so all we could do was take pictures. The next day my family and I made our way, via train, to Big Ben. As we walked pasted we noticed a big fairswheel, the London Eye, and decided to take a ride on it. The London Eye took a total of 30 minutes and was very relaxing. After that we visited Hampton Court and walked all around it and took a tour. It was so interesting because there were lots of king and queen accessories inside of it. Hampton Court had a huge maze that took quite some time to get out of, but it was very fun. The last day, we took a bus ride to Stonehenge and it was so cool. In school I read about it all the time and it was so neat to see it in person. Buckingham Palace was the very last place we saw on our London journey and it was a great way to end a fantastic trip.