I can't see it all that well, and the closeup doesn't get much larger, but it looks like a regal pelargonium to me - Pelargonium grandiflorum. You didn't say where, but these would grow here or in the southwest US where you recently travelled.
That is all I have, it is an old picture from s. California. You are probably right, I enlarged it and can see leaves and flowers. I was sure it could be something more exotic:(
