Singapore

Singapore is great, just great!  Coming here after spending two weeks in Sri Lanka has been an amazing staycation so much so that I changed my flight and stayed here for 5 more nights.  I was originally meant to spend just 2 days or 3 nights here but after realizing the great yoga scene here and the shops, food, and western like feel of this Asian city I had to stay longer!

I'm now traveling solo and will be until my sister joins me in Europe in March.  I will be spending 3 weeks in Bali which won't feel very solo when I'm there so I'm sure I'll survive.  When I got to Singapore, the first thing I did was get a hair cut, pedicure, and leg wax.  I also did a fair amount of shopping buying things an  unemployed person shouldn't be but one of my New Years resolutions was to take better care of my skin/face.  Luckily for me, Singapore has a wide array of fancy shops that carry fancy skin care lines with fancy prices.  I got a free facial out of the deal!  I also got into the yoga scene here.  I went to a studio for one class and ended up buying a new yoga towel and a 10 class pack.  I've already used 5 classes in just 3 days so I'm feeling good about that.  I had 3 more days to use the last 5. Of course doing more yoga means getting another yoga outfit!  Right?  I made my way to lululemon and then of course had to get this lulu bag?  Right?  

Singapore has been an expensive stop for me but I guess I don't care.  I've really been having a blast here so far and enjoying it.  I really want to live here, in fact I changed my location on LinkedIn to show that I'm in the Singapore market and I may reach out to some of my Jci contacts in the future for job opportunities here.  

This city is amazing, I can see why a lot of people want to live here.  It's so clean - seriously I'm staying in the cleanest Chinatown I've seen in my life.  There are a lot of cute neighborhoods too.  The only downfall is the temperature.  It's seriously January and the second I walk outside I'm melting.  I can't imagine what June and July are like.  I've wanted to spend some more time walking around here but my foot which I injured a little over a week ago is hurting even more.  I really need to take it easy!

Well I'll be here for another 3 days, I've decided to splurge on my last night here and stay at the marina bay sands hotel.  Why not?  This hotel has an infinity pool on the top that overlooks the city.  I can't wait to step foot.  On my last day and half, I'm going to be a pool lounger and sun gazer.  Maybe hit up the gym at the hotel and do my last class of yoga.  

3 months of living the dream!!

Well it's been 3 months since I quit my job and I miss it soooo much.....

RIGHT?

Actually no, but gosh time is flying by.  I've been on the road now for two months straight not to mention my week and some at home and then 2+ weeks in South Africa and week in Chicago/Jamaica.

I've planned some really exciting things for my travels coming up,  I'm so excited about them and really can't wait for what the future will hold pretty much.  After Sri Lanka we are headed to Singapore on January 26th for 2 days and then off to Myanmar until February 11th.  Plans change so much because originally we were thinking Nepal and Bhutan but that's the fun in traveling!  Everything can change so much.  So after Myanmar Sanna is returning to the Windy City and I'll be on my own.  Looking forward to some personal time and not to mention getting to spend it in BALI!  Yes that's right I booked a flight from Myanmar to Bali.  And no I'm not going to do an ounce of sightseeing, this trip to Bali is purely about yoga and self and eating green/raw.  I've found a yoga place called yoga barn in Ubud where I'm going to practice for about 3 weeks!  I'm really excited and honestly cannot wait for this part of the trip to come!  

After Bali my current plans are to fly back to jfk for that mistake fare I bought back in May of 2014 on a WHIM during a plan meeting at work ha!  That meeting was putting me over the edge and all I could think about was my upcoming holiday in Hawaii and booking this one way flight for $190!

Anyways this one way flight leaves from New York on March 4th going to Milan.  Then leaving on March 27th from Budapest to Tokyo!  I've always wanted to see the cherry blossoms in Japan and now I'll get a chance too!  Anyways for my time in Europe... Oh my new passport is longing for an EU stamp!  I can't wait to go to Europe!  Two days ago I was thinking about planning a trip to the Greek island where my sister could join me but now after doing quite a bit of research March is actually a rubbish time to visit there and I think that I've finally convinced my sister that she would come to Venice, Slovenia and Serbia with me and maybe stop in Zagreb on the way!  I've been busy trying to plan a route already when I should be looking for cheap hotels in Singapore!  

I Think that I'll rent a car on Thursday March 5th and drive from Milan to litchenstein, then hit up Innsbruck and Salzburg and then end in Venice to pick up my sister on Saturday night!  Well spend a couple of nights there and then 3 nights or so in Slovenia followed by 3 nights or so in Serbia.  She will leave to go back from Belgrade and I'll continue hopefully to Kosovo for a day, then Albania for a few days then Macedonia, and lastly Bulgaria.  There is a flight from Sofia to Budapest I can get on March 25th for cheap!  This will be 7 new countries if I can do it all!  

Anyways plans always change but this is it for now in the life of globe trotting!  

We are in the north of Sri Lanka now in 'temple land' so to speak!  It's is major religious site here and I love my temples, mosques, and churches!

I hurt my ankle today on the major travel from the south coast to there.  From bus to tuk tuk to train to tuk tuk I was bound to fall over carrying 25kg on my back. I hope it feels better tomorrow 

Ella, Mirissa, and Unawatuna - so hot here!!

It's hot here!!!  I know this is totally not fair to my michigan and other Midwestern friends but right now seeing snow wouldn't be all that bad.  Just walking around I'm sweating and I'm not even hungry.  I just want something cold, either ice cream, Popsicle or some cold sparking water!!  Right now we're in this little village called Unawatuna which is on the southern coast of Sri Lanka.  It's a small beach village with a lot of shops mostly meant for tourists although this town doesn't give off a major touristic feel which I enjoy.  Before coming here I spent a night in Mirissa which is another beach town abut 1 hour bus ride away.  Mirissa was not all that impressive and the beach was just flooded with tourists!  It's so hot here that sitting on the beach isn't even appealing.  And right now my skin is still kind of peeling from being burnt in the Maldives and it bubbles all the time.  I think it's the mixture of putting on lotion and sweating which is creating this.  And not to mention the bug bites.  Well I think they are bug bites although they don't itch.  They are all over my feet and legs.  I think that I have four spots just on my pinky toe!  :(. Maybe 50 spots on one leg and foot.  I hope they go away, maybe they are from the sun but like I said they don't itch.  I've bought a lot of souvenirs here, in fact most of my things that I've bought have come from Sri Lanka!  I think I guessed this would happen before I arrived.

Before we came to the south coast we spent some time in this town called Ella.  Ella was so lovely that we actually spent 3 nights there.  It was in the tea plantation land where we actually got the chance to visit a factory and walked through actual tea fields.  We did some hiking up to what's called little Adams peak.  It was a nice hike followed by an excellent lunch at this chic hotel with outstanding views.  I really enjoyed Ella and the relaxation that followed.  I even got a chance to get out my yoga mat and do some yoga twice while I was there on the porch of our guest house.  Not bad!  

Well right now we are staying at another lovely guest house.  I can see the monkeys swinging from tree to tree right now.  No joke!  They are big monkeys too!!  I think I need to take shower to cool down and possibly try to pack my bag to see how in the world I'm going to carry all my things!!  And it looks like it's going to rain!  Hopefully that cools it down a bit!  Hardly any place has AC here and if it does you'll pay extra.  Very different then what a westerner is used too but I'm enjoying all the cultural experiences here in Sri Lanka and not to mention the nicest people.  I just got my laundry done by a woman just down the road.  She was so sweet and even folded my underwear precisely!  I don't even do that.  I have some things that I'm going to toss out including an old coach wallet and passport holder and my Victoria's Secret makeup bag.  I got some new things whilest on my travels and I think I want to give something to this woman who did my laundry so nice!!  Good karma I'm hoping for!

Sri Lanka !!

We arrived into Sri Lanka last Monday evening.  We stayed in Colombo which is the main big city for 2 nights but really only had one day there.  We explored the city and walked around the markets as much as we could.  It was boiling out!  Not to mention the city was getting ready for the pope to arrive.  Big deal eh?  Anyways, we explored this market called pettah which was very local.  We also went to a few shops where I ended up buying some items.  I got these really nice cushion covers from this store called barefoot and they have elephants on them!  They are super cute.  I also got a few sheets which I will use either for decoration or for lying out on the beach.

After the hustle and bustle of Colombo for one day we headed east for the city of kandy.  We were a little disappointed by kandy but the mission to get there was super interesting.  We got to the train station pretty early before our departure to kandy.  We traveled from Colombo to kandy which is maybe only 120 km away?  Anyways the journey is super slow and crowded!!!  Can you say crowded and claustrophobic !  We bought second class seats aboard the train and first of all accidentally got into the third class cabin.  This was a mistake although by the time I eventually made it over to second class I'm not sure it was much better.  The journey to kandy took about 4 hours and yes I was standing the entire time with armpits in my face and constantly grabbing onto walls and bars to hang on during the journey.  But hey the journey was like $2!  Wow.  Very cheap to travel but so crowded.  I think by the end of our time here we will be ready to take a private taxi of some sort because we are over the trains and buses.  

In kandy I did a little more shopping.  It was a quaint city but still very busy.  We were looking for some more quiet and greenery.  We only spent one night in kandy and then headed off to Ella by train.  

Fog, delays, 90f warmth and the clearest bluest water!

Wow what a dramatic difference between Pakistan and Maldives.  One extreme to the next can you say?  About as extreme as my move from rainy london to desert sun Arizona and then to freezing Milwaukee,  anyways, delays were the name of the game as we were so desperately trying to actually get here!  As stated earlier we were delayed more then 12 hours out of Lahore which meant that we were going to miss our connection in Abu Dhabi.  We were geared up for this already and knew that we would sadly have to spend the night in the airport and get to Maldives the next day.  Much to our surprise upon arrival into Abu Dhabi we stood in a long queue of angry passengers with missed connections and we eventual got our boarding pass for the flight the following day to male.  What we didn't know is we got a free hotel night stay and meals covered for the night!  Yes!  That meant we could actually sleep in a bed and take a very longed upon standing up HOT shower!  Couldn't wait.  And what's better, the hotel had shisha!  I took it upon myself to do this and relax and realize that I love the Middle East!  I cannot wait to travel more of it!

The next day we were yet again delayed which then meant we would miss our sea plane transfer to the Hilton Conrad hotel!!!  Omg is this really happening?  Luckily we were able to get booked on a domestic flight from male to this other near by island in the Maldives and then take a boat ride.  But what we didn't know is that we had to wait another 3 hours for the domestic flight!  Ahh.  Well needles to say we eventually arrived on the island and in our hotel room around 1am local time.  

We were given a free bottle of champagne to celebrate our gold status and chocolates!  How awesome!  The room was amazing.  The shower the bathtub is literally out under the stars.  It's so warm here you can literally take a cold shower outside and it's ok!  Our beach villa overlooks the beach which has the clearest water ever!

I'm loving my experience so far in Maldives as I approach night 2.  We have 4 free nights here at this Hilton property.  Nights cost almost 2,500$ a night at this property and that is the lowest!  Wow!  Love points!

I'm ready to leave Pakistan!

Well the last evening in Pakistan has arrived.  It really went by so fast and I have throughly enjoyed my time here but I'm happy to go.  Being here has been such a good learning experience mostly about family, culture, and religion.  And of course weddings.  Today our final day we finally got the chance to go shopping at the market.  I bought a few things mostly fabrics which hopefully my mom will sew cushion holders / pillow covers for!  I got some silks and then also this sheet/ blanket with all these hand make stitchings.  

I had to ship all of my stuff back to my parents house today. I had quite a few souvenirs from turkey, Qatar, Abu Dhabi etc.  I was excited to get rid of it all but not so thrilled at the price of 150$.  Oh well I guess my mom will get her gift early!  

Our flight for the Maldives was supposed to leave at 340am on jan 7.  Which from this writing is like in 4 hours.  However our flight is delayed until 130pm tomorrow.  So therefore we'll miss our connection in Abu Dhabi.  Another night in this city?  We'll see!  We're just planning on sleeping in the airport unfortunately.  

So after getting sick one from the street food and now developing a cold along with everyone else coughing up their lungs and sneezing etc, I'm ready to leave this pollution and humidity and cold!  I cannot wait to take a hot shower and be basking in the sun in the Maldives!  

XX

Pakistan Wedding Time!

It's been a really busy past few days filled with lots of wedding preparations and the wedding itself!  Before coming to Pakistan, Sanna's aunt had made us dresses for all 3 of the functions.  There would be 3 nights that the wedding would take place.  The first night which took place on Friday was called mehndi.  The second night is called bharaat and the third night is called walima.  

For the first event I got my hair done and then later on would come back and do makeup and get dressed.  My dress for this function was a teal green.  The mehndi was hosted by the brides family and this event was a more personal one which meant that less people were invited then the next two nights.  The mehndi was all about the dancing too.  Each sides of the family and including the friends as well prepared many dances!  We arrived to the event around 7pm which is when it technically started but people didn't show up until well past 830pm.  Then the party didn't start until the bride and groom walked in.  First the groom walked in and his whole family and friends walked in behind him.  At this point it seemed as though half of the people were now in attendance - even though more people continued to come.  Upon entry for the groom we lined up and threw flower petals on him and his crowd following him.  Then there were loads of pictures of the groom and his family up on stage for at least 10 minutes.  Shortly the bride walked in escorted by her sisters and their husbands.  Upon entry there was this decoration over her head which accompanied her until she got on stage to meet the groom.  Followed by this was a lot of pictures!!  So many pictures with both sides of the families and friends etc.  After the pictures it was now past 930 and the dancing was about the begin.  Dancing lasted for over an hour with all these rehearsed dances and then after that was the drumming time.  We all gathered up on stage (girls) and sat in a circle like we did Monday night and play the drum and sing songs in the order of the alphabet.  Finally around 11pm we had dinner and after that the lights went out at midnight so before I knew it we were leaving.  The bride got to come home again with her family for her last night there.  The event for me was a fun experience.  I really enjoyed the food, people watching, and enjoying the culture and dresses!

For the second event this was on Saturday.  My dress was dark purple.  The name of this event was called the bharaat and this evening was the night of the actual wedding they say.  More people were invited, the men wore suits in difference from the first night and there was no dancing.  This event was again hosted by the brides parents in the same venue as the previous night.  The decoration was similar from the other night (gold) with now this deep Crimson red included.  The decor was fascinating.  This function was very special because it was the first night that the bride would not stay with her family so it was a little bit emotional for some actually.  So around 830 the party started and the groom walked in with his family trailing behind like the previous night.  Then pictures, then the brides entrance.  More pictures, more pictures, and then food.  That's it pretty much.  There was music on in the background but no dj announcing anything.  It just kind of flowed together.  Towards the end of the evening there was a tradition that took place where the groom drinks a glass of milk and he had to bargain with the brides sisters on a price so that he is allowed to leave for the evening.  The sisters usually hide the shoes of the groom too so that he cannot leave until they receive the bargained price.  This went on for a few minutes and I'm not sure what the ending value was but the groom did get to leave that evening with his wife.  

The third event called the walima took place on Sunday night.  My dress for this event was a peach color and this event was hosted by the grooms parents.  The event was in a new location where apparently a lot of weddings take place usually in Lahore.  The venue was beautiful and the colors were peach, gold and white accents.  We got there much later this time probably because her family wasn't hosting and shortly upon arrival around 830 the bride and groom walked in together.  Immediately upon entry they went to the front and took loads of pictures again.  No dj , very little music.  Soon we were eating this time because the lights go off at 10pm at this venue.  Unfortunately I wasn't feeling very well and got sick, but still the experience was great.  The groom this time was dressed up in a traditional suit vs the gold suit and tall hat from the previous night.  Again the bride and groom went home together and soon it was over.