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.     

First Market and Party Experience in Pakistan

On Monday morning we slept in very late.  At least 10am!  It's different here because people sleep in late have breakfast around 11 and then lunch at 2/3 and then dinner around 8/9 then go to bed past midnight.  Anyways the sleep in was very well needed after the past two nights we didn't sleep in a bed and we were either in the airport or on a plane.  We were both very tired indeed!  Immediately upon waking up we were instructed by Lilly Khala to take a shower before the hot water went away.  Wow this is a shocker but to be honest taking a few cold showers and getting to experience the real life and culture of Pakistan is what I'm most excited about.  I took a very short shower also making sure to conserve the water and get my body and hair wet and then turn off the water and then rinse etc.  Water, gas, and electricity are very precious items here in this country, no matter how rich or poor you are.  Essentially these items just get turned off by the government!  You really don't have a choice.

We got served a very simple breakfast in the morning and then ventured off for my first market experience.  The market was very close by but was so interesting for me.  We needed to get a few things for Hajra's event that evening which is called Dholki.  The event is just basically a ladies last evening before the festivities (although she is technically already married).  Lilly Khala bought us some snacks from the market (samosa and jalebi). Jalebi is a sweet and samosa is this fried pocket of potatoes and vegetables and spices!  Love the spices here!  We also went to the grocery store which was nice, then to the pharmacy, and the light store, and then to get some sodas. We also went to the butcher where I got to witness butchering a chicken the halal way, which basically means the kill from the throat and say a prayer.  We got a lot accomplished in a little bit of time.  

We went back and and had lunch which was the Samosa from the market and roti with saag which is this salty green mixture again spicy!  After lunch we started to get the living room and house ready for the party (Dholki).  We put Christmas lights up around the entrances into the living room and house and then moved around the furniture and helped set out the silverware and food.  People started coming over around 5:00pm and they trickled on in the house until 8.  

During this traditional party the women get together and dance and sing and play the drums.  There is a distinct and certain way that they play the drums.  They also practiced their choreographed dances which they will dance again during the ceremonies.  We had lots of food this evening including kebab which we got from the market, haleem, chicken karahi, and for dessert qulfi (which is Pakistani ice cream).  All of the food was amazing again!  I really enjoy all the flavor that these foods have!  The party ended around 11pm because mostly that is when the electricity goes out.  

Such a great experience that I'm having here!

First day in Pakistan

Well we arrived into Pakistan.  We got here about 7 hours behind schedule which may of been better for Sanna's family to actually pick up us versus in the middle of the night.  We landed around 12 and waited for a couple of hours for them to pick us up.  They were at the function called Nikkah where the bride and groom officially sign the papers that make them husband and wife.  We were greeted by Sanna's cousin Amna and her husband Faisal and daughter and niece.  They were all dressed up so fancy from the event and here we were with our huge backpacks and lack of sleep looking very scrubby.  

From the airport my head was turned directly outside admiring the sights and sounds of this somewhat forbidden country.  It's not every day that many Americans get to visit Pakistan let alone many other people from other nations.  This country has surprised me from the beginning though!  I was expecting pure craziness but much to my surprise I feel the driving here is very mild and there aren't cows and animals on the sides of the streets and people lying on the grass.  Not sure why these were my expectations but they were.  Soon after the airport pickup we arrived at Sanna's aunts house.  We call her Lilly Khala which Khala means aunt and her nickname is Lilly.  Here and now I met her entire family including her uncle who we called Khalu Jaan (meaning dear uncle).  I met Hajra (the cousin getting married) and their other sister Mariam.  Both Amna and Mariam have two kids - four total.  The house was filled with warmth and happiness from all the people.  I also met their housekeepers or maids.  They speak no English.  All of the rest of her family speaks exceptional English!  

As soon as we met everyone we were served some lunch.  My first official meal in Pakistan was this rice and chicken dish with tons of flavor called Biryani.  I could get used to this food!  We relaxed in the living room and drank some chai tea (which is amazing by the way) and laughed and talked for a long time.  Sanna's 4 little cousins love me by the way.  I think they were so interested in me that I only speak English and some of them may not really understand this.  Their ages are 8, 7, 5, and 4.  The youngest ones don't have the best English yet as the older ones are learning this in school.  We played Chinese whisper and laughed and they taught me how to say one thing in Urdu - that is Mera naam Amanda hai.  This means my name is Amanda.  It took me a while for it to stick but I think that I finally remember how to say it.

Later on I got to try on my 3 dresses for the 3 functions of the wedding.  They fit but needed a bit of tailoring so we got that done later on.  We then sat around the electric heater (houses in Pakistan do not have central heating) and drank some chai and I got introduced to some Pakistani sweets, Barfi which so far is my favorite!  It's made basically of pistachio and sugar and it's very nice!  Goes great with tea!

Great family, food, culture and more!  I really love it here!

Istanbul round 2! Love this city

How about a 14 hour layover in Istanbul?  Alright.  Actually the stop over was planned when I booked the award ticket on Turkish airways using united miles.  I wanted a chance to see Istanbul for a second time and get some things from the grand bazaar.  Get some things indeed!!

We landed at 6am this morning local time with little sleep.  We decided not to get a room the night before so we just went to the airport after our evening of indulging on caviar.  I slept in the airport for maybe 1 hour and then on the flight sort for another 2.  Good nights rest I'd say!  We went through customs upon arrival into Istanbul and then put our bags in lockers and headed for the bazaar.  The weather was quite damp and rainy so walking around wasn't all that pleasant.  

Upon arrival into the bazaar I had two things in mind.  Get blanket/throw called susani style and get some lamps.  I wanted to get myself a big lamp and get my cousin one for her wedding gift.  I ended up getting two big ones and two small ones.  One for my sister :). I shipped them all home right away.  Then when looking to get my throw I actually saw another one that I absolutely fell in love with.  I couldn't decide which one I really wanted and then the guy kept throwing out more of them and they were all so beautiful! I ended up getting two styles.  The one that I originally wanted and then another one which is off green pastel color with bright hand stitched flowers.  It's beautiful!  I cannot wait to use it.

All in all turkey for 10 hours was amazing in the city.  Gosh there are so many tourists here though.  I don't remember this from my first visit in November 2012.  Maybe it's because of the holidays or maybe it's because we've been going to places where people just don't go!

I love Istanbul.  I really want to come back and do some more exploring.  Actually I love turkey.  The country is really big and I think has a lot to offer.  I need to do lots of traveling here to get a really good feel

Now we are sitting in the lounge at Istanbul airport. I still have my star alliance gold status until January 2015 so I'm soaking that up,  this lounge is amazing.  Best lounge that I've even been too.  I've had some wine, cheese plate, dinner, and already an assortment of Turkish desserts.  Turns out we are going to be here for a long time...our flight to Lahore is delayed by 6 hours.  Good thing for this lounge pass!!!

Next stop Lahore Pakistan!  Keep me in your thoughts as I visit maybe the most crazy country ever!

Azerbaijan

We got to Azerbaijan on Tuesday.  We were flying just a short flight from Georgia.  Once we landed we went straight to our hostel and then met up with one of Sanna's friends from Paris.  She is a local and was kind enough to take us out to eat at a very local restaurant here in Baku.  We tried a bunch of different foods at this place to get an idea of what the food was like.  Lots of bread here!

On the second day we walked around the city and parts of Baku.  The city has quite a posh feeling to it really and is unlike Georgia or Armenia.  Azerbaijan also borders Iran so maybe that has some of the influence on this city.  We followed up the evening by meeting up again with Nigar and having some wine at a nice wine bar accompanied by cheese and then after we went to a shisha bar to have some dessert.  Best shisha that I've had on this trip!

The next day we took a day trip to Qobustan.  This place was famous for ancient artifacts and petroglyphs.  Next to it are the mud volcanos which were equally as interesting.  After that we drove back north to Baku and then headed for the fire mountain and fire palace.  Neither of them were very interesting in my opinion but both of them indicate the history of Azerbaijan.  We went to another local restaurant for a late lunch and relaxed a bit.

Today I got some laser hair removal.  It's actually quite famous here to get it and it's really cheap in comparison to the U.S.  After the salon we walked to this bazaar in an area of the city we had yet to explore and we walked around and saw the 'black market' for caviar.  The men softly whispered in our ears as we passed by and through the market 'sturgeon' which basically means they are selling caviar under the table and probably illegal.  Totally safe but we took a look around and took some pictures of the surrounding parts.  This bazaar might of been my favorite park of Baku!

Tonight we meet up with Sanna's friend for tea and possibly to try some caviar.  We leave for Istanbul tonight which is the first leg of the trip to Pakistan!

Georgia

Let's just say one thing.....the Georgians love their smoking and drinking!  I don't think I could survive here that long, but staying for 5 nights was good enough.  

The country is actually quite beautiful and was quite a change from the dreary and semi quiet feel of Yerevan.  On the first day we walked around Tbilisi for a while.  And then around mid afternoon we went back to the hostel and was greeted by the hostel owner and invited to visit the parliament building where his fiancé works.  Very interesting!  After that we walked around some more and got some kinkali and beer.  Yum!  These two actually go together quite well!  We ended up going out that night and met up with some friends of the hostel and went to the disco and this other pub!  Really nice to get an idea of what it's like to go out with locals!  I really like that when I can go somewhere and get the feeling I'm living there.

Second day we did a day trip.  Long day trip that is.  We went to wine country.  We toured two wineries and a couple churches!  Then the last stop was to join this local Georgian family for a dinner.  Before hand we went to some side road markets and got some meat and vegetables.  We took these to the family to cook for us.  We made kebabs over the fire in a very traditional manner.  The dinner was filled with toast after toast.  Toast to your family, toast to your travels, toast to your loved ones, dead ones, parents, women, the men, children, government, and so much more!  And after each toast you drank....drank a whole small glass of wine.  The night was long but great.  We couldn't understand each other very well but after a few drinks it all meant the same thing !

Third day....rest.  It was a lovely Sunday to just hang out.  The next day we went to the mountains.  The day trip was basically about the drive there.  It was a really sunny day and as we drove there was more and more snow.  We didn't decide to go to the church at the top of the mountain since we've seen so many so basically once we got there we turned around and went back.  We stopped and took some pictures along the way

Georgia was nice for several reasons.  Cheap, great food and pretty easy to get around.  I would go back to try and explore more areas and maybe do some more wine tasting!

Armenia

Well after spending a solid 3+ weeks in the Middle East I was loving the fact that we were in Armenia.  We had an overnight flight from Abu Dhabi and spent a few hours in the airport until early morning and we went to our hostel.  We slept for a few hours and when we woke up we were prepared an individual breakfast by the hostel maid.  Traditional Armenian style.  After some coffee we ventured out into the city and walked around for awhile.  Finally the temperature were about 40-45F!  Couldn't believe it after being in almost 80+ weather for a while.  It was pretty dreary in Armenia and the sun wasn't out too much.  

We got lunch at a traditional Armenian cuisine place which was actually pretty similar to Lebanese food.  It was this yummy soup which was nice and warm after walking around so much.  We walked into a few shops and Sanna bought another carpet.  We toured the cascade area and decided after walking around for a bit that there wasn't too much to do here and that I day trip tomorrow was necessary.  We went back to the hostel and did some research on where we wanted to go to and then how and when we would go to Georgia which was our next stop after Armenia.

On the second day we hired a private taxi to take us to three tourist attractions.  Two of these were monasteries and the other was this monument.  First stop was the monument called Garni.  Wasn't too spectacular but nice visit.  No tourists anywhere!  The second stop was my favorite of the two monasteries.  It was called Geghard monastery.  It's from 4th century and wasn't occupied still that I'm aware of.  It was pretty picturesque sitting in the snow covered mountains.  The second monastery that we visited was quite a drive away from these first two places and was called Khor Virap.  It wasn't as spectacular as the first one but the color was beautiful.  It was more of a red/orange color and the first was grey.  

We returned back and had a very late lunch at this place recommended in the lonely planet for some Armenian cuisine. It was alright and was so dead.  Maybe it was because it was a week day and not really lunch or dinner hours but no one was there!  Food was decent but I'll explain more about that!

Next day we left and decided to take a minibus for our trek to Georgia.  The bus was to be about 5-6 hours depending on the border crossing.  However I was having dreams that I was feeling sick when actually I woke up around 6am and got really sick and started throwing up.  This was a whirlwind of what the rest of my morning was like!  Thankfully I had access to a bathroom for the next 5 hours.  I don't know what managed to get me sick like this but it was pretty awful and I know that I needed to get my act together before this minibus which last departed at noon!  I was in shambles and the last thing I wanted to do was ride a bus to Georgia!  Luckily managed to get a little better and managed the bus ride and didn't have anything all day except this break roll and some sprite!

At least the bug was less then 12 hours long but this is the 2nd time I've been sick in less then a month!  More to come on my Georgian adventures!

Abu Dhabi

This isn't my first time to UAE as I had a long layover in Dubai in 2011 when I was coming back from Australia.  Anyways I wasn't too impressed with Dubai so I wasn't sure about what to expect for Abu Dhabi.  I knew one thing - I couldn't wait to see the grand mosque!

We got to AD on Saturday mid afternoon and we rented a car and drove straight to Emirates Palace.  We were immediately wow'd by the amount of rich and money there was in this country (similar to Dubai but on a lower scale).  We then drove to the Iranian and carpet souqs on the completely opposite side of the corniche.  I was looking for a possible carpet and Sanna was also looking.  We also passed through the fruit and vegetable market.  All of the people who were running these markets were from Pakistan, India or Bangladesh.  Great to see that these people can have a better life in UAE but sad to hear their story about leaving their family behind and not getting to see them more then one time a year.  Similar to the workers in oman we met.

Second day in AD we went to the MOSQUE!  So amazing this place honestly.  I was in complete awe.  We went completely around this place and then also inside.  There is so much richness here it's crazy.  Actually the mosque is quite new.  Not really that old.  It's just so white and then against the very blue sky it's amazing.  Honestly hard to describe.  Seeing this mosque makes me reconsider Abu Dhabi and UAE as a whole.  We loved it so much we went back again at night which was another amazing experience.

After the mosque we went back to the carpet souq.  I was trying to find something nice for my mom (yes mom this is a test so I know you're reading this blog).  I did get you a beautiful silk rug I just don't know when you'll get it.  :)

We did a bit of relaxing and smoking shisha getting a few drinks and hitting the gym the rest of the time in UAE.  I guess I'm reconsidering to maybe visit Dubai again and check out the true glitz and glamour of this country.  Maybe hit up the desert to for some sand bashing.  We'll see.  UAE is just very expensive!

Petra and Aqaba

We stayed in this quaint place in Petra.  The owners were great!  They even bought us breakfast the one day!  Anyways we got to Petra rather late the first night after almost getting lost several times coming from the dead sea.  The drive should of only took 3 hours and even with a gps we got lost and took us over 5.  A road was closed that we were supposed to take which pretty much messed it all up.  

We spent just one day at Petra.  We literally tried to do everything during this time.  We did a lot of hiking and climbing stairs but it was totally worth it.  The place was just amazing.  I cannot believe the definition into the rocks / mountains.  Actually the city was built in the mountain.  The mountain colors really reminded me of Phoenix area.  They were that beautiful reddish color!  This Midwest girl still loves her mountains!  After 7 hours of hiking and climbing stairs and walking very fast we were so tired we went back to the hotel and slept for a few hours!  

We stayed the 2nd night in Petra and then woke up in the morning very slowly (a bit sore) but yes we finally managed to leave around 10 and drive to Aqaba.  Aqaba is literally right on the Red Sea and is bordered by Saudi , Israel and Egypt!  How awesome to be so close to all of these countries!!!!  We didn't do too much in Aqaba but just relax and check out the souq and smoke shisha.  

The next day we drove to Amman which took about 3.5 hours.  The drive was boring but manageable.  We were flying out the next morning to Abu Dhabi.   We went to the mall in Amman so that I could buy a small backpack as my prior bag was getting tired!  We went back to the room and then went to the gym and relaxed for the evening.  

I really love Jordan.  Honestly cannot wait to come back here!!

Amman and beyond!

I love Jordan!  Maybe this is my favorite middle eastern country so far but at least it's a close tie for first with Oman!

Upon arrival into Jordan we got our rental car and we drove straight to Jeresh.  Jeresh is this ancient city about 30km north of Amman.  We were coming from the airport so it was a bit further.  We walked around these ancient ruins which was very interesting!  Lovely history.  After that we drove back to Amman (crazy drivers!). I honestly cannot believe that I've been surviving driving here.  It's definently something that you have to acquire and I'm so glad this isn't my first rodeo of driving a manual car in heaps of traffic in a foreign country!!

We checked into our free night hotel holiday inn and took a mini siesta before we were picked up by Sanna's law school friend for dinner.  Him and his wife treated us to this great restaurant called levant.  Actually the types of food that we've been eating so much of in the Middle East is called levantese.  Interesting fact!

On the second day we got our Turkish bath which I have a previous post on!

After the bath we drove to the dead sea and were welcomed into our second free night at the holiday inn resort.  We woke up early the following morning and got our suits on and ventured out for the Dead Sea.  We did the floating in the sea with the newspaper (typical tourist) but it was so awesome!!  Then we bathed ourselves in Dead Sea mud. We kept it on for about 10 minutes then bathed in the sea.  Followed by two showers!  The Salt in the sea was intense and burned my skin in many places!!

So far Jordan has really wow'd me!  I really want to come back soon already and I haven't even left yet!

Turkish Hamam (bath)

Today I experience torture...yes torture.  Well not all of it was torturous but I will share all the finest details of my experience....

For 29jd which it about 43$ usd you get all of this for about 2.5 hours of bliss and torture...

Sanna and I arrived to the bath.  We were greeted with a fruity ice drink and escorted to the changing rooms.  We wore our bathing suits for the first part but topless the second half.  We first took a quick rinse and then hopped in the extremely hot hot tub.  We melted in there for at least 10 minutes and then sipped our cool drinks.  The room was very humid and dark with random other women lying around.  After that we went to the steam room.  Sanna and I sat across from each other maybe 4 ft of space and I could barely see her.  It was that steamy.  I had to lower my head to catch from fresh air.  We lasted in there for at least 15 minutes,  by this time my skin was already peeling off.

After the steam room back to the hot tub.  This time it even felt hotter.  I could barely submerge myself.  Another 5 minutes or so and then off to the marble table for some scrubbing.  We lied face up first on this huge marble slab....while we got literally scrubbed up and down with this loofa type of scrubber.  The woman put all of her weight and effort to scrub me head to toe up and down and over again.  This torture lasted for about 20 minutes on the back and about 10 minutes lying chest down.

After this, all parts of my skin were screaming at me!  Especially my arm pits since I had recently waxed.  Anyways, they were slowly cooling off.  I thought the experience was done but wait....now time for massage.  We were massaged for at least 20 minutes full body including head with olive oil and soap.  Everywhere....massage!  It was amazing to say the least.  After time shower time and I was still trying to heal my wounds from the violent scrubbing.  Now I really thought it was over but wait off to the sauna!  We went in there for about another 10 minutes. Amazing!

Needless to say my skin is super smooth now.  Beauty is torture they say.  The experience was amazing and one that I would love to experience again especially in turkey!

Best 43$ spent for 2.5 hours of relaxation... I mean torture!

Lebanon -- Shisha time!

Lebanon has surprised me.  That is the first thing I would like to note.  Actually Sanna and I were quite concerned to even visit Beirut due to the Middle East happening.  Gosh were not quite sure why we were even worried.  Lebanon is super welcoming and very easy.  Most of the locals all speak English very well and if they don't speak English they know French.

We stayed in a hostel during our 4 night stint.  At first thoughts the hostel seemed to be not the best choice but now looking back on it ... One of the best places we've stayed at!  So many cultured people who stayed here and the staff was super welcoming!  Made a few friends and new contacts for future travels!

The first night we got to the hostel around 5pm and we then ventured down this long staircase after a 5 minute walk to the most happening and hip street.  The 2nd day we walked and walked around Beirut.  We realized that walking around this city is not the safest as the sidewalks are very small and crowded and the cars park everywhere, it's actually really hard to get around.  We got back somewhat early and we had dinner plans with a friend we made in South Africa who is Lebanese.  He took us to this very posh restaurant where we tried plenty of local dishes.  It was soooo much food but great experience,  did I mention I tried lemon and mint shisha there?  After of course having Apple for brunch!  We hung out with a few people at the hostel and got our fortunes told By our new Turkish friend .  When you finish Turkish coffee there is a residue the bottom and that holds your future apparently

The next day we did nothing really but sit at a cafe and do research and smoke shisha.  I tried strawberry this time.  The cafe was super cute and had the best desserts which Sanna really enjoyed (the ice cream).  On day 3 we ventured off on a tour to Byblos and the grotto.  Beautiful both of these.  The grotto was this underground cave with natural artifacts and Byblos was this ancient roman feeling city.  We got back to our hostel and just hung out with two of our new friends Adnan from Syria and Ahmet from turkey.  We had a few drinks with them and then got a sandwich and hung out at the hostel and ordered a shisha.  Ahmet made some delicious mint tea but no horoscope readings that night!

It was really nice to relax in Beirut and hang out,  the city doesn't have too much to see but it has a lot of culture in terms of the people.  Off to Jordan!

Oman - Sur and desert sands

First of all sorry no pictures in this blog.  I just recommend you follow me on Facebook or Instagram!  It takes too long and I really wanted to post these amazing pictures but it's difficult from iPad and this blogging website....

Anyways....we just had the most amazing time in oman.  Really, truly an amazing country.  Oman has a lot of beautiful things - and it's sort of untouched so to speak.  Few tourists but it's increasing overtime.

After nizwa we headed for sur.  We stayed in sur for two nights and used this city as a gateway to visit the 'wadis'.  Wadi means water literally and there were three we wanted to see.  The first one was least interesting called wadi tiwi, small hike to visit (still beautiful).  The second was called wadi Shab... Long hike and we actually didn't make it to the end. Sanna got stung by a bee, I was throwing up in the morning and the night before (food I think) and Sanna has a bad cold.  We got maybe half way through and stopped for a swim in the fresh water and ventured back.  The third one was the sink hole!  Amazing!!!  It was super easy to float in this and Sanna actually got this awesome picture of me floating in the water.  It was so beautiful.

After sur we headed to our desert camp for Monday night.  This camp was quite remote I should say. The drive was about 2 hours from sur and we arrived a little before noon.  We got there with no wifi no cell service and absolutely nothing to do except stare at the beautiful reddish color sands and take in the desert warmth.  We were greeted by the camp manager later and he brought us lunch from a local Yemen restaurant.  We then talked, smoked some sheesha and then he took us to his family's place in the sands and then we visited his camels that he raises.  Camel selfie!  (See Facebook)  anyways he did inform me after I questioned him that there are no such things as wild camels.  Interesting.

Our guide or tour host was so informative,  he was about my age and just was able to answer so many questions that we had for him.  Everything from marriage, dating, clothing attire, smoking, drinking, religion etc.  his English was really good which helped and we didn't find too much of that in Oman.

I sit now in Beirut!  Hear no ISIS see no ISIS.  More to come.....

Oman - Muscat / Nizwa

We got to Muscat on Wednesday night.  Landed around 9pm but didn't leave the airport until around 11pm with darkness no gps and this tourist map which was to help us find our hotel.  Well we actually found it pretty easily thank goodness.  Our hotel was decent and had great staff which gave us lots of tips on what to see and do.

On Thursday we went straight to the Muscat Souk.  A bit disappointed since most of the goods at the souq were from India.  The prices were also quite high and the people weren't very interested in negotiating.  We saw a lot of frankenscense and myrrh which was quite interesting considering these are both in the bible .  Apparently Oman has a huge amount of this and it's actually grown here and on trees!

After the souq we drove around a bit to see the sultans palace and old town Muscat.  We then found ourselves a very traditional Omani lunch and wanted to try to eat camel but they were sold out.  We instead had this beef dish and soup that was very good!  And surprising.  Actually the food is a lot like Indian food here with all the influence from the immigration.  After that we ventured off to see the grand mosque which was amazing!  I love mosques!  They are so magical so to speak.

On Friday we woke up early and drove to nizwa.  Nizwa has this market every Friday morning from 7-9 and it's about a 2 hour drive from Muscat.  This market consists of locals selling their livestock!  They literally stand in this circle and walk around with their goats mostly and try to sell them to the other people.  There were so many people.  Kind of hard to describe in writing but it was a pretty amazing thing to witness.  We went to the souq there and it was even more over priced!  We then drove to a few villages outside of nizwa.  We went to three of them actually and the last one we went to was up on a hill which was very green and rich.  Finding this area in the desert is very special to the locals.

On Saturday we hired a driver to take us up jebel adhkar which is this very steep drive (requiring 4x4).  This mountain was again a different experience, similar to the experience the day before but we were shown the greenery in the area and drove through some small villages and walked through them.  It was a lot cooler on top of the mountain which was a bit refreshing.  After this we drove to sur

Qatar

Well Qatar was another short visit, but Doha the capital is mainly a big hustle and bustle city with loads of expats and tall commercial like Buildings.  I kind of got the feeling that it was a bit like Dubai but not that extreme.  Needless to say going to Doha for 2 days without renting a car was enough.  Walking for more then 15 minutes leaves you parched and sweaty and its winter here!  I cannot imagine coming here in the summer - I would definently melt.

We started our Doha visit by going to the souq.  We walked in and out and didn't really get lost too much and went in many shops.  Sanna was very interested in this rug that was actually made in Iran.  Turns out we both ended up buying one - here's my first souvenir!

We then walked around the entire corniche and literally along the bay.  It was a good 1 hour walk and not to mention it was over 90f!  We saw a costa coffee shop and went in to cool off with iced coffee and tea.  Inside we met this very interesting British young guy who was actually from Kuwait but studied in Mecca and was filling us in on how the media wrong portrays women from Saudi. Very interesting.....

The second day we explored more of the souq and went to the falcon souq.  Apparently these birds are quite a bit deal in this culture.  The birds are used for hunting but I get the feeling they are also to show how much money you have.  It's a masculine thing...again we were the only women in this area

The last part of our visit was going to the Islamic art museum.  Great pieces from all over the Middle East and Asia and very old aswell.  I really liked the view 

Bahrain

We're already leaving for Bahrain and it seems like we just got here!  Well we did kind of but it sure does go by fast.  I'm sitting in the airport in Bahrain awaiting our flight to Doha - Qatar.  

Bahrain didn't have much to see but I'm pretty sure we made good use of our two days here.  On Sunday we first visited the famous Al-Fetah mosque.  We had a great tour guide leader.  She answered any and all questions we had related to Muslim culture and about the Quran and all other sorts.  She was wearing a burka during the tour which was a neat experience for me to encounter getting to speak with a woman wearing one for over an hour.

After the mosque we went to the Bahrain national museum. There we saw some beautiful exhibits and artwork.  

Next we visited the souk or markets!  I was a little bit disappointed in them in comparison to other countries that also have souks.  We were in the hunt for pearl earrings and Sanna actually found some today on our second trip where we were more experience in navigating the maze.  During our trip to the pearl shop it was neat to encounter also a person trying to sell pearls to the owner.  They were negotiating a lot over this deal and we got to see about 20 pearls still in their shell!

After this madness we drove to the Bahrain and Saudi border!  We could literally see Saudi in the distance.  Funny...it was so dark and hazy could barely make it out.  Must be all the wealth, riches and oil.  As we drove back to Bahrain across the bridge it was all sunny and warm!

Last night we went to a cozy cafe and smoked hooka or shisha.  Another great experience to get to do this in a middle eastern country.  We had a few appetizers and relaxed by the Persian gulf in the evening.  

Another stop today was going to the Quran museum.  There were ancient qurans mostly in Arabic but so many replicas and meanings.  After going there and getting my free English transition from the mosque - I'm ready to get reading!  Ha

Our last stop was getting a drink at the ritz Carlton hotel after running out of things to do and not being able to take a nap! This place was people watching central!  I highly recommend if you want to
 see Muslims drinking - well it was an interesting experience to say the least.