Elephants, Big Buddhas and Mummified Monks, Oh My!
Beth and I did do a bit more in Thailand than relax at the spa and read by the pool. We did in fact manage to get out and see the island. We started with elephant trekking near a waterfall. It was a neat experience, but definitely a bit tourist trappy. We weren’t really “trekking” [...]
A Taste of Heaven (and Hell) in Ko Samui
…Don’t worry, the hell comment in the title has nothing negatively to do with the hotel. It’s about my interactions with fire in association with out stay there. Beth and I returned from India with the soccer team on January 24th. We got home at about 2am. We went to sleep, got up the next [...]
The Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is one of the world’s instantly recognizable structures. Built as a mausoleum for the wife of one of India’s Mughal kings, it is a true wonder of the world and an eternal symbol of the love between two people. It’s not a place I necessarily thought I would visit, but one cannot [...]
Eid in Italy
Beth and I were supposed to go to Egypt this year along with two groups of students from NYU Abu dhabi and their professors. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing instability there, we had to cancel the trip. With little time left to plan a vacation we needed to come up with a quick alternative plan. [...]
Missed It By That Much!…in Bali
I recently wrote an email to a friend about our trip to Bali, and I realized that the story is probably worth sharing with a wider audience. Let me preface this by saying that Bali was fantastic — we had an amazing time. It was so restful and relaxing, and we were very fortunate to [...]
Bali, Part 3: Ubud and the Monkey Forest
After leaving Zen Resort, we traveled back towards the center of Bali for our last two nights in Ubud. We were lucky enough to stay at Villa Semana when we narrowly averted a serious vacation catastrophe. Only a few days before we left Abu Dhabi, I was double checking all of our arrangements and noticed [...]
Bali, Part 2: Temples, Hot Springs, and Dolphins
We did manage to get away from the spa for at least a little while in order to visit a local Buddhist temple and hot springs, as well as enjoy a morning dolphin cruise before heading off to Ubud.
Bali, Part 1: Zen Resort
5-nights and 6-Days of heaven in Bali. Pretty much spent our entire time relaxing by the pool, eating, and being massaged.
It’s a Coke World
During a quick visit to Atlanta to see David Lewicki and Beth Waltemath, Beth and I made a quick visit to the Coca-Cola Museum (theme park) in Atlanta with her parents.
RIP JFK
It took me almost 30 years of living in Texas to finally visit Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. It was a strange experience to walk the streets that I know so well from those few seconds of black-and-white film footage. Back, and to the left? Or a lone shooter from the Book Depository? Either way, [...]
36-Hours in Istanbul
I recently had the opportunity to chaperon a group of students and their professor on a trip to Istanbul related to their course, When There Were Two Europes: Islam and Chistendom, 711-1529. The course explores the economic, political, and cultural asymmetries of the long symbiosis when Europe was divided at the Pyrenees into a Muslim [...]
Weekend in Fujairah
Back in August, Beth and I took a short weekend vacation with several work colleagues to the nearby emirate of Fujairah. Located on the eastern side of the of UAE, Fujairah faces the open ocean rather than the Persian Gulf and is considerably cooler and less humid than Abu Dhabi. The trip was a final [...]
20,000 Leagues Beneath the Maldives
Well, actually only about 20 meters, but that wouldn’t have been near as exciting a title for book would it? I intentionally left out one important part of my recent vacation in the Maldives, because I was waiting for some pictures to arrive. Now that they’re here, I’m ready to talk about the absolutely amazing [...]
A Week in Paradise at Komandoo Resort in the Maldives
It’s been far too long since my last blog post, but I hope that this one will have been well worth the wait. Beth and I just returned from a week in the Maldives, and if you’re looking for a romantic beach getaway, look no further than Komandoo Resort. We celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary [...]