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The first leg of my trip was going to be a flight but there was a serious snow storm so I woke up early and caught a bus from Aspen to Glenwood Springs where I transferred to the Bustang to Denver (pro tip: make sure you sit on the right side of the bus to view the gorgeous Colorado River and Glenwood Canyon). This is about a six hour journey but it is a beautiful ride and I met a lovely young couple heading off on their journey to the Camino de Santiago which is a 500 mile walking trip that could take one month to complete and when i saw their small back pack i was impressed! Not to mention that hubbies foot was broken. Oh the youth! Once in Denver I had to make my way up to the train platform to board the train to DIA. I love the Denver trains.My original plan was to fly to LGA and get the direct flight to Dubai. Not so fast sista! Not only was DIA a bit of a disaster due to the weather but there happened to be an electrical storm in New York. Oh the joys of travel. I gave it the old college try and stuck around from one flight to the next hoping to grab that golden ticket (the allusive stand by seat). Unfortunately it went from bad to worse as the day went on. The first flight I attempted to get on there were two of us left at the gate, the next flight I moved down to number 10 on the waiting list and then the next flight all of a sudden was number 32! I was determined NOT to spend the night in the airport and exhausted as i was, my mind moved into get me out of here mode. The gate next door was going to Fort Lauderdale and after a quick convo with the gate agent I realized that flight had seats so I quickly listed myself on that flight, texted my girl in Miami who said come on down and next thing you know i was heading East.
This is the kind of fly by the seat of your pants travel that I have become accustomed to and also addicted to since I began working in the airline industry. All of your senses, intuition, directionality, personality, wardrobe choices, logistic research have to be on point or you will be wet when you want to be dry, dry when you want to be wet, cold oh please do not let me be cold!, alone when you want to be around people, lost in a crowd when you want to be solitary, late when you need to be on time…you see the pattern here. I have run far to so many gates (I see you FRA), missed many a flight, changed destinations often, woke up way too early regularly, walked to exhaustion a lot, stung by jellyfish once, revenged on by Montezuma in a few countries, lost and left some items, yelled at in other languages, stared at, and ripped off more then I would like to admit. This stuff does not scare me. I have learned that I cannot control everything. These types of things happen and are little blips. The fun and adventure of exploring new places, making new connections, learning about history and culture, enjoying nature, art and food; it is a kaleidoscope of new senses and knowledge. It is exhilarating. It is my travel life.
The flight to FLL was fabulous. I was so happy to be on my way to somewhere. I grabbed an Uber to South Beach where my friend Christy lives. South Beach is really cool with its art deco buildings and beach vibes all around. It is small and manageable and easy to walk places. The weather was perfect the end of April – not too hot yet. The beaches are crowded but it is awesome for people watching. The food is delish and we went to a cevicheria one night. The visit with my friend was needed because we had not seen each other in a minute. I was also able to see my cousin’s elderly wife now a widow and her sister. That was a nice visit and I am happy that they have each other.
After a couple of days in Miami it was time to get on a flight to DXB. I have never been to Dubai and my desire to explore there is lukewarm but it is a major airport with connections to many countries. I figured I would explore a bit. I have discovered that it is one thing to imagine what a place will be like and totally a different thing when you actually are able to explore. There have been many times when friends and family would tell me not to bother with a particular city or avoid a country because it could be dangerous and then I would go and it would be the most amazing experience. So there Dubai I am on my way.
The flight from MIA to DXB on flydubai is awesome because of the views. I love a window seat and looking out at the desert landscapes is fantastical to me. The lovely muted brown and beige colors and patterns that look like a network of veins in the desert of where the rivers and streams once flowed. Tiny forest green and grey circles litter the desert like a bunch of cd’s scattered on the floor, signs of farming and irrigation. Little puffy clouds creating tiny round shadows on the desert floor far below, the dark and vibrant blue of the sky visible on the horizon. Then I see water and my curious mind wants to know. I look at the map and see exactly where the plane is flying. We are flying over TelAviv and passing Masada and the Dead Sea! How fabulous. Soon the sun is setting and as we fly into the United Arab Emirites I look out over the Persian Gulf and see hundreds of tiny fires, smoke stacks in the ocean, oil drilling I understand. And despite our climate catastrophe the oil drilling seems to be in full swing.
My hit list for Dubai contained many of the sites and impressive buildings that I have heard about. Burj Khalifa, Kite Beach, Grand Mosque etc. I headed out into the dusky air and heat and found the Dubai Metro – what a pleasure. It is clean and new, efficient and easy to go from one place to the next. It also has a much appreciated women’s area on the train. Dubai is a planned city so bravo to them. My first stop – The Marina. I was excited to check out this area and I did walk around the Marina which was very quiet during the day. It was stifling hot and smoggy duh. I am sure that most people wait until later to explore. I ended up back in the Metro and went to the Mall of the Emirates which was amazing. Big, beautiful, and squeaky clean, a great temperature controlled place to stroll around and have a delicious lunch. Since I teach skiing in the winter I wanted to visit the indoor skiing: it really is a thing. It was actually very busy with families from all over skiing together. Groups of local kids also go to the Ski Dubai daily and hang out after school. They are expanding to other Arab and Asian countries. I wandered off amazed at this mini ski industry under a dome.
It was getting late so I jumped back on the Metro to head back to my hotel and go to dinner. The views from the Metro are amazing as you speed past the museum of the future, the financial district, Burj Khalifa and The Frame. After a dip in the pool and a conversation with a lovely man from Belgium who travels to Dubai for business often, I was in search of a more authentic experience so I decided to go to Meena Bazaar in Bur Dubai for some highly rated Indian Food @Veganisha. Getting off the Metro I immediately felt like I was in a regular city with older buildings and lots of locals. The Meena Bazaar area is ‘little India’ and has south asian fashion and handicrafts. It was buzzing with activity. The vegan meal filled me up and I made my way back to my hotel for some needed sleep. The next day I was heading to ZNZ – Zanziba
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The first leg of my trip was going to be a flight but there was a serious snow storm so I woke up early and caught a bus from Aspen to Glenwood Springs where I transferred to the Bustang to Denver (pro tip: make sure you sit on the right side of the bus to view the gorgeous Colorado River and Glenwood Canyon). This is about a six hour journey but it is a beautiful ride and I met a lovely young couple heading off on their journey to the Camino de Santiago which is a 500 mile walking trip that could take one month to complete and when i saw their small back pack i was impressed! Not to mention that hubbies foot was broken. Oh the youth! Once in Denver I had to make my way up to the train platform to board the train to DIA. I love the Denver trains.My original plan was to fly to LGA and get the direct flight to Dubai. Not so fast sista! Not only was DIA a bit of a disaster due to the weather but there happened to be an electrical storm in New York. Oh the joys of travel. I gave it the old college try and stuck around from one flight to the next hoping to grab that golden ticket (the allusive stand by seat). Unfortunately it went from bad to worse as the day went on. The first flight I attempted to get on there were two of us left at the gate, the next flight I moved down to number 10 on the waiting list and then the next flight all of a sudden was number 32! I was determined NOT to spend the night in the airport and exhausted as i was, my mind moved into get me out of here mode. The gate next door was going to Fort Lauderdale and after a quick convo with the gate agent I realized that flight had seats so I quickly listed myself on that flight, texted my girl in Miami who said come on down and next thing you know i was heading East.
This is the kind of fly by the seat of your pants travel that I have become accustomed to and also addicted to since I began working in the airline industry. All of your senses, intuition, directionality, personality, wardrobe choices, logistic research have to be on point or you will be wet when you want to be dry, dry when you want to be wet, cold oh please do not let me be cold!, alone when you want to be around people, lost in a crowd when you want to be solitary, late when you need to be on time…you see the pattern here. I have run far to so many gates (I see you FRA), missed many a flight, changed destinations often, woke up way too early regularly, walked to exhaustion a lot, stung by jellyfish once, revenged on by Montezuma in a few countries, lost and left some items, yelled at in other languages, stared at, and ripped off more then I would like to admit. This stuff does not scare me. I have learned that I cannot control everything. These types of things happen and are little blips. The fun and adventure of exploring new places, making new connections, learning about history and culture, enjoying nature, art and food; it is a kaleidoscope of new senses and knowledge. It is exhilarating. It is my travel life.
The flight to FLL was fabulous. I was so happy to be on my way to somewhere. I grabbed an Uber to South Beach where my friend Christy lives. South Beach is really cool with its art deco buildings and beach vibes all around. It is small and manageable and easy to walk places. The weather was perfect the end of April – not too hot yet. The beaches are crowded but it is awesome for people watching. The food is delish and we went to a cevicheria one night. The visit with my friend was needed because we had not seen each other in a minute. I was also able to see my cousin’s elderly wife now a widow and her sister. That was a nice visit and I am happy that they have each other.
After a couple of days in Miami it was time to get on a flight to DXB. I have never been to Dubai and my desire to explore there is lukewarm but it is a major airport with connections to many countries. I figured I would explore a bit. I have discovered that it is one thing to imagine what a place will be like and totally a different thing when you actually are able to explore. There have been many times when friends and family would tell me not to bother with a particular city or avoid a country because it could be dangerous and then I would go and it would be the most amazing experience. So there Dubai I am on my way.
The flight from MIA to DXB on flydubai is awesome because of the views. I love a window seat and looking out at the desert landscapes is fantastical to me. The lovely muted brown and beige colors and patterns that look like a network of veins in the desert of where the rivers and streams once flowed. Tiny forest green and grey circles litter the desert like a bunch of cd’s scattered on the floor, signs of farming and irrigation. Little puffy clouds creating tiny round shadows on the desert floor far below, the dark and vibrant blue of the sky visible on the horizon. Then I see water and my curious mind wants to know. I look at the map and see exactly where the plane is flying. We are flying over TelAviv and passing Masada and the Dead Sea! How fabulous. Soon the sun is setting and as we fly into the United Arab Emirites I look out over the Persian Gulf and see hundreds of tiny fires, smoke stacks in the ocean, oil drilling I understand. And despite our climate catastrophe the oil drilling seems to be in full swing.
My hit list for Dubai contained many of the sites and impressive buildings that I have heard about. Burj Khalifa, Kite Beach, Grand Mosque etc. I headed out into the dusky air and heat and found the Dubai Metro – what a pleasure. It is clean and new, efficient and easy to go from one place to the next. It also has a much appreciated women’s area on the train. Dubai is a planned city so bravo to them. My first stop – The Marina. I was excited to check out this area and I did walk around the Marina which was very quiet during the day. It was stifling hot and smoggy duh. I am sure that most people wait until later to explore. I ended up back in the Metro and went to the Mall of the Emirates which was amazing. Big, beautiful, and squeaky clean, a great temperature controlled place to stroll around and have a delicious lunch. Since I teach skiing in the winter I wanted to visit the indoor skiing: it really is a thing. It was actually very busy with families from all over skiing together. Groups of local kids also go to the Ski Dubai daily and hang out after school. They are expanding to other Arab and Asian countries. I wandered off amazed at this mini ski industry under a dome.
It was getting late so I jumped back on the Metro to head back to my hotel and go to dinner. The views from the Metro are amazing as you speed past the museum of the future, the financial district, Burj Khalifa and The Frame. After a dip in the pool and a conversation with a lovely man from Belgium who travels to Dubai for business often, I was in search of a more authentic experience so I decided to go to Meena Bazaar in Bur Dubai for some highly rated Indian Food @Veganisha. Getting off the Metro I immediately felt like I was in a regular city with older buildings and lots of locals. The Meena Bazaar area is ‘little India’ and has south asian fashion and handicrafts. It was buzzing with activity. The vegan meal filled me up and I made my way back to my hotel for some needed sleep. The next day I was heading to ZNZ – Zanziba
