Touteh and my D60

Emirates Palace

on being LUCKY

I am looking at the thousands of travelers stranded in Bangkok airport and thank God I was not one of them, just because the pilot was informed an hour before transiting in Bangkok of the situation there and we had to transit in Kuala Lumpur instead.

The 2 transit hours were replaced by 14 hours of transit in Kuala Lumpur but I still feel extremely lucky. Even with all the delay and having to spend the night in a shared room with a total stranger - I don't understand how Emirates airline can do such a thing. I worked for an airline and I know how emergency bookings are done. This was very unprofessional from their side, especially with the fact that they didn't inform us about that. We went to the rooms and we found that surprise when we opened the door!

This was taken from the balcony of the Marriott hotel- Kuala Lumpur. What a view!!!

Desert Magic

Dubai, here I come!

Can't wait to see you, Tala.

Tips 01

to do, and not to do - on your flight:

1- Make sure to keep the headphones on, even when you are sleeping. Cause you can never know when would a baby decide to cry or scream.

2- In long flights, go for an aisle seat. I know this might not sound appealing, but there is no way for you to be able to keep moving your legs, and stretching your feet if you are having a window seat and the person next to you is huge. It's 14 hours, damn it. This experience would probably make me avoid window seats forever! Going to the bathroom would be hard with an aisle seat and a full flight, especially if you can't really control it and end up awaking all people around you while stumbling with your things and others' things too.

3- Carry a small shoulder bag. Ok, Im not the best person to talk about this.. because I can never follow this rule. The one I carry while traveling is used for that particular reason only since its just too big to be used for anything else! Though I considered using it once for a beach because I knew my big summer hat would fit perfectly there. But I just realized that carrying this with a laptop and getting a window seat, makes you not able to see any of those bags before landing, and no matter how long the flight is!!!

4- I am traveling with a bag that weights 16 Ks only! My hubby was shocked. It feels great honestly.. I didn't have anything to worry about.. it's just so light and convenient. But it might be the first and last time, I had a strong reason to keep it light this time, thinking why to bother when new stuff are waiting for me home from mom's last visit to Dubai!



5- Travel pillows won't work with economy class seats. Even if it's a cute pinky one! It would still not work.. the fact that it's pink and trendy won't change anything. There is just too little place for you to rest your neck. Travel pillows with little space would make you feel stiff and would just limit your movement.

6- Carry a light book. Mine is like 500 pages. It's heavier than the bag itself! I thought I can finish it in the flight and just leave it there.. but it didn't work. Flying at night without enough lights for reading would make you sleep even if you don't want to.

7- It's the first time for me to carry a proper amount of cash and I realized that the best thing for this is to wear jeans. Put them in one of the jeans pockets, and forget about them .. to remember this would be essential in the bathroom though especially with tight jeans, it might be a little risky.. you should be careful!!

ummm, Im too sleepy to think about more tips! Part 2 might follow, if the jet lag keeps me awake for the night..

STICKY

After 14 hours of flying, 8 hours of transit, and then another remaining connection flight.. I feel sticky, TIRED, dizzy,jet lagged, and in desperate need of a shower and a very long sleep..

I remember there was a time when I used to be really excited about traveling.. but it's so different now!

There was no way to spend the 14 hours without watching movies, but the problem was to find one that I have not watched!!! So i ended up watching 'awake' and 'shutter'.. they were ok! ummm, different..

In dubai's lounge, there was this drunk man.. and I spent an hour enjoying all the drama he was creating. He wanted to get in his flight but with only one 'simple problem'- this is the way he was seeing it- he was dizzy and falling down every time he wanted to carry his bag and head to the gate! He was calling everyone around funny names.. but the action ended when a security guy came and accompanied him out!

5 more hours to go! the last time I've been here was 7 months ago. Im just too tired to think, read or focus. I want to be excited and happy.. but all Im thinking of right now is getting in that last flight!!! It is just one hell of an extremely long, boring, exhausting journey.

all ... in one place!

It was the first time for me to see camels walking along the beach.. and living in such an environment.

Lucky camels I guess!

Has anyone been there?!

This will be on the very TOP of the list for things to do and places to visit in the States. It's always been this way.. I just love candies, and when I start I can never stop... And this is probably why I spent last summer at the dentist!

But I just lose it all, forget about the dentist, and go weak when seeing this! It makes me drool.

It is not just any other candy store.. it is about colors, art, cool designs, variety, and all the shapes and tastes that would cross your mind..

So has anyone been there? It is open in three different locations... someone must've been there.. No?!

To be remembered..

I got an e-mail from one of my colleagues, sending me kisses and hugs from one of the girls who was with me in a workshop in Germany.. and said that she mostly remembers my 6 pieces of baggage, which she helped me to pack before we left! It's funny, but I guess some things would never change.. so even for a two days trip I would still carry more than I need.. and I keep thinking 'JUST IN CASE'! The thing is that I don't use half as much as I take!

But you know what, I do believe that I would feel a thousand times worse if I needed something that was left home.. and thought 'I wish I didn't'! So better to have it all than to be sorry, though with the no more 'unlimited weight thing', this definitely shouldn't be the case. 6 pieces of baggage.. that makes me blush. Seriously!!! So it's not about anything that has to do with me or with the two weeks we spent there.. !!! How funny/ weird/ unexpected/ different/ odd is that !!!

Breath Taking

The Dead Sea in 'The Sydney Morning Herald'

It felt very refreshing to read the article that Ben Stubbs wrote about the dead sea and the great effect of its mud's minerals and salts on skin. And mentioning also Jordan's tourists religious attractions.

' I feel sufficiently pampered as I walk back up the banks with a souvenir of world-class mud plastered to the back of my board shorts for later.' [source]

I really hope there will be more writing about the Dead Sea and its wonders. It is one of the places I miss the most, and it is definitely worth the visit and the whole experience. I don't think it gets the proper promotion that it deserves! And it's extremely annoying knowing that very few people know where is the lowest point on earth!!