Amanda Dave

So I’ve been on a lot of planes lately. I find myself traveling often right here within the USA. I can’t help but notice some things in my travels, and figured I’d share, what with this being the new era of sharing and social networking and all. Let’s start with today. Today I flew outside of my comfort zone. In other words, I left the lovely bubble of being a Diamond Medallion Delta Skymiles member, and flew like a regular person with no medallion or awards status whatsoever on American Airlines. It was the first time in AWHILE that I didn’t get upgraded to first/business class. I know. Shocking. And sad. But it is hard to have no status, standing there in Group 5, waiting for all those American Airlines elite status people to board and ... read more

I got to go to Costa Rica last week for another workshop, but this time I wasn’t able to stay and be a tourist due to late scheduling, other commitments, etc. So for trips like this one, I like to think of it as a way to get an overview of a place, talk to some locals, and figure out what I will do in the future when I come back there for a vacation. With Costa Rica, that is definitely a “when” I go back, not an “if.” The people were fantastic! So friendly and helpful. What more can a tourist ask for? Even in the rainy season and stuck in the capital city, the natural beauty of this land is easy to see. My first thought driving out of the airport was GREEN. Every ... read more

So I got to go to Shanghai, China for work. China is one of those places, like India and Africa, that can just seem daunting to try to arrange the details, get a visa, figure out where in the vastness to go, navigate in not only a foreign language but a different alphabet. And so I feel lucky to have had so many opportunities like this one as a result of my job. Now all that being said, it seems I will have to go back to China again to see more of the country. Sometimes with all the work opportunities come early mornings, late nights, preparatory work, and struggles to keep on top of other job responsibilities marching forward without you back home, it can be difficult to get good tourist time. So here’s my ... read more

Once I got outside the bubble that we were in on the work part (basically bouncing between very nice hotels for the conference, for dinner), I started to see another side of India that I had heard so much about: chaos, poverty, dirt, trash. But there were beautiful scenes mixed in, with a lot of human touches. We drove by bus from New Delhi/Gurgaon to Agra, and we started to see (from inside our safe tourist bus) things that make me incredibly grateful for all that I have. Inside New Delhi, people living in tents, children dirty and begging, coming up to the car windows, tapping on them, and begging for food, money, water, anything. I was driven back to New Delhi by myself in a car, and so I was a bit more up close ... read more

Since I’ve been jotting down little notes in a journal and haven’t made it to the computer til now, I’m just going to share some of my thoughts of my last 3 days I’ve been in Johannesburg, South Africa. I came over for a work trip, so a lot of my time has been spent working, between the Hyatt and the office. I haven’t gotten to see too much of the city yet, so I look forward to tomorrow, my “free” day before flying out tomorrow night. But here are some thoughts so far… -On the flight over, I experienced what may be the “new” business class seats on Delta. These were crazy little pod seats, each individual in nature. Everyone is on the aisle (some people are on the windows too, but there is no ... read more

-Subways are cool - chandeliers, mosaics, domes, lights, marble, granite, every station is different. Despite our lack of Russian knowledge, we braved the subway every day, and even switched lines a few times today. We made it everywhere we were trying to go. -Women are hot. Lots of hot bodies. And they dress pretty saucily. I can’t imagine walking around in heels like that and pounding the Moscow pavement, subways, etc. It’s impressive. -There is white pollen-stuff flying through the air like crazy. Looks like snow at some points it is so thick. It comes from some tree that no one can seem to remember the name of. We saw one today. Today was the worst day of it. In your mouth, in your eyes. Twirling around the streets and through the air. -Our hotel has ... read more