Ahmedabad was an interesting place. Being India’s 6th largest city, it didn’t have the relics and sites that one would expect, though it didn’t need them. The city was like the Manchester or New England for India as a place that underwent an industrial revolution, drawing millions from the countryside to work in its textile factories. As such, the city is more of a blue-collar city with most of its workforce being employed in industrial settings. Interestingly enough, most of the Indians I know in the States had roots in Ahmedabad’s state of Gujarat. Most “Guju&rs [View Full Entry]

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Mumbai, as my first taste of the Indian sub-continent, was a very palatable place and my time there was very enjoyable. The city has a tacky, yet inviting and enticing mix of traditional Indian and western cultures. I did experience a bit of a culture shock arriving to Mumbai from Dubai, but it wasn’t as drastic as I had expected. The Mumbai International airport was clean, orderly and logical, which is the least you can ask for as an entry into India. After getting past the border control and officially entering into the country, I hired a pre-paid taxi per Lonely [View Full Entry]

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Dubai! Ultimately, my time spent in Dubai was short. My first weekend in the UAE marked my first sojourn to Dubai. During that night, we hung out with Marius’ friends at various places, though because of Ramadan, it was mostly in a subdued manner. We first met up with Marius’ Parisian friend, Sylvie, who was having Iftar with some of her co-workers at the really cool Park Hyatt. We got to chat about they’re work and such, but ultimately didn’t stay there very long. After a short time, we left for the Four Seasons to meet up with some more of [View Full Entry]

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I flew into Dubai on the overnight flight from Zurich. As usual, I was fairly tired after I arrived with bloodshot eyes and didn’t want to put up with the touts to whom I had become accustomed outside airports and train stations. Surprisingly, or more like unsurprisingly for those that have visited or live in the UAE, there were none, and in fact, the Dubai Airport was one of the nicest I’ve visited so far. That didn’t change the fact that I was still tired and wanted to get some rest, but at least I didn’t need to be on my [View Full Entry]

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Just like my adventure to Lucerne less than a week prior, I took a day trip to the mountains of Oman. I was the closest I’ve ever been to Iran, though on this trip I seem to be re-setting that record each subsequent place I visit. After spending an evening in Dubai, my brother thought it’d be a good idea to take a road trip through the mountains of Oman. So, we hopped in his really nice Range Rover, some may call it vogue (because that’s the name of the model), and took off for the mountains. In my brother’s driving, [View Full Entry]

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Lucerne What a beautiful place. Lucerne is the stereotypical Swiss town, situated on a lake at the foot of the Alps. I may have been questioning my trip’s itinerary in Zurich/ Horgen, but I felt I could live in Lucerne. The people, weather and geography in Lucerne really made me wish I were Swiss. Heike, Adam (who works for FNBO for you JPM’ers that still read this blog and aren’t being bailed out…) took the forty-five minute train from the suburbs of Zurich to the small town of Lucerne, which was on the way for them to Interlaken. That morning, news [View Full Entry]

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Next stop: Zurich, Switzerland. Now, I know one might not think that’s the typical progression for a trip through the Middle East and around the Indian Ocean. However, I was coerced into going by my father and brother as a way to get to know my father’s side of the family a little better. And, in the spirit of backpacking, I felt it’d be fun to see Switzerland for the first time. We didn’t stay exactly in Zurich, but rather a “suburb” outside of Zurich called Horgen where father Joe, brother Patrick and groom Pascal Pruess live. It was a very [View Full Entry]

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After spending a week or so busy sightseeing in Jerusalem and elsewhere, I was ready to step out of the tourist’s life and get a glimpse of what more regular life was like in Israel. A friend of mine from high school and university, Steve, was studying medicine at a program affiliated with Tel Aviv University. He was starting his third year at the program and had a good feel for the city after two plus years. I had arrived on Friday night which is the beginning of Shabbat. In Jerusalem, this would mean that everything would be shut down as [View Full Entry]

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If there were one city with more history, I would love for someone to tell me. After my time in Eilat, I was ready to venture north to see the heart of Israel - Jerusalem. While Eilat was fun, relaxing and full of great jazz, it lacked the cultural element for which I came to Israel. Also, I was a bit worn out from staying up past 3:00 AM every night (the last shows at the jazz festival started at 1:10 AM every night) and thought Jerusalem would provide that respite. I was wrong... My bus arrived in Jerusalem about six [View Full Entry]

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Dahab, Egypt is a backpacker's paradise. Everything I had read about Dahab was true, mainly that it had a very laid-back atmosphere that was tough to beat. Nothing I had experienced before measured up to the ambiance and attitude in Dahab. Independent travelers from around the world converge on Dahab to experience world class diving in an intimate way. It was here I met more people from various parts of the world in one place than I have else on my trip: Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Spain, Argentina, South Korea, Japan and a few Americans. It was a [View Full Entry]

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