Our 4th day of the trip was a morning of "optional activities", those we chose earlier that week. Then we would have a 5 hour drive to Bulawayo for our Rhino trek the following day, something none of us were looking forward to. Optional Activities As mentioned, another girl and I had planned to go skydiving, having pumped ourselves up for it the first dinner and following through with the sign up and then scheduling it, only to be told the second evening that it was no longer an option. Bummer. We were only allowed to choose 2 activities, though if you were smart, you could probably have fit in more. However, they were not cheap and I was glad for the limitations. Instead, I signed up for the helicopter ride over the falls and the ... read more

My initial Eid planned trip to Scotland fell through, so instead my friend suggested an African group tour with a local touring group he uses. The trip was to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Zambia, with stops in multiple national parks and the waterfalls. I had been wanting to take a trip to Africa for a while now, but did not want to go solo for my first time, so this was perfect. Victoria Falls Rest Camp We left from Dubai airport at 4:30 in the morning on Ethiopian Airlines, stopping in Addis Ababa (crazy airport), and landing in Victoria Falls. I met everyone at the coffee shop after checking in and it seemed to be a good, but diverse group of people, a few of whom had quite a few to drink on the way. We ... read more

Generally, I need to get away every two months to keep my sanity, especially when I get really busy. So, my friend's wedding in the Philippines was the perfect opportunity. Joselet and I used to be office mates when I first worked in Dubai, and her twin, Joevet, also worked in our company. They were two of my first friends in Dubai and showed me around often. We've kept in contact over the years, even though Joselet moved on to another company. And now - she was getting married! Despite a huge report deadline, and many other things hanging over my head, I still kept to my trip. A much needed trip. I worked in the business class lounge until 1:30 in the morning reviewing reports. Fortunately, when I made my way to the gate, as ... read more

For a four day holiday weekend in Dubai (celebrating commemoration day and National Day on Dec 2nd), I decided to take a break and do something fun. While I love the Christmas markets in Europe, I wanted to go somewhere close and somewhere new. I considered Cyprus, Greece, but finally settled on Seychelles. I am happy with my decision. For most, particularly in this region, Seychelles means a resort on white sandy beaches, fruity drinks while sunbathing, and without a care in the world. I wanted this too, but I also wanted to experience the culture of a new country. Cerf Island Marine Resort seemed to meet all of my requirements, so I booked. The resort had someone, Ron, meet me at the airport where he drove me to Eden Island to catch a boat. From ... read more

After leaving my friends, I took a train to Amsterdam Centraal. With my heavy bags, I just took a taxi to my hotel in Westerpark. The Conscious Hotel was our designated accommodation for the training, even though the training itself was held at other locations. This is yet another modern hotel, but placed in a former factory in a beautiful park. So the location was nice, but kind of far away from everything. Check in was similar to my first night, where we had to do it ourselves. But my room was ready and it was huge. And freezing. Someone had left the window open and it didn't warm up until well after I went to bed.... I was able to take a nap and a quick shower before meeting our group at a nearby restaurant, ... read more