So I found this cool little site World66.com that allows you to make a map of all the places that you’ve visited. Although, I’ve been blessed to have seen quite a few places, I am still only upto 7% … better start traveling more often and to more exotic places soon. Gotta at least see a quarter of the world before it’s time to bid farewell.

Visited 17 countries (7%)

DISCLAIMER: The decision to actually choose Malaysia as a honeymoon destination was more circumstantial than by our real desire to visit the country, at least not as our first destination. With the suffocating restrictions that go with having a Pakistani passport, Malaysia is one of the few countries that allow visa-on-arrival for said passport holders.

Having said that, I can honestly say that it was one of my funnest trips to date, from all that happened, and all that we got to see and do. The country, it’s people, the sights, the experiences were so wonderful, and I’m having a hard time fitting everything into my memory bank.

Sure, the weather was hot and humid, and I went from looking like a dark North Indian to a dark South Indian … but that’s all part of the game.

The trip overall was a bit winded, since I had to get Hina to Kuwait before I could join her so she could get her new re-entry visa back to Riyadh. Gave her a chance to catch up with her twin, as well as giving me a chance to hang out with friends like old times.

I ended up in Kuwait for 5 days to visit with family as well, and it was great schmoozing with everyone after sometime. Attended quite a few parties, and gathered a plethora of gifts from all our well wishing friends. If any of you actually ever get to this … we’re very much grateful for the love and kindness!

I guess I’ll keep with the format from the last few trips … do a “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” … that way I can summarize and you don’t have to get too bored with reading endless rantings of a madman.

A lil background first … we departed Kuwait on March 5th, and landed in Malaysia midnight on March 6th. Layovers are a real bitch, and scientists really need to discover time portals …

2007 happens to be Malaysia’s 50th anniversary of their nationhood, and they’re promoting this to no end, with taglines galore. Whether Malaysia is “truly Asia”, I dunno, but it’s great whatever it is.

Ladies and gentleman, without further ado, let’s get started:

The Good:

• Dewans Filharmonik Petronas: For me, this was the absolute highlight of the trip. Going to a world class facility to enjoy an evening of great jazz music live, performed by the tremendous Chick Corea and Gary Burton. The whole air of the evening was grand, from the ladies dressed to impress, and the guys in their suits. I was able to secure the exclusive box seats in the first level balcony which gave us a great view from the top. The music was wonderful, and just having a chance to experience the whole event was a highlight in itself.
• The hotels: Sure, I paid quite handily for some of the places we called home at night, but it was totally worth it. From the Pan Pacific Hotel and KLIA to our last hotel, The Mandarin Oriental in KLCC, every hotel came with it’s own character, and each had service beyond compare.
• The spa treatments: I had always imagined myself enjoying a nice aromatherapy massage, with some nice ambient music playing, and loving every second of it. I didn’t realize that in reality, I would enjoy every millisecond of it. Talk about total indulgence and unsurpassed sense of relaxation.
• Masjid Ubaidiah: No Top 10 Must See In Malaysia should be complete without reference to this one of a kind quaint mosques in the peaceful town of Kuala Kangsar. The town was once the royal capital of the State of Perak, and it still echoes the grandeur and elegance of years past. Long winding roads flanked by lightly blooming trees, the soothing lakes and the beautiful architecture add a sense of calm that I have not felt in very many places.
• Underwater World: Langkawi’s main attraction after the beautiful beaches. Much like any other aquarium, but the variety of species on display were breathtaking and thoroughly enjoyable.
• Hina and the Monkeys: An extremely hilarious (scary at the time) incident that happened on our first day on Langkawi. So, Hina and I decided to take a tour of the island and make the most of our time. Our first stop was Temuran Falls, a tranquil spot just a stones throw away from our resort. Due to conflicting reports from various hawkers, we started on the wrong trail, although that wasn’t the hilarious part. Being a lil thirsty and hungry, we purchased some food and hand carried it onto the trail. Apparently monkeys love food too (who knew?!?) and decided that 3 of the chief monkeys (as Hina calls them) could take on one lil Hina. Apparently they were right. As soon as they saw us, they started their chanting and took off towards the bag of chips. Hina and I at first thot it was so cute until the monkey actually got within striking distance and then all hell broke loose. I couldn’t stop laughing and Hina was running back towards the trail, and the poor woman fell down hard over the curb, and by then the monkeys made away with the bag of chips, as well as my very expensive zoom lens! It took a while, but finally the taxi driver was able to coax the lil booger to drop the lens from the tree and take a yummy cookie instead. All for naught … the lens is virtually useless. Oh yeah! we’re talkin about Hina here … poor thing was in pain the next day, altho the aforementioned spa treatment took care of that the following day.
• Trishaw ride in Penang: Although, I was feeling a little concious when we started our little tour of Georgetown on this bike-rickshaws, I thoroughly enjoyed it by the time we got off in Little India. It’s a very different view of the city you get riding in an open carriage, with the constant rattling of the gears behind you, and the incessand buzzing of cars and motorcycles around you. We enjoyed it so much, we ventured into a trishaw once more before departing Penang. Must do!
• Batu Ferringhi: The supposedly “happening” spot on the island of Penang. This is where the action happens every night … the NIGHT MARKET! Just a hop from our hotel, we were able to enjoy the lively atmosphere virtually all our nights. Very exciting place.
• Hawker Stalls: I think I spent the least amount of money on food in Malaysia, most likely because I never dined at a proper restaurant except for 2 times. The rest of the time we frequented small food stalls setup along the various markets, and I swear they offered the best food in town, for the best prices too! It would be a stretch to say that a very satisfying meal for 2 cost more than $5 on any given night.
• Central Market: The awesome indoors market in KL, selling everything imaginable at unimagineable prices. Not sure what else to say for this one … great bargains all around.
• Ferry Ride (Penang -> Langkawi): What to say … clear blue waters, cool breeze, great cloud cover, soft sunrays stroking your skin. You get the point :o)

The Bad:

• The annoying rain: As you can tell, I have to look real hard for something as a “bad”, but the rain really did put a damper on our last evening in town. Stranded under a jittery covering outside a small store for over an hour waiting for the rain to subside, and then paying 9RM to a cab driver to cover less than 3 city blocks was awful!
• Chinatown: Apparently we’re one of the few that didn’t see the charm this street-turned-shantytown holds. We planned an entire evening around Chinatown which included a nice dinner at one of the hawker stalls (see above), combined with a few blissful hours of shopping. The only highlight of Chinatown was a commotion when the police raided the area looking for DVD piraters. Yeap, too much fun. Actually … I take that back … I enjoyed one more thing there: a very delicious glass of fresh sugarcane juice! Price? A grand total of $0.23!!!
• Twin Towers SkyBridge: Where should I start with this one?!? You queue up early morning for a ticket for an odd hour during the day, and then when your entire days’ plans are thrown in a turvy, your entire trip up, including the small movie and elevator ride up, take less than 15 minutes. The views aren’t that spectacular, and for the few things you do see, you aren’t given enough time to fully take everything in. I guess I really shouldn’t complain about something that is free, but come on.

The Ugly:

This will be hard to come up with, cuz really there really weren’t that many downtimes on our trip, but I can think of a very few.

• The rude taxi drivers: I only mention this for the 3 total a$$hole drivers we encountered on our entire trip. 1 in Langkawi, and 2 in KL. The one in Langkawi was the grand daddy of all tho. We were starving and got some KFC on our way and as we try to open it up to grab a nugget, the guy turns off the AC, looks angrily in the rear-view mirror, pulls down his window and then proceeds to say “You stink my car. No eat car.” The nerve. I agree that he has the right to ask us not to eat in the car, but damn, how about some tact and politeness?! The remainder of the ride, he kept looking back to make sure we weren’t sneaking a bite in between breaths.
• Near heart attack in Dubai: So, this morning we land in Dubai and make our way to the Passport Control queue. We’re chatting it up and as I reach for my wallet, my hand embraces an empty pocket. The fear, shock and panic that hits you at this point is remarkable. Especially for me … both my passports were in the wallet, and that meant no entry to Saudi. It was 5:10AM and the next few hours were pure hell. I must’ve walked the length of the airport a good 5 times trying to get some answers out of the police here. It was finally around 8:47 when a very kind officer in the police department decided to escort me to the plane. Before we arrived, word was sent to the cleaning crew to look hard, and as I starting making my way down the aisles, a gentleman from the cleaning crew informed me that they had indeed found the wallet and had sent it to the lost and found! Talk about relief!!!

Umm, yeah … can’t think of anything else that would be deemed ugly.

Although, I will say that I have presented a very short list in “The Good” section. There really were a whole lot of great times. I’ll just do an honorable mention list:

• Batu Caves
• Butterfly Garden
• Lunch at E&O Hotel
• Kek Lok Si Temple
• Wat Chayamangkalaram Temple
• KL Tower by night
• Shah Alam State Mosque
• The KL Krafts Komplex
• Little India (Penang and KL)
• Lake Gardens

WOW, I realize that I can keep going so let’s save this for a rainy day spent in the company of good friends.

Malaysia … perhaps Truly Asia!

I dunno if the title of this post is actually applicable … maybe something more appropriate would be “As MY World Changes.” You see … I am a week into being a married man, and although nothing has really changed, everything seems to have changed.

I dunno how I would describe this feeling, experience, or event … not sure how to fully explain this one. I know, you must be totally surprised - Mo? Doesn’t know how to write extensively about something?! ButI guess there is a time for everything - yeap! I’m at a loss for words.

That whole “I’m responsible for another person” thing hasn’t really hit me yet, although there was that time when she had to take out all her liquid stuff from her bag (I was blamed for not reminding her about the new rules (let’s forget that she has traveled since the London events)) and then I had to go buy all this new stuff for her. Does it sound like I’m complaining? Good … I’m trying very hard too ;o) Nah, it’s actually not all that bad. It’s good to have someone to be around, and to think I now have a personal feeder when I’m driving … so totally worth it! You can drive and get fat at the same time - I mean, too good to be true, right?

No … today is your lucky day! Step right up and get married. Sign away your life for a few moments of pure “driven” bliss, where the comforts of food, and the joy of the pedal come together in perfect harmony!

I’d love to write about all the events that have happened over the past few days (no, not THOSE events … I always knew my audience were perverts!) but I dunno where to start. Between the endless eating, and the countless parties, and the constant dressing up, it’s all a blur. I’ll try something new … maybe I’ll start at the beginning!

Obviously, my London post is left half done, but I’d lose a lotta time going over the events with Aneel. Let me just say that he made my day absolutely and thoroughly enjoyable. It involved a lot of jokes, a lot of sightseeing, and a lot of laughing. Thanks bro! Much appreciated!

I got home to a house full of the excitement that surrounds a wedding home. In other words, everything was a mess! Clothes everywhere, jewelry boxes, suitcases overflowing. Everyone looked exhausted, especially my parents. They had been busy setting up the new couples room and it looked spectacular. I guess more than anything, their effort was so clearly visible, it made it all the more appealing.

The next day, I had an appointment at the Grooming Lounge spa for men, thanks to my friend Gina. I was kinda iffy about the whole thing, but was also intrigued by it. I dragged my cuz along with me, and altho he talks like I totally forced him into it, he has to admit that it was actually quite a lot of fun! We got manicures, a relaxing facial, and I got a haircut. We came out with our faces all red and pimply - we looked HAAAWT!

Sunday morning we left for Tampa and man, that was something! 6 people, 8 carryons, and 12 suitcases! And most of them over the baggage allowance of 50lbs! Not to worry … a lil tip slipped in the right place does wonders ;o) All the bags were checked in curbside with no problems and off we went.

My family greeted us in Tampa and the parties were officially underway. Along with the incessant teasing. I guess I was shielded by the whole thing since I was so far away, but there was no getting away from it here, I suppose. We had uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews … everyone was up in the joint. But it felt really nice to see everyone coming together for MY wedding.

I guess I should mention that it has been somewhat of a joke in my family as far as my wedding goes. I think I started making noises about wanting to be married back when I was like 17yrs old, and either everyone was so tired of hearing about it, or they enjoyed it so much - they all decided to attend the event. I wasn’t complaining!

Everyday family members were pouring in from all across the US, and this was shaping upto be the ONE event where my ENTIRE family would attend, save for one uncle and his progeny. And I guess I should I also mention that my dad’s side of the family is huge! 11 brothers and sisters makes for a lot of cousins, and fortunately, we all get along great.

Tuesday was the day of the mehndi … the official wedding kickoff event. This event is hosted by the brides family, and it’s a chance for the grooms family to display the gifts they are giving for the bride - the wedding and valima outfits, the various other outfits and all the jewelry.

I was soooooooooo extremely nervous leading upto the mehndi, and I was trying to keep myself busy in everything else but getting ready to go. My main reason for apprehension: being the center of attention. No fun!

Anyways … to make a long story short … we got to the venue sooo late (like 2.5hrs late, but who’s counting!) but it turned out great. I was nervous for the first 10-15 minutes, but after that it got easier and I actually started enjoying it. We have some fun stuff we do during the mehndi, and after all was said and done, we got back to our hotel at around 1ish.

Everyone gathered in our room and before we knew it, it was nearly 4 and we decided to finally call it a day. Tomorrow was the big event … the actual wedding. The day of no return, the moment of truth!

I’ll try to do this in pieces so it’s easier for everyone to swallow ;o)

I flew into London early yesterday morning and was kinda disappointed with Heathrow. It looked so old and crudgy, not at all what I remembered when I was here 2yrs ago. But I guess I was also in the old terminal.

I got to the IBIS Hotel, about 5 miles from the airport, and had to wait a good 2hrs before they could check me in!!! I had an early flight, and they had no rooms ready. That was ok tho, cuz they only charged me for one night, whereas I was dreading being charged for 2. So 2hrs on the couch in the lobby saved me $100! Can’t complain, can I?

I got to the room, and crashed … waiting for a certain Mr. Aneel to show up so we could go chill out. I actually stopped over in London to see Aneel, and was waiting quite anxiously for him to show up. I met him first like 4 months ago I suppose, but have known him for almost a year now. Really nice, caring Pakistani guy … handling the accounts of the big cats out in London.

Guy is sooo important that even tho he was nearly dying yesterday, he had to goto work today or they were gonna bring the client site to the hospital. Now THAT’S power, baby!

It was raining, and was kinda chilly but no harm! All worked out. We headed over to the Hounslow West underground station, and man I was freakin out! This is hte SAME station they showed in the Bend It Like Beckham movie! WHOA!!! Ok, so it wasn’t all THAT great, but I was really stoked ;o)

We took a 25-min ride to the famed Picadilly Circus stop. Wasn’t too impressed … looks like a mini version of Times Square. But it was fun to see all the double-decker red buses plowing around. It was cold, and I had no proper attire so we stopped in this placed called “Crest of London” and I ended up buying a cool London sweatshirt!

From there we walked over to Lester Square … a very nice, Dupont Circle/Adams Morgan looking kinda area and then we saw heaven on earth, beckoning us to go inside. Yeap, you’re absolutely right … it was a Haagen-Dazs store! Very nice ambience inside and our choices were beyond words mmmmmmmmmm! I got a Chocolate Hot Chocolate and Aneel got some delish banana-choco muffin thingy with nut ice cream and cream! I’m sure I started the put-on-weight process just as I was ordering the freakin thing!

From there my perverted friend wanted to show me the red light district of London … better known as SoHO! What an appropriate name! It was daytime, so the place didn’t look way too seedy, but still … there were sex stores all around, one which we visited … out of curiosity more than anything. Embarrassing … best word to describe the experience. As we walked out, this old man approached us offering us a lap dance by a “live girl” … correct me if I’m wrong … but I wasn’t aware that dead girls could give lap dances! The things you learn everyday!

*Aaaah* I have only 3 minutes left on this stupid paid Internet thing so I’m gonna sign off on this happy note and pick up the rest tomorrow!

It’s that time of the year again … Ramadan. So, to all my brothers and sisters out there in virtual reality - Ramadan Kareem. May this most holy and blessed of months bring you closer to Allah, and may Allah shower all of you with his choicest of blessings.

Please take time to reflect on the countless blessings each one of us possesses. Make sure to pray for those less fortunate than us, as well as our continued well being and the well being of our fragile Ummah, especially through these trying times.

Take time to appreciate the small things in your life that make life worth living, and pray for the strength and courage to stay on the right path always.

Again, Ramadan Kareem to all! May Allah bless us all, always and forever. Ameen.

A short tale about sweet revenge - yeap, I loove it!

A few days ago, Omar and I went out for dinner at the local subway close to Omar’s house. Well, I should actually say I went for dinner, and Omar just sat and ate all my cookies. He actually thought I bought them for him, but they were really for me :o( (He was nice enough to buy me another one though, so no harm ;o)

Anyways, we go in and I ordered my usual: 6″ tuna salad on honey-oats bread with no cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, olives, honey mustard, and s&p. Mmmmmm … you’re getting a rumbly in your tumbly aren’t ya?! For my drink, I went with the usual: a glass of water. The attendant handed me a large cup and pointed me to the fountain area.

So, I looked for the little white thingy sticking out and pushed on it and went to the seat. Enjoyed my sandwich, talking with Omar about this, that or the other and I finally took a sip from the glass. MAJOR EEEEK FACTOR!

I shrugged it off thinking that maybe this some high-end French oriented Subway that serves Perrier in the fountains, instead of regular tap water. Drank a few more sips and really didn’t like it so I left it.

I guess we were in a hurry and left as soon as I had eaten and Omar had bought me my cookie, and himself a juice. Back in the car, I just happened to mention that man, that water really sucked back in there. So Omar just randomly asked me if I took the contents of the small white button, and I said yeah, what else would I take - that’s water! The look that followed was priceless - it was a mixture of mirth, unsuppressed incredulity and a bit of pity jumbled together.

When he was able to speak again (a second later, really) … I think the following was uttered: uh, you know what that liquid was right? And I’m like of course, it’s water. Uh, no it’s not … it’s soda water, they have that to make your soda feel more soda-ey when it fizzes out. Whatever, you’re on crack, that was water. I cannot believe you don’t know this, you American. OH NO YOU DIDN’T … that’s like a double whammy insult, lol.

All you US folks, am I insane? Have I always been consuming soda water from the restaurants? I swear we have a water button to get water from at ALL soda fountains in ALL restaurants. Please tell me I haven’t lost my mind - these Arabs need a reality check for real!

So of course, Omar is having way too much fun with this and proceeds to talk up a storm likening my totally unfortunate situation with a story of some folks he met who had come from the rural outskirts in Riyadh somewhere and him and his cousins had taken them to MickeyDs. There, the kids and the parents were all awestruck by the technology and the ordering system, and how everyone was getting a kick out of the po’ folks’ situation. Psssh … how rude!

I’m driving listening to this guy who I thought was my friend … the things you realize sometimes :oD

We get back to Omar’s place and I had to fax a proof of my wedding card to the printers and since Omar had been taking care of this for me, all the stuff was in his place already. I called up Mr. Moin and told him to please confirm that the fax was received successfully. I signed the proof and Omar very casually, like an expert, faxed the document over.

2 seconds later Mr Moin calls up and says Sir, we only received a blank sheet of paper. Omar and I just exchanged a look and it was one those “you-had-to-be-there” kinda situation, but it was absolutely hilarious.

The best part was I didn’t have to say a word to rub it in … here he is, Mr. OAS … the IT guru, with his big bad fax machine-printer-scanner-moon rover combo machine … *aaah* too good!

This ones for ya smartass!

This past Wednesday was the last day of one of the earliest SAIC employees in the RSNF program, Calipha Abdur Rahman. He was in-charge of the A/V department, and virtually the Admiral’s right hand man.

Along with Abdullah Brooks, who also winded down his career a week earlier, these two had been part of the program for over 45yrs between the two. It definitely was the close of a chapter within the RSNF-SAIC saga. Only a few remnants remain of the initial contract, and even they’ve stated their intentions of leaving.

One of the aforementioned, Baseer, decided to make Calipha’s last day truly memorable, something where Calipha wouldn’t have a choice but to say he had a ball at work. Between Arnie and Baseer, the two of them decided to try something new, VERY new.

The grocery stores here sell all sorts of meats … rabbits, ostriches, camel, deer, the list goes on. Of course, they also sell many of the various body parts of every animal, and in partcular sheep testicles (nuts, balls, whatever you will) were spotted by our two daring heroes.

Baseer is a fairly good cook (of course, no comparison to yours truly, but I mean, is there any competition from anyone?!?) and he prepared this “delicacy” Sliced and diced em babies, doused them in lemon juice and various other spices and sauteed them with a healthy portion of tomatoes and onions.

Wednesday, it was the talk of the workplace. Grown men were giggling hearing what they were being urged to try. Baseer was swearing on his reputation, and insisting that it tasted like chicken liver

[On a sidenote, I feel really bad for the chicken. I mean, think about it … if a chicken heard us talking when we try other meats, and all it hears is “tastes just like chicken” … it must think … well, why the hell are you killing me then?!? Everything else tastes like me, leave me the hell alone!!!”]

The older guys were the quickest try, of course they have to set the example for the youngins as the daring, macho image of a male. It was proclaimed edible by all, and Baseer’s interpretation of the preparation was lauded over and over again. Enthused by such positive enforcement, Baseer took it upon himself to make sure that everyone had some balls in their mouth … walking around the SSC with his offering.

I was under the weather so he spared me, but it was gnawing at me that am I not man enough to try this? I mean … everyone around me is eating it, and nobody has dropped yet … so what you waiting for?

I did the curious calf number … walked around the plate a few times, knelt in, smelled the contents, smiled and walked off. Doesn’t smell too bad, but come on … it’s freakin BALLS!

Curiosity is a very bad thing in many situations … making you do things you know you don’t want to do, but at the same time, you must. When no one was looking, I took a small piece of bread, took a piece and shoved it down. Now the initial reaction when you try something innately offensive is the urge to throwup, or the gag reflex. Both kicked in, and I could feel my stomach churn.

Fortunately, just then I actually tasted the “meat” (?!?) and honestly, I was pleasantly surprised … it was actually damn good. Kinda spongy, kinda chewy, and overall tasty!

So yes … now I can add another exotic delicacy to my growing list of wierd things consumed: desert lizard, zebra, ostrich, goat eyeball, so on and so forth.

And now I’m sitting here thinking how the hell did I write so much about this?!?

The next entry will be great … I promise!

There are certain places which always feel like home, no matter how long you’ve been away for, or how much the place has changed. For me, that place, I think, will always be Kuwait. On my way back from Athens, I stopped over in Kuwait for a short jaunt, and it was very, very relaxing.

Kuwait is much changed from when I used to live there over 15 years ago, and all of it for the better. Although, I hear the local population could do better, if you know what I mean. But fortunately, all my experiences on this trip were of the good variety … no rudeness … oh wait … there was this stupid bitch at the checkin counter this morning.

Alright … before going back, let me spit this story out … so I had an early morning flight out and showed up a little before 7. I realize it’s early and everyone is a little groggy, but I mean … there are some limits to everything. The lady at the counter looks at me with the most disdainful look ever and goes “yes?” with attitude so thick, I could slice it with a knife. I’m like I need to check-in, and she was like can I see your ticket? I tell her that it’s an eTicket and she can look me up through the passport. [I give her my passport] The bitch refuses to even take it, she’s like you don’t have a passport? what are you doing at the airport? I’m like it’s an online ticket, I bought it on the Internet … she’s like we don’t do that here.

Now my patience is wearing thin, and I tell her yes, ur absolutely right, you can’t do that at the airport, but I can do it at home, so please enter my name and take a look. “I cannot lookup using a name. Come back with your ticket.” Finally after going back and forth a few times, she takes the passport, VERY reluctantly, and proceeds to search by first name … altho I had mentioned maybe 10 times that my last name is Burney! She slams the passport on the counter “I told you this was not possible”

So I asked the other lady to come over and within 15 seconds, my bag was checked-in, I had a boarding pass, and cheerful “Have a nice flight sir!” Was it that hard?!

Ok ok ok … reeeeeewind! Ah yes … this looks familiar … Athens … last day!

The day was awesome mostly because I got some amazing pictures of some kids in front of the Syntagma building. I hope they’re as cool as they appeared … psssh, who am I kidding … of course they’ll be great … I took them!

I mostly roamed around the ruins of the Temple of Zeus for awhile, and then headed over to the Monastiraki and Plaka districts for some last minute shopping. Actually, I had seen the Hard Rock Cafe the night before and just wanted to grab a few things from there. Simple enough … but it took a good while for me to find the place Anyways … got my stuff, had some lunch at a streetside taverna and took in the scenes for one last time.

Took a little to long to take in what I wanted to take and I had to rush my taxi driver to get me to the airport on time … which he did

I had a boring stopover in Dubai and got into my motherland at 1PM on Thursday … man, Kuwait has changed! And as I was saying, totally for the better.

The next 2 days were almost blurs of activity … going out to meet old family friends, meeting up with my to-be in-laws, and of course the highlight … going shopping for clothes in the Long Market of Kuwait City. This place is huge … a large collection of shops selling only but fabrics. I had some shopping to do for the wedding hoopla, but I didn’t mind … I love shopping for this stuff.

I had another long layover in Dubai, so I went to the Mall of the Emirates to check out what all the hoopla is about, and I must say … I must be extremely stupid, or maybe I’m not tall enough, but all the hype just went straight over my head.

It’s a mall. It’s big. Hmm … let’s see … am I missing anything? Nope, doesn’t look like it. I tried to get excited … tried walking faster thinking that maybe if the store boards started spinning around real fast, it would create some excitement, but nope … I just ended up getting dizzy.

Sullenly, I walked over to the cinemas and ended up catching a screening of “My Super Ex-Girlfriend” It was a nice, light-hearted comedy/romance flick, with the ever pretty Uma Thurman (wth was Ethan Hawke thinking?!?)

*PHEW* yeap … all that and now I’m sitting in the Dubai Airport. Oh yeah, I got me a nice silver bracelet at the mall too.

Well, this trip certainly closes a chapter on my life, staring straight down to Chapter 3: Momo grows up (or at least we hope he will). Has a nice ring to it I suppose.

The last 20 months have been absolutely amazing, and easily the most enjoyable of my life upto this point. I think I have grown as a person, learned about myself, gotten more confident being in my own skin, and have seen so much of everything life has to offer. From the incessant travelling, to getting acclimated to a new environment, from being away from family, to discovering a new hidden one … it has been wonderful.

I really want to thank all those who have made these times memorable for me (you all know who u are, right?)

For those who gave me so much pleasure, to those who pushed me into the pits … thank you one and all! Every experience shapes me as a person and I’m sure will help me as I start life fresh in the coming months!
Arrivederci!

All good things must come to an end, and in Greeces case, it came a little too early. It really is a most wonderous place and the people are so extremely nice. The culture steeped in history, and the sites standing resolute serving as a testament to that culture.

The Greeks are a very proud race, and for good reason - they are the cradle of the Western civilization, and have helped shape so many of our current perceptions, laws, social norms, and so much more.

My last 3 days in Athens were absolutely amazing, just like the 2 days in the relaxing Santorini. Athens is such a mish-mash of old and new, east and west, it really blows your mind. At the center of the city, you have the towering Acropolis standing watch over Athens, much like it did thousands of years ago. Around it has sprawled the nice chic areas of Plaka, Monastiraki, Syntagma and many, many more.

The shops in Plaka have a very laid back atmosphere … individuals strolling around, casually taking in the sights and sounds, and whiffing on the wonderful smells emanating from the tavernas which seem to be at every corner, every junction. Tables jut out deep into the narrow cobblestone streets, with musicians strolling around, letting the air carry their sounds over the nearby blocks.

The shops sell everything from Versace jeans to handmade ceramic trinkets, from Prada bags to cheap $1 t-shirts. Plaka and Monastiraki … truly the most enjoyable part of Athens.

I took an evening trip to the south most point of the Attica peninsula, Cape Sounio. I think it’s getting old having me say this place was amazing, that place was amazing. But it really does fit the description here. Atop the hill overlooking the Aegean sea sits the gorgeous ruins of the Temple of Poseidon, the sea god. The starkness and the beauty of the place catch you at the same time, and the feeling of the scene is breathtaking.

We were there for the sunset and it was magical!

I didn’t think anything could top that, but I was totally wrong. The next day, I took a day trip out to the small town of Delphi in the northwest, bordering between the Attican and Corinthan peninsulas. I’ve always wanted to see Delphi, and thought that maybe since I have wanted to see it for so long, I would be in for a letdown.

Totally rocked it! The place again is wonderful. The Temple of Zeus, the Temple of Athena, the stadiums, the arenas … I can keep going on and on, but let me cut it short and suffice it to say that Delphi has to be seen to be believed.

After getting back, I spent the next 5 hours shopping like a madman in Plaka … had gifts to buy, souvenirs to collect … too much work! I ambled into my room around midnight, and of course the doors were locked!

I’m standing there pounding on the doors and finally the groggy watchman opens the door, and for all means and purposes it felt like he was about to club me to the ground!

Today has been much the same as yesterday .. running around seeing the last few sights I hadn’t seen yet, and finishing up shopping.

Greece - most definitely the Spirit of the World … true to the tagline of the numerous souvenirs!

So I’m back for another installment. I find that if I try and make the effort, this blogging thing really isn’t all that hard. Altho, right now … not too good. The room is hot as anything, and has this kinda wet, musty smell. But whatever … the Internet is pretty fast, so I can just do my thang and be on my way.

The sunsets in Santorini are everything people say they are, and then some. On my last day in Santorini, I woke up at like 7AM, and roamed the streets till after dark. Since it was Sunday, the streets were empty, and I felt like I was in an old ghost town, replete with sounds of creaky signposts blowing in the wind. Every so often, I would be greeted by the melodious sounds of the millions of churches in the town of Oia. It was a great time to get some pictures, and I hope the results are worth the time I put into them.

Of course, it wasn’t all so calm and easy … how can it be? So I’m walking along the streets, all by myself, with a cookie in one hand and the camera in the other. A few dogs see the cookie in my hand and decide that it is time they had breakfast. Being absent minded as I am, I’m walking along, oblivious to the building growls behind me. I turn back to frame a shot and 5 dogs are staring me straight down. I’m trying to keep myself from running, because they say that dogs can sense fear. I start walking a little faster than usual and one dog apparently took offense to that and decides to charge, and before I know it, I feel a wet tongue on my left hand. Of course, the cookie is smothered … but the damn dog thinks I’m fooling it and have something better stored elsewhere … so he comes in front of me and starts sniffing at my pockets … the other 4 have slowly crept up behind me and are growling their approval for the pack leader.

Now … imagine this scene … stranded street, quiet wind, me standing in my shorts, toting a camera in one and waving the other arm around in panic (I’m not sure who I am expecting to see it, but it’s psychologically soothing), and 5 dogs intent on having breakfast at any cost … at the present time: mine! Finally after an eternity, this groggy old man looks out the window and calls for someone … his dog, it turns out. One of the 4 behind me decides he’ll have better luck with his master and decides to go for it. Eventually the others got the same idea and took off.

The whole episode must have lasted only like 15 minutes, but I swear I felt like I had been standing there since yesterday!

So, after all this, and after walking all over the town, I decided to head down the mountain to the Bay of Armeni for my volcano ferry. Ok, I’ll admit that I’m not in the BEST of shape, but I’m fairly decent and can walk with the best of em … but boy was I winded when I got down … they say there are over 500+ steps, each about 6ft wide … winding down along the mountain.

I say this in every blog about every country … I swear the people in the olden days knew we would turn out to be fat slobs, and that’s why they made all their monuments up in the sky. It still surprises me how things were done back then, especially at the scale that they’ve been done in.

I met some really nice folks on the ferry ride, and that made the trip a lot more enjoyable. The entire island of Santorini has a fascinating story, but I won’t bore everyone with it … google it After having a nice lunch on the island of Thissira, we got back and were looking at the steps back up with sheer contempt … but couldn’t be helped, so all of us started the trek upwards.

The trip down was rough, but there aren’t words for my final state when I got up finally. Jane was cracking up at me (she took the easy way, and rode a donkey up) … I looked like I had just stepped out of the shower, but the showerhead was still following me around. I could feel myself stinking

Had a coool honey walnet ice cream, and after extended goodbyes with Rena, and many promises to return, she dropped me off at the taxi station, and off it was for the ferry.

The sunset on the port was beautiful, and of course I ended up taking a gazillion shots. You decide how they turned out

The ferry ride was calm and steady this time around, but the passengers next to me weren’t. Man, they were making out like freakin monkeys and kept bumping into me followed by a very insincere “sorry”, giggles, and carry on. It was actually kinda amusing, but still … I was trying to sleep!

We got back into Athens around 1 and then it was onto Mission: Find Hotel. For some wierd ass reason, there were no young taxi drivers around, and the old 18th century ones didn’t speak English. So I’m pointing in my guide book, repeating the names of areas over and over again and finally after 45 mins the guy gets me to a cheap hotel right close to downtown, no harm no foul.

But hold on … wait a minute … the AC in the room didn’t work. It was HOT and humid and I’m like aww hell naw … It’s 2 AM! Couldn’t do anything, so I opened the windows, got down to my birthday suit and went off to see Old Mr. Chou.

Much to my embarrassment, the next morning I found out that my window opens up about 15 feet from another balcony in the hotel next door, and a couple were sitting there enjoying their coffee, well … enjoying as much as they could after what they probably saw!

I’m running off into the next day, so until next time … efharisto!