BACK in the USA

I know it's been forever since we have posted a blog, but now that we are back and semi-settled here in Houston, Texas, I promise to get this blog back up and running.

We just got back from a trip to Prague and Croatia with our friends Brian and Jess. Photos and blog on that should be forthcoming.

In the meantime, we'll try to take some photos of our new home here in the good ol' Bayou City. Here is one of the outside.

Here are the photos from when our container finally showed up (after an excrutiating 2 month stay in a hotel).

Now that we are finally moved in, we'll take some pictures of the inside. I've been getting requests from several people, so we'll post some ASAP.

In the meantime, Alex and I are just working on getting used to being back in the USA, practicing our Texas vernacular such as "y'all," (these days "Hola, como esta" would actually be more fitting- I'm going to have to put that Spanish degree to some use) and looking forward to what the future here may hold!

Back to Paradise

As our last trip of 2008, we chose to go back to the Seychelles over the Thanksgiving holiday to relax and decompress after such a busy year. The first half of the trip was spent on the main island of Mahe. We wanted to take the opportunity to explore the main island more since our last trip was focused on the secondary islands of Praslin and La Digue.

After an overnight flight from Dubai on Emirates using the air miles we hoarded all year long we were on the ground in the Seychelles in four hours. It is hard to believe that you can go from such an unpleasant region of the world to paradise so quickly! We stayed at the Hilton again as we did last time. It really is a very nice place as the pictures here show.

The beaches at the Hilton are not the best, however, just a short bike ride away is Beau Vallon beach with its perfect sand, sun, and waves. Biking the quarter mile was the hard part given that the bikes were not in the best condition and the fact that there were no sidewalk so you are relegated to fighting for space on narrow winding roads with the island buses.

Our first couple of days revolved around hitting the beach at Beau Vallon and relaxing back at the hotel. A routine that I think both of us could get used to!

After downshifting from the pace of life in Dubai to the pace of life in the Seychelles, we decided to venture out to Victoria, the capitol of the Seychelles.

Victoria is the worlds smallest capitol city and is an eclectic mix of cultures. It has much of the feel of New Orleans with its heavy Creole influence. Most of the population is of African descent with a mix of French and Indian nationalities. The British ruled the Seychelles for longer than anyone before independence, however, there influence is far less than the French.

Unfortunatley all is not well in the Seychelles. Recently the government allowed their currency, the Seychelles Rupee, to float which has created some real financial hardship. With so few exports to bring in foreign currency its difficult for the islanders to afford basic commodities. Exacerbating the situation is the sheer remoteness of the islands which drives up the cost of virtually everything which must be imported.

So we did our part in town by spending those US dollars (for whatever they are worth now) to

pick up some souvenirs. The markets in town are really interesting with fish, fruit, and spices among other things all being sold in colorful settings with the typical Creole flair.







On the last day on Mahe, we had the opportunity to take a sunset cruise out on the Indian Ocean. We pulled into a secluded cove on the island as we awaited the sunset and were able to do some snorkeling which in the clear waters was incredibly fun.






















As the sun began to sink below the horizon, one of the crew broke out his guitar to sing a few local songs while we watched the sky illuminate with the final firey orange rays of the day.

























The second half of our visit was spent on Sainte Anne Island. This island is a 15 minute boat road away from Mahe and is situated within a marine national park.


Overall, Sainte Anne was a bit of disappointment, however, we made the most of it. We spent most of our time around the island on the beaches or taking out the resorts boats to do some exploring.



































We did feel very safe during our visit here as a US war ship pulled into harbor upon our arrival and remaind in port for the duration of our stay. Why they were not out chasing Somali pirates is anyone's guess.


So with that it was back home to Dubai to finish out 2008 and prepare for Christmas back Stateside!

Scandinavia

It was back to the frozen north the second week of November for Alex's final module in his company's academy. On the way to Oslo, Norway we were able to make a brief visit to Stockholm, Sweden.

The weather was just about as you would expect in late fall for Scandinavia, cold and wet. Our hotel was centrally located which allowed us to be able to walk to most of the old town. In addition, we were close to the hub for the city's public transit.

Stockholm really is a beautiful city. The old part of the city is set on a network of small islands all connected by numerous bridges. Gamla Stan is the heart of the old city and is home to the royal family's palace. We were there just as the area was beggining to decorate for the holidays, there must be few places in the world that just have such a Christmas feel to them.

The streets are narrow and filled with numerous shops on each side. We strolled through winding streets making our way up to the royal palace and in time to see the changing of the guard.

After a great lunch, including some traditional Swedish pastries it was time to brave the bus network to get to our next stop....turns out not the easiest task when the language looks nothing like English! After getting ourselves turned around and heading the correct direction we eventually made it to Skansen.

Skansen is effectively a large park in the city that strives to preserve and exhibit the traditional Scandinavian way of life. What was unique was that the life size mock ups of what Swedish villages would have looked like during certain time periods also included the artisans, bakers, and craftsman. It was interesting to be able to watch the traditional ways of creating glass, baking as well as wood working.

After Skansen we were able to make a quick visit to the Vasa museum. The Vasa was 17th century vessel that on her maiden voyage in 1628 out of Stockholm harbor keeled over and sank. While a tremendous loss both militarily and financially for the area it became a treasure trove once discovered in the 1950s. Due to the extremely cold water, the vessel was almost perfectly preserved. The vessel was raised in its entirety and a museum built around it.

What trip would be complete to Sweden without a visit to the original Ice Bar? This bar is entirely made of ice.....cups, chairs, tables, bar, walls....everything and as you can probably guess, its kept at a chilly 25 degrees.

Stockholm is certainly a place that we would like to visit again.....maybe when its a little warmer.

The Palm Atlantis Grand Opening

On November 20th, the long awaited grand opening of the Palm Atlantis took place. Even in Dubai where the spectacular is almost common place, this event was really something to behold. The Atlantis Hotel sits on the very tip of the Palm Jumeriah (the massive artificial island shaped like a palm tree off the coast of Dubai). The focus of the event was a massive $20 million fireworks show lighting up the 43 kilometers of The Palm.

Arriving just in time for the event were our new friends from the US, Matt and Mary Thompson. Matt and Mary just relocated from Atlanta to Abu Dhabi and this trip up to Dubai was Mary's first to the city. Before heading off to take in the opening extravaganza, we took Matt and Mary on a brief tour of the city which by tradition has to include a stop at the Dubai museum which showcases the city's rich history. Historical exhibits date all the way back to last Tuesday.

So with background of the city complete, it was time to get ready for the main event. Luckily Vivian had gotten us dinner reservations at a hotel on the mainland over looking The Palm....only problem being that dinner wasn't going to be served until 10 PM. So, in order to kill time waiting for dinner and the fireworks we thought we would have a few drinks.

Keep in mind that in the pictures below, there is no music playing....

After a dinner (that I am told was very good) word spread that the fireworks were about to begin which was surprising because that would have meant it was on time at midnight, however, in true Dubai fashion the wait began...

Finally, with the last of the Sheikhs, CEOs, Hollywood and Bollywood folks flown over our heads in their helicopters to the Atlantis Hotel, it was time to begin! While it seemed to last quite awhile, it is amazing how quickly you can burn through $20 million.