Just NB

Whooaaa, newbe travelller issues today. Today, I kinda forgot everything that I learned from my travels. I got a luggage cart myself (in Madagascar, this can be a near aggressive accomplishment), got my luggage without a problem, and then went to the ATM to get some money. Problem: I hadn't even looked up the currency conversion. I tried to crane my neck to a sign at a currency conversion place and saw that it was around 8 Dirham per Canadian dollar. Problem: I can't do math in my head. I took what I thought was enough, I wasn't sure what it would look like outside as far as safety issues (I've only read some sections about carrying money, and in some busier parts, you don't carry much at all. This doesn't apply to the ENTIRE COUNTRY, but I was a little out of it), so I didn't take the usual max that I normally do. After a few men ask me if I need help, a younger man, dressed in what I would think a taxi driver would wear, asked me if I need a taxi. ...

Yesterday I went out walking in Luxembourg, not sure what I was going to do, but didn't feel like applying for jobs (or napping :P) all day. Since I knew there was a lot of walking involved....I wore my workout pants. There's just something about jeans and runners that I can't pull off. Did I mention it was +11*C? That means cold, man. I needed to dress for it. But I did get some strange looks! Luxembourg is such a beautiful city! First stop was Namur for a hot chocolate. They are daMN good! But, I always find the service a little too snobby for me. Next I walked over to Place d'Armes and just sat and drank my hot chocolate. (It's rainy right now and I'm tired, so it will be a Wiki link up and not so much an explanation of the place :( ). Couldn't resist trying to capture a picture of these two cute dogs! Next I was on my way to Casemates Petrusses, I think I got a little lost, so I just walked around and took pictures. A memorial ...

I'm not sure how to say this.  This week I'm extra thankful and happy and blessed to have the people in my life that love, support me, and let me know it by the relationships we share.  I'm thankful I am able to take this amazing trip. I'm thankful that I'm going to Luxembourg, where I'll spend time with friends, and be myself . 

I'm not sure how I got the dates that mixed up, but so far I've had a pretty ok day!  Last night I tried to find out more how to take the bus to Atlantis in Dubai, but there's little info online and I'm not sure what I'd do there. It's not really a solo kind if place, or maybe just not a solo place for me.  Looks cool though.  Started today like every other day so far with a Starbucks! Love that its so close!   Laundry, packing, and laziness, then finally I went got the energy to walk the whole seven minutes to the beach. It's called the Corniche. My dad and his wife live in the pinkish building. I went for lunch just down the on the Corniche at a nice Italian place.  It's outside so they make every effort to make sure you're confortable in the shade and portable fans.  I had a smallish lunch, so that I could have this amazing ice cream concoction. I'm really keeping this Abu Dhabi portion of the trip. Hey, carbs are good for your mood or somethi...

I was going to pack my suitcase, when my dad's wife asked if I had changed my flight.  I checked...and yup I'm not leaving tomorrow, but that gives me another day to spend at the beach. And take more stupid pictures like this: This part of the vacay is certainly interesting, like I'm sure everything is in UAE. 

I just have to block out everything and enjoy my time at the beach tomorrow.  It's a beautiful beach.  I can do this.

I'm happy to be on the other side and not counting down the minutes until I have to book a flight or get a visa.  Both my dad and stepmom are busy from breakfast until supper so I'm hanging solo while I'm here. After the visa fiasco, I'm actually only here for two days.  I really had wanted to spend the day at the Atlantis hotel in Dubai, but the logistic and the crowds and the planning...I'm a lazy tourist and have decided to spend both days at the beach. The weather is perfect. I'll probably go to the mall tonight, then back to the beach tomorrow. It's been a long time since I've sat on the beach, which is a little weird since I lived 500 meters from a beach the last 4 years. But here you pay like ten bucks and you get a lounger, umbrella, and toilets and showers. And lots of calm water. 

Phew. 

Last night was not a good night for me.   It ended ok, and regardless of today's outcome, it will also end ok.   Yesterday I was awake at 3am to catch my flight to Amsterdam and then to Abu Dhabi. Yes, I realize it's a-round-the-world way to get there, but it's booked on points and I'm unemployed. :P I got into Abu Dhabi around 9pm (flight was delayed) and then went to go through customs. There was a visa problem. Like, I didn't have one. My dad had checked with the right people if I needed one, but the right people had the wrong answer. There are talks that they will either lower the price or remove the visa restrictions for Canadians, but NOTHING OFFICIAL.   So I had to go and talk to immigration, who told me to talk to the airline to hold my bags (I can't get them inside the secured side), and then try to book a room inside the secured area of the hotel. This was an exercise, because one is only allowed to be inside this airport for a maximum of twenty four h...

Urgh.  Sometimes I regret writing posts like the last one. Like I need a private journal as well. And then I remember that from time to time, I read my blog, remember whatever I was going through or thinking, and how things have changed.  I keep thinking this will be easy. But it's not. Yup, there's like a lot if positives to take away from my life as it is now, but I'm struggling living apart from Louis, and I think it's hit me harder now that we're in a different time zone. He's in Canada until Monday, and for some reason it seems so much harder now that we have a 7 hour time difference instead of a 1 or 2 hour time difference. Making it worse is that I just get frustrated for missing him. I think that's the most normal, natural feeling to have in this situation. But missing him doesn't change anything, so I think I shouldn't, and get way too frustrated at myself when I do.  This frustration turns into doubt which turns into a lot of unnecessary te...

I'm not sure why I find this so surprising, but I had a really good day today. I didn't get out of my pjs until about 2pm, but I enjoyed my morning and then when went through the sort of painful process of repacking. Between the mess my suitcase was and the hotel moving my things to another room (without me knowing or putting things away first), it took awhile, but at least it's done.  I got ready and decided that I would go to the Asian side of Istanbul. I found plenty of tours that went by it, but none that actually stopped on that side, so I took the ferry that a lot of Turks take to and from work.  On my way, I got A LOT of bird crap all over me. I was half way to the port and didn't know what to do. The front, back, and right side of my shirt looked like I was in a white paint fight. I had it on my hands...urgh!  I just stood there and laughed. I didn't know what else to do! A restaurant owner saw me and made signs to come in and wash my hands. When I saw the s...

I've decided to forgo the camping in the desert part of the trip in Morocco. Maybe it's because at this point in the vacation, I'd like to hang around people I know, or maybe it's because when I'm covered head-to-toe I get disgusting comments and I feel extremely uncomfortable and don't feel like travelling alone in a similar (ok, it's much worse there) circumstance, or maybe I'm just lonely and want to hang around friends.  Yes, I'm giving up an opportunity, but it's something that I feel strongly about, for whatever the reason, so I'm flying from Abu Dhabi to Luxembourg, where I'll stay with friends for a week. We're planning a weekend tour to Alsace, or somewhere near by, and I'll discover Luxembourg or take the train somewhere for the day. I sort of feel like I'm giving up, like I'm not strong enough to go to a strange country by myself, but not enough to challenge me to go.  I've been emailing my dad and he says t...

Sometimes I feel like this adventurous person, going from city to city, doing these unique things that I would never do otherwise. Sometimes, I just go to the city and spend the day in my hotel room, feeling too uncomfortable to venture out. Today is kind of one of those days. There's plenty of restaurants around, but I chose to walk around and found some fruit, and got enough of my own dry food I packed to make a sort-of lunch. There's a store across the street, and I had a giant orange, so I had a giant orange, juice, an apple, and peanut butter for supper. Tonight I'll go out, and its likely that tomorrow I'll feel different. But I don't feel like I have the energy or desire to walk around and do cool stuff, which is a shame, because I'm staying in the perfect neighborhood. Sometimes, I just want to hang out in my room and watch iTunes. With the exception of walking around for a bit this morning, that's pretty much all I've done. I'm not sur...

My last post left off with me wondering why the hotel didn't pick me up. The poor cab driver (a tiny guy that looks over 70) drove around the street that it was supposed to be on, pulling over literally every 25 seconds to ask someone, who would look at the sheet of paper, ask a bunch of questions, and then point him in one direction. At one point, there was one van, one taxi, and my taxi, stopped in the middle of the cobblestone road, all trying to figure out just where was this place. I kept pressuring him to call the number, but, the number didn't work. The guy in the van called the number, it didn't work. I had just bought a SIM card, but it's not working yet. I remember in 2010 I bought a Vodaphone card in Austalia and it took something like 12 hours to activate. Anyway, at one of the stops, a very nice guy asked me a few questions, and I just decided that it was time to give up. We had been around the same area, we had asked so many people, we had tried to ca...