Puerto Rico

I’m thrilled that I’m getting to start 2024 with two trips to two Spanish-speaking areas in two months! This week/weekend, I was in Puerto Rico to celebrate my friends Sterling and May’s wedding. Back in 2016-2017, I lived in Madrid, where I worked as an English teacher at a local high school. While there, I became very close with both my fellow co-teachers at IES Villablanca, as well as my six roommates with whom I lived in Madrid’s city center. I attended my co-teacher Georgie’s wedding in Derby, England, back in April of 2022, and this weekend’s wedding is for my former Madrid roommate, Sterling. Two of my other roommates from that year (Maggie and Bianca) are also attending this wedding, and I’m thrilled that it will double as a reunion for us. I’m very proud of how well my roommates and I have stayed in touch over the years (despite living in four different countries!) Read on for recaps of each day of this vacation:

My roommates and I in Madrid!

Wednesday, Feb 21^st

Today I (lightly) worked a normal workday, but I was very thankful it was such a light day because I’m currently in between projects at Deloitte. It was luxurious to have time to do/fold laundry, make lunch and dinner, and do other random chores without having to cram everything in between meetings. I headed to Newark where I took a direct evening flight down to San Juan. Maggie met me at the airport with the car she/we rented, which was incredibly helpful given I landed around 10pm. She drove me to the Airbnb which she had already stocked with snacks because she arrived in Puerto Rico yesterday. It was so lovely getting to chat and catch up with her before we both headed to sleep – just like at our old apartment in Madrid, we stayed up late chatting and swapping stories on the couch in our living room!

Thursday, Feb 22^nd

Today we slept in, then had a light breakfast (strawberries, muffins, and some crackers with guacamole) at our Airbnb. Maggie and I then drove to Fajardo, where our afternoon snorkel tour was located. We had a delicious brunch at a local café called Café Aroma and walked around downtown Fajardo for a bit. We then entered the marina complex from where our snorkel tour left – and complex is the right word because there must have been upwards of 500 boats in this one marina! We found our snorkel tour among the many establishments, checked in, and got our gear. While we were getting our gear, one of the guides was rinsing scuba equipment and told us he saw nurse sharks during their most recent scuba. Maggie and a few others looked a bit scared to get this information, but I was enthusiastic to hear this news given how much I love sharks. I told this guide and the others listening that nurse sharks are the golden retrievers of the shark kingdom and the guide actually burst out laughing and exclaimed that this was a perfect analogy.

After an ~30 minute boat ride, we arrived at our first snorkel location. It was so wonderful getting to snorkel with Maggie because she was just as enthusiastic about being in the water as I was! We saw a stingray, conch shells, lots of fish, a barracuda, and a few other creatures we weren’t 100% sure of their identification. Maggie saw the barracuda first and very kindly pulled on my snorkel fins to get my attention and make sure I saw it as well! After about 45 minutes snorkeling in one location, we got back on the boat and headed to Icacos island. Here, unfortunately, the visibility was much poorer (and the waves and wind much stronger!) so Maggie and I just hung out/treaded water for about an hour while chatting in the ocean. We had some snacks on the boat, then had an ~30-minute boat ride back to the marina. We stayed at the marina for a little while, admiring the colors the clouds turned with the sun setting behind us, and the mangroves in front of/underneath us. We then went to Luquillo for dinner, and, after joining a quick impromptu salsa lesson in the town’s main square, found a funky little café where I got a chicken sandwich with tostones (fried plantains). We came home and ended the evening with more strawberries (which tasted especially divine since we were both dehydrated after a day in salt water!) and then headed to bed.

Friday, Feb 23^rd

Today we were up bright and early because Bianca arrived around 5am, and, given the keys/lock in our Airbnb, we needed to physically let her into the apartment at that time. After the world’s quickest hello, we all went back to bed. Maggie and I woke up at 7:30, and after another delicious/quick breakfast, we were off to go horseback riding! I have been horseback riding a handful of times during my life, but Maggie spent two years volunteering at a horse farm outside of Madrid, so she was the expert here! We had a great time horseback riding through some beautiful scenery, including farmland, trails, and along a beautiful river. We rode for about an hour, then had a delicious brunch at a nearby café.

From there, we drove down to Seven Seas beach. I had visited this beach with my family back when we were here in 2022, but it was slightly chaotic, because none of us realized how long the path(s) to the more secluded beaches were (and my dad stayed at the original beach and we didn’t want to leave him for too long!) This time around, I was able to give Maggie a heads up, and we agreed to go explore the beautiful nature trails that led us to the more hidden beaches. After about 30 minutes of walking, we came to the first beach and thankfully snagged the one shaded spot under a palm tree right as a group of people were leaving. This turned out to be an ideal location for a quick nap, given our early wakeup. I had remembered snorkeling at a different beach back in 2022, and Maggie agreed after a quick swim at this first beach to continue down a different path to try to find the second beach. Sure enough, after ten more minutes of walking through the forest, we ended up at the beach I had visited with my mom and sister! The current here was also very strong, but we made sure we stayed in water where we could stand. We walked down to another part of the beach which had a bit better snorkeling – I gave Maggie my extra pair of goggles and I had my mask and snorkel that I had brought with me. We saw a bunch of fish, some cool tidepools, and lots of seagrass.

After that, we made a quick stop at Walmart for some more food, then went back to our Airbnb to pick up Bianca. After a quick snack, we headed back to Luquillo to have dinner. We started at a restaurant called Boardriders, which had good (but small portions of) food, then headed back to La Pared, where Maggie and I ate last night. It was so lovely spending so much time outdoors with Maggie and Bianca – we were talking and laughing like no time had passed since 2017. We drove home singing along to songs that were essentially the  soundtrack to our year in Madrid, featuring artists like Daddy Yankee, Ozuna, Maluma, and others that we played nonstop during that year.

Saturday, Feb. 24^th

Today we woke up around 9:30 and after another quick breakfast at our Airbnb, headed Playa Costa Azul. The beach was stunning but unfortunately the waves and current were very strong. Maggie and I followed our same rule as yesterday – going into the water, but making sure we could always stand and keeping a close eye on the shore. Bianca joined us a bit later and we had a great time swimming and chatting in the ocean. From there, we had a quick lunch at La Fonda (where I had delicious chicken tacos) and then were off to get ready for the wedding.

Getting ready with Maggie and Bianca was just like getting ready for a night of dancing in Madrid (though with slightly nicer clothes!) We headed out around 4:30 to the beautiful wedding venue (which was in a very remote part of the island, in the mountains!) The ceremony and following celebration were both intimate and beautiful – there were about 50 of us in total, and after meaningful speeches and a delicious dinner, we had a blast dancing late into the night. May is an excellent Hustle dancer, and a lot of her friends were phenomenal dancers, as well, so it made for a very fun evening.

The only “mishap” of the night happened when an eight inch long beetle (I am tragically not exaggerating here) landed on Bianca’s gorgeous floor-length dress. I actually thought it was a tarantula at first, given how large and brown it was, and after we both panicked, someone attempted to get it off of her, but it was still stuck on her dress after a few attempts. I was this close to taking her dress off of her on the dance floor because I was worried one (or both) of us were going to have a heart attack, but thankfully on the second attempt, one of May’s friends was able to remove the beetle from Bianca’s dress. It was a small price to pay for such a gorgeous venue in the middle of nature. As the evening was winding down, the stars were out and it was a lovely drive home. Maggie, Bianca and I stayed up chatting for a while after the wedding, much like we used to do in Madrid.

Sunday, Feb. 25^th

Today was our last day on the island, but given Maggie and my flight wasn’t until 10:50pm, we were determined to make the most of it! For Bianca and me, that meant sleeping in until 10:30 or so, but Maggie left solo to get some coffee/breakfast around 9am. We packed up everything and cleaned out the Airbnb, then were off to Playa Escambrón. This beach was incredible. Located just outside Old San Juan, there were a lot of locals on the shore, but most importantly, I noticed quite a few people snorkeling as soon as we walked in. 

Given the complete lack of underwater life at the beach we went to yesterday, I put on my goggles (as opposed to my mask and snorkel) just to see what was under the surface, and I was so pleasantly surprised! There was a big patch of sea grass directly off shore, but after that, there were lots of corals and urchins and tons of beautiful fish. After a bit more swimming with my goggles, I went back, exchanged my goggles for my mask and snorkel and asked Bianca if she wanted to use my goggles. She gave an enthusiastic “yes” and I soon rejoined her, now with my underwater camera in tow. The two of us explored all around the protected area, and I was able to show Bianca a barracuda that I found, among other fascinating marine life! After about an hour in the water, we were both getting hungry, so we drove to a local restaurant (Los Pinos café) for lunch. During my lunch, I unfortunately learned that the snorkel tour I had booked for Maggie and myself had been cancelled and I was pretty upset, as we had planned this whole day around the afternoon tour.

After lunch, we dropped Bianca off at the Sheraton (as she is flying out on Monday and had some work to do) and Maggie and I headed to Condado, in hopes to have our own snorkel adventure. I have loved manatees for a while now – each winter I “adopt” a manatee from the Save the Manatee foundation for my family, and I was able to swim with manatees in Florida in the fall of 2021. Condado holds a special place in my heart because it was where I was first able to show my family manatees in the wild – we were able to see them from the bridge that goes over the lagoon. Part of the reason I was so bummed the snorkel tour got cancelled is because recent reviews of the tour said people had seen manatees. Not ones to be easily deterred, Maggie and I scoped out the scene and found a vendor who was able to rent us a kayak, despite the last minute and late-ish time (4:15 pm). We took the kayak out hoping to find manatees, and while we didn’t see any, we did see very vibrant starfish, as well as lionfish!

After kayaking, we went to the other side of the lagoon, where I snorkeled for another 30 minutes. Much like in Playa Escambrón, I had a blast seeing the different fish swimming among the coral/rock formations. Towards the end of my snorkeling, I saw the most beautiful spotted eagle ray. There is nothing quite like the shock and awe of seeing a creature for the first time (especially underwater!) and this was no exception. Maggie went in for a quick swim after me, right as the sun was setting. We drove back to the hotel, where Maggie and I were thankfully able to take a quick shower in Bianca’s hotel room, and re-pack our bags. From there, we took a brief walk around Old San Juan, and then were off to pick up gas for our rental car, grab a quick dinner, and head to the airport for our 10:50pm flight.

I was slightly “apprehensive” to visit both Puerto Rico and Costa Rica this winter, as I’ve been to both places before and there’s so much of the world I still haven’t seen! However, both trips have taught me the power of the people you travel with – yes, both places were gorgeous and exciting to visit for a second time, but the quality time I got to spend with friends I adore was even more meaningful.

Costa Rica

During the summer of 2022, my amazing friend (and soon-to-be-doctor!) Indrani attended a Wilderness Medical Conference in Big Sky, Montana, and I had the best time with her – I worked remotely while she was attending conference sessions all day, and then we got to spend time together each evening and we traveled to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park over the weekend. Given how much we both enjoyed that trip, we decided to do something similar for Costa Rica! Indrani is working in a hospital in San Jose for about a month, and given that her housing is included, I decided to join her for a week+. Read on for daily recaps of our trip!  

Monday, Jan 15^th

Because today was MLK day, I was able to stay in bed until 11am and this was just what I needed after a hectic weekend, which included replacing my five-year-old phone that suddenly stopped working, a birthday party in Brooklyn, brunch and a catch-up coffee with friends, and my aunt and uncle staying with me for a few days! I packed up my last-minute items, made a quick lunch (and dinner, since I wasn’t getting fed on the flight) and then was off! I continue to love living in Hoboken for many reasons but chief among them is the fact that I went from my apartment to the airport gate for <$30 (Lyft) and in < 45 minutes (thank you TSA PreCheck!) I thankfully had an uneventful flight and taxi ride to Indrani’s Airbnb, and we spent the rest of the evening catching up (and in my case, unpacking and then re-packing for a big day ahead).

Tuesday, Jan 16^th

I took today as PTO and booked a full-day beach/snorkel adventure (and it was VERY true to its name!) I was up at 4am to meet the bus/guide at 4:30am at a nearby hotel. We picked more people up and drove to a rest stop until around 8am, at which point we had an hour for breakfast. After another hour of driving and 45 minutes in a speed boat, we reached Isla Tortuga – a small island off Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. Our boat dropped a few people on the island, then took the rest of us to a nearby snorkel site. In case it hasn’t been clear from reading my recent blog posts (see Bahamas, Philippines, and Puerto Rico, among others) snorkeling is truly one of my favorite things to do, and today was no exception.

This snorkeling area, though tiny, had both a lot of biodiversity and beautiful sunlight streaming in for the duration of the snorkel. There were multiple different types of fish as well as sea urchins poking out from the coral and rock formations. We spent about 30 minutes here (the boat almost left without me!) and then headed back to Isla Tortuga, where we had four hours to do as we pleased. This of course, to me, meant more snorkeling! The area near shore wasn’t super exciting (though did have a few rocks that I cut my toe on!) but much further out, I saw a starfish, a sea snake, and many other types of fish. One puffer fish stayed near me for a while and even looked like it was waving at me!

I also found a French couple that looked as though they were swimming across this body of water to the other side – something I, too, wanted to do, but didn’t think would be wise to do solo given it was about a half mile away. As soon as I saw them meander closer and closer to the other shore, I “joined” them, though they were taking their sweet time. As they were treading water and conversing in French, I saw the coolest phenomenon about 200 meters behind them – a Mobula ray jumped in the air! I quite literally couldn’t believe my eyes, but my tour guide confirmed that these rays are sometimes seen around here. After the French couple was done chatting, I motioned to the other shore, and they said “allez!” and we swam across to the other side. I then swam back to the shore where everyone else was, and we had a nice lunch overlooking the water. I spent close to three hours in total snorkeling, and, despite looking like a prune when I emerged from the water, could not have been happier!

We then had the same power boat ride back to the dock, followed by a long bus ride home (dropping everyone off at their respective hotels!) Indrani and I had a lovely dinner at a nearby restaurant, did some food shopping, and then were off to bed.

Wed/Thur/Fri, Jan 17/18/19

During the rest of the week, Indrani was working at the UCIMED hospital while I was working from our apartment. We spent our evenings having wonderful conversations and eating delicious dinners around San Jose. On Friday, we rented a car (I believe the first one that I’ve rented in a foreign country!) and we were off on a very traffic-y drive to Quepos, a beach town on the Pacific coast ~100 miles away.

The view from Indrani’s balcony

Saturday Jan 20^th

Today we woke up and had a delicious breakfast in our hotel in Quepos. We were seated right by the hotel’s pool and enjoyed eggs, toast, fresh fruits and orange juice. After that we packed up (quite liberally – the benefit of having a car!) and headed to Manuel Antonio National Park. This park was an adventure – we took a one-mile hike through a very beautiful but very humid rainforest in order to get to the beach. On the hike we saw monkeys right near us and sloths further up in the trees! We put our stuff down at the beach, and it was glorious to spend some time in the warm water. However, about ten minutes into our swim, a monkey opened the zipper of my backpack and took out a tiny bag of nuts that I had in the bottom of my bag! I was worried he would take more things, so I sprinted out of the water to try to stop him, but he scurried away, nuts in hand. He later came back to steal my sunscreen, which I was more annoyed by since it was more expensive (and likely worse for the environment too, though I did take it back after he dropped it a while later).

Indrani and I then walked a bit further to a beach that was more secluded and had many fewer people on it. After swimming here for a while, we left the park, had a quick lunch, and then headed back to our hotel to shower. After resting for a bit, we drove to the center of town to get a snack and walk around. From there we drove to Parque Nahomi, which seemed to be more of a local hangout compared to the national park (case in point – we saw a gender reveal party happening at one end of the park!) I swam for a bit while Indrani walked around the park and then we saw the beginnings of a beautiful sunset. We headed out before the sun actually set, but this turned out to be very fortuitous because we saw the sun setting right as we were driving up the steep hill to our hotel. We ended the day by having one of the best meals I’ve had in a while – it was at this restaurant called café Milagro and Indrani and I split steak and fried plantains and had the most delicious vegan chocolate mousse for dessert.

Sunday Jan 21^st

Today we got up at 7am to have another quick breakfast, though this time we were serenaded by the sounds of a local singer/guitar player. We then headed out to Playa Biesanz, which also seemed to be more of a local beach. Getting there involved delicately parking on the side of the road, then going on a half mile hike down to a gorgeous beach. Indrani and I spent a lot of time chatting and hanging out in the water, though sadly we only had about an hour at the beach total. This beach had big rocks on either side of it, and I saw some fish while snorkeling towards the end of our time there.

From there, we went back to the hotel, showered, packed up everything and started our journey back home. Because we hit so much traffic on the way to Quepos (and the rental car office closed at 5pm) I wanted to make sure we had ample time to get home, including lunch. We stopped again in Jaco and this time went to a delicious vegan restaurant called Karma Café. We then stopped at Pops for an ice cream treat, before we were back on the road again.

The drive home was beautiful – it was night when we drove to Quepos, but driving to San Jose in the daylight was stunning, in large part due to the sections of the drive that were along the coast. We ended up making it back in plenty of time because vast portions of the main highway we were on were simply closed off in the opposite direction, allowing double the traffic to go into San Jose. At first I was confused (and honestly scared that there were so many reckless drivers around) but once I saw people filling the opposite/”wrong way” lanes, I decided to as well and it helped us get home faster.

After dropping our bags at Indrani’s Airbnb, I dropped the car off at the rental office and then decided to walk home. I wandered through Parque Sabana and heard huge cheers coming from Costa Rica’s national stadium, located right inside the park. It sounded like there was a local soccer match (tournament?) happening and it was exciting to see/hear from afar.

Indrani and I had a nice dinner in the Airbnb, however as I was cutting up cantaloupe for the week ahead, out of the corner of my eye I saw something crawling along our kitchen floor. It turns out it was a scorpion and Indrani and I both freaked out quite a bit. Thankfully I was able to put a bowl on top of it to “capture” it and I then went downstairs to try to get the security guard to help us dispose of it. We were both worried it was venomous, so wanted to be extra careful. The guard looked at me like I had two heads, and said he had never heard of a scorpion in San Jose, and especially not on the 18^th floor. He was pretty sure that we had inadvertently brought it back from Manuel Antonio (a terrifying thought in itself!) but he did help us dispose of it, which was greatly appreciated.

Mon/Tue/Wed Jan 22/23/24

These workdays functioned similarly to last week’s – Indrani was working at the hospital while I was working from our apartment, and we greatly enjoyed our dinner/catch-up time at the end of each day. Indrani’s birthday was the 23^rd, and we and our mutual friend Andrea (with whom we lived during the summer of 2014 in NYC!) had a delicious celebratory dinner at a nearby farm-to-table restaurant called Furca. I left halfway through the workday on Wednesday to fly back to NJ.

Indrani’s birthday dinner!

Yet again, I feel so grateful to have experienced such a wonderful week with Indrani. Being in Costa Rica obviously added an extra layer of fun, but it was so incredible to have quality time with such a close friend (and help her celebrate her 30^th birthday, too!)

Bahamas with my Mama (part II)

Part II of the week-long birthday trip that my mom and I took to celebrate her 65^th and my 30^th birthday at Club Med in the Bahamas! See below for recaps of each day:

Wednesday, Nov. 15^th

Today was an absolutely incredible 30^th birthday! I awoke to many meaningful birthday text messages and WhatsApp voice notes, which absolutely made my day. After another delicious, waterfront breakfast, my mom and I were off to our first snorkel excursion of the day. This time we were going to Staghorn reef, which like its name suggested, had lots of staghorn (and other types of) coral. The seas were a bit rough, but we were still able to see a huge diversity of fish. Normally during these excursions, we all go off on our own, but I saw a couple of people hovered above one area and pointing and sure enough, below them were two skates – one very camouflaged with the sand beneath it, and another a bit darker. Thankfully my mom was pretty close this time around, so I brought her over to look at them, as well.

After a lovely lunch, I knew I wanted to spend as much time on the water today, so we signed up for the afternoon snorkeling tour as well (ah, the joys of an all-inclusive resort!) In the afternoon, we went back to Natural Bridges, and this time around I did see a few more coral formations that looked bridge-like. I also spotted the first skate that I found all by myself, which felt like a big accomplishment! It always feels so calming being in the water and observing nature up close, and it was made extra special by the fact that it was my birthday. My mom and I ended the day at the fancier restaurant at the resort, however it’s a bit further away (and not under a covered walkway) compared to the other dining establishment, so we both got pretty soaked both on the way to and from dinner given the heavy rains. I then had a lovely WhatsApp video call with my dad and sister (and my parents’ cat, Pippin!)

Thursday, Nov. 16^th

Surprise surprise, today started with another snorkel tour! After another wonderful breakfast we were off to Coral Gardens, though this time there were only six snorkelers in total because the sky looked so grey and threatening. Thankfully, though, we only had to deal with high winds (but no rain). Coral Gardens was even more incredible than when we went on Sunday – the strong winds created strong waves which in turn made all the fan corals sway beautifully below us. About halfway through I returned to the boat to clean my mask and snorkel and Altu, one of the program leaders, asked if I wanted to try scuba diving, to which I replied with a resounding “yes!” This was just a five-minute scuba jaunt around the boat, but it was still wild to be breathing without any snorkel (and being weighted down by the very heavy equipment!) Thankfully Altu was with me in the water the entire time, literally holding my hand, so I felt very safe.

After lunch, we tried to go on an afternoon snorkel excursion, but the seas were too rough. We then tried to go sailing, but (oddly) the ocean on this side of the island didn’t have strong enough wind for sailing. Instead, we got a sailing lesson for a half hour, so if/when the weather improved, we’d be ready to go out on the sailboats. After that, my mom and I went for a short kayak. I say short because it started off lovely but then starting POURING and we had to bring the kayak back to shore. Because I was already soaked, I decided to stay and swim in the ocean for a bit and this was the most peaceful experience – while there were a few other (crazy) people in the water with me, it was so gorgeous watching the rain fall while being in the water and seeing the different colors of the sky, sea, and sand all around me. My mom and I then relaxed in our room for a bit before heading to dinner (which was an adventure in itself because half the resort had lost power, so we had a dark walk to dinner, but thankfully the main dining area didn’t seem to be impacted).

Friday, Nov. 17^th

Today started with another lovely (though rainy) breakfast. We were hoping to snorkel, and actually made it all the way to the snorkel boat, but after waiting on the boat for ~20 minutes in a torrential downpour, in the end captain Ashton decided it sadly would be too unsafe to go out. Given that I was already soaked, I went for a nice swim in the ocean before we headed to lunch. After lunch we tried to snorkel again, but the snorkel shop informed us that the afternoon snorkel was also cancelled. Because I had a lot of free time, I swam in the ocean for about an hour – something I rarely get to do! The water was just the right temperature, but I did have to keep (slowly) swimming the entire time in order to not get too cold, given the lack of sunlight.

After that, my mom and I had cocktails while we waited for dinner to open at 7pm, then had a nice final dinner at the resort. We then packed up and headed to bed.

Saturday, Nov. 18^th

Today was sadly departure day. I was up around 8:30am to go for one last swim and ran into a couple that we had seen a few other times at the resort who was also heading out today. After swimming for a bit, I serendipitously ran into my mom on the way back to our room as she was out for a morning walk. We then packed up and had breakfast (which included me packing 3 chocolate croissants for the plane trip home). As we were bringing our bags to the reception area, we saw the same couple I had said “hello” to earlier who informed us that although the bus leaves the resort at 11am (for our 2pm flight) we didn’t have to go on the bus, as the airport was only about a ~15 min walk away. We were so grateful for this new piece of information, so we dropped our bags and then went to hang out by the pool for a bit. My mom went for another walk while I sat by our backpacks, though I did have to move us under covering once it started raining. Towards the end of her walk, my mom informed me that one of the very affectionate cats was out near our room, and I should go see him. He wasn’t there when I walked by the first time, but I walked by a second time and he was there – cuddly as can be and so, so sweet. I spent over twenty minutes cuddling with him, and he even sat in my lap. Sadly, I did have to leave to go have a quick lunch before my mom and I walked to the airport. We were supposed to have a 5+ hour layover in Miami, but I saw that there was an earlier American flight to Newark, and my mom and I were able to get on that flight to get home a bit earlier!

While this vacation differed quite a bit from how I usually travel, I have to say it was an incredible experience and the perfect adventure to do with my mom! I’ve never stayed at an all an all-inclusive resort before but it made everything so easy and stress-free! I’m glad I had this quality time to spend with my mom and hope my whole family can return at some point in the future!

Bahamas with my Mama (part I)

It has been a while since I’ve posted (and separately, it has been a whirlwind of a week (in the best way possible!)), so I wanted to recap the week leading up to this trip, then provide daily recaps of my mom’s and my Bahamian adventure.

Last Sunday (Nov 5^th) daylight savings time ended, and this is an important data point because I was up at 4:40am (which kind of felt like 5:40am with the time change) to bike the NYC marathon course. For context, the NYC marathon starts around 8am but from 6:30am-8:30am, hundreds of cyclists bike the marathon route while the roads are closed to traffic, but before the runners and wheelchair competitors start racing. I had to schlep all the way to Brooklyn to start the ride, but ended up befriending a wonderful cyclist named Claire on the early train there – I loved her energy, and it was great to hear about her cycling experiences. Once in Brooklyn, I met up with my friend Nick (who I had met at my friend Margarita’s housewarming/Halloween party a few weeks ago!) and we rode the course together. Claire passed me around the halfway point, and screamed my name to say hi, which made my day! I then biked most of the way back to Hoboken and led the BikeHoboken November community ride at 11am (and this was followed by a lovely Quincy house reunion lunch in Chinatown that my friends moved back to 1:30pm to accommodate my crazy schedule!)

On the train with Claire (please note the train time in red!)

On Wednesday, one of the members of the K-pop group BTS (Jungkook, who also goes by our shared initials, JK) was performing on the Today show, which just so happens to be right outside my office at 30 Rockefeller plaza. My friend Edith won free fan passes, so yet again (after a sleepover at Edith’s place!) I was up at 4:30am to stand in the freezing cold to wait for and then watch this mini concert. It was a very chaotic and brief but fun concert – I feel like any live BTS time is special given they are in the process of starting/completing their mandatory Korean military service. After the concert I quite literally went upstairs to join a 9:30am call from the office.

New friends I made waiting in line for 4 hours to see JK!

My mom arrived in Hoboken on Thursday, and on Friday evening, we had a lovely “joint” birthday party (i.e., my friends came over to my place in Hoboken, but we celebrated both my mom’s and my birthdays!). My friend Victoria, an incredible chef, made a delicious butternut squash pasta and triple layer vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. It was a wonderful (and delicious) evening, and quite literally led right into this trip!

Victoria making the most delicious dinner

Saturday, Nov 11^th

My mom and I woke up at 2:30am on Saturday to catch our 5am flight to Miami, where we then got on another flight to San Salvador in the Bahamas. We are spending the next seven days at the Club Med resort on Columbus Isle in the Bahamas because my mom is turning 65 on the 12th and I’m turning 30 on the 15th! Club Med is an all-inclusive resort, that not only includes all our meals, but also a bunch of water and land activities (snorkeling, tennis, yoga, etc.). We dropped our bags, had a quick lunch, and then went out to lie on the beach for a while. We both went swimming, but I stayed in a bit longer to enjoy the beautiful, clear water and the sun that was starting to set behind me. After showering, we had a lovely dinner then headed to sleep given what a long day+ it had been.

Sunday, Nov 12^th

Today was my mom’s birthday and we started the day with a lovely breakfast followed by a tour of this expansive resort, where we learned about all the different activities that were offered. My mom and I decided to kayak, so we went out into the lagoon/bay that the property is on, and kayaked on the most beautifully clear water. We then had lunch overlooking the pool, where a very fun/energetic aqua-aerobics class was taking place. After lunch we went on a snorkel excursion. Anyone who has read my blog before knows that snorkeling is, point blank, my favorite activity in the world. Today was no different – we took a 10-minute boat ride to Coral Gardens and that area in the bay definitely lived up to its name. It was so calming and beautiful snorkeling among the coral and fish (and I think I even saw an old statue on the ocean floor). After about 45 minutes in the water (and some very prune-y hands) we headed back to land. From there, my mom went to a beachside party/cocktail hour and I took a sunset yoga class. The class was wonderful, but like many things in this resort, was conducted fully in French so was definitely a bit of an adventure as I constantly was looking at the instructor and the woman beside me to see what I should be doing. After yoga, because today was my mom’s 65^th birthday, we headed to the reservation-only restaurant at the resort and had a delicious dinner, followed by a fun show.

Monday, Nov 13^th

After another yummy breakfast, we were off on a morning snorkeling adventure. The seas were a bit rougher today, so instead of going to the right of the dock, our boat took us around to the left/southern part of the island to a place called Natural Bridges. This spot also had great coral with tons of different types of fish (and my mom even saw a barracuda!). I hadn’t realized how far I had swam from the boat, and ended up being the last one back to the boat at the end– whoops! After a quick lunch, we both wanted to try sailing, but learned we needed to sign up for lessons (that were already full for the day). Serendipitously, someone was walking up the beach who had been to the resort seven times already and was looking for someone to come sailing with him (but because he needed to balance his boat, he could only take one person). I told my mom she should go ahead and take this opportunity and I went for a quick stand-up paddle in some very rough seas! My mom looked like she was having a blast and it was fun getting in a good workout on the paddleboard.

After, we chilled on the beach for a bit – my mom slept and I went for a glorious swim. We came back to the room and changed and then headed to see some sharks. For context, as we were walking to my mom’s birthday dinner last night, we befriended a French Canadian couple who, randomly, at the end of their dinner, came up to us and told us about the sharks they saw at a nearby marina when the fishermen came in around 5pm. I have no idea if/how they knew that I absolutely love sharks, but I was thrilled for this piece of information! We traipsed out of the resort complex and down the road, and after about 30 minutes of walking, arrived at the marina. There was one boat at the dock, and it had fishermen who were cleaning and de-boning its fishing haul for the day. The debris from their fish was feeding about a dozen sharks in the water below (I believe nurse, bull and lemon sharks). They were so cute and kept bumping into and swimming under/over each other – it was fascinating to watch them and the sun setting in the background made things even more picturesque. We then had a lovely poolside dinner outside where everyone was dressed in white and we befriended another couple from Canada.

Tuesday, November 14^th

Today started bright and early (by Julia vacation standards, at least), as we had booked a bike rental from 9am – noon. However, we soon realized that it was pouring outside, so after having a nice breakfast (and sitting with the couple we met last night!) we moved our bike reservation back to 2pm. I then convinced my mom that, despite the rain, we should try snorkeling, as we had not seen any lightning. This turned out to be a great idea – not only was it a fun snorkeling adventure (at a new location called Jackson’s Paradise) but about five minutes into it I saw a stingray! I was desperately looking around to try to find my mom to show her, but there were about 30 other people all spread out in the water and it was hard to tell who was who. I finally swam around a bit and found her and was able to show her the stingray, as well. I love seeing nature up close and this was no exception. It seemed like it was in no rush to go anywhere so we watched it hover on the sand for a while and then I followed it as it swam away. Unfortunately, about ten minutes later we were all called back to the boat because the light rain turned into a torrential downpour.

After a quick lunch, we decided it was worth trying the bike rental at 2pm. We headed south along the one road that circumnavigates the island, stopping at a monument memorializing the place where Christopher Columbus landed in 1492, as well as some beautiful areas of the road that ran right along the water. We biked about eight miles in one direction, then turned around (as we only had the bikes for three hours and were close to the halfway point). On our way back, we stopped along the same coastal area to look at some beautiful and very large/heavy conch shells and coral that had washed up on shore. We then stopped at the same marina we visited yesterday, though sadly the fishing boat wasn’t here today. However, someone told us that there were a few sharks “sleeping” at the bottom of the marina area near the entrance and we got to see them. We finished with a lovely dinner and then headed off to bed!

Late-April 2023

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind (two out-of-state weddings, one apartment move, and one concert, but who’s counting?) Even though it’s not “travel” in the classic/international sense that I had so much of in 2022, I still wanted to document this week and a half, as it marked an exciting time in my (and some of my best friends’) lives. See below for brief recaps of each day.

Friday, April 21^st

I flew from Newark down to Charlotte for my friend Liz’s wedding and landed in the early afternoon. I was sharing a room with my friend Tiphanie and after dropping our bags, we wandered around a bit to find lunch. We ended up going to Merts Heart and Soul and the food was delicious, especially the warm and crispy cornbread. Later in the evening we went to the Goodyear House for drinks with the bride and groom and friends who were already in Charlotte. I knew I would be seeing a lot of Quincy house friends (the dorm that I was in at Harvard) but I was so pleasantly surprised to see many sorority sisters as well (Liz and I were both in Delta Gamma). It was a wonderful evening of catching up and hanging out with friends and afterwards we headed to a nearby restaurant for donuts and later walked a bit from our hotel to get some late-night pizza.

Saturday, April 22^nd

Today started with a brunch with some Quincy house friends and then my sorority sisters Flavia and Natalie and I decided to explore the Mint Museum. Both Natalie and Flavia are much more well-versed in art that I am, and it was such a joy to wander around with them and hear their unique insights. After that I headed back to my hotel room to get ready and then it was time for the most gorgeous wedding! The ceremony was inside (a different) Mint Museum, with incredibly ornate flowers covering almost every surface. My good friend Juan (whose wedding I attended back in August) was officiating and he did a great job officiating in both English and Spanish.

This wedding was particularly meaningful because while Liz and my friendship started in Delta Gamma, it grew much stronger when we both moved to the NYC area and started attending concerts together. Juan’s officiant speech was poignant and talked about how love is important on both “special” days (like a wedding) but also more mundane days (and he mentioned that days where you go for a walk in the park or listen to live music are often the mundane days – but then he added in a special shoutout to a Romeo Santos concert we all attended where Cardi B came out as a surprise guest and joked about how that one day in particular was definitely not mundane!)

After the ceremony and cocktail hour, we had dinner, speeches (in both English and Spanish) and we danced the night away. The after-party continued at a nearby hotel until the wee hours of the morning.

Sunday, April 23^rd

In the late-morning we had a “farewell brunch” with the wedding crew – full of delicious food and rehydrating drinks (i.e., Gatorade). Flavia had already left to catch her flight back home, but Natalie and I got to explore a special Picasso exhibit in the Mint Museum, as well as the Modern Art museum. Natalie then left for her flight, but I had a few more hours in Charlotte before I headed back to NJ.  

During my time at Deloitte, I usually work on many different projects during a given year (each with a different manager, client, coworkers, etc.). As such, everyone at Deloitte is assigned a career coach who helps oversee career progression and also leads their year-end evaluations. I have had a wonderful coach during my 2.5+ years at Deloitte, but given our remote work arrangement (and the fact that she is in Charlotte and I am in NYC) we’ve never actually met in person. On Sunday afternoon, though, I was able to visit Anna at her house in the suburbs and meet her husband and adorable kids. It was wonderful getting to meet her after so many years of Zooms, and was made that much sweeter by the fact that she had told me about a week prior that I had gotten promoted! After spending a few hours with Anna, I grabbed dinner with Tiphanie and Selena, and then had a late-night flight home back to NJ.

Monday, April 24^th

Today was a full day of work (and included a bit of last-minute packing, as well!) My mom drove down from MA and arrived in the early afternoon, and she helped me pack up some last-minute items, too. We had a brief but delicious Chinese dinner in Hoboken and then decided to check out my apartment. I technically wasn’t allowed to get my keys until midnight (aka the day my lease started) but in a stroke of luck, my apartment door was closed, but not locked, so my mom and I were able to start moving in some of the items that she had brought down from MA! We then went to bed early as we knew we had a big day ahead.

Tuesday, April 25^th

Today was moving day! Piece of Cake movers arrived (with their bright pink van – what a coincidence combining my favorite food and favorite color!) at 7am on the dot. Because I am moving from a third-floor walk-up (to an elevator building, thankfully!) I knew I would need to hire movers and they made everything so easy. I moved 3 blocks east in Hoboken (so a bit closer to the river!) The rest of the morning was spent unpacking, as well as making many minivan trips between the two apartments where I manually loaded/unloaded a bunch of fragile items as well as my clothes. After a quick bagel lunch, we headed to Verizon to pick up my router and then to Walmart to stock up on household items I needed as well as groceries. My friend, colleague, and now downstairs neighbor, Erica, was kind enough to lend me her garage door opener for the day so we were able to go in and out as we pleased. It was an incredibly action-packed day but I’m thrilled that everything got done!

Wednesday, April 26^th

Today was concert day! For a bit of context, I have become a HUGE fan of Korean pop (K-pop) recently, and BTS has been my gateway drug. Between their singing and dancing (and often, meaningful lyrics, though most are in Korean) I have spiraled down the rabbit hole of becoming an ARMY (what their fandom name is called). BTS is currently on a hiatus as each of their seven members complete mandatory military service before they turn 30 – two of the members have already started their service, but others are going later. One of the three rappers of the group, Min Yoongi (who also goes by the stage names of SUGA and Agust-D) is going on a world tour before he enlists. He was in New York today and tomorrow, and Newark on Saturday, but as you’ll soon read, today was the only day I could go (and yes, I did have to plan my entire apartment move around this concert!) In an exciting turn of events, this was also opening night for the entire world tour! 

I worked a full day while my saint of a mother stayed in my apartment, silently organizing, cleaning, and decorating while I was on Zoom calls. Around 5pm, I left for the concert and a few hours later, my mom left to drive back home to MA. I truly would not have been able to pull of this move without her (especially given my chaotic schedule) and I am so thankful for her help but also glad we got to spend so much time together!

The concert itself was AMAZING. Because it was so crazy to get tickets, my friend Edith and I were sitting in different sections. I started off in the 300s (the nosebleed seats) where I was enjoying myself, but then Edith texted me that there were five empty seats a few rows below her in her 100s section. She transferred her ticket to me (in case anyone asked for verification when I entered the section) and I found both her and the empty seats. Not only was it wonderful being so much closer to Yoongi, but it was so special to watch with Edith as well. I explained to her that I would need to sprint home as soon as the concert ended (as it was in Queens and I had to get back to Hoboken). I left as soon as Yoongi said he was doing his last song. Given it was the first night of the concert, there was no setlist. As I was walking out of the seating section, I befriended a nearby security guard and asked him if he thought there would be an encore (he said he didn’t know, but given how the videographer kept panning to different signs, he thought it was a pretty safe bet). Sure enough, about five minutes later, Yoongi sang another four songs and I had an INCREDIBLE view for these last songs! I then (literally) ran to the train station, took the train to Grand Central, grabbed a Citibike to Port Authority and finally got a bus home and arrived just after midnight.

Thursday, April 27^th

I started today working a full morning. While I was on a call introducing myself to some new team members, I got a text saying my flight to DC was cancelled. I immediately panicked and started looking for new flights and after a bit of searching, the flight that made the most sense was leaving for DC an hour earlier than my previously scheduled one. I packed everything in a huge rush, and then left a bit before I was hoping to log off, but thankfully my team was understanding. I flew to DC, had dinner in the airport, then flew to Jackson, Mississippi where my friend (and fellow brides-man) DJ picked me up. DJ had driven up from Austin and once we dropped our bags in our hotel, we had a 10pm snack (dinner?) at Waffle House because we were both pretty hungry. After a bit of chatting and catching up, we went to bed.

Friday, April 28^th

After waking up, DJ and I headed down to breakfast provided by our cute B+B. We packed our rental car but instead of heading directly to Starkville, we took a bit of time to explore Jackson. First up was the state Capitol building. Because it was ~9:30am on a Friday, there weren’t many people around and we were able to get our own private tour from a local college student who took us around to different offices and chambers and we got to see some really interesting artwork and architecture. It turns out that DJ and I are both big fans of wandering around cities and we enjoyed sneaking into a few beautiful churches and meandering around the city “center.” It was great to talk to him so deeply and a few hours later, we were headed off to Starkville.

When DJ had originally pitched this travel itinerary to me (i.e., him driving from Austin and picking me up in Jackson) I was sold pretty easily (even though it was slightly out of my way) because I thought a road trip with him would be incredibly entertaining. And I was 100% correct – we spent the entire two-hour ride singing our hearts out, first to the musical Six (which we both know word-for-word) and later to other Spanish and English songs. We arrived in Starkville and had a quick lunch with Noelle (another bridesmaid) and her fiancé Justin. Then DJ and I took a nap ahead of the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.

Both the rehearsal and dinner went off without a hitch – it was surreal to be practicing my bridesmaid duties (and yes, I teared up just watching Jen walk down the aisle in her “normal” dress). Afterwards we had a delicious dinner of fried chicken, cornbread, and salad plus homemade dessert that Field (the groom’s!) family made. DJ, Raisa, Allison and I went out for a quick drink near our hotel after and then we were off to bed.

Saturday, April 29^th

Today was wedding day! It started pretty early in the morning with a quick breakfast at the hotel and then we were off for hair and makeup! Jen was staying at a guest house right next to the chapel and rented a separate bridal suite for all of us to hang out and get our hair/makeup done. I was pleasantly surprised by what a fun experience this was – obviously all of Jen’s friends were wonderful to hang out and chat with, but thankfully I was on the later of end for both hair and makeup so was able to chat while being fully horizontal for the first few hours.

The middle of the day consisted of more hair/makeup, watching Jen’s hair/makeup get done, chatting, eating, and dancing in our matching pink satin robes Jen had gotten us. We all got in our dresses around 3pm, took many pictures, and then it was time for the main event! The wedding was absolutely beautiful and so incredibly meaningful, and it was a true honor to stand by Jen’s side during the ceremony and dance by her side at the reception! It was a gorgeous night in every sense of the word and just so much fun! DJ and I met a few friends for drinks after and had to Uber there – we stayed for about 45 minutes and then hilariously had the exact same Uber driver on our way home. DJ, his friend Laura and I stayed up chatting until the early hours of the morning – another wedding night that ended feeling eerily similar my college days.

Sunday, April 30^th

Ever the planner, before going to bed (at like 2am last night) I set my alarm for 10:30am just to be super sure we wouldn’t miss checkout. I doubted we would need this since DJ is quite the early bird but I was so glad I set it because it ended up waking us both up just in time! We checked out and then headed to a nearby diner for a delicious breakfast with Laura. Afterwards, Laura headed to the airport and DJ dropped me off at Jen’s bridal suite. DJ said a quick goodbye before he headed on his long drive back to Texas and I had a bit of time to explore. Jen was busy (and everyone else I knew had left at that time) so I wandered around by myself – first around Mississippi State University’s campus and later into the little downtown area (where DJ, Laura and I were towards the end of last night!)

I still had a few hours to kill as I wandered back to see Jen and thankfully by this time she was free. This was such meaningful time to spend together because we hadn’t had 1:1 time in quite a few months so it was great to truly get caught up on each other’s lives before we dive right back into the craziness. As we were walking, I noticed that the Delta Gamma sorority house was nearby, so we walked to check out this MANSION but unfortunately they were having a chapter meeting so they weren’t able to let us in. Regardless, it was a wonderful walk and the perfect way to end the wedding weekend. I then headed to the airport and saw Ally (short for Alistair), the groomsman with whom I was paired with to walk down the aisle. We ended up chatting for quite some time while we waited for our flight to Atlanta. We got dinner together in Atlanta and then he was off to the UK and I went back home to NJ.

All in all, it was a wild week and a half, but I am so glad I was able to fit everything in with the help of my friends and family!

Dubai

Friday October 28^th

As I’ve mentioned before on this blog (and as you can see in March 2014, March 2015, and March 2016 posts!) during college I participated in a wonderful program called HCAP – the Harvard College in Asia Program. I spent the spring break of 2014 in Dubai and one of the HCAP Dubai leaders was named Wael – he went above and beyond the normal HCAP duties and invited all 10 of us Harvard students (plus the Dubai contingency) to his house for a lovely dinner one night of the conference. He told us that his house was always open, should we want to visit in the future, and eight years later I finally took him up on that offer!

I landed in Dubai around noon local time, and after saying goodbye to Mason at the airport, Wael came and picked me up and brought me back to his house. Because I had had such an early morning, I showered and took a quick nap. Wael’s mom had prepared a delicious chocolate cake for my arrival, and Wael and I both had a slice and chatted for a bit.

We then headed off to the Kite Beach area, where we arrived just in time for the sunset. Wael knows how much I adore biking, so he suggested we rent bikes and bike along the beach bike path. It was a magical evening – the sun had set (so it wasn’t incredibly hot outside), the sky was turning beautiful shades of pink and purple, and the bike path meandered right along the coast. We turned around near the Dubai canal and on our way back, stopped to get dinner at Salt (which reminded me a lot of the Shake Shack).

This was truly a local hangout, with delicious food (hamburgers and fries) and we even had a live musician serenading us for a bit. Wael had suggested we simply leave our bikes by the back/side of the restaurant and I looked at him like he was crazy – surely they would get stolen, no? But he assured me it would be ok, and sure enough our bikes were waiting for us once we finished with dinner. We biked a little more to get back to the car, then were off to Wael’s house again.

Wael had messaged me before I left for Pakistan asking me to bring a Halloween costume, since I would be visiting on Halloweekend. I was able to pack a pink Super Girl cape (and already had black leggings and a black top as part of my “normal” trip clothes). Once we arrived back home, we quickly changed and were off to the Halloween party.

We met up with a few of Wael’s friends (including Mira, who did HCAP in 2016 and was thrilled to hear that I was at HCAP Vice President Juan’s wedding a few months back!) We spent the night dancing and hanging out and it was lovely to be by the water and see such intricate costumes. The best of the night was a Mona Lisa, complete with a frame.

Around 11:30pm, Wael somewhat sheepishly asked if I would be ok with heading home and I could not have been happier because at this point I was exhausted from a string of long days. We ubered home and went straight to bed.

Saturday October 29^th

This morning I was finally able to sleep in (it was probably the first time I got more than 8 hours of sleep this past week!) Wael had a bit of work to do, but this was perfectly timed because it meant I didn’t feel “guilty” about sleeping in while he was away working.

Once I leisurely got out of bed around noon, I ubered to the Burj Khalifa. Because of the 2014 HCAP conference, there wasn’t anything that I felt like I needed to see in Dubai, and I have been so intrigued by this building that I thought it would be fun to visit it again.

The Burj Khalifa is inside of the enormous Dubai Mall. It took me quite a few minutes (plus Google Maps) to figure out how to get from the entrance I started at to the fountains in front of the Burj Khalifa. Wael informed me that the fountains below the building go off at 1pm, and after a few wrong turns, I made it with ten minutes to spare. The fountain show was short but very interesting (and hot!) 

I then meandered back inside and came across a restaurant called Din Tai Fung. I quickly Googled it (I have a strict rule where I only go to restaurants with >4 stars on Google when I’m traveling) and one of the first things that popped up was the fact that this restaurant’s branch in Hong Kong was recently awarded a Michelin star! And I can see why – the food was delicious. I got soup dumplings, a veggie steamed bun and wonton soup and a fruit plate.

After lunch I walked around the mall a bit. I actually started by walking outside, but it was so hot and the sun was so intense that I quickly found myself back inside (with the rest of the population!) I was able to get close to 10k steps just walking around different shops and people-watching.

I then ubered back to Wael’s place and he drove me to a different beach to catch another quick glimpse of the sunset. We then met up with Sara, another one of the HCAP Dubai leaders at a restaurant called Al Falamanki.

It was SO wonderful getting to see Sara. I had seen Wael two summers ago at my friend Indrani’s engagement (because Wael went to business school with Indrani’s fiancé!) but I hadn’t seen Sara since 2014. Even still, it was like no time had passed – I got to hear all about her adventures as a full-time fitness instructor, and we reminisced on our wonderful HCAP conference and our continued shared love of Beyonce.

After that, Wael and I headed home and I packed up and (tried) to get to bed early ahead of my 5:15am wakeup to head back to NYC.

On Sunday, Wael’s mom very sweetly woke up to make sure I got to my Uber safely and she sent me off with another slice of chocolate cake and a banana. I am so grateful to both her and Wael for letting me stay with them and showing me around this wonderful city!

Pakistan – Hunza Valley

Monday October 24^th

Today started super early – around 5:30am, when Mason and I had to get up and check out of our hotel. Mirbaz came to pick us up and we headed back to Auntie Humi’s, bringing Farheen along with us in the car en route. Mirbaz then picked up Helen, Kencho and Jonathan from the Bella hotel, and we were all off to the Islamabad airport. A subset of the entire international wedding crew will be spending the next few days in Hunza, up in the northern mountains of Pakistan (Helen, Kencho, Jonathan, Mason, and myself, as well as Qasim’s cousins Farheen and Mirbaz). Qasim and Palwasha will join us tomorrow.

The hour-long flight was on a tiny propeller plane (the kind where you climb stairs from the tarmac directly to get onto it!) and while flying over some stunning mountain ranges, we got to see Nanga Parbat, the ninth tallest mountain on earth! We landed in Gilgit’s tiny airport, where two cars were waiting for us to start the two-hour drive to Hunza. Much like with my HCAP conference experiences abroad, traveling with locals (in this case, Farheen and Mirbaz) made all the difference. They were able to easily communicate with the drivers in Urdu, help us navigate through both airports, and share insights about different sites that we were passing (including the old Silk Road, cutting through the huge mountains!)

I will sound like a broken record for the rest of this post, but we drove through some absolutely stunning scenery on the way to Hunza. These mountains are some of the tallest in the world – some are all brown/rocky, while others are covered in snow/glaciers. Closer to our altitude, the leaves were starting to change color and it really looked like fall in New England.

We arrived at our hotel about two hours later. Much like with letting us borrow her wedding clothes, yet again Farheen had picked out the best of the best for us. We are staying in small wood cabins that overlook the mountains in the distance, the Hunza river below, and local farms/homes nearby. The Serena Altit Fort hotel has a restaurant on site, and Helen, Mason and I were able to grab a late lunch, with the same stunning view.

After lunch, Farheen, Helen, Mason, and I decided to go for a walk. We meandered around our hotel area, then onto the (single) street that cuts through the town. We followed a trail down towards the river for a little while, but it wasn’t safe enough to follow all the way down to the river, as it got muddy later on.

We returned back to the hotel and all of us had a nice dinner at a nearby restaurant. Hunza has much cooler weather than Islamabad and Peshawar, and while I enjoy the cold, it was a bit nippy eating outside in 40-ish degree weather. Helen and I are sharing a room, so we then chilled for a bit and went to bed.  

Tuesday October 25^th

Today we got to sleep in – there is no better feeling than being engulfed by big fluffy blankets while the room is still a bit chilly. However, once Helen and I woke up, we were shocked to see a short man standing in front of our porch, clearly enjoying the vista in front of him. We both didn’t really know what to do, but later realized he was the hotel’s gardener, and he left our porch area soon thereafter. Helen and I then joined everyone else for a delicious (and stunning) breakfast with chai overlooking the river and the mountains.

After that, we headed off to explore the Altit Fort. This fort is located within the grounds of our hotel, and our stay grants us free access with a tour guide. The fort is 900 years old, and has many different rooms (kitchen, dungeon, bedrooms, etc.) and affords visitors spectacular views of the mountains and river (though in this case you can see much more of the river compared to the view from our cabins). Our tour guide was also very experienced at taking pictures and 365-degree videos of our experiences and the vistas. As I was coming down from the fort, I inadvertently had a slip of the tongue when asking when Qasim and Palwasha were going to arrive, and I called them “Pasim” (pronounced like “Possum”) and that name stuck for the rest of the trip.

We then headed to Café de Hunza, a local cafe, where I had a delicious fluffy pancake, eggs, and apple juice (made from green apples). It was so good, and halfway through our meal Qasim and Palwasha joined us! It was the first time I got to spend quality time with Palwasha while she wasn’t burdened with wedding festivities, and it was great getting to hang out and know her better.

Mason and I then decided to do a bit of wiindow shopping on our way up to the Baltit fort. The climb was steep, but the road was full of friendly shop owners (one of whom even invited us for tea!) We made the half-mile trek up to the fort, but didn’t know where the rest of our group had gone. After taking a few pictures, we decided to go on a tour of the inside of the fort.

Our tour was finishing up as the rest of our crew was starting their tour. Mason and I stayed a bit longer in the last room and ended up chatting with the fort/museum curator who had a fascinating life story. He worked at the K2 basecamp for 20+ years, then studied museum curation in Germany and was responsible for much of the English and Urdu labeling of objects and pictures in the fort. We chatted with him for about 20 minutes and then were finally reunited with our group.

Our last stop of the day was Eagle’s Nest. This involved a steep switchback-y drive up to a beautiful, rocky vista. We came just after sunset and all of the mountains were cast in a beautiful purple-ish glow. We then had a quick snack and tea at a restaurant nearby.

After coming back to our hotel and showering, we hung out in Farheen and Mirbaz’s room for a bit, then had a late dinner in the hotel’s restaurant.

Wednesday October 26^th

Today we were up around 9am and had another delicious breakfast in the hotel restaurant. After that, we (minus MIrbaz, Qasim and Palwasha) headed off to the Passu glacier for a hike.

The drives here in Hunza are nothing short of extraordinary. The roads curve through towering mountains, with the Hunza river (and its blue glacial water) cutting through the valleys. We passed Attabad lake, which was formed in 2010 as a result of a huge landslide.

Getting to the hiking trail was its own adventure involving some tricky off-roading that our driver handled seamlessly. We were all a bit jostled and happy to be on our feet once we reached the beginning of the trail.

The hike started with a pretty steep incline (and we were already at ~10k feet of elevation!) About halfway through, Mason, Helen and I pulled a bit in front of the group and Farheen told us to keep going along a trail that continued to creep upwards (with the promise that we’d later be rewarded with great views of the glacier). Jonathan later speed-walked/jogged to catch up with us and Farheen was correct – once we finally crested that final ascent, we saw a big portion of the Passu glacier down in front of us. It was so cool to see the large expanse of ice, with the beautiful mountains further in the distance.

We then headed back down and because I got down before most of the group, Farheen said I could start walking down the dirt road we had come up (and then the car picked me up with everyone else in it a bit later). We then drove to a local restaurant/B+B whose owner Farheen knows. We ordered our food, but since there was an hour wait time, decided to head to the suspension bridge in the interim.

This bridge crossed over the Hunza river (in two locations). It was rickety and swaying quite a bit in the wind, but Farheen assured us it was safe. Helen, Mason and Jonathan sped across, and I decided to cross as well, but was a bit slower/more skittish. Eventually I made it to the other side, and then back again all in one piece.

We then had our very late lunch and headed back to the Altit area to do some shopping. Farheen was yet again invaluable here – helping us haggle for better prices, showing us which products were authentic, and fielding our many questions.

Farheen wears a beautiful ring that is actually reversible and has two different gemstones in it. I wanted to get something similar so that we could match, and she was so touched by that that she secretly bought me the ring as a “friendship ring.” I then bought her a bracelet to say thank you for all that she has done for us.

After a bit of packing, we had one last meal together in the hotel restaurant. As we were leaving, we came across a group of musicians who knew both Palwasha and Mirbaz. After hanging out in Mirbaz and Farheen’s room for a bit, we came back up to the restaurant area and the musicians serenaded us with the local instruments and dancing to both Pakistani and Western music. It was magical hearing them under the stars (and I had wrapped myself in one of the blankets that the hotel had so I was nice and warm, despite the chilly outdoor temperature!)

Thursday October 27^th

Today we were up super early and because of that, I was able to quickly WhatsApp video call my parents to show them the views and the hotel restaurant/breakfast area. After a quick breakfast, Helen, Mason and I were off on the two-hour car ride back to the Gilgit Airport (the rest of the crew is staying a few more days).

We had an equally short (but equally beautiful) flight back to Islamabad, and then were brought back to Auntie Humi’s house. It was so wonderful being reunited with her again – she wanted to hear all about our incredible trip, and of course fed us delicious food. I’m in awe by how much it truly felt like coming back to family, despite the fact that I didn’t know this woman a mere 13 days ago!

After a bit of chatting and eating, we drove to Monal, which is at the top of one of the mountains on the outskirts of Islamabad. We got there right as the sun was setting and it was beautiful to watch the sky change color and to have some tea and snacks with a subset of Qasim’s cousins.

We then headed back to do some shopping, and later came home and were able to unwind for a bit. Right as we were leaving for Monal, Auntie Humi announced that she was bringing a masseuse into her house to have a massage and she saw my eyes light up as she said that. I did want to see Monal, so I decided to do that instead of staying and getting a massage. But in a lucky turn of events, the masseuse was still in the house when we got back, and Auntie Humi told me I could get a massage if I was still interested. 

I couldn’t have jumped faster at the opportunity. We laid down a sheet on one of the guest beds, and Shakeela (the masseuse) got to work. It was a bit hard to communicate, but I soon realized she wanted me completely naked, so she could massage me with (what I think was) olive oil. This massage was absolutely heavenly – Shakeela pretty much massaged my entire body with this olive oil and also stretched me out a little bit. I have had a few back massages before but never one that focused on my legs, then back, then arms. It was truly heavenly (especially before a flight tomorrow!)

After the massage, I felt like I was floating as I went upstairs to hang out with Auntie Humi and Qasim’s cousins, and we were also joined by Qasim’s mom and siblings. It was so wonderful to be able to see everyone again! Auntie Humi’s house is really designed to host and facilitate great conversations. Auntie Humi had a sizable cheese board and some sweets laid out on her coffee table (which I had mistakenly thought was dinner).

Later we had a true dinner, and after that we hung out a bit more until Helen had to leave around midnight. Soon thereafter, Mason and I headed to bed for a few hours since we had to leave for our flight around 6:30am.

A few of the cousins stayed up/woke up to say goodbye to us, and I found myself starting to cry as I said goodbye. It’s hard to encapsulate just how wonderful this trip has been. Any one aspect of it would have been incredible in its own right (a beautiful multi-day wedding, a mini college reunion, meeting Qasim’s amazing family, exploring the incredibly beautiful Hunza valley) but the fact that all of that and more was packed into these two weeks just made it that much more enjoyable. I tried to remind myself that it wasn’t a goodbye, but more of a “see you later” – whether “later” be in Pakistan or America.

Pakistan – Islamabad

Thursday October 20^th

Today started out with Mason, Alex and me having a quick but delicious breakfast in our hotel, then heading to a local mall to exchange some USD into Pakistani Rupees. We then headed to lunch at a very Western-style restaurant called Loafology. After quite a bit of stomach distress during the first part of this trip, I was so, so happy to have some “bland” pancakes and poached eggs. The entire international wedding party was there (along with a few of Qasim’s cousins) and it was great to have a good meal and enjoy talking with everyone.

We then headed to Qasim’s cousin Farheen’s house to continue practicing our dances for tomorrow’s wedding events. Farheen was also super kind in letting us females borrow clothing for a few of the upcoming wedding days – I got the most beautiful (and thankfully, airy!) long, patterned skirt and navy blue top to wear this evening and a gorgeous dark blue kameez and matching scarf and white pants for Saturday evening.

After that we headed back to our hotels to change, and soon were off to Auntie Humi’s house for the Dholki. Auntie Humi’s (already gorgeous) house was completely transformed for the evening – there were lush carpets lining the entire driveway, lights hung on every possible outdoor surface, and in the small front yard, there were dozens of linen-wrapped chairs, a live band, and some pillow-lined mattresses where folks could lounge about.

The Dholki was a beautiful event, solely for the groom and his family/friends (maybe about 150-200 people in total, though it’s hard to tell because people were filtering in and out all evening). After greeting many of Qasim’s older aunts/cousins, I meandered outside for a bit, and soon thereafter we were called to start dancing. It’s hard to describe the exact “type” of dancing that we were participating in, but it happened in a tight circle, involved a lot of hand/wrist movements, and a lot of energetic shouting/cheering from onlookers. Qasim was clearly in his element, and it was so great to be able to spend so much time with him.

Later, the dinner buffet opened, essentially all along Auntie Humi’s driveway. As we were eating, because I had WiFi (and because it was not super early on the east coast) I decided to WhatsApp video call my family. My mom picked up and she was able to wish Qasim congratulations (and Pippin even made a guest appearance!)

I then went and got henna on both of my hands. I had Googled a few design ideas beforehand, but in the end, I simply stuck out my hand, and the henna artist went to work. This artist was clearly an expert, and it was addicting to watch the henna paste form such beautiful designs on my skin.

As the night was (somewhat) starting to wind down, a group of our college friends and some of Qasim’s cousins went into his cousin Mirbaz’s room to share some of our favorite Qasim stories. We then headed back to our respective hotels and went to sleep around 2:30am.

Friday October 21^st

Given the late night that we all had last evening, we slept in this morning, which felt great, but due to the jetlag and an irregular sleep schedule, it definitely wasn’t a solid chunk of sleep. Mason and I had another delicious breakfast at our hotel, and then the boys and Qasim headed to the barber, and many of the women decided to go on a hike.

Farheen drove us to Trail 5, a beautiful trail that snakes up the side of one of the many mountains surrounding Islamabad. I always enjoy hiking and being in nature, but there was something particularly wonderful about today’s hike since none of us had gotten any real exercise in the past week given that we’ve essentially been chauffeured everywhere. It felt great to stretch our legs and get some exercise and vitamin D.

Farheen (who grew up in Islamabad and still lives here) knew these trails like the back of her hand and she took us up a nicely shaded trail and on a few side trails as well. We timed it well because not many other people were hiking around 2pm on a Friday. At the very top of the trail, we had to bushwhack a bit to get to a stunning, 365-degree view with green mountains behind us and the city down in front of us.

We headed down the mountain and then grabbed a quick bite to eat at Brew, a local coffee shop in Islamabad. After that we headed home to change and then we were off to the Mehndi. Tonight I was wearing a beautiful gold skirt and a matching top – the same style as all of Qasim’s other HS/college female friends, though we were each in a different color. My top, unfortunately, was incredibly tight, despite having been tailored a few days before (I think they might’ve written down the wrong measurements). We all met up at Auntie Humi’s house again so we could head over together and thankfully this gave Farheen the chance to literally help force my body into the beautiful gold top.

We headed over in a bunch of cars to the 1969 restaurant. This restaurant/outdoor space was essentially designed to host weddings (yes, plural). We had one large part of the space from 8-11pm and the first part of the evening involved lighting beautifully decorated candles that we carried into a large center stage area. Like many aspects of this wedding, it’s hard to put into words the sheer beauty and scale of the venue, people, and ambiance here. There were 20-30 tables scattered around a large part of the lawn, and at the far end there was a large stage, painted with a vibrant floral pattern in the middle and with flowers surrounding it and hanging from the ceiling. There were couches along the perimeter as well as a majestic couch in the middle for Qasim and his bride Palwasha.

The night started with some dances on Palwasha’s side – friends, sisters-in-law and others performed choreographed dances (similar to the dances we had been practicing for the past few days!) We then took a brief break for dinner and then it was time for our (i.e., the groom’s side) dances. The energy was unmatched and everyone seemed to be having so much fun!

We were pretty abruptly kicked out at 11pm, due to the fact that there is a strict energy conservation effort in place (and obviously these events with music, lights and food consume a lot of resources). We all tried some paan dessert which is made of different fillings (nuts, slaked lime, etc.) wrapped in an edible betel leaf (and Mason had his lit on fire before he ate it!) We then headed back for another after party at Auntie Humi’s house. 

Saturday October 22^nd

Today was another sleep-in day. Mason and I had breakfast at our hotel, then headed to Tiger Temple for lunch with the rest of the crew. My stomach wasn’t feeling too well, so I used it as an opportunity to hang out/catch up with folks as opposed to eating, but everyone else seemed to enjoy their meal. Afterwards I went back to the hotel to rest while some of the others went shopping.

Tonight’s activities yet again started at Auntie Humi’s. Soon after we arrived, a wooden bed was brought out into the front yard and Qasim (and friends) were told that he had to do whatever it takes to physically break the bed to ensure he had both a successful first night of marriage and fertility later on. Once three of his male friends/old roommates started stomping on the bed with their full force, it broke easily!  

We then got into cars and headed to a huge event hall. While last night’s event was full of colors and dancing, this venue was also beautifully decorated, but the main focal point was on the flowers. There were hundreds of roses draped atop overhangs, lining a big aisle down the middle of the venue and, later in the evening, placed onto Qasim and Palwasha as capes. Qasim and Palwasha also arrived in a car that was literally covered in strands of roses.

Tonight also started with a procession and a bit of dancing. I recognized some of the songs from my Ghungroo days and others were more western/pop songs. Like the previous evening, Qasim entered first. Last night, Palwasha entered with a “regular” entourage, but tonight she had literal mini-fireworks/firecrackers helping light her way down the main aisle. It certainly made for a memorable sight (though so many of the women were wearing scarves/dangly clothing that I was very concerned about it being a fire hazard!) Once both the bride and groom were seated at the couches at the front of the stage/venue, we had a nice dinner and were able to take some photos.

The rest of the evening involved a few ceremonial events. The first was the bride’s side stealing one of Qasim’s shoes and holding it ransom. In order to get it back, there was intense bartering (all in Urdu). Eventually the groom’s side had to pay the bride’s side about 100k PKR (~$450) to get his shoe back. The aforementioned fertility capes were also placed on the bride and groom, and similar to last night, the lights were abruptly shut off and we were kicked out around 11pm.

We got to follow a sweet procession of the bride and groom out of the venue, with a Quran placed above their heads as a blessing/sign of good luck as they walked out. We then gathered at Qasim’s uncle’s house, where more traditions occurred, including drinking milk and placing a young cousin on Palwasha’s lap (both for fertility) and throwing rice and candy to bystanders in the front lawn. We did a bit more dancing, and then the boys “kidnapped” Qasim to try to delay him in getting to his hotel room (also a tradition for this night of the wedding).

Eventually they returned Qasim to his uncle’s house, and he and Palwasha headed off to their hotel, while the rest of us had another ‘’after-party” at Auntie Humi’s. I know I’ve mentioned Pakistani hospitality a million times already, but I think it is a true testament to Qasim’s family that we all felt right at home in his aunt’s house, despite the fact that he was not there. We ended up heading back to our hotels around 2am that morning.

Sunday, October 23^rd

Today started with another breakfast in our hotel, and then Mason and I decided to go on a quick walk to explore the neighborhood. Right near our hotel was a narrow park between two busier streets. The park had trees and a nice walking path and we walked for a bit (though it was about 85 degrees and in direct sunlight, so we didn’t last too long). We then did some shopping with Farheen, who was able to help us secure some discounts on some nice local products (mostly scarves) and we got ice cream and crepes after.

Tonight was the last night of the wedding, held at the local Marriott in Islamabad. This Marriott not only had great function room spaces, but also delicious restaurants inside the hotel. I felt like a queen in the floor-length gown I was in, and we were some of the first to arrive, so it was nice to have a little 1:1 time with Qasim and his immediate family. His uncle told me that I was, “the best dancer in the world” which was the sweetest compliment, especially at a wedding that was so full of dancing! 

Tonight was essentially photos and dinner, and after doing both (and chatting with the cousins for a bit) Farheen suggested we go to the sushi restaurant inside the hotel. We shared some delicious food, and closed down the restaurant, then headed back to the function room to help close down the last night of the wedding.

It was incredibly bittersweet saying goodbye to so many people that I’ve spent so much time with over the past few days. Thankfully I am headed to the Hunza valley with Farheen and Mirbaz (and will be staying at Auntie Humi’s one last time later in the week) but I did have to say goodbye (or more accurately, see you later) to Qasim’s mom and sister and many of his cousins.

Mason and I then went back to our hotel to pack and get ready for our upcoming adventure in Hunza.

Pakistan – Peshawar

2022 is turning into the year of making up for lost COVID travel time! For the next two weeks, I am going to be exploring Pakistan (and later, Dubai) for my friend Qasim’s wedding. I will be spending a few days in Qasim’s hometown of Peshawar, then heading to Islamabad to celebrate his marriage to Palwasha. After that we will head up north to Pakistan’s Hunza valley and then I will spend a few days with my HCAP friend Wael in Dubai on my way home. I’m so excited for this trip, both because I’ll be able to fully experience Pakistani culture, but also because it’s a mini college reunion – Qasim has friends coming from all over America, Georgia (the country) and Singapore for these events! Below you’ll find a brief history of Qasim and my friendship, as well as daily recaps of our time in Peshawar.

When my blockmates and I were placed into Quincy house during the spring of our freshman year, we later learned that our sophomore year housing was going to be in “overflow” housing called DeWolfe. While DeWolfe had lovely accommodations (including a full kitchen that my stellar chef of a roommate Victoria took full advantage of!) it was physically removed from the rest of the dorm/house. Qasim’s blocking group and mine were the only two suites on the bottom floor of DeWolfe, and we soon became fast friends. After graduation, Qasim and I both moved to New York City. Qasim has been by my side for parties, dinners, breakups, concerts, and everything in-between since then. In fact, after a breakup a few years ago, Qasim spotted me at a party in NYC, and when he saw me looking unhappy from across the room, the way he cheered me up was (legitimately) by saying, “I know this sucks now, but one day in the future you’ll be dancing at my wedding and I’ll be dancing at yours.” Four years later – he was right!

Saturday October 15^th

I worked a full day on Friday in Hoboken, then because my flight was at 1am on Saturday, I was able to go for a lovely run along the Hudson (which ended by serendipitously seeing beautiful fireworks over the river!) I then ubered to JFK for flight #1 to Doha. Not only was this flight 12+ hours long, but I was seated next to a verbally abusive passenger who kept causing trouble with the passengers around him (and on top of this, his right leg was under my seat for the entirety of the flight). Thankfully I was able to leave the flight physically unscathed, but it still shook me a bit emotionally.

Sunday October 16^th

I landed in Doha around 8pm local time. In the Doha airport, they have gender-specific rest areas where I was thankfully able to nap for a bit on the floor. The flight to Islamabad was much less eventful and I even got an entire row to myself (perhaps to balance the karma from the earlier flight?) I landed in Islamabad and was greeted by a man named Afzal holding a sign reading “Julia Kee” about 20 steps from my plane’s gate. Afzal guided me through the customs process seamlessly, and because I was with him, I was able to skip most of the lines that the international tourists had to wait in. As I exited the airport, I definitely got a few stares (I was, after all, one of a few white people, and the only one with an older Pakistani man walking with me). Soon enough I saw Qasim waiting for me and it was SO wonderful to be reunited, especially since it was the first time I had seen him in person since 2019.

Qasim and I then got driven to his Auntie Humi’s house in Islamabad. I was able to shower and take a quick nap and then we had a buffet lunch in his aunt’s living room. As I walked downstairs, I was reunited with Jen and her partner Kenneth (the same ones I visited in Singapore in July!). I also met Helen and Kencho (and her partner Jonathan), both of whom went to High School in Ithaca with Qasim.

After lunch, we headed to the Faisal Mosque, which is the national mosque of Pakistan (and the sixth-largest mosque in the world)! It was wonderful getting to explore the spacious courtyard, though we couldn’t enter the building because it was closed to the public. After that we headed to another part of the city, where we saw the beautifully decorated outside of a Hindu temple and then meandered around some arts and crafts stores.

We then headed to Rohail’s house for a wonderful barbeque. Rohail and Qasim went to high school together in Islamabad (Qasim did grades 9-11 in Ithaca, then his A-levels in Islamabad). One of the things I’ve been loving about this trip is the family time and hospitality I’ve experienced. Rohail’s family was so sweet, especially his sisters, with whom I was able to chat for hours. They also were fostering an adorable kitten, who I got to cuddle and who reminded me of Pippin!

We then had a two-hour drive to Peshawar. We were greeted by Qasim’s mom who had the entire outside of their house decorated in beautiful white lights. At this point, I was beyond exhausted, and it felt heavenly to shower and head to bed in the Civil Officer’s mess right across the park from Qasim’s family.

Monday October 17^th

This morning I was able to sleep in (which felt so, so good) and then meandered over to Qasim’s family’s house for a delicious breakfast. I was able to have some simple fried eggs and toast (my stomach was very happy with this bland development!) There is nothing more wonderful than spending time with the Khan family – Qasim’s siblings are so sweet, and his mom is the perfect mix of sweet and hilarious. She gifted me a stunning silk scarf, because in her words, my “beautiful bare shoulders would cause too many stares” in Peshawar. Later, most of us Western women weren’t dressed “appropriately” so Mama Khan loaned me a beautiful kameez and matching scarf to wear for the day.

The beautiful scarf Qasim’s mom leant me

Qasim lives in an area just for the police/civil servants, because his father was a police officer. This is also why we were able to stay at the Civil Officer’s mess, across the park from his house, and why when we traveled within Peshawar we had a police escort with us. Tragically, Qasim’s dad passed away while interrogating a suicide bomber when Qasim was 12, but I have always admired his (and the rest of his family’s) openness and honesty talking about this. It was also so meaningful to see dozens of photos of his dad around his house.

After our breakfast and family chatting time, we went to F.C. Shabqadar. FC stands for Frontier Constables, and this was essentially a local police base. We saw an intricate ceremony, complete with a band and marching officers (who later became dancing officers). Afterwards, we walked to a shooting range and I shot my first weapon – a Kalashnikov AK 47. It was a terrifying experience, but I was glad I was able to do it.

We then toured the rest of the base, including a small museum and some gardens. After, we meandered to a clubhouse-like dining room where we had tiny bites of food, a delicious chocolate cake and chai (tea). We then headed home, and had a quick shower before we were off to our evening activity.

Qasim was supposed to have a “bachelor party” (I put it in quotes because it was essentially going to be an excuse to gather all his friends, regardless of gender) in NYC in August. Due to visa issues, though, this couldn’t happen because he wasn’t in America, so he decided to have his bachelor party (or as I call it, Bachelor party part I) here in Peshawar. He rented out a common area of a local law college, and honestly it felt like being back in Quincy house. Qasim had a great playlist (that I of course helped facilitate) and after a quick dinner in the college’s dining hall, we went back to the communal hall to dance and play games. It was such a fun night.

Tuesday October 18^th

Today also started with a leisurely and delicious breakfast at the Khan household. As much as I love exploring and seeing new parts of the world, the highlight of my time in Pakistan so far has been these leisurely meals with Qasim and his family. You can feel the love and kindness radiating around the room and it really feels like home being with them. 

After breakfast, we were off to explore the old city of Peshawar. A tour guide led us around this area that had shops/buildings around the perimeter and a few parks, a Hindu temple, and a mosque inside. We saw different historical sites, including an old firetruck from 1912, a room that used to house traders who would come to trade goods in the city, and an ancient archeological site called Gor Khatri, which proves that this part of Pakistan is over 4,000 years old!

We then headed out into the city and into a few older houses. These multi-story houses included artwork, beautiful design elements (e.g., mirrors imported from Belgium) and staircases leading down to somewhat creepy, lightless basements and up to rooftops with great views.

The courtyard of one of the houses we toured

After a bit more meandering, we headed to the Mahabat Khan mosque. I have always loved looking at houses of worship and this mosque was no different. The tiles were gorgeous and the courtyard was made of beautiful white marble. We then headed to the Peshawar Museum, which was kept open late just for us. The museum had tons of statues of Buddha (in all shapes, sizes and materials).

The ceiling of the mosque

We drove back to the Khan house and (after a brief, impromptu rest), we had a feast of a BBQ out on Qasim’s back porch. I got to spend a lot of time talking with Mariam (Qasim’s sister) and his mom. We then practiced some of our dances for the upcoming wedding – there’s a female-only song that I’m in, as well as a group song. Dancing outside with the gorgeous lights all around the house and backyard was one of those memories that will stick with me for a while.

Qasim’s mom (and me, dressed in the clothes she leant me!)

Wednesday October 19^th

This morning also commenced with a final Khan family breakfast. We packed up our bags and then were off to the Ibrahim Khan Jhagra Foundation clinic. This is a clinic that Qasim and a few friends have literally developed from the ground up. It’s in an area of Peshawar that is home to thousands of Afghani refugees and is providing vital medical services, including OB/GYN services to expecting/new mothers. It was so cool to not only tour the building (which included two exam rooms and a small pharmacy) but to also realize that Qasim was responsible for all of this! I did have a brief moment where I felt like I was going to pass out (I’ll blame the heat, but being in such a confined medical space probably didn’t help either). Thankfully I was fine after I laid down for a bit, but it was a good reminder to continue to hydrate.

After the clinic we went to Takht-i-bahi, a UNESCO world heritage site which is home to the ruins of an ancient Buddhist monastery dating back to the 1^st century CE. We not only got to explore the ruins but also got some behind-the-scenes tours of certain areas that are usually off-limits to the general public. We timed this tour incredibly well because the sun was just starting to set, casting all these rocks/ruins in a beautiful glow.

Overlooking the ruins

We then drove a few hours back to Islamabad, to the beautiful house of one of Qasim’s cousins. This house looked like it was straight out of a magazine – it had a spacious backyard (which was beautifully decorated with a complete catering setup and tables/chairs), a sleek pool and a spacious cabana area. This roofed cabana area proved to be a saving grace, as it started to pour halfway through the evening, along with strong thunder and lightning. It reminded me of being at camp – seeing and hearing the storm while staying safely under shelter. We practiced all our dances again and also celebrated Lucy’s birthday.

Around midnight, we started to make our way back to our Islamabad hotels. Most of Qasim’s international friends are staying at a hotel called the Bella, however there weren’t enough rooms there for everyone, so Mason, Alex, Qasim and I are staying at a nearby hotel called Crosswinds. I joked that this was oddly like our DeWolfe situation sophomore year – having our own living area separate from the rest of the “House.”

Montana – Yellowstone

Thursday 7/28

Today started with a delicious hot breakfast in our hotel. I made sure Indrani and I both took two pieces of bread as we left breakfast, so we could make PB and Nutella sandwiches for lunch for our upcoming day. After packing the food and all our hiking gear, we were off for the day.

We drove (literally) for four minutes to reach the entrance of Yellowstone National Park (though technically we had passed through the western part of the park on the way to our hotel in West Yellowstone yesterday). A few miles into the park, we suddenly found ourselves in a traffic jam. We had both heard that wildlife frequently caused traffic jams in this park, but were shocked to be able to witness this so early in our visit. It turns out a huge bison was blocking the road, and by the time we got to the area where it was located, it was grazing along the side of the road. It was a (relatively) safe distance away, but I still felt a bit nervous, given it could’ve (hypothetically) charged at us/our car at any moment.

The bison we saw on the side of the road

After that excitement, we passed quite a few geysers by the side of the road as we drove ~45 minutes to Old Faithful, which is one of the most reliable geysers in the park. Although Old Faithful is reliable, we unfortunately arrived at a time when the next planned eruption was in about 90 minutes. We walked around the enormous geyser and took some pictures but decided to continue on before the geyser fully erupted.

Our next stop was at West Thumb, which is an “outlet” of Yellowstone Lake that not only has a beautiful “shore” but also is a geyser basin with many pools that were steaming and/or bubbling over. The area made for gorgeous pictures because right behind all this geologic activity was a pristine blue lake surrounded by mountains. Indrani and I circumnavigated the boardwalk, then got back in the car to continue on our adventures.

We then left Yellowstone and headed into Grand Teton National Park. Most of the driving I’ve done on this trip has been through gorgeous scenery but I must say Grand Teton National Park was in a league of its own. We drove through gorgeous lakes and mountains that were much rockier than the earlier mountains we had seen, many of which were scattered with pine trees. We parked at Jenny Lake, and got ready for an eight-mile hike around this beautiful lake with the tall mountains in the background.

The hike was challenging but beautiful. The first half was pretty crowded, which made sense because there was a boat that took people across the lake, so it was easy to hike just the first half of the lake. The second half was more scenic, though, and also much more sparsely populated with hikers. We crossed over a beautiful stream at the tip of the lake, then started our journey back around the other side of the lake. By this point, we were the only ones on the trail, and were constantly hitting our hiking poles together in an attempt to sound louder than we were, because we know bears are often scared away by loud noises.

About a half-mile later, we heard a big branch creak in the dense woods to our left followed by a lot of shuffling and moving of leaves. We both froze, and not wanting to take the time to determine what exactly the situation was, I quickly ushered Indrani (who was in front of me) to speed walk away from the noise, which we both were pretty convinced was a bear. I thankfully had bear spray in our shared backpack, but the last thing I wanted was to use it. As we were both rushing away in our adrenaline-filled state, I saw a snake on the ground right behind Indrani’s foot. It was bigger than the two previous snake’s I’d seen on this trip, so I screamed “snake!” which in turn freaked Indrani out more because she couldn’t see it. We thankfully calmed down soon thereafter, but were both a bit shaken from the ordeal. Because we didn’t really have a lot of extra energy to use to talk to each other / continue to make noise, we (read: I) decided it would be best to play music on my phone, at least until we saw other people on the trail. We therefore continued our gorgeous hike accompanied by Beyonce’s gorgeous voice (and to give credit where credit is due, we had no more bear scares during the rest of the hike!)

After circumnavigating the lake and getting back to our car, we drove to dinner in the park at a place called Leek’s Marina pizzeria. We then drove home and because Old Faithful was on our way home, we stopped one last time to see if we could see anything more. We were in luck – Old Faithful was a bit more active than before! We timed the day perfectly because we watched the most gorgeous sunset as we were driving home through Yellowstone, and at certain points it even provided a magnificent backdrop for some of the smaller geysers right by the side of the road.

Friday 7/29

Today we had another lovely hot breakfast at our hotel (plus four pieces of bread for sandwiches for lunch), then we packed up and were off to Yellowstone. Today involved another gorgeous drive that meandered along rivers and between beautiful plains and mountains. About 40 minutes into the drive, I spotted a buffalo ~50 meters away on the side of the road! It was in the middle of an open plain so stood out quite well, though thankfully didn’t stop traffic.

We drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and parked at Inspiration point. We then hiked along the North Rim of the canyon. Much like the Grand Canyon in Arizona, this Grand Canyon also has spectacular views and a gorgeous river flowing through it. We stopped at the top of Lower Falls, and I hiked down to the bottom of the falls while Indrani rested at the top. We then hiked to the Upper falls together, then hiked all the way back to our car – about 6 miles in total!

We were both pretty exhausted by the time we finished (especially since the midday sun was out in full force), so we decided to leave the park, but stopped at a few rest stops / overlooks along the way. Both of us were craving chicken nuggets so we got a late lunch / early dinner from McDonalds, before coming home to chill in our room for a bit. The car ride home was the perfect opportunity to listen to Beyonce’s new album, and let’s just say I am obsessed.

Around 5:30pm that evening, we drove to Idaho (just to say we had visited another state – it was only a ten-minute drive away!) On the drive back, we noticed a dozen cars stopped by the side of the road and it turns out everyone was looking at two moose in the distance! We then drove to Parade Rest ranch for an evening of horseback riding.

The horseback riding was such a fun experience! I was on a horse named Bandy, and she was a character. In fact, so much so that about 1/3 of the way through the trip, our guide Sheldon had to attach a rope from his horse to her to essentially pull me/Bandy right behind him. It turns out she just wanted to eat (Indrani noted that this was the perfect horse for me!) It was hilarious, but did give me time to chat with Sheldon, who is a ranch consultant, and we spent quite a bit of time discussing the similarities between our two forms of consulting. After two hours of wandering in and around Gallatin National Forest, we came back down to the barn area, drove home, and packed up all our stuff.

Saturday 7/30

Today was sadly our departure day. We had one last breakfast in the hotel, I made our last batch of sandwiches, then we packed up the car and were off. The drive to the airport was just as stunning as before, and now included some of our “favorites” like the spot where we went horseback riding, the entire stretch of the river where we went whitewater rafting, and the turnoff to get to Big Sky. Indrani and I were able to have really meaningful conversations in the car, and it was the perfect way to end this wonderful vacation.