Expat Life

Flying Cathay Pacific at 34 Weeks Pregnant

Expat Life, Random Musings

I can imagine how anxious and worried my husband and our families were while I was flying home. I was travelling alone after all at 34 weeks pregnant on a long-haul flight. I was pretty scared too but thankfully, I was in good hands (or should I say airlines).

I’m certainly not the first one to do this and I would like to give props to the amazing mommies who hurdled the long hours of flight, lay-overs and security checks without the comfort of their partners and only had themselves and the kind people they encountered along the way.

I booked an economy class airfare from Cathay Pacific for my Dubai-Manila-Dubai journey last year. As it is Hong Kong’s flag carrier, there was a short layover at Hong Kong International Airport.

I was already content because the airline has one of the most generous legrooms at 32 inches for long-haul economy flights.

But, sometimes, pleasant surprises come along.

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Throwback Series: Dubai Museum

Expat Life, Wanderings

Learning the history of your adoptive city, I say, is a must. Do not be a stranger, acquaint yourself with your new home albeit temporary. If you happen to be here in the desert city, one good place to start at is the Dubai Museum at Al Fahidi Port.

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Throwback Series: The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Expat Life, Wanderings

If you’re living in the UAE and haven’t yet visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, you are greatly missing out on a rich cultural experience. The Grand Mosque is a symbol of the diverse Islamic community not only of this country but of the whole world. The architectural design is impeccable. The grandeur and solemnity elates you yet also calms your senses. Seeing it in pictures and being there in person are two different worlds.

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Located in the capital city of Abu Dhabi, the Grand Mosque is one of the largest in the world and can hold about 40,000 worshipers at one time. The ceiling is adorned with gold-plated chandeliers made of Swarovski crystals while the floor with hand-knotted carpet. It is a magnificent sight to behold.

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Of Pomegranates and Monasteries: A Trip to Armenia

Expat Life, Wanderings

*This has been sitting in my drafts for over a year. Never had the time to transfer and process the photos. Excuses, I know. ;-p

My best friend and life partner recently came back from a trip to Armenia where pomegranates are abundant, wine is cheap and ancient monasteries are a common sight.

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Sevanakvank Monastery at Lake Sevan.

This country in the Caucasus region is famous for the magnificent views of Mt. Ararat which is actually located in the eastern part of Turkey that borders with Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan. It is believed to be the mountains where Noah’s Ark rested after the great flood.

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La Mer on New Year’s Day

Expat Life, Wanderings

Happy New Year everyone!

Quite late but we’re still on the first month of 2018 so it still counts! 

Dubai has always captivated us in terms of architecture, open spaces and its beaches. We hail from a quiet and laid-back province in the Philippines so coming here and seeing all these mega structures just leave us gawking. It’s not that we don’t have high-rise buildings back home but here in Dubai, it’s just different – in a fascinating way.

So on the first day of the new year, we went for a walk along the newest beachfront development in Jumeirah 1 – La Mer. 

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It’s like a city on the beach. The vibe was very relaxing with all the contemporary, rustic and minimalist elements all coming together.

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The Journey of Two

Expat Life, Family, Random Musings

As promised, here are some of our photos.

We didn’t have an official photographer or had a professional shoot before or after the ceremony. We just took turns taking photos of ourselves and those photos where we’re both in were taken by our good friend who was with us on our wedding day.

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Rebirth

Expat Life, Random Musings

I know, I know. I’ve been gone for too long. But here I am now back to digitally recording my life. No promises still, as I might just be on hiatus again.

Guess what?! I got hitched! Yep, as in married. I am scared and anxious but more of excited as I venture into this new world of being a Mrs., a wife and in the near future, a mother. What I realized is that no matter how you prepare, you will never be ready until you’re already there. You learn as you go through life and every experience is an opportunity to grow. I am delighted and blessed that I will be sharing my life with someone whom I know will be there for me no matter what, who will nurture and support me, who will question my decisions when they’re questionable, who will never get tired listening to my musings and miseries, someone who will be joyful and proud of every little triumphs I will achieve, someone who will hold my hand on any given day and just be there.

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I love how kind of muted the colors are. ♥

Of course, I am not dismissing the fact that there will be days that we won’t always be in love with each other, there will be times that we will be annoyed at each other and days that we just want to be left alone. But I also know in my heart that we will see it through because our love and commitment will always be there and that He is always there to guide and strengthen us. I hope to share more of this journey here.

P.S. I’ll be posting our photos on my next entry. 🙂

Remembering Iran

Expat Life, Wanderings, Weddings

I’m a bit nostalgic lately I don’t know why. Maybe because I’m hormonal due to that time of the month or also because I just recently turned two years here in Dubai.

I went through my old files and found photos from my Visa Run last January 2015. The popular and most affordable exit destination at that time was Kish, a small island on the Persian Gulf. Prior to my exit I have heard ‘horror’ stories from fellow expats and googling Kish, Exit and Visa Run just made it worse. Though my colleagues assured me that it’s not all that bad I was still anxious.

The distance from Dubai to Kish is a 30-minute flight on board Kish Airlines. The plane I was on was really old and would seem to easily dismantle if exposed to strong turbulence and wind. This is a common opinion among those who have been to Kish for Visa Run. Luckily the flight was short and none of the above happened during the flight.

At one of the first stops of the tour – the ancient city of Harireh.
One of the ruins at Harireh. The 800-year-old city consisted of a mosque, bath house and palatial house.
It was like a ‘NatGeo’ moment for me seeing these ruins.
Interior of one of the houses.
Some parts of the ruins were reconstructed as part of the restoration just like this little wooden gate.

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