Tableside in Ao Nang - Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014

We had a two hour taxi ride from Khao Lak where the Manta Queen 2 docked. We were so excited for our resort hotel - three days of relaxing.

The views didn't disappoint from our balcony. 

We attempted to sleep in, and almost got to 7am - I'm not sure I want to adjust at this point. The morning is calm, and almost cool. 

We started with a walk the block to Ao Nang beach. Longboats were there to whisk you to wherever you were willing to pay. As we examined the signboard of destinations (a collection of islands across the bay), a girl asked where we were thinking of going. Turns out, she and her posse of three girlfriends from South Africa and a pair of dudes from Germany that they picked up along the way. We negotiated for a day trip among the islands for Sunday, and we had the rest of our Saturday to plan. 

We began by walking down the row of shops along the beach... Always dangerous. Doing the math to figure out how much everything costs is hard - so we just ended up buying anything that seemed like it was reasonably priced. I had my little bit of fun bargaining (when only a dollar is on the line, it's pretty easy to have fun).

Lunch was a slow, hot walk up to Massaman Restaurant (a Trip Advisor recommendation). Alisa chose pad thai; I chose a dry curry. When the waitress asked if I wanted it spicy or not, I asked for "medium."

That Mai Thai? It didn't cut the heat at all. Halfway through my torturous curry, I had to order a banana shake to cool my mouth down. With the help of creamy goodness, I managed to finish it. I'll consider it an accomplishment. 

On our list for Ao Nang was a Thai cooking class. We booked an afternoon class for Smart Cook Thai Cooking - well reviewed on Trip Advisor for good reason. A slightly belated pick-up in essentially a covered pick-up, and the two of us, a Chicagoan couple, and a German mechanical engineer were on our way to neighboring Krabi. 

We made five delicious courses. First was using seven fresh ingredients (plus some salt and peppercorn) to make our curry paste. Everything that was spicy was "sexy" to our instructor, June. She had an incredibly dry sense of humor. I was tricked by her more times than I care to count.  (I honestly thought I was making alligator curry until the chicken actually came out. Not a super crazy thing, since they have alligator farms, but...)

We then chopped all our fresh veggies and herbs. About half were recognizable. The Thai eggplant, the galanga (Thai ginger), lemongrass, and interesting varieties of mushrooms all went into our soup, curry, and stir fry. Our first three courses were ready to get exposed to the high heat of the wok. 

One by one, our dishes lined up on the table. We had our first sitting while a monsooning thunderstorm bounced off the corrugated metal roof. Chicken in coconut broth, green curry, and cashew chicken for me; sweet and sour chicken soup, panaeng curry, and pad thai for Alisa.

Our second sitting was the salad, spring rolls, and dessert - an odd order, but it made sense as we chopped our way through fresh spring rolls, banana spring rolls, papaya salad, cucumber salad, mango sticky rice, and (how autumnal) pumpkin in coconut milk. 

After eight hours of cooking, eating, and chatting with our fellow Americans, we were back to our comfy hotel and static-y tv. 

Diving the Andaman Sea - Nov. 18-21, 2014

Alisa and I were nervous coming into these couple days on a boat. From

seasickness to ear problems to buoyancy, we had a number of reasons to be. I'll ruin the suspense, though - it was been amazing. 

The other 18 people scubaing with us in the Simalan National Marine Wildlife Park were mostly from Germany and the others from Brazil, Spain, and Ireland. We got paired up with Vincent and Jessica and Nele - all open water certified years ago, and haven't dived in a while, so they needed a refresher course... The refresher was simply to check weights, hover, as well as my favorite, remove, replace and clear mask. 

When I was getting open water certified at Lake Rawlings (highly recommended if the real deal isn't near you), I had a lot of trouble equalizing my ears, to the point where I had a slight tear in my eardrum. The crazy part to me is the amount of pressure equalization that has to happen before you even hit five meters down. The pressure has gone from 1 atmosphere to 1.5, and my ears can definitely tell. I still am the slowpoke at descending, but at least I'm not trying to keep up (or accidentally sinking like a rock) and hurting myself. 

The first dive off the Manta Queen II... It was amazing. After all the anxiety, all the stress, (and the money for getting certified), we were truly doing something that was worth all that and more. The crew helped us with everything, from putting on our fins to retying my neck strap when fiddling with the wetsuit untied it. 

It was one big step into Koh Bon, and a whole new world was opened to us. We hung out in the coral reefs and the ridge wall, and the diversity was awesome. Besides the dozens of families of fish (thanks for the helpful references, Finding Nemo), we also saw some moray eels, a banded sea snake swimming through the water, and sea anemones with their anemonefish. 

Since the motto is "dive, eat, sleep, repeat", we got a meal or warm snack after every dive. We traveled to Koh Tachai during lunch and hopped in to see manta rays! At least three of them were flying around us as we swam along the hilly, coral-covered terrain. After lots of talk about what to do if there was a strong current, we had great scubaing conditions. A giant barracuda was there to greet us when we went down again, though the slow-moving starfish and fan coral were a stark contrast to the zippy fishes. The rock formations around the "Dome of Doom" were cool as well. 

Amidst all the excitement, including signing up for Advanced Diver Training while we are abroad, I forgot to be jetlagged until 7:30pm. And then it was time for bed. 

I got up at 5, but only partially because of jetlag. I was well-rested, and worked through the review sheets for our five speciality dives we need for certification - deep dive, peak performance buoyancy, underwater navigation, night diving and wreck diving. 

We had also altered course and schedule overnight. The woman from our dive group had tingles and soreness in her arm, so she was on oxygen all night and needed a speedboat to take her to Phuket and a pressure chamber to see if it was decompression sickness. Our initial goal of Richelieu Rock was north where reports said it was choppy, so we traveled back to Koh Bon. 

The advanced training was still on, so a dive down to 26.5 meter showed how the red spectrum of light gets filtered out at that depth. Another manta swam by and around us! 

Next, it was to the Simalan Islands proper, starting with the 9th and last. "Simalan" means nine in Thai - makes sense right? The dive spot was called Three Trees, and we were going to do some training... Until the sea turtle showed up. He was gliding along the bottom, using his beak to rip off bits of coral. So stunning. The mounds of coral (that wasn't as healthy due to activities before it became a marine park) we separated by sand - a new environment to dive in. The pinnacles of coral coming out of the sand were like little miniature worlds. 

West of Eden, by the seventh Simalan Island, had it's pinnacles more clustered. We did some navigation skills (which including traveling a square and counting kick cycles, which Alisa and I agreed was harder than using the compass). We found cold water for the first time on the trip, but the thermocline was at about 12 meters, so we stayed above that. On our way back, another turtle was sighted flying around, but our air and time limits were approaching, so we had to leave. 

Because of the change in schedule, we now had a night dive on the list! Out came the torches, and we followed Matt down along a wall. There were little red eyes of crabs staring out at us from coral and anemones. With the light, we could see the red in fish we hadn't seen before. The clusters of lights were all around, and it was fun to just watch the way the water caught the beams - like inverse spotlights were you are focused on the operator, not the target. There was a concrete lady statue that someone thought was a tsunami memorial. Seeing her at night gave an added gravitas to the dive. 

It was bright and early this morning, and we still had two more training dives in the three that were planned for today. It was a reasonable night's sleep (accounting for exhaustion from eight dives in two days), and I was raring to go at 5:30 this morning, watching the sliver of a moon get drowned out by the sunrise. 

Our first dive was at 7:55am - there really isn't much wasted time! All our gear and in the water in ten or so minutes. We did our buoyancy skills, then explored Anita's Reef, on the other side of Simalan Island #5 and #6 from Hideaway Bay, where we were last night. It was sandy, with coral bommies as little pockets of life, covered by a shimmery coating of  schools of fish. One pocket was clearly claimed by a moray opening and closing his mouth to show his intentions. On the sand were gobies and the shrimp that they stand watch over. The shrimp see but can't dig - the shrimp dig but can't see. It reminds me slightly of the zebra and wildebeest - the zebra can sense danger, the wildebeest can sense water. 

We headed to islands 7 and 8 for what is probably the most memorable dive site. Elephant Head Rock was just the top curve of a granite rock formation that plunged over 40 meters down to the sea bottom. Besides following the currents through crevices and channels, we also did a swim- through underneath a stack of boulders. All the caverns and mountains had fuzzy coatings of coral, with fan coral and fishes waving us through. A ribbon eel was twisting around in the shallower parts where we could get close to the bottom, then we were all twisting around when we hit some currents during the ascent. The boat swung around the help haul us out of the water, and it was an afternoon of travel to our final dive (and the final dive of our advanced course), the Premchai wreck. 

Did I mention that we saw a minke whale surfacing while enroute? Just a dorsal, but check that one off a list somewhere!

The weather turned a bit as we approached Khao Lak, with clouds rolling in. We were suited up and ready for the boat to drop us off when the murmur traveled back that the buoy marking the site was gone. 

We had filled out almost all our paperwork to be advanced open water divers, but had superstitiously kept the wreck dive blank. It looked like we would have to figure out a different specialty and quick.

Or just find the rope marking the spot. The buoy wasn't marking it, but we followed the descent line down to a murky, furry boat. The ship had been used for tin mining, but that industry had been drying up and, whoops, this ship sank. That was about 25 years ago. 

The visibility and the lines of the boat (and them not aligning with the surface) had me swimming at an angle a couple times. But the bubbles don't lie, and I got reoriented. We saw lion fish, a rockfish that blended in amazingly, and schools and schools of small silvery fish and small blue fish. It was interesting, but I felt very crowded because of the visibility. Matt was moving slowly so we could watch him, which meant Alisa was running into him, and I was continually driving under Alisa and hovering until they both moved forward. Some jellyfish relative that is only a single strand has stung us a couple times before, but was extra prevalent near the Premchai. So, while it was very fulfilling since it was the final dive for our advanced course, it was my least favorite dive of the trip. 

After coming onto the liveaboard and handing off our shoes, most of these last couple of days has been out of our hands into much more capable ones. A cook, a captain, dive instructors, and the dive helpers have made everything incredibly smooth. The dive conditions were amazingly favorable. Both sea turtles and mantas that we could observe while they carried on about their business... and these seasickness patches have prevented even an ounce of nausea on an ever-moving boat. The efficiency with how the Manta Queen II got flipped was impressive.

I will say that personally, there are some areas for improvement. I grind down on the bite guard to the regulator, and after three days, my jaw is quite sore. The sides of my mouth are chapped from stretching around the mouthpiece. I don't do a good job paying attention to our navigation - it's so much easier to follow and pay more attention to the fishes instead. But, I'm comfortable underwater, and I can keep calm when I need to figure out the right decision to make. 

I can hear the money flush away into the deep, blue, beautiful sea...

We got back to the dive shop, turned in our computers for our passports, settled our debts, and were in a cab to Ao Nang within an hour. 

Bangkok - Tues., Nov 18

Well, it was going to be a full day in Bangkok before heading to Phuket to meet our liveaboard, but that pesky International Date Line got the better of us. 

We had until 1pm to do our brisk tour of Bangkok. The jetlag helped - we were up before 7 without issue and had our free, minimalist breakfast before an inaugural tuktuk ride to Wat Pho. 

The "trouble" with tuktuks (besides holding your life in their three-wheeled hands) is that there are no meters. But, the price he gave was less than we were planning to offer anyway, so it was an easy conversation. The tuktuk was a thrilling way to get around, and our driver dropped us right by the entrance, right as it opened at 8. 

It was very peaceful as we wandered the grounds. Wat Pho has the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand at over 300. The Rama kings (at least the first four) each have an intricate temple-like building commemorating them, with Rama IV buried in the middle compound. 

Every room containing a Buddha is sacred and we had to take our shoes off, but hardly any of them are connected, so it was off and on many times before we got to the most well-known Buddha - the largest reclining Buddha statue. By that point, the crowds had filled in behind us, we were accidentally photo-bombing pictures left and right. 

The big guy was pretty awe-striking. The temple surrounding him didn't give him much room to breathe, so that might have added to his perception of greatness. Even with his giant presence, I liked a tucked away garden with a foundation and an island better. 

The lushness was beautiful. There was a bird that sounded like the same note on a wooden xylophone being hit over and over - we assumed it was a car alarm until we traced it to a colorful singer on top of a flagpole. 

There were also these Chinese-looking statues guarding the doors called "Yak Wat Pho." Where Buddha always looks serene and it is disrespectful to include yourself in pictures of his statues, these guys looked like they had a trick up their sleeve and were willing to get posed with. 

We walked along the giant fence surrounding Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace to the entrance on the far side. The compound had a religious area in one quadrant, but every single giant tour group was right by the main temple with the Emerald Buddha. We knew we had to dress conservative, but apparently our scarves weren't trusted to cover our shoulders, so we got pastel collared shirts to don as well. 

We got swept along with the crowds (or perhaps more like shoved along; with so many people, manners aren't rewarded, but persistence is.) The Emerald Buddha was dwarfed by his massive, multi-level platform and the pushy crowd around us. He did look nice in his gold robes. Apparently they are seasonal (hot, cool, and rainy being the "seasons") and switched by the king himself. 

As we wandered the rest of the grounds, we escaped the crushing crowds but just for bustling crowds. There was a group of at least a hundred school children that we intersected with a few times. 

The Grand Palace only had a couple buildings to explore, so we checked out the welcoming hall, the facade of the British-built coronation building, and the building where the do viewings when important people die. 

On our way out, dropping off our now beautiful and beautiful-smelling shirts, we grabbed a mulberry smoothie that we sucked on while walking back toward our hostel to pick up our bags. The Sanam Luang - a giant grassy area that doesn't really seem to serve a purpose - was our guiding 

A general travel tip from the day: if you have wifi, you can pre-load Google Maps images of the areas you'll be in. When you aren't connected to wifi, the GPS signal still works, and you can follow your location along the cached maps. This was pretty helpful for the odd circling streets between Sanam Luang and Th Khao San, the market road where we browsed and had lunch.

Lunch! Our first real Thai food! The restaurant was recommended by our out-dated (but free! - thanks Kelly) guidebook, so it has probably moved away from the authenticity. It was only foreigners while we were eating.

But still. It was delicious Thai food - curries, noodles, rice, spring rolls with peanut sauce. And I got the pumpkin hummus - it doesn't feel like fall at all in the 90 degree shade, but in my heart I know it is. 

Taxi was easy, though because there are two airports, we had to trust we communicated enough to get to the right one. 

And since we are here, we must have figured it out. Though he asked where we were from, then said Rottweiler a couple times. His favorite English word? We'll never know...

It's off to Phuket to get picked up by Khaolak Scuba Adventures for three full days of diving! We have our seasick patches on, and our nerves are starting to kick in - time to test that scuba training in the ocean!

Flying to Bangkok - Nov. 16-17

We were asked to do a survey for ANA, which might chance the language I'm using. Top choice - the movie selection. 

So I watched all the hits that I missed: Boyhood, Jersey Boys, What If, Begin Again, and Guardians of the Galaxy. And a bit of House of Cards. 

We also figured out that we didn't account for the day we lost in transit, so we booked a hotel for the night we spent in the air. Our Bangkok itinerary is a little compact now. 

In Tokyk now, with our Bangkok flight boarding. My eyes are pretty heavy after 18+ hours of travel. 

I'll try to include more pictures next time.

Chicago Layover - Nov. 15-16, 2014

We booked tickets to Thailand through Japan-based ANA for two reasons - they were second cheapest, and we get to spend 18 hours in Japan on the way back. On the way from DC to Bangkok, however, we got a 24-hour layover in Chicago. Average expected temperatures for the rest of the trip: 70-80 degrees. Chicago? 20-30 degrees. 

Alisa and I packed checked bags for perhaps one of the first times we've traveled together. Our scuba fins and equipment were too big for carry-on luggage, so we had plenty of room, though slightly less for our weight allowance. There was lots of bargaining ("I can wear this over three other layers in Chicago, and it'll be cute in the tropics!"). 

After three missteps on my part that sent me back to my apartment to get the stuff I left (which were driving Alisa to hysteria), we made it on to my grandparents' house, then our flight the next morning.

So, starting off with the shortest flight of the trip. Got that under our belt and were ready to hit up the Windy City. First off, deep dish. We got the recommendation for Lou Malnoti's. It wasn't the incredibly buttery pastry crust, but it was certainly appealing. 

As for discovering things, nothing outside sounded appealing, so walking the Miracle Mile, or along the lake, or to the Bean were all off the list. Instead, we looked up shows. The afternoon was spent at the Adler Planetarium. Dark matter. Astrolabes. The  metaphors for the size of the universe. A show that introduced us to the stars. And, a heated building where we could eat freeze-dried ice cream. 

We then went to "Late Nite Catechism." Quite a bit went over our little Lutheran heads, but this is where the show started. 

Our dinner was at another quite established joint: Portillos. With a Chicago-style hot dog, and Italian beef sandwich, and a chocolate cake shake. The area was very flashy. 

Our final show was a ComedySportz in yet another awesome area. The better team won. 

It was not that early of a wake-up, all considering, but being awake for two long planes rides is going to be something else. 

Greg and Lesley's Wedding: Bahamas, April 9-13, 2014

This is the first time in years that I have gone abroad and not written a post every single day. Maybe it was that this trip was so short, or that the Bahamas seemed less and less like a foreign country the closer we got to them (though there was plenty of Spanish on the ship and in Miami).

So, I will do a retrospective post instead. Sitting in the airport, spending five hours waiting for a flight after doing just enough Miami exploration to call it a day.

TL;DR: Went on a four-night cruise to the Bahamas for my friends' (Greg and Lesley's) wedding with my travel buddy Nyk. Met their friends and family and re-met college buddies. Played board games, karaoke, and a scavenger hunt. Sat in the sun, in hot tubs, and in attendance at a beautiful wedding. 

Day 1: DC to Miami to Royal Carribbean's "Adventure of the Seas"

We got up at the crack of dawn to catch our flight straight to Miami. Ellie had gotten picked up by Renee the night before, so my dog was taken care of already that morning. 

I was doing the typical last minute tango of adding and subtracting items into my bag, but it was an easy flight, an easy transfer, an easy purchase of two bottles of wine and a big bottle of sunscreen (the non-carry-on-able things), and an easy arrival at the port. 

One of the major themes of the trip was lines. It wasn't even "hurry up and wait", it was just plain "wait." We ran into Teddy (the first of a couple of CMU acquaintances I got to know better in the last five days), and began the first line. Then the line to the line. Then we got to sit in a line. After about twenty minutes, and some debate on whether we were in a stack or a queue, my friend and travel partner Nyk made a hilarious computer science joke - "it's like we're in a heap and they've lost all reference to us." 

But they didn't lose us, and we made it on to the ship two hours later. We booked it to the dining hall, ate, then our rooms were supposed to be ready. Which, in our head, meant a nap. Or was it first exploring and then a nap? Either way, we mapped out the ship and caught up on those wee morning hours of sleep that were missed. And got our first of many fruity drinks in the sun. And the dedication to take a selfie a day. 

Dinner was at six, and - besides the glimpses of others passing us in the terminal - it was our first chance to solidify and meet up with others along for the cruise. 

Nyk and I got to meet Lesley's coworkers (and former coworkers) that are out in California during that first dinner, which I appreciated. We had great conversation and then scurried up to the welcome reception. After a party game, so more connections and names, the lounge we were in turned into karaoke... So we joined in! I "convinced" a fellow CMUer Frank and a new friend Carmen and another guest to sing Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time." It is actually in a great range for karaoke, if you are ever thinking about it. 

We arrived back to our room to find the first of what was going to be our growing family of towel animals - a dog! And he was wearing my sunglasses!

Day 2: Day at Sea

Today was loaded with things to do, but the first was to do a couple laps on the track on deck! I kept my eyes peeled for whales and dolphins, but (spoiler alert) didn't see any this trip. However, without Internet, it was discussed but impossible to know just how many elephants big is a blue whale, so the threat of one attacking the cruise ship was uncertain. (Someone at dinner mentioned their fear of whales, and it spiraled.)

After that, it was time for sun. 11am and the pool was already crowded. I put on my bathing suit and layers of sunscreen and started my relaxation time. 

It was good I got the hour there to relax, because it was right after lunch that the next adventure began. Greg and Lesley organized a scavenger hunt for us! Not just a wedding, but a wedding with competition! Nyk and I were at an advantage after exploring the ship the day before, but my team was no match for his in competition. We saluted the captain, "rowed" a lifeboat, got a styled mohawk (not me, actually), collected pictures of miscellaneous items (including a golfball, a red hat, a diaper, a tote bag, and a book), and spied on the other teams. However, the group was a stickler for rules, and we had quite a few dubiously disqualified. (That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!)

We made it back in time to dress up for dinner and sit with a different group. It was fancy night! Briana (Lesley's cousin) and Rob were fun to interact with. He got quizzed on his yacht chartering business - the only non-programmer at a table, and he had it coming. 

Sadly, dinner was not one of the better ones. There was food that didn't take good, miscommunications, and awkwardness.

Regardless, we made plans to meet for board games, popped in on "The Newlywed Game"... And I found a French bartender that poured a mean glass of wine. Oh, Cristian!

Day 3: Coco Cay

After looking it up before the trip, I was sad to find that the cruise called it Coco Kay, instead of Coco Key. I had studied that pronouncation, and it was taken from me!

Regardless, we grabbed some food and hopped on the shuttle boat that would take us from the cruise ship into the cove of the private island. Cruise lines made this into a tourist island haven - there was a nature trail to jog along with lizards (and chickens), as well as a mile or two of sandy beach. 

Nyk and I took an hour to run around the island before changing. We attempted to eat lunch, but ended up with a couple hotdogs and some curious meat after massive lines and people made it hard to get more. It was definitely the worst meal. But, laying on the beach - that part was quite fine. 

We found yet another line to wait in to take the shuttle back, but we found amusement playing the card game War. I made a comeback with just three cards left (won a War and kept going), but we never completed the game, so only God (and the fact that the game is completely deterministic) knows who would have won. 

It was lobster night, but after that disappointing lunch, it was most definitely snack time. We enjoyed it at the very stern of the ship. Water everywhere!

A few lobster tails later, and it was yet again a night of board games, (casino, if you were Nyk), and some early-to-bed. We had a wedding to get to the next morning!

Day 4: Nassau, "The Poop Deck" at Sandyport, and a wedding!

We got our breakfast and made it off the ship at 9am, just as we were supposed to. The next couple hours happened on Island Time. Eventually the buses to take us to the location and restaurant showed up. Eventually they figured out we were there for the wedding and not just to hang out at the beach. Eventually the restaurant opened up. Eventually we were seated. And soon there after... The ceremony! 

The waves crashing in the background made it tough to hear, but we all just leaned in and made it an intimate ceremony. It was a Jew-ish wedding, so I got to learn about the chuppah (a canopy representing a house held by friends and family) and Greg got to break a glass to symbolize how completely this marriage changes their lives - as impossible to go back as to put together that glass again. 

And then, that was that! It was time for food, a first dance, a father-daughter, a son-mother, and some extremely heartfelt speeches. If waiting in line was the theme of the cruise, crashing with Lesley and Greg was the theme of the reception. Everyone talked about a time that Greg and Lesley came to the rescue and housed them. Or they were roommates , so it didn't count. 

There were a couple fun surprises thrown in. Lesley's sister sang. The cake exchange was almost civil. And "The Shoe Game" (Greg and Lesley blindly picking which of the pair of them had certain trait - like cleanliness - or were better at something - like programming) was highly amusing. 

It was with regret that we all headed back to the ship (to stand in line, again, though this time I won at Dots, so much more successful than War).

Dinner was with a smaller group, since others had decided to go to Johnny Rockets for burgers. (I just had sliders in the fancy dining room.) I was ready for some chillaxing time before hot tub at 9, so I watched Iron Chef in the room while Nyk whiled away his time at the poker table. I finally got some time to catch up with Lesley (and her sister) while we semi-watched "Some Like It Hot" in the hot tub. (I just now see how appropriate that movie title is...)

It was yet again another night of board games with wine. There was a group that was playing D&D, and those of us observing decided on a meta-drinking game, where keywords turned into sips of said wine. We got bored and played a real game (which we won - again. Pandemic is easy now that I actually set up the board properly instead of shuffling the cards back in immediately) before a final turn-in. 

Day 5: Miami to DC

We awoke to finish our packing and say goodbye to our blossoming family. The swan and the elephant had joined the menangrie. 

It was a disappointing 9:05am when we were told the dining room was closed for breakfast. We scrounged up some pastries and spent the next forty-five minutes hungrily clinging to our phones that now fed us with Internet and texts. 

There was another purpose to this Internet. Nyk and I were planning on dropping our bags somewhere and then being a little bit of tourists in Miami. We (well, maybe just me) chose Vizcaya, a villa on the bay with art, architecture, and gardens.

We sprung for the tour, and, as we headed inside, who did we see but two of the other guests from the cruise! JJ and Jeff wandered through the tour with us. Our guide was knowledgable, but didn't pause for a second. It was a breathless tour. 

We ate, wandered the gardens, then finished with a classic "prospector" pose - one of the scavenger hunt clues asked for that and it became a pervasive trend on JJ's team. 

They volunteered to drop us off back at the airport. (This seemed more tempting than waiting for the Miami Metrorail to meander through.) We arrived five hours early, with hopes to jump on an earlier flight. 

Since there was a change fee, we found Teddy one final time (started and ended this trip with that boy) and napped or read (or blogged) until his boarding time. 

And now, it is just an hour until our boarding time. One more country, one more travel partner, and one beautiful beachside wedding that is now going to be the yardstick for all the others I go to. 

Congratulations, Greg and Lesley!

Introducing Eleanor!

I've had Eleanor for about two months now, but have yet to share what I know about her history and how I got her.

I heard of Eleanor at the very beginning of October - I had been traveling to different adoption events, and this particular Sunday, my friend Alisa was on hand to drive me to one in Fairfax with the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue. While there, I met a couple dogs, but none that met my criteria:

• Less than 20lbs, so I could carry on a plane or bus
• Older, so I wouldn't have to worry about not giving it enough attention while I'm working
• Not yappy or annoying
• Furry

However, I met Barb, who told me she was fostering a dog who was weaning her puppies and needed a vet check, then would be ready for adoption. She showed me a video of her dancing in a circle, and I fell in love.

Barb would probably say I was annoying for the next week. I checked in multiple times to see if she cleared a vet check, then wanted to know which adoption event she would be at so I could get there and see her first.

I had planned on having people over on Friday, but Friday evening was the night "Sugar Momma" (her foster name, because her puppies were Ben and Jerry) was ready for adoption. So, I gave my friend Matt a key to the apartment to let people in while Mat (my roommate) and Kelly (his girlfriend) drove out to Fairfax.

Poor Eleanor was a bedraggled, wet, shivering, and shy little thing when we showed up on the dark and stormy night. We spent over an hour with her - walking her, petting her, and, eventually, she crawled into Mat's lap and sealed the deal.

We brought her home, and she got quite the welcoming. My friends started coming over, and she was passed around, happy to be held by everyone and anyone. The storm picked up and our power went out, but she was a trooper until the end.

A few days later, I settled on the name Eleanor, after Eleanor Roosevelt. She's got this cute old lady face (with a bit of a beard), and human names for dogs are just funny.

Her history is a bit of a mystery. After having her for a month, she needed one correction then was perfectly potty-trained. She walks on a leash just fine, except for when her cataracts cause her to step off or bump into curbs. (She's familiar with the area now, so that hasn't happened for a while.)

She was put into foster care after she was rescued by the Humane Society in Arkansas at an animal hoarder's property with over 90 other cats and dogs. These two videos tell it best:

• "More Than 90 Animals Rescued from Arkansas": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr7RK-yNu_w
• "Rescued Arkansas Dogs Start New Lives": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jpZeVREr5M

I'm so excited to have her now though! We are off to Washington State to visit my family. Here she is helping me pack: