India/Istanbul Trip Day 1: McSpicy Paneer? Gotta try it. (2/25)

After getting caught up on sleep, woke up early (~6am or so) for breakfast and then to get some reading done while I waited for time to meet everyone for our daily excursion. People congregate and then we get in our shuttles to head out to do some shopping. We get to our stop and start walking until coming up to a seemingly random tailor shop on this side street; turns out the owner is R's aunt or something like that. Bridesmaids get fitted/measured and then we go to a sari shop for ladies to get anything they may want to wear.

Us walking down the side street to our first stop. Trying not to lose people.

Ladies looking at the different patterns/colors for their saris. 

So much fabric. Look at all the different color/pattern combinations. 

What are these menu options in front of us?

Just one of the free roaming cows in the streets. 

After there, we continue walking around a little bit getting people their outfits at other clothing stores and then we end up grabbing lunch at a McDonalds where I got to try their mcspicy paneer sandwhich and their maharaja mac; both tasted like fast food burgers in terms of quality but the taste was definitely different from the burgers back home. After lunch, we go back out to do some more shopping (some guys get suits tailor made, some girls stop to get accessories for their dresses, etc.) before winding up in the Hauz Khas Social club and restaurant. Get dinner and drinks which had good food and drinks but the waiter was horribly slow and just bad at his job (never brought one round of drinks and tried charging us for them because we went to the bar and got drinks due to him being soooo slow). Their long island iced teas come in graduated cylinders so we had a few of those and then the girls go dance on the dance floor for a while until it is time to head out. Get back on the shuttles, head back to the hotel and then we chill in the rooms before heading to bed.

Drink until you pee? Interesting gimmick. 

Drinking the Ts out of graduated cylinders cause why not?

Damage being done.

India/Istanbul Trip Day 0: 2 overnight flights to get this trip started (2/22-2/24)

Time to get this trip started! I head to the airport early to avoid traffic. Figure I would check in and cozy up to a bar and find the group and have a drink before flying out. I didnt plan this too well as the counter didnt open for an hour after I got there and there was only a starbucks before security. Womp womp! I made some phone calls and reached out to the fly group to see where everyone was at (they were all getting there later). Baggage check opens, get checked in, and then head over to security. No one in line so breeze right on through and then walk around the airport a bit before taking a seat and waiting for people to join. People start arriving so we go grab a quick bite and a beer or 2 at Hugo's. As our plane is starting to board, we head over and meet the rest of the group. Board the flight and Turkish airlines is nice, everyone gets a travel bag to help make the trip more enjoyable (night mask, socks, earplugs, etc.), a pillow, and a blanket. Get to my seat and there are headphones for you to use and a dedicated screen for each seat that allows you to start watching movies as soon as you get on the flight (it gets interrupted for crew announcements like one would expect). Start watching one of many movies I watched on the flight over (watched Logan, King Arthur, Hitman's bodyguard, Kingsman 2, Baby Driver, and Spider Man Homecoming in all), and waiting for the food/drink service to start. The service was awesome and the range/quality of the drinks that were available for steerage class were phenomenal (15yr Glenlivet, Hennessy, etc.). Get into Istanbul Airport for the layover and not nearly as security-rich as it was hyped up to be. Walk around a little bit and we eventually post up at a cafe with beers and snacks while we wait for our next flight. More of the same on the second flight, however I actually napped for a little bit on flight 2. Was weird that each flight took off at night. Arrive in Delhi and get to customs early, but realize we werent given the customs forms and by the time we get out of line, get the form, fill it out, and get back in line, the line has snaked back and forth; so now we wait. Get through customs (people trying to cut on the side and have to be told multiple times no and still dont listen) and walk into duty free store where we are told to max our allowance out as alcohol is expensive in Delhi (turns out it is more expensive than even I  expected - 20% tax on alcohol). We get our bottles, go to baggage claim and meet everyone there before getting out to meet R who is waiting with her mom to get us to the hotel. We walk outside and the air quality hits you like a ton of bricks; this aspect was not over hyped.

Right next to our hotel is a nursery. This was one of the last things I expected to see in the city, but considering the drive to the hotel with all the flowers everywhere, I shouldnt have been surprised.

The Kahn Market before it opens. This is the front row of shops. Theres a middle row (where mamagoto's is) and a back side with sides.

Nice touch in the lobby of the hotel. Fresh Flowers.

Closer look at the flowers.

We walk over and meet our shuttle (first exposure to the stray dogs that are everywhere as we walk to the meeting spot) and then head to the hotel. As we are driving, notice a few things right off the bat; 1) the roads are shared with bikes, scooters, cars, buses, animals, people walking, etc. in a organized chaos I havent really seen since Vietnam (though just as much honking if not more); 2) all along the highway there are flowers and plants providing a break from the asphalt and grime that plagues much of the roads (though I did enjoy the fact that the city placed urinals randomly off the road near bus stops); 3) as we drive, there are many dilapidated houses all along the way, some are huge mansions, while there are also big hotels, nice houses, and other well kept buildings in the mix - made it hard to understand the dynamic of the areas we were driving through. As we come to stop lights, we eventually see stray cow herds walking through traffic, laying on medians, and what have you. Eventually we get to our hotel (Vivanta by Taj) and check in real quick before heading to the breakfast area for some non-airport food! Their breakfast was a good mix of Western comfort breakfast (cereal, pastries, fruit, etc.) and indian food (random assortment every day) with some able to order options in both camps (Omelet and Dosa) and tons of liquids (coffees, smoothies, juices, etc.). After eating, we head to our rooms to get showered and a nap before heading to Kahn market for some shopping/lunch. First try Town hall, which is crowded and not ideal for a group of 12-14 people (biggest table is 6-8 people). We get some tasty drinks at the bar while we wait for a table to open up, but they keep having people join them as others leave. Girls sit at a table and eat while guys wait their turn, we decide to check out our other options in the market as there are plenty of places and wind up at Mamagoto which had space for all of us at one table. We sit order some more delicious cocktails and some awesome food (I had my first khao soi in forever which was amazing!). As we wait to pay (eating out with groups was a pain the whole trip - always took an extra 45 mins at least for them to figure their stuff out) everyone was fading (everyone essentially got in from long international flights early that morning) so we head back to the hotel where everyone goes back to their room before the sun even set. I thought I could stay awake a bit so I try and watch some netflix in bed, but turns out I passed out from exhaustion less than 30 minutes into whatever I tried to watch.

Mamagoto has some beautiful wall art.

We are cheersing the start of what shall be a great trip with old and new friends alike.

Photobombing like a champ.

Alaskan Cruise Vacay Day 14: Going home/Trip overview 071117

Get up and out on time and cab not there. Start to get worried. Eventually he pulls up, better late than never; turns out people in that complex apparently wait on the back street no the front street so he was back there and came to the front just to check to see if we were there. Good thing he did. We get to the airport quickly as no one else is on the road at 430am. Check our bags, get through customs/immigration rather quickly, and then walk around the airport a little bit before grabbing a sandwich for breakfast then waiting for our flight back. Flight back uneventful and get through customs rather quickly before our ride shows up and get back to our places.

Trip Overview:

This trip was a trip of firsts. First trip with each other, first trip to Alaska, first cruise, and first experience with constant daylight.

The good:
1. Alaska - Whether you talk about the weather which was a nice break from Texas summer heat, all the natural beauty that exists as you drive/cruise around the state, or the quaint small towns that let you get a glimpse into the history of the area, there is much to appreciate with going to Alaska. Granted this comes from only 1 summer visit, but we had a great time driving around and exploring areas in/around Anchorage. Food was delicious, our AirBNB host was amazing, and there were many options for activities (hiking, biking around town, sight seeing, bar hopping, etc.). I would love to go back during the winter (decked out in cold weather clothes naturally) to check out an iditarod, see the area/city with snow around/on the ground, and to experience constant night/ the auroras.

Cutie bear. 

One of many spectacular views.

Beauty abounds in mighty Alaska!

2. Cruise - I was told by people who cruise semi religiously that this cruise was a great one which got me out of my anti-cruise mentality and made us check this out. I am glad I did. The food was absolutely superb (do not go on a diet as you have access to food essentially 24/7), there was a steady stock of social/entertainment activities, drinks were priced like a normal bar I would go to (much cheaper than I was expecting which I really appreciated), AND the views were non-stop postcards. Glaciers, purple mountains with still water in front of them, occasional sea life sightings, and the miles and miles of untouched landscape just never got old.

How do people spend anytime inside?

A little perspective 

Was amazing seeing whales in the wild.

sun bleached the photo a little but the beauty from the boat is pretty evident.

3. Vancouver - Even though I have been before and we didnt get a chance to check out whistler or any of the natural beauty outside of Vancouver, I still love the city. It was a little dirtier than I remembered (granted I didnt go to these areas last time), but the variety in architecture, the emphasis on nature that the whole city seems to embody (go out and enjoy it, plant trees on your roof, etc.), the public transit making getting around a piece of cake, and the options of what to see and do make the visit a fantastic time. Food was tasty (clearly I enjoy eating when I travel :) ), it was great checking out different areas and seeing their respective identities, and it didnt hurt that the city is nestled between the ocean and mountains for some stunning views as you ride along the rails. Next time Ill check out some of the museums, whistler, and maybe even try out the paddle boarding through the waterways :).

Vancouver BC

Even cities have natural beauty within

I bet thats a higher tree/building ratio than most metropolitan cities

A city around nature.

The bad:
1. Port of Calls - Juneau as a city I would love to go back to and spend a few days exploring as it had some beautiful houses/streets and I saw some potential as we walked around a little bit. Not quite sure about the other 2; however this is more about what the cruise industry has turned these towns into. These towns are little tourist trap, jewelry peddling, cruise towns which I am sure some of the locals make some money off of, but I think detracts from what these cities could be/were and the cruise itself.
2. Wildlife sightings - From stories I expected moose to be everywhere, while running into random other animals on the side of the road and at some specific stops we made. The only wildlife we really saw was in the rescue center (which was a great time in and of itself).
3. Taxi service/availability - granted this probably isnt an issue if you have service up there, but the fact that they didnt have uber/lyft or one of their alternatives and you couldnt book a taxi online for a future pick up without submitting a request and wait to get a response was nerve racking for people wanting to go see the city but had to have wifi to check on this and try and communicate.

The indifferent:
1. Constant day - was cool but didnt really affect anything (still went to bed when tired and slept until needing to wake up).
2. Drink availability - Would be nice if they had more happy hours and were able to bring more alky onto the boat from each port of call :) But with prices being cheaper than I expected, was all good. I am just being greedy.

Alaskan Cruise Vacay Day 13: Last day antics 071017

Had a slow start to the morning as we tried to plan out a general schedule for the day based on the bus schedule/routes while we had wifi to plan it all out. Go get a day pass from the metro stop and then take a bus over to Frasier st. to get some indian food. Get over there and walk around for a little bit before we walk into a cafe for a light bite and some coffee and realize we dont have our money. Whoops!

Starting the day in a cafe with some cool wall art.

We go get the bus back to the place, grab our money, head back and pick back up where we left off. Start walking around and after a bit has passed, we grab a late lunch (of course I got me some butter chicken and it was delicious). Take some busses over to commercial street which was more bar/night life looking than frasier st. We had been looking for a taxi all day to stop and ask if we could schedule a pick up in the morning and naturally when we are looking we find none. We walk around commercial street to get a look around and eventually a yellow cab just appears on the street so we ask to schedule a ride. He gives me a card with a number to call from a pay phone and when I try, the number no longer works (surprise surprise). Head back to the place to get some wifi signal and come to find the company I emailed earlier through their online form submission, Bonny's taxi, emailed me back confirming we would have a ride in the morning (huge relief there). Send response to make sure they show up on time and then go to the mall area to grab food; wind up at Neptune wonton noodle and sports bar for an end of trip beer and dinner. After we eat, we head back and finish packing and get some sleep as we have to be up early for this cab we just finalized.

Alaskan Cruise Vacay Day 12: Walk all over Vancouver 070917

Get up and out and onto the skytrain heading downtown and start our walk towards Stanley park. Walk along the coastal path for a little bit before heading into the park to explore the interior. Wind up by the aquarium and debate whether we want to go in or keep walking. We decide to keep walking to check out more of the park and wind up finding the mounted police headquarters in the park where they have their horse stables.

Vancouver is a trail blazer. Good job!

Boat house at the entrance of Stanley park. 

Trail sign... funny name for a trail.

Makes so much sense.

Little critters feasting.

Found some pretty flowers as we walk around a lake.

More and different pretty flowers. :)

So beautiful!

Sorry last one. multitone flower for the win!

Where is this lady taking me? haha just kidding we are heading through the park to get to the other side.

..... choose wisely

Sad Beach but beautiful view.

Tide being out makes this slide not as appealing.

Found a cool stone structure as we walk along the coast.

What I would call a residential looking house in the middle of the downtown metropolitan area.

House or apartment?

This house looks like part castle. With a nice little garden out front as well.

Bridges and boats galore.

That is where we will head to, the public market.

Found some cool flowers on the way.

And some other cool plants. Look like land coral.

Walking over on the bridge and get this nice view down on the market area.

After market exploration, time to take a lil ferry ride. Bye Granville!

What to do with old silos? Paint them

The whole set.

Flags galore and boat houses. Must be peaceful living there.

Thanks for the ride lil taxi.

Cross over the highway and go to beaver lake which has a bunch of flowers to enjoy. Continue through the park to third beach (west side of the park) and the beach does not look too appealing as it is low tide and there is algae everywhere. Head south to check out the public pool and second beach which had a floating slide in the water, but once again since it was low tide, was unusable. Keep heading south and make our way to granville island over the bridge (free but a long walk when you can just take the little water taxi). Wind up grabbing some delicious food at Sen Pad Thai before exploring the island shops and public market (sunday is so crowded all over the place on the island which I guess should be expected). Once we have had our fill, we take the water taxi over a few stops to stamps landing to catch the canada line rail to go explore Queen Elizabeth park. In the center of the park they have a beautiful garden that you are welcome to casually explore and a relatively cheap biodome that we didnt explore as it had been a long day already and we were getting to the point of wrapping it up.

We made it!

Such a beautiful park. Time to explore.

That is a huge selection of plants in a small area.

Why dont all xmas trees have this color?

hahaha jk more flowers!

View from the park.

The top of the Bloedel conservatory.

glad to see people can read/follow instructions. This is why we cant have nice things as humans.

Done with the flowers yet?

Ok I lied before, but this will be the last flower pics (of this post)

Wedding photos in such a beautiful park? Not a bad idea.

Make our way back to the rail to take it to the metrotown stop where we walk around the mall and exit the opposite side, eventually deciding to go into Sushi Garden for dinner; great decision. Their portions are huge and incredibly tasty, while some of the combinations were weird at first (yam and smoked salmon? Crab and papaya?). We gorge and struggle to finish all the food then walk back to our place to shower and relax a little bit after walking 14+ miles around the city. Then we start trying to figure out how to secure our way back to the airport since our flight is extremely early, before the rail is on.