Ko Phang An, Thailand

Took a ferry, minibus, cargo ship, and pickup truck to get to Hat Rin Beach for the infamous Full Moon Party - all night beachside dance party/mayhem with thousands of tourists from everywhere.

Krabi, Thailand

I arrived at Rai Ley Beach Saturday afternoon via ferry from Ko Phi Phi. By chance, my new Brit friends from the Phang Na trip were also on board, so we caught up on the happenings of the past few days. Rai Ley is easily the most chill place I've visited on this trip. It is a small peninsula from the mainland, with about 10 hotels, and a handful of restaurants and rock climbing/diving outfitters. To come ashore, we anchored about 100m from the shore and had to wade through water/muck since the town doesn't have a dock! It seems to be this is where the Americans and Canadians are hanging out, since I have heard English spoken with a familiar North American accent much more often than Phuket or Ko Phi Phi.

On Sunday, I had an amazing full day rock climbing expedition with a local guide. We started off in the morning by learning the basic skills and then testing them on the rock face right at the beach. After lunch (red curry with fish and yellow curry with shrimp), we headed to Penang Beach to climb in and around the limestone caves, and then did a rappelling course. The last climb of the day was the best, so I was totally charged up during the jungle walk back to the climbing shop. In the evening, I had dinner with a few fellow climbers at the restaurant at the Diamond View Resort, where I am staying.

Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

Described as "epically beautiful" by Lonely Planet, Ko Phi Phi is a jewel in the Andaman Sea. Its limestone cliffs, crystal blue water, and stunning skies were used as the backdrop for the The Beach, the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The first day I booked two separate snorkeling/touring half day trips. In the morning I snorkeled at various locations on the main island. Ko Phi Phi Don, and then sailed through the smaller island, called Ko Phi Phi Ley. In the afternoon trip, I snorkeled some more and then walked along a jingle trail to famous Maya Bay.

The next few days were very relaxing: stayed in a beachside cabana, hung out with Canadians, Europians, and Aussies, kayaking, and chilling at the seaside restaurants and bars. Cliff diving on the last day was far from relaxing. I took a long boat with a group of New Yorkers to a site with 8, 10, 12, and 15m high jumps. Coming down from the tallest one literally took my breath away. Next stop: Rai Ley Beach at Krabi.

Phang Na, Thailand

Bond, James Bond. Today was the Phang-Na full day tour, which included elephant trekking, visit to Monkey Cave, sea kayaking in/around limestone caves, a visit to the island featured in Golden Eye, visit and lunch at a fishing village, longboat ride, and cashew factory store tour ("free" stop). The group included some great people from UK, Bangladesh, Australia, and Korea.
I had an excellent time.

In the evening, I ventured to Bang-la Road, the main drag at Patong Beach where my seaside hotel in Phuket was located. Think Spring Break in Cancun.

Phuket, Thailand

I flew into Phuket early this morning on Tiger Airways. Phuket is a large island in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of southern Thailand. I showed up without any accomodations, but was able to find a great hotel (similar to the one in Delhi I stayed in with my family) at a cheap price and get setup with tours for the next few days. After settling in at the hotel, I went for a run along the winding seaside roads and then rented a motorbike and zoomed along in search of hidden beaches, stunning vistas, and some good grub.

Singapore

Started off the weekend at Clarke Quay on Friday night - met expats from as far flung places as Ulan Bataar and Orlando. When I was about ready to purchase my tickets for Phuket, Thailand and needed my passport, I couldn't find it. I thought I had lost it and then went through the whole hullaballo of retracing my steps. Luckily it was at the last place we visited at Clarke's Quay.

On Sunday I hung out with Noor Bhai, Bhabi, and their daughter Zahabiya. Then Monday morning I was off to Phuket.

Singapore

The last two days have been a bit slower than the previous. I met Nafisa, the daughter of my parents' friends from Bahrain for coffee on Thursday and then went to the Night Safari, a tram ride that allowed a close-up look of the nocturnal habits of animals including lions, jaguars, and deer. On Friday I saw my friend Jim from NYC for lunch, saw the famous Raffles Hotel, and then went to Sentosa Island, a "plastic paradise" of water-themed entertainment. On the train ride over I struck a conversation with a local Singapuri guy back from studying abroad who was also visiting Sentosa for the first time. We spent the day walking around the island together.

Singapore

My first few days in Singapore have gone along swimmingly. I slept most of Tuesday and then met my friend Mickael for a nightime stroll along Orchard Street, the main shopping thoroughfare. On Wednesday, I played the part of the proper tourist and packed my day with visits to Arab Street, Little India, and Chinatown, along with a stroll around the padang, the colonial-era lawn that is surrounded by government buildings, cultural institutions, and of course the Singapore Cricket Club.

I have been enjoying good (and cheap) Singapuri food, including laksa, bee-hoon, and chili prawns. Food is freely available on street-side stalls and in small markets at every elevated metro station (called MRT).

Singapore

I spent my last day in Dubai seeing family from Pakistan, family friends from Bahrain, and a university friend from Boston, as well as checking out the Mall of the Emirates featuring an indoor ski slope (!) called Ski Dubai. My flight on Monday morning to Singapore was 8 hours but took the whole day because of the eastward time zone changes. No problem since service on Emirates was excellent as always. Hmm...anybody have an inside connection at Emirates? I did not setup a Skyward Rewards account when I flew to India in February and it is now beyond the 3 month period during which I can add past travel.

Singapore is clean and orderly (ex. $500 fine for eating in the subways). I met up with my friend Mickael with whom I am staying, late Monday night, and then slept through Tuesday afternoon! Man, its tiring being a tourist...

Doha, Qatar

I want to thank my family for providing insightful trip advice and giving me such generous gifts:

-my parents for sponsoring my New York to Dubai airfare on Emirates
-Adnan Bhai and Roshan Apa for an awesome new camera
-Farheen Apa and Alejandro Bhai for sponsoring my local flights, including this weekend's UAE to Qatar flight on Air Arabia

Doha, Qatar

I am here in Doha to visit my cousin Moiz and his family (all of whom I was meeting for the 1st time) and my college friend Chaitra. My 1st stop was Moiz Bhai's house, where we had dinner and then went for a drive along the Corniche in downtown Doha. Coming from New Doha, the skyline of the main city was dazzling, with lights from occupied office buildings and hotels, countless construction cranes, and boats plying the harbor's waters. On Friday we went to the mosque and then hung out at the house. My 2nd cousin Huzaifa come over late in the day and we chatted for a bit, before I headed over to the Four Seasons Hotel to meet Chaitra.

After pow-wowing with Chaitra's consultant friends on assignment here from New York and various European offices, we headed to the Old Souk, for an outdoor dinner of Chicken with Grilled Cherries, "Pregnant Chicken" (???), and a number of kebabs and vegetable-based mezes, and then came back to unwind at the hotel lounge. Saturday was unbelievably chill, just spent the entire day at the Four Seasons: at the beach, the rock pools, and the spa - a great way to end of tiring week of being a tourist.

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Thursday felt incredibly slow - probably a combination of a) 40C + weather and b) nothing to do except wait for an evening flight to Doha.

In the morning, I hopped into a taxi and headed to Sharjah's Megal Mall, making the following unrelated observations:

-Children's playland prominently featured Islamic themes and architectural typology
-Azaan, or call to prayer, played on loudspeaker, though there wasn't an appreciable decrease in number of people walking in the mall
-Elevators were motion-activated
-Majority of women wore all black with a) faces uncovered, b) mouth and nose covered only, c) only eyes uncovered, or d) entire face covered in a diaphonous veil
-At one children's clothing store, Okoido Jeans, this season's clothing was Beatles-inspired, a theme that may have been lost to kids born 30 years after the Fab 5's heyday
-McDonalds served only Halal food and had regional options like "McArabia Kofta"

Empty Quarter, United Arab Emirates

Today I went on safari, Emirates-style. I joined an oranganized tour on a dune-crashing 4x4 expedition into the famed Empty Quarter, the open desert that stretches through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman. It was a seriously awesome time. The driver let out air from the tires, so we would have better grip in the dunes. 30 degree hangs, long slides, and 180s left our tourist crew laughing (tinged with fear) and gasping for air.

Afterwards, we raced dune buggies, ate bbq meat (true to my Pakistani roots, I skipped all the "green stuff"), and watched a belly-dancing performance. I was alone on the trip, but befriended/latched on to (haha) alternatively to a South African banker, Indonesian engineer, and two sets of Brits on holiday.

Earlier in the day, I checked out Al-Hisn Fort in Sharjah and met with friends from when my family lived in Bahrain in the '80s. Off to Doha, Qatar tomorrow to see my cousin Moiz and my college friend Chaitra!

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Just found this pic of my niece Sanah (AKA Sunnu Munnu, Sunny, Julia, Tomato) on my camera from Sahar's wedding in Chicago in July. Sanah's 2nd birthday party is next month!

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Another sweltering day in the 'E. Spent some time in the morning looking for flights for a short weekend trip in the Gulf, and then headed over to the Rolla Bus Station in Sharjah to catch a bus to Dubai. In asking for directions, Urdu was just as helpful to me as English, not a surprise though given that upwards of 50% of the population here is from South Asia (according to Lonely Planet).

Once in Dubai, I got off at the southern half of the city, called Bur Dubai, separated from Deira by the Dubai Creek. From there I hoofed it on Al-Fahdi Street to the impressive Grand Mosque (I noted Greco-Roman inspired carpet designs). The AC was cranking, as I couldnt keep my hand on the stone pillars inside for long without risking frostbite. Many of the South Asian workers were taking lunchtime naps in the anteroom. Next door I perused the galleries of the Dubai Mosque and saw some interesting displays of sea rock and gypsum construction methods and wind towers, which were used in residential construction to exhaust hot air, since ground level windows were considered inappropriate culturally. After getting recharged with awesome Kashmiri Biryani and Limca, I wandered through the shuttered old town Bastakia Quarter, where I finally saw green parrots, which were shelling nuts in a tree canopy. Also nearby were the creek waterfront lined with dhows and abras, local boats used for transporting goods as well as people, and the cloth souk.

The evening traffic was bad so the return trip to my cousin's apt took nearly 4 times longer than the late morning trip out. After powwowing there, we and his flat mates headed to the Burj al-Arab, the curved hotel on the gulf, replete with a rooftop helipad, nightclub, and tennis court. We spent time on the adjacent beach, where the water was warm, and the air warmer. On the way there and back, we passed through Jumeirah, the ultra-exclusive neihborhood of gated homes and high-end malls that reminded me of Orange County. Before falling asleep back home, we watched Hindi music videos on Z-TV (including the addictive "Mayya Mayya" from Guru).

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

My flight came in 45 minutes shy of midnight on Sunday. I met up with my cousins Mustafa and Huzaifa and headed to their place just north of the city. I recharged from my Grey's Anatomy (I know, I know)-Namesake-Lonely Planet Middle East watching and reading marathon with 12 hours straight of sleep. On my 1st day in the UAE, I checked out the Crystal Plaza, Central Souk, and Saudi Mosque, all in Sharjah:

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Phew, it's been an exciting past 4 days, here's the recap.

3 Cheers for me! Thanks to all for an awesome 25th bday/sendoff party at Sunita Bar in Lower East Side on Friday 3 August. Shout out to Dwayne and Katherine for putting it together, and to my sister Farheen and brother-in-law Alejandro for a sublimely satisfying dinner at Little Giant beforehand. I unfortunately didn't have my camera that night, so feel free to email "choice" pics.

After wrapping-up packing on Saturday, my parents and I noshed on lemongrass chicken, shrimp street toast, and pan-fried fish over okra at Silent H in Williamsburg. A short drive to JFK and a long wait in Terminal A later, I was off to Dubai. Being on an Emirates flight I ate 4 meals in the course of 16 hours. During the stopover in Hamburg, I made short work of the hour by comparing colognes at the duty-free store...

Lacoste Red: Nice bottle-evocative of a croc's back. Horrible scent-evocative of pinesol.
Polo Black: balanced and subdued
Lacoste Green: Hmmm...reminds of the scent of burned chemical residue from middle school science experiments
CK One: classic smell of pine and rosemary