WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

Loyal friends and followers, I apologize for being absent for over 2 months!  Have no fear though, I do have some new tales to tell.

Back in February my Dad began to notice that I was dragging from the challenges of operating alone in a foreign country.  One day via email he wrote the magical words, "Do you want me to come and visit you?"  This was a perfect offer at a perfect time.

I was due to head back to Houston for some corporate meetings in early April.  My Dad decided to time the trip with my return from Houston back to the Middle East.  We spent over 6 weeks preparing for all the different parts of the trip.  What started as a jaunt through Oman, Bahrain and Dubai became a whirlwind trip that started in Jordan and ended in Istanbul. 

My Dad's final plans started with a Air Turkey flight from Los Angeles to Amman, Jordan.  After Jordan he would catch-up with me in Doha for some 1-way flights, starting with Muscat, then Dubai and then finally we would both spend some time in Istanbul. 

The trip started in rocky fashion when Air Turkey didn't have my Dad's ticket.  3 hours and lots of waiting finally produced a seat, which insured that the trip stayed on original schedule.  My Dad's trip through Jordan was awesome.  He visited Petra, the Dead Sea, the location of Jesus' Baptism and Mt. Nebo.  I was still in Houston as I read his daily updates.  Dad hired a driver and they became buds driving all over the country for 3 days.  As much as I was excited for this part of the trip, meeting up with Dad in Doha was where the fun would begin.

I landed in Doha on April 16th.  I hurried to my connecting flight to Muscat.  Dad wasn't on the plane yet when I boarded, but the next bus would deliver him!  On the way to Muscat together.  Recovering from sleep depravation and travel exhaustion, Dad and I soaked up 2 days with Unni in Muscat.  We started with an awesome coffee on the beach.

My dad then headed to the Grand Mosque while Unni and I did some work at the office.

After Oman we headed to Dubai, where we caught up on some R&R with Tommy Broussard and his wife Vicki.  They are great hosts and the chance to sit out on their balcony and watch the sun set is indescribable.  Dubai wasn't an early target for my Dad's trip, but I think after seeing the city he was glad to make it a stopover.  The sheer magnitude of the city's growth is staggering.  Cranes and buildings are everywhere.  From the tallest building, to the world's most recognizable hotel, to an indoor ski slope, the city is one of a kind and worth a quick 2 day visit.

From Dubai we took off for Istanbul, Turkey.  Neither of us had been to Turkey and the trip proved to be well worth it.  Istanbul sits on two continents, the only city in the world positioned this way.  Half of the city is in Europe and half of the city is in Asia.

We started our first day with visits of the old mosques and churches.  Below is the famous Blue Mosque.

Below is the Haggia Sophia, which was originally a Christian church, then a mosque, and now a little of both as the Turkish government has worked to restore the building to it's original state.

Below is the inside of the Haggia Sophia.  You can see the mix of Islamic and Christian decorations.

On the third day we took a visit to the famous cistern that the Romans built back in 300AD.  This underground waterway was amazing - HUGE beyond expectations. 

Two of the pillars in the cistern are famous for their base: Medusa!

After the cistern we headed to the Asian side of the city.  Can you imagine, we take a 15 minute boat ride and we've gone from Europe to Asia.  Awesome stuff.  Here's a picture of the famous lighthouse with the old city in the background.



On Sunday my Dad headed to Istanbul's International Airport and journeyed home.  I took a Finance Final and then headed to the airport myself for the measley 3 hour flight back to Dubai.  It was hot when I got out of the airport in Dubai...like 100 degrees hot.  A big difference from the 30-40 degree temperatures in Turkey.  Truth be told though, I would last through any cold weather to hang out with my Dad. 

Thanks so much Dad for coming to the Middle East.  I can't express how much our time together meant for me.  See you in Utah!