The Adventure So Far
Before I start this post, I just want to make a full disclosure that this is not a reflection post on 2022 (that will come later on, and I have some exciting things planned through the end of the month). Instead, I just want to set the current context of where I am and how I got there.
Surprise surprise, I am drafting this post whilst sat on a flight - if you know me, you would not be surprised that I am on a flight right now, considering that this is my 40th flight this year. I am aiming for 52; you know, so I can average one flight per week.
So how did I get here? It starts with the current project I am working on at work, which is a system being implemented at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar. Being based in Abu Dhabi, Doha is a 1 hour flight from there, a quick hop and is the most frequent route I have been flying this year. Since January, I have been back and forth between the two places as needed. In the end, I have spent more time this year in Doha than back at home. Work is work, what can you do? But no complaints, as I essentially ended up experiencing a whole new place without having to pay for it out of pocket (work benefits are great). Biggest highlight? All the different food I was able to try - I’m talking Karak (a milk based tea popular in the Gulf) to caviar, and everything in between. Expect many posts about food from my trips to Doha. Besides my frequent trips of varying lengths to Doha, shortest being 4 days, longest being about 3 months, I was in Cannes during the Film Festival for work, and made two trips to Ottawa (mixture of business and pleasure).
That’s it…for the business trips at least. For pleasure, I visited Istanbul in January, road tripped through Jordan in May, made some stops in the Pacific Northwest in June, spent time on the Mediterranean in July, and am currently headed for a 26 hour stop in Copenhagen. By the time this post is live, I will likely be back in Abu Dhabi in which case I will have some pictures from Denmark. Oh and I just remembered, I was in Budapest for a few days in June as well. Honestly, it is hard to remember where I have been when I have 40 flights under my belt.
I know that it’s already more than the average person, but what if I told you that the best is yet to come. I have a 6 week vacation planned at the end of the month which will take me into the beginning of next year; won’t disclose too much but it will be to a new continent and the adventure of a lifetime. If the promise of lots of content on this trip plus year is not enough, then I am not really sure what is.
Travel aside, I have done some exciting things this year - from hiking down to secret beaches, to skydiving in Dubai (this was my second time skydiving by the way)! I also made headways in food, for starters, I started eating eggplants, which are probably the single most item I refused to consume. And throughout all my shenanigans, I have met some amazing people along the way, which is always the best part of anything.
I’ll aim to do some daily blogs through the end of the year with some mini-city reviews from my upcoming trip, and will keep it as live as possible. When I get the chance, I will start cleaning up the rest of the year, with probably a big focus on Doha - I am thinking a few detailed guides on it too, although I am not too concerned about it since I will be there throughout the first half of the upcoming year.
So well, that’s all I have to say right now. It’s a shorter post I know, but that’s the aim with these introduction posts which I am using to set the atmosphere of my blog. How has your 2022 been so far? Have you visited a new place, tried a new dish? Perhaps you’ve had a new experience or met some interesting people? Let me know in the comments below but till then, stay positive!
