Photo of the Week: Souk

March 16, 2015May 10, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 1 Comment

Marrakech, Morocco

This picture was taken inside the biggest souk in Marrakech, off of Jemaa el Fna square. The market is a massive labyrinth with many crisscrossing walkways, each filled with stalls selling everything from leather goods, to rugs, to spices, to almost anything you can think of.

I picked this picture because the other day we met up with some friends for brunch and got to reminiscing about our ‘super duper fun’ trip to Morocco. Did you picked up on my sarcasm there with the air quotes and the italic fonts? Seriously though, it was a memorable trip, but for all the wrong reasons. Basically Murphy’s Law was at play, where anything that could go wrong, went wrong for us. The weather was awful the whole time with continuous rain and freezing temperatures…in Morocco! We almost got stranded in the Atlas mountains because of a freak snow storm…in Morocco! We had to cancel part of our trip because we couldn’t drive over the mountain. Then to top it all off, we almost got carbon monoxide poisoning in one of our hotels.

The sad part was, we’d all heard so many great things about Morocco and could not wait to go on this two week long trip! Our experience did not live up to the expectation and we pretty much had cabin fever after a week and could not wait to return home. One day I would want to go back to trek into the Sahara desert and camp overnight under the stars; something we weren’t able to do. Hopefully it’ll erase all the bad memories from the first trip.

Every Monday of each week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home. Most of my photos have little or no post processing. If you would like to see more, please click the ‘Follow’ button.

Vienna: Self Guided Walking Tour

March 12, 2015April 10, 2016 / lifeafter9to5 / 2 Comments

I love planning and I love making maps. So one of the things I always do before every trip is to read up as much as I can and list out a handful of things I want to see or do while touring the city. Then I go into Google Maps and create my very own personalized walking tour. Vienna is such a beautiful city, rich with history, and filled with culture and grand architecture. I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 places to visit while in Vienna. Most of the places are within the Ringstrasse, the main tourist area of Vienna. The whole city of Vienna is quite big, but the core area is definitely walkable. It took us two and a half days to visit all these sites. Our hotel was right across from the opera house, so we started from there and followed the path to see the notable sights. Hopefully this will give you an idea of what to do when you’re planning your own trip.

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Photo of the Week: Luxury

March 9, 2015May 10, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / Leave a comment

Dubai, UAE

On our trip to Dubai, we visited the famous Burj Al Arab, the world’s only 7 star hotel. The distinctive sail-shaped silhouette stands out among the city’s many stunning buildings. We got to see the decadent interior and experience the extraordinary service when we came here for afternoon tea service. We had a blissful time indulging our sweet tooth while admiring the view overlooking the Persian Gulf.

Photo of the Week: Atlas

February 23, 2015May 10, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / Leave a comment

Manhattan, New York

This past weekend a snow storm came and blanketed the city in a layer of white powder. I quickly changed into my cold weather gear, grabbed my camera, and headed out into the wintry city. I walked the length of midtown Manhattan, hoping to get a few winter scenery photos. As I trudged by Rockefeller center passing the oft-photographed art-deco statue of Atlas, I took this photo from the entrance of 30 Rock showing the vantage point from the back of the bronze sculpture looking across Fifth Avenue to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Vienna: Opera House

February 20, 2015February 19, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 3 Comments

Vienna’s State Opera House (Wiener Staatsoper) is one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world. It is the epicenter of Vienna’s rich musical history. Completed in 1869, the opera house opened its doors to the public debuting with Mozart’s Don Giovanni. It is known for having one of the largest repertoires in the world, featuring 300 performances per year. With over 50 operas and ballets each season, there is a wide selection for people who wish to immerse themselves in Viennese culture.

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Vienna: Browsing the Supermarket

February 18, 2015February 17, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 2 Comments

It’s almost a given that everyone shops when they travel. Whether it’s for colorful little trinkets, indigenous artwork, or ethnic clothing, we all have our share of stuff that we’ve brought back from each trip that we thought we couldn’t live without at the time, but never seem to use at home. Somewhere along the way, we started to run out of room in our tiny 1 bedroom apartment so we switched gears. Now when we go away, instead of buying knickknacks that take up space, we head to the local supermarket to buy our souvenirs. I love perusing the aisles to pick out all the unique items that you won’t be able to find back at home.

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Photo of the Week: Glass House

February 16, 2015May 10, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 1 Comment

Madrid, Spain

This week, I am showcasing the beautiful crystal palace located in the center of Retiro Park taken on our trip to Madrid, Spain. This beautiful building is made entirely of glass, surrounded by a detailed iron framework. It was initially used as a greenhouse, but now functions as an art exhibition. When we were there, the space was empty and we just wandered around the open design while marveling at the blue sky shining through the latticed glass façade.

The front entrance of this beautiful palace leads to a small pond filled with floating trees with their willow-like leafs hanging low over the water that reminded me of the bayou. Weaving through the trees are a family of black swans that have made the lake their home. Altogether, it creates quite a picturesque image reminiscent of something straight out of a fairy tale.

Midnight at the Museum

February 13, 2015January 19, 2016 / lifeafter9to5 / Leave a comment

One of the great things about living in New York City is that things are open late. The grocery store at the corner stays open until 1 am, the drug stores are open 24 hours. Once in a while, even the museums stays open over night. Last weekend was one of those instances where the MoMA decided to stay open all night to allow people the opportunity to see the Matisse cut-out exhibit before it closed on Tuesday. Since it was my birthday weekend, Fausto was being extra accommodating and agreed to venture out with me. We had a big cup of coffee to stay awake and headed over to the museum around 10:30 pm. Continue reading →

Photo of the Week: Rays

February 9, 2015May 10, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / Leave a comment

Sultanhani, Turkey

On our tour around Turkey, we stopped by the Sultanhani Caravanserai, one of the finest caravanserais of its kind. It was built by the sultans in the 1200s and has been preserved to this day. Prominently located on the main trade route through Turkey, it was an important stop for traders and travellers. Weary merchants of the Middle Ages would stop in to eat and rest before continuing on their journey from Asia to Europe.

Inside, there is a prominent courtyard surrounded by rooms. The caravanserais are built like fortresses, with walls constructed from volcanic rocks. The sturdy designs have kept them preserved for many centuries.

During our visit, we stopped here for lunch and got to explore the many rooms inside the caravanserai, most of which are empty now. In one of these unoccupied darken hallways, we saw these beautiful rays of light filtering through the small window openings at the top.

Eating in Vienna

February 6, 2015February 5, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 2 Comments

Austria was once the center of the Habsburg Empire that stretched from France to Russia. Austrian cuisine has evolved over the centuries, greatly influenced by its diverse heritage. Many of Austria’s distinctive dishes reflect the country’s mixed nationalities. The coffee culture, one of the important traditions in Vienna was introduced when the Turkish army invaded Europe and introduced coffee beans to the Viennese. Similarly, the wiener schnitzel originated in Italy, and the sausages were German delicacies. All this different food plays a major role in Austrian cuisine today, and we couldn’t wait to try it all. Here are the some highlights of all the food we tried:

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