Cairns: Diving the Great Barrier Reef

May 8, 2015May 21, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 3 Comments

View of the reef from our plane

When we planned our trip to Australia, the number one, top thing we all wanted to do was go diving in the Great Barrier Reef, a living structure so massive it can be seen from outer space. The Great Barrier Reef stretches for more than 2,000 km off along the Queensland coastline in north-eastern Australia. This rich and diverse ecosystem is made up of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands where the world’s largest collection of corals, colorful fish, and countless other species thrive. Continue reading →

Photo of the Week: Sand Surfing

May 4, 2015May 10, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 2 Comments

IMG_9240-ACTION Arabian Desert, Dubai, UAE

Recently sand surfing has become a popular sport in the Middle East, and while on our short trip to Dubai we had a chance to experience this adrenaline filled past-time in the Arabian desert. We took a 4×4 out to the middle of the desert, strapped on a board, and glided down the soft sand dunes. This picture was taken of my friend Nate as he crushed it, on his first time down the dune.

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.

Whitsundays: Hamilton Island

April 29, 2015January 21, 2016 / lifeafter9to5 / 2 Comments

After five days in the city, we were ready to fly to beautiful Queensland. We decided to stay on Hamilton Island, one of the 74 tropical islands at the heart of the Whitsundays. The island is situated between the Queensland coast and the Great Barrier Reef, making it the perfect base for exploring the surrounding areas. Even though it’s the largest of the inhabited Whitsundsay islands, it’s less than 2 square miles in area.

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Photo of the Week: Charms

April 27, 2015May 10, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / Leave a comment

Tokyo, Japan

We spent a morning in Tokyo walking through the Asakusa district. Along Nakamise-dori, you’ll find many stores selling all kinds of things; from traditional kimonos, to okashi (Japanese sweets), to souvenirs as pictured above. The streets are crowded with tourists and locals in their traditional fineries making their way to Sensoji Temple, the oldest temple in the city.

11 Things To Do Around Sydney

April 23, 2015June 30, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 5 Comments

Sydney is a vibrant, multicultural city surrounding one of the world’s largest natural harbors. Unlike other metropolises, this easy going city is known for its idyllic beaches and rugged national parks as well as its lively food scene and culture. There are so many things to do and see in Sydney, that we had a very packed schedule during our 5 day stay. Our goal was to see as many things as possible, from the sandy beaches to the mountains to the city. Here are the highlights of some of the places we visited in Sydney:

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Photo of the Week: Traffic

April 20, 2015May 10, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 1 Comment

Hanoi, Viet Nam

The traffic in Vietnam is notorious. This picture of a gentleman smoking on his bike while surging ahead of the crowd was taken on the chaotic streets of Hanoi. The streets are often congested with motorcycles, cars, and bikes jostling to get to their various destinations. In Vietnam, crossing the street is often a feat in and of itself.

Sydney: Bondi Beach

April 8, 2015April 8, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 4 Comments

Sydney is a seaside city with many world famous beaches located right around the metropolitan area. Bondi Beach (pronounced: bond-eye) is one of the busiest and most popular beaches in the city, only about 30 minutes from the city center. It is well known for it’s soft white sand as well as prime surfing location. The beach is only 1 km long and receives hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world.

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Photo of the Week: Books

April 6, 2015May 10, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 5 Comments

Dublin, Ireland

This picture was taken in the Long Room, the main chamber of the Old Library at Trinity College in Dublin. This is the largest library in Ireland, built back in the 1700s. Along the corridor, there are 14 busts of great philosophers, writers and men who supported Trinity college throughout the years. To the left of the entrance, you’ll see a very ornate iron spiral staircase that people used to go up to the second level.

Inside, shelves are filled with old books from floor to ceiling, all organized alphabetically. The most famous book housed here is the book of Kells, a famous 9th century gospel manuscript.

This is my idea of heaven, something I aspire to have one day. A special wood-paneled room filled with books, where I can curl up and read all day.

Sydney: Graffiti

April 1, 2015April 1, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 6 Comments

Sydney, like many other great cities around the world, has some incredible street art. The difference between Sidney and other cities is that they have a strict policy against graffiti. For the past decade, the city has continually inspected “hotspots”and removed many great murals as they get made. The government has a zero tolerance for street artists, and it is against to law for anyone to sell spray paint to a minor. It’s also against to the law for a minor to have any graffiti tool in their possession, and violators will be fined heavily. The stakes are high for these artists who wander the Sydney streets at night armed with spray cans, wanting to express themselves. Continue reading →

Eating in Sydney

March 27, 2015April 15, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 3 Comments

I can’t believe it’s been four months since we set foot in Australia. I am excited to finally be able to share about our trip down under. A little bit about me before I dive into all the great places to eat in Sydney, I LOVE MasterChef Australia. I can’t emphasize this enough. I’ve watched every episode religiously, usually over dinner. It’s basically the only time I can watch the show without salivating and craving all the food. We could not wait to go to the restaurants that appeared on MasterChef and taste the wonderful, crazy concoctions ourselves. When we were planning our trip to Australia, we knew that food would be a major component of our overall experience. I’ve always felt that food is the heart and soul of a city. When you go to a new city, a great way to immerse yourself in the new environment is to venture out and try the food that locals eat. It’ll give you a great appreciation for the place and people.

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