Category Archives: Beyond

In late February and early March 2020, the world with buzzing with news of COVID-19. Asia had shut down and Europe was well on its way, but the virus and shutdowns hadn’t really reached the Americas yet. We wrestled with the decision on whether or not to travel to Chile the first week of March. We had planned this trip months in advance, before we knew COVID-19 existed. This was to be our last international family trip as a family of 3, with a little lady due to join us in June. There were no restrictions and no travel warnings at this point. And no way to tell if/when these restrictions were coming.

Ultimately, we decided to go for it. And I’m so glad we did. While traveling, we kept an eye on COVID numbers, news reports, travel guidance, etc and were ready to head to the airport at a moment’s notice if we needed to get back to the USA quickly. We did not have to alter our plans. We were home in Philadelphia less than a week before flights from Santiago to the USA completely stopped and we went into lockdown. Our timing was very lucky.

In the locked-down weeks/months that followed, I was so grateful for the memories we made on this adventure. We did a little bit of everything: toured the city, visited vineyards and wineries in three different wine regions (yes, I was 25 weeks pregnant–I only had small tastes), and even got to enjoy some beautiful Pacific ocean views. We did a little bit of everything before being able to do nothing. And Chile is beautiful.

I am so looking forward to the world opening up again and traveling as a family of 4!

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The Mossburgs are family to us.  Debbie and Kelley (Memom and Gaga, respectively) have been second parents to John since he and Landon were best friends in middle school.  And, when John and I got married more than a decade ago, they all welcomed me into the family with open arms.  Landon and his wife Dani are like a brother and sister to us–and also lived in Singapore during our time there!  We even visited them in Sweden in 2018!  Needless to say we were DELIGHTED to be invited on the Mossburg family vacation this year–a Christmas cruise to the Bahamas on the Disney Dream!

 

This summer we spent a month working/traveling in Asia.  Our destinations included Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China.  One of the best routes for our journey was aboard Qatar Airways (a 5* Airline we were eager to try) via Doha.  Qatar Airlines offers a layover option in Doha so we decided to take advantage–twice!  And we are so glad we did and had a chance to discover this beautiful and WARM country!  We had layovers in Doha on our way to Hong Kong (2 nights) and on our way back from Shanghai (1 night).

Upon our arrival at the gate, a very kind gate agent granted us an unexpected and very much appreciated upgrade to Business Class.  Our trip was off to a WONDERFUL start!

We arrived in the late afternoon, so we went straight to our hotel and had some dinner before doing some hotel exploring and heading to bed.  We slept well on the plane but jet lag is real!

Then, we had one full day to explore Doha.

Our second layover we only spent 24 hours in Doha.

For Conrad’s spring break, we wanted to take him somewhere in the Spanish speaking world.  It was also our last holiday before he turned 2 and we have to buy him a separate plane ticket, so we wanted to go as far as possible.  We planned a 10-day trip to Montevideo, Uruguay, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Santiago, Chile.  Sadly, we only made it to our first two destinations and had to cut our time very short…to 60 hours total in South America.

Our flight was a couple hours late taking off.  This made our connection time in Miami extremely close (we were sprinting through the terminal).  Thankfully, we were the last ones to board the connecting flight and happily on our way to Uruguay.

When we arrived in Montevideo, we went through immigration and then to baggage claim–no suitcases.  Not again…such bad luck with luggage these last few months!  So, we went to the baggage desk who assured us our suitcases were still in Miami (and not actually lost).  They just hadn’t made the plane, but would be on the next flight to Montevideo (only one flight a day) arriving the same time the next morning.  The trouble is, we were taking a ferry to Buenos Aires and would not be able to get our luggage.  So, they re-routed our luggage to Buenos Aires, but that was going to take an extra day…

Great…so this means two days without our luggage.  With a toddler.  Another adventure!  We weren’t about to let this little faff ruin our trip.  So, we headed to our hotel, freshened up as best we could and headed off to explore Montevideo!

After our incredible experience at the Mercado del Puerto, we headed back to our hotel via a little shopping to get some underwear, shirts, a dress, and toddler pajamas.  And diapers.  My college Spanish certainly got a workout!

Then, we got a call none of us were prepared for:  my Papaw passed away suddenly in Knoxville, Tennessee.  We were all shocked and a little disconcerted to be thousands of miles away on holiday when this happened.  So, after processing the news, we knew we had to get to Tennessee–I’m close with my grandparents.  But, because service plans were not yet finalized, there was nothing we could do.  So, we continued on with our travel plans, determined to enjoy what time we did have in South America.  Papaw would have wanted it this way.

That evening we headed to what turned into one of my favorite spots from the trip:  Montevideo Wine Experience.  We must have tasted at least 10 different wines and sampled lots of their delicious locally sourced cuisine.

The next morning, we took a ferry to Buenos Aires.  Our ferry, the Francisco, is actually the world’s fastest passenger ferry making the trip in about two hours.  It carries 1000 passengers, 150 cars, and reaches speeds of 67mph.  Pretty cool 🙂

Upon our arrival in Buenos Aires (the trip was especially easy because we didn’t have luggage), we headed straight to our AirBnb in Recoleta.  By this time, my family had confirmed my grandfather’s arrangements, so John (who is an absolute rockstar) spent the entirety of Conrad’s nap time on the phone with American Airlines trying to get us to Knoxville.  I spent the time rearranging/canceling the remainder of our trip (activities, hotels, etc in Buenos Aires and Chile).  And I did a little laundry in hopes of stretching our limited wardrobe.

After what seemed like forever on the phone, John secured us two seats on a LATAM flight to Knoxville (via a connection).  So, we went to dinner and out to explore before John called to add Conrad to the itinerary.  We’d done this several times before–it never takes longer than 10 minutes…

Upon our return to the AirBnb, John called LATAM to add Conrad to our itinerary.  It turns out, lap infants are not allowed in Business Class (John had upgraded our seats because this was the best way to get us back home).  SERIOUSLY!?!?!?!?!  So John started back at the beginning trying to get us back.  Thankfully, a couple of hours later, he was FINALLY able to find a flight on American Airlines that got us to Nashville via Dallas.  Once in Nashville, the plan was to rent a car and drive the remaining three hours to Knoxville.  And then go shopping for funeral appropriate attire.  Hopefully, we would have our suitcases back by then, but they were filled with holiday attire.

Flights sorted and wine drank, we went to bed to get some rest before our final half-day in BA!

One of the highlights of our trip was our Food Tour with Frank from Asado Adventures.  He very kindly rescheduled our tour with literally 12 hours notice.  In fact, the tour we had originally booked wasn’t available so he did a shorter version just for us.  To say we are grateful is an understatement.  We learned so much about Argentina and Argentinian cuisine from Frank and he captured some amazing photos!

Bellies full, we had to head to the airport to catch our flight.  Frank went above and beyond and arranged our transportation.  If you go to Buenos Aires, you need to meet Frank!

Was this trip hard?  Yes.  It would have been frustrating enough to have our luggage delayed by two days, but to have the loss of a close grandparent and the subsequent complexity of getting to Tennessee quickly turned the volume up.  Would we do it again?  Absolutely.  In fact, despite all of the horrible news, we really enjoyed Montevideo and Buenos Aires and can’t wait to go back.  The little time we got to spend there just peaked our curiosity.  And, our little guy was a trooper.  We already have the trip planned–just have to book!

It’s hard to believe that 10 years ago, we got married.  2008 doesn’t seem that far in the past, but then I realize it’s 2018!  We’ve packed a lot into a decade and look forward to the next one!

To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we dropped our little guy with Mumsie and Grandaddy in KY before embarking on a cruise to Bermuda.  The cruise left from Baltimore, so of course we had to explore!  A big thanks to Andrew Lincoln, proud Baltimorean (??) for his lovely recommendations!

The next morning, we hopped aboard the Grandeur of the Seas for a 5-night journey.

Our first full day on the cruise was a Sea Day.  So, this is the day we decided to celebrate our anniversary (the actual day occurred a few weeks later).

The next morning, we pulled into Bermuda.  First, however, I got some pampering at sea!

Before going ashore, we wanted to say hello to our little guy.  He was not so keen on the whole FaceTime thing.  Needless to say we didn’t try this again!

Our ship docked at the Royal Naval Dockyard.  We disembarked, did some exploring, then caught a ferry to Hamilton, the capital of Bermuda.

After our stop in Hamilton, we ventured to the Rosewood, a gorgeous hotel.  They have a bar with lovely murals that were once in the Sky Club of the PanAm Building (now the MetLife Building) in NYC.

Upon leaving the Rosewood, we headed to St. George’s–which is the “historic district” of Bermuda.

The next morning, we were scheduled to rent a boat and cruise around the island ourselves.  However, due to high winds and the resulting seas it was canceled!  We made the best of it and went to Horseshoe Bay, a famous pink sand beach, instead.

After some time on the beach, we headed back to the ship for a leisurely session of reading and sailing away.

Bermuda is a beautiful country–an interesting combination of British and Caribbean island culture.  It seems to have a bit of the British sensibility and politeness, mixed with a Caribbean laid-back spirit and true appreciation for natural beauty.  The food and drink are tasty and the views beautiful.  We’d love to spend more time here and hopefully rent that boat that we missed out on!

Our final day was a day at sea.  We did one of the coolest things we’ve done on a cruise ship–a galley kitchen tour!  It was amazing to see how kitchen crews prepare so much food in so little space!

Later that day, as we were doing some reading, we noticed some American military aircraft practicing take-offs and landings from an aircraft carrier.  Something I never dreamed of seeing in person–it was SO cool!!!!

The following morning, I flew back to KY to pick up my boy.  A few days later, we flew back to Philly and to Dad.

What an amazing time celebrating 10 wonderful years of marriage and adventure.  Can’t wait to see what adventures the next 10 years hold!

Winters can seem pretty long in the UK, so by the time March rolled around, we were in need of some serious sunshine.  Not to mention we just got our visas renewed (yay!!!) so we were itching for an adventure.  We decided to explore a part of the world we haven’t ventured to yet:  the Middle East!  I (CB) had been to Dubai on a long layover, but it was great for both of us to get a chance to explore the city and add a few others to our list!

We stayed at the beautiful Conrad Dubai, which has a gorgeous pool and amazing views!

We had taken the red-eye to Dubai from London so we were pretty tired and hungry.  Where did we go?  Dubai mall and….Chili’s!  Sad–I know, but it’s a guilty pleasure because we can’t get it often!  Don’t judge!

After some lunch, we decided to do a bit of wandering…

After a restful first afternoon, we went to Souk Madinat for dinner.

The following morning, we headed straight to the pool for some relaxation time!

Next, we headed to the Dubai Mall and the Burj Khalifa where we went to the 124th floor!

Then we watched the Fountain Show from a different vantage point.

The next morning, more pool time was in order.  We really been missing the sunshine!

After a morning by the pool, it was time to check out and get ready to head to our Cruise Ship!  But first, we had a little afternoon tea…

Our first night on board the Splendour of the Seas!

Our first stop was Khasab, Oman.  Unfortunately, our fjord cruise was rained out–but we opted to go into the town to check things out!

As the afternoon went by the clouds lifted, revealing some gorgeous scenery.

Next stop:  Muscat, Oman!  When we arrived, we found a taxi driver to take us around for the day.  He was wonderful–we have his mobile number if anyone is in Oman and needs a taxi!  He even helped me tie the scarf on my head for the mosque visit–he did a great job.  I could barely get it off when we left!

As we left the mosque, we were taken to an outreach centre where we could ask any questions we had about Oman, Islam, etc.  They gave us TONS of dates (I think we ate at least 10 each), Arabic coffee (with a bit of cardamom), and ginger tea.  All this while asking about our about our faith and explaining theirs.  This experience was probably one of our favourites from the trip.

Next we went to the Royal Opera House in Muscat.  Unfortunately it was closed to visitors for the day, but that didn’t keep us from taking in some incredible views!

Next, we stopped by the Ritz Carlton (Al Bustan Palace Hotel).  The scent of frankincense was heavy in the air as we looked at the beautiful architecture.

Our last stop was the city centre, where the palace is located!

Our taxi driver dropped us off near the boat and recommended a local hangout for some freshly caught fish.  We had a good meal then had a bit of a shop before heading back to the boat for the evening.

Muscat was lovely.  The best part:  the people.  All we encountered were extremely hospitable.  It felt a bit like being in the American south.  All Omanis were also very proud of their country and its beauty.  This made our time there very enjoyable, indeed.

After a lovely day at sea, the next stop was Abu Dhabi, UAE!  Our first stop in Abu Dhabi was the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, which can accommodate over 40,000 worshippers.  This place is massive!

We hopped on a free tour–so glad we did!  It gave us a bit more context to understand the UAE, Sheikh Zayed (who was the “father” of the UAE), and the place of this mosque in the greater community.

This is the mosque that took the “world’s largest carpet” title from the mosque in Muscat.

You can see lines in the carpet–this is to help organize worshipers so they can maximize capacity!

After the mosque, we paid a quick visit to the Heritage Village where we learned about the Abu Dhabi of the not-so-distant past, when it used to specialize in pearls.

Next stop:  the beautiful Emirates Palace.

Our final stop in Abu Dhabi was the Manarat Al Saadiyat.  This was an exhibit showing Abu Dhabi’s future “cultural district” which will include a Louvre Museum and a Guggenheim.  We are definitely going to have to go back when these museums are open!

Then we headed back to the ship for the last leg of our journey.

Our final day was another full day in Dubai.  We saved one of the most anticipated activities for this day:  a desert safari!

Before we got out onto the sand, our guide let air out of the tires reducing the PSI from 35 to 15!  We were rocking and rolling for about 15 minutes, sliding up and down the dunes (AWESOME!!!!!) when we got a flat tire!  The tire wasn’t flat per say-it just slipped off of the wheel!  After a quick tire change, our caravan was back on the move!

The desert landscape was amazing–like nothing we had ever seen before!

Then, we had to try a little bit of sand boarding!

After taking in the scenery and running up and down the dunes, it was time to head back to civilization.

After the safari, we headed back to Dubai-proper and went to the Al Fahidi Historic District for some Arabian Coffee, dates, and freshly baked bread!

We spend out final night on the ship enjoying a delicious meal, dancing to live music, and just enjoying our holiday.

The following morning, back to London!

Oman and the UAE were beautiful places–distinctly different from each other and fascinating to us.  We found the people to be warm and welcoming and can’t wait to go back and explore more of this part of the world!

As always, thanks for reading!!!