Desert Adventure in Abu Dhabi: From Dune Bashing to Camel Rides

Where the Road Ends and the Sand Begins

After five days hemmed in by fluorescent lights, lanyards, and the numbing thrum of hotel air conditioning—what people now call a “conference”—we finally broke free into the vast, indifferent wilderness of the Arabian desert. It was not freedom in the romantic sense; we were driven there in air-conditioned SUVs along a highway engineered to resist the encroaching sand. But still, there was a sense of escape—of being loosed from the polished sterility of Abu Dhabi's glassy skyline into something far older, far less accommodating.

Paris in Four Days: A Journey Through the City of Light

There are cities you visit, and there are cities that absorb you. Paris is the latter. It is a place that exists in the collective imagination as much as it does in reality—romanticized, immortalized, stamped into postcards and film reels. Yet, no amount of expectation fully prepares you for its first embrace, the way it shifts from fable to something tactile, something lived. I arrived, weary from the long haul of travel, carrying the weight of distance, time zones crossed, and disrupted sleep. And yet, as the taxi moved through the city's arteries, the fatigue gave way to something else: a recognition, as if I had been here before, in a dream or another life.

Into the Heart of the Yucatán: A Journey Through Tulum, Chichen Itza, and Cancun

The hum of the Mexicana aircraft quieted as we descended into Tulum’s newly minted airport, a gateway that promised adventure in the depths of the Yucatán Peninsula. The landscape below was an expanse of emerald-green jungle, cut through by roads that led to ruins, cenotes, and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Stepping out onto the tarmac, the warm, humid air carried the scent of salt and earth—this was Mexico, untamed and full of stories waiting to be uncovered.

Hola, Mexico!

Now and then, the thrilling thought of visiting Mexico danced in my mind, especially with my shiny, multiple-entry visas for both Japan and the Schengen Area making travel feel like a breeze. So, when the chance popped up to connect with some colleagues from the international federation, I jumped at it without a second thought. This was a golden opportunity I simply couldn't let pass by!

Top 10 Travel Moments of 2024

2024 has been my most well-traveled year yet, filled with a beautiful mosaic of adventures woven together by spontaneity and delightful surprises. Even though some of my trips had a work aspect, they all provided wonderful opportunities to explore off-the-beaten paths, turning side trips into the beautiful highlights of my journeys. In this blog, I’m excited to share the vivid moments that made these travels so special—the unexpected encounters, the stunning views, and the delightful meals that linger on the palate long after the journey concludes. I’ll skip over the not-so-glamorous parts, though: the long airport layovers, the immigration lines, the traffic jams, and those frantic dashes to catch nearly missed flights. While these moments were part of the adventure, they didn’t overshadow the joy of creating beautiful memories. So, let’s dive in together!

Return to Camiguin: A Journey Through Memory and Timeless Beauty

There are places in this world that refuse to change, where time seems to rest its weary head. Camiguin is one of them. Fourteen years ago, I set foot on this small island in the Bohol Sea during a college field trip for an Art and Society class. It was a pilgrimage back then, a young student’s journey to find beauty in simplicity and art in nature. This year, I returned—not as a student, but with office friends, drawn by the promise of nostalgia and the bountiful Lanzones harvest, an irresistible lure for anyone familiar with Camiguin’s golden reputation.

The Kingdom of Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai is not a city you merely pass through; it’s a place you absorb, slowly and deliberately, letting each street and scent settle into memory. Arriving here for the first time, I had 48 hours to peel back its layers, an ambitious timeline, perhaps, for a city so deeply rooted in tradition and mystery. Yet, Chiang Mai’s unhurried pace and reverence for detail allowed me to settle in and explore with a rare intimacy in travel.

Autumn in Geneva, Switzerland

When my friends learned I was doing a side trip to Geneva after Madrid, they all said it would be costly. To my defense, I’d always reply, “Why not?”. The truth is Geneva has been on my bucket list since high school. Geneva was a great start to my Switzerland adventure from CERN to the famous Jet d’Eau and the home of Swiss Knife and Patek Philippe. For four days, I explored Geneva and the nearby towns around the lake and got enamored by its beauty, grandeur, and quiet luxury.