Happy Birthday, Mek!!!

Sea Garden Restaurant, Jan 2006

It has been a while since I took the group for a treat at Sea Garden Restaurant in Seattle. During my visits, I usually get a group of my nephews/nieces/great-nephews/great-nieces and their friends for a special meal at this Chinese restaurant. It is one way to catch up with all of them at the same time. I think the last time I was there with a group was Jan 2009. After the meal, we take a group photo taken by Grace, the official photographer for these occasions. We usually continue on to a nearby bubble tea place to hang out some more.

The photo below is from January 2006.

Wafi City

Wafi City is a mixed use development located in Dubai. It includes a mall, souq, hotel, restaurants, residences, and a nightclub. The architecture style and theme is Ancient Egypt. This themed environment includes pyramids, images of pharaohs, and figures reminiscent of ancient Egyptian civilization.

Also, showcased throughout are vivid stained glass compositions. This being a Friday, hot, before noon, and during Ramadan, the complex was quite empty. It made for an excellent opportunity to wander the area and take a lot of photos.

Khan Murjan is an underground, two level souq adjacent to the mall. The souq was quite impressive. I will post pictures from this place at a later date.

Outside the Wafi City complex.





The pyramid shaped building is Raffles Hotel.



Inside the mall.







Stained glass displayed inside the mall.

Musée Rodin

During the summer of 2004, I took my nephews, James and Michael, on a 3-week backpacking trip around Western Europe. We started in Paris and ended in Amsterdam. In between, we stopped at Nice, Monaco, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Florence, Venice, Munich, Bingen, Cologne, Copenhagen, and Malmo traveling mostly by train. It was the summer break before their senior year in high school. It was also to be my last summer before I headed overseas to work. I had already planned out that I was going to go to Iraq sometime in the coming months. I wanted to do a long trip with some company, before I headed to Iraq. So I figured I would asked both of them to join me as an early high school graduation present to both.

Six years later, I haven't had a vacation that lasted that long. I have had many trips since then, but they are always 3, 4, or 5 day weekends. I have been able to do a few week long breaks, and several two week vacations when coupled with a stop in Seattle. I was planning a 3 week Europe trip with three nieces later this summer, but it is not looking too good. The main construction project I am overseeing for work has been delayed a bit. I can not really take off until its completion.

Anyway, one of the sights we saw during the backpacking trip with my nephews was Musée Rodin in Paris. The museum displays works by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. The museum building is surrounded by gardens that display Rodin's sculptures in a natural setting.

The following are pictures from that visit of the museum:









I long to take an extended vacation, hopefully soon, and to be lounging around like what is shown on the picture of me below, at the Rodin Museum grounds.

Air Conditioned Bus Stop Shelters

In some parts of Dubai, I have noticed bus stop shelters that provide protection from the elements, including the heat. I went inside one of these shelters, and it felt comfortable inside. The bus stop shelters are fully air-conditioned. This type of bus stop shelter provides the much needed sanctuary when waiting for a bus on a hot and humid day.