Howdy-doody again! 2014 is now complete and it's been quite a ride. I started the year back in the Kingdom, after returning from a very memorable trip to Chile with AP right before Christmas. New Years in Saudi was decidedly tame, with some casual hangs with the guys around Udhailiyah. Luckily for me I was able to stay extremely busy with my newest project: introducing a new tool to the oilfield.
The Project
Our new tool, which will remain nameless due to confidentiality agreements, basically can tell us new information that we've never had before with coiled tubing. It can actually tell us how fast and in what direction fluid is traveling down-hole. Wish I could tell you more, but know that it's been in development for a long time and many millions of dollars have been spent on it. And I'm the lucky field engineer who gets to introduce it to the field. SLB's training program for field engineers is essentially supposed to be a 3-year program where we get a promotion every year and grow accordingly. Well, 3 years doesn't happen for most engineers, who often struggle to find and complete effective projects, which are necessary for that third and final promotion in the program. Either way, I'd been lucky enough to fall into a project and I needed to seize it in order to complete my training program by the end of H1 of 2014. The first 3 years are very much a big build-up to the GFE presentation, which is presented to all of the senior management in Saudi Arabia, as well as locally to everyone involved in my specific segment.
The tool itself arrived in Saudi right around Christmas. As soon as I got back from remote Ghazal, I went to work. There were a few functional pieces of the tool that weren't working properly. Our manufacturing team had actually sent us an incorrect housing, which is what covers up all the optics and electronics. Some of the circuit boards weren't working. The tool wasn't powering up. This made the next few weeks extremely frustrating. I learned a bit about what it takes to really earn a GFE project for those first couple weeks. I was having conference calls with people on 3 continents and 3 different time zones. I tried to troubleshoot remotely through essentially online corporate chatting, which proved to not be very effective. I had to deal with completely new downhole batteries and how to prepare them for the job. I started writing the maintenance manual for the tool as well. As soon as we discovered exactly what was needed for the tool to be completely functional, we started communicating to the client.
Because this was going to be the first job worldwide with this newest of our technologies, three guys from our engineering team came to Saudi to assist with the preparation as well. They included the project manager for the tool, the interpretation guy since we were going to be getting completely new data that no one had ever seen before, and one of the software engineers, since we were going to be using multiple brand new softwares with this tool. It was very beneficial having them in Saudi to clear up all of our questions about the tool and what the client was to expect.
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| Billiards Udhailiyah-style: using broom stick as a pool cue |
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| Spelling is not high on the supply chain guy's list of strengths |
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| Cloud City? |
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| Early mornin fog is the norm as winter ends in Saudi |
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| Calibrating accelerometer. Everyone knows what that is, right? |
We finally got the candidate well finalized in early February, so we began pushing all the buttons necessary to make sure the job went as well as possible. I had a very crucial part in the job design process, which was really a first for me. It was nice that senior level managers actually cared what I had to say. We had multiple meetings with the client to make sure they understood exactly what they were getting. Managing expectations is extremely important when field testing something that is radically new from anything the client has seen before. I can't tell you how many times I had to explain to people exactly how the tool works and how it is going to generate value for them.
Once the job finally rolled around, everybody was pretty excited and antsy. I was probably half-excited and half-terrified. We got to location probably a bit early and spotted our lovely tool container and then spent a fair amount of time waiting for the rest of the equipment to get spotted. I managed to sneak in a few hours of sleep in the powerless container, as did the rest of the guys. One thing I've learned in the oilfield is that as specialists and engineers, we're often expected to be on location for days at a time, so getting good sleep is CRUCIAL. The start of the job couldn't have been much worse, as it appeared as though there was fluid in our fiber optics where there wasn't supposed to be fluid. The ensuing troubleshooting also saw me inadvertently break multiple fiber optic connections. This was a pretty big deal, since no fiber optics means no communication downhole. After several hours of additional troubleshooting and connection-making, and with the assistance of a couple of our engineers, the job started off. It was pretty awesome to see the tool working downhole. The data we were getting was incredible and being able to see it for the first time in a live well was pretty special. We had visits from various levels of SLB management, as well as the client representatives and engineers who let us test this tool in their well. After a couple days downhole (and a couple days of MINIMAL sleep), the tool unfortunately lost communication. This wasn't all bad, as we learned a few things about how and why certain failures can happen. This would only help us in the future, as we knew there would be many lessons learned from this well. We went back and finished the job in a second run, and we again got fantastic data. The client was pretty satisfied and agreed to let us use it in another well, this one with a little different geometry and environment. After that first job was finished, we all headed back to the camp and slept for what felt like 2 days, but in reality was probably only 10 hours. Sacrificing sleep and general hygiene for a week definitely took its toll, but I was extremely proud of being able to complete the operation and I knew it would help get me to where I wanted to go.
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| Note to self: don't sleep in contacts. |
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| The magical tool |
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| Mendhi after a successful job! |
Some of the boys and I decided to take a celebratory trip to Bahrain, since our little tool segment had simultaneously successfully introduced two brand new technologies to the oilfield. We were pretty excited, and it was awesome to get away for a night to have a nice dinner and a not-so-healthy amount of alcohol. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I honestly don't remember re-entering Saudi, which is my potentially my first trans-national blackout. Something to hang my hat on surely.
Very soon after that job, I took some much-needed days off and headed straight to Brisbane to see AP. We were tremendously excited to see each other after about 12 weeks of separation. We quickly darted down to Melbourne for a long weekend. AP had been before to the cultural capital of Australia, a cosmopolitan city known for its music, sports, and food. We spent a day exploring downtown Melbourne, taking in the Queen Victoria Markets, venturing up to the top of the Eureka Skydeck (not that sweet), and another few hours taking a tour of the world-famous Melbourne Cricket Grounds (very sweet). Our 80-year old volunteer tour guide showed just how cool he was by actively encouraging 'selfies' and immediate posts to 'the Facebook.'
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| Outside Melbourne Cricket Grounds |
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| Inside the famous MCG |
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| Can't pass up dessert like that! |
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| Below Eureka Tower |
AP and I hopped in a car the next morning and took the long drive down the famed Great Ocean Road of Victoria. We swerved and sped around mountainous corners along the Tasman Sea. It was refreshing to see how green everything was, but also a little disconcerting that the speed limit was like 110 kph on some of these windy roads. Regardless, it was a beautiful drive and I highly recommend it. We ended up arriving at the spectacular 12 Apostles near sunset, which made for a slew of fantastic photographs. The Apostles are a collection of huge limestone stacks that jut out of the water, and although only 8 out of the 12 remain, they are considered an excellent site to see for tourists. We weren't disappointed, and we took a night drive into the nearby town of Port Campbell to rest easy.
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| Staying hydrated |
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| The western half of the Apostles (including the one that collapsed a few years ago) |
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| Sunset on the Great Ocean Road |
Our next day had us driving up and down the Great Ocean Road a little to check out more of the crazy rock formations along the coast. There were such fun places as the Arch, The London Bridge, The Bay of Islands, and The Bay of Martyrs, each of which displayed their own unique formations.
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| @ the Bay of Islands |
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| London Bridge and moron |
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| Contemplating The Grotto |
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| Bay of Martyrs |
Unfortunately due to time constraints, we weren't able to travel too far down the Road, but I'm very happy to have seen the sights I did. Port Campbell served us well, but we headed back to Melbs, stopping along the way to visit the Werribee Mansion. It was a massive estate a few hours outside of Melbourne, and it reminded me of some of the giant homes of the old auto execs that dot the Metro Detroit area. We made it back to Melbs just in time to discover that the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival was concluding that afternoon. We walked down to Southgate on the banks of the river downtown and feasted on some snippets of international cuisine and downed some of Victoria's tastiest wine. It was all-in-all a perfect way to end our weekend. Flew back to Brisbane shortly thereafter.
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| Werribee Mansion |
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| Melbs Food and Wine Fest! |
The next couple weeks saw AP working, while I slacked around and enjoyed the perfect Brisbane weather. I did have work to do, as all the post-job reporting and presentation preparation had to get done by yours truly. That kept me busy during the days, and on the weekends we managed to socialize, as I got to meet most of AP's close friends. We managed a weekend at the Brisbane Gallery of Modern Art, which had a spectacular display of a Chinese artist named Cai Guo-Qiang. He worked on enormous pieces that invoked a lot of nature, specifically a wide variety of animals. You can see my two faves below.
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| The watering hole |
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| This was apparently an allusion to man's struggle toward greatness. Note the wolves crashing at the end |
I also managed a quick day trip with AP's mom up to Mooloolaba, which is one of the many small towns that dot the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane. The Sunshine Coast is ripe with some of the world's best beaches and Mooloolaba was no exception, with soft sand and excellent restaurants. We even ventured into Underwater World, a giant aquarium with all sorts of sharks, jellyfish, sea turtles, manta rays, and a surprisingly entertaining seal show.
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| I will never enter the water in Australia |
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| Yup, terrifying |
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| Real casual CHAINSAW SHARK |
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| They were thinking about stinging me. I know it. |
Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end again, and AP and I said our goodbyes before I flew back to the US to begin processing my Saudi residency, as well as fix my eyes. I opted to undergo corrective laser surgery for my eyes, since I was sick of dealing with contacts for the past 14 years. My doctor had advised me that I was an excellent candidate and we proceeded with the PRK treatment, which involves removing the cornea via a small blade and then performing the laser procedure on the back of the eye. I'm not gonna lie, it was a pretty uncomfortable procedure, as they laid me down and brought an enormous machine over my head with stadium-style lighting. My eyes had been sufficiently sedated but they were open for the entire procedure. Luckily, once all the prep was done, each eye took only about 2 minutes, as I had to keep focused on one spot with each eye. They delicated guided the laser and I even could smell the burning membrane as they re-constructed my retina. The docs did a great job because I now have 20/18 vision and no longer have to deal with glasses or contacts.
While I recovered from the surgery, I found myself working less on my big presentation and more on following the NCAA tournament, which had miraculously started when I got back to the states. Michigan made a fantastic tournament run only to be done in by a great shot launched by one of Kentucky's fantastic Harrison guards, not unlike Trey Burke's big shot against Kansas the year before. It was a fun run and even though my eyes were in pain and watery as hell, I could still see that UofM hoops was in a great state.
I also finished up some other medical checks that were necessary to get my Saudi residency, known as an Iqama, although my process got delayed when they didn't exactly like what I wrote on the application under the 'Religion' section. Apparently they were just looking to give me a hard time. Either way, the delay gave me a chance to go to Chicago and visit some friends out there. It also gave me time to explore some of the Bay Area with my mom, as we ventured south to Santa Clara and saw the massive Redwoods of the Henry Cowell State Park. We headed up to the rolling hills of the Marin Headlands, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. I took day trips to visit the campuses of Stanford and Cal-Berkeley, both of which were beautiful in their own right. I even visited with my cousin out in Sacramento, my first such venture. Overall, it was great to get to spend so much time with my folks, although I was certainly ready to get back to work. I learned we had another upcoming job using the tool I had recently mastered and I was the only one who could do it, so I needed to get back!
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| Family time at the musem |
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| That tree is 270 feet tall |
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| One big ass tree |
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| Half Moon Bay |
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| Old Sacramento |
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| They love them some railroads |
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| From the Marin Headlands |
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| FRAT |
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| Berkeley on 4/20. It didn't NOT smell like pot |
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| Up at the Headlands again |
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| Stanford |
After heading back to the Kingdom, I quickly got right into designing the upcoming job, where I would head back to Manifa. Once again, some of the engineering and data team came because we were once again trying out this new tool in a new environment, so having on-site data interpreters was pretty important. I was also able to train a couple other guys on how to use and maintain the tool, which was my first real chance to demonstrate knowledge sharing. One of the guys will end up going around the world to use this tool at new locations, so it was pretty gratifying knowing he was relying on my input. The job itself didn't go quite as well as we'd hoped, but we once again got a ton of lessons learned and more ways to improve operations in the future.
The Promotion
At the conclusion of that job, I set off on the final push towards my biggest promotion within SLB, the dreaded GFE. The whole process requires us candidates to complete controls, which are essentially screenings with people in various roles throughout the company, i.e finance, marketing, management, HR, safety, technical, and legal to ensure we have thorough knowledge on the inner workings of the corporation. Since our company is pretty massive (100K+ employees), it's important that anyone who moves up the ranks understands the core processes and ideas that run the business. Getting through the screenings was pretty tough, but a lot of hours of study were not wasted and I passed them without serious concern.
The other half of the GFE process is the completion of the GFE project, which involves a presentation made to the upper management within Saudi Arabia. I'd been working on my presentation for a few weeks and came up with the finalized version a couple days before the big presentation. I was lucky enough to have two of my good friends come with me and present on the same day that I did. My friend John, who I'd gone to university with and with whom I'd started at SLB, and my friend Raed, who was ironically the job supervisor during my first job in Saudi, both managed to complete their projects and presentations before the big day. It definitely helped having a couple familiar faces there.
Our drive from the compound to the office where we'd present was a loud and
musical one, in order to get us in the right mindset. I was the first to present my project, and although I'd prepared a lot, I was still just a bit nervous. I received lots of good questions and people generally seemed pretty into the presentation, probably because I was first and nobody was asleep yet. Then I left the room and watched as one by one, the other guys went in and presented their projects as well. This was pretty stressful, as everyone had to wait until the end for the results. Once we'd all finished, most of the guys were pretty confident that they'd passed, but I was still a bit nervous. If we didn't pass, we'd have to present again, or potentially even change projects. I didn't see this as a realistic possibility, since I'd helped introduce a brand new technology to the field for the first time worldwide, but doubt creeped in. Then they called us in one by one and gave us our results. The first guy went in looking happy, then came out and told us he'd failed. WHAT?!?! The thoughts started crossing my mind. "If he didn't pass, I probably didn't either!" Then they called me in next and my knees were possibly shaking beneath my khakis. The head manager of Saudi Arabia told me that there was good news and bad news. WHAT?!? BAD NEWS?!?! He told me that he had actually failed me, but most of the other managers agreed that I knew my shit pretty well and deserved the promotion. My knees were still shaking, but I walked out of the room knowing that the worst was over. It was a hilariously fratty process looking back on it, but it was a nice career milestone. I was now in control of my future more than ever. Luckily my two other buddies there passed as well, so we were in particularly good spirits. The day had been won and I went to sleep feeling like a big burden had been lifted off my shoulders. Ironically I then woke up at 3am and immediately began worrying why that manager hadn't passed me. Some things just never die!
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| Manifa! |
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| Waiting for the results of the presentation... |
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| Started together, got promoted together |
The Italy
About a week after I got the promotion, I once again headed for some much-needed days off. This promised to be a particularly awesome trip, since my cousin was finally tying the knot with her Italian fiancee. Plus, the wedding was in Italy!! I met AP at the Abu Dhabi airport for a night, as she was flying in from Australia and was understandably pooped. The next morning we flew out to Rome and discovered that you can get a lot done during an 8-hour layover. We took a taxi into town and walked around the Colosseum and the Forum, Palatine Hill and the old Circus Maximus, and the Victory. It was the first time AP had seen Rome and she was pretty impressed. We considered waiting in the comically long line for the Colosseum, but having been inside myself, I didn't find it particularly awesome. We went to dinner instead, feasting on pizza and gelato. We flew from Rome to Naples that evening.
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| The Victory! |
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| In awe of the Forum |
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| Might recognize the Colosseum. |
Naples isn't the world's nicest town, and although our hotel (
UNA Hotel Napoli) was pretty comfy, the rest of the area didn't impress me. We hopped on a train and headed south to the town of Sorrento, where the rest of the Magoo fam was already situated. The train ride itself had its highs and its lows. The highs were the awesome views of Mount Vesuvius and a nearly constant view of the sea. The lows were probably the musicians begging for money and the fact that someone went into my backpack when I was distracted and took a power adapter. Lucky for me, they didn't grab anything else. I'd been warned to watch myself on those crowded trains, and I honestly thought I was being vigilant, but I suppose when we shifted positions, somebody could've grabbed something. There was also a big brouhaha when one Italian kid got off the train and some British guy went chasing after him yelling about a ticket. Unfortunately my Italian wasn't nearly
good enough to take in the extent of the problem. Anyway, for the most part we arrived safely into Sorrento, a seaside touristy town in the northern part of the Amalfi Coast.
Our hotel was situated right on the cliffs that overlook the Mediterranean, with truly amazing views from the breakfast balcony. We checked in and met up with the fam down by the pool, as tends to be Magoo family tradition. It was great catching up with my aunts and uncles and it was the first time most of them had seen AP in over a year. My immediate fam had an awesome Italian feast in Sorrento that evening, which appeared to be teeming with American tourists. It was a bit overwhelming being in a foreign country with so many Americans around. Luckily the Magoo clan was probably the loudest of them all.
Day two in Sorrento was the big day for my cousin and her fiancee. Dressed with our Sunday best, we caught the buses down to the chapel, which was the next town south of Sorrento, Sant Agnello. It was a beautiful Italian ceremony, where no English was spoken, but hand gestures more than made up for that. The conclusion of the ceremony saw the newlyweds absolutely doused with rice on their way out of the church. I must say, the Italians hurl rice beads like they're grenades. My cousin later confessed that she still had rice in her hair the next morning. We were also greeted to a hilariously smart libation entrepreneur, who served those of us waiting for the bus outside the church with deliciously perfect vodka lemonades from his bicycle-led drink stall. Considering the July heat and sunshine, it was our best and most fun option to stay hydrated.
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| The beautiful bride |
After the wedding, we headed further south to the reception, which took place at a hotel overlooking the Bay of Naples. The setting was spectacular, as we had insanely clear views of the whole bay and the entirety of Mount Vesuvius, which thankfully didn't erupt. The venue was impeccably dressed up and we savored afternoon champagne before being led to the astonishingly large variety of appetizers available. Most importantly, there was a 3-ft tall Prosciutto Tower, which was architecturally, aesthetically and deliciously pleasing. There were also tons of seafood and cheese options that made me full before we even started dinner.
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| Great views of the Bay |
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| Venue was perfect. Stunningly perfect |
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| My love |
Dinner was served in three or four main courses, which reinforced every Italian eating stereotype imaginable. We were treated to a marvelous sunset over the Bay and we finally finished eating our ridiculously good food at about 11 at night. That's when people started hitting the dance floor for slow-moving and often uncoordinated gyrations. Champagne was still being served, as well as those dangerous limoncello bottles, which put at least one of my family members into their own world. We all caught the late buses back to the hotel, and while some brave souls continued the festivities around town, AP and I called it a night.
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| Dinner is served. Well, at least one course. |
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| Is that a dinosaur climbing Mount Vesuvius?! |
Our next day was yet another amazing adventure in Italy, as our fam had rented boats for a day trip to the nearby island of Capri. Capri has an ancient history, with some of the Roman emperors having vacation homes on the island. Modern celebrity emperors have places on the island, which has been written about extensively by famed authors for the past two centuries. The island is quite beautiful, with numerous grottoes on the outskirts of the island, and some fantastic rock formations. The two main towns of Capri and Anacapri offer good restaurants and plenty of shopping.
Our boat took us to some ancient aqueducts off the coast of Sorrento, and our guides gave us a very brief history of some of the hillside towns we passed along the way. We did stop in the town of Capri for a quick lunch and even quicker shopping, but most of our day was spent on the boat. We passed the Love Grotto, the Green Grotto, and the Orange Grotto, and found a nice spot to swim around and bother our cousins, who were on a nearby boat too. We passed underneath the famed Arch of Love of Faraglioni, where AP and I shared a kiss that will last forever. Awwwwww. Then we made our way to the even more famed Blue Grotto. The emperor Tiberius allegedly made frequent visits to this tiny cave, which is illuminated to a brilliant blue color thanks to two large orifices to the outside, one above water and one underwater. The above water opening was barely enough to squeeze a small rowboat through, which is exactly how we entered it, overpaying for a young sailor to take us through. Once inside though, the water was SOOO blue. It was as if Neptune himself had chosen the perfect shade of blue to illuminate the grotto.
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| The hotel on the cliffs |
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| Let the party begin |
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| Pretty awesome ride |
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| Apparently that ancient aqueduct was quite chilly |
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| Approaching the isle |
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| The aptly named Green Grotto |
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| Brotherly love in front of the arch |
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| Yet another grotto... |
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| The only way to enter the Blue Grotto |
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| Unreal |
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| Beauty like this isn't fair |
We all got back to the hotel and cleaned ourselves up for dinner. Our entire group, including the young bride and groom, came together for another enormous celebration of Italian cuisine. The restaurant,
Zi 'ntonio, served probably the best pizza I've ever had in my life. And I've eaten a LOT of different pizza. It was as festive a feast as we could've asked for, and the wine put us all in good spirits. Our fam then ventured out to the finest gelato joint (
Gelateria Primavera) Sorrento had to offer and put back enough ice cream to give you diabetes.
AP and I snuck out for an early coffee and breakfast in Sorrento and walked around town a bit, which thankfully included a mobile store so I could activate my Italian sim card. Who am I without instant connectivity to the rest of the world? We later hopped back on our not-so-favorite train back to Naples and caught our flight up to lovely Genoa for the rest of our Italian vacation.
Genoa is an old port city, famous for being the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. It is borderline Italian Riviera, and the city definitely had many French vibes, which were elegantly displayed at the
Grand Hotel Savoia, where we called home for a night. Our next day saw us walking around town and taking in the sights of Old Genoa, which included the Via Garibaldi, a stretch of old apartments and chateaus that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We strolled around the centrally located Piazza de Ferrari, the cathedral of San Lorenzo, and the Old Harbour. We even got corralled into 'giving' money to 'kids in Africa' from a nice Kenyan man who 'gave' us some 'love bracelets.' Pardon my skepticism because he could've been a very lovely man with good intentions. Anyway, AP and I then rented a car and began our road trip across Italy.
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| Via Garibaldi, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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| Piazza de Ferrari |
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| San Lorenzo Cathedral |
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| Old Harbour |
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| Feeling those Franco-Italian vibes |
Our first destination is the coastal region of Cinque Terre, which are 5 small towns that dot northwestern Italian coastline. Each of the towns is connected by hiking trails, some of which are easy and some of which are a bit of a workout. I'd been lucky enough to have hiked between the towns in a previous Eurotrip, but it was AP's first time seeing the cities and I know she came away impressed. We pulled our tiny little Eurocar through wandering valleys and slowly downhill toward the town of Monterosso, which is the northernmost of the 5 cities. Our hotel (
Affittacamere Lo Scoglio) was almost an apartment, with 2 or 3 rooms and a shared common area and outdoor seating area with outstanding views of the sea and beaches. The beach breezes blew constant fresh air into our room, which we decided we should spend minimal time in. We're in Cinque Terre for God's sakes!
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| Monterosso Beach |
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| You can see why people like this place |
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| I know AP liked it! |
The next day, we took the early train to Riomaggiore, on the southern end of the 5 towns, and spent at least 30 minutes wandering about aimlessly looking for the start of the trail that would take us 25km through the Italian coast. There are VERY few signs that indicate any sort of hiking trail, but eventually after just kinda walking up through the vineyards and keeping close to the water, we happened upon the appropriate path. The first hike between Riomaggiore and Manarola got increasingly difficult as we moved up the hills and away from the water, only to come back down and closer to the water. We also started getting some sunlight, which shockingly didn't cool us off at all.
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| Riomaggiore |
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| Conquering the climb |
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| Thank God we were going the right way |
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| Reached Manarola! |
After about 45 minutes of hiking, we reached Manarola. The town was nice, but we didn't stop there for too long. A few pictures and selfies later, and we marched up the hills for probably the roughest stretch of the hike, up to the village of Corniglia.
We reached Corniglia in about 2 hours, which included a stop at the hilly town of Volastra, and we stopped for some light refreshments, gently resting underneath a tree in the town square. When we regained our legs, we trekked down for an hour to the picturesque seaside town of Vernazza. There we stopped for another tremendous pizza lunch, and once again noticed we were surrounded by American tourists.
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| On the trail |
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| Arrivederci Corniglia |
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| We've reached Vernazza! |
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| Still beautiful |
From Vernazza, we were off to our starting point of Monterosso. The last leg was a little over an hour, with elevation climbs and descents, but pretty views most of the way. We were pretty pooped when the trek was done, but we made very good time and earned ourselves a hearty seafood pasta meal at
Lampara Ciak for dinner. We also made a quick stop into the local sports bar, which was showing the America vs Belgium World Cup Match. You may remember that match for
this and
this!
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| Still lookin good Monterosso |
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| On the hike down |
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| USA! USA! USA! |
Our next day we departed from beautiful Monterosso and took a long drive through Tuscany, passing by the university town of Pisa along the way for some obligatory photo-ops. The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been around since the 14th century and its soft foundation has resulted in its lean ever since.
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| I haven't forgotten you, old friend. |
Then AP and I made our way to another university town, Bologna. I didn't know much about Bologna before we got there, but I'd been assured its very much a central culinary capital in that region of Italy and it even is home to the world's oldest university. AP and I booked a
food tour, which took us through a parmigiano reggiano cheese factory, a balsamic vinaigrette villa, a prosciutto di parma factory, and finally a massive 3-course lunch that just about knocked me out cold. I cannot rave enough about how awesome the tour was. Our guide Alessandro had an enthusiasm that was rampant and contagious, making all of us as excited about food as he was. I even met some people from Ann Arbor on the tour, and we engaged in a wine-infused rendition of 'Hail to the Victors' after our massive lunch.
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| Bologna |
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| Parmigiano Reggiano factory! |
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| Very well aged balsamic |
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| Prosciutto.... |
From Bologna, AP and I ventured down to the center of the Italian Renaissance and one of the world's most artistic cities, Florence! We stayed at the wonderful
Relais Villa Antea, whose distance from central Florence (about 15 minutes walking) was easily compensated for by its ambiance, friendly staff, and enormous showers. We spent day going to the Uffizi Museum and the Galleria de Academmia, which houses some of the best Renaissance artwork in the world. We saw the timeless masterpiece 'Birth of Venus' by Boticelli, and the so-huge-and-spectacular-when-you-see-it-up-close David by Michelangelo. We were pretty museum'd out by the end of the day, but we got to skip a lot of the lines thankfully due to the excellent value of the Firenze Card. If you go to Florence, grab one!
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| Boticelli's best |
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| Pretty dude |
Our next day we took a wine tasting tour in the surrounding Tuscan hills. We sampled some of the region's excellent Chianti Classicos, some of which were blends and some of which were 100% sangiovese grapes. We took a fairly intoxicated climb up to the top of the Duomo, some 463 steps. The trek up allowed us to see a close-up of Vasari's frescoes of the Last Judgment, painted on the inside of the dome itself. From atop the Duomo, we could see the rest of Florence, in all of its medieval glory.
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| Casa Emma vineyard |
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| The heart of Tuscany |
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| Inside the Duomo! |
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| Urban sightings |
That night we dined at a restaurant named
Alborado just around the corner from our hotel. If the pizza in Sorrento was great, this one was pretty darn good too. The outdoor seating was pretty nice and the wine, as you might expect, was delightful.
We awoke the next day and took a little bus ride up to Fiesole, a small town up in the hills that overlook Florence. It was a cute little village, with a few decent restaurants and good views of the city. It was also noticeably cooler than Florence itself, which is significant in the summer months. We came back to town and took a walk around the Basilica de Santa Croce, where many a great Italian are buried. The celebrity list includes Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini, and my fave, Enrico Fermi. A nighttime stroll around the Ponte Vecchio led us to stumble upon a free concert, given by the Florence City Orchestra in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. We couldn't really understand what they were saying, but before we knew it, we started hearing helicopters buzzing in the background. Then the next thing we know, they open up with Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd! It was hilarious and awesome and they proceeded to play some Michael Jackson and we went to bed very satisfied with our Florence experience.
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| Fiesole |
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| Santa Croce |
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| Ahh the Ponte Vecchio |
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| Great musical taste Florence |
We awoke and took a drive out to the Florentine rival city of Siena, more of a hilltop city of about 50,000 people. The drive up to the town center was picturesque Tuscany, with green hills lining the highway and a few other hilltop walled cities that added to the aesthetics. We paced around Siena's own Duomo, which had its own unique style, definitely different from Florence's. Despite its uniqueness, we opted against that particular climb and chose instead to venture into Siena's heart, the Piazza del Campo. It has numerous restaurants and shops that all line the outside of a giant town square, which angles down toward the clock tower of the Piazza. The area was very beautiful, although I would advise against eating beef carpaccio on a warm summer's day. It didnt taste that great going down and it tasted even worse coming back up.
We didn't explore too much of Siena, since both of us weren't feeling 100%, but the town did have a nice Tuscan vibe and it was very beautiful. The next day we set off for Rome.
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| Inside Siena's Duomo |
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| The elusive clock tower |
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| Piazza del Campo |
The Eternal City finally awaited us. Despite a borderline terrifying drive into the area where our Westin Excelsior hotel was situated, we did manage to make it safely. My carpaccio-induced crapfest did not let up however, and AP was on her own for the day as she wandered about the sites and sounds of Roman Holiday, a real Hepburn who was unfortunately lacking her Peck.
Our next day we took a stroll around the giant Villa Borghese park in the northern part of the city. AP got her semi-annual zoo fix, as we spent a quick hour checking out the bears and zebras and sloths that Rome had to offer. We then managed to meet up with an old college friend of mine and her boyfriend for a tour of the Vatican. They had been on a little Eurotrip due to a friend's wedding in Germany, so we synced up our schedules and saw each other for the first time in about 4 years. It was pretty great reminiscing while we were being lectured on the history and artwork that lined the halls of the Vatican Museum. We made the excellent call of opting to see Raphael's room en route to the Sistine Chapel. The School of Athens adorned one of the walls, and our guide explained how Raphael had painted himself into the portrait, as well as nearly all the famous ancient Greek philosophers, with Plato and Aristotle dominating. We then saw the jewel of the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo spent years painting the walls and the ceiling of the chapel and his finished product left me in awe, even though it was the second time I'd seen it in person.
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| The Map Room. My fave |
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| School of Athens |
The tour continued to St Peter's Basilica, which is the most gold-filled church I've ever seen in my life. It is honestly pretty awesome. As a former altar boy, I certainly am humbled any time I step into such an amazing house of God. I saw Michelangelo's Pieta once again, and was equally humbled by its precision and emotion. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Our guide Luca had a ton of knowledge and was pretty enthusiastic as well.
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| Inside St Pete's |
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| Well done Michelangelo. I approve |
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| Prepare for Catholicism |
That night, AP and I had a double date with my friend Kirstin and her boyfriend Mike, as we grabbed dinner and drinks just down the road from our hotel. We even managed to squeeze in time to go see the semi-final matches of the World Cup, where many an awkward soccer conversation occurred.
The next day AP and I bid farewell to each other and to Rome, as we flew off on our own journeys back to our own lives. I had a layover in Istanbul and made my way back to Saudi in time for another Ramadan summer, while AP flew back through Abu Dhabi back to Brisbane for their perfect winters.
I didn't have much time to rest, as I went straight to Manifa for yet another operation using my tool. Luckily, the training I'd done with some of the guys previously allowed them to at least start the operation while I was still in Italy. Unfortunately, we had some issues with the tool again and I was left alone to man the location while the operation continued. The introduction of this tool has included a massive amount of lessons learned, and this most recent operation was certainly an example of that.
It was during that job that I also noticed an increasing pain in my shoulder; one in which I realized I would need to seek medical care. After the job, I saw an orthopedic doctor in Khobar and was informed that I had inflammation in my shoulder known as bursitis. This required me to seek physical therapy 3 times a week as soon as Ramadan ended. This more or less kept me out of the field, but because the therapist was in nearby Hofuf, I could still work in the yard and the shop and accomplish stuff while also taking care of my shoulder. The whole hitch basically revolved around my trips to therapy and back and seriously put a damper on my motivation. It probably didn't help that I felt a bit unsure of my future now that the big GFE beast had finally been tamed.
We did manage to sneak off to Bahrain for a few drinks while picking up one of our buddies from the airport. We continued our trend of movie nights and poker nights, which help keep us sane in the desert. We took some trips into Hofuf and hit the bowling alley and the archery range. I took part in another operation that was to introduce another new technology for the first time, although we didn't quite end up pumping what they wanted to pump. By the time the end of August rolled around though, I was ready for a break. So naturally, I hopped on a plane and headed back to see my girl in Brisbane.
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| In Ramadan, the burgers lack buns |
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| That's gotta be comfy |
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| Ah Bahrain. Thank you |
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| Little Caesars. No Hot-N-Readys makes me angry! |
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| Othaim Mall in Hofuf |
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| Ready for another break! |
The three weeks spent in Brisbane were pretty slow, mainly due to AP's working hours and my own uncertainty over my own future. AP and I did take a long weekend and headed down to Tasmania, the only island state of Australia and one known for their whiskey. We stayed up at Battery Point in Hobart, which overlooks the city and bay area. Hobart had pretty good vibes and absolutely amazing food. AP and I dined down by Salamanca Square at the Ball and Chain Steakhouse (excellent steak) and an unforgettable place called the Squire's Bounty. And mother of God, their pork tacos might have actually been the best food I've had in my life. I honestly didn't know food could taste so good. I'll never forget them and if I ever make it back to Tassie, it will be the FIRST thing I do, inclusive of essential bodily functions.
We checked out the nearby Salamanca Markets in the morning, which run every Saturday, and we found delicious coffee and doughnuts, world-class peanut butter, and pork sausage that could drive a pig to cannibalism. We took a drive up to Mount Wellington, which offered excellent views of Hobart below.
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| Atop Mt Wellington |
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| Lovely Hobart below |
AP also surprised me for my birthday and took me out to the world's highest commercial abseil. For those of you who don't know, abseiling is basically rappelling down a fixed point using a harness and ropes. The rope is fixed up top and you have a giant bag of rope that goes with you as you descent, allowing to control the speed at which you lower yourself. Our particular starting point was the top of a massive damn in central Tasmania. The Gordon Dam rises 459 feet (140m) above the ground and our abseil had us each descending down every last foot. There was a well-supported steel ladder that allowed us to climb back up. There was another gentleman there who also was treated to this as a birthday surprise, so he and AP both went before me. My hangover and poor history of abseiling gave me a bit of caution. When it was my turn, I slowly started going down, taking very little note of what was below me. The dam itself is a bit concave, so eventually my feet were no longer on the wall of the dam and I was just dangling, slowly lowering myself below. I noticed I was going way slower than the previous two and I noticed my abseil rope was getting pretty twisted. Before it would enter my little locking/braking guide around my waste, I would have to manually untwist it. Eventually, the twisting became too much and the rope actually got stuck in the guide. Unfortunately, it just so happened to occur when I wasn't even half-way down the dam. Holy son of a crap! I honestly freaked out because the harness was tugging on my Magoo parts pretty hard and I finally made the mistake of looking down and realizing just how far I was from the ground. I tried to yell up to the guys at the top, but my message was garbled as it echoed off the dam and surrounding valley. I think he manually started releasing the safety line to give me some slack. It was at that time that I managed to yank loose the rope from the guide by throwing my arm as far away from my body and as hard as I could with the rope in hand, to give it enough force to get loose. I slowly started descending again and when I finally reached the ground, I was super fatigued, still a bit freaked out, and with a fresh harness rash on my crotch. I made the climb back up, trying to count the steps for marketing purposes for the company as well as to try to occupy my mind with something simple. Naturally I lost count at one point, but I eventually made it back to the top of the dam. The other dude in our group went again and finally got the correct count on the ladder steps, but AP and I were done. I was still a bit freaked and was ready to relax. We did manage to get some good shots with the GoPro and the long drive back to Hobart gave me some time to cool down.
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| Getting set up atop the dam |
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| So damn far |
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| Getting practice in |
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| She's ready to go! |
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| AP was a champion |
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| She's down there |
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| Survived |
We spent our final morning in Hobart unsuccessfully searching for a bottle of Sullivan's Cove Whiskey, which had just been named the World's Best Whiskey for 2014. Literally nobody had it. Apparently the Prime Minister of Australia had been yearning for some, but even he had tough luck. We left Hobart just as the rain was setting in and made our way back to Brisbane.
The next few weeks had a lot of good meals, some time spent at the Brisbane Festival, and a friendly visit from AP's old roommate from Canberra. We did some touristy stuff along the way including the Wheel of Brisbane and the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. I was also the lucky recipient of tickets to the Kanye West concert. For all of the controversy that seems to follow Kanye, he is really one hell of an entertainer. The show was pretty fantastic, as he started with pulsating pounds of synthesized percussion of 'Black Skinhead' and hit on every song of his that I knew. He also would randomly stop performing and address the audience, oddly bringing up his personal feud with Matt Lauer from like 4 years ago. He also made such outlandish statements as 'I'm the Rolling Stones of this generation' and a desperate plea for acceptance with 'I am a MARRIED CHRISTIAN MAN.....with a FAMILY!' Like I said, he's a hell of an entertainer. When we got home, I immediately bought about a dozen of his songs on iTunes, so apparently he's a genius and I'm a sucker.
AP and I also took a day trip to go to Warner Brothers Movie World, an amusement park situated near the Gold Coast. The Superman Escape, Green Lantern, and Arkham Asylum roller coasters all delivered great thrills. We also discovered peanut butter coffee. Yes, you read that right.
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| Movie World! |
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| The Wheel of Brisbane |
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| A friendly Kangaroo |
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| Barely awake. Classic koala |
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| World's most venomous snake - Inland Taipan |
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| The evil cassowary |
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| Tasmanian Devils. Gross |
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| Kookaburra! |
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| Sup Kanye |
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| The man could put on a show |
India
Before I left to go to Australia, two of my buddies who work in Saudi, John and Gaurav, threw out the idea of doing an India trip. I was a bit reluctant because I wanted to spend more time with AP. However, she eventually gave me her blessing and after a bit of planning, we worked out an itinerary that would take us throughout northern India, with Guarav acting as our friend, trip planner, and guide. Then we would head south to Goa to stay at the place of another Indian guy with whom we work. I got an Indian visa remarkably quickly while I was in Australia (about one week) and after spending three amazing weeks with AP, I flew to Delhi to meet up with my buddies.
I landed in the late evening, about two hours after John and his lady friend, and we all took a ridiculously expensive taxi (very very MINI-van) from the airport to our hotel in Saket, which was supposed to be a decent area of India. We were sort of shuffled around between two or three different taxi dudes at the airport, and I think they took advantage of our frustration and we just agreed to a price that we would later learn is quite high. The midnight ride to the hotel probably hid a lot of the ugly parts of Delhi and I got seriously light-headed as the fumes, either from our vehicle or the other vehicles, generally overwhelmed the available air. I was extremely happy when we finally got to the hotel and I could breathe like a human being again. The guys at the front desk had comically shiny suits, but they were friendly and I got to the room and immediately drank all the bottled water that was available.
Our first real day in Delhi saw Gaurav and his girlfriend arrive in a tuk-tuk and immediately offer beers. I knew the trip was gonna be awesome at that exact moment. We then hopped in the much larger van of our hired driver and headed off to Agra. The daylight allowed me to see (1) how crazy Indian drivers are, (2) how many people can fit in a very very tiny tuk-tuk, and (3) the poverty that was pretty unavoidable. India's new Prime Minister has an excellent economic record and people are optimistic that the next 5 years will be one of sustained growth for the country and the development of a larger middle class. Despite that, there's still about a billion people that currently live in pretty tough conditions. We slowly moved our way out of Delhi and the women in the car wanted to see monkeys. Hilariously we passed by a trucking stop right beside the highway and when we stopped, there were two guys with monkeys on leashes that immediately approached us. Within about 10 seconds, we were bombarded with even more monkeys and two separate cobras! Luckily, I'd already housed one giant Kingfisher beer (6% alcohol by volume) and had a great buzz going, so I wasn't even bothered when the guys magically told me 'no bite, no bite.' Did that mean I shouldn't bite them or they wouldn't bite me? Either way, the quick encircling didn't last as Gaurav started to shuttle us back into the van and fend off the aggressive animal merchants.
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| John's first day. Cobra on the right! |
We also stopped along the road to Agra to get a healthy lunch of aloo paratha and paneer paratha, both of which I discovered wouldn't make me sick. I'd been warned by multiple people that, given my general stomach sensitivities, I could expect to get sick while in India. Well thank God for Gaurav, who expertly advised me on whatever menu options I asked about. He guided me away from the spicy stuff and I didn't get sick at all when he was around. We also walked around a town that supposedly was where the foundations of Gaurav's Jain religion originated. We definitely felt the poverty in the town, with filthy water running through the designated waste crevices that lined the streets. The many markets that filled the main strip didn't have the friendliest smell. There were also random animals everywhere. Cows, horses, dogs, cats, monkeys. It was quite a sensory experience.
We arrived pretty late into Agra, but did manage to take a tour of the Sikandra Fort just outside the city. The fort contained the Tomb of Akbar, who was one of the great rulers of the old Mughal Empire. His empire stretched from Burma to Afghanistan. We discovered the beautiful symmetry in the Mughal architectural styles, both in overall land design and even down to individual window panes. We had a nice dinner and settled into our hotel, the unbelievable
ITC Mughal. The place was enormous, had a sick gym, and very friendly staff. We had a lovely Indian dinner across the street at
Pinch of Spice, which delivered pretty amazing Indian food too. Afterwards, I was pretty jetlagged and we all crashed pretty hard.
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| The fort is nice |
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| Akbar was a baller |
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| Getting artistic |
The next morning I squeezed in a good workout and we went to the Taj Mahal. I was honestly a little afraid of being disappointed by the Taj. I've seen thousands of pictures of it, seen it in movies, been terrified of getting my shoes stolen (thanks Slumdog Millionaire), and thus I tried to keep my expectations in check. We had a tour guide who gave us a bit of the history of the Taj as we walked along the cleanest road I'd seen in India up to the outside of the entire Taj Mahal compound. Agra has been actively trying to pursue more 'green' measures to keep the city clean and desirable and the road leading up to the Taj doesn't allow non-electric powered vehicles. Bicycles are allowed, but nothing with an engine (diesel or gas) was allowed.
We walked through the grounds a bit and finally came upon the Royal Gate that once guarded the Taj. Upon finally seeing it, whatever fears I had of disappointment absolutely melted away. It is an absolutely enormous and beautiful structure. The white marble really shines in the sunlight and I saw why I've seen so many photos - it's so damn photogenic!
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| Slightly angled |
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| Not that big! |
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| Had to demonstrate my yoga abilities |
We walked around the Taj and got a ton of information about the marble that was used and the various semi-precious stones that are found inside. It was truly spectacular and no one will be able to fully grasp its grandeur unless they see it for themselves. I heartily recommend a trip :-)
After the Taj, we went to the Agra Marble Emporium and saw beautiful sculptures, made out of the same type of marble used for the Taj. They showed us how guys manually craft the small semi-precious stones that are built into the sculptures as well.
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| Craftsman abound in Agra |
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| Not easy work |
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| Mom and Dad are gonna like this! |
Afterwards, we packed up and drove out to Fatehpur Sikri, which was once the capital of the Mughal Empire as well. The great Akbar moved the capital from Agra to Fatehpur Sikri. The fort is really the center of town and we had to bypass a few very energetic kids trying to sell us postcards. We had a not-very-enthusiastic tour guide who took us around and gave us minimal information. The grounds were quite pretty though.
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| Fatehpur Siki |
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| The old square |
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| More Mughal architecture |
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| I believe the emperor hung out there |
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| Gates |
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| Appropriate attire |
We then ventured out along the highway west to the city of Jaipur, which is the capital and largest city of the largest state in India (Rajasthan). Jaipur is known as the 'Pink City' due to the colors of the walls in many of the major forts and walls in the central district. In the morning, I walked over from my
ITC Rajputana Hotel (highly recommended) to meet the rest of the crew at their hotel. After a quick breakfast, we met yet another guide who took us around the landmarks of Jaipur. We visited the Hawa Mahal, which means '
Wind Palace,' and it's where 953 individual windows allow the princesses to view the markets below while not being ogled by the crowds.
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| Hawa Mahal |
We then headed up to the Amer Fort, which rests upon a huge hill in Jaipur and was built in the 16th century to protect the town of Amer below. It, along with the Jaigarh Fort even higher, serve to protect the Amer Palace, and rise from the man-made Mootha Lake below. Most importantly, we all got to ride elephants on our way to the top! There were dozens of beautifully decorated elephants, who appeared to be treated fairly well, as we slowly rode up the stone paths of the ancient fort. The elephants provided a slightly rocky, but comfortable ride since we were actually sitting on man-made seats on top of their backs. I was also thoroughly impressed with the multitude of languages spoken by the t-shirt, carpet, and souvenir salesmen as we trekked to the fort on the elephants. I heard what sounded like perfect Spanish and perfect French on my way up.
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| The Am(b)er Fort and Palace Complex |
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| Our taxi service |
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| It was a grand ride |
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| Some shade might've been nice |
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| We liked each other |
We got a fantastic tour of the whole Amer Palace (it can be pronounced 'Amber' too), with a detailed history of the wives and rulers that were there. Honestly, I don't remember too much, except that it was built by Raja Man Singh and Sawai Jai Singh (hope I spelled them right). The palace did have a room called the 'Mirror Palace,' which was essentially the king's bedroom.
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| Mootha Lake below |
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| Just bro-in out |
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| Mirror Palace |
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| Couldnt pass up that opportunity |
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| Likely contemplating the symmetry of Mughal Architecture |
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| Wonderful example in the garden |
After our lovely visit to the Amer Fort, we stopped briefly to take a quick look at the Water Palace, which rises out of Man Singh Lake, but unfortunately doesn't quite allow visitors to head out there. We then popped by the City Palace, which truly put the 'pink' in 'The Pink City.' As cool as the armory in the City Palace was, it didn't hold a candle to Jantar Mantar, a UNESCO World Heritage site that is essentially an astrological observatory. Our guide had a PhD in Astrology and gave us each a brief introduction into what our astrological signs mean. Apparently I'm social, stubborn, and emotional. Who knew? We also happened to be there on the autumnal equinox, which means a few of the sundial-type of shapes couldn't really say much. However, the complex itself was really cool to see and as unique a place as I've ever been.
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| Water Palace |
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| City Palace |
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| Jantar Mantar |
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| The ONE day it doesnt work |
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| He lost me at this point |
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| Libra? |
That night we were treated to a really spectacular experience a little ways outside of Jaipur. The Choki Dhani is a heritage village that felt like it was half-carnival, half-restaurant. The food we ate was pretty yummy, but there were like 60 different events and activities that you could participate in. I danced with the young Hindu 'princesses. I listened to a gentleman give me my future based on which card a small parrot selected when let out of his cage. That little bird astrologist said 2015 is going to be a big year for me! There was a giant, disruptive gong that John managed to crush. We noticed that the elephant being used for the elephant ride was crying, which literally drove me to the point of tears. Or maybe it was the smoke cave that we had just exited. I can't be sure. I also think I might've been propositioned, either for love or money, by an Indian guy when I tried to enter a giant maze. Definitely had one eye watching behind my back during that maze. We also tried our hand at some heritage bowling, which required a much smaller bowling ball and a set of only 9 pins. Their setup just didn't have the 1 pin. I did manage to get a strike eventually, despite the different setup. We also saw what must've been the most talented child I'd ever seen. This kid who was probably 10-12 years old was a jack of all trades: (1) a ridiculously powerful drummer, even though he was just using tree branches to pound on his drum, (2) king of the balancing act, as he balanced what seemed like a chandelier on his tongue, and (3) a spitball sharpshooter, as he balanced like 8 different cups on the chandelier-type thing on his head and then used his tongue to maneuver a straw and small spitballs and shot the spitballs up into the cups. I've never seen anything like it.
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| This is really the only photo that survived |
The next day we started the long drive back to Delhi. We stopped along the way at the financial and industrial district of Gurgaon, outside of Delhi. Gaurav would soon be transferring there, so he wanted to check it out. I must say, considering how impoverished some of the surrounding areas were, Gurgaon was really impressive. It felt like being in any of the most modern cities in the world I've been to. NY, Singapore, Sydney. It was the perfect place to stop for an afternoon beer.
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| Gurgaon |
We managed to pass out pretty hard once again after out trek into Delhi. Our next day, we managed to see a bunch of landmarks around Delhi too. Gaurav took us to Akshardham Setu, which is a giant Hindu temple complex dedicated mostly to Swaminarayan, who, after a seven year pilgrimage across India at a young age, became a guru and dedicated his life to spiritual guidance and practical reforms.
We also saw the massive India Gate war memorial and the even more enormous Humayman's Tomb, an elaborate Mausoleum complex that rivals the Taj Mahal.
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| India Gate |
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| Humayman! |
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| John likes it |
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| Mughal architecture! |
That afternoon we also spent some time at an NGO that Gaurav has been volunteering at since his college days. The organization, Udyam Prayas, gives lower class kids an opportunity to learn outside of their normal schooling. It even essentially replaces all schooling for some of the kids. Gaurav and other volunteers teach subjects to a lot of the younger kids, although older students do show up too. It was pretty nice to see the excitement on most of their faces and served as a fresh reminder of what a difference an education can make, especially in developing countries.
That night, our last in Delhi, we celebrated a bit with some of Gaurav's friends at a pretty nice bar/restaurant in Delhi. It also served as Gaurav's way of celebrating my birthday, as we got some delicious cake delivered to the table. It conveniently arrived AFTER we had hit the dance floor for some sweaty spasms. I had some great conversations with some of Gaurav's buddies who'd been educated at Big Ten schools back home and even lived there for a few years. All in all, it was a really fun night and I wasn't even THAT hungover in the morning.
The next day we bid adieu to Gaurav and flew down to Goa, an old Portuguese colony that is now mostly a Catholic enclave on the western coast of India. Goa is known as a big tourist destination due to the excellent beaches, carefree attitude, and gambling options. Clement, one of the cementing guys we work with in Saudi is from Goa and had an awesome holiday home in Goa that he let us stay at for a few days. Clement took us around old Goa, where we saw a multitude of huge Catholic churches and to a little village of figurines that depicted what life was like in Goa a couple hundred years ago. He also took us to the beachfront in Goa. We relaxed for hours and sipped on champagne before noon and got some ridiculously huge crab for lunch. I couldn't have asked for a better place to close out my vacation.
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| Getting into the right mindset |
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| Beach buzz |
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| Cattle beach? Why not? |
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| This crab was insanely good |
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| Churchin' |
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| More churchin' |
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| More beachin |
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| Oh no |
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| The crew in Goa |
We all said our goodbyes, and once again I was on a plane heading back to the Kingdom. India was a pretty special place. I had the privilege of having two amazing guys to show me around their country, Gaurav and Clement. They treated us extremely well and seemed to have a plan for everything, and if they didn't, they improvised impeccably. I really enjoyed my time there, and didn't even get sick until I made a bold move and sampled a big pork roast the final evening in Goa. There's something about India that is both magical and mysterious. There's an underlying mysticism and energy that seems to hold everything together. Keeping 1.2 billion people together can't be easy. Their society is certainly a developing one, with strong family ties trumping everything else. The caste culture definitely still exists, just as social classes exist in the US. I'll admit that India was probably out of my comfort zone, but the group I went with made it a truly unforgettable trip.
My next and final hitch of 2014 in Saudi had me jumping around between a few locations early on. Halloween and Thanksgiving came and went without much fanfare in Saudi, although we got some of the American boys together to watch football every week, including the Thanksgiving game featuring the playoff-bound Detroit Lions.
I actually ran two very different operations using the new tool again, and both of them were very successful. I managed to train another guy and I think I'm comfortable letting some of the younger guys take over the project, for their own career progression and for the good of the company.
We also experienced some management changes, with my good buddy taking over as my direct manager for all the downhole tools we handle. I'm looking forward to working with a stellar team in Saudi, although my role has now been altered, as I'm not officially one of two engineers-in-charge (EIC). This more or less pulls me out of the field for good, but gives me a new range of extensive responsibilities. Luckily, I've seen a lot of good EIC's come before me and I continue to learn from the best.
Despite these positive changes, I've made it clear that I'm ready to move on from the Kingdom. I've spent 4 good years of my life there, and with AP still very far away in Australia, it's probably time my priorities start to shift away from myself.
Early Christmas Present
Speaking of priorities shifting, after AP had finished her semester of school, she finally took me up on an offer I'd made to get a place of our own in Brisbane. I'd basically made up my mind that I would end up there one way or another, and once AP really saw that, she started looking for an apartment. We snagged a spectacular one-bedroom place in probably the perfect neighborhood for us. We're close to downtown, close to a ton of bars and restaurants, close to one of the rugby stadiums, and we're now going to have a place to call home. I know I needed it and I think AP probably realized she didn't need to keep living at her folks' place either. She signed the lease and we're both really excited to start this new stage of our lives together. Hopefully, it's not the last.
2014 ended on a pretty high note. I left Saudi and spent a week in Australia before dragging AP back to the states for a couple weeks. We spent some time in NY and Long Island seeing her fam for the first time in a while. We then partook in some Midwestern merriness by celebrating Xmas at my sister's new place. We took some road trips to Chicago and B'ham to see fam and friends there too.
The best way I can sum of 2014 is it was a year of growth. I was able to make some big career progression. AP and I have grown in our relationship and I'd like to think I'm slowly, even reluctantly, growing up myself.
On that lovely, and dare I say, mature note, I will leave you. I know this was a marathon of a post, but I really have found it difficult to keep updating this blog and keep it interesting. I hope 2014 was as good to you as it was to me, and hopefully we can all enjoy an excellent 2015.
Cheers and Happy New Year!
Magoo
