Toto, we're not in Kabul

It probably seems like we are always on vacation, given that I never really write about much else. It's true, the leave package for Afghanistan is pretty generous and we've certainly taken advantage of having more time (and probably more money) then we'll have again for a loooooong time. That's to make up for having no weekends and holidays (for which I do not receive any OT - just like any other salaried position) and no time/energy to even talk on the phone to friends and family after work. But since this is it - our last real vacation for a looooong time - we made the most of it on an Azamara cruise through Greece and Turkey with Kabul friends (and half the male British Air flight attendants) , topped off by a few days at the end in Istanbul.
So, so beautiful - maybe we'll have to do a tour in Greece someday to spend more time there. In the meantime, I've found that Istanbul's internet is pretty speedy so I've caught up on Facebook and Flickr photo postings. Anything else will have to wait though as I've got this whole wide beautiful city to explore and only a few days to do it!

Ko Phi Phi

The Phi Phi islands are famous for being the film site of Leonardo DiCaprio's movie 'The Beach'. If I hadn't already known that, I certainly would have from ALL of the advertising around Phuket islands. Of course, we love boats and couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a nice long boat ride to some gorgeous islands.

We signed up with a big group but snagged seats in the front of the boat with some funny Aussie tourists. The group of us kept things pretty entertained and the next time we get to Oz, we'll have to try out all their recommendations for Melbourne. But...the islands. They weren't particularly deserted. We expected that, given that we were with a fair-sized group ourselves but it was hard to take a picture of the beach or even the water without getting lots of people and boats in the shot. Oh well.

We took in the beautiful scenery on Phi Phi and did some people watching at the same time. Swimming around the boats, we also managed to get away from the crowds and float in the cove for a bit.
The boat kept going to a few other islands after Phi Phi - stopping for snorkling, monkey-feeding, and a mediocre buffet lunch. Lest I sound like too much of a complainer (becuase really, it was gorgeous), we finally stopped on a quieter beach with local vendors selling drinks and yummy snacks like grilled corn.

I thought I'd catch up on my reading but the sound of the waves and the gentle breeze lulled me into a calm meditation. Can we go back now?

Phuket City

From Bangkok, we headed to the beach on Phuket. We were originally supposed to be in Koh Samui but the devastating floods there forced us to change our plans (no thanks to Carlson-Wagonlit, their outrageous service fees and horrific customer service). With almost a week on the island, we intended to explore lots of the island but ended up getting SCUBA certified (him) and reading lots of books (me). It was just what we needed.

We did, however, explore the old town of Phuket City. The architecture is strongly influenced by the Chinese and Portuguese, creating an intriguing mixture that made me think I was on the streets of Lisbon...until I ran a Chinese temple or gigantic gold dragon.

Despite the many closed shops (it was still Songkran), we had some delicious food (hello, perfectly cooked greens! I haven't seen you in months!), a great exploratory walk, and eventually a heavenly Thai massage at the Raintree Spa.

The Maldives

Heaven on earth - that's the easiest way to describe our all-too-short getaway to the Maldives. Since the weather in Kabul has been pretty dicey lately, we changed our tickets at the last moment to add an overnight in Dubai on the way out. Very lucky since SOMEBODY lost a flip-flop and we had to make an urgent shopping trip at the Mall of the Emirates. It's surprising difficult to find flip-flops at one of the largest malls in the world.

Flippies in hand, we boarded a plane that took us to Male. The airport is actually on a separate island from the rest of the capitol city but we were quickly whisked away by representatives from the Sheraton Full Moon resort to the speedboat that would take us to the atoll our resort was on.

The Sheraton was lovely and as Starwood Gold members, we were THRILLED to get upgraded to an overwater bungalow for the five nights of our stay. Smooth sand, crystal waters, multiple bars (all with gorgeous ocean views, naturally) and it was amazing. We snorkled, wake-boarded (him), spa'd (me), and spent most of our time on the deck of our bungalow (see immediately below), reading and looking over the water.

This was our first time as a couple spending more than a long weekend at the beach - can you believe that? Going on six years and NEVER a beach getaway!? We looooooved it (and we'll do it again soon - Koh Samui in April) but we learned that we really aren't "resort people" for more than a few days. The decompression of those oh-so-not-busy days was perfect and just what the doctor ordered coming from Kabul. Under a gorgeous sunset with a Manhattan (his) and Singapore Sling (hers) we said good-bye to the Maldives and prepared for the next five days...in Sri Lanka!