Travel Stories | Expat Life
Today’s photo from the hip is from Mike. He came across a “hip hop” photo shoot in the town square while visiting Tallinn, Estonia. They were doing a bit of break dancing too. I’m not sure what the fashion is like there, but I kind of hope this isn’t it. (Was that too mean?)
Thanks, Mike!
xo, jill
From the Hip Friday features photos taken without the use of a viewfinder. If you have a photograph that was taken from the hip you’d like to share here, please contact me!
I’m going to share with you a very unimpressive photo of the most exciting moment yet in Australia.
Mike and I went for a walk in the bush in Port Macquarie. If you know Mike, you know that he loves to make bets. For example, every time we fly Mike always proposes the bet, “Will the landing be bumpy or smooth?” This time the bet seemed a bit outlandish: “Whoever spots a wild koala first, the other has to do the washing up.”
Um… can I just say… victory!!
I was straining my eyes by searching up in the canopy of eucalypt trees when I finally spotted a little koala bum. It was so cute. The branch was swaying in the wind but the koala just held on tightly and rode the branch from side to side.
Most Australians have never seen a koala in the wild… so this was certainly something special.
I’m pretty sure I didn’t stop smiling the rest of the day… and I certainly did not do the washing up!
xo, jill
While in Newcastle the first time, we stopped by Blackbutt Reserve. Finding free attractions in Australia is always a plus. Have I mentioned that this place is expensive??
Blackbutt Reserve is half park and half zoo. As far as zoos go… Blackbutt is pretty natural looking and doesn’t make you want to take clippers to the chainlink or a crow bar to the glass.
When we visited the park was full of young families enjoying the outdoors, playing on the equipment, and working the barbeques. We might have been the only people there without children.
We stayed long enough to check out the animals, then headed on our way. I think it’s definitely worth a visit if you’d like to see some Aussie animals but either don’t have the time to see them in the wild or the money to visit a fancy zoo.
xo, jill
Finally, with just a few weeks left in the country, I managed to do a bit of proper sightseeing. It was the day I took these engagement photos for some friends. We decided that if we were going out in the dunes, we might as well spend the day in Al Ain until golden hour.
Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that the white balance on my camera was set to something funky. The first several photos I took turned out blue!!
Our first stop was Jebel Hafeet, the most well-known mountain in the UAE. A lot of people think it’s the highest mountain (it’s 1,249m), but actually some other no-name mountain wins that prize (it’s 1,910m).
At Jebel Hafeet it was really windy and hot. We didn’t stay too long. Just long enough to get a few photos and to play on the playground.
Next, we visited the Sheik Zayed Palace Museum. You can wander around the compound and explore many of the rooms. The rooms are decorated in the simple and traditional way so it’s easy to imagine what the palace would have been like 50+ years ago. The palace was built in 1937 and Sheik Zayed and his family lived here until 1966.
Our last stop in Al Ain was at the camel souk. This was an interesting experience. One I would not like to repeat. Basically, we drove up and of course were stared at. Normal. Then we were separated and led to different sections of the souk. One man unlocked a pen and ushered us in. Another man was very angry that this happened. We were then led to a different pen. That’s when one man took my camera and proceeded to take the following photos:
Then he demanded 100dhs ($27). We of course were not going to pay that rate. It started to get a bit touchy so Mike held him off with a few dirhams while we ran for the car. Safely inside the car, Mike noticed that his hands smelled bad. Like, really bad. Like, possibly urine. All from handing back the man’s gutra that was placed on his head. No good.
At this point we grabbed a quick bite to eat and raced into the dunes for the photo shoot. I’d call it a pretty productive day!
xo, jill
*Hehe, just kidding. Mike didn’t get bugs!! But he did refer to that photo as, “Oh yeah, there’s me getting lice!”
Today’s photo from the hip comes from Molly, who took a spontaneous trip to the Maldives in June. I must say, one of the best perks of living in Abu Dhabi is the location!
She took this photo while exploring the docks in Malé, the capital city. I like how this photo shows us a different side to the Maldives. It’s not all sandy white beaches!
Thanks, Molly!
xo, jill
From the Hip Friday features photos taken without the use of a viewfinder. If you have a photograph that was taken from the hip you’d like to share here, please contact me!
On Mike’s birthday we woke up and headed straight out to the dunes. We were camping at Myall Lakes where big sandy dunes separate the sea from the bush.
We ran around a bit before things started to feel a bit too familiar. We joked that if you angled the camera to avoid the ocean… it looked just like the desert of Abu Dhabi.
Later in the day we drove up the coast to Port Macquarie. We checked out the lighthouse and the amazing view of Lighthouse Beach.
In the evening I decorated our hotel room while Mike was out. We decided to splurge on a meal out in honor of his birthday (but still ended up splitting it… everything is just so expensive!)
After dark we took a surprisingly delicious chocolate cake out on the beach to celebrate with candles and sparklers. It’s a good thing I stocked up on birthday supplies a few days before while he wasn’t looking!
Happy Birthday, Mike!
xo, jill
