Merry Christmas !!

Can't believe it's already Christmas tomorrow night, where has the time gone?! But most of all what a years has it been already, and still so many nice things that will happen in the next two weeks! First of all I can't wait for Christmas, because I will be flying to,,,,,, wait for it,,,,,, NEW YORK! I got rostered the flight to NYC on the 25th of December, so I will be flying on Christmas day, and be in New York for 42 hours !! It's one of those things that you always dream about while watching the Christmas movies that take place in the city that never sleeps, and now it's coming true! Gonna see if I can go iceskating at the Rockefeller centre, walk around Central Park, hopefully crash somebody's Christmas party, and most of all just enjoy spending time in this amazing city, because it has so much to offer. Knowing me, I am sure it will be amazing, probably meet somebody on the flight who invites me to their dinner party (fingers crossed).

It's been a while since I wrote my last blog. I just have been so busy, with flying this time, no more holidays this year, haha! I did fly home on my 5 days off to surprise my brother at his 30th surprise party, and oh he was surprised. So good to spend time with the family, and to be there with the special occasions.

In november I almost had the whole family over! Tim en Nienke came for a wedding, no not mine (yet), and they stayed with me a few days as well. Unfortunately I had my annual exams so I had to study a bit as well while they were here. I passed, so legal for another year of flying!! Then mum and dad come at the end of November to soak up some sun, while my other brother managed to do a spontaneous trip to Dubai to go to the Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi. My dad and brother went to support Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi and had the time of their lives, while mom and I just chilled around the house and sunbath at the pool, waiting for the men to return and listen to their stories. It was so nice to have them over, busy but nice, having breakfast with everybody at the dinner table, like nothing changed, just the city! I don't know if you guys know already but my brother Martijn is getting married to the love of his life, Saskia!! So excited for them to get married next year! Love is in the air....

In between I had some good flights as well, Madrid, Barcelona, Washington, Sydney, Auckland and London, a few more as well but can't really remember, or not worth mentioning (like Peshawar in Pakistan).

There were some good parties lately in Dubai. Went to a Halloween party, and had a friend over from the Netherlands, he didn't know what I got him into, being surrounded by all cabin crew haha, he loved it! My outfit? Just bought a bat woman pyjama at H&M, already had a mask and that was my outfit done, haha! Went to the Atlantis brunch with Tim en Nienke, always good fun, and many many many different drinks! Then there was Sensation White!! My good friend Koen organized for us a VIP table, a 6 liter bottle of vodka and good company, it was such a good night! Ran into my old friends Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano (for the non dutch people, those are dutch DJs). I met them in Croatia last year, and guess what, they still remembered my face, or they pretend they did. On one of my Amsterdam flights I had Carice van Houten on board, she's a dutch singer and actress and some people know her from Game of Thrones, think she's the red witch. Very nice people, she was flying with her parents and her new born baby, which I fed in the lounge, just milk, don't worry! Then on my last Amsterdam flight I saw two guys standing in the lounge, and I just had the feeling that one of them was a DJ, maybe my DJ radar told me this, and guess what, it was true. DJ Dannic was on the plane, and he was playing in Club White the next day.... I think you can all guess what happend next, I went to White last night. So much fun, such a good night, good music and again amazing people. It's hilarious how random you meet people on the plane and you go out with them and then one of them turns out to be this famous DJ, but he's a human being too, and I guess they like to be normal as well, because to be fair I never heard of his name before. Nice guys though, maybe I will see them again! Then last but not least I can't wait for New Years Eve!! We are going to Axwell & Ingrosso, they are playing at Meydan and I am organizing now a VIP table for about 20 people, will be so much fun !!!

Just thinking that 2016 is almost over makes me think about all the things I did this year, and man it was a busy year!!!! Went to Sri Lanka with mom and dad, Austria for snowboarding holiday, Amsterdam to be there for Kingsday, Hongkong a quick getaway, Mallorca & Barcelona for my birthday, Athens with Becky on days off, Netherlands to go to this festival called Solar, Peru to climb Machu Picchu, and even went to Iceland with Valerie and Selma! And I am even saving some money, it's a miracle !!! Next year I need to save more money, go play more tennis and go more often to the gym, order less delivery food, cook more, and buy less clothes (in my opinion I am doing good on the clothes part).

After all 2016 has been a good year, many laughter and it is so important to surround yourself with the right people, friendships are not about quantity but more about quality, and I am so grateful to have such an amazing family whom I all love to the moon and back, and of course have the best friends anybody can ever ask for, and I hope that I made that clear to each and everyone of you how happy I am to have all of you in my life, and that you all have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year, where all your dreams may come true <3  

Breathtaking Iceland !

Yes I know what you are all thinking, WHAT she went to Iceland this month? Didn't she go to Peru last month? Yes, yes and yes, but I can promise you this, no more holidays for this year (good thing the year is almost over, hehe). Iceland, where to start, there are no words to describe how amazing and beautiful the nature is in Iceland. But also, it is one of the most expensive countries I have ever been. We flew from Dubai to Oslo and from there we took Icelandair to Kefjavik Airport, where we wanted to rent a car, we got one of those really cute Volkswagen Up. From the airport it was about 45 minute drive to our hotel. We could already see the landscape, the mountains and the fresh air was just amazing. The hotel we stayed in was pretty much back to basic, but what else do you need when you're only there to sleep, just 3 single beds and a small bathroom, which was fine. We did argue all the time about the temperature in the room, since I don't get cold that easily where the other girls were cold all the time, haha, but we managed. That night we found a supermarket close-by where we did some groceries for the next day, some yoghurts, chips, candy, nuts and water. The first day we drove down to the Geysir, which is a natural source of literally boiling water, Iceland is basically an island make from volcanos, so that's the reason why the sometimes there are these little eruptions of hot water. I think most people have seen it from tv or videos but in real life it's just a whole different story, and astonishing how the earth works. We took some good photos, mostly on Valerie's phone, the sun came out as well, just one of those happy moments in life. The whole Iceland holiday was one amazing happy moment in life, that I will never ever forget and so blessed that we were able do this. After the Geysir we drove down to the Gullfoss waterfalls, just driving around was already pretty cool to see a country in this way. The waterfalls were nice, but, I know it sounds very odd, compared to the Niagara waterfall, this one was super small, still beautiful though. Sometimes while we drove around we stopped to take photos because the landscape was worth taking a photo. After the waterfall we drove up north-west, just to hope and to see if the weather would clear up a bit so we could see the northern lights, one of the main reasons why people go to Iceland. From a small town called Akranes (where there is literally nothing to do) we took our little UP a bit off road, and then we found the perfect spot to wait and see for the northern lights. However, we waited for about 1.5 hour (good thing we were prepared with our snacks) and basically didn't stop talking the entire week, three girls together, we all know that talking is our main hobby and we are very good at it as well, haha. The sun went down and slowly it started to get dark, but not dark enough, and then at one point, we saw GREEN!!!!! The shape was more a rainbow style, but you could see the color green moving a bit. It wasn't as clear as we hoped but at least we managed to see something, because the rest of the week our chances would be very low to see anything. That night we were all so tired, almost every night we were in bed by 22.00/22.30, so tired! Being on the road all day, the cold air and sightseeing takes a lot of energy. We all slept so well the whole week, every night 8/9 hours, our daily trip to the supermarket to get our local yoghurts, which we all eat in the car, was a good way to start the day early and save some money. Between 9 am and 6 pm we had to pay for the parking spot, so we decided just to leave every day around 9, just early enough to be ahead of all the other tourists. The second day we drove down south to see the Selfoss waterfall, where you could walk behind as well, eventhough we got really wet, everything for a good photo haha! After the waterfall we drove to the black sand beaches, which looks very weird odd. There was a strong wind that day as well so we had to really hold ourselves in order to get blown away, I don't think my 51kg would help me that much. That night we ate something in Vik, tried to drive a different way but then we realized we were actually not allowed to take this little off road with the car so we had to go back, again by 10pm we were all so tired. The next day was a bit more stressful then planned. Before going to Iceland I contacted a girl I knew from university who lives in Reykjavik and works for a tour operator, we booked the Glacier Lagoon Tour at her company, but for some reason we thought it was on a thursday, which was on a wednesday, and we almost missed it by 5 minutes. Hilarious how sometimes you take an hour to get ready but when you have to you can get ready in 5 minutes or even less. The tour brought us all the way to the glacier lagoon, and from there we would get on a boat of about 40 minutes with a guide. It looked so unrealistic, and some ice parts were more then a thousand years old, so cool! We even tasted it. After the lagoon tour we stopped at another black sand beach, a cute little church, and even a canyon. Iceland had so much to offer, unbelievable. We even experienced hurricane winds, the hurricane came from America and then even in Reykjavik, good thing that we didn't have to drive ourselves that day because that would have been very dangerous! By the time we were back in the hotel we decided to take a little chill day the next day. So we walked around Reykjavik for a bit, had a nice breakfast, saw some shops and then last minute we decided to drive up to this natural hot spring. A natural hot river, not knowing we had to hike for about 40/45 minutes to this place, and it was pretty cold by this time. Once we finally got to the destination it was freezing and we did NOT want to go into the water, but what's the point of hiking all the way and then don't go into the water, so there we went, into the water, which was surprisingly really nice and warm. We couldn't stay too long otherwise the sun would be down and it gets really dark, especially on a path without any lights. On the way back we got soaking wet!!! Then straight to our favorite restaurant of Iceland, called XO (hugs and kisses), the food was so fresh and healthy, we loved it. Friday was our last day in Iceland, and we booked the blue lagoon later that day, we couldn't go earlier unfortunately. So if you see a photo on facebook, it's from google, just to give you guys an impression how it looked during the day. The water was so nice, we had a package with a free drink and I had a lovely Proseco while being in the water, such a lovely experience! Then we had a reservation at the LAVA restaurant, where we had the best beef tenderloin I had in a while, just an amazing way to end a perfect holiday. So happy we went, and I must say, I had the best travel buddies anyone can ask for, thank you for everything Valerie and Selma (dutch maffia on tour). Can't wait for our next adventures together girls, it wouldn't have been this unforgettable without both of you <3. We flew back via Amsterdam, where we did some grocery shopping in the Albert Heijn, had our frites with peanut butter sauce, got delayed for 6 hours, but now save and sound back in the desert.

Thank you Iceland for being such an astonishing destination, everybody should go at least once in their lives to understand what I am talking about!!

Friends are for life!

Having friends is so important, either in the Netherlands or all over the world, I would not know what I would do without every single one of them. It is so important to have close friends you can talk to. For most of you this life I live is this big party but it can be lonely sometimes. 

But here's a shout out to all my friends from the Netherlands, who have always been there for me and value our friendship, make time to see me when I'am home for a short period of time. It is not that they have to drop everything they are doing if I'am home, but I feel blessed that I can say that I have so many good and close friends, that distance doesn't matter. It's like a long distance relationship, or at least I like to believe it feels like this. It needs to come from both sides, otherwise it would just not work. I'am such a lucky girl. The fact that many of my friends also visited me in Dubai to see where I live and how my life looks like, gives me such an amazing feeling. To be honest, I try my best to stay in touch and in their lives as well, I love to know what's happening with their jobs, relationships, family, this gives me a feeling that I'am still part of their lives as well.

Obviously I cannot forget the friends I have made all over the world. It's absolutely amazing to be able to catch up with friends who live in Hongkong, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Perth, Osaka, Geneva, Liverpool, Manchester, Cape Town, London, Spain, Boston, Sydney, Auckland, st. Petersburg, Bali, Tokyo and many more (a few I still need to visit in their cities)... I learnt it's not about how many Facebook friends you have, as long as the friends you have are true friends. It feels lovely as well if you know somebody in a destination, so that this person can show you around, and you don't have to introduce yourself anymore, because this person actually knows you. Sometimes it is exhausting to tell over and over again who you are, what you did before flying, where you live etc etc. Of course people ask you this out of interest and I do exactly the same, mostly to kill time, but still, it is just nice to meet up with somebody who knows you for you. I have met some amazing people on board as well, sometimes you just meet somebody and it clicks, you both laugh about the same jokes and you just get each other, then after the flight, you're the one who decides if you wanna stay in touch or not, if you do, perfect, if not, fine as well. You just do whatever you feel like doing, and I can tell you this, if feels amazing.

Nor can I forget the ones I have met in Dubai in the past 2.5 years. Because let's be honest, it's been something, adventure would be the right word here I guess. I love spending time with them, if it's either going for a fancy night out or just an old school pyjama party and doing face masks all night (and maybe brush each others hair, just kidding). Many amazing trips have I done with my friends from Dubai, and many more will follow. The next one will be Iceland with Valerie and Selma (two amazing dutch girls).

Not bad ey...

Some friends of mine already left the desert. They have resigned and either moved back home or decided life took them on another path somewhere in this world. 

There is this saying; Once you have travelled there is not one place you can call home, because your friends live all over the world.

I so agree on this one, there will never be a day that all of them will be together, maybe if I ever get married they will make it to the big day. That's also why Facebook comes in handy all the time. Without seeing each other you can still stay up to date with their lives.

Again, thank each and every one of you for being my friend, and listen to my crazy stories, and just listen in general. I don't say this all the time, but now you know I really do value our friendship and I cannot wait to give, again, each and every one of you a big kiss and a hug!!! <3

Peru - Machu Picchu

Finally the time was there I was going on my HOLIDAYSSSS!!! The 8th of september I woke up in Nigeria in Lagos, then I flew back to the sandpit as crew, changed into normal clothes and gave my suitcase to my roommate. Fingers crossed that I would get on any flight, since all the flights to Europe were extremely busy. Finally I heard that I could get on the flight to Copenhagen and from there I could take KLM to fly to Amsterdam where my dear dad picked me up to drive home. I was on the road and traveling for around 24 hours before I got to my final destination. By this time you don't know what's your name anymore and you feel like a zombie!! Went to bed around 19.30 and woke up at 8am, feeling like a newborn child! The 10th was the day of the wedding of Hennie and Johan, the mother of my friends. It was absolutely stunning. The wedding was held in their garden which was transformed into this amazing white flowers venue, let's put it like this, it was the wedding of the year in my town. It was so nice to be around my family as well, since everybody got invited and we all got dressed up. There were some tears of joy and love and the party was on that night!! And since we are dutch we went home on the bike, me in my dress and heels, which wasn't the most comfortable thing to drive a bike in, but I managed.

The next day it was time for PERU!!!! With a little hangover back in the car to the airport where I met my Belgium friend Wouter. We took the KLM flight directly to Lima, the flight wasn't full at all, since we were traveling on a standby ticket as well. While we were on our way to the gate, Wouter thought it would be nice to spray some perfume, clever as Wouter is, he sprayed the perfume on his standby ticket and all the ink was gone, let's hope we still could get on the flight, haha. The crew of KLM were so nice and we had such a good flight, we slept, drank, watched movies and we laughed most of all. That's actually what we did on the entire holiday, we laughed so hard we almost cried. Just before we were landing into Lima we could see the sunset going over the Andes mountains, which was beautiful. We took a taxi to a hostel we read about in the lonely planet. By the time we wanted to go for a bite we ran in two Australians who seemed pretty drunk, that's why we asked where they went, because we wanted to go to the same place. Turns out there was a food festival going on by the beach, and we decided to have a look as well. The food was so good, we had some pork from the barbecue, in Dutch we would say 'it's like an angels peeing on your tong', sounds better in Dutch though... 

The next day we had to fly to Cusco to be on time for our Inca Jungle Track. On the site where we booked our standby tickets to Cusco it showed us that there was still loads of space available, however, once we got to the counter they told us there was only one spot left.... Oeps... But, we both got on the last two seats (thank god sometimes people don't show up or are late for their flights) so that we can get on. We even got a drink and a snack on the flight, winning!!! Cusco is located at 3500 meters above sea level, where the air is dry and low of oxygen. Normally people go to Cusco a few days before to acclimatize to the height. Wouter and I thought we would be fine (since we are in the air most of the time as well), but once we went for dinner in the centre and walked back up to the hostel, we both had to catch our breath, because we got dizzy and light headed. The company of the tour was picking us up at 4am!!! So we went straight to bed, no party today. We changed our big backpacks to our smaller ones, because during the next 4 days we had to carry them everywhere. Minimize was the key! And if there's one thing now I'am good at, it's packing my bags. I went once on a skiing holiday for a week with just hand luggage!

The first day of the track we were going to mountain bike for 55 kilometers, all the way from the one of the highest points in Cusco all the way down to 2000 meters. The view was really cool, so many mountains and you could even see the start of the Amazone as well. We wore so much protection because we were going 55/60 kilometers per hour at one point. Normally after the mountain biking we could take a bus to the next village, however, because the farmers decided to organize a strike all over Peru we had to walk about 15/16 kilometers to move from one village to the other, they blocked the roads. Once we finally got to our hostel for that night we had to change in 15 minutes because we were doing the rafting as well. By this time we were so tired, but we already paid so there we go again... The rafting was so cool, and pretty wild as well. never done something like that before. 

Dinner and lunch every day was 4 courses, good thing Wouter and I love food, at one point the others gave us their plates because they didn't like it. But if you burn around 2500 to 3000 calories a day you need to eat enough to stay strong. Day 2 was hiking day like there was no tomorrow, 9 hours in total. I have never walked so much in my life! While we were walking we had a few stops as well, our guide knew so much about the jungle and the plants and surroundings, which was really interesting what nature has to offer. We tried mandarins, avocado's, cherry tomatoes and even termites, yes those really small insects, they tasted okay actually, like a sesame seed. We had a stop where our guide told us about how they make coffee and how the inca's used to life and used their resources, and also about the coca leaves. Some people didn't know what they make of coca leaves, which was pretty funny once they found out and realized they have been eating them for days in a row. We also tried the traditional clothes and even tried to do their traditional dance. Still didn't decide yet if it's Facebook proof. 

That night we got introduced as well with the Inca Tequila, and also the way they present it (def not facebook proof). That night was the only night we could go out for a bit, since the alarm went of at 7 instead of 3.30/5/6! We ended up doing karaoke and salsa dancing the night away. Day 3 arrived and we started with zip lining, 5 times in total from one side to the other. It was so nice, but you also felt pretty powerless, just hanging by a cable and hoping you will get to the other side safe and sound. After the zip lining we had to hike again for about 3/4 hours! In-between we had lunch somewhere in the jungle where we had the best guacamole I ever tasted in my life. I think Wouter and I had around 3 each, oh yeah! While the others walked to Aguas Calientes (the town at the bottom of the Machu Picchu), we decided to have another little hike to this waterfall. The guide told us that we might even see a bear and told us what to do if we actually would see one, you know what we saw, one bird and that's it!!! The waterfall was beautiful though and definitely worth it, but no bears. That night I fell asleep at dinner, all the nights were so short and we did so much during the day that I reached my breaking point, all I could think of was sleeping and I got pretty grumpy as well, which is not like me to be grumpy. 

The 4th and final day was THE day we would climb Machu Picchu! We left the hostel at 4am to be early at the bridge, the bridge to the Machu Picchu would open at 5am and then you could walk up. But there would be a line so the earlier we would arrive at the bridge the better it would be. Normally people take around 1 hour to climb the Machu Picchu and do those 1800 steps, but since I got a bit competitive and wanted to pass by everybody and be the first to arrive, we did it in 40 minutes and we were 6th and 7th to be on the top! Which is pretty impressive if I may say so, since we started in the queue as 25th! Once the whole group got on the top we had a tour around the Machu Picchu of about 1.5 hour. Which was really interesting, even though we were so sweaty and tired of walking up and so fast.  Later the guide told us, yes so after the tour you guys are going to climb that mountain, there were two mountains, one really high one and the other one a bit smaller. We thought he was joking so we started laughing and then he told us, no you actually are climbing that one as well. We asked him, how many more steps would that be? Guess what he said 2400 extra!!!!! Wouter and I looked at each other and we dropped our jaws, we were speechless. We decided to first have a proper breakfast before we would start. We told each other, lets just see how it goes and if we are tired we can always come down. However, later while we started to walk we told each other we are both to stubborn to give up so we knew we were going to climb all the way, no discussion about it. and WE DID IT, 3061 meters high! The view was stunning and priceless. This was the moment we waited for, for 4 days, this was the price! We did it, not thinking that we had to go down as well..... Which sounds easier then it was. Normal stairs you can walk down super easily, not this time, the steps were big, small, smaller and high and low, so you really had to concentrate that you would not fall down or even fall down sideways from the mountain itself. Once down, we realized that we got burned really bad and all we wanted to do was have a beer and eat. So that's what we did! The state of my feet was absolutely disgusting, don't think I have seen them dirtier then that. But so worth it! The train back to Cusco was about 3.5 hours, and once we sat down we felt how burnt we were, therefore we ordered a cold bottle of wine, just to cool down... And drink maybe. Next to use were two Mexican ladies of around 40/45 years old, they were laughing at us because we used the bottle of wine to cool down our necks. Then we started talking, and they told us that she already wanted to do Machu Picchu for 20 years, but all those years she couldn't go, so she was so happy she did it. That made me realize how lucky Wouter and I are that we just could take all those flights for so cheap, and don't have to save our whole lives to do something like climbing the Machu Picchu. We just did it. It was so rewarding, but I don't think I would do it again, it's really demanding for your body, and with no training it was hard.

Wouter and I decided that we would stay two more nights in Cusco before heading back to Amsterdam, stay there one more night and then fly back to the sandpit. First we thought we would go to Bolivia and see the salt fields, but we just couldn't. All the hiking, early nights and soreness in our legs, we basically couldn't go anywhere else. I hardly could walk the stairs up to our suite room. We stayed in a hostel but we just wanted to have a little more privacy and just be able to walk around in our underwear, by this time Wouter and I are pretty comfortable with each other, if you know what I mean. It was funny because the next day, we had breakfast at the rooftop terrace and these Australians asked if they could go to our toilet and once they got in they were like wajooooooooooooooow, this is so massive, and that all for just 30 dollars a night, however they were traveling on a low low lowwww budget, so this was heaven for them, haha. 

During our hike at Machu Picchu we met a Dutch couple and they would come to our hostel for a bite and a drink, however afterwards Wouter was so tired that he went to bed earlier, I stayed out for a bit longer and then had to mentally prepare myself to walk up to the 4th floor, again. The next day we sorted out our tickets back home, and after a 12 hour night Wouter had another nap of 3 hours! Our last night in Cusco we went for dinner in the city centre, and the food again was amazing, so much flavor and those cocktails were just the best. As we walked back to the hostel we ran into an Englishmen I met that day, so him and me decided to have a few drinks at the bar, Wouter was the party pooper (again, just kidding Wouter)and went to bed, 6 hours later I went to bed as well, so much fun always at an Irish bar. It was time to start our journey back to Amsterdam. The flight back to Lima was  pretty full, but we got on, since everything went so smooth our entire holiday. The flight back to Amsterdam as well, the crew was so nice and we had a whole row for ourselves. Then my dear daddy picked us up from Schiphzl (we came out in our matching alpaca sweaters, and even the ground staff looked funny at us, we didn't care) and we stayed one night with my parents. We woke up at 2pm!! Day gone.... We went to the beach for a bit and then we headed to my favorite restaurant in The Hague, where they have the best spareribs you have ever tried in your entire life! Such a good way to end a perfect holiday. 

Sometimes it's definitely not where you are, but it's all about who you were with. Thanks to Wouter this holiday has been the best yet. We laughed so much, and we also took care of each other. This was really our holiday and these photos just give an impression of how much fun we had. So grateful to call him my friend. We will talk for years about this holiday and it has been such an amazing experience, which the Machu Picchu as a highlight. Another world wonder ticked from the list! 

Can't wait for our next trip, which will be our skiing holiday in March... Thank you Peru for your hospitality, definitely worth going, the people are so nice and the food is just amazing. Can't believe it went so fast as well, guess it's true what they say, time flies when you're having fun !! 

Whale Shark swimming in the Phillipines

Most destinations we fly to there are certain things that the crew like to do. For example hanggliding in Rio de Janeiro, walking up Table mountain in Capetown, taking massages in Bangkok, visiting the Opera House in Sydney, and I can go on and on.. But now you have an idea what I mean. We have a new destination since a few months, the new Cebu/Clark trip. First one day to Cebu and then you fly to Clark the next day where you stay another day in Clark before heading back to the desert. In Cebu there are two things EVERYBODY likes to do, one is seeing the waterfall and some islands, and secondly swimming with whale sharks! Of course I like seeing waterfalls and islands, but when do I get another chance to actually swim with whale sharks, so my decision was made pretty easily. We got to the hotel around 5pm and we had to get up around 2.30am to meet down at 2.45 and leave the hotel at 3am, the ride down to where the whale sharks would be was about 3 hours!!! So we got prepared, I had my own pillow with me (obviously) and some earphones so I could take a nap on the bus. We were with 6 of us, 5 girls and 1 guy (who is a semi-girl haha). We arrived at the spot around 5.45am, and we could see the sunrise. I have seen many sunrises but this one was different, the colors all together were truly magical. I just stood there for a minute taking in the moment that I was in, and feeling truly blessed I have the opportunity to be able to do something like this with work. Around 6 we had a little briefing, of things to do and things not to do while swimming with the whale sharks. We were not allowed to touch them or get closer then 4 meters. Obviously they touched us and we did get closer then 4 meters. As we were in the boats going to the 'interaction area' we could already see some whale sharks, and they are massive!!! So once they told us we could go in the water I put on my goggles and got in the water slowly, kinda scared but very curious as well. The first time I looked underneath the water it scared me big time. There was one whale shark on my right and then once I looked on the left there was another one, really close-by!!! I wanted to scream but I couldn't, also because it was just unreal having those animals so close to me. It was one of those moment that you can take a hundred photos but all of them won't do justice for the experience and the feelings you felt at that time, it's hard to describe... Some girls I was with did not get the same feeling I guess, they were complaining the whole time, and at one point I just told them to stop complaining about things that it was cold and they couldn't take their phones on the boat. But not for Merel !!! I was loving every second of it. The bus ride back to the hotel took about 3 hours again as well, just had enough time to sleep for 3/4 hours before the flight to Clark. That flight would only take about 1 hour so it wasn't that long. Some people would climb the volcano in Clark but apparently you can't do that during rain season. So that was a shame, I just slept a lot, chilled and relaxed. It's been definitely an unforgettable experience, and I do have some photos that I can look at and think about this amazing day, and I will think about it for a long time!!!! Thank youuuu Philippines <3 xoxo until next time..!

From Bangkok to Amsterdam, Osaka, Athens and Warsaw in 20 days..

What a few weeks it has been. Started this month in Bangkok, the flight was amazing, sometimes you fly with crew and it just works. We were joking around all the time and the atmosphere was just incredible. It's always to chill in Bangkok and lay down by the pool after a massage. I was so excited because after this flight I was going on holiday back in Holland, and I was so looking forward just to spend some time with my family and then go to Solar festival in the south with Evelien, who unfortunately resigned. The weather wasn't the greatest the first few days in Holland. Evelien and I were so lucky during the festival because the weather was absolutely amazing, just some sun and a nice wind once in a while. The festival itself was unbelievably good, the people were so nice, everybody was just having a good time. It was refreshing to spend more then 1 day in the Netherlands, and I forgot how chilled everybody always is. What happend on my flight back to the desert can be read in the previous blog, you need to read that one, you will be in shock!

After my holidays in holland I had to go back to work, it was good that this was a good flight, one I was trying to get already for 2.5 years, and now it was finally time for OSAKA, which is in Japan, for the people who don't know (don't be ashamed, I didn't know this place even existed before I started flying). There are so many Japanese speakers on this flight because not many Japanese speak English. The whole service is different as well, including the food. We actually serve real sushi on the flight, how crazy! Not that I like sushi, but in case somebody does. Once arrived at the hotel in Osaka we made dinner plans. We were with 3 from the cabin and then the flight deck, who went back to the hotel after dinner. The 3 of us decided to go to one bar one of them heard about. It's always those 'one bars' where you have the best night outs. We had so much fun, the music was incredible, people so nice and everybody was just dancing and having a good time. So we ended up getting back to the hotel pretty late, so much for planning a full day of sightseeing, not, I just couldn't.... So I stayed in Osaka and walked around there for a bit, before heading back to the hotel to sleep before my flight back.

We landed in the early morning, then I went to bed for 5 hours, I was so tired. Then my friend becky came over and we realized that we both had the next 3 days off together. And days off together most of the time means, GETAWAYYYY! We were looking around where we could go, somewhere not to far, still a nice destination and once we got there it had to be cheap! If we would have stayed in the desert we also would have spend money so we thought, why not go to Athens. It's only a 4 hour flight, we both never been and both interested enough to check out this European city. Within an hour we decided to go to Athens, and not short after that we booked our tickets for the next day, as if we booked a bus ticket. Becky and I were going to Athens!!! The flight going wasn't busy at all so we had the whole row for ourselves. We got to the hotel around 3pm, we changed and it was time to find out what there is to do and see in Athens. As we were walking to the city centre we could already see the Acropolis on top of a hill, and I must say, it just looked unreal. As if we were in a Hercules movie. We went from a nice terrace drinking a beer to this rooftop bar having a mojito. Time to go back to the hotel, have a shower, change and go back to the centre again for some dinner. As we were walking around we were just wondering around, seeing which places are nice to eat. Then we found this little street which was going up by stairs, and on the side people were sitting on a cushian having a drink and something to eat, it looked so cute, with all these plans going over the street as a roof. Just beautiful. We found a nice rooftop restaurant just below the Acropolis, it was dark by this time and it was an amazing view to look over Athens with all the lights and the mountains. But by the time we were finished we decided to have one last drink at another rooftop bar and then head to bed, because we were already awake for a long time, and we wanted to make the most out of the next day. We woke up around 9.30 and were on our way to the Acropolis around 11, the queue to get tickets was massive, but fast. We walked around the Acropolis for around an hour just being amazed that it was so old and still standing most of it at least. The city of Athens is such a nice city, busy but nice. So many good places to sit, have a drink and purely watch people. Becky found on trip advisor this Wine Deli Bar, it took us a while to find but it was definitely worth the wait. It was sooooo good, we could try 4 different types of white wine before we had to decide which we wanted to drink, then we ordered a plate with all different types of cheese, pastrami, fruit and different types of dressings. It was just perfect, the wine was amazing and in combination with this deli plate, just perfect! That night we were planning to find out how the party scene would be in Athens. And to be honest with you, it was nice but not like wow this is the best party city I have ever been. I'am sure there are clubs around, but most people were just chilling with a drink in their hands and did not even bother dancing. So then I asked a bartender where we could go for a dance, so we ended up at this really greek bar where people were dancing, winning! At one point we got so tired from walking in the sun all day, those wine, and then the cocktails, it was time for bed. The next day was already the day we were getting back home. It was a bit stressful for me if we would get on the flight, but we managed, woehoeee! Thank you Athens for your beauty, history, hospitality, lovely wine and the many restaurants and bars, we did not expect Athens to be this amazing. So definitely a recommendation here!

Today I'am in Warsaw in Poland. The flight was good, all my colleagues in business class are girls, so no drama haha! This city is surprisingly pretty cool as well. I'am sure I would enjoy this more if I wouldn't be this tired. Think I'am already awake for around 20/21 hours, and I cannot wait to go to bed! So I am going to sleep.. Good night everybody!

Awkward Situations...

With this job you sometimes come in to situations, where you afterwards think, oef I wish I handled it in a different way. I have seen people, thought they were pregnant, had a big discussion about it with the crew to ask for a second opinion, and yes I have asked a non pregnant woman if she was pregnant. It's so hard to see sometimes if they have wide clothes on. And it is for us very important to know if somebody is pregnant or not, because you never know what might happen once we are in the air.

Especially in bc you need to think more about the things you can say or want to say, there is a big difference in that. Some male passengers cannot define the difference between being nice and being flirty. Most of the times it's not what you say but how you say it, and with a smile you can say a lot and they still would not have a clue if you're serious or not. I have had guys coming up to me and ask for my number, which is then pretty awkward, and what do you do? I used the boyfriend excuse a few times, then they told me oh tell your boyfriend he is a lucky man, then I thought of course I will tell him, once I actually have one haha! It's not good to lie, so sometimes I told them as well that I wasn't interested and that's not a good idea for me to give my contact details.

One time when I flew to Frankfurt, there was a happy couple sitting opposite of me during take off and landing. They told me they went to Mauritius together and had such a good time. Within 3 hours, from landing getting to the hotel and getting on the wifi, the guy has send me a message on Facebook! WHILE HE WAS WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND! How weird is it for this guy to really look at my name badge and look me up on Facebook and even dares to send me a message saying, next time you're in Frankfurt let me know and I can show you around! Well, how about no?!

But some awkward situations are quite funny afterwards. The other day I had a guy on board and I just recognized him, but I just could not place his face. So I went up to talk to him and I told him, I have seen your face before, but I just don't know where. Then he told me he was on a TLC program, so then I said, oh yeah that must be it, which show were you on? Where he responded, the undateables... OEPS! haha, undateables is a program about people who have a special disease or something in a way that it is hard for them to get a date. Only thing I could think of saying was, sooooooo did it work out? Because he did go on a date during that episode, haha. However, I felt a bit awkward, not knowing what to say haha! He was pretty chilled about it, thank god!

This morning I got in a strange situation, I went to Holland for a week for my holidays and last night I flew back. I was still so tired so before we even got a meal I think I slept for about 45/50 minutes. Then I had something to eat, brought my tray back to the galley so I could sleep more. While I was dreaming I felt something warm on my right upper leg, thinking it was just my phone which got warm because it was under my blanket and I was listening to music. But then I realized that my phone was in the seat pocket in front of me so it couldn't be my phone. While I was slowly waking up I looked down and I couldn't see anything on my blanket, then I realized that the guy next to me has put his hand underneath my blanket on my right upper leg!!!! And his leg was all at my side as well. Because I had the H seat, I was next to the aisle and I put up the arm rest so I could sleep against it with my pillow. My first reaction was OMG just happend?! I just pushed his hand away and hit his leg so that it went back to his side. How sick people can be. I went straight to the seniors on board, changed my seat, because obviously I didn't want to sit next to him anymore. So while I grabbed my stuff the purser went to talk to him in the galley in the front. Later then came to me to tell me what he said. He denied it, obviously, but they told me that while they were talking to him he was shaking so he knew exactly what was happening and they he would be on the radar now.

Definitely not a nice way to end my holiday... But everything is fine with, just scared me!

So I learned today first of all, not to sit next to a guy, unless he's good looking, wrap my blanket around me like a tortilla so that no hand can get onto my body,  and make photos if something like this happens again! Haha just kidding. Stuff like this happens... Just never thought it would happen to me. Anyway, it is a good story in the end...

Awkward Situations...

With this job you sometimes come in to situations, where you afterwards think, oef I wish I handled it in a different way. I have seen people, thought they were pregnant, had a big discussion about it with the crew to ask for a second opinion, and yes I have asked a non pregnant woman if she was pregnant. It's so hard to see sometimes if they have wide clothes on. And it is for us very important to know if somebody is pregnant or not, because you never know what might happen once we are in the air.

Especially in bc you need to think more about the things you can say or want to say, there is a big difference in that. Some male passengers cannot define the difference between being nice and being flirty. Most of the times it's not what you say but how you say it, and with a smile you can say a lot and they still would not have a clue if you're serious or not. I have had guys coming up to me and ask for my number, which is then pretty awkward, and what do you do? I used the boyfriend excuse a few times, then they told me oh tell your boyfriend he is a lucky man, then I thought of course I will tell him, once I actually have one haha! It's not good to lie, so sometimes I told them as well that I wasn't interested and that's not a good idea for me to give my contact details.

One time when I flew to Frankfurt, there was a happy couple sitting opposite of me during take off and landing. They told me they went to Mauritius together and had such a good time. Within 3 hours, from landing getting to the hotel and getting on the wifi, the guy has send me a message on Facebook! WHILE HE WAS WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND! How weird is it for this guy to really look at my name badge and look me up on Facebook and even dares to send me a message saying, next time you're in Frankfurt let me know and I can show you around! Well, how about no?!

But some awkward situations are quite funny afterwards. The other day I had a guy on board and I just recognized him, but I just could not place his face. So I went up to talk to him and I told him, I have seen your face before, but I just don't know where. Then he told me he was on a TLC program, so then I said, oh yeah that must be it, which show were you on? Where he responded, the undateables... OEPS! haha, undateables is a program about people who have a special disease or something in a way that it is hard for them to get a date. Only thing I could think of saying was, sooooooo did it work out? Because he did go on a date during that episode, haha. However, I felt a bit awkward, not knowing what to say haha! He was pretty chilled about it, thank god!

This morning I got in a strange situation, I went to Holland for a week for my holidays and last night I flew back. I was still so tired so before we even got a meal I think I slept for about 45/50 minutes. Then I had something to eat, brought my tray back to the galley so I could sleep more. While I was dreaming I felt something warm on my right upper leg, thinking it was just my phone which got warm because it was under my blanket and I was listening to music. But then I realized that my phone was in the seat pocket in front of me so it couldn't be my phone. While I was slowly waking up I looked down and I couldn't see anything on my blanket, then I realized that the guy next to me has put his hand underneath my blanket on my right upper leg!!!! And his leg was all at my side as well. Because I had the H seat, I was next to the aisle and I put up the arm rest so I could sleep against it with my pillow. My first reaction was OMG just happend?! I just pushed his hand away and hit his leg so that it went back to his side. How sick people can be. I went straight to the seniors on board, changed my seat, because obviously I didn't want to sit next to him anymore. So while I grabbed my stuff the purser went to talk to him in the galley in the front. Later then came to me to tell me what he said. He denied it, obviously, but they told me that while they were talking to him he was shaking so he knew exactly what was happening and they he would be on the radar now.

Definitely not a nice way to end my holiday... But everything is fine with, just scared me! If his hand would have been anywhere else I would have pressed charges.

So I learned today first of all, not to sit next to a guy, unless he's good looking, wrap my blanket around me like a tortilla so that no hand can get onto my body,  and make photos if something like this happens again! Haha just kidding. Stuff like this happens... Just never thought it would happen to me. Anyway, it was a good story for this blog!

Officially Business Class Crew now

My second month of flying business class, and what a difference its been. It's so much better, I also feel cleaner, since you deal with less food obviously, and nobody putting their food on the ground, finally!!!!! On the 380 the maximum capacity of passenger you can have is 14, instead of 427 in economy, where on the B777 if it is full you can have a maximum of 21 passengers. Still better then economy. This is because on the 380 you have more crew and are the areas divided between 6 crew, therefore you only deal with your passengers in your area. If you work on the left, you do not deal with the passengers on the right. This way you build up something with them because they will see your face only.

The passengers itself are different as well, you are more one on one with them so you can actually get to know them, and so many have amazing life stories. Especially when you do the lounge, the bar on the A380, people come there to have a talk, and since I can talk to a tree, this is no problem for me.

I have met an elderly couple, where the husband moved to Australia in 1951 with his 8 brothers and sisters, and from the 9 children, 8 of them became billionaires. He loved to talk about it, originally dutch but now with a very Australian accent. Him and his wife were traveling back to Holland for their annually trip with the brothers and sisters and all of their children, I think he told me they are with 120 people all together. How amazing, if you're that age and you can afford for the whole family to fly business class and do a small euro trip.

There was a local guy from Dubai who climbed the 7 highest mountains in the world. He just came back from Alaska to climb a mountain there, and now he was flying back from Toronto to Dubai to go back to work. Can you imagine, climbing the 7 highest mountains in the world, that's so cool !

On my previous flight I was talking to a heart surgeon, who was born in New York and originally from India, and now living in Singapore. He gave me a little lesson about the heart, which was very interesting and then I asked him about the bars in New York where only the local New Yorkers go to, he made an email for his cousins, asking them about the best bars in New York and put me in the CC.

It's just so interesting that there are so many different stories from all these people, and these are just three examples of all the interesting people I have met so far in Business Class. I can honestly say that I feel more comfortable working in business class, I can joke around and they would understand them as well! Where some times in economy they would look at me as if I was speaking Chinese.

Obviously every cabin have there nice passengers, but their also less nice passengers. From spoiled arabic ladies who have their servants flying in economy and they treat you like one as well. Then it is hard to not say anything and remain calm, because you want to say so many things, but you just can't because it is business class.

The food is so good as well, having a nice meal from shrimps to lamb and beef, or a nice salad or soup, you can choose. Good thing I am not a big dessert person, so I am not attracted to those at all. I know it sounds very sarcastic, but it's actually true, not a chocolate and dessert person. But if you have a bag of paprika chips, those are mine and mine only....

Birthday month.....

Yeeeeeey it was finally June, my birthday month! A month of some good destinations, some Amsterdams and a little holiday with my birthday twin, Maki. We met on a Madrid flight when we found out that we have the exact same birthday and even the same year, then we made a deal, we are going to celebrate our birthdays together at a cool place. Last year we went to Malta, which was amazing. This year we first wanted to go to the Maldives, just relax and chill. But as you might expect, the Maldives it pretty expensive. Then we decided to go to Barcelona, we both love Spain, the food and as well all the sangria we can get there. Last minute we got more days off, then we took a spontaneous trip to Mallorca. I landed from Amsterdam on the 16th in the morning, packed my bag, had a few hours sleep and then on my way to the airport, where Maki landed around 1pm and our flight was at 3.45pm, so she was rushing and pretty tired. We both ate on the plane, had a little baileys before we slept around 3 hours. Once we got to Barcelona and our hotel we were both really tired, but it's our night so we got ready and went to the W hotel, close to the sea. I asked the dj if he could play a birthday song, but he couldn't,,, boringgggg! My dutch friend Florien knows almost everybody in Barcelona so she gave me a number of one of her friends who always throws a good party. so around 1.30am we went to Shoko, a big club at the beach side of Barcelona. The queue was MASSIVE, I swear, there were around 75 people waiting to get in, so I called this friend, and he comes up and grabs my hand and just pulls me inside together, obviously, with Maki, so no queue on our birthday! That club was amazing, we were next to the dj just dancing the night away. At one point we were so tired so we left and went back to the hotel. The next day we just went to the beach and chilled and eat more ham then we already did, and we made a promise to eat ham every single day, so we did. That night we went to bed early because our flight was in the early morning with Vueling (as I can honestly say to you it's been a while since I have been with a low cost airline, so I got prepared). As always I take my pillow with me and also my eyeshades for a 30 minute flight, haha, some people looked a bit strange at me, but they were probably just jealous of all my preparation, haha.

We got to Mallorca really early, we could check in already at the hotel so that was really nice. We changed and then went to look for a nice beach where we could take a nap. The beach was absolutely stunning, water was clear and blue, it was a bit crowded but the beach wasn't that big either so then it looks busier. It was a Saturday night and we decided to have one more night out and then we would just chill and sleep. We went to Pacha, a big club they also have in Barcelona, Ibiza and Dubai. The music wasn't really what we were looking for so we just called it a night around 2am. The music was better in the taxi ride home then in the club itself. The next days we just went to a different beach every day, read my book, listened to music, taking naps on the beach, going for a swim and having nice lunches. It was so nice and relaxt. Just two girls having a chilled holiday and all we did was talk, eat ham and mini salami's. The last day we went back to Barca to spend one more day there before we were heading back to the desert that night. But from all the naps we took on the beach, at one point we got so tired in Barcelona that we went to the Arc de Triomph park to take our daily nap. That night we flew back to Dubai, both with a really good tan.

My next flight was Amsterdam, already looking forward for this flight for the past 4 weeks, because I planned a post birthday party, were I would see so many friends of mine who I haven't seen for ages. I couldn't sleep the night before the flight because I was so nervous that I would miss my alarm, and then I started thinking, what if the flight is delayed, and so many other things that could go wrong. The flight itself was nice, busy but nice. Flights have been better since I moved to business class. Once I got to the hotel I slept for an hour, then got ready to go for dinner with my parents, brother and his girlfriend, before the party started! Everything went so well, I want to thank everybody who took the time to come and see me that night, friends are forever. I had to call sick for the return flight back to Dubai, food poisoning. Once you start throwing up in combination with diarrhea you are not allowed to fly for the next 48 hours. I had to stay another 2 days in Amsterdam. I flew back to Dubai on Monday night in Business Class because I was not operating. I got back to Dubai yesterday morning. All feeling well and better. My next flight is on Monday to Paris for 2 days!!

Today is a special day as well, not a good day. The 29th of June is the day I had my car accident, and today it's been 6 years. So much can happen in 6 years. I'am not gonna think about the negatives too much, just another eye opener moment that you have to enjoy life to the fullest.  

Los Angeles

When I got my roster in April for the month of May I was pretty excited, they gave me a LAX flight, which means LOS ANGELES! The city of the movies, hollywood, the kardashians, the hills and many more shows and movies that happend in LA. Even though I was definitely not looking forward to such a long flight, which was 15.30 hours on the way going, okay we did get a 3.30 break (still not enough)! Can you imagine being on a plane for more then 15 hours, I couldn't. The flight was on friday the 13th, and I can tell you, it was the longest friday the 13th I ever had in my life, literally. Because we went back in time, my day was about 36 hours, before the clock hit the 14th in LA. The flight was not full as well, probably as well because it was friday the 13th. We had good crew, and by good crew I mean crew who actually have something to say for 15 hours. I was together with a South African and Australian girl and sometimes you just click with somebody, and these two were hilarious. We flew over the north pole, which is pretty cool, but the pilots didn't tell me so I didn't see ANYTHING, all they have to do in 15 hours, is letting us know if they see something nice, and they even forgot about that.

Once we finally got to LA, the bus ride back to the hotel took ages, since traffic in LA is also ridiculous. That night I went for dinner with two of the crew because they had some friends who knew where to go. So after the flight I didn't sleep at all, just took a shower and got ready again to go for some food and drinks. We had such a good night in the area of the hotel, called Costa Mesa. By the time we got back to the hotel it was already 2am. And I was supposed to meet 2 other crew the next morning to get a car and go to Venice Beach and drive around LA. Sorry I just love the word LA, still sounds so amazing when I think about it. Anyway, just a few hours sleep and I was already on my way to Venice beach, we got there around 10am. It wasn't that hot yet or busy, which was good so we could easily walk around. Then I saw you could rent roller blades for an hour, since the others didn't know how to, I just got them myself. From the moment I heard I was going to LA I wanted to get roller blades and go around the beach, once of those things you see in the movies and you just want to do it. And it was just absolutely AMAZING!!! It felt so unreal crossing around Venice beach. I will post a video later, there are all sorts of people along the beach, from artists, a live band, somebody playing the piano, somebody else doing paintings, just literally everything. Then we saw that a group was about to perform, one of those men groups who do all these acrobatic dances, but pretty dangerous as well. Just felt like I was in a movie.

The night before I found out that I actually also have friends in LA, two American girls whom I met in Salamanca when I lived there 5 years ago. They found out on Facebook that I was in town, so I was planning to meet one of them on the Saturday night (2nd night in LA, since we stay for 50 hours, instead of 24 on shorter flights). After Venice Beach I really wanted to see Rodeo Drive (also because every time I see it on the tv, I just had to see it with my own eyes). Then my friends who got the car dropped me off at my friends place, who lives in such a lovely typically American house, with her husband and adorable little puppy dog. Her and her husband then brought me to the hollywood sign, which was on the way to where we went for some food. And again, sorry to say, it just feels like you're in a movie for 2 days, and it felt wonderful. Then we went to the arts district close to the city centre for some food and some games at a barcade, a bar where they have these old school games we used to play, those flipper machines. But by that time I probably slept for around 5 hours in the past 50 hours, so I could not wait to go bed and just take a shower and sleep. Which I then did for around 13.30 hours !! Must have needed it. The flight back to Dubai was in one word hectic. So many people and so many bags, but we managed, as we always do. It was an amazing trip which I will never forget, and definitely can't wait to go back and see even more.

Right now I'am in Dubai doing my Business Class Upgrade training. Just 3 more days of pouring wine, serving cheese and be super professional :P..... After that it is time for the real thing, where I start off to Delhi, then a 2 day layover in Toronto, then Amsterdam where I will see my lovely family, and then most important day of the year, my birthday on the 17th of June ! Which is right in the middle of ramadan, so my friend with the same birthday and year, we are trying to maybe go somewhere for 2 days to celebrate our birthday somewhere amazing! It's not every year you turn 24! It's a sign, because on the 24th of June, I have another Amsterdam, where I will be throwing a little birthday party in Amsterdam, so if you read this, and you're in Amsterdam, you're happy to join me and my friends !!

Can't wait for you June ! Bring it on ! <3

Beautiful Bali

Time for another throwback to such a magical destination, Bali. Bali is well known with many people, for it's partying, surfing, Ketut Liyer (the guy from Eat, Pray, Love with Julia Roberts, who reads her hand), and many more things this beautiful island has to offer.

I first had a Melbourne Auckland trip before I went on my own Bali adventure for 7/8 days. The flight from Melbourne was about 14 hours before I got back to Dubai, then I had around 3 hours to get to the airport. Since, there are many delays I already packed my bags in my suitcase with me. All I needed was a backpack and a handbag, some people might be surprised by my light packing, but it's possible I can tell you that. So after my 14 hour flight I went to take another 9 hour flight to Bali, as you can imagine I was feeling pretty tired once I got to Bali. But once I got to Bali it was all worth it. The first 3 nights I stayed in a beautiful resort in the area called Ubud, it was absolutely stunning, and every morning I could do yoga, which I did of course ! I also gave myself a really nice massage and a hot bath along the river, never been to a more peaceful place (or expensive). The first 2 days I could not be bothered of doing anything else then yoga, reading a book and tanning by the pool, so I did, because the only person I had to think about was myself. At night I walked to the centre of Ubud to watch the little souvenir markets and some temples. Couldn't buy anything really, because I only carried hand luggage, I know very clever of myself if I may say so. Good way to NOT go shopping. The last day in Ubud I did a morning walk before I got picked up by a private driver called Made, he would show me around. First we went to see the rice plantages, a water temple where I did some sort of ritual in freezing cold water where I had to put my head underneath the water, basically just did wat everybody else did before me, knowing I don't speak or read any Indonesian language.

Then the best of all, Ketut Liyer. The old Ketut is about 104 years old and probably only 1 tooth left, so I went to his son, also called Ketut. I was a bit nervous as well, because you don't know what he is about to tell you, could be anything!! I am a believer of those things, in comparison to some others. Before he took my hand he told me that my eyebrows and eyes are in balance, which is a good sign, since this brings you positivity towards other people as well, saying I am very positive in live. Then he told me that I had a good body, he did not have to read my hand to see that haha. Further he told me that I will live a long life, social person, that my friends come to me for advice, and that I will get married one day. He literally told me that, if I keep myself healthy by going to the gym and eat healthy I will find, and I quote, a handsome husband. CAN I GET A WHOOP WHOOP! haha just kidding, but I was pleased to hear this of course. Oh and I get 2 children, so we will see in the future if he was right or not. Anyway I was happy I went, so interesting these things.

That day it was a Sunday, and my friend Jessica told me, you have to go to Single Fin on a Sunday, it's a big party there! So of course I went, so many Australians, and most of them were there to surf, super cool. The place itself was insanely beautiful, it was build on a cliff and I saw one of the most amazing sunsets. I met so many nice people that night, got to my hotel in Seminyak around 2am. The part I thought I lost my creditcard the next day is another story, a story for another blog. I stayed in Seminyak for around 3 nights and 4 days, because I booked myself some surf lessons. I know how to snowboard so I was hoping it would be kinda the same, and it was. I could stand up from the first time, and I loved it! It's such a nice feeling going over the waves, the part you have to paddle back is less nice, but worth the 10 seconds on the board ! I ended up doing 2 classes on 2 days, I couldn't do anything on the third day because I could not lift my arms because of all the paddling, I'am not the strongest either, so I just chilled on the beach, which was amazing and relaxing as well.

When I was in Ubud I found out that friends of me and my family were also on Bali, a dutch family which I hadn't seen for around 5/6 years I guess. I went to meet them one night to go for dinner and drinks. So funny, on the other side of the world and you meet friends from back home! Such a small world we live in. It was so nice to see them and catch up. My holiday was so nice and relaxed, just what I needed. The way back to Dubai went quick because I slept most of the flight. It was so peaceful in Bali that I was a very 'zen' person when I got back. Bali is definitely worth going to, such a nice destination, beautiful landscapes, friendly people, not expensive at all, and there is so much to do ! Go BALI !

Flying is pretty demanding for your body so sometimes you just need to listen to it, need to know when to stop going and take a break from everything, thats what I needed and did. I listened to my body. Charging the battery. Sometimes I just keep going, I learnt to listen more to my body then before, otherwise it will tell you itself.

Crazy March...

Where to begin with my march month. I was still on reserve (which means you don't have any flights until you are on standby and somebody else calls sick for a flight, then you have to take their position). It was just a few more flights till we were going on holiday to AUSTRIAAAA! But just before that I had 2 pretty though flights, Cairo and Dhaka. I was ready to go away for a week, laugh all day and be with friends and don't think about anything else. Well we managed to do that. We left dubai with 4, Alex, Wouter, Courtney and I. All from Dubai. I met wouter around a year ago on my Johannesburg flight and since then we stayed in touch and are friends ever since. Alex and Courtney I know through Wouter, he lives in the same building as them. We then flew to Munich first where we met Kay, Courtney best friend from the UK. From Munich we hired a car to drive down to Flachau in Austria. The first challenge we had was the car and all the suitcases, it was like playing tetris in real life. With 5 people and 5 suitcases (mine was the smallest and only hand luggage, pretty proud of myself here, haha), but in the end we manages, even though Wouter and Alex both had a suitcase on their lapes and Wouter even had one between his legs. It took us only 2.5 hours to drive to Flachau, with a little Macdonalds stop. Once we got to Flachau, we went to rent the gear right away so we could start early the next day!! I heard great stories from my dad and brothers who went to Flachau before me, that there was a bar called 'Hofstadl', where instead of taking the stairs down you can go down with the slide ! That convinced all us of us, we went there 4 nights in a row and had the best time! There were so many dutch people as well, so it was really easy for me just to speak dutch all the time. The second day we got up and then the 4 of them booked a private lesson with a ski instructor, to get back to the basics. I went snowboarding by myself for a few hours, it was just the best feeling in the world, going over the slopes snowboarding, breathing in the fresh air. The next three days we had the most beautiful wintersport weather you can imagine, bright blue sky! Snowboarding every day, straight from the slopes to the bar for a drink and a dance. It was just amazing, we had so much fun ! Took the slide down every time of course ! But then the drama happend, HOW to get back to Dubai ? Flights from Munich were all full and even overbooked, every single day. So we had to come up with a plan B, or even a plan C. We drove to Munich in the early morning, and Kay took the flight back to Manchester, then we took the last seats, and two jumpseats with Lufthansa down to Rome, to fly with Emirates from Rome back to Dubai. Best part was that Alex and I could sit in the cockpit from Munich to Rome, which was amazing to fly over the mountains down to Italy.

Once back to Dubai I had an Amsterdam flight, where I had a lovely dinner with my family, chilled on the couch with the cat, saw my gran in the morning and then it was already time to head back to the sandpit to clean my room before my best friend would come over for 5/6 days!!! Nikie, my friend as long as I can remember came over in Dubai. And how much fun we had. We went to the beach, we had a boat party, went out, went to the Dubai World Cup (will talk about this in a minute), did a desert safari, went to the waterpark and we even managed to go for dinner and drinks. I even had the pleasure to fly her back to Amsterdam. The best day, in my eyes, was the Dubai World Cup. It is the only horse races in the world where they can win the most price money, in a country where gambling is not allowed, which is crazy! So every year, it is the last race of the season. Everybody is dressed up, wears a fascinator, heels, everything! The girls first came over to my apartment to have a cheeky wine and have some food. So there we were, all dressed up, and you know what we ate, 4 massive pizzas haha! The day was just perfect, the weather was nice, and we had an amazing group, super dutch! To make a long story short, we drank too much champagne, ended up at an afterparty in the Burj Khalifa and had about 200 photos if not more, such a nice day. We will be talking about it for a long time!!! The next day Nikie and I did the desert safari, going with a car through the sand dunes, have dinner in the desert and watch a belly dancer, I counted it was my 5th time, but it's different every time ! That night we were so tired so we went to bed early, cause the next day we went to the waterpark, Wild Wadi, which was good fun, and later my friend Koen came with his nephew. That night we went for dinner with Sarah and the other girls, it was one of Sarah's last nights in Dubai. Can't believe she's out of Dubai now, still feels she can walk through that door any time!

Drinking champagne, because we are such ladies ! 

New York City

There are a few places in this world, where I dreamt of going since I was a little girl. New York, the city you always see in the movies, and got to know from Gossip Girl. I couldn't wait to see myself walking on the street of the city that never sleeps.

My mom and aunt came over to Dubai for a week of sun in November. It was so nice having them with me in Dubai and in my new apartment. I used to live in the desert, with nothing around me. You would open the curtains and all you could see was sand, I'am not even kidding. So when I moved to Downtown Dubai my life has changed so much. I can walk to Dubai Mall, metro station is just around the corner, and you're just more in the middle of everything. Now I really feel like living in Dubai on the 36t floor watching over Sheikh Zayed Road (7 lane highway).

The ladies would leave again on the 16th. I had 5/6 days off at that time, and I was thinking, where can I go?! Then New York popped in my head, a city I have never been, but always wanted to go... So I decided to go to the Big Apple, with me, myself and I... Tickets are cheap, and I found out that one of my friends was operating the flight to NYC, so that was the sign, I AM GOING TO NEW YORK!

WHAT a city, so much to take in as well. The flight to New York was long, but good. I had a whole row for myself, two baileys and Mez is asleep ! Even when you bring your own pillow, the flight is even better! We arrived around 9pm, immigration took ages but I was out together with the crew. My friend asked the pilots if I could join them in the bus to the hotel, which saves me money and time, since I was staying with my friend in the hotel for the next 2 days! The best part was that the hotel is literally ON Times Square! So sweet I could stay with her for the first two days, which saved me a lot of money as well. Once we got to the room we changed quickly because we were so hungry! We had some food and wine at some small bar near the hotel, then we had a little stroll on Times Square, but it was late already so it was pretty quiet. We had to go to bed soon as well, we were planning on doing a lot of sightseeing the next day with some of the other crew. I woke up around 4.45, being super excited and happy and probably jet lagged as well, ready for the day to go sightseeing, finally! Like a kid in a candy store. Most people know New York from the many movies and series, but once you're actually there is very different and the same at the same time. First thing we had on our list was the statue of Liberty. You can see it with a boat tour, we booked it for 10am, and the weather was absolutely beautiful and perfect to be on a boat, still a bit chilly but it was fine. From the boat we also saw the Brooklyn Bridge, when we crossed the Statue of Liberty, me and I think everybody else realized that it is pretty small. From all the movies it always looks so massive, but in real life, not that much. Still cool to see though. Just next to the Pier where we got the boat there was a small cute restaurant. It was one of those moments you just need to sit down, enjoy the sun and have an alcoholic beverage. Cocktail time at 11.45, but, my dad always told me 'somewhere in the world it is 5 o clock', and it tasted like it was 5pm, haha. After our drinks we walked down to Ground Zero, which was very impressive. I would come back later in the week when the girls would have left, because I wanted to go to the Memorial Museum. But that day we left to go back to the hotel to have some lunch and a little afternoon nap, since some of us were up pretty early. We planned to go to the Rockefeller Centre, where you have a beautiful view over the Empire State Building, Manhattan in total and Central Park. The sunset was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Since the sun went down it became a bit cold as well, so we left to walk around Central Park. I just wanted to see the iceskating, because they always show you that in the movies as well. And again, smaller then expected. Still stunning though, someday I will go back to go iceskating, but then with somebody...

That night we went for dinner with the girls (4 in total) in the Meatpacking District. Everybody who has been before told me to go there for a night out. We had dinner at the Sugar Factory, apparently some famous restaurant as well, we didn't know until we saw the wall with all the celebrities. Their cocktails were amazing. Two of the girls went back to the hotel, and me and one of the others wanted to stay a little bit longer to see what this Meatpacking District is all about. We heard about this place called Provocateur, but once we arrived at the door they wanted to charge us 300 dollars for entrance, we were definitely not anymore in Dubai where entrance is always free. Obviously we didn't go inside, then on the way back to Sugar Factory we met these two men, who have been in New York for a while and they wanted to take us to this Rooftop Bar, so we went. Glad we did, because from there we could the whole skyline of Manhattan. After the Rooftop Bar, can't remember the name, we walked down the street to 1 OAK, since we just wanted to go for a little dance before we went back to the hotel. Around 2am we decided to go back to the hotel.

Wednesday morning my friend and I went for a little walk in Central Park, and again the weather was so lovely, not cold at all. She had to get back to the hotel to get ready for her flight back to Dubai, since she was in New York for work and I was there for my holidays. When all the crew left and we said our goodbyes I went to the hostel I booked, the jetlag was still there so I had a nap first. That night I decided to go to a Broadway show, somebody told me that Aladdin was playing, and since I absolutely love Aladdin, my decision was made very easily. It was so beautiful, the actors were amazing, loved all the songs, and had a little tear over 'A Whole New World', I know, such a girl !

Thursday was my last full day in New York and this time the weather wasn't that great at all. So I went to Wall Street and from there I walked to Ground Zero again, to go to the Memorial Museum. If you ever go to New York and want to go to this museum, don't go alone. It did have a lot of impact on me, and even at one point I just had to get out of there, I felt so sad. We have no idea what New York went through that day, it's honestly horrible, no other words to describe. After the museum I went to Soho, the cool and populair place, with little boutiques and cute bars in basements. Of course I could not go to Grand Central Station as gossip girl fan. And I was impressed by Grand Central Station, it's honestly stunning. I must say, when I was in New York it was just after the whole Paris attacks, so the security everywhere was really high, men with guns everywhere. New York was probably once of the safest places to be at that time. That night I went for dinner with friends of my friend Yvette. I met Yvette when I went to Milan for my thesis, and she used to live in NYC, when I decided to go I messaged her if she would still be around. Unfortunately she moved back to Boston, but her friends Will and Ricky were happy to take me for dinner. The restaurant where I was supposed to meet them was just close by Grand Central Station, it was pouring rain at that time. Too dutch to buy an umbrella I hold my scarf over my head, which got wet at some point, so I took shelter close to the buildings for a minute. Then I had a movie moment. This guys stops right in front of me, with an umbrella (a real gentlemen umbrella, not one of those I<3NY ones), wearing a very nice suit. He looked at me and he asked me, where do you need to go? Me, trying to be cool, said, just a few blocks that way. Then he said, I can take you, heading that way anyway. Which I obviously could not refuse!!! So we shared an umbrella for around 5 minutes, and he asked me till when I was staying in New York. I had to answer that I was leaving the next day, and I could see the disappointment in his face (just to make the story better as well). He left me in front of the restaurant, and I knew I would never ever see this person ever again. Still a pretty New York moment if you ask me. The guys were so nice as well, and we had a lovely Mexican dinner in the states.

Friday was my last day in the United States of America, and I didn't want to waste any moment. Wake up early and packed my bags because my flight was later that day. The girls in the hostel must have thought, what is that for traveller?! I was just very prepared, had my own blanket, own pillow (again), eyeshades and earplugs... I had only two more things on my list, walking over the Brooklyn Bridge and biking in Central Park. Done and done!! My trip to New York was a succes, and I loved every moment I have spent in this amazing and busy city. A dream came true. I will definitely go back one day, or even on holiday, because there are so many more things to do and see, and 4 full days is just not enough. But it was time to head back to Dubai and start working again, my flight was Mauritius, which is not a bad destination at all !!

Explore, Dream and Discover

Today is the 28th of February, which means that now exactly 2 years ago I made the step to move to Dubai. 2 full years of amazing memories, holidays, friendships and many more. Just want to say that I am so grateful for all the things I did in the last 2 years, things I would never have done otherwise, and honestly feeling blessed that I am able to do so many things at such a young age. Happy to have such amazing family and friends. Living abroad brings a lot of struggles with them as well, staying in touch with the people back home, and I can proudly say that I still have all of my friends, and want to thanks them to be patience with me, and visiting me in Dubai or when I'am in Amsterdam, that they take the time and effort to come and see me. The list would be long if I name each and everyone of you, once you read this you know that I'am talking about you. <3

Now, after 2 years, unfortunately I already had to say goodbye to some really good friends of mine, who left Dubai to either move back home or are starting another adventure. Life is so boring without friends, especially in Dubai, it is so important to surround yourself with (positive) people who you can talk to about everything! Because not everybody understands whats happening on a flight, that a normal working week could be a Melbourne Auckland trip a short trip to Doha and back and any European flight to for example Amsterdam. Thats sometimes how my weeks look. You go to 3 different continents in 1 week, and is considered as 'normal'. Of course for us as cabin crew it is normal, but actually in real life it is so not normal! And I realize that as well shopping in all these different countries is a blessing, even my closet thanks me for that, haha.

Here's a little list of things I did in the past 2 years:

- Holidays in:  Thailand
                         Bali
                        New York
                        Kroatia
                        Sri Lanka
                         Malta
(this year I'am planning to go to Austria, Hongkong and South America)
- swimming with wild dolphins in Mauritius
- hanggliding in Rio de Janeiro
- saw the Sydney Opera House, the Christ in Rio as well
- went to Tokyo with Sarah (my roommate)
- one day skiing on a Lyon layover
- met: Diego Maradona
           Robert Pattinson
           Jermain Jackson
           whole dutch hockey team in Buenos Aires
          Fedde le Grand (Dutch DJ)
          Ali B (dutch rapper and judge of the Voice)
           Edgar Davids (dutch ex-footballer)
- bought a real Russian Hat in St. Petersburg
- went to a pingpong show in Bangkok
- took a boat on the Mekong river in Vietnam
- climbed Lion's Head in Cape Town
- swimming with sharks in Durban
- saw the big tennis players play at the Dubai Championships (Djokovic, Federer, Verdasco, Bagdadis, Murray etc.)
- went to see the biggest outdoor Buddha in the world in Hongkong.
- bought fake bags in the underground market in Shanghai
- visited the second biggest mosque in the world in Casablanca
- walked on the Great Wall of China
- bought facial masks in South Korea
- had a cocktail at the Marina Bay Sand hotel with the infinity pool in Singapore
- did about 6 desert safari's in Dubai

And of course I can mention many more things I did on layovers. All the friends I met all over the world, being surprised by my big brothers in Frankfurt, stayed in Paris for one day with my parents and so on...

Lets not forget all the amazing party nights I had all over the world. If you need any advice on which bar to go to in, almost, any city in the world, I'am the person to talk to. But at the end of the day it is the people you are with who are making it worth going. And all the amazing parties I went to in Dubai, so many good nights in the party central of the Middle East, all the crazy brunches I have been to, the afterparties that followed. I can truly say from the bottom of my heart that I enjoy living the life in Dubai. Wouldn't change a thing to all the things I did, all the lovely people I have met. Just makes you appreciate the little moment more as well.

I often get the question, what do you wanna do after Emirates? And to be honest, for now, I'am happy in Dubai. Maybe in another 2/3 years and then it might be time to close this chapter and start a new one.

I want to finish this blog with 2 quotes, one for each year:

"The World is like a book, people who don't travel only read one page."

"20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do then the things you did do.  So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails."
Explore          Dream               Discover