A Marriage, Mini Honeymoon And a Tour of the Skies

When two people are engaged to be married, there’s one thing that takes importance over everything else: the wedding. Lisa and I had been brainstorming for months where to tie the knot. As we live quite international lives, it only seemed appropriate to get married in an exotic international location. Once we both put our top choices on the table, we were surprised to see our first pick was the same: the Maldives.

Yes, the Maldives, that tiny strip of paradise islands off the coast of Sri Lanka… who wouldn’t want to get married there? Secured in the number one spot on almost all lists for “best honeymoon destination” in the world, the place is basically made for newlyweds. It just so happened that the both of us were individually obsessed with this tropical getaway for quite some time, so now it only seemed appropriate that we got married there. Right?

Not so fast.

The Maldives truly is the world’s best honeymoon destination. But unfortunately, it is also one of the world’s worst spots to get (legally) married. For some reason, the government of the Maldives refuses to recognize any marriage that takes place on the islands by foreigners as legitimate. If the Maldives won’t recognize the marriage, then the strictest-of-all USA government definitely won’t recognize the nuptials. Plan foiled.

As we virtually scanned the globe for the next best spot to get married, we stumbled across a photograph of Bora Bora:

This is not my photo... (Just found on Google Images)

That single, inspirational shot completely took our breath away; we had found our place. Though there were still going to be some legal complexities in getting married there, Bora Bora did acknowledge foreign weddings. However, after realizing that the closest date we could both be in Bora Bora (for an extended period of time) was mid to late November, we finally nixed the whole “legal” wedding abroad idea (though we will still have a “wedding” there when we visit in November!).

To make both our lives easier, and to ensure that our marriage is, in fact, legally recognized around the world, we decided to get married in the US. Heading to southern Florida, we planned our wedding photos, the marriage ceremony and a short, “starter” honeymoon to Las Vegas.

Marriage, Photos and Black Clouds With a Side of Rain

Knowing that southern Florida’s weather is quite unpredictable, we planned our wedding photos for a few days before the actual date. I had my new, tailor-made suit from Bangkok all ready to go and Lisa had a beautiful dress that she had kept hidden away from me until the very last moment. When the day came, we had our clothes, waterfront, Miami skyline and beautiful South Beach surroundings all ready… and it rained. Torrential downpours & black clouds; just about the worst possible weather. We rescheduled for the following day… and it rained again; rescheduled again for the following day… rain… the photographs just weren’t going to work out. Here is a sample of the radar image we saw each day around sunset :-(

Even on the last possible day, the weather radar showed a dreary blue spot lingering right over Miami. So in the end, we had to trade in the long wedding photo session for a simple, yet perfect wedding picture.

With photos aside and the legal marriage complete, it was time for our first honeymoon!

Vegas, Baby

After the Florida weather fiasco, we took off for sweltering Las Vegas, where we at least knew it was going to be clear. Neither Lisa nor I are Las Vegas rookies, so we knew exactly what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go. Our first day was filled with fun excursions, delicious meals, a walk down the strip and a few Vegas shows (including Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity at NY, NY Casino). Quite possibly the coolest part of the day, however, was our visit to the Hoover Dam.

Visiting this marvel of engineering, we opted for the guided tour, which brought us all around the outside and inside of this colossal dam. Exploring its infrastructure & the turbine generator room, we got to really appreciate the sheer beauty, size and creation of this American feat. The only thing that made the Hoover Dam experience even better, was how I got to view it the following day!

Hitting the Nevada Skies

One nice thing about being a pilot is the community of friends you make around the world. I have a few pilot friends who are based out of the Las Vegas area, so I called one up and arranged to rent his Cirrus for the day. I figured I would take a refresher course, pickup some recurrent training and then take Lisa out for a sightseeing adventure around the Grand Canyon. Taking off with a local instructor, he warned me ahead of time that the skies, despite being crystal clear and scorching hot, were quite choppy. Turbulence and a bumpy ride wouldn’t bother either of us… but it did make me think twice about bringing Lisa up.

With our seatbelts strapped extremely tight (to prevent us from bouncing all over the cockpit), we did our best to maneuver the plane through the turbulence. With a scenic flight in mind, I flew the Cirrus towards the Hoover Dam to get an even better glimpse than I did the day before. Circling around the amazing spot over and over again, I got some fantastic views and some even better photos! It was truly the cherry on top of my Hoover Dam experience.

A Shot of the Hoover Dam from the Cirrus

Moving back into the training part of the flight, I was ready to practice my steep turns. In a typical airline flight, turns are usually done at about 15-20 degrees, but when training, especially in a smaller plane, the turns are quite sharp and aggressive (around 60 degrees). Deciding to combine my practice and training with some sightseeing, we aimed the plane for the western end of the Grand Canyon (opening up to Lake Mead, at the top of the Hoover Dam). Instead of practicing the steep turns in a wide-open space, I practiced the maneuvers inside the canyon. With the rocks of the canyon walls actually above the plane at some points, it was an unforgettable and quite surreal experience.

Flying over Lake Mead

As we battled our way back through the turbulent air, I knew Lisa, who usually loves to fly, was not going to be interested in bumping her way to the Grand Canyon. Though the final excursion fell through, all in all it was a fantastic trip… or should I say, Honeymoon Version 1! We got legally married, had a great time in Las Vegas, saw some beautiful sites and I even got the chance to spend some time in the air! Perfect. With our legal marriage and first honeymoon completed in the US, we are now ready for the real deal in Bora Bora, coming up this November!

The newlyweds enjoying some sunshine!!

The Hoover Dam from the ground

Enjoying the view!!

Though we didn't actually get married at the Elvis Wedding Chapel....

We we had to visit just for Michele :-)

Turmoil in Bangkok and a day in Ayuthaya

If you’ve been watching the news… you may know that things have been a bit hectic in Bangkok.

During the passed few years, Thailand’s political pot has been getting stirred quite a bit. Each time it happened, the international media had a special way of blowing things way out of proportion (as they often do). Assuming this was still the case, I went through with my prearranged travel plans and decided to go to Bangkok. I was in no way trying to jump into the political fray, but it just so happened that the day that I left, Thailand declared martial law. I guess this time they meant business…

Upon arrival, I headed for the airport’s SkyTrain to bring me into the downtown area- just like I always do. (If you’ve ever ridden Bangkok’s SkyTrain, you know that it’s just about the cleanest, quietest, most peaceful monorail route in the world). However, I knew things were quite serious when the SkyTrain showed up at Suvuarnabhumi Airport, and after the passengers disembarked, scores of armed military guards exited every door of every car and inspected the perimeter. On top of the armed guard’s inspection, I could also sense the city’s turmoil because my 9:45 PM inbound train was the final one; there was a 10 PM curfew! Yikes!

Finally getting into the ghost town that was central Bangkok, I checked into my hotel and immediately flipped on the news. I heard all about the martial law, learned about the curfews that were now instated, crossed conflicting bits about a massive protest that would take place Saturday… Bangkok seemed to be changing before my eyes.

The next day I sort of tip-toed around the city, trying my best to stay away from the tumultuous areas, the protest quarters and any electric spots I saw on the news. There was only one thing that absolutely had to be accomplished that day (besides avoiding the political madness): getting a tailor-made suit for my upcoming wedding. Luckily, I didn't bump in to any trouble accessing my favorite, local tailor shop...

Though there was an extremely strong military presence all throughout the city, it was still quite evident that the majority of the population was just trying to go about their daily lives as normal. With curfews, restrictions and pockets of protests scattered all around the city, I decided now was the best time to get out and cross off another destination on my travel list… Ayutthaya.

Ayutthaya: The Ancient Kingdom of Siam

Ayutthaya

After researching online as to what the best means of reaching Ayutthaya was (special thanks to the outrageously informative forums on TripAdvisor), I decided to take the Mini Bus. The train was apparently the easiest and most reliable means… but it took three times as long. The public bus was located on the opposite side of town in the middle of nowhere… and wasn’t exactly the fastest means either. The Mini Bus took some finding (down a random alley near the Victory Monument area), but it was ultimately the easiest and fastest mode of transport.

After flexing my basic guidebook Thai language skills and boarding an A/C bus with no signs depicting our destination (remember, it’s all a part of the experience), I reached the central historic area of Ayutthaya. An hour-long ride, no problems & smooth sailing… I couldn’t have asked for a better journey!

Ancient Kingdoms and Pimped-out Rickshaws

After the 90 km journey into historic Ayutthaya, I was surprised to see what was awaiting me. Thailand is famous for their tuk tuks, but the ones in Ayutthaya were out of this world! The best way I can explain these funky machines? Pimped out. They were all painted wild colors, rocking chrome wheels, giant sound systems… they were unlike any other tuk tuk I had ever seen in Thailand. I approached the hipster machines, sought out a driver who spoke some English, and hired myself a tour guide for the day. You can see my very hip ride below:

A quite unusual tuk-tuk; note the outrageous speaker system!!

As he drove me out into the bones of Ayutthaya, he explained the scene surrounding us.

Known as the kingdom of Siam, Ayutthaya was established in the 14^th century and expanded (by the 18^th century) to be one of the biggest cities in the world. While Europe was creeping through its Dark Ages, Ayutthaya was booming as one of the world’s great trading hubs. Any significant explorer or merchant during this time in history was at some point headed for this global capital. With a population reaching one million, the sprawling kingdom must have been an absolutely amazing sight to see. So what happened to it?? The Burmese Army.

Around 1767, the Burmese Army moved into the capital and burned the entire area to the ground. The only structures that remained were intricately carved stone stupas and stone Buddha statues… that were all beheaded. Even though these Buddha statues sat silently, symbolizing peace (many of them are literally signing “peace” with the Buddhist mudra positions), they were still beheaded and defaced for conflicts that have long since been forgotten. A striking reminder of the futility of war.

A Hauntingly Strange Sight to See

I walked around the amazing Ayutthaya grounds with the optional “headset” (which I would definitely recommend for only $1-2 USD), and listened/learned about the amazing history and culture that once thrived here. Despite being reduced to stone stupa skeletons, I could almost imagine (as I walked around) the opulence and booming civilization that once inhabited this place. Though it’s a shame what became of Ayutthaya, the beauty that came out of it is now known as Bangkok!

Instead of rebuilding on top of the existing rubble, the kingdom was moved 90 kilometers away, which is where modern day Bangkok now stands. Like the mythological phoenix, Bangkok emerged from the smoldering ashes of Ayutthaya, and became the grand city that we know today… though I guess I was catching it at sort of a bad time. Even though Bangkok and Thailand are undergoing a bit of a political face lift (or whatever you want to call it), it’s still one of the world’s greatest destinations.

By the time I left the city on Saturday, the locals (and probably the military, too) were getting tired of the curfew. Restrictions were a bit more lax, places were staying open later and things were returning (somewhat) back to normal. I flew out of the injured city after a fantastic day trip and a few days around the front lines… though I never really felt unsafe at any point. Hopefully things look up in the near future for the “Land of Smiles” and everyone is allowed to go back to their regularly peaceful existence!

Living History: There are no restrictions in Ayutthaya for visitors exploring the grounds... some of the stairs and temple complexes were ridiculously narrow!

A beautiful reclining Buddha in Ayutthaya. Local Buddhists have woven this golden silk robe to cover the entire Buddha... it was nearly 30 yards long from head to foot!!

A Photo of the Grounds

One of Ayutthaya's many amazing Buddha images