View from Acropolis, Athens, Greece

Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens, Greece

If you click on the picture I think you can read the smaller print. It explains why there are so many metal fixtures around the marble pillars on the Parthenon.
The original building of the Parthenon began in 447 BC and since then has been through many changes, at one time being a church and then changed into a mosque and in the 1600's was attacked and was severely damaged on the south side.
I thought the metal fixtures really took a lot away from this beautiful building but I know they are there to conserve everything that is left. After everything it has been through and now being constantly damaged by acid rain and air pollution I understand why Greece is doing so much to protect and preserve it.
Daytime view of the Parthenon on Acropolis from our hotel roof top.

Night time view of the Parthenon on Acropolis from hotel roof top. In my opinion it looks much more amazing at night.

Pattaya City, Thailand

View from the resort lobby. Everything was so green, big change from the dry desert I've gotten used to seeing.
Pattaya City taxi trucks. I loved these cause they were so cheap and you can just hop on and off where ever you need.
We took a day tour to Coral Island, of one of the islands near Pattaya. The weather was gorgeous just like the water.

Photo of Coral Island, also known as Koh Lan.

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok by night, not the clearest picture but I really like how the cars look on the highway.
On highway towards Pattaya City.
View of downtown Bangkok from hotel room.

London, United Kingdom

These are some photos of London, Big Ben and parliament.
Westminster Abbey!
Me at the Tower Bridge!
A beefeater. These guys take their job very seriously.

The gates to Buckingham Palace!

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

On the ramp to get on the palm. I wish I could get a good photo of the actual palm. The whole time we were driving on the palm i couldn't believe it. It was kinda surreal. The hotels and apartments on the palm are amazing!
Driving up to Burj Al Arab. Hazy Day... I cant wait till December... the weather is so much better and photos will be much clearer.
On Jumeriah Beach lookin at Burj Al Arab! Gorgeous Day. My feet were a bit burned but the photo was so worth it.

Jumeirah Beach. We were on Palm Island today but of course the only way to get a good photo of palm island is from the sky! Hopefully one day we'll take a helicopter tour of Dubai. Kinda pricey though.

Dubai Aquarium

The Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo is in the Dubai Mall. When someone first told me that there was an aquarium in the mall I expected to see a small tank with a couple of gold fish in there, I was way wrong! The aquarium is on two floors of the mall and is massive. They have all different kinds of animals and a tunnel that allows you to see the sharks from all different angles. Upstairs in the aquarium they have a Rainforest section where they have large otters and the Rocky Shore section where they have some beautiful penguins.
It's Nemo and Dory! Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!
Piranhas! These are kept in the Rainforest section of the zoo on the second floor. They are some mean looking fishies.
A shot of the sharks inside the aquarium tunnel. They do feedings everyday at 2 pm and 8 pm, it's quite the attraction.

Dubai

Downtown Dubai
This is a photo of Burj Dubai the tallest building in the world. It has 120 floors! It's so difficult to get a good shot of this building because of its extreme height. It's amazing to look up at this building from the ground but this photo was taken while we were driving on a bridge. The Burj doesn't appear to be that tall in this photo but the buildings right next to it are pretty tall skyscrapers as well so the comparison side by side is extraordinary.
Another shot of Downtown Dubai.
A shot of Burj Dubai coming into the city from Al Ain. These days the weather is pretty hazy so I couldnt get a really clear shot but take a look at the normal skyline then all of the sudden there is the Burj, piercing the sky!

Muscat, Oman

                                                        Beautiful day at the beach! 
If you look closely enough you can see there is an island out there. You gotta look really close!
Boats and ships right off the corniche in Muscat. The smaller wooden ones are known as dhows and have been used in Oman for many centuries. The main use for them in the beginning was to transport goods. But nowadays they even offer cruises along on the coast to tourists. 
I thought this photo was pretty cool... you got the beach, buildings and mountains all in one shot. This was taken right outside the Mutrah Souq. A souq or souk is a market, typically you find vendors that sell silver, textiles, spices, and perfumes. 

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is one of the main attractions in Muscat. The main prayer hall, which is designated for men only, can hold over 6,500 worshipers, while the women's prayer hall can only hold approximately 750 worshipers. 

Rain in Al Ain!

Ok, so it raining... you may not think it's a big deal but it kinda is considering it typically only rain less than 10 days each year here! Im very excited to see the rain. It actually been going on for the past few days and hopefully for another couple of days as well. I've been sitting by the window watching the lightning and listening to the thunder. Never thought I would miss it this much! We've been trying to stay home as much as possible because since it rains so little here, people are not at all used to driving in it. Safer to stay in and avoid accidents!

Al Ain Raceway

Pictures of the Raceway in Al Ain. The raceway is a lot of fun, but a bit expensive. This time I sat out to take a few photos. For some reason the camera was acting up and a lot of the photos came out blurry. 

Al Ain Zoo

A great day at the Al Ain Zoo! The Al Ain Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the entire Gulf region. It took about 2 hours to walk through the entire zoo which houses many different types of animals from all over the world. There is a cathouse with lions, pumas, tigers and leopards to name a few. Also a reptile house with snakes, turtles and lizards. The best one in my opinion was the monkey and gorilla compound. We had a great time and best of all it only costs 15 dirhams for adults which is a little over 4 dollars and free parking!