The Maldives!

 

Hello from the Maldives!!* This blog is happening in real time** unlike the last post. 

It's February break and it was time to get out of America and into much warmer weather. We flew into Male, the capital, and got our first glimpse of island paradise and the beautiful waters of the Indian Ocean. 

From Male we got on a sea plane and flew 50 minutes more to our hotel, a tiny island with bungalows and beaches. 

Once at the hotel, JW Marriott*** on its own private island, we settled into our bungalow complete with pool and the best ocean view ever.

We did partake of a few activities while there but mostly we just sat in the beautiful sunshine and looked at the beautiful water and read books between talking about how beautiful everything was. The weather stayed sunny the entire time, even if the weather app thought we were just bobbing in the ocean somewhere.

Here's a few pictures of us looking glamorous with sun and fun!

While not looking beautiful in beautiful locales, we went dolphin watching and saw a whole bunch!**** We also snorkeled and saw so many tropical fish and coral. There are no pictures of those but feel free to talk with me in person about how I am mind-blown that every color exists in nature and mostly in fish.*****

There's nothing else to say, I just feel lucky to have gotten to visit. Shout out to Dad for making the trip happen and always being on a quest for the perfect sunset- even if it inevitably hits clouds right at the horizon.******

We are heading home via Istanbul now but, in my mind, I'll be at the beach!
-KT

*For the TCC record, this is the point that officially ties me with AT for 161 countries!

**Well, as real as time can be in in the Maldives. Fun fact, some resort islands put themselves in a different time zone that is one hour ahead of the rest of the country so that the vacationers have an extra hour of daylight and don't have to leave as early to fly back to Male to head home. It's actual "Island Time." Is this genius? Proof that time is a social construct and therefore meaningless? I am undecided.

***Not a blog sponsor but much like Ferrero Rocher, I am open to it, J-Dubs! Bonvoy!

****Mostly un-pictured because it appears that taking pictures of dolphins popping out of the ocean mostly results in pictures of only the ocean. 

*****Bring a snack and the Pantone color wheel. It'll be a while. 

******This is not a metaphor. Poor guy, he just wants the perfect sunset.

Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Tetons!

 

It's that time of year again! It's TEACHER SUMMER TIME!!!! This school year was a little like. . .

but, please, let's never talk about it again. It's just better that way.

Dad and I got just about as far out of town in the continental 48 as we could get. We flew to Spokane, Washington, to see some more of our beautiful national parks! We mostly ran through Spokane but did stop off in the heat wave to see Spokane Falls.

From Spokane we drove to Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, where we spent some time enjoying lake views, watching golfers hit an impossible island shot, and brainstorming "Visit Idaho" taglines.*

We continued east from Idaho for Glacier National Park in Montana. As always, devoted reader, I'm hoping you didn't come here for the information.** I've just got vistas. 

From Glacier we headed to the corner of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, for Yellowstone National Park! There was so much to do and we tried to pack it in as much as we could in the three days we were there. Highlights were the Mammoth Hot Springs, the various geysers and pools, the Yellowstone Grand Canyon, and of course, Old Faithful!

Was Dad let down by Old Faithful? Yes. He's hard to please and we should all keep trying. Was the entire park redeemed by Grand Geyser a little bit down the path? Thankfully, also yes!

From Yellowstone, we exited to the south, directly into Grand Teton National Park. The views were totally different and showcased the gorgeous Teton Mountain Range right outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

As you can see, everything was beautiful! Yellowstone was definitely crowded, but Glacier and Grand Tetons were much less so. It was a delight to be out of the house and amongst humanity again.*** Speaking of humanity, we also spent some time with our animal friends!

And, before we go, a few shots of what it's really like when we walk outdoors.**** Not all glamour. And not all paths are really paths!

Thank you, America, for your beautiful National Park System! Which one will we go to next?!?!?

-KT

*Faves include: "More Than Just Potatoes!" "Idahon't Know Why People Aren't Coming Here!" "Imagine More" "Where the Boise Are" and "Actually, It's Pretty!"

**Long story short, the glaciers are shrinking. Get there ASAP. #climatechangeisreal

***Even if, at one point, that humanity included me going inside to grocery shop for the first time since March 2020. I have decided that since it was on a trip, it does not count against my grand avoidance total. 

****Remember that we never EVER use the "h" word.