there is always a 'first' everywhere we go - USA (21st May 2017 - 28th May 2017)

2017 was a year for a lot of first times. First time I got my USA visa, first time I board a plane and travel to the USA. It wasn't really my dreamland, although it is in my bucket list to do the road trip from East Coast to West Coast. This time, I visited Portland, where my boss visited his friends there. Only a week, was supposed to be a month, but the trip was interrupted with a job in Abu Dhabi, so... but the one week was well spent.

First, we went sailing. It was a beautiful Tuesday, sun was shining, temperature was low, wind was awesome.
Okay, this is not our boat hahaha~ but you get the point.

I met some new friends, friendly Americans, everybody was having a great time and so we go~ it was rather slow, we were going downstream, following the flow of the water and the motor was not on, painfully slow, I was worried about motion sickness (I have this problem) but luckily the wind picked up and gradually we went faster.

The next day, we went to a place to do something I've ALWAYS wanted to do for REAL. I was excited, although I was hoping for a smaller version of it hahaha.

My friend was very careful to explain that this isn't a toy, it was for real, so I didn't dare touch anything in the first place, he got it all set up. First time!

Then he explained all there is to do, tra-la-la-la~ and all I gotta do then, was aim. It's a Ruger 10/22 rifle, short distance but I hit some targets! After that I learned to load the gun, you must be wondering what did I shoot?

wasn't as loud as I expected, no wait, I was wearing ear protection hahaha... but the video captured wasn't so loud too haha.

Alright, let's go see what did I shoot, but first, the range's gotta be cold, a flag is put up, warning light was up, everybody else on the range respected that. It's not a place for jokes (my friend was very particular with this).

So let's see... sitting ducks...

and pigs and chicken and rabbits... made from concrete blocks, heavy af. After we shoot 'em, gotta pick 'em back up, nobody's doing it for you. So, see all these lying on the ground? I did it hahaha~ haolian

It was a first time, I wished it was a handgun, but maybe next time. My friend's got license for hunting too hehehe~~
Okay, I'm not encouraging use of firearms and all, but it was fun.

After that, Fuchiko-san got to chill a little at my friend's house.

Due to some work, my boss and I had to leave USA for Abu Dhabi, this time, we flew from Portland to Vegas for a night, and I got to see the strip for a bit. Welcome to Las Vegas.

This desert town is really bright, shining and no sleeping~ none at all, it was the weekend, everybody was having fun. I've always heard about 'Hooters' in the movies, finally, I was in one... I was busy looking at the Hooters than really playing, I'm not much of a gambler.

The strip at 2 in the morning... there were people partying, talking, laughing. I saw a drunk woman, ladies who bare (is there a past tense for this word?) their butts to climb over a fence to cross the road, all kinds of people. My LA friends were on the same town, a little further down the road, but I didn't get to meet them~ I was too tired and wanted to sleep.

Finally it was time to leave, and Fuchiko-san HAD to tell her friends about slot machines in the airport. Yea, they have slot machines at the airport, in case you didn't have enough of 'losing money' at the casinos.

That was the end of the USA trip~ but my journey took me another 29 hours to reach UAE, 12 hour flight to Frankfurt, transit for about 3 hours, then another 3 hour flight to Istanbul, transit for another 4 hours, then another 5 hour flight to Dubai, then a 2 hour car ride to Abu Dhabi, I was jet-lag as hell and was down for 24 hours~~ such is the traveling life huh.

PS: One last 'first' I experienced on this trip, was losing my luggage. I was from Antalya, Turkey, flying to Frankfurt before I travel to the USA. My luggage was supposed to be checked through from Turkey to San Francisco, but it did not arrive. I was told the bag was checked to Portland in the system. When I got to Portland at 3am, no bag. I went to the United Airlines counter in Portland, filed a report, and was told to check my email. On the day I left Portland, I got my bag back~ phew So I was in USA with limited clothes, I realised I could and should travel light next time.