December 13-14, While I am waiting at the Abu Dhabi gate for my connecting flight to Cochi, I thought I would write a little about my journey so far. I flew to la guardia and had a connecting flight to Abu Dhabi from JKF. I did a lot of research on airport shuttles and whether I should go roam the city or stay at the airport. Finally, after arriving to La Guardia (which was a short flight), I decided to go explore Manhattan. Why stay cooped up in an airport when there is a city that never sleeps. it was daytime anyway, making me feel stupid to not make the most of my time in NY if stayed at the airport. Therefore, instead of getting on the shuttle to JFK, I got on the shuttle to Manhattan. Only $14!. I know it seems like a lot, but in the grand scheme of NYC, that is a good rate! After that, I barely spent any money as I am very very econominal to say the least. I love travelling the globe, but I choose to do so as backpacking, minimalist, budgetting kind of way. I would feel increabidly guilty otherwise if I spend a lot of money, even if I earned it through my hard work. Budgetting is my priority, and I have learned to be an proficient at it. There is always room for growth of course! That is why I research..spend countless hours weighing my options of accomodations and communiting methods/routes. Something has got to give, and you cannot have it all. It is a life lesson. Therefore, I choose freedom of travelling to new places over owning or buying expensive materialistic items, not that it is a bad thing. I like induling now and then too, and to each their own. I just learned the value of a dollar from a young age when I worked in an assembly line to pay for my GREs. I met many interesting people from different backgrounds who thought me so much. I travel to meet different people like them and to broaden my perspective on life. I don't travel to collect suvoniers, and that is my pet peeve. Sometimes, I get them for others though, although all my friends and family probably realize by now that I don't like to spend money on objects. It is one thing to go to one place on a fancy vacation and buy things, but when you are
NYC! Where tourists from across the world flock to see the symbol of freedom, Times square, etc... I for one have never really craved seeing NYC. I don't know why. May be the busy hectic life is not my cup of tea..although I really enjoyed visiting big cities like Geneva, Mexico City, and Chicago. I think NYC is just too much for me. I did enjoy how much walking I got to do though! I love pedestrian friendly places...can't get enough of exploring on foot! I got off at Grand central and walked to Times Square. I was not too amazed or impressed, but I did appreciate the police on streets and public transport! I guess it was nice to see so many people, but each was busy in his or her own agenda! Mostly selfies! (I admit-I took some too!). I really wanted to try NY style pizza. Just my luck. When I went to Chicago, I ate so much, but didn't get to sample chicago's special pizza. When I went to NYC, I couldn't find a single pizza joint, but probably because I was on a tie schedule to head to JFK for my nighttime flight. My stomach was rumbling as I had not ate since breakfast, but when I am travelling, I am on a budget! I think I made my point, but I just thought if the fliht has meals, then why pay extra. I did end up getting noodles near the gate, but $5 is not bad as it was probably the cheapest entre in that part of the airport! I think if I had more time to properly explore NYC, I might end up liking it. For now though, I think I had enough, and don't see the craze. Funny how London never really grew on me, nor did Rome. I did end up liking parts of those big cities, mostly the less travelled to areas! The simple stuff! Just like that, I loved NYC's public transport because I saved so much money not having to take another bus, or a cab. After romaning in literally circles and squares, I finally made my way off of 7th ave in Times Square and got onto 8th ave. I don't know why it was so complicated. I just ended up in the same spot each time I attempted to take a random st to find Penn Station. I did make it, and boy was I happy!! If I did not have a book bag weighing me down, I would have done a happy dance! I made my way down the stairs and baught a cheap one ride ticket, and to my surprise, the E train was already waiting. The door was open, and it seemed like God rewarded me for the amount of time I spent trying to find Penn station. For less than $4, I got from Manhattan to JFK, success!! Plus, once I got off at the station that connects to the airtrain for JFK, another pleasant surprise awaited! No fares!! They just signaled all the passengers to get on the airtrain for free! After that, got off at a station, and took a shuttle to the international terminal 4. Thank goodness I gave up my quest of finding NY style pizza joints, because the line for my airline was ridiculously long. That is expected at JFK though. I always prefer O'hare for international connections, but it was cheaper to fly out of NY this time around. No problemo! I finally to my gate, but first things first, FOOD! That is when Noodles came to the rescue! :)
My flight to Abu Dhabi was good. I watched Home Alone!! Made me laugh, so it was a good flight. Also, I actually fell asleep. Nice deep sleep! :) Now onto Cochi!! As I said before, I will publish later. Pictures later...may be. :) Happy holidays/ good morning/ good night/ be happy/ thank God! Hasta la vista.
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