After exploring the mountains, jungle, and city, it was time to fly south to enjoy some time on the beach. We stayed at two different hotels in Krabi. The first one was fancier but more remote, while the second wasn’t quite as nice but was close to downtown and beaches. Our first hotel had it’s own little private pool outside the room, which was cool. On the property, there was both a pool and beach, so we definitely spent some time cooling off from the sun. The hotel room was not ready when we got there, so we spent most of the day cooling off at the beach and pool until the afternoon. We then got to our room and relaxed for the rest of the day.
The next day began with a private long boat tour in the Legend of Krabi. The boat took off from the beach at our hotel and had three destinations. The first destination was the one we spent the longest at. It was an island that had both a beach and a staircase you could climb to the top of the mountain to get a good view. I grabbed a smoothie at the refreshment shack and laid on the shady part of the beach while my life climbed up the mountain to get a good view. We went in the water as well, which was extremely warm, but we did need to watch out for the jellyfish! I accidentally bumped into one, but luckily it did not bother me. After about an hour and a half, we got back on our boat and headed to the next destination. This was one was just a picture opportunity, where we stayed in the boat with a nice landscape behind us. Lastly, we headed over to another smaller island where we hung out on the beach for about a half an hour until it was finally time to head home. On the way back, we went by an island inhabited by monkeys and got to toss fruit at them. It was fun to see them go after the fruit and even swim out into the water to get it! Overall, it was a really great experience.
The rest of the day we relaxed for the most part. We took a nap, ate dinner at the hotel restaurant, and then swam in our private pool at night.
The next day we traveled to our second destination in Krabi. This one was in an area called Ao Nang, which is more populated and touristy than our previous location. We arrived early, and while we were waiting for our room to be ready, we went on a ziplining adventure.
The ziplining experience was similar to other ziplines I have done, except this time it was among the trees of Thailand, which was truly incredible to see. We had great views of the landscape as we climbed from one zipline to another. Even though it was shady in the trees, it was extremely humid so it was challenging at times. However, it was worth it for the views that we experienced. The tour guides were very nice and funny, and overall, we did about 6 or 7 ziplines over the course of a couple of hours. Once we finished up with the ziplining, we headed back to the hotel to settle down in our rooms. We went downtown that night to do some shopping and look for some souvenirs. The downtown area was right along the beach, and there were all sorts of different shops and stores and salespeople trying to sell you things. We got some food at one of the night markets, saw some entertainers perform with fire on the beach, picked up some souvenirs at some of the shops, and I even found a Celtics Jayson Tatum jersey which I bought. The shopping was interesting because it was another situation where haggling was expected. This time I decided to negotiate, and it was not very hard. You basically say a price lower than what they say, and they will accept it. I also found a Burger King which was clutch because it was one of the only air-conditioned places on a very hot day. Once we were done exploring, we headed back to the hotel for the night.
The highlight of the next day was monkeys! We went back to the same downtown area as the previous day, and this time walked all the way down along the beach to a wooded area with a trail that you could hike up. Right before the trail, there was an area with trees and a whole bunch of monkeys swinging around! You could tell that they were very comfortable with people, and not shy to jump on them or try to take their food or water. Even though they could be aggressive, I thought that they were friendly for the most part. It was very entertaining watching them interact with people. We even saw a mother monkey carrying her child. After hanging out with the monkeys, we took a boat over to another popular beach in Krabi. We relaxed here for a few hours before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Dinner was at a small local outdoor restaurant behind the hotel. We ate some delicious Thai food, and then went back to the hotel to pack up and get ready for flight out to Dubai the next day.
Dubai was a very interesting city. There are really three different aspects to it. The first is old Dubai, which was what the city was like before it became all modernized. The second is new Dubai, which as all of the modern fancy buildings that people today associate Dubai with. The third is the desert, which I’ll get more into later. The first night we walked around downtown where we saw the fountain show and got dinner at the mall. The next day, we spent the morning exploring old Dubai and walking around shops, before hopping on a boat to new Dubai and continuing to shop. There were many different shops and stores selling everything from incense and spices to fancy clothing to camel ice cream and fancy chocolates, to jewelry and more. I tried the camel ice cream, which was tasty, it tasted like a French vanilla. After exploring the city, we went back to the hotel to get ready for our desert safari excursion.
The desert safari was a top three highlight of the trip. We started off of the excursion by dressing up in the Arabian clothing that they would wear in the desert, which was cool. We then got to ride camels for the next 90 minutes or so. You got on the camels while they were seated, and then they stood up after. They were tied in groups of three, so there was one behind us with nobody on it. The ride was pretty smooth for the most part. As long as you sat up straight and held on to the little handles in front of you, there were no problems. It was really cool to look out across the desert landscape as we were riding. We saw some gazelles in the distance, and you could see all sorts of different foot tracks and patterns in the sand. After the camel ride, we gathered to watch a falcon show. The peregrine falcon, which can reach speeds at over 200 mph, was an important bird to the UAE back in the day. We were able to witness it flying around full speed on its own, and then we got the opportunity to hold it as well. Lastly, we headed over to a desert settlement that was set up to reflect how people camped in the desert back in the day. We had a delicious dinner and desert at the encampment, followed by singing and entertainment, and then star gazing to end the night. Overall, it was a really awesome experience.
The next day we finally headed back home to Boston. The trip was truly a one-of-a-kind experience for me. It’s the farthest out of my comfort zone I’ve ever been by quite a large margin, and while there were challenges at times, overall, it was a huge success and I’ll be forever grateful for all of the opportunities and experiences I had abroad.
After a short flight from Chiang Rai to Bangkok, we arrived at our hotel. We stayed at the Salil Hotel Riverside in downtown Bangkok. It was a very nice hotel, and we were on a pretty high up floor, so we had a great view of the city with all of the buildings lit up in the night sky. It was in the evening at this point, so we decided to explore the Icon Siam mall to grab dinner and do some shopping. The mall was on the other side of the river, so we took a boat across. It was cool to get a view of the city as we traveled across the river. The first thing that stuck out to me about the mall was how massive it was. It was 7 or 8 floors high, and each floor was huge as well. There is an entire floating market on one of the floors. We found a spot to eat dinner, and then walked around checking out various shops. I did not end up buying anything while we were there. It was a nightmare trying to get back home because the mall closed at 10 and thousands of people were all trying to call rides at the same time. We eventually made it back to the hotel and called it a night.
The next day we visited the Wat Pho Temple, home of the reclining Buddha. The Buddha was massive and took up the entire temple, so it was very crowded to move through, but it was a cool experience. This was the one main temple that we visited in Bangkok. After exploring around the area, we headed to our next destination, the museum of Siam, but stopped at some shops along the way.
The Musem of Siam was very cool because we got to learn about historical Thai culture before some of the more modern traditions became integrated in society. We got to try on different types of clothes, sit in a replica classroom, play the games that were entertainment back then, and watch how different meals were created through a projector onto a table. It was very interactive as well, which made it more fun. There was a video in one room and a puzzle in the other. Overall, it was a very fun and engaging way to learn about Thai traditions and Thai culture.
We took public transportation for the first time in Bangkok to get around the city. It was a much nicer experience than the MBTA, to say the least. The trains and stations were much cleaner and more organized. It was a very efficient system for buying tickets and lining up to wait for the train. You could use your credit card to go through the gate, and then inside the train the stops were lit up to indicate where you were and which stops were next. Overall, our experience on both the above ground and underground trains was very good. We got off at a stop to visit our next destination, Lumphini Park.
The park was very gorgeous and nice to walk through. It was a lot of green grass and trees in the middle of the city, and reminded me a little bit of the Boston Common. It was a hot day but it wasn’t bad walking through the shaded areas of the park. We saw people out on boats on the water, and water monitor lizards crawling around on land. There were many of them and a sign telling us to watch out, but they largely minded their own business and were just wandering around. It was a very nice opportunity to take a walk around and enjoy the scenery. Afterwards, we took a break from the heat and walked around a nearby mall. We checked out some of the stores and grabbed a snack before heading back to the hotel to get ready for our dinner reservation.
Our dinner was at a restaurant called Ms. Maria and Mr. Singh. The backstory is that a Mexican woman met an Indian man while they were both traveling and realized that they both share a passion for food. They fell in love and started their own restaurant, which offers a wide variety of Mexican and Indian themed food. I thought this was a really cool idea and loved all of the food. We got quesadillas, naan bread, churros, and a variety of other Mexican and Indian themed foods. The staff there was also extremely nice and friendly as well. It was definitely a great experience. After dinner, we found a little acoustic bar hidden on the top floor of a building. There was couple playing the guitar and singing songs while a projector showed moving images of different landscapes on the surrounding walls. It was a neat experience, and the drinks were tasty as well! This was our last activity before heading back for the night.
We began the next day with hydrotherapy. This was a complimentary service offered at our hotel, and was a very enjoyable experience. There is essentially one big pool with a bunch of different stations. You would move around each station, which targeted a certain area of the body. Each station has different types of jets that would massage your muscles. It was a full body experience, from the feet all the way up to the neck. It was very relaxing and a nice way to start the day. After that, we headed downtown for some shopping.
We explored around stores including a sticker store, coffee shop, and a few American brands as well.
Once we got our fill of shopping in, it was time to head over to Chinatown for a street food tour. This was one of the highlights of the entire stay in Bangkok. The tour was simply incredible, from the amount of food and different types of food to the tour guide, to all the different places in China town we got to see. There were 15 or 16 different stops for food in total, and we went everywhere from restaurants to back alleys to street food vendors. We got to try curry, soup, seafood, mango sticky rice, chicken on a stick with peanut sauce, soy sauce flavored ice cream, dumplings, alcohol, and so much more. It was a really fun group with a great tour guide, and the entire tour lasted 4-5 hours. By the end, we were all very full and satisfied!
This was our final activity while in Bangkok. The next morning, we flew off to our final destination in Thailand: the beach town of Krabi. Stayed for Part 3 to hear about the final portion of the trip!
This past February, I took a trip to Thailand for my honeymoon. It was my first major international trip, and just my second overall after a brief trip to the Caribbean last year. The entire trip was nearly three weeks, and overall it was a blast. I was able to experience so many new things and a different way of life, and it gave me a different perspective on other parts of the world. Below is my recap of the trip.
One of the few downsides of this trip was the amount of travel required. We started off with a 16-hour flight to Seoul, South Korea, before getting on a 6-hour flight to Thailand after a brief layover. It was essentially 24 hours from Boston to Chiang Mai, but Thailand is also 12 hours ahead, so it was really a day and a half. We left on a Thursday morning and arrived Friday evening local time. Although the flights were long, they weren’t quite as bad as I thought they might be because the planes are bigger than I am used to. We took Korean Air and so we enjoyed Korean meals as well. After landing at the airport in Chiang Mai, we got a ride to our hotel and crashed for the night. It was a little boutique hotel, so nothing fancy, but everyone there was very nice, and I enjoyed the elephant theme throughout. Even when there was an incident involving nearby construction hitting a pipe which caused the water at the hotel to be out for several hours, the hotel was very apologetic and offered us free drinks. It would be one of the themes of this trip no matter where I was in Thailand – the people are generally very kind and welcoming, which definitely elevated the experience.
Another theme of the trip, especially in Northern Thailand, was the temples. Buddhism and temples are a key aspect of Thai culture, and so on our first full day there, we walked around and visited several of the temples. I was very impressed with how intricate and detailed all of the designs were, both on the inside and outside. It was interesting to see something so different than anything I’ve encountered in the U.S. Some of the temples were bigger and fancier than others, and some we had to pay for while some were free. There was also a dress code, and we were not allowed to wear shoes, hats, or shorts in the temples. It was my first true test of the Thailand heat as well. The temperature there at the time was consistently in the 90s and humid, or should I say 30s and humid. I frequently had to do different conversions whether it was Fahrenheit and Celsius, pounds and kilograms, miles and kilometers, or baht and dollars. The time zone was easy because it was a straight 12-hour difference, so home was just the opposite. I was very surprised at how cheap things were. The ratio from Baht to Dollar is 36 to 1, and it did not take much Baht to buy most things. Water there was free most of the time, even bottled, which was very nice because I had to drink an enormous amount to survive the heat.
After visiting the temples, our next stop was the Arts and Culture Museum. It was interesting to see the history of a place that I had very little prior knowledge of. I was able to learn about how Chiang Mai was under the rule of different countries at different points in time, and how it became what it is today. It made me realize that I had never really learned Asian history of any kind growing up in school, and how it’s such a different world there than the Americas and Europe. I also enjoyed the air conditioning after sweating it out at the temples. This was our last main event of the day.
The main event for Day 2 was a full day excursion called Elephant Highlands. As an animal lover, I was particularly excited for this one and it did not disappoint. We started out the day by cutting up watermelon to feed the elephants. There were two big ones and one baby, and they all enjoyed grabbing the watermelon slices with their trunks to eat – rind and all! We then got to walk alongside them as they journeyed around the mountain to their next destination. This time we were feeding them bananas, and just like the watermelon, they ate the entire thing! We also had to be careful and pay attention, because despite their size, elephants are very quiet due to their padded feet. They would sometimes be right behind you, and you wouldn’t even know. We then headed to our next destination and took a break for lunch. The food was very delicious and there were plenty of options, much better than any sort of brown bag lunch that you would get on an American tour. After lunch, we walked with the elephants to an open field where we hung out and took pictures while they walked around and ate. Once they were done eating, they went into the water, and we got the opportunity to give them a bath by tossing buckets of water on them. The last activity was making coconut rice balls as a snack to help the elephants get their nutrients. Overall, it was an awesome experience, and the elephants were really fun.
We ended the day by visiting the night market in Chiang Mai. The night market is an absolutely massive flea market that had tons of vendors selling everything from food to jewelry to clothing and more. One unique aspect of this type of market in Thailand is that haggling is a common practice. It is often expected that you negotiate the price. I did not feel comfortable doing that because I had no sense of what a “fair” price would be, and everything was already so cheap to begin with. I did get myself a nice belt and as well as some delicious meat on a stick, so it was a good experience overall.
Day 3 began with a hike in the woods up to another temple. The heat made the hike extremely difficult, so it wasn’t one of my favorite parts of the trip, but there were some great views of the scenery at the top, and it was cool to see the temple in the woods. After the hike, we stopped at a coffee shop for a snack before heading back to the hotel.
The second half of the day was spent at Grandma’s Cooking School where we participated in a Thai cooking class. It was a really great experience. We started by getting a tour of the actual gardens where the ingredients that we would be using were grown. The tour guide gave us some information about each ingredient before letting us taste them raw. We got to try things like pepper, basil, and lemongrass. We then went into the main building where each of us has a spot to cook with all of the necessary items. Before we started cooking, we got to choose a drink. I ordered a butterfly pea flower tea, which was tasty and refreshing. We then made our first course which was the soup. I made chicken coconut soup which was delicious. The coconut milk made for a nice creamy flavor along with the chicken. Our second course was the curry, and I made chicken Kao soi. This was chicken with noodles and was very tasty. After that, I made chicken Pad Thai, and just like every prior course, it was amazing. We made so much food throughout this course that I was way too full to finish it all. Lastly, we ended by making dessert: mango sticky rice. This is one of, if not the most, popular desserts in all of Thailand. I do like mango, but rice for dessert was a little bit strange. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience. The hosts were very knowledgeable and friendly, and even gave us the ability to customize certain aspects of our food such as spiciness or sweetness. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone visiting Thailand.
This was our last night in Chiang Mai. Although I definitely had culture shock early on, I did end up having a great experience here and would strongly recommend anyone visiting Thailand to consider staying in Chiang Mai. The next morning, we headed towards the northeast corner of Thailand where the province of Chaing Rai was. We arranged to have a driver for the full day, because it was a 3–4-hour drive and we wanted to stop at several places along the way. It ended up working out really well, and even though the driver didn’t speak English, technology like Facebook messenger in this case really helps you to translate quickly if you’re having a hard time communicating.
The first two stops were the White and Blue temples. The White Temple, formally known as Wat Rong Khun, is an unconventional Buddhist temple designed and built in the late 20th century. The entire temple compound is decorated in a distinctive white color, using white plaster molded into intricate designs incorporating elements of Buddhist and Hindu mythology. For example, one area had a section where human hands were reaching out from the ground to represent human pain and suffering. We only spent a brief amount of time inside the temple because of how crowded it was, but it was impressive to walk through and see all of the intricate detail. It was also an entire campus, so there were other buildings and structures to explore as well. We probably spent about an hour or two here before heading to the Blue temple. The Blue temple, formally known as Wat Rong Seua Ten, is a Buddhist temple known for its distinctive bright azure blue color scheme covering the main temple buildings and grounds. The inside has all sorts of blue themed mosaics and paintings that make for a really vibrant viewing experience. This one was much smaller and less popular than the White temple, but I would still recommend checking it out. We only spent about a half hour here before heading to our last destination of the day.
The Tham Luang cave is a site that was not commonly recommended as an activity for tourists in Thailand, but that I had a lot of interest in because of the infamous cave rescue story that happened here six years ago. In June 2018, twelve soccer players and the assistant coach explored the cave after practice one day and were trapped after a flash monsoon flooded the cave to the point where it was impossible to get out. After an international search and rescue effort that lasted 17 days, every single person in the cave was rescued after divers gave them anesthesia and swam them out one by one. It was truly a remarkable story, so I wanted to go check out the cave itself. It was very far off the beaten path, since we had to take a couple different rides to the national park where the cave was after arriving in the main parking lot. The cave is located in a national park with other caves, but this was the only one I really cared about. As we headed into the cave, there were various artifacts and displays from the rescue that took place, including bikes and diver gear. We were allowed to travel through the cave for about 10 minutes before it was closed off, but it was still cool to explore and the see the maps of where we were in relation to where the soccer team got stuck. It was also very humid in the cave, but it was a cool experience overall. After leaving the actual cave, there was a miniature cave replica that we could walk through with exhibits and action figures depicting the key events. Lastly, there was building with some more displays including all of the front-page news articles about the rescue. After the cave, we headed to our hotel.
We stayed at the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort in Chiang Rai, a luxury hotel themed all around elephants. I learned that the Golden Triangle is a reference to the intersection of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. Upon arriving, we were greeted with a person playing drums and necklaces with elephants’ beads as we were introduced to the resort. It was by far the most luxurious (and most expensive) place I had ever stayed at. Everything from the room to the dining area to the pool was very nice, and the pool even had a view out over the grasslands where you could see the elephants. After we settled in, we got dinner and Thai massages. The massage was a very enjoyable experience. It came complimentary with our hotel package, and the women were very nice and allowed you to customize the experience as much as possible to keep you comfortable. It was about an hour and I left feeling very relaxed. That was our last main activity of the day.
The next day began with more elephants! This time we did an excursion called Walking with Giants, where we followed the elephants throughout their morning routine. We got to wear what the elephant keepers wear to make it an authentic experience. The elephants once again did not disappoint. It was very fun walking alongside them, and although we didn’t feed them this time, the experience was still plenty entertaining. There was a baby elephant who had a nanny, and at one point the baby went to the water and started whining, prompting the nanny to “run” as fast as she could to make sure the baby was ok. Then all of the elephants went into the water, which is actually a river that separates Thailand from Myanmar. The Thai elephant keepers don’t like when the elephants go onto land on the other side, but once the elephants crossed all they could do was wait for them to come back. We ended the day posing with all three of them at a designated spot. It was a really fun experience, and the guides were fantastic as well.
After the elephants, we visited the House of Opium Museum. I didn’t know much about the history of opium and its significance in the region, so it was really interesting to learn about it. Some rooms had videos, some had artifacts, and one section even had a wall of famous people that had died from opiates. What I found fascinating is that in small quantities, opium was used for medicine, and it was actually a really positive thing, but obviously too much can get you addicted and cause serious problems. There is such a fine line between the two. There were also the opium wars where Britain/India wiped out China to take all of their opium and start a war in the region. Overall, the experience at the museum was fun and informative, and afterwards we went back to the hotel to get ready for our Jungle Bubble experience.
The jungle bubble was one of the most unique and crazy experiences I’ve been on, and definitely a top 3 highlight of the entire trip. We were picked up at our hotel in the early evening and drove about ten minutes out to the bubbles. There was another couple because the bubbles were set up back-to-back, but there was a large barrier in between so you couldn’t see the other side. The bubble is made of plastic and is situated on top of a platform that had tables and chairs for hanging out and eating. The elephants were alongside the bubbles, contained to an area where they could get very close, but not inside, the area we were at. We had put in a dinner order ahead of time, so when the staff arrived with the food, we sat at our table outside to enjoy. The elephants were also eating alongside with us! The food was traditional Thai and very delicious – curry, Koh sui, vegetables, fruit, and drinks as well. Once it got dark, we went inside our bubble for the night. The bubble was sort of shaped like a lightbulb, and the bottom tube section of the lightbulb was how we entered. We had to make sure one door closed before the door to the main bubble opened, otherwise it might deflate. Inside the bubble was really nice as well. It had air conditioning, Wi-Fi, a bathroom and shower, and plenty of electrical outlets. Because the bubble was transparent, when it got dark, we got a great view of the stars. It was also really cool to wake up in the morning and see elephants roaming around while still in bed. We finally headed back to the hotel in the early morning to get ready for check out and our next destination.
To hear about how our visits to Bangkok, Krabi, and Dubai went, make sure to check out Part 2!
The 2023-24 college football season has come down to the final two teams in the field, with #1 Michigan Wolverines facing off against #2 Washington Huskies. Michigan entered the season ranked #2 in the country behind only two time defending champion Georgia Bulldogs. The Wolverines proceeded to sweep the regular season, including an easy win over rival Ohio State, before winning the Big 10 championship and entering the College Football Playoff as the #1 seed. They faced off against #4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl and pulled off a thrilling comeback by winning in overtime. Despite being a top 10 preseason team with one of the best quarterbacks in the country, Washington surprised everyone by making it this far. Like Michigan, they also had an undefeated regular season and won their conference championship, including two wins over a Top 10 Oregon team. They entered the College Football Playoff as the #2 seed and took down #3 Texas in a thrilling game at the Sugar Bowl. Below is my preview and prediction for this year’s CFP National Championship.
Monday, January 8th @ 7:30 PM: #2 Washington Huskies @ #1 Michigan Wolverines (-4.5) O/U 56.5
I think Michigan is probably the most well rounded team in the country. They have veteran stars on offense such as QB J.J. McCarthy and RB Blake Corum, and their defense is a force to be reckoned with after unloading on Alabama’s offensive line with 6 sacks on Jalen Milroe in the semifinal. They are also making their third straight CFP appearance and coach Jim Harbaugh is one of the best in the country. If Michigan can get out in front early, they’ll have a huge advantage if they can establish Blake Corum in the run game and control the tempo to keep Washington’s offense off the field. The Huskies have no problem putting up points, with Heisman runner-up Michael Penix Jr. being one of the most dynamic QBs in the country. The question for Washington is whether they have enough defense to keep them in the game, because this game won’t be a shootout with Michigan’s defense on the other side. I do think many people are going to underestimate Washington simply because they are from the Pac 12 and not a traditional powerhouse like Michigan, but this game will be closer than people think. Washington covers the 4.5 point spread but Michigan wins the national championship 31-27.
Let me know your thoughts and predictions in the comments down below.
This past November my wife and I went on vacation to Grand Cayman island for five days and four nights. It was my first trip outside of the United States. The farthest I had previously traveled was San Diego, California. I acquired my passport a few months earlier, and that was the first difference I noticed about international flying. I had of course known I would need a passport, but what I thought was interesting is that on the plane they handed out these forms to fill out that asked you all sorts of questions about the trip. These forms were never really used again so I’m not entirely sure what the point was. Overall, the customs process was not too bad, but it isn’t the most friendly to new international flyers because it was just expected you knew what to do. At one point my picture was being taken and I had no idea why (it was a self-service kiosk).
The flight was about 5 hours or so and we didn’t leave the time zone, so up to this point things didn’t feel too different. The weather was a little bit different, because although it felt like a warm Florida day, there was so little variance in the temperature because Grand Cayman island is closer to the Equator. It was essentially high of 86 low of 82 every day, so even at night it was warm and humid. We went to the beach every day and it was the warmest water I’ve ever been in. The language was not different because everyone spoke English, but the currency was different from the U.S. The Cayman dollar is pegged at 1.25 times the U.S. dollar, so even though it was different currency, the conversion was straightforward, and many places listed both prices. Unlike the U.S., tipping at places like restaurants is not as common or expected. Most places will tack on a 15% service fee but then there is no additional tip. The number one strangest thing to me was that people there drive on the other side of the road. It was very strange being on the left side, and it got even more confusing with multilane rotaries and different colored lines on the road.
While we stayed there, we did a couple of really fun excursions. The first was to Cayman Crystal Caves, a tour of actual caves that only recently formed within the past decade. It was really cool seeing all of the different formations that formed throughout the caves. There were even a whole group of bats living on the ceiling! We were able to see three of the caves, but more are being formed/renovated as we speak. The second excursion was a multi-part affair that included snorkeling, sting rays, and starfish. We sailed out toward stingray city, and stopped to snorkel around coral reefs where we could see many different fish swimming around. The second stop at Stingray City was cool because we were able to pet and feed the stingrays because they were very friendly. We ended at Starfish Point where we were able to hold and pet starfish as well. Overall, both excursions were really fun.
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Overall, it was a fun trip but the experience wasn’t too different than what I’m used to here in the U.S. I would go back to the Caribbean islands again for a similar amount of time. The next international trip will likely be to Asia so that experience will be substantially different and require a much longer blog. Stay tuned….
After a disappointing 2022 season in which the Red Sox finished 78-84 and finished last in the A.L. East, a new season with new opportunities will begin on March 30th at Fenway Park against the Baltimore Orioles. Below is my preview and prediction for the 2023 Boston Red Sox.
The Offseason
The Red Sox offseason was nothing too inspiring, with the biggest blow being the loss of Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres in free agency on an 11 year $280M deal. They also lost outfielder J.D. Martinez to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In order to help fill the void, Boston signed veterans Adam Duvall and Justin Turner to the team. Duvall has power but is 34 and coming off an injury, and has only reached 30 HR once since 2017. Justin Turner has been a staple of the Dodgers infield over the last several years and a champion in 2020, but is now heading into his 38 year old season. However, there is one reason to be excited about the lineup this year: the signing of Japanese star Masataka Yoshida, who dominated the Japanese league by winning two of the last three batting titles and finishing second last year. One Red Sox scout said he could be the best pure hitter since Ichiro. Teamed up with Rafael Devers, who the Red Sox locked up with a 11 year $331M extension this offseason, the Red Sox have a great one two punch. On the pitching front, the Red Sox boosted their bullpen with veteran Kenley Jansen, and also added veteran former CY Young winner Corey Kluber, who will start opening day.
2018 first round pick Triston Casas made his debut last September and is set to lead off the Red Sox lineup to start the 2023 season. There will be high expectations for him as a first round pick, but the Red Sox also have rising star Bobby Dalbec who can play first base as well. Devers and Yoshida will be expected to produce from the middle of the lineup, along with Trevor Story who hopes to return from elbow injury this season and bounce back from a lackluster 2022. Reese McGuire and Connor Wong will likely split time behind the plate, and Kike Hernandez is expected to move to the infield with the absence of Bogaerts and Story and the addition of Duvall to the outfield. Overall, the Red Sox could be one of the better offensive teams this year, but Yoshida will have to live up to expectations and the other veterans will need to help produce as well.
The Rotation
1) Chris Sale
2)Â Corey Kluber
3) Nick Pivetta
4) Garrett Whitlock
5)Â Brayan Bello
The Red Sox starting rotation is far from inspiring, but there is some reason for optimism is Chris Sale can return to Cy Young form. Sale has been dealing with injuries for most of the past few years, but his hoping to come back strong this season. However, beyond Sale the Sox don’t have much to be excited about. They signed 37 year old Corey Kluber who is clearly past his prime, moved Whitlock to the starting rotation which takes a weapon out of the bullpen, and Brayan Bello was mediocre as both a starter and reliever last year. Nick Pivetta has never had a season with under a 4.5 ERA. The Red Sox are likely giving a TON of runs this year if they don’t make any more improvements to the pitching.
The Prediction
I think the Red Sox will improve off of last season, but are still not a realistic contender this year. They make a run at a wild card spot, and could always bolster the roster at the the trade deadline, but I think they are also in rebuilding mode to some extent. The team will go 84-78 but miss the playoffs.
Let me know your thoughts and predictions in the comments down below.
The final two teams standing this NFL season will head down to Glendale, Arizona to battle it out for a chance at this year’s Super Bowl title. The AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs face off against the NFC Champion Philadephia Eagles. Both teams will be seeking their second title within the last five years. Philadelphia won Super Bowl LII in the 2017 season and Kansas City won Super Bowl LIV in the 2019 season. Below is my preview and predictions for Super Bowl LVII.
Sunday, February 12th @ 6:30 PM: #1 Kansas City Chiefs vs #1 Philadelphia Eagles (-1.5)
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are back in the Super Bowl for the third time in four seasons, having won Super Bowl LIV and lost Super Bowl LV. Kansas City did not miss a beat this year after losing #1 receiver Tyreek Hill, but a large part of that was the performance of Travis Kelce, who was among the league leaders in touchdown catches this year. Kelce is the key to the Chiefs passing attack and the biggest X factor in this game, in my opinion. Another key player on the Chiefs offense is Isaiah Pacheco, whose strong running game has helped to open up Kansas City’s offense through play action. Kansas City’s defense has also held its own this year, behind another strong season from Chris Jones. A key storyline in this year’s Super Bowl is former Eagles head coach Andy Reid facing his former team. Reid took Philly to Super Bowl XXXIX but lost to the New England Patriots. This will also be the first time two brothers – Travis Kelce on KC and Jason Kelce on PHI – will face each other in the Super Bowl.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts may not have any Super Bowl experience, but he has plenty of championship experience from his college days with Alabama, so he certainly isn’t new to the big stage. The same goes for wide receiver Devonta Smith, will try to become the fourth player to win a Heisman Trophy, College National Championship, and Super Bowl. Several of the players on the Eagles also have experience from their championship in 2017. Jalen Hurts played like an MVP candidate this year, and one of the biggest reasons why was the trade that brought over wide receiver A.J. Brown from Tennessee, who had nearly 1500 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns this year. The running game for Philly was also strong behind lead back Miles Sanders who was Top 5 in rushing yards this year, and Hurts rushed for 13 TDs himself (T-2 for all players in the NFL). On the other side of a well-rounded offense is a dominant defense. The Eagles had 70 sacks this year led by Hassan Reddick, who was second in the NFL with 16 sacks. In the secondary, C.J. Gardner-Johnson led the way with 6 interceptions, tied for the NFL lead. Head coach Nick Sirianni is only in his second year as a head coach, but will have his team ready to play like he has all year.
With arguably the two best offenses in the NFL, I think this is going to end up being a high scoring game with both offenses making big plays. It may very well come down who makes a key defensive stop. Both teams went 14-3 with the #1 seed in their respective conferences, so I think it is going to hard fought highly competitive game where the stars will shine. At the end of the day, I give Kansas City a slight edge because they fought the harder schedule this year, including the playoffs, and have more recent Super Bowl experience. The Chiefs win 27-24 and Travis Kelce wins MVP.
Let me know your thoughts and predictions in the comments down below.
This past year felt like a return to normalcy for the most part after the coronavirus disrupted the majority of 2020 and 2021. COVID-19 is still very much an issue and the pandemic lives on into 2023, but by the time we hit the summer of 2022 virtually all mask and vaccine mandates were gone, and things seemed much closer to a pre-pandemic normal. My company returned to office in April, and although the in office rate will never be like it was pre-pandemic, it has been nice having the in person component of work as an option. I turned 30 years old this year as well.
One of the biggest highlights of 2022 for me was the Celtics mid-season turnaround and run to the NBA Finals. After being below .500 in January, the Celtics were the best team in the NBA for the final 3 months of the season and made it all the way to Game 6 of the Finals before losing to the Warriors. After some offseason drama over the summer, the Celtics picked up right where they left off and ended the calendar year as the best team in the NBA record-wise. Another big highlight of my life was getting engaged in May, and I look forward to getting married in 2023! My big vacation this year was in Sedona, Arizona, which was a blast as well. Work wise, things were very busy as our company transitions to a new pharmacy benefit manager, but I’m feeling as confident as ever in my role.
Unfortunately, 2022 did bring some hardship as well as joy. I finally got COVID in May, which knocked me out for a couple of days. I also lost both my grandparents on my mothers’ side – RIP Grandma and Papa – as well as my longtime pet hedgehog Harry. Overall, I am optimistic about the future and looking forward to a great 2023!
The 2022-23 college football season has come down to the final two teams in the field, each with a very different journey to get to this point. The Georgia Bulldogs enter this game undefeated as the #1 team in the country and defending national champions. All season long, Georgia has been dominant and picked up right where they left off last year. They won the SEC championship over LSU to clinch a spot in the CFP, and defeated C.J. Stroud and the high-flying Ohio State Buckeyes in the national semifinal at the Peach Bowl. On the other hand, TCU started the season as 200/1 underdogs to win the championship. They were unranked to start the season and largely ignored as a serious threat until the final weeks. They did lose to Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship, but their resume was good enough to still get them into the CFP. They proceeded to then shock the Michigan Wolverines in the Fiesta Bowl to reach the championship. Below is my preview and prediction for this year’s CFP National Championship.
The Georgia Bulldogs and TCU Horned Frogs will clash on Monday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California for a shot at the 2023 CFP National Championship title. I think this game is going to be determined by the quarterbacks and end up being a shootout. Stetson Bennett threw for 3823 yards, 23 TD and 7 INT on the season, and threw for nearly 400 yards and 3 TDs against OSU in the semifinal. He was a key factor in Georgia’s championship performance last year, and will have to step up again this year to get the Bulldogs back to the promised land. Max Duggan threw for 3546 yards, 32 TD, and 6 INT on the season and is a major reason for TCU’s unexpected success. He will have to solve the tough Georgia defense in order to keep TCU in this game. The Horned Frogs are nearly two touchdown underdogs, and severely outmatched on paper, but I think they are going to end up keeping this game much closer than people expect. They have been underdogs the entire year, so this game will be nothing new. If they can get off to a good start, I think this will be a close game. If they fall behind early, it may get ugly. Georgia has the advantage of championship experience, but they were a missed FG away from losing to #4 Ohio State, so they are vulnerable. Of course, Duggan isn’t quite C.J. Stroud, but he has shown he is capable of playing at that level. I think Georgia wins a close shootout, 42-37, and repeats as national champions.
Let me know your thoughts and predictions in the comments down below.
Pierro's Perspective 