When I received a call asking if I wanted to join a “meet and greet” dinner with a famous travel blogger, I said YES immediately. Who would want to pass a dinner invite at Shayan, Al Ghurair Rotana? Haha! No, seriously, I did not want to pass the chance to meet Mr. Travel Blogger.
“Wait. Who is your guest?”
“Ah, It’s Michael Hodson, a famous travel blogger and he is in town…”
Me, googling the name… Oh yes. Mr. Michael Hodson of Go, See, Write 😀 [Obviously, I did not know what I was getting in to]
I was meeting Sandier Pastures at that time so that worked out well. We were supposed to discuss a “project” that we have been planning for some time now but we didn’t want to pass this opportunity. I did not know what to expect so I mentally listed my questions for Mr. Hodson.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to ask my questions because somebody else beat me to it. LOL! Apparently we all wanted to know how he started, how he finances his travels, where is his favorite destination …
So I just sat there nibbling on my food, listening. I could have been staring because at some point he asked me a question … “So, Sheila, What do you do? What do you write about?”
I fumbled for words, half chewing – half talking. I didn’t really know what to say. I think I said I was Sandier Pastures‘ forever sidekick. LOL!!
Let me pause for a bit and say something about dinner. It was awesome! I haven’t tried Persian food before and this was a treat. Every course, a very knowledgeable staff would explain what is being served and suggests how to eat it, like if it goes well with bread or better with rice …
Back to Michael.
He was a practicing lawyer before he decided to go around the world without leaving the ground in 2008 (read: no airplanes). He started his blog Go See Write to update every one of his whereabouts and to document his experiences because he wanted to write a book about it. His trip was a success that when he returned home, he planned his next destination immediately.
It was fun listening to his stories. You could really see that he enjoys what he is doing because even if he was telling this story that they had to drink yellow water — water so nasty that they had to put whatever flavoring they had just to make it bearable — there was still a twinkle in his eyes.
We all should have that one experience that we will share at the dinner table over and over. In his case, he had plenty to share!
The night had to end and I had a renewed urge to pack and leave. Where to? I have no idea yet! Haha!
Safe travels, Michael and hope to see you again soon. Hopefully in one of your talks about “going mobile“. 😀
Hey there! I’m a mom of two who loves to crochet. Balancing work and motherhood is crazy, but I handle it with love and humor. With my eldest entering her tween years, the chaos just got a whole lot more interesting!
I’m fueled by coffee and dream of working from home. When I need to chill, I turn to my trusty essential oils. They’re my secret weapon for staying sane in the madness.
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Holy guacamole!!!!!!! You met him! I received an invite too and I was sooooooooooooooooooooo pissed that I wasn’t there in Dubai at the time. 🙁
Holy guacamole indeed!! It was kinda last minute and I’m so glad I went! Kaloka. Sarap mag empake agad agad!
Such a fun night. Thank you so much for these kind words. So nice of you!
It was fun listening to your stories…would love to do something like that someday. 😀