Exploring Jodhpur, the beautiful Blue City

From getting lost down dead ends while wandering the winding streets to spending hours exploring the fort that towers over the entire city, Jodhpur, Rajasthan’s second largest city, is one of those places you can fall in love with at first site, and we did.

Mehrangarh Fort

This impressive fort is the largest in all of India. It is also the defining feature of the Jodhpur skyline. It was built in 1460 and remains one of the finest examples of Rajasthani architecture.

The Blue City from Above

A quick hike up to the Mehrangarh Fort and you get to appreciate the city of Jodhpur from above. The blue houses are striking from all angles up here. It’s intoxicating to see such a beautiful site.

The City up Close

Many theories from religious reasons like honoring the god Shiva to practical reason like beating the summer heat, it is still a mystery as to why the city is painted blue.

Stepwell

One of Kevin’s favorite spots in Jodhpur was the Toorji Ka Jhalara Stepwell. It is an engineering marvel full of character from around the 6th century. We spent a lot of time relaxing around this area because their is a fantastic cafe called, you guessed it, the Stepwell Cafe. The perfect place to grab a beer and enjoy the rooftop views of the city.

Jaswant Thada Mausoleum

Built in 1899, to honor Maharaja Jaswant Singh II, this tomb is a great place to sit and relax with the locals. The mausoleum is carved out of white marble. I havebeautifully carved lattice screens, perfectly manicured gardens, and a portrait gallery inside of the former Rantore rulers of Jodhpur.

Umaid Bhawan Palace

This is considered the last great palace built in India. It was build in 1944 and is still home to the royal family of Jodhpur as well as a high end hotel. We were able to tour a very small part of the palace featuring a history of the Maharaja Royal Family, vintage clock collection, and vintage car collection.

Clock Tower and Old City Markets

The hustle and bustle of the old town is in the market and around the clock tower. Their of many vendors selling everything from fruits and vegetables to trinkets and clothing. There are also a number of antique shops around the square with a lot of fantastic finds.

Visiting the Locals

One day we took a trip out to visit the various tribes around Jodhpur. A few of the places we visited were a potters house to made potter, a rug weaver to see how flat weaves are made, a textile factory to watch the women hand embroider fabrics, and a local man making opium water (we did not try it). It was so fascinating to get to meet and interact with the locals and get a better understanding about what rural life is like in India.

Mandore Gardens

On the outskirts of town is a great garden filled with locals playing games, going for a stroll, and having picnics. It was such a local feel walking around and being the only non-Indian in site. Throughout the gardens are ruins of old temples. Too bad they are not properly maintained, it could be a much more beautiful site to see.

Most of the blogs and guidebooks recommended to spend only a day in Jodhpur. We are so glad we didn’t listen to them and spent three full days getting to know Jodhpur on a more personal level. It turned out to be our favorite city in all of India.

We are two en route for more love at first sight cities.

25 of Our Favorite Great Barrier Reef Photos

One of the natural wonders of the world is the Great Barrier Reef. This 2400-kilometer (1400 mile) beauty stretched from Australia’s east coast to the southern coast of Papua New Guinea. It has some of the most diverse and unique sea life in the world. It comes as no surprise that feasting our eyes on this natural wonder was on our “must see list” before we took off on our world tour. Armed with our GoPro Hero+ (classic), we dove in and explored the reef. Here are 25 of our favorite photos.

Loved this guy. He was so cool. Reminds us of Little Shop of Horrors.

These coral moved with the currents. So memorizing!

Free diving through these big caves in the reef was super cool

Another great school of fish in one of the reef caverns

The boat, the Ocean, the Great Barrier Reef... we couldn't have asked for anything else. — The boat, the Ocean, the Great Barrier Reef… we couldn’t have asked for anything else.

We are two en route for more photo fun

Traveling with my “best friend”

Through the perspective of Kevin

Seesaw fun at Hobbiton in New Zealand, 2016

Brad and I are traveling to Marrakech, Morocco today and I am a bag of mixed emotions. The fact that we are going to Africa for the first time is a dream of mine. I can not wait to see the markets, mosques, and overall culture for Morocco. The food excites me. The weather excites me. The prospect of riding on a camel in the desert excites me. It’s hard to put into words how much I am looking forward to this so here is a picture to emote my feeling of elation.

Having a great time in Tokyo, Japan. 2014

I can’t help but feel a little saddened that Brad and I will not be traveling as husbands. Starting in Morocco and following us for a lot of the next part of our journey around the world, Brad and I will have to travel as “best friends.” We have had to do this in the past when visiting countries where it was not legal to be gay. In some parts of the world if we traveled as husbands we could be arrested or persecuted because of this. However, we have to respect the laws and customs of the places we visit and adjust ourselves accordingly.

We are not a very PDA (public display of affection) couple to begin with, however, we have had to practice reeling in all of the little things that could be an easy give away. Anything from simply saying a quick “love you,” “hey babe,” or “muah” to gestures like a light touch on the back, talking with my hands, or having a fun moment when playing chess in the park.

This is a reminder to all of our LGBTQ friends and straight allies that in the world today, we are not all equal. We are still persecuted by people who hate us because of who we love. We are still told by some friends, family, politicians and religion that they do not accept us because of who we love. We are reminded everyday that we have to take precautions and be careful.

Copenhagen, Denmark. 2016 pride celebration

I am so thankful that Brad and I are getting to travel and experience the world together even in parts of the world that do not accept parts of who we are. I am lucky enough to have a best friend like Brad to travel the world with. I am hopeful that one day being gay will not have to be something to hide. With that being said, as with anywhere we travel to in the world, we will continue to be safe, respect the laws and customs of the country, and soak in every moment of the journey!

5 Ways We Prevent Homesickness

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One of the fears of being abroad for a year is coming down with a bad case of homesickness. Prior to us leaving for our world tour we had not spent much more than 2-weeks away from home at one time, which really isn’t enough time to get homesick. However, when Kevin was 15 he spent a month in Germany visiting family and remembered at about week three he started to miss home. Well, lucky for us we surpassed three weeks and now start our third month homesick free. Here are five things we find ourselves doing often that we believe are preventing us from catching the homesick bug.

1. Texting

Before we left our home in Dallas, we changed our cell phone plans to Google Fi which offers free texting in over 130 countries around the world. It’s great not worrying about being charged every time we want to send a text to loved ones. It is the quickest and easiest way for us to connect. We just have to remember which time zone we are in.

2. Video & Voice Chats

Sometimes texting doesn’t cut it and we turn to Skype. Skype allows us to have voice and video calls for free over WiFi and allows for a good excuse to stop for a cup of coffee when we see a “free WiFi” sign in the window. There is nothing like hearing Mom and Dad’s voice or laughing with a friend. Skype has become essential for scheduling video dates with our friends and family.

3. Social Media

We do not know about you, but sometimes we love taking some time to scroll through social media. Whether it is Facebook stocking our besties or mindlessly reading news articles of what is happening back home, social media has kept home connected to us and us to home, so keep sharing photos of your lunch, we enjoy seeing it.

4. Meeting Friends Along the Way

While texting, talking, and video chatting with friends and family is good prevention for homesickness, there is no better cure than a hug from one of them in person. Being travel bugs ourselves it is only natural that we have other travel loving buddies. Along the way it has been nice to meet up with friends from back home and make new memories together abroad.

5. Each Other

We decided to take this trip together. Not only is this a trip to see the world, it is a journey of discovery. We will have our moments of happiness and joy, we will have our moments of fear and frustration, and we will have our moments of relaxation and quiet. Whatever those moments may be we must always remember that as long as we have each other we are home. To us, this is the most important prevention to homesickness. Home is where we are when we are together, regardless of where that might be.

We are two en route for a homesick free journey

Our Copenhagen Pride featured on Brazilian Blog!

We are so honored to share our experience at Copenhagen Pride with Brazil’s number one gay travel blog, Viaja Bi! Click here to read all about our fun time!

Here is a link to the English google translated version for those of you, like us, who can’t speak Portuguese.

How We Balance Down Time and Tourism

Have you ever felt more tired after a vacation? We sure have!

Being on the road we are constantly in new places with new sights to see and it is easy to fall into the habit of constantly go-go-going. We have found that it is important to balance the continual urge to see it all with the need for down time. Much like being at home, we sometimes need breaks during the day, relaxing evening, a good night sleep, and “weekends” to unwind from a week of doing.

Relaxing on the Black Sand Beach, Vík, Iclenad, 2016

We have learned how significant regular breaks during the day can be. Not only do we get to rest our feet, but we get to rest our minds. An easy way for us to do this is to find a café, have a cup of coffee, and people watch. Sitting in silence and letting our mind slow down gives us a second wind for more sight-seeing.

Every night cannot be a night on the town. Sometimes the best remedy for a long day is a relaxing evening. Dive into a good book, relax in a park, binge watch a tv show, or even nodding off into an early sleep.

Kevin relaxing while listening to a good book. Ålä, Sweden, 2016

Another way we have learned to balance our downtime with our tourism is by allowing ourselves to not set wakeup alarms and simply sleeping in. Before traveling the world, we always heard how not getting enough sleep can effect many aspects of your life and it is very true. A good night’s sleep is essential for a good day of sight-seeing.

Seeing the sights after a good night sleep. Iceland, 2016

Too many consecutive days of being on the go can lead to getting burnt out. After a few weeks of not having a day off from traveling and sight seeing it was time for us to take a weekend. Two consecutive days of hanging around with nothing planned was pure bliss. It reinvigorated us. From that point on we decided that allowing ourselves to have weekends was one of the most important ways of balancing downtime with our tourism.

Enjoying a weekend with nothing planned. Copenhagen, Denmark

We had to let go of being on a schedule to see everything, rather, experience the place we are visiting. A good way to do this is to balance being a tourist with simple being someone living on the move.

We are two en route for balanced travel.

Stockholm’s Underground Art Scene

Stockholm claims the title “Capital of Scandinavia.” It is the largest city with some of the most beautiful architecture and has an extensive collection of galleried art. However, did you know some of the most fascinating art can be found underground? You literally have to go under the city and into the subways to find it.

On our first trip into the subway, when we arrived into Stockholm, we noticed something was different. The walls were alive with interest. From that moment, we decided to do a little research and found out that 90% of Stockholm’s subway stations host some of the coolest and most unique works of art. A few days into our stay we decided to hop from station to station to feast our eyes on more. Here are a few of our favorites. Enjoy!