2018 was one for the record books! It was my GOLDEN birth year (just made this up) as I turned 30 on the 18th of November in 2018! The year started out slow as I got strep throat from a jam packed holiday season in 2017… but quickly turned into one of, if not the best, year of my life! After spending the first week of the new year in bed… I kicked off my first flight of 2018 to Pittsburgh, where my dad was born, on my way to Orlando where I spent my first “layover” of the new year under the warm Florida sun! In a matter of no time, I spent many nights away from home in countless cities and countries around the world! I even visited four new countries this year, bringing my total to 32!
One of my highlight domestic layovers was in Baltimore, where I reunited with my best friend from when I lived in Hawaii, who I hadn’t seen in 10 years! I met Sergio when we worked together at Abercrombie & Fitch at the Ala Moana Mall in Honolulu. No, I wasn’t the guy hired to stand in front of the store with his shirt off… but Sergio was and I’ll never forget him trying to teach me how to twist my torso on our nightly runs along Waikiki Beach in my efforts to get a six pack! That is probably the best shape I ever was in!
Originally from New York, Sergio moved to the DC area after spending time in combat with the US Air Force. He drove over to Baltimore to pick me up from my hotel and we had the most incredible dinner at a local seafood restaurant… I can still taste the lobster and crab!
In March, one of my best friend’s who I met in a hostel in Buenos Aires, Argentina back in 2014 during my 3 month South American exploration during the World Cup, invited me to his extravagant wedding in Hanoi, Vietnam! He is from Melbourne, Australia, but moved to Vietnam shortly after our month traveling together, to work for the Australian Embassy in Ho Chi Minh City! There, he met the love of his life and after 3-4 years of dating, tied the Ngoc! (knot, but his wife’s name is pronounced nop) 😉
My experience traveling through Vietnam to celebrate Peter and Ngoc’s wedding was MIND BLOWING! Never had I ever had such an enriched cultural experience and will forever cherish the memories made that will last a lifetime!
Ngoc’s family was beyond hospitable and put me up in one of their family hotels for 10 days, where they fed me home cooked meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (including dog), every single day! Other dishes I was served included but not limited to, snail noodle soup (first breakfast), pigeon head, cow udder, blood pudding, vegetable spring rolls, lots of seafood, beef, duck, and chicken! I was spoiled with tours of the city by the family and even was paraded through town while sitting in a Vietnamese Xich Lo (pronounced Sik-lo) the morning of the wedding day, which is a contemporary practice to feature the “happy days” of marriage couples. “It is exciting, jolly and a strangely unique wedding ceremony to recall the old days of plain and lovely memories. They want to harmonize the dynamism of modern society and the sincere, peaceful life of the old days.”
To give Peter some time with his family once they arrived to Hanoi, I went on a bit of a daring getaway with my British mate, Max, who I happened to have met the day before I had met Peter in our hostel in Buenos Aires. Believe it or not, Max is even more of a ballsy world traveler than I am. He influenced me to take a leap of faith and hop on this rather rickety and doddering bus to set off on a roughly three hour wild ride to Ninh Binh, which is a stunning and exotic town/province southeast of Hanoi and is the place to go if you want to “take the road less traveled” and take in the most unspoilt parts of Vietnam.
Once we made it to Ninh Binh, we had to get off the bus and flag down a taxi to take us to the hotel we booked online. Leave it to us, to book the most secluded and lush bungalow hotel. So of course, our cab driver got miserably lost and what was suppose to be a 10 minute drive, took over an hour! I thought we were being kidnapped, especially when we drove into a dodgy town off the beaten road and then stopped while the driver tried making some phone calls and then had to ask a few locals for directions.
The Emeralda Ninh Binh Resort though was worth the wait as it sits on the edge of the Van Long Nature Reserve, a primeval tropical forest. The drive to the hotel took us through a picturesque landscape of wetlands with caves and hot springs, and the towering mountains of Non Nuoc and Canh Dieu nearby. We only stayed for 24 hours… but hesitantly rented motor bikes for the entire duration of our stay and the next morning rode them across miles and miles of fields and wetlands surrounded by the most astonishing mountains. We rode to Trang An and hopped on a canoe boat where we paddled vigorously through a dozen caves that were dominated by the large limestone karst peaks which create steep vertical cliffs covered in plants. It was a 3 hour boat ride where we stopped at several temples along the way and really enjoyed the serenity of the water and surrounding nature.
Motor biking back to the resort, I never thought we would make it as I left the directions up to Max and he insisted we go off the grid and take random dirt trails through farmland populated by pigs, horses, cows, and… wild dogs! At one point we were clearly lost on prohibited land, which was made clear when a local sent their dogs to attack Max, who was “leading the way”. I quickly tried turning the motor bike around on a narrow path surrounded by ponds on both sides… nearly crashing into the water, but managed to get turned around and take off in the opposite direction. Max somehow managed to escape without getting eaten alive, and we eventually made it back after much uncertainty.
When we eventually made it back to Hanoi alive, we met Peter’s two best friends from Australia and took Peter out on the town for a Bachelor party. It felt too similar to the Hangover II movie that was filmed in Thailand, but we all prevailed and the next morning we all were safe and sound… with no missing teeth or mysterious face tattoos!
The wedding was the most spectacular production I have ever experienced. With over 300 guests in the courtyard of Ngoc’s grandparents hotel, which sits along the Red River, fireworks burst into the air as Peter & Ngoc exchanged vows and said I do! The wedding was not even 100 yards away from the famous Long Biên Bridge that was bombed in the Vietnam War… but to my relief, the grandparents showed no animosity when they were told I was an American and shared photos with me of places they have visited in the USA and told me through a translator that they love the states… at least according to the translator!
On my way home from Vietnam, I stopped in Narita, Japan! I’ve had the luxury of traveling to Narita for work before and am familiar with the city, so I went and meditated at the Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, which was built in the year 940 around its main sacred object of worship, a statue of the Buddhist Fudo Myoo deity. The temple grounds are beyond peaceful and beautiful. It was the perfect way to end the trip of a lifetime!
When I returned to Chicago, I went straight back to work before getting to go home at the beginning of April to celebrate Easter and my grandma’s 87th birthday with the family! Being back home in Long Beach always gives me the chance to recover from my travels and feel refreshed!
Shortly after my visit home, I was called upon to work multiple flights to Shanghai, China that really tested my patience as a flight attendant. It wasn’t until later I found out that my Chinese pronunciation of saying thank you to hundreds of passengers made it sound like I was telling them that I had to pee, which explains all of the strange looks I received in return!
Nonetheless, Shanghai is such a fascinating, chaotic, and bustling city with one of the largest populations in the world. I’ve enjoyed my multiple visits to Shanghai over the past two years, but it seems I won’t be going back for a while since American Airlines is eliminating the Shanghai route from Chicago. Not too disappointed though as those flights are quite long, especially when given only 2 hours notice that is where I’m being assigned to fly to!
The month of May came around quickly, but I was ready to say farewell to the cold winter months in Chicago and bring on the warmth of the sun! Which means it was time for visitor season to begin! After piling up work trips in the beginning of the month, I was excited to welcome my sister Mandy and grandmother, Nana, to town! It was my grandma’s first time really getting to explore the city and see where I live! Although the first night my grandma banged her leg on the end of my bed frame which created a deep wound and would have put most people on crutches… she was the warrior that she is and fought through the pain and found a way to enjoy her visit the best that she could!
We toured the beautiful surrounding parks and visited the “bean”, indulged in mimosas on my rooftop overlooking the city and even hopped in the pool and hot tub! We ate at my favorite brunch spot (Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe), took the train to Wrigleyvilled and walked around Wrigley Field, went to Second City theatre for a late night show, stuffed ourselves with Deep Dish Pizza from my favorite spot Lou Malnati’s, took the elevator in the Hancock Building up 96 floors to the Signature Lounge, went on an architecture boat tour along the Chicago River and really had the best time getting to spend time together in my new home town!
Later in the month, my cousin Krista came to visit, where we partook in similar activities as I did with my grandma and sister, but luckily the Cubs were in town and we got to go to a game to celebrate Krista’s 29th birthday!
Just a few days later, I had a work trip to New Orleans where I got to visit Krista’s sister and my cousin, Kara, along with her almost one year old baby at the time, Trey, and her boyfriend Bo! It was just a quick visit, but always have the best time visiting them, nonetheless! To finish the month, I got a work trip home to Orange County Airport and got to play a game of racquetball with my mom! She is still a force to be reckoned with and I’m pretty sure she beat me, per usual!
In June, I was assigned a work trip to Atlanta where I visited friends there who took me on a bike ride along the Atlanta Beltline! For those not familiar, the Beltline is a former railway corridor around the core of Atlanta! It has been redeveloped into one of the most comprehensive urban renewal efforts in the United States, repurposing 22 miles of unused railroad corridors into a network of parks and trails for bike riding, running, walking, skateboarding, etc., circling the core of the city’s in town neighborhoods! Many restaurants and bars and markets have been built along the trail, and we had a blast stopping by a few, including the Ponce City Market, which consists of many delicious dining spots, retail shops, art exhibits, and spectacular views of the Atlanta skyline!
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Later in the month, I worked a trip to London, handling the International Business Class Galley position for the first time! Thanks to an awesome crew, the flights were seamless and I had a great time going out in London with a couple crew mates!
To kick off the heat of the summer in July, I worked a trip to DUBLIN, IRELAND for the first time and volunteered to take on the “Purser” position since the scheduled Purser called out and the flight attendant who replaced the Purser did not feel confident in working the role, so I stepped up and was gratefully recognized by upper management for doing so! I had a blast exploring the city by foot, visiting the Guinness Storehouse, having a pint in the Temple Bar District, visiting the Book of Kells at the Trinity College Library, and walking around the grounds of the Dublin Castle!
Upon landing back in Chicago, my sister Mandy had so much fun in Chicago in May, she came back to celebrate the 4th of July with me! The next day, I got her a First Class seat on my working flight to Seattle, where we met up with our cousin Jaclyn and her husband Travis, to meet their newborn one month old baby, Emerson Mae! Our Aunt Debi and Uncle Chris were there too, which made for the perfect gathering on Lake Washington in O O Denny Beach Park!
When I returned from Seattle, I had a work trip to Tampa Bay, Florida where I reunited with an old Enterprise colleague, Chris, and his wife Tiffany! We had a delicious dinner at Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar! I always have the best time with them and am grateful we have continued our friendship after both having quit working for Enterprise!
My summer in Chicago consisted of lots of beach volleyball, riding bikes around town, and running along the lake in preparation for the Chicago marathon! In the middle of July, I got to meet up with my pregnant cousin Dani (Jaclyn’s sister) and her husband Mike while they were in town for a wedding! That same day, my cousin Trent (brother of Krista and Kara) came to visit and we enjoyed going to the Taste of Chicago (slated as World’s Largest Food Festival) as well as rode bikes all over the city from Downtown along the lake through Lincoln Park on our way to see Wrigley Field in Wrigleyville, as well as attended the Chicago Burger Fest! Good thing Trent is Gluten Free, it made for a fun experience trying to search for Gluten Free foods at the multiple food festivals we went to! Although he couldn’t eat Deep Dish Pizza, I ate Gluten Free thin crust pizza with him so he wouldn’t feel left out!
After Trent’s visit, it was back to work, where I got to visit Seattle again, and this time I was treated by Jaclyn, Travis, and Emerson Mae to the Seattle Aquarium and a delicious meal afterwards at Biscuit Bitch (a must eat in Seattle)!
I finished the month of July with my first ever trip to SCOTLAND, where I explored both Glasgow and Edinburgh! The landscapes of Scotland are majestic with spectacular wildlife and the cities are both very green, yet are crammed with castles, ancient architecture, waterways, magnificent universities, exquisite museums, traditional foods, and hands down, some of the nicest, hospitable, down-to-earth people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting!
After Scotland, I kicked off the month of August with work trips to San Diego (where I got to reunite with two of my best college friends Hannah and Elyse), Omaha, Raleigh-Durham, Boston, Dallas, New York City, and then made it home to attend my best friend from high school’s wedding at Lago Vista Ranch in the desert south of Palm Springs!
Nick married his love Ashley where we celebrated all weekend long on the ranch enjoying the warm weather and beautiful scenery of the ranch and surrounding desert mountains! I loved getting to spend the little time I got with Nick, his wife Ashley, and his entire family!
Once September rolled around, my awesome friend Geena and her volleyball partner came to visit for the annual AVP Beach Volleyball Championships in Chicago! They stayed their first night with me in preparation for their big tournament! I unfortunately couldn’t stick around the entire weekend, as I had to go on a work trip from Chicago to Dallas to Raleigh to Charlotte to Austin to LA and back to Chicago (over the course of three days)!
One of my favorite work trips in September was when I flew on the anniversary of 9/11 remembering my American Airlines family who were killed in the attacks. I fortunately had safe flights en route to Cancun where I enjoyed body surfing and eating Mexican food, and then to Nashville where I stayed close to all of the honky tonk bars along Broadway Street!
Later in the month, I flew home to Long Beach to surprise my mom on her birthday with flowers and a delicious dinner in Shoreline Village! We rode bikes along the Long Beach bike path and had the best time laughing together at my dad’s obsession in guarding our bikes during dinner.
When I flew back to Chicago, one of my best friend’s Tori and his fiancé Jamie came with me to spend the weekend visiting my stomping grounds! Tori treated me to the best steak dinner at Chicago Chop Steakhouse before we caught a theatre show at Second City!
A couple days later, my cousin’s Kara, Bo, and baby Trey came to visit for a week! I gave them my usual tour of the city and even got to babysit Trey for my first solo time babysitting and changing diapers while Kara and Bo attended a wedding! The experience truly introduced me to parenthood and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend quality time with baby Trey!
Before I knew it, OCTOBER arrived and it was time to run my first major marathon (second full marathon overall)! My mom and dad came to cheer me on in the 2018 Bank of America Chicago Marathon! I finished in 4 hours and 30 minutes… and now I’m determined to beat 4 hours! Running the marathon was very exhilarating and gave me quite a sense of accomplishment! I was so grateful to have my parents there to share such a proud moment for me! My parents have always been the most supportive throughout my life and needless to say, I wouldn’t be able to do all that I do without them.
I spent the rest of October continuing to travel all over for the country for work, and by the time November rolled around, I was ready for my next big adventure!
To kick off November, I set my work schedule up to work back to back to back trips so that way I could jet set to the majestic country of NEW ZEALAND for a week to celebrate my 30th birthday! Little did I know, I was in for a life changing experience.
I took off for Auckland, New Zealand with literally no set plans, but with the hope of discovering more of myself while letting go of my 20s and kicking off my 30s with a bang! Upon my arrival to Auckland, I was searching for a way to truly make the most of my time there and experience everything New Zealand has to offer.
That is when I met Jade, who offered to take me on a late afternoon hike up Mount Eden to a look out spot overlooking the entire city of Auckland. It was the perfect way to kick off my New Zealand adventure and I could not have been more grateful to have met someone who was so nice and generous to show me around!
The next morning, I sprung out of my hostel bed to go on a Black Labyrinth Caving adventure (black water rafting) in Waitomo Caves. I went tubing through the stunning underworld of Ruakuri Cave! We weaved, jumped, climbed and floated through a glowworm-studded wonderland. Ruakuri Cave is the LONGEST cave in the Waitomo area of New Zealand! It was discovered by the Maori some 400-500 years ago as they discovered wild dogs making the cave their home. The Maori used the caves as a sacred burial site! Today, the cave is well preserved and filled with glowworms, limestone formations, underground rivers and hidden waterfalls!
Afterwards, I visited Hobbiton, which is where the movie trilogy The Lord of the Rings was filmed, as well as The Hobbit film series. It was more phenomenal than I could have ever imagined and I simply marveled at the spectacular landscapes and hobbit sized cottages situated on this family run farm in Waikato, New Zealand.
That night, I had a beautiful dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Auckland Harbour with a friend I made on the tour that day who is from the Netherlands.
The next morning, the sun rose early with perfectly clear blue skies, so I hopped on a boat to Waiheke Island, where I went wine tasting, ate the best fish n’ chips I’ve ever had, and enjoyed the sandy beaches under the radiating sun! Waiheke Island is New Zealand’s most densely populated island and is truly incredible. The wineries were beyond beautiful and the atmosphere of the island was so relaxing! It is ranked as one of the best islands in the world to visit by several publications!
On my last day of my 20s, Jade drove me to New Zealand’s most famous surf beach, Piha Beach! It was the perfect day as I got to go body surfing in some nice rips and currents (I was eventually told to come out of the water by the kindest lifeguards due to not swimming in a “swim zone”), swam in pools through caves, and hiked up Lion Rock overlooking the beach and the backdrop of the Waitakere Ranges, a protected parkland of sub-tropical forest! We ate lunch at the Piha Surf Club restaurant located on a cliff overlooking the water, and took a nice nap on the beach afterwards which led to a bit of a sun burn from the powerful New Zealand sun! It truly could not have been a better day!
The next morning, I kicked off my 30th birthday by leaping out of a plane soaring at 16,500 feet over the north island with the astounding backdrop of both the west and east coasts of New Zealand. The views were beyond breathtaking! Although it was my third time skydiving, it was my first time in 10 years feeling that sensation of freedom falling through the sky. The feeling is like no other, as nothing else can seem to clear my mind and take my breath away as free falling at 200+ km/hour.
When I returned back to Auckland, I went and relaxed at Lady Bay beach with Jade, his roommate Robbie, and friend Lars. Later, we celebrated my birthday dinner at a phenomenal restaurant, Chop Chop, which had the tastiest food and most refreshing drinks! We ate a Twelve Hour Organic Beef Brisket Noodle Bowl which includes bacon, shiitake, sesame, spring onion, black garlic, and rye noodles, as well as had Koji Fried Chicken with chili sauce, crushed peanuts, and yum yum mayo! The restaurant was located in the charming Ponsonby neighborhood of Auckland which made for the perfect last evening in New Zealand!
I was beyond sad to have to leave the next day to return to Chicago for work, but will forever cherish the memories made and look forward to returning to New Zealand again, hopefully sooner than later! As I’m now 30 years old, I feel like a new man and can not wait to see what’s in store for my near future!
I’m enjoying this 2018 holiday season trying to spend time with loved ones every chance I get. I wish you all the happiest of holidays and a refreshing start to 2019 filled with great health, happiness, adventure, and most importantly, love!
TROY MUENZER 