by Natasha Tynes | Sep 27, 2006 | Life as a Virginian, Shutterbug, Travel
When the husband told me of his desire to take me to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia I answered saying: "Great. But no roller coasters." "We’ll see," he said under his breath.
As soon as we arrived, the first thing we did was ride a roller coaster, the park’s legendary Loch Ness Monster. I have no idea how he convinced me to do it. I just succumbed so quickly — with no resistance. The experience was terrifying in every sense of the word. I was so scared that I decided to close my eyes during the ride and pretend that the whole roller coaster experience was just a bad dream. As soon as this near-death experience came to an end, the beaming husband asked me how I felt. "I need a beer," was my reply.
The day rolled on with still more adventures including haunted houses, bumper cars, Halloween shows, water rides and one more roller coaster. Yes, I succumbed one more time. "I want to you to share my love for roller coasters," he said in his latest attempt to convince me to ride another roller coaster — this time the Big Bad Wolf. I obliged for I’m too weak. This second ride was as terrifying as the first except that this time I decided to conquer my fear and keep my eyes open. I did not conquer anything. I was scared to death.
By the end of the day, yes, the husband wanted to try yet another roller coaster. This time I resisted. "Come on how can you keep doing this?" I asked a bit annoyed.
"Well I’m like Grissom in CSI. I love riding roller coasters," he explained.
"Did he say that in the show?" I asked.
"Oh yeah," the husband said smiling. "Do you know when I was about fifteen, my friend Steve and I once rode the Loch Ness some 25 times in one day."
After three years of marriage I discovered something new about my husband: he rides roller coasters.
by Natasha Tynes | Sep 15, 2006 | Everyday me!, Shutterbug, Travel
We spent this past week at South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach for a big family gathering. Among the many unique experiences I went through during this marvelous vacation — besides spending quality time with family — was swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. It was a first for yours truly.
What was so exhilarating about this activity was battling the "ferocious" waves and eventually learning to ride/surf them. If memory serves, I don’t recall ever facing high waves while swimming in the Red Sea – the site where most of my outdoor swimming experiences took place. Is this what distinguishes a sea from an ocean? I wonder. I must admit, being whacked by a strong wave can be painful but it’s loads of fun.
Another fascinating moment was watching a fisherman catch a shark, drag it and gut it out to get its meat. I was not the only spectator either, as many tourists gathered around the fisherman to take pictures of his most recent acquisition. However, I was the only one who asked the fisherman: "Is that a ‘real’ shark?" Somehow the whole thing was just surreal. Anyway, I’ll let the pictures [they enlarge on click] speak for themselves.
by Natasha Tynes | Aug 28, 2006 | Shutterbug, Sports, Travel
I think this picture speaks for itself [Yes, it enlarges on click]. Last weekend was simply out of this world. I never thought I would do something like this in my lifetime … ever! It was something I used to see in the movies. But after some planning and encouragement from the husband, I decided to embark on my very first whitewater rafting experience on one of the oldest rivers in the world, the New River in West Virginia.
I have to admit, though, I was dreading it. I was so worried the night before that I stayed awake almost all night. I kept thinking I would end up clinging to a tree after the boat flipped, just like in the movies. But I didn’t! With our friends: Sarah, Elliot,the husband and me, the whole experience was absolutely exhilarating. I would do it again in a heartbeat. What a weekend!
by Natasha Tynes | Aug 24, 2006 | Jordan, my nation, Shutterbug
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I never thought I would live to see the day when Jordanian women would be zipping through the streets of Amman on scooters. Apparently I was mistaken, as women in Amman are indeed scooting about! I have to admit, I’m loving it.
The woman in this picture is Haya Karadhseh Qubain who, according to Ahmad, is a teacher at an Amman school. It is worth noting that this woman comes from my hometown of Madaba. Here’s a profile of Jordan’s scooter woman as a PDF file from Al Rai (Arabic). Via: [360 east]
For the record, scooters and motorbikes were banned in Jordan until fairly recently. I believe the decision was made in the early 80’s after a series of fatal traffic accidents involving motorcycles. Nowadays, scooters are allowed on the streets of Jordan. Motorbikes, however, remained restricted. They are allowed for business but can’t be owned by individuals.
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by Natasha Tynes | Jul 24, 2006 | Media watch, Shutterbug, The Disturbing
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 Lebanese photojournalist, Layal Najib was killed by an Israeli strike on Sunday. She was only 23. This is just horrendous. Najib is yet another innocent victim of the Israeli collective punishment of Lebanon. Why did she have to perish at such a young age? This is an image Layal took while covering the invasion. It was published on Friday by AFP. The caption read: "A destroyed residential building in one of Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Israel was amassing thousands more reservists on the Lebanese border to
stage ground incursions aimed at destroying Hezbollah positions,
warning it would not rule out a full-scale invasion despite mounting
calls for a ceasefire.(AFP/Layal Najib)"
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by Natasha Tynes | Jul 5, 2006 | Metro Daze, Shutterbug
Right after watching the out-of-this world World Cup match between Italy and Germany, we jumped on the Metro and made our way down to the National Mall to celebrate Independence Day along with hundreds of thousands (estimates of 400,000) of people that flocked to the nation’s capital.
As expected, this once-a-year mammoth event was extremely enjoyable. Festivities were in full swing all over the mall. There were musical concerts, shows and even a Hare Krishna performance. We also managed to get a glimpse of Vanessa Williams, Jason Alexander — who played George on Seinfeld — and Elmo (the infamous Sesame Street puppet) after walking down to the Capitol building where the country’s main 4th of July concert took place.
Watching fireworks from the base of the Washington Monument made for a memorable sight. The cornucopia of colors coupled with the impact of the forceful explosions was simply breathtaking. Happy 4th of July everyone!
