Mariam Atef

Mariam Atef

About

Aloha, I’m Mariam, an Egyptian writer, expat, and beach lover. Years ago, I knew I wanted a life beyond the office. Now, I get to do the work I love while exploring new places, with Thailand holding a special place in my heart.

My ideal day starts with a beach sunrise, followed by writing, a little exploring, and an iced piña colada somewhere with a sea view. Here, I share stories and everyday discoveries from life abroad.

Stories

A glass vase of green sprigs and a dark glass bottle on a round white side table

The Art of Wellbeing: Why Thailand Is the Luxury Health Destination of 2026

Torrevieja Street Food Market 2026: Rocking Out With Some Great Food

The Krewe of Boo parade on Canal Street seen from a 7th-floor hotel window: crowds lining both sides of the neutral ground, a lit float, palm trees and purple smoke

La Petite's Guide to New Orleans

Magnus the Samoyed in black-framed Clark Kent glasses and a Superman costume, sitting on a leather sofa in a Cinesystem cinema lobby in São Paulo

Even Brave Boys Get Scared

Luxembourg City from the Pétrusse valley: the national flag, the spires of Notre-Dame Cathedral and the old fortress wall above autumn trees

I’ve Been in Schengen for Years. This Weekend I Actually Went.

The Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán under heavy clouds, with visitors crossing the plaza below

Holy Mole

Jay in a light blue Panthers number 1 shirt and Nancy in a Panthers cap and São Paulo game shirt, red cups in hand, by the end zone at Neo Química Arena before kickoff

Friday Night Lights, São Paulo Edition

A jaguar swimming the Cuiaba River with only its head and shoulders above the green water, looking straight at the camera

Glimmers in the Wild: 120 Wooden Bridges, Jaguars, and No Guide

Two wooden riverboats on the still Rio Negro at sunset, sky and water washed gold and pink

From Sequins to Sloths: Northern Brazil for the Chronically Curious

A vast flock of starlings streaming across an orange sunset sky above wind turbines, with a line of parked cars and watchers along the marsh road below

I Drove Across Denmark to Watch a Million Birds Go to Bed

Sun bursting over a snow peak on King George Island, the ship at anchor in the bay and a line of people walking ashore across the snow

Whiskey on 10,000-Year-Old Ice and Chasing the Impossible: The Antarctica Marathon

La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico

La Paz, whale sharks, and a sea lion who chose chaos

Fitz Roy, Patagonia

Patagonia, measured in Camp Italianos

The Montenegro coast near Budva

The annual retreat, or what happens when you put a Mangalitsa fillet and a switchback road in a blender

Kids in Ghana at Easter

Ghana asked us to wear all white. We complied. Eventually.

Bulgaria, on the Balkans EV road trip

Fourteen days, twelve countries, one EV, and a gal who cannot be historically trusted to charge her own phone

The Friendship Bridge arching over the Paraná River toward the Ciudad del Este skyline, seen from the Brazilian side

Poor Monday

Three blue ceramic tiles set into a wall marking the route: a yellow arrow, a scallop shell, and one reading Camino de Santiago, Camino Portugues, with a pilgrim in an orange pack walking up the lane beyond.

Obrigada, F*: 260 km on the Portuguese Coastal Camino

A wall of glacier ice standing in the open on Kilimanjaro's summit plateau, with an unbroken floor of cloud stretching to the horizon behind it.

Someone Was Already Awake

Sunset over the hills of Eswatini, an orange sky above blue ridgelines and dense green forest, with a purple jacaranda in bloom in the foreground

How Many Goats Can Fit in a Small Car?

A gentoo penguin waddles past the start line of the Antarctica Marathon on King George Island as bundled runners wait under the banner

7 Continents, 7 Marathons, Our Running Story

Horseshoe Bend, Arizona: the Colorado River curving around the sandstone cliff. Photo by Michael Block on Pexels.

My Unique Experience at Horseshoe Bend

Sunset over the sea from a beach bar in Ibiza, the sun low behind a thatched roof

Spain: A Wedding and an Adventure

Three friends stained head to toe in tomato grin on a Buñol street after the fight.

I Wore White to the World's Biggest Food Fight

Conchi, Aruba's natural pool, a bowl of calm turquoise water ringed by dark volcanic rock in Arikok National Park, with swimmers on the rocks and surf breaking beyond

A Delightful "Dushi" Detour to Aruba and Curaçao

The village of Aroumd stacked on a hillside below the High Atlas, its ochre houses above green terraces, with a man riding a mule along the trail in the foreground

Moroccan Adventure: Peaks, Sugared Up Mules, & UNO Vengeance

Nancy and Jay kissing in Angels Pool on the lip of Victoria Falls, water pouring over the rock beside them and spray rising from the gorge

Skip the Impalas

Santa Ana's crater seen from the rim: layered gray walls stepping down to a steaming, bright green acid lake

Ice Cream Over a Lake of Acid

Totality over the Texas Hill Country: the Moon fully covering the Sun, the white ring of the corona glowing through thin cloud

A Boot Scootin' Eclipse

Clear turquoise water lapping a curved shore of pale sand, low dunes running to the horizon under a blue sky in Qatar's desert

Patience, Iago, Patience!

Silk lanterns painted with flowers, butterflies and birds, glowing in rows at night in Hoi An.

The Year of the Dragon

Nancy grinning mid-stride in a purple tank and pink compression socks on a road beside a wide braided river and forested hills

New Zealand Is Oceania, Too

Jatiluwih rice terraces stepping down a hillside under a lone coconut palm, a volcano faint on the horizon.

Bali, Indonesia: Extended Layover Edition

A weathered plank cabin under a tin roof in the Cajón del Maipo, with a Chilean flag and the snow-streaked Andes behind it

Si la amistad es un tesoro

Bogotá's high-rise skyline seen from Monserrate, spread across the savanna beyond a slope of dense green forest

Farewell, Colombia (Definitely Not Columbia)

The sun setting behind trees beside a lift bridge, clouds mirrored in perfectly still water

From Portland to Mayfield Heights, Mostly Unphotographed

A row of tall, narrow canal houses on the Damrak in black, brick, maroon and dark green, leaning slightly against each other above the water

Stroopwafel Time

A tall waterfall pouring into a turquoise pool, framed by moss and dense green forest

The Layover Was the Vacation

Through a natural rock window near the top of Mt. Bailey, a lake far below and snow-dusted ridges beyond

Celebrating an Epic Trip in the Pac NW!

A walker in a blue rain poncho on a wooden boardwalk at Plitvice Lakes, white water spilling over moss-covered travertine beside the path in the mist

Te Amo, Velho: A Birthday Week in Croatia

Nancy mid-leap off the stern of a sailboat into the Tagus, Yvonne waving behind her, Eileen smiling with a glass of wine, and Jay toweling off under the canopy

Sun, Sails, and a City Built to Stand Back Up

Autumn grapevines with red and purple leaves along a netted trellis at sunset, a stand of tall trees on the horizon, Maldonado, Uruguay

Uruguay Would Rather You Didn't Know

The Sambódromo at night from high in the stands, floodlights blazing over thousands of costumed dancers and a towering red float

O Brasil É Lindo Maravilhoso

The iFood Arena Brasileira stage in the rain, fans in clear plastic ponchos dancing in front

Cerveja, Bandeira, Batuque e Torcida

The Giza pyramids and the Sphinx lit up at night for the light show

Egypt History 101 (by Us)

Nancy striking a victory pose on top of the Everest Base Camp rock, painted with "Everest Base Camp 5364m," glacier and cloud-wrapped peaks behind.

Dal Bhat Power, 24 Hour

Five rubber ducks, green, orange, pink, yellow and blue, lined up on a hotel balcony's tiled floor.

Ninja Duckies

Angkor Wat's towers behind sugar palms at sunrise, the temple reflected in a rain-filled pool under an orange sky.

The Most Indiana Jones Thing I Have Ever Done

A monkey sitting high in the branches of a tree.

Monkeys in Sweaters

The Taj Mahal at dawn under a blue sky, reflected in the long garden pool between rows of cypress trees.

Keep Calm and Curry On

The gold stupa of Pha That Luang in Vientiane under a cloudy sky, sugar palms on either side.

The Slowest Race in Vientiane

Nancy and Jay on the plaza at Batu Caves, the gold statue of Lord Murugan and the rainbow stairs behind them.

FOMO Is Real, Y'all

El Arco and the pale granite stacks at Land's End, Cabo San Lucas, seen from the water

Final Fiesta

Hand-painted signs reading Eat, Drink, Relax, Be Happy hanging on a tree on a white-sand beach, a longtail boat moored in turquoise water behind.

Eat, Drank, Relax, Be Happy

Laurie and Tori with drinks on a cruise deck at sunset, the limestone islands of Ha Long Bay behind them.

Noodle Week

The Galata Bridge in Istanbul lined with fishermen above the restaurants on its lower level, the New Mosque across the water

Me and My Champagne Vacay in Istanbul

Dusty champagne bottles rest neck-down under crown caps in wooden crates stenciled 2017, in a Reims cellar.

Patience, Grasshopper