Gone to Plaid: The Blog

Birthday Travel

2011-01-18T10:50:00.000-05:00

My Costa Rica birthday cake!

Today is my birthday!

This year, I'm a little bummed because it's not in the cards for me to travel on my birthday. Usually, when I'm blowing out the candles on my cake, I'm doing it in a new travel destination. Next year, hopefully the stars will align for me to be traveling again on my big day, but for now, I'll be happy remembering some of my great birthday travels.

My first birthday trip was with my BFF, and not only was it my first birthday trip, it was my first trip to Vegas! (One of my mostest favoritist cities in the US.) It was supposed to be a trip with about 5 feisty women painting the town red, but all but one canceled. That's okay, it showed me who my true friends were, and the BFF and I had a complete blast! We played the slots. We ate the food. We lounged in the spa. We rode up the "inclinator" at the Luxor while tipsy (not recommended) and just generally had a blast. Thank you, BFF, for that awesome birthday!

I also remember spending a birthday atop the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Okay, it wasn't my actual birthday, it was a week prior. However, our guide as we climbed the bridge asked if anyone had a birthday soon. I was the only one who raised my hand, and all 20 people on our excursion sang to me atop the bridge, with the most beautiful backdrop below. It might not have been the actual birthday, but it was amazing none-the-less.

Another birthday I remember fondly was with my now-husband. We thought it would be nice to spend my birthday in Costa Rica - and it was REALLY nice. On my actual birthday, we were in Arenal, and woke up with a beautiful view of the volcano. We were surrounded by tropical paridise, and staying in something of a tropical log cabin. I woke up, he kissed my forehead and wished me a happy birthday before I even realized where I was. He gave me a birthday card that he'd brought with him from the States, and then we enjoyed a relaxing breakfast. At dinner that evening, he arranged for the staff to bring me a cake with "happy birthday" written on it. He got even more points because he didn't speak Spanish, and the staff didn't speak much English. Do you see why he's my NOW-husband?

I sure am blessed to have had some great travel birthdays!

Travel withdrawal

2011-01-11T05:50:00.002-05:00

Is there such a thing as travel withdrawal? I think I've got all the symptoms. Longing for an exotic destination. Complaining about the cold, wintry weather and longing for a warm locale. Looking up airfare costs while ignoring the "no income" reality of unemployment. Yep, I've got travel withdrawal.

I'm not sure why I've got withdrawal. I mean, it's only been two and a half months since our last trip to Las Vegas. Many people only go on one trip per year, we went on three last year alone (one was our honeymoon!)

The fact is that I generally don't come home from one trip before planning another. And I really enjoy the research and planning that goes into a trip. As Steinbeck said "we don't take a trip, a trip takes us." And right now, there's no trip planned. There's no way to really plan a trip either, until some of these interviews start paying off.

I think I've decided to plan a few trips - and just not take them right now. I'll plan a trip for every season - Galapagos in the winter, Prague in the spring, Croatia in the summer, and maybe Russia in the fall.

Where do you think I should "plan" my fake trip? I'm hoping that's the cure for what ails me. :)

The #traveltuesday #Twitter #Travel phenomenon

2011-01-04T11:27:00.000-05:00

Are you on Twitter? If not, maybe you should consider tackling the stream of consciousness, if only for a meme called #TravelTuesday.

Okay, first, what's a meme? It's kind of a little game. It's a way of spreading cultural information using the Internet - you share something about you, I share something about me, and we find common ground!

Second, why do I keep using the number sign (#) as I type this? Well, on Twitter, that number sign is called a hashtag - consider it something of a search term. It's a convenient way to follow what is being said about a certain conversation. For example, if you do a search on Twitter for "#TravelTuesday" (minus the quotation marks) you'll be able to see what everyone in the world on Twitter is posting about that subject.

Since I love to travel, and I love to learn from other travelers, I find #TravelTuesday on Twitter to be loads of fun. People post photos, tips, places for me to explore.

It's brought to us by a site called Where I've Been, and you can see the full description of how #TravelTuesday works at http://traveltuesday.org/.

Merry Christmas from . . .

2010-12-23T15:10:00.000-05:00

It's Christmas Eve Eve, and all through the house, we're wishing we were spending Christmas in some exciting destination. Alas, we're spending it at home, more than likely not, snowed in.

I've been seeing articles all day about Christmas in Rome, Christmas in Paris, Christmas in Prague. Okay, that's it. Next year, the families are just going to have to suck it up, because we're going on a Christmas trip to somewhere!

I think, perhaps, next year we will Christmas in Tahiti. Yes, that's it. I think a very warm Christmas would be a nice change of pace.

Where would you like to travel for Christmas?

Back to basics

2010-12-15T13:35:00.000-05:00

So I find myself with a blog that hasn't been updated in almost a year. Sigh.

Working full-time in social media means when I sign off from the day job, I don't have a lot of energy to handle my personal social media endeavors. This has to change, one, because I enjoy writing about travel and I miss my blogging relationships and two, because I got laid off and now have time to do it. :)

Regardless, even when I land my next absolutely super job (I just applied for a social media job at American Airlines - would that rock out or what?) I've come to realize that in this dog-eat-dog world, the person you should be the most concerned about is yourself. Jobs come and go (and go, and go, thanks to the brilliant economic minds running this country) but you always have to take care of yourself.

So now I'm back (from outer space) and ready to blog to my little heart's content. Hopefully, I'll get some readers back and make new friends.

A year?! It's been a year?

2010-03-08T14:41:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been a year since my last post on this blog. I guess now I've got to work at getting all my readers back - is anyone still there?

The blog has also been broken for a while. Thanks to Heather, of Goofy Girl fame, I think she fixed me up so that the background image shows again. Yay!

So . . .

What's new in the world of travel and Carmen? Well, I recently booked my 8th trip to VEGAS! We will be rockin' it out at the Bellagio this time, since we like the central Strip location. We'll be revisiting some favorites - the Paris breakfast buffet, Freemont Street, etc. We're also looking forward to seeing the brand-spankin' new City Center, getting some shopping done (window shopping only) and seeing why it is that nobody seems to like staying at the Aria. Everywhere we looked, it got bad reviews. What's up with that?

We will be taking a side trip to Zion National Park as well. We'll rent a car and make a day of it. The Internets tells us that it'll be a 2.5 hour drive - we'll see. But, it's supposed to be beautiful, and I can mark Utah off of my states-visited list.

Sorry for the long time between posts. I got busy with the book and all of my other endeavors, and just got lazy with this blog. I'll try to write more.

Now Freestyle Certified

2009-04-10T06:10:00.000-04:00

Wow, 2 posts: 1 week. I'm on a roll!

I'm just excited, because we just earned Freestlye Certified status from Norwegian Cruise Lines. Here's the press release:

Norwegian Cruise Line is proud to announce that Carmen Shirkey is among the first to graduate from its new online travel agent university, NCL University. This progressive, state-of-the art online school is geared to deliver an enhanced level of knowledge and insight into Freestyle Cruising - NCL's popular style of cruising, as well as NCL destinations, NCL ship programs and operations, and many other behind-the-scenes elements not available anywhere else. Each graduate is required, within one year, to earn a minimum number of credits through a choice of accredited courses and electives. The rigorous curriculum includes testing at every level in order to move forward.

Norwegian Cruise Line's online university opened its virtual doors in 2008 and is one of the most innovative and successful programs available to travel agents today. With thousands of registered students and growing, NCL U plans to expand its training from the interactive experience of its online program to a continuing educational experience that includes a Ph.D. @ Sea program aboard its ships.

At NCL, we highly recommend the use of a travel professional when booking an NCL cruise, says Andy Stuart, Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Passenger Services. "With NCL U, we are investing in our travel partners' product knowledge, marketing and sales skills so our guests will know they are relying on an expert who knows our product inside and out."

By earning NCL U's Freestyle Certification, Carmen is considered among the most qualified and expert representatives for NCL's cruise product. Contact Carmen at carmenandjim@cruiseshipcenters.com.

That's in ADDITION to our Princess Commodore status, earned late last year, and our completion of Carnival University. We've got a lot of cruise info in our heads!

Thursday 13 - Cherry Blossom Time

2009-04-09T05:51:00.002-04:00

We went for a drive into DC last weekend to see the cherry blossoms. We battled a TON of people, but got some really nice photos. So this week, my Thursday 13 is 13 (okay, it's 14, so shoot me) photos of the blossoms for you to enjoy!

Home of the new Thursday 13

The Countdown Has Begun

2009-03-31T10:34:00.000-04:00

Today is T-minus two weeks exactly until our journey to the Netherlands. I'm hoping and praying for at least a few sunny days while we're there, so I can tiptoe through the tulips!

PS: If you're on Twitter, and you want to follow my cruise agent antics, you can follow me at @Cruise7Cs

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-16T11:37:00.002-04:00

In the hopes of getting some "Luck O' the Irish," I thought I'd celebrate by posting some of my favorite Ireland photos. :)

Pooh Bear Vs. The Foot!

2009-03-04T16:43:00.002-05:00

If you can't tell that I love my new iMac and the iMovie that comes with it, here's the comic-style video I made of Pooh Bear.

Ask Me

2009-02-24T16:42:00.000-05:00

I've noticed that a lot of folks recently come up to me to ask about a specific location, or for travel tips, etc.

So new feature. You ask me. Have a travel question? Ask away.

The dilemma

2009-02-18T09:38:00.000-05:00

For our upcoming Amsterdam trip, we're considering a day-trip into Belgium. Why? Because it's there, it's close, and we'll have a week. So might as well add another country to the list, right? :)

We're having a dilemma. Where in Belgium do we go? I've been told that Bruges is gorgeous, however, it's at least a 4-hour train ride away, and that's if we hit all of our train connections. So I think that's a little much for a one-day trip.

That leaves us with Brussels and Antwerp. Brussels has a little more to see, I think, but Antwerp is closer.

What to do, what to do? :) If anyone has any suggestions, I'm up for hearing them.

13 Things I'm Looking Forward to in Amsterdam!

2009-02-05T06:46:00.004-05:00

Can't let the opportunity go by to promote my new book The List.

Since that's out of the way, lets get onto my 13 things!

We left off guessing where I was heading on my next trip, and learned it was AMSTERDAM!

I'm stoked about the trip, and here are some of the things I'm most looking forward to.

1. Tulips, tulips and more tulips!
2. Tulips and WINDMILLS!
3. Canals - I loved Venice for the canals, and I'm betting I'll love the ones in Amsterdam, too
4. Biking through the town. I just have to buy the extra bike insurance and just hope the rental doesn't get stolen
5. I can't wait to see Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" in person
6. Despite being slightly depressing, I'm very interested in the Anne Frank House
7. I'll admit it, I'm fascinated by the Red Light District, but not THAT fascinated. Just looking, no partaking.
8. Despite the fact that I think it would help me understand this crazy world better, I will not be partaking in the legal drugs. Unless coffee is a drug. :)
9. Side trip to Belgium, for waffles and chocolate! (It's all about the food.)
10. Seeing the peeing boy statue in Brussels. Hilarious!
11. Taking more photos than is normal.
12. Buying a pair of wooden shoes - for decor, not to wear.
13. Just seeing someplace new, and adding two more countries to my list. :)

Home of the new Thursday 13

And the Answer to "Where Am I Going Next" Is . . .

2009-01-30T06:57:00.001-05:00

If you guessed AMSTERDAM, you would be correct-amundo!

We're going in April, and I can't wait. I'd always wanted to see the tulips blooming in Holland, but I never connected the dots from Holland to Amsterdam in my head (they are the same thing) until Jim said he wanted to go to Amsterdam. Once I found out that it was tulip and windmill heaven, I was on board!

It's hard to pick a good time to go to see the tulips. It's kind of like planning to see the cherry blossoms in D.C., you're kind of dependent on Mother Nature. So I just hope mid-April gives us enough time to let some of those bulbs see their blooms fulfilled!

Have a great weekend!

Next Trip Is . . . . . . 13 Hints

2009-01-29T07:01:00.000-05:00

Man, I've been a busy little bee recently. Yeah, I know I've been a big blog slacker, at least here on Gone To Plaid anyway. I've been trying to market the heck out of my new book The List. I just posted an excerpt from the book, btw, so check it out.

I didn't mean to ignore my travel blogging. Mostly, there wasn't anything exciting to blog about, but now there is!

We've just booked our next trip, to a place I never thought I'd want to go but now that I've researched it I'm stoked about going!

Where am I going?

Well, let's play a little blog game. Why don't you GUESS where I'm going, and then I'll tell you all about it in the next post?

13 Hints as to Where I'm traveling next:

1. Matt Lauer has been here
2. Wind is a big energy source here
3. It's a sailor's town
4. It's run by a monarchy, sort of
5. English is spoken, but it's a second language
6. One of the earliest "stock exchanges" was started here
7. Mind-alteration is openly accepted
8. Sex sells
9. A good way to see the city is by boat
10. I'll be sightseeing by bike as well
11. There's a flower garden here that gets more visitors between late March and May - 800,000 - than it gets all year.
12. I'll get to see Van Gogh's "Sunflowers"
13. Their shoes can NOT be comfortable!

Home of the new Thursday 13

Book Signing Party Goin' On!

2009-01-22T15:39:00.000-05:00

I'm having a book signing party over at

THE LIST

where you can get a signed copy at a discounted rate!

This is all happening starting Friday, Jan. 23 through Sunday, Jan. 25.

Or you can stop by the Web site anytime and click the "Buy on Amazon" link.

Death Valley Day Trip

2009-01-12T11:28:00.000-05:00

Hello again, all.

I've been busy, busy, busy! For those of you who are interested, my book is published and up on Amazon.com ready for purchase! However, on the weekend of Jan. 23, I'm having an online book signing party, where you can purchase a signed copy for a discount. Head on over to The List for more info.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Here is a slide show of photos from our day trip to Death Valley. We hopped in a 4x4 from Las Vegas and headed to the wilds of California.

If you'd like to read something about each place, you can check out my journals on igougo.

Featured Journals

2008-12-30T18:36:00.001-05:00

I'm still working on some posts for Las Vegas and Death Valley, holding them until the new year so everyone can get back from vacation, etc.

I wrote my Igougo.com journals however, and they were featured on the IgoUgo blog. They sent me an email, saying they REALLY enjoyed them, and this is an excerpt from the blog post:

On to our expert, Carmen. She’s been to Vegas so many times that she didn’t even stay entirely in the city this time around; one morning, she jumped in a 4X4 for a Death Valley Adventure Day. The comedienne, it turns out, can make even the depths of Death Valley funny, titling one review, I Be Hebe at Ubehebe Crater. Back in town after the excursion, she chronicles Christmastime in Sin City (Plus Some Best Ofs). Both the December-centric reviews and the more general “Best Of” fare are fantastic, so don’t miss this journal if you’re thinking of playing in Vegas this year.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T08:20:00.003-05:00

Or Happy Holidays or whatever you celebrate. :)

We got back from Las Vegas just before the 3 1/2 feet (inches! I meant inches! For Vegas, it seemed like feet) of snow fell on the Strip. We did see some flurries while we were there, but I'm really glad we missed the airport closing and such.

Since we've been back, it's been a swirl of "stuff." We spent all morning on Monday in the ER, because Jim got a stomach flu Christmas present. I'm now washing my hands every 2 minutes trying not to get it myself.

However, it's still the holidays, and here is my holiday treat for you, while I work on getting the other Las Vegas stuff ready for viewing.

The first is a Bellagio Fountain treat, with the water dancing to a Christmas tune, and the second is a slideshow of Las Vegas Christmas images.

Hope Santa is good to all!

Thursday 13 v. 74: Good/Bad

2008-12-10T22:21:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Good Things and Bad Things

1. The Good: I approved the proof for my new book. Two weeks until you can buy it!

2. The Bad: Right after I approved it, Jim pointed out a mistake. A stupid mistake. I read it 8 times, and didn't catch it, so maybe no one else will. Can't change it now. This is what I get for not spending $2000 to get it professionally edited.

3. The Good: We leave for Las Vegas on Friday

4. The Bad: There's a front coming through over the weekend, making it cold and rainy there. Even calling for snow next week. SNOW in VEGAS!

5. The Good: We have a free car rental, and we were going to drive to Death Valley to see the moving rocks on Racetrack Playa

6. The Bad: Said front is also causing rain in Death Valley. It seldom rains in Death Valley, but it's raining this weekend when we wanted to go. Rain = bad roads and no seeing the moving rocks (can't walk through the mud and leave our footprints.)

7. The Good: It's supposed to be nice in Valley of Fire State Park on Sunday, so we'll probably go there instead.

8. The Bad: I would rather go to Bryce Canyon, but said front will bring snow there. And rain to Zion National Park. Damn you weather!

9. The Good: I broke down and vacuumed the downstairs - it was awfully dirty!

10. The Bad: The upstairs still needs to be done. I'm making that Jim's job.

11. The Good: I have a job, when a lot of people don't.

12. The Bad: Right before, and right after a vacation, things always get more stupid and more idiotic. (Can you say re-org? Again?) PS: Never have an idea at work. They think they want you to have an idea, but they really don't.

13. The Good: Did I mention we're going to VEGAS? :) Always good to end on a good.

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Elf Yourself

2008-12-09T10:03:00.000-05:00

Always a sucker for online time wasters, here's Jim and I with our Elf Disco. He's gonna kill me.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Another State

2008-12-08T07:39:00.000-05:00

Well, I added another state to my travel board this weekend. Jim and I drove to Delaware to visit with his parents. Delaware - at least Newark, where we stayed - wasn't anything like I expected it to be. I have these visions of the Northeast being one big city, but Newark was almost a little redneck, if I can say that. There were big houses, surrounded by lots of land. There were deer and fox and rabbits crossing the yard (we knew this, thanks to the light snow we god. Jim's stepdad said it was a perfect tracking snow.)

We ate at a few good restaurants, drove around the University of Delaware campus, and saw Jim's old high school and stomping grounds.

And to tell you just how small this world is, here's a story.

We were driving around, looking at the area. I was in the backseat - a recipe for car-sickness if there ever was one, and I requested a short stop so that I could recover a bit. We stopped at this botanical gardens, and when we pulled into the parking lot, we were drawn to a long row - about 20 - of Mini Cooper cars. Well, it then occurred to me that I had a friend who lived in Delaware, and who had a Mini Cooper. Then I remembered that they had a club, and I wondered if her car was among the display. I looked for her licence plate (at least the one they had when they lived in VA) but didn't see it. So we were walking to the car to get back on the road, and out walks my friend into the parking lot. Everyone was then treated to some squealing and hugging.

So don't let anyone tell you there's not a higher power. That, my friends, was orchestrated!

Thursday 13 v. 73 Why I Hate Being Sick

2008-12-04T07:02:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Reasons I Hate Being Sick

1. Sore throats. I hate sore throats. If there's one symptom that knocks me on my ass, it's a sore throat.

2. Watery eyes. I'm not crying, really.

3. Coughing draws way too much attention to myself.

4. We're going to Jim's parents house this weekend for our Christmas visit. Great impression, coughing all over your boyfriend's parents.

5. I hope the germs go away by next week, because we go to Vegas. Cold coughing plus breathing in cigarette smoke equals lungs falling out.

6. Lysol. I hate the smell of it, but I have to Lysol everything so we don't keep sharing the germ wealth.

7. Lack of smoochies. It was the smoochies that got me sick in the first place, as Jim was sick last week. I keep trying to tell him to take back the germs, but for some reason he won't do it.

8. Colds always get worse at night. Which is stupid. Because you need to sleep to get better, but you can't sleep because you feel like crap. What's up with that?

9. I always get the worst symptoms. Jim was just stuffy and sneezy. I've added coughy, drooly, headachy, achy, chilly and grumpy to the list.

10. Cold medicine is REALLY expensive these days.

11. Cold medicine also makes me feel loopy and sick to my stomach.

12. Chicken noodle soup. I have bad associations here - chicken noodle soup is what I ate when I was sick as a kid, so I don't like it. But I drink it, because it's magic.

13. I can't work out when I'm sick - wait, was that a bad thing?

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Thursday 13 v. 72 Thirteen Reasons I Don't Have a Real 13 List

2008-11-20T07:34:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Reasons I Don't Have a Real 13 List

1. I've been working on items for my new book. It should release soon! If you'd like to participate in my virtual book tour, visit http://thelistbook.blogspot.com.

2. I've been volunteering for more responsibility at work. I know, what was I thinking, right?

3. I've been planning our trip to Las Vegas. Less than a month to go!

4. While in Vegas, we'll be driving one day to Death Valley. I've been researching that, too.

5. It got really cold. Cold weather makes me want to hibernate.

6. We bought a new iMac. I need to spend time playing with the new 'puter!

7. The house hadn't been vacuumed in a long time. Too long. Spiders were getting too comfy. So out came the Dyson, and Pooh Bear had to hide.

8. I have a ton of shows to watch on the DVR. I'm uninspired by fall TV, so it's taking me a bit longer than normal.

9. I've been trying to adjust to the new, way-too-expensive, memory foam pillow I bought. Funny, my neck still hurts. Stupid pillow.

10. I've been stressing about Thanksgiving. It's the first joint holiday venture with Jim and I. Of course, my parents love him more than they love me. ;) The next weekend is Christmas with his family in Delaware.

11. It's really cold in Delaware.

12. I've been trying to find a pair of comfortable, black boots. I've been through every Joseph Seibel on zappos.com, and now I'm trying all the Clarks. I hate buying shoes.

13. I've been cutting coupons. I am now the coupon queen, so we can save 25 cents on toilet paper and such.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Thursday 13 v. 71 Things About Meme

2008-11-13T06:31:00.009-05:00

Thirteen Things About Meme

And now for a meme I found over at Red's place because it's somewhat travel related. Though I modified it to only be 13 things.

Answer the questions below, do a Google Image search with your answer, take a picture from the first page of results, and do it with minimal words of explanation.

1. Your age on your next birthday

2. A place you want to travel to

3. Your favorite place

4. Your favorite food

5. Your pet

6. Favorite
color combo

7. Favorite piece
of clothing

8. Favorite TV show

9. Name of your
significant other

10. First Job

11. Dream job

12. Bad Habit you have

13. What you'd like
to do before you die

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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VOTE FOR CARMEN

2008-11-07T06:03:00.002-05:00

Okay, the big election is over. But if you're in withdrawl, you can still vote -- for me!

I've been nominated over at IGOUGO.com for an award for a travel photo in a the Shot of Urban category with my photo called Vegas View.

Please vote for me. :) Please? And tell your friends to vote for me. You all know how competitive I am, but I'd really love to have a travel photo win an award, so I can add it to my resume! Woot!

VOTE HERE

Thursday 13 v. 70 Blue Ridge Parkway Pics

2008-11-06T06:26:00.002-05:00

Thirteen Pictures from My Leaf-Peeping Trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway

Jim and I took a little jaunt down I-64 to the Blue Ridge Parkway to see some of the fall color. It was a beautiful, if not crisp, fall day. Blue sky, colorful trees, and we ended the day in Charlottesville to get some Bodos Bagels. (And if you've never eaten Bodos bagels, they are the best bagels in the world. Most wouldn't think that the best bagels would come from Charlottesville, but they do!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

I Voted

2008-11-04T10:09:00.002-05:00

I waited for the lines to clear, and then I went to cast my ballot. It only took about 5 minutes, and, as usual, I got a little emotional. I am blessed to be able to express my (sometimes strong) opinion and choose who will take us into the next 4 years. Virginia is a state to watch tonight, and I hope we go blue!

PS: I wrote an editorial about it for work. Read it here.

Your Travel Destination for Tomorrow Is . . .

2008-11-03T10:10:00.001-05:00

Your nearest polling location.

Please, if you haven't already, vote.

Thursday 13 v. 69 GO VOTE!

2008-10-30T07:13:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Reasons EVERYONE needs to vote next week

Folks, this is not open season on anyone's political views - mine or any of my commenters. I, for one, think that what makes America strong is our diversity of opinions and our passions about them.

1. This may be the most pivotal election in your lifetime.
2. The economy is in the crapper. Clearly, somebody has to do something.
3. We are currently fighting two wars.
4. We just ran out of digit space on the National Debt Clock in Times Square.
5. My insurance company is charging me $10 per pill for my migraine meds, and they'll only give me 6 pills a month. Something is wrong with our system.
6. Even though the electoral system is stupid, your vote could be the swing for your state's votes to go to a candidate. So your vote does, indeed, count.
7. Yes, gas prices have fallen, but we're still lining the pockets of people that hate the U.S. We need to cut them off and cut ourselves off from oil dependence.
8. You should vote because I've made it to number 8 without sharing with you who I think can fix 1-7, I don't know how long I can hold out.
9. You need to vote because no matter what the polls say, this is a 50/50 race.
10. You can't bitch about things if you don't vote.
11. You should vote because it's one of the most patriotic things a regular citizen can do.
12. You must vote because there is a debate in this country about whether or not you are a "real American" if you don't believe a certain way, or live in a city rather than a small town. (Okay, I made it to number 12, I couldn't go anymore!) :)
13. You should vote because this country may be in more trouble if we have another 4 years that are anywhere near 90% like the last 8.

Carmen News!

2008-10-24T08:06:00.000-04:00

Hey all! It's the weekend, and that deserves a happy dance.

First, I have a request. If you are on Facebook, would you please visit my blog network and confirm that I am the author of this Gone to Plaid blog? (Who else would I be?)

Second, I have great news! I am self-publishing my book. After too many rejection letters from publishers, saying it was a great book but they couldn't sell it, I thought "well, you're just not trying hard enough!"

So I have a new blog for the book, and I hope you'll all head over and check it out. I'm planning all kinds of fun stuff over there as soon as I get the preliminaries finished (right now, I'm just finishing up with the cover design.) I'm going to have a virtual booksigning for all of my blog friends. I'm going to have a virtual launch party. It's going to be a fun place over there!

The List

Here's the Facebook Fan page, I hope you'll all become fans. And if you're not on Facebook, why not? It's cool.

Thursday 13 v. 68 Cruise Ship Lingo

2008-10-23T06:51:00.001-04:00

Thirteen Pieces of Cruise Ship Lingo

Do you know your starboard from your aft? :)

1. Always refer to your vessel as a ship not a boat.
2. The ship is always female. It's a "she" or a "her"
3. "Port" refers to the left side of the ship.
4. "Starboard" refers to the right side of the ship.
5. "Aft" refers to the rear or back of the ship.
6. "Bow" refers to the front of the ship.
7. A ship has decks not floors.
8. A ship has staterooms not rooms.
9. "Tender" is the vessel that you take to and from the shore when the ship is at anchor in a port.
10. The "bridge" is the place where the Captain and his crew steer the ship.
11. The "brig" is the ship's jail.
12. It is a "Purser's Desk" not an Information Desk or a Front Desk.
13. I can help you put this knowledge to work by helping you book a fun, cost-effective cruise! (Can I beg a little more?) Click on that big ad over there on the right to get to my Website.

Thursday 13 v. 67 Charleston Photos

2008-10-16T07:24:00.001-04:00

Thirteen Pictures of Charleston That Would've Been Better Had It Not Been Crappy Weather

Charleston's downtown was beautiful, but the weather wasn't. :)

A Case of the Mondays

2008-10-13T09:56:00.000-04:00

Well, my trip to Charleston wasn't all I had hoped it would be. Sigh. We cut the trip short by one day to save money on the hotel and escape the uber crappy weather. It rained for 3 days. Bleck. We did manage to take a tour around downtown Charleston, which was BEAUTIFUL, the only hour of our trip sans showers.My Thursday 13 will likely be 13 of my favorite pictures, despite the gray skies.

We also drove around one morning with a realtor to look into the city, the neighborhoods, etc. My general impression was "eh." Nothing made me want to say "oooh, I must move here now!" I don't think it was all Jim was hoping for either, because we're now looking into other cities. Plus, honestly, I think it was just too far from home.

He also found out today that his plant is closing in January, which may kick him in the butt and make him decide what he wants to do. Just gives me something else to worry about.

Which is why I'm especially enjoying the Halloween/Fall treat that Hootin' Anni gave me.

Thursday 13 v. 66 Charleston Trip

2008-10-09T06:00:00.003-04:00

Thirteen Reasons I am and am not happy to be going to Charleston, SC this weekend

Suggestion Box

2008-10-06T11:58:00.000-04:00

We booked our Vegas trip today, yay!

Let this be a lesson to you. If you see a good deal to someplace you want to go, book it, Danno! We moved our Vegas trip back one week because the flights and the deals that we saw 2 days ago changed. We'd been looking at those prices for several days. Why we didn't book, I'll never know. SOMEBODY has to think about things. ;) (Not me, I'm like - "let's go!"

This week, we're heading down to Charleston, SC for a scouting trip. We're scouting real estate (we should be able to get a steal these days) neighborhoods, etc.

If anyone has any suggestions for what to do as a tourist in Charleston, give me a shout in comments. We're thinking about a walking tour, but does anyone know a good place for breakfast? Good place for dinner? A secret "must-do?"

What happens in Vegas. . . .

2008-10-03T06:45:00.001-04:00

Seems to be happening to everyone but me.

My mom just got back from her first trip to Las Vegas, which I planned for her by that way. My aunt and uncle are going in two weeks. Virginia is going soon, so she tells me. Waah! I'm jealous.

My mom got her first taste of the breakfast buffet at the Paris hotel, with their wonderful, tasty crepes. Virginia says she'll eat one and think of me fondly, but it's just not the same.

So, I think Jim and I are going ourselves in December. We've found some great prices for some fancy hotels (we're thinking of staying in the Signature at MGM Grand.) We're also trying to decide on a day-trip. Right now, I'm leaning toward Death Valley or Zion National Park. We'd really like to see Bryce Canyon, but it's a 4-hour drive one-way from Las Vegas. It might be too much.

I'm also trying to find some other things to see/do. I'm just about done with Cirque de Soliel shows, so we're considering a magic show. "The Lion King" is coming to Vegas in January, but that's too late for us, and I don't think "Phantom of the Opera" is manly enough for Jim to agree to go. :) "Spamalot" doesn't seem to be playing anymore, because I can't find it.

So the power of suggestion got to me, and I've succumbed to peer pressure. We haven't booked yet, but it's looking like a real possibility!

Everyone have a great weekend. I'll be sleeping in, since I am covering for the News Editor at work and he keeps a schedule that has me up with the birds.

Thursday 13 v. 65 Cruise News

2008-10-02T06:02:00.004-04:00

Thirteen Pieces of Cruise News from Carmen

comparison

cruise for free

Cruise Fun and Deals

Economy Worries = No Travel?

2008-10-01T08:42:00.007-04:00

There's been a lot of talk lately about people being scared to spend their money for fear that the economic times ahead are not going to be good.

Here's what I think. I'm not going to stop living my life. If my job is affected, I'll deal with it then. What about you?

A lot of people are saying that they're giving up vacations. Seems to me that now's the time that we all need some serious vacations. I'd give up eating out before I gave up vacations - but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't look for a good deal.

There are tourist services around the world that are seeing the effect of people cutting back on their vacation spending. That's why they are slashing prices and offering incentives like crazy to attract travelers to their products.

Take, for example, Princess Cruises. They are offering some fantastic cruise prices to Europe in addition to bonus incentives. When you book and make a deposit on a 2009 Princess Europe cruise from today through November 15, you also get

-- $100 onboard credit per stateroom
-- Reduced deposit of $100 per person
-- Coupon booklet worth up to $120 in on-board savings

Plus, you pay for the cruise and shore excursions in U.S. dollars, and you don't have to worry about the exchange rate or the dollar taking a plunge.

If you're thinking of taking a cruise next year, now's the time to get an awesome deal. Leave me a comment or send me an email at CarmenandJim@cruiseshipcenters.com, or visit the Web site at www.cruiseshipcenters.com/CarmenandJim. (Though a lot of these deals aren't on the site.)

In the Airport Prison

2008-09-26T08:51:00.000-04:00

So I thought, on this Friday, with the country's economy in the craphole and the muckety-mucks in DC in shouting matches, that I'd share with you a funny/annoying story from our trip to Barbados.

When you come back into the U.S. from another country, you have to go through passport control. You show the border officer your passport, they look at your picture and your name and your customs form, they stamp your passport, and you go off to collect your bags to recheck them in the US.

When we came back into Miami from Barbados, Jim presented his passport to the border officer. There was a problem. She couldn't process his passport. Without explaining to us what the problem was, she said that the "main office" would have to process it. So off we go (I had to go, too, I couldn't just leave him), escorted by another officer to the main office. Which was locked, and the officers inside had to buzz us in.

Inside the main office, there were torn-up chairs to sit on like a doctor's waiting room - in hell. Most of the chairs were full. We were told to take a seat. Thank goodness for a 9-hour layover.

No one told us why we were here. Someone came by and asked us what flight we were on, and if we had a baggage ticket. Still, no explanation.

I had to go to the bathroom, but they wouldn't let me out of the "office." There was a bathroom in the office, there was no lock for the door, and there was no door on the stall. I'd never been so humiliated and mad in my entire life. I was an American citizen, and I felt like a drug smuggler.

Finally, they call Jim to the counter. They tell him his first and last name is the same as someone they're looking for. Now, here's what makes me mad. His middle name is VERY unique - it's Japanese. The officer who checked us out of prison said that Jim's middle name is what let him off. DUDE! His middle name is on his passport. The original border officer could see it clear as day. So we had to go through all this anyway?

I'm all for security. But stupidity is a whole different ballgame. Especially when I have to pee with no doors.

Happy Friday!

Thursday 13 v. 64 Princess Cruise Facts

2008-09-25T07:25:00.003-04:00

Thirteen Things Carmen learned about Princess Cruises while earning her Commodore status

Expedia CruiseShipCenters Website

I'm a Commodore (not the singing group)

2008-09-24T08:18:00.000-04:00

I don't know if anyone noticed the new little button over there above the picture of Jim and I, but it certifies that I am a Princess Cruise Commodore.

I suffered through some serious training to get that certification. I had to complete more than 25 online courses, which equaled about 45 hours of my time. I learned about the Princess ships, I learned about the Princess destinations, I learned about the Princess Scholarship@Sea program, I learned about the Princess dining options, I learned about the Princess staff policies - basically, I am an expert in all things Princess Cruises. I even got a little write-up on inRich.com after I submitted my press release.

I think I'm going to start participating in the Thursday 13 again, so my first in a long time may be the interesting things I learned in this course.

Another new thing on the site is below the fold in the right-hand corner. It's my MyBlogLog widget. It's a site that I found to help you monitor all your blogs, your blog stats, your blog friends, etc. If you'd like to become a member of my community, sign on up!

South Beach

2008-09-22T09:34:00.004-04:00

What do you do with a 9-hour layover in Miami? South Beach, baby! It took about 20 minutes in a taxi from the airport (though with traffic, about 45 minutes back).

There's a definite "vibe" to South Beach. There's music and food and beautiful people. And, it's like a parade of rich people, with Bentlys and Maseratis and Beamers and Mercedes rolling by.

And it's HOT! Whew, I couldn't live there, because as a VERY white person, I'd melt. However, it was fun to visit and shop for a few hours.

Enjoy the pictures!

Barbados Memories

2008-09-18T08:59:00.003-04:00

Here are the Barbados pictures I promised. Enjoy.

Did you know that Barbados is a major cruise port? Visit www.cruiseshipcenters.com/CarmenandJim to find a cruise there. Sign up for our email newsletter, and be entered to win a free cruise.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

2008-09-16T14:21:00.003-04:00

Back from Barbados. It was lovely, and I'll post pictures when I can come up for air. :)

I told you that when I got back, I'd have BIG NEWS. My news is that Jim and I are now cruise ship consultants! You know how much I ~heart~ travel, and I just thought we could share our passion with the planet!

If you even think you might want to cruise in the future, I encourage you to join our new 7Seas (TM) list. Basically, it's free to be a member, you'll get deals that I can't even advertise (and you should see these deals!) Plus, if you'll notice the ad to your right, above our new cute pic, is a promotion to win a cruise a day. Anyone new to sign up to our list is entered to win a cruise! Woot! Woot!

"How do I do this?" you ask. Click on that big flashy ad, which will take you to our new Web page, and sign on up! I hope someone I know wins a cruise, because that would be the best!

You can also enter by clicking over to our Website, www.cruiseshipcenters.com/CarmenandJim.

I also have a Facebook group all set up, should you want to join - I'll be posting interesting cruise info over there, and probably some here as well!

Believe it or not, I have more big news on the way, but it's still a little premature to say. So stay tuned!

Squeaking Through

2008-09-07T13:12:00.000-04:00

Well, blog fans, it looks like Hurricane Ike is going to sneak south and leave Miami alone tomorrow, meaning our flight just may make it out in time. Did you ever see Independence Day, where the president's plane is taking off just as D.C. is exploding, and the flames are chasing the plane? That's the way I feel, except the flames are hurricane bands and I'm in the plane. So wish us luck!

When I return, I'll have more information on some big things going down. Now you want to come back for another visit in a week or so, don't cha?

I'll also hopefully have some cool photos and stories to tell.

So stay tuned, and I'll see you when I return!

The Price You Pay

2008-08-28T07:27:00.000-04:00

We got a great deal on our upcoming Barbados trip, which starts in 11 days. However, I'm now wondering if I took into consideration the price of worrying about the actual GETTING THERE.

So here we are, closely watching the tropics. We've got Gustav threatening the Gulf Coast, which doesn't affect our trip (because it's all about me, you know) - but makes the oil speculators go nutso. And you know the price of oil never comes down as fast as it goes up. Grrr.

Then, we've got tropical depression 8, to be known as Hanna. Its current track keeps it in the Atlantic until Monday, but it's really too early to tell what's going to happen there. If it's going to do something, I hope it does it next week, because NOTHING needs to be stormy on September 8. Like it is here today, thanks to crappy old Faye. I know we need the rain, but I don't have to like the soggy.

Once we're there, I don't know that I care so much about getting home on time. Ha! If my choice is tropical paradise or flying home in a hurricane, I'm going with hammocks and drinks with umbrellas in them. I just don't want to be stuck on a little teeny island with a big ol' storm coming at me. Barbados isn't typically in the hurricane belt, but never say "never."

In other Carmen news, I have started the book self-publishing process. The manuscript has been submitted, the cover illustration has been designed, and the wonderfully talented Goofy Girl has started work on the blog design. I've been researching and researching and I'm so excited to share my book with the world. I'll definitely have a virtual book signing so that you guys can get an autographed copy. I'll have a virtual launch party, too. If you guys are on Facebook, I invite you to invite me as a friend as well! (just be sure to tell me you're from the blog world in your message, so I know you're not a stalker.)

And the BF and I are leaning towards getting into the travel biz. I think we're close to deciding to become travel agents, selling mostly cruises. I'm just going to go out of my way to help people book their trips, and hopefully use my vast travel know-how to get folks the best trips ever. More info to come on that as well.

Going south, ya'll!

2008-08-20T08:37:00.005-04:00

Well, my trip to Barbados is a mere three weeks away, and I'm getting pretty excited. I need a vacation badly.

But you know me, I can't go on a trip without having another one planned.

So in October, the BF and I are heading to Charleston, S.C. The trip has a two-fold purpose. First is just a tourist purpose. We've never been there, and we're looking forward to seeing the old city. The second purpose is to scope it out and see if we'd maybe like to live there. We're both tired of winters, and the BF really misses coastal living, so we'll see.

In other news, you may be interested to know that I have decided to self-publish my novel. It will be available on Amazon.com, and I'll have a blog for it, a Facebook page, a Facebook book club for it, etc. Prepare to be bombarded! :) (And to answer your questions, yes, I'll do a virtual booksigning for anyone who's interested. My blog buddies will definitely not be forgotten! I'll even give away a copy on my blog, which I'll post here when everything's set!)

Wish me luck!

What would you do in _____ in 24 hours?

2008-08-05T16:59:00.004-04:00

Hello fellow blog readers, loyal even though I abandon you for long periods of time. I'm sorry. :)

I've been freelancing, freelancing and freelancing some more. And writing some travel guides.

The travel guides are for a new site your24.com, and they are written in the format of what you could do in a travel destination in 24 hours.

The guides I've written can be found here:

http://www.your24.com/profiles/carmens

Take a look at my guides, and if you feel so inclined, I'd appreciate a "vote" or two. You know how competitive I am. :)

It'll be a pretty good site when it's built up. Maybe sign up and write your own guide?

Do You Use Travel Agents?

2008-07-16T07:10:00.004-04:00

So the BF and I are looking into becoming independent travel consultants to see if we can position ourselves to work anywhere and buffer ourselves against job insecurity.

This makes me wonder, dear readers, how people use travel agents.

I used an agent for my trip to Australia, because I knew so little about it, and the agent was an expert in the area. I also used her to book my trip to Hawaii with my mom, I think because I was lazy. The next trip was to the Dominican Republic, and we tested the "deal" the agent got us, got a better deal (which the agent matched, but we thought she should've given that deal up front) and booked it on our own. The agent got P.O'd and sent me a blazing email, which I responded with "dude, you made money on two trips off me. I'll be telling people not to use you now. Bad move, sweetheart."

Now, I don't even use agents anymore. I think I would for a specialized trip, but for general stuff, I enjoy the process, so I'll book on my own.

However, people like my sister DON'T like the process. She called an agent to help her with her trip to Hawaii in the fall, and used me as a backup for the info she got. This agent was a bee-atch to her as well, refusing to help because my sister inquired as to military discounts, and the agent didn't make commission on those, so hung up when my sister called. (Do people really do business this way?)

So I'm asking my readers, would you consult a travel agent? What would you expect from said agent? Take the poll and comment as well if you'd like!

Photo of the Day

2008-07-14T09:53:00.003-04:00

Sydney Opera House

I know I've been a bad, bad blogger. It's just that with all the freelance projects, I've been a busy bee.

I picked this photo, because one of my freelance assignments was to write about my trip to Synday, Australia. It was nice to remember how I felt when the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge first came into view. It was surreal - like a dream. I was drawn to the Opera House many times - in it's New Year's Eve finery, in the middle of a hot summer day with the sun bouncing off its sails, from atop my Harbor Bridge climb, and at dusk, with beautiful, HUGE bats flying around its lights looking for a snack. It makes me tear up just to think about it. I hope you all have the opportunity to see it for yourselves someday. Until then, admire the above picture and dream of where music floats.

It's Monday, Where am I?

2008-06-30T07:05:00.003-04:00

And no, it's not the White House, though it's not too far away. Maybe 2 hours?

And the Next Trip Is . . .

2008-06-27T07:05:00.003-04:00

So I dangled a teaser about my next vacation in my last post. I know that you've all been thinking about nothing else, possibly even losing sleep over it, so I'm going to tell you where it is.

Are you ready?

Are you sure?

Here it comes . . .

We're going to . . .

BARBADOS!

We found an excellent deal on Cheapcaribbean.com, and then did some extra research and found an even better deal on Travelocity.com, and booked that deal! For about $850 per person, we're flying through Miami (with a horrible layover) and then to Barbados, staying 7 nights in the Bougenvilla Resort there and then flying home.

The reason we got such a deal is because we're going in September, which is the low season in the Caribbean, thanks to hurricanes. Barbados, like Aruba, is set outside of the hurricane belt, so the weather ON the island should be okay. We're taking a chance mostly with the travel to and from the island during September, but we've got travel insurance, so we should be fine. Let's just all cross our fingers that Miami doesn't get hit in September.

The Crane Beach here was named one of the world's 10 best beaches, so we'll be sure to visit that one.

Now, I just have to make sure I don't get sun poisoning while I'm there. I got fried in Vegas, and had problems for a month after. Jim will be introducing me as, "this is my girlfriend, the girl who is sitting on the beach in long sleeves and jeans."

Where'd She Go?

2008-06-25T10:18:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the prolonged blogging absence. You're probably asking "Where's she been?" I've been writing my little patootie off. I took on a freelance travel writing gig, where I was assigned 222 destinations to write 150-word blurbs about. At first glance, that doesn't seem like a lot, but when you add research to the mix, it took me nearly two weeks to complete.

It was interesting, though, because there were a lot of places that I didn't even know EXISTED, much less were tourist destinations. Who knew that Bulgaria had beaches? It seems the Black Sea coast is quite the draw. So is Bali, and Cyprus, and . . . I could go on and on.

I also learned about Sun City, South Africa. I knew about it from that song in the 80s where the music industry said they "ain't gonna play Sun City" but I never really knew what a Las-Vegas like experience it was supposed to be. And if I didn't want to go on safari before, I definitely do after researching Tanzania and Kenya.

Like my list of places I want to go needed to get any longer. :)

In September, one of my "want to go" destinations will be checked off my list. Check back for the reveal of where that will be!

Travel Photo of the Day #2

2008-06-13T08:44:00.003-04:00

~Follow your dreams (from the wrapper of a Dove chocolate).

Luxor, Egypt

Travel Photo of the Day

2008-06-11T08:46:00.004-04:00

Life is a journey. Where will it take you?

Santorini, Greece

Colonial Williamsburg Trip Report

2008-05-30T09:15:00.004-04:00

Colonial Williamsburg is part of Virginia's Historic Triangle of cities (the other two being Jamestown and Yorktown), and in my opinion is the most entertaining of the three. It's a wonderful way to enjoy some beautiful weather and take a step back into history. For the locals, it's a great place to walk the dog and ride a bike.

I did think that the ticket prices were a bit steep - $37 for a Capital City Pass, add $6 if you want to enter the Governor’s Palace and add $10 more to that if you want to make it a 2-day pass. But the ticket price includes access to the shuttle bus, the introduction movie at the Visitor’s Center called “The Patriot,” a visit to the colonial Capitol, a few museums, and access to the re-enactment programs that go on throughout the afternoon.

If you want to go, but don't want to drop that kind of coin, it's completely free to walk Duke of Gloucester Street, where you can see the exterior of all the buildings, appreciate the gardens and the Palace Green in front of the Governor's Palace. Some of the Taverns are open to the free-mongers as well. But, if you want to go inside any of the buildings, or you want to participate in any of the Revolutionary City activities, you'll need to open your wallet.

Revolutionary City programs take place in front of the Capitol and include conversations with costumed re-enactors, a "public audience" with the likes of Jefferson, Washington or Patrick Henry. Perhaps you'll catch a fife and drum performance like the video below. (And what video would be complete without idiots walking right in front of me. grrrr.)

For some photos of my day in the sun at Colonial Williamsburg, take a look at the slide show below. I love the photo of the gentleman and the lady in the beautiful blue dress!

The B&B Experience

2008-05-28T07:32:00.003-04:00

Hello all - I hope everyone had a nice weekend, whether it was a holiday where you were or not. :)

As I mentioned last week, the BF and I had a "staycation" (a vacation where you stay close to home) over the weekend. We went to Williamsburg, which is about an hour from where we live.

I wanted to save a small amount of money, and try something new, so we stayed in a B&B. The Boxwood Inn was a beautiful home within walking distance of both the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg (though that would've been quite a walk.) The rooms in the Boxwood Inn were named after presidents that had attended William and Mary - the Jefferson room, the Tyler room, etc. (though, let me just say that Jefferson WENT to W&M, but he BUILT UVA. Ha.) The decor was impressive - a feast for the eyes.

There was a porch to relax on, and a beautiful garden outside.

I think there were some good things and some bad things about our stay here. The BF felt really uncomfortable, as he kept saying it was like being in someone's house (which we were). The Website said that each room had a private bath, which was technically true, but our room (the Tyler room, which was $125 per night) didn't have a bath in the room. It was "private," but it was in the hallway. Another thing I noticed, was that while B&Bs are promoted for "romance," you can hear everything in the adjacent rooms. Exhibitionists only need apply for the romance category.

Breakfast was included (clearly) and there was one serving at 8:30 a.m. That wasn't my favorite thing either. I can understand serving breakfast until a certain time, but making someone get up early on their vacation to eat breakfast was a bit annoying. Plus, the BF didn't like that we had to be all friendly with the other guests. (He's fairly private.) You felt like you had to talk to these people, but we had absolutely nothing in common with them. The breakfast consisted of eggs, sausage and - oddly enough - some kind of apple pie fritter. Apple pie for breakfast was a new one for me.

So my review of the American (or at least Williamsburg) B&B experience was this: The Boxwood Inn was beautiful. I couldn't complain about the home or the rooms or the cleanliness or the atmosphere or the decor. However, I don't know if the experience as a whole was right for us.

Here are some photos of the Inn.

Another reason to hate the Airlines

2008-05-22T08:26:00.003-04:00

I know that the price of oil is hurting everybody. Heck, I don't drive that much and it's making a dent in my wallet.

But American Airlines borders on the edge of stupidity. I take that back, they've fallen over the edge. Blaming oil prices, the morons are now charging $15 to check a bag. Not your second bag, which I could see, but your first bag. If I recall, the carry-on size for AA is pretty small, and other than a one- or two-day trip, you can't get all your necessities in a carry-on. Does the fact that I've now paid you to handle my bag guarantee me that you won't destroy it on the conveyor belt, or that my bag will be actually traveling with me to my destination?

I don't know what genius marketing person came up with this idea, but it reeks of poor customer service. Just add the $15 to the price of a ticket for Pete's sake. I already get hit with over $100 in taxes when I buy a seat, so just add it there. What, you can't compete with the other airlines that way? Hmmm, perhaps you should take a look at your business model.

I find this almost as ridiculous as US Scare (Air) charging $5 for a window seat. Why not an aisle seat? Oh, that's right, because you bump my foot with that stupid drink cart when I sit there! What are they going to do when no one buys the window seat? What are they going to do when 2 people want to sit together, but there are only 2 seats on a row? How are they going to balance the weight of the plane when everyone is in the aisle and the middle seats?

Grr. Argh!

Airlines, let me give you some free marketing advice. You suck. Other than that, charge for drinks. Don't charge $5, but a soda in a vending machine runs $1 these days. Don't even serve those ridiculous drinks on a 1-hour flight. I think everyone can survive without liquid refreshment for an hour.

Stop overbooking flights and giving vouchers to volunteers. Here's a concept. Book the number of seats that you have. Then, stop losing my bags and you won't have to pay me for my stuff.

Stop wasting gas by sitting on the tarmac for an hour while you wait to be cleared for take-off. Wait at the gate.

I think they should charge a moron tax. You know those people who can't put a stinkin' carry-on bag in the overhead wheels first instead of sideways so the rest of us have nowhere to put our bags?

I'll be using about $50 in gas to head to Williamsburg tomorrow. Looking forward to it - mostly because the weather is supposed to be rain-free for the entire weekend. I can't remember the last time we had a dry spell over a day or so. My feet were beginning to grow webs for swimming.

Everyone have a great Memorial Day weekend!

My Short Memorial Day Trip

2008-05-20T07:40:00.003-04:00

Wow, that was some response to yesterday's post. Local trips? That's what it takes to get comments? :)

Yes, the BF and I are on our way to Williamsburg. I'm taking Friday off, which means a 4-day workweek this week and next (yay!).

Don't laugh, but the first day of our vacation will be spent shopping. :) Williamsburg has an outlet mall, and since moving from Northern Virginia, I haven't had an outlet mall to go to, so there will be some serious shopping going on.

We'll be staying in a B&B Friday night. I've only stayed in an B&B in Ireland, so it'll be interesting to see what an American B&B will be like.

Saturday morning, we'll walk to Colonial Williamsburg (the B&B is a few blocks away) and we'll experience the Revolutionary City, meeting people in costume and watching them work. (I'm hoping to meet Thomas Jefferson. I'd like to thank him for founding UVA. HA! He's there, or so the Website says. I'll just have to flush him out.)

After lunch, we'll head to Jamestown. From what I remember, it's quite the interactive site.

No Busch Gardens for us this time. The BF isn't a big fan of roller coasters (though we did go to Kings Dominion on our second date, shows how much he liked me. ha.) Though he says he may consider it this summer. I won't make him go, though.

And Red, the Chesapeake Bay isn't a bay full of dogs. But that was funny. It IS full of crabs, though.

Then, to top off the weekend, we'll be seeing the new Indiana Jones movie on Sunday. We already have our tickets!

Near or Far

2008-05-19T09:31:00.003-04:00

My writer's block has been plaguing me recently. Apologies.

I've heard from a lot of folks about how they'd love to travel, but they just don't have the moola.

Travel doesn't have to be across the world (although that IS my favorite), but you can travel in your own backyard, so to speak.

Take, for example, my upcoming "trip." The BF and I are driving an hour away to Williamsburg, VA for a nice, Memorial Day "getaway." We'll only be gone overnight, and there aren't any plane tickets involved or anything, but it's a nice way to get out of Dodge without spending a lot of money.

The economy sucks. I hear ya. But take a look at nearby towns that you've always said you'd like to see. Heck, where do you live? There are a tons of things in Richmond that I haven't seen. And when I lived in D.C., I could've played tourist there for weeks before I hit all the top spots.

It's all about expanding horizons, whether nearby ones or far away ones.

Tax Rebate for Travel?

2008-05-12T06:58:00.003-04:00

Americans, how do you plan on spending your tax rebate? Will you save it? Will you buy something you've been eyeing for a while? Will you take a trip?

There are a lot of travel companies (and entire countries) who would love to have that moola. Travel from the U.S. to Europe is dropping off (and no wonder, with the exchange rates at nearly 2 to 1. Another wonderful legacy from George W.)

The key, if you want to use your rebate on travel, is find a good deal. How do you do that?

Well, if you want to go to the Carribean, may I suggest "Cheapcarribean.com." I've seen a LOT of great deals from this Website coming through my email box. Aruba for less than $600 for 5 days? That's a deal for an island that is constantly sunny and warm with lots of activities.

If you want to go to Europe, you'll still probably spend more than your rebate check, but if you take a look at countries that aren't yet on the Euro (like Croatia) you can stretch your money a bit farther. If you want to tour the traditional European cities - like Paris - plan to either go for less time or spend a few days in Paris, and then head out into the countryside where things aren't as expensive.

Another trend I've noticed in the deal emails I get (oh yes, I forgot, sign up for these little gems of info) is that Americans are hedging against even worse exchange rates by buying packages before they go. That way, the hotel price, for example, is set at the current rate. Of course the optimist in me keeps hoping that things will look up for the U.S. Dollar, but I don't know why.

Here's something else to consider - as a matter of fact - it's the route I'll be taking for the short-term. You don't have to go to another country to go on vacation. You don't have to go to another state. Take a look in your own backyard. Find a local B&B, one in a closeby city that you've always wanted to explore. Or maybe there's a hotel in your hometown that you've always wanted to stay in. Small expeditions can give you as much of a break as the big ones can. But always keep saving for the big ones.

Where In the World is Matt Lauer Going that I Want to Go?

2008-05-07T07:20:00.004-04:00

I *heart* the week on the Today show where Matt Lauer jaunts around the world, growing his beard (he doesn't shave that week) and finding unique travel experiences for the rest of us.

This year, he went to several beautiful destinations - Holland, Thailand, etc. - but the one that fascinated me the most, and has been the most talked about among my acquaintences, is the trip he took to the Seychelles Islands.

If you've never heard of the Seychelles, they are a group (archipeglio) of about 100 islands nearly 1000 miles off of the Eastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. It's often called "paradise on earth" and features those white sand beaches and clear blue/green water that you see in travel photos. Mahe is the largest island, and is where the airport lies. According to the people that Matt Lauer interviewed, the Seychelles give the Galapagos a run for their money as far as wildlife - the Seychelles have more tortoises, for example. Birdwatching and fishing are big here, as well as diving in the reefs.

So I did a search on Kayak.com on just airfares to the Seychelles Islands from the crappy airport of Richmond (RIC). Airfare alone - the best price I saw was $1896, and it left on Friday and arrived on Sunday - so that's 2 days of just travel! (On the way home, it's only 1 day of travel). On the sites that offer packages, you're talking a minimum of $5000 per person.

I guess I'd better start saving.

Bellagio Gardens

2008-05-06T07:31:00.002-04:00

Despite the fact that everything costs more in Vegas, there are a few remnants of free. You can watch the Bellagio fountains without paying (for anything but the trip itself.) You can watch the Mirage volcano and TI's pirate show for free. You can see the lion exhibit at MGM grand for free.

One of the prettiest freebies has got to be the gardens at the Bellagio. Many people never make it past the Dale Chihuly glass flower ceiling in the lobby, (and rightly so), but if they just pass through the lobby, they'll get a nice surprise. The Bellagio gardens change with the season. I've seen them at Halloween (Harvest), Chinese New Year, with the U.S. monuments theme and now with the spring theme.

This year it was ladybugs and snails made of flowers, and an enclosed butterfly garden. I've put together a photo slide show for you to enjoy (plus a couple of glass flower statues).

Freemont Street: Trip Report

2008-05-05T06:56:00.003-04:00

You might not realize that there is an entirely different part of Vegas than the Strip.

Welcome to Freemont Street - part of the old, downtown part of Vegas. Here, the casinos are smaller and smokier, but offer you a lot more bang for your buck. The slots are much more loose, offering you a bigger win on that 20 cents play (if you're playing the penny slots.) This year's penny slot favorite award goes to the Elvis penny slot. If you bet the max of 60 lines (that's 1 cent per line), you can play up to three spins. If you win on the first spin, you're bumped to the second, if you win the second, you're bumped to the third. If you get the bonus, well, you're just lucky enough to not only win the money, but you get to hear ol' Elvis sing (guess which song makes the applause-o-meter above you register the highest.) Or, you could get to put pictures of Elvis (hopefully the cute, skinny ones) in an album, or guess which album will hit platinum status. It's a cool, interactive game. I really brought the BF over to the penny slot dark side!

And if you're looking for single-deck blackjack? Forget it if you're on the Strip, but on Freemont, it's not hard to find. Combine that with a $5 minimum bet (the minimums go up during busy times, like Sat. night) and you've got yourself a blackjack hootenanny. We had a dealer at Binions, Terry, who taught me more about how to play blackjack than any book ever did. If the dealer is showing a "2", chances are that he's going to win. That's his best card. If the dealer is showing a 3, 4 or 5 in single deck blackjack "There's a 10 coming and you don't want it. Make the dealer beat you." Always assume that the dealer has a 10 card under whatever he's showing. Always hit on a 16 ("Have you ever seen a dealer stand on 16?") and double down on a hand of 11. It was awesome. I had to borrow money from the BF, because at another table I'd previously lost the last of my gambling money, but here, with Terry's help, I won back enough to pay BF back and leave with a little extra.

And after you spend a whole day gambling away your shirt, around dusk you can take a moment and look up to enjoy the Freemont Street Experience - a show that takes place on the canopy above you that's filled with millions of tiny light bulbs. It's amazing how they make the images look so "movie like" with those lights - plus it's put to music.

Here's the full video of one performance. It's about 6 minutes long, my arm got tired holding the camera, but it's pretty cool video, if I do say so myself.

Red Rock Cayon Trip Report

2008-05-02T06:54:00.004-04:00

So far this week, we've been to Vegas, the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam.

Today, we're heading to Red Rock Canyon.

I think I've mentioned that I can only take Vegas in small doses. Since we didn't know what time we'd get back from the Grand Canyon, we kept our rental car for two days. Since we had the car for two days, we decided that on the second day we'd drive 25 minutes or so to Red Rock Canyon.

I dare say that I preferred Red Rock. No, it's not as "natural wonder-y" as the Grand Canyon, but it's a bit more up-close-and-personal, which I really enjoyed. It was a lot cheaper - only $5 per car per day gets you spectacular rock formations and a 13-mile, one-way loop to drive.

Learn from us - make sure to get some water or some beverage from the Visitors Center BEFORE you head out hiking. Although, I think we enjoyed just driving the entire loop without stopping the first time.

Take a look at the newsletter you're handed when you pay your entrance fee and pick the stops where you'd like to have your photo ops and hiking boots.

I highly recommend that you stop at the first area - the Calico Hills. These are the most red rocks, and you can climb on them (with your feet, or with climbing equipment.) But really, you couldn't go wrong with any of the stops - you can't spit without hitting a good photo op.

Here's video from part of the loop drive.

And here are some photos from our Red Rock day.

Hoover Dam Stopover

2008-05-01T07:24:00.005-04:00

On the way to the Grand Canyon, I got to cross the Hoover Dam (for the first time, I'd seen it from the air a few times.)

It looks like they're currently building a bridge over this monster of architecture - it's really high, and I think I'd be kinda scared to drive over it, but I'm not their target market. Traffic slows WAY down over the winding road that crosses the dam, but I think that might be more the fault of ogglers than anything else (okay, well, the road IS quite winding.)

I decided to forgo the actual tour of the place, but we did park our Audi rental car and walk around for some photo ops.

I'm not sure how many of you know that the dam also straddles two states, Nevada and Arizona. In the movie Fools Rush In, there's a scene where Selma Hayek crosses over a line on the road that has Arizona on one side and Nevada on the other, and tosses a coin into the water. That line is no longer in the road, and I'm not sure how she could've hit water with the coin, but that's the power of movies.

Anyway, we DID walk from one state to the other. Here's a video of me going from Nevada to Arizona. (Ugh, I didn't realize how awful the back of my hair looked. Sigh.)

And here are some photos from our stop at the Hoover Dam.

Walk the Sky at Grand Canyon West:Trip Report

2008-04-30T07:22:00.004-04:00

I can only take about three days in Las Vegas before I start to go crazy. There's only so much neon and flashing lights and dinging before you want to scream. So if a Vegas trip is more than 3 days, I always recommend a day trip.

I had taken a day trip to the Grand Canyon five years ago. Friend Irish and I had booked a bus tour to the South rim. It took us 5 hours to get there (at the time, due to security precautions, we couldn't go over the Hoover Dam) and we had a mere 2 hours there before turning around and going home.

This year, the BF and I rented a car (it was a Seinfeld episode, we reserved a car, yet the car wasn't there. Hertz sucks) and drove to Grand Canyon West. We crossed the Hoover Dam (that post will come soon) and drove for 2.5 hours - through Joshua Tree Forest - to get there.

The newest attraction at the Grand Canyon is the Skywalk. Opened in 2007, it's a glass bridge that extends out over the canyon, allowing you to look down into the canyon. It's a bit of a freaky experience, and one that'll cost you. There's a $20 fee to park. There's a $29.95 fee to the Hualapai nation to enter their land. Then, if you want to actually go on the Skywalk, there's a $29.95 fee for that. Is it worth it? I think so, but it takes a while to get used to the price.

No cameras are allowed on the Skywalk - or anything that could fall over the side. They give you a locker to store your stuff (so you do have a key around your wrist, not sure I get how that won't fall over, but whatever.)They then give you little paper booties so as not to scratch the glass, but I joked that we were doing their dusting for them. :) They have photographers on the bridge - take as many photos with them as you like - but you'll pay a premium for your photo when you get done.

The Skywalk is located at Eagle Point - where the rocks form a shape that looks like an eagle in flight. Another lookout point - and probably the most stunning - is Guano point. Yes, folks, it's named after bat doo. That's because some moron (or genius?)constructed this tower that sent people across the canyon into a cave to collect bat guano to sell.

At Guano point, the land juts out into the mouth of the Canyon, so you get as close to a 360 degree view of the Canyon as you can get. (Below is my - very windy - 360 degree video. I was standing on a rock, and rotating VERY CAREFULLY to get you the best video. Putting my life in danger - that's how committed I am to you folks.)

And below are some photos of Skywalk, one of my favorite photos of me and the BF on the Grand Canyon and some general shots of the Canyon. Why is it that the photos never capture the grandeur?

Vegas Trip Report

2008-04-29T07:05:00.004-04:00

I'm Ba-ack!

The weather in Vegas was sunny and dry, unlike here in Virginia, where I think the May flowers will be very happy with the April showers.

This being my fifth trip to Las Vegas, I feel uniquely qualified to offer my own best of Vegas list.

1. Best Hotel: Mandalay Bay. More on this in a later post, but the hotel is beautiful, the rooms are great, the pool is super fun - it's awesome.

2. Best Cirque Show: Mystere. I say this because it doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and it's lots of fun. I've got to say, I was a little disappointed in "O" (the water show at the Bellagio, named after the French word for water). The tickets were ridiculously priced, and while entertaining, I was left wanting.

3. Best Steak: It's still Prime in the Bellagio, but the steak we had at BOA Steakhouse in Ceasar's Palace was quite yummy. BOA had their own version of A-1 sauce called J-1. It was really good.

4. Best Place to Gamble: Freemont Street. Again, I'll dedicate a whole post to this, but Freemont Street has the best minimums, the most helpful dealers and of course, the light show.

5. Best Breakfast: Many of you already know this, but Le Buffet in Paris Hotel is to die for. I had my raspberry-filled crepe with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar, with some sliced almonds. I'm drooling as I write this.

6. Best Free Show: Bellagio Fountains. Video below. Please ignore the loudmouths beside me that wouldn't shut up. I wanted to pop them. :)

And now, for the photos: Highlights of Vegas

Where Do You Want to Go?

2008-04-21T07:18:00.003-04:00

Well, I want to go to Las Vegas! At least this week, anyway.

After Las Vegas, who knows? One of the destinations I've been starting to look at is Dubai - can you believe that the city has built up like that in only 35 years? I want to see the tallest building (they build about a floor every 3 days). I want to ski indoors in the desert. I want to shop for gold for cheap.

I've even downloaded the podcast to teach me to speak Arabic (basic phrases anyway, not that I'd need it in Dubai, but I think it's polite.)

I also want to go back to Europe, which means that somebody, somewhere is going to have to do something about this crappy economy. The Euro is way too expensive. But in the end, I may have to suck it up and go anyway.

I wouldn't mind trying to get to the Galapagos, either. Pretty expensive, though.

I'd take Tahiti or Fiji, too.

So this week, while I'm on a vacation from the blog, tell me where YOU'D like to travel!

Cell Phones In Flight?

2008-04-18T06:57:00.004-04:00

I don't know if any of you have read the articles, but the European Union is going to start allowing cell phones on airplanes.

Supposedly, they are asking the airlines to come up with suggested guidelines on appropriate cell-phone usage.

When was the last time that you saw idiots act appropriately with anything?

So you know that if you're flying in Europe (and we should be so lucky) that you'll be sitting next to Mr. or Ms. Yakkity-Yak.

Why do we need to talk on our cell phone all the time? Folks, hate to break it to you, but you (me, too) are not that important. :)

The second thing I think is amusing about this plan, is that the airlines are going to be the ones you pay to use the cell phone service. They charge $5 for a crappy turkey sandwich. How much do you think they'd bilk you for the right to phone home from the sky?

I hope America doesn't follow suit. That would be a nightmare. I came back from a cell phone conference once (when I worked for a cell phone company), and the plane landed, and you'd never heard so many "ding ding ding"s as the entire plane turned their cells on at the same time. If they could've talked during the flight, that would've been the worst flight ever.

However, I would really like to have me some wireless Internet on an airplane. No one has to hear my IM conversations. :)

The problem there again would be price. I don't want to pay a ton of money to use the Internet. Al Gore wanted it to be free, you know. ;)

Would you want to fly on a cell-phone allowed flight?

Have a good weekend, all! Next week is VEGAS!

Vegas Tips

2008-04-17T07:05:00.004-04:00

I think I've mentioned it about a googillian times (as Ben Stiller said), but next week, I'm going to Las Vegas. This will be my 5th trip to Sin City, and I've managed to accumulate some helpful information that I'd like to share with you.

1. Bring comfy shoes: You're at New York, NY. You want to walk to Paris, Hotel. It's right there! A half hour later, it's still right there! The scale of everything in Vegas is a trick. There will be lots of walking.

2. Go in the spring or in the fall: During the summer, it's scorching hot. You may get better deals, because everyone else has decided that melting their shoes on the asphalt isn't what they want to do. The weather in the spring and fall is terrific.

3. Make reservations: If there's a restaurant you want to try, or a spa treatment you want to get, call and make a reservation. Up to a month in advance for restaurants, and most spas do their calendar a week or two out.

4. If you want to play table games, head to Freemont Street: Downtown Las Vegas is the home of the $3 blackjack table, whereas it'll cost you at least $15 per hand on the Strip. On Freemont Street, you can play longer for less money, and the slots are a bit more loose. Plus, there's the free light show after dusk.

5. Speaking of free, you'll find several attractions that are: Watch the fountains at Bellagio, watch the volcano explode at the Mirage, watch the Sirens show at Treasure Island, and just mosey through the theme hotels.

6. Take a day trip: After about 3 days, the clinking and dinging and smoke starts to get to you. This year, we'll go to the Grand Canyon and Red Rock Canyon.

7. Bring lots of ones. You'll do more tipping than anything else. And bring your cash with you. While getting cash out of the ATMS in the casinos, you'll feel like you're "winning", but really, you're losing, because of the ridiculous ATM fees.

I really need a vacation. Four days left. :)

Airport Survival

2008-04-16T07:34:00.003-04:00

I don't know anyone who thinks that flying is the best part of their trip. "Ooh, I get to waste time in an airport today!"

There are a few things that you can do to make your airport stay a little better than crappy.

Before you ever go to the airport, call the airline the day before to see if your flight is on schedule. It's easier to change things at home from the comfort of your couch (and without 300 other mad travelers fighting for time). Keep an eye on things like weather before-hand, because many airlines can re-route you through another city if given enough advance notice (and if it's weather-related, without a change fee.)

Arrive the required 2 hours ahead of time. Bleck, I know, it's a pain in the ass. But it will give you enough time to stand in line and check in, get through the security cattle lines, etc.

Pack light. I know, I know. Hey, I'm a woman, we want to pack the kitchen sink. But you have to lift those bags, drag them behind you through 4 terminals, etc. I've mentioned Space Bags before - life-savers that they are.

Bring a snack. All that fatty airport food is tempting (can you say Cinnabon?) But you'll feel better if you stick to a sandwich or a snack bar.

If you don't bring a snack, get food before you get on the plane. We all know that airplane food is right up there with slop, so if you get a bagel or sandwich or muffin before you get on the plane, you'll be enjoying meal time while everyone else is picking through their food with plastic forks.

Get one of those neck pillows, or bring your own small pillows. Don't use the ones on the airlines. Do you know how often they wash those drooly things? Not enough.

Bring toilet seat covers. Charmin sells them in travel size. Use them on the airplane and the airport. A good match with a small bottle of anti-bacterial wash. They make paper soap now, too. Just add water.

And with that, a happy Hump day to all of you.

You Asked

2008-04-15T07:16:00.003-04:00

Wow, I didn't know you guys had so many questions! So the Q&A continues today, mostly because I'm in pre-vacation mode, and can't get my brain to work. Why is it that the week before you go on vacation, things at your job always go bonkers?

Q: What do I do with Pooh Bear when I go on vacation?
A: Well, that depends. If I go somewhere without the BF, he'll watch Pooh. (They have an "understanding") If the BF and I go together, I have a pet sitter that comes in to feed him. The pet sitter leaves me notes each day that tell me if Pooh behaved. :)

Q: Do I get jet lag when I go to a destination?
A: Again, depends on the destination. I don't sleep on airplanes, so I arrive already tired. If I'm traveling in the US, I can usually adapt with a minor nap. In Europe, I'm ready for sleep at 6 p.m., and then the next day I'm fine. When I went to Ireland, I left the US at 5 p.m., got to Ireland at 6 a.m. their time, and by around 5 p.m. Ireland time, I was so tired I was speaking gibberish. Took a nap at 6 p.m., woke up at 8 p.m. for dinner, went to sleep again at 11 p.m., and then I was off and running for the rest of the trip. I'm a big fan of naps.

Q: How do I find my fun activities?
A: I am a Type A person, so I like to have my ducks in a row before I go. Part of the fun of a trip for me is the research beforehand. I'm a big Barnes and Noble groupie, and I like to sit down with a hot chocolate and just read the guidebooks. I look things up on the Internet, too. I find it helps to have a spreadsheet (told you I was type A) of what I'm doing each day. (It's not so structured as to be time-specific.) I found this really useful in both Paris and Italy, where the churches and museums that I wanted to see were only open on certain days at certain times.)

Q: So where am I off to now?
We leave next week to go to Las Vegas (and crossing my fingers that there are no more grounded flights.) After that, who knows? :)

Frequently Asked Questions

2008-04-14T07:46:00.004-04:00

I "heart" you guys, because you are (pretend to be) really interested in my travel adventures, and often you ask me questions. So I'll start a new post tradition. I'll collect your questions, and answer them on days like today where I have a case of the Mondays and no inspiration for a destination to wow you with. :)

Question: How do you recover from these trips?
Answer: I'm not very good with it. Especially for long flights that take me through several time zones. When I came back from Australia, it took me over three weeks to get my body back to normal. For shorter trips, drinking a lot of water helps. Eating well (especially the night before you fly) does a body good, and especially in airports. Try and sleep on the plane if you can (though I have difficulty with this.) If you're going on a trip where your time clock will be off - like Hawaii - try and keep your schedule the same. (Your body will do this for you when you first arrive. The longer you're there, the more you'll adjust, and the harder it will be when you return.) Get up early, and go to the gym, where you'll find all the other tourists who can't sleep.

Question: How much vacation time do you get a year?
Answer: Not enough. I'm strategic about my travel. I try to schedule it around holidays (which give me a free day to travel) and weekends. (A long weekend is often enough.) Technically, I get the standard, crappy, American 2-weeks a year. I'm thinking of moving to Europe, where they get 5 weeks a year (darn you!) I'm also a per-hour worker, so I can (and do) earn some comp time to combine with my vacation time.

Question: Who's BF?
Answer: BF stands for BoyFriend. Our one-year anniversary is Friday. We've now been on 2 trips together, and we're going on our third next week. He's the best.

Hope this provides some insight into the not-as-exciting-as-it-looks life of Carmen.

Around Santorini

2008-04-11T07:16:00.005-04:00

While the capital town of Fira has great views and lots of shops, the rest of Santorini offers a draw as well.

We took a few side trips from Fira to see as much of the island as we could.

Our first trip was a bus ride (on the local bus system, which is pretty good, and stops in Fira) to Kamari - a black-sand beach on the southeast side of Santorini. It took 25 minutes, and cost 1.80 Euros each person, each way. Saying "black-sand" is a bit of a stretch. The beach is volcanic, it's black, but it's pretty rocky. I found it beautiful, but quite hard to walk on. Chairs line the beach, but we were unsure if you had to pay to use them, so we (uncomfortably) put our towels down on the rocks. We also tried the slippery slope into the water for a photo op. It was cool, but hard to stand in (the rocks were slick and hard on the feet.)

There was some shopping in Kamari, and a few restaurants to chose from. We picked one with beach-side seating and had some decent food.

Another day, we walked (in what seemed like an entirely uphill climb) 20 minutes to the closest city to Fira, a suburb, called Firastefani. I'll say that this town offered some of the best photo ops - with a lot of the traditional blue church domes that grace almost every Greek guidebook. Plus, it was a chance to escape the hoards of cruise ship passengers in Fira, and get a look at how people live on the island. There are a few hotels here, as well.

Lastly, we took the local bus again to the northern city of Oia (pronounced ee-ya). Oia is renowned for its sunsets. Actually, short of the sunset, the town is almost the same as Fira. Cobbled walkways. Lots of shops. Lots of restaurants. Lots of people. But there is an old stone fort, where people gather an hour before sunset to watch the show. And what a show it is. There was resounding applause at the end. Poor BF - I can't imagine how many sunsets I've made him sit through now. (But I think, secretly, he enjoys them as well.) Folks, you've really got to take the time to appreciate the small things like sunsets - even in your own back yard.

Overall, I think we chose the right Greek island to visit, and we chose to stay in the right town on that island. (Firastefani is for those that want quiet, Oia is a long bus ride to anywhere else, and Fira is the center of the action - what action there is, anyway).

Now, the last set of Greek photos. Everyone have a wonderful weekend!

Santorini Blue

2008-04-10T06:49:00.004-04:00

So from Athens, we hopped a teeny plane to the island of Santorini, Greece and landed on a teeny airstrip with more than a teeny bit of wind. (The island's weather forcast usually includes "wind")

We took a cab from the miniscule airport to the center of the capital town of Fira, where the Pelican Hotel, where we were staying, was located. When I say "center of town", understand that there's not much "town" to be the "center" of. The hotel was on a main road (there are possibly two of these), so while it was quaint and small with good service, there may be a noise issue for some on weekends. The beds were also hard as a rock (both hotels in Greece had hard beds) but when you walk yourself to death, sleep comes anyway.

A short block away from the hotel is the pedestrian-only walkways in Fira, lined with shop after shop after shop, with a few restaurants thrown in here and there. It lines the caldera (Santorini is built into the caldera of a volcano, which is now filled with water) and offers some of the most awesome views of the white buildings with blue accents against a blue sky. In fact, you can't spit in Santorini without hitting a view. There are domed churches everywhere.

If you start walking down any steps, be aware that you might be walking a while. The more than 550 steps lead down to the port. Back in tha' day, the only way to get goods from the port to the town was to haul them on the backs of donkeys up these steps. So if you want to relive the olden days, and smell like donkey, you can ride a donkey either up or down the stairs. I'm all for experiencing "traditional" things at a destination, but these are steep stairs, and the donkeys don't mind how close to the edge they get. So we decided to walk the stairs. Down. We took the available cable car ($5 Euro for a one-way trip) back up.

At the top of that cable car, there's a restaurant called Zaphora, which is probably the best we found on Santorini. The BF had souvlaki (meat on a stick) and I had chicken with those lovely roasted Greek potatoes that I had come to crave. There are great views from here, but often muted through the plastic window covers that stop the wind from creating a vortex of food and customers.

The Santorini sunset is one of legend. Every night around 6 p.m. everything stops, people line the walkways on the caldera, and they just watch. And wonder. And in my case, snap enough photos to fill a coffee table book.

Tomorrow, we'll venture outside Fira to the black-sand beach of Kamari and the clap-worthy sunsets of Oia.

Now, some photos of Fira.

Athens, Greece: Lycabettus Hill

2008-04-08T08:28:00.005-04:00

When you visit the Acropolis, you can't help but notice how flat and expansive Athens is, except for this one hill that pokes up in the middle (aside from the hill you're on.) That, people, is Lycabettus Hill, and it offers some of the best views - if you have the stamina.

When you get off the metro station, you start to climb the large hill. Then you start to climb stairs. Then you climb some stairs. Oh, and then you climb some more stairs. Then, you stop and take a breath, and climb some more stairs. These stairs bring you to the funicular - a sort of tram that takes you to the top of the hill, where you'll climb a few more stairs. (Feel free to climb the whole way and not take the ride. Good luck to you.)

Atop Lycabettus Hill, you'll find a pricey restaurant, a bell tower, a church, some wind, a guy and his dog selling drinks to all the staired-out visitors, and some SPECTACULAR views. Especially at sunset. (You all know me and my fondness for sunsets.) Watching the sun go down over this ancient city is chill-inducing. And the view of the Acropolis in the pink light, and then all lit up against the black of night is a surreal, I-can't-believe-how-lucky-I-am-to-see-it experience.

Below are some photos from Lycabettus Hill. Tomorrow, we'll get on a plane and island hop to Santorini. You'll definitely want to return to see those photos!

Zeus Who?

2008-04-07T07:49:00.003-04:00

You'd never know it from the PR machine that is the Acropolis, but there are other ancient ruins in Greece. Entrance to one such ruin is included in your ticket to the Acropolis, and it is the Temple of Zeus. (hint: if the wait for tix to the Acropolis is long, go to Zeus's temple first, and get your ticket here.)

While clearly not the primary tourist attraction, the site of Zeus's temple is large, fascinating, and offers a different view of the main attraction, the Acropolis - you can see the wall built around the Acropolis that makes it a strategic military point. (You can also see Zeus's temple from atop the Acroplis, fyi.)

What I found so jaw-dropping is that this particular site is reached by crossing a main road (pollution, anyone?), power and phone lines are hung everywhere, and it's really like a park in the middle of houses and businesses.

To reach Zeus's Temple, you pass under Hadrian's Arch (along with the phone lines), which was the entrance gate into the city, built by those power-mongering Romans.

Originally, there were over 100 columns that supported the Temple of Zeus. Now, there are only 15, and one column that was blown over in the 1800s and left on the site, which I think is kinda cool. It really gives insight as to how columns are built, and the column pieces look like neatly organized crackers on a snack tray.

If you have one day in Athens, just get a glimpse of this site from the Acropolis. If you have some time, however, this is a good photo-op stopover. And, an easy walk from the Acropli Metro Station. (Quick note about the Greek subway - it's super convenient. The more touristy areas have new stations and trains - thanks to the 2006 Olympics. But even the older trains (non air-conditioned) get you where you need to go.)

Oooh Ouzo

2008-04-04T07:15:00.007-04:00

I like to try to immerse myself in the local culture when I go on vacation, and in Greece, that means eating Greek food and drinking Greek drinks.

The Greek food I liked the best was mousakka. It's a bit like lasagne, but with eggplant.

The Greek drink I disliked the most was Ouzo. (The pic to the left is of a colorful ouzo bar in the Plaka.) It is served cold, has a bit of a cloudy look to it, and tastes like licorice. If you like licorice, then you may like this drink. If you don't, like me, it may not be the most pleasant experience ever. But when in Greece . . .

These are photos of me trying Ouzo at a restaurant called Old Tavern Stamatopoulos. The ouzo set us back 5 Euros (which now would be what, about $10?). We ate dinner here, lured by the Greek music. The music was good, the food was "eh".

We tried some other restaurants in the Plaka - this is a pedestrian-only (and moped) area where shops are packed in side by side and restaurant peddlers stand in front of their establishment and try to lure you in. We were told not to fall for this, that if they have to peddle their wares the food wouldn't be so great. But, we were tired and hungry and the little old man was so, well, GREEK that we went in to the Hani Restaurant on Adrianiou Street. We got really lucky.

We took a seat inside (there's also outside seating) to take advantage of the a/c, but requested the window seat, so we could still sort of be outside and people watch. The little old Greek man even took our picture. I ordered my safe chicken, and the BF ordered roast beef. When the food arrived, we took a look at each others' plate and decided to switch. That beef was probably one of the top 2 meals I had in Greece, and among the least expensive (each meal was about 7 or 8 Euros.)

I hope you all have a great weekend, with your drink and food of choice! :)

Athens, Greece: The Acropolis

2008-04-03T07:39:00.004-04:00

I realized that I posted some pictures of my Greece trip, but I didn't really TELL anything about it. I'm sure it's been keeping you all up at night, so for the next several days, I'll post about Greece.

The Acropolis:

The Acropolis ("high city") refers to a big hill in the center of Athens, Greece, with a temple to the city's protector, Athena. It's possibly the greatest monument of architecture in Europe.

From the Athens subway, it's a long walk up a steep graded hill to get to the base of the Acropolis site. However, when you get the first glimpse of the Parthenon, sitting high atop the Acropolis, it takes your breath away. It's hard to tear your eyes away and keep climbing. But climb you do.

It's clear that Europeans don't have the same tort law that Americans do, because the climb up to the ticket booth is fraught with age-old slippery stones. When you reach the ticket booth, you're almost too tired to go the rest of the way. But the doric columns of the Parthenon are calling to you. "Keep going, keep going". At the time we were there, a 12 Euro ticket gained entrance into the Acropolis, and included admission to a few other minor sites in Athens, including Zeus's temple.

I guess the Acropolis is a result of the modern world - there's a lot of scaffolding, a lot of reconstruction, and one building had been taken down completely to rebuild it. The Parthenon has probably had scaffolding in every picture taken of it for the last 10 years (but I tried to skillfully photograph it at an angle with no scaffolding.) When you reach the Parthenon, you should walk around it in its entirety, as each angle offers a different perspective. It's majestic. It's powerful. And it's survived for thousands of years despite every effort to destroy it by the morons of the world (it was a storage house for gunpowder at one point, and some gunpowder exploded, for example.)

The Erechtheion is the second-most preserved building, and the second-most interesting, in my humble opinion. The most photogenic part of the Erechtheion is the south porch, held up by columns that are shaped like women, the famous Caryatids. The originals are in the Acropolis museum, minus one, which is in the British Museum in London. (The Greeks want it back, by the way.)

You leave the Acropolis through the original entrance gate. There are some great Athens views from the gate.

Actually, the entire Acropolis offers some amazing views of Athens. The city stretches to the vanishing point, and shows how dense the city is. I think the Athenians would build houses on the Acropolis if the government would let them. The buildings sit right next to ruins, and it's an odd mix of old, kinda old, and new.

The BF and I visited the Acropolis twice. The first time we went, we'd been in JFK airport for 24 hours (because the morons at Olympus Airlines randomly changed flight times), we'd been on a plane for 10 hours, and we were pooped. While I was impressed the first visit, I feared that I'd been in a jet lag fog and had missed truly appreciating what I was seeing. Our first visit was in the late afternoon, which seemed the better time to go, as it was less crowded, though a bit more hazy. Our second visit was around 10 a.m., and was brighter sunshine, but packed with tour bus tourists. I don't think you'd want to go mid-day, as it's hot and dry, but you'd probably have the place more to yourself.

Also, you'd want to wear comfortable shoes with traction. Thousand-year-old stone walkways get pretty slippery when millions of people walk all over them.

There is a refreshment stand at the bottom of the Acropolis where the ticket booth is. The truth is that you're going to be tired and thirsty and fall into this tourist trap. The've got a captive audience (try the slushies. Mmmmm.) so the prices aren't discount, for sure. However, the time to your next cafe would be a half hour (plus the walking.)

Truly one of my top five coolest sites that I've visited. Photos below.

Oh Bag, Where Art Thou?

2008-04-02T08:58:00.005-04:00

I heard a fairly disturbing fact last week, that because of the restrictions on what you can bring on board a flight there are many more checked bags (duh, and thank you again, terrorists. I just hope that one day I can kick your as... I mean, return the favor.) Because there are an increased number of checked bags, the number of lost bags by the airlines is up 30 percent.

Since I've already been on two trips where my luggage didn't come on vacation with me, this number is startling. It also makes me want to bang my head against my wall. (The photo is of me hugging my bag after it arrived 2 days late in Venice, just before I was supposed to get on the train to go to Florence.)

However, I have developed, over time, some packing strategies to help counteract the stupidity by the airlines. It may not mean that your bag meets you at your destination, but it can get you through.

1. Your carry-on is your best friend.

Let me introduce you to SPACE BAGS. These are the best travel invention since rollers on your suitcases. Stuff them full, roll them up to get the air out, and voila! You can get at least two outfits in the space of a half an outfit. I often use them for organization purposes as well. For example, I put all my swimsuits and swim accessories in one bag, so I can pack them while wet, if needed.

Use all available space. I find that the insides of shoes make a good place to store underwear and socks.

ALWAYS pack all your undies in your carry-on. Nothing is worse than being in Egypt without underwear. Trust me, I know. And ladies, make sure you pack some emergency "products" if you get my drift. European "products" are not like American "products." My friend found this out the hard way when her "aunt came to visit" while we were in Italy and our luggage was still on the runway.

If you take medicine, make sure it goes with you at all times. Either put it in the carry-on or in your "personal item."

You're going to need at least one, if not two outfits in your carry-on.

2. Use your partner like the mule they are.

For checked bags, have your travel partner pack some of their things in your suitcase and pack some of your things in their suitcase and do the hokey pokey and turn yourself around. But seriously, if one bag gets lost, you have at least some items in your partner's bag.

Use that "personal item" loophole. For example, the BF doesn't carry a purse (thank goodness) but he only takes his carry-on bag on the airplane. THIS time, I'm going to make him take a backpack. If he doesn't want to fill it, I will. :)

3. When your bag goes AWOL:

First, go in the bathroom and have a good fit. Get it out of your system, cuz now you have to catch flies with honey.

Report it at lost luggage. And be nice. Most major airlines will at least give you some supplies, like a t-shirt and a toothbrush. Get the process started to get your bag back sooner.

When you get to your hotel, let the concierge/front desk know what happened. They can help you by calling the airlines while you at least try to enjoy your destination. They'll also be expecting the bag when it arrives and can bring it to your room.

The strategy that I'm still unsure about is to mail your checked bag to your destination. It's pricey (expect about $40 each way for each bag.) The benefit is that your bag actually arrives, and if it doesn't, it's insured. Plus, the ability to not have to drag several bags through a busy airport may be worth the price of admission. Not having to wait at the carousel might be the biggest bonus in my book for this. I haven't tried it yet, and not sure when I will. Think I can talk my frugal BF into trying it for our Vegas trip?

What Kind of Traveler Are You?

2008-04-01T09:27:00.005-04:00

The TSA is trying several things to make travel a bit easier through airports.

The first thing they are "beta testing" is a self-selecting category check-in. There are three "lanes" for you to choose from. There's the black-diamond "Expert" traveler line (yes, like the expert slopes in skiing), there's the green "Family" traveler line, and then there's the red "Casual Traveler" line. The expert traveler knows all the rules - 3-1-1 for liquids, take off your shoes, take out your computer, etc. The family traveler has things to check like strollers and milk bottles. The casual traveler isn't sure what the heck is going on.

I'm all for this, and can't wait for it to roll out everywhere (it's only in select cities right now.) Generally, in podunk Richmond, we don't have much of a security wait at the airport. But in bigger connecting cities -- especially international connecting cities that make you re-check your bag when you come back into the country -- this would be a BIG help to me. If you can't remember to get the change out of your pocket, please get out of my way. :)

The TSA is also testing out a "Serenity Now" theory of check-in. Mellow lighting, mellow tunes and happy, quiet security people (is that an oxymoron?) make for less chaos -- which is actually a help for national security. "Chaos gives camoflauge" for terrorists.

As long as it's not Celene Dion music, I think I could deal.

It also includes a radio scan of passengers' bodies that wouldn't make a stink about artificial hips or nipple rings (did you guys hear about that poor woman? With security guys sniggering while she had to rip out a nipple ring with pliers? Dude, a lawsuit is forthcoming. I would've been on the phone with Gloria Alred immediately.) Meanwhile, it WOULD detect bombs and firearms.

What would you like to see in the security line? I'd like to see:

1. A way that they could scan liquids for explosives, so I don't have to worry about whether my mascara is a liquid.
2. I'd also like to be able to keep my shoes on, becuase YUK! is what I think of the airport floors. My socks get dirty or my bare feet cringe.
3. I'd like to be able to roll my carry-on bag onto the screening table, instead of lifting it, because I pack everything I can in that thing, and it gets heavy.

Photo from TSA Website

Mandalay Bay Hotel

2008-03-31T09:11:00.004-04:00

The first question I get asked anytime I tell someone that I'm going to Las Vegas is "Where are you staying?"

Which hotel you use in Vegas is almost like what brand of jeans you wear. It doesn't REALLY matter, but it SAYS something about who you are.

I find myself uniquely qualified to comment about Vegas hotel rooms, because I've stayed in a lot of Vegas hotel rooms. I've stayed in the Paris Hotel and Casino, the Luxor, New York New York, the now-defunct Aladdin, the Bellagio, the Venetian, and Mandalay Bay.

Of these that I've stayed in so far, Mandalay Bay has stayed atop of my favorites list. Why? First, it's location. Yes, I know, it's at the end of the Strip and it's not in the middle of the action. That's why I like it. You get the Strip feel without the Strip noise and crowds. It's also well-connected - there's the tram that takes you (for free)to either the Luxor or Excaliber, and it's also connected to the Luxor by a new walkway (filled with SHOPPING!).

Another reason that I like Madalay Bay is the pool area. The most fun pool is the wave pool, where the waves can be adjusted in height depending on the whim of those that run the show (and for surfing competitions.) Although, I did learn this week that when the waves get higher, they can flood the beach area around the pool. (Yes, there's sand and everything.) Mandalay also features a lazy river, which has a current of about 1 mph. You can sit in an innertube with a drink in your hand and just float your way through your day. (Though there is a waterfall at one end that you may want to maneuver around.) There's also a regular-ol'-joe pool.

I also really enjoy the casino area. I prefer the newer hotels with the well-ventilated casinos, because I hate the 1-900 voice I get after being in all that smoke. In addition, Mandalay Bay caters to me, the penny-slot whale. (A whale is someone who drops a load of cash on gambling in the casinos.) I don't drop big dollars, I drop big pennies. I just like these slots because I can play for a long time on a little bit and the games are just really fun.

On my previous stay at Mandalay Bay, we were upgraded to a Strip view room, we got the best service, and we really felt like we were important guests.

Here's the tip of the day for Vegas hotels. Sign up for their loyalty points. And some good advice I got this week - if you're going as a couple, sign up on the SAME ACCOUNT, rather than each of you getting an account. You'll accrue more points that way. Also, when you sign up for the rewards, you're often given a present. Whether it's a match play coupon, or a mug, it's FREE.

Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica: Trip Report

2008-03-28T08:00:00.002-04:00

After our short, one-day stay in Monteverde, we grabbed a transport van to head to the Western. Pacific side of Costa Rica, to Playa Flamingo. The bad news is that it was nearly a 4-hour drive, the good news is that only about an hour of it was on the awful, bumpy roads.

We stayed at the Playa Flamingo Hotel (be careful, because there's another Flamingo hotel on the Bay side) with an all-inclusive package. The hotel was nice, the rooms were large, the pool area was awesome, and it was just steps to the beach. The beach itself had soft sand and BIG waves. I wouldn't say it was a good swimming beach, but it was a good beach for walking and sitting and people watching. The food was okay - the menu never changes, so if you stayed here a long time, you'd probably want to walk to one of the other restaurants (maybe three others in the small resort area?) During our breakfasts, we were usually greeted by these large, blue birds who wanted our bread! They were very brave to get so close.

There is a gift shop in the hotel, but we took a cab down the road to another beach area to visit another shop.

We stayed here for three days. Three wonderful, relaxing, beach-filled days. The sun shone down on us (this is the dry side of the country), and we just enjoyed the warm temperatures and relaxed beach atmosphere. We took walks along the beach. We walked to the Bay side to just see what was there (in season, the bay side features turtle nests.) The bay water was kind of dirty, so I don't think I'd recommend swimming here. What we enjoyed at the bay was watching the hundreds of crabs that were living, mating and fighting for territory on the beach. It was like wild crab kingdom! I also enjoyed collecting shells here.

The sunsets here were beautiful, as they would be at any Pacific beach.

Enjoy your weekend, and also the pictures below.

Monteverde, Costa Rica: Trip Report

2008-03-27T08:07:00.004-04:00

After our stay in Arenal (see post below) we were picked up by a shuttle and driven a half hour away to Lake Arenal to cross it by boat. (Taking a boat over the lake saves about 2 hours of driving time to Monteverde.) After a calming, beautiful lake passing with great views of the volcano, we docked and carried our bags up a steep hill to load them in the vans that would take us the rest of the way to Monteverde.

While we saw some of the most beautiful countryside, we also bounced on the worst roads ever. Costa Rican officials like to say that they keep the roads that way to keep too many tourists from trampling all over the preserves in Monteverde. I call BS. Everything about Costa Rica is about tourism. They just don't want to pay for it. At one point, our driver asked for volunteers to get out and walk up a hill because the van couldn't make it. I was not one of them.

When we got to Monteverde, we checked into the Fonda Vela hotel - a very eco-friendly hotel situated just outside the cloud forest. It's a family-run hotel, and the rooms blended in with the environment, and they were HUGE. We enjoyed our one-day stay at this hotel very much.

Our one activity in Monteverde was to visit the cloud forest preserve and take a guided tour on the hanging bridges. These bridges are built across the top of the forest, so it gives you a bird's eye view of the forest. It's not for the height-impared. :) The guided tour, which included pick up from our hotel, was $35 each. We booked through the hotel, instead of booking through one of the most popular companies, SkyTrek, which also combines the hanging bridges with a zip line tour. We really debated doing a zip line, because the BF doesn't like heights, and you fly past everything so fast, would we really SEE anything. So we decided to forgo that adrenaline rush. However, booking with a less popular company gave us less crowds and more personal attention. There were only 4 of us on our tour.

The guide first took us to a hummingbird garden, where the little critters zoom by your head with a buzz and hover over all the feeders.

Then, we started our walk. It was sunny when we started, and as we ascended, it got cloudy. (Thus, the cloud forest.) We didn't see a whole lot of wildlife, which was disappointing after all the luck we'd had previously on the trip, but our guide was clearly excited about his job (at one point even stopping to test bird droppings to see how recent they were. I don't want to see a bird that bad.) He told us about all the plants, used his telescope to show us orchids growing in the trees, and risked limbs to climb into the canopy to find a limocella (sp?) berry, which smells like lemon and naturally keeps the mosquitos out of the forest.

The bridges took some getting used to. There were 8 of them on this tour, and got increasingly longer and higher. They also swayed under you as you walked, kinda weird.

I've got to admit that we only stayed in Monteverde because of the way the trip was structured, and we chose only one day and night here because we wanted to get to the beach, which is tomorrow's entry. I think we made a smart choice, as we would've been bored the next day unless we did the zipline.

And for those of you who have asked, the BF is featured in one of the photos below. Finally! :)

Cano Negro, Costa Rica: Trip Report

2008-03-26T07:20:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I talked about our stay in the Arenal region of Costa Rica.

While we were in Arenal, the BF and I took a day trip with Sunset Tours to the Cano Negro Wildlife Reserve on the Rio Frio river. It took about 2 hours (the last half hour was on a horrible bumpy road), and once we arrived, we had the BEST food we had in Costa Rica. I highly recommend Casada Con Pollo - which was chicken, rice, black beans and tortilla strips.

After we ate, we hopped on a flat-bottomed boat to begin our wildlife spotting journey. And boy, did we spot some wildlife. (The water on the river was calm, so there was no getting sick while we were looking.)

Before we even got on the boat, we saw a white caiman (same family as a gator.) Two minutes into the trip, we saw a sloth in the trees - one that was actually moving, which is rare - because they don't do a lot of moving. (Thus, it's a SLOTH.)

There are three types of monkeys we could've seen here, and we saw ALL THREE! The howler monkeys, the squirrel monkeys, and some white-faced monkeys that we watched play and romp through the bushes. The BF thinks monkeys are cool, so he was very happy to see the monkeys. Though they were the hardest to get a picture of.

We saw some more caimans - and one of the boat drivers reached in and pulled a baby one out! It made some little chirpy noises while we all snapped photos and were amazed that he pulled one of these things out of the water.

We saw more birds than you could shake a stick at. Blue herons, snake birds, and so many other birds that I can't remember all their names. We refer to them in pictures as "yellow bird," "blue bird," etc.

I couldn't get over the crew of Sunset Tours. They could spot these animals a mile away. We even stopped to get a photo of some small bats lined up on a tree. (They did this to look like a vine while they slept.) How did they see these camoflauged things?!

Our guide said we were super lucky - we had great weather (though we did have a rain shower at the very end of the trip) and we saw pretty much everything we could see. Except a toucan. I really wanted to see a toucan. The guide stopped on the road on the way out to point out a flock of toucans, but it was dark, and all I could see was the outline of its beak in the dusk. :(

If you have the opportunity to visit Cano Negro, it was one of the highlights of our trip.

Tomorrow, I'll tell you about Monteverde and the Cloud Forest.

Now, for photos of the wildlife we saw.

Arenal, Costa Rica Trip Report

2008-03-25T08:28:00.003-04:00

On our first full day in Costa Rica, the BF and I boarded a shuttle bus and started our 3.5-hour commute on some super, nausea-inducing curvy roads to the Arenal region of Costa Rica (San Jose is in the south, west part of the country, Arenal is sort of in the north, central part.)

The Arenal volcano is the main attraction here. It's a relatively new volcano, having been created in the 1960s (and taking out a nearby town when the mountain blew its top.) It's an active volcano, almost always erupting - but often covered in clouds. So it's really a crap shoot for how much of the volcano you'll be able to see.

The closest town to the volcano is La Fortuna - renamed because the town was "fortunate" to survive the first eruption. It's about 2 blocks big, and mostly houses a few restaurants and gift shops for the tourists. Although there's a really pretty church with a view of the volcano, and a pretty park in front of it.

Our hotel, the Arenal Paraisso (Par-ay-ee-so), was about five minutes outside of La Fortuna, on the way to the volcano. Every room has a volcano view, and our bungalow was our own little house, complete with a resident hummingbird in the bush out front. It had a porch, it was made entirely of wood, and it was quiet at night except for the night animals and the monkeys. This area is chock-full of wildlife. This particular hotel had its own hot springs (which were actually not hot, because they cheated and funneled them from the REAL hot springs) and its own zip line. (Zip line tours are HUGE in Costa Rica. Word of advice if you do this, only about 10 percent of the zip line operators are actually licensed. Check before you jump off of a 500-foot high cable line.) We enjoyed the hotel, but it was a bit rustic, there were bugs (you're in a freakin rain forest, what do you expect) and there was a bit of a musty smell. However, I don't think you'd find any different in any other hotels.

We purchased a volcano hike tour from Sunset Tours (can't say enough good things about Sunset Tours.) We got on a van and took a very bumpy ride to the base of the volcano (the side that wasn't erupting) and took an hour-long hike through the primary forest surrounding the volcano. On the way, we stopped to be overrun by some Quintis, which look like raccoons with longer snouts. They were not shy (the photos below show the BF being surrounded. Yes! A photo of the BF. Another to follow on Thurs of the two of us, up close.) Once on the hike, we saw howler monkeys, which made the BF super happy, and lots of birds. The guide was great - he knew everything about the forest, and did one heck of a howler monkey call.

After the hike, we got back on the bumpy road to the active side of the volcano (along with every other tourist in Arenal) to see the volcano erupt. There was a fair amount of cloud cover, but after about 10 minutes of watching, we saw the volcano spit out some firey rocks and ash. (I was expecting a lava flow, but according to the guide, that kind of eruption is rare to see. It's more rocks being blown out of the top.)

Our second day in Arenal, we took a side trip to the Cano Negro Wildlife Reserve, also with Sunset Tours, on the Rio Frio river to go wildlife spotting. That'll be tomorrow's entry.

And now, for some Arenal photos. (Roll over the image for the caption.)

La Pura Vida in Costa Rica

2008-03-24T07:20:00.005-04:00

While I was on my blogging hiatus, I celebrated my birthday, with the BF, in Costa Rica.

January-April is a good time to visit Costa Rica, because their rainy season ends around November. Naturally, that means the prices to the small Central American country are more during that time, but compared to what it'll cost you to go to Europe right now, it's still a deal.

We made it a cross-country trip. We flew into the capital of San Jose to spend one night (which was enough. more on that later). Then, we took a shuttle to Arenal - nearly 4 hours away on very curvy roads. We stayed in Arenal for 3 days and 2 nights, and then took a combo of a boat/shuttle to Monteverde (on the worst unpaved roads ever, for 2 hours, but some of the most beautiful countryside.) We stayed there for one night, and then took a shuttle for 3 1/2 hours to Playa Flamingo, and stayed there for three days. (Our deal included transportation to each city)

Often, people choose one "base" location, like the Western beaches, and then "day trip" to all the key locales on the island. It's an option, but your days are going to be long (you can see the one-way drive times) and your butt will be sore.

I do, however, think it's important to see the different locations within Costa Rica. Each one has it's own ecosystem, its own weather, etc. Arenal has the (live) volcano, Monteverde has the Cloud Forest, and the Western part has the beaches.

This week, I'll break down the trip report for you.

First, I'll start with San Jose. You know it's bad when, on the plane, the native Costa Rican sitting in our aisle suggested that we get out of San Jose as soon as possible. There's not really a lot to see/do in San Jose. The hotel (Hotel Britannia)as okay, but smack in the downtown area, which, to me, was a little scary and run down. It was 6 blocks from the main central square in downtown, which was the hub for the city's life. It was hard to believe that there were higher-end American stores in an area that seemed so poor, but the tourists are more important, I guess. We walked the square, saw the public buildings, took some photos, ate a mediocre dinner, and then went back to our hotel. We were thre for a total of about 5 awake hours, and that was plenty.

So fly into San Jose if you want, stay a night if you'd like to rest before you drive several hours, but I wouldn't make it a 3-day event.

Tomorrow: Arenal

Now, for some San Jose pictures.

Vegas Itenerary

2008-03-20T07:19:00.004-04:00

As promised, here's some info on what we'll be doing in Vegas (because I'm sure you can't wait to find out. Ha.)

Since it's the BF's first trip to Sin City, we'll spend most of our first day there (we arrive at 10 a.m., so we'll have the whole day) cruising the Strip. Each hotel is like it's own mini-attraction, so we'll start at Mandalay Bay, and move our way up. One of my favorite things to see in Vegas is the indoor garden at the Bellagio, which changes themes with the season/holiday. I also hope that I can talk the BF into a gondola ride at the Venetian (the river is on the SECOND FLOOR!) Hopefully, he'll also be up for a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower at Paris, because IMHO, that's one of the best vantage points for the Bellagio fountains (though you can't hear the music from up there.)

I'm pretty excited about our plans to go to Mix Lounge, atop Mandalay Bay's TheHotel. It's supposedly one of the best views of the Strip. I'll let you know. The cover is $20 on weeknights, and I'm sure the drinks are about $12 each, so it'll be a pricey view.

Vegas is also one of the best places to find great food. Each time I go, I eat at least one "splurge" dinner at a steakhouse. Emeril's Delmonico is great, the Prime in the Bellagio is great. Now, I'll get to form an opinion of the BOA Steakhouse - voted one of the best steaks in Veags in 2007. It's in Ceasar's Palace.

Speaking of food, Vegas is famous for the buffet. The best breakfast buffet in all of Vegas is in the Paris Hotel. It's called Le Village, and it runs about $20 a person. It's not cheap, but it's gooooooood. Everything on the buffet is tasty, but the crepes - made in front of you and with your choice of filling - make it the best. It'll save you money on lunch, too, because you'll be stuffed.

We'll also be spending some time at the Mandalay Bay pool. I HEART the pool. It's a wave pool, and it's surrounded by "beach" sand. They also have a lazy river, where you can sit on an innertube and just let the current take you along. I'm thinking we may bring our own, uninflated innertubes, because they rent them for $20. Vegas loves to nickle and dime you.

As mentioned a few days ago, one whole day will be taken up with our side trip to the Grand Canyon.

Then, of course we're going to see a show. I've always wanted to see "O", a Cirque de Soliel show with a water theme (the French word for water is "eau", thus the name.) I've seen another Cirque show, "Mystere", which was awesome. Tickets were not cheap to this little diddy - $137. There is a half-price ticket booth in Vegas that sells same-day show tix, but I didn't want to chance it. I wanted to see this specific show.

Of course, we'll be doing some gambling. I am a fan of the penny slots. Why? I can play longer and with less money, and the slots are often fun with games and bonus points and noises. :) Plus, I love me some blackjack. The minimums are WAY too high for me on the Strip ($20 per hand is the cheapest I've seen.) This is what makes downtown Freemont Street a great $11 taxi ride away. There are $3 and $5 tables there, which means I can play $50 at blackjack, and usually hang in for a couple of hours. The BF wants to learn to play craps, so we've been studying YouTube videos and tutorials. We'll probably play that at Freemont as well, because there, the dealers and casino staff are a bit more willing to "help" you learn, and things are a bit "looser".

I've also made the BF promise to take me dancing. (What is it with men? They'll dance with you to woo you, they get you, and they never want to go dancing again!) We'll hit the clubs Friday night. Maybe we'll see Paris Hilton. I'll let you know. Previous experience has made my favorite club "Light" in the Bellagio. "Pure" at Ceasars is pretty hard to get into (Plus a $50 cover.) "Tao" in the Venetian is way too young a crowd. We'll also get drinks at the "Ghost Bar" in the Palms, off-Strip. (Another good Vegas view, btw.)

There will be no sleeping. We can sleep when we're dead. :)

What Happens in Vegas . . . I Tell to You

2008-03-19T07:09:00.002-04:00

First, if you like my article, Digg it over there on the right.

So I promised yesterday that I'd tell you about the great deal I got to Vegas, and how I got it. (And no, it wasn't FREE like some people, so I guess my deal could be better. ha!)

The BF and I are going at the end of April (slightly after spring break, because mid-April was more expensive.) We will be there 5 nights, and will be staying at Mandalay Bay (which suprised me that it was lower than a lot of the other properties, but I'll take it.) The grand total, per person is $717. That averages out to $300 for airfare from the East Coast (the small Richmond airport, no less) and around $89 a night for hotel. I didn't get deals like that when I was flying out of Baltimore, a Southwest hub.

People ask me all the time how I find the deals I find. The answer? I look. A lot. Here's my strategy. First, I look at Expedia and Orbitz and the like. They're low, but they're not going to be the lowest most times (but I keep it written down, because sometimes they surprise me.) I use this to find out what airlines fly the route I'm looking for.

Next, I head to the airline sites. I'm partial to United, because I've got lots of miles on them, but I always look at all the flights. You're going to find your best airline deals on the airline Web sites. (Calling the 800 number will just add to the price.) Especially to Vegas, WATCH THE FLIGHT TIMES, because your best deals are often red-eye flights. I hate red-eye flights, so I'll pay a bit more to get a decent flight time.

Then I head directly to the hotel Web sites. In Vegas, often the hotels themselves will have pretty good combo deals, some including a gaming match-play card, discount show tix, spa coupons, dinner coupons, etc. And they work with the airlines, so full packages can be found, but usually out of the bigger cities. I see which airlines are participating, then . . .

I head to the airline vacation sites (like unitedvacations.com instead of united.com.) That's where I found my deal this time, on unitedvacations.com. My deal also included tax, tags and freight as I like to say. So that was the end deal that included departure taxes and such. I'm so proud of our deal. :) Honestly, the pet sitter might actually cost me more than the trip.

You may be wondering if I use travel agents? I use them for trips to destinations that are harder to access. I used an agent to get me to Australia and a group trip, also to Hawaii. But generally, I've found that I can do similar things, given enough time.

Tomorrow, I'll share some of our itenerary.

Day Trip from Vegas

2008-03-18T07:36:00.004-04:00

My next trip will be to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada at the end of April with the BF. He's never been to Las Vegas, and this will be my 5th trip there, so there will be a lot of beginner Vegas activities - fine by me.

Another thing we'll be doing while we're there is driving ourselves to Grand Canyon West and walking on the Skywalk.

I have to admit, I'm a little nervous about the whole endeavor. The Skywalk is a glass walkway that allows you to see down into the Canyon. I'm not sure why standing on the edge and risking getting blown off (it was windy at the South Rim when I went 5 years ago) is less scary than walking on a glass walkway with the Canyon spanning underneath, but I think it's like car sickness. You get car sick because either your eyes see movement that your body doesn't feel, or your body feels movement that your eyes don't see. My eyes will tell my brain I should be falling.

The one thing I haven't done is drive over Hoover Dam, which we will be doing this time. When I went to the Grand Canyon, we went on a bus tour and pretty soon after 9/11, so nothing bigger than a car could cross the terrorist-target Hoover Dam and we had to take the long way. There's an overlook stop where I'm looking forward to getting some serious photos.

Here's our secret. We'll be going to the Grand Canyon on a Thursday. By doing this, we're hoping to avoid some of the traffic - both car and foot traffic. We're going to rent a Hummer H3 (We're in Vegas, live a little) for about $200 for two days (we're going to drive to nearby Red Rock Canyon on Friday). Include the outrageously high gas we'll have to buy, the $20 parking fee at the Canyon, the entrance fee to the Canyon and the $30 ticket to the Skywalk, and this is likely to be the most expensive adventure on our trip. But it's new for the BF and slightly new for me, and it's the Grand Canyon - I can testify that it's well worth the price.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about the great (and I mean great) deal that we got to Las Vegas, where we're staying, and what we're doing in Vegas itself.

If you like this post, please click the "Digg" button above to let others know.

It's all Blarney to Me

2008-03-17T07:19:00.004-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

In honor of the wearin' o' the green, I thought I'd recap my Ireland experience of kissing the Blarney Stone.

Friend Irish and I landed at the Shannon airport at o'dark thirty, got our rental car, learned to drive on the left side of the road after being honked at several times, and headed on our way south.

After about a 2 hour drive, we stopped for lunch in a town called Kinsale, the culinary capital of Ireland. Best shephard's pie I ever had. Yum.

Having filled our bellies, we drove 20 more minutes to get to Blarney Castle.

"There is a stone that whoever kisses, Oh! he never misses to grow eloquent 'Tis he may clamber to a lady's chamber, Or become a member of parliament." -- Francis Sylvester Mahony

Once you park your car and pay the (at that time) six euro entrance fee, you're faced with an imposing castle, oftimes covered in green moss and red ivy. Follow the signs "to the stone" and you'll notice that the Irish aren't particularly concerned with being sued. You must ascend a winding set of stone stairs, wide enough for only one person at a time, and with only a rope that drops through the center of the winding stairs to hold on to. (Gee, I really hoped that there was no one coming DOWN while I was going UP.)

When you reach the top, you have a wonderful bird's eye view of the expansive grounds. There are towers with green moss sparkling in the sun (or with the rain, as it does so often in Ireland.)

The biggest surprise to me was that the stone isn't just sitting out on a pedastal or something for you to lean over and kiss. Oh, no. The stone is built into the side of the castle. Out of normal reach. So there's a guy, his job is to hold your feet. (Tip him well, people, tip him well.) You then lie back, putting all your trust in an Irish man you've never met, holding on to two iron rails, and lean into space like you're doing a backbend. Then you'll get a little quip from the man you just paid to hold on to you. Mine was "just kiss it, you're not asking it for a date."

Then you pucker your lips and put it on a stone that thousands of people have put their lips on before you. You do this so you can get the gift of eloquence, yes, but more so you just want to be able to say you did it. I did it, and funny enough, had a cold for the rest of the week in Ireland. Germs suck.

Because we drove through a town called Limerick, I thought I'd leave you a limerick. Perhaps you'd like to participate in comments? Or visit my weekly work column and do it there?

There once was a girl and her friend
Who went to Ireland
We flew on Aer Lingus
Cuz they said they'd bring us
And had lots of fun to the end!

PS: If you are so inclined, please click my DIGG button at the top of the post if you "dig" my article and think others should read it.

It's the New Zoo Review

2008-03-14T10:04:00.003-04:00

I'm going to start blogging again. (I don't know if that is causing you great relief or great angst.) But I'm going to take this blog and convert the topic to travel. My travel. Your travel. World travel. Local travel.

I'm going to take some time and clean up the blog, and then take a new, fresh approach to things.

I hope it interests you enough to keep reading. Stay tuned.

Passport Stamps

2008-03-05T08:03:00.000-05:00

Hello friends.

I posted my second travel column over at Verizon. I hope you'll be by to say hello, drop a comment or two. It's free to register if you're not already. No strings. I promise. :)

Hope all of you are well.
Carmen

http://community.verizon.net/thread.jspa?threadID=1800004823

Travel On Over

2008-02-18T08:10:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone,
I told you that I was writing a new travel blog for work, and that I'd post the link as soon as the page launched.

Here you go!

Look in the middle of the page, scroll down, and there I am. :)

On occassion, I write an editorial news column, and if you head on over to the news page, you'll see my mugshot and an article.

Loyalty is Rewarded

2008-01-04T09:31:00.000-05:00

Ah, loyal reader Jim has asked me if I would ever post to this blog again.

Your wish is my command. :)

I've been super busy. Developing a relationship with the boy (yes, we're still dating), traveling (we went to Greece, and we're Costa Rica bound in 2 weeks) and working. Plus, the holidays snuck up on me.

Mostly, though, I've been working on a blog for work. Yes, folks, they pay me to do this now. :) So I won't be posting much to this blog, because I'm a talking head for Verizon. But I hope you'll still come see me. You'll have to register for the community, but it's free and we'll still interact.

The url for my blog over there is

http://community.verizon.net/forum.jspa?forumID=1700008521

And in the next few months, I'll have a TRAVEL blog, and I'll post that url when it launches. I'll be dishing on all my trips, and offering some advice on lessons learned. I want it to have a real personality, and hopefully some loyal followers like you. (Plus, if you click on the ads on the page, I'll be extra grateful.)

Peace out! (Oh, and Pooh Bear says "hey", which sounds a lot like "meow")

Photos from the trip!

2007-09-10T06:31:00.000-04:00

Hi all! I'm back. Greece was a nice break from the ordinary, and while "the guy" and I had our moments, mostly it was a success. The flight there was delayed 7 hours, which would make anyone fussy, and our flights back were also delayed. Stay out of New York airports if you want to actually get somewhere.

So, here are a few slide shows of my trip. I liked seeing Athens, but I like the photos from Santorini best.

Athens Part 1

Athens part 2

Santorini Part 1

Santorini Part 2

Santorini Part 3

I'm Still Alive

2007-08-20T17:41:00.000-04:00

Yes, all of you who were wondering, or maybe don't even care, I don't know. :) I am still alive.

It's a little less than 2 weeks until our Greece trip, and I'm super excited. I bought a new camera for the occasion. Well, technically I used some of the points I've earned writing travel journals, but it's a new camera just the same. It's a Canon S5, it's got 12x zoom and 8mp, with a 3-inch (I think) display screen. I never thought I'd be anything but a Nikon girl, but so far, I'm really impressed with this camera. The zoom is fantastic (Nikon didn't have a point-and-shoot with that kind of zoom) and the shots are really clear. The camera has anti-shake, so it doesn't need a tripod as often.

Here are some pics taken this weekend with the new camera. "The guy" and I went downtown to the Richmond Capitol grounds to practice taking pics for the trip. I have to train him up. Ha.