Archive through January 31, 2002
The ClubHouse: Archives: TVCH'ers Travels:
Archive through January 31, 2002
Buttercup | Saturday, November 17, 2001 - 10:09 pm   Many posters on this board have travelled within and across the US, as well as around the world. After reading Flint's posts, and learning from his stay in Korea, I thought it would be great if other people could share their experiences as well. It doesn't have to be anything exotic! Remember, there are many people who have never been out of their home state, some have never seen the ocean, some have never seen snow! So don't think your story, however, big or small, won't be of any interest! I guarantee you it will Also, if you don't want to share a whole trip, but just something that you found interesting, or amuzing on your trip, that would be great too. For instance, the first time I got to Paris , I had no money left. I ended up walking all the way up to the top of the Eiffel Tower--more than 1,500 steps. It's a lot harder than it looked like on AR! So please share with us, and let us get an insight into other parts of the country and the world!!
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Nancy | Sunday, November 18, 2001 - 06:23 am   Some of you that have been here for awhile probably have heard of my trips to london in april and the ill-fated trip to nyc that week in sept...but probably the best trip i had was to italy with a tour group when i was 30. we went to rome milan venice assisi. Did a gondola ride in venice which was awesome, and saw the cistene chapel just after it was re-opened(on my back which is the only way to view it!) I had been warned about gettng my tushie pinched before leaving boston and i wasnt there more than a day in rome when someone did just that--(a waiter in a restaurant) i dont know if he did it just cause people expect them to or not but it was funny ;) |
Juju2bigdog | Sunday, November 18, 2001 - 08:25 am   We are visiting in South Florida at the moment. I broke my night light in transit, so we went to a Dollar Store to buy another one. They only had one kind of night light in this store, but it came in two variations. You could get either an 8 inch high plastic Jesus or an 8 inch high Virgin Mary.
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Fruitbat | Sunday, November 18, 2001 - 08:59 am   Juju, where is south Fla are you exactly and who did you choose, mom or son? How campy. I thought you were going on a cruise. I am in the midst of planning where in the Miami area to book RV reservations. I have calls in, to 2 in Miami Beach, they are not returning them. One on the bigger island and one on the small one before you cross over. How does that area look? |
Twiggyish | Sunday, November 18, 2001 - 03:40 pm   Juju, I know where you are, just by the description of the items in the store..LOL You have to visit my area, we have Geritol and Polident on those shelves and lots of night lights for those frequent bathroom trips. |
Juju2bigdog | Sunday, November 18, 2001 - 07:54 pm   The Dollar Store was in Deerfield Beach. Fruitbat, I would say either place you can get in would be good. It is all beautiful down there if you are coming from cold and snow. I am quite thrilled just out walking around in the 70 degree weather and looking at palm trees. We went to the revitalized downtown area of West Palm Beach today. Our friends call it TrumanTown, after the movie The Truman Story. All new glitzy, upscale stores, appears to be giving tony Worth Avenue of Palm Beach a run for its money. This is evident by the fact that all the tony stores appear to allow cutesy small dogs on leashes to enter the stores at will. Went to see Harry Potter at a movie theater fashioned after the Paris opera house. The movie was good. |
Max | Sunday, November 18, 2001 - 08:02 pm   Well, I've been lucky enough to travel quite a lot. My last major trip was in 1998 (doesn't seem that long ago!) when a friend and I spent 3 weeks in Europe. Sounds like a long time, but we crammed in a LOT. We hit England (London and the North Devon coast), Ireland (Waterford), Austria (stayed in Maria Alm outside Salzburg and drove as far as Innsbruck), Germany (Munich), France (Paris), and Italy (Venice). Tons of memorable moments! In Salzburg, we went to the fortress at that overlooks the town. It wasn't the height of the tourist season, so there were hardly any people there. We met a woman who was traveling alone. She was from Australia and had been traveling on her own for three months. She'd been to Israel and lots of other places. She spoke nothing but English, she traveled with very little baggage and money. She said she was on a sort of pilgimage. She felt called by God to see the world. Her husband had not felt the same calling, but had supported her desire to go, so she did. She said that no matter where she went, she always managed to meet people who spoke English and who gave her a place to stay and food to eat. She didn't worry about anything, she trusted that God was guiding her path. It might sound wacky, but she was very credible and it was fascinating and heartening to her her stories and see the faith she walked by. It struck me because I felt many times on our journey that angels were guiding us. In London, we rented a car so we could travel to our coastal destination about 6 hours away. The agreement had been that I would navigate and my friend would drive. She had rented a stick shift and if you've never driven a left-handed stick shift....well, let's just say it's interesting. In London, we decided to ship some things home. We looked up the Federal Express office and found it was near Heathrow airport. Okay, we should be able to find that! We started driving and both got a little ruffled in the traffic and took a wrong exit off the freeway. Suddenly, we were in a lovely neighborhood, but didn't know where it was on the map. I was about to suggest stopping and asking someone for help when a Fed Ex truck came around the corner and ended up right in front of us. My friend said, "I'm following him!" I pointed out that he might be in the middle of making deliveries with no thought of returning to home base. She followed him anyway, and sure enough, he led us right to the offices! Later, we were in the North Devon countryside and took yet another wrong turn. We'd been driving for many hours and the roads were barely wide enough for two cars to pass, with either stone or dirt walls right next to the pavement (no shoulder) which we had almost scraped several times. I didn't know where we were, but I just had a feeling that we were going in the right direction. My friend wasn't so sure, but she kept driving (there wasn't any town or houses to be seen anyway). Sure enough, we rounded a turn and came to a crossroads with a signposts that pointed us right where we needed to go. Luck? Coincidence? Maybe. Then again, maybe we were in the company of angels. |
Pcakes2 | Monday, November 19, 2001 - 07:05 am   I am vacation obsessed. I flew for the first time at 10 months old, and have not stopped. I even did a brief stint as a travel agent and reaped the rewards! I've been so many places, and now enjoy taking my husband back to places I love! My husband and I take at least 2 vacations together a year (we also do separate vacations, ie: he likes to fish, so he takes a couple of trips a year to Cabo San Lucas, and I like to visit my old friend in New York a couple of times a year.) Earlier this year, we rented a house in Jamaica... absolutely beautiful. 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, private swimming pool, and a cook and housekeeper, and a driver. (when travelling out of the US, I always recommend a driver...it makes things so much easier) One of the best experiences we had was our last trip to Europe...4 weeks, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Monte Carlo and Barcelona. My husband was amazed at how nice and friendly Europeans actually are, especially the French. All his friend said that he would hate Paris..."they're mean and nasty to Americans". Not only was it the total opposite, but some children even stopped to try to teach my husband speak french (didn't work, but that's not the point) We stayed at the best hotel The Hotel Balzac...it is right off the Champs Elysees, about 2 block from the Arc d' Triumph. On the day we were to leave to flew to Monaco, we were out sight seeing at the Eifel Tower, and were running late. We phoned the hotel to let them know (we had arranged for a driver to take us to the airport), and to help us out, they actually packed all our belonging for us (we have 5 suitcases between the 2 of us, so this was no easy task). I was aprehensive to let them do this at first, but they said they did it all the time, and just enjoy the rest of our time in Paris. well, after we got to Monte Carlo, I opened the suitcases to find the most unbelieveable packing job...it was a masterpiece...i didn't want to take anything out of the suitcases...they even had time to press some of my husbands clothes that had wrinkled. I could go on and on about the places we've visited, but the point of this is, it's not so much the places we go, but the people we meet that make the best memories! |
Twiggyish | Monday, November 19, 2001 - 10:53 am   Juju, Deerfield and Palm Beach are nice. The weather right now is wonderful here. The humidity is lower, too. If you happen to visit the other coast, let me know. |
Juju2bigdog | Monday, November 19, 2001 - 12:02 pm   Twiggyish, coming your way next week or so. Staying Indian Shores starting Wed., going to Fort Myers for Thanksgiving, then back to Indian Shores until Nov. 30. Then to Fort Lauderdale for a cruise, then back to Fort Myers for a couple days Dec. 8. I have forgotten where on the Gulf Coast you are. Oh wait, maybe I do remember. Not sure if we are going to have time to break away while on the trips to and from Fort Myers, since we are seeing people we have not seen in twenty or so years, and then for a brief time. My e-mail is Juju2bigdog@yahoo.com. |
Littlebreeze | Monday, November 19, 2001 - 05:35 pm   Been out of the country only once, London for a week. It was wonderful, as you'd expect. Been to Vegas many times, love it!, as well as Florida many times, but the best trip ever was crosscountry on the back of a Harley, from here (Boston) to Los Angeles. To see more of the country, we went out one route and came back another. We were gone for 6 weeks, two of them spent in L.A., the rest spent traveling. It was an amazing experience. In that entire time, we had only one experience that wasn't one I'd care to repeat..... a flat tire in the middle of the Arizona desert. Talk about stranded. You don't have a spare when you're on a bike. Think anyone would stop? Noooooo. It seemed like forever when, finally, another biker came from the opposite direction. He saw us, turned around and came back. As soon as he opened his mouth and said "Flat tiah?", I knew he was from New England somewhere. He was from right here, home, Boston. What were the odds of that? This guy wasn't traveling alone either. He had a little dog in the backpack he was wearing. What a sight. He and his dog had traveled north from Boston, across Canada and down through California. He was heading back home here and we were heading out to California. Bottomline, it came down to two choices.... either I stayed there with the bike while my boyfriend went with this good homeboy samaritan the 40 miles to the closest town to get the tire repaired, or my boyfriend stayed with the bike while I went with this guy to the nearest town. It wasn't a hard choice. What do I know about tire repair? My boyfriend jumped on the back of the guy's bike, wheel in hand, little dog's head sticking out of the backpack between him and the driver, and off they went to the horizon and out of sight. I stayed, watching funky little lizards running upright on their two back legs across my path, praying the rattlers would keep their distance and that my boyfriend would get back before sundown when those snakes might come seeking out my body heat, or a tarantula or scorpion might find me appetizing, or some crazed serial killer might come along as I sat alone on the side of the road, in the middle of the desert, next to a Harley on it's side, with nothing but a Bowie knife for protection against his 3 foot machete or double-sided ax. It was my lucky day because the worst that happened before my boyfriend got back were the acrobatic lizards and my crispy, sunburned ears. We actually made it into L.A. that night, got a hotel room, wheeled the bike inside where it spent the night by the foot of the bed. I have no idea what got me off on that tangent. I was just going to say I went crosscountry on the back of Harley but that guy and his little dog popped into my mind, and my fingers went crazy on the keyboard. All I can say is, if you want to see the country, really see it, feel it, smell it, touch it, do it on a bike. You'll never get any closer to this beautiful land. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. What time is the next Fatboy out of town??? |
Max | Monday, November 19, 2001 - 08:01 pm   Littlebreeze, those "off on a tangent" stories are the best and most wonderful part of traveling! SOunds like it was a great trip. I always wanted to do that trip in a van -- not the mini vans they have now, ,but the REAL vans of old with big captain's seats that swivel and room for a full-sized bed in the back. |
Urgrace | Sunday, December 09, 2001 - 08:52 pm   Lots of trips around the country, but the best was last May to Kauai. My son lives there on the north shore near the 'end of the road', and he was able to spend part of every day with us showing us his island home. The first day we travelled all the way to the other end of the road through the mountains and Waimea Canyon and all the way back in half a day! We saw jungles with flowers and wild chickens, wild horses and wild kitty cats, mountains (and mountain goats), beaches, craters, waterfalls, rainbows, cacti, ponds built by the mene hunis (hawaiian leprechans), and beautiful sunsets. We hiked up the trails and down the beaches, watched spinner dolphins and endangered monk seals, the spouting horn gushing out of the rocks, and ate some fine meals. You can barely finish a plate of food unless you are a native Hawaiian. We shopped and found a store that sold only native Hawaiian products, and we went to a farmers market. Our landlady brought us fresh apple bananas and pineapple. You've never tasted anything quite like them if you've never been to Hawaii. We also took time out to get a full spa treatment! We even toured the firestation and took pictures with a fireman in front of the specially built Hummer, Sea-rescue boat, jet skis, and ladder trucks! It's like being in the country on Kauai and very relaxing. No one is in a hurry. If you like the city lifestyle you won't find it in Kauai. Lihue is the biggest town and it does have a Walmart, bowling alley and Pizza Hut, etc. Everyone has outdoor showers and lanais (porches) and the weather is fantastic! Even when you are indoors it is like being outdoors. If you ever decide to go, don't stay in a hotel (unless that's your thing)! The south side of the island is Texas-like. The north more lush and green. If you are into golf they have some hard courses. Don't go in Nov or April if you want to surf, but in spring you can whale watch. Take a little extra money and do the helicopter trip, it's awesome! Call a travel agent in the town you want to stay in and have them book you into a cabin, room, or treehouse! It's not as expensive, and they know the area and condition of the rental! Also, the accommodations have to be paid for in advance - no credit cards. Rent a car - a four wheel drive if you want to go to the interior of the island - and be advised the road is never straight and sometimes is built on a narrow ledge around a mountain. There are also one lane bridges, you must yield to the traffic across the bridge, but once the car in front of you starts across just follow him! That's what all the locals do. We spent ten days there, and if we had stayed any longer we might not have come back to the mainland! There is only one main highway that nearly goes all the way around the island, except for the NaPali coast line, so you can't get lost. Let me know if you decide to go, and I will give you more details! |
Rissa | Thursday, January 10, 2002 - 08:11 am   Thought I would bump this thread up. Last year hubby and I decided to have a sun/beach vacation, something we have never done before. A friend of mine has an Aunt who is a travel agent and recommended Jamaica so off we all went. I was so disapointed. First of all, I am NOT a lay on the beach and then drink all night vacationer. Frankly, sitting still for too long agitates rather than relaxes me. The idea of a vacation should be to see and experience new things and I found Jamaica pretty closed for that. We did climb the famous falls which was very kewl but only because we left the group behind. And I did the horseback trip as well which was basically a boring trail ride with ten minutes of exitement as you gallop through the ocean. Would have been OK for a 3-4 day weekend but we had 7 days to kill. Shopping is available but only for the strong of heart, the grabbing and groping in the market made me claustrophobic. We have friends who thrive on beach vacations so if anyone has suggestions I would love to hear them !! Looking for someplace where you can leave the resort each day and wander around without a tour guide. Oh ya... has to have golf We went to Portugal the year before. Hubby goes at least once a year for a golf tournament so I decided to accompany him. We were in the Azores on São Miguel Island. It was a great trip. Very small island, we drove around it in about 4 hours, stopping for lunch and then driving to the peak of their tallest *mountain*. We went to Villa Franca where they specialize in this amazing little cake type dessert (brought back dozens for my mom), had a meal cooked inside a Geyser (ate rabbit for the 1st time), visited the hot springs bath and did some shopping in downtown Ponta Delgada. It helped that the friends we were with were FROM the island originally because this is not a high tourist area and English is not often heard. As far as family trips go, you cannot beat Florida. We have gone 4 times, stayed in the Disney property each time and when we were done with their fun, rented a car and headed out to all the other areas in the state. I loved the Edison home tour, the kids were in awe of the Space centre and the Ringling circus property. Then we moved base to St. Petersburg for a few more days. Our next family trip will be either Hawaii or California which will be sometime this summer (I know, should save it for winter) and our next adults only trip is back to Vegas for a friends wedding in April. We would also like to do one more beach vacation but it would have to somewhere our friends can have beach, golf and nightlife and I can also have tours, sightseeing, etc. I have totally fallen in love with the ads for the Atlantis resort but the prices are pretty steep and they don't have all-inclusive which is a must for some of our friends. www.atlantis.com if anyone wants to check it out. |
Pcakes2 | Thursday, January 10, 2002 - 09:08 am   Rissa, I have been to Jamaica many times. We were there last year and rented a great villa. When I used to live on the east coast I would go to the carribean quite often, but now that I'm out west, many of my vacations are to Mexico. One of my favorite places is Manzanillo, and we are renting a house there again this summer. it is located between Puerta Vallarta and Acapulco onthe pacific side. Manzanillo is one of the largest ports of Mexico. It is known as the sailfish capital of the world...just don't go in November (big tounament!) They have some beautiful hotels, condos, and villas that you can rent. Prices and accomodations range from inexpensive to extravagant! There is plenty to do (or not)...fishing, horseback riding, shopping, nightlife, musuems, food, scuba/snorkle/water sports, and golf...Manzanillo also has 3 golf courses: La Mantarraya, a championship 18 hole course designed by Pete & Roy Dye is located on the Las Hadas Resort. Club Santiago offers 9 challenging holes on fairways lined with lush coconut palms. Nearby Isla Natividad has 27 holes and the beauty of a calm, mirror-like bay. I've stayed at Las Hadas in the past...Las Hadas has been features on Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous. There are also private condos on the property too...I think you can rent a 1 bedroom condo for about $400 for the week. |
Dahli | Thursday, January 10, 2002 - 11:25 am   Having been a travel agent for more than 25 years I have been many places... but Urgrace I have to tell you Kauai is heaven on earth in my opinion, and is the place we go back to at every opportunity . How lucky you are to have someone there to visit - what a great excuse to go many many times!! |
Meme9 | Thursday, January 10, 2002 - 11:38 am   We visited Hawaii back in 81 Christmas and 82 New Year season. We also took a small plane to the other islands during our visit. Heaven on earth is right!!! Everyone needs to visit at least once. But let me warn you no future vacations will ever beat this one and you will always feel like you want to go back! |
Urgrace | Thursday, January 10, 2002 - 03:12 pm   Thanks Dahli and Meme! I didn't go into every detail of the island, because it takes a lot of space to tell you how wonderful it is! My son fell in love with it and is now a permanent resident! Since we were actually going to visit him, all the side trips around the island were fudge icing on top of the decadent desert! I cannot even imagine going anywhere any more beautiful! We were real lucky with our accommodations, too. I called the Kauai travel agent directly and got details we never would have gotten from a local agent. We also got better prices.(more moolah to spend while we were there!) I love this country, and still have some of it to see! |
Neko | Friday, January 11, 2002 - 06:57 pm   *Giggles* Last year I went to Boston with my grade and that had been the first time I had been out of the country. I'm hoping to travel when school is over and behind me(And that can't come soon enough!^_^) Where I really want to go, even if for a little while, is Japan. That place just seems to, draw me in I guess. I'm also learning, or at least trying to learn, Japanese so....if I do ever go there, I won't completely be a fish out of water! |
Aussiedeb | Saturday, January 12, 2002 - 08:29 am   Now i know by reading this thread of places to see in the US..So far of the US all i have seen is LA airport and Chicago O'Hare airports a fair few times..all of ohio, kentucky and just into Tennessee...Hubby only gets 2 short vacations a year...Me, i love to travel..i really shouldve been a travel agent...I was in the Aussie Air Force for 7 years so i have seen pretty much all of Australia...I have spent 3 months living in Austria when i was 15, as my mom is Austrian and we stayed with the relatives..it was my first trip out of Australia...I have been to Bali in Indonesia and stayed at Club Med..i would recommend Club Med anyday...it was so great..u could go sightseeing either as a group or private or stay in the resort and lounge around and do nothing...i did both.. Since meeting my now hubby online, i have travelled back and forwards between Australia and the US 3 times...the first trip was from the west coast of Australia up to Malaysia via Taiwan and onto LA. and back...i told my travel agent never send me that way again...i got food poisoning on the trip back in Kuala Lumpur as i had a 9hr layover at a really expensive hotel...but i ate the buffet lunch and dinner...not a good move...i didnt like Taiwan either..people are rude...Now i live in a small town in Ohio...but am getting hubby to relocate to a larger one...plus i finally enrolled in college, and without giving out my age...its been almost 20 years since i was in school... Japan was always a place i wanted to visit...but it is super expensive so be prepared to take loads of money...short of that u can go to Queensland in Australia and see plenty of Japanese..lol There are plenty of beautiful places in Australia to see...so if anyone is interested let me know..will answer any questions... |
Juju2bigdog | Saturday, January 12, 2002 - 08:51 am   Aussiedeb, I recommend you susbscribe to a number of the travel sites, such as expedia, travelocity, travelzoo, travelnow, if you don't already, and mark your preferences for travel to Japan. Reading the daily newsletter at frommers.com is also a good way to keep up to date on travel bargains. I have seen trips to Japan mentioned there as low as $650, including round trip airfare from west coast and six nights hotel. These are usually trips that have to be booked immediately and taken within about 60 days, but if you can act fast, you can sometimes go on trips you otherwise wouldn't be able to afford. I think you can also get the Frommers daily newsletter sent to you in e-mail so you don't have to remember to go online and read it.
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Aussiedeb | Saturday, January 12, 2002 - 09:05 pm   Thanks juju...i already subscribe to travelocity and frequently check out expedia...i can book my trips back to Australia cheaper thru my agent back there...but i will definately check out frommers...that sounds good...
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Juju2bigdog | Saturday, January 12, 2002 - 10:48 pm   Hmmmmmmm, Aussiedeb, wonder if I could book Oz travel through your travel agent? When I was in Oz in April, the fares in the newspapers there were way cheaper than what I paid to get there and back. Could s/he also book U.S./New Zealand? Should I send you an e-mail? Oh, and now that I have recommended it, I have noticed the frommers site acting squirrelly the past few days. Keep trying if you can't get in. It is usually excellent. |
Aussiedeb | Sunday, January 13, 2002 - 08:33 am   Juju...the only way i think im able to book thru my old travel agent is because im an aussie citizen still...I really dont know why its cheaper there than here..but i know Qantas has some great deals sometimes from the US...and the nearest place that Qantas flies out of for me is Chicago (which is a 6hr drive)..but the good thing is that they have sky marshalls on most of the flights to Australia now..if u are on an aussie airline... Went to the frommers site..no probs...have it added to favorites...its a much better site for deals and info than travelocity...thanks for that one |
Donut | Thursday, January 31, 2002 - 11:32 pm   neko, my husband liked your story, cuz his only trip outside the US was with HIS grade school class, when he was in it, when he was 13 with his school band and he went to YOUR country! I have been to a zillion places with a billion zillion stories, since i almost always traveled really cheap and untouristlike, but havent travelled past 2 states for over 10 years.To be honest, and this is super personal stuff that i have only admitted to my family, but i have developed a real fear of travel,and this is way before sept.11 but would love to figure out how to get myself to do it again. i have been thinking about canada a bit, maybe montreal, quebec or nova scotia. Any suggestions? Meanwhile, if anyone wants any recommendations, suggestions or stories from any of the places i have been, i would be more than happy to share any info you would like Heres the places:Bahamas, Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Jamaica, England, France, Italy, Greece, Israel, Korea, (India, HongKong, Thailand,Japan)(those four were just a few days each),the Iran airport!,and Montreal as a kid. In the US, the northeast from where i live, Florida where i lived for 8 years, california for a 3 month internship, D.C many times,for up to 3 months at a time, cross country trip as a kid. OK, heres one quick story. In Korea,we were going up a mountain on extremely narrow paths and rickety suspension bridges that were literally only wide enough for one person, and when we went to go back down, there mustve been the entire boyscout population of Korea coming up(hundreds of them lined up all the way down!) and they all got really excited and as we squished down thru them they ALL insisted on shaking our hands saying whatever little english they knew such as "I want to kill you, six million dollar man"! this was obviously the seventies!It was a real trip!If i had a scanner, i would show you the picture of them lined up down the mountain. I took a "shortcut' thru the costa rican mountains in a little truck which lost its headlights and we had to hold a flashlite out the window to drive hairpin mountain curves and then ran out of gas til a nice person siphoned us a little out of his motorcycle! well, enuf stories for now! |
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