A few years ago, before our trip to the South Pacific, I bought myself a SmartDisk digital photo bank. It’s basically a 30 gig hard drive with slots for reading various digital cards. It offers a way to backup our pictures during travel and free up the cameras’ cards for additional picture taking. In a package about the size of two decks of playing cards, it is a lot easier to tote around than a laptop. (Of course, it doesn’t do anything other than store photos so it didn’t replace my laptop on this trip.)
I got into a routine of dumping pictures into the Photo Bank as we finished up each country, cleaning up the camera cards for our next outing. That seemed to work well for the first few weeks. However, we took a lot of pictures at the temples in Cambodia and, even though we were only there three days, our cards were nearly full. So, as soon as we settled in at the New Seven Story Hotel in Singapore, I decided it was time for another dump. Only one problem. I can’t find my Photo Bank.
The last time I remember using it was the night in Bangkok when I had copied all our Thailand pictures. I hadn’t used it in Cambodia and couldn’t remember seeing it so I can’t be sure if I left it at the Angkor Holiday Hotel in Siem Reap or at the Sananwan Palace Guesthouse in Bangkok. I sent e-mails to both hotels explaining the problem and asking if the Photo Bank had turned up when the room was cleaned.
The problem is that we’re now into the nomad part of our trip. We leave the next morning for Tioman Island in Malaysia and I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to check my e-mail again. As it turns out, wi-fi is available at the Paya Beach Resort and at a very reasonable rate. No e-mail replies that first night but we’re here for two more days so I’ll hope for the best. Unfortunately, for the rest of our time on Tioman, I’m unable to get on-line as their system is “down”. Now the rate doesn’t seem so reasonable and there’s no offer of reimbursement.
I don’t get back on line again until we’ve checked into the Golden Landmark Hotel in Singapore. No reply from either hotel. So, I fire off another e-mail (a little snarkier this time) asking for a reply even if they found nothing. This time I get a reply from the Angkor Holiday Hotel that they’ve found the Photo Bank in the room safe. They suggest I contact our temple guide, John Teng, to help with its return and John agrees to handle the matter. (In the meantime, I get a response from Bangkok that they found nothing in the room.)
John and I exchange e-mails trying to decide how to arrange the return of my Photo Bank. We’ll be leaving Singapore before he can ship it here and I have no idea how accessible Dumaguete is. We finally decide that the best thing for John to do is hang on to the Photo Bank until our trip ends and we’re on our way home. The only shipping company available in Cambodia is DHL and they’ve told John that it will take three days and cost $89 US. (I’ve already checked out replacements at Sim Lin in Singapore and I could get a similar item for $100 US.) John’s going to pay the costs out of his own pocket and trust us to reimburse him.
John sends me a tracking number so I can follow the progress of the package. It’s picked up in Cambodia on Tuesday morning (adjusting for the date line) but doesn’t leave Cambodia until 2 pm the following day. How can they deliver in three days? It leaves Hong Kong on Thursday night, goes through Wilmington, OH and arrives in Toronto at 8 am on Friday morning. It leaves Toronto at 1 pm on Friday afternoon and, since we’re about an hour outside the city, I’m sitting by my doorstep that afternoon. No such luck.
The package seems to have vanished into thin air. There’s no further record of it on the DHL web site and no answer at any of the phone numbers for DHL. On Monday morning, I check back with the DHL web site and find that the package arrived in Hamilton at 5:30 am Monday morning. Where do you suppose it spent the weekend? The web site also shows that the package left Hamilton at 8 am that morning. Hamilton’s just next door so I should have my Photo Bank by lunchtime. Right!
By that afternoon, I’d had it. An angry telephone call to DHL elicited the response that they don’t work on the weekends and 3 days means “3 working days”. Silly me, I thought three days from Tuesday morning would be Friday morning. I am assured that the package is on the truck. Shortly after I hang up the phone, the doorbell chimes and here’s the smiling DHL delivery person. It’s only taken 8 hours to get a package from Hamilton to Burlington (you could walk to the DHL warehouse from my place in about 90 minutes). It took longer to get the package from Toronto to Burlington than it took to get it from Cambodia to Canada.
Oh, well. At least I’ve got it. When I open the package it is obvious that someone has been checking out its contents. My first thought is “pictures from the area of Thailand - they’re checking for child pornography". Hope they weren’t too disappointed.
Now I just have to get John’s money to him. This is complicated by the fact we have only an e-mail address and web site for him. His family lives in Pnohm Penh and he just rents a room in Siem Reap for sleeping. He doesn’t have a mailing address so we arrange to send him the money through Western Union. I want to send him some extra as a thank-you but John insists on only the actual expenses. Of course, with the exchange rate and the Western Union fee it still costs me over a hundred dollars but the pictures are priceless. It’s a small price to pay for a senior moment.
Two weeks later the saga continues. I pick up the mail and there’s a bill from DHL for $30 for custom duties and processing of the package. I phone to complain about the idea of paying duty on an item I bought in Canada two years ago but I’m told that it’s now a Canada Customs and Excise problem and I should talk to them. DHL gives me a phone number to call but all I can get is a recorded message about their backlog and a suggestion that I visit their web site. When I check out the web site, I find that I can send Canada Customs an e-mail but I am not allowed to include any personal information or the e-mail will be automatically rejected. So, I can send them an e-mail about my problem as long as I don’t tell them who I am or specifically what my problem is. I don’t think that will work.
I check out the locations of the various Customs offices in the Burlington area but the only phone number available for any of them is the 800 number which I’ve already tried. I finally decide to drive out to the Hamilton airport to see if I can speak to a real, live Customs agent. I bring with me the documentation to show that I had bought the Photo Bank at Henry’s in Toronto. The lady listens to my story, takes my documentation and goes off to check with her superiors. Fifteen minutes later, she’s back to tell me the problem is the way DHL keyed in the information and I need to get them to fix the problem. She agrees I don’t owe any custom duties but suggests I’ll still have to pay the processing fee to DHL. Like hell!
Now it’s off to the DHL office in Burlington. I insist on speaking to the manager and I go through the routine again and show him the paperwork. He isn’t sure what to do and indicates he’ll forward the information to their head office. He still thinks it’s a Customs and Excise problem. I tell him I don’t care whose problem it is as long as it gets straightened up. I also tell him I have no intention of paying a processing fee for their mistake. I leave it at that.
A month later and I haven’t heard from DHL. Doreen still thinks we’ll be hauled into small claims court. Just think how much hassle I could have saved myself if I’d checked the room safe one last time before we left our hotel room.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The trip to Burlington or Out of Asia
We got another early start on our last day in Asia with a 6 am wake-up call. The complimentary buffet breakfast provided by Mabuhay Manor hit the spot. (And it was set up in an enclosed room so no worry about more bug bites.) The cab ride to the airport was interesting as Manila seems to come alive early (much earlier than we’d seen in Tokyo). At 6:30 am, the streets were teeming with people going to work. There’s a strange sense of third-world here with tension high as life is tough. Even the cab driver seemed nervous and locked his doors when we stopped at lights.
The line-up for check-in was long and it took us almost 45 minutes to reach the counter. I can’t remember ever going through so many security checks on the way to our departure gate. The JAL flight to Tokyo was uneventful except for the realization that the space provided for each passenger (especially leg room) is not based on a North American model. Even as transit passengers, we had to go through security again at Narita before proceeding to the American Airlines departure counter. Fortunately, our bags have been checked through to LA.
Landed in LA early in the morning, made our way to the Travelodge LAX and tried to stay awake until a reasonable hour that night. With all the time zones we’ve crossed, we’ve been on the go for almost twenty hours but we built in the overnight in LA to help us adjust to this time change and we need to stay awake for a while longer. We had thought (in the planning phase) that we might take the complimentary shuttle to Manhattan Beach to kill some time but it was surprisingly cool in LA and we didn’t bother. I hadn’t thought I’d need my jacket until we landed in Toronto on Saturday night.
Security at the LA airport the next morning was a bit of a problem. Because it was cool in LA and we were expecting it to be even cooler in Toronto, I had dressed in long pants and jacket. I hadn’t worn the long pants since Cambodia and didn’t think to check the pockets. All my carry-on gear went through the scanner without a problem but, when I stepped through the portal, the alarms sounded. Oops, I’d forgotten I was wearing a belt this time. Second time through the portal and again the alarms sounded. Double oops. I’d switched out batteries in my camera while we were visiting the temple ruins at Angkor and the old batteries were in a side pocket of my pants. (I’d wondered where those extra batteries were.) Third time was a charm.
The West Jet flight to Toronto went smoothly and we were on the ground by 8:45 pm. It was surprisingly warm in Toronto (much warmer than LA). There was very little Saturday night traffic during the limo ride to Burlington and we were home by 10 pm. The first order of business is to visit the grocery store so there’ll be some food to eat when we wake up in the morning.
And now we’re home again after two long travel days. Coming east is always harder as we adjust to the time change. And then there’s the mild depression that sets in at the end of any adventure. Lots to catch up on but no energy or enthusiasm for the tasks. It’ll take us a few days to settle in but, inevitably, life’s routines will take over and we’ll fall back into familiar patterns. At least until the next trip. But that probably won’t be until June when we head to Atlanta to spend some time with our grandchildren. In the meantime, we’ll relish the memories of this amazing trip.
The line-up for check-in was long and it took us almost 45 minutes to reach the counter. I can’t remember ever going through so many security checks on the way to our departure gate. The JAL flight to Tokyo was uneventful except for the realization that the space provided for each passenger (especially leg room) is not based on a North American model. Even as transit passengers, we had to go through security again at Narita before proceeding to the American Airlines departure counter. Fortunately, our bags have been checked through to LA.
Landed in LA early in the morning, made our way to the Travelodge LAX and tried to stay awake until a reasonable hour that night. With all the time zones we’ve crossed, we’ve been on the go for almost twenty hours but we built in the overnight in LA to help us adjust to this time change and we need to stay awake for a while longer. We had thought (in the planning phase) that we might take the complimentary shuttle to Manhattan Beach to kill some time but it was surprisingly cool in LA and we didn’t bother. I hadn’t thought I’d need my jacket until we landed in Toronto on Saturday night.
Security at the LA airport the next morning was a bit of a problem. Because it was cool in LA and we were expecting it to be even cooler in Toronto, I had dressed in long pants and jacket. I hadn’t worn the long pants since Cambodia and didn’t think to check the pockets. All my carry-on gear went through the scanner without a problem but, when I stepped through the portal, the alarms sounded. Oops, I’d forgotten I was wearing a belt this time. Second time through the portal and again the alarms sounded. Double oops. I’d switched out batteries in my camera while we were visiting the temple ruins at Angkor and the old batteries were in a side pocket of my pants. (I’d wondered where those extra batteries were.) Third time was a charm.
The West Jet flight to Toronto went smoothly and we were on the ground by 8:45 pm. It was surprisingly warm in Toronto (much warmer than LA). There was very little Saturday night traffic during the limo ride to Burlington and we were home by 10 pm. The first order of business is to visit the grocery store so there’ll be some food to eat when we wake up in the morning.
And now we’re home again after two long travel days. Coming east is always harder as we adjust to the time change. And then there’s the mild depression that sets in at the end of any adventure. Lots to catch up on but no energy or enthusiasm for the tasks. It’ll take us a few days to settle in but, inevitably, life’s routines will take over and we’ll fall back into familiar patterns. At least until the next trip. But that probably won’t be until June when we head to Atlanta to spend some time with our grandchildren. In the meantime, we’ll relish the memories of this amazing trip.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
The clownfish save the day
Are we headed to Dumaguete or Doom-agetti? It certainly appeared to be the latter as we sat in our room on Sunday night and contemplated the disaster which seemed to have overtaken us. It had started badly early that morning–very early. Jet Star Asia had moved our departure time to 6:30 am which meant being at the airport by 4:30 am which meant being up by 4 am to check out of the hotel and get a cab to the airport. It didn’t help that Doreen woke during the night, misread her watch and, in a panic, woke me at 2 am. Not a quality night’s sleep.
We knew from their website that Jet Star Asia had limitations on their carry-on baggage but we didn’t know how serious they were about enforcing those limits. As we waited in the check-in line, several people were turned away and began re-arranging their baggage. Now we were worried. Doreen’s carry-on weighed in at just over 10 kg and mine at 8.2 (the limit was 7 kg). But, when we reached the counter, there were no problems. They took our check-in luggage and didn’t even ask about our carry-ons. Great. Until we went to the security check. They had a scale there and were enforcing the 7 kg limit. We were told the bags would have to be checked. With our checked luggage already gone, we couldn’t even re-arrange things. We finally did move some things around and were able to clear my carry-on and my computer bag. Doreen had to check hers. With no lock on the bag, she was not a happy camper.
The flight to Manila was fine, even if no frills. We weren’t too impressed with the Manila terminal but we managed to find the Cebu Pacific shuttle bus which would take us to the domestic departure area for our next flight. Eventually. We had to wait until there was a full load. Either that or the driver wanted to allow enough shopping time for the young lady who batted her eyes and convinced him to stop at the shopping center to retrieve her along the way.
When we arrived at the domestic terminal, it was complete chaos. We were shuffled from counter to counter until finally being allowed to check-in. Hard to tell if the domestic and international terminals share the same air field. It was a longer bus ride than I’d expected and we seemed to go through part of the city. Because our first flight had been moved to an earlier time and our second flight was late, it was a long, boring wait in a crowded, noisy, hot room with uncomfortable seating. The flight to Dumaguete was fine though the landing was a little scary. It seems the runway is so short that the pilot practically has to put his wheels in the ocean to ensure hitting the runway just past the threshold and allowing enough room for roll-out. Somewhat similar to the short runway in St. Bart’s.
The pick-up from El Dorado was waiting, our bags were there and it looked like we were close to arrival. Wrong. The driver informed us that he’d been instructed to wait in town for some resort guests who’d gone on an excursion to another island. They’d been delayed and wouldn’t get back until 6 pm. The resort is only 20 minutes from town so waiting two hours didn’t make much sense but, to the driver, the boss was the boss. By now, the heavens had opened up and it was pouring. The boss changed his orders and we proceeded to the resort. We weren’t too impressed with what we saw through the rain. The sight of walls with glass-imbedded and spiked tops was reminiscent of San Andres and very depressing. Not much incentive to explore.
The room itself was fine–very similar to Octopus Resort in Fiji but without the feeling of hospitality. The Filipino staff are nice enough but nothing stands out–or maybe we’re so tired and hungry that nothing would impress. We’ve been on the go fourteen hours, have had only two snacks in that time, it’s pouring and, again, English is the third language here. We considered whether or not we should cut our losses and head back to Manila in the morning.
The next morning was raining and we waffled on a final decision. The tipping point was that we had no plans for Manila and hadn’t done any preparatory research. So we decided to stay with El Doarado and resign ourselves to a few miserable days before we began the journey home. Maybe Angkor was so fascinating that everything else was going to be anti-climatic. But the sun came out in the afternoon and things began to take on a different outlook.
And then we went snorkeling. The next morning we managed to hook up with a dive group headed to Apo Island, under the expert guidance of Lito who was described on the dive board as “the master of disaster” (I think in reference to a motorcycle accident he’s had last week). The dive group was German so there wasn’t much conversation but the crew were friendly and the trip aboard the catamaran was pleasant and relatively quick. The first spot we stopped was ‘the Chapel’. Off the boat, the water was quite deep but, as we swam toward the shore, things improved noticeably. We drifted down the coastline and the coral was terrific. The fish weren’t anything out of the ordinary, except for a couple of Clark’s anenomefish. We made it back to the boat just before the divers reappeared.
The crew provided fruit and tea/coffee–a nice touch. Before leaving the area, we stopped for an hour so that people could browse the wares the village women had lined up to display. Doreen couldn’t resist a green tee shirt. Then it was off to our second stop–Kan Uran. This was even better. The coral was about as good as I’ve ever seen and the fish were better than earlier. One area in particular drew Doreen’s attention–an area called ‘Clownfish City’. We saw groups of a dozen or more anenomefish and lots of smaller groups–more anenomefish than I’ve ever seen outside an aquarium. Doreen was really frustraated that her camera had died in Singapore. Now, if only they were going back to Apo tomorrow.
Lito suggested we walk down the beach to the Dauin Reserve–about a 20 minute beach walk--where we could snorkel right off the beach. He said the coral was very good. That afternoon we followed his advice and were rewarded with some great snorkeling. The beach isn’t a great beach and the walk wasn’t a great walk but the reserve was a delight. We’d hardly put our faces in the water when we saw two regal angelfish. There were fish everywhere and some very large ones. The coral was terrific. This is what we’d hoped the Similans and Tioman would be like.
We went back the next morning and our second go-round was just as good as the first. Doreen rented a digital camera from the dive shop but the battery wasn’t fully charged and died on her after about eight pictures. They refunded her money when we went back but that didn’t help her get the pictures she wanted. I did get some good shots of the clown anenomefish and some shots of Doreen using her fingers to imitate the anenomes in hopes of luring the fish closer. That didn’t work as well as she hoped but she had fun trying. Then it was back to the resort, rinse off the salt water, finish packing and ride the shuttle to the airport. Things looked better in the sunlight than they’d looked in the rain on our arrival but the area still was depressing and uninviting.
We had a short flight after another long wait in a hot, un-air-conditioned room. Collecting our baggage at Manila’s domestic terminal was a bit chaotic (Manila seems to thrive on chaos). We caught a cab to the hotel and checked in for our last night in Asia. The only place to eat was at the hotel’s pool-side restaurant which turned out to be noisy, splashy and buggy. Besides which, the food wasn’t very good. We had ordered talapia and ended up with the whole fish, head and all. I didn’t know talapia was such a bony fish–the Costco filets are always so nice.
Hopefully, the bed’s comfortable. I need a good night’s sleep as we’ve got a long travel day ahead of us tomorrow. The last five nights at El Dorado haven’t been the most comfortable. The bed was just barely long enough if you lie flat on your back with your head and shoulders on the pillow but, with raised headboard and footboard, there was no room for stretching. I had to sleep on an angle and it resulted in disturbed, uneven rest. (Good thing I’m not as tall as Travis–he’d never fit in this bed.)
We knew from their website that Jet Star Asia had limitations on their carry-on baggage but we didn’t know how serious they were about enforcing those limits. As we waited in the check-in line, several people were turned away and began re-arranging their baggage. Now we were worried. Doreen’s carry-on weighed in at just over 10 kg and mine at 8.2 (the limit was 7 kg). But, when we reached the counter, there were no problems. They took our check-in luggage and didn’t even ask about our carry-ons. Great. Until we went to the security check. They had a scale there and were enforcing the 7 kg limit. We were told the bags would have to be checked. With our checked luggage already gone, we couldn’t even re-arrange things. We finally did move some things around and were able to clear my carry-on and my computer bag. Doreen had to check hers. With no lock on the bag, she was not a happy camper.
The flight to Manila was fine, even if no frills. We weren’t too impressed with the Manila terminal but we managed to find the Cebu Pacific shuttle bus which would take us to the domestic departure area for our next flight. Eventually. We had to wait until there was a full load. Either that or the driver wanted to allow enough shopping time for the young lady who batted her eyes and convinced him to stop at the shopping center to retrieve her along the way.
When we arrived at the domestic terminal, it was complete chaos. We were shuffled from counter to counter until finally being allowed to check-in. Hard to tell if the domestic and international terminals share the same air field. It was a longer bus ride than I’d expected and we seemed to go through part of the city. Because our first flight had been moved to an earlier time and our second flight was late, it was a long, boring wait in a crowded, noisy, hot room with uncomfortable seating. The flight to Dumaguete was fine though the landing was a little scary. It seems the runway is so short that the pilot practically has to put his wheels in the ocean to ensure hitting the runway just past the threshold and allowing enough room for roll-out. Somewhat similar to the short runway in St. Bart’s.
The pick-up from El Dorado was waiting, our bags were there and it looked like we were close to arrival. Wrong. The driver informed us that he’d been instructed to wait in town for some resort guests who’d gone on an excursion to another island. They’d been delayed and wouldn’t get back until 6 pm. The resort is only 20 minutes from town so waiting two hours didn’t make much sense but, to the driver, the boss was the boss. By now, the heavens had opened up and it was pouring. The boss changed his orders and we proceeded to the resort. We weren’t too impressed with what we saw through the rain. The sight of walls with glass-imbedded and spiked tops was reminiscent of San Andres and very depressing. Not much incentive to explore.
The room itself was fine–very similar to Octopus Resort in Fiji but without the feeling of hospitality. The Filipino staff are nice enough but nothing stands out–or maybe we’re so tired and hungry that nothing would impress. We’ve been on the go fourteen hours, have had only two snacks in that time, it’s pouring and, again, English is the third language here. We considered whether or not we should cut our losses and head back to Manila in the morning.
The next morning was raining and we waffled on a final decision. The tipping point was that we had no plans for Manila and hadn’t done any preparatory research. So we decided to stay with El Doarado and resign ourselves to a few miserable days before we began the journey home. Maybe Angkor was so fascinating that everything else was going to be anti-climatic. But the sun came out in the afternoon and things began to take on a different outlook.
And then we went snorkeling. The next morning we managed to hook up with a dive group headed to Apo Island, under the expert guidance of Lito who was described on the dive board as “the master of disaster” (I think in reference to a motorcycle accident he’s had last week). The dive group was German so there wasn’t much conversation but the crew were friendly and the trip aboard the catamaran was pleasant and relatively quick. The first spot we stopped was ‘the Chapel’. Off the boat, the water was quite deep but, as we swam toward the shore, things improved noticeably. We drifted down the coastline and the coral was terrific. The fish weren’t anything out of the ordinary, except for a couple of Clark’s anenomefish. We made it back to the boat just before the divers reappeared.
The crew provided fruit and tea/coffee–a nice touch. Before leaving the area, we stopped for an hour so that people could browse the wares the village women had lined up to display. Doreen couldn’t resist a green tee shirt. Then it was off to our second stop–Kan Uran. This was even better. The coral was about as good as I’ve ever seen and the fish were better than earlier. One area in particular drew Doreen’s attention–an area called ‘Clownfish City’. We saw groups of a dozen or more anenomefish and lots of smaller groups–more anenomefish than I’ve ever seen outside an aquarium. Doreen was really frustraated that her camera had died in Singapore. Now, if only they were going back to Apo tomorrow.
Lito suggested we walk down the beach to the Dauin Reserve–about a 20 minute beach walk--where we could snorkel right off the beach. He said the coral was very good. That afternoon we followed his advice and were rewarded with some great snorkeling. The beach isn’t a great beach and the walk wasn’t a great walk but the reserve was a delight. We’d hardly put our faces in the water when we saw two regal angelfish. There were fish everywhere and some very large ones. The coral was terrific. This is what we’d hoped the Similans and Tioman would be like.
We went back the next morning and our second go-round was just as good as the first. Doreen rented a digital camera from the dive shop but the battery wasn’t fully charged and died on her after about eight pictures. They refunded her money when we went back but that didn’t help her get the pictures she wanted. I did get some good shots of the clown anenomefish and some shots of Doreen using her fingers to imitate the anenomes in hopes of luring the fish closer. That didn’t work as well as she hoped but she had fun trying. Then it was back to the resort, rinse off the salt water, finish packing and ride the shuttle to the airport. Things looked better in the sunlight than they’d looked in the rain on our arrival but the area still was depressing and uninviting.
We had a short flight after another long wait in a hot, un-air-conditioned room. Collecting our baggage at Manila’s domestic terminal was a bit chaotic (Manila seems to thrive on chaos). We caught a cab to the hotel and checked in for our last night in Asia. The only place to eat was at the hotel’s pool-side restaurant which turned out to be noisy, splashy and buggy. Besides which, the food wasn’t very good. We had ordered talapia and ended up with the whole fish, head and all. I didn’t know talapia was such a bony fish–the Costco filets are always so nice.
Hopefully, the bed’s comfortable. I need a good night’s sleep as we’ve got a long travel day ahead of us tomorrow. The last five nights at El Dorado haven’t been the most comfortable. The bed was just barely long enough if you lie flat on your back with your head and shoulders on the pillow but, with raised headboard and footboard, there was no room for stretching. I had to sleep on an angle and it resulted in disturbed, uneven rest. (Good thing I’m not as tall as Travis–he’d never fit in this bed.)
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Singapore, we hardly knew ya
And that goes double for Malaysia. We had an uneventful flight to Singapore and a quick taxi ride to the New Seven Story Hotel. (Their literature tells us the hotel opened in 1953 and has been in the same place ever since.) But the room was nice and the people were great. They’re going to store our extra bags while we’re on Tioman Island so we spent some time re-sorting our luggage. We’re flying Berjaya Air and, according to their website, they have very strict weight limitations for luggage (checked luggage can’t be more than 10 kg) and we never travel light.
Check-in the next day was a unique experience. Berjaya flies out of the old airport (out in the boonies) which is next to a military airfield–sort of like Torbay years ago. We go to the desk and present our passports and tickets. We are then directed to go sit in the green room until we are called. There are already a half dozen people waiting there and we eventually get called. All our luggage (check-in and carry-on) gets scanned and then we are finally able to approach the check-in desk. We receive our boarding passes and proceed to Malaysian immigration and further security screening. We then were directed to the departure lounge, which was an old Quonset hut.
The flight was more than an hour late, it was pouring and thunder was rumbling. I went looking for someone to find out what was going on but there was no one around. Turned out, the people who checked us in were now out on the apron acting as ground crew for the plane which had finally arrived. Then they unloaded and loaded luggage. Talk about multi-tasking. The plane was an old prop plane. It reminded me of going to university in Prince Edward Island in the late 50's and flying with Maritime Central Airways. Watching the outside air seep into the plane through the seams and immediately turn to fog was kind of surreal.
But it got up and down without any problems and we were on Tioman Island in Malaysia. The Paya Beach Resort people were waiting with their boat and, after a short ride, we were settled in our room. One of the couples that arrived with us (there were two) also speak English so we’re already ahead of the game. Richard and Robin are from Adelaide, Australia. He’s a dentist who (along with a Chinese colleague) also sponsors a free clinic in East Timor. The beach is nice but not too long–short walks only. The food is different but we’re only here for a few days and we’ll manage.
We did a snorkel trip the next day. The first stop at Renggis Island was very good with some excellent coral. The only drawback was a strong current which kept us from circling the small island. Our second stop was to be the Marine Reserve and we were really looking forward to this. What a disappointment. I don’t think I’ve ever snorkeled a poorer reserve. There was very little coral and mostly large, grey, aggressive fish–the kind that flock to sites where people feed the fish. The main attraction seemed to be a series of three large platforms from which people could jump into the water. We swam off looking for something other than sand but the visibility was very poor and there was little worth seeing. We did see some small sting rays so it wasn’t a total waste. We did another snorkel in the afternoon at the north end of the resort beach around the point which becomes an island at high tide. This was so much better than the marine reserve.
When we went for breakfast the next morning, the tide was really out. It’s no wonder this area is not noted as a good swimming beach–too many rocks, too low water. Doreen had decided that she wanted to see some of the Malaysian countryside so we’re not flying back to Singapore. Instead, we’re taking a fast ferry to Tanjung Gemok on the Malaysian mainland and then a bus to the city state. Just before the ferry arrived, it started to pour. Didn’t matter as the ferry is an enclosed boat with no outside seating. We sat up front and froze as the A/C was cranked. We did get to watch the latest Rambo movie. You couldn’t hear the dialogue over the noise of the ferry but you could hear the explosions. I’m not sure if they settled on Chinese, Malay or Tagalog for the captions but it really didn’t matter as all are equally indecipherable.
The bus from Discovery Tours was waiting, complete with driver and tour guide. The tour guide’s only commentary related to where the clean restrooms were at the two stops we made and instructions for getting through Malaysian and Singaporean customs. It rained sporadically so, even sitting up front, we didn’t see much. The on-line information had said this was a three-hour trip but they obviously weren’t counting the border-crossing time. We arrived in Johor at the height of traffic and it took a couple of hours to get out of Malaysia and into Singapore.
The bus driver was nice enough to drop us at the Golden Landmark Hotel so that solved one problem. It’s a nice hotel, probably the best we’ve stayed at since Tokyo. We had a room on the 15th floor with a great view of the surrounding area. We could see the New Seven Story Hotel from our window so we decided to walk there to collect our left luggage. We presented our tags and they opened the room where we’d left our bags. No bags!! Wait, they have a second room upstairs. Maybe the bags have been moved there. Some feelings of dread until the bags are found. It’s so close we decided to forego a cab and walked back with the bags in tow.
We just couldn’t work up any enthusiasm for Singapore. Maybe it was because we weren’t supposed to be here. We had originally planned a week in Palau where we wanted to snorkel in Jellyfish Lake. This has been on our list ever since we first read about it years ago. But Asian Spirit dropped its flight from Manila to Palau after we’d put our original package together and we were left with a lot of free time in this area before our flight home. We split the time between Singapore, Tioman and Dumaguete. Or maybe it’s because Singapore seems to be a more Westernized city than Tokyo or Seoul. There certainly are more Western-style fast food outlets and we’ve seen more over-weight people here than we have anywhere else on this trip.
We did get to do some shopping and ride the underground train. I checked with the Canon regional headquarters about the concerns I was having with my camera and underwater housing but, since we weren’t staying around for 7-10 days, they could offer little help. We browsed the Sim Lim shopping complex–six floors of electronics with cheap prices but with a catch–a no-return policy. In the afternoon, we went to another electronics outlet, the Funan–more upscale, more expensive. So we went back to Sim Lim and I bought an attachment to cut down sun glare when I use my housing. Doreen bought a new battery for her camera as she’s been having problems with battery life.
I don’t know if it was coincidence or if we somehow angered the gods, but Doreen’s new battery didn’t work out for her. It wouldn’t charge properly and, when she tried it in her camera, the camera died on her. Worse, her two old batteries couldn’t revive the camera. We went back to Sim Lim the next day and got a refresher in Singaporean business. Yes, her old batteries were dead. Yes, her camera was dead. No, they wouldn’t take back the new (now useless battery). But, they would give her a trade-in if she bought a new camera. We’ll wait until we’re back in North America.
Saturday was my birthday and we decided to celebrate with high tea at Raffles. It was great. I was surprised at the quantity and variety of food available. It definitely wasn’t just scones and tea–more like an early dinner. We had some pictures taken. That night we headed to the wine bar at Parkview Square. This is the most opulent office building I’ve ever seen. It was built about eight years ago by a Hong Kong businessman who spared no expense. The courtyard features fountains and statues of artists (Chopin, etc.), politicians (Sun Yat Sen, Lincoln, Churchill, etc.) and similar famous figures from history. The lobby where the wine bar is situated must have cost at least a million dollars alone. What a setting. Of course, the prices reflected the setting. We had two glasses of Grigio Chianti Classic and it cost us just under $60 (the bottle probably cost $15 at the LCBO). But it was an experience. And, hey, a guy only turns 67 once. A nice way to end our stay in Singapore.
Check-in the next day was a unique experience. Berjaya flies out of the old airport (out in the boonies) which is next to a military airfield–sort of like Torbay years ago. We go to the desk and present our passports and tickets. We are then directed to go sit in the green room until we are called. There are already a half dozen people waiting there and we eventually get called. All our luggage (check-in and carry-on) gets scanned and then we are finally able to approach the check-in desk. We receive our boarding passes and proceed to Malaysian immigration and further security screening. We then were directed to the departure lounge, which was an old Quonset hut.
The flight was more than an hour late, it was pouring and thunder was rumbling. I went looking for someone to find out what was going on but there was no one around. Turned out, the people who checked us in were now out on the apron acting as ground crew for the plane which had finally arrived. Then they unloaded and loaded luggage. Talk about multi-tasking. The plane was an old prop plane. It reminded me of going to university in Prince Edward Island in the late 50's and flying with Maritime Central Airways. Watching the outside air seep into the plane through the seams and immediately turn to fog was kind of surreal.
But it got up and down without any problems and we were on Tioman Island in Malaysia. The Paya Beach Resort people were waiting with their boat and, after a short ride, we were settled in our room. One of the couples that arrived with us (there were two) also speak English so we’re already ahead of the game. Richard and Robin are from Adelaide, Australia. He’s a dentist who (along with a Chinese colleague) also sponsors a free clinic in East Timor. The beach is nice but not too long–short walks only. The food is different but we’re only here for a few days and we’ll manage.
We did a snorkel trip the next day. The first stop at Renggis Island was very good with some excellent coral. The only drawback was a strong current which kept us from circling the small island. Our second stop was to be the Marine Reserve and we were really looking forward to this. What a disappointment. I don’t think I’ve ever snorkeled a poorer reserve. There was very little coral and mostly large, grey, aggressive fish–the kind that flock to sites where people feed the fish. The main attraction seemed to be a series of three large platforms from which people could jump into the water. We swam off looking for something other than sand but the visibility was very poor and there was little worth seeing. We did see some small sting rays so it wasn’t a total waste. We did another snorkel in the afternoon at the north end of the resort beach around the point which becomes an island at high tide. This was so much better than the marine reserve.
When we went for breakfast the next morning, the tide was really out. It’s no wonder this area is not noted as a good swimming beach–too many rocks, too low water. Doreen had decided that she wanted to see some of the Malaysian countryside so we’re not flying back to Singapore. Instead, we’re taking a fast ferry to Tanjung Gemok on the Malaysian mainland and then a bus to the city state. Just before the ferry arrived, it started to pour. Didn’t matter as the ferry is an enclosed boat with no outside seating. We sat up front and froze as the A/C was cranked. We did get to watch the latest Rambo movie. You couldn’t hear the dialogue over the noise of the ferry but you could hear the explosions. I’m not sure if they settled on Chinese, Malay or Tagalog for the captions but it really didn’t matter as all are equally indecipherable.
The bus from Discovery Tours was waiting, complete with driver and tour guide. The tour guide’s only commentary related to where the clean restrooms were at the two stops we made and instructions for getting through Malaysian and Singaporean customs. It rained sporadically so, even sitting up front, we didn’t see much. The on-line information had said this was a three-hour trip but they obviously weren’t counting the border-crossing time. We arrived in Johor at the height of traffic and it took a couple of hours to get out of Malaysia and into Singapore.
The bus driver was nice enough to drop us at the Golden Landmark Hotel so that solved one problem. It’s a nice hotel, probably the best we’ve stayed at since Tokyo. We had a room on the 15th floor with a great view of the surrounding area. We could see the New Seven Story Hotel from our window so we decided to walk there to collect our left luggage. We presented our tags and they opened the room where we’d left our bags. No bags!! Wait, they have a second room upstairs. Maybe the bags have been moved there. Some feelings of dread until the bags are found. It’s so close we decided to forego a cab and walked back with the bags in tow.
We just couldn’t work up any enthusiasm for Singapore. Maybe it was because we weren’t supposed to be here. We had originally planned a week in Palau where we wanted to snorkel in Jellyfish Lake. This has been on our list ever since we first read about it years ago. But Asian Spirit dropped its flight from Manila to Palau after we’d put our original package together and we were left with a lot of free time in this area before our flight home. We split the time between Singapore, Tioman and Dumaguete. Or maybe it’s because Singapore seems to be a more Westernized city than Tokyo or Seoul. There certainly are more Western-style fast food outlets and we’ve seen more over-weight people here than we have anywhere else on this trip.
We did get to do some shopping and ride the underground train. I checked with the Canon regional headquarters about the concerns I was having with my camera and underwater housing but, since we weren’t staying around for 7-10 days, they could offer little help. We browsed the Sim Lim shopping complex–six floors of electronics with cheap prices but with a catch–a no-return policy. In the afternoon, we went to another electronics outlet, the Funan–more upscale, more expensive. So we went back to Sim Lim and I bought an attachment to cut down sun glare when I use my housing. Doreen bought a new battery for her camera as she’s been having problems with battery life.
I don’t know if it was coincidence or if we somehow angered the gods, but Doreen’s new battery didn’t work out for her. It wouldn’t charge properly and, when she tried it in her camera, the camera died on her. Worse, her two old batteries couldn’t revive the camera. We went back to Sim Lim the next day and got a refresher in Singaporean business. Yes, her old batteries were dead. Yes, her camera was dead. No, they wouldn’t take back the new (now useless battery). But, they would give her a trade-in if she bought a new camera. We’ll wait until we’re back in North America.
Saturday was my birthday and we decided to celebrate with high tea at Raffles. It was great. I was surprised at the quantity and variety of food available. It definitely wasn’t just scones and tea–more like an early dinner. We had some pictures taken. That night we headed to the wine bar at Parkview Square. This is the most opulent office building I’ve ever seen. It was built about eight years ago by a Hong Kong businessman who spared no expense. The courtyard features fountains and statues of artists (Chopin, etc.), politicians (Sun Yat Sen, Lincoln, Churchill, etc.) and similar famous figures from history. The lobby where the wine bar is situated must have cost at least a million dollars alone. What a setting. Of course, the prices reflected the setting. We had two glasses of Grigio Chianti Classic and it cost us just under $60 (the bottle probably cost $15 at the LCBO). But it was an experience. And, hey, a guy only turns 67 once. A nice way to end our stay in Singapore.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
The temples are awesome
If the temple ruins at Angkor aren’t on your ‘bucket list’, you’ll be missing one of the world’s greatest destinations. It didn’t have quite the same metaphysical tone as Uluru, but the size, variety and intricacy of the Cambodian sites are mind boggling. How people centuries ago could have conceived, much less constructed, such wonders is difficult to fathom. Having seen the results in Cambodia, we now want to see the sites in Egypt, in Mexico and central America as well as Machu Picchu in Peru, Stonehenge in England and others to be named later. Oh, to be young and rich.
After a rather uneventful overnight in Bangkok at the Sananwan Palace, we left early so we could have plenty of time to wait at the Bangkok Airport. The Sananwan is no palace but they did a good job with airport pick-up and delivery. It’s an older place, all angles and with a family residence feel. There was a/c in the bedroom only and the shower was part of the w/c–no separate stall, water everywhere. The flight to Siem Reap was delayed an hour or so but we finally got off the ground. Though the flight lasted only an hour, we were served a lovely boxed breakfast. Talk about an efficient crew.
Efficient isn’t the word that comes to mind for our passage through Cambodian customs. First off the plane, we were the last to make it to the baggage carousel. Some confusion as to what forms needed to be filled in when and where. Guess we should have opted for the e-visas. In any event, we’re finally here and the guide we’ve hired, John Teng, is waiting with a driver to take us to the hotel. He’s already had to set the Angkor Holiday Hotel straight as they had us arriving tomorrow.
It’s hard to say enough good things about John. He came highly recommended and fully lived up to his billing. Hiring him may be the best decision we’ve made this trip. He’s very good with English, very knowledgeable about the ruins and the area and very passionate about the future of his country. He made our time in Siem Reap a wonderful experience.
We drove first to the South Gate of Angkor Thom–the road lined on one side with gods and on the other side with demons. What an opening. We continued on to explore the three levels of the Bayon, with its 54 towers and 216 faces of Buddha. It is a magnificent temple and the detail in the carvings is awesome. Simply amazing workmanship. The same amazing detail was visible at the ‘Terrace of the Elephants’ and the ‘Terrace of the Leper King’. You could spend a week on just this one area. We exited through the Victory Gate.
Our next stop was the temple at Ta Prohm, where the most outstanding features are the tree roots which are somewhat holding the temple together. We entered through the west gate and walked through to the east gate. Restoration is clearly an ongoing process and there are jumbles of large rocks everywhere. It was interesting to hear John explain just what an international effort is involved with the French doing this, the Japanese doing that, the Koreans, the Germans, and on and on. Of course, it is such a colossal job that it requires that kind of commitment from the world at large.
We started the next day at 5:30 so we could watch the sun rise at Angkor Wat. (Us and hundreds/thousands of others). We stayed at Angkor Wat until about 6:45 am and then drove out to Banteay Srei. This is a very small but beautiful temple built in the late 900's. John’s timing was perfect–as we were leaving the site, the crowds started to arrive. On the way back, we stopped to visit the Land Mine Museum, a tribute to the tragedy that befell Cambodia during and after the Vietnam War. Canada’s flag is proudly displayed in recognition of its role in developing the museum and in promoting the international effort to ban land mines. After our mid-day break, John took us back to Angkor Wat so we could explore it in the afternoon light. This temple is magnificent. John kept us moving and we spent an enthralling two hours wandering from one fantastic sight to another, equally beautiful and compelling.
We managed to do the dinner and show at the Koulon II just down the street from our hotel. The show was interesting and the dancer’s costumes (especially the women’s) brought to life some of the carvings of apsaras we’d seen on the temple walls. But, two consecutive 5 am mornings take their toll, at any age, and we crashed early.
On Sunday morning, we didn’t start until 8:30 so we had a relaxing breakfast. (Saturday, the hotel had provided us with a boxed breakfast and we ate in the car as we drove out to Bantrey Srei.) John took us to the local market–the real, local market–not the ‘Old Market’ promoted in the tourist literature. What an experience. It was like a large food market combined with a large WalMart. Very different from our market experiences in Tokyo and Seoul but just as vibrant and chaotic. Very similar to our experience in Port Vila, Vanuatu but much larger in scope. Everybody in Siem Reap seemed to be here shopping and there were motor bikes and bicycles parked everywhere outside.
After the market, we visited the Roulous group of temples. These were the first temples built in the area (they date from the 800's) but were later abandoned for the Angkor area. Preah was the first clay block temple and Bakong, the first sandstone temple. Our last stop for the morning was Lolei, a very small temple in very poor condition but with an active Buddhist monastery. That afternoon, we started at the North Gate of Preah Khan. It looked like a small temple but the more gates we went through the larger it seemed to grow. Lots of doors and windows. Even an afternoon rain shower couldn’t diminish our enthusiasm.
Our last stop was at Phnom Bakheng, the site of the first temple in Angkor. It is on a hill but the trek isn’t too difficult. The ancient Khmer had cut the top off the mountain so that the base for the temple was bedrock. The climb up the temple steps from level to level was harder than the hike up the hill, with narrow risers on a steep slope. Coming down was just as, if not more, dangerous. But the view from the top was worth it–just to see the towers of Angkor Wat rising from the jungle and to realize that you couldn’t even see the vast complex at Angkor Thom. There were lots of people gathering along the western edges of the temple to wait for the sunset but, since the temples lie to the east, we didn’t join them and headed down the hill, drove back to the hotel and said our farewells to John and Giwa, our driver. They’ve both done an excellent job and made this a remarkable experience.
We checked out the ‘Old Market’ in the morning as we killed time before heading to the airport. Not a patch on John’s market. Got to experience the perils of being a pedestrian in a city where pedestrian traffic is low man on the totem pole. They don’t seem to have any parking along the streets so cars, scooter, tuk tuks, etc. all park on the sidewalk and you have to navigate around them. We took a tuk tuk back to the hotel. The flight to Singapore is taking us through Danang but we won’t get to set foot on Vietnam soil as we are restricted to the plane during the layover. At least in Hong Kong, we got to walk around the airport before re-boarding (but, I guess it would be incorrect to say we touched the ground in Hong Kong).
After a rather uneventful overnight in Bangkok at the Sananwan Palace, we left early so we could have plenty of time to wait at the Bangkok Airport. The Sananwan is no palace but they did a good job with airport pick-up and delivery. It’s an older place, all angles and with a family residence feel. There was a/c in the bedroom only and the shower was part of the w/c–no separate stall, water everywhere. The flight to Siem Reap was delayed an hour or so but we finally got off the ground. Though the flight lasted only an hour, we were served a lovely boxed breakfast. Talk about an efficient crew.
Efficient isn’t the word that comes to mind for our passage through Cambodian customs. First off the plane, we were the last to make it to the baggage carousel. Some confusion as to what forms needed to be filled in when and where. Guess we should have opted for the e-visas. In any event, we’re finally here and the guide we’ve hired, John Teng, is waiting with a driver to take us to the hotel. He’s already had to set the Angkor Holiday Hotel straight as they had us arriving tomorrow.
It’s hard to say enough good things about John. He came highly recommended and fully lived up to his billing. Hiring him may be the best decision we’ve made this trip. He’s very good with English, very knowledgeable about the ruins and the area and very passionate about the future of his country. He made our time in Siem Reap a wonderful experience.
We drove first to the South Gate of Angkor Thom–the road lined on one side with gods and on the other side with demons. What an opening. We continued on to explore the three levels of the Bayon, with its 54 towers and 216 faces of Buddha. It is a magnificent temple and the detail in the carvings is awesome. Simply amazing workmanship. The same amazing detail was visible at the ‘Terrace of the Elephants’ and the ‘Terrace of the Leper King’. You could spend a week on just this one area. We exited through the Victory Gate.
Our next stop was the temple at Ta Prohm, where the most outstanding features are the tree roots which are somewhat holding the temple together. We entered through the west gate and walked through to the east gate. Restoration is clearly an ongoing process and there are jumbles of large rocks everywhere. It was interesting to hear John explain just what an international effort is involved with the French doing this, the Japanese doing that, the Koreans, the Germans, and on and on. Of course, it is such a colossal job that it requires that kind of commitment from the world at large.
We started the next day at 5:30 so we could watch the sun rise at Angkor Wat. (Us and hundreds/thousands of others). We stayed at Angkor Wat until about 6:45 am and then drove out to Banteay Srei. This is a very small but beautiful temple built in the late 900's. John’s timing was perfect–as we were leaving the site, the crowds started to arrive. On the way back, we stopped to visit the Land Mine Museum, a tribute to the tragedy that befell Cambodia during and after the Vietnam War. Canada’s flag is proudly displayed in recognition of its role in developing the museum and in promoting the international effort to ban land mines. After our mid-day break, John took us back to Angkor Wat so we could explore it in the afternoon light. This temple is magnificent. John kept us moving and we spent an enthralling two hours wandering from one fantastic sight to another, equally beautiful and compelling.
We managed to do the dinner and show at the Koulon II just down the street from our hotel. The show was interesting and the dancer’s costumes (especially the women’s) brought to life some of the carvings of apsaras we’d seen on the temple walls. But, two consecutive 5 am mornings take their toll, at any age, and we crashed early.
On Sunday morning, we didn’t start until 8:30 so we had a relaxing breakfast. (Saturday, the hotel had provided us with a boxed breakfast and we ate in the car as we drove out to Bantrey Srei.) John took us to the local market–the real, local market–not the ‘Old Market’ promoted in the tourist literature. What an experience. It was like a large food market combined with a large WalMart. Very different from our market experiences in Tokyo and Seoul but just as vibrant and chaotic. Very similar to our experience in Port Vila, Vanuatu but much larger in scope. Everybody in Siem Reap seemed to be here shopping and there were motor bikes and bicycles parked everywhere outside.
After the market, we visited the Roulous group of temples. These were the first temples built in the area (they date from the 800's) but were later abandoned for the Angkor area. Preah was the first clay block temple and Bakong, the first sandstone temple. Our last stop for the morning was Lolei, a very small temple in very poor condition but with an active Buddhist monastery. That afternoon, we started at the North Gate of Preah Khan. It looked like a small temple but the more gates we went through the larger it seemed to grow. Lots of doors and windows. Even an afternoon rain shower couldn’t diminish our enthusiasm.
Our last stop was at Phnom Bakheng, the site of the first temple in Angkor. It is on a hill but the trek isn’t too difficult. The ancient Khmer had cut the top off the mountain so that the base for the temple was bedrock. The climb up the temple steps from level to level was harder than the hike up the hill, with narrow risers on a steep slope. Coming down was just as, if not more, dangerous. But the view from the top was worth it–just to see the towers of Angkor Wat rising from the jungle and to realize that you couldn’t even see the vast complex at Angkor Thom. There were lots of people gathering along the western edges of the temple to wait for the sunset but, since the temples lie to the east, we didn’t join them and headed down the hill, drove back to the hotel and said our farewells to John and Giwa, our driver. They’ve both done an excellent job and made this a remarkable experience.
We checked out the ‘Old Market’ in the morning as we killed time before heading to the airport. Not a patch on John’s market. Got to experience the perils of being a pedestrian in a city where pedestrian traffic is low man on the totem pole. They don’t seem to have any parking along the streets so cars, scooter, tuk tuks, etc. all park on the sidewalk and you have to navigate around them. We took a tuk tuk back to the hotel. The flight to Singapore is taking us through Danang but we won’t get to set foot on Vietnam soil as we are restricted to the plane during the layover. At least in Hong Kong, we got to walk around the airport before re-boarding (but, I guess it would be incorrect to say we touched the ground in Hong Kong).
Monday, April 7, 2008
Elephants, elephasnts, elephants
Her name wasn’t Babar, but rather Bumbam. We went with Sairung Elephant Trekking through Khao Lak Land Discovery and found that the group consisted of just us, Bumbam and her mahout, Dam. It was a wonderful experience though Bumbam did not seem fully committed to the adventure. At 35 years old, she should be in the prime of her life but I don’t think she took more than nine steps in a row before stopping to browse. At one point, she stopped to relieve herself–I think it was raining at the time (and I certainly hope so as we did get sprinkled and I don’t fancy the alternative.) It was fun feeding her bananas after her exercise.
This was our second day after the Similan excursion. We had spent the first day relaxing around the pool at the Briza and walking the beach–nicer than the beach at the Suwan Palm. The Briza is a four-star resort (well above our usual choice) but they were offering a very good Internet deal as part of their soft opening. They had originally opened about two months before the tsunami hit this area and they’ve been in repair mode ever since. They opened too late to take advantage of the high season this year so they’re trying to catch up to the competition. We enjoyed the luxury though we avoided the dining room except for the breakfasts which were included in the room deal and one dinner on the day we checked in after the cruise. There are a lot of good restaurants around that offer more reasonable prices.
After the elephant trek, our guide from Land Discovery, Pa Chuck, took us to see Rainbow Falls. Some local kids were having a great time sliding down the rocks into the pool at the bottom of the falls. We then had an early Thai lunch at the restaurant at the bottom of the trail. While eating, we were surprised by Adrian and Sandra, the British couple from the cruise. They, too, had been elephant trekking and visiting the waterfall. We talked for a while and arranged to meet that night for dinner at Jo’s Seafood. We had a great meal and talked about our travels and our kids. They love to travel as much as we do and, from England, they’ve been able to do quite a bit. (Is my envy showing?)
We spent our last full day sunning by the pool and following the elephants from the tourist attraction across the road from the hotel. It seems they work the elephants in the morning and then take them down to the beach area via a back route where they leave them overnight (suitably hobbled, of course, or the elephants would probably wander off and scare the tourists on the beach). Rain shortened the afternoon and we decided to take a taxi into Khao Lak proper for a final dinner. Doreen also wanted to do some shopping.
The next morning we went looking for the elephants before breakfast and found them coming up the back road to get ready for another day of work. There’s nothing like an elephant to raise one’s spirits. Then, a final breakfast at the Briza, a little sun and a taxi ride to Phuket Airport. We have an overnight in Bangkok before heading to Cambodia and the temples at Angkor Wat.
This was our second day after the Similan excursion. We had spent the first day relaxing around the pool at the Briza and walking the beach–nicer than the beach at the Suwan Palm. The Briza is a four-star resort (well above our usual choice) but they were offering a very good Internet deal as part of their soft opening. They had originally opened about two months before the tsunami hit this area and they’ve been in repair mode ever since. They opened too late to take advantage of the high season this year so they’re trying to catch up to the competition. We enjoyed the luxury though we avoided the dining room except for the breakfasts which were included in the room deal and one dinner on the day we checked in after the cruise. There are a lot of good restaurants around that offer more reasonable prices.
After the elephant trek, our guide from Land Discovery, Pa Chuck, took us to see Rainbow Falls. Some local kids were having a great time sliding down the rocks into the pool at the bottom of the falls. We then had an early Thai lunch at the restaurant at the bottom of the trail. While eating, we were surprised by Adrian and Sandra, the British couple from the cruise. They, too, had been elephant trekking and visiting the waterfall. We talked for a while and arranged to meet that night for dinner at Jo’s Seafood. We had a great meal and talked about our travels and our kids. They love to travel as much as we do and, from England, they’ve been able to do quite a bit. (Is my envy showing?)
We spent our last full day sunning by the pool and following the elephants from the tourist attraction across the road from the hotel. It seems they work the elephants in the morning and then take them down to the beach area via a back route where they leave them overnight (suitably hobbled, of course, or the elephants would probably wander off and scare the tourists on the beach). Rain shortened the afternoon and we decided to take a taxi into Khao Lak proper for a final dinner. Doreen also wanted to do some shopping.
The next morning we went looking for the elephants before breakfast and found them coming up the back road to get ready for another day of work. There’s nothing like an elephant to raise one’s spirits. Then, a final breakfast at the Briza, a little sun and a taxi ride to Phuket Airport. We have an overnight in Bangkok before heading to Cambodia and the temples at Angkor Wat.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
It's hard to get out of a black hole
When I was a kid, growing up in St. John’s, the newspaper ran a comic strip called “Joe Palooka”. From time to time, the strip would feature a character named Joe Blfsspkk ( or something similarly unspellable), who was always followed around by a black cloud. He represented the average joe for whom nothing ever seemed to work the way it was intended. Now, I just have to get out from under my own black cloud.
The live-aboard snorkel trip to the Similans was supposed to be one of the highlights of our trip and it turned out to be an interesting three days. But not quite everything we had hoped. Things were just a little off–you know, where you turn left off the boat and the shark’s to the right or you turn right and the turtle’s to the left. That old saying–a day late and a dollar short.
There were eighteen people on the cruise, at least two more than the boat could comfortably handle. Throw in five crew and quarters were cramped. It was a good group with six English-speakers--one honeymooning couple from California, a married couple from England and an older couple from Canada (yours truly). The remaining twelve passengers (and the guide) were Swedish, though most spoke some English and several were very fluent. There were a couple of families with children (Easter break for Swedish schools), a couple wishing they hadn’t left the children behind and a single male who seemed adrift.
It took almost four hours to reach the first island–we definitely weren’t on a fast boat to China. While the boat was underway, there was space up front for four people to lie out in the sun. The others had two choices. You could lie on your bunk down below in the dormitory (the air conditioning worked only at night when the generator ran) or you could sit around the table up top on hard wooden benches which seemed to be designed to preclude a comfortable position.
The guide was a nice young Swedish lady named Anna who was working to finance a prolonged stay in Thailand. She had no background in marine science and had only been in Thailand since November so her guidance mostly consisted of announcing where we were, that there were fish in the ocean and we might see certain special things (mostly not). There certainly were plenty of large, colorful fish but not as much variety as we had hoped. There were extensive coral beds in some places but very few soft corals. Most of the places we stopped to snorkel seemed to attract the dive boats also. About 80% of the time we were snorkeling in water that was 6+ metres deep so everything was well below us surface floaters (we like 3-4 m).
The weather was beautiful and the food was plentiful and varied. The islands are a wonderland of rocks and trees and, as a national marine park, well maintained. We had a couple of shore breaks so we could sample the beach sand (much better than the mainland beaches). When we anchored in Donald Duck Bay on Island 8 (the islands are numbered, not named), we went ashore and climbed the rocks to Sail Rock for some impressive overviews. On the way down, I made it all the way to the bottom before disaster struck. Where people step onto the trail from the beach, there was an accumulation of sand. As I made my last step, my foot slipped on the sand on the rock and I found myself sitting on my rear nursing some serious bruises and scrapes on my right arm and some nicks and cuts on my fingers.
I’m definitely getting too old for this jumping around from boulder to boulder and scaling cliffs. I don’t have the same agility and sense of balance as I did even five years ago. I could blame it on slippery footwear but I don’t think that’s the case. As Shakespeare said, “The fault lies not in the stars but in ourselves.” The old man’s just going to have to be a little more careful and pick his spots better. The injuries weren’t serious and didn’t cause any great hardships but it’s interesting how it affects the little things. Do you know it’s hard to put on suntan lotion with one hand? Or brush your teeth with your left hand? Talk about out of your comfort zone!!
The next morning I decided to forego the first snorkeling venture and soak my wounds to remove the congealed blood. Who needs to get into the water with an invitation for any sharks in the neighbourhood? I’m sure the other passengers appreciated my gesture. ;-) As it happened, the first spot was followed immediately by a second snorkel before I could get my gear together so I missed that one too. Doreen tells me that was one of the best spots we stopped. Just my luck.
The other thing we’ve been having problems with are our camera batteries. Doreen keeps changing batteries every day and is convinced her batteries aren’t charging properly here in Thailand. After using only one set of batteries in Japan and another set in Korea, I went through four sets in one day while snorkeling. I popped in a new set of batteries after my camera quit during our first snorkel, jumped in the water, snapped off six or seven pictures and got a camera warning to change batteries. Talk about frustrating. To top it off, my new waterproof case has the same problem that the old one did–you can’t see the viewfinder in bright sun while snorkeling. So it becomes an expensive point-and-shoot-and hope you’ve got something. What really galls is that there are several people on the cruise who have similar Canon cases (different camera models) and their cases have accessories on the front and the back to deal with the problem. An updated model since last fall? There’s a Canon regional headquarters in Singapore so I hope to find a solution there.
I have to give Poseidon high marks for the land portion of the venture. They picked us up at the Suwan Palm on time, stored our excess luggage while we cruised and delivered us to the Briza when the cruise was finished. They even offered storage of valuables in their safe while we were asea. If I’d known that in advance, I could have left my laptop behind with them and saved myself some room (and weight).
The live-aboard snorkel trip to the Similans was supposed to be one of the highlights of our trip and it turned out to be an interesting three days. But not quite everything we had hoped. Things were just a little off–you know, where you turn left off the boat and the shark’s to the right or you turn right and the turtle’s to the left. That old saying–a day late and a dollar short.
There were eighteen people on the cruise, at least two more than the boat could comfortably handle. Throw in five crew and quarters were cramped. It was a good group with six English-speakers--one honeymooning couple from California, a married couple from England and an older couple from Canada (yours truly). The remaining twelve passengers (and the guide) were Swedish, though most spoke some English and several were very fluent. There were a couple of families with children (Easter break for Swedish schools), a couple wishing they hadn’t left the children behind and a single male who seemed adrift.
It took almost four hours to reach the first island–we definitely weren’t on a fast boat to China. While the boat was underway, there was space up front for four people to lie out in the sun. The others had two choices. You could lie on your bunk down below in the dormitory (the air conditioning worked only at night when the generator ran) or you could sit around the table up top on hard wooden benches which seemed to be designed to preclude a comfortable position.
The guide was a nice young Swedish lady named Anna who was working to finance a prolonged stay in Thailand. She had no background in marine science and had only been in Thailand since November so her guidance mostly consisted of announcing where we were, that there were fish in the ocean and we might see certain special things (mostly not). There certainly were plenty of large, colorful fish but not as much variety as we had hoped. There were extensive coral beds in some places but very few soft corals. Most of the places we stopped to snorkel seemed to attract the dive boats also. About 80% of the time we were snorkeling in water that was 6+ metres deep so everything was well below us surface floaters (we like 3-4 m).
The weather was beautiful and the food was plentiful and varied. The islands are a wonderland of rocks and trees and, as a national marine park, well maintained. We had a couple of shore breaks so we could sample the beach sand (much better than the mainland beaches). When we anchored in Donald Duck Bay on Island 8 (the islands are numbered, not named), we went ashore and climbed the rocks to Sail Rock for some impressive overviews. On the way down, I made it all the way to the bottom before disaster struck. Where people step onto the trail from the beach, there was an accumulation of sand. As I made my last step, my foot slipped on the sand on the rock and I found myself sitting on my rear nursing some serious bruises and scrapes on my right arm and some nicks and cuts on my fingers.
I’m definitely getting too old for this jumping around from boulder to boulder and scaling cliffs. I don’t have the same agility and sense of balance as I did even five years ago. I could blame it on slippery footwear but I don’t think that’s the case. As Shakespeare said, “The fault lies not in the stars but in ourselves.” The old man’s just going to have to be a little more careful and pick his spots better. The injuries weren’t serious and didn’t cause any great hardships but it’s interesting how it affects the little things. Do you know it’s hard to put on suntan lotion with one hand? Or brush your teeth with your left hand? Talk about out of your comfort zone!!
The next morning I decided to forego the first snorkeling venture and soak my wounds to remove the congealed blood. Who needs to get into the water with an invitation for any sharks in the neighbourhood? I’m sure the other passengers appreciated my gesture. ;-) As it happened, the first spot was followed immediately by a second snorkel before I could get my gear together so I missed that one too. Doreen tells me that was one of the best spots we stopped. Just my luck.
The other thing we’ve been having problems with are our camera batteries. Doreen keeps changing batteries every day and is convinced her batteries aren’t charging properly here in Thailand. After using only one set of batteries in Japan and another set in Korea, I went through four sets in one day while snorkeling. I popped in a new set of batteries after my camera quit during our first snorkel, jumped in the water, snapped off six or seven pictures and got a camera warning to change batteries. Talk about frustrating. To top it off, my new waterproof case has the same problem that the old one did–you can’t see the viewfinder in bright sun while snorkeling. So it becomes an expensive point-and-shoot-and hope you’ve got something. What really galls is that there are several people on the cruise who have similar Canon cases (different camera models) and their cases have accessories on the front and the back to deal with the problem. An updated model since last fall? There’s a Canon regional headquarters in Singapore so I hope to find a solution there.
I have to give Poseidon high marks for the land portion of the venture. They picked us up at the Suwan Palm on time, stored our excess luggage while we cruised and delivered us to the Briza when the cruise was finished. They even offered storage of valuables in their safe while we were asea. If I’d known that in advance, I could have left my laptop behind with them and saved myself some room (and weight).
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Lost in a black hole in Thailand
Monday was a travel day–a full day of travel. We caught a cab to the airport shortly after seven a.m., checked in with Thai Air, grabbed some breakfast and began the first of many waits. The first hop was from Seoul to Hong Kong where we deplaned but didn’t switch planes. After an hour or so, we took off on the second leg, from Hong Kong to Bangkok. We killed time at Bangkok’s airport until our flight to Phuket with Thai Air Asia. We landed at Phuket about ten-thirty (and two time zones) and Mr. Sam was waiting. He managed to stay awake (barely) for the entire ninety-minute drive to Khao Lak. We schlepped our gear to a third-floor room at the Suwan Palm and fell into bed. We’ll check in tomorrow morning.
As long as the day was and as bad as the waiting was, it could have been much worse. We’ve been fairly lucky this trip. West Jet from Toronto to LA was a good trip (especially when you know you’re on a no-frills airline). American from LA to Tokyo was fine except for the delay in getting off the ground. JAL from Tokyo to Seoul was a step up in quality of service and Thai Airways from Seoul to Bangkok was several additional steps up the service ladder. I can understand why they are regularly listed among the best airlines in the world. Not only were there superb meals on both legs of the flight but there was a constant cabin presence with new attendants seeming to appear continually. Besides, when was the last time you were offered brandy after an airplane meal.
Of course, Air Asia is another no-frills airline so our final flight was a step backward. We had to pay extra for excess baggage (they allow only 15 kg for checked luggage). Fortunately, they didn’t weigh our carry-ons or we would have needed another mortgage to continue our trip. We also paid extra for express seating (otherwise no assigned seats) and were the first to board the plane. We grabbed the front seats so we were first off the plane as well. That earned us the privilege of a longer wait for our luggage. But at least we haven’t lost any bags yet.
The resort is nice enough but nothing special. They do serve an excellent breakfast. This area seems to cater to Europeans and there are lots of Swedish families around. The beach wouldn’t make our list of top one hundred. The weather is very hot and the rainy season seems to have started early. We’ve been able to get some sun in the morning. The plan was to stay out of the sun in mid-day and then get a couple of hours in the afternoon. The morning part has worked reasonably well but the only thing we’ve done in the afternoon is watch the rain. Yesterday was a downpour with thunder and lightning thrown in for good measure. We had just headed down to the beach and were caught by surprise. There was no lightning this afternoon (just a steady drizzle and some thunder) so we stripped down to bathing suits and walked the beach in the rain.
It’s funny how expectations and realities sometimes merge and other times clash. In the planning phase for this trip, I had a great number of reservations about our time in Tokyo and Seoul. We don’t usually spend much time in large cities on our travels (more a matter of passing through) and I wasn’t sure how we’d handle it, especially with the language and alphabet/character differences. But, we learned to say ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ in Japanese and Korean and, with the help of many kind strangers, we had a wonderful time in both cities. Both go on the list of possible repeat visits (of course, that list is so long we’d need to win two lotteries to finance the travel).
On the other hand, Thailand has been one of our focal points since we first conceived an Asian trip. Yet, here we are after three days and I don’t have enough pictures to post even a sampling. There’s been nothing remarkable about this segment thus far, other than a few reminders of the tsunami’s devastation. We haven’t done any snorkeling as the water isn’t very clear and the fish population seems to have been re-settled elsewhere. Of course, our live-aboard to the Similan Islands kicks off tomorrow so you may hear an entirely different tone in my next posting. (We sure hope so–the pictures on the Internet were outstanding.) To end on a bright note, it didn’t rain this afternoon so our beach walk was more pleasant than yesterday’s. We’re hoping for a nice sunset tonight as our balcony looks out westward over the Andaman Sea.
As long as the day was and as bad as the waiting was, it could have been much worse. We’ve been fairly lucky this trip. West Jet from Toronto to LA was a good trip (especially when you know you’re on a no-frills airline). American from LA to Tokyo was fine except for the delay in getting off the ground. JAL from Tokyo to Seoul was a step up in quality of service and Thai Airways from Seoul to Bangkok was several additional steps up the service ladder. I can understand why they are regularly listed among the best airlines in the world. Not only were there superb meals on both legs of the flight but there was a constant cabin presence with new attendants seeming to appear continually. Besides, when was the last time you were offered brandy after an airplane meal.
Of course, Air Asia is another no-frills airline so our final flight was a step backward. We had to pay extra for excess baggage (they allow only 15 kg for checked luggage). Fortunately, they didn’t weigh our carry-ons or we would have needed another mortgage to continue our trip. We also paid extra for express seating (otherwise no assigned seats) and were the first to board the plane. We grabbed the front seats so we were first off the plane as well. That earned us the privilege of a longer wait for our luggage. But at least we haven’t lost any bags yet.
The resort is nice enough but nothing special. They do serve an excellent breakfast. This area seems to cater to Europeans and there are lots of Swedish families around. The beach wouldn’t make our list of top one hundred. The weather is very hot and the rainy season seems to have started early. We’ve been able to get some sun in the morning. The plan was to stay out of the sun in mid-day and then get a couple of hours in the afternoon. The morning part has worked reasonably well but the only thing we’ve done in the afternoon is watch the rain. Yesterday was a downpour with thunder and lightning thrown in for good measure. We had just headed down to the beach and were caught by surprise. There was no lightning this afternoon (just a steady drizzle and some thunder) so we stripped down to bathing suits and walked the beach in the rain.
It’s funny how expectations and realities sometimes merge and other times clash. In the planning phase for this trip, I had a great number of reservations about our time in Tokyo and Seoul. We don’t usually spend much time in large cities on our travels (more a matter of passing through) and I wasn’t sure how we’d handle it, especially with the language and alphabet/character differences. But, we learned to say ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ in Japanese and Korean and, with the help of many kind strangers, we had a wonderful time in both cities. Both go on the list of possible repeat visits (of course, that list is so long we’d need to win two lotteries to finance the travel).
On the other hand, Thailand has been one of our focal points since we first conceived an Asian trip. Yet, here we are after three days and I don’t have enough pictures to post even a sampling. There’s been nothing remarkable about this segment thus far, other than a few reminders of the tsunami’s devastation. We haven’t done any snorkeling as the water isn’t very clear and the fish population seems to have been re-settled elsewhere. Of course, our live-aboard to the Similan Islands kicks off tomorrow so you may hear an entirely different tone in my next posting. (We sure hope so–the pictures on the Internet were outstanding.) To end on a bright note, it didn’t rain this afternoon so our beach walk was more pleasant than yesterday’s. We’re hoping for a nice sunset tonight as our balcony looks out westward over the Andaman Sea.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Wandering in the rain
We’re meeting Melissa at 1:30 to check out the CoEx Mall so we had a quiet, relaxing Saturday morning. I worked on my pictures and the blog and Doreen wrote in her journal. We decided to go down to the area early and have a look around while Melissa was working. There are a number of very intriguing buildings in Seoul. I’m impressed with the architect’s imagination and the flexibility of the building codes. Like Tokyo, this is not a city of rectangular blocks. It makes for interesting walks.
When we got off the subway, we headed for the Bongeunsa Temple complex. The driveway area was under re-construction but it was a beautiful area. We wandered around and took some pictures and then lit candles and joss sticks in memory of family. This is a training center for monks and they offer monastery stays for tourists. That might be a great experience.
After a quick muffin at ‘The Coffee Bean’, we headed back to the subway exit to meet Melissa. On the way, we spent some time watching mall employees in formal costumes directing mall traffic–not something you ever encounter at Burlington Mall or Avalon Mall. The mall was crowded because of an exhibition (and Saturday shopping and kids hanging out) but we made our way to the aquarium. As a mall aquarium, it was beyond belief. It was a world-class affair. The first thing we saw when we walked through the door was an mini-display of sea horses and lion fish. And the quality of the exhibits continued on a high plane. They had several sections for kids, including one where the fish tanks were built into everyday objects like refrigerators, coffee tables, headboards, and the like. There was even a Windows aquarium screen saver surrounded by a real aquarium. What a great way to spend an afternoon.
Afterwards, we browsed the mall and stopped for some food. Then we sat and talked for quite a while. Melissa has grown into a lovely young lady and we really enjoyed the opportunity to spend some time with her outside the family get-together scene. We considered going to the N’Seoul Tower after it got dark but we talked her into leaving early so she could have Saturday night with her friends.
And then it rained on our Easter parade. We kept hoping it would clear up but the best we got was a slow drizzle. Oh, well, it was our last day in Seoul so we figured we’d take our chances. What’s a little rain to people who grew up in Newfoundland. This definitely would have been a better day for the aquarium. The walk through old and new neighbourhoods in the downtown area was very interesting. I don’t know if it was the rain, the fact that it was Sunday, the fact that it was Easter, or a combination of all of the above, but the city had a different feel today.
At one stage, a lady came up and presented us with an Easter egg gift (not a decorated, chocolate egg but the hard-boiled kind). As we approached the Lotte Department Store, we discovered that they have a little machine outside their doors for rainy days. You just poke your umbrella down the opening and it is encased in a plastic bag. I guess it keeps excess water off the store’s carpets. (This is a high-class enterprise with a costumed information lady and the salespeople wearing gloves so they don’t smudge the merchandise. Definitely not a WalMart.) We looked but didn’t buy.
We wandered through Myeondong and the Namdaemun market but things were much subdued because of the miserable weather. We had hoped to ride the cable car to the N’Seoul Tower and go up to the top of the tower which is supposed to have great views of the city. As we approached the area, it became obvious that fog ruled the top of the hill. No way were there any views today. Something else we should have done yesterday.
Now things are winding down. About all that’s left is the packing for our flight tomorrow to Thailand. It will definitely be much warmer for the rest of our trip.
When we got off the subway, we headed for the Bongeunsa Temple complex. The driveway area was under re-construction but it was a beautiful area. We wandered around and took some pictures and then lit candles and joss sticks in memory of family. This is a training center for monks and they offer monastery stays for tourists. That might be a great experience.
After a quick muffin at ‘The Coffee Bean’, we headed back to the subway exit to meet Melissa. On the way, we spent some time watching mall employees in formal costumes directing mall traffic–not something you ever encounter at Burlington Mall or Avalon Mall. The mall was crowded because of an exhibition (and Saturday shopping and kids hanging out) but we made our way to the aquarium. As a mall aquarium, it was beyond belief. It was a world-class affair. The first thing we saw when we walked through the door was an mini-display of sea horses and lion fish. And the quality of the exhibits continued on a high plane. They had several sections for kids, including one where the fish tanks were built into everyday objects like refrigerators, coffee tables, headboards, and the like. There was even a Windows aquarium screen saver surrounded by a real aquarium. What a great way to spend an afternoon.
Afterwards, we browsed the mall and stopped for some food. Then we sat and talked for quite a while. Melissa has grown into a lovely young lady and we really enjoyed the opportunity to spend some time with her outside the family get-together scene. We considered going to the N’Seoul Tower after it got dark but we talked her into leaving early so she could have Saturday night with her friends.
And then it rained on our Easter parade. We kept hoping it would clear up but the best we got was a slow drizzle. Oh, well, it was our last day in Seoul so we figured we’d take our chances. What’s a little rain to people who grew up in Newfoundland. This definitely would have been a better day for the aquarium. The walk through old and new neighbourhoods in the downtown area was very interesting. I don’t know if it was the rain, the fact that it was Sunday, the fact that it was Easter, or a combination of all of the above, but the city had a different feel today.
At one stage, a lady came up and presented us with an Easter egg gift (not a decorated, chocolate egg but the hard-boiled kind). As we approached the Lotte Department Store, we discovered that they have a little machine outside their doors for rainy days. You just poke your umbrella down the opening and it is encased in a plastic bag. I guess it keeps excess water off the store’s carpets. (This is a high-class enterprise with a costumed information lady and the salespeople wearing gloves so they don’t smudge the merchandise. Definitely not a WalMart.) We looked but didn’t buy.
We wandered through Myeondong and the Namdaemun market but things were much subdued because of the miserable weather. We had hoped to ride the cable car to the N’Seoul Tower and go up to the top of the tower which is supposed to have great views of the city. As we approached the area, it became obvious that fog ruled the top of the hill. No way were there any views today. Something else we should have done yesterday.
Now things are winding down. About all that’s left is the packing for our flight tomorrow to Thailand. It will definitely be much warmer for the rest of our trip.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Across the sea to Korea
Wednesday was a travel day. First, a taxi from the hotel to the subway station, then a train to Nippori to catch the airport Skyliner. We were surprised at the bustle at the airport since it was an early morning flight. It took us almost 90 minutes to find the JAL check-in counter, get through security and immigration and find our departure lounge. An unremarkable three hour flight, except for the Japanese box lunch, and we begin the process in reverse in Korea. After clearing immigration, we picked up our luggage, breezed through customs, and bought our bus tickets. It took almost ninety minutes to reach the Sofitel Hotel where we caught a cab for the final sprint to the Hyundai Residence. This place is so tucked away that the cab driver had to call for directions on how to get here and still had to pull a U-turn. Traffic is horrendous. Another place I won’t be driving.
After checking in and unpacking, we explored the neighbourhood. Found a very interesting local market (Jungba Market) just down the street. Lots of food for sale–it would be nice to know what. The early morning rise called for an early evening bedtime so we’ll start on Seoul tomorrow.
We met up with Melissa the next morning and she took us to walk a bit of the Cheonggyecheon Stream Trail. From there, we took a cab to Itaewon and found a bank ATM. We had lunch at a Thai place–The Buddha Belly–and, wouldn’t you know it, they accepted credit cards. Melissa had to go to work at 2:30 so we decide to walk a bit before heading back to our hotel. We walked up to the War Memorial, a very dramatic display with some interesting sculptures, and watched a squad of soldiers practice their routines–think cheerleaders with guns. There is a serious military presence in this country and they seem to be looking nervously to the north all the time. Who can blame them?
The subway ride back was easy but it took almost 15 minutes to walk out of the station. The system here is as impressive as Tokyo’s. Overall, the city has a different feel–it’s a little grimier and people seem to have a little less elegance. But, at the same time, people seem to be more open and to be enjoying their lives. They are definitely more Westernized. In our area, business is conducted on the sidewalk. No matter what business–office furniture, lighting fixtures, building supplies, etc.–it’s all out on the sidewalk so you have to skirt around the merchandise. Stores seem to group themselves by product. For example, there’ll be a couple of blocks of furniture stores, followed by a block of plumbing, followed by .... We even passed an auto body shop where the guy was repairing the bumper of a car on the sidewalk and another where a worker was doing welding repairs.
You also have to dodge motorcycles as you walk. In Tokyo, there were lots of pedal bikes but, here, the delivery guys ride their cycles on the sidewalk more than on the street. It’s a little disconcerting to be standing at the corner, waiting for a ‘Walk’ light and be surrounded by motorcycles waiting to use the same cross-walk. As a side note, we did get to try one of the diagonal cross-walks (without any cycles).
Rome and San Francisco may have hills but Seoul has mountains. Not just near the city but in the city. Friday morning we decided to do the Inwangsan Shamanist Hillside Walk. The guidebook had said that it was an uphill walk but neglected to say how steep the slope was. It was an interesting walk until we got to the “Zen rocks” and lost the trail. From there we scrambled up the mountainside and finally found another, different trail. We followed this one to the top of Inwang Mountain. That last 0.3 km was about the hardest climb I’ve ever done (or maybe I’m just too old for this). Thank God for the ropes to hang onto. The views from the top were great though the pictures aren’t (too much smog). It’s impossible to see all of Seoul because Inwang isn’t the only mountain around which the city has developed. We followed a different route on the way down and managed to reach the bottom without any serious health problems, other than jelly legs.
After lunch (and a rest break), we headed across the river to check out the Noryangjin Fish Market. What an incredible place. A huge structure with rows of tanks containing all manner of marine life. I saw the biggest shrimp I’ve ever seen (two would make a meal) and the biggest octopi. We watched one customer buying fish and the fish was still wriggling as it lay on the scale.
We took the subway back to Dandemon Stadium station which is just down the street from our hotel (the same station where we had met Melissa the day before and the same station from which we had set out for the fish market). Only Dandemon Stadium station is the nexus for three subway lines and there are about twelve exit gates. We knew we needed either 6 or 7 and we tried to follow the signs and maps as we wandered through the maze. The map seemed to indicate that exits 6 and 7 were just beyond exit 5 but, when we arrived at exit 5, we were faced with a flight of stairs up to the exit and a blank wall. Faced with the prospect of retracing our steps to try to discover where we’d gone wrong, we chose instead to use exit 5. Bad move.
Above ground, we were in an unfamiliar part of town and didn’t recognize and buildings or landmarks. We didn’t even know in which direction to start walking. What should have been a 10 minute walk from the train to our hotel took us almost an hour. We did finally stumble upon some familiar buildings (“I’ve seen that from our window”) and we survived. However, we have decided to get off at a smaller station the next time as there’s one on the other side of us about as close as Dandemon and it only has two exits. Live and learn.
After checking in and unpacking, we explored the neighbourhood. Found a very interesting local market (Jungba Market) just down the street. Lots of food for sale–it would be nice to know what. The early morning rise called for an early evening bedtime so we’ll start on Seoul tomorrow.
We met up with Melissa the next morning and she took us to walk a bit of the Cheonggyecheon Stream Trail. From there, we took a cab to Itaewon and found a bank ATM. We had lunch at a Thai place–The Buddha Belly–and, wouldn’t you know it, they accepted credit cards. Melissa had to go to work at 2:30 so we decide to walk a bit before heading back to our hotel. We walked up to the War Memorial, a very dramatic display with some interesting sculptures, and watched a squad of soldiers practice their routines–think cheerleaders with guns. There is a serious military presence in this country and they seem to be looking nervously to the north all the time. Who can blame them?
The subway ride back was easy but it took almost 15 minutes to walk out of the station. The system here is as impressive as Tokyo’s. Overall, the city has a different feel–it’s a little grimier and people seem to have a little less elegance. But, at the same time, people seem to be more open and to be enjoying their lives. They are definitely more Westernized. In our area, business is conducted on the sidewalk. No matter what business–office furniture, lighting fixtures, building supplies, etc.–it’s all out on the sidewalk so you have to skirt around the merchandise. Stores seem to group themselves by product. For example, there’ll be a couple of blocks of furniture stores, followed by a block of plumbing, followed by .... We even passed an auto body shop where the guy was repairing the bumper of a car on the sidewalk and another where a worker was doing welding repairs.
You also have to dodge motorcycles as you walk. In Tokyo, there were lots of pedal bikes but, here, the delivery guys ride their cycles on the sidewalk more than on the street. It’s a little disconcerting to be standing at the corner, waiting for a ‘Walk’ light and be surrounded by motorcycles waiting to use the same cross-walk. As a side note, we did get to try one of the diagonal cross-walks (without any cycles).
Rome and San Francisco may have hills but Seoul has mountains. Not just near the city but in the city. Friday morning we decided to do the Inwangsan Shamanist Hillside Walk. The guidebook had said that it was an uphill walk but neglected to say how steep the slope was. It was an interesting walk until we got to the “Zen rocks” and lost the trail. From there we scrambled up the mountainside and finally found another, different trail. We followed this one to the top of Inwang Mountain. That last 0.3 km was about the hardest climb I’ve ever done (or maybe I’m just too old for this). Thank God for the ropes to hang onto. The views from the top were great though the pictures aren’t (too much smog). It’s impossible to see all of Seoul because Inwang isn’t the only mountain around which the city has developed. We followed a different route on the way down and managed to reach the bottom without any serious health problems, other than jelly legs.
After lunch (and a rest break), we headed across the river to check out the Noryangjin Fish Market. What an incredible place. A huge structure with rows of tanks containing all manner of marine life. I saw the biggest shrimp I’ve ever seen (two would make a meal) and the biggest octopi. We watched one customer buying fish and the fish was still wriggling as it lay on the scale.
We took the subway back to Dandemon Stadium station which is just down the street from our hotel (the same station where we had met Melissa the day before and the same station from which we had set out for the fish market). Only Dandemon Stadium station is the nexus for three subway lines and there are about twelve exit gates. We knew we needed either 6 or 7 and we tried to follow the signs and maps as we wandered through the maze. The map seemed to indicate that exits 6 and 7 were just beyond exit 5 but, when we arrived at exit 5, we were faced with a flight of stairs up to the exit and a blank wall. Faced with the prospect of retracing our steps to try to discover where we’d gone wrong, we chose instead to use exit 5. Bad move.
Above ground, we were in an unfamiliar part of town and didn’t recognize and buildings or landmarks. We didn’t even know in which direction to start walking. What should have been a 10 minute walk from the train to our hotel took us almost an hour. We did finally stumble upon some familiar buildings (“I’ve seen that from our window”) and we survived. However, we have decided to get off at a smaller station the next time as there’s one on the other side of us about as close as Dandemon and it only has two exits. Live and learn.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
A clash of cultures
As the sherif said in “Hud”, “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” We really didn’t understand how the Japanese handle day-to-day transactions. We tend to travel on our plastic, using credit cards for most purchases, with US dollar travelers cheques for back-up and a minimum amount of local currency. If we run short, we have our bank cards to withdraw additional cash. That doesn’t fly well here in Tokyo. Credit cards seem to be a real rarity and most places want to be paid in yen. We went to the bank to use the ATM and were told it wouldn’t work because the card was not from a Japanese bank. We did manage to cash some TC’s at the bank and later found an ATM at a 7/11 that would accept our card. So at least we have enough money to finish up our few days in Japan.
We went to the Tsukiji fish market on Tuesday morning around 8 o’clock, well after the initial frenzy but still a very active scene. It was organized chaos with people and machines (especially the ‘Mighty cars’) going every which way. I wonder how many accidents/collisions there are in the run of a normal week or month or year. It was great to wander around, trying to keep out of the way of the workers scrambling to complete their tasks.
After about 90 minutes we left the market and walked up to Ginza Street. Early morning traffic was still very light and none of the stores were yet open so Doreen did not get to browse merchandise that we couldn’t afford. We made our way through the Ginza district and headed off to the Imperial Palace grounds. We hadn’t arranged an audience with the Emperor (wrong time of year) so we had to be content with taking pictures of the Nijubashi Bridge, the guarded entranceway and the grounds of the East Garden.
After lunch, we took the train to Shinjuku and went searching for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Foot traffic on the street has really picked up since this morning. The views from the observation deck were good but somewhat obscured by afternoon smog. Forget seeing all the way to Mount Fuji. We couldn’t even see Yokohama. Hey, the views of downtown Tokyo were great and it’s free. I’m really impressed by this city. It has a vibrancy I haven’t seen or felt elsewhere. Very different from Toronto or New York. Maybe it’s all the waving, colorful banners. I’m also blown away by their transit system with everything built in layers (up and down). At one point we went down three levels to reach our subway line and I don’t think we were at the bottom level then. Besides which, everything is so clean–the trains, the stations, even the streets.
We went to the Tsukiji fish market on Tuesday morning around 8 o’clock, well after the initial frenzy but still a very active scene. It was organized chaos with people and machines (especially the ‘Mighty cars’) going every which way. I wonder how many accidents/collisions there are in the run of a normal week or month or year. It was great to wander around, trying to keep out of the way of the workers scrambling to complete their tasks.
After about 90 minutes we left the market and walked up to Ginza Street. Early morning traffic was still very light and none of the stores were yet open so Doreen did not get to browse merchandise that we couldn’t afford. We made our way through the Ginza district and headed off to the Imperial Palace grounds. We hadn’t arranged an audience with the Emperor (wrong time of year) so we had to be content with taking pictures of the Nijubashi Bridge, the guarded entranceway and the grounds of the East Garden.
After lunch, we took the train to Shinjuku and went searching for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Foot traffic on the street has really picked up since this morning. The views from the observation deck were good but somewhat obscured by afternoon smog. Forget seeing all the way to Mount Fuji. We couldn’t even see Yokohama. Hey, the views of downtown Tokyo were great and it’s free. I’m really impressed by this city. It has a vibrancy I haven’t seen or felt elsewhere. Very different from Toronto or New York. Maybe it’s all the waving, colorful banners. I’m also blown away by their transit system with everything built in layers (up and down). At one point we went down three levels to reach our subway line and I don’t think we were at the bottom level then. Besides which, everything is so clean–the trains, the stations, even the streets.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Mount Fuji is awesome
And so is Tokyo. We spent our first day in Japan on a bus. We took the Sunrise Tour to Mount Fuji and the Hakone area with a side trip for a brief cruise on Lake Ashi. Since it was a Sunday, traffic conditions were light and the drive to Mount Fuji went quickly. As we drove, the weather improved considerably. By the time we sighted Mount Fuji, the sun was shining brightly from a gorgeous, virtually cloudless, blue sky. This isn’t winter as we knew it in southern Ontario.
But it was still winter on the mountain with lots of snow and the road remained closed beyond the first station. So, it was look but don’t touch and no time to climb. It wasn’t quite the same spiritual feel as Uluru in Australia but more pervasive than Mount Taranaki in New Zealand. Fuji certainly dominates the surrounding countryside. Since the day remained clear and bright, we got many different views as we drove over the mountains to Hakone. Every time the road curved, there was Mount Fuji. I’m sure the guide got tired saying, “On your left ...”, “On your right ...” and “You’re very lucky today”.
We stopped for lunch at a Chinese restaurant that didn’t look very Chinese to us or to our table companions, an English couple living and working in Shanghai. The meal was a typical Japanese lunch with a little bit of a lot of different things and surprisingly tasty and filling. Or maybe it was just a feeling of accomplishment at getting some food into our mouths with chopsticks. I have no idea what we ate but there have been no ill effects.
After lunch, we bussed off to Lake Ashi for a short (very short) cruise on the ferry boat with still more views of Mount Fuji. The lake was a busy place with lots of locals engaged in various aquatic activities. We were supposed to take a gondola ride from the lake to the hills above but they told us the lift was closed because of the fog. No one in the tour group could see the fog because of the blinding sunlight so they told us they were taking us to a better gondola ride. I don’t know about the one we missed but the one we took was worth it. We got a close-up look at some hot springs and still more gorgeous views of Mount Fuji. All-in-all the day was worth enduring the long bus ride back to Tokyo and the mini-traffic jam that was Sunday afternoon. So ended our one excursion.
Now we’re on our own to explore Tokyo. This morning we walked from the hotel to Shiba Park. We were quite impressed with the Zojoji Temple and its environs, especially since it wasn’t mentioned in our guide book. One thing that surprised us on the walk was how late things start moving in Tokyo. At nine o’clock the streets were still virtually empty. I think everybody is still in/on the transit system on the way to work. The transit system is amazing, by the way.
Our next venture was the Sumida River cruise from Hinode pier. Not a great trip because the boat isn’t really built for sight-seeing (poor sight lines) and the commentary mainly involved naming the bridges we passed under but it did get us to Asakusa. From there, we browsed through Nakamise Avenue and explored the Sensoji shrine. After lunch at Ueno Station and a stroll through Ueno Park, we took the train to Nippori so Doreen could do some shopping in ‘Fabric Town’. She found some fabric for herself and some that Stacy wanted so it was a successful outing.
The only thing is that walking on a treadmill does not prepare you for a full day of traipsing around a big city. Or maybe, we’re really getting old. At any rate, we’re beat. And we get to do this again tomorrow. I love it when things work out as planned.
But it was still winter on the mountain with lots of snow and the road remained closed beyond the first station. So, it was look but don’t touch and no time to climb. It wasn’t quite the same spiritual feel as Uluru in Australia but more pervasive than Mount Taranaki in New Zealand. Fuji certainly dominates the surrounding countryside. Since the day remained clear and bright, we got many different views as we drove over the mountains to Hakone. Every time the road curved, there was Mount Fuji. I’m sure the guide got tired saying, “On your left ...”, “On your right ...” and “You’re very lucky today”.
We stopped for lunch at a Chinese restaurant that didn’t look very Chinese to us or to our table companions, an English couple living and working in Shanghai. The meal was a typical Japanese lunch with a little bit of a lot of different things and surprisingly tasty and filling. Or maybe it was just a feeling of accomplishment at getting some food into our mouths with chopsticks. I have no idea what we ate but there have been no ill effects.
After lunch, we bussed off to Lake Ashi for a short (very short) cruise on the ferry boat with still more views of Mount Fuji. The lake was a busy place with lots of locals engaged in various aquatic activities. We were supposed to take a gondola ride from the lake to the hills above but they told us the lift was closed because of the fog. No one in the tour group could see the fog because of the blinding sunlight so they told us they were taking us to a better gondola ride. I don’t know about the one we missed but the one we took was worth it. We got a close-up look at some hot springs and still more gorgeous views of Mount Fuji. All-in-all the day was worth enduring the long bus ride back to Tokyo and the mini-traffic jam that was Sunday afternoon. So ended our one excursion.
Now we’re on our own to explore Tokyo. This morning we walked from the hotel to Shiba Park. We were quite impressed with the Zojoji Temple and its environs, especially since it wasn’t mentioned in our guide book. One thing that surprised us on the walk was how late things start moving in Tokyo. At nine o’clock the streets were still virtually empty. I think everybody is still in/on the transit system on the way to work. The transit system is amazing, by the way.
Our next venture was the Sumida River cruise from Hinode pier. Not a great trip because the boat isn’t really built for sight-seeing (poor sight lines) and the commentary mainly involved naming the bridges we passed under but it did get us to Asakusa. From there, we browsed through Nakamise Avenue and explored the Sensoji shrine. After lunch at Ueno Station and a stroll through Ueno Park, we took the train to Nippori so Doreen could do some shopping in ‘Fabric Town’. She found some fabric for herself and some that Stacy wanted so it was a successful outing.
The only thing is that walking on a treadmill does not prepare you for a full day of traipsing around a big city. Or maybe, we’re really getting old. At any rate, we’re beat. And we get to do this again tomorrow. I love it when things work out as planned.
Monday, March 17, 2008
We're in Asia
We’re in Asia
I started this blog when we visited Hawaii last fall and my initial entry was sarcastically entitled “Getting there is half the fun”. Who was it who said, “It’s deja vu all over again.”? (I know it wasn’t Yogi Berra.) This trip got off on the same left foot.
Again, the initial flight from Toronto to Los Angeles was fine but things started to go wrong as soon as we landed in LA. We wanted to break up our travel so we had booked an overnight stay at the Travel Lodge LAX South. We chose that hotel because it was close to the airport (only a five minute ride) and they provided a shuttle service (or so they said). Of course, since they didn’t answer their phone, we never did get the shuttle pick-up. Tack another $24 onto the room rate for a cab ride to the hotel. They did get us back to the airport the next morning but very early since their shuttle runs only every 1 ½ hours.
Checking through security at LAX brought another snag. Somewhere between Toronto’s security check and LA’s, my carry-on had picked up suspicious traces. So, once again, it was a full body pat-down and a thorough inspection of everything in my carry-on bag. Same no results. As I said to Doreen, it must be the peppermint knobs–all that sugar.
We’re flying American to Tokyo (not Air Canada) so we don’t anticipate any problems. Things go smoothly with the boarding but then the pilot announces that we’re just waiting for the maintenance crew to sign off on a few things so there will be a short delay. Twenty minutes later we’re good to go–for about 100 metres. Then it’s back to the gate. Seems the maintenance crew had been working on a fuel pump and the cockpit gauges were showing it wasn’t working. The captain was understandably reluctant to begin a trans-Pacific flight without being sure he could get gas to the jet engines.
We finally departed LA at 2 p.m. on Friday some two hours behind schedule so our eleven-hour flight suddenly became a thirteen-hour ordeal. Landing at Narita airport shortly after 5 o’clock on Saturday afternoon, we’re still a long ways from Tokyo. But all it takes is a train ride from Narita to Nippori Station, a subway ride from Nippori to Hamamatsucho Station and a taxi from there to the Shiba Park Hotel. Piece of cake even with the luggage and the Japanese signs–lots of helpful natives.
The hotel looks gorgeous but we’re too tired to really appreciate it yet. We finally climb into bed around 5 a.m. LA time. It’s been a long day but we’re here. Now, on to Mount Fuji.
I started this blog when we visited Hawaii last fall and my initial entry was sarcastically entitled “Getting there is half the fun”. Who was it who said, “It’s deja vu all over again.”? (I know it wasn’t Yogi Berra.) This trip got off on the same left foot.
Again, the initial flight from Toronto to Los Angeles was fine but things started to go wrong as soon as we landed in LA. We wanted to break up our travel so we had booked an overnight stay at the Travel Lodge LAX South. We chose that hotel because it was close to the airport (only a five minute ride) and they provided a shuttle service (or so they said). Of course, since they didn’t answer their phone, we never did get the shuttle pick-up. Tack another $24 onto the room rate for a cab ride to the hotel. They did get us back to the airport the next morning but very early since their shuttle runs only every 1 ½ hours.
Checking through security at LAX brought another snag. Somewhere between Toronto’s security check and LA’s, my carry-on had picked up suspicious traces. So, once again, it was a full body pat-down and a thorough inspection of everything in my carry-on bag. Same no results. As I said to Doreen, it must be the peppermint knobs–all that sugar.
We’re flying American to Tokyo (not Air Canada) so we don’t anticipate any problems. Things go smoothly with the boarding but then the pilot announces that we’re just waiting for the maintenance crew to sign off on a few things so there will be a short delay. Twenty minutes later we’re good to go–for about 100 metres. Then it’s back to the gate. Seems the maintenance crew had been working on a fuel pump and the cockpit gauges were showing it wasn’t working. The captain was understandably reluctant to begin a trans-Pacific flight without being sure he could get gas to the jet engines.
We finally departed LA at 2 p.m. on Friday some two hours behind schedule so our eleven-hour flight suddenly became a thirteen-hour ordeal. Landing at Narita airport shortly after 5 o’clock on Saturday afternoon, we’re still a long ways from Tokyo. But all it takes is a train ride from Narita to Nippori Station, a subway ride from Nippori to Hamamatsucho Station and a taxi from there to the Shiba Park Hotel. Piece of cake even with the luggage and the Japanese signs–lots of helpful natives.
The hotel looks gorgeous but we’re too tired to really appreciate it yet. We finally climb into bed around 5 a.m. LA time. It’s been a long day but we’re here. Now, on to Mount Fuji.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Getting ready for the next adventure
We’re off on Thursday for our first visit to Asia. We have a few days of sightseeing in Tokyo and Seoul before we go south for some warmer weather and some snorkeling. This will be our first real experience where the language, culture and even the alphabet (or lack thereof) will be completely alien. We’re going with a great deal of trepidation, hoping not to get too frustrated and, above all, not to act like ‘the ugly, barbarian tourist’.
We’ve had some small exposure to this before, particularly while touring in Moorea and visiting Ile des Pins in New Caledonia. We struggled with our minimal grasp of the local language (high school French, anyone) but at least the alphabet was recognizable and signs and maps could be deciphered (albeit slowly). This will be a whole new world. Add to the equation the size of Tokyo and the pace of life in a big city and things get interesting. At least in Seoul, we’ll have some guidance from Melissa. Should be a very unique experience. Hopefully, we’ll survive it and emerge as better travelers.
When we head down to Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and the Philippines, we’ll be spending most of out time in tourist areas where the same problems should not present themselves. We’ll be passing through some large cities (Bangkok, Singapore, Manila) but not spending any significant amount of time in the urban environments. Plus it will be warmer. It’s always easier to deal with problems and frustrations when you’re not freezing.
It will be cold in Tokyo and Seoul but, hopefully, we will escape the snow that has dominated southern Ontario for the past few months. The media are really focused on the fact that we’re on the cusp of setting a new record for snowfall, breaking the old mark set back in 1939. (Mind you, the record of 207.4 cm pales when compared to St. John’s and its mark of 648.4 cm) But there’s still nowhere to put any more snow.
We’ve had some small exposure to this before, particularly while touring in Moorea and visiting Ile des Pins in New Caledonia. We struggled with our minimal grasp of the local language (high school French, anyone) but at least the alphabet was recognizable and signs and maps could be deciphered (albeit slowly). This will be a whole new world. Add to the equation the size of Tokyo and the pace of life in a big city and things get interesting. At least in Seoul, we’ll have some guidance from Melissa. Should be a very unique experience. Hopefully, we’ll survive it and emerge as better travelers.
When we head down to Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and the Philippines, we’ll be spending most of out time in tourist areas where the same problems should not present themselves. We’ll be passing through some large cities (Bangkok, Singapore, Manila) but not spending any significant amount of time in the urban environments. Plus it will be warmer. It’s always easier to deal with problems and frustrations when you’re not freezing.
It will be cold in Tokyo and Seoul but, hopefully, we will escape the snow that has dominated southern Ontario for the past few months. The media are really focused on the fact that we’re on the cusp of setting a new record for snowfall, breaking the old mark set back in 1939. (Mind you, the record of 207.4 cm pales when compared to St. John’s and its mark of 648.4 cm) But there’s still nowhere to put any more snow.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Belated reflections on an early Christmas
Now that we’re on the cusp of our next trip, it behooves me to finally write a little about our December trip to Atlanta and Virginia Beach. This is procrastination to the nth degree. I can’t count the number of times I’ve thought about doing this (both during the holiday season and after we returned home) but it just never got done.
We drove down to Atlanta to celebrate an early Christmas with our grandchildren (and son and daughter-in-law) before their family trip to Newfoundland. Stacy flew in for the weekend so we had all four of us together for the first Christmas in several years. Even without snow, it was wonderful. Of course, it was also much too brief but, such is life with adult offspring.
Since we weren’t going to Newfoundland this year, we had decided to spend Christmas and New Year’s with Doreen’s sister (and brother-in-law) in Virginia Beach. It’s usually a very simple day’s drive from Atlanta to Virginia Beach but that last Friday before the festive season had an inordinate amount of traffic. There were several slow-down areas and we were running late when we finally got off the Interstate in Virginia. Combine that with the short days of winter and we were driving at a bad time of day.
About an hour outside Virginia Beach, our luck ran out and we had a close encounter with one of Bambi’s (or Rudolph’s) relatives. We were luckier than the deer. Though the car sustained significant damage to the front end, it was driveable--the air bags didn’t even go off and the lights and engine were still working. After filling out the police report, we limped on into Virginia Beach. The car looked even worse the next morning sitting forlornly in Bonnie’s driveway.
Of course, it was a great time to go looking for a body shop with Christmas Day just around the corner. We also had to negotiate the international hurdles of an insurance company in Canada authorizing repairs in the United States. As it turned out, when I finally got into a repair facility on Boxing Day, they wouldn’t be able to do the work unless we stayed in Virginia Beach for an extra week or so. So they did the next best thing–taped the car together with clear duct tape so that we could drive back to Canada after the New Year. Sometimes it helps to be in NASCAR country.
We took our time on the trip back home, kept the speed under 100 k/h and overnighted in Pennsylvania. No problems. The guy at the border didn’t even blink at a car held together with duct tape. The same couldn’t be said for the guy at the repair facility in Burlington. He took one look at the car and declared it undriveable. He said he’d have to call the insurance company right away and couldn’t let me drive away in it. The drive from Virginia didn’t sway him at all so I left there in a rental.
Now we’re back to normal. We still have to find time to trade up to a new vehicle but that will wait until we get back from Asia. With the way winter has been dragging on here in Ontario, I’m ready for a break. Hard to believe that it’s less than two months since we were in snow-less country. I know time seems to fly as we get older but time must also creep slowly when the temperature is below freezing. Don’t even think about wind-chill.
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