During my last cruise on one of our excursions we were in a van with two couples who were probably in their 60's. They were from Canada and once the one man started to get over his noro-virus, they became somewhat talkative. We all began to discuss various trips that we had taken in the past as well as future trips. They were in the process of planning a Panama Canal cruise that would take them out of New Orleans, a place that they had never been and were seeking information on NOLA. They, had previously been on a multiple week journey through China which intrigued my travel buddy and myself. If we mentioned a place that we had been or wanted to go, they had already been there or had already booked it and were just waiting to leave on the trip. There was practically no place you could bring up that they hadn't already been to or or didn't have booked. I thought to myself, Wow! How do you get to the point that you can travel as much as they do when you are retired?
As the conversation continued we found out that they were staying in cabins on board our Voyager class ship that look out over the Promenade deck. These cabins are priced just slightly higher than an inside cabin. So if an inside cabin on the ship you are on is $749 per person, the price of the Promenade view cabins would probably be in the $799 range. Meanwhile, on that same ship the oceanview cabin would be around $1,200 and a balcony would be $1,500 or more per person. It's a huge difference but still a luxury that I have never considered doing without on a cruise ship. I've always had a balcony and I like them. I like it because I like to sit on my balcony and watch the ocean go by. I understand that this same thing can be done on deck, but not in my pajamas while I sip coffee before brushing my teeth. I mean, maybe I could do it, but people would probably begin to complain about the crazy woman in her pajamas on the pool deck.
But as we talked to these couples one of the ladies told us that they were staying in the Promenade view cabins because it allows them to take two cruises for the price of one if they did a balcony. While they didn't seem to be struggling for funds at all, it seemed really smart. After all, perhaps they aren't struggling for funds because they are willing to stay in a Promenade view cabin and brush their teeth and change out of their pajamas before going outside. One of the ladies said that they could hear no noise from the Promenade coming in through the window which was a concern of mine and having the window made the cabin not feel so closed in. Additionally, she said it was fun to open the curtains and people watch from her window.
I have never suffered from claustrophobia, but if it was ever going to be an issue, I think I would find out in one of those inside cabins. When you close the door to one of those cabins at night there is absolutely no light coming from anywhere. From what I understand you can lose track of whether or not it is night or day. Also a big cabin on a cruise ship is 170 square feet. Imagine 170 square feet with one or two or three other people in it and no windows. I would go insane. But I hadn't considered the Promenade cabins as an alternative before. So I began to think about it. The seed, as it were, had been planted.
I have a niece graduating from high school next month. I have a tradition. My graduation gift to each of my nephews and my niece is a trip for the two of us together to anyplace that we mutually agree on in the US, Canada or on a cruise. I like this for a number of reasons. Mostly, it is an opportunity for me to spend time alone with them as they embark on adulthood. One of the things that I have discovered as they have grown up is that once they go away to college although you continue to love each other as much as always, you no longer spend the time together that you once did. They have lives of their own, they start families and you drift apart. So that final week that I get to spend with them before they go away has become completely precious to me. I think it is a pretty big deal for them too. I also like that 20 years later they will look back and remember that trip. They might not remember what many others gave them for graduation, but they will always remember that week we spent together.
So this year, as I am starting a new business and watching every penny I have had to take budget while planning my nieces trip into consideration much more seriously than in the past. I don't mind telling you that I've blown some serious dough on these trips in the past. I'm okay with that. The memories have been worth every penny I have spent and then some. I think that Rebecca and I have settled on a trip although the timing is still in question so it hasn't been booked yet. But we will be following the sage advice of the 60ish couples from Canada on that last cruise and booking a Promenade view cabin on board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. Ours however, will be on board Freedom of the Seas out of Port Canaveral. I've also chosen to take the extra time away from work and drive to Florida rather than fly to save even more money. I can get inexpensive hotel rooms for one night going each way and the price of gas and meals along with those hotel rooms still won't cost as much as two roundtrip tickets to Orlando combined with ground transportation to Port Canaveral.
We'll be visiting St. Thomas, St. Maartin, and Coco Cay which is one of RCI's private islands in the Bahamas. I've only been to St. Thomas and St. Maartin one time each. I've never been to Coco Cay. So I am very excited. I hope that Rebecca is getting as excited as me. I'm pretty excited to see what it will be like to stay in a Promenade view cabin. Maybe it will open up a whole new world for me and allow me to do twice as much traveling as I could otherwise. Over the years I have unfortunately gotten away from any sort of frugality while traveling. I don't stay in the cheapest hotels, I have been known to pay a little more for more convenient timing on flights. I don't like shared transfers much, so I'm inclined to pay for a taxi instead. If I am in a location and there is an opportunity to do an activity that I couldn't do at home and I'm interested, I'll probably pay whatever is necessary to go ahead and do it (like paying $300+ for a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii during a trip to Oahu for a visit to Volcanoes National Park - after all, how many times in your life do you get to see an active volcano???? It had to be done!)
Maybe I can become The Cheapskate Abroad and begin to write books or host a Travel Channel show. I would be the go to person for advice on getting the most out of your trip on the least amount of money. Is it possible to spend a week in Europe for less than $1,000 per person including air when a flight to Paris yesterday from DFW was $1,064? We'd find out together. Is it frowned upon to go "couponing" in Asia? We'll see. I can see my name in lights now. Susan Meyers as The Cheapskate Abroad!!!!! Does it have a ring to it? I was going to call myself The Frugal Traveler but apparently that has already been taken. (Damn the New York Times!)
Well, I suppose I had better get moving. I've got a day to get done. Make it a good Thursday and say a quick prayer for all those people in the bus crash in Irving.
Margaritaville
Margaritaville - Cozumel, Mexico
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
A Short Road Trip East
Kids these days have it so easy. When I was a kid, vacation consisted of loading the entire family up in a 4-door Ford and driving 1,000 or 2,000 miles to whatever destination Mom and Dad had decided on. If we had all started yelling about Disney World, they'd have laughed at us. We always went west. I don't know why, but that's the direction we always went in. Until I was an adult traveling on business I never went further east than Shreveport and even then it was on board an American Airlines MD-80. So the scenery wasn't that great.
Before I took my first trip east in a car I was in my 30's. In fact, I'm going to say I was probably in my late 30's. We didn't go far, but we at least crossed the Mississippi River which was huge for me. It was the beginning of December a number of years ago and Mom, Dad and I decided to go to Natchitoches, Louisiana to see the Christmas lights. If you've never done that I highly recommend it. For those who don't know, Natchitoches is the Nacogdoches of Louisiana. That in itself is reason enough to go. But additionally, each December they have a Christmas Festival that is really cool. The Cane River runs through town and the houses along the river are decorated everybody decorates their boats and it is really pretty. Also on Saturday nights they have fireworks. It pains me to send tourism dollars to Louisiana and especially to Natchitoches, you know, since I went to SFA and all. But you have to do what you have to do. Here are a few pictures I found on line.
By the way, Steel Magnolias was filmed there and they apparently have a lot of bed and breakfasts that are supposed to be nice. I personally feel that the Meat Pies are their single greatest claim to fame. Even if I don't have time to spend in Natchitoches when I am passing through I at least stop for a meat pie.
After leaving Natchitoches, we headed on toward Natchez, Mississippi. I have heard in the past that Natchez was somehow related to the legends of Nacodoches and Natchitoches. But I don't know if that's true. I'm not finding any evidence of it on line. Now, I don't remember if we ever made it to Natchez. I know that we went to Vicksburg. There we visited the battlefield. It's the only Civil War battlefield I have ever visited and I was a little awed. It's something everyone should do. Don't get me wrong. It's no Disney World. Your kids won't be massively entertained. But as they get older, it is something that they will appreciate seeing.
After Vicksburg we came on back home. It wasn't a terribly exciting first road trip east. But at least I had finally made it past Shreveport. More recently, I have driven to Florida once. That was also in December for a week that we spent in Destin at Christmas time. Remind me to tell you sometime about spending a week in Florida with most of your family all in one house.... It's a special kind of Christmas joy.
That's all I've got for today. I need to start moving things out from under my kitchen sink in anticipation of the monthly visit from a plumber this time to unclog a disposal drain that has been grossing me out for the better part of a week. How can plumbers be so busy? I could get into see a neurosurgeon faster than I can get a plumber to come and unclog a drain.
Have a good Wednesday!
Before I took my first trip east in a car I was in my 30's. In fact, I'm going to say I was probably in my late 30's. We didn't go far, but we at least crossed the Mississippi River which was huge for me. It was the beginning of December a number of years ago and Mom, Dad and I decided to go to Natchitoches, Louisiana to see the Christmas lights. If you've never done that I highly recommend it. For those who don't know, Natchitoches is the Nacogdoches of Louisiana. That in itself is reason enough to go. But additionally, each December they have a Christmas Festival that is really cool. The Cane River runs through town and the houses along the river are decorated everybody decorates their boats and it is really pretty. Also on Saturday nights they have fireworks. It pains me to send tourism dollars to Louisiana and especially to Natchitoches, you know, since I went to SFA and all. But you have to do what you have to do. Here are a few pictures I found on line. 
After leaving Natchitoches, we headed on toward Natchez, Mississippi. I have heard in the past that Natchez was somehow related to the legends of Nacodoches and Natchitoches. But I don't know if that's true. I'm not finding any evidence of it on line. Now, I don't remember if we ever made it to Natchez. I know that we went to Vicksburg. There we visited the battlefield. It's the only Civil War battlefield I have ever visited and I was a little awed. It's something everyone should do. Don't get me wrong. It's no Disney World. Your kids won't be massively entertained. But as they get older, it is something that they will appreciate seeing.
After Vicksburg we came on back home. It wasn't a terribly exciting first road trip east. But at least I had finally made it past Shreveport. More recently, I have driven to Florida once. That was also in December for a week that we spent in Destin at Christmas time. Remind me to tell you sometime about spending a week in Florida with most of your family all in one house.... It's a special kind of Christmas joy.
That's all I've got for today. I need to start moving things out from under my kitchen sink in anticipation of the monthly visit from a plumber this time to unclog a disposal drain that has been grossing me out for the better part of a week. How can plumbers be so busy? I could get into see a neurosurgeon faster than I can get a plumber to come and unclog a drain.
Have a good Wednesday!
Friday, April 5, 2013
A Trail Worth Taking
I've been digging up information on Scotland for the last few days. You know it is a country worth researching when their maps mark their scotch distilleries. The landmarks that they feel are worth pointing out are as follows:
All boring trails and trails that require a lot of effort on your part if you want to "hike" them. We even have one in Hawaii that I have walked on called Devastation Trail (now there's a happy go lucky trail name if ever there was one.... ). But in Scotland, they have The Whiskey Trail. That's a trail worth taking! Those people know how to hike. Incidentally, the trail does not follow a straight line but I'm pretty sure it passes by that lake with the monster in it and no doubt stops at several distilleries along the way. Now honestly given the choice would you rather take Devastation Trail or Whiskey Trail? Does anybody even need to think about that?
That's probably how they suck their people into exercise. Have you ever seen a fat Scot in one of those kilts? I mean there are a lot of red noses in Scotland but very few of them are on the faces of fat guys in kilts. I'm sure it's because they get so much exercise going to get their whiskey.
Here's something else. If your country is the place where a queen comes for vacation. It might be a fairly nice place. I mean lets face it, the woman can pretty much go wherever she wants. But she chooses to go to Balmoral every chance she gets.
I'd like to give you a little more information on Scotland. But I have too much work to do today. I'll probably give you more details next week on what I have discovered. Until then have a good weekend.
- Scotch Distilleries
- Castles
- Any lakes with monsters in them
All boring trails and trails that require a lot of effort on your part if you want to "hike" them. We even have one in Hawaii that I have walked on called Devastation Trail (now there's a happy go lucky trail name if ever there was one.... ). But in Scotland, they have The Whiskey Trail. That's a trail worth taking! Those people know how to hike. Incidentally, the trail does not follow a straight line but I'm pretty sure it passes by that lake with the monster in it and no doubt stops at several distilleries along the way. Now honestly given the choice would you rather take Devastation Trail or Whiskey Trail? Does anybody even need to think about that?
That's probably how they suck their people into exercise. Have you ever seen a fat Scot in one of those kilts? I mean there are a lot of red noses in Scotland but very few of them are on the faces of fat guys in kilts. I'm sure it's because they get so much exercise going to get their whiskey.
Here's something else. If your country is the place where a queen comes for vacation. It might be a fairly nice place. I mean lets face it, the woman can pretty much go wherever she wants. But she chooses to go to Balmoral every chance she gets.
I'd like to give you a little more information on Scotland. But I have too much work to do today. I'll probably give you more details next week on what I have discovered. Until then have a good weekend.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Do's and Don'ts to Happy Trip Planning
There are a number of ways to approach trip planning. Most of the time when planning a trip for myself, I simply think of where I want to be and then go about finding the least expensive way to be there while still experiencing all of the things I want to experience. Sometimes during the process my plans can change dramatically. For instance you could start out wanting to go to London and Paris and wind up in Hawaii like my travel buddy Jenny and I did in 2011. On that occasion it was all a matter of available funds. I didn't have many and we discovered in the midst of our trip planning that Hawaii was super cheap due to the dramatic decline in Japanese tourism to the islands following the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Sometimes one persons tragedy can be another persons opportunity.
Here are some important do's and don'ts to happy trip planning.
There are many other things you can consider when beginning to plan a trip. The key is that if you are working with a travel professional to communicate with them. Give them as much information as you can and they will in turn give you the best trip they can. Have a great Thursday!
Here are some important do's and don'ts to happy trip planning.
- Don't be too focused in the beginning. Once you have booked a trip then you can focus in on all the things you need to accomplish while you are there. But until then, keep an open mind. If you decide 6 months before you ever start looking that you are going to visit London and Paris and you refuse to consider anything else, you could miss out on an amazing opportunity. Having locations in mind and telling your travel agent what those locations are is key. But be open minded.
- Do know your traveling style and tell your travel agent what it is. Do you want somebody else to do the planning and just tell you when and where to be? Then you may enjoy tour packages. Do you like the idea of walking out of an airport and just winging it? Then you'd probably do best with a simple air/hotel package and nothing more.
- Do have a budget. I do not know anyone with unlimited funds. I just don't hang in those crowds. I wish I did and that they were willing to share. But not so much. So as a travel agent I expect you to have a budget that you would like for me to stay within. Ideally, I would like for clients to give me a target and a max. I think that gives me more freedom to give you options. That way, I can give you two or three options that hit your target and then additional options if you're willing to go up to your max. Most of the time, if I can get a budget from a client at all, I only get one number and a lot of people seem to be reluctant to define the number. Here's a clue.... your travel agent wants to continue to do business with you for many years to come. So he/she wants you to be as happy as possible. That means a travel agent who wants your business will find you the best deals if you just tell them how much money you are willing to spend.
- Do start working with your travel agent early. If you are starting to think you'd like to go on a family cruise next Christmas, it's never too early to start planning. If you find the ideal cruise at a price within your budget, you can book it now with just a deposit. Most people wait around to see if the price drops. The chances of a price drop are not as good as the chances of a price increase. Most reputable trip suppliers allow price matching. So if you book today and the price drops next month, as long as you initiate it, the supplier will give you the lower price. This means that you or someone on your behalf must continue to watch the prices. But if it will save you hundreds of dollars, while holding your reservation it's worth the effort. Sometimes to get this advantage you need to purchase travel insurance especially in the case of independent flight/hotel packages. But in the case of cruises and tour packages, it's just one of the advantages.
- Don't withhold information if something is important to you. If you are only willing to fly American Airlines for some reason then tell your travel agent up front. Waiting to see if they get you what you want without telling them what it is helps no one. If you will only stay in 4 Star or better hotels that's important information for the person culling through hotels. P.S. Star rating are not universal. One website might rate it a 4 star while another calls it a 3.5 star. So I find that it is usually best to read through reviews and look at multiple websites.
- Do figure out all of the important things you want to do before booking the trip. If you book excursions along with the trip you can sometimes get a better deal and it always helps your travel agent making them want to work even harder for you in the future. I know you have no idea exactly what you are going to want to do during a trip 6 months from now. But if you are going to Austria and you have known all your life that you must do the Sound of Music tour if you ever go to Austria, then just have your agent book the Sound of Music tour along with your flight and hotel. Then you can plan the rest of the trip around that one tour. You'll be happy knowing that you have at least one thing already planned and out of the way. Generally, an excursion will not change your deposit and it is a lot easier to cut items out after booking than to add them.
- Do plan what day you want to have your trip booked by. If you are planning a trip way in advance, give your travel agent a date that you want it to be booked by so that they can make it happen for you. At 120 days out, popular destinations will begin to sell out and prices start to increase. On the other hand, if you have the nerve for it, you can get some amazing travel deals if you don't book until a week before you want to travel. But you can't be horribly picky about what you get if you are a last minute traveler.
There are many other things you can consider when beginning to plan a trip. The key is that if you are working with a travel professional to communicate with them. Give them as much information as you can and they will in turn give you the best trip they can. Have a great Thursday!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Dry Tortugas National Park
As I mentioned last week, the topic tree is running low on fruit and since I have gotten no suggestions, I scrolled through the Yahoo Travel site looking for something to write about this morning. I didn't find much. There was one article that intrigued me however, entitled Snorkeling in our U.S. National Parks? Three Ideal Parks to Experience Life Underwater. I've been to one of the three parks they mention. In fact I think I mentioned it in a blog a week or so ago. But today we will cover it in depth.
Dry Tortugas National Park is located about 70 miles west of Key West. You can only get there via sea plane or boat. I visited it a few years ago while I was in Key West for the better part of a week. I would love to have gone via sea plane. But those trips were too expensive. So we settled on the high speed catamaran trip on the Yankee Freedom III, I guess. The article and the website says it's the Yankee Freedom III. I personally thought we were on the Yankee Freedom II. So, maybe III is the new one or maybe we really were on III. Anyway, it was a Yankee Freedom catamaran.
We had to be at the boat very early in the morning which can be difficult in Key West. You see Key West can be somewhat of a party town. So, while being out before 6:00 a.m. may not be all that unusual there, it is if you are leaving your hotel rather than returning to your hotel. We took a taxi to the Conch Republic which is where the boat docks. I'm not sure why they wanted us there so early. We sat around and watched chickens for what seemed like a very long time while they got the boat ready.
Once we were on board they had fruit, donuts and coffee for us. The guys in the picture with the chickens were doing some work on the island so they were taking camping gear and staying. They said that they stay on the island for several weeks at a time to work. There is no running water on the island. They basically camp out in open air shelters inside the fort. By the way, before 7 a.m. we were already sweating. So I can't imagine what it would be like to sleep out in an open area on a cot.
The ride out took an hour and a half to two hours. The water was like glass so it was nice to just sit back and enjoy the ride. You pass by hundreds of little islands on the way. So there were lots of islands to see.
The photo to the left was basically what we saw all the way to the Dry Tortugas... water with islands in the distance. But once you arrive you are greeted by the magnificence of Fort Jefferson. The fort itself is a six sided brick building surrounded by water. Construction on the fort began in 1846. But it was never even completed. The fort was said to be obsolete by the end of the Civil War when it was realized that rifled cannon could penetrate the brick.
Nevertheless, it played a roll in the blockade of the South during the Civil War and was used to imprison Union deserters. Among the people imprisoned at Fort Jefferson were Samuel Mudd, Michael O'Laughlen, Edmund Spangler and Samual Arnold all of whom were believed to have conspired in the assassination of Lincoln. Mudd attempted an unsuccessful escape not too long after arriving there and as a result was kept in a ground level gun room known as "the dungeon"
until he earned his way out after the prisons doctor died in a yellow fever outbreak and as a physician himself, he took over medical responsibilities stopping the spread of the disease.
Since construction of the fort was never completed, there are no inner walls. So, the prisoners were held in open air rooms with walls only on three sides. The park rangers who stay on the island overnight as well as those men who were doing the work and being transported with us also live in the same conditions today.
The fort is surrounded by other keys. The National Park encompasses 100 square miles. Fort Jefferson itself only covers a little over 20 acres on Garden Key. As far as the snorkeling goes, the pylons are the best place for snorkeling. You get in the water at the beach and then circle back to your left to get to the pylons. It is possible to snorkel all the way around the fort. But since you can only get in and out of the water on each side, you have to be prepared to spend over an hour in the water with no break if you plan to do that.
You are not allowed in the moat at all. But from the surface you can see an amazing reef system in it with thousands of sea urchins and fish visible from the surface. The water all around the key is fairly shallow. And visibility is extraordinary. On the day we were there, it seemed kind of endless, but I suppose it was 60 feet or more. The coral are really amazing. I am a big fan of brain coral and purple fans both of which grow in abundance.
The balance of the photos are from our day of snorkeling in the Dry Tortugas. With the Yankee Freedom, we had about 3 or 4 hours to spend there. They gave us a short tour of the fort and a brief history immediately after arriving. Then they served lunch on the boat. Lunch consisted of sandwiches and salads along with soft drinks, punch and tea. After that we snorkeled for a few hours and walked around taking pictures. There is a gift shop at the fort and it is the only air conditioned place in the fort. So, it can become quite popular.
If you ever visit Key West, I highly recommend taking a day and making this trip to Dry Tortugas National Park. It is some of the best snorkeling you can do in the continental U.S. and well worth the time and money.
Have a great Wednesday.... If you are interested in having me dig some information up on a place you are interested in, let me know.
Dry Tortugas National Park is located about 70 miles west of Key West. You can only get there via sea plane or boat. I visited it a few years ago while I was in Key West for the better part of a week. I would love to have gone via sea plane. But those trips were too expensive. So we settled on the high speed catamaran trip on the Yankee Freedom III, I guess. The article and the website says it's the Yankee Freedom III. I personally thought we were on the Yankee Freedom II. So, maybe III is the new one or maybe we really were on III. Anyway, it was a Yankee Freedom catamaran.
We had to be at the boat very early in the morning which can be difficult in Key West. You see Key West can be somewhat of a party town. So, while being out before 6:00 a.m. may not be all that unusual there, it is if you are leaving your hotel rather than returning to your hotel. We took a taxi to the Conch Republic which is where the boat docks. I'm not sure why they wanted us there so early. We sat around and watched chickens for what seemed like a very long time while they got the boat ready. 
Once we were on board they had fruit, donuts and coffee for us. The guys in the picture with the chickens were doing some work on the island so they were taking camping gear and staying. They said that they stay on the island for several weeks at a time to work. There is no running water on the island. They basically camp out in open air shelters inside the fort. By the way, before 7 a.m. we were already sweating. So I can't imagine what it would be like to sleep out in an open area on a cot.The ride out took an hour and a half to two hours. The water was like glass so it was nice to just sit back and enjoy the ride. You pass by hundreds of little islands on the way. So there were lots of islands to see.
Nevertheless, it played a roll in the blockade of the South during the Civil War and was used to imprison Union deserters. Among the people imprisoned at Fort Jefferson were Samuel Mudd, Michael O'Laughlen, Edmund Spangler and Samual Arnold all of whom were believed to have conspired in the assassination of Lincoln. Mudd attempted an unsuccessful escape not too long after arriving there and as a result was kept in a ground level gun room known as "the dungeon"
until he earned his way out after the prisons doctor died in a yellow fever outbreak and as a physician himself, he took over medical responsibilities stopping the spread of the disease. Since construction of the fort was never completed, there are no inner walls. So, the prisoners were held in open air rooms with walls only on three sides. The park rangers who stay on the island overnight as well as those men who were doing the work and being transported with us also live in the same conditions today.
 |
| The inside of the fort |
 |
| View of Bush Key |
You are not allowed in the moat at all. But from the surface you can see an amazing reef system in it with thousands of sea urchins and fish visible from the surface. The water all around the key is fairly shallow. And visibility is extraordinary. On the day we were there, it seemed kind of endless, but I suppose it was 60 feet or more. The coral are really amazing. I am a big fan of brain coral and purple fans both of which grow in abundance.
 |
| Main Entrance |
 |
| The best snorkeling is in the pylons. |
 |
| Brain Coral |
 |
| Sea Urchins in the moat |
Have a great Wednesday.... If you are interested in having me dig some information up on a place you are interested in, let me know.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
My Dream Trip
I think all the time of places I would like to go to. Sometimes the places I'd like to go are on a beach. Sometimes it's a historic place. Sometimes its a place that's pretty. Sometimes it is just a place that most people would never get to. But of all the places I'd like to go, the Galapagos Islands are by far my #1.
I think I discovered the Galapagos Islands back in the 90's on a National Geographic show. Charles Darwin discovered them long before I did. Sailors of all sorts discovered them before him. Now, I don't know anything about evolution and I really have no opinion about whether or not evolution is a reality or just a theory. But what I do know is that the Galapagos are young islands. And for that reason I want to visit them. What I think is really remarkable about the Galapagos Islands is that the animals there have seen so few humans that many of them still don't know that they should be concerned by us. Let me tell you..... I reviewed Facebook in the last 24 hours and they should be concerned, 'cause we're crazy!
Obviously, the Galapagos Tortoise comes from the Galapagos. They were nearly made extinct by pirates, whalers and merchantmen who first visited the area. They needed something to eat and so they took the giant tortoises still living, with them on their ships. Then when they started running low on food they killed them and made soup and such. There were originally 15 species on the islands now only 11 remain. Their food supply is eaten by non-indigenous animals that were brought in by humans such as rats, pigs, goats, dogs and cats resulting in starvation of remaining tortoises. They are the longest living vertebrates known averaging over 100 years. The longest living on record was 152. They can grow to be over 5 feet long and weigh up to 550 pounds.
_-Isabela2.jpg)
Different islands in the chain have different species of tortoises which have evolved to their own island. Some have long necks so that they can eat from the trees while others have shells that are shaped differently to protect them from the undergrowth in the area where they live. The tortoises are one of the animals that helped Darwin to develop his theory.
In 1959 97.5% of the land area of the Galapagos was declared a national park by the Ecuadorian government protecting the land and the animals inhabiting it. In 1986 27,000 square miles surrounding the islands were declared a marine reserve. These measures have helped to stabilize the harm that humans were doing to the animals found there. If you were to visit you would see many animals that you cannot see anywhere else in the world.
For instance the Galapagos Penguin is the only penguin that lives above the equator in the wild. Everbody loves a penguin. How could you not want to protect that? The penguins stay primarily on one island, Fernandina and on the west coast of Isabela Island. Although they are also found in small numbers on three or four other islands in the chain. They stay with the Cromwell Currant during the day feeding on small schooling fish. Then they roost on land at night. The species is endangered with an estimated population of only 1,500.
_-one_leg_raised.jpg)
One of my favorite animals of the Galapagos is the Blue Footed Booby. Take a look at this guy! I think he is much cuter than a penguin. The thing that amazes me about these birds is that in almost every instance two eggs are laid by the female, but they are laid 5 days apart. The first one is incubated immediately resulting in one of the chicks being born 4 days ahead of the other. This serves several purposes. First, it allows the first chick to get past the first several days of life when they have trouble accepting food so that the parent can concentrate on one "newborn" at a time. Also, if a predator attacks, it reduces the chances that all the offspring are killed.
But the weird thing is that in a food shortage, the older chick will kill the younger chick taking away it's competition for food from the mother so that one of the chicks can survive. (I have at least one brother who might have tried this if given the opportunity.)
Oh, here's one other interesting fact about the Blue Footed Booby. Foot color matters. Females are more likely to mate with a male who has brighter colored feet. The males do a little dance on the rocks like the one in the photo is doing to demonstrate to the females how brightly colored their feet are. The brighter your feet, the hotter the "chick" you are likely to get.
You might wonder what's up with the National Geographic like blog today. Well, I just wanted to talk about the Galapagos Islands because the one trip that I have wanted to go on for years is the Celebrity Galapagos cruise. The ship is the Xpedition and it only carries 92 passengers along with 60 crew members. Everything the ship does in the Galapagos is strongly regulated due to the fragility of the environment. The price of the cruise starts out at $6,600 for an oceanview cabin. There aren't any inside cabins. You have to fly into Quito, Ecuador. But the price of the cruise covers pretty much everything else once you arrive in Ecuador including transfers from the airport to the 5 star Marriott for two nights in the hotel pre-cruise and one night post cruise, an all day tour of Quito, air from Quito to Galapagos roundtrip, transfers to the ship, National Park entrance fees, all guided tours and shore excursions, all onboard meals, onboard house wine, champagne, liquor, beer and soda, and gratuities. So, anyway, that's my dream trip and I thought I would share it with you. If anyone wants to score points with their favorite travel agent you could go ahead and book this for me. My birthday is coming up.
Have a great Tuesday and stay warm since I understand we are supposed to get another stupid cold front today.
I think I discovered the Galapagos Islands back in the 90's on a National Geographic show. Charles Darwin discovered them long before I did. Sailors of all sorts discovered them before him. Now, I don't know anything about evolution and I really have no opinion about whether or not evolution is a reality or just a theory. But what I do know is that the Galapagos are young islands. And for that reason I want to visit them. What I think is really remarkable about the Galapagos Islands is that the animals there have seen so few humans that many of them still don't know that they should be concerned by us. Let me tell you..... I reviewed Facebook in the last 24 hours and they should be concerned, 'cause we're crazy!
Obviously, the Galapagos Tortoise comes from the Galapagos. They were nearly made extinct by pirates, whalers and merchantmen who first visited the area. They needed something to eat and so they took the giant tortoises still living, with them on their ships. Then when they started running low on food they killed them and made soup and such. There were originally 15 species on the islands now only 11 remain. Their food supply is eaten by non-indigenous animals that were brought in by humans such as rats, pigs, goats, dogs and cats resulting in starvation of remaining tortoises. They are the longest living vertebrates known averaging over 100 years. The longest living on record was 152. They can grow to be over 5 feet long and weigh up to 550 pounds.
_-Isabela2.jpg){kind=spacer}
Different islands in the chain have different species of tortoises which have evolved to their own island. Some have long necks so that they can eat from the trees while others have shells that are shaped differently to protect them from the undergrowth in the area where they live. The tortoises are one of the animals that helped Darwin to develop his theory.In 1959 97.5% of the land area of the Galapagos was declared a national park by the Ecuadorian government protecting the land and the animals inhabiting it. In 1986 27,000 square miles surrounding the islands were declared a marine reserve. These measures have helped to stabilize the harm that humans were doing to the animals found there. If you were to visit you would see many animals that you cannot see anywhere else in the world.
For instance the Galapagos Penguin is the only penguin that lives above the equator in the wild. Everbody loves a penguin. How could you not want to protect that? The penguins stay primarily on one island, Fernandina and on the west coast of Isabela Island. Although they are also found in small numbers on three or four other islands in the chain. They stay with the Cromwell Currant during the day feeding on small schooling fish. Then they roost on land at night. The species is endangered with an estimated population of only 1,500.
_-one_leg_raised.jpg)
One of my favorite animals of the Galapagos is the Blue Footed Booby. Take a look at this guy! I think he is much cuter than a penguin. The thing that amazes me about these birds is that in almost every instance two eggs are laid by the female, but they are laid 5 days apart. The first one is incubated immediately resulting in one of the chicks being born 4 days ahead of the other. This serves several purposes. First, it allows the first chick to get past the first several days of life when they have trouble accepting food so that the parent can concentrate on one "newborn" at a time. Also, if a predator attacks, it reduces the chances that all the offspring are killed. But the weird thing is that in a food shortage, the older chick will kill the younger chick taking away it's competition for food from the mother so that one of the chicks can survive. (I have at least one brother who might have tried this if given the opportunity.)
Oh, here's one other interesting fact about the Blue Footed Booby. Foot color matters. Females are more likely to mate with a male who has brighter colored feet. The males do a little dance on the rocks like the one in the photo is doing to demonstrate to the females how brightly colored their feet are. The brighter your feet, the hotter the "chick" you are likely to get.
You might wonder what's up with the National Geographic like blog today. Well, I just wanted to talk about the Galapagos Islands because the one trip that I have wanted to go on for years is the Celebrity Galapagos cruise. The ship is the Xpedition and it only carries 92 passengers along with 60 crew members. Everything the ship does in the Galapagos is strongly regulated due to the fragility of the environment. The price of the cruise starts out at $6,600 for an oceanview cabin. There aren't any inside cabins. You have to fly into Quito, Ecuador. But the price of the cruise covers pretty much everything else once you arrive in Ecuador including transfers from the airport to the 5 star Marriott for two nights in the hotel pre-cruise and one night post cruise, an all day tour of Quito, air from Quito to Galapagos roundtrip, transfers to the ship, National Park entrance fees, all guided tours and shore excursions, all onboard meals, onboard house wine, champagne, liquor, beer and soda, and gratuities. So, anyway, that's my dream trip and I thought I would share it with you. If anyone wants to score points with their favorite travel agent you could go ahead and book this for me. My birthday is coming up.
Have a great Tuesday and stay warm since I understand we are supposed to get another stupid cold front today.
Monday, April 1, 2013
West Coast Fantasy Baseball Trip
Sorry that I didn't get to post a blog this morning. I went to Nacogdoches for Easter and then the weather was so crummy yesterday that my parents talked me into staying an extra day. So I didn't get back until after lunchtime today so that I could keep from driving in possible hail.
Guess what! Baseball season has officially begun!!! Aren't you all excited? As I write this the Red Sox are killing the Yankees in the background. I thought I was tuning into the Dodgers and Giants game. But, I guess not so much. Maybe this game is just running long and the Giants and Dodgers will follow. I'm so happy that it is finally baseball season. Even if the Rangers are as awful all year as they were last night, I'll still have the Astros to watch and I can always watch a good Giants game. Since it is baseball season let's talk about a baseball roadtrip.
There are many baseball roadtrips you can take if you are so inclined. Depending on what part of the country you live in, you could get in your car and drive to a different city for a different game every night of the week. I think it would be fun to do a California baseball road trip if you catch all five California teams in town during the same week. Or maybe start the trip in the middle of one week and wrap it around the weekend getting to all the ball parks.
You could start out by flying into San Francisco this Wednesday. You'd take the direct United flight 6291 from DFW to SFO leaving here at 1:39 Wednesday afternoon and arriving in San Francisco at 3:37 p.m. We'd get a convertible for the week through Avis and you'd pick that up before leaving the airport. Then head on over to your first hotel of the week, the Sheraton Bay Bridge. After all, you are going to both Giants and A's games while staying in SF. So you'll want a hotel convenient to both.
Our first game of the week is at 12:35 on Thursday afternoon in Oakland where we will see the A's vs. the Mariners. It's the last game of the opening series against the Mariners. We're sitting in the bleachers. We have a lot of games to go to and this is going to get expensive. So we've bought two bleachers tickets for a total of $36.75. Even if the game goes into extra innings we'll still be back in San Francisco in time for dinner somewhere down on Fisherman's Wharf. So, yea us!
Friday we have another early game. We'll be going to see the Giants vs. the Cardinals at 1:35 at AT&T Park. Now, I have been here before..... Wanna see a picture?
The Giants are a lot prouder of their team than the A's so tickets are a little more expensive at today's game.... Yesterday we went to a game for $36 total. Today's game will cost us $204 for two tickets. That's the cheapest they have available. So, I suppose we'll pay $100 each for our obstructed view seats and be happy that we got them.
Again, our game will be over early. So we can get a little sight seeing in today. Maybe we'll take the car and go across the Golden Gate Bridge and have dinner in Sausalito. On Saturday morning we'll check out of the hotel in San Francisco and hop in our convertible to head down the 101 toward Los Angeles. Now, here's the deal. I'm a firm believer in scenic routes while on vacation. So, if I'm in charge of this trip it is the 101 all the way. We aren't going to go all the way into LA tonight. We're only driving as far as Simi Valley tonight. We got a room at the lovely 3 star Grand Vista Hotel in Simi Valley for only $93 a night including taxes. You couldn't get a single seat in AT&T park for 3 hours for that price!!!! So we'll spend our first night in the LA area there.
We're in no hurry to arrive though since we don't have a game today. So we'll make plenty of stops along the 101 for taking pictures. With no stops the drive is six hours long. We'll make it take all day with stops for photos, lunch and more photos. We probably won't be in Simi Valley until late in the evening. So, we'll head straight to the hotel to check in, drop off our luggage and then head out for dinner. Tomorrow we have another day game at Dodger Stadium so we won't do anything after dinner tonight.
On Sunday it's a 42 mile drive from our hotel to Dodger Stadium and we'll want to get there in time for batting practice. So we'll leave the hotel around 9 a.m. for our 1:10 p.m. game. We're checking out of this hotel so that we can stay more in the LA area tonight. So we'll throw all of our stuff in the back of the Mustang and hit the road right after breakfast. Today we are back in bleacher seats to watch the Dodgers take on he Pirates. Our tickets cost of a total of $42.50 plus taxes and fees. Don't ask me what taxes and fees are on the tickets since you have to enter your personal info to get that far on the site.
After the game tonight we will be driving 28 miles to our new hotel in Long Beach. Since we'll be staying here until Wednesday morning we've decided to get a little bit nicer place to stay. So we'll be in the Residence Inn by Marriott at Long Beach. It's a 4 star. We're paying $165 a night but we are on the water and the pool looks terrific! We are 27 miles from Angel Stadium. But we don't have tickets for an Angels game until Tuesday night. So after sleeping in late on Monday morning to recover from all of our baseball and sight seeing. After breakfast we can either head out to the beach or do more sight seeing. The possibilities are endless. We can see anything from the stars on the Hollywood Blvd to the footprints at the Chinese Theater to the La Brea Tar Pits. So, you decide and I'll just ride along.
Tuesday we are heading to the Anaheim Angels game against the A's so it will be our second time to see the A's in less than a week. Once again, the Angels are fairly proud of their tickets. So we are sitting in some pretty crappy seats in the upper deck in the very last row between homeplate and 1st base and we're paying $109 plus taxes and fees. To make matters wose, as a Rangers fan, I hate the Angels so this is really rubbing me the wrong way. This game doesn't start until 7:05. So we probably won't make it back to the hotel until close to 11. We'll be eating hotdogs and beer at the ballpark for dinner.
Wednesday we are checking out of the Residence Inn and heading to San Diego for the last leg of the trip. We have tickets for tonight's 7:10 p.m. game vs. the Dodgers. So it'll be our second time of the week to see the Dodgers play. Since it's the last night of our trip, we have decided to go all out. We'll be staying just outside of left field at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego. Our room will cost us $230 tonight. But hey, we'll make up for it with a couple of tickets to the game for only $40 plus tax an fees. Loving me some Padres!
Tomorrow we'll get up and head to the airport for a pretty early flight home. The flight home has a stop in LA and then back to Dallas. The total price for this trip excluding parking that sweet ride in all those ballparks, hotels and so on, meals, gas for the rental car and taxes and fees on the baseball tickets is a whopping $4,016. Hey I never said a dream week of baseball would be cheap. We could cut nearly $700 out of this price by driving the car back to LA to board a flight on Thursday. But as long as we are taking a fantasy trip there's no point in putting ourselves out, right?
Well I've sat here through the entire Dodgers vs. Giants game working on this and missed the whole thing. So, I'll call it a day. Hope you enjoyed the West Coast Baseball Dream Trip. I'll talk to you all tomorrow.
Guess what! Baseball season has officially begun!!! Aren't you all excited? As I write this the Red Sox are killing the Yankees in the background. I thought I was tuning into the Dodgers and Giants game. But, I guess not so much. Maybe this game is just running long and the Giants and Dodgers will follow. I'm so happy that it is finally baseball season. Even if the Rangers are as awful all year as they were last night, I'll still have the Astros to watch and I can always watch a good Giants game. Since it is baseball season let's talk about a baseball roadtrip.
There are many baseball roadtrips you can take if you are so inclined. Depending on what part of the country you live in, you could get in your car and drive to a different city for a different game every night of the week. I think it would be fun to do a California baseball road trip if you catch all five California teams in town during the same week. Or maybe start the trip in the middle of one week and wrap it around the weekend getting to all the ball parks.
You could start out by flying into San Francisco this Wednesday. You'd take the direct United flight 6291 from DFW to SFO leaving here at 1:39 Wednesday afternoon and arriving in San Francisco at 3:37 p.m. We'd get a convertible for the week through Avis and you'd pick that up before leaving the airport. Then head on over to your first hotel of the week, the Sheraton Bay Bridge. After all, you are going to both Giants and A's games while staying in SF. So you'll want a hotel convenient to both.
Our first game of the week is at 12:35 on Thursday afternoon in Oakland where we will see the A's vs. the Mariners. It's the last game of the opening series against the Mariners. We're sitting in the bleachers. We have a lot of games to go to and this is going to get expensive. So we've bought two bleachers tickets for a total of $36.75. Even if the game goes into extra innings we'll still be back in San Francisco in time for dinner somewhere down on Fisherman's Wharf. So, yea us!
Friday we have another early game. We'll be going to see the Giants vs. the Cardinals at 1:35 at AT&T Park. Now, I have been here before..... Wanna see a picture?
Again, our game will be over early. So we can get a little sight seeing in today. Maybe we'll take the car and go across the Golden Gate Bridge and have dinner in Sausalito. On Saturday morning we'll check out of the hotel in San Francisco and hop in our convertible to head down the 101 toward Los Angeles. Now, here's the deal. I'm a firm believer in scenic routes while on vacation. So, if I'm in charge of this trip it is the 101 all the way. We aren't going to go all the way into LA tonight. We're only driving as far as Simi Valley tonight. We got a room at the lovely 3 star Grand Vista Hotel in Simi Valley for only $93 a night including taxes. You couldn't get a single seat in AT&T park for 3 hours for that price!!!! So we'll spend our first night in the LA area there.
We're in no hurry to arrive though since we don't have a game today. So we'll make plenty of stops along the 101 for taking pictures. With no stops the drive is six hours long. We'll make it take all day with stops for photos, lunch and more photos. We probably won't be in Simi Valley until late in the evening. So, we'll head straight to the hotel to check in, drop off our luggage and then head out for dinner. Tomorrow we have another day game at Dodger Stadium so we won't do anything after dinner tonight.
On Sunday it's a 42 mile drive from our hotel to Dodger Stadium and we'll want to get there in time for batting practice. So we'll leave the hotel around 9 a.m. for our 1:10 p.m. game. We're checking out of this hotel so that we can stay more in the LA area tonight. So we'll throw all of our stuff in the back of the Mustang and hit the road right after breakfast. Today we are back in bleacher seats to watch the Dodgers take on he Pirates. Our tickets cost of a total of $42.50 plus taxes and fees. Don't ask me what taxes and fees are on the tickets since you have to enter your personal info to get that far on the site.
After the game tonight we will be driving 28 miles to our new hotel in Long Beach. Since we'll be staying here until Wednesday morning we've decided to get a little bit nicer place to stay. So we'll be in the Residence Inn by Marriott at Long Beach. It's a 4 star. We're paying $165 a night but we are on the water and the pool looks terrific! We are 27 miles from Angel Stadium. But we don't have tickets for an Angels game until Tuesday night. So after sleeping in late on Monday morning to recover from all of our baseball and sight seeing. After breakfast we can either head out to the beach or do more sight seeing. The possibilities are endless. We can see anything from the stars on the Hollywood Blvd to the footprints at the Chinese Theater to the La Brea Tar Pits. So, you decide and I'll just ride along.
Tuesday we are heading to the Anaheim Angels game against the A's so it will be our second time to see the A's in less than a week. Once again, the Angels are fairly proud of their tickets. So we are sitting in some pretty crappy seats in the upper deck in the very last row between homeplate and 1st base and we're paying $109 plus taxes and fees. To make matters wose, as a Rangers fan, I hate the Angels so this is really rubbing me the wrong way. This game doesn't start until 7:05. So we probably won't make it back to the hotel until close to 11. We'll be eating hotdogs and beer at the ballpark for dinner.
Wednesday we are checking out of the Residence Inn and heading to San Diego for the last leg of the trip. We have tickets for tonight's 7:10 p.m. game vs. the Dodgers. So it'll be our second time of the week to see the Dodgers play. Since it's the last night of our trip, we have decided to go all out. We'll be staying just outside of left field at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego. Our room will cost us $230 tonight. But hey, we'll make up for it with a couple of tickets to the game for only $40 plus tax an fees. Loving me some Padres!
Tomorrow we'll get up and head to the airport for a pretty early flight home. The flight home has a stop in LA and then back to Dallas. The total price for this trip excluding parking that sweet ride in all those ballparks, hotels and so on, meals, gas for the rental car and taxes and fees on the baseball tickets is a whopping $4,016. Hey I never said a dream week of baseball would be cheap. We could cut nearly $700 out of this price by driving the car back to LA to board a flight on Thursday. But as long as we are taking a fantasy trip there's no point in putting ourselves out, right?
Well I've sat here through the entire Dodgers vs. Giants game working on this and missed the whole thing. So, I'll call it a day. Hope you enjoyed the West Coast Baseball Dream Trip. I'll talk to you all tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)