Family Vacation

Hmmmmm....  The topic tree is running kind of low on fruit.  If any of the 12 people who might read this today have a suggestion on a location, trip, experience or adventure they would like for me to write about, I am open for suggestions.  After reviewing statistics on readership, I see that the Pi Day Roadtrip blog entry was the most popular one I had in the last few months.  Beyond that you guys seem to like blogs that have a lot of pictures.    So, I'm thinking since Pi Day only comes around once a year, today we are going with pictures.  These aren't going to be the high quality digital pictures you are accustomed to.  So get ready for scanned pictures from almost 13 years ago!  Enjoy!

In June of 2000 my family went on a trip to Colorado.  Now, when I say my family, I mean me, my parents, my older brother, his wife and three sons, and my younger brothers son and daughter.  My younger brother Ronnie and his wife didn't make the trip, but their kids did.  Mom and Dad have a motor home and they were traveling in that.  They arrived in Colorado before we did. I don't remember how long they were there before us.  But since they were retired they already had a campsite and were established in our location  at Canyon City, Colorado for the first half of the week.  My sister-in-law, Eileen and I had gotten together and decided that it would be fun to take the kids on a white water rafting trip.  We also, thought it would be fun for us.  We knew going in that Rebecca and Tim, the two youngest wouldn't be able to do it.  But we were hopeful that the three bigger kids along with me, Eileen and Rob could have a great time rafting while Rebecca and Tim spent quality time with their Nana and Papa.

Bob Wills Monument

I drove to Nacogdoches the night before we left and stayed with Robbie and Eileen so that we could all travel together.  For most of the trip to Canyon City, Colorado I drove my car with two kids in it.  When we stopped for food, drinks and gas, kids would switch cars.  Yesterday I talked about how Mom kept us entertained on roadtrips prior to built in TV's with DVD players in cars.  Well, Eileen had a different angle on this.  She just brought a 9 inch color TV with a VCR along in her minivan and plugged it into the cigarette lighter. As long as there were no fast stops that caused the TV to roll around the back of the minivan everything was good.  So the kids all watched Star Wars movies all the way to Colorado and it was hard to get them interested in coming over to my CR-V with no TV.

Eileen also brought walkie talkies so that we could talk between the two cars.  Eileen has always been into technology.  On our first night we stayed in Amarillo but before arriving in Amarillo we discovered that if we stopped in Turkey, Tx we could see the world famous Bob Wills monument.  Okay, I might have oversold that slightly.  Perhaps it isn't world famous.  But it was an attraction for us.  The monument was okay, but what we really loved was the city limits sign.  It really doesn't take much to entertain a Meyers....

Robbie in Turkey

After leaving Turkey we made our way to our next stop at the Palo Duro Canyon.  We spent an hour or so there and took a few pictures.  Here's what all of the kids looked like back then.  From left to right that is Chris, Tim, Jacob, Rebecca and Matt.  They've changed slightly since then.  If you've never been to the Palo Duro Canyon, stop by sometime when you are heading to Colorado.  It is well worth the visit.  It's a pretty part of Texas that a lot of people never see.

Current Douglass HS senior and Homecoming Queen

After spending the night in Amarillo we made our way on to Canyon City the next day.  Rob, Eileen and the boys got a cabin and Rebecca and I stayed in the motor home with Mom and Dad.  Rebecca and I are no fools.....

If you've never been to Canyon City, there is a ton to do there.  First of all, it's the home of the Royal Gorge.  When Robbie, Ronnie and I were about the ages that the kids are in these pictures Mom and Dad took us there and we walked across the bridge.  I had no interest in doing it again.  I guess I should have for the kids.  But I didn't.  So Robbie and Eileen took them.  In fact I think they even took them horseback riding.  So the kids did get to do all the Royal Gorge stuff and I got to sit around camp... win-win.

Camp life is pretty sweet when you are in an RV.  In the photo below the kids are roughing it at breakfast....

Of course the main reason for the trip in the first place was white water rafting and we finally got to do that following this breakfast.  We had decided that Mom and Dad would keep Rebecca and Tim and take pictures of us going down the river while the rest of us were in the raft.  Once we got to the RiverRunners White Water Rafting Co. we found out that Chris was too small to do the class IV water so, he had to stay with Mom and Dad until we passed the class IV water and then get it.  Chris didn't take that news too well.  But after the battle we were ready to get underway.

Here we are just before leaving on the trip already in our wetsuits and gear.  Notice Eileen had the sense to stick kids in front of her while I was standing there like an idiot.  Prior to getting in the boats we got a safety talk where we were told what to do if we fell out of the boat and they explained to us that the water was newly melted snow so it was kinda cold.  Basically, if you fall in.... get back out fast!  Apparently June is the best time to do white water rafting on the Arkansas River in Colorado since there is plenty of snow melting then which means a lot of rapids.  They say if you go too late in the summer the river slows down to just a trickle.  But in early June while we were there it was perfect!

 Here we were getting settled in our raft.  Our guides name was Nick.  He did all of the rowing.  Our job was simply to hang on.  Nick was up to the task.  I'm not sure I have ever seen a pair of arms like he had in person before or since. :-)  To start with, Jacob and I sat behind Nick.  He sat in the middle rowing and Robbie, Eileen and Matt sat in front.  When Chris joined us, Matt moved to the back of the boat with me and Jacob.

In the picture above we were in our only class IV water of the day.  It was so fun!  I wasn't sure what to expect but I think when it was over we all felt like we had gotten our money's worth out of it.  We found out in this section just exactly how cold the water was.  None of us fell in, but we were all wet.  In the photo below Matt has moved to the back of the boat and Chris is now between Robbie and Eileen in the front.  He was so happy to get on board.

After we left Canyon City, Mom and Dad went on to Las Vegas and Robbie, Eileen and I took the kids and went to Colorado Springs where we spent a couple of days in a cabin at a KOA campground.  At Colorado Springs we went to Garden of the Gods and we made it to a Colorado Springs Sky Sox baseball game.  They are the Triple A affiliate of the Rockies.  Jacob and I split off from the rest of the group and went to the Air Force Academy.  After we got back to the campground we found out that they had gone too and we could have all gone together.  But it worked out fine.  Since you are suffering through so many scanned family photos, I'll treat you to one digital image of Garden of the Gods from the internet.  It's a beautiful place.

There are a ton of things to see and do in Colorado Springs.  On this occasion we didn't make it up Pike's Peak.  But I have done that before and I think Matt and Jacob did it also with their Nana and Papa.  I'll leave you today with a few more scanned photos from that trip nearly 13 years ago.  Have a good weekend and a Happy and Safe Easter!

Jacob and Matt in the back of the minivan watching Wheel of Fortune!

At Garden of the Gods

Pikes Peak in the background

Air Force Academy Chapel in the background

Air Force Academy Falcon Stadium

The Greatness of the Roadtrip

The family roadtrip used to be totally different than it is today.  We didn't have all the modern conveniences of today.  There were no GPS's, no satellite radio, no built in TV's.  We couldn't even print from Google Maps before the roadtrip began.  And forget about iPads, ipods or iphones.  We didn't have any of those crazy space age "iconveniences".  It was survival of the fittest, man.  When the family of five got in the car to drive from east Texas to Oregon on a warm Texas July morning, the only question was; how many will make it back?

I saw something on the news yesterday that Honda is putting built-in vacuum cleaners in the new Odyssey's for 2014.  So if one of the little rascals spills something, you can presumably have someone vacuum while you continue to drive.  My Mom would have been in heaven with something like that while we were kids.  Of course she would have waited until we were all asleep and then crawled into the back very quietly pulling the vacuum out while Dad continued to drive.  She'd go all stealth trying to be as quiet as possible right up until she switched it on.  Then there'd be no other sound in the world to the five people in the minivan other than the deafening vaaaaahhhhhhhh-rrrrroooooooooooooooooooooommmm of the vacuum cleaner as Cheerio's rattled around inside.  We'd all wake up in a near state of shock and then she'd switch it off and look around innocently saying, "Oh!  I'm sorry!!!!  Did that wake you?  I just needed to get those Cheerio's up off the floor....."  The only thing that would make her happier would be if there was a dishwasher full of pots and pans built into the back that she could unload while we all attempted sleep also in the minivan.

The fact that you drove along in a 4 door sedan with five people in it who could all lean over just slightly and touch makes it all totally different from today.  There were no SUV's back in the day.  There was no 3rd row of seats.  If my brother, Ronnie wanted to make me totally insane all he had to do was lean over an inch or so and touch me on my arm or leg and I would go nuts.  Mom would turn half way around in the front passenger seat and tell Ronnie to stop touching me and all would be well for a few minutes.  Then he would do it again, I guess just to see if he could get by with it.  I'll just go ahead and tell you.  He couldn't.  I would immediately yell, "RONNIE STOP!!!" loud enough so that not only every occupant in the car could hear and KNOW that Ronnie was touching me, but most of the state that we were in would also become aware and mom would turn back around and say "DON'T touch her again...."  The last part of that sentence was spoken somewhat softly, you know like Dirty Harry would say it.  Sort of like "Go ahead PUNK.  Make my day...."  Mom was always good at the threat.  It made you not really want to test her, which I suppose was the point.

The good kid always had to sit in he middle, on the hump, as we called it.  I know it doesn't seem fair, but it made sense.  You see the good kid could have been either me or Robbie depending on the time and day and who had last been in a scuff with Ronnie.  It usually wasn't Ronnie.  The good kid acted as a buffer between the other two.  So if Ronnie was touching me and we got into it, then me and Robbie would have to switch places to keep me and Ronnie separated.  I vividly remember an occasion in which I was acting as the buffer when Robbie and Ronnie were so mad at each other that they were reaching over me to hit each other, which meant I may have been touched in the fray and I can tell you that didn't go over well.  The words, "Am I going to have to pull this car over?" were then spoken from the front seat and the fracas ended immediately.

If you add to tight confines of sedans of the 60's and 70's the fact that back in the day we used paper maps and had to get one for each state that we were visiting it really got interesting.  Then you'd unfold the map covering most of the drivers line of sight in order to find the specific area of the state that you were in or headed to then tried to pinpoint the city you were attempting to reach.  This could take several minutes.  If we were close to where Dad thought we were supposed to turn, things would get a little tense in the car.  Dad would be like "You've gotta tell me where to TURN!" and Mom would be yelling "WELL, I CAN'T EVEN FIND THE ROAD WE'RE ON!!!!"  So then everybody would try to help....  "We just pased Junction 281" someone would call out.  Another kid would say "The sign says we're 4 miles from Tucumcari!"  The response to that statement was always puzzling to me....  "What sign?" one of the parents would ask looking up from the map that they were both studying now even though one of them was still driving.  Then you'd quietly respond, "The one we just passed".  In my head I'd be thinking "did you think I saw one we didn't pass?????"  But you couldn't say that out loud.  You had to keep the peace in the 4 door sedan full of tense people.

By the end of a trip from Texas to Oregon and then back again there would be nine individual state maps in the glove compartment along with a master map of the western United States.  By the time you were in Colorado on that last full day, the challenge became just finding the right damn map in all of that mess since they were all folded incorrectly and the name of the state was somewhere several folds in.  I can tell you that you will be somewhat challenged as you approach an intersection if there are maps in your glove compartment folded in the shape of a triangle.  Mom had tricks to keep us occupied in the back seat before built in TV's with DVD players.  One was "Why don't you fold this map?"  Really????  That's how you are going to keep me entertained for the next 1,000 miles????  But it made her happy if you started folding the map, so you folded.  The other trick was to give us the maps and tell us where we were and where we wanted to end the day and tell us to find a good scenic route to get there by.  When we thought we found one, they would ask how many miles it was.  So then you had to do math adding up all the little numbers along the line indicating your route and you'd come up with a number.  (It was a rotten trick to get us to do math during the summer and I was on to them.  But I did it anyway.)  If Mom and Dad approved the route you had found we would follow it and I was always proud when a route I had suggested turned out to be pretty.

When I was 12 and we went to Oregon our car was pretty state of the art.  It had an AM/FM radio AND an 8-Track Tape Player.  That's right.... we were big time.  Of course there was a lot of luggage and necessities to fit into the trunk of that '76 Granada so we were limited on the number of big bulky 8-track tapes we could bring along.  I cannot tell you how many times during that trip I listened to Eddie Arnold singing about his "lonesome cattle call...."  For someone who hated country music, this part of the trip was brutal.  So, I was always the first one to suggest when we lost a radio station due to range that we start singing.  I was willing to sing along with the family on any song to avoid that damn "cattle call" one more time.  Our family had a set "playlist", if you will, that we sang while driving.  Most of the songs we sang were by either Johnny Cash, Roger Miller or Marty Robbins.  I'm not sure why we stuck to those artists, but they were the ones we always gravitated to.  Anytime the car became silent and one person said "Bullet in my shoulder....."  the rest of the car would respond with "blood running down my vest; twenty in the posse, they're never gonna let me reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeest...." and then we would sing for an hour.

We also played this game where Dad would point out an object in front of us and say "I think that radio tower is 3.4 miles away".  Then we would all take our guesses as to how far away we thought it was and the closest person to the correct distance when we passed the tower would win that round and choose the next object.  We played I Spy a lot.  But it was almost a little too conventional for our family.  When it rained we would pick out drops of water on a window and race them.  Yes, go ahead and say it... we WERE pathetic. But I defy you to keep your kids entertained all the way to Oregon and back in 2013 with no electronic devices.  You can't do it.  You would crack under the pressure.

During the trip to Oregon in 1976 I learned many valuable things that have gotten me through a lot over the years.  I learned the intricacies of map reading.  I learned that no matter how many fresh cherries your Aunt Nina gives you to bring home to Texas with you, the state of Idaho won't let you take them through there.  So, you have to eat them all before you leave Oregon.  I learned that there is one part of the world more desolate than west Texas.  It is called Nevada.  I learned that the one sure way to make Ronnie wear a seat belt is just to drive through mountains with shear drop offs on one side of the car.  Who knew Ronnie was terrified of heights???!?!?!  But perhaps the most important thing I learned is that if you want to make five people completely sick at 6:30 a.m. just stop at any random Denny's and order a stack of pancakes covered in whipped cream and chocolate sauce.  I not only succeeded in making myself sick but nobody in the car wanted to eat for a couple of days after that.

Today's modern conveniences may have ruined the few road trips that people still go on.  Let's face it, National Lampoon's Vacation could never have been a hit in 1983 if we hadn't all been thinking the same thing as we watched it...  Oh My GOD!  My Dad really IS Clark Griswold!!!!!  If the Griswold's had Sirrus/XM the movie could never have been made.

In case you are heading out on a roadtrip for Easter weekend, have a safe trip and try throwing a map at one of your kids and getting them to fold it.  It'll keep them entertained for hours....

Wrapping Up Puerto Rico

Today I just wanted to cover a few more things on Puerto Rico before we move along to another location tomorrow.  Jenny and Geoff will be staying in Carolina (pronounced karo-leena) which is to San Juan what Richardson is to Dallas.  Except that it seems even closer.  They will be just less than 15 minutes from Old San Juan.  But the nice thing about where they are staying is that there are nice beaches close by.

In fact, here's some late breaking news.  Just .2 miles from the hotel is Carolina Beach with chairs and umbrellas available for $10 and (are you ready for this?) a swim up bar.... on the beach!  Now, I know of one person in this party who will be excited by this news.  In other news, I'm sure that the swim up bar has Cokes.  Also according to one reviewer on TA they do kite boarding lessons on the beach.  Sounds like fun!!!

Carolina Beach is a Blue Flag Beach which basically just means that it is eco-friendly.  They have to be certified to fly the flag so the non-profit organization who runs it checks up on it and it should be a clean beach if you see the blue flag flying.  So going to this beach is just another way of saving the ocean.  Really, it's your duty as an American and an environmentalist to go to this beach.  Do you want to save baby whales and seals????  Go to the beach.  That's all I'm saying.

Carolina Beach

Apparently the hotel that my friends are staying in also has a nice pool.  The hotel is located in the Isla Verde area so they will have access to a local free trolley that moves people around between shopping, beaches and hotels in the area.  So, they will be able to use it to grab something to eat.  It is a great area for dining out with tons of chain restaurants as well as local restaurants along the trolley stops as well as within walking distance.  This particular hotel does not have vending machines.  So they'll probably need to use the trolley to make a CVS run and get some Cokes and bottled water.

Isla Verde Beach which is the other Carolina beach offers stand up paddle boarding lessons.  Although, I'm not sure what lessons are necessary....

• Get on Board
• Stand Up
• Paddle

Now you're a pro!  Maybe getting on the board is what requires the lessons.  I think that would probably be the hardest part for me.  Here's a photo of Isla Verde Beach.

I saw one website that proclaimed Puerto Rico the Hawaii of the Atlantic because it is apparently a good place for surfing.  There are surfing lessons available if you were so inclined.  Basically, it sounds like the possibilities are endless in Puerto Rico.  You can go from the culture of a very European like city in Old San Juan to rain forests, beaches, kite boarding, surfing and anything else you are interested in while in Puerto Rico.

One word of caution, if you want to go on a snorkeling trip confirm where they will take you since many take scuba divers and snorkelers to the same spot in fairly deep water which would mean that a snorkeler would be disappointed to be floating on top and seeing very little while the scuba divers below are having a great time.


So if you happen to be going to Puerto Rico in the next 3 or 4 months, I hope you will find the information I've thrown at you in the last two days helpful.  If you never thought of going to Puerto Rico, I hope you have seen some interesting things that might convince you it would be a nice place to visit.  If you have no passport and are looking for a tropical paradise, this could be the perfect location for you.

In closing today Shiner decided to help write the blog by standing over my head on the staircase and keeping watch for anyone intent of sneaking up behind me while I worked.  Thanks Shiner for having my back.

 

Planning to Visit Puerto Rico?

Well..... Thanks for that overwhelming response on Facebook yesterday to my poll about what I should write about today.  Due to the huge number of people (Jenny Stankus) who requested I write about Puerto Rico, I'll be spending the morning learning everything there is to know about that lovely US territory to our south.  If any of you feel that this isn't interesting, quit your whining and vote next time I post a poll on FB.

First of all, I should tell you that Jenny has a particular interest in learning about Puerto Rico because it is looking like she will be taking her nephew Geoffrey there for his graduation trip this summer.  So, now she is into all things Puerto Rico.  I have only been to Puerto Rico once and that was with Jenny. It was one of our stops on the Eastern Caribbean cruise we took on Celebrity in November of 2010.  So unfortunately what I already know from personal experience Jenny also knows from personal experience.  Which means that information won't be new to her.  But maybe it will be interesting to Geoff.

To give you a little background on Puerto Rico in case you don't remember this from your history classes, it was discovered by Christopher Columbus during his second voyage to the America's in November of 1493. At the time it was claimed by the Spanish and the indigenous population was forced into slavery and eventually wiped out by infectious diseases brought over from Europe.  Spain maintained control of Puerto Rico for another 400 years until finally it was ceded to the US in 1898 along with the Philippines following their defeat in the Spanish-American War.  Puerto Ricans became US citizens in 1917.  They are currently held as a US territory and vote for their own governor.  However, they cannot vote in presidential elections since they have not obtained statehood.  The territory is split on what they want.  They seem to want the advantages of being a state, but none of the issues associated with it.... don't we all.  So that is your history lesson for today.

Now....  FIESTA!!!!!!

The average temperature is 80 degrees and during hurricane season June to November in many areas it rains everyday for a short time and then clears back up.... unless they name the rain storm, it'll pass right over.  As far as stuff to do in Puerto Rico, it really depends on your preferences.  Since I have traveled with Jenny a number of times and know what kind of stuff she likes and I know that Geoff is a fairly adventurous guy, I'll make a few suggestions.

First of all, you'll need to spend at least half a day in Old San Juan.  I don't think there is any question that there will be plenty to see and do in Old San Juan.  When we were there before we only had an hour or so before dark and after our tour to spend walking around.  We could have used 2 or 3 more hours.  The only restaurant we made it to was Cafe Puerto Rico which is featured in the photo to the right.  We had an appetizer sampler and a rum and Coke, you know, since we were in Puerto Rico.  The food was good enough but we were in somewhat of a hurry so we didn't have much time to enjoy it.  I'm a firm believer in lingering over your meals and even appetizers when you are in a foreign place even if it is a US territory.  We had to sit inside since there were no tables available outside.  If you get the chance, I think it would be nice to go there and sit outside since there is a pretty little park right across the street.

The photo to the left is of the bar in Cafe Puerto Rico and the bartender with his mohawk.  He was a dashing fellow.  It is ranked as the #20 restaurant in San Juan by Trip Advisor.  The #1 ranked restaurant in San Juan on the TA list is Marmalade but it looks pretty expensive ($25 - $100) Yikes!  You might be better off to try out #2 which is Verde Mesa at $8 to $30.  And if the music on their website is any indication, it could be a very fun place.  In fact, I want to be there now.

There are a couple of forts to visit in San Juan.  Castillo San Felipe del Morro sits on the promontory overlooking San Juan Bay.  The foundation was laid in 1539 but it wasn't considered complete until the late 1700's.  El Morro suffered attacks from the English twice in the 1590's, the Dutch in 1625 and was attacked by US Navy ships in 1898 during the Spanish-American War.  In that instance, the light house was destroyed and later rebuilt.

Castillo San Cristobal guards the land entrance to the walled city of Old San Juan.  Construction began on San Cristobal in 1634 and was complete by 1790.  It is the place to go for amazing photographic views.  From here you can get a panoramic view of the coast from Old San Juan to Condado and beyond.

 The forts are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and you can opt to either stroll through them on your own, or you can join a park ranger for a guided tour.  You can purchase a ticket for both forts together for $5 and it is good for 7 days.  So if you don't have time for both forts on the same day, you can come back another day during your visit to see the other.  Individual tickets are $3 and they are good for 24 hours.

El Yunque rain forest is a must see when spending more than a few hours in San Juan.  There are three

Viator tours that you can sign up for to visit the rain forest.  We used Viator to book our trip to the wine country and Muir Woods while in San Francisco and I really enjoy going through them.  With each of these you wouldn't need your own transportation.  If you want to zipline through the rainforest you can do so for about $150 per person.  The zipline course seems to be a huge one.  The rainforest is about an hour outside of San Juan so you will either want to be on a tour or you'll need to rent a car.

• There are 9 different zipline ropes you can test out, 1 exciting suspension bridge, 2 rappel stations, 5 ground platforms and 10 aerial suspending platforms! Everyone in the family will find something they like on this rainforest adventure!

If I were visiting Puerto Rico, I would insist on going to the Rio Camuy Caves. Tickets are $15 for adults and it closes if it rains.  So it is something that would have to be planned last minute.  How could you not want to go to a place that looks like this?

If you get a car one day and visit these caves, then you are also required to go to the Arecibo Observatory while you are in the vicinity and report back to me.  This is a place I have wanted to see since I first saw it in a James Bond movie 15 or so years ago.  It was also featured in Contact with Jody Foster.  It was actually built into a sinkhole!

I'm not necessarily recommending that you rent a car.  I'm just saying that if you do, for a day, you should visit these places.  Here's what I found on Wikitravel today regarding car rentals.

"Many U.S. mainland car insurance policies will cover insured drivers involved in rental car accidents that occur anywhere in the United States, including outlying territories like Puerto Rico, so check with your own insurer before you rent a car in Puerto Rico. If you have such coverage, you can probably decline collision insurance from the car rental company and request only the loss damage waiver.

Red lights and stop signs are treated like yield signs late at night (approximately from 10 PM to 4 AM) because of the island's extremely high carjacking rate.

The roads can be quite bad, with pot holes and uneven pavement. Be cautious of other drivers, as turn signals are not commonly used or adhered to. Most natives do not drive like mainlanders are used to. Watch out for cars pulling out in front of you, or crossing an intersection, even if you have right of way. Also, there are many cars with non-functional head lights or tail lights, making driving in traffic even more dangerous. If you are not a very confident, even aggressive driver, you may not wish to drive in urban areas. Speed limits are considered suggestions for the locals (particularly taxi drivers), but high fines should make wise tourists cautious."

Just a little something to consider when you are thinking about renting a car in Puerto Rico.  Tomorrow, I might try to cover some of the things to do in town and beaches that are a must.  Have a good Tuesday, Happy Passover to my Jewish friends and I'll leave you with a photo of my helper on today's blog.

Let's Take the Road to Morocco with Bob and Bing!

You know what we ought to do?  We oughta go to Morocco.  I mean really who hasn't wanted to go to Morocco.  I love their food.  I've seen lots of pictures of really cool places in Morocco.  And ever since the first time I saw Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in The Road to Morocco I've wanted to go.  So why not?  Let's go!

We'll be going via the greatness of Cosmos which is yet another of the great Globus family of travel brands.  With Cosmos we'll have quite a bit more time on our own to explore what interests us.  So, I guess you know what that means.  I'll be heading to Rick's Cafe in short order to see if I can find a man who resembles a 2013 version of Humphrey Bogart.  I don't mind telling you that as I am typing this, I have their website opened on my browser and I am loving the great piano music.  I hope you'll click on the link above and leave it opened in your background as you read this so that you can get in the spirit.  The tour guide might have trouble prying me out of this place to head to our other stops.

Our itinerary is below.  We'll be leaving DFW airport on July 11th at 4 p.m. flying through Paris and finally making it to Casablanca at 2:40 on the 12th.  Once I get there, I'll be too excited to sleep.  So, I'm heading straight over to Rick's for a dirty dry gin martini, just like Ingrid Bergman would have had.  Later in the evening we'll stumble back over to our fantastic hotel, the Casablanca Ibis Moussafir for dinner with our tour director and the rest of our tour group.

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Casablanca, Morocco Check into your hotel. Later, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers. (D)

Day 2 Casablanca–Rabat–Meknes–Fez A short ride along the coast to Rabat, once a lair of the corsairs and now the country’s capital. Sightseeing includes the Royal Palace, Hassan Tower, and the Kasbah of Oudayas. You are reminded of the time when Morocco was the Roman province of Mauretania as you visit the fine Roman relics of Chellah and its gardens. Next stop, Meknes—see its monumental gates, mosque, palace, and miles of protective walls. Travel east towards Fez, Morocco’s most enchanting city. (B,D) Rabat, Morocco The photo above appears when you Google images of Meknes Morocco which is our next stop after Rabat on this day.  Can I tell you how happy I could be just grazing in this market stall?!?!?!?!!  It might be harder to get me out of this olive stall than it was to get me out of Rick's. The ancient gates of Fez, Morocco

We'll be spending the night in the Hotel Menzeh in Fez.  Quite frankly, I'd be happy just taking pictures in the hotel's lobby.  Tomorrow we will have the entire day in Fez before moving on day four.  So I guess I can take my photos of the lobby tonight and then have all day tomorrow to actually leave the hotel and see the ancient city and perhaps even go on the optional tour. Day 3 Fez At leisure in ancient Fez, which occupies a position of outstanding scenic beauty. Visit the exotic ancient Medina on the optional sightseeing tour, a maze of narrow bustling streets and alleys that make up the old Medina with its colorful souks. (B)

Day 4 Fez–Ifrane–Erfoud Ifrane Travel today into the very heart of Morocco. Morning break in the quiet, French-built alpine resort of Ifrane. Verdant cedar forests give way to volcanic mountains and wind-swept plains as you motor across the Middle Atlas range to Midelt. Pass fortified mud-and-straw villages. Descend into the spectacular Ziz Gorges and arrive in Er-Rachidia, an important crossroad once controlled by the French Foreign Legion. Afterwards, the landscape becomes progressively more arid and you enter a stony desert. On your last stretch to Erfoud, an unexpected and breathtaking surprise: the miraculous and peaceful oasis of Ziz Valley. (B,D) Who knew there were parts of Morocco that got snow????  Not me!  But the more remarkable thing about this day will be leaving Ifrane which is described as an Alpine type village which gets snow and ending the day in Erfoud which is apparently where the photo below was taken.  Ummmm.... yeah, I'm gonna have to see this to believe it.  In Erfoud we'll be staying at the Hotel Kasbah Tizimi.  On day five while staying at this hotel, we can do an optional excursion to the desert. Dude!  I'm going!

Day 5 Erfoud The best choice today is an included excursion to Rissani to see the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Sharif, the first ruler of the Alaouite Dynasty. This evening, enjoy an optional excursion in the desert. (B,D)

Day 6 Erfoud–The Road of a Thousand Kasbahs–Ouarzazate Enjoy the drive through the eastern slopes of the Atlas Mountains and arrive at the Tinerhir oasis with its green valley of palms and local villages. Drive north to the impressive Todra Gorge, then west along the Dades Valley to the film capital of Morocco, Ouarzazate, for an overnight stay. (B,D) Tonight we'll be staying at the Ibis Ouarzazate after a busy day of some of the most amazing scenery of the trip so far. The Todra Gorge is just one of the sights we will see on Day 6.

Day 7 Ouarzazate–Aït Benhaddou–Tizi-n-Tichka Pass–Marrakesh Tizi-n-Tichka Pass Enjoy an orientation drive this morning in Ouarzazate, famous for its film studios and a visit of the Kasbah de Taourirt. Next, to Aït Benhaddou, a kasbah famous as a film location for Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator. Pass through picturesque villages surrounded by craggy mountains while motoring towards the 7,414-foot-high Tizi-n-Tichka Pass in the heart of the High Atlas Mountains. Each new twist in the road leads to a different, more dramatic landscape. Leaving the pass behind, the landscape gradually changes to a tapestry of red ochre. Afternoon arrival in the red-colored imperial city of Marrakesh, justly reputed the most fascinating of all Moroccan cities. An optional evening excursion will be a fitting choice to end the day. (B) We'll spend the next two nights at Zalagh Kasbah Hotel and Spa in Marakesh.  Yes, you read that right.... and spa.  :-)

Day 8 Marrakesh The included city sightseeing with Local Guide starts this morning with an orientation drive followed by a walk through the ancient quarters to the fascinating Jemaa-el-Fna square and its exotic bazaar, Bahia Palace and Saadian Tombs. You’ll really feel as if you’ve stopped the march of time. Marrakesh has always been a meeting place—first just a group of nomad tents, now a bustling city. (B,D) Jemaa-el-Fna Square

Day 9Marrakesh–Casablanca Leave Morocco’s magical city of Marrakesh for the journey northwest back to Casablanca. In the afternoon, see the sights in the company of a Local Guide. (B)

Day 10 Casablanca Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)

Vacation Highlights

Headsets throughout the tour

Sightseeing:
Visits to Fez, Ifrane, Erfoud, Rissani, Ouarzazate, Aït Benhaddou Kasbah
Scenic Highlights:
Atlas Mountains, Ziz Gorges and Oasis, Road of 1000 Kasbahs, Dades Valley, Todra Gorge

Guides:

Local Guides for city sightseeing in Rabat, Meknes, Marrakesh, Casablanca. Services of a professional Tour Director while touring.

Hotels

CASABLANCA Ibis Moussafir (F)
FEZ Menzeh Fes (ST)
ERFOUD Kasbah Tizimi (ST)
OUARZAZATE Ibis (ST)
MARRAKESH Zalagh Kasbah & Spa (F)
CASABLANCA Ibis Moussafir (ST) or Prince de Paris (ST)

Meals

Buffet breakfasts; 6 dinners

The price of this tour including roundtrip air, insurance, hotels, guided tours excluding the optional excursions, all breakfasts, six dinners and all ground transportation is $6,200 for two people.  I can hardly believe it!  How many of you have been to Africa before????  Huh?  I'm waiting for you to call me and book this trip leaving on July 12th.  My lines are open! 469-828-0254

All Inclusives

There are all kinds of vacations you can take.  You can take a staycation and just be off from work but get things done at home.  You can do a road trip with the family or with just your spouse, or even with friends.  You can do a long weekend where you head out of town but only miss a day or two of work.  Then of course there is the week long total relaxation beach vacation.  You can't forget the cruise where no serious thought or effort is required on your part.  You can never go wrong with an all inclusive beach vacation in which you don't even have to carry a card around or sign for a drink....  they just keep 'em coming whether you want 'em or not.  Then of course there is the I've never been here and I may never be back so I have to see it all right now, kick your ass, get no sleep, sightseeing vacation.

I could spend hours talking about each of these.... well, maybe not the staycation.  But definitely, I could spend hours talking about all of the others.  But for today, let's concentrate on the all inclusive beach vacation.  I talked about visiting an all inclusive resort in Jamaica in a blog not too long ago, you can go back and take a look at that if you want.  There are countless all inclusives you can visit throughout the Caribbean.  It's really just a matter of preference and how much money you would like to spend.

Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancun

For instance if you are on a tight budget but really want to get away and spend minimal amount of time traveling then Cancun is for you.  In July you can get a deluxe oceanview king room at all inclusive 4.5 star Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancun with transfers and insurance included for a mere $2,800 for two adults.  It is one of the top all inclusive resorts in Cancun and you will be spending a week in total luxury for that price.

If you want a little bit of adventure with your all inclusive resort, then maybe you'd be interested in Costa Rica with it's rainforest and volcanoes where you could spend 7 nights at the all inclusive 3 star Allegro Papagayo in a superior oceanview room for even less than Cancun at a paltry $2,721.

Allegro Papagayo in Costa Rica

Riu Palace Aruba

 But if you want top of the line luxury then you might look toward the Riu Palace Aruba where for a mere $5,700 you will get an oceanview junior suite with a Jacuzzi on the balcony and seven nights of pure heaven.

Of course during non-summer months a lot of these prices drop.  So, if you are really on a budget, we can get you into a number of all inclusive resorts for even less.  Whichever way you choose to go, you really can't lose with an all inclusive.  It's just a matter of deciding on a location and a budget.

Have a great weekend!

Is Freedom or Oasis For You?

My friend Katherine and her family just got back from their annual Spring Break cruise.  This year they went on Oasis of the Seas out of Ft. Lauderdale.  I was excited for her to get back so that she could tell me how she liked the ship.

They have been doing these Spring Break cruises for at least 3 or 4 years now.  Their first one was on Freedom of the Seas.  They have cruised on Freedom once or twice more beyond that.  They love Freedom.  It's their ship.

A few years ago, I went on a Celebrity cruise and loved it.  So I recommended it to Katherine and they tried it out.  Apparently Celebrity isn't for everyone.  While she agrees that the food is better on Celebrity, she felt the ship was small and with having two young girls, it was missing a lot of the things that kids love on Royal Caribbean.  You know, there's no Rock Climbing Wall, no FloRider, no Promenade, no Ice Skating.  There are just a lot less things that kids or adventurous adults for that matter can do during a day at sea.

On Celebrity for me as a 40-something single woman, I was in heaven.  Of course part of that might have been the lack of kids on board.  But also, as I mentioned, the food on Celebrity is spectacular.  The other guests seemed a little less into themselves and what could be done to make them happy and more into just relaxing and having fun.  Maybe it's because your every wish was granted before you knew you had it....  I don't know.  When that happens, it apparently takes all the fun out of complaining for those whiny people for whom nothing is ever good enough.  I also liked the pools on Celebrity more than any other cruise ship I have ever been on.  They are quiet, relaxing and you don't have to jockey for position.  Chairs just open up and you can sit in them.  I spent more time at the pool on Celebrity than any other ship I have been on.

But getting back to Katherine's Spring Break cruise.  For me a ship can get too big and I have always known that.  I like smaller ships although I have been on Freedom before and absolutely loved it.  It's larger than the Voyager class ships that they send us here in Texas, but I like it a lot more.  Not only is there more to do for families, but it seems like they segregate activities very well or something so that the people who are all about jumping up and down and being loud and active are sort of separate from those of us who want to be undisturbed slugs while on vacation.  Take my word for it, you never want to mix a slug with an over active person.  It's ugly.

Not having been on an Oasis class ship, for my money the Freedom class ships are the best large ships at sea.  But I was anxious to get Katherine's opinion.  After visiting with her last night, I think Katherine would agree.  While there were a lot of things about Oasis that they liked, they are still Freedom cruisers.  With over 6,000 passengers on board apparently, there can become an attitude among some of the crew of just hurrying up and getting things done so that they can take care of the next guest.  When this happens in any service industry while you might appreciate them quickly getting to you, when they are with you it would be nice if they took their time and gave you a more thorough and otherwise perfect service.  Then when they get to the next schmuck than can speed things back up.  Right?  I know that's what I'm looking for in life.  Apparently, when you have 6,000 guests to pamper on a daily basis, everybody is the next schmuck.

I was on Freedom during it's inaugural season and haven't made it back on that ship since.  But I can tell you that other than on Celebrity, I felt more catered to on that ship than any other I have ever been on.  Even though it is huge and they have a ton of guests, the crew on board seems to take a lot of pride in making sure that you feel like you are the only person on vacation and everybody else is just props for your "me" time.

FloRider on Freedom during my cruise

Katherine did say that her daughter did the zip-line on Oasis.  I'm sure that was a big hit with her daughter.  They liked Central Park a lot.  One of the big things about this ship is that it has two FloRiders and two Rock Climbing Walls.  But apparently as a guest, you don't care about the number of FloRiders or Rock Climbing Walls as long as you can do that activity when you are ready to.  So in reality to the passenger, the claim should be no long waits for Rock Climbing and Surfing rather than we have two of each of these things for you.


The one negative that they apparently experienced was that it was pretty rough the entire cruise.  I guess the winter storms that have been affecting the northeast swoosh down the coast in the Atlantic after they leave the northeast and that made for a choppy cruise.  On a ship as big as the Oasis you wouldn't think you would have to worry about getting tossed around, but I guess even a ship that size is no match for Mother Nature.

Freedom Kids Pool

So all in all, they enjoyed the cruise, but they will go back to Freedom Class on their next one.  The really nice thing for me about this is that Royal Caribbean is dry-docking each of their ships one at a time starting last year and going through 2015 to make updates to all the other ships to get more of the Oasis Class amenities on board smaller ships (and also for maintenance).  So, some of the things that are great on Oasis are making their way to the other ships.  Obviously they can't add a Central Park, Boardwalk, Aquatheater and those things to smaller ships.  But some of the things that can be added are already available or are becoming available on other ships in the fleet.


Have a great Thursday!  Happy Sailing!

An Amazing Race to New Zealand

One of my favorite TV shows is The Amazing Race on CBS.  I have been a fan of the show since day one.  I love it because it combines two of my favorite things; travel and the interactions of people in sometimes extreme circumstances.  Every season there are people on the show that I totally dislike but there are usually others who I do like and I enjoy watching all of them visit places that they have never had the opportunity to visit or just never imagined visiting.  One of the really great things about it is that the show forces participants to interact with the locals and get out of their nice, neat American comfort zones.

This season so far they have been to Bora Bora, New Zealand, Bali and Vietnam.  I think next week they will be in Africa.  Nearly every time I watch an episode for the last 21 seasons and now into 22 seasons, I think, OOOHHHH!!!!  I WANT TO GO THERE!!!!  While I think I would really love to go anyplace that they have visited so far this season, the one that I have been thinking about endlessly since seeing it a few weeks ago is the Rakaia River Gorge in New Zealand.  First of all, I really don't think you could go wrong with a trip to New Zealand.  It's not one of those kinds of places where you are going to be afraid of catching some horrible disease just from getting on a train like in Bangladesh.  It's a nice wholesome clean country with lots of outdoor activities and people who live off the land.  It's sort of like the Colorado of the South Pacific..... only it's surrounded by water and they have hobbits there apparently.

Here's a picture of what I've been obsessed with for the last two weeks....

Rakaia River Gorge

No my friends, this is not Six Flags and there is no food coloring in that water.  It is really that color.... naturally!  Now imagine racing in a speed boat down that river and then possibly even fishing for trout or salmon in that river.  That's what they did on The Amazing Race.  The contestants flew into Christchurch and made several stops in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand.  I think that I would like to visit this region.  After looking at several hundred pictures on line of the region, the only issue I think I would have would be narrowing it down to the time of year to visit.

It's a long flight and an expensive trip to take.  So you have to be sure that you get there at the right time.  But the problem that I think you would face is that there doesn't seem to be a wrong time.... You know except when they have an earthquake or a flood.  I think we can all agree that those would be the worst possible times to go.  But any other time, I'm thinking you might be happy.  But just to be sure that you hit it perfectly, I'm starting to think that you fly over and find a nice family to stay with and just stay until you can't stand it anymore.  You could fish on the Rakaia like these guys did....  That would feed me for months!

Here's a map of the region.  I'm thinking if you flew into Christchurch just like the contestants on The Amazing Race did, you could spend a week or two seeing and exploring all there is to do there.  Then you would just have to head on to the next leg of your trip in NZ.  After all, there is no way to see all of NZ in just a few weeks.  Well maybe you could pass through all of it, but you can't experience all of it.  See look at what I mean.  All of the pictures below were taken in Canterbury.

I'm thinking I would need at least a day to go on glacier viewing trips in boats.  But considering how many glaciers there are to view and different scenery surrounding each one, I'd probably need more time.  Then if it's winter in NZ, you're probably going to want to participate in some winter sports like the people to the right... Not me, 'cause you know, I don't do snow.  But YOU might like that.  So you'd need a day or so for that.

Then there are the whale watching trips to consider.  If there's a whale tail to be seen, I want to see it.  And how many times in life do you get to go packing with llamas carrying all of your stuff for you?  I'm thinking not many so you have to take advantage of it while you are in a place with a good supply of llamas who want to carry everything you brought.  This alone would make me think that I have to spend a lot more time walking than I normally do.  If I'm going to walk more, then more time is required.  My stay has just been extended.

 There is all this sort of scenery to be seen.  It's not something that you can see from the ground.  So you're going to need to go on one of those helicopter sightseeing tours.  I'm thinking that alone will take a half a day per region.

If you'll look below at the photo of the sheep in front of the tree you'll know why I would have trouble choosing the right time of the year to be there.  I'm assuming this photo was taken during their fall which I guess is our spring.  You want to make sure that you see trees that look like this.  But you also don't want to miss flowers blooming in the pretty country side during spring..... UGH!!!!

My final dilemma I'm just going to go ahead and tell you is finding time to shop for and the money to pay for all of the fiber and yarn that I would have to bring back with me. Now, I'm a person who can go to a spinning weekend and shop the 5 or 6 fiber booths available for one third of my weekend trying to make decisions and imagining what can be made with all of that glorious sheep's wool and alpaca.  But if you put me in a country like New Zealand for a few weeks or a few months, every sheep in the country would be bald and I would be broke!

So this is what The Amazing Race does to someone who loves to travel.  It gives you new "must go" places and sets you off on dreams that can carry you for weeks or even months.  If you've never watched it, you might give it a try.... then when you find your dream destination give me a call our check out my website www.placesuwillgo.com.