We've proven once again that everybody loves a list. So, let's just go for broke and make the entire week nothing but lists. Today I'm going to list the 5 best things and the 5 worst things about a beach vacation. I know what your thinking. There are 5 bad things about a beach vacation??!!!?!?!?!? But you might be surprised. Quite frankly, I can come up with 5 bad things about any topic you give me with just a little effort. I mean, seriously, there's always something to whine about, right? As with all lists, this is entirely my personal opinion. It's my blog so my opinions matter most. In fact, they are the only ones that come into play. So, if you don't like my rankings, get your own blog.
Top 5 Things About a Beach Vacation
1. You're on a beach and you don't have to work. Enough said.
2. Umbrella drinks!
3. Hot guys - No shirts!
4. Cabana boys!
5. The relaxing sound of the surf crashing against the shore.
Bottom 5 Things About a Beach Vacation
1. Next week you're going to have to work twice as much to get caught back up.
2. Sand.... EVERYWHERE!
3. That moment when you get hit by a big wave and suddenly realize that your Channel sunglasses are no longer on your head.
4. The 500th time in a single week that you hear that "Hot Hot Hot" song....
5. Fat old men in Speedos.
I must say that when I was working on this list, the bottom 5 things were easier to think of than the top 5 things. But even if I listed 25 bad things about a beach vacation I would still rather be there than any place on earth just because of the number 1 thing about a beach vacation.... No matter what happens, you are still on a beach and you don't have to work.
Have a great Wednesday and I hope you don't get accosted by a camel roaming through your office today asking what day it is....
Margaritaville
Margaritaville - Cozumel, Mexico
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
How to Piss a Hotel Full of People Off In 10 Easy Steps
It's interesting to me how many of you were all over learning of ways to piss off an airplane full of people in 10 easy steps. I got more readers on that than on anything I have posted in weeks! I can do tons of research on really amazing places, but it turns out that you just want to know how to piss people off..... Well... if that's what you want to know, you have come to the right place my friends. I have more knowledge on that topic than any other I am likely to ever write about. I'm practically an authority on the topic. Ask anyone I have ever dated, most of the people I have worked with or my parents. I'm like an idiot savant when it comes to pissing people off.
So now I'm trying to figure out what other areas of travel people can be pissed off in..... Well, it turns out that it's quite easy to piss people off in hotels. Believe me.... It's happened to me on more than one occasion. I'm pretty sure I told you all once before about the time when people kept me up very late one night at the old Sheraton Park Central in Dallas when I had to be at an early meeting the next day. That was the occasion when I set the alarm for the radio to come on just before 7 AM with the volume turned up to the max just before leaving the hotel and placed the alarm clock in the drawer of the night stand so that it wouldn't be easily found and then checked out. The thing is that if you plan to party as loudly as possible on a week night in a nice hotel that business people frequent and do so until after 3 AM, you should also plan to be awake at 7 AM when those business people leave for their meetings that they were trying to rest up for. With that said, I'll now tell you about 10 other ways to piss a hotel full of people off without even really trying.....
10. As a hotel, take a reservation, insist that if the reservation isn't canceled prior to 6 PM on the day of arrival the customer will be charged. But when the exhausted traveler arrives at 8 PM for the reservation, inform him/her that you have no rooms available. REALLY???!?!?!?! You've charged me for a room that I am not allowed to sleep in????? When this happened to me, I had a reservation for 4 nights. The hotel informed me that they would send me off to a much nicer hotel for the first night of my reservation at their expense but then I would have to come back to their hotel for the other three nights. You would be surprised at how forceful I can be when you tell me that you've charged me but given away my room and now I have to get back in my rental car and drive down the road to a nicer hotel, but I have to come back this "miserable rat trap" in 24 hours hoping that you haven't given my room away again (Okay, I'll admit now that the Sheraton in question was actually a very nice one and was not a "miserable rat trap" but for the purposes of my argument at the time, I might have exaggerated slightly. Hey! Don't judge me, it won the argument!). I wound up in the nicer hotel for all 4 nights at the Sheraton's expense. Thanks Sheraton!
9. Immediately following a very long week for many adult business people schedule a prom in your hotel and make sure that you have no one watching the fire alarms near where all the drunk teenagers are imbibing. For me one Saturday night this resulted in not one but two walks down 14 flights of stairs after midnight while firefighters walked around looking for a non-existent fire and drunk kids stood around giggling. Fun times....
8. Make sure that the photos you post on your hotel website are from just after the last remodel sometime in the 1970's. After all the hotel always looks it's best right after a remodel and nobody wants to see photos of the unsightly rooms as they actually look now.... right? You're doing the customer a service!
7. As a hotel guest, bring as many kids with you as you can find when you check in. Round up the neighbors kids if necessary. The key to pissing off the other occupants of the hotel is as many rowdy kids as you can find. So bring them all with you and insist on a quiet room as far away from the elevators and ice machine as possible (you know, so the precious little ones aren't awakened during the night). Then approximately every 30 minutes throughout the night, have a group of the kids race down the hall stomping and screaming to get another bucket of ice out of the machine that is conveniently located right against the wall that my bed butts up to. Ahhhhhh.... kids are precious, aren't they?
6. Can't find kids to bring with you? Worry not, adults work just fine. Go out.... have a few drinks! Then come stumbling back into the hotel at approximately 3 AM. Once you get in the hall just outside of your room, remember suddenly that you forgot to tell "Joe" who you are traveling with but whose room happens to be on the other end of the hallway, to meet you downstairs for breakfast at 10 AM. But here's the thing. You should never inconvenience yourself by walking down the hall and speaking to him quietly or by walking in your room, picking up the phone and calling his room. Nope! Just shout down the hall, with as country of an accent as you can muster up yelling "HEY JOE!!!! MEET ME DOWNSTAIRS TOMORROW AT 10 IN THE RESTAURANT!!!!"
5. Once you have made your breakfast arrangements with Joe, proceed to walk into your room letting the door slam behind you for effect. Then turn your TV on and make sure the volume is at the max so that you can hear it while you shower. Your neighbors will LOVE this!
4. Does that hotel room you are staying in have a balcony? Then you are probably going to want to slide that door going outside open and closed at least 50 times throughout the night. Make sure that each time you close it, you close it extra hard so that no air escapes the room... in the 50 times that you open and close it. While you're out on that balcony, be sure you have several very loud conversations. If there is no one in your room with you to talk to on the balcony, then just start yelling at the people walking around on the ground. Whether you know them or not, just shout out. They'll probably stop and have a conversation with you.
3. Are you staying in one room while your friends are staying in another? Pick up the phone and call them at all hours of the night. But here's the key, make sure that you let the phone ring at least 30 times before you come to the conclusion that they must not be in the room and hang up. After all the room is almost 100 square feet in size, so it's probably going to take them a while to get to the phone after they hear it.
2. If you are staying on a upper floor, make sure that when you walk across your room you do your world famous elephant impersonation. You know the one where you stomp along and people can hear you coming from miles away???!!?!? The people trying to sleep below you will get a real kick out of that.
1. NEVER, EVER, EVER.... use your inside voice. Inside voices are for children, not adults and don't you go forgetting it just because you have checked into a hotel with paper thin walls and other people who might want to sleep. After all, you paid for that room.... you should be aloud to talk as much and as loudly as you wish! It's all about you and you should NEVER forget that!
So now I'm trying to figure out what other areas of travel people can be pissed off in..... Well, it turns out that it's quite easy to piss people off in hotels. Believe me.... It's happened to me on more than one occasion. I'm pretty sure I told you all once before about the time when people kept me up very late one night at the old Sheraton Park Central in Dallas when I had to be at an early meeting the next day. That was the occasion when I set the alarm for the radio to come on just before 7 AM with the volume turned up to the max just before leaving the hotel and placed the alarm clock in the drawer of the night stand so that it wouldn't be easily found and then checked out. The thing is that if you plan to party as loudly as possible on a week night in a nice hotel that business people frequent and do so until after 3 AM, you should also plan to be awake at 7 AM when those business people leave for their meetings that they were trying to rest up for. With that said, I'll now tell you about 10 other ways to piss a hotel full of people off without even really trying.....
10. As a hotel, take a reservation, insist that if the reservation isn't canceled prior to 6 PM on the day of arrival the customer will be charged. But when the exhausted traveler arrives at 8 PM for the reservation, inform him/her that you have no rooms available. REALLY???!?!?!?! You've charged me for a room that I am not allowed to sleep in????? When this happened to me, I had a reservation for 4 nights. The hotel informed me that they would send me off to a much nicer hotel for the first night of my reservation at their expense but then I would have to come back to their hotel for the other three nights. You would be surprised at how forceful I can be when you tell me that you've charged me but given away my room and now I have to get back in my rental car and drive down the road to a nicer hotel, but I have to come back this "miserable rat trap" in 24 hours hoping that you haven't given my room away again (Okay, I'll admit now that the Sheraton in question was actually a very nice one and was not a "miserable rat trap" but for the purposes of my argument at the time, I might have exaggerated slightly. Hey! Don't judge me, it won the argument!). I wound up in the nicer hotel for all 4 nights at the Sheraton's expense. Thanks Sheraton!
9. Immediately following a very long week for many adult business people schedule a prom in your hotel and make sure that you have no one watching the fire alarms near where all the drunk teenagers are imbibing. For me one Saturday night this resulted in not one but two walks down 14 flights of stairs after midnight while firefighters walked around looking for a non-existent fire and drunk kids stood around giggling. Fun times....
8. Make sure that the photos you post on your hotel website are from just after the last remodel sometime in the 1970's. After all the hotel always looks it's best right after a remodel and nobody wants to see photos of the unsightly rooms as they actually look now.... right? You're doing the customer a service!
7. As a hotel guest, bring as many kids with you as you can find when you check in. Round up the neighbors kids if necessary. The key to pissing off the other occupants of the hotel is as many rowdy kids as you can find. So bring them all with you and insist on a quiet room as far away from the elevators and ice machine as possible (you know, so the precious little ones aren't awakened during the night). Then approximately every 30 minutes throughout the night, have a group of the kids race down the hall stomping and screaming to get another bucket of ice out of the machine that is conveniently located right against the wall that my bed butts up to. Ahhhhhh.... kids are precious, aren't they?
6. Can't find kids to bring with you? Worry not, adults work just fine. Go out.... have a few drinks! Then come stumbling back into the hotel at approximately 3 AM. Once you get in the hall just outside of your room, remember suddenly that you forgot to tell "Joe" who you are traveling with but whose room happens to be on the other end of the hallway, to meet you downstairs for breakfast at 10 AM. But here's the thing. You should never inconvenience yourself by walking down the hall and speaking to him quietly or by walking in your room, picking up the phone and calling his room. Nope! Just shout down the hall, with as country of an accent as you can muster up yelling "HEY JOE!!!! MEET ME DOWNSTAIRS TOMORROW AT 10 IN THE RESTAURANT!!!!"
5. Once you have made your breakfast arrangements with Joe, proceed to walk into your room letting the door slam behind you for effect. Then turn your TV on and make sure the volume is at the max so that you can hear it while you shower. Your neighbors will LOVE this!
4. Does that hotel room you are staying in have a balcony? Then you are probably going to want to slide that door going outside open and closed at least 50 times throughout the night. Make sure that each time you close it, you close it extra hard so that no air escapes the room... in the 50 times that you open and close it. While you're out on that balcony, be sure you have several very loud conversations. If there is no one in your room with you to talk to on the balcony, then just start yelling at the people walking around on the ground. Whether you know them or not, just shout out. They'll probably stop and have a conversation with you.
3. Are you staying in one room while your friends are staying in another? Pick up the phone and call them at all hours of the night. But here's the key, make sure that you let the phone ring at least 30 times before you come to the conclusion that they must not be in the room and hang up. After all the room is almost 100 square feet in size, so it's probably going to take them a while to get to the phone after they hear it.
2. If you are staying on a upper floor, make sure that when you walk across your room you do your world famous elephant impersonation. You know the one where you stomp along and people can hear you coming from miles away???!!?!? The people trying to sleep below you will get a real kick out of that.
1. NEVER, EVER, EVER.... use your inside voice. Inside voices are for children, not adults and don't you go forgetting it just because you have checked into a hotel with paper thin walls and other people who might want to sleep. After all, you paid for that room.... you should be aloud to talk as much and as loudly as you wish! It's all about you and you should NEVER forget that!
Monday, June 24, 2013
How To Piss Off A Plane Full Of People In 10 Easy Steps
....And the Consequences....
My regular travel buddy is in Puerto Rico right now with her nephew Geoff. She took him for graduation. Isn't that nice? I wish she was my aunt. Or I wish I was my aunt..... but I digress. This is not what we are talking about today. Yesterday she texted me from the airplane at 1:30. They were supposed to have taken off at 1:05 PM. (I know this because I am their travel agent and am currently looking at the booking.) I'm not sure what time they got on the plane, but they were apparently still sitting on the tarmac 25 minutes after they were scheduled to take off and she said it was hot and the people behind her were annoying..... Okay, that's not really what she said. Here's an exact quote: "Ugh still sitting on the plane. Hot!!!! You would kill the people behind me. He is obnoxious and they are playing music... Heard of ear buds?? Yikes. But.... Still on vacation!" Apparently, immediately after sending me this text they were told to put electronic devices away because I texted her several times immediately after getting the text and never got a response.
I was struck by several things from the text. One was that she assumed I was the one who would turn homicidal on an airplane. Do I really fly off the handle so easily that my friends assume I would stand up on a plane full of people and commit murder? I find that hard to believe since just yesterday in my personal blog, I stated that I was unable to kill a tarantula in my garage because it was big and would have made a mess. Therefore, I could never kill a human because they are even bigger and would leave an even larger mess! I mean, this isn't rocket science.... humans bleed.... a lot! And I can't even watch a movie where people get shot because of the blood and guts that you see. How could I possibly create that mess myself. But again.... I digress!
Another thing that struck me about the text was that she still had her positive "I'm on vacation attitude" that can remain in place through a lot. That's good. You need that attitude at the beginning of a vacation that involves flight because most people are really rude and stupid.
The last thing that struck me about her text and my topic for today is this.... How can members of our society be so self absorbed that they fail to recognize that there are other people around them and although in their tiny little minds they are the lead actor in this little movie called My Life, none of the rest of us purchased a ticket for the movie and we sure as hell don't want to watch it? So, because of this, I decided to make my blog today about the top 10 things that people do on planes (and in airports) that really piss people off and what might happen to you if you do them around just the right people. I think the one that Jenny brought up, listening to a personal electronic device of any kind without ear buds will probably fall pretty close to the top of the list but it is definitely NOT number 1. There could never be a question about number 1. So without further ado, I present you with HOW TO PISS OFF A PLANE FULL OF PEOPLE IN 10 EASY STEPS....
10. Be one of the first people on the airplane and make sure that your seat is in the very back, but place your big bulky carry-on luggage that probably doesn't even fit within the size restrictions in the overhead compartment directly above my seat (20 rows in front of you) filling it up so that I can't use it and have to put mine 4 rows back making it impossible for me to disembark when the plane lands.
The consequences of this action can vary depending on my mood. Either I can tell the people behind me to go ahead of me because I can't get to my carry-on which is 4 rows behind me, OR I make eye contact with a tall person in the row that my carry-on is above and ask them politely to please hand me that cute hardside, herringbone print, rolling bag above them, OR I rudely scale 4 rows of seats standing on the backs of them while holding onto the overhead compartment and pull my bag free possibly hitting an innocent bystander in the head.
That last possibility is optimal since it would succeed in pissing the most people off and after all the name of the game is pissing off a plane full of people. But again, that would depend on your mood and also whether or not you have chosen to wear a skirt on this flight.
9. As soon as the person announcing the boarding procedures picks up the mic to talk, regardless of where you are sitting, which boarding group you are in or anything else, immediately stand up and rush toward her crowding out all the priority boarding passengers and people who are supposed to board before you. Then stack your oversized carry-on's in the floor all around you to further block things off and sneer at the first class passengers and handicapped people as they walk and wheel themselves around your big bulky ass.
The only major consequence of this action for you might be that as some of the healthier people make their way around you, they might "bump" into you inadvertently or possibly knock one of your bags over causing a person in a wheel chair to maybe run over it. But those are small prices to pay in insuring that it continues to be all about you.
8. As soon as you arrive at the airport, go get the biggest cup of coffee you can find then make your way to the boarding area. Once there, put your oversized carry-on (that probably contains illegal substances) in one chair, pull your laptop out of another carry-on bag and place that bag in a chair on the other side of you, then balance your coffee precariously in a third chair, whip out your cell phone and start working in your brand new private office as you stretch your legs across the aisle to prop them up on another chair. The coffee is important in this scenario because it acts as an alarm for the idiot in the business suit on his cell phone who is taking up roughly 10% of all the seating area available to passengers arriving for the flight. If the cup moves at all, he knows that someone is getting too close to his personal office and he is actually ballsy enough to stop talking on the phone and typing on his laptop for just a second and whisper to you.... "Watch it, don't spill the coffee...." before going back to his phone conversation.
If he is really hot and not wearing a wedding band he could survive this without any coffee dripping off of his high priced suit. But chances are, my cute little hardside, herringbone print rolling bag is going to bump the chair containing his coffee as I walk away. So be prepared.
7. Bring a newborn infant on the plane with you and whatever you do, make sure that the baby gets a good long nap just before boarding so that it can remain awake throughout the flight. If you could also make sure that it is VERY hungry when you board and fail to bring along the correct formula or just refuse to feed the baby during the trip, that'd be great..... Thanks s'much.
Consequences.... I'm programming the number for CPS in my cell phone as I type this.
6. Come running on the airplane last just before they close the doors and have two carry-on's. One that needs to go in an overhead bin is a must. Also, if you could be wearing a business suit so that you need to take the jacket off and place it in an overhead bin very neatly after making sure that you get perfect creases in just the right spots, that'd be great..... Take your time! The plane can't leave while you're standing up anyway. So you stand there as long as you like looking for a place to put all of your stuff. Call a couple of flight attendants over. Depending on the fit of your suit they'll be sure and move my carry-on back a few rows behind me so that you can get yours right where you want it.
Consequences for this one can be found following Step #10.
5. Once you are on the airplane, immediately pull your cell phone out and push a button to start talking. Then talk in your loudest possible voice as though you are using a tin can and a piece of string to communicate with someone in China. Be sure and talk with authority and about large sums of money so that everyone on the plane knows exactly how important you are.
No major consequences here unless you were hoping to go out with any woman on the plane. They won't be able to go out with you because they can't stop rolling their eyes long enough to make eye contact with you when you approach them.
4. If you are seated in a window seat, take a laxative just before boarding the plane so that you will be forced to get up and make everyone else in your row get up the maximum number of times while you go back and forth to the lavatory. Make sure that the final time you force everyone up is just after the captain has turned on the fasten your seatbelt sign and announced that we are making our final approach.
You may or may not be able to get back into your seat that final time. Perhaps the plane will just go ahead and land while you get thrown around in the lavatory. Worst case scenario, maybe you become famous because the plane must circle the airport again and make another approach while we wait for a group of angry passengers to tackle you and drag you back to your seat and buckle you in.
3. If you are seated in the middle of the row, look around you at the passengers on either side. Are they wearing ear buds and seemingly engrossed in a book? If so, EXCELLENT! This is a sign that they want to spend the next few hours of their life learning all about your business as a fertilizer salesman. Start talking to the one who looks the least interested very loudly so that they can be sure and hear you over whatever they are listening to on those ear buds. Take my word for it, they'll appreciate it.
There are really no consequences for this action anymore since the TSA took knives and box cutters out of the equation a number of years ago. So knock yourselves out!
2. It doesn't matter where you are seated for this one. As soon as you are seated, pull out your personal electronic device that you brought along for the journey and turn it on. Turn the volume up and DO NOT insert ear buds. Chances are, everyone around you WANTS to listen to the movie or music that you brought along for entertainment. Hey you're performing a service and don't you forget it! Oh! I almost forgot.... when something good happens in your movie laugh really loudly and comment on it to all the other people around. They LOVE that!
You might find out that your compact DVD player can actually become much more compact than you ever expected. In fact, it might fit into an orifice of your body that you never anticipated when all is said and done.
1. When you get off of the plane, be sure to have everyone you have ever met, wives, husbands, life partners, children, distant cousins, everyone, meet you in baggage claim. Then shove your way up to the carousel bringing all your family and friends with you to take up all the space so that no one else from your flight can get to the area. Stack all of your carry-on's around you to act as further protection for the baggage claim area. You must guard it at all costs and keep all other passengers from being able to approach it. Stand and chat with your family and friends as the baggage goes around the carousel several times not paying attention to whether or not your luggage is going around. Your goal here is simply to block everyone else from getting their checked luggage and exiting the airport. Do whatever it takes. This is your final chance to piss people off and you have to take advantage of it. After 10 minutes of this, say very loudly to the people with you, "has anyone seen my bag yet?" When they all respond negatively, describe the single suitcase that the 15 people have arrived to help you collect. It will be the brown and white polk-a-dot one that has gone around the carousel 5 times in the last 10 minutes.
The consequence for this action could be pretty ugly depending on what else your fellow travelers have endured before, during and after their flights. All I'm saying is before you start across the cross walk as you exit the terminal, look both ways....
My regular travel buddy is in Puerto Rico right now with her nephew Geoff. She took him for graduation. Isn't that nice? I wish she was my aunt. Or I wish I was my aunt..... but I digress. This is not what we are talking about today. Yesterday she texted me from the airplane at 1:30. They were supposed to have taken off at 1:05 PM. (I know this because I am their travel agent and am currently looking at the booking.) I'm not sure what time they got on the plane, but they were apparently still sitting on the tarmac 25 minutes after they were scheduled to take off and she said it was hot and the people behind her were annoying..... Okay, that's not really what she said. Here's an exact quote: "Ugh still sitting on the plane. Hot!!!! You would kill the people behind me. He is obnoxious and they are playing music... Heard of ear buds?? Yikes. But.... Still on vacation!" Apparently, immediately after sending me this text they were told to put electronic devices away because I texted her several times immediately after getting the text and never got a response.
I was struck by several things from the text. One was that she assumed I was the one who would turn homicidal on an airplane. Do I really fly off the handle so easily that my friends assume I would stand up on a plane full of people and commit murder? I find that hard to believe since just yesterday in my personal blog, I stated that I was unable to kill a tarantula in my garage because it was big and would have made a mess. Therefore, I could never kill a human because they are even bigger and would leave an even larger mess! I mean, this isn't rocket science.... humans bleed.... a lot! And I can't even watch a movie where people get shot because of the blood and guts that you see. How could I possibly create that mess myself. But again.... I digress!
Another thing that struck me about the text was that she still had her positive "I'm on vacation attitude" that can remain in place through a lot. That's good. You need that attitude at the beginning of a vacation that involves flight because most people are really rude and stupid.
The last thing that struck me about her text and my topic for today is this.... How can members of our society be so self absorbed that they fail to recognize that there are other people around them and although in their tiny little minds they are the lead actor in this little movie called My Life, none of the rest of us purchased a ticket for the movie and we sure as hell don't want to watch it? So, because of this, I decided to make my blog today about the top 10 things that people do on planes (and in airports) that really piss people off and what might happen to you if you do them around just the right people. I think the one that Jenny brought up, listening to a personal electronic device of any kind without ear buds will probably fall pretty close to the top of the list but it is definitely NOT number 1. There could never be a question about number 1. So without further ado, I present you with HOW TO PISS OFF A PLANE FULL OF PEOPLE IN 10 EASY STEPS....
10. Be one of the first people on the airplane and make sure that your seat is in the very back, but place your big bulky carry-on luggage that probably doesn't even fit within the size restrictions in the overhead compartment directly above my seat (20 rows in front of you) filling it up so that I can't use it and have to put mine 4 rows back making it impossible for me to disembark when the plane lands.
The consequences of this action can vary depending on my mood. Either I can tell the people behind me to go ahead of me because I can't get to my carry-on which is 4 rows behind me, OR I make eye contact with a tall person in the row that my carry-on is above and ask them politely to please hand me that cute hardside, herringbone print, rolling bag above them, OR I rudely scale 4 rows of seats standing on the backs of them while holding onto the overhead compartment and pull my bag free possibly hitting an innocent bystander in the head.
That last possibility is optimal since it would succeed in pissing the most people off and after all the name of the game is pissing off a plane full of people. But again, that would depend on your mood and also whether or not you have chosen to wear a skirt on this flight.
9. As soon as the person announcing the boarding procedures picks up the mic to talk, regardless of where you are sitting, which boarding group you are in or anything else, immediately stand up and rush toward her crowding out all the priority boarding passengers and people who are supposed to board before you. Then stack your oversized carry-on's in the floor all around you to further block things off and sneer at the first class passengers and handicapped people as they walk and wheel themselves around your big bulky ass.
The only major consequence of this action for you might be that as some of the healthier people make their way around you, they might "bump" into you inadvertently or possibly knock one of your bags over causing a person in a wheel chair to maybe run over it. But those are small prices to pay in insuring that it continues to be all about you.
8. As soon as you arrive at the airport, go get the biggest cup of coffee you can find then make your way to the boarding area. Once there, put your oversized carry-on (that probably contains illegal substances) in one chair, pull your laptop out of another carry-on bag and place that bag in a chair on the other side of you, then balance your coffee precariously in a third chair, whip out your cell phone and start working in your brand new private office as you stretch your legs across the aisle to prop them up on another chair. The coffee is important in this scenario because it acts as an alarm for the idiot in the business suit on his cell phone who is taking up roughly 10% of all the seating area available to passengers arriving for the flight. If the cup moves at all, he knows that someone is getting too close to his personal office and he is actually ballsy enough to stop talking on the phone and typing on his laptop for just a second and whisper to you.... "Watch it, don't spill the coffee...." before going back to his phone conversation.
If he is really hot and not wearing a wedding band he could survive this without any coffee dripping off of his high priced suit. But chances are, my cute little hardside, herringbone print rolling bag is going to bump the chair containing his coffee as I walk away. So be prepared.
7. Bring a newborn infant on the plane with you and whatever you do, make sure that the baby gets a good long nap just before boarding so that it can remain awake throughout the flight. If you could also make sure that it is VERY hungry when you board and fail to bring along the correct formula or just refuse to feed the baby during the trip, that'd be great..... Thanks s'much.
Consequences.... I'm programming the number for CPS in my cell phone as I type this.
6. Come running on the airplane last just before they close the doors and have two carry-on's. One that needs to go in an overhead bin is a must. Also, if you could be wearing a business suit so that you need to take the jacket off and place it in an overhead bin very neatly after making sure that you get perfect creases in just the right spots, that'd be great..... Take your time! The plane can't leave while you're standing up anyway. So you stand there as long as you like looking for a place to put all of your stuff. Call a couple of flight attendants over. Depending on the fit of your suit they'll be sure and move my carry-on back a few rows behind me so that you can get yours right where you want it.
Consequences for this one can be found following Step #10.
5. Once you are on the airplane, immediately pull your cell phone out and push a button to start talking. Then talk in your loudest possible voice as though you are using a tin can and a piece of string to communicate with someone in China. Be sure and talk with authority and about large sums of money so that everyone on the plane knows exactly how important you are.
No major consequences here unless you were hoping to go out with any woman on the plane. They won't be able to go out with you because they can't stop rolling their eyes long enough to make eye contact with you when you approach them.
4. If you are seated in a window seat, take a laxative just before boarding the plane so that you will be forced to get up and make everyone else in your row get up the maximum number of times while you go back and forth to the lavatory. Make sure that the final time you force everyone up is just after the captain has turned on the fasten your seatbelt sign and announced that we are making our final approach.
You may or may not be able to get back into your seat that final time. Perhaps the plane will just go ahead and land while you get thrown around in the lavatory. Worst case scenario, maybe you become famous because the plane must circle the airport again and make another approach while we wait for a group of angry passengers to tackle you and drag you back to your seat and buckle you in.
3. If you are seated in the middle of the row, look around you at the passengers on either side. Are they wearing ear buds and seemingly engrossed in a book? If so, EXCELLENT! This is a sign that they want to spend the next few hours of their life learning all about your business as a fertilizer salesman. Start talking to the one who looks the least interested very loudly so that they can be sure and hear you over whatever they are listening to on those ear buds. Take my word for it, they'll appreciate it.
There are really no consequences for this action anymore since the TSA took knives and box cutters out of the equation a number of years ago. So knock yourselves out!
2. It doesn't matter where you are seated for this one. As soon as you are seated, pull out your personal electronic device that you brought along for the journey and turn it on. Turn the volume up and DO NOT insert ear buds. Chances are, everyone around you WANTS to listen to the movie or music that you brought along for entertainment. Hey you're performing a service and don't you forget it! Oh! I almost forgot.... when something good happens in your movie laugh really loudly and comment on it to all the other people around. They LOVE that!
You might find out that your compact DVD player can actually become much more compact than you ever expected. In fact, it might fit into an orifice of your body that you never anticipated when all is said and done.
1. When you get off of the plane, be sure to have everyone you have ever met, wives, husbands, life partners, children, distant cousins, everyone, meet you in baggage claim. Then shove your way up to the carousel bringing all your family and friends with you to take up all the space so that no one else from your flight can get to the area. Stack all of your carry-on's around you to act as further protection for the baggage claim area. You must guard it at all costs and keep all other passengers from being able to approach it. Stand and chat with your family and friends as the baggage goes around the carousel several times not paying attention to whether or not your luggage is going around. Your goal here is simply to block everyone else from getting their checked luggage and exiting the airport. Do whatever it takes. This is your final chance to piss people off and you have to take advantage of it. After 10 minutes of this, say very loudly to the people with you, "has anyone seen my bag yet?" When they all respond negatively, describe the single suitcase that the 15 people have arrived to help you collect. It will be the brown and white polk-a-dot one that has gone around the carousel 5 times in the last 10 minutes.
The consequence for this action could be pretty ugly depending on what else your fellow travelers have endured before, during and after their flights. All I'm saying is before you start across the cross walk as you exit the terminal, look both ways....
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Far East Mind Trip - Day 5
After a long and busy day of travel yesterday, today is all about immersing ourselves in Tokyo. We don't have much time to see all that must be seen so we head straight to the train station in Narita to begin our hour long train trip into the city. During the trip we breakfast on power bars and coffee while reviewing our guide books and discussing all the things we have to pack into our day. Tokyo in only 3 full days is not for the faint of heart. But we have a strategy.
Our first stop today is at the Hama Rikya Garden where we will board a boat for a Sumida River boat tour. We're boarding the boat at the mouth of the river and sailing upstream as far as Asakusa where we will disembark and spend time. For several hundred yen we were told that we could rent ear pieces to listen to translations of what the Japanese tour guide is telling the other passengers. But after reading reviews, we found that it is only descriptions of the 13 bridges that we are passing under and the Tokyo skyline which we can see for ourselves. So we have decided to save the money for later in the day. The boat ride takes about 1.5 hours and is a nice way to get to Asakusa while photographing the Tokyo skyline from the water.
The bridges that we pass under vary in architecture and size but they are all impressive. In all the trip is well worth the $9 we paid for passage. The views of the Tokyo Sky Tree from the water are magnificent. It's a great opportunity to fill a memory card. But be sure if you go to get a window seat near the front. The boats that you might cruise on vary also. Most are enclosed but many have glass roofs to allow photo taking. Also obviously, we are in Japan at the wrong time of year. The time to take this boat trip is in May when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom or during Sakura. Below are some pictures taken from the cruises with the final one being during Sakura. It is breathtaking!
The boats vary from old boats that resemble an American river boat to this crazy looking thing to the left that looks like Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea should be at the helm. But all of the boats are intent on the same thing giving the passengers unbelievable views from the water like the one below during Sakura with the Sky Tree in the background.
Once we reach our destination, we disembark and follow the crowds through the markets toward the Sensoji Temple. The temple is one of the top tourist attractions in Tokyo but it will take us a while to get there since we are going through an old world market and that means shopping time! The reviews on Trip Advisor say that there are multitudes of great shops here. But the ones that interest me the most are the ice cream shop and the any places to buy inexpensive hand crafted Japanese paper products (stationary, cards, postcards, etc.) and of course tea. The guide books say that we will only need one to two hours for this portion of our day. But the reality of it is that Jenny and I can spend several hours just browsing through the market. I'm not one for shopping during a vacation. You'd practically have to drag me into a mall or department store. But an outdoor market like this is a whole new ballgame. You might have to drag me out!
As we finally exit the market with numerous shopping bags in hand, we approach the temple and the crowd begins to thin slightly. The Sensoji Temple is the oldest temple in Tokyo. The first temple was built on the sight in 645. It was destroyed by bombs during WWII and rebuilt afterward. It now represents peace and rebirth to the Japanese people. To the right you can see the temple gates coming from the market. After a few hours spent wondering through the market and another hour spent walking around the temple taking photos and just absorbing, we decide to move on
with our day but come back after sunset so that we can take a few night photos of the beautiful temple. The photo below was one that I found while looking for images taken at Sensoji Temple. I was intrigued by it and tried to look up more information. My query took me to the photographers blog. I looked for more information on the posting of prayer blocks in Japan and haven't had time to research it. But I found it interesting.
Our final stop of the day before heading back over the Sensoji Temple for night photos will be Shimbashi Endujo for a Kabuki theater experience. Before reading the reviews on Trip Advisor I would have told you that I wouldn't want to spend 3 or 4 hours of my few days in Tokyo sitting in a dark theater for any reason. But now, I'm not so sure. I mean seriously, how many chances am I going to get to see Kabuki in Japan? Right?!!????! So, we'll stand in line and purchase tickets paying a little extra for an ear piece that will give us an English narrative of what is going on. Tickets are available on line. But on the advise of TA reviewers we have decided to get our tickets at the box office. The experience can take as much as 4.5 hours. So at times they offer options of buying a ticket for just a single act or two. You can even decide which act you want to go in for. Apparently most of the action occurs in the final act so it is the best time to be there. Another interesting piece of advise from TA is that you can buy hot food to take in with you. But they warn to be sure and bring your own chop sticks. I'm not sure if it is because they do not supply you with chop sticks or because you wouldn't want to use what they offer. But be advised. We read the TA reviews before making the trip, so we are well supplied with chop sticks in our backpacks. Also the theater contains small coin operated lockers so that you can stow your backpack while enjoying your show. This sounds like it might be a nice place to rest, be entertained and enjoy a meal all at the same time.
Upon leaving Shimbashi Endujo after being sufficiently entertained and filling our bellies, we head back over to the temple where we get our lovely night time photos and then head to the train station to make our way back out to the suburbs for some much needed sleep. Tomorrow is going to be another day packed full of Eastern adventure. So, get a good nights rest!
Our first stop today is at the Hama Rikya Garden where we will board a boat for a Sumida River boat tour. We're boarding the boat at the mouth of the river and sailing upstream as far as Asakusa where we will disembark and spend time. For several hundred yen we were told that we could rent ear pieces to listen to translations of what the Japanese tour guide is telling the other passengers. But after reading reviews, we found that it is only descriptions of the 13 bridges that we are passing under and the Tokyo skyline which we can see for ourselves. So we have decided to save the money for later in the day. The boat ride takes about 1.5 hours and is a nice way to get to Asakusa while photographing the Tokyo skyline from the water.
The bridges that we pass under vary in architecture and size but they are all impressive. In all the trip is well worth the $9 we paid for passage. The views of the Tokyo Sky Tree from the water are magnificent. It's a great opportunity to fill a memory card. But be sure if you go to get a window seat near the front. The boats that you might cruise on vary also. Most are enclosed but many have glass roofs to allow photo taking. Also obviously, we are in Japan at the wrong time of year. The time to take this boat trip is in May when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom or during Sakura. Below are some pictures taken from the cruises with the final one being during Sakura. It is breathtaking! |
| The Sky Tree from the water |
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| One of the boats you may take your tour on. |
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| People enjoying Sakura on the river. |
Once we reach our destination, we disembark and follow the crowds through the markets toward the Sensoji Temple. The temple is one of the top tourist attractions in Tokyo but it will take us a while to get there since we are going through an old world market and that means shopping time! The reviews on Trip Advisor say that there are multitudes of great shops here. But the ones that interest me the most are the ice cream shop and the any places to buy inexpensive hand crafted Japanese paper products (stationary, cards, postcards, etc.) and of course tea. The guide books say that we will only need one to two hours for this portion of our day. But the reality of it is that Jenny and I can spend several hours just browsing through the market. I'm not one for shopping during a vacation. You'd practically have to drag me into a mall or department store. But an outdoor market like this is a whole new ballgame. You might have to drag me out!
As we finally exit the market with numerous shopping bags in hand, we approach the temple and the crowd begins to thin slightly. The Sensoji Temple is the oldest temple in Tokyo. The first temple was built on the sight in 645. It was destroyed by bombs during WWII and rebuilt afterward. It now represents peace and rebirth to the Japanese people. To the right you can see the temple gates coming from the market. After a few hours spent wondering through the market and another hour spent walking around the temple taking photos and just absorbing, we decide to move on
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| A photo of prayer blocks at Sensoji Temple taken by Anderwaimet and posted on his blog http://temporarilylost.com |
Upon leaving Shimbashi Endujo after being sufficiently entertained and filling our bellies, we head back over to the temple where we get our lovely night time photos and then head to the train station to make our way back out to the suburbs for some much needed sleep. Tomorrow is going to be another day packed full of Eastern adventure. So, get a good nights rest!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Far East Mind Trip - Day Four Delayed!
For those of you who were on the mind trip early last week, sorry I didn't post Thursday and Friday. I was a little under the weather. But today, all is well again so we are back on our mind trip. Today we fly to Tokyo. We'll board our flight at 7:30 AM and then change planes in Shanghai before getting to Tokyo at 3:55 PM. Once we've gotten through customs and checked into our hotel, there isn't a lot of time left for sight seeing today. There is good news and bad news on our hotel in the Tokyo area. It is located 2 miles from the airport in Narita.... that's the good news. The bad news is that Narita is an hours train ride from Tokyo. A free shuttle will take us to our hotel which is the Crowne Plaza Ana Narita. But to get to Tokyo each day, we'll need a train pass. The starting price for our train pass is 15,000 yen (sounds scary, right?). That's about $155 US dollars (not so bad in dollars). That will get us a 4 day pass which is all we'll need.
So, tonight after arriving at our hotel, we've decided to just leave the hotel for a few minutes before having a relaxing dinner in one the nice restaurants on sight. Our one little "excursion" for the afternoon will be to a local park for a short walk around the koi pond and temple. We're headed to Naritasan Park which houses a temple which was established in 940 AD to commemorate the victory of forces who were sent to suppress a revolt. The park grew up around the temple. The main hall now serves as a calligraphy classroom.
Thank goodness we were told to wear comfortable shoes on our "short visit" to Naritasan because it turns out that there are lots of trails to hike and the deeper you get into the streams and brooks the more there is to see. Although we thought we would only be here for an hour or so, we couldn't tear ourselves away. So we end up spending several hours walking around enjoying the scenery and get a little exercise in after our long day of travel as a result. Thank goodness it isn't cherry blossom time or we never would have made it back to the hotel!
Once back at the hotel we freshen up a little since we have spent the last few hours hiking around a park in the middle of the very humid Japanese summer. But then we hop on the elevator and head up to The Saifu Bar and Lounge located on the top floor of our hotel which offers the best in sashimi and tempura as you enjoy the view of the city and watch planes taking off and landing. If there's time we might even make our way to the spa for a massage to help relax us further following a long day of travel. Who knew we would have to spend such a long day traveling once we were already on this side of the world?
Before ending he day here are a few more photos of Naritasan Park and Temple. Tomorrow we'll be heading into Tokyo! I can't wait to see it for the first time!!!!
Have a great Monday!
So, tonight after arriving at our hotel, we've decided to just leave the hotel for a few minutes before having a relaxing dinner in one the nice restaurants on sight. Our one little "excursion" for the afternoon will be to a local park for a short walk around the koi pond and temple. We're headed to Naritasan Park which houses a temple which was established in 940 AD to commemorate the victory of forces who were sent to suppress a revolt. The park grew up around the temple. The main hall now serves as a calligraphy classroom.
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| The pond is full of huge koi. I LOVE koi! |
Once back at the hotel we freshen up a little since we have spent the last few hours hiking around a park in the middle of the very humid Japanese summer. But then we hop on the elevator and head up to The Saifu Bar and Lounge located on the top floor of our hotel which offers the best in sashimi and tempura as you enjoy the view of the city and watch planes taking off and landing. If there's time we might even make our way to the spa for a massage to help relax us further following a long day of travel. Who knew we would have to spend such a long day traveling once we were already on this side of the world?
Before ending he day here are a few more photos of Naritasan Park and Temple. Tomorrow we'll be heading into Tokyo! I can't wait to see it for the first time!!!!
Have a great Monday!
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Far East Mind Trip - Day 3
Even on a mind trip there can be bad weather days. So, what do you do if the weather is bad but you don't want to waste a single minute of your trip to the far East. I personally welcome a day of rain for visiting gardens. After all, gardens are at their most beautiful during a nice spring shower, right? So, with today's forecast of 80% chance of rain in Hong Kong and a forecasted high of 93 degrees, it's kind of a perfect day to pull out the Sloggers, dress in clothes that dry quickly covered by a light rain jacket and enjoy the Nan Lian Garden.
Nan Lian Garden is ranked #3 of the 356 listed Hong Kong attractions on Trip Advisor. It's called an oasis in the middle of the bustling city of Hong Kong and you can see in every picture of the gardens that it is exactly that. It is a beautiful escape surrounded by sky scrapers. And with the overcast conditions, it is perfect for taking amazing photos. There is no fee to enter and enjoy the garden. Also located on the grounds are a souvenir shop, a vegetarian restaurant and several rest areas. The vegetarian restaurant is said to be very good and the atmosphere is wonderful with it's location behind a waterfall in the garden. One reviewer on Trip Advisor said that while they were there, there was a rainbow in front of the waterfall that seemed to follow them around as they moved.
Adjacent to the Nan Lian Garden is the Chi Lin Nunnery which is listed as the #5 attraction in Hong Kong. It is a Buddhist place of worship so taking photos is prohibited once inside the nunnery. But it doesn't mean you can't take them of the nunnery from the outside. One of the photos below contains a couple of Buddhist monks strolling along at the nunnery. I doubt that the picture should have been taken. But I suppose this is a good representation of what you might encounter during your visit.
After such a relaxing morning we'll be prepared to spend the rest of the day haggling with locals in various markets. The two main markets that we have decided to visit today are the Ladies Market which hosts over 100 stalls over a kilometer stretch and has everything from women's clothing and accessories to home furnishings. We'll spend a few hours just strolling through and watching the vendors and customers in action. Then later in the afternoon, we'll head on over to the Temple Street Night Market. Temple St. is sometimes referred to as Men's Street since it is known for men's fashions. This market does not set up until 2 PM daily and doesn't really start to hop until around dusk. At that time traffic is closed and the place begins to swarm with the curious. It's a great place to buy food from street vendors and so that is what we will be having for dinner tonight. After all, who can resist food on a stick.... even if it's squid....???
And on that note, perhaps it is time to head back to the hotel just in case we caught something from the squid on a stick. Tomorrow will be our final fun filled day in Hong Kong before leaving for Tokyo and we will have a lot to squeeze into the time we have left in this wonderful city. Have a great Wednesday!
Nan Lian Garden is ranked #3 of the 356 listed Hong Kong attractions on Trip Advisor. It's called an oasis in the middle of the bustling city of Hong Kong and you can see in every picture of the gardens that it is exactly that. It is a beautiful escape surrounded by sky scrapers. And with the overcast conditions, it is perfect for taking amazing photos. There is no fee to enter and enjoy the garden. Also located on the grounds are a souvenir shop, a vegetarian restaurant and several rest areas. The vegetarian restaurant is said to be very good and the atmosphere is wonderful with it's location behind a waterfall in the garden. One reviewer on Trip Advisor said that while they were there, there was a rainbow in front of the waterfall that seemed to follow them around as they moved.
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| Vegetarian restaurant |
After such a relaxing morning we'll be prepared to spend the rest of the day haggling with locals in various markets. The two main markets that we have decided to visit today are the Ladies Market which hosts over 100 stalls over a kilometer stretch and has everything from women's clothing and accessories to home furnishings. We'll spend a few hours just strolling through and watching the vendors and customers in action. Then later in the afternoon, we'll head on over to the Temple Street Night Market. Temple St. is sometimes referred to as Men's Street since it is known for men's fashions. This market does not set up until 2 PM daily and doesn't really start to hop until around dusk. At that time traffic is closed and the place begins to swarm with the curious. It's a great place to buy food from street vendors and so that is what we will be having for dinner tonight. After all, who can resist food on a stick.... even if it's squid....???
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Mind Trip to the Far East - Day Two
After another early night we are finally recovered from our flight over from the US which is a good thing because we have a full day ahead of us on our second full day in Hong Kong. We are going to start the day with a trip to Lantau Island for a day at Ngong Ping 360. We'll take the S1 bus from our hotel to the Tung Chung Bus Terminus which is directly adjacent to the Ngong Ping Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal. The bus ride will only take about 10 minutes.
Once we arrive at the cable car terminal, we'll make our way up to the window to purchase our tickets which we reserved on line thanks to the advise of the friendly and helpful people on Trip Advisor. Apparently, although they do not require payment on line, making the reservation on line helps you to avoid a long wait (which can be up to 2 hours according to some reviews) once you arrive. We've decided to purchase the 360 Sky-Land-Sea Day Pass for about $33 US. We're doing the one with the Standard Cabin cable car ride on the way over and the Crystal Cabin cable car ride on the way back. In addition to the roundtrip cable car ride, it includes unlimited NLB bus rides and a Tai O Boat excursion.
Reviewing the NP360 website, we have decided to use one of their suggested itineraries for the day. So once we arrive at the Ngong Ping Cable Car terminal we will take a walk through Ngong Ping Village. This will take about an hour and allows time for photo taking and a little shopping if we pass by something interesting. We'll also have time to enjoy the "Walking with Buddha" and "Monkey's Tail Theater" shows before stopping at one of the many cafes for a leisurely lunch. Going through the website one of stops that stuck out for me was the Li-nong Tea House. So I know that I will be stopping there for tea. Yesterday after I finished writing about the first day, my travel buddy, Jenny told me she was on board for this trip. Since she and I both have a great love for tea, the tea house will be a must for us. So, I am not sure if we will have tea directly after lunch or after we have visited the Buddha. But tea will be had.
The next item on our list of things to do today while enjoying the NP360 experience is visiting Lantau Island including Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery. This is where we take our cable car ride. We'll be in a standard cable car on the ride over and the views of the Buddha from the air are magnificent. Once we arrive, we can walk up the 268 steps to the base of the Buddha (which is incidentally the largest outdoor sitting bronze Buddha in the world) and witness the fantastic 360 degree views of Lantau and the South China Sea. Work on the Tian Tan Buddha only began in 1976 and was completed in 1993. So this is a fairly new religious monument. It is located directly next to the Po Lin Monastery which we will visit next. While at Po Lin you are welcome to enjoy the vegetarian delicacies and aromatic tea to refresh your body, mind and soul before heading out on one of the hiking trails. The itinerary suggests that this portion of our day will only take an hour. But I know me and Jenny and I have a feeling we will be spending several hours around the Buddha and monastery.
But once we have completed that part of the day and take the crystal cable car back to Ngong Ping the balance of our day will be spent at Tai O. Our tickets include the bus ride from the Ngong Ping bus station to Tai O and we've bought the package that includes a boat excursion around Tai O which is a fishing village. So this ought to be a lot of fun. At Tai O we can spend the rest of the day shopping in markets, just walking around and seeing the day to day life of residents who live on the water or hiring a boat to take us out to see the pink dolphins. The website suggests that we allow three hours for this portion of the day. So, it sounds like there is plenty to do. There are several temples to tour in Tai O and from the looks of things we'll be able to use up a memory card or two before the day is over. Jenny doesn't know it yet, but we're having an adventurous authentic Chinese seafood meal for dinner in Tai O. Hey! If you want to come along with me on my mind trip, these are some of the things you have to deal with.
After visiting Tai O, we'll make our way back to the hotel on the bus. It has been a very long day and tomorrow will be just as busy. Have a great Tuesday wherever you are spending it! Tomorrow will be another fascinating day in Hong Kong.
Once we arrive at the cable car terminal, we'll make our way up to the window to purchase our tickets which we reserved on line thanks to the advise of the friendly and helpful people on Trip Advisor. Apparently, although they do not require payment on line, making the reservation on line helps you to avoid a long wait (which can be up to 2 hours according to some reviews) once you arrive. We've decided to purchase the 360 Sky-Land-Sea Day Pass for about $33 US. We're doing the one with the Standard Cabin cable car ride on the way over and the Crystal Cabin cable car ride on the way back. In addition to the roundtrip cable car ride, it includes unlimited NLB bus rides and a Tai O Boat excursion.
Reviewing the NP360 website, we have decided to use one of their suggested itineraries for the day. So once we arrive at the Ngong Ping Cable Car terminal we will take a walk through Ngong Ping Village. This will take about an hour and allows time for photo taking and a little shopping if we pass by something interesting. We'll also have time to enjoy the "Walking with Buddha" and "Monkey's Tail Theater" shows before stopping at one of the many cafes for a leisurely lunch. Going through the website one of stops that stuck out for me was the Li-nong Tea House. So I know that I will be stopping there for tea. Yesterday after I finished writing about the first day, my travel buddy, Jenny told me she was on board for this trip. Since she and I both have a great love for tea, the tea house will be a must for us. So, I am not sure if we will have tea directly after lunch or after we have visited the Buddha. But tea will be had.
The next item on our list of things to do today while enjoying the NP360 experience is visiting Lantau Island including Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery. This is where we take our cable car ride. We'll be in a standard cable car on the ride over and the views of the Buddha from the air are magnificent. Once we arrive, we can walk up the 268 steps to the base of the Buddha (which is incidentally the largest outdoor sitting bronze Buddha in the world) and witness the fantastic 360 degree views of Lantau and the South China Sea. Work on the Tian Tan Buddha only began in 1976 and was completed in 1993. So this is a fairly new religious monument. It is located directly next to the Po Lin Monastery which we will visit next. While at Po Lin you are welcome to enjoy the vegetarian delicacies and aromatic tea to refresh your body, mind and soul before heading out on one of the hiking trails. The itinerary suggests that this portion of our day will only take an hour. But I know me and Jenny and I have a feeling we will be spending several hours around the Buddha and monastery. 
But once we have completed that part of the day and take the crystal cable car back to Ngong Ping the balance of our day will be spent at Tai O. Our tickets include the bus ride from the Ngong Ping bus station to Tai O and we've bought the package that includes a boat excursion around Tai O which is a fishing village. So this ought to be a lot of fun. At Tai O we can spend the rest of the day shopping in markets, just walking around and seeing the day to day life of residents who live on the water or hiring a boat to take us out to see the pink dolphins. The website suggests that we allow three hours for this portion of the day. So, it sounds like there is plenty to do. There are several temples to tour in Tai O and from the looks of things we'll be able to use up a memory card or two before the day is over. Jenny doesn't know it yet, but we're having an adventurous authentic Chinese seafood meal for dinner in Tai O. Hey! If you want to come along with me on my mind trip, these are some of the things you have to deal with.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Mind Trip to the Far East - Day One
It's been a while since we've done a mind trip. So, I'd say it's past due. Today I think I'd like to travel in my imagination to the far east. After all, I've never been. I may not ever get to go. But that doesn't stop me from being interested in going.
I've scheduled the departing flight on United leaving DFW at 7:50 AM on July 6th with a stop over in San Francisco before heading on to Hong Kong. We have 33 days to get ready for this trip should we decide to make it reality. We're going to do a two city trip this time. We'll spend the first half of the trip in Hong Kong before flying on to Tokyo for the balance of the trip. After lunch in the San Francisco airport, we'll hop on our next flight which will land in Hong Kong at 6:15 PM the next day. Once in Hong Kong we'll be staying at the Harbor Plaza North Point which is a 4 star hotel on Hong Kong island. After that exhausting trip and since we are arriving in the evening, we'll just have dinner in the hotel and then make it an early night so that we will be bright and fresh for a long day of sight seeing tomorrow. The Greens Cafe in the hotel offers a small menu of varying dishes. I've decided on Green Curry with Prawns for $21 US. After dinner, I'll be turning in early to recover from that trip.
On the first full day in Hong Kong there are many things to do. We'll spend this entire visit in Hong Kong since going over to Mainland China requires a visa which we didn't have time to get before leaving home. Since the day dawned bright and clear we have decided to visit Victoria Peak this morning. It is one of the top attractions of the city but only worth the trip on a clear day. We'll take the Metro from our hotel to Central and then walk to the Tram Station from there. After making our way to the top on the tram we are rewarded with spectacular views of the city from the highest peak on the island.
Our mode of transportation to the top was a tram which you can see in the photo to the right. At the top there is a shopping center where several restaurants are located. Or you can choose to have a meal at the Peak Lookout Restaurant which is housed in an old building from 1901 which originally housed workers working on the tram. Since 1947 it has been a restaurant. We won't be eating up here today since we are just starting our day and had breakfast in our hotel.
After spending a few hours on The Peak, we'll make our way back down the mountain on the tram and head straight to Aberdeen Harbor where we'll board a Sampan boat to see the harbor. There is a free ferry that you can take to the Jumbo which is a floating restaurant and the main attraction these days. According to many reviewers on Trip Advisor, the boats are fewer and fewer each year as the younger generation doesn't want to work so hard fishing as previous generations did. If you don't have lunch at the Jumbo you only need an hour or two for this part of our day. We'll hop off the sampan and have lunch on dry land after the tour.
So, after traveling all the way to China, why not have lunch at McDonald's, right? Well, it's a little more upscale. We'll be eating at McCafe. But it is truly McDonald's. The thing is that it is convenient to our next stop which is the Star Ferry. It is cheap and we'll have plenty of opportunities to dine at nice Chinese restaurants for dinner. Plus they take the Octopus Card which we got first thing this morning. The Octopus Card is sort of like a TollTag for those of you from Texas. It pays for your transportation around the city and can be used at numerous restaurants and you can reload it at 1000's of locations around the city. After our Big Mac, we'll hop on the Star Ferry for a harbor tour which we'll pay for using the Octopus Card. We've decided to buy a day pass for the Star Ferry so that we can hop on and off and see city from the water at night. A day pass costs about $28 USD and will allow us to go anywhere the ferry goes. The harbor tour which we are starting out with will take us near the Kowloon peninsula, it will stop at Tsim Sha Tsui it stops at Central and again at Wan Chai giving us terrific views of the city along the way.
Since we got the day pass, we can disembark at any of these stops and see the sights in the area then get back on to go to the next stop. It's sort of like a Hop On Hop Off bus on water and with locals. National Geographic has named it one of the 50 places to visit during a lifetime. With a recommendation like that, you can't go wrong with the Star Ferry. We'll spend the rest of our day stopping at each of the locations and visiting markets in those areas. At the Tsim Sha Tsui stop we'll dine at the Jade Garden Chinese Restaurant for some authentic Chinese food. It is frequented by locals and gets some pretty good reviews. Plus the views of the harbor are fabulous.
After disembarking the Star Ferry following our night time trip to see the skyline after dark, we'll head back to the hotel for the evening. It's been a long busy day and tomorrow will be just as busy. So we'll make it an early night. Have a nice Monday afternoon and we'll see some more sights around Hong Kong tomorrow.
I've scheduled the departing flight on United leaving DFW at 7:50 AM on July 6th with a stop over in San Francisco before heading on to Hong Kong. We have 33 days to get ready for this trip should we decide to make it reality. We're going to do a two city trip this time. We'll spend the first half of the trip in Hong Kong before flying on to Tokyo for the balance of the trip. After lunch in the San Francisco airport, we'll hop on our next flight which will land in Hong Kong at 6:15 PM the next day. Once in Hong Kong we'll be staying at the Harbor Plaza North Point which is a 4 star hotel on Hong Kong island. After that exhausting trip and since we are arriving in the evening, we'll just have dinner in the hotel and then make it an early night so that we will be bright and fresh for a long day of sight seeing tomorrow. The Greens Cafe in the hotel offers a small menu of varying dishes. I've decided on Green Curry with Prawns for $21 US. After dinner, I'll be turning in early to recover from that trip.
On the first full day in Hong Kong there are many things to do. We'll spend this entire visit in Hong Kong since going over to Mainland China requires a visa which we didn't have time to get before leaving home. Since the day dawned bright and clear we have decided to visit Victoria Peak this morning. It is one of the top attractions of the city but only worth the trip on a clear day. We'll take the Metro from our hotel to Central and then walk to the Tram Station from there. After making our way to the top on the tram we are rewarded with spectacular views of the city from the highest peak on the island.
Our mode of transportation to the top was a tram which you can see in the photo to the right. At the top there is a shopping center where several restaurants are located. Or you can choose to have a meal at the Peak Lookout Restaurant which is housed in an old building from 1901 which originally housed workers working on the tram. Since 1947 it has been a restaurant. We won't be eating up here today since we are just starting our day and had breakfast in our hotel.
After spending a few hours on The Peak, we'll make our way back down the mountain on the tram and head straight to Aberdeen Harbor where we'll board a Sampan boat to see the harbor. There is a free ferry that you can take to the Jumbo which is a floating restaurant and the main attraction these days. According to many reviewers on Trip Advisor, the boats are fewer and fewer each year as the younger generation doesn't want to work so hard fishing as previous generations did. If you don't have lunch at the Jumbo you only need an hour or two for this part of our day. We'll hop off the sampan and have lunch on dry land after the tour.
So, after traveling all the way to China, why not have lunch at McDonald's, right? Well, it's a little more upscale. We'll be eating at McCafe. But it is truly McDonald's. The thing is that it is convenient to our next stop which is the Star Ferry. It is cheap and we'll have plenty of opportunities to dine at nice Chinese restaurants for dinner. Plus they take the Octopus Card which we got first thing this morning. The Octopus Card is sort of like a TollTag for those of you from Texas. It pays for your transportation around the city and can be used at numerous restaurants and you can reload it at 1000's of locations around the city. After our Big Mac, we'll hop on the Star Ferry for a harbor tour which we'll pay for using the Octopus Card. We've decided to buy a day pass for the Star Ferry so that we can hop on and off and see city from the water at night. A day pass costs about $28 USD and will allow us to go anywhere the ferry goes. The harbor tour which we are starting out with will take us near the Kowloon peninsula, it will stop at Tsim Sha Tsui it stops at Central and again at Wan Chai giving us terrific views of the city along the way.
Since we got the day pass, we can disembark at any of these stops and see the sights in the area then get back on to go to the next stop. It's sort of like a Hop On Hop Off bus on water and with locals. National Geographic has named it one of the 50 places to visit during a lifetime. With a recommendation like that, you can't go wrong with the Star Ferry. We'll spend the rest of our day stopping at each of the locations and visiting markets in those areas. At the Tsim Sha Tsui stop we'll dine at the Jade Garden Chinese Restaurant for some authentic Chinese food. It is frequented by locals and gets some pretty good reviews. Plus the views of the harbor are fabulous.
After disembarking the Star Ferry following our night time trip to see the skyline after dark, we'll head back to the hotel for the evening. It's been a long busy day and tomorrow will be just as busy. So we'll make it an early night. Have a nice Monday afternoon and we'll see some more sights around Hong Kong tomorrow.
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