Thoughts on Vacation (2015)

Trivia

Miles traveled             4,265

MPG (trip)                  28.4

# states visited             14
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida (for dinner), Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island

# state capitals             7
(in the order first visited/driven through): Baton Rouge, Montgomery, Atlanta, Richmond, Providence, Dover, Columbia

Shore light

There is something about the air and light near the shore. Artists have known this for years, which is why there are so many seascapes. To me, I feel like I can tell that I am getting close to the shore just by the nature of the light – along with the vegetation. Certainly the American Impressionists (Childe Hassam, John Henry Twachtman, J. Alden Weir, Mary Cassat) knew this. It is why (in my opinion) so many of their paintings are from the shore. To me, it feels like they have been able to capture the light and feel of the shore.

For me, approaching the shore, feels like coming home.

Beaches

I love the beach. Always have. The part of this trip which was not about family and reunion was about the beach. (And one part was both family and beach.) On this trip I had the opportunity to visit a number of beaches and beach areas, some of them new.

My trip started with time on the Alabama Gulf coast. A couple of years ago, I discovered the joy of the Gulf beaches. Facebook friends know that I visited there just before Easter. The sand is soft, the water is warm. What is not to like?

Rhode Island – My family has been visiting the Rhode Island shore for generations.

Great-great grandparents owned property on the beach which was destroyed in the Hurricane of 1938. The family legend has it that the “cottages” stood about where Misquamicut State Park is currently located. I headed to Matunuk Town Beach which is where my mother used to visit when she would spend a month at the shore after her retirement. I remember going to Carpenter’s Beach (about ½ mile away) even as a very young child (and probably before the town beach was developed).

The water is cold!! Probably in the mid 50s. Much to cold to swim, even on a very hot day. It looks like more beach has been lost to the ocean. The boardwalk at the Town Beach is much shorter than the last time I was there, and the pavilion with the rest rooms has been moved inland, again. The sand texture is fairly rough, and there are a large number of smoothly polished small stones/pebbles. One of the summer passtimes at the beach is often collecting “interesting rocks.” One of my sisters had family members collect them one summer and she painted our names on each rock, and then took photos of them for the family calendar (and other crafty uses). It is a beach I know and love.

Connecticut – Truth be told, I did not actually go to the beach. I drove through several beach towns, and ate a meal sitting on the dock in one of them. Like Rhode Island the beaches are rocky, and the water is very cold – even at the end of summer.

Driving through Delaware – I took the Turnpike through New Jersey, and got off the Interstate right after the Delaware River bridge. I headed down DE-1 towards the shore. Delaware sure has a lot of tolls. There was a toll for the bridge, and two tolls along the state highway – which was generally limited access to Lewes and the beginning of the beaches. The road goes through the edge of Dover Air Force Base, and through lots of rolling farm country. It was a pretty drive. At Rehoboth Beach the road turns due south and goes along the shore. It is, in some ways, a typical beach community. Strips with shops specializing in “beach activities” (towels, surf stuff, kites) and seasonal bars and restaurants. Since I was there right after Memorial Day, it did not feel overcrowded – school had not let out for the summer. It reminded me of parts of Cape Cod, in terms of the business communities. There were hotels, and silver-grey, cedar shingled cottages and buildings. I got glimpses of the ware from time to time. There were only a couple of tall hotels/condos. Most of the buildings were no more than 2 – 3 stories tall. [The Delaware Official Transportation Map is physically about the same size as many other state maps. Because Delaware is so small, that means that the scale is about 4 mile per inch. A fair amount of detail is on the map!]

Maryland Eastern Shore/Virginia Eastern Shore – Delaware Highway 1, becomes MD Highway 528 at the border, just below Fenwick Island (DE). I spent the night in Ocean City, and wandered the beach a very little bit after doing the work-related webinar (as scheduled). There is not a lot of length of beach along the highway in Maryland. Just south of Ocean City, the road crosses the bay and goes inland. South of Ocean City are Assateague (in Maryland) and Chincoteague (in Virginia – but they are parts of the same island). I did not go to the park/seashore/wildlife refuge. Instead, I drove down US 113 and US 13 into Virginia. It is very different than the shore and road in Delaware and beginning of Maryland. It is clearly “beach territory” but you don’t get glimpses of the water. Many of the buildings (houses, condos, and even motels/businesses) are cedar-shingled which turn that wonderful gray near the ocean. Along the beach, there were not only many “traditional” older hotels (4-6 stories), but also a number of “resorts” with 10 – 12 floors. (Those were more reminiscent of the Gulf area.)

Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel – I was sort of disappointed in the bridge/tunnel. It was longer to get to from the Maryland shore – about 3 hours. When the person at the hotel said that, I did not believe him, but he was right.

It is expensive, $13.00 was the toll – one way, and they collect at each end. The bridges are no higher off the water than the Lake Pontchartrain Bridge. Like that bridge, there are a pair of spans with two lanes in each direction, but for the tunnel parts, the lanes collapse and there are only two lanes in the tunnels – one in each direction. There are two tunnels. I stopped at the Virginia Beach side where there is a viewing spot and a restaurant/gift shop.

I continued on US-13 through Virginia Beach, and connected with VA-168 to head south into North Carolina. I picked up US-158 to get me into the Outer Banks.

The Outer Banks – I can see the charm. I can see why folks like to visit here, and even more so, why people live here. The beaches are wonderful! There are so many houses, and not nearly as many hotels/resorts. There are houses right along the dunes/beach. I stayed in Kill Devil Hills in an older motel from which I could walk right out the back door to the dunes and beach. I guess I should not have been so surprised, but while the air was nice and warm, the water, even this far south, was still pretty cold. According to the sign on the lifeguard stand, the water temperature was 58^◦ F. Too cold for swimming!

There is a road closer to the shore (NC-12), which has mostly homes and a few of the motels. The “main drag” – a long block away – has more of the chain restaurants and newer construction. It is the business street. I really liked the area where I stayed, and am thinking about a return trip.

Ferries – I continued along down NC-12 the whole length of the Outer Banks. I stopped at the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. There are a lot of protected areas along the route, and not a lot of development. It is an incredibly beautiful area. I took the free ferry from Hatteras to Ocracoke, and then through Ocracoke to take the ferry (pay) to Cedar Island. The first ferry used to be about a 30 minute trip, but the shoals – which had been dredged – keep returning, so the ferry now takes a longer route through Pamilco Sound for an hour ride. On Ocracoke I had two choices: to go to Swan Quarter or Cedar Island. Since the latter was a shorter ride, and seemed to take me further towards my goal for the night that is the one I chose.

These two ferry boats, and the one I took earlier this year to Dauphin Island in Alabama, all reminded me of the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry. They are all smaller ferries than some others I have taken (Bridgeport/Port Jefferson, Block Island, Hyannis-Nantucket, Woods Hole-Nantucket, and even the Canal Street Ferry in New Orleans). They were all had open air space for the vehicles and a raised bridge which was much narrower than the vessel itself. The last ferry I took (Swan Island) was larger than the Hatteras Ferry. It had a small, enclosed lounge for passengers.

Back to the Gulf/Orange Beach to Biloxi – After returning to the mainland, I headed inland. I spent the night in Florence (SC) which is where I picked up I-95 for a bit. I then headed through Colombia (SC), Atlanta, and Montgomery (AL) before heading south before my final beach stay, back where my beach trip started: Orange Beach AL.

I was going to add some comments about sand and the nature of sand, but this is so long, I think I will make that a separate post.

Cruise: Some thoughts

Going on a cruise has been a bucket list item for a while. But I had always resisted. I was concerned that I would feel trapped on the boat, and be unable to escape.

A friend suggested, and I wound up going on a cruise for Mardi Gras week. The cruise was on Carnival, and was out of Galveston. We stopped at Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Progresso - all in the Yucatan.

This was not a small ship. Most of my prior trips on a ship have been on ferries. I've been on several short river ferries, and on both the Point Judith/Block Island and the Nantucket ferries. Even the Nantucket ferry vessels are quite small by comparison! This ship had elevators going to 9 floors for most of the ship. In some places the ship goes to the 12th floor. Oh, the they count the decks the way the computer scientists do: starting at zero (the staff quarters).

The length of the ship was amazing. Some of the floors/decks had over 450 rooms. Because of the size, even with fairly rough seas, there was very little motion which I felt. There were, however, times when it was obvious that there was motion ... the water was sloshing in the pool.

It was a great trip. At two of the ports, I took excursions to visit Mayan ruins, which greatly expanded my knowledge of the culture and people of that area of the world.

Will I go on a cruise again? Probably. Here are the things I would do differently:

1. Get an outside cabin. I think it will be worth the extra cost to be able to see. It certainly will enhance the experience of being at sea.
2. Go as part of a larger group. I was surprised at the demographics of my fellow passengers. There were a good number of families - sometimes 3 generations. There were also more groups of young adults. (And by that I mean the 20-30 year olds.) They also tended to travel in "packs," and seemed to have a great time. There actually were fewer "old folks" than I expected. But even many of them were traveling in groups of 2 - 4 couples. Those "uncoupled" seemed to be lost in the shuffle.
3. I would take more advantage of some of the entertainment options. I went to a couple of the shows, but I generally avoided them. The ones I went to were enjoyable.
4. Bring more, dressier clothes for evening wear. I packed mostly for beach/pool and the "jungle" expeditions.

I did a lot of reading. That was one thing I did right, I brought more than enough books. (Always a concern for a reading librarian!)

Here are some of the photos from the cruise and land excursions.

I will enhance this post with photos (and will note that in an edited set of comments here).

States I have visited

I know I did this once before, but there is a new map generator out there: www.maploco.com

Here is my map:



Create Your Own Visited States Map

It is pretty clear that I need to plan a trip north, and swing through those big states in the Northwest. That would just leave the "exotic" ones: Alaska and Hawai'i. Both are on my bucket list. 

Random thoughts about travel and travel in Panama

I have been thinking about our most recent trip, and the past one.

On both trips, I had the experience of driving in a place I did not know well, where the road signs were in a language which is not my strength. It made me think about what it must be like for the tourists who visit the US. One good think is the movement towards a universal system of symbols for use on road signs. That was a plus. But then there are the "construction zone" signs. They are bad enough in English, but they are even harder in an unfamiliar language. I managed through a detour, but partly because the map function worked so well on my cell phone. (Yes, we had signed up for the international data plan to be activated.)

I most certainly appreciate some of the road signage that I used to take for granted. One of them is route numbers, and signs to cities. On our most recent adventure, I drove from Changuinola to David. The first part of the trip was on a fairly major road from Changuinola to Chirquiri Grande. On the way the road goes through and by several large-ish communities. Only once was there a road sign pointing to one of the towns (Almirante), to which we had already been, and wanted to get past.

Random thoughts about travel and travel in Panama

I have been thinking about our most recent trip, and the past one.

On both trips, I had the experience of driving in a place I did not know well, where the road signs were in a language which is not my strength. It made me think about what it must be like for the tourists who visit the US. One good think is the movement towards a universal system of symbols for use on road signs. That was a plus. But then there are the "construction zone" signs. They are bad enough in English, but they are even harder in an unfamiliar language. I managed through a detour, but partly because the map function worked so well on my cell phone. (Yes, we had signed up for the international data plan to be activated.)

I most certainly appreciate some of the road signage that I used to take for granted. One of them is route numbers, and signs to cities. On our most recent adventure, I drove from Changuinola to David. The first part of the trip was on a fairly major road from Changuinola to Chiriqui Grande. On the way the road goes through and by several large-ish communities. Only once was there a road sign pointing to one of the towns (Almirante), to which we had already been, and wanted to get past. I think the signpost at the one turning had been knocked over. But, not once was there a route number sign.

I made sure we were on the right road by asking at the gas station which, it turns out, was at the point where we needed to turn. (I did have a detailed map, but I was concerned.)

The road over the mountains (Chiriqui Grande to Chiriqui) was an adventure. It was two lanes, curving (sometimes without guard rails), and long, steep upgrades followed by the reverse. I was worried about getting through the Comarca Ngobe-Bugle (independent area governed by the indigenous people) before dark. On our trip leaving Bocas, one of our water taxi companions had mentioned possible disturbances after the President's speech that night.

More Panama - Week 2 (Part 4 of 4)

We headed out of Boquete bright and early. Because it was a weekday, there was, of course, construction. This time the only detour was right outside Boquete (starting right after the tourist agency building at the top of the hill as you leave town), and it was never more than 1/4 mile or so from the main road.

We had an uneventful trip into David, and stopped for a morning break before heading out on the Interamerican Highway (the local name for the Pan American Highway). I had our wonderful map out, and we tooled along the road.

At one point, we were slowed by a demonstration. There were a group of protesters walking along the road. They appeared to be Ngöbe-Buglé and were chanting and singing. All along our trip that day we saw some roadside gatherings, and places where the road had clearly been blocked at one point. The first group had a police escort. I will search some, but I am interested in understanding the reason for their upset.

One of my goals for this trip was to visit the Pacific beach. I had originally thought to go to the beach nearest David, but the beach was towards the Costa Rican border rather than towards Panama City, so I gave up that idea.

I looked at the map, and about an hour or so from David saw Playa Las Lajas marked on the map. We read the guide books (well, Miss R read while I drove), and since we had plenty of time, we decided to give it a go. We turned off the main road, and drove a few miles towards the ocean.

I noticed the change in the light, and the terrain as we got closer to the sea. I don't know if it is my imagination, but it sure seemed like the light was that on the Cape (or as you get close), and the trees were sparser, and it just felt like we were getting to the salt water.

All I can say is WOW! The area was definitely not upscale, but there was a very sandy access road which I pulled into (and was grateful again to have an SUV). We got out, and it was much warmer and nicer than in Boquete (cool in the mountains) and David. The beach went out for miles....and it went on in either direction for miles. And it was essentially deserted. (Look at the pictures!)

Here is the link to the set on Flickr. Playa Las Lajas photos are not the last 3, but the four before that.

We got back on the road, and drove. The Interamerican goes inland for a bit, and cuts across a peninsula with some hilly country. It was funny, at times it seemed like we could have been driving in the high desert country of New Mexico or West Texas, or the high plains of eastern Colorado.

After a while, we started to look for a place to stay for a couple days. The guide books recommended one place which was (unfortunately) full -- even mid-week! We wound up at a large resort near Playa Santa Clara. It was a fun couple of days, and then home.

Because I was driving, and the road signs were not even minimal, there are no photos from driving across the Panama Canal, or through Panama City. Suffice it to say, we got to the airport safely, and headed back home.

More Panama - Week 2 (Part 3 of this series)

We left David bright and early, and headed out of town. We had done this drive several times before on our prior trip, so we were not concerned about getting lost. They are doing road construction to improve the road, to replace some of the bridges, and to widen it to four lanes. It seemed like no big deal, until we got to a detour. My Spanish is "limited." (That may even be an exaggeration....I can read a few things, recognize key words, and often get a concept across. Road signs can be a challenge!) It took us far enough from the "main road" that I dragged out my trusty iPhone, and opened up the map/GPS application. I am glad I did, because otherwise, at the end of the detour, I would have headed off in the wrong direction. I think I mentioned that there are no route number signs, and very few directional signs!

We got to Boquete successfully, and found the place we were staying. We had to kill some time (having lunch, etc.) while our room was made ready. We reacquainted ourselves with the town.

Boquete is up in the mountains, and sits in a valley. The first day, it was sunny and warm, although breezy. Throughout our stay it was windy, and actually after the first day, it was mostly cloudy and rainy. We were staying on the other side of the river from the main town, and a little bit up the valley. We had a great view looking up towards Baru and the mountains. There are a couple photos in the Flickr set. (The last post in the series will have the link, I am still organizing the several hundred photos I took.)

After the weekend, we headed out, and that part of the trip will be the fourth post.

More Panama - Week 1 (Part 2)

While we were escaping Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Carnivale was happening in Bocas. Little did we know. As we walked through town to the water taxi, there were large costumed characters in the town square. There was dancing and gaiety. Bocas is part of the heart of Panama's Carnivale culture.

We were out on Red Frog Beach, most of what we saw were large crowds on the beach. (Many kids, it was a school holiday...) The day after Mardi Gras, we ran into one of our fellow travelers to the island from the airport. She had spent a day or so on Isla Bastimentos and then went to Bocas Town. She asked how we did with the power outages. They had happened two nights in a row, apparently, and in both cases at the height of the celebrations. Our reaction? What outages? The island we were on must have had its own power, because we did not notice it. It made us happy to have been where we were.

After a happy few days, it was time to go. We had not made any definite plans for after our stay at Red Frog Beach. I made a plane reservation for what I thought was the right day, and we took the water taxi back to Bocas town. Once we got there, we looked again, and discovered that the flight was for a week later! I called both airlines, and neither had ANY seats out for a week! Plan B....we took a water taxi ($5 each, 20 minute ride) to Almirante (a large banana and oil shipping port on the mainland) and then a cab to Changuinola ($20 ride to a big banana center) where we rented a car.

The drive was interesting. 2-lane, winding roads through the jungle and coast to Chiriqui Grande. That is where we turned to go through the mountains and over the continental divide. This road was also two-lane with the added "adventure" of having not only more curves than the coastal road (which had a bunch), but also some steep grades. Oh, and there were the potholes. Some were really large! Part of the road goes through the Ngöbe–Buglé Comarca (territory governed by the indigenous people).

On the water taxi, one of our fellow passengers was an ex-pat who mentioned that the President (of Panama) was talking on TV that night, and that if he did not say the right things, there could be road blockages, as there had been earlier in the year. This was an impetus to get to David that night.

It took about 5 hours, but we made it. We got a little lost in downtown David while looking for a hotel. Our only prior visits to the city had been "through trips" to and from the airport. We had a good night's sleep and headed to Boquete in the morning.

More Panama - Week 1 (Part one of maybe 4)

My new camera is great, but the tiny laptop is hard-ish to deal with many, many photos, so stay tuned.

We left New Orleans early on a Saturday morning (6 am flight, 4:15 cab pick up). Because we were traveling internationally, we could each check a bag for free (yay!). So we did. As we thought about this trip and the logistics, we realized that traditional luggage could be an impediment, so we packed in our backpacks. Ria's had not been used this way for a while (it still had an airline tag about a decade old). We got them out of storage, and packed. (I put my stuff in 2 gallon plastic zip bags -- just in case.)

The flight to Miami was uneventful. In addition to our checked luggage, R had her sling bag/purse, I had a day pack (computer, paperwork, travel books, etc.) and camera bag. We changed flights, walked the length of Terminal D, and the flight to Panama City was also uneventful.

Clearing immigration was no big deal (short lines), and to clear customs there, all, and I mean all, luggage is x-rayed (again). We had reservations at a mid-city hotel, the Hotel El Panama. It is in a central location, has a great pool, and was a great room! We walked some around the city, had dinner. In the morning (since we had an afternoon flight out..) we went to Casco Viejo. That is the oldest part of the currently Panama City. The guidebooks were right, it reminded us in many ways of the French Quarter! Narrow streets, slight decay, buildings with balconies, scenic views. It was Sunday morning so it was very quiet. There will be some great pics on Flickr later!

That afternoon, we taxied over to Albrook Airport. [Panama City has two airports: Tocumen (PTY) is the international airport, about 20 km south/east of the city; Albrook (PAC), a former US airbase, is along the Canal and serves domestic flights.] Since we were last there (in July), construction has moved along, and there are visible improvements. There are two airlines, Air Panama and Aeropelas.

Our flight to Bocas del Toro was more or less on time, but was very full. The flight was uneventful, and we got there and collected our luggage. That is when things began to fall apart. We were supposed to be met, and driven from the airport to the water taxi. No one was there. However there were two other groups (of three each) there, and an enterprising young man convinced us to walk with him the 3-4 blocks to the waterfront to get a water taxi. It was a hike, and we were glad to have backpacks rather than some other luggage. Some of the roads were unpaved, and we were definitely not in the "first world" any more. The water taxi was $5 each for a 20 or so minute ride over to the island where the resort was.

Once we got there, no one was at the dock. However, one of the owners of the resort was picking up some family (the seats in front of us on the flight, and the row next to us, too), and made sure we were picked up.

We were staying at Red Frog Beach villas. We rented a golf cart, and are glad we did. While the villas are near the beach, it is about a 1/2 mile trek along a dirt road to get there. It was very bumpy in the cart! The set up - for us- was interesting. The villa had 4 (or 5) bed rooms, each of which was rented out to someone different, a large living room, great kitchen, and a plunge pool. All three of the upstairs bed rooms were "en suite" and had balconies -- ours had two. The resort consists of many villas, all separate homes, essentially. There was no real common dining. We cooked once at home (after getting more groceries), but otherwise ate at the beach or at the restaurant by the hostel.

The beach was great, I already posted one photo for my Facebook friends. It had surf which reminded me of Surfside on Nantucket or at the southern Rhode Island shore. The only difference was that the water temp was about 80 degrees. Even without a lot of time in the sun, at 9 degrees above the equator, it did not take much for us to show the results.

We had a great, quiet several days.

As I think about this, I think that I will save the adventure of leaving for the next post, followed by our stay in David and Boquete for a third post, and the trip home for the final installment.

Are you ready for some

more Panama??

We are escaping the madness which is New Orleans at Mardi Gras, and going somewhere warm. (Yes, I know, my northern friends think that NOLA is warm, but at least a half dozen times this winter we have run the A/C and the heat on the same day.) Get ready for some pictures, and maybe a narrative. We are exploring more this time, so stay tuned for an ex post facto report (unless I get really ambitious).

Travel "issues"

Prelude: Back in the summer of 2007, I wrote about our Road Trip from Hell which started at ALA Annual in DC. It was a two part story, with Part 2 here. On that trip, the airline was American Airlines

The Story: Christmas brought us another adventure. We left on Christmas Eve morning to go to Jamaica. We were flying on US Airways [aka Useless Airways]. Now, remember that we are leaving New Orleans, and going to Montego Bay. Which airport is not in a fairly logical route to Jamaica?

• Atlanta
• Miami
• Memphis
• Charlotte
• Dallas

While Memphis is not very logical, the correct choice is Charlotte, and that is where we went from New Orleans (MSY). We got there on time. After the hike from the arrival gate to the departure gate (international wing), the board showed that both flights to Montego Bay were delayed. Our 9:30 am flight was about an hour and a half delayed. We got breakfast, and then the flight was scheduled for an 11 am departure, then 11:30 am. Finally, they put us on the plane at noon. After a series of mostly unintelligible announcement from the pilot about electric switches, and then an engine problem, they let us off the plane at 3:30. We went to get food (and were among the first off). No sooner did they get everyone off, did they cancel the flight. There was a mad dash to the main ticket counter (and we had a head start!).

Of course the ticket counter was outside security, and folks with checked luggage were expected to collect their luggage. (After the aforementioned adventure, we rarely check luggage ... never on vacation.) We were #4 in line. There were two agents when we got to the counter. Remember, it is now 4 pm on Christmas Eve, and we were supposed to be in Jamaica, at the pre-paid resort several hours ago (even after the 90 minute bus ride). We overheard the first agent say to the person, "Well, I think I can get you there on the 27th." My companion nearly lost it then. More agents arrived, and we got to the counter. The agent got us confirmed seats on a noon-time flight, on (ironically) American Airlines the next day.....from Miami. However, the flights to Miami were full, and we were #3 and #4 on the standby lists.

We went back through security and to the Miami gate. We looked at the board to see what other options there were. Once the flight was announced, they were looking for volunteers to be bumped to a later flight (first class) or a flight to Fort Lauderdale. As the boarding proceeded, we went to the gate. The gate agent, Philip B [yes, I wrote a complimentary note] worked very hard. First he said, I can get one of you on this flight for sure. So we said, what about getting us to Ft. Lauderdale. He said it was full, but there was a seat to West Palm Beach. Then, he said, there is a train which costs about $7 and goes from West Palm to Miami. We said we would take it!

So, I get to go to West Palm Beach. First Class. That part was fine. Then I got there and talked to the agent. He said, yes, there is a train, but it is not real close to the airport. He said there is a bus, or you can take a cab. I asked if US Airways would pay. He said he thought so, and gave me a sheet about how to contact them. I went down to the ground transportation desk. They sent me to the bus stop, but the last bus had left about 20 minutes before. So cab it was. $29 including tip! Not real close was true! Got to the train station, and boarded a train that was much like the double-decker commuter trains in Chicago, after buying a ticket at the station. The train left.....but it was not a short ride. It was almost 90 minutes!

Meanwhile, my companion got to Miami, got the hotel and meal vouchers, and got to the hotel. We chatted on the phone and said, don't take the shuttle to the airport and then the hotel shuttle, just take a cab. I walked out of the station, towards the cabs, and looked up...there was the hotel across the street! Life was good.

The next morning was uneventful, and we arrived in Jamaica. We had contacted the resort, and while they would not refund our room cost, because we had been in contact, they did give us a voucher for a free night for another stay.

Now comes the fight with US Airways. Remember that I was told that they would pay for me to get from West Palm airport to Miami? Well, I followed all their directions. After several days I received an email. No, they would not pay. Instead? Two $100 certificates for travel. But wait, there are restrictions.....they cannot be used on the Internet, you have to call them. Well, on a later leg of the trip, I tried to call to change date of departure, after three calls and three hours on hold, I never did talk to an agent!!!

Here is the lesson. In our first disaster, we chose to fly through the airport which is the major hub and headquarters of the airline. In the second disaster, yes, we flew through the airport which is the major hub and headquarters of the airline.

So....When in doubt, don't fly through the airline's major hub and headquarters!!

A final note. We came home after the Christmas attempted bombing fiasco. In the airport US Airways was announcing that "TSA Policy now requires that each passenger be limited to one carry on item." Well, that pissed me off. Even more so, when, at work, I received a document which included the note below:

US Airways: Temporary policy effective immediately (updated December 26, 2009): To better comply with new industry security requirements issued by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), US Airways will temporarily amend its baggage policies on all in-bound flights to the United States from foreign destinations. Each passenger will be limited to one carry-on item per person, and first and second checked bag fees will temporarily be waived. These changes do not apply to flights from San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Croix.

It is really clear to me, that the rule is not a TSA rule. It is the way the US Airways has chosen to deal with the new (silly) rules. If it is your rule, US Airways, own it. Don't blame someone else. No other airline is using this rule.

I did have an "A-Ha" moment. Useless Airways (US Airways) was formed from Allegheny Airlines. In certain circles, Allegheny was known as "Agony Airlines."

[I hope this does not "jinx" my trip tomorrow.]

Luncheon with Arthur & Pauline Frommer

The Thursday author luncheon I attended was the talk by Arthur and Pauline Frommer.

Arthur Frommer began his career in travel after Yale Law School when joined the military. He wrote A Soldier’s guide to Germany this was later republished as Europe on $5 a Day in 1957 and became a best seller. There are now over 300 titles in the list. Pauline is his daughter, writes on her own, and started the Frommer web site.

Arthur started with the typical library story including the importance of libraries in the success of his first book.

They talked as a team passing back and forth. They structured the talk as one on travel for librarians including trends.

Arthur started with trends:

Decline in value of US dollar. The value of the US dollar is at its lowest against the Euro and the pound. With commissions on currency exchanges, need to double the cost in Euros/British Pounds. Therefore must change habits of travel and eliminate Europe and replace it with other equally interesting areas of the world.

Elimination of the cruise ship as the option for the intelligent traveler. Ships are not a giant metallic box containing an amusement park. It now excluded the experience of ship travel. Smaller ships are still available, but are high priced for us.

The Internet now makes available the true costs of air travel through aggregaotrs who do not sell tickets like Kayak and Sidestep.

Pauline

Skyrocketing costs of hotels because of the lack of rooms. Price Waterhouse found that there were $2 billion in hidden fees after 15-20% increases. There are new fees and cancellation fees. Pauline writes budget guides which look at alternative travel. The series is aimed at travelers who want to travel with some dignity, but can’t afford the high price. For example, there are Londoners who will rent out a room with private bath. In many cases renting a complete apartment may be cheaper than staying at a hotel. In Europe there are monasteries and convents which rent rooms.

Arthur

Thousands will replace trips to Europe with trips to Central and South America. He talked about going to Chile, a country run by a woman. Buenos Aires has a great lifestyle where the peso has dropped from par to 3 pesos to the dollar. Costa Rica has been found, but there are places like Panama City and to Nicaragua. The Panama Canal has had its volume of ships tripled under the new management of the Panamanians. There are lots of low cost bargains, and no jet lag since they are in the same time zones as parts of the United States.

There is an explosion of buses which allow you to travel in the US at very, very low prices from $1 to $14 between cities. The mob scenes and travel through airports are difficult, and Congress has starved Amtrak so that train travel is unattractive. There are new entrepreneurs who have undercut the prices of Greyhound by up to 60%. Some include free electricity and wi-fi. Megabus has been launched and offers very low costs.

Pauline

Medical and dental tourism is a new field. With uninsured and underinsured, people are going to Costa Rica, Brazil, and Thailand to get care. The same organization which accredits US hospitals is accrediting hospitals around the world. The level of care is higher because wages are lower and the number of nurses is double the US level, and cleaning staff will be four times the level of US hospitals. Costs are lower both because of lower wage rates and subsidy by the government. Different countries have different specialties: plastic surgery in Brazil, heart surgery in Thailand

Deals

Pauline: Sector tours is taking people to Ireland for $799 in April and returns in November and December. The Caribbean in hurricane season can be much cheaper in September and October. In Dominican Republic an all inclusive vacatikon travel mart, liberty travel

Volunteer vacations can be good. National parks… Can be as little as $225 including meals. Vaughan systems teaches Spanish business people to speak English. Need to pay your way to Spain, but for free, you get hotel and meals. All you have to do is talk, so that the business people can learn colloquial English.

Arthur

There is an immense bargain: a trip to China whose currency is artificially weak against the dollar that the cost of a hotel can be $30 in a tourist class hotel. China Focus (chinafocus.com) for a 10 night stay including airfare and visiting 5 cities and escorted tours. $999 per person in the winter, goes to $1399 in the spring. Others who offer similar tours from the East coast include chinadiscovery.com or chinaspree.com. Costs will be high during the Olympics, but within 5 days of the end of the Olympics, prices will drop again.

Pauline

Concluded with a slide show she featured places which are inexpensive, fascinating, under visited:

Molokai
Appulia Italy (the heel of the boot of Italy)
Halifax, Nova Scotia

They saved time for questions which ranged over topics like going to Vietnam, Greece, and cheap flights to Hawaii. (Kayak was noted as the best site for finding cheap flights.)

The End of the Road Trip from Hell

When last I left the saga, I was in a cheesy hotel in Dallas.

My traveling companion and I could not face 48 hours there, so we "hotwired" a new hotel (which was wonderful). I went back to the airport to try to get luggage, to no avail. The ticket agent looked to see if she could get us on an earlier flight. She broke up with laughter when she saw that the next flight to Minneapolis (which held 130 seats) had 149 on the standby list! We did get to go first class.

I rented a car for 2 days (using the ALA member discount with National. It was less than $13 a day (plus fees, of course) for an intermediate car. Then it was off to T J Maxx to get something clean to wear. Then eating, drinking, and a trip to the pool.

Saturday, we went to see a movie (Evan Almighty ... a light fluffy comedy) and head to the airport. More drinking in the airport and then first class seats home.

Our luggage was actually at the airport and not too hard to find, and then a cab ride.

Today looks and feels a lot better. In total, the trip took 84 hours from when we left downtown DC. We stayed in three hotels and traveled who knows how many extra miles. It is good to be home again!

Road Trip from HELL

I write this in the lobby of a cheesy hotel in a city I never intended to visit since I can't sleep. It's Friday, and I am wearing the same clothes I put on Wednesday, and don't currently expect to get home until Saturday night. Who knows where my luggage is.

"What happened?" you ask?

I was in DC for the American Library Association Annual Conference. The third Council meeting ended slightly ahead of schedule on Wednesday at about 11:30 am. Checked out of the hotel, and headed to Regan National Airport for the 3:30 flight to Chicago (ORD) and then on to Minneapolis (MSP). It was a nice, uneventful cab ride. Checked in, and got in the long, slow line for security. Then headed to the gate (right next to the bar!). Eventually, after three trips to the podium, the flight disappeared from the list.

Mid-afternoon the trouble began. American Airlines canceled all its flights to O'Hare and half of its flights to Dallas because of weather. I stood in the line and finally got re-booked for a Thursday noon flight to MSP via DFW. I asked for a voucher, but was told, because it was weather an act of God that I was not entitled. Then they announced that the flight was canceled......great. OK....I collected my luggage and called one of the hotels on the list the gate agent told me was nearby. That was where the trouble began.

First, the hotel was further away from the airport than the downtown hotel I had left. It cost $31 in metered cab fare (not including tip vs. the $21 including tip from downtown) to get there. Ahead of me in line were two separate women who were also "refugees from American." What began to get me really aggravated is that they both had vouchers for the hotel and for a meal!!!! They were going through Chicago and their flights had been canceled for the same reason.

Here is where it really started getting bad. The hotel "restaurant" was a pizza place with only wine and beer, and they even ran out of at least four of the beverages (brands) on the menu. The rest of the night went relatively uneventfully, since it was a newer hotel, and a quite nice room.

Thursday morning, and back to the airport. Since the hotel was fairly close to the Metro. They offered a free shuttle there. I got in line to take it (with my luggage). However there were all these TOURISTS who were also going, and one really rude lady tried to push her way ahead of me in line (after I had watched the van go back and forth three times). The Metro ride was uneventful, but the airport was a mess. It was chaos. It was totally out of control!

American's counter is in the middle of the terminal. When I got there, the line to check in, at both the self-service and regular check-in stations went almost to one end. It was so long that airport police were there to be sure that other travelers could get across the line, in several places, and go down to security. I stood in line for about an hour and a half and got about half-way through when an agent told us that the self-check machines were working......ugh. I went to check in. When I got to the screen which asked about bags, it showed 2 bags already checked and asked how many bags I wanted to check. What would you say if you saw that? I answered "0" since my bags were already checked! Turns out that is the wrong answer.... Bags got checked, and security was a breeze. The gate was where I had spent the previous afternoon, and eventually a plane arrived and we got on.

But wait, the adventure continues. Because National has a short runway, the airline had a choice, leave 30 people behind, or stop in Nashville for more fuel. They chose the latter, and actually that part went well. We landed in Nashville, and got gas (without opening the door at the gate or any other delay). Then the flight arrived in Dallas.

At first, I could not find the "board" and went to a counter where there was an AA staff member typing away. I asked him, and he rudely pointed to the monitors. But.....the flight was not listed. So I went back! Standing there, wearing a uniform, AA id tag, and typing at the computer he rudely said, I'm not working. I pressed and he looked it up. I arrived at Gate A-35, he sent me to D-37.

It has been about a decade since I was last in DFW (and it will take another act of God to get me back here). The signage to get between terminals is lacking. Finally I found the tram, and got to D-concourse. But the flight was not listed. The gate had a different flight being boarded. I finally asked an agent who said "Oh, that flight was canceled for mechanical problems, go to Gate D-34 to be re-booked." Needless to say, there was a line. It moved incredibly slowly. After all, they had to find us flights. I got on the phone with the airline. The best they could do was book me for Saturday night! I still needed to work the line for a voucher. The agent suggested that I could get on a flight the next day on Sun Country Airlines, she gave me a print out and said, go up there right now and pay for the ticket. I went up and found the place.....but all the windows were closed!! Later in the evening, I finally found a phone number and Sun Country says, we don't work with other airlines, and we do not have a seat for you! I was fit to be tied.

So that gets me to Friday morning. Sitting in clothes I have worn for days. Looking at 48 hours in a place I never asked to be in, have been to before and hated and have incredibly strong negative feelings about on so many levels and without any of my clothes.

What upsets me most about the airline is that they will pay for ONE of the two nights, one meal out of six, and have given me nothing for clothing, while I chose NONE OF THIS! [I may even not ever choose this airline again.] They have taken two work days from my employer PLUS one of my days off. The loss to me is incredible.

This journey through hell cannot end soon enough!