9-16-2007, RODJANRGTRAVELS@BLOGSPOT.COM
We have traveled to many places and I will try and list them below.
Mexico 1st trip was to Tijuana and to Rosarita and the Rosarita Beach Hotel and to Encenada. Other trips to San Felipe and El Gulfo with the Kemps a classmate from high school and a pharmist in Brawley. Later a train trip from Mexicali to Guadalajara with stops at Guaymas. Stayed in a grand old hotel in Guadalajara and left on a bus to San Blas on the Pacific coast. We ate fish from the local fishermen. The return to Mexicali on a 4 star bus, very nice and very fast with two drivers. Another trip was to Playa Blanca a Club Med on the Pacific coast close to Manzanio. From there we went to Mexico City and suffered from bad food at the club. Saw Mexico City got well and went on to Palenque to visit the ruins. Landed in Villhermosa in a huge rain storm, rented a VW bug and drove to the ruins and spent the night, cock roaches everywhere in the motel room, visited the ruins and headed back to Villhermosa where it was still raining and the city was being flooded. There was no rain at the ruins. The airport was closed and we went to the bus station thinking we would get a bus to Merida, the next stop on the trip. It was the day of the dead and the southbound busses were all full so we decided to wait for a bus. The rain did not let up and the depot flooded with thigh deep water. The next day we waded out to a hotel lobby and dried out. We left a suitcase full of clothes in the depot and walked out of the depot in chest deep water with the remaining suitcases over our heads. A Dutch salesman, a German doctor and a Jewish doctor accompanied us with their wives. Later the next day the airport reopened and we flew out to Merida. Visited the ruins around Merida, there are lots of them. There must have been a hurricane in the area to have caused all that rain but during thoes days we didn’t have weather satilites to locate bad weather.
Other trips to Belize, Windy Hill Hotel and Ambergris Key, on a dive boat off the coast of Belize with a group from U. of Kentucky sponsored by a coal miner. The basketball team had just won the NCAA championship.
Another trip was to Cozumel and my first dive after I got certified.
Visits to Costa Rica for investing and to see the country.
Cruises from Florida to Aruba, then to the Panama Canal and to Costa Rica, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas and then to San Diego.
Flights to Paris, train to Madrid, the south of Spain and on to Barcelona and then by train to Edinburgh, Scotland, ferried to Ireland and visited the Barry house near Cork at Passage and then ferried to France and back to Paris and the flight to San Diego.
The first around the world trip took us to Raratonga, the capital of the Cook Islands, then to Fiji and on to New Zealand, train from Auckland Christchurch with a stop in Wellington. Then to Brisbane and a train to Sidney and on to Melbourne. A flight to Perth and a visit with Janet’s nephew Joey, Ronnie’s son. A flight to Bangkok, Thyland and a hotel on the river, most of the travel was on the river and with a cab driver that we employed for a few days. Then flights to Athens, Rome, Madrid, bought a Ramirez guitar and flew to Dublin and again visited the Barry house and his cousins. Met with the Parkers in Dublin an unusual meeting. Then on to San Diego.
A recent trip to South America starting in New Orleans and then to a Caribbean cruise to five islands from Puerto Rica, then to Caracas, Venezuela and then to Manaus, Brazil, Sao Paulo, the falls at Iguasas and then to Rio de Janeiro, then to Buenos Aries, then a flight to Santiago, Chile and on to Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales on the southern tip of Chile, tours of the state park and a boat tour to the glaciers, back to Santiago and a flight to Quito Ecuador via Peru, then to the Galapagos Islands and a tour on a boat that looked like Columbus used to discover the Americas for a week. I was glad to get off the boat. I started the beard because they didn’t have hot water on the boat. We then flew back to Quito and then to Miami and on to Orlando and a few days visit with my brother and his new Costa Rican wife Alisa and then to San Diego.
Driving trips within the states were many to Cincinnati, Kentucky, Renfro Valley, Mammoth Cave, Florida to Orlando and other cities, up the coast to Vermont and Rhode Island, into Canada, Niagara Falls and back to Cincinnati and to San Diego.
Driving to Oregon and visiting the Colbert’s and then on to Yellowstone and visiting the radio operator from our flight crew when I was in the military, Peter B. Meade in Jackson Hole, Wyoming then to Red Lodge in Montana to visit UC neighbors that moved to Red Lodge, they weren’t home then back to San Diego.
Another trip we went to Seattle, rented a car and drove the southern road to the Columbia River and down the river in Washington and visited the dams and picked blackberries along the way
Visits to Sacramento to visit the Puglias and the grandkids. Other visits to Phoenix to visit Billy and Lana Ball.
Sometimes-in Cincinnati and drive to Florida and visit the Kantmans in Huntsville Alabama.
We did a lot of skiing at Mammoth, Big Bear, Heavenly Valley, Whistler in Canada, Banff and Lake Louise, Park City, and Vail, Colorado.
RODNEY jr and myself took a train from Calexico to Los Mochis and boarded a train for the Copper Canyon that turned out to be an exciting adventure. The train from Mexicali was very different from the ride Janet and I had going to Guadalahara. On that trip we had a compartment and a dining car, very confortable. This trip they only had a day coach and it took close to 24 hours to get to Los Mochis, very noisy and unconfortable.we just caught the train up the mountain to the canyon but the accomadations were very good at the canyon. We spent the night ,saw the canyon and then boarded the train for Chihuahua, visited the town and took the train back to Los Mochis. We missed the train or couldn’t get on the train and we took the bus back to Mexicali which was a lot better than the train. That trip didn’t cost very much but they have luxury trips on fancy trains that are very expensive, like $2K dollars per person.
Since that time I have made an around the world trip, solo and Janet and I have gone around the world on the QE2. that cruise took almost 4 months before we got back home. More of the traveling will be put on a blog named rodjanrg_vacations@blogspot.com .
The Alaska cruise
05/17/02
This is the third day on the good ship mercury of the Celebrity Company. The resemblance to royal Caribbean is very good, being they have merged into one company. The first day was from hell. We got to the dock at 1:30 pm, stood in line for 2 hours, finally got on board and shortly had to go on deck and participate in a lifeboat drill that probably took an hour. I ate a small bowl of soup earlier about 11:00 am. I was starved, beings that I had established a routine of eating small meals and eating when I got hungry. Well there was nothing to eat until 8:30 pm; we had to get the late seating. After I got something to eat, via room service, I started feeling better. The next day Thursday went better and I started the ship routine for food. We were in the port of Avalon on the island of Catalina, which used to be Santa Catalina. I didn’t go ashore but Janet brought back some beer, Adkins bars and v8 juice. Later that day I went to the gym and started an exercise routine. I ate all day. My weight has dropped to 243 pounds.
Today is the third day we are at sea all day, going to San Francisco tomorrow. We had room service at 7 am, I went to the gym and after that I had a nice breakfast of poached eggs and corned beef hash with Kadoka figs. I expect to do this routine daily and will go ashore occasionally. Some of the food has been very good. (appetizers, salads and desserts). Of course the soup tastes good but has no substance. Mostly water.
Today in San Francisco had a small bowl of clam chowder at Aliotos, which was recommended by Lezlie. It was fairly common. Went back to the ship. The wind blew very hard and was not a very nice day. The next two days will be at sea so we will go to lectures and watch movies.
Next; a change of plans, back to the original plan of one day at sea and then into Victoria. We walked into town, probably a half an hour walk thru the neighborhoods of Victoria. We ended up in the downtown area where the government buildings and the Empress Hotel are located. The price of food in this small area is very high even with the exchange rate. But it is a well-traveled area by tourist. $24 for tea at the Empress. We had a good fish and chips dish at an Italian restaurant, Julia’s. It was much better than on the ship. Today the day after Victoria we are at sea going to Ketchikan and will be there tomorrow morning. We have to go thru customs because we went into a foreign country.
Each day the gym has been a lifesaver. We spend 20 min. On the treadmill, 10 on the stair climber, the press and pull, free weights, bikes. We will go ashore in Ketchikan and get some land food and find an Internet café. My weight has increased 1 kilo to 112 kilos, maybe just a daily variation, but we do eat a lot.
GALLOWAY/RODNEY MR
GALLOWAY/JANET MS
SERVICE DATE FROM TO DEPART
ARRIVE
CONTINENTAL AIRLINES 22FEB SAN DIEGO CA HOUSTON TX 0710 1214
CO 132 TUESDAY LINDBERG FLD G.BUSH INTERCO
V ECONOMY TERMINAL 2 TERMINAL C
SNACK NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 3:04 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 737-800
CONTINENTAL AIRLINES 22FEB HOUSTON TX NEW ORL LA 1435 1543
CO 1023 TUESDAY G.BUSH INTERCO L ARMSTRONG IN
V ECONOMY TERMINAL C
NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 1:08 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 737-300
AMERICAN AIRLINES 26FEB NEW ORL LA MIAMI FL 0600 0841
AA 2297 SATURDAY L ARMSTRONG IN MIAMI INTL
S ECONOMY
NON SMOKING NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 1:41 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 737-800
AMERICAN AIRLINES 26FEB MIAMI FL SAN JUAN 1040 1408
AA 1305 SATURDAY MIAMI INTL LUIS MUNOZ MAR
Q ECONOMY TERMINAL DOM
NON SMOKING NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 2:28 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A300-600/600C
AMERICAN AIRLINES 06MAR SAN JUAN CARACAS 1250 1427
AA 1151 SUNDAY LUIS MUNOZ MAR SIMON BOLIVAR
Q ECONOMY TERMINAL DOM
NON SMOKING NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 1:37 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 757-200/300
VARIG 10MAR CARACAS SAO PAULO SP 2345 0630
RG 8947 THURSDAY SIMON BOLIVAR GUARULHOS INTL 11MAR
L ECONOMY TERMINAL 2
NON SMOKING MEAL NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 5:45 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 767-300/300ER
VARIG 13MAR SAO PAULO SP MANAUS AM 1045 1330
RG 2200 SUNDAY GUARULHOS INTL EDUARDO GOMES
L ECONOMY TERMINAL 2
NON SMOKING LUNCH NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 3:45 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: MC DONNELL DOUGLAS MD-11
VARIG 15MAR MANAUS AM RIO JANEIRO RJ 1425 2035
RG 2205 TUESDAY EDUARDO GOMES INTL
L ECONOMY TERMINAL 2
NON SMOKING LUNCH 1 STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 5:10 DURATION
MANAUS AM - BRASILIA DF
BRASILIA DF - RIO JANEIRO RJ
AIRCRAFT: MC DONNELL DOUGLAS MD-11
VARIG 19MAR RIO JANEIRO RJ IGUASSU FAL PR 0930 1140
RG 2162 SATURDAY INTL CATARATAS
L ECONOMY TERMINAL 2
NON SMOKING SNACK NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 2:10 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: MC DONNELL DOUGLAS MD-11
TAM MERCOSUR 21MAR IGUASSU FAL PR BUENOS AIRE BA 2035 0015
PZ 712 MONDAY CATARATAS PISTARINI 22MAR
K ECONOMY
SNACK 1 STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 3:40 DURATION
IGUASSU FALLS PR - CURITIBA PR
CURITIBA PR - BUENOS AIRES BA
AIRCRAFT: FOKKER 100
LAN AIRLINES 24MAR BUENOS AIRE BA SANTIAGO 0820 0935
LA 410 THURSDAY PISTARINI A MERINO BENIT
N ECONOMY TERMINAL INTL
NON SMOKING BREAKFAST NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 2:15 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A320-100/200
LAN AIRLINES 24MAR SANTIAGO PUNTA ARENAS 1050 1520
LA 285 THURSDAY A MERINO BENIT PRES IBANEZ
N ECONOMY TERMINAL DOM
NON SMOKING SNACK 1 STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 4:30 DURATION
SANTIAGO - PUERTO MONTT
PUERTO MONTT - PUNTA ARENAS
FLIGHT OPERATED BY LANEXPRESS
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 767-300/300ER
LAN AIRLINES 28MAR PUNTA ARENAS SANTIAGO 1240 1655
LA 80 MONDAY PRES IBANEZ A MERINO BENIT
N ECONOMY TERMINAL DOM
NON SMOKING LUNCH 1 STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 4:15 DURATION
PUNTA ARENAS - PUERTO MONTT
PUERTO MONTT - SANTIAGO
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A319
TACA INTL AIRLINES 31MAR SANTIAGO LIMA 0700 0945
TA 24 THURSDAY A MERINO BENIT J CHAVEZ INTL
Z ECONOMY TERMINAL INTL
NON SMOKING BREAKFAST NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 3:45 DURATION
FLIGHT OPERATED BY TRANS AMERICAN AIRLINE
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A320-100/200
TACA INTL AIRLINES 31MAR LIMA QUITO 1040 1255
TA 29 THURSDAY J CHAVEZ INTL MARISCAL SUCR
Z ECONOMY
NON SMOKING SNACK NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 2:15 DURATION
FLIGHT OPERATED BY TRANS AMERICAN AIRLINE
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A320-100/200
AMERICAN AIRLINES 07APR QUITO MIAMI FL 0652 1158
AA 932 THURSDAY MARISCAL SUCR MIAMI INTL
S ECONOMY
NON SMOKING BREAKFAST NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 4:06 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 757-200/300
AMERICAN AIRLINES 07APR MIAMI FL ORLANDO FL 1432 1529
AA 1600 THURSDAY MIAMI INTL ORLANDO INTL
S ECONOMY
NON SMOKING NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 0:57 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 737-800
FRONTIER AIRLINES 11APR ORLANDO FL DENVER CO 0900 1055
F9 671 MONDAY ORLANDO INTL DENVER INTL
U ECONOMY
NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 3:55 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A319
FRONTIER AIRLINES 11APR DENVER CO SAN DIEGO CA 1235 1355
F9 561 MONDAY DENVER INTL LINDBERG FLD
W ECONOMY TERMINAL 2
NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 2:20 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A318
RESERVATION NUMBER(S) AA/IQSQXM CO/VGMJTZ F9/TX4YRK LA/HNGMQ
AA 1600 THURSDAY MIAMI INTL ORLANDO INTL
S ECONOMY
NON SMOKING NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 0:57 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 737-800
FRONTIER AIRLINES 11APR ORLANDO FL DENVER CO 0900 1055
F9 671 MONDAY ORLANDO INTL DENVER INTL
U ECONOMY
NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 3:55 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A319
FRONTIER AIRLINES 11APR DENVER CO SAN DIEGO CA 1235 1355
F9 561 MONDAY DENVER INTL LINDBERG FLD
W ECONOMY TERMINAL 2
NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 2:20 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A318
RESERVATION NUMBER(S) AA/IQSQXM CO/VGMJTZ F9/TX4YRK LA/HNGMQ
PZ/FZYPAU RG/JTPT6V
AIRTREKS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE IN CASE OF AIRLINE DEFAULT
FULL CREDIT CARD PRICE PER PERSON USD 4844.00
Your Reference# TR20050131085233485DI1892
Submitted Trip Type: Most For Money
Estimated Price: Estimated on Date:
US$4433 to US$5319 2005/01/31
Approximate Travel Dates:
1. San Diego to Los Angeles 2005/02/22
2. Los Angeles to New Orleans 2/21
3. New Orleans to Houston 2/25
4. Houston to Miami 2/25
5. Miami to San Juan (Puerto Rico) 2/25
6. San Juan (Puerto Rico) to Caracas 3/7
7. Caracas to Manaus (Brazil) 3/11
8. Manaus (Brazil) to Salvador 3/13
9. Salvador to Rio de Janeiro 3/15
10. Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires 3/19
11. Buenos Aires to Santiago 3/23
12. Santiago to Punta Arenas 3/26
13. Punta Arenas to Santiago 3/29
14. Santiago to Buenos Aires
15. Buenos Aires to Santiago
16. Santiago to Quito 3/31
17. Quito to Mexico City 4/6
18. Mexico City to Los Angeles 4/8
19. Los Angeles to San Diego 2005/04/8
STAY IN EACH LOCATION NEW ORLEANS 3 DAYS MEXICO CITY 1 DAY MAY HAVE TO OVERNIGHT IN MIAMI CRUISE 7 DAYS CARACUS 3 DAYS MANUAS 1 DAY SALVADOR 1 DAY RIO 3 DAYS BUENOS ARIES 3 DAYS SANTIAGO 2 DAYS PUNTA ARENAS 2 DAYS SANTIAGO 1 DAY QUITO 6 DAYS
Your Contact Information: Contact Airtreks:
RODNEY GALLOWAYRODJANRG@YAHOO.COM760 789 1333 1-877-AIRTREKS - North America+1-415-977.7100 - outside North America+1-415-977.7150 - Facsimiletripplanner@airtreks-inc.com - E-Mail
Copyright © 2002 Airtreks, Inc. San Francisco, CA, USA - CST#1005774-40
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Subject: New Orleans Trip Information
Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2005 20:26:29 -0500 (EST)
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Hotel: Holiday Inn French Quarter 124 ROYAL
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The Center and AroundThe historic sector, where the city was born, has lost much of its original identity In a rash toward modernization, many colonial houses were replaced with modern buildings, which range from nondescript plain edifices to futuristic tinted-glass towers. Architectural ragbag that it is, the center is colorful and alive and boasts some important sights, many of which are related to Bolívar. All are within easy walking distance of each other.Plaza BolívarThis is the nucleus of the old town, with the inevitable monument to Bolívar in the middle. The equestrian statue was cast in Europe, shipped in pieces, assembled and unveiled in 1874 — later than planned, because the ship carrying it had foundered on the Archipiélago de Los Roques. The plaza is a favorite playground for all sorts of political visionaries and religious messiahs, who deliver their passionate speeches to a casual audience, mostly at lunchtime. The leafy square is lined on all sides by a collection of buildings from different epochs, some of which are detailed in the following sections.CatedralSet on the eastern side of Plaza Bolívar, the cathedral was built from 1665 to 1713 after the 1641 earthquake had destroyed the previous church. A wide five-nave interior supported on 32 columns was largely remodeled in the late 19th century The Bolívar family chapel is in the middle of the right-hand aisle and can be easily recognized by a modern sculpture of El Libertador mourning his parents and wife. Note the fine colonial altarpiece at the back of the chapel.Museo Sacro de CaracasAccommodated in a meticulously restored colonial building next to the cathedral, the museum displays a modest but carefully selected collection of religious art. It also has an interesting cultural program featuring theater, poetry musical recitals and concerts, which are staged on the premises, plus a pleasant café. The museum is open 10 am to 5 pm daily except Monday.Concejo MunicipalOccupying half of Plaza Bolívar’s southern side, this building was erected by the Caracas bishops from 1641 to 1696 to house the Colegio Seminario de Santa Rosa de Lima. In 1725, the Real y Pontificia Universidad de Caracas, the province’s first university, was established here. Bolívar renamed it the Universidad Central de Venezuela, the moniker it continues to keep to this day though it moved away and now occupies a vast campus outside the historic center. Today the building is the seat of the Municipal Council, but part of it is open to the public (9 to noon and 2 to 4:30 pm Tuesday to Friday 10 am to 4:30 pm weekends).The Museo Caracas, on the ground floor, features exhibits related to the town’s history including historic paintings and elaborate models of central Caracas as it looked in the 1810s and 1930s. Also on display is a collection of dioramas depicting the life of turn-of-the-19th-century Caracas, all created by a local artist, Raul Santana. On the 1st floor is a collection of 80 paintings by Emilio Boggio (1857—1920), a Venezuelan artist who lived in Paris. It’s normally closed to the public, but the attendants by the main entrance might show you around.The western side of the building houses the Capilla de Santa Rosa de Lima, where on July 5,1811, the congress declared Venezuela’s independence (though it was another 10 years before this became a reality). The chapel has been restored with the decoration and furniture of the time.While strolling around the spacious courtyard with a fountain in the middle, look for the famous Caracas map of 1578; its enlarged reproduction is displayed in the courtyard’s cloister.Casa AmarillaThe 17th-century balconied mansion called the ‘Yellow House,’ on the western side of Plaza Bolívar, was originally the infamous royal prison. Wholly revamped and painted yellow (hence its name) after independence, the building was converted into a presidential residence. Today it’s the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and can’t be visited, but have a look at the well-preserved colonial appearance of its exterior.Iglesia Santa CapillaThe Holy Chapel, one block north of Plaza Bolívar, is a neo-Gothic church that was modeled on the Sainte Chapelle of Paris and looks a bit like a wedding cake. It was ordered by Guzmán Blanco in 1883 and built on the site of the rustic San Mauricio chapel, where the first mass was allegedly celebrated after the foundation of the town. Illuminated by the warm light passing through colorful stained-glass windows, the decorative interior boasts an elaborate stone high altar and an unusual openwork vault. One of the treasured possessions of the church is the sizable painting Multiplication of the Bread, by Arturo Michelena, hanging in the right-hand aisle.Capitolio Nacional The neoclassical National Capitol, the seat of the congress, occupies the entire block just southwest of Plaza Bolívar. It’s a two-building complex, commissioned in the 1870s by Guzmán Blanco and erected on the site of a convent, whose occupants had been expelled by the dictator (who proceeded to raze the old building).In the central part of the northern building is the famous Salón Elíptico, the oval hall with a large mural on its domed ceiling. The painting, depicting the battle of Carabobo, was done in 1888 by perhaps the most notable Venezuelan artist of the day, Martín Tovar y Tovar. The southern wall of the hall is crammed with portraits of distinguished leaders of the independence wars. In front of this wall is Bolívar’s bust on top of a marble pedestal; the original Act of Independence of 1811 is kept in the chest inside the pedestal. It’s put on public view on July 5, which is Independence Day.Tovar y Tovar left behind more military works of art in two adjoining halls: The Salón Amarillo has on its ceiling a depiction of the battle of Junin, while the Salon Rojo has been embellished with a scene from the battle of Boyacá. The Capitolio is open for visits daily 9 am to noon pm and 2 to 5 pm.Iglesia de San FranciscoJust south of the Capitolio Nacional, the San Francisco church was built in the 1570s but was remodeled on several occasions during the 17th and 18th centuries. Guzmán Blanco, unable to resist his passion for modernizing, placed a new neoclassical facade on the church to match the just-completed capitol building. Fortunately, the interior of the church didn’t undergo such an extensive alteration, so its colonial character and much of its old decoration has been preserved. Have a look at the richly gilded baroque altarpieces distributed along both side walls, and stop at the statue of San Onofre, in the right-hand aisle. He is the most venerated saint in the church due to his miraculous powers of bringing health, happiness and a good job. It was in this church in 1813 that Bolívar was proclaimed ‘El Libertador,’ and also here that his much-celebrated funeral was held in 1842, after his remains had been brought from Santa Marta in Colombia, 12 years after his death.Casa Natal de BolívarBolívar’s funeral took place just two blocks from the house where, on July 24, 1783, he was born. The house’s reconstructed interior (which lost almost all of its colonial features in the process) has been decorated with a score of large paintings by Tito Salas depicting Bolívar’s heroic battles and scenes from his life. The house is open 9 am to noon and 2 to 5pm Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 1 pm and 2 to 5 pm weekends.
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MY RECENT VACATION AROUND THE WORLD, A COMPILATION OR A PALIMPISET OF
Caracas Hilton
Avenida Libertador Con Sur 25Caracas, Dtto Fed./miranda 1010Venezuela Check in: Sun Mar-6-2005 Check out: Thu Mar-10-2005
Expedia.com itinerary number: 112033140393
Expedia.com booking ID: 4AQ6G9 (1)
Hotel confirmation number: 3206623082
Radisson Hotel Sao Paulo Faria Lima
Avenida Cidade Jardim 625Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 01453-000Brazil Check in: Thu Mar-10-2005 Check out: Sun Mar-13-2005
BW LORD MANAUS HOTEL
Expedia.com itinerary number: 112033140393
Expedia.com booking ID: 4AQ6G9 (1)
Hotel confirmation number: 3206623082
RUA MARCILIO DIAS 217
MANAUS 69005 270
BR
Stay Information:
Check In Date : March 13, 2005
Check Out Date : March 15, 2005
Sheraton Barra Hotel & Suites
Avenida Lucio Costa 3150Rio De Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro 22630-010Brazil Check in: Tue Mar-15-2005 Check out: Sat Mar-19-2005
Expedia.com itinerary number: 112033703869
Expedia.com booking ID: 23717347 (24)
Expedia.com itinerary number: 112033703869
Expedia.com booking ID: 23717347 (24)
Sat Mar-19-2005 (2 nights)
Hotel: Foz Do Iguacu
Reservation has been confirmed by Mabu Thermas And Resorts. Your reservation is guaranteed with your credit card. If your plans change, you must cancel or change your hotel reservation in accordance with the hotel cancellation policy to avoid a no-show charge. Please refer to the cancellation and change policies listed below
Expedia.com itinerary number: 112033851467
Expedia.com booking ID: 124047932 (12)
Hotel confirmation number: 99903298
Main contact: rodney gallowayE-mail: rodjanrg@yahoo.comHome phone: (760) 7891333
Mon Mar-21-2005 (3 nights)
Sheraton Libertador Hotel
Avenida Cordoba 690Buenos Aires 1054Argentina Check in: Mon Mar-21-2005 Check out: Thu Mar-24-2005
From: "Turismo Pali Aike"
To: "rodney galloway"
Subject: Re: conventinal tours
Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2005 11:01:28 -0400
Hello Rodney;
Hotel Santiago Park Plaza
Av Ricardo Lvon 207 ProvidenciaSantiago 6650385Chile Check in: Mon Mar-28-2005 Check out: Thu Mar-31-2005
The itinerary for around South America
2-1-2005
We want to spend the following days in:
1. 3 days in New Orleans
2. 7 day cruise out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The present cruise departs at 10:00 PM on the 27th of February.
3. stop in Caracas to fish at least one day for peacock bass
4. visit Rio de Janeiro
5. Visit Iguassu Falls
6. Visit Buenos Aires
7. Visit Punta Arenas and the Torres del Paine National Park
8. Visit Santiago, Chile
9. Visit Quito, Equador and fly to the Galapagos for a 4-day excursion on the M/V Galapagos Legend a cruise ship that departs each Monday thru Thursday.
The planned itinerary is as follows (and as indicated on the 2-1-2005 trip planner)
1. Leave San Diego 2/21 to New Orleans, spend 3 days and
2. Fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico to catch the cruise that leaves on Feb 27 10:00 PM
3. Out of San Juan on the 6th fly to Caracas, Venezuela for possibly 4 days. I would like to spend one day fishing for Peacock Bass. I am not a fisherman and one day would be plenty. The time span is variable, less than 4 days would be preferable.
4. Go to Rio via Manuas 2 days, Salvador 2 days, Rio 3 days, and 7 days at the most. 3-10 thru 3-18
5. 3-18 thru 3-19 Go to Iguassu Falls for at least one day
6. 3-20 go to Buenos Aries for 3 days
7. 3-24 fly to Punta Arenas, Chile and visit the park Torres del Paine
8. 3-27 fly to Santiago, Chile for at least 2 days
9. 3-30 fly to Quito, Ecuador some variable time here so schedules could be shifted.
10. 4-3 fly to Baltra Airport in the Galapagos
11. Board the M/V Galapagos Legend for 4 days Monday thru Thursday.
12. 4-7 fly to Quito and board plane for San Diego via Miami, and Orlando Fla.
The map shown for the trip planner does not show Punta Arenas and it shows an extra link from Santiago to Buenos Aires and back to Santiago (items 14 and 15).
We can travel overland but I don’t see any ways to do that.
The travelers are:
Rodney N. Galloway and
Janet L. Galloway as on the passport.
Do we need any extra visas other than passports??
DATES TO FLY TO SOUTH AMERICA
2/4/2005
2/22/2005 FLY FROM SAN DIEGO TO NEW ORLEANS
2/26/2005 FLY FROM NEW ORLEANS TO SAN JUAN ,PUERTO
3/6/2005 FLY FROM SAN JUAN TO CARACUS, VENEZULA
3/10/2005 FLY FROM CARACUS TO SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
3/13/2005 FLY FROM SAO PAULO TO MANAUS, BRAZIL
3/15/2005 FLY FROM MANAUS TO RIO de JANEIRO
3/19/2005 FLY FROM RIO TO IGUAZU FALLS
3/21/2005 FLY FROM IGUAZU FALLS TO BEUNOS ARIES
3/24/2005 FLY FROM BEUNOS ARIES TO PUNTA ARENAS, CHILE
3/28/2005 FLY FROM PUNTA ARENAS TO SANTIAGO, CHILE
3/31/2005 FLY FROM SANTIAGO TO QUITO, ECUADOR
4/3/2005 FLY FROM QUITO TO THE GALAPAGOS VIA BALTRA
AIRPORT IN THE GALAPAGOS ( I WILL MAKE THESE RESERVATIONS)
4/7/2005 FLY FROM THE GALAPAGOS TO QUITO ( I WILL MAKE THESE RESERVATIONS)
4/8/2005 FLY FROM QUITO TO ORLANDO FLORIDA
4/11/2005 FLY FROM ORLANDO TO SAN DIEGO
Parque Nacional el AvilaEl Ávila national park consists of a steep, verdant mountain that looms just to the north of Caracas. The park encompasses about 90km of the range, running east-west along the coast and separating the city from the sea. The highest peak is Pico Naiguatá (2765m).The southern slope, overlooking Caracas, is virtually uninhabited but is crisscrossed with dozens of walking trails. The northern face, running down to the sea, is dotted with hamlets and haciendas, yet few tourist trails are on this side. The park is crossed north to south by a few 4WD tracks and the inoperable teleférico (cable car).TeleféricoThe cable car was built by a German company from 1956 to 1957, during the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez. It consists of two lines: the one-stage, 4km run from Caracas up to Pico El Ávila; and the three-stage, 7.5km run from El Ávila down to Macuto on the coast. Both lines have been closed since 1988. The teleférico used to go from the Maripérez station (980m), located next to Avenida Boyacá in Caracas, up to El Ávila station (2150m). The terminus is close to Pico El Ávila (2175m), which is crowned by the sparkling, circular 14-story Hotel Humboldt, built in 1956. The hotel was closed soon after the cable car stopped running.Today it’s just a fantastic landmark over looking Caracas, visible from almost every point in the city. The area around the upper station and the hotel offers breathtaking views of Caracas and the Valle del Tuy beyond, and toward the north is a beautiful panorama of the coast with the Caribbean Sea stretching to the horizon.HikingOf all Venezuela’s national parks, El Ávila provides the best infrastructure for walkers. There are about 200km of walking trails, most of them well signposted. Half a dozen camping grounds distributed around the park are equipped with sanitary facilities, and there are many more places designated for camping (though they’re without facilities).A dozen entrances lead into the park from Caracas; all originate from Avenida Boyacá, commonly known as ‘Cota Mil’ because it runs at an altitude of l000m. Whichever route you choose, you’ll have a short ascent before you get to a guard post, where you pay a nominal park entrance fee. The guardaparques (park rangers) may provide information about routes and suggest one if you haven’t yet decided. Before you come, however, buy the useful Mapa para el Excursionista — Parque Nacional El Ávila (scale 1:40,000), which has marked trails and camping facilities.You have plenty of options for a half- or full-day hike. You can, for example, go up to Pico El Ávila; at least four routes lead there. Start early, as it can get extremely hot by midmorning. For those who are prepared to camp, probably the most scenic route is the two-day hike to Pico Naiguatá. Take rain gear and warm clothes. Water is scarce, so bring some along. Don’t forget plastic bags to bring all your rubbish back down. The dry season is from December to April, but even then it may rain in the upper reaches.LITORAL CENTRALThe northern face of El Ávila park slopes steeply down almost right into the sea, leaving only a narrow, flat strip of land between the foothills and the shore, referred to as the ‘Litoral Central.’ Still, the area developed into a chain of coastal towns, including, from west to east, Catia La Mar, Maiquetía, La Guaira, Macuto, Caraballeda and Naiguatá. Sadly, most of the area was devastated by mudslides caused by torrential rains in December 1999.The whole area from La Guaira to Naiguatá has become a sea of ruins, and up to 50,000 people were buried under the mud. Macuto, Caraballeda and Naiguatá, once thrilling seaside resorts for caraqueños, were turned into ruined ghost towns, and they remained much the same half a year after the disaster. One can only guess how many people have remained in the area, which had a population of nearly half a million before the disaster. It will take long years before life returns to anything resembling normal, and perhaps two decades before the urban tissue is fully rebuilt, if ever.
To/From the AirportThere’s bus service between the Maiquetía airport and Caracas daily from 5:30 am until the evening. Buses are supposed to depart every half-hour, but, as is common everywhere in Venezuela, they usually don’t leave until they’re full. In the city, the buses depart until about 7 pm from Calle Sur 17 directly underneath Avenida Bolívar, next to Parque Central. Stairs connect the two levels next to the Museo de los Niños; you can also get down to the buses by Calle Sur 17 from Avenida México (or Avenida Lecuna). At the airport, buses leave from in front of both the domestic and international terminals. The last bus is supposed to depart from the international terminal around 8 pm and from the domestic terminal around 9 pm.The bus trip either way costs US$2 to US$3 and normally takes about 40 minutes, but traffic jams, particularly on weekends and holidays, can double that time. If you are going from the airport to the city during rush hour, it’s faster to get off at the Gato Negro metro station and continue by metro to your final destination. The taxi fare from the airport to Caracas depends on which suburb you go to. Sample daytime (6 am to 6 pm) rates are: the center US$22, Sabana Grande US$26, and Altamira US$30. Nighttime tariffs are about 10% higher. The fares from the city back to the airport are about 10% lower. Air-conditioned taxis may charge more. A taxi takes up to four passengers and shouldn’t charge extra for luggage.Before boarding a taxi., check the correct fare (eg, with the tourist office) in order to avoid the usual overcharging. Nonetheless, drivers may overcharge you in the evening, after all the buses are gone, because they know you don’t have other options. Travelers have told of drivers asking exorbitant, nonnegotiable prices. Therefore, when you book your air ticket before your trip, make sure that you arrive at Maiquetía reasonably early during the day.You may be approached by ‘taxi drivers’ inside the international terminal who will offer you a ride to Caracas for less than the official fare, but this should be viewed with suspicion. Their taxis are usually not in the regular taxi line, but are parked elsewhere. Some of these drivers are honest, but there may be some who mug you in the middle of nowhere.If you have just an overnight stop in Maiquetía, there’s probably no point in going to Caracas. Instead, you may prefer to stay the night on the coast, although accommodation options became drastically reduced after the December 1999 disaster.If you’re arriving late at night in Maiquetía, don’t venture outside the terminal farther than the bus stop and taxi stand (both of which are just at the building’s doors). Holdups at gunpoint have been reported by travelers, and you probably wouldn’t want to lose all your bags right after arrival in Venezuela.MetroThis is the major means of getting around Caracas. It’s fast, well organized, easy to use, clean and cheap, and it provides access to most major city attractions and tourist facilities.The French-made metro system has three lines, with a total length of 44km and 39 stations, The longest line, No 1, goes east-west all the way along the city axis, and you will use it most frequently. Line No 2 leads from the center southwest to the distant suburb of Caricuao and the zoo. The newest and shortest line, No 3, runs from Plaza Venezuela southwest to El Valle. More lines are planned, but it will take a while before they open.The system also includes a number of bus routes, called ‘Metrobús,’ which link some of the suburbs to metro stations, You can thus easily reach San Bernardino, El Cafetal, Prados del Este, La Trinidad and other suburbs (plus intermediate points) that are not reached directly by metro. For example, the Centro Ciudad Comercial Tamanaco (CCCT) is accessible by Metrobús No 211 (La Trinidad) from the Chacao station and No 201 (El Cafetal) from the Altamira station (ask the driver to indicate where to get off - it’s not immediately obvious). All of the metro lines and Metrobús routes are marked on the Caracas maps posted in every metro station.The metro operates daily from 5:30 am to 11 pm. The air-conditioned trains run every few minutes, but less frequently early in the morning and late in the evening. Yellow single-ride tickets cost US$0.45 for a ride of up to three stations, US$0.50 for four to seven stations, and US$0.55 for any longer route. Roundtrip tickets (boletos de ida y vuelta) of any distance cost US$0.95. The transfer ticket (boleto integrado) for the combined metro-plus-bus route costs US$0.60. Consider buying the multiabono, an orange multiple ticket costing US$4, which is valid for 10 metro rides of any distance. Not only do you save money, but you also avoid the seemingly interminable waits in the ever-present lines each time you’re at the ticket counters.To get to the train platform, put your ticket into the slot on the turnstile, which opens and flips it back out to you. Keep it, because you have to use it again to open a similar turnstile at your destination. This time your ticket won’t be flipped back, unless it’s a multiabono. Bulky packages that might obstruct other passengers — as the regulations say — are not allowed in the metro. Backpacks are usually no problem, but use common sense and don’t carry large bags during rush hours, when trains are really crowded.The metro is generally safe, though there have been some comments about pick pockets that operate in groups on the escalators of the busy stations, eg, La Hoyada, Bellas Artes and Plaza Venezuela. An example scenario might run as follows: The man in front of you drops something and bends down to retrieve it. His accomplices at the back push you, while the one directly behind you tries to pick your pocket.BusThe bus network is extensive and covers all suburbs within the metropolitan area, as well as all the major neighboring localities. Carritos (small buses) are the main type of vehicle operating city routes. They run frequently but move only as fast as the traffic allows, sometimes getting trapped in traffic jams. However, they cost only half the metro fare (US$0.25). You will use carritos when going to destinations that are inaccessible by metro. It’s probably worth taking a carrito ride anyway, just to get a taste of local culture; the radio will be blasting pop and the driver undertaking breathtaking maneuvers — definitely a different kind of trip from the smooth and silent metro ride.TaxiIdentifiable by the ‘Taxi’ or ‘Libre’ sign, taxis are a fairly inexpensive means of transportation and are useful to get to places not reached by the metro. None have meters, so always fIx the fare before boarding. It may be difficult to wave a taxi down on the street, so either look for them at a taxi stand (there are plenty), or request one by calling any of the numerous companies that provide a radio service. Several companies, such as Teletaxi (Ph. No. 752 9122, 752 4155) and MóvilEnlace (Ph. No. 577 0922, 577 3344), service the entire Caracas area 24 hours a day.
Legend: Definition Field Listing Rank Order
Introduction Puerto Rico Top of Page
Background: Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Columbus' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters chose to retain commonwealth status.
Geography Puerto Rico Top of Page
Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic
Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 66 30 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 9,104 sq km land: 8,959 sq km water: 145 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 501 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m
Natural resources: some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil
Land use: arable land: 3.95% permanent crops: 5.52% other: 90.53% (2001)
Irrigated land: 400 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; hurricanes
Environment - current issues: erosion; occasional drought causing water shortages
Geography - note: important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north
People Puerto Rico Top of Page
Population: 3,897,960 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.4% (male 446,474; female 426,585) 15-64 years: 65.4% (male 1,220,721; female 1,329,936) 65 years and over: 12.2% (male 205,933; female 268,311) (2004 est.)
Median age: total: 33.8 years male: 32.1 years female: 35.4 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.49% (2004 est.)
Birth rate: 14.1 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: 7.77 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Salvador
the harbor
Salvador, or Bahia, city and port in northeastern Brazil, and capital of the state of Bahia. Salvador is a center of Afro-Brazilian culture. During the 17th and 18th centuries the city was a major hub of the African slave trade in Brazil. Salvador and the surrounding region still have Brazil’s largest concentration of residents of African descent.
lighthouse at harbor entrance
Salvador is located on the southeastern promontory of the bay of Todos os Santos. It is the largest bay on the Brazilian coast, covering 1100 sq km (425 sq mi) and containing some 38 islands. The city’s climate is tropical and daytime highs normally range between 25° C and 32° C (77° F and 90° F). While there is some rain throughout the year, most falls between May and September.
stop for touring boats
The city of Salvador covers an area of 324 sq km (125 sq mi). The core of the city is divided into two principal sections—the Cidade Baixa (Lower City) and the Cidade Alta (Upper City)—both of which date from the colonial period.
Lacerda Elevator
The Upper City sits on a bluff that rises abruptly some 70m (230 ft) above the Lower City. The steep terrain has made passage between the two sections difficult. Technological innovations in the late 1800s facilitated access, beginning in 1873 with the construction of a vertical pedestrian lift, known as the Lacerda Elevator. The elevator was replaced with a new system in 1928, and today it carries more than 50,000 passengers daily. In recent years two cable railways—the Plano Inclinado Gonçalves and the Plano Inclinado Liberdade/Calçada—have been added to link the two areas.
church in Upper city
The Lower City occupies the low ground along the waterfront and is the commercial and financial center of the metropolitan area. The waterfront includes commercial docks and warehouses, as well as a Brazilian naval base and a small boat anchorage for fishing vessels. A popular attraction in the Lower City is the Mercado Modelo, a market catering largely to tourists.
elevator to Upper City
(Government buildings seen in background)
The Upper City is the historic core of Salvador and contains some of the city’s finest examples of colonial architecture, including ornate Baroque-style churches. The neighborhoods of Pelourinho, Terreiro de Jesus, and Anchieta are especially notable for their architecture. Key examples include the cathedral, the Church of St. Francis and its adjacent monastery, and the Church of the Third Order of St. Francis. The Afro-Brazilian Museum, located in the Terreiro de Jesus neighborhood, documents the contribution Africans have made to the culture of the city and northeastern Brazil.
Portuguese tile work
Some 15 forts dating from the colonial period also distinguish the city—the oldest is the Fort of St. Anthony of Barra, whose construction was begun in 1580. Known locally as the Lighthouse of Barra, it also houses the Hydrographical Museum. Major universities in the metropolitan area include the Federal University of Bahia (1946) and the Catholic University of Salvador (1961).
traditional architecture
Salvador is Brazil’s fourth largest city. In 1996, the city had a population of 2,211,539. Northeastern Brazil is one of the country’s most impoverished regions and it is characterized by high birth and infant mortality rates. Many of Salvador’s residents are extremely poor and the city suffers from high levels of unemployment and crime. Today the city is often described as the most African in Brazil and boasts a strong Afro-Brazilian culture. This can be seen in its Afro-Brazilian cuisine; the popularity of capoeira, a martial art of Afro-Brazilian origin; and in the widespread practice of Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion. Over 1000 Candomblé temples, known as terreiros, are located in the city.
modern architecture
The city’s port has always played a key role in the local and regional economy. During much of the Portuguese colonial period it was Brazil’s principal port, exporting sugar, cacao, and tobacco and receiving tens of thousands of slaves imported from Africa. The port and city still play a critical role in the economy of northeastern Brazil, providing commercial services for a vast region and exporting cocoa, sisal, soybeans, and petrochemical products. Local industries include fishing, oil and gas extraction, cigar manufacture, a petrochemical complex at Camaçari, an oil refinery, and tourism. The Centro Industrial de Aratu, a planned industrial park, occupies a vast area around the Bay of Aratu and is home to over 100 industrial firms.
Football (soccer) stadium
Pelé ), Brazilian soccer player, who led Brazil to three World Cup (1940- titles and is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time. Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Três Corações, Brazil, Pelé was noted for his powerful kicking and skillful ball control and for his brilliant passing and field strategy. He joined the Santos Football Club in 1956, and in 1962 he led the team to its first world club championship. Pelé became the only player to participate in three World Cup victories when he led the Brazilian national team to titles in 1958, 1962, and 1970. By 1970 he had scored his 1000th goal, becoming the most prolific goal-scorer in history.
monument to Pelé
(plaque and his foot mold)
By 1974, when he retired for the first time, Pelé had scored 1200 goals in 1253 games and had become a Brazilian national hero. From 1975 to 1977 he came out of retirement to play with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League, leading them to a league championship in 1977.
news photo of Pelé making his imprint
Pelé's contract with the Cosmos made him the highest-paid athlete in the world at the time. He is credited with popularizing soccer in the United States. After his subsequent retirement in 1977, Pelé became an international ambassador for the sport, working to promote peace and understanding through friendly athletic competition.
where he often played
steep streets lead to Lower City
The city’s spectacular natural setting, nearby beaches, unparalleled colonial architecture, and African heritage have attracted increasing numbers of tourists in the last few decades. In the early 1990s the Bahian state government took measures to enhance the Salvador’s appeal to visitors, especially the restoration of the Pelourinho district in the city’s historic core, the site of its colonial slave market and pillory. The city’s Carnival festivities, held just prior to Lent during a four-day period at the end of February or the beginning of March, are a significant tourist attraction.
interesting items for sale
The city is well served by most types of transportation. Its international airport, Aeroporto Dois de Julho, is located about 30 km (about 20 mi) from the city center. Buses provide direct service to most major Brazilian cities—including Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Brasília—as well as regional destinations. Four paved highways connect the city to the national highway system. Rail transportation serves only the local area.
the fruit market
Salvador was founded in 1549 and served as the capital of Portugal’s Brazilian colony until 1763 when Rio de Janeiro became the capital. (Brasília replaced Rio de Janeiro as the capital of Brazil in 1960.) Salvador prospered as the colony’s principal port and administrative center. During the colonial period, the city’s economy depended on the cultivation and export of sugar and tobacco. These were grown on the fertile coastal plain adjacent to the city.
Contributed By: Robert B. Kent for Microsoft Encarta
Return to Salvador (Upper City) page
Return to Brazil page
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This message is not flagged. [ Flag Message - Mark as Unread ]
From: "Turismo Pali Aike"
To: "rodney galloway"
Subject: All your reservations are OK.
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2005 17:25:49 -0400
Rodney;
The tour is confirmed, everything is OK. The payment is OK too.
Our office is very near of Hotel Plaza, two blocks.
Hotel Plaza
José Nogueira Street Nº1116 - 2º piso.
Punta Arenas
Agencia de Viajes Turismo Pali Aike
Casa Matriz : Lautaro Navarro 1125
Sucursal : Lautaro Navarro 1129
Fonos : 56-061-229388 y 56-061-223301
Fono/Fax : 56-061-223301
Punta Arenas - Patagonia - Chile
You can take a transfer in the airport and to tell to the chauffeur that you come to Turismo Pali Aike and he will leave you in my office. Here I give you the vouchers of the services.
Have a good trip to the patagonia.
Best Regards;
Alejandra Meneses R.
Agencia de Viajes Turismo Pali Aike
Casa Matriz : Lautaro Navarro 1125
Sucursal : Lautaro Navarro 1129
Fonos : 56-061-229388 y 56-061-223301
Fono/Fax : 56-061-223301
Web Site : www.turismopaliaike.com
E-Mail : turismopaliaike@terra.cl
E-Mail : paliaike@entelchile.net
E-Mail : patagonia_aventuras@tie.cl
Punta Arenas - Patagonia - Chile
----- Original Message -----
From: rodney galloway
To: Turismo Pali Aike
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 3:47 PM
Subject: Re: 2 beds or 1 married bed in the Hotels
WHAT IS THE ADDRESS OF YOUR OFFICE AND THE ADDRESS OF THE PLAZA HOTEL?? HAVE WE SETTLED EVERYTHING?? CAN YOU SEND ME CONFIRMATION OF THE TOUR??
RODNEY GALLOWAY
Turismo Pali Aike
Rodney;
Dou you want rooms with 2 beds or 1 married bed ?
I will wait your answer.
Regards;
Alejandra Meneses R.
Agencia de Viajes Turismo Pali Aike
Casa Matriz : Lautaro Navarro 1125
Sucursal : Lautaro Navarro 1129
Fonos : 56-061-229388 y 56-061-223301
Fono/Fax : 56-061-223301
Web Site : www.turismopaliaike.com
E-Mail : turismopaliaike@terra.cl
E-Mail : paliaike@entelchile.net
E-Mail : patagonia_aventuras@tie.cl
Punta Arenas - Patagonia - Chile
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MY TRAVELS, MESSAGES FOR BACK HOME.
12-29-2006
/ MY RECENT DOCUMENTS/ 8-1-2006 RTW #2
$1 == 46.51 INDIAN RUPEES
.779 EUROS
541.5 CHILE
PESOS
5.727 EGYPT LLBS
5.11 FRENCH FRANKS
9068 INDONESIAN
RUPIANS
0.336 MALTA LIRI
3.24 PERU PEN
156.3 PORTUGAL PTE
1.577 SINGAPORE DOLLARS
GALLOWAY/RODNEY MR
SERVICE DATE FROM TO DEPART ARRIVE
LAN AIRLINES 09AUG LOS ANGELES CA LIMA 1405 0030
LA 601 WEDNESDAY INTL J CHAVEZ INTL 10AUG
Q ECONOMY TERMINAL B LUNCH/SNACK NON STOP 8:25 DURATION AIRCRAFT: BOEING 767-300/300ER
AUG 10 – AUG13 GARDEN HOTEL AVENIDA RIVERA NAVARRETE 450 SAN ISIDRO LIMA, PERU 27 PHONE
+51-1-4421771 RES #2747063 $207
LAN AIRLINES 13AUG LIMA SANTIAGO 0700 1120
LA 531 SUNDAY J CHAVEZ INTL A MERINO BENIT
H ECONOMY TERMINAL INTL BREAKFAST NON STOP 3:20 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 767-300/300ER
LAN AIRLINES 13AUG SANTIAGO EASTER ISLAND 1645 2025
LA 833 SUNDAY A MERINO BENIT MATAVERI INTL
H ECONOMY TERMINAL INTL DINNER NON STOP 5:40 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 767-300/300ER
MANAVAI (HOTEL) TE PITO OTE HENUA S/N (EASTER ISLAND) $186
LAN AIRLINES 16AUG EASTER ISLAND PAPEETE 2125 2320
LA 833 WEDNESDAY MATAVERI INTL FAAA
H ECONOMY SNACK NON STOP 5:55 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 767-300/300ER
ROYAL TAHITIEN HOTEL 16432403 AUG 16-AUG 22 BP 5001 PIRAE- TAHITI, PAPEETE,PF $990
AIR TAHITI NUI 22AUG PAPEETE SYDNEY AU 0155 0645
TN 3 TUESDAY FAAA KINGSFORDSMITH 23AUG
L ECONOMY TERMINAL 1 SNACK/BREAKFAST NON STOP 8:50 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A340-300
QANTAS AIRWAYS 23AUG SYDNEY AU DARWIN NT 1940 2340
QF 846 WEDNESDAY KINGSFORDSMITH
N ECONOMY TERMINAL 3 DINNER non STOP 4:30 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 767-300/300ER
MEDITERRANEAN ALL SUITES HOTEL, 81 CAVENAGH ST. DARWIN AUG 23 – AUG 27
YAHOO TRIP ID 262126608010 $650.72
GARUDA
INDONESIA 27AUG DARWIN NT DENPASAR BALI 0900 1005
GA 711 SUNDAY NGURAH RAI
N ECONOMY SNACK NON STOP
2:35
DURATION
FLIGHT OPERATED BY GA GARUDA INDONESIA COCKPIT CREW: GA GARUDA INDONESIA CABIN CREW: GA GARUDA INDONESIA
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 737-400
RAMADA
RESORT BENOA BALI JI, PRATAMA 97A TANJUNG
BENOA NUSA DUA, 80363 Book #: 037980458, IT # 0117690939
$393 Check In: 8/27/06 Check Out: 9/02/06 GGARUDA INDONESIA 02SEP DENPASAR BALI JAKARTA
0630 0710
GA 401 SATURDAY NGURAH RAI SOEKARNO HATTA
N ECONOMY TERMINAL 2 BREAKFAST NON STOP 1:40 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 737-400
GARUDA
INDONESIA 02SEP JAKARTA SINGAPORE 0830 1105
GA 868 SATURDAY SOEKARNO HATTA CHANGI
N ECONOMY TERMINAL 2 TERMINAL 1 SNACK NON STOP 1:35 DURATION
FLIGHT OPERATED BY GA GARUDA INDONESIA
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 737-400
ROYAL PLAZA ON SCOTTS BOOK # 037980156
p; 25 SCOTTS ROAD IT # 0117690400
$306.08 SINGAPORE, 228220 MALAYSIAN AIRLINES 05SEP SINGAPORE KUALA LUMPUR 1005
1100
MH 604 TUESDAY CHANGI KLIA
Y ECONOMY TERMINAL 2 MEAL NON STOP 0:55 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A330
SWISS-GARDEN HOTEL BOOK #
037987341 NO.117 JALAN PUDE IT # 011703522
$268
p; KUALA LUMPUR, 55100
MALAYSIA AIRLINES 08SEP KUALA LUMPUR DELHI 1810 2110
MH 190 FRIDAY KLIA INDIRA GANDHI
Q ECONOMY TERMINAL 2 MEAL NON STOP 5:30 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE
A330
HOTEL CHAND PALACE BOOK # 037987513 54 ARAKASHAN ROAD IT # 011703825
$3.47
NEW DELHI, 00000
INDIAN AIRLINES 13SEP DELHI KATHMANDU 1340
1525
IC
813 WEDNESDAY INDIRA GANDHI TRIBHUVAN
W ECONOMY TERMINAL 2 SNACK NON STOP 1:30 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A320-100/200
LE MERIDIEN KATHMANDU CONFIR # C771291839
PO BOX 20498 ITEN # 16541154
KATHMANDU null X SEPT 13 – 17 $280
ph 977-144-51212
QATAR AIRWAYS 17SEP KATHMANDU DOHA 0815 1030
QR
355 SUNDAY TRIBHUVAN
K ECONOMY MEAL NON STOP 5:00 DURATION AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A320-100/200
QATAR AIRWAYS 17SEP DOHA CAIRO 1200 1525
QR
514 SUNDAY CAIRO INTL
K ECONOMY MEAL NON STOP 3:25 DURATIO AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A330-200
PYRAMISA CAIRO
03797691, IT# 0117704163
60, EL GIZA STREET
CAIRO, 000 SEPT 17 –19 $240
AIR MALTA 28SEP CAIRO MALTA 0425 0610
KM 711 THURSDAY CAIRO INTL LUQA
S ECONOMY TERMINAL 2 DINNER NON STOP 2:45
DURATION
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A319
Booking Number:037987846 Hotel Itinerary Number:
7704464 &nbs
THE WINDSOR HOTEL SLIEMA, SLM
(MALTA)
Check In: 9/28/06 Check Out: 10/01/06
$212.58 air MALTA 01OCT MALTA ROME 0940 1110
KM 612 SUNDAY LUQA FIUMICINO
W ECONOMY TERMINAL C BREAKFAST NON STOP 1:30 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A319
TAP PORTUGAL 01OCT ROME LISBON 1220 1415
TP 831 SUNDAY FIUMICINO LISBOA
V ECONOMY TERMINAL B MEAL NON STOP 2:55 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A31
TIVOLI
TEJO
037988105 AVENIDA D. JOAOII IT # 0117704966
$455 LISBOA, 1990-083
Check In: 10/01/06 CHECKOUT 10/06/2006 TATAP PORTUGAL 06OCT LISBON NEWARK NJ 1245 1535
TP 103 FRIDAY LISBOA LIBERTY INTL
W ECONOMY TERMINAL B LUNCH/SNACK non STOP 7:50 DURATION
AMERICAN AIRLINES 11OCT NEW YORK NY SAN DIEGO
CA 1710 2000
AA 127 WEDNESDAY
p; &nbs F KENNEDY LINDBERG FLD
S ECONOMY TERMINAL 9 TERMINAL 2 FOOD FOR PURCHASE noN STOP
5:50 DURATION AIRCRAFT: BOEING 757-200/300
TOTAL $4221
Everything well in Lima cool and overcast, the hotel is not the Ritz but adequate. Hope they let me on the plane with my V8 juice. Will talk later..
Rod
Lima 8-10-2006
This hotel just got a plus rating when I discovered they have Wi-Fi and I am writing here in my room and listening to CNN. Went on a city tour today for $20, the limo taxi from the airport cost $25 and only lasted 30 minutes. The tour lasted 4 hours. The hotel is good, had good shrimp soup at 2 pm and went on the tour at 2:30 pm. tonight I had flounder. They had single items like steak and maybe 3 types of pasta but they had flounder 6 ways, good expresso. Washed and dried my shorts in the shower and on the heater. It’s cold here, because the cold (14 degrees c) seawater. The guide said it never rains here and is always overcast. I suggested to the tour guide that if you get away from the coast it must get pretty warm, cause lima is close to the equator but he said you don't go too far east till you run into the mountains and 10,000 foot peaks. That is why you usually see these people with wool hats pulled over their ears. I talked to a USA citizen today on the tour. Very few Americans here, none in this hotel. Haven’t seen a postcard or anything I would buy. Not surprising.
Rod, see I do know where the cap key is.
The current conspiracy theory
8-10-2006
A few years ago I accused the San Diego trust and savings bank of encouraging bank robbers to rob the bank. The reasons are that they do nothing to suppress that action like putting up bulletproof glass in front of the tellers and locking the doors when an attack took place. Today a number of instances have shown that effort would be effective. The bank wouldn’t bother because they have insurance and do not care about the welfare of the employees and are more concerned about appearances.
Today we are faced with another situation with the terrorist war effort. The TSA was put in place in a lame attempt at suppressing further attacks. The real reasons was just a dog and pony show for the public and it worked, they got the idea that they were safer but the final reasons was to convince the terrorist that we were just as vulnerable as before the 911 attack. Most people would recognize the fact that the effort was full of holes that an amateur terrorist could see thru, and that was to “bring them on” and commit another attack, but they had caused so much havoc with that one attack another would have meant nothing because the government had so overreacted and spent the farm on the bureaucracies that another attack would not have meant nothing.
But after the trail runs dry as it has and the public is convinced that the war was a fraud another layer must be laid on to revive the war effort. So you concoct another effort to revive the fraud, especially when another election is around the corner. Where else with such a good ally as the British where you don’t have to worry about the ACLU and the USA legal system to set the stage. So you round up the usual suspects approximately 21 and accuse them of staging an attack on the airlines with liquid explosives. Just one of the liquid explosives nitro-glycerin could easily fill one of the holes in the TSA inspections. After all the government was encouraging some one to do it and they know what will go unnoticed. There are many other ways to commit the same act and no one is looking for those mechanisms. Again the terrorist was uninterested but the government could make a hit by revealing it to the bewildered public and convince them that they had done something positive. Regardless of the fact that they don’t want the war to stop because they have so much invested and the industrial establishment surely doesn’t want to cut their own throat by stopping the war.
Add some embellishments like they “think” these 21 guys had some connection to al qaEda by visiting Afghanistan or Pakistan to get “trained” in explosives when all they had to do was Google the information and they could have saved a trip. Maybe they just went to get a suntan. Anyway that seems to be all that was necessary to create another chapter to the saga of war.
So instead of shaking down grandmas for their fingernail clippers they can now invade their privacy by confiscating their perfume and other body lotions. Sounds like as usual they left the door wide open with baby milk and medicine. So now they want to color the nitro with a white colored liquid and we are back to normal. Also air cargo is shipped without any inspection, and that way you don’t loose a fellow terrorist in the bombing. The only solution would be to stop all air traffic but that would leave no other way for the false threat except the busses and trains but just the poor people use that means to travel and we don’t need to spend much money to protect them. Remember it has been 4 years and none of these “holes” have been filled. So create the image and give it to CNN and they will run with it never let it rest and the publicity will be good for the “war effort” and the election.
It’s always good to see the police walking around with an automatic weapon, like if he uses it before or after the terrorist blows him up!!!
Rod
After all I have to do after dark is write and watch cnn,sooooo.
I forgot to tell you about the flight with LAN, a Chilean airline. The food was good, got served twice during the 8+ hour flight, had an isle seat and they had independent video for each seat. That meant I could watch what I wanted. There must have been 10 movies, games, and discovery movies, all about Peru. I watched and slept. I was out of the airport in an hour and to the hotel by 2 am. Woke up at 5 am and ready to go do something except nothing was open.
Today I went to a museum and made friends with a cab driver. He is going to take me tomorrow to another museum and to the airport Sunday. The flight leaves at 7am and they want you their 3 hr prior, don't know about that. The sun peeked thru today for a short while. I have not been able to see the mountains. I am not going to do much else. Had a good hamburger today and of course I got to thinking that maybe the hamburger at the VFW is not beef at all. Ask them how many dogs and cats it takes to supply the burgers for Thursday nights at the VFW. Something strange about that meat.
I started using spell check on this mail.
I disagreed with it but gave in and did it like spell checked wanted.
I don't know where the couples were from on the tour, maybe one from san Fran and another from Japan....
These photos were taken downtown and at the museum......
Love
Rod
2006 lima Peru 042
2006 lima Peru 049
To Sapowith 8-12-2006
The article is very believable but gives bush and Regan too much credit when in fact the USA is acting very much like the nazi’s by invading the Middle East and killing thousands of people including his own citizens. The invasion started long before Iraq. Those acts have prompted the Middle East to rise up and oppose those efforts. The opposition also is against the alliance and the profiteers that encourage war. They are not in any position to do any invasion like the administration would like for you to believe. Their only effective weapon is to terrorize the invaders and they have done an admirable job of that. Their goal is simply to get us out of the Middle East and stop supporting Israel. Killing people is an adequate, and cheap way to protest..
Don’t know if I told you but I am on my way around the world (by myself, Janet didn't want to go), I am in Lima, Peru right now.. Glad to hear from you al.
Rod
8-10-2006
Very little English, people in the hotel, no English or European, Orential, just Spanish. The tour was mediocre, the museum mediocre.
More later
Love
Rod
After the announcement about carryon on aircraft
Wouldn’t you think that after more than 10 years that the terrorist would have blown up a plane if they wanted to??? Well this is just another stupid attempt by our government to convince the public that they need to get involved with the make believe "war" we are paying a fortune for and an acknowledged understanding that we could never win the "war".
8-12-2006
Just got back from lunch at a "gourmet" restaurant and had crevice and a cerveza by Cusquena, a malt that is very similar to the Irish beer Guinness. The cerviche was pescado and there must have been a 1/2-kilo. But I took my time and ate the whole thing and drank the whole bottle of cervesa about 850 ml. found my way back to the hotel and discovered my newly washed shorts were dry and warm. Anyway I need to lie down. Was I born in the wrong country or what???
Rod
8-12-2006
Off to Easter Island tomorrow, 7:00 am flight so that means a 3:30 am wake up call and a call to my taxi driver Francisco if he can get up. This will be another all day flight via Santiago, Chile and a change of planes. These flights are with LAN, which has proven to be a class transporter.
After I stuffed myself with crevice and cerveza for lunch I had a great shrimp dish at a Chinese restaurant tonight and stuffed myself again. Tomorrow will be more common eating.
Rod
8-17-2006
welllll I’m here in Tahiti (sp) and pissed off, after talking to the receptionist I feel better but last night the cab ride from the airport cost $40 and I thought she said 14 well I immediately thought I would leave early and go to Sidney, Australia but I may reconsider after I found out the internet was free. I will investigate after I look around in the daylight. I have been keeping a log or diary about the day’s happenings and I will continue to do so. The free Internet is only one terminal, but I am usually up earlier than the average chicken. The roosters were crowing long after I woke up in Easter Island. The beach is close and it is a reasonable good hotel. With the cost I just may try and leave early and spend some time in Sidney. That link to Darwin is a bad one in that I get into Sidney at 0645 and leave for Darwin at 1945, which is a 13-hour layover.
Talk later
Love
Rod
Did you get the computer problems fixed???
Rod
2 pieces of pineapple and a piece of grapefruit and a slice of something with a cup of coffee cost $12 for breakfast, I’m leaving!!! ASAP
Rod
Don’t need money, just need to get away from Tahiti and I am going.
Love dad
8-17-2006
My advice don't come here go somewhere else..
Anyway I am out of here leaving tomorrow night for Sidney, Australia. I will be at the Mercure Sidney
818-820 George Street
Sidney, 2000
Its a long flight ~~ 9 hours, but after Darwin the schedule looks much better.
I would much better spend money in Australia than in French Polynesia.
I think Pete and Bill Q said the same thing and Joe g. also did not recommend French polli
Rod
8-18-2006
hotel reservation details
confirmation # ( 1 of 1 ): 038482934
mercure sydney
818-820 george street
sydney ac au 2000
phone: 61-2-92176666
check in: saturday, august 19, 2006
check out: wednesday, august 23, 2006
4 night(s)
1 room(s); standard room
1 adults
rate per room per night:
saturday, august 19, 2006 - $113.33
sunday, august 20, 2006 - $113.33
monday, august 21, 2006 - $120.94
tuesday, august 22, 2006 - $128.55
tax recovery charges and service fees: $26.18
total: $502.33 (total is for entire stay with tax recovery charges and service fees)oing to sidney, australia tonight. will be there for about 4-5 days, thats the time i was going to spend in tahati but changed my mind.
tell everyone hello or ola..
rod
to family ,, 8-18-2006
there never seems to be a good time to say a few words, so now seems to be a good time as any. I am on my way to the airport and going to Sidney, Australia. Glad to be getting away from Tahiti.
To Jan, Monica, Rodney and Leslie:
I want to congratulate you all on your achievements in life, you have done remarkably well and I want to tell you that I am proud of your achievements and I know you will do well in the future. See you soon...
I could have got a card but I think this is better..
Love rod/dad
To Chet 8-18-2006
Everything is going well.. I complain a lot but I like doing this and I learn a lot. All these places are different and their customs are all different. Glad you are back home ok. I will be sending e-mail on occasion and you are on my family list.
Love
Grandpa
Easter island
8-14-2006
Very quiet here except for the rooster and its 0455the southern cross is below the horizon and breakfast is not until 0830 so I will have to dip into my rations as soon as I can get out of bed. Its cold here, about low sixties but very quiet, the rooster must be taking a nap. There is no heat in these rooms and the television has two at most stations both local, no CNN. Got here about 2000 last night so you couldn’t see much. Got a briefing from the hotel owner as we arrived and got lei from a big old boy that has a brother in Redondo Beach ca.
8-15-2006
The quiet is still here. Yesterday went on the tour of tahai and orongo. I walked most of the way to tahai yesterday morning. The tour started at 3:00 pm. orongo is a huge volcano and late yesterday it was misting and I got a little wet. I didn’t take my jacket and the wind blew and I got cold. The views were spectacular and the guide filled us in on the history of the island that I didn’t want to hear but as he rambled on I did get interested, especially when he came to the part about when the Americans came to the island. I knew there was something about this island that fascinated me and that was it aside of the fact that I thought the extraterrestrials were here and formed the statues that is the major attraction on this island.
When the space program started in the 60’s the military or NASA came to this island and set up a tracking station, and I remember hearing the data from Easter island on television and of course no-one knew where the island was except in the south pacific. Well they had to have an airfield so as to bring equipment into the island so they built the airfield. That started a change of things on the island. Prior to that no one came here except for he explorers and maybe one ship a month that would bring in supplies and trade for goods that the island produced. They were on a barter system and gave freely of there surpluses. So now with the airport tourism is the main business and they must have money to conduct business. Prior to that they didn’t need money. So the history of the island will always be in debt to NASA for bringing Easter Island into the 20th century. The moral to the story is that the USA can do things that will benefit mankind if they would do it but the recent government has elected to invade other countries and start wars, killing thousands of people to the benefit of the military and the industrial complex that takes money from the public and returns nothing.
Today I have elected to rest and write and read, I will walk thru town and get a souvenir. I had fish last night but I didn’t realize how much it cost. 10,000 pesos is about $20 but the fish is good like the cerveiche but I will have to pay ore attention to the price. I couldn’t very much cause I had stuffed myself with cerveiche for lunch. The plate contained poi, sweet potato, rice, tomato, and a salsa of guacamole, kale and fish. Water bottle was 2000 pesos about $4.
Tomorrow I will rent a car and drive to the north shore and then get a plane to Tahiti.
Well I did rent the car and drove to the east side of the island $50 plus $10 for gas, took some pictures and had a rest then to a restaurant that I saw on the way. They had soup so I ordered some chicken soup. It took a long time to fix and she told me it would take some time. When it arrived the soup was boiling, bubbling, but it was good, had a chicken breast whole and potatoes, carrots along with bread, I couldn’t eat much of it but it cost $9. I met a couple from Japan with two kids, later in line to leave the island I met a woman and daughter from the Ukraine, the daughter spoke very good English and the mother didn’t say anything. Lost my little knife to the inspection, now I will get another. Later for dinner in the plane they gave me a much larger knife to eat with. The food on the plane was good and I had 2 seats on the port side so I stretched out and slept some.
Later in Tahiti I was pissed off about the cab fare to the hotel, $40 and at the airport I was sure she said $14. Not that I hadn’t thought of leaving here earlier now I am going to try and arrange it by going to Sidney earlier and the Sidney connection was not good so a couple of days in Sidney would kill two birds with one rock. They have 220 and 115 van in room. Internet is free and they have one terminal, anyway when I get up no one will be on so I can do as I please which is what I want to do…
I made the reservation in Sidney for the 19th thru the 23rd at the Mercure Sidney @ $119/ night, so I am out of here tomorrow night and will do a late checkout. The plane leaves at 0155 and they want you at the airport 3 hours prior, so I will go there about 8 or 9 and wait for the flight. The Mercure Sidney is on 818-820 George Street, Sidney,ac,au 2000.
Tonight I had a steak, good but a little tough, good green beans and potatoes couldn’t eat it all, I have to order stuff that does not have large helpings. Playing Louis Armstrong and I am going to read some in the book “America on Fire” by Bernard a. Weisberger. We need to buy another copy of this book and maybe a number of copies for Christmas gifts. It’s about the early days of the country when Washington was president.
Well I left Tahiti on the morning of the 19th and ended up here in Sidney on the 20th because of crossing the date line. The plane was late ~~2 hrs and I got to the Mercure Sidney about 10:30. I need to check out the hotel but it seems nice.
8-20-2006
I need to make sure these hotels don't double charge for the stay. I heard your message this morning but I didn't receive any e-mail about the hotels.
Well we need to check and especially Tahiti I left there and checked out but the hotel.com may have charged for the whole time. The same for Lima and Easter Island. They are checking here to eliminate double booking on this hotel. Just check the bookings on my e-mail and see if they we are getting charged for the hotels so I can tell them it's paid for when I get there. I don't expect to change anything now but you never can tell..
Love rod
Daily news 8-21-2006
Great hotel close to china town and shops. Bought me a sweatshirt with Australia and a flag for warmth, cold here. I look like an Aussie ready for the Olympics. The hotel has a great indoor pool on the 15th floor overlooking the city. This is a very busy part of the city. They have a large botanical garden right in the heart of the city, which I will visit. Had kfc tonight from across the street. The Internet in the hotel is $5 Australia for 30 minutes so I will send using that source and read from down the street at an Internet café. The exchange rate is $1 us for $1.2 Australia, so whatever you buy is like a 20% discount, great idea. I could have that backwards and that wouldn’t be so good. Anyway things here are higher than I would be used to, especially at the hotel.
8-21-2006
I will send these updates when the hotel gets its act together and has the Wi-Fi working or when I find a Wi-Fi location.
Had my coffee and tomato juice with Tabasco sauce along with a wedge of laughing cow cheese this morning. Got the cheese in Tahiti and the juice and sauce across the street at a grocery that is next to the entrance of the train station. I may have forgot to mention that the main train station for Sidney is right below my window and a lot of the traffic here is due to the large station. Its 5:55 am and dawn is breaking looking to the east out of my window. So its 1:55 pm in San Diego.
Yesterday I got everything together and walked to the botanical garden about 2.5 miles and I was a little tired, but I had planned to take the bus back to the hotel and I did. George Street is a main drag here and busses run up and down the street so you can take the bus and go to the bay and see the opera house or the harbor bridge then go to the other side of the street and return to the hotel. The fare for the bus is dependent on the distance you are going so it cost about 1.80# to return to the hotel. I thought that was a lot but many people use those busses. While walking to the garden I pasted the village of woolloomooloo (name dropping) that is adjacent to the garden. Had McDonalds breakfast sandwich and some shrimp from across the street then last night some chicken-corn soup at a “gourmet” restaurant across the street. I couldn’t understand the Chinese girl, she said the soup was chicken-con but after she spelled it out I knew she meant corn and she was embarrassed.
This morning I am watching good morning America on television. They reviewed the book Freakonomics that I think I have read at least part of it.
I would buy a number of the books about the early days of the country “America on fire” by Bernard a. Weisberger. You learn about some details of history in school but you never get any details, only what the government wants you to know like Washington cutting down the cherry tree, which was a lie. What you need to know is that these people were real with normal desires and morals with everyone wanting to go in a different direction and things are still that way. I don’t remember how I got the book but the price tag is $6.99 and for that price everyone in the US should read and be given to all school kids to counter the propaganda put out by the government.
One thing before I forget again is that in all these country I don’t see any police on the streets. Occasionally I hear a siren but no police or firemen??? I of course have written letters about this before and I need to reiterate those ideas about the bureaucracy in the USA.
While its fresh on my mind…..
The role of the police is to be a reactionary force, a crime is committed and the police go after the perpetrator, find him along with the evidence and prosecute and fine or imprison the person. If you have been led to believe that they “protect you” that is what they would like for you to believe but when you are being robbed or a crime is committed on you, when did a cop show up to stop the crime, very seldom or never. They report the number of crimes but never report the number of convictions that is their real goal. They also don’t report all the crimes in order to convince you that the crime rate is low. If they reported all the crimes and the number of convictions you would have a batting average to judge their performance but they mislead the public by telling them what the crime rate is and never try and justify the number of convictions. In order to increase their bureaucracy they compare the number of police to the population and what the neighboring communities rates are which has little or nothing to do with their performance. Why are they so militaristic with the “chiefs” having stares as a sign of rank like the generals in the military? The public would like to think that they are not a militaristic organization, but many times they act like an invading force.
As a way the bureaucracy is run the public have no way to judge their performance but to continue to enlarge the force. Similar results are found in the fire departments that do not try and justify their existence by showing the number of structures that were saved and the number that were destroyed. Their goal is to increase the force and of course create heroes and give medals to employees that are expected to do those jobs. They plead to the soft public and the public eats it up. Usually the structure burns to the ground and insurance would be just as good as a fire department.
End of thoughts for the day!!!
I traded my 48000 pesos for 82.60 Australia dollars. I thought they were worth 540 per us dollar or $88.88. The euro is worth 1.5 and the US $ 1.166. So 82.6/1.166 gives 70.84 us $ and
More later..
8-23-2006 Wednesday
I had breakfast at the Gourmet Express, not too great but today I am going to eat at the hotel, they have a buffet, which don’t like because I can’t eat too much. I then walked to Darling Harbor past the Haymarket and a number of Chinese restaurants. I later went back at dinnertime and had duck with plum sauce that was good. Leaving today for Darwin and warm weather.
8-25-2006
Good farming, I met a sheep farmer on the way to Sidney, he was traveling the world.. While the sheep were making him money..
Rod
A better question would have been why after trying to rescue two soldiers did so many Israelis have to die and never achieve the goal?? What a mess that area of the Middle East is.
Thanks for the info, Al I am in Darwin Australia going to Bali.
Rod
Brits revoke USA independence
(a message from john cleese (comedian)
to the citizens of the united states of America):
in light of your failure to elect a competent president of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately.
Her sovereign majesty queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over
all states, commonwealths, and >territories (excepting Kansas, which she
does not fancy).
Your new prime minister, Tony Blair, will appoint a governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.
To aid in the transition to a British crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect: you should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English dictionary. Then look up aluminum, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it. The letter 'u' will be reinstated in words such as 'favor' and 'neighbor.'
likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix ize will be replaced by the suffix ise. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up vocabulary).
Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as us English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be
adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination
of -ize.
You will relearn your original national anthem, God Save the Queen.
July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent.
Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean.
All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humor. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline)-roughly $6/us gallon. Get used to it.
You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and
accepted provenance will be referred to as lager. American brands will be referred to as near-frozen gnat's urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.
Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching andie McDowell
attempt English dialogue in four weddings and a funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.
You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you
call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full Kevlar body Armour like a bunch of nannies). Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game, which is not played outside of America.
Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is
understandable. You must tell us who killed JFK. It’s been driving us mad. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from her majesty's government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776). Thank you for your co-operation.
Darwin
8-25-2006 Friday
Got here early yesterday, slept some on the plane, the plane was on time but the change in time as only a half hour and Darwin is farther west than Sidney. Sidney to LA was 7 hours difference, now at Darwin it only 6 ½ hours and it is farther west. Anyway when it is on the hour here the rest of the world is off by ½ hour.
Got to the hotel by shuttle and $6, the hotel was closed and it didn’t look good, I have always wondered about that with late arrivals. On the wall next to the front door was a phone that was connected to a security firm that came over and unlocked the side door and then a safe in which was an envelope that had my room key and directions for getting around in the hotel, I was impressed.
Yesterday after getting back in bed and breakfast at the hotel restaurant I walked into town and past a Woolworth’s store which turned out to be a supermarket, they had more food that I had ever seen before and I came back later and got some food items for the night dining. The town is small so it didn’t take too much to see most of the city. Found a couple of Internet sites, one I used in Sidney called Global Gossip.
Unique things about this area are the yearly temperatures, which don’t vary much during the year. The maximums are between 31-33 degrees C and the low mins are 19- 25. Converting gives 90 to 70 degrees f. The rainfall is greatest between March and November between 142 and 423 mm per month but the humidity varies through the year from 38 to 70 % during the month of January the 423 mm rainfall.
I bought food stuff, tomato juice, strawberries as big as my fist, cheese, chocolate milk, ravioli and a sauce, Worcestershire sauce for my juice, candy, noodle soup, shrimp, butter, beer, ginger beer. That’s all now I have to eat it by Sunday.
This hotel is an all suites so my room has everything in a house. In two large rooms is a kitchen a living room area, two beds and a shower that empties into a Jacuzzi tub, directly out of the front door is a pool and facilitates for doing laundry so I will be clean when I leave here.
Went to the botanical garden today, a long walk but well worth the effort. They have a beautiful garden, looks like a jungle with lots of trees and flowers with different smells. This is a tourist attraction and a significant one for such a small town. Too bad southern California doesn’t have one. If you folded up Ramona’s business district it would be about the same size as Darwin’s with the exception of the hotels and there are quit a few here.
Will start getting ready to travel to Bali. Here is a picture of myself.
Sidney
Rod
To Monica bout Mexican property 8-27-2006
I will send a general reply, glad you are thinking about the property.. They want California prices for Mexican and there are a lot of differences
Love
Dad
8-27-2006
Made it to Bali. This place is hard to believe. The hotel is just like a palace and the people all want to meet and want to know where you are from and how long you are staying. I found this Internet cafe with a very slow reaction, probably a dial up. Sorry Walt didn't get the pictures, others did. I don't know if I can find my way home, (to the USA)
More tomorrow after I write some on the laptop.
Rod
Bali 8-28-2006
The last day in Darwin I ate out and had a rack of lamb, which was very good. I am convinced the lamb we get in the USA is probably mutton and the cast off from Australia. In Australia they can only call it lamb if it’s less that 2 or 3 years old. Did I tell you the sheep farmer says they get rid of sheep after maybe 6 years because the wool gets rough and not salable?
Back to Bali, the hotel Ramada resort bemoan Bali is a palace and difficult to explain but I have taken many pictures. The food is good and reasonable. The hotel is right across the road from the beach where they have a restaurant very close to the beach. Yesterday I walked to the right and found an Internet café about 30 minutes walk and I will go there today and send this attachment. There are lots of small family restaurants on the street and I will eat at some. Everyone is very sociable and it’s a wonder why they are so apparently happy, except for the great climate, warm water, and low prices for food. What’s wrong with this picture??
The hotel has a great breakfast included, so my goal is to take at least an hour to eat. Good TV from all over the world, because people from all over come here for vacation.
Good property to buy and rent. (Monica)
Rod
That’s what I was telling a man on the way here (Singapore) that the man and the woman were good looking. Good to be in Singapore with free high speed internet and free mini bar, great hotel. Will send more later..
love
Dad
Very good Chet I will look at it further tonight. I just arrived in Singapore and am getting oriented. It is important to know the real history because the politicians will change the story to meet their needs.
Love
Grandpa
Hi burr, I am in Singapore and pissed off at the French so I agree we should boycott Target stores..
Rod
First night in Singapore
9-2-2006
The hotel offers high speed Internet for free from each room if you have the computer and fixed beverages in the room fridge. So I walked the streets tonight and the traffic is so bad you have to watch in order to keep from getting hit by a pedestrian. They have wide streets and wide sidewalks. I went to CPK and had a Chinese chicken salad. Tasted just like I was in San Diego. Then I got a sherbet and back to the hotel. The room is cold and I complained that it would not warm-up so the maintenance men showed up and finally told me they only have air conditioning to cool and no need to heat. So I will leave it off and maybe by tomorrow it will have warmed up. You need a key to operate the elevator and to get in the room. If you jump in the elevator and the door closes you can’t get out without the key to select a floor.
The airline Garuda was very good, not too crowded and the food was good, pretty stewardess and they are animated very well in order to serve, but I know they are not real only Hollywood could make something like that but they have good food and drinks. Did I tell you the food was good on LAN Chile and they would give you all the wine and booze you wanted.
All of these stores are very expensive and they are all here. With a ton of shoppers. Tomorrow I will go to China town with the subway.
Rod
About statues in Bali
I bought a few, I wanted to buy one that was about 3 feet tall but it would have cost $900 to get it back to the states, so I walked away and I couldn't call you in Bali.
Rod
9-3-2006
Getting ready to leave Singapore, packing and repacking and rethinking. I washed clothes yesterday and I am convinced you can get along by doing that with very few clothes. I bought a new jacket in little India for $18 s, divide by 1.5 to get us $. Most of the stores near the hotel are expensive, designer stores. I will send more photos later, before I leave here. Don’t know when I will get a high-speed connection like this.
Rod
Second full day in Singapore 9-4-2006
Went to china town and India town yesterday. I think the whole city is composed of those two nationalities, but today I will go to the river and do some walking. I got tired yesterday so today I will take it easier. The metro (underground) is a very good way to transport people and the population grows up around that facility. So if you want to plan a city with some outlook for the future do an underground and the city will take care of itself. The trains run every 7 minutes and are very clean and people are tolerant. The pay for the access is about $2.20 Singapore and you buy that thru a machine that issues a ticket or card to the destination of your choice. The card is used to enter the train area by merely getting it close to a receiver that opens a gate to let you in. after arrival at the destination the card lets you out of the train area and then you go to a ticket machine and turn in the ticket and you are rewarded with a $1.00. You only get your $1 if you are at the destination you chose. It is a very good system for handling mass transit and most civilized cities that are planed properly have them. They are costly to build and this system is very attractive from a visual point of view. But if you elect to throw away your tax money on useless wars then the country could probably not afford the luxury of a system and the results are gridlock on the streets and expensive cars, insurance, high gas prices but we have grown to like those things.
Rod
9-3-2006
I wanted to tell you about the hotel... my paper is on the doorknob each morning and not under the SUV. The lift is always ready at the lobby floor and as soon as you punch the button on any floor a light comes on to tell you which elevator is coming to pick you up and when it gets close the light starts to flash and then the door opens. I do like those features. House prices start at about 1 mil but you can get small places for $400,000. I ate yesterday at the china town for $6, had good pork and duck with great sauces, later at India town I had what I think was curried chicken and vegetables, not too good but for $3.50 what would you expect. China town was typical but India was mostly rundown with thousands of people. A good experience for me. Today in the hotel my fruit dish was $10 and coffee was $8. In the room coffee is free along with the mini bar and of course the high speed Internet
Sounds like the Israel government is being run by the same idiots that run the USA. Start a war because of a captured soldier then get a lot of their own killed in the war, cease fire and trade 800 prisoners for the captured soldier. Very smart but that is Washington standards. We know war!!!!
Rod
9-4-2006
Looks like it's warmer in Ramona than here on the equator. Leaving this morning for Kuala Lumpur. The weather has been great and the storms are either ahead of me or behind, this morning (0400) it's storming with thunderstorms, which I will fly out of. Most of the places visited I feel bad about leaving, but the schedule says move on so away I go.. I have made train reservations in India and Egypt.
Rod
9-6-2006
The jacket is a lightweight and I think it will repel rain. I almost got to try it today but it stopped raining. It is pretty good for 18/ 1.5 which is 18 x2/3=$12. I will call in the morning, which will be about 4:00 pm.
Love
Rod
It rained here today after the city tour. I am at the local Internet cafe. The hotel still think the Internet is worth a lot of money. I bought too much stuff today. Janet did you get a package?? More tomorrow.
First morning in kl (Kuala Lumpur)
9-06-2006
Well it’s 0300 on a Wednesday morn and I had to tell you my experience yesterday. I did find some tomato juice and good cheese for my initial breakfast. Yesterday in order to get back my switch blade (flick) knife I had to go to terminal 1 and convince the guard I had to get in the baggage claim area to retrieve the knife, they finally let me in with all my baggage. You need good reason to get into the baggage claim area with baggage, you can retrieve baggage but you can’t take stuff in. well he finally let me in thru a special door and I went to customs and presented the “officer” with my receipt and he finally found it but would not let me have it until I checked my baggage onto the flight out of Singapore. So he escorted me to the sky train and on to terminal 2 took me to the counter of Malaysian airlines and checked me in which was ok because I had to do that anyway and he actually helped me get from one place to the other or I would have been trying to find my own way and that is with trial and error. As soon as my bag was checked in and ready to go he gave me the knife and I dropped it into the bag and away the bag went out of Singapore to kl. I told him I needed a knife while in Singapore so I bought a big knife at a store in Singapore and had stored it in my baggage. Of course that did not mean a thing to him, and he kept explaining to me the reason was not how big it was but because it automatically opened was why they had to confiscate the weapon, a sword was ok, a flick knife was not good. The flight was about 55 minutes to kl.
Life is not simple.
Day before yesterday I did have good Chinese food and some bad Indian food, the Chinese was on the street and was duck and pork with some good sauces and a little rice. I still can’t see why they like rice but they insist on piling it on the plate. I am going to stop eating Indian off the street, it is just steam table food that has been sitting there for who knows how long. I don’t think it make me sick, just not too good.
Got to the hotel, Swiss garden yesterday by getting on the train to town, not so easy, in order to get to the hotel I needed a ride from the train to the hotel well for about $30 us I contracted with a limo service that provided a porter that took care of my bags and we boarded the train, the porter was very helpful in that I didn’t know where the train boarding was and he stuck with me till the end of the line and he talked to an intermediary and then took me to a waiting Mercedes with a driver that drove to the hotel. It was a half an hour from the airport and a 20-minute ride to the hotel and it was about 1200 and I needed to eat. Coffee on the plane. The hotel has a nice Chinese sit down restaurant and I had a Japanese mushroom and a goose leg with some good thick crab soup. I still wonder about the goose leg but I consumed what was on the leg and the mushroom was good with a good sauce. When I went in the headwaiter told me it was a Chinese restaurant and I told her ok. I did eat my last Indian food off the street yesterday and the hotel buffet was good, with all kind of things I would never have thought about eating.
Today I am going to go on a half-day city tour. The tour was very good for $50/3.6. The city is very similar to Singapore. The architecture here and in Singapore is stunning, similar to shanghai, china. The price for gas, petrol is $ 1.8/3.6= $.5 per liter or $2 per gallon. They have lots of oil for 26 million people and in kl about 2.6 million. The normal retirement age is 56 if you can afford to retire. You can probably buy a nice house for $100,000. They have subways and trains and busses and a monorail. Friday when I leave I will get a taxi to the central station and with Malaysia airlines I can check my bags at the station and ride to the airport for a few dollars.
Did I say life was not simple?
Nothing more I want to say at 0300, back to bed.
Rod
9-6-2006
Where does bush think he is going to get the energy to charge the batteries and generate ethanol??? The nuclear is independent of oil and why are we lagging??
Rod
They eat most everything and I think the horsemeat is good. When I need to eat I look around for some place to eat and I land in the closest place. Usually in the hotel.
Rod
They eat most everything and I think the horsemeat is good. When I need to eat I look around for some place to eat and I land in the closest place. Usually in the hotel.
Rod
9-7-2006
Well this is the latest from 0400, I lost my blowup seat cushion and now I am hunting for one. I lost a couple of other things but I can't remember just what they were but not too important. I will go back to the hotel and get some more Chinese food before I go to the airport. Kind of hate to leave here!!!
Rod
Leaving Kuala Lumpur 9-8-2006
Up late today, it’s almost 0400 but today is a travel day so I don’t have much planned. The hand sanitizer is a good idea; I hope it works, so far ok.
Rode to monorail yesterday from the local station to the end of the line and back, another way of seeing the city from where the locals live. Stopped at a street restaurant which I think was Indian and had a steak (thin piece) with a rich brown mushroom sauce that was outstanding, along with mixed veggies and a salad with French fries for $8.4/3.6 or about $2.60. Shipped some packages and sent 15 postcards for $0.5/3.6 or 13 cents per. always send post cards from Malaysia. The post office is in one of these mega lexes called plazas. They are shopping areas that may be 6 stories and each occupies a city block. Well after a few escalator rides I can’t tell which way I came in and when you do find a way out it will probably be on a different street that you came in on. They sell everything in these plazas. The currency here is called the ringit and abbreviated rm. they still have “kings” or “sultans” here but they have a parliament that is democratic and corrupt like our corrupt government. The sultans have no power but just figureheads like England and are just as stupid as the queen.
This hotel is nice, has a gym and a pool and probably 20 rooms for massage at least that what they say they are for. Massage is a big thing here and it is an industry that is sold on the street, and I think it is legitimate because on the street you can see inside the stations where the business is performed. I went in the pool because it felt warm but couldn’t stay long because since my skin has gotten much closer to my bones I can’t stand the cold too well. That means I have lost a lot of weight but today I weight 70 kilos. I did use the gym. They also have patios on the 11th floor that is full of orchids and you can see forever. It rained late today.
Breakfast here is complementary and they offer maybe 35 items to choose including fried eggs, most hotel breakfasts in the states offer some coffee, juice, and a piece of bread and then you go out for breakfast.
Today I fly Malaysian air, which allows you to check your baggage at the central train terminal and then ride the train to the airport. Also the food is very good and the personnel very attractive. I don’t know if they offer beer and wine.
Also wanted to mention the hotel sells water for $22/3.6/liter (3.6 is the exchange rate) or buy it in the convenience store 1.5 liter for $2/3.6. Well its time to get back to bed for my early morning nap having had my cheese, tomato juice and coffee. To get electric to this computer I have to go thru 3 adapters.
Rod
9-7--2006
Forgot to tell you I talked to ken lay in Tahiti for a short time. He lives on one of the small islands there and travels when he wants under an assumed name. You wouldn't recognize him. But he beat the law and lives nicely in the south pacific. I think I heard from bin laden and he is in India but I don't think I will be able to see him, too much security but the USA is protecting him, they don't want to loose a good enemy for that is what makes the military/industrial establishment run. No enemy no wars.
Later
Rod
9-9-2006
Yes and I am not buying any more, too much trouble. Anyway there is not much to buy in India. The food is not that great, I hope for better in Agra. I am leaving in the morning early, the train leaves at 0615.the hotel here is bad and I am looking forward to leaving had a city tour today which was nice, it is hot and humid. The hotel has no restaurant and I have to order and eat in my room. Had some French toast this morning and the asked if I wanted salt or sweet on it. I told him sweet and I should have told him how to fix it because it was not anything like French toast. The cheese omelet was not to bad and the coffee came with lots of cream and chocolate. I will tell you more when I get more time. Tell Billie I am in India and I am sorry he got off my list; send or forward the old writings will just send this to everyone.
Rod
9-12-2006
First full day in Juipur, well it is 3:30 am Tuesday, 9-12-2006 and I am about to call room service for coffee and se if they are awake. The ride here from Agra was somewhat scenic but usually a heartbeat away from a crash. They have a sense of how to miss a car in your lane heading for you, either you are in their lane or they are in yours but they know how to do it and I will have to let the “experts” do it because I won’t attempt that kind of driving. In this part of the country you see a lot more camels pulling carts but a lot of horses and what looks like home made trucks, I don’t get much chance to see what they are. Anyway that was the events leading up to getting into japer when close to the hotel the brakes on the car started to freeze or always having the brake on, but by stopping for a brake cool down occasionally we made it to the hotel and I hope the driver was off to get the problem fixed. The hotel is very ornate and reminds you of a Moorish castle you might see I Spain. The walls are all painted with designs, similar to the hotel in Lisa, Tibet. No elevator, no coffee pot in the room, nice pool, too cold, good food but we need to know what the items on the menu are!! After a few questions I usually get something that tastes good. Chicken curry was good and moderately seasoned. Maybe a different style of cooking called Rajasthani explains why the difference in seasoning. Something to look into. The language barrier here is greater but I seem to get along ok.
Today at 0800 we are supposed to go and see many great things but I am not so hot about seeing great things now. I am more interested in getting out of India and on wit the trip to Katmandu. The road back to the airport in Delhi is supposed to be a 4 lane so it will eliminate the head on crashes but is still 260 kilometers and predictions are for 4-5 hours drive. They are supposed to deliver me at the airport at 1100; the plane leaves at 1340, so that should be ok but with a lame car we may have to improvise.
Funny most of the signs are in English but the people can’t speak the language very well. They must learn to read but never have to speak English. They speak Hindi, I think. On a billboard it said it takes guts to build a civilization. With so many people it has to be difficult to do all the things that would advance the public the way we have done in the more civilized countries. I think of Africa and South America, even Central America. There are many people trying to occupy the same space and almost chaos exists at least that is what it looks like on the road and my experience at the taj. Well Jaipur is no different too many people in a small area. Today my driver drove me around to the usual places that I didn’t want to go to and it wasn’t long and I told him to take me back to the hotel. We visited the elephants, where they take tourist for rides. It seems all the tourist want to ride elephants, why I don’t know but it doesn’t seem like a good thing to do so I refused. Every thing you do they want money and they don’t let up constant hounding.
The driver thinks the car is ok and we are set for a 0700 dash to the Delhi airport for the 1:30 hour flight to Katmandu. I told him I had to be there by 1100 and he thinks he can make it in 4 hours, ok if he doesn’t make it, no tip. The plane leaves at 1340 so I have a little fall back time.
After all the places the driver took me to I was sure there must some better, upscale places to shop so the hotel gave me a map and showed me where the shopping was 4 kilometers away. So I got a cab, no not just a 4 wheeled cab but a 3 wheeled cab that is a converted motorcycle with two drivers one to give others signals as to which way we were turning and the other steered and watched where he was going. A bone jarring ride and noisy. Well when he did stop I was at the same “markets” we were at earlier in the day so t told him that I just needed some juice and fruit for breakfast tomorrow. The hotel restaurant does not open till 0730 and I hope we will be on the road by then.
Looking at the map this hotel may be the best in Jaipur. That’s all for today I can get on the Internet here at the hotel.
Rod
9-14-2006
Got a new pillow made of rubber from Indonesia.
You need to know where to trim the grapes so wait till I get there. It makes a difference about how the grapes grow next year. I stopped for a change of planes in Santiago so I may have got money for Easter Island.
Love
Rod
9-14-2006
The hotel faxed this message to Egypt for me; I haven't got a response yet, probably too soon. If I don't hear from them I will go to the train station when I get to Cairo.
Rod
Abela Egypt
fax 202 738 3681
or
fax 202 574 9074
I need to make a reservation for sleeping trains on the following dates:
Sept 19 sleeping train from Cairo to Luxor for a single adult
And
Sept 24 sleeping train from Aswan to Alexander for a single adult.
I understand I can pick up the tickets at the train station 24 hours prior to the departure
Rodney Galloway
1340 h street
Ramona, ca. 92065
rodjanrg@yahoo.com
9-14-2006
You have to tell me more about where and how much for the charges. I should be telling you when I use the credit card and for how much. The post office charges may have been for packages I sent. I do keep most receipts, I will look. I know the charges for the packages were high but I didn’t think they were that high.
Rod
This is all "I think" of the receipts I have, I will refine the actual values later. I should have got some pesos in Santiago for the time in Easter Island.
Rod
expenses by credit card and atm
9-16-2006
these are the dates and what I have kept at this time..
8-18-06 Royal Tahitian 55,321 3 room charges
9-9-06 discover India tours 32,360/46
9-8-06 pharmacy pillow 39.90
9-12-06 shshpura house 1920/46
9-10-06 atm 2300/46
9-8-06 Swiss garden rest. 49.45
8-9-06 Chand palace 450/46
9-9-06 atm 2500/46
9-4-06 soup rest. scotts 29.35
9-6-06 rest. 500.68/46
9-9-06 splash rest. 456.6/46
9-8-06 swiss garden hotel 185
9-10-06 yaj view 1932.o6/46
8-31-06 bali tour cash 360,000
9-1-06 lunch grouper 213,500
8-28-06 atm 2x 500,000
8-31-06 bali connection 270,000
8-31-06 bali atm 1,000,000
8-31-06 lunch bali 281,325
8-29-06 bali cruise 445,900-----$49
8-17-06 royal tat 1060 2350 850
8-18-06 “ “ 1060
9-1-06 bali ramada 750,200
8-23-06 mercure sidney $7.50
8-16-06 rental car easter 25000
8-16-06 hotel manavia $245 132,300
8-12-06 garden hotel lima 957.28
These are the numbers I have at this time, some need to be adjusted to dollars, I will change the numbers as I get to it and add each use of the credit card and atm.. When I put a number like 2500/46 that means you divide the first number by the second to get $54.34 dollars.
Have fun
Rod
Walt the last few days I have had an English breakfast, something the British left here in Nepal.
Rod
Katmandu first full day 9-14-2006
Well this whole thing has been an experience that maybe most wouldn’t appreciate, except for the mistakes I have made I am now really glad I came. I didn’t tell you much about the driver I had in India. He is Hindu and they have little shrines everywhere and big ones also, well whenever he passed one of these he would take his hands off the steering wheel and pray, by putting both hands together and then he would put his hands over his ears and maybe some other ritual. I finally figured out what he was doing but it took me a while. He would also take a drink of water from the bottle and then fill the cap and pore it over his eyes, I think to stay awake?? We arrived at the airport at 1130 and he defended by saying it was because of traffic so I gave him $20 and paid him 500 rupees for a 390 rupees flag of India, a good flag. I decided to start collecting flags of the countries visited.
Arriving in Katmandu after a 1 ½ hour flight and was asked for a visa, which I was sure I didn’t need, wrong. You get the visa there along with a $30 fee which is ok, I am sure the Nepalese have to pay when they enter the USA if they let them in?? Got a cab to the hotel $10 and a dollar tip (cheap guy). The trip to the hotel was almost worse than the driving in India, pothole after pothole, bigger than Indian potholes. The receptionist at the hotel tried to explain why so many potholes but I don’t think I understood what he was saying and I didn’t care. But as you drive along the main street and start to go up a hill toward a forest the road smoothes out and after a number of switchbacks at the top of the hill a palace appears and it is the le meridian hotel. I was very much relived because all the way thru town I didn’t see a hotel. Katmandu does appear to be a little cleaner than India, not much. All the way thru town these little shops 10 feet wide selling the same products you see in India. These shops are side by side all the way thru town. The driver now has to avoid the oncoming traffic and the side-by-side traffic and the potholes.
The hotel has most things that would allow you to live here without going into town, the internet, a beautiful golf course, great heated pool, gym, food service in the hotel and at the golf course, pool table and other things that I haven’t seen yet. The hotel is located in a 470-acre ancient Gokarna forest with the majestic Himalayas, the rooftop of the world providing a dramatic backdrop. The forest is over 500 years old and never denuded, with monkeys, deer. The trees near the hotel are Indian rubber trees and they must be very old and big. The hotel looks like a palace or a fort with long hallways and large rooms. The room as the bedroom is 18 x 24 feet and a bathroom that is 9x 15 with a great shower. They don’t have a water problem and the shower is like a waterfall with a large square tub. Very nice.
The food in the restaurant is good and I will eat all of my meals here, not in town. I hired a taxi today to go to a grocery and buy cheese and tomato juice, things I need at 0400 as my first breakfast. I couldn’t tell exactly what I bought but the receptionist (pretty girl) said one of the chesses was cottage cheese that was pressed into a solid block but I will eat it anyway. I still have my Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce that I doctor the tomato juice with.
I plan to take two trails in the forest with a guide, one each day. In order to see Everest you need to take a 1-hour plane ride, which I plan to do. Those things and some relaxation will fill my agenda for this visit, no golf, a 6700 yard walking course, no carts and very hilly.
70-rupees/ dollar in Nepal, 46 in India.
Rod
9-15-2006 at the hotel le Meridien
Today was somewhat uneventful, but I went for a walk in the forest and had to have a guide, good thing the inside of the forest all looks the same but they do have paths that can be followed. Along the way the guide started looking at his legs and he found leaches on his shoes and on mine, I didn’t think too much about it and every 5 minutes he would do an inspection and knock of the leaches. They were very small and about 1 inch long and maybe 1/8 in diameter and the looked like worms. When we were back out of the forest we took our shoes off and my right ankle was bloody, found the culprit and came on back to the room. When I took off my shoe I was dripping blood and I found another one. They were on the outside of my sock and could get thru to the skin and get their desert. They inject an anti-coagulant so the blood flows feely and does not coagulate. Small incisions but not easy to stop the bleeding but a band-aid from my first aid kit did the job. I shot some pool in the recreation room and went to the swimming pool but I couldn’t get in all the way, too cold. This is an indoor pool and the finest I have seen. The water is temperature controlled but since I have lost all the weight I can’t stand things too cold. So wherever I have been I have not been able to get in the pools. The Jacuzzi here is out of order. I lifted some weights and did the usual exercises. The weather here is great but I think it is too cloudy for fling to Everest. The girl was supposed to check for tomorrow but I haven’t heard anything, which means a no fly day and the next day I fly to Egypt.
The cook at the golf restaurant gave me the ingredients for curry chicken but failed to say how much of anything to use but we will figure it out.
Onion dry and fry (paste)
Garlic paste
Ginger paste
Cumin powder
Curry powder
Oil
Turmeric powder
Tomato puree
Cashew nut paste
Boneless chicken and some crème fresh
Salt to taste
What I started to say was that I didn’t know that they had an uprising here not long ago and they now have a cease-fire. I knew I would be late for the uprising. The Maoist is the opposition party. There is practically no one here at this hotel. Occasionally I see a guest. When I go to the restaurant I will maybe see one other couple and the golf course is practically empty. When I do eat the waiter and the chef will come out and watch me and want to know if I like the food. Last night I decided to eat some fish and it was not good so I asked what kind of fish and he told me it was imported. So I didn’t eat the fish but the veggies was good with the fish sauce. I am getting a little tired of the menu, it’s not as elaborate as some of the other places and only one for dinner and on for lunch.
The electrics go out frequently so it is necessary to have an uninterruptible source of lights. (A candle)
Rod
9-16-2006
Your mother has a bass uke and I am sure you will do well. The chords are easier than on the guitar. The bass uke is tuned as a guitar.
Love dad
Before leaving Katmandu 9-16-2006
Repacking for the next leg to Egypt. I will leave here at 0600 and the hotel will take me to the airport to board Qatar airways for Doha with a stopover and then on to Cairo for the next adventure. The total flight time is 5 hrs to Doha and then 3:35 to Cairo. I got a Nepalese flag and some postcards. I watched a Robert Deniro movie on the laptop called “the swap”, it was made in 1971. Did I tell you that there was very few people here, well this weekend quite a few showed up and a bunch from Mongolia, I can tell they are very distinctive looking, this is probably a good weekend place, for $70 per night and a good breakfast it would be hard to beat and a good place to come back and visit.
9-15-2006
Do you think after 200 years of trial and error (mostly errors) when will the police get it right? I have been traveling in many countries lately and I don't see any police driving around in nice cars, or even see them on the street. In most cities they try and direct traffic that’s all. The police is a reactionary organization and do not need to be on the street.
Rod Galloway
rodjanrg@yahoo.com
Currently in Katmandu, Nepal and I get the Sacramento Bee by e-mail.
I got the train tickets.. Send this to the people I normally send to. I can't get the addresses up on this machine
Rod
Cairo 9-17-2006
Got here about 1630 the plane was delayed and then the check in gate was changed and of course they didn’t tell anyone especially me. Finally got a taxi like it was hard to do. As soon as someone gets the idea you need a taxi about 15 guys that either have taxis or they are agents that want you to use their service. For $12 they took me to the hotel that is downtown and a long way from the airport. Then he wanted to have me hire him for the day tomorrow for $25 to drive around 9am –4pm and I agreed. He is going to take me to the train station and the hot tourist spots that I will write about later.
The hotel is big glitzy and a place for international travelers, breakfast included, I don’t know how much the hotel is but most of the places here in Egypt are like $60-70. I can see the Nile from my hotel room. The room doesn’t have a safe and no coffee maker, bad. But the bright side I think I get al jazeria the Muslim TV station that broadcast all of bin Ladens escapades.
I need to get a schedule of how I am going to see the country and it is going to go something like this:
1. Fly to Cairo rent a taxi or get to the hotel somehow, 60e#/5.7 (Egyptian pounds) to get to the hotel, about $10.50. The same taxi driver will take me around for the day for $25 so he is going to pick me up at 0900. The same taxi driver used to be a camel driver until he learned to drive a car and that was the end of the camel. I am sure there are a lot of tourist that want to ride a camel and they are the same group that ride elephants. Not me.
2. 9-19 check out of the hotel have lunch and hire a taxi to go to other locations and finally get the sleeper train at 2000 from Cairo to Luxor arriving at 0510 (bad times) in Luxor, hire a taxi and go to the hotel Pyramisa Isis Hotel and suites Luxor drop off bags and see the sites till check in. 2 days. 9-20 till checkout 9-22.
3. 9-22 catch the train from Luxor to Aswan an express train at 0940 and arrives in Aswan at 1250, rent a taxi to the hotel Pyramisa Isis island resort Aswan and see the sites and at one of these places go for a ride on the Nile. Check out on the 9-24 and get the sleeper from Aswan to Alexandria that leaves at 1700 and arrives in Alexandria at 0910. Check in at the hotel Hilton Borg el Arab resort. 9-25 thru 9-27 checkout.
4. 9-27 catch the Alexandria to Cairo express train. Many are scheduled and a likely one would be the 1100 that arrives in Cairo at 1330. I have to make a reservation in Cairo and I will get that off the Internet when I get to an Internet café. Some of the train schedules are not too good for a hotel traveler but you need to weave in things that you would like to do during the bad times.
5. One night in Cairo and then off to Malta. The flight from Cairo to Malta is at 0420, not a good time to fly but if you want the ride that’s what you have to do. A lot of places are at the discretion of the airlines, they fly those times and if you want the ride then that’s the time to fly. Like Tahiti, Katmandu, Malta, etc.
9-20-2006
I’m here in Luxor the train was ok, 2 hrs late to leave 3hrs late to arrive but the hotel took me in and I have a room overlooking the Nile, internet free, very slow, I have a ticket for Aswan on the 22, going to take a cruise tonight on a gaff rigged sail boat (called a faluca) and tomorrow a tour.
When do you get back from New York???
I will call Monica from here..
Rod
9-20-2006 Luxor, Egypt
Arrived here this morning about 0830 and went to the hotel Pyramisa Isis hotel Luxor a nice hotel and right on the Nile. Maybe not as nice as the Cairo hotel but still nice. The Cairo hotel looked like it was run by the Egypt mafia, all the “officials” were in suits and just looked like the mafia.
The train was supposed to leave at 2030 and didn’t show up until 2230. It is very difficult to determine which train is which, they announce in Egyptian and not in English, I almost got on a train going to Aswan, but a good Samaritan helped me and when the right train showed up we had to go to the end of the train and not where the ticket said, very confusing. Anyway got on board with a good conductor and the bed had a variable ramp like a deck chair which is what I need to sleep on, worked out very well. Dinner was not good so I got a bottle of water and ate the yogurt that was part of the dinner, the rest was not good, I am getting spoiled, breakfast was a little better, about 4 different kinds of bread and butter and strawberry jam, and laughing cow cheese with coffee. Every inch of the Nile valley is planted in something, a few tractors, mostly donkeys and a lot of stoop labor.
No escalators at the train stations so it is not easy to crossover with heavy bags, got finally a cab driver and he helped me get a ticket to Aswan and I employed him for a cruise on the Nile tonight and a day of sightseeing tomorrow. I am very spectacle about these guys now. Last night from the hotel I got a “hotel cab” for $10 to the train station. When we got there I gave him $10 plus $2 tip, he said he couldn’t exchange the $2 so I offered him 10 pounds out of a 50 and he just said thanks for the 50 ($25 us), and I said no and gave him the $2. I should have given him nothing. He didn’t have trouble with the $10 but had trouble with the $2 and wanted to confuse you and take 50# Egyptian. The message remember what the exchange rate is and don’t get confused, cause that is how they work and they will keep at you so don’t do things you don’t want to do. The cab driver yesterday showed up at 1400 like we planned but I told him I didn’t want to go so after talking to the original guy we agreed to give him 5# Egyptian and he didn’t like that so I finally used my last words bull shit and went into the hotel. They do try and take advantage of the situation
In Cairo I got BBC TV and no CNN, here in Luxor I get at least 3 English speaking stations. I am beginning to think the hotels are the big thing rather than the antiquities. More later.
9-20-2006
Went to the Valley of the Kings and queens, just empty caves with Egyptian writings on the walls, but everyone has to go and see these things. I finally decided I didn't want to see any more so I sat in the van, hot in Luxor did do the cruise on the sailboat that is or I think peculiar to the Nile. I liked that. Off in the morning to Aswan, the dam which is more appealing than the antiquities however you spell it.
Rod
9-18-2006
Luxor is not big like Cairo the hotel has good food; ok nothing like I am used to. The cruise was just for an hour, I got good pictures.
Later
Rod
9-21-2006
I guess I forgot to tell everyone the Nile is just another river and I think the 3rd largest behind the Amazon and the Mississippi..
Aswan 9-23-2006
Arrived here yesterday on a 1st class train from Luxor, the train was very good, quite, nice big seats that laid back and I could sleep in one, even for the night. Not too many people on board, a couple of police or military men and some young men. I didn’t think too much about it until one of them got up and he was packing what looked like a 9 mm pistol. I know Janet would have liked that. Finally as we approached Aswan they all got up and they all had guns. Maybe it is ok to carry a gun in Egypt, with the dress you would never know if they had guns or any weapon.
The hotel is the Pyramisa Isis island resort and it is on an island in the Nile. You have to take a hotel water taxi to get to the hotel. Kind of different. But it is a big hotel the reception area is as big as a half of a football field, lots of restaurants with not so good food. People come here on tours and everything is prepaid. They get to eat buffet 3 times a day, no choices. The breakfast is not too bad, the restaurant are not so good. I was the only one in the restaurant last night. Everyone else was on the buffet.
Today I hired a cab the one that I got yesterday at the train station and we were going to do 4 hours of sightseeing, especially the two dams, the old and the “high” dam. Neither one was very impressive and most of the other stops weren’t worth talking about so after 2 hours I went back to the hotel.
Tomorrow the cab driver will pick me up at 5 pm and take me to the train station for the 6:30 pm sleeper train to Cairo and a change of trains and then on to Alexandria. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to change trains. I don’t have much reason for going to Alexandria except to see the town. The hotel in Alexandria is the Hilton Borg el Arab resort. I will have to look up the address when I get on the Internet. I have left some of my papers somewhere but I can get along without them. I will leave early for a train to Cairo and the airport hotel Novae on the 27th. Early on the 28th I fly to Malta and the Windsor hotel.
Today and tomorrow I will maybe go into town but I will do postcards and do the expense thing. Forgot to say it is hot in Egypt and it is the low season, so I stay in except at night and early morning when the weather is nice.
I found my misplaced postcards, (about 20) after looking in every nook and cranny and giving up looking for them I found them in the refrigerator with my food, you should always put your postcards with the cold food!!!!
Rod
Expenses by credit card and atm
9-16-2006
These are the dates and what I have kept at this time..
8-18-06 royal Tahitian 55,321 3 room charges
9-9-06 discover India tours 32,360/46
9-8-06 pharmacy pillow 39.90
9-12-06 shshpura house 1920/46
9-10-06 atm 2300/46
9-8-06 swiss garden rest. 49.45
8-9-06 chand palace 450/46
9-9-06 atm 2500/46
9-4-06 soup rest. scotts 29.35
9-6-06 rest. 500.68/46
9-9-06 splash rest. 456.6/46
9-8-06 swiss garden hotel 185
9-10-06 yaj view 1932.o6/46
8-31-06 bali tour cash 360,000
9-1-06 lunch grouper 213,500
9-1-2006 ramada resort bali 750,200
8-28-06 atm 2x 500,000
8-31-06 bali connection 270,000
8-31-06 bali atm 1,000,000
8-31-06 lunch bali 281,325
8-29-2006 atm bali 500,000
8-29-06 bali cruise 445,900-----$49
8-17-06 royal tat 1060 2350 850
8-18-06 “ “ 1060
9-11-2006 taj view 1923.06 credit
9-9-2006 atm 2500.00
9-12-2006 shahpura house 1920
9-1-06 bali ramada 750,200
8-23-06 mercure sidney $7.50
8-16-06 rental car easter 25000
8-16-06 hotel manavia $245 132,300
8-12-06 garden hotel lima 957.28
9-16-06 le meridien gift shop 4500/70 = $65
9-16-06 food and room at le meridien
9-5-06 royal plaza on scotts 55.08
9-8-06 restruant credit 120.00
9-8-06 shirt long sleeve credit 79.90
9-17-06 le meridien includes room charges 30,631.96/70
9-6-06 eden airport rest. 120 +10 tip klia
9-8-2006 visa 79.90 megamail klia long sleeve shirt
9-6-2006 30,631 gokarna kathmandu, nepal 30,631.96
9-19-2006 309.84/5.7 paramisa cairo
9-20-2006 500/5.7 cash atm,,, i think i did this twice
9-19-2006 83.87/5.7 paramisa hotel cairo
9-22-2006 252/5.7 luxor hotel credit food cost
9-19-2006 45.68/5.7 paramisa cairo food, credit
These are the numbers I have at this time, some need to be adjusted to dollars, I will change the numbers as I get to it and add each use of the credit card and atm.. When I put a number like 2500/46 that means you divide the first number by the second to get $54.34 dollars.
Have fun
Rod
Alexandria 9-26-2006
The “resort” Hilton Borg el Arab resort” is on a northern most part of Egypt on the Mediterranean, the weather here is much better than the depths of Egypt because of the moderation by the med sea. Getting here was something else. After a sleeping train from Aswan that was relatively easy to get on the train because the train originated in Aswan. Getting to the train was easy after my promised cab did not show up and I had to have a guy go to the street and hale a cab, that worked but it worried me for a while because I needed to catch that train and an old guy in a fiat that was on its last legs 10 years ago took me to the station and he was pleased to get 20/5.7 and he told me how proud of his Italian fiat, he had to put my bags on top because I don’t think the doors would open. As soon as I got to the station I found the train and boarded it 45 minutes prior to the scheduled time to leave. Don’t know if I told you about the “sleeping train” but the compartment is about 6x5 feet, as I would lay down with my feet on one side my head was on the other side, my bags took up a large section but everything fit. They give you a “dinner and breakfast” and some of it was not too bad, mostly not good. Breakfast contained 4 different kinds of bread, butter and jelly, yogurt and coffee or tea. Dinner had some kind of meat, which on the train to Luxor I elected not to eat but this time I had to try it and it seemed to be a kind of jerky from some animal and was not too bad. I think cocker spaniel is one of their favorite dishes.
The tickets for the train list the date, time, seat, wgn (car number), train number, from and to city and the price like 0035.00/5.7 for Luxor to Aswan. The cost for a sleeping train is about $74 for a single person and $54 to share with another person. The cost of a hotel plus the transportation and two bad meals. The train number is announced over the public address system, usually, and in Arabic and no markings on the train. The cars are numbered from the engine. So if you can find the train it is relatively easy to get onboard, the conductors are very helpful.
Back in Cairo getting the train to Alexandria was something else, I got the ticket for the 1100 train after being hounded by a “guide” which are ever present when they spot a foreigner that obviously doesn’t know what they are doing. They had an “information” area and I asked and found out the platform was #4, ok. So I was waiting at the platform and I didn’t see any 1st class train so I asked a man that was also waiting and he showed me his ticket which was like mine and he also thought it was platform #4. We waited a while and I was going to follow him when he asked a train person something and immediately took off for platform #5, he motioned to me that it was #5 and I followed him to the #5 platform which was not too close to #4 and sure enough that was where the 1st class train was. They usually announce the train info in Arabic so it is a good idea to have a confidant that will help you.
The 1st class trains are nice, similar to a first class seat on an aircraft. They have a steward that will take care of your bags and show you your seat. They have a guy with drinks and maybe munches but not much variety.
I was also fortunate to set with a Frenchman that spoke very good English. Say as much as you want about the French but this guy was very well read and we talked about many things and I had to agree with him about the criminal government in the USA. We also talked about travel and the condition of the various countries, especially the underdeveloped countries like Egypt and why the Muslims are so vulnerable to whatever their religion wants to do. Not a pretty picture.
This morning a prayer from a “minaret” was loud and clear at 0500, its “Ramadan“ for the Muslims. Sort of a “Christmas” for Muslims
After getting to the station in Alexandria the choices are to get a cab and get a price to get you to the hotel. Well after I told the driver where I wanted to go, he looked puzzled and he had to ask someone where the hotel was, he told me it would be 180/5.7 $’s or 180 Egyptian pounds. Usually the fare is about 20. Well what to do except go along and see what happened, he told me it was a long way from the train station, so I stopped for an atm and got some more money and off we went. Sure enough after about an hour on the road at the speed limit we arrived at the “resort”, he also stopped a few times for direction. We passed refineries, salt flats and mile after mile of condominiums or houses with practically no one on the road. By the time we arrived I felt bad for him and gave him 200 #.
There are at least 5 people staying here including people from the United Nations with a nice van out in front of the hotel. The hotel is practically vacant, most of the restaurants closed and only buffets for all eating periods. Breakfast is not too bad as a buffet but the lunch and dinner are typically steam table food for a 100#. Not only is the price too high but also the food is marginal at best. So I will eat at the only other restaurant and eat off a menu. Well they didn’t have veal, ice cream an other things that pissed me off. Also there are no other places to go to eat off the property. These “resorts” keep you captive and your choices are very limited. In Aswan I could at least get to the street and get some good things to eat but that resort was very much like this one. The advice is don’t stay at places called “resorts” unless you don’t want to make any decisions for yourself. You will be held captive. As I look both ways along the beach I see what looks like hundreds of condominiums that are shuttered and empty, no one on the streets. Strange place. Gives me the feeling of the movie the shining, with Jack Nickelson.
The hotel reception has arranged for me to take a limo to the airport in Cairo tomorrow and that will save me a lot of fooling around with the trains and taxi’s. I am scheduled to leave the next day at 0430 for Malta, which I am looking forward to. I will be at the Novae at the airport in Cairo for the short time.
Rod
I didn’t get to send the last bit above so I will just add on from where I left off.
The limo ride was ok about 3.5-4 hours but I achieved my purpose. The Novatel hotel was good, they had a wedding and apparently one each week. By the time I got up and went down stairs the party was still going on. Kind of surprised me that the party way going on into the morning but it was only 0230 and my plane left at 0425. I have caught a cold and a cough but the reception called the pharmacy at terminal 1 and she recommended a cure (Panadol, worked very well, can’t get it in the US, must get two things) so I hopped in the shuttle and got the medicine. It has proved to be just the thing for relieving the symptoms. Arriving at the airport for the flight I was met by the regular thieves that prey on people with too much luggage, just an indication of how poor the people in Egypt are that some have to practically beg for money to live. Back at the “resort” I found out that all those homes or condos are vacation homes for Egyptians, there must be thousands of them. Point, all residents are not begging and live very well. When summer is over they close up the houses and leave. That is why there was no one on the streets and the hotel is practically empty except for about 5 people. I did go into the water for a short while and it was warm enough that I could enjoy the surf.
Arriving at Malta about 0730 was very quite the few of on the flight zoomed thru immigration and no customs, got a nice taxi and was at the hotel in a short time for 8.5# Malta pounds and now I will write it as $8.5x3.3 because they get 3.3 # per dollar.
The hotel is moderate, similar to mid level European hotels, quite a difference from some of the palaces I have been in. I am off the find an Internet café and send this message.
9-28-2006
Rod
Malta first day 9-28-2006
I forgot to tell about one thing (another) that bothered me about Egypt. I get money via an atm machine that is from a local bank. If I get say 500 #’s when the money comes out I get 480 # so they take their cut right off the top. Anyway I had a 100 # note that I received via an atm and a corner had been cut or torn, maybe a ¼ inch to ½ piece and no one would take it, they would point to the torn part and shake there head and would not take it. I tried a number of times with the same results, finally on the way to the airport I was going to give a rest room attendant a small tip so I asked to cash the note and they refused pointing to a 10 # note that would be satisfactory, so I just walked out. Finally I was going to give the limo driver a tip and I decided I would give him the note and he would give me 50 in return, that worked and he didn’t even look at the note, anyway I figured it was an Egyptian problem and not mine.
I walked along the coast today and to a shopping area. The coast is solid rock mostly flat and a road that runs along the coast on a cliff with hotels across the road from the coast, mostly 6-7 story buildings similar to Miami.
I scheduled a morning tour for Friday and Saturday, I fly to Lisbon on Sunday, yes it won’t be long before I will be in New York and I think I am ready. I am 4 days in Lisbon.
The last two days I took a city tour and it turned out to be just ok. The driver was almost belligerent about things but it was ok, had him for two days. The city is very different in that it is built wall to wall with houses that many have been here since the crusades. He retaining walls and tunnels cause every bit of land to be used, no grass, forgot if I mentioned that but most countries don’t have grass to cut or water, for good reason it is a waste of resources and produces nothing. I have not had any luck in fining something good to eat. The first night at the hotel I ordered al a cart and had pasta, which I thought, was tasteless, maybe because of my cold but there was enough for at least 4 people. I had pizza at pizza hut and it was like they serve in the states. I had pizza somewhere else and it was mediocre. Last night I thought I would splurge and go to an expensive Chinese restaurant and have some good food.. Good thought, it was expensive and i couldn’t eat the bowl of soup and the shrimp had been cooked too long or too many times. I ate as much as I could stomach and left, probably close to $30 with tea. The breakfast in the hotel is not too good either but that has been the case with free breakfasts, they offer a lot but it is not what I would like. Spoiled. Tonight in the restaurant and I am out of here early in the morning to Rome and a connection flight to Lisbon for four full days and then to N.Y.
Rod
9-30-2006
I think they are toooo Italian here
Rod
10-1-2006
I am in Lisbon and only booked for one night. I might get thrown out unless I can renew the reservation. I fly to N.Y on the 6th, a few days there and I will be home. Looking forward to that. I think I will go to Atlantic City, I have a car rented at dollar in Newark and I will drop it off at no charge at JFK.. More later
Rod
Malta 10-1-2006
Today didn’t start off so good, I woke up at 0100 and couldn’t go back to sleep so I took a shower and waited trying to sleep. Left early for the airport and found out the flight was delayed causing me to miss the flight to Lisbon. Air Malta got me a reservation on a connecting flight at 1915, 7:15 pm, the original flight was for 1220 and it was going to be a rush to meet that if everything was on time, so I will spend some time in the Rome airport. Maybe I can get some good Italian food. Last night I ate at the hotel restaurant and had pasta. The kind I wanted they did not have so I substituted chicken for chicken livers. As usual they brought a plate of pasta that must have been a 14-inch plate, piled with pasta, tubes whatever you call that, enough for 4 people. I ate a little and left. I don’t think they charged me for the dinner.
This morning the ride to the airport was thrilling around those winding streets of Malta, and no traffic for it was a morning for the faithful to sleep in and go to the church. The ride cost 8 lire.
Hotel: Comfort Inn Embaixador
av duque de loule 73
lisbon
telephone: 888-yahootravel (888-924-6687) (for questions about this reservation)
351-21 319 4000 (for other questions about the property)
check in: mon, oct 2, 2006
check out: fri, oct 6, 2006
nights: 4
rooms
standard room with 1 queen bed non smoking ( 1 adult ) ,rodney galloway
guests: 1
status: confirmed
primary contact: rodney galloway
**************************************************************
instructions and policies
**************************************************************
hotel policies
- all goodbuy hotel reservations are prepaid. your credit card will be charged when you complete your reservation.
- the total charge includes all taxes and fees.
- goodbuy reservations are guaranteed for late arrival.
- goodbuy reservations are generally ineligible for hotel award points or airline mileage.
- any incidental charges will be assessed directly to you by the hotel upon check-out. examples: parking, phone calls, room service.
- any changes to or cancellation of your goodbuy reservation may result in fees from $25.00 up to the full cost of your stay.
- cancellations or changes made after check-in are subject to a 100% charge.
- please do not call the hotel directly to make changes or cancel this reservation, as their agents will not be able to change or issue refunds for these specially negotiated rates.
- if you are reserving multiple rooms at the same hotel for the same dates, you must use a different name for each reservation.
- using the same name for multiple reservations may cause the hotel to cancel reservations that appear to be duplicates.
- changes to the name on a reservation are not permitted after the booking is completed.
- no refunds for unused nights, including those resulting from delayed check-in or early check-out, will be given.
- guests must be at least 18 to 21 years of age at time of check-in (depending on individual hotel policy) unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
- you must present photo id at check in.
- you may be required to present a valid credit (not debit) card or cash deposit at check in for incidentals.
room policies
room 1 : standard room with 1 queen bed non smoking
cancellations or changes occurring within 24 hours of 12:01 am (central time) on the day of check-in are subject to a cancellation penalty. this includes a 1 night room charge plus applicable fees and taxes.
-cancellations or changes made after check-in are subject to a 100% charge.
**************************************************************
pricing
**************************************************************
details: 1 room , 4 nights ,1 adult
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1 adult
mon, oct 2 $ 82.93
tue, oct 3 $ 82.93
wed, oct 4 $ 82.93
thu, oct 5 $ 82.93
sum of nightly rates: $ 331.72
taxes & fees: $ 8.68
total: $ 340.40
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total room charges $ 340.40
Response to Monica 10-2-2006
Portugal looks great.. More lately, I was right on the beach in Malta, the hotel was strange but ok
Love
Dad
Malta 10-1-2006
Today didn’t start off so good, I woke up at 0100 and couldn’t go back to sleep so I took a shower and waited trying to sleep. Left early for the airport and found out the flight was delayed causing me to miss the flight to Lisbon. Air Malta got me a reservation on a connecting flight at 1915, 7:15 pm, the original flight was for 1220 and it was going to be a rush to meet that if everything was on time, so I will spend some time in the Rome airport. Maybe I can get some good Italian food. Last night I ate at the hotel restaurant and had pasta. The kind I wanted they did not have so I substituted chicken for chicken livers. As usual they brought a plate of pasta that must have been a 14-inch plate, piled with pasta, tubes whatever you call that, enough for 4 people. I ate a little and left. I don’t think they charged me for the dinner.
This morning the ride to the airport was thrilling around those winding streets of Malta, and no traffic for it was a morning for the faithful to sleep in and go to the church. The ride cost 8 lire.
Rod
At the airport was no fun after I found out the plane was 2.5 hours late. I already was going to have a bad connection in Rome with an hour to get my luggage and checking with tap Portugal air and go fly. Well I finally got to Rome and I couldn’t find tap, they have a tiny spot and are represented by a company that services 6 other small airlines. Finally someone showed up and I was there only customer and it took about an hour in order to get my boarding pass because I had to pay 100 euros because I missed the earlier flight, I was not a happy camper and I didn’t go too far with my disgust and for good reason when I did get on the aircraft the gal told me I had been upgraded to primera clase which cooled me off considerably. We are flying along now and I looked to see where I am staying tonight and discovered I am only booked in the hotel for one night. I think I did that because I had some idea that I would look around for different places to stay. Anyway it’s 2200 and I think we are about to land and I don’t think I will be looking for a while.
Rod
10-2-2006 Monday
Well I would stay here but the rates are high and they don’t have a room for two nights solo I am going to a comfort inn close to the botanical garden. This hotel is nice, all the things I like and free Internet in the lobby, two machines, in room Internet is 22 euros for 24 hours so you see the lobby is attractive for a miser.
Rod
Lisbon 10-4-2006
Tomorrow New York 10-5-2006
Sounds good to me, looking forward to getting there..
Went to the botanical garden today, up hill all the way and I took a different way down, got lost a couple of times but with the map I can communicate somewhat, started using Spanish, they understand that. Don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.
It’s getting cool in Lisbon, time to leave and go to the cold country of southern California. I suppose it will be even colder in New Jersey.
Today I took the city bus to bele’m an old high-rise church and monastery (I think) that they have copied all over Europe. I can’t imagine what they were thinking when they built such monstrosities. The whole site is big and the tourist flock to these places, maybe that is what they were thinking. I have not heard an American from the USA since I have been traveling and I have not seen anyone that I know. Wouldn’t you think that I would run across someone?
Finding a city bus that would take me to this place is not easy, first I looked for a schedule and then I asked the hotel receptionist and he told me to get the #27 bus across the street but there is no #27 bus at the site he said. Each bus stop tells what bus line stops at that site. Later someone told me it was a #727 but I couldn’t find where it stopped, later or the next day I got better direction from a bus driver I had stopped and ask direction. Sure enough it is a #727 and for 1.2.euros you can ride the bus to the site. Glad I went because they have a great park right on the river tejo, getting there you pass under the very high vasco de gamma bridge.
Later for lunch I ate at the Chinese restaurant I discovered last night and it was very good, one of the most ornate Chinese restaurants I have seen. I was the only one in the restaurant. I will have dinner their tonight. Getting ready for the flight to New Jersey.
Rod
Well the latest memory loss was at the Internet site yesterday when I forgot to retrieve my flash memory that I use to transfer files from the laptop to the Internet. So I went back and found out they are closed on Thursday like so many stores here. I will try and go back tomorrow and get it, no great loss I would just like to get it back.
Rod
10-6-2006
Well I am back at the internet site about 10 minutes from the hotel waiting for them to open at 0930, as soon as I find out if they have the memory I will return to the hotel and checkout and go to the airport for the flight to new jersey. If I have time I will send this if not I will send it the next time I get the chance.
Rod
10-7-2006
Well I was about to tell you that I haven't lost or misplaced anything in the last few days until I couldn't find my reading glasses. I have more glasses.
I can't get the Internet in the room to work so I will send an update later. This machine is too slow!!!
Message to my brother 10-7-2006
Happy birthday!!! Now is a good time to stop smoking also..
Rod
In Connecticut mountains 10-7-2006
Getting up to date I got back to Newark day before yesterday, rented a car from dollar, what a mess getting to the rental office, had to take the sky train up and down escalators. Drove to Atlantic city, just a place to go to, just like Las Vegas so I drove right out of town and rented a room at a best western and planned the next move.
Next day (today) I drove to Dover, Delaware and had a nice lunch, lobster bisque and a crab cake. I will tell you the route I then drove and tonight I am in a little town in Connecticut called bethel 06801. Getting to Dover is a little tricky, it is on state route 1 and you have to look for the turnoff. From Dover you take 95 north to 495 n to Portland. I haven’t planned the return trip. I think I drove 450 miles today and I am going to bed.
The leaves are turning and the display is spectacular. In Atlantic City they have just started but as you get up into Pennsylvania the change is dramatic and I suspect as I go further north the change will be dramatic.
10-8-2006
Well for some reason I have the Internet working my room at a best western in Portland, I got here about 2:00 pm and I drove around the town looking for a hotel and after some questions I found the one I am in. I am going for lobster later and I will leave tomorrow and had back to somewhere I haven’t figured out where.
If you are tracking my movement here is how I got to Portland. From Dover, Delaware go up hay 1 and get on 95 n to 495 n to 467 n to Scranton, then 80 east to 380 n to 84 east to Hartford, to 90 e to 495 n o 95 n to Portland.
More tomorrow…
Rod
Leaving Portsmouth 10-9-2006
I will be leaving here on 95s to 495 around Boston to 28 to Falmouth for the night. I will get some fish in that area. I always liked the Boston fish.
From there I will take the 195 to 95s to 678 the cross-island parkway to southern state parkway in queens and spend the night somewhere. The next day, Wednesday I will go to JFK and a ride to san Diego on the discount airline American aa127 which gets in at 2200
10-9-2006
I would like to but I have to catch the plane to San Diego on Wednesday. On our next tour the one with the qe2 around the world they are going to kick us off in New York so we may go the Florida. The tour starts in Los Angles and goes around the world to New York. We leave 22 January 2007. Do they have haddock (fish) in Florida?/? They used to call it scrod in Boston. I don't remember getting it in California but they call fish different things in different places..
Rod
10-9-2006
I am I forgot to tell you, three months on the QE2.. I am in Woods Hole, a village of Falmouth Mass. Tomorrow I will drive to Long Island close to JFK airport..
I have Internet in this very pretty place located on a bay.
In woods hole, I thought I was going to Falmouth, Mass but this is a community of Falmouth. A very pretty place by a bay with small boats and small hotels a very picturesque place.
Rod
10-13-2006
Rearranging things and getting closer to the flight home. I have free Internet by Wi-Fi here in this hotel. Weather is cool and the fish good I will try a breakfast somewhere.
Yesterday at the Best Western I went for breakfast and found a room that had breakfast and loaded up my plate and sat down. There was a lot of old people there and I thought the breakfast was strange for a best western and I found out that hotel didn't have a free breakfast and the one I was at was for a tour group from Colorado, they arrived on a bus from Denver. Anyway I ate and talked to some of the people at "my" table when the director ask me what group I was with and I told her the Galloway Group, she hesitated and decided I was in the wrong room and I should have been in the next room with a group from California. So I ate and left and told the guy next to me thanks for the breakfast.
Rod
Victor---- I have a new version of yahoo mail and I don't know just how to use it so I will send you stuff that you sent me for a while...
We are going on a cruise on the QE2 around the world leaving on 22 January 2007 and will end up in New York 27 April 2007, I just got back from an around the world tour and ended up in New York. Got home a couple of days ago.
Rod
Back to Ramona
10-14-2006
Finally got out of New York the armpit of the USA or the axx hole of the world. I was at the holiday inn at JFK airport for the night after a 4-hour drive from wood’s hole, like leaving heaven and arriving in hell. I got the gas tank filled for the rental car and didn’t leave the hotel after that. I didn’t know which foreign country I was in and I couldn’t recognize the language, and with no signs I decided the best thing to do was stay in the hotel and escape the next day to the airport.
I finished the book “a pirate of exquisite mind” by Diana & Michael Preston, a true story about the explorer, naturalist, writer and buccaneer, the life of William Dampier. He was an explorer long before cook, Darwin, and Humboldt. He lived during the 17 century and made 3 round the world trips gathering information about the world and succeeding in surviving those sailing adventures and reporting his exploits by writing books.
That book and the “America On Fire” book was my history lesson while I was wasting time somewhere.
One of the experiments I left before going on the trip was salt curing meat. My mother had written down the recipe that they used years ago and I wanted to try the process. Morton salt also has a meat-curing guide at www.mortonsalt.com. The results was the meat was very salty of course but after slicing and placing the pieces in a water bath to remove the salt it was almost like fresh pork. My mothers recipe called for a few ounces of “salt peter” (potassium nitrate) so in order to get some I had to get it at a feed store and I bought 22.68 kilos so if anyone needs I have enough for the city of San Diego. They only sell in large quantities for fertilizer and making bombs, the pharmacist was not going to get me any and told me it was used for bomb making, which I had done when I was a kid.
Looking forward to the next excursion.
At the hotel inn New York
10-14-2006
I asked the receptionist at the hotel where was a gas station and she asked if I was driving. I asked the receptionist for a room for the night for one person and she asked me how many beds I would like, I told her that I didn’t need any beds but I did need 4 pillows so I could prop myself up for the night and the floor would be fine. These people are so smart!!!
Questions about the stateroom on the QE2 10-16-2006
If I have a visa and or I don't want to visit the country, do I need a visa for the country in order to travel on the qe2 trip around the world???
What is the cost of the Internet on the ship??
What facilities are in each stateroom, like television, refrigerator, shower, Wi-Fi, electrical outlet voltage and frequency etc.???
rodjanrg@yahoo.com
I sent this photo to the union and the NC times. This was taken by my guide in the Gokarna Forest at a Hindu temple.
The hotel was the Holiday Inn close to the airport JFK.
At the hotel in New York
10-14-2006
I asked the receptionist at the hotel where was a gas station and she asked if I was driving?? I asked the receptionist for a room for the night for one person and she asked me how many beds I would like??, I told her that I didn’t need any beds but I did need 4 pillows so I could prop myself up for the night and the floor would be fine, I got one bed. these people are so smart!!!
rod
this is a picture the ramona sentinel requested for the election..
rod galloway
1340 h street
Ramona, ca. 92065
760 789 1333
Sent: Monday, august 7, 2006 7:56:54 am
subject: candidates statement for RMWD, maybe last time I didn't include the text
Rod Galloway
I will dedicate my time and work for the citizens of Ramona and not show favoritism or spend any time with special interest groups. Listen to and determine the best course of action for the water department and the people of Ramona.
Experiences
Tobacco farm worker, marble champion, player of basketball and baseball, construction laborer, busboy, automobile assembler, us air force, aircraft mechanic, BS in electrical engineering university of Kentucky, electronics and nuclear engineering work in the aerospace/ offense fields, landlord, inventor, investor, home owner/builder, diver, gardener, woodworker, welder, sailor, skier, handball player, musician, married with three children and four grandchildren, writer, traveler, member of Ramona garden club, VFW post 3783, Ramona forum, and Veterans for Peace.
(Offense is not misspelled)
Response to Emma about trip. October 31, 2006
The trip was good, I saw a lot of places I always wanted to visit and I am glad I went but some of them I wouldn't go back to, like Egypt and India although Janet and I are going to visit 2 ports in India on a QE2 around the world cruise in late January (3 months). I liked Singapore, Katmandu, Darwin, Kuala limper, Malta, Easter Island and Lisbon. Egypt was hectic and they never let you alone always wanting money or selling something,
Rod
----- Forwarded message ----
from: Rodney Galloway
to: Rodney Galloway
sent: Friday, November 3, 2006 9:34:53 am
subject: collision with the bike
My recollection of the accident on 11-2-2006
My wife and myself was going west on h street towards Ramona street and at that intersection I collided with a bicycle that was driven by a woman that lives on 1857 el Cajon lane. Her name is Barbara borhies. H Street terminates at the intersection of Ramona Street. She was traveling south in the northbound bike lane on Ramona Street and I was turning north from H Street On To Ramona Street when the collision occurred. She admitted she saw that I did not stop at the stop sign and she thought she would miss me. As I was about half way through the turn when she appeared in my headlights and I immediately turned to the right in an effort to avoid hitting her. My left front fender hit her and knocked her from the bike. Within a few feet I stopped the car next to the curb and got out to help her if I could. By the time I hit her she was in the traffic lane because I hit her with the left front fender, which was not close to the bike lane. The northbound bike lane stopped before it got to H Street.
I had slowed to make the right turn and assure the traffic to my left was clear for an entry into the intersection. As a result of her traveling the wrong way in the bike lane and being night-time 1800 (6:00 pm) it was difficult to see someone coming from the right which you do not expect because all the traffic is going to the right in those lanes. She was probably in the bike lane and when she saw me getting ready to turn she tried to avoid the collision and turned into the traffic lane rather stopping and or staying in the bike lane and the collision would have been avoided. That was when the collision occurred.
She had an abrasion on her elbow and ankle and was sore between her legs where the bike hit her. The paramedics took her home with her bike. El Cajon lane is just a few blocks from the accident site.
I will take some pictures 11-3-2006 in the morning to show the intersection and will attach them to this description of the accident.
The left fog light on the expedition was broken, no other damage was observed.
Rod Galloway sr.
1340 H Street
Ramona, Ca 92065
760 789 1333
The Borhies phone numbers
760 315 5197 cell
760 788 4804 cell business
For any one that wants to have or make a blog you can probably go to Google and write blog and it will take you where you want to go.
Another way is to go to my blog, called a blogspot and enter in the address area http://rodjanrg.blogspot.com
And you can view my spot or blog. In the upper right of the first page is a place to click on if you want to make your own blog, cost nothing and will be there forever I guess.
Rod Galloway
If you would like to see a bunch of ignorant senators and an ignorant general that says he is in charge of the operations in Iraq but confesses that the insurgents are in charge you should have watched the senate armed forces committee meeting today on CSPAN. We sure have a bunch of jerks in charge of the lives of our troops in the military!!!
Rod
Take the money out war
11-16-2006
Taking the money out of war would stop the warmongers and we will have peace by doing the following:
1. Strengthening the military and protect the homeland by establishing a draft of all 18-year citizens (no exceptions) for a 6-month training period and then put them in an inactive reserve unit that is 20 million strong. The older reservist will be phased out as new 18 year olds enter and maintain the 20 million reserves.
2. Remove all troops from the over 700 foreign bases and mothball those bases and let the foreign countries maintain the facilities.
3. Eliminate the “camp followers” those that leach off the military and let the military maintain itself as was done in the distance past. No subcontracts for work other than for equipment. Direct hiring can do menial jobs; the recruits would produce all food for military consumption.
4. Close and mothball all bases (over 900) within the USA that are not used for training and “protection”.
5. Do not sell or give weapons to foreign nations.
6. The command structure for the military would be one brigadier general and 6 subordinate colonels that control each specialty such as the air force, army, etc. and on down to the recruit in a traditional fashion.
7. Do not occupy foreign lands.
8. tbc…
God asked me to write this paper.
Saving the democracy
11-20-2006
Still the old story of how to get the money out of Washington, suppress the corruption and let the legislatures be representatives of the people rather that the special interest groups, lets do the following:
1. Eliminate all campaign contributions and gifts to the congress, local electors and the presidency.
2. Require all communications via the airways and print media to broadcast or print campaign rhetoric without charge. A number of minutes per candidate per week and all candidates are treated equal regardless of the number.
3. All political parties would be private and would not show on the ballot, only the candidate’s name and his profession.
God asked me to write this paper
Don’t worry the so-called "Jesus Christ" had nothing to do with Christmas!!!!!
Rod
rodjanrg@yahoo.com
sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2006 11:08:16 am
subject: making money
After getting the book about fast food restaurants from the Puglia family it occurred to me an old idea that has never took hold..
1. Make a new deal about hamburgers, and start a business using irradiated meat.
2. Sterilize meat with a linear accelerator so it can be eaten rare or raw, store it and....
3. Sell it by starting a fast food restaurant as a hamburger cooked as you like it, (raw to rare and well done) not well done and a piece of leather.
4. Sterilize other foods using the same methods that cause illnesses to the stomach and kills thousands of people all over the world.
5. Insert flavorings that attract various tastes.
6. More ideas to follow....
7. Stop thinking making a million and start thinking of multiple millions maybe even billions if you want a boat and airplane along with crews to man those toys, houses in foreign countries and second and third homes in the states.
Rod
Gerald ford
12-29-2006
Pardoning dick Nixon was the worst thing he could have done at the time and 60% of the nation thought it was a bad thing to do but someone gave him credit for “healing the nation” which didn’t happen. Then in an interview in 2004 he said that the Iraq war was a bad thing to do but didn’t want it known until after his death did a disservice to the country and the many GI’s that have given their life and limbs in what he thought was a bad war. Well it’s a good thing he died before the war was over so that bit of information could be put fourth. These people that have a large stature in the country can shape the outcome of political decisions. The disservice is to the ones that have sacrificed themselves at the hands of an evil president.
Rod Galloway
1340 h street
Ramona, ca. 92065
760 789 1333
__________________________________________________
do you yahoo!?
tired of spam? yahoo! mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
AROUND THE WORLD AT 31 MPH
FIRST LEG OF THE QE2 ATW TOUR
1-24-2007
Today it looks like this will be the trip of a lifetime, but of course looking to the future and dreaming I can see other favored destinations.
The final hours of the preparation were good, I had racked my brain as what to take and filled one suitcase with clothes and a garment bag with formal wear, then filled another with “stuff” that was “needed” in order to have a successful journey. Janet did the same and we ended up with the Expedition full and headed out to Parkers for the escorted ride to the San Pedro dock and the getaway. Well the bags were too much for the parkers Cadillac and we drove the SUV. Janet had 2 big bags and two shoulder bags and a purse, and I had 2 big bags, a laptop, a guitar, and the garment bag. We stopped at a homey restaurant on the 110 about 5 miles from the dock for some “good” food before we sailed to insure we would survive the day, not knowing what kind of food awaited us on the ship. Walt knew just how to get to the ship, glad we brought him along. He empted us out at the dock and we were on our own.
Everything went well, no lines but as soon as we cleared security we were whisked away to the Crown Plaza Hotel for lunch, a steam table buffet that is what I have grown to know as BAD food, and that was again true. They had to evacuate the ship in order to disinfect the entire ship. All passengers had to disembark while this procedure took place. Four hours later we were allowed to board the ship and it went smoothly.
The virus that they were trying to eradicate is the Norovirus, formerly known as the Norwalk Virus an extremely common virus, which causes mild gastroenteritis. These ships are very serious about combating this sickness. Everywhere on the ship were bottles of an alcohol gel for use on your hands. Whenever you entered the “MESS” hall, restaurant they would spray your hands with this solution. There was no salt and peppershakers on the table, no butter, nothing that two people could handle. The waiter would ask you if you wanted salt or pepper and butter and dispense a packet with tongs to your butter plate. The attempt is to make everything sterile and not propagate the virus. The food has been very good and as a result I am convinced that those other ships we were on did border on calling the bad food. Except for one all the restaurants are menu driven and the one with a buffet was pretty decent.
The cabin is close to the elevator and I get the impression that there is not too many people on board because the elevator is always available, and the restaurants are not filled. No big rush at eating time and there must be over 8 elevators, and 7 restaurants. The ship is 25 years old but laid out well. It’s easy to get from one place to the other. Lots of elderly people on board so we fit right in, some that can hardly walk with wheelchairs and electric carts.
We are now in San Francisco or San Fransicko as Savage would say; we are meeting Lezlie and the grandkids (twins) for an afternoon on the town and trip to the grocery store for some needed food JJ.
Later 1-26-2007 Friday day 3 of my 3rd ATW odyssey…
Janet became sea sick as a result of rolling seas and had to stay in bed with an ear patch. We had breakfast n the room, tomato juice, grapefruit, coffee and things and did not go to the restaurant.
I went to a lecture by Charles F. Urbanowicz, a former professor at Cal State U, Chino, a Anthropologist that talked about the settling of the South Pacific, or at least how the have put it together. He did not discuss the statistical possibilities about the chances of how a boat would start from a location and be able to arrive at an island and start a community. How many started and how many did not make it, which I will pose to him if I get a chance. Later I saw part of a lecture about Robert Burns, which I think I have heard before, but interesting.
In the evening I saw an excellent classical guitarist Carlos Bonell, I had a front row, center seat. I saw him last night and he will perform again on Saturday night and I will attend that performance also. Later I saw an Italian tenor Renato Pagliari was very good and entertaining, then a harpist Chiara Capobianco, a young woman that has perfected the harp… I had dinner in the Lido a steam table restaurant and I have discovered if you are picky about what you eat it is ok in a pinch!!! Then a midnight snack in the room, cheesecake, milk and Janet ate a ham sandwich. We are at 31’17.6” North and 136’52” West at 5:57 hours Friday the 26th of January as I write this..
Today will be another day at sea, so we will read and eat. The latest book I am reading is by Norm Stamper, “Breaking Ranks”, he was the former police chief of San Diego and Seattle, Washington. A great book about how the laws should be changed to protect the public and the criminal and of course I agree with most of his findings. It is a must read for anyone interested in improving the country and world we live in. The laws we have made over the years have caused many problems which could be corrected and/or modified but the legislatures do not want to admit the laws are bad and continue to make bad law which cannot be enforced and are just feel good laws that make the law maker and his constituents that he made the request for a change to “feel good”. A large part of the law is for the religious community that thinks they can legislate morals on the public. A way they can introduce their way of thinking to a reluctant public, which has never happened. Domestic abuse, drugs, prostitution, cop culture, police departments, policing the police, and police politics. Good subjects!!!
I have been playing the guitar and staying very busy.
1-27-2007 a strange day MY 75 birthday, ¾ of a century. I was up early did my household duties had breakfast delivered to the room, tomato juice, ½ a grapefruit and coffee. Read the daily news and watched al jaderiza. Off to breakfast at the Lido, walked around the ship finding new places and finally going to High Tea at 1600 hrs then back to the room and practice the guitar and then to writing. The ship gave me a card and the spa gave a $20 gift, which I will not use, I don’t like massages. Now Janet says my gift is the boat ride!!!! George says he is in charge and wants to send more troops then tells another general to take the troops and generate a plan to win (win what???) because George does not have a plan, he has never had a plan but is driven by the military/industrial (M/I) establishment and what ever they have tried to do has met with failure and now he wants to escalate and give more money to the M/I establishment for another failure and more lives of the GI’s. Remember the only secrets the government has are to keep the public from knowing what they are doing, the so-called enemy does not care about the secrets. They have their plans that are independent of our endeavors at an offense against them. Do you think the terrorist care about what kind of submarine, aircraft etc. we have, no they don’t care and the efforts only benefit the industrial establishment which is a black hole and the military gets a new toy to play with, the losers are the U.S. public.
Tomorrow Honolulu after 3 days at sea.
26 North, 157 West, 0830 in Honolulu.
AROUND THE WORLD AT 31 MPH
2nd EDITION AT SEA HEADED FOR TAHITI
1-29-2007
Over night and on to Lahaina, Maui, that proved to be a bust, too big of swells and we could not “tender” to land. There is no dock for a ship this size at Lahaina so they have to ferry (tender) with small boats from the ship to the docks. So we continued on to Tahiti, 3 more days at sea, but the food has been good and different, whatever the chef can concoct and then feed the masses and watch the results, strange dishes, not Mexican, Thai or Indian. Approximately 1500 on board, 900 going around the world, 650 total from the USA. It is a big ship and its not very crowded The entertainment has been exceptional, Carlos Bonel the classical guitarist, he did three concerts that I saw, an Irish tenor, Renalto Pagliari, singer Sally Jones, Chris Hamiliton a pianist, the harpist Chiara Capobianco continues to play daily and last night a wonderful presentation by approximately 20 young local girls doing many variations of the hula along with 4 adults playing two electric ukes and a guitar and singing the songs of Hawaii. Today was the second lecture by the Anthropologist Charlie Urbanowitz from U.C. Chico State retired, which was about Darwin (my hero); he had toured the Galapagos similar to our tour. And he had made a video and he acted as Darwin and told his story in the first person. He has also made three additional videos about Darwin which he will present before we get to Australia. Tonight we get Glenn Miller music by the ships band, no rock and roll on this ship, dance music and harpist every night at a number of locations. The sea is quiet today and the weather is warm, lots of people will have to see their dermatologist after this trip for skin cancer. The ship has an indoor pool and an outdoor pool with 2 jacuzzies, paddleboard tennis, shuffleboard and a lot of things to do, even bingo.
ROD
3rd EDITION OF THE ATW# 3
1-31-2007
At approximately 11:00 AM today we crossed the equator heading for Tahiti. The weather is warm and no rain except for the spray kicked up from the bow plowing thru the waves. The ship is having a ceremony for first time crossers, which consist of a mild hazing and something for them to remember. We have crossed many times and not much was ever said. We continue to be busy with all the work we have to do everyday, eating, going to the gym, reading, writing, eating, enrichment lectures, listening to music, going to shows, getting a little sleep and napping, snacking, eating, getting dressed for formal nights, almost everyday, and did I mention eating. There is a sheet of everyday activities, front and back so you can plan your day.
This ship completed 5 million nautical miles on 29 Aug, 2002, a greater distance traveled than any other ship in history. At 28.5 knots she consumes 380 TONS of fuel per day, about 50 feet per gallon. Talk about good for the environment and just to please a few people. She has been in storms with waves up to 90 feet high and in light seas she creaks slightly. This is her 25 around the world cruise, one each year.
I have gotten a lot of miles out of the white top hat and the black one. Everyone wants to tell me how great it looks.
Today we docked in Tahiti, will try and get back my passport which the ship wants to keep for some reason.
ROD
4th EDITION OF THE ATW CRUISE AT 31 MPH
2-4-2007
Two more days at sea till we get to Tonga, the seas are glassy, looks like the doldrums and the service, food and entertainment are top notch they are showing the Super Bowl today. Its almost like the travel is better than the ports. A number of the passengers don’t get off at the ports, probably because they have been there many times. It’s surprising how many have sailed with this ship multiple times.
The keel was laid in1965 and it is the fastest passenger ship after many refurbishments. The specs on the ship are amazing like 9 nine cylinder MAN L58/64 turbo charged diesel engines that develop 10.5 MW of electrical power at 10KV. Each engine weighs 120 tons. That power is used to power the ship and generate 1000 tons of fresh water each day, a/c, heating, and power the 2 screws via two electric motors that are 9 meters in diameter, weighs 400 tons each and consume 44MW, that produce 59,000 HP, representing the largest marine motors ever built and can go faster than most ships in reverse. It even has a kennel for animals. Huge stabilizers that reduce the pitch and yawl by 60%. The propellers are 6 meters in diameter and are variable in pitch. Some ship!!!
After nearly 2 weeks aboard I have begun to find my way around but I still need a map.
Papeete and Moorea are places that you can avoid and be much better off. I did buy a $2 soft drink. So my advice as many of my friends have suggested don’t go there and if you do don’t spend any money if you can avoid it… They of course have trouble with English and I think thru interbreeding have a void in the head. The weather and water is very warm and humid, and a few people are attractive. The nighttime is nice and a pleasure to be on deck when the ship is anchored or not moving. When the ship is moving at cruising speed it is almost impossible to be on deck at the forward end of the ship because of the wind. Most time the boat deck is open but the upper forward deck is closed because of high winds. When the ship is moving at 30 mph and any head wind produces a 30 + wind that can give you the impression of blowing you off the deck so they close those areas. The aft deck is somewhat protected but people still want to lay out in the wind and get skin cancer from the sun????
The days are spent reading, at the gym, and all the activities that the ship provides which means running from one activity to another and of course eating. I don’t know if I mentioned it on other cruises that the food was not good well I was right, the food on this ship and service is mostly very good.
I am still fighting the Internet on board and waiting for ports to supply Internet service. So the transmissions will only be at ports and my e-mail piles up.
Note when we got on board they took our passports and indicated they would return them when on board. Well when we hit Polynesia I asked for my passport so I could go ashore with identification and they told me I didn’t need it because they were going to take care of the immigration with each country and we wouldn’t need the passport. The ship also gives you an ID card with your picture so they scan it when you leave and arrive at the ship. Well I didn’t like the idea of me being in a foreign country without a passport so I argued with them and they finally gave me the passport. After Moorea I turned it back in to the Purser. I still don’t like the idea of not having the passport.
One night we had a ventriloquist that used two puppets, one was controlled by remote control from the second puppet. His name was Don Bryan. Tonight we have a classical pianist, this will be her second appearance and she is very good. Her name is Melanie Spanswick. Another pianist playing tonight is Tommy Bond with the QE2 orchestra.
Rod
5th edition of the ATW # 3 tour at 31 MPH
2-7-2007
Well Tonga was a refreshing stop compared to the french polonesian experience, so I won’t say any more derogatory things about the french. (is that supposed to be capitalized?) Anyway we were tendered into the capital Nuku’ Alofa, its close to the isle called Lacka Nuckie J J just kidding. They have a king in Tonga and the last one died last November and the country is in morning for a year with long strips of purple cloth stretched along fences. And they have had riots recently and burned many buildings down. We could not get any plausible answers as to why the revolt but things are quite now especially when a cruise ship has to determine if it is safe to put passengers ashore in a war zone.
Five of us rented a taxi for a 3-hour trip around the island and it was enjoyable. We stopped at a grocery and inspected the prices and merchandise. Bought some soft drinks and went off to the kings palace, his home and the recent kings grave. The gravesites here are very ornate with mounds of rock and colorful blankets suspended by the gravesite. The gravel is to keep the body warm and the blanket is to keep the wind from hitting the gravesite. Very strange. They keep the sites adorned with many artificial flowers and the descendants are responsible for the upkeep of the site. They do take care of the elderly.
The next stop was the “blow holes” along the coast. I have seen many blowholes but there was as many for as far as you could see. The coast in that area was a flat rock shelf that the waves had etched and created holes that exploded with a vertical geyser when a big wave would hit. These were up and down the coast as far as you could see. With an on shore breeze the spray was refreshing in the 85-degree temperature. These islands are coral atolls and not due to volcanic generation.
The soil is very good and they grow many things. And then on to view the flying foxes that roost in tall trees. They are rather large bats that are fruit eating and nocturnal. I have seen a similar species in Sidney, Australia.
Back to the ship and at the dock I bought 2 shirts for $15 each, very brilliantly colored. Once before I bought a shirt in Rarotonga and it was one of the best shirts for $7.
The people here are English speaking along with other languages and the predominate thing about the island is the number of churches. The people here are very vulnerable to religion and he missionaries have taken full advantage of the weakness. In the past they have had their gods but now they have to build buildings in order to have their gods. I would have thought I was in Ramona. Being vulnerable to religion causes them to be ruled by the different versions of gods. Even the woman driver of the van started telling us about the Mormon Bible. I think their beliefs rule the way they live, similar to many other places around the world. But you have to expect that like because we have been brainwashed to think the “wine” tastes good, when tasted by an uninitiated taster they will tell you it tastes awful, well it is spoiled grape juice and the drug war is a good thing, and war is a good thing, diamonds are pretty and we need them when most other stones are much more pretty but Debeers has convinced you that diamonds are better among other things and many other subjects, on and on!!!!
We crossed the date line on the evening of the 6th of February, which put us on the 7th, later that night at 12:00 the date became the 8th. The 7th only lasted 6 hours a very short day. But the ship decided to eliminate the 6th and go directly to the 7th and not confuse the passengers, which turned out to confuse most everyone on board.
I wanted to tell Walt Parker about the people on board. I do think there are more people with canes, wheelchairs, walkers and motorized chairs than people that can walk without assistance. I do believe a lot of these people could be on a stretcher and they would accommodate them. Anyway most of the people we have talked to are on multiple around the world trips on this ship. One person lives on board and some have sailed on each ATW tour and that has been 25, some say they don’t remember how many times they have sailed with the QE2.
Tomorrow Fiji, we were there not long ago but I can’t remember when, sounds familiar!!
ROD
6th edition ATW # 3 AT 31 MPH
2-8-2007
I forgot to tell you about the house prices in Tonga, according to the guide/driver a woman she said a house could be had for $25,000. I thought it was important to tell you that story so you could get in on the action before the rest of California hears about it and causes a huge rise in the prices!!! Other prices were reasonable in Tonga.
Today in Fiji we went to the botanical garden and the Fiji museum. We walked the distance, perhaps 1.5 miles one way and it rained lightly the whole way but we stopped occasionally for lunch and ice cream, and shopping for a Fiji flag (the flag in Fiji was a 2’X4’ flag for $6 and in Tahiti the flag was $20 for an 8X10 INCH) and dresses and clothes for the grandsons, they need clothes. With all that we were back to the ship and afternoon HIGH tea, an afternoon occurrence at 4 o’clock each day, with finger sandwiches and sweet pastries and tea or coffee. Later the rain increased to a downpour after we were back on deck.
A few days ago when we got the Super Bowl on television in some of the public rooms which is good to sleep by we also got Fox television, the news organization that tries to justify the irrational actions the U.S. government, but it is good to see how they sidestep and lie about the issues and put down the critics of the government. There must be hordes of propagandist in the government that feed these outlets that the people listen to and believe what they say. There is so much double speak and outright lies that is put out by the white house it is almost mind bogleing to even comment about. Today we started to get BBC again which is a no nonsense news organization that does not insult the viewer as does Fox TV. The morning news, printed, that is distributed by the ship from USA Today reports that the U.S.A. does not contemplate action against Iran but the “NEW” War Secretary, Robert Gates admitted that they need a larger Army and Marine corps to deal with “future” wars (not planned) with N. Korea, Russia and China. What does the thousands of pentagon “experts” do if not to plan additional wars to support the military/industrial establishments? Probably they are the propagandists that “leak” secrets to the public in order to enhance their agenda. When a newsperson reports a government “secret” he is frowned upon but he has no true access to classified information because he does not have a clearance and a need to know. Remember the only government “secrets” are the ones that they don’t want the public to know about, the “enemy doesn’t care what the secrets are. They don’t want the public to know what they are doing. That is why large volumes are only released 20-30 years after the fact. After you have forgotten about it and can’t do anything about the irrational behavior. The congress is also hamstrung and incapable of doing anything about the messes that they have gotten themselves into without admitting mistakes.
A good example is what happened a few days ago when a writer, Bill Arkin from the Washington Post wrote that the military was mercenary. Well, Fox jumped on that and even had the convict Ollie North interviewed and he told about how unpatriotic the writer was to say such a thing but never approached the actual subject of why the mercenary story was false and that was the Fox story all day. When you attack the writer and not the subject you are admitting that the message is true but you don’t like the message. So Fox essentially admits the message about mercenaries is true. I though that everyone knew that we had a mercenary military but of course no one wanted to say those words and when someone did the “government” (Fox, the civilian outlet for the government propaganda) jumped all over the person that said those words, calling the individual unpatriotic and not supporting the troops, namely the lying Bill O’Relly and Sean Hannity and others. GROW UP. That was not what the propagandist wanted you to hear. If it was a volunteer military and not mercenary they wouldn’t pay them anything but provide for their needs like soap, cigarettes, liquor, beer, housing and food. Like so many militaries around the world and the past militaries of the U.S.A.
I can remember having to get permission to get married and the permission was granted when the GI could convince his superior that he could support the wife and/or family. He then got a second job in order to make ends meet and/or she was working and making a living. Since then money has been the driving force and the mercenary military is today, commonplace. The huge re-enlistment bonuses and higher pay are examples. The real mercenaries are the civilian work force that supports the military for three to four times what the military receives in pay and they don’t have to fight. The number of civilians in Iraq is over 100,000, essentially making the total force trying to invade little Iraq close to 300,000 personal fighting a few thousand defenders.
The military/industrial establishment has established a beachhead and you can expect perpetual war with $600+ billion and more war budgets for the rest of your life and they also need cannon fodder. Why don’t they call the “defense” department the war department, they don’t do defense!!??
Sorry to ramble on but I needed to get that on the record and off my chest.
This is the first of two days at sea and then Auckland where we will have two days in port. The weather is getting cooler as we head south. We were in the area the last time they had the “Americas Cup” in Auckland. We have been to all of the cities in New Zealand and Australia that we will visit on this tour. Tasmania will be a new port for us. Sunday we will have an Around the World Tour dinner at the convention center in Auckland that is put on by the ship so we are looking forward to that and it will be a dress up affair with the white top hat.
The entertainment has been top notch. The piano player of classical music is unbelievable almost robotic in her ability. She is leaving the ship in Auckland and going to Pago Pago to meet up with the Queen Mary 2 for an engagement on that ship. Some people on the QE2 are going to get off in Sidney and get on the QM2 and go thru the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean rather than go around Africa. Another person does not like many days at sea so they get off the ship and fly to the next port and rejoin the ship. Like crossing to Hawaii and crossing the Atlantic.
I have decided to forget about the “passport” situation and see what transpires or happens. We have entered two ports Tonga and Fiji and got off the ship and did not go through any customs or immigration in order to go ashore. We were free to come and go as we saw fit. A surely strange situation but the Purser assured me when I wanted the passport that was the case and so far that is true. If you flew into any of those countries I am sure you would be met with the immigration and customs officials for each entry.
Tomorrow 2-11-2007, Auckland and we leave at 1:00 AM the next day for Wellington the capital.
Later
ROD
7TH edition of the ATW #3 tour at 31MPH
2-12-2007
Another day at sea before we get to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. We were up late last night at the Around the World tour dinner at the Auckland convention center. A very impressive affair, I think it was the most lavish party I have ever been to, including the Governors inauguration in Sacramento. They didn’t stop at anything only the best. I thought it would be put on by the Convention center but Cunard did it. The top hat was a big hit that was a well worth purchase. As soon as anyone saw that hat they wanted to shake my hand and/or say something about how well it looked. One of the ships crew had seen me a number of times was always thrilled about the hat and he even brought over the president of Cunard, a very attractive woman, I was a little overwhelmed, and introduced Janet and I. I didn’t realize who she was until she got up before the 900+ attendees and welcomed everyone and showed a presentation about the QM2 and talked about the new Queen Victoria that is being built. The QE2 and QM2 will be in Sidney within a 2-hour period so that passengers that want to transfer can accomplish that transaction. It’s just like getting a transfer on a bus JJ. The meal started with a slice of Salmon with some dressing and then a rack of the best lamb I have ever eaten. I always thought the lamb we got in the states was just mutton and now I am sure. On my solo trip I talked to a sheep farmer from Australia and he told me the animal had to be two years old or less to be called lamb. We took a lot of pictures and they had a Maori show that was second to none, all the beer and wine you could drink, I had 3 glasses, more than I have had since my stomach problem. I will send more pictures but here are a couple.
ROD
7th edition of the ATW pictures
8th edition ATW #3 at 31 MPH
2-14-2007
Arrived at Christchurch early this Valentines Day. The weather has been real good; in Wellington the morning was cool but very nice at noontime. Its good to be in a civilized country. Its obvious from the great architecture and well-designed cities, no police on the streets, nice shops, great transportation, not many countries fall in the category of “civilized” but New Zealand does. Most of the rest of the world is too consumed in war and killing people to be considered “civilized”.
Today we will be bussed into Christchurch close to Cathedral Square where we have visited before. They are very good at bussing people into town, mostly because a lot of the passengers are not well enough to walk very far. I wanted to tell you there are about 16 different countries represented on the ship not counting all the crew, which are from all over the world. Most passengers are from the USA.
We stayed in the hotel overlooking the Square. We will visit the Botanical Garden, which was outstanding. San Diego could use a good Garden but the majority of people are in the war business and do not want to spend the money to have a nice garden.
We continue to have excellent service and good food four or five times a day but I don’t seem to be gaining any weight. Every night we have at least two top notch shows after dinner and then its 12 o’clock and time for bed. Sleeping late in the morning till 0600 and the first breakfast in the room.
Anyway Happy Valentines Day to all!!
ROD
9th edition on the ATW #3 @ 31 MPH
2-15-2007
We are out of Christchurch and heading for Stewart Island to the south of the southern island of New Zealand. After we pass Stewart we will head north of west to Tasmania. Stewart Island will be as far south as we will go till we hit the south of Africa, probably 48° South latitude and 168° East longitude. With moderately rolling and pitching ocean, enough to keep Janet close to her bed is a time to reflect on the problems of the world and mostly the problems of my country. Most of the problems of the world could be easily solved but the problems of my country are not so easily solved. The thoughts come fast during the morning hours and during breakfast when the restaurant first opens and it is quiet the ideas are a rush. Then later at breakfast, the second with Janet and most people are awakened and ready to add more fuel to face the trials of the days at sea, mostly napping and reading with a few in the gym trying to extend their physical ability, the noise in the restaurant rises to a crescendo until about 0945 and then dies off with the satisfaction of consuming the necessary fuel to last until LUNCH. The thoughts keep coming and the worry about not being able to record them without the laptop or pencil and paper rushes thru your head and you are ready to return to the cabin and start writing and that is where we are at this time.
It is occurring to me again and I have written about it in the past about the huge problems with our government. So if you don’t want to hear about it you might want to stop reading NOW and do a delete, but if you are brave enough then stick with it and I will spill my brains. I will use some French to do a better explanation, but I have trouble with the spelling and the pronunciation but I will always use consistent spelling so you can fill in the correct pronunciation.
The situation in the country has grown worst since the election that put the “Democrats in Power”. Most of the country thought as a result of the election the course of events in Washington would change but as you may have noticed the Democrats have no power and little if anything will change. So what do you do? It appears the nothing will change and the only way to correct the situation which has gotten worst after the last 25 years is that the elected officials have become aware that they are really dictators even for the short time they may be in office so they are in a period of feathering their nest and the nest of their buddies and after it is all over they can sit back and laugh about how they put it over on the apathetic voters. The greatest example is when we elected this president. They know they don’t have to abide by what the population has to say but instead march down any road they choose and never look back. There has never been a president that has lied to the people as much as this president I think I spelled that right!!
With any accountability they have learned they can do any hairbrained thing they want to and without any repercussions. The congress was supposed to assure accountability but as you can see they missed the boat.
This is a fallacy of the so-called Democracy where you elect politicians to do the bidding of the populace and they are not accountable, nothing works responsibility. The only way to have accountability is from the populace with elections so frequent that the politician must always be on guard to protect his position in the government. That is the way any business works and it will also work for government. When 51% of the public thinks the politician is doing a bad job and voice that at the polls he will be more responsive to the wants of the public and dictatorial government will not survive.
Well the sea is still rolling the ship is able to handle the chaotic waves except when they are well formed they may break across the bow but now it’s quite in the cabins which means people are napping and getting ready to refuel to meet the challenges of the afternoon. Another day at sea and we will be in Tasmania, with things like the Tasmanian Devil, the only thing I have ever heard about that part of Australia.
After more than three weeks onboard ship and I can feel sure I can find my way around the ship. So if you plan to board the QE2 think about longer than three weeks to feel at home. One thing may also be a problem and that is after three months we may not want to get off because of the service.
A couple of days ago we saw the Southern Cross in the night sky. I used my AstroViewer to orient and find out where it was in the night sky.
Valentines day was a dress up day and we all tried to wear red and I will try and include a picture with the red bow tie, red vest and a red ribbon that I used as a hatband on my black top hat. The ribbon was on a Christmas package from Carol Wisham and I was going to make a bow tie out of it but I haven’t learned how to tie a bow while it around my neck.
I went to an enrichment lecture about Afghanistan by Sir David Dain; he was a British diplomat that served in that area of the world. Today he gave us a little history and tomorrow he will end it by telling us what a grand mission that will be when NATO “wins” there. That is another ploy by the US government by invading and finding we can’t “win” then ask NATO to end it and finish up the fighting I am interested how he rationalizes that loss. The “win” by US standards is for Afghanistan to stand-alone and be prosperous and democratic which will never happen and that attitude will provide for a perpetual war, which is what the USA government wants.
MISTER VALENTINES DAY
Was a picture, too big file
ROD
I needed to throw this in somewhere, something I wrote some time ago.
A GOVERNMENT OF SAVAGES
9-1-12006
Long ago the Aboriginal communities around the world decided that making war was a useless endeavor. Today we still call them uncivilized but they were smart enough to make improvements in their lives that the so called civilized have not learned and viewed from the Aboriginal position they would call the current savages that run the world as uncivilized. The propaganda put forth by out governments would have you to believe that we are very far advanced and you can hear people say that the USA is the greatest country in the world but most of those people have not seen the other countries and are not prepared to voice an opinion about what is the best country. Foreigners are also duped into the idea that the USA is also a good place to live but most of the people that want to immigrate here are trying to improve their position and they will return to their home countries after they have achieved their financial position that they need to in order to survive and live well in their own country, some stay. They just use this country to achieve their goals.
You can take a savage and put a suit on him but that does not change his ideas of world domination and the quest to engage in a perpetual war, obviously an uncivilized way to conduct a nation that claims to be civilized. Many countries around the world have elected to not engage in warfare and succeed very well. They improve their infrastructure as much as they can and do not engage in wasteful spending by invading other countries and ending up defeated. Many countries have learned this lesson but it will apparently take the USA a few more generations and many USA lives and many trillion dollars of taxpayer dollars to learn the lesson. The blowback from aggressive warfare is to be attacked by whatever means they have and today we are under constant attack by forces because we have invaded their countries and the reaction is a terrorist activity that is near crippling the USA and its allies.
So the savage leaders that lead our country are reaping the rewards of their aggressive behavior, by spending trillions of dollars trying to put out the fires they have started. Always demonstrating that they cannot handle the problems within this country and they then try to tell other countries how to conduct their affairs, but are being rebuffed by those countries and our savage leaders are not learning their lesson. They are lame ducks and the leaders that follow them will have to cleanup the activities that were conducted by the previous administration. Politicians come and go but the military/ industrial establishment is with us all the time and they take advantage of the duped USA population into thinking they are doing something good.
ROD
10th edition of ATW #3 cruise at 31 MPH
2-19-2007
Hobart in Tasmania was a breath of fresh air, a small town with a very nice botanical garden and a Saturday street market that was three locks long and four booths wide. We ate lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant with very good shrimp and cashew nuts with vegetables. After shopping for clothes we had a beer at bar and gaming room. The beer was Tasmanian and it was very robust. But I don’t taste much beer lately so it sort of shocks my tastebuds.
I can’t say for sure but I think the food on the ship is getting worst. The lamb chops were first rate but last night in the Lido the shrimp were either old or overcooked. When they get tough I don’t know if they are old or cooled too long. The deserts are usually good. Today in Melbourne, Australia we are headed for the shops and a walk around town, we have been here before but I can’t remember anything distinctive about the city.
A note about the passport dilemma, in Tasmania we had to get our passports from the pursers office and get in a long line to see the customs personnel from Australia and they stamped the passport without noting who we were, just a stamp and were told by the ship to carry the passport into town which is what you would normally do if flying in to the country. After the city visit we had to turn in the passport to the Pursers office. Now we are in another Australian city and we do not have a passport to carry into town. The ship says we just need our ship ID card that has my name and nationality on the card.
ROD
11th edition of the ATW #3 at 31 MPH
2-21-2007
We are in Sidney, arrived yesterday about 5:00 PM, the entrance to the bay was exciting, there must have been a thousand small boats that welcomed the ship to Sidney and at least 8 helicopters and the bay shore was lined with a few hundred thousand people, with fire boats spouting large streams of water and the 2.1 meter horns on the QE2 blasting. The QM2 had arrived earlier in the day and was heading out at 11:00 pm after gathering passengers that were transferring from the QE2. Later last night there was a large fireworks display. It was an exceptional reception for a ship.
I wanted to tell you about our leaving the port of Tasmania. When the ship was ready to leave the dock a bagpipe band was playing all sorts of songs and they concluded with Auld Lang Syne (spelling) and finally Waltzing Matilida.
When we left Melbourne they were glad to see us leave because we used their public transportation system and it was overloaded, now they are back to normal. We had some very good Chinese food, dim sum and good seafood in China Town.
We leave tomorrow night for Brisbane.
The following is what Janet wrote:
ROD
Hello to all:
Here’s the next update. I’m going to be jumping around a little bit as I remember things I forgot to tell you last time, so hang on. If it doesn’t make sense, don’t worry about it. J
We took the trolley into Melbourne and as usual, walked the streets. We have been here before so didn’t do any sightseeing this time. This is a big city and we spent the day in the downtown area. We were shopping for some items we needed and you should see this gigantic Target store! It was just too big, took us forever to go thru it. Next we went to a department store called Meyer. It was 4-5 floors and blocks long. It’s not one building but several. It was kind of like Nordstrom’s, and carried everything from soup to nuts. Everything except men’s white dress pants, that is.
We had lunch in Chinatown, got a haircut and headed back to the ship.
The weather in Melbourne was in the high 80’s and pretty warm.
We were at sea for 1-½ days and arrived in Sydney yesterday, 02-20-07. What an arrival!!! You go for days on the sea and don’t see another ship. Then you arrive in Sydney and there are boats of all sizes all around the QE2. What a sight to see! There were people everywhere. On the beach, in the park and on the bridge. Even cars stopped in the streets with their emergency lights on. This is the first time since World War II, when the original Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth made joint visits as troop carriers in 1941 and 1942, two Cunard Queens have called at Sydney together. The world’s two most famous ocean liners, Cunard’s flagship Queen Mary 2 and legendary Queen Elizabeth 2, met in Sydney, Australia after beginning their world voyages together in style on January 10, 2007. The fire works as something like I’ve never seen before – unbelievable. This was a very exciting day for me – I loved every minute of it.
We went into town last night around 9:00pm, walked the streets a little and ended up on the 36th floor of a hotel bar, for cocktails. The view was spectacular and the drinks expensive. We also stopped at McDonalds’ on the way back to the ship. The time then was around midnight. The streets were still packed with people as well as McDonald’s. We waited in line for 5 or so minutes to get a Big Mac. Got to bed around 12: 30am.
We’re in Sydney until Thursday. We will do some sightseeing today, as there is so much to see and do here.
And now some words of wisdom:
The Legacy Of Cunard
It was a more civilized era, the golden age of sea travel. Crossing the ocean was a grand event unto itself, the very embodiment of sophistication and privilege. And traveling Cunard was what one naturally chose for such a voyage. Cunard’s glorious ocean liners were floating palaces of art deco splendour and Edwardian excess, surrounding guests with every comfort and luxury. They attracted the greatest personalities of the day, from world leaders to movie stars, who sipped champagne at festive black-tie soirees and strolled along graceful promenades attired in their finest apparel. It was the quintessence of luxury travel, and getting there was truly half the fun. Cunard continues the celebration to this day, as she has for the past 165 years, but now with the style and majesty of Queen Elizabeth 2.
That’s it for now –
Jan
12th edition of ATW #3 @ 31 MPH
2-22-2007
SOME PICTURES FROM SIDNEY
13TH EDITION OF ATW #3 AT 31 MPH
2-26-2007
Its been a couple of days since I have written and we have been at sea for a day but tomorrow we drop anchor at Yorkey’s Knob and then shuttled to Cairns the last port in Australia. Everyone knows where Yorkey’s Knob is don’t you?? The port at Cairns is at Yorkey’s Knob. This is the jumping off place for the Great Barrier Reef
Brisbane was a return visit and I didn’t remember anything about the city so I just guessed we flew in and got the train to Sidney and didn’t spend much time in Brisbane.
We went into town on a bus that took almost ¾ of an hour. The ship had to dock at the port dock instead of the cruise dock because the ship wouldn’t pass under the bridge without losing part of the smoke stack. So it was a long wait for the bus and a long ride into town. We did go to the botanical garden and witnessed a punk rock noise machine, which they called a concert. You could hear this thing about a mile away and they had enough nerve to charge the attendees $100 to enter and get their hearing blown away. The park was nice and about 4 blocks from the Queen street market downtown. We also went to the train station to see if I could recognize the location but I wasn’t able to remember anything. Had lunch at an Indian hole in the wall restaurant, very good food but my digestive system reacted violently from something. I keep wanting to say “stomach” but without one I will refer to it as my digestive system. A nice town nice parks.
The weather has been good, the temperature has been in the low 80’s with warm winds and with a following sea you could go on deck without getting blown away. I got in the pool and the hot tub for a while. After tomorrow we are at sea for a day and then into Papua, New Guinea that should be an adventure, more cannibals or headhunters.
ROD
14th EDITION OF ATW #3 AT 31 MPH
2-28-2007
Yesterday we were at Yorkey’s Knob in Queensland, northeastern Australia. The botanical garden was the most lush we have seen with many orchids and flowers I have never seen. We also saw a butterfly with a wingspan of about 6 inches and blue on the upper wing. It rained a lot while we were there but it was off and on and we didn’t get wet, mostly because we bought an umbrella and that is enough to change the weather. After another day at sea we will be in New Guinea at Rabual, kind of looking forward to that landing. We will be tendered into that port. The tender into Yorkey’s Knob was ok in that we got in a “early bird” tender and did not have to stand in long lines which spoils the adventure. So we were in Cairns early, before the stores opened and had to wait for something to eat, need to maintain weight. I talked to one of the local chef’s at some hotel and gave him a ride home in the taxi that we hired to take us to the garden.
I wanted to tell you about the speed of the ship which is not always at 31 MPH but they adjust the speed according to various conditions in order to reach the destination on time and they are pretty good about schedules. The conditions are a cruising speed that is economical and considers the sea conditions, like currents, wave action, and wind and the estimated time of arrival. Also while in the cabin the sea conditions are sounded out by the “creaking” of the ship, I don’t know a better word but when the creaking is soft and slow the sea conditions are flat or mild and when a crescendo is reached the ship is in big seas. The ship bends with the sea and causes the songs you hear as you lay in bed waiting for the first breakfast you get the impression the ship is singing to you in soft somewhat melodic phrases. In a chaotic sea the melody is very repeatable and even the pressures the bed plays on your body is in unison with the song the ship is playing. When an abeam swell arrives you get rolled slightly knowing the music has changed from the routine. With a following sea the song is very slight and it requires a more sensitive listening to hear the melody. When the song stops you can bet you are in the doldrums or docked. The sea has its way with the ship and the ship also has its way with the sea and after many years of experience they have become a united assembly.
The entertainment last night was exceptional by a trumpet player. You might wonder how a trumpet player and a backup orchestra could entertain for 45 minutes, well when he has a vast number of selections it is easy and these performers are top notch. Other cruise ships have lavish productions and canned music, which I wrote about on other, cruises, which without telling the audience about is very insulting.
Tonight we are going to see Dmitri Guyvoronski do some familiar classics on the piano. We saw him earlier and bought his DVD, which I don’t do but he was so extraordinary that I couldn’t resist.
I guess I didn’t tell about the bad reception our criminal vice president got in Australia. The actions by the Prime Minister Howard are described as a prime ministers disaster, and the decision to invade Iraq was by several orders of magnitude an unmitigated blunder and the biggest miscalculation of Howard’s time in office. So hopefully when the coming elections are held he will be rode out of town on a rail, with tar and feathers. He has become part of the Bush crime family.
The television we have been getting is the BBC and Fox News, the commercial propaganda instrument of the US government. Lately since we have been in Australian waters we have been getting an Aussie channel.
I get the impression that the Alliance is fighting the resistance in Iraq and Afghanistan and that the original terrorist have gone out of business because they have succeeded in placing the “strongest country” in the world on the ropes and they do not have to do anything in order to promote their cause. Once the oscillator has been put in motion a perpetual motion machine, which plays on itself, is implemented and no further input is required to maintain the action. Once you get a dog to chase its tail it takes a while for him to tire himself and stop his ridiculous activity. So once you get a country that is looking for a fight into a war by using a few men to conduct a suicide mission you can rest assured that they will respond as a mad dog and attack the weak and of course never worry about who they are fighting but that they needed an enemy and the suicide bombers provided that catalyst and from all anyone knows may have only been the majority of the effort to engage the Middle Eastern invaders that have tried to influence the Muslim countries that do not want the western influence in their country. After all the suicide attack was carried out by mostly our friends the Saudi’s and it was not clear then or now just whom the enemy was. Just look at the results, the U.S. has probably 200,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting the resistance along with probably 120,000 camp followers that do the dirty work for the troops at four times the pay the G.I. gets and you have a perpetual motion machine fighting a war with third parties that had nothing to do with the original bombings and suicide missions. The Iraq’s have reported 300,000 troops in the country fighting the guerrillas and all those troops cannot contain the resistance. The resistance has succeeded in accomplishing their objective and our government thinks they are winning, what a deal. Remember kicking the Russians out of Afghanistan and Viet Nam, Korea and others tells me to get back in your hole and don’t harm others. Then add some additional countries that want to get into the fight because they were coerced or bribed and the whole thing gets even more ridiculous. Each country was then bombed for their participation with the U.S.A. and only those countries even Australia that only had a token of less than 1% involvement in the fighting and then they were put out of harms way in the background by building infrastructure or whatever and not in the real conflict. Other countries may have been bombed but for different reasons and the propaganda arms would always include these outliers in the major conflict.
And you are waiting in this long line trying to get on an airplane or other modes of transportation because of the tremendous bureaucracy that has been formed as part of the perpetual motion machine that has a lock on the public and the propaganda machines that maintain the motion. You may wonder how many real terrorists have been captured using these methods and you finally realize that nothing has happened and no one has been captured as a result of you standing in line only the need to give you the idea that they are protecting you when they are only wasting your time. They do collect many sharp instruments, which is important to you, aren’t they???
Today and tomorrow at sea going to Papua New Guinea at the town of Rabaul we are at 13° south and the speed is about 15 knots, 18 MPH with a heading about 52°, raining and 85° F. I watch the water some and earlier I saw a bird flying and it must have been an albatross because we are pretty far from land. That is the first living thing I have seen on the oceans after many thousands of miles. Bureaucracy.
Later
ROD
Yesterday we landed in Rabaul with the aid of an early bird tender at 0730. We were the first on the beach and the natives gave us a warm welcome with dancing to loud drums. The natives had large headdresses and were painted up so you might think you were on an island in New Guinea and that was the case. As soon as one “tribe” was finished another showed up with different costumes but to the same drumbeats. A few thousand showed up selling carvings, jewelry and anything they thought you might buy with U.S. dollars or their own money Kina which should be traded at 3K:$1 but as soon as a conversion came up there was doubt about what the conversion was. We were told they would take Australian dollars but if you gave them a coin they would look at it and ask if you had U.S. dollars and most did not know how to make change. The stores were owned or managed by the Orientals and any transaction; the seller would have to ask the oriental whether it was Ok.
Janet and I ran into a guy that is on the ship to dance with the single ladies and he wanted to get a bus to the capital, so we inquired and found out the #1 bus went to the capital, Kokopo and we found the “bus” and hopped on. Hopping on involved getting into the back of a pickup truck with 2X6 wood seats across the back in about 6 rows with an overhead frame that had a plastic sheet pulled over to protect you from the rain and sunshine, the frame was also good for holding on to when the road got rough and would allow you to raise yourself from the hard wood seat when the road was rough and a bony but was bouncing off the bench. We were on the truck for about 40 kilometers with probably 15 others, mothers nursing baby’s young kids and workers that needed a ride. We picked up the ride at an open market and at the capital was an open market where we got off the pickup and gave the driver $1 each for the ride. Regardless of the road conditions the driver drove at the same fast speed and it was a bumpy ride. We found an Internet Café and tried to get on but the system was so slow that we gave up and didn’t send a single message.
The markets were very large and it looked like all of the people were selling similar things they had grown. Beatle nuts that they would eat with lime and something else that would make their teeth red and it was a narcotic so you see everyone needs some sort of drugs to face reality (another subject). Janet and I went to a hotel that advertised a Chinese restaurant and we had 2 beers (SP Lager for South Pacific Lager), which was very good, and I had chow mien with seafood all for about $10. The town was very small but everyone on the island was very friendly and they liked having their picture taken. They would say hello and they knew you were off the ship. I don’t think many cruise ships come to this island. The girl at the restaurant asked if we lived there and when we told her we were from the ship she was thrilled that we had come to the capital. We got a “bus” back to the port of Rabaul, the busses were normally private vans that would hold 10-12 people but they had soft seats. Back at the port our friend took off by himself because he wanted to get up close to the erupting volcano that was maybe another 40 kilometers the other way and he later told us the police actually took him very close to the volcano. The volcano was very visible from the ship. Anyway we bought a couple of wall plaks ($10 each) and headed back to the ship. The prices dropped as the day wore on.
4 days at sea and we will be in Yokahoma, we crossed the equator going north at 1100 3-2-2007.
3-6-2007
We are here in Yokahoma, after 4 days at sea. Last night we hit some rollers after we got to bed and it knocked a lot of stuff off on to the floor, the sea had been rough for a few days and Janet was sick most of the time but she recovered yesterday. The temp high is supposed to be 55°F quite a difference from the high 80’s we were experiencing around the equator.
Later
ROD
15th report of the ATW #3 tour @ 31 MPH
3-8-2007
Yokahama was another interesting city and a new adventure. It was a short day in that we arrived early and had to leave at 1500 hrs. The ship provided a bus to the train/bus terminal. In order to travel any distance within the city it is necessary to find some form of transportation and the local buses is the most economical way to travel. We were headed to the Sankeien garden, which is some distance from the ship. Arriving at the terminal we were sheeparded by a number of guides that could barely understand where we were headed. Finally we were in contact with a guide that took us to the bus stop the #8 that ends at the garden. 500 yen is the entrance fee for the garden and it came with a guide that we didn’t expect, a very nice man that showed us everything in the garden, especially the trees, cherry, plum and others and showed us pictures of how the garden looks during the different seasons. His name was Taro Yokoyama and he resides at 45-3 Honmoku Makado, Nakaku Yokohama, Japan. Send him a post card or Christmas card at the souvenir store we told him that we didn’t have much money and he bought us a set of postcards about the garden. Earlier at the post office we took money from the ATM and I had made a mistake about the number and only got 2000 yen and I should have got 20,000. On the bus going back to the ship and stopping at China Town a young girl and her parents helped with the return bus. Later on the ship we were on the boat deck and they were in the large group gathered to see the ship off. I took pictures of the band and drum corps that played as we moved out of port.
In China Town we stopped and had lunch at a nice restaurant. I had abalone soup with veggies and Janet had a noodle soup with everything in it. The Abalone was so rubbery I couldn’t eat it, like it wasn’t beaten prior to cooking. The rest of it was very good. China Town was close to the ship and an easy walk.
The next day we had sailed to Osaka and a new experience. Usually when we get off the ship the local people have an information booth and they tell you the way to the city. Prior to getting off the ship the port authority had a welcoming committee on board and a Sake ceremony about breaking a cask and everyone having a drink out of square wooden cups. They break the cask with wooden mallets. We took the subway into town with a little help and the town was very vibrant. A good place to shop but important to stay out of the expensive shops. One expensive store we went in had a large floor of women’s shoes. There must have been over a thousand different shoes. Anyway Janet bought some clothes and I will send you some pictures after she gets them on.
It has been cold in Japan almost as bad as Southern California. After Shanghai we will go to Hong Kong and it should get warmer then to really warm country. Today and tomorrow we will be at sea going to Shanghai. I have decided that the ship is running at half speed and the reason for that is the ship makes money when the passengers are on board. When we are in port and a lot of people are off the ship they don’t spend money on the ship and the casino is closed.
Out of Osaka we encountered strong winds that caused the ship to list by a noticeable amount. It is hard to say how much and the captain never tells about unusual conditions at sea especially the beam wave that hit the ship in the middle of the night and caused a person to break an arm and tossed things off tables. The ship said it was an act of God and not covered by the ships responsibility. The list lasted for a number of hours and a person walking down the aisle was noticeably not standing vertically.
Yokahoma an Osaka have large Ferris wheels, they move very slowly and take about 1 hour to make one revolution. They clam to be the biggest in the world, to get on you have to climb 2 flights of stairs, costs about $7 per revolution!! The port in Osaka has an Aquarium and many shops and restaurants.
It’s a good thing I have my guitar and some books otherwise I would go nuts with so many days at sea. Most of the people on board play some sort of mindless games that passes the time. I couldn’t think I was going to spend this much money and play card games, shuffle board, paddle board tennis, beading, and on and on. The guitar allows me to improve my playing and music reading and I am getting back to where I was before my operation. The entertainment is very good and we have at least one performer per night. The food is good if you are careful with what you eat. We have two restaurants to choose from and I check the menu at each place and pick the one I like best. Each menu has at least a large number of choices for starters, salads, entrees and desserts along with anything you want to drink. Suggested wines are on the menu for each course and they have a huge mixed drink menu. A lot of people on board drink a huge amount of liquor. They would be better off going to church. They do have three freeloaders that are clergy from some ritualistic churches. That would be better than drinking in order to face up to the every day hardships on board. The church and mind altering drugs is another way to escape reality, and the public needs both!!! I still can’t drink the way I used to; the taste is so bad I can’t stand it.
We missed another chance at the Internet in Shanghai so this will be sent in Hong Kong when we find a café. Shanghais is still one of my favorite cities, a city that is a feast for the eyes. Everywhere you look you see views that are pleasing to the eye. The buildings were designed by people that wanted to make a lasting statement to the world and at night the city lights up and it would put Paris to shame, whole sides of buildings light up like a television screen. Today, 3-11-2007 we are at sea headed for Hong Kong another favorite city. But yesterday with limited time we took the ship shuttle bus to the city, figure an hour each way, and was dropped off at the Shanghai Museum and a silk outlet called a museum and we got a taxi to the Yuyan Garden where they have crowed many old buildings within the walls and they have plants and ponds with many Coy fish, the place is very ornate and cost $30/7.5 = $4. The taxi cost $12/7.5. After the garden we walked down to the “BUND”, a walkway along the river Huangpu with great vistas of both sides of the river. Walked down to Nanjing Road and headed back to the bus stop. This stretch of road is filled with shops on both sides and finally ends up in a mall where they have blocked off the street to auto traffic. We ate a couple of times and got lost; I don’t know how I usually know where I am at all times with the aid of maps. So we got a taxi to take us a ½ block away and the bus stop. Along the way I bought two nice shirts for $10 US each. In an expensive store they cost $40 but right next door at the discount store they cost $10 US and there must be hundreds of stores. The ship sells that tour for $40 US per person. The scam the ship puts on is they sell the different tours in advance before they tell you anything about the port and where you will be dropped off and when they do you will find out you could have did the same tour for very little money and most of the time I don’t want to go to the prearranged places. The taxis are very cheap and an easy way to get around, but you need to be able to tell the driver where you want to go, so get it in writing, Chinese so he will know. The same goes in Japan. The drivers in Hong Kong are better educated in English so I don’t expect that will be a problem. The schools in China think it is important to learn English. A word about Singapore, maybe I told you before but if you get a law degree that will qualify you to drive a cab. The education level is very high in that city-state. Tomorrow Hong Kong after this day at sea. We are going along the China coast and we see lots of ships, we will pass between the coast and Taiwan.
ROD
16th edition of the ATW #3 @ 31 MPH
3-14-2007
So much for Hong Kong, after a while you should learn not to go back to the locations you have been in the past but go to new places. We went to the Stanley street market that we had been before and as soon as I saw the place I remembered being there before and where everything was. The prices are too high now, a tourist trap but we spent most of the day getting there in a taxi, $114/7.5/4=$3.8 and returning to downtown on a bus, $28/7.5/4= 93 cents. They do have a new Stanley Plaza with a lot of shops and they cannot compete with the street vendors so they are different kinds of shops. One was a grocery store with most everything plus a meat market to die for. They had every kind of meat and sea creatures you could imagine, more like an aquarium and you buy what you want to eat, green grouper among others. We were docked at a downtown pier next to the Star Ferry used to cross over to Hong Kong Island and at the southeastern tip is where Stanley Market is. The ferry is free to senior people. Out on my own I visited some side street markets in downtown Kowloon and found some “bargains” and later in the evening I took a group of women to the same market and they bought a few hundred dollars worth of “stuff”. After the shopping we went to a Chinese restaurant and had a very nice dinner, of green beans, crispy fried pork in sweet and sour, chicken with rice and 6 oysters to die for. I have never had such good oysters and I could not have eaten them by myself so I tempted the women and the next thing I knew they were eating them and saying how good they were. They were as big as the farm raised “western” oysters we get in S.D. during the holidays, but each one batter fried. Earlier in the day at an Irish Pub I had oysters Rockefeller and a Carlsbad beer; sometime a beer is ok.
The man in the dress shop took us to the restaurant, he recommended and cautioned us about not eating in the expensive hotel restaurants. The “real” Chinese restaurants have a large assortment of edible items, at least they think so or they wouldn’t have them on the menu with pictures. And I think they eat every kind of protein and don’t waste much, such as it intestine from the goose, snakes, chicken paws, baby oysters with an egg like casserole and probably a hundred other things. I think the beef and pork industries have tainted our idea of what we should be eating and as a result we do not have a large assortment of what to eat. This was not a Dim Sim shop where they bring a cart around and tell you in Chinese what you are being served so you take your chances and hope for the best. With the aid of a taxi we made it back to the ship with ten minutes to spare before they took away the gangplank and we sailed out of the harbor. The weather while in Hong Kong was overcast and foggy most of the time you could not see the tops of the buildings, of course they build them so high that you have to strain your neck to see the tops. The buildings in the city are also very pretty but not as great as Shanghai.
We did go in a Coach shop and viewed a small handbag for $1000.00 U.S. and I recommend buying one or more especially if you own stock in the company. They make them for $5 and sell for $1000; with such good profit margins the stock looks good on the market. There must be hundreds of high end shops with everything from diamonds to fur and shoes just look!!
I can’t remember if I told you about the landscaping along the right of way in Shanghai where they have planted thousands of trees and they are about 6 feet apart. It must be an attempt to lesson the air pollution. A better idea than ice plant, but most were deciduous trees and didn’t work to reduce pollution during the winter.
I also bought a Rolex watch and I can’t remember if I paid $5 or $5000 for the watch and I figured out how to adjust the band and the watch works well. You need to wear it and the winding mechanism works while you walk or move the watch.
CHAN MAY VIETNAM 3-15-2007
A warm wind is blowing in Chan May and then we are off for two days at sea before we get to Laem Chabang, Thailand. The day was almost uneventful but after we got off the ship and on to a bus that took us to a beach resort Lang Co. The resort was on the ocean and nice but we decided to go into town and eat at a local restaurant. Where we had the local beer for $1 a can and a shrimp dish that was very good. The owner asked if we would like some oysters and I told him if they were cooked so he brought a heaping plate of “cooked” oysters in the shell. After the women consumed the oysters we had a second batch and another shrimp dish, all for $15. We were very satisfied and caught the bus back to the ship. At the dock the local vendors were lined up selling everything for the tourist. After purchasing a few souvenirs we boarded the ship.
I usually don’t think much about the war with Vietnam but when I got off the boat into the warm humid outdoors it hit me about what a hellhole this must have been for those men and women to have gone thru in order to satisfy the idiots in Washington that wanted to engage these people and kill millions along with 47,000 of our own troops and thousands that were wounded and maimed. Wouldn’t you think the public would demand a stop to that bloodshed but instead the propaganda machine continues to make the American public believe we need wars and the “patriotic” citizen is forever hoodwinked into thinking war is a good thing. No sooner do they get thru one fiasco and then into another, like Afghanistan and Iraq. It’s not like we are winning anything because we usually loose and nurse our wounds till the next confrontation that will put the military/industrial at the top of wasting money on another loosing effort. They don’t care if they loose, their main objective is to line their pockets with as much money as they can and then start another conflict. Vietnam is a very small country maybe ¼ the size of Iraq and 1/8 the size of Iran and we had over 350,000 troops along with the camp followers (probably 100,000 or more) and couldn’t contain little Vietnam. We had better get off the war machine because it only causes more blood shed and no benefits to our country only to the warmongers. And today the Democrats or the Republicans can’t do anything about the war but it makes no difference they are all in bed together and will not do anything to stop the bleeding. Today marks the 4th year in Iraq and we have not progressed or accomplished anything, what’s wrong with these nuts? The benefits to the public are non-existence especially because we were fighting the wrong country, with fabricated intelligence to support the conclusion that the public needs to think the war is a good patriotic thing to do, but think of all the money the military/industrial establishment has compiled. They will tell you we haven’t lost near as many troops as they did in Vietnam and I guess until we reach that goal they think the public will buy the war argument and it is ok to sacrifice the young troops.
Tomorrow we are in Laem Chabang, Thailand, that is close to Bangkok and they will drop us off in a little town about 30 minutes from the dock called Pattaya, which was a favorite place for the GI’s on R&R during the Vietnam debacle, plenty of girls and bars and today a tourist area or trap. Bangkok is 3 hours away. We will be here overnight and leave late the next day for Singapore.
ROD
This is what the Lepracon looked like on Saint Patrick’s Day!!
17th edition of ATW #3 @ 31 MPH
3-20-2007
The man from Frankfort, Ky was John Loyd and his wife Betty. I have now seen him a number of times on the ship and in town.
Today we are at sea and tomorrow we will be in Singapore, a city-state that has the biggest container systems in the world and truly one of the greatest cities of the world, like Shanghai, Kula Lumpur, Sidney and cities in Japan. I didn’t include any cities within the USA because they don’t stack up with those mentioned.
The last time we were in the country of Thailand we were in Bangkok, this time we docked at Laem Chabang, which is about 2-3 hours from Bangkok and a half an hour from Pattaya. We visited Pattaya with a shuttle from the ship. We have been to Bangkok a few years ago and did not want to go this time. We visited the town, had lunch at a fast food restaurant and the guy asked me if I wanted it spicy and I said yes, well let me tell you when you spice food pay attention as to which country you are in, like if you like it spicy in the USA then when in Thailand ask for it mild because this was so hot I could hardly eat just the solid part and not the broth. Got on the Internet where they had a number of café’s and then in the south part of town to see the big golden Buddha, had to take a pickup truck with a “soft” bench seat but the ride was not too long and well worth the $100/30. We decided to walk back and finally got another pickup truck, which is what they use for the local bus. Along the way we stopped in a “Tourist Police Station” to attend the rest room and was greeted by a very nice officer and he was helpful in arranging the next days events. Always shopping and we did get our haircut. I got mine cut in the Mohawk style and it felt god in the warm air of Pattaya. After a beer at one of the “Boy Clubs” where the B-girls entertain the men we were back to the ship with the ship shuttle. Beer is getting to taste better in the hot climates, especially with the global warming. They also have girl clubs, all a carry over from the military days but now they cater to the men and women looking for “Trophy” wives and friends. Many places around the world are like this.
Back at he ship for the night we had a good Thai dance exhibition with all the costumes and music. The next day we were back in town for shopping and a trip to the Tropical garden. The ride to the garden was with the same pickup truck but a much longer ride. Don’t know if I told you how to price these excursions but the shuttle dropped us at the Marriott and a huge shopping area. So I go in and ask the concierge how much to go to the garden and she says $1500/30, one way and then I go out in the street and get the ride for $1000/30, including the return and he waits for us at the garden until we are ready to return. The entrance fee was $800/30 for two people. For $1800/30 the total cost and the ship would do the same job for 4 times that number. The garden was wonderful and it I the best garden I have ever been to, I must have taken 50 pictures. Back in town and more shopping and another beer we headed back to the ship getting there a short time before they left for Singapore. I did get the Thai flag.
The medical officer reports thru the scuttlebutt on the ship that no one has died on the ship and only 14 have been sent home for being too sick to continue with the cruise or the “assisted living cruise” which is what I like to call the cruise.
I keep playing the guitar and I can see some improvement and getting stronger. I go to the gym as much as I can. We usually see one or two shows a night and the entertainment continues to be very good, I get enough to eat but I am paying more attention to what they serve and which restaurant we eat at.
We are close to the equator about 1 degree north and I can’t tell what the vortex is but when we get into the South I will test for a counterclockwise rotation. I have always wanted to see the test around the equator. With my test today it looks like there is no rotation, is that true??? Anybody know??
I also need to tell Fred and Carol I am halfway thru the chocolate covered nuts and I will need a new supply when we get home!!! I am getting a little wary of the food on board and look forward to shore food.
ROD
This is what Jan wrote….
Hi Everybody:
We have been at sea all day and will arrive in Singapore tomorrow morning. The last two days prior to being at sea, was spent in Pattaya. We didn’t go to Bangkok this time because we had been there several years ago, and decided to try somewhere new. We took the ship shuttle from Laem Chabang, Thailand, which is where we docked. Pattaya was about a 30-minute ride. We walked the streets, did some shopping, ate some good spicy Thai food, and ended up in a “B bar” for a beer.
Also along the way, I got a foot massage, which was wonnnnnnnnnderful! $7.00 for an hour and after doing all the walking we do, my poor tootsies needed some attention. It was really nice. Rodney & I got haircuts. Mine was $12.00 and Rodney $10.00. Mine came with a scalp massage, which was really good too. I was going back the next day for a color but decided to go to the botanical gardens instead. Thought maybe I’d have time after the gardens but it didn’t work out that way.
The botanical gardens are just about the prettiest I’ve ever seen. The whole park was just unbelievable – the shrubs were cut into different shapes, statues, beautiful flowers & walkways. There were elephants for riding, a small zoo, and several restaurants. We really enjoyed being there. St Louis always had my vote for best garden but I may have to rethink that after seeing this one.
I guess that’s it for now. After leaving Singapore, we will be at sea for 3 days on our way to India. That will probably be my next update for you.
Hope all is well with everyone – anything exciting happening that I should know about??????
Love,
Jan
18th edition ATW #3 @ 31 MPH
3-24-2007
SINGAPORE
Singapore again is a great destination and I enjoyed the long day. We first were bussed into the Hyatt hotel downtown across from the Royal Plaza on Scotts where I stayed on my last trip. Finding an Internet café in this downtown was not easy but I remembered that the Royal Plaza had free internet in the rooms so I asked the front desk if I could use the Internet and she directed me to the business center where I had free use. After that we took the metro (MTR) to the river looking for the Raffles Hotel an old extremely expensive hotel that everyone talks about. Got off the metro at the wrong stop, the river, and had to go back and found the hotel. I took some pictures outside and ambled inside where I was told I was not appropriately dressed and was asked to leave. I was never thrown out of a better hotel. Later I was pleased about the ruling (no shorts) because some people that were dressed properly went to the bar called the “long bar” and had to pay $17/1.5 for a drink.
Later on the metro we went to Chinatown and had lunch. Good food but for a price, .60/1.5 for a towel and $2/1.5 for nuts and $11/1.5 for two Tiger beers plus lunch for $50/1.5 that included %15 tax. Not a cheap place for a rather common Chinese restaurant. Later we went to the Botanical garden, which was very good. They had an orchid garden that must have had a few hundred flowering plants a rather spectacular display of many varieties. The garden had a few lakes and it was large garden. Walking around tired me into resting a few times. They even had a “cold” house similar to our “hot” houses that keep the temperature down and we use the hot house to keep the temperature up for plants. It gets warm in Singapore but similar to Florida. Also to a jewellery store which I am trying to forget. They have guys on the street that befriend you and get you to go to these stores. He last time was in Barcelona and a leather coat dealer!!!@#$%^. We are now in our third day at sea going to Cochin, India one of three stops in India. I am starting to look forward to New York, I can tell when the food starts to go bad and I think tat is the case. Seems like when we started the food was good and now I am beginning to think differently. I do look forward to the ports and some cooked to order food. Tonight we get Indian food and I hope for the best. Two days in Cochin then one day in Mormugao, Goa, then one day in Mumbai, formerly called Bombay, then 3 days at sea.
In Cochin we took the ferry supplied by an entrepreneur to one of the populated areas and we walked the streets and the women, 3 shopped while I bought two shirts and a pair of white pants. I have never had a pair of white pants. I also bought a small bunny rabbit for use with the white top hat. We ate at the Grand Hotel and had beer. The food was excellent, especially after the ship food. Cochin is very much India, trash in the streets many people, but they know how to cook like the Chinese. Yesterday I went on my own to a hotel, Taj Malabar about 20 minutes from the ship, had shrimp and fresh squeezed orange juice. Very good. We don’t expect too much at the India ports. I couldn’t find an Internet café. I will look in the area of Goa that will be the first time for QE2 in that port. Goa is a state in the western coast of India, the city is Mormugao.
Aljazeera.net/English this is the video station we now get on the ship TV. We also get CSPAN international and the commercial propaganda station of the US government FOX.
ROD
19th edition of ATW #3 @ 31 MPH
3-31-2007
MUMBAI (Bombay)
We are 15 minutes north heading south from Mumbai to the Seychelles archipelago, to the port of Mahe’, port Victoria. We will pass the equator around noon and they are planning another hazing of passengers that are first time crossers of the imaginary line around the earth. We are getting close to being half way around the earth from San Diego. That would be at about 60 degrees east and 33 degrees south. That is where if you took a plumb bob and drilled through the earth you would come out on this side of the earth. When we were kids we thought that area was supposed to be China, but we didn’t have a good knowledge of the earth and the actual size but it was well known in Kentucky that drilling thru the earth you would end up in China and we were concerned about that kind of thing because we wanted to know where we would end up after we started digging. We are about one month from New York.
The original name was Mumbai and the British changed it to Bombay but now they are reverting to the original name. It is a very big city and we visited a small part of that in our 12-hour stay. We taxied in from the port for $100/40 to an expensive hotel called the Taj Mahal with expensive shops and we quickly exited to the street vendors that line the pathways around the city. The city was noisy, dirty and the traffic so bad it is hard to cross the streets. The important thing about driving in India is to have a horn and use it when disaster appears and when you occupy a space you own it, similar to other cities I have visited. When a space becomes available, move in first and it is yours, and very chaotic according to USA standards, but I have never seen an accident and very few near misses. They are very tolerant of others and “cutting you off” is a normal occurrence. The driver will just say “its India”. They need to be tolerant because of so many people trying to occupy the same space but they share and confrontations almost never exist such as road rage.
Getting hassled is the name of the game and every shopkeeper is out to sell something. The price is right. We had lunch for $500/40 and bought $300/40 in cooking spices that we didn’t need from the same restaurant. The food is good and I really appreciate eating on shore. I haven’t complained much about the ship food but I am always ready to tell everyone how happy I will be to get off the ship and get some good food. As you wind your way through the markets we tend to buy “things” mostly what we don’t need. I bought a pair of white pants and when I got back to the ship and tried them on I could barely get in them and I had a hard time getting them off because I couldn’t unbutton the fly because they were so tight. When later I needed to wear white pants I used Janet’s and they fit very well. I also bought Microsoft OFFICE 2007 for $2.50 and I am still trying to load it because it appears to have some problem with my laptop. I am sure the laptop is at fault and I will try again later.
We always meet people on the street, like shop owners and most speak some English, enough to sell you something. We also meet beggars and people that “want to help” you with your shopping. These people will walk you down the street and in the end want a tip for their work. The beggars are similar to the ones in the states except they appeal to your sense of they are starving and in the case of Mumbai they wanted food which I did not quite understand. One small boy with one eye that talked good English kept after me along with his two small sisters and two older ones, one with a small baby. He said he was born with only one eye. He was very animated and could end up being a clown. I even tried to give him some small amount of money but he said he didn’t want money, just food. I finally had to let him go after someone else.
We went back to the ship for a siesta and after a rest we went back to town and finally had dinner. An elderly man with a white beard and a goatee volunteered to get us a cab and he went down the street and finally came back with the cab, I thought he wanted a ride to the dock but he just wanted to help. You get the impression that everyone is trying to take advantage of you and a distrust atmosphere persists when associating with the Indians. The weather is warm and on the ship the breeze is always warm and it is good to sit out on a deck chair or go in the pool or hot tubs.
Life on the ship is tolerable and I am picky about what I eat. Most people seem to while away the time by reading, games like shuffleboard, paddle board, mini golf, swimming in the indoor and outdoor pools, sleeping, crafts, they have a nice library, and a lot of onboard authors selling books, cocktail parties, with many music performers allows listening to music as a pastime, karaoke where I have performed “El Paso” and a favorite “ There stands the glass” a Webb Pierce song that I dedicate to all the mind altering drug users that have a hard time facing reality. There are a lot of things to do at night after dinner I usually go to a classical piano recital at 9:45 (we have had many) and then the 10:30 show which is usually a piano player, a singer, a ventriloquist, a puppeteer, musicians and finally to the midnight buffet. Along the way I may take a chance on 25 cents in a slot machine or a dollar on roulette or a quick blackjack game and some karaoke. Then during the day I both write and play guitar. I am not going to do this again.
I have meant to tell you about the very good service we have here with the room service, cabin stewards and waiters in the dining rooms. The cabin steward is in the cabin at least 3 times a day and if a towel has been used he will replace it and keep the beds neat. He brings us breakfast in the room ever morning at 0745 according to a request we hang on the door prior to 0200 the night before. The cruise director is sometimes misinformed but most of the cruise people are good, but the crew like the pursers office are near idiots and have little information or service. The ship does not tell much about the sea and atmospheric conditions except at 12:01 pm they make an announcement over the PA system about where we are and some particulars about the cruise. The shows are good and finally little to complain about. I have been getting a good education about all the classics by the great composers and I am convinced you should listen to them all at some point in your life, preferably in your young ages. They have done some fascinating work and the performers should be equally respected for they are very difficult to reproduce
Tomorrow the Seychelles
Today, April 1, 2007, 0522 and the bridge video camera is showing the waves breaking over the bow and sometimes completely covering the camera. The sea has been very quiet and especially thru the doldrums close to the equator it was like a lake with no wind. But here in the cabin I can hardly tell of any motion by the ship. We may not be able to anchor and tender in if the waves are as big as the bow of the ship. I am up early expecting to get a look at the engine room and need to make a reservation at 0630. The message was from the Advantage travel agency and the reservation indicated a look at the propellers, and of course I didn’t think too much about it knowing they don’t have both oars in the water and can never offer any good advice. Anyway both the waves breaking over the ship and the propeller tour were April fools jokes.
The Seychelles, pronounced, “say shells” was a bust. We walked into town because the ship couldn’t offer a shuttle from the tender drop off, the ship must have anchored 2 miles off the coast, an because of the “taxi drivers union” not allowing busses into town a good excuse for not providing a shuttle. The ship could offer tours with buses but the people wanting to get into town on their own couldn’t go with a bus because of the taxi drivers. We didn’t take a taxi. It was very hot approaching 100 degrees but four of us managed to walk to the small 15 acre botanical garden and one, Peggy had to go the Hospital near by because of a rash and we were stuck there for an hour. Then back to a bus stop and caught a bus to the major part of town, about 4 blocks by four blocks and on a Sunday all the stores were closed because of a blue law the christians imposed on them and they still abide by that rule. Even when 1500 people come to town willing to spend many dollars. The island is a resort island with resorts around the island but Victoria is the capital of the archipelago with few restaurants and few shops. We ate at one of maybe the only restaurant open and didn’t see any others even closed. The food was mediocre at best and we had a local beer called Seybeer. We walked back to the ship tender and one lady Maureen almost didn’t make it because of the heat didn’t find an Internet café so I will send this at the next stop Port Louis in Mauritius, one sea day away. I suggest going somewhere else for vacation or just a stopover.
I have about had it with most of the people on the ship and I have decided to just work on my guitar and writing and avoid the mindless jabber put out by the guests. I have never been associated with so many ill informed people and many don’t understand much about the real world and are not worth talking to. I am happy to report that all of my many friends back home are head and shoulders above these idiots. It is obvious from the brain dead questions that come up in the lectures and the way the crew has learned not to talk down to its best customers that have too much money.
ROD.
20th edition ATW #3 @ 31 mph
4-3-2007
MAURITIUS, Port Louis
Today we were docked close to the city and with a water taxi we were able to get to town fast. Arriving where the taxi’s hangout we were able to get a ride to the Botanical Garden, which was about 8-10 miles north from the port. The garden was nice, a lot of big trees a few flowers and large lily pads about 3-4 feet across with white flowers. It was a large garden with ponds and a place for the remembrance of the founding father of the islands. Later we drove to the north beaches and stayed for a short while and then back to the port. Walked to the shopping area and then to China town where we had a mediocre lunch and some good local beer. Got on the Internet and headed back to the ship via the water taxi. Cost for the cab was $60/3 per person and the water taxi was a dollar each way. It was too much for the cab but the ship would charge 4 times that and you had to ride in a bus and wait for all the disabled people to get off and on. I shouldn’t say too much about the disabled for I could be one of them.
Monica first told me about Mauritius and she was right about the island, but it is a long way from the states with a climate similar to Hawaii being at the similar latitude north of the equator. The island and climate are very similar to Hawaii but it s almost half way around the earth from San Diego. If you were in the area it is a place to visit and probably just as expensive. The population is drawn from the orient, Indian, African, Chinese, etc.
Two days at sea and we will be in Durban, South Africa. I think I am getting tired of this travel and I don’t look forward to the ports except for the food and the architecture. I am feeling more tired but that may be normal???
I have had a “cold” for a week or so and now Janet has got it, coughing with a head cold.
I watched the NCAA championship game at 0500 in the morning, a time when I am usually awake and the announcer acknowledged he QE2 passengers were getting the game in their staterooms.
The sea has been kind and we have had little waves but sometimes the waves are big enough to cause the ship to sing. Seems most of the storms have been following us and we have had good weather. South Africa will be considerably cooler than the equator ports.
ROD
21st edition of ATW @ 31 MPH
4-10-2007
The shuttle took us to the Ushaka Marine World where they had a lot of shops and some restaurants. I bought a number of flags to add to my collection of flags of the countries I have visited. I plan on hanging them in the living room but Janet thinks that is not a good idea so you will get to vote, someday. We later had a very good seafood platter at the restaurant Ocean Basket, which is probably a chain, and I saw another one later in Cape Town. The crime in South Africa is high whatever that means and everyone is advised to stay with the crowd. A few times we ventured by ourselves and did not have any trouble. We did empty our wallets of extra credit cards. We did shop and bought things which now after all the ports we are wondering how to get it back to San Diego.
You probably didn’t remember about the apartheid in South Africa and I remember very little about it but it was a time when the minority whites ruled and they had separation of the races, a bad time until Nelson Mandela managed to get out of jail after 27 years of imprisonment as a political prisoner and the blacks took over to make a long story shorter. They now have a “democratic” government ruled by the black majority and things are much better. A lot can be said about their history but it seems things are better now and the people live better. The caution about “crime” seems to be due to high unemployment and the police not able to curtail the “crime” if that is the case or just a scare tactic by the white minority.
That was Good Friday and the streets were bustling with people and when the ship unloads 1000 it makes for over crowding but the merchants like it.
The Zulus were at the dock and I got a lot of good pictures of the high kicking fur clad natives dancing to the loud drums. They were also at the Marine World. No Internet could be found.
A day at sea and we were in Cape town and the shuttle dropped us off at the Clock Tower, a huge shopping and craft area. Dinner at the Chinese “Sea Palace” and the best shrimp dinner I have ever had, they really know how to cook. Maybe I have said that before well they always seem to prove all the time. The ship knows how to present the food (make it look good) but when they have to cook it many times the food is not good. You have to look for things they can’t recook and is fresh. The menus look very professional and when you compare what is on the menu and what you got it looks like the food came from a different menu. Today I had Shepard’s Pie, which means that is the last of the lamb, and they cannot recycle it any more. They may try to warm up the leftovers.
We did go up Table Mountain on the cable car, which was a good experience, but the crowds were huge and we didn’t spend much time on the mountain. We went on the Red bus, which is a hop on hop off bus for $100/6.7 and a total of 2 hours ride. They also have a blue line. The first night the lounge show was the music of South Africa along with dancers. The ship shows are very good and entertaining. They usually have a single person type of show but they are good showmen.
I was able to find some shoes that would fit so a good sign we are getting back into the world of the big-footed people so I bought two pair. I looked at a white pair that I wanted and after I decided they fit I asked how much? And the salesman said $400!! Some of the shops are for expensive goods but I couldn’t imagine paying that much for a pair of shoes and they weren’t all that much of a fashion statement.
At dinner last night we had two new tablemates that replaced another couple. The women they replaced was a pure nitwit and I am glad they moved to a different table. The new mates are probably gay but they are intelligent and fun to talk to. One is a percussionist and the other owns a hotel and both hate g. bush, my kind of people. You would think there would be a lot of Republicans on this cruise but I haven’t met a sole, but maybe it is getting more political correct to not be Republican or not admit that you think G. B. was sent from a GOD. They are from northwest England. They cruise a lot of the time and they do segmented cruises. The ship added 300 people at Cape Town. Looking around it seems there are a lot of men traveling together.
We are now headed to Walvis Bay in Nambia, which is north of South Africa. I had never heard of it and now we are going to be there tomorrow. The weather is cool like San Diego and the water is about 50 degrees on one side of town and 65 on the other side of town due to the melting of the Antarctic ice and sea currents. The sea has been kind and smooth. I thought the rounding of the horn would be a rough sea but it was just a little choppy. The weather will get warmer as we head towards the equator. One day in Nambia and we will be 4 days at sea going to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
I have reserved a car in New York with Alamo and I am now trying to figure out how to get to the rental agency on 12th street in Manhattan without getting a cab. We dock at pier 12 in Brooklyn.
We had lobster last night and as much as I bitch about the food the lobster was done very well. So you see sometimes it’s good and sometimes the other.
ROD
22nd cruise ATW #3 @ 31 MPH
4-13-2007
Walvis bay was a big mistake. It is a very small town surrounded by the Kalahari Desert. We went into town by foot and found a dialup Internet and went to the main restaurant in town and had a hamburger. I tried to send a fax but the number I had did not answer so we went to a travel agency and guided by a short rotund woman that was very nice and after the travel agent she showed us the restaurant. After that there was not much to do except go to a grocery store and buy some chips for snacks and a flag of Nambia. We will be five days at sea before we get to Las Palmas, Canary Islands and we are only there for few hours, 1300 to 2000 hours. So w will get on the Internet and have dinner.
Life on the ship is still the same; tonight we are invited to a cocktail party by the ship. I think they invite ATW people occasionally and give drinks in order to get you drinking. That is the only time I get a beer on the ship. I go to the gym every sea day and practice guitar and I can see improvement and getting stronger. We saw a guitarist last night, which I was looking forward to only to find he played an electric guitar and it was so loud I had to hold my fingers in my ears to t down the volume. This guy mentioned Segovia and I am sure Segovia turned over in his grave when he heard that performance.
Well after close to six days at sea we are arriving at the Canary Islands. The name Canary is not associated with the birds but about the carnivorous dogs hat were once on the islands. Can you imagine after 2000 miles plus and then only staying for 6 hours in port and then off to a new port, overnight to Funchal, Madeire for 8 AM to 6 PM day in that port. Well that is what’s on the itinerary, and a terrific drawback of cruising; you have no control of the length of time in the ports.
I have also finally found out that we can get e-mail delivered to the room at no charge. The address is qe2@cunard.com and the subject should be “for rod or jan galloway room 5027”.
ROD
23rd edition of ATW #3 @ 31 MPH
Today we are at sea for the first leg going to Southampton. The stop at Funchal, Madeira was a good stop. We went up the mountain by taxi thru the most mountainous roads with switchbacks all the way up. We avoided the long lines at the cable car and used a taxi at ½ the price. Then took the cable car back down with no lines. They also have a “basket ride” down the mountain where you sit in this basket and a driver runs you down the mountain on the paved roads. I didn’t know what it was at the time so we didn’t use that means of transport. The ship provided a shuttle bus into town and we went to the market close to the cable car entrance. Later we had lunch at a small café. The lunch was composed of one lobster, French fries, salad, Madeira wine and an appetizer. It was very good but I can’t tell you what it cost. We were accompanied by Peggy a fellow passenger that cramps my style by arguing about everything. That is the last tour with Peggy. Usually I make the plans and I don’t have any trouble but when irrational behavior enters into my plans I get a little frustrated. After several buying frenzies we made it back to the ship.
Today we are rehearsing for a talent show where several friends and myself are going to do a production of “Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette”. I am also doing a skit with another group about the ship, a satire about conditions on the ship and I will probably videotape both performances. 9 more days to N.Y.
I have discovered I have a hernia in the lower abdomen right side. I am sure it similar to the one my brother had and I think I remember my father also had one. A body fault in the Galloway family. I will have it looked after when we get home.
The “Smoke” thing went very well, we had at least 10 people doing the chorus and I did the solo part with the guitar. Of course I was a little nervous but didn’t make too many mistakes and a lot of people said it was a good performance and they liked the change of pace. Most of the talent show is opera singers, a woman doing sign language to a recorded song, a guy doing a poem and he wasn’t too bad, a woman singing a Japanese song and a soprano singing an Irish song was also good, a woman playing piano, so – so. I recorded the whole thing but didn’t get all the participants in the video, I had to set it and record and I couldn’t adjust for the best view. Maybe we could redo and get a better recording.
We are loosing three at our table and I hope we get another good three for the Atlantic crossing.
We expect to meet Alan and Rosa from the Isle of Sky in Scotland, a couple we first met in Rarotongo, the capital of the Cook Islands on our first ATW tour. They run a bed and breakfast there she couldn’t come. We will see if he can make it.
Just a note, when we hit a port one of the things we try and do is hit the Internet Cafes where we read the mail from home and elsewhere in the states, so write when you feel the urge to write. We have been getting a few via the ship since I told you. Qe2@cunard .com and put in the subject line “for Rod or Jan galloway room 5027.
We are going to get a taxi from the Cruise terminal in Brooklyn to the Alamo car rental on 19 east 12th street in Manhattan and get out of town as soon as possible. Its 14 minutes and 5.51 miles by Mapquest. We are going to go to Florida to see my brother and Lisa if they are home?? and then Huntsville to see the Kantmans if they are home?? and then to Cincinnati and finally out of Columbus to San Diego on Southwest we will arrive late in S.D. about May 11, 2007. We will pass by Lexington to see David and J.C.
ROD
24th edition of ATW #3 @ 31 MPH
4-22-2007
We met Alan Nicholson from the Isle of Skye according to his schedule and he drove us to a mall where we had coffee and got on the Internet and then shopped for some necessities like candy and chips and t-shirts. We then drove out of Southampton to a nice Pub/restaurant about 10 miles out into the country. England is a very pretty country and we decided we must return for a longer stay and see more of the countryside. The last time we were in that part of the country we went to Scotland and Ireland. We enjoyed seeing Alan and missed seeing Rosa who was at the B&B with guests.
We are now making the crossing of the North Atlantic looking out for icebergs and the weather is good and cool with a fog and about a mile of visibility with calm/ smooth seas. This cruise has a record of perfect weather and calm seas.
Today our 4th day at sea and the weather was good this morning, bright and sunny but at 10 AM we are back in the soup but the sea is quite and the ship is not singing. A couple of days ago we were in seas big enough to come over the bow and Janet had a problem with the inner ear problem, but after trying all the “old wives tales remedies” she reverted to the patch which medically desensitizes the inner ear and makes the ride more enjoyable except for the side effects and they are bearable.
We have been sitting at the captain’s table for dinner and that is another experience that I maybe able to forgo. We do get free wine that the captain selects and I get to tell the wine steward I don’t drink that stuff and they don’t want to hear that kind of talk but the wine is free and he always gets a red and a white from the extensive wine list. After we go through that ritual we order and then they start bringing the first course but we can’t eat till the captain gives the order and then everyone digs in. That goes for each course and especially the an tray or the main course. Last night we didn’t get done till 10:30, 2 hours to eat!!!! So I miss the 9:45 show but the guitarist is on tonight and I will excuse myself and leave when it is time to go. Tonight is the last formal night before New York and I will dress in my white outfit and red tie and cumber bun with the white top hat that I was requested to wear. If you want to stand out in the crowd do something like that and you will gain many friends and smiles throughout the ship. The crew is even asking me when I will wear the hat.
We are getting ready to disembark in N.Y. and I hope we can get off early, there are only 200 + getting off there so it should be easy. I am working on a DVD of the video of the trip and hope to have it done before we arrive.
On the trip we have met a lot of people and one in particular is John and Betty Loyd from Frankfort, KY. They have social events (private cocktail parties) where we have met some very nice people. I intend to visit them in Frankfort for a short while on our way to Cincinnati.
We are now in Jacksonville, Florida and expect to go to coco Beach today and visit my brother for a couple of days. We got off the ship early and went to the car rental in a Town Car full of luggage with just enough room to sit. Got a car with Ohio license plates, we are going to drop off the car in Columbus, Ohio. Finally got out of N.Y. with a few direction corrections and were on the New Jersey Turnpike headed South, then after a few wrong turns we did get on to the Interstate 95 going South. The first stop was in Princeton, Virginia. I don’t know how far that is but we had a full day of driving yesterday. The first place we stopped in N.J. was a Popeye’s chicken place. They have the best chicken. Yesterday I had a 20 oz rib eye for $10 in a stop along the Interstate. More later..
ROD
25th edition of the ATW #3 @ 31 MPH
5-02-2007
We went to Florida via Richmond, Virginia the first night out of New York. For some reason we got off the boat early after the docking and breezed thru customs and with the aid of a porter (not Janet) we were loaded into a Town car with no room to spare and drove off to the Alamo car rental shop on 12th in lower Manhattan and got in a Chevrolet “station wagon” with room for two passengers that included the driver. About three hundred plus miles later and a few wrong turns we arrived in Richmond. The next day we drove about 600 miles and ended up in Jacksonville, Florida. Along the way I managed to get some Popeye’s chicken and some good Mexican food. The following day we drove to Cocoa Beach and arrived mid day. Alisa and David were very hospitable and we ate fish at the port of Cape Canaveral. A day and a half later we headed out for Kantmans in Madison, Alabama close to Huntsville. I used the GPS system that I got from Microsoft that had a GPS sensor and software that I loaded into the HP laptop before we started on the cruise. Everything worked well till we got near the destination in Madison and we couldn’t find their house. After a few phone calls we decided the address our book was not the exact address we needed for the house. We stopped after a good days driving at Anasion, Alabama which proved to be a very nice town and we had good Chinese and drinks at a Mexican bar. The drive from Anasion up to Madison was very nice, an old road thru pretty country. Makes you kind of wishing you could have a place to live there with all that grass land and you get the impression they have a more civilized way of living than you find in the dog eat dog cities.
We are at Kantmans in Huntsville, Alabama, got here this morning and we plan on leaving here in the morning for Renfro Valley, Kentucky and then on to Lexington, Frankfort and then on to Cincinnati. Things are going well and we are on schedule. The dinner in Madison was a restaurant for Catfish and I had oysters that were very good, I will eat catfish later when I can’t get oysters. The restaurant was very nice and the Quisno’s sandwich also a new experience in eating, we will do that again.
Renfro Valley was a bust because they didn’t have any shows the y we drove thru o we went on to Richmond, Ky, close to Lexington and rested for the night before we went to JC’s and David’s house on North Limestone. They live in a national historic area in a house over 100 years old. JC is the daughter of my grandfather Archie Galloway’s sister.
On to Frankfort and the visit with the Loyds, John and Betty. That visit proved to be one of our best “tours” on the around the world cruise. They drove us all around Frankfort and showed us the major horse farms and one of the sultan of Dubai (sp). Later we went to Claudia Sanders restaurant a friend of the Colonel Sanders the chicken guy. The location was at the colonel’s house and the restaurant on the back lot. We ate fried chicken on the balcony during a thunderstorm, which included a lot of lighting. The meal was very good and the site very interesting. The next morning after coffee we went to the capitol for a breakfast with the Governor. We didn’t see the Governor but we must have had breakfast with 1000 people and a visit of the capitol proved to be an eye opening experience. I guessed the governor was over at the prison viewing his future housing. He is under indictment and should go to prison shortly but as with all politicians he will probably slip out of the noose. He happens to be a Republican but politicians regardless of their affiliation are likely to become infected with dictatorial powers and thinking. We also went to the Vietnam Memorial that is a sundial that points to the month and day that the named veteran was killed. A very impressive display. We also visited the grave of Daniel Boone that overlooks the Kentucky River and Frankfort. John and Betty knew most of the people at the Derby breakfast and it was another look at the state of Kentucky that I never had an opportunity to visit when I lived in the state.
We have since visited my cousin in Erlanger, KY. And then drove to Janet’s Nephew Dodi that has the vineyards and winery in Morrow, Ohio. It is 5-6-2007 and it is getting close to our return to San Diego.
Today 5-7-2007 they are bottling the wine and I will go to the winery to view the process.
We just completed the last three time zones for a total of 24 and it does feel good to be back at my desk. The weeds are full grown and putting off a lot of seeds which I will have to contend with for a while. Back to reality. we did have trouble with our luggage, 50 pounds per piece of luggage and we were over on two for $50. We had 5 pieces and could have had 6 but we preferred to mail some and pay the overage rather than dividing up the 5 bags and getting a 6th bag. The plane out of Columbus was late and I thought we would miss the plane from Las Vegas to San Diego but the S.D. flight was also late. We almost went to New Orleans because as we went to the gate in L.V. I saw them checking in the "A" passengers and we rushed to get onboard the New Orleans flight but the attendant caught me and told me that was not the S.D. flight. Janet was going down the gangway so I called her back. It was good to get back but the trials were not good.
ROD
MY LATEST TRAVEL WAS TO MEXICO...
I DROVE FROM SAN DIEGO TO NOGALES, MEXICO BY MYSELF AND PROCEEDED DOWN THE MAINLAND TO GUADALAHARA AND ON TO MEXICO CITY, LOST MUCH OF THE TIME EVEN WITH A GPS WHICH ONLY WORKED ON THE MAIN ROADS AND THEN TO JALAPA THE CAPITAL OF VERA CRUZ AND RENTED AN APARTMENT FOR A MONTH. I DROVE AROUND THAT AREA AND MADE A FEW FRIENDS. BREIFLY I THEN DROVE TO BROWNSVILLE AND VISITED FRED, THEN TO TUSCON AND VISITED BOB COLBERT THEN BACK TO SAN DIEGO. THE ENTIRE TRIP WAS 5000 MILES AND WELL WORTH THE TIME. MORE LATER
Rod
