Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Colombo, Sri Lanka
We made landfall after two very calm days at sea. The Legend of the Seas is "parked" at the far end of the container port next to a rust bucket, Bulk Arrow, that does not look seaworthy! It's a hot and humid day with a buttermilk sky. It's difficult to see a clear blue sky in the tropics. From my vantage point on deck 11 onboard I see 7 cranes on the starboard side, in the port alone. I don't see any cranes in the city skyline. As I turn around I see maybe 50 "container" cranes ready to move cargo from ship to shore and vice verse. It's Wednesday so this place should be a beehive of activity at 230 PM but I don't see anything moving. Maybe it's "siesta time." It is quite hot outside.
This morning we took a shorex to look at the city. Colombo, (no longer the capital) is a bustling city if 2.5 million souls. We went to the Pettah, which is the traditional outdoor market, and saw lots of activity. Small 3-wheeled cars were weaving in and out of traffic made up of motorcycles, hand carts, tour buses, regular buses, larger cars, lorries, pedestrians, and everything in between. It was a riot of color and energy -- of folks taking care of business.
As an aside, as I looked at my pictures, I noticed there were few women shopping. I also noticed that folks wore a mix if western dress, native dress, Moslem dress, and (what looked to me as) Pakestani dress.
The architecture is a mixture of the British colonial, traditional, and modern. Everything looks tired, but in the tropics, everything always looks tired. This climate is not good for works made by man. Rust and mold are rampant. Given that, I did not see the tangle of electric wire that is common in too many places such as Thailand, VietNam or Macao.
This morning we took a shorex to look at the city. Colombo, (no longer the capital) is a bustling city if 2.5 million souls. We went to the Pettah, which is the traditional outdoor market, and saw lots of activity. Small 3-wheeled cars were weaving in and out of traffic made up of motorcycles, hand carts, tour buses, regular buses, larger cars, lorries, pedestrians, and everything in between. It was a riot of color and energy -- of folks taking care of business.
As an aside, as I looked at my pictures, I noticed there were few women shopping. I also noticed that folks wore a mix if western dress, native dress, Moslem dress, and (what looked to me as) Pakestani dress.
The architecture is a mixture of the British colonial, traditional, and modern. Everything looks tired, but in the tropics, everything always looks tired. This climate is not good for works made by man. Rust and mold are rampant. Given that, I did not see the tangle of electric wire that is common in too many places such as Thailand, VietNam or Macao.
Monday, April 8, 2013
View from the Top
I'm on Deck 9 waiting for the deli to open. Here's my view...starboard side is a very calm ocean. Can you see where the water ends and the sky begins? We've been sailing this suoer flat piece of ocean for two days! On the other side is one of the two pools on the ship. This pool is covered and air conditioned and much more comfy than the outdoor pool.
At Sea
Today was the first of 2 sea days as we sail toward Sri Lanka. It was also our first formal night. Sea days are always pleasant and relaxing. I played team trivia, listened to a lecture on the Iditerod, read a book and tried hard not to eat all pday long. A good day.
Our dinner table mates are shown below. One couple is American but they live in Germany and he's originally from Idaho Falls. The other couple is from Florida. It's a nice group of folks.
Our dinner table mates are shown below. One couple is American but they live in Germany and he's originally from Idaho Falls. The other couple is from Florida. It's a nice group of folks.
A Sparkly Cage
This morning I saw a team assemble some pretty cages in the Centrum. I asked what they were for and I received the cryptic reply of "come back tonight and find out"
Tonight was the Captain's Reception in the Centrum and sure enough the sparkly cages were part of the show. Gymnasts were performing stunts high above as the cages swayed. It was pretty cool.
BTW the water has been still as glass today. We could see flying fish soar over the flat seas but we never saw any other critters, not even birds.
Tonight was the Captain's Reception in the Centrum and sure enough the sparkly cages were part of the show. Gymnasts were performing stunts high above as the cages swayed. It was pretty cool.
BTW the water has been still as glass today. We could see flying fish soar over the flat seas but we never saw any other critters, not even birds.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Kuala Lampur
The capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lampur, which means "convergence of 2 muddy rivers." In fact, in the middle of town, you can see where the two rivers meet and both are muddy! It rains a lot in this part of the world, and last week there were floods in KL, so the rivers were muddy indeed!
The city is bustling. Movement is everywhere. Streets are congested with traffic as everyone seems to be going somewhere else. Watching our bus driver maneuver thru the streets, gives the weak of heart palpitations. Aside from that, it's always interesting to see how other cultures "work." KL is a mix of old and new--British, Indian, Chinese, Malay and "general western" cultures. You can see "western" influence in just about everything. The huge Petronis Towers were designed by an American; the stores offer high end brands from the US, France, and Germany; and while Japanese cars are not western per se, they seem to "back up" my premise. Modern KL is a world class city that is a mixture of what developed countries have to offer. As we proceed in this voyage, I'm sure there will be other examples of how the world is coalescing together in looks if not in reality. It's is probably why the west, and the US is particular, is hated...I think we are feared as we seem to be so dominant. So be it...and this too shall pass.
In the meantime, it's fun to see the old "bacon" architecture of the British during their colonial times next too the modern buildings that sport glass facades with laughing camels. In the upscale shopping mall housed in a small portion of the Towers, there are shops from Prada, Gucci, Rolex, Bulgari, Tiffany, Chanel to name a few, while for food court boasts native Malay cuisine next door to McDonalds and KFC. San Francisco Coffee is situated across the mall from Starbucks. To add to the "color," the folks working in the establishments wear traditional and western garb. It all seems to work together.
I learned two new expressions: sky juice and Chindian. Sky Juice is water. Children born from the union of a Chinese Indian couple are called Chindian. As more Indians are sending their children to Chinese Schools to learn Mandarin, there is more intermarriage than in the past. There have always been Eurasians in this part of the world.
The city is bustling. Movement is everywhere. Streets are congested with traffic as everyone seems to be going somewhere else. Watching our bus driver maneuver thru the streets, gives the weak of heart palpitations. Aside from that, it's always interesting to see how other cultures "work." KL is a mix of old and new--British, Indian, Chinese, Malay and "general western" cultures. You can see "western" influence in just about everything. The huge Petronis Towers were designed by an American; the stores offer high end brands from the US, France, and Germany; and while Japanese cars are not western per se, they seem to "back up" my premise. Modern KL is a world class city that is a mixture of what developed countries have to offer. As we proceed in this voyage, I'm sure there will be other examples of how the world is coalescing together in looks if not in reality. It's is probably why the west, and the US is particular, is hated...I think we are feared as we seem to be so dominant. So be it...and this too shall pass.
In the meantime, it's fun to see the old "bacon" architecture of the British during their colonial times next too the modern buildings that sport glass facades with laughing camels. In the upscale shopping mall housed in a small portion of the Towers, there are shops from Prada, Gucci, Rolex, Bulgari, Tiffany, Chanel to name a few, while for food court boasts native Malay cuisine next door to McDonalds and KFC. San Francisco Coffee is situated across the mall from Starbucks. To add to the "color," the folks working in the establishments wear traditional and western garb. It all seems to work together.
I learned two new expressions: sky juice and Chindian. Sky Juice is water. Children born from the union of a Chinese Indian couple are called Chindian. As more Indians are sending their children to Chinese Schools to learn Mandarin, there is more intermarriage than in the past. There have always been Eurasians in this part of the world.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
The Legend of the Seas
We are onboard our "home away from home," the newly refurbished Legend of the Seas. We caught our first glimpse of her from the balcony of our hotel room. She was in "HarbourPort" (there are 2 cruise ports in Singapore) next to the Pacific Princess, one of our favorite ships. At first blush, they looked about the same size, but upon closer inspection the Legend is a bit bigger with 2000 pax vs the 700 on the Pac. We generally sail on Princess ships, so it seemed strange to not get onboard an old friend.
We are very familiar with the Princess boarding process, and Royal Caribbean does it much the same way. But that's where the similarity ends. Princess believes that cruisers need a guide to show them to their room and the ship. RC believes it's best to discover on your own how to find your way around the ship. As an educator, i know that "The Discovery Approach to Learning" can lead to "good learning" but it's slow, inefficient and can lead to a lots of initial confusion. Therefore, we saw a lot of folks milling around not really knowing what to do, and not enough RC personnel around to tell them what to do. The first few minutes were chaotic at best for first time cruisers, as they did not know what to do. We are not newbies, so we tried to avoid the milling throng and found our cabin (which was ready for us except for luggage). Next we needed to find food. We found an interactive touch screen by the elevator giving us step by step directions to The Windjammer Cafe (aka the buffet) on deck 9 upstairs. After a nice lunch we discovered the do-it-yourself Internet Cafe. We signed up for accounts. Next we decided we really needed a map of the ship so we discovered "guest services" on deck 5 and found a map.
The next big discovery 2 hours later was the emergency drill. Every ship has to have "the drill" before it sets sail. You might remember the sinking of the Costa ship off Italy a couple of years ago? That ship sailed AND sank before the drill. So, no matter the cruise line, the drill comes first now. At 4:45 PM we all scrambled to find our specific outdoor "muster station." Some ships lines believe that the pax should all meet in a large nicely air conditioned room to learn the procedure of getting to the lifeboats, RC believes it's best to go outside TO your particular lifeboat station to learn the process. While the latter is not as comfy, it's probably better. Again we discovered our muster station amidst just a little too much chaos. RC needs to have more personnel helping the pax out.
After the drill, we had a brief rest before "discovering" our table for dinner. By now, we are used to the RC "discovery process" so we show up late in order not be caught in the herd. It worked! But we could not find our table. We asked 4 waiters, they could not find it either! We were looking for 166, and the highest number we could find was 162. Finally we found a "red jacketed Head Waiter" who took us to a 3 person table pushed next to another 3 person table (#163) smack dab in the middle of the deck on a raised floor, with the best view ever. From our table we can see what is outside on both starboard and port side. So at dinner, we saw Singapore sail away from us. We were finally moving.
After dinner we had planned to see the show, but alas that did not happen. Our luggage had arrived so we put stuff away. Jet lag found us and staying awake became impossible. We both crashed!
This morning I'm awake before dawn (jet lag is a strange bedfellow) writing away. Soon a wake up call will sound and we will get ready for a shorex to Kuala Lampur. I hope we will see the Petronis Towers, which is still the tallest twin tower hotel building in the world. As you know, watch this space.
In the following pix...look at at the far right of it...the last ship is ours. I need to take some pix of her today.
We are very familiar with the Princess boarding process, and Royal Caribbean does it much the same way. But that's where the similarity ends. Princess believes that cruisers need a guide to show them to their room and the ship. RC believes it's best to discover on your own how to find your way around the ship. As an educator, i know that "The Discovery Approach to Learning" can lead to "good learning" but it's slow, inefficient and can lead to a lots of initial confusion. Therefore, we saw a lot of folks milling around not really knowing what to do, and not enough RC personnel around to tell them what to do. The first few minutes were chaotic at best for first time cruisers, as they did not know what to do. We are not newbies, so we tried to avoid the milling throng and found our cabin (which was ready for us except for luggage). Next we needed to find food. We found an interactive touch screen by the elevator giving us step by step directions to The Windjammer Cafe (aka the buffet) on deck 9 upstairs. After a nice lunch we discovered the do-it-yourself Internet Cafe. We signed up for accounts. Next we decided we really needed a map of the ship so we discovered "guest services" on deck 5 and found a map.
The next big discovery 2 hours later was the emergency drill. Every ship has to have "the drill" before it sets sail. You might remember the sinking of the Costa ship off Italy a couple of years ago? That ship sailed AND sank before the drill. So, no matter the cruise line, the drill comes first now. At 4:45 PM we all scrambled to find our specific outdoor "muster station." Some ships lines believe that the pax should all meet in a large nicely air conditioned room to learn the procedure of getting to the lifeboats, RC believes it's best to go outside TO your particular lifeboat station to learn the process. While the latter is not as comfy, it's probably better. Again we discovered our muster station amidst just a little too much chaos. RC needs to have more personnel helping the pax out.
After the drill, we had a brief rest before "discovering" our table for dinner. By now, we are used to the RC "discovery process" so we show up late in order not be caught in the herd. It worked! But we could not find our table. We asked 4 waiters, they could not find it either! We were looking for 166, and the highest number we could find was 162. Finally we found a "red jacketed Head Waiter" who took us to a 3 person table pushed next to another 3 person table (#163) smack dab in the middle of the deck on a raised floor, with the best view ever. From our table we can see what is outside on both starboard and port side. So at dinner, we saw Singapore sail away from us. We were finally moving.
After dinner we had planned to see the show, but alas that did not happen. Our luggage had arrived so we put stuff away. Jet lag found us and staying awake became impossible. We both crashed!
This morning I'm awake before dawn (jet lag is a strange bedfellow) writing away. Soon a wake up call will sound and we will get ready for a shorex to Kuala Lampur. I hope we will see the Petronis Towers, which is still the tallest twin tower hotel building in the world. As you know, watch this space.
In the following pix...look at at the far right of it...the last ship is ours. I need to take some pix of her today.
Friday, April 5, 2013
In KL
This city shows off a mixture of British. Indian. Chinese and Malay cultures. A rich mix of architecture defines the city. In the "Asian" garden there's a small size replica of Stonehenge. See what I mean?! There are colonial buildings and then there are the Petronis Towers. BTW the Towers are quite beautiful.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
In Singapore
We had 2 good flights. Now we are at our hotel in Singapore. It's midnight. The humidity is so thick you can see it. The smell is definitely tropical even though you cannot see what's blooming. It's been 3 years since our last visit. At first blush, it looks the same.
First Stop
We are just outside of Japan. We will be here 2 hours then fly to Singapore.
The flight has been delightful. We had two good meals and the in flight movies were great. We each saw four. I saw Auntie Mame, Skyfall, A Cinderella Story, and Mary Poppins. I started to look at Zero Dark Thirty but 20 minutes into it proved to be too depressing. That's when I decided to look at some classics (ok Skyfall is not a classic, but 007 is!). There were over 200 movies from which to choose.
More later.
The flight has been delightful. We had two good meals and the in flight movies were great. We each saw four. I saw Auntie Mame, Skyfall, A Cinderella Story, and Mary Poppins. I started to look at Zero Dark Thirty but 20 minutes into it proved to be too depressing. That's when I decided to look at some classics (ok Skyfall is not a classic, but 007 is!). There were over 200 movies from which to choose.
More later.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Legroom
Day One of 32 where we "do a Magellan" and travel around our blue ball. We just boarded the flight to Narita. We have legroom.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
On The Road Again
Watch this spot. We're headed out in the morning. First to Narita then on to Singapore where we will board the Legend of the Seas. From there we will sail to Rome via the Suez Canal. It might be a pretty exciting trip. I will post pictures along the way.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Flu
Right after I posted the last entry, I came down with the flu. I saw my doctor right away and he prescribed Tamiflu. Apparently, if you start taking this magic medicine within 2 days of getting the flu, it seems to speed up the healing process. I guess it worked! While I was down for 5 days and without energy for the next 3 days, I feel great. I'm well on the road to recovery.
The last time I had the flu was 1995. I remember the event well. The second edition of my book, The Online Classroom, was being launched by a local business. A great party was planned...book signing...door prizes...the whole she-bang. And, I was too sick to attend. What a huge disappointment! Life goes on!
The last time I had the flu was 1995. I remember the event well. The second edition of my book, The Online Classroom, was being launched by a local business. A great party was planned...book signing...door prizes...the whole she-bang. And, I was too sick to attend. What a huge disappointment! Life goes on!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Red Buds
My favorite spring tree is the Red Bud. Right now our "Reds" are blooming and they are wonderful. For 49 weeks a year, the Reds are rather blah. I sometimes wonder why we give them space in the garden. Then they start to bloom. For three glorious weeks they gift us with blossoms of bright magenta. It's hard to ask for more. Of course they earn their space in the garden.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Through to Fan Blades
I flew into San Francisco this morning. It was one of those glorious crystal clear mornings with blue skies and a few white clouds. As we were making the approach, I looked out the window and saw the San Francisco skyline and a shining Bay Bridge. Even though it was against the rules, I took out my iPad and "snuck" a picture. You can imagine my surprise when I saw the propeller blades! So I took another picture and the blades showed up again. Who knew that the camera on an iPad could stop action? Needless to say, I could not see the individual blades.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Then and Now
It's time to leave the Lake. We arrived in winter and now it's early spring. The trees have already blossomed. The live oak trees are getting new leaves. The price of gas has increased. Life in the slow lane.
Monday, February 25, 2013
The Maiden Voyage of the Dennis Lowery
It started off by my staring at a very odd, very shiny, trailer. It was also very narrow--maybe less than 18 inches wide, about 18 inches high, and 35+ feet long. Since I'm living in an RV right now, and I'm pretty familiar with trailers, this was one trailer-type I'd never seen before. It was too narrow to hold a glider...and it certainly was not a camping unit! What was stored in such an odd trailer? Needless to say I followed it to the marina.
Two young fellows stepped out of the SUV pulling the trailer, and proceeded to unload 2 canvas "director chairs" only these chairs did not have a back, just a sling. Then 2 wedge like things were unloaded from the SUV. Then 4 oars were unloaded and placed on the ground. Finally, they opened the trailer and ever so carefully lifted a 2-man white racing shell. It's was not the usual 8 man shell I see on the Lake everyday, but a very very sleek racing shell. They placed it on the 2 canvas "slings" and bolted the two wedge shaped apparati to the shell...these became the oarlocks. The final product was a 33.5 foot racing shell made of carbon fiber. Total weight of shell, oarlocks and oars--under 60 pounds. I was watching the initial assembly of the "Dennis Lowery," a 2-man racing scull, that was being sailed for the first time today.
The two guys putting it together, Taylor and Daniel, were just a bit excited. When I asked where the champagne was, I was told that "she" was christened yesterday! After an inspection of working parts (including their custom Nike rowing shoes firmly attached in the "boat") they picked up their pride and joy and headed for the launch ramp.
I'm happy to report the "Dennis Lowery" floated on top of the water like a feather. First Taylor got in, then Daniel, and after a few more adjustments they were rowing away from the ramp. Their sleek carbon fiber "yacht" was on the way.
Two young fellows stepped out of the SUV pulling the trailer, and proceeded to unload 2 canvas "director chairs" only these chairs did not have a back, just a sling. Then 2 wedge like things were unloaded from the SUV. Then 4 oars were unloaded and placed on the ground. Finally, they opened the trailer and ever so carefully lifted a 2-man white racing shell. It's was not the usual 8 man shell I see on the Lake everyday, but a very very sleek racing shell. They placed it on the 2 canvas "slings" and bolted the two wedge shaped apparati to the shell...these became the oarlocks. The final product was a 33.5 foot racing shell made of carbon fiber. Total weight of shell, oarlocks and oars--under 60 pounds. I was watching the initial assembly of the "Dennis Lowery," a 2-man racing scull, that was being sailed for the first time today.
The two guys putting it together, Taylor and Daniel, were just a bit excited. When I asked where the champagne was, I was told that "she" was christened yesterday! After an inspection of working parts (including their custom Nike rowing shoes firmly attached in the "boat") they picked up their pride and joy and headed for the launch ramp.
I'm happy to report the "Dennis Lowery" floated on top of the water like a feather. First Taylor got in, then Daniel, and after a few more adjustments they were rowing away from the ramp. Their sleek carbon fiber "yacht" was on the way.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Greyhound Daze
Every year, Solvang has a greyhound extravaganza called--The Solvang Greyhound Fest. People bring their hounds to show them off, brag, race, eat and have a good time. There are a variety of events for the hounds, their people and visitors. At the "Streak" you can watch these retired racers as they run or walk or lope down the track. The dogs get blessed at the old Mission. There are Grethound Goodies to buy and friends to see. Or, if you are not a greyhound owner, you can do what I did...just talk to any one of the people being pulled by a hound and ask them about their wonderful critter.
I discovered they are a very easy to group to talk to. All I did was ask them about their beautiful dog. A smile crept on their faces and soon I was learning a lot about this ancient breed. According to the folks I talked to, the greyhound is mentioned in the Bible. Depictions of greyhound-type-dogs grace history from the Egyptians to the 16th century Celts. The hound has amazing eyesight, and belongs to a group called "sight hounds" so it has been used for hunting...but nowadays it's a racer.
I also learned that most of the dogs in Solvang are "retired" racers. Greyhounds can be raced from the time they are 18 months old until they are five...when they are retired. That's when they are put up for adoption. The folks I talked to were happy to tell me their hound's racing history. I even talked to two folks who had dogs that "failed" racing. I asked what that meant--both dogs just were not interested. Needless to say, these were put up for adoption as 18 month old pups.
I asked one owner if there were any Grey greyhounds and said "good luck in finding one...the name is not derived from the color grey but from being a light color." Then he told me that greyhounds come in about 30 different colors.
I had a grand time looking at the hounds. They have amazingly soft fur and even though the dog might not look friendly, the ones I was around were gentle and really liked to be petted and praised. It was fun to see so many similar dogs with their people having a good time. When was the last time you saw 200 or more greyhounds.
I discovered they are a very easy to group to talk to. All I did was ask them about their beautiful dog. A smile crept on their faces and soon I was learning a lot about this ancient breed. According to the folks I talked to, the greyhound is mentioned in the Bible. Depictions of greyhound-type-dogs grace history from the Egyptians to the 16th century Celts. The hound has amazing eyesight, and belongs to a group called "sight hounds" so it has been used for hunting...but nowadays it's a racer.
I also learned that most of the dogs in Solvang are "retired" racers. Greyhounds can be raced from the time they are 18 months old until they are five...when they are retired. That's when they are put up for adoption. The folks I talked to were happy to tell me their hound's racing history. I even talked to two folks who had dogs that "failed" racing. I asked what that meant--both dogs just were not interested. Needless to say, these were put up for adoption as 18 month old pups.
I asked one owner if there were any Grey greyhounds and said "good luck in finding one...the name is not derived from the color grey but from being a light color." Then he told me that greyhounds come in about 30 different colors.
I had a grand time looking at the hounds. They have amazingly soft fur and even though the dog might not look friendly, the ones I was around were gentle and really liked to be petted and praised. It was fun to see so many similar dogs with their people having a good time. When was the last time you saw 200 or more greyhounds.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Blankets
I crochet blankets for Project Linus. I have no idea how many blankets I've made over the years as I stopped counting at 150--and that was a few years ago.
Crocheting is a great thing to do when looking at TV. So this "wintercamp" I've been cranking out blanket after blanket. I'm "hooked" on one pattern right now--the Ripple. I call it my zig-zag blanket. Here are the 5 I've made this year. I know the kids who will receive the blankets from Project Linus will love them.
Crocheting is a great thing to do when looking at TV. So this "wintercamp" I've been cranking out blanket after blanket. I'm "hooked" on one pattern right now--the Ripple. I call it my zig-zag blanket. Here are the 5 I've made this year. I know the kids who will receive the blankets from Project Linus will love them.
Indian Visas
Guess what? I filled out the visa form correctly. The visas arrived. The 3-4 weeks turned out to be 18 days. Looks like we can land in India now.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
The Modern Campground
The typical RV campground is filled with large vehicles. The 40 foot Class-A motor home is not uncommon. Nor are large 5th-wheel trailers or large conventional trailers. Once in a while a camper is brave enough to plant a tent amidst these behemoths.
Since this is a four day holiday a bunch of unusual campers are enjoying the park. The campground is just about full. (There are 120 sites and during the winter only a dozen or so are filled during the week.) There are people cooking outdoors, kids playing, dogs and cats too. Lots of activity and laughter. I like looking at the community that forms for a few days then disappears like Brigadoon into the mist of memories.
The newcomers have their toys too. One campsite has a toy hauler RV with 4 quads and 2 off road motorcycles. Another looks like a small bicycle shop. Others have small outdoor kitchens set up or outdoor "living rooms" with fire pit and marshmallows.
The one I like the best is a very shiny 15 foot 1950s trailer complete with flamingo. This little guy was the epitome of a weekend getaway. I'm guessing this 60 year old veteran RV has been on many such getaway weekends. It's proof that you don't need "big" to have fun.
Since this is a four day holiday a bunch of unusual campers are enjoying the park. The campground is just about full. (There are 120 sites and during the winter only a dozen or so are filled during the week.) There are people cooking outdoors, kids playing, dogs and cats too. Lots of activity and laughter. I like looking at the community that forms for a few days then disappears like Brigadoon into the mist of memories.
The newcomers have their toys too. One campsite has a toy hauler RV with 4 quads and 2 off road motorcycles. Another looks like a small bicycle shop. Others have small outdoor kitchens set up or outdoor "living rooms" with fire pit and marshmallows.
The one I like the best is a very shiny 15 foot 1950s trailer complete with flamingo. This little guy was the epitome of a weekend getaway. I'm guessing this 60 year old veteran RV has been on many such getaway weekends. It's proof that you don't need "big" to have fun.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Not Quite Spring
While "NEMO" is snowing away on the right coast, the left coast is starting to begin to get ready for warmer days. The Lake needs more water, yet we seem to be getting a lot of sun. I guess that's the reason we are here.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The Tech-Savvy Driver
We took a 3 day drive up the Coast of California ending in San Francisco. Needless to say, I took my iPhone and some handy travel apps. To plan the route I used the Apple Maps app. It has earned a bad reputation for being inaccurate, but I think the nice folks at Apple have fixed it. The app gave me a choice of 3 routes, I chose the best route for us, and "Gretel” (that's my name for the voice) told us when and where to turn. "She" told us a few unusual directions but in the end, she was right! At one point, "she" told us a better way to enter the freeway (and we've been driving that part of the road for way too many years). I also used the Google Maps app as a back up, and I like the display on the Apple Map app better!
When it was time to stop for lunch or take a break, I used iExit to get a heads up on what was located at the next several exits. IExit is a cute app but it only works on "freeways" or interstate highways. iExit locates you, and then displays the next 30 to 50 exits. Each exit is clearly marked with the exit number and street or city name. When you click on the next exit a list of services from restaurants to gas stations, as well as hotels, campgrounds, points of interest, and rest stops appears. It's a great app. It comes in two versions, the free version is "iExit lite" only displays the next 30 exits, whereas the full version of iExit (about $2) displays the next 50 exits and gives a bit more detail. Start out with the lite version and if you like it, then you can spring for the deluxe version.
Once we were at our location, I used Yelp! to find restaurants and shopping. Yelp! is a free app. It locates where you are and all you have to is tell Yelp! what you want to do next. I like the directions button as well as the call button. Both come in handy when you are a stranger in a strange land.
There is a downside to using an iPhone for navigation and roadside directions and that's power usage. These apps use a lot of juice, so it's best to have your iPhone plugged to a power source.
When it was time to stop for lunch or take a break, I used iExit to get a heads up on what was located at the next several exits. IExit is a cute app but it only works on "freeways" or interstate highways. iExit locates you, and then displays the next 30 to 50 exits. Each exit is clearly marked with the exit number and street or city name. When you click on the next exit a list of services from restaurants to gas stations, as well as hotels, campgrounds, points of interest, and rest stops appears. It's a great app. It comes in two versions, the free version is "iExit lite" only displays the next 30 exits, whereas the full version of iExit (about $2) displays the next 50 exits and gives a bit more detail. Start out with the lite version and if you like it, then you can spring for the deluxe version.
Once we were at our location, I used Yelp! to find restaurants and shopping. Yelp! is a free app. It locates where you are and all you have to is tell Yelp! what you want to do next. I like the directions button as well as the call button. Both come in handy when you are a stranger in a strange land.
There is a downside to using an iPhone for navigation and roadside directions and that's power usage. These apps use a lot of juice, so it's best to have your iPhone plugged to a power source.
Three Days Away
We went for a brief sojourn up the coast. In that short time spring started at the Lake. We have a couple of fields of purply-pink where it was brown. But the real treat are the blossoms. The trees in the Park bloom early so it's not unexpected -- but 3 days ago there was not a sign that they would be blooming today! Mother Nature always has a few surprises up her sleeve.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Getting Ready For The Next Adventure
Right now we are doing preliminary work for the next adventure. In about 2 months we will sail from Singapore to Rome, by way of India (and several other countries). Part of the process is getting visas. The ship will "take care" of visas for 6 stops along the way, but the ship will not "take care" of India. For India we need to procure a visa before we enter the country. So far getting that visa has been a nightmare.
A normal visa application asks for your name and address, maybe 1 passport photo and some money. Not India! There were 21 questions that needed to be answered on the visa information form. I've attached them. Then we had to get 2 passport photos, proof of address, addresses in India where we will be, and maybe even a partridge and a pear tree were needed too. The application had to be completed online and guess what--the website was picky. I tried to get on the website from 3 different computers using Safari, Chrome and Internet Explorer...none would work! Finally, in desperation I called the visa service and the nice people were able to fill the form for me! I don't think they do that often.
After completing the form, we had to complete a "cover letter" (which was provided) where a few more questions were asked. I hope we were able to parse it all out. The folks know it's very complicated as they have developed a step by step YouTube video to walk people thru the process. Even with that "help" it was difficult.
Yesterday, we mailed in the applications along with a hefty check and our passports to the Visa service in Santa Monica. If we followed the directions and the check is the right amount, we should have the visas in 3-4 weeks.
I have no idea why this is such a complicated visa procedure. They want to know where your parents were born as well as a list of all the countries you have visited in the last 10 years. BTW--that last question was really hard to answer because we've been to a lot of countries in the last 10 years. When I told the visa person that we had been to 104 countries but I had narrowed the list down to 65 in the last 10 years she squeaked "the space is not that long!" She said just give me 10 countries and that will be good.
Watch this space ... If we write about India the process was successful.
I hope we did it right!
A normal visa application asks for your name and address, maybe 1 passport photo and some money. Not India! There were 21 questions that needed to be answered on the visa information form. I've attached them. Then we had to get 2 passport photos, proof of address, addresses in India where we will be, and maybe even a partridge and a pear tree were needed too. The application had to be completed online and guess what--the website was picky. I tried to get on the website from 3 different computers using Safari, Chrome and Internet Explorer...none would work! Finally, in desperation I called the visa service and the nice people were able to fill the form for me! I don't think they do that often.
After completing the form, we had to complete a "cover letter" (which was provided) where a few more questions were asked. I hope we were able to parse it all out. The folks know it's very complicated as they have developed a step by step YouTube video to walk people thru the process. Even with that "help" it was difficult.
Yesterday, we mailed in the applications along with a hefty check and our passports to the Visa service in Santa Monica. If we followed the directions and the check is the right amount, we should have the visas in 3-4 weeks.
I have no idea why this is such a complicated visa procedure. They want to know where your parents were born as well as a list of all the countries you have visited in the last 10 years. BTW--that last question was really hard to answer because we've been to a lot of countries in the last 10 years. When I told the visa person that we had been to 104 countries but I had narrowed the list down to 65 in the last 10 years she squeaked "the space is not that long!" She said just give me 10 countries and that will be good.
Watch this space ... If we write about India the process was successful.
I hope we did it right!
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