Travel Rotorua

A guide to travel Rotorua. All the best spots from a local who knows how to travel in Rotorua. It is hoped this guide to travel Rotorua will enhance your visit when touring this geothermal wonderland.

Introduction:-

If you had only one day in the North Island of New Zealand and you asked me where should one should go for that day I would without hesitation say Rotorua.

This Blog is my personal guide to Rotorua from someone who has visited it more times than I can remember and if given the chance I would visit it again. This website is non-commercial and is intended to be for general information.

Location:-

Rotorua is approximately 2.5 - 3 hours drive south of Auckland. Head south through Hamilton and Cambridge, or for a quicker route via Mata Mata. Shortly after Cambridge turn left and take the number 5 which will lead you right to Rotorua. Coming up from Wellington head to Lake Taupo and take the number 5 to Roturua. Train and Bus routes also service Rotorua.

Three Things You Can't Do in Colorado Right Now

Fly into Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE), which closed on April 9 and remains so until June 7 for runway rehabilitation and other improvements. The good news is that the airport expects more than a 20 percent increase in flights over last summer.
Ride the free gondola (right) between Telluride and Mountain Village. It was put into service in November 1996 and therefore just celebrated its 10th winter of operating both as a ski lift and as wonderful local transportation. It closed on April 8 when the ski season ended and reopens on May 24 for the summer season. It is handicap-accessible, and some cabins have been designated for dogs as well as their humans.

Drive Trail Ridge Road all the way through Rocky Mountain National Park between Estes Park and Grand Lake. Road workers always try to get this road, the nation's highest continuous paved route, open for Memorial Day, but heavy late-season storms are making it less likely.

European Air and Road Congestion Makes the Case for Trains

For a more relaxed, more satisfying European trip, take the train.

When I began going to Europe shortly Noah got off the Ark, Europeans traveled by train. So did legions of Eurailpass-equipped American students. To Europeans, flying from one country to another seemed prohibitively expensive. Autobahn, autoroute, autostrada and other freeway construction was ongoing and networks were incomplete, and while there were not yet high-speed trains rail travel, which was already in steep decline in the US, was frequent and reliable.

Now, along with the adoption of American junk-food chains, more and more Europeans have acquired our plane-addiction and our auto-addiction. Traffic is appalling around major cities and to popular weekend and holiday destinations such as the Mediterranean beaches in summer and the Alpine region in winter. And, as Elizabeth Rosenthal noted in a piece called "Congestion and Other Terminal Illnesses" in the New York Times, "While passenger numbers have skyrocketed in the last decade, airports have expanded in a makeshift fashion, leaving travelers to hike longer distances...Add to the fact that air traffic and security procedures have grown exponentially, and bad airport experiences seem to far outnumber the good."

She related her own experience, stuck on the tarmac for an hour after landing in Rome, recalling, "After the 50-minute flight, we waited an hour to get off the plane and would wait another hour standing around a dirty carousel before receiving our luggage." Let's do the math: However long it took to reach her departure airport from wherever she was and then one hour clearing security and to board the plane. Her 50-minute flight was followed by that hour on the tarmac before deplaning and another hour waiting for luggage to arrive. Then, she still had to get from the airport to wherever she was going. Even without the travel time to and from two airports, she was en route for four unpleasant hours. If her plane's departure had been delayed, her journey would have taken even longer.

Rosenthal's interviews with other frequent travelers about airports they particularly detest are enlightening, and so is her reference to Skytrax, which reviews and ranks airports and airlines. In this evaluation system that is still under development, world airports are rated from five to one star (plus unranked). Here are the top 15, only three of which are in Europe:

5 Star Airports

Hong Kong International
Seoul Incheon
Singapore Changi Airport

4 Star Airports

Amsterdam Schiphol
KLIA Kuala Lumpur
Sydney
Zurich

3 Star Airports

Abu Dhabi Int'l Airport
Bahrain Int'l Airport
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
Doha International
Dubai International
Johannesburg Int'l Airport
Kuwait Int'l Airport
Madrid Barajas

Bottom line in my opinion is that it is stilk better to take

Winter Getaway to Vienna

Prices from New York start at $599 for a few days in Austria's lively capital -- including air.

Austrian Airlines is offering an economical package of roundtrip air between New York's JFK Airport to Vienna (VIE) and three nights in the Hotel Albatross (including breakfast) starting at $599 per person from New York. The price includes fuel surcharges (I suppose it isn't really a surcharge since it is included), but airport taxes and other fees are additional). You need to add $80 from Washington's Dulles International Airport (IAD) or Chicago's O'Hare (ORD).

This package is available Febrary 7-28, so the airline is promoting it as a Vienna Valentine. Still, there's a single supplement of $110 quoted. Some Valentine! Extra nights are, of course, available. The three-star Hotel Albatross is a 10-minute subway ride from the city center and not far from the airport either. For details or to book, call 800-790-4682.

If you are an opera buff, this is the time of year to enjoy the Vienna State Opera -- and if you've never been, this is a perfect opera house to set the standard for you. Last-minute tickets are available at the "standard price" of € 30, offered on the day before the performance at the ticket office between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on weekends and until 12:00 noon on weekdays and holidays. You can also get them by phone (+43 1) 51444/2950. If you can't stand the thought of opera, can't afford to go or just want something else, know that winter is high culture season in Vienna and other European cities.

In Paise of Swiss Fly/Rail Convenience

The ease of luggage-free intermodal travel in efficient Switzerland.

Swiss International Air Lines wins my heart with its Fly/Rail program. When you check for any SWISS flight, you can check your bags through to any Swiss railway or bus station or even have them delivered directly to your hotel. Having already flown from Denver to Los Angeles for my SWISS flight to Zurich, I was happy that I wouldn't need to deal with my big, heavy rolling duffle and my ski bag on two trains and one Post bus to Adelboden. In fact, I checked my luggage all the way through to my hotel. The cost was just $8 per bag.

Nothing like that exists in the US or elsewhere, but stay with me and imagine a ski trip to Aspen from from anywhere in the world. Imagine flying to Denver, getting on a train directly in the terminal, changing trains say, in Eagle (that's not Amtrak's route, but we're imagining here) and changing to a bus in Glenwood Springs for Aspen (we're still imagining, so we're pretending here's no airport in Aspen). Now, imagine that you haven't touched your luggage the entire way. And, now, when you're ready to go back home, you can have your bags picked up at your hotel or check them in at the bus station in Aspen, and you won't see them until you reach your final airport. Every connection will be seamless, because 10 minutes been trains or between the train and the bus in Switzerland is ample time.

The other thing that you need to imagine is that those bags won't get lost. I expected that when I arrived in the resort town of Adelboden at around 6:00 p.m., my bags would be on the same bus. What I didn't know is that there is a cut-off time for arrival in Zurich (ZRH) or Geneva (GVA) in order for bags to make it to small mountain towns the same day. I know that mine weren't lost. I just didn't know that in order for that to happen with Adelboden, the SWISS flight needs to have landed before noon. Otherwise, the bags arrive the next day -- and they did.

I enthusiastically recommend Fly/Rail, but if you use the service, check with tourist office of you destination to see what the cut-off time is if you need your luggage the day you arrive. I would expect every SWISS station to have this information at hand. If your flight arrival time doesn't make the cut-off for that particular resort, take what you need in a carry-on -- being sure to put liquids and gels (no larger than 3 ounces) in a one-quart plastic zip bag, as the Transportation Security Agency's rules require.

Swiss International Air Lines is more cosmopolitan than its predecessor --but just as efficient.


Until the demise of Swissair in October 2001 (having nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks but with terrible financial decisions and surprising accusations of malfeasance by the former airline's management), everything about the national airline of Switzerland was and felt 100 percent Swiss. Its successor, Swiss International Air Lines (which calls itself SWISS in literature and on the aircraft fuselage) is less Swiss and more international.


In the Economy section of the Los Angeles-Zurich flight, I was surprised that the splits of wine were not Fendant and Dole but rather a nameless Australian blend bottled for SWISS, and that the packaged cheese was Tillamook, the butter was Land o' Lakes, the packet of salad dressing was Heinz and the dessert was a brownie from Love & Quiches of Long Island -- of all places. This in the airline of a country known for its cheeses and chocolates. There was a time when only Swiss products were served aboard the national airline of Switzerland, regardless of where the flight originated.

But then, today's SWISS is not 100 percent Swiss. It is part of Germany's Lufthansa Group. But it remains a bastion of Swiss efficiency. The flight not only left LAX on time but actually arrived in ZRH almost an hour ahead of schedule. Perhaps the German and Swiss combination demonstrates the new airline math: punctual + punctual = early. OK. So it was the tailwind -- but it was still pretty impressive!

Elliott on Finding Cheap Air Fares
Where to get the cheapest air fares -- and why price is not always the only reason to book.

Christopher Elliott, in his debut as a podcaster using the (small) screen name of The Armchair Traveler, provided three suggestions for getting the very lowest air fares. You can see his podcast for a bit more info (and check his website for a steady stream of consumer-oriented travel information), but here are his three favorite online sources for the best air deals:


Kayak, an aggregator that assembles info from other sites
Expert Flyer, a subscription service that compares all possible air fares for a specific routing. This service offers a five-day free trial in case you want to check it out.
Airlines' own websites, specifically citing Southwest Airlines
Sometimes, of course, cheap is not the only criterion. I checked airlines' own websites when I recently booked flights between Denver and Los Angeles to connect with a Swiss flight. Only the two airlines that hub in Denver made any kind of sense. Frontier had the cheapest roundtrip fare ($209), but outbound, I would have had to endure a seven-hour layover at LAX -- on top of reaching DIA, waiting for my domestic flight at DIA, flying to LAX, making my way through LAX, a long overnight flight on Swiss International Airlines (albeit anticipating a good night's sleep on the plane), going through light-touch Swiss immigration/customs procedures, waiting for a train and taking three trains to reach a small Swiss resort. Needless to say, I didn't book that itinerary.

United had convenient connection on the way out and not excessively expensive ($289 reoundtrip) considering that it spared me that killer LAX layover, but the my return, I would have arrived at LAX too late for the last non-stop to Denver. I would have had to fly between LAX and Denver via San Francisco or spend a night in Los Angeles and come home the next morning. I ended up booking two one-way fares -- $269 DEN-LAX on United and $109 on Frontier (LAX-DEN). Was it the cheapest? Not at all, but it is the only combo that made sense in other respects. Sometimes, a traveler's gotta do what a traveler's gotta do -- even if it is a little more expensive.

Kelantan - The contrary in reality

By LEONG SIOK HUI

With its contentious rulings, the Islamic state of Kelantan receives plenty of flak from the media. But what is life really like there?

The fragrant aroma of ayam percik wafted through the air as my friend, Kuen, and I strolled around Medan Selera Buluh Kubu, an open-air eating square smack in the middle of Kota Baru.

The huge array of Kelantanese delicacies on sale was mind-boggling – nasi kerabu, laksam, satar (fish paste wrapped in banana leaves) and mouth-watering kuih (local cakes). After some frenzied buys, we ordered some drinks and chowed down at one of the food stalls.

Suddenly, a guy armed with a loud hailer strode into the food centre and announced in Malay: “Please leave the area immediately. Muslims have to perform their prayers.”

We later found out that during Maghrib (evening prayer), all Muslims are supposed to be praying, hence no business transaction can take place.


Some hawkers covered their food with plastic sheets and walked towards the mosque while a few ladies just hung around their stalls.

We wrapped up our half-eaten food, scurried out of the square and waited for the place to re-open 30 minutes later.

As a couple of unsuspecting tourists strolled into the now-deserted Medan, the loud hailer guy yelled: “Please get out! This place is closed!”

Kelantan, with its capricious PAS (Parti Islam Se-Malaysia) government, is notorious for initiating controversial rulings since the party took over the state 17 years ago.

Entertainment spots like bars, dance clubs and karaoke joints and concerts, gambling and alcohol are banned. Even traditional performing arts like wayang kulit and mak yong are deemed un-Islamic.

Female retail and restaurant workers have to follow strict dress codes – the headscarf is mandatory for Muslims and cleavage and navel-baring clothing is a no-no for non-Muslims, too.

At supermarkets, men and women use separate checkout counters, and cinemas have a lights-on ruling to prevent “unsavoury” activities between the sexes.

In reality

But over three visits to Kelantan in the last six months, this writer found a few surprises.

The Medan Selera incident was an eye-opener but it was an isolated case. Other restaurants and eating places around Kota Baru don’t suspend their business during Maghrib.

Non-Muslims can still drink beer at hotel bars or Chinese coffee shops and restaurants. And if you really need to dance the night away or sing your heart out at a karaoke joint, you can head to Sg Golok, a 20-minute drive from Kota Baru across the Thai border.

Supermarkets still have separate checkout counters but we do see men standing at the “women-only” counters so there’s no enforcement. All cinemas are closed (a common phenomenon in small towns since the proliferation of pirated DVDs and VCDs), hence the lights-on ruling doesn’t apply anymore.

As for dress codes, we did see some female stall owners wearing fitting jeans and a few without the tudung (headscarf). Outside of the workplace, Muslim women can choose not to wear a headscarf. At the Grand River View Hotel where I stayed, some Chinese ladies attending a wedding banquet were clad in sexy, short dresses and stiletto heels.

PAS has also “relaxed” the ban on some of the traditional performing arts like wayang kulit (shadow puppet play). Visitors and locals alike can catch performances at Kota Baru’s Gelanggang Seni (Cultural Centre) though the stories have to be based on real-life than the Hindu epics.

Chinese tok dalang (master puppeteer) like Eyo Hock Seng of the Pasir Mas district, are exempted from the rule and still play to jam-packed crowds of Chinese and Malay people during kenduri (feasts) and Chinese celebrations.

Last year, the state lifted a 16-year ban on pop concerts by inviting celebrities like Mawi, M.Nasir and Aishah to perform to sell-out crowds. Aishah and four other female performers regaled 3,000 fans at a female-only concert while Mawi and his gang sent the 15,000 concert-goers into a frenzy, never mind that male and female audiences had to be segregated while families sat together.


‘Bangsa Malaysia’ ?

Where else in Malaysia can you find Malays and Chinese mingling in Chinese coffee shops?

At the White House kopitiam next to Istana Jahar, Malay and Chinese patrons sip thick Hainanese coffee, enjoy kaya and butter on toast, and tuck into nasi berlauk and nasi dagang for breakfast. At a popular Malay restaurant below the Craft Museum, we saw Malay and Chinese locals relishing their nasi ulam budu (rice with raw vegetables and fermented anchovy sauce).

The Chinese in Kelantan are a unique breed. Though they only make up about 4% of the 1.2 million population, they are well integrated with their Malay neighbours. In the rural areas especially, it’s common to find Chinese villages tucked amid Malay kampung. The Chinese speak fluent Kelantanese and a distinctive Hokkien dialect, sprinkled with Malay and Thai words.

Like their Malay neighbours, the Chinese love traditional Malay pastimes like kite-flying, top-spinning, dikir barat and wayang kulit. The older generation of Chinese and Malays, especially, forge life-long friendships. And when they are out of the state or the country, they proudly identify themselves as Kelantanese.

On the last night of our stay, as we drove from Pantai Cahaya Bulan back to Kota Baru, we passed Kampung Cina. Families and kids dressed in their finery strolled into a Chinese temple adorned with strings of red lanterns.

It was the night before Chap Goh Meh, the 15th day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, and the 227-year-old Tokong Mek was hosting a two-night festivity.

Worshippers lit joss-ticks, prayed to the Gods and savoured free vegetarian fare served by temple volunteers. Festival-goers checked out the stalls peddling Chinese cakes and goodies outside the temple.

Across from the temple in a community hall, four female dancers clad in mini dresses and knee-high boots entertained the crowd with upbeat Chinese New Year songs sung in Hokkien.

Long chastised by friends as the most “un-Chinese” person they know, I don’t pray and would never think of setting foot in a Chinese temple during festive occasions.

But in Kelantan – of all places – Kuen and I joined in the revelry. We were reminded of a proud tradition that has made us who we are today.

The Palio of Siena on July 2, 2007

The incredible race that even after 900 years does not seem to have lost any excitement and still gives strong emotions to any specator, first-timer or Siena native, it does not matter. The Palio of Siena of July 2, 2007 has been a continued sequence of spectacular events. Jokeys to the ground, horses running counterways, and an unforgettable head to head finish feat that brought havok in Siena.
Do Enjoy it, the Palio of Siena of July 2, 2007, here it is for you!

Christmas in Tuscany

Coming to Tuscany during the sunny season is for sure an experience to try and repeat. Here a little advice. You can discover Tuscany during the winter holiday season and get stunned by how romantic it can be to be wrapped in this atmosphere and spend a fabulous holiday with your loved ones.
The beauty of Christmas and New Year in Tuscany lays on the way streets in cities are dressed up, the way windows are adorned, the way people smile. In the countryside you will find that an evening dark sky that promises nothing but snow contrasts with the homelike feeling of snuggling up in front of a warm fireplace, and that is a wonderful feeling.
We have already rented a villa in Tuscany during the holiday season twice so far, and that is why I am telling you it is a wonderful experience. The first time when we arrived at the villa we found that the owners had gifted us with a Christmas tree, all adorned and lighten up, the fireplace was crackling nicely, and we immediately felt like we owned this villa and it had been our home for some time!

Having dinners around the table while outside it occasionally snowed (it is rare for snow to fall in Tuscany, and when it does it lasts a couple of days), enjoying nice discussions on the comfortable sofas, and coming home from a lovely daytour in Florence or San Gimignano to prepare our favourite dishes filled us with a sensation of relaxation and peace that is hard to find enywhere else.
Here below is a short version of the Cristmas Eve's dinner at our friens' house. The gravy on the mashed potatoes could not be missing! Lovely! We will be in Tuscany again this year, let us know if you wish to have a hint on how to choose the right place! And even though it might be too soon...Merry Christmas!

Lusaka International Airport (LUN)

Location: The airport is situated 16 miles (27km) east of Lusaka. Time: GMT+2. Contacts: Tel: +260 (0)1 271 044, (0)1 271 313. Transfer to the city: There is an airport bus service, and taxis are available. Car rental: Most major car hire companies are represented at the airport terminal. Cars are usually hired with a chauffeur. Facilities: The airport has a bank with bureau de change, a post office, restaurant, bar, duty-free shop, chemist, newsagent and a VIP lounge. A tourist help desk and travel agent can also be found in the airport terminal building, as well as a business centre. Parking: Departure tax: A tax of US$25 (cash only) is levied on departing international travellers and US$8 for departing domestic travellers.

Website: www.lun.aero/DEFS_pages_airport.php?pageid=LUSAKA

Zambia Health Overview

Polio, typhoid, rabies and Hepatitis A vaccinations are recommended. Malaria is endemic in Zambia (prophylaxis is essential), and outbreaks of cholera and dysentery are common especially during the rainy season. Visitors to game parks are at risk of African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), which is carried by tsetse flies; insect repellent is ineffective against tsetse flies. The country also has one of the highest rates of HIV/Aids infection worldwide. Avoid swimming or wading in bodies of fresh water, such as lakes, ponds, streams, or rivers due to the presence of bilharzia. Medical facilities in the country are under-developed and limited to the point that basic drugs and even clean needles are often not available. The small clinics in Lusaka are regarded as superior to the general hospitals, but clinics in rural areas are rarely stocked with anything more than aspirin or plasters. Full travel insurance, including cover for medical evacuation by air, is therefore essential and it is vital to bring a good first aid kit. Avoid food bought from local street vendors and ensure drinking water is filtered and boiled, or bought in sealed, branded bottles.


African Sleeping Sickness


Cause: Protozoan parasites Trypanosoma brucei (T. b.) gambiense and T. b. rhodesiense. Transmission: Infection with African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) occurs through the bite of infected tsetse flies. Humans are the main reservoir host for T. b. gambiense. Domestic cattle and wild animals, including antelopes, are the main animal reservoir of T. b. rhodesiense. Nature of the disease: T. b. gambiense causes a chronic illness with onset of symptoms after a prolonged incubation period of weeks or months. T. b. rhodesiense causes a more acute illness, with onset a few days or weeks after the infected bite; often, there is a striking inoculation chancre. Initial clinical signs include severe headache, insomnia, enlarged lymph nodes, anaemia and rash. In the late stage of the disease, there is progressive loss of weight and involvement of the central nervous system. Without treatment, the disease is invariably fatal. Geographical distribution: T. b. gambiense is present in foci in the tropical countries of western and central Africa. T. b. rhodesiense occurs in east Africa, extending south as far as Botswana. Risk for travellers: Travellers are at risk of African sleeping sickness in endemic regions if they visit rural areas for hunting, fishing, safari trips, sailing or other activities in remote areas. Prophylaxis (protective treatment): None. Precautions: Travellers should be aware of the risk in endemic areas and as far as possible avoid any contact with tsetse flies. However, bites are difficult to avoid because tsetse flies can bite through clothing. Travellers should be warned that tsetse flies bite during the day and are not repelled by available insect-repellent products. The bite is painful, which helps to identify its origin, and travellers should seek medical attention promptly if symptoms develop subsequently. Source: WHO.


Schistosomiasis (bilharzia)


Cause: Several species of parasitic blood flukes (trematodes), of which the most important are Schistosoma mansoni, S. japonicum and S. haematobium. Transmission: Infection with bilharzia occurs in fresh water containing larval forms (cercariae) of schistosomes, which develop in snails. The free-swimming larvae penetrate the skin of individuals swimming or wading in water. Snails become infected as a result of excretion of eggs in human urine or faeces. Nature of the disease: Chronic conditions in which adult flukes live for many years in the veins (mesenteric or vesical) of the host where they produce eggs, which cause damage to the organs in which they are deposited. The symptoms of bilharzias depend on the main target organs affected by the different species, with S. mansoni and S. japonicum causing hepatic and intestinal signs and S. haematobium causing urinary dysfunction. The larvae of some schistosomes of birds and other animals may penetrate human skin and cause a self-limiting dermatitis, "swimmers itch". These larvae are unable to develop in humans. Geographical distribution: S. mansoni occurs in many countries of sub-Saharan Africa, in the Arabian peninsula, and in Brazil, Suriname and Venezuela. S. japonicum is found in China, in parts of Indonesia, and in the Philippines (but no longer in Japan). S. haematobium is present in sub-Saharan Africa and in eastern Mediterranean areas. Risk for travellers: In endemic areas, travellers are at risk to bilharzias while swimming or wading in fresh water. Prophylaxis (protective treatment): None. Precautions: Avoid direct contact (swimming or wading) with potentially contaminated fresh water in endemic areas. In case of accidental exposure, dry the skin vigorously to reduce penetration by cercariae. Avoid drinking, washing, or washing clothing in water that may contain cercariae. Water can be treated to remove or inactivate cercariae by paper filtering or use of iodine or chlorine. Source: WHO.


Rabies


Cause: The rabies virus, a rhabdovirus of the genus Lyssavirus. Transmission: Rabies is a zoonotic disease affecting a wide range of domestic and wild animals, including bats. Infection of humans usually occurs through the bite of an infected animal. The virus is present in the saliva. Any other contact involving penetration of the skin occurring in an area where rabies is present should be treated with caution. In developing countries transmission is usually from dogs. Person-to-person transmission has not been documented. Nature of the disease: An acute viral encephalomyelitis, which is almost invariably fatal. The initial signs include a sense of apprehension, headache, fever, malaise and sensory changes around the site of the animal bite. Excitability, hallucinations and aerophobia are common, followed in some cases by fear of water (hydrophobia) due to spasms of the swallowing muscles, progressing to delirium, convulsions and death a few days after onset. A less common form, paralytic rabies, is characterized by loss of sensation, weakness, pain and paralysis. Geographical distribution: Rabies is present in animals in many countries worldwide. Most cases of human infection occur in developing countries. Risk for travellers: In rabies-endemic areas, travellers may be at risk if there is contact with both wild and domestic animals, including dogs and cats. Prophylaxis (protective treatment): Vaccination for travellers with a foreseeable significant risk of exposure to rabies or travelling to a hyperendemic area where modern rabies vaccine may not be available. Precautions: Avoid contact with wild animals and stray domestic animals, particularly dogs and cats, in rabies-endemic areas. If bitten by an animal that is potentially infected with rabies, or after other suspect contact, immediately clean the wound thoroughly with disinfectant or with soap or detergent and water. Medical assistance should be sought immediately. The vaccination status of the animal involved should not be a criterion for withholding post-exposure treatment, unless the vaccination has been thoroughly documented and vaccine of known potency has been used. In the case of domestic animals, the suspect animal should be kept under observation for a period of 10 days. Rabies post-exposure treatment: In a rabies-endemic area, the circumstances of an animal bite, other contact with the animal, and the animal's behaviour and appearance may suggest that it is rabid. In such situations, medical advice should be obtained immediately. Post-exposure treatment to prevent the establishment of rabies infection involves first-aid treatment of the wound followed by administration of rabies vaccine and antirabies immunoglobulin in the case of a bite or exchange of saliva. The administration of vaccine, and immunoglobulin if required, must be carried out, or directly supervised, by a physician. Source: WHO.


Typhoid fever


Cause: Salmonella typhi, the typhoid bacillus, which infects only humans. Similar paratyphoid and enteric fevers are caused by other species of Salmonella, which infect domestic animals as well as humans. Transmission: Infection with typhoid fever is transmitted by consumption of contaminated food or water. Occasionally direct faecal-oral transmission may occur. Shellfish taken from sewage-polluted beds are an important source of infection. Infection occurs through eating fruit and vegetables fertilized by night soil and eaten raw, and milk and milk products that have been contaminated by those in contact with them. Flies may transfer infection to foods, resulting in contamination that may be sufficient to cause human infection. Pollution of water sources may produce epidemics of typhoid fever, when large numbers of people use the same source of drinking water. Nature of the disease: Typhoid fever is a systemic disease of varying severity. Severe cases are characterized by gradual onset of fever, headache, malaise, anorexia and insomnia. Constipation is more common than diarrhoea in adults and older children. Without treatment, the disease progresses with sustained fever, bradycardia, hepatosplenomegaly, abdominal symptoms and, in some cases, pneumonia. In white-skinned patients, pink spots (papules), which fade on pressure, appear on the skin of the trunk in up to 50% of cases. In the third week, untreated cases develop additional gastrointestinal and other complications, which may prove fatal. Around 2-5% of those who contract typhoid fever become chronic carriers, as bacteria persist in the biliary tract after symptoms have resolved. Geographical distribution: Worldwide. The disease occurs most commonly in association with poor standards of hygiene in food preparation and handling and where sanitary disposal of sewage is lacking. Risk for travellers: Generally low risk for travellers, except in parts of north and west Africa, in south Asia and in Peru. Elsewhere, travellers are usually at risk only when exposed to low standards of hygiene with respect to food handling, control of drinking water quality, and sewage disposal. Prophylaxis (protective treatment): Vaccination. Precautions: Observe all precautions against exposure to foodborne and waterborne infections. Source: WHO.


Malaria


General considerations: Malaria is a common and life-threatening disease in many tropical and subtropical areas. It is currently endemic in over 100 countries, which are visited by more than 125 million international travellers every year. Each year many international travellers fall ill with malaria while visiting countries where the disease is endemic, and well over 10,000 fall ill after returning home. Fever occurring in a traveller within three months of leaving a malaria-endemic area is a medical emergency and should be investigated urgently. Cause: Human malaria is caused by four different species of the protozoan parasite Plasmodium: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale and P. malariae. Transmission: The malaria parasite is transmitted by various species of Anopheles mosquitoes, which bite mainly between sunset and sunrise. Nature of the disease: Malaria is an acute febrile illness with an incubation period of 7 days or longer. Thus, a febrile illness developing less than one week after the first possible exposure is not malaria. The most severe form is caused by P. falciparum, in which variable clinical features include fever, chills, headache, muscular aching and weakness, vomiting, cough, diarrhoea and abdominal pain; other symptoms related to organ failure may supervene, such as: acute renal failure, generalized convulsions, circulatory collapse, followed by coma and death. It is estimated that about 1% of patients with P. falciparum infection die of the disease. The initial symptoms, which may be mild, may not be easy to recognize as being due to malaria. It is important that the possibility of falciparum malaria is considered in all cases of unexplained fever starting at any time between the seventh day of first possible exposure to malaria and three months (or, rarely, later) after the last possible exposure, and any individual who experiences a fever in this interval should immediately seek diagnosis and effective treatment. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment can be life-saving. Falciparum malaria may be fatal if treatment is delayed beyond 24 hours. A blood sample should be examined for malaria parasites. If no parasites are found in the first blood film but symptoms persist, a series of blood samples should be taken and examined at 6-12-hour intervals. Pregnant women, young children and elderly travellers are particularly at risk. Malaria in pregnant travellers increases the risk of maternal death, miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death. The forms of malaria caused by other Plasmodium species are less severe and rarely life-threatening. Prevention and treatment of falciparum malaria are becoming more difficult because P. falciparum is increasingly resistant to various antimalarial drugs. Of the other malaria species, drug resistance has to date been reported for P. vivax, mainly from Indonesia (Irian Jaya) and Papua New Guinea, with more sporadic cases reported from Guyana. P. vivax with declining sensitivity has been reported for Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, India, Myanmar, the Republic of Korea, and Thailand. P. malariae resistant to chloroquine has been reported from Indonesia. Geographical distribution: The risk for travellers of contracting malaria is highly variable from country to country and even between areas in a country. In many endemic countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Mediterranean region, the main urban areas, but not necessarily the outskirts of towns, are free of malaria transmission. However, malaria can occur in main urban areas in Africa and India. There is usually less risk of the disease at altitudes above 1,500 metres, but in favourable climatic conditions it can occur at altitudes up to almost 3,000 metres. The risk of infection may also vary according to the season, being highest at the end of the rainy season. There is no risk of malaria in many tourist destinations in South-East Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Source: WHO.


HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases


The most important sexually transmitted diseases and infectious agents are HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia infections, trichomoniasis, chancroid, genital herpes and genital warts. Transmission: Infection occurs during unprotected sexual intercourse. Hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis may also be transmitted in contaminated blood and blood products, by contaminated syringes and needles used for injection, and potentially by unsterilized instruments used for acupuncture, piercing and tattooing. Nature of the diseases: Most of the clinical manifestations are included in the following syndromes: genital ulcer, pelvic inflammatory disease, urethral discharge and vaginal discharge. However, many infections are asymptomatic. Sexually transmitted infections are a major cause of acute illness, infertility, long-term disability and death, with severe medical and psychological consequences for millions of men, women and children. Apart from being serious diseases in their own right, sexually transmitted infections increase the risk of HIV infection. The presence of an untreated disease (ulcerative or non-ulcerative) can increase by a factor of up to 10 the risk of becoming infected with HIV and transmitting the infection. On the other hand, early diagnosis and improved management of other sexually transmitted infections can reduce the incidence of HIV infection by up to 40%. Prevention and treatment of all sexually transmitted infections are therefore important for the prevention of HIV infection. Geographical distribution: Worldwide. Sexually transmitted infections have been known since ancient times; they remain a major public health problem, which was compounded by the appearance of HIV/AIDS around 1980. An estimated 340 million episodes of curable sexually transmitted infections (chlamydial infections, gonorrhoea, syphilis, trichomoniasis) occur throughout the world every year. Viral infections, which are more difficult to treat, are also very common in many populations. Genital herpes is becoming a major cause of genital ulcer, and subtypes of the human papillomavirus are associated with cervical cancer. Risk for travellers: For some travellers there may be an increased risk of infection. Lack of information about risk and preventive measures and the fact that travel and tourism enhance the probability of having sex with casual partners increase the risk of exposure to sexually transmitted infections. In some developed countries, a large proportion of sexually transmitted infections now occur as a result of unprotected sexual intercourse during international travel. In addition to transmission through sexual intercourse (both heterosexual and homosexual-anal, vaginal or oral), most of these infections can be passed on from an infected mother to her unborn or newborn baby. Hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis are also transmitted through transfusion of contaminated blood or blood products and the use of contaminated needles. There is no risk of acquiring any sexually transmitted infection from casual day-to-day contact at home, at work or socially. People run no risk of infection when sharing any means of communal transport (e.g. aircraft, boat, bus, car, train) with infected individuals. There is no evidence that HIV or other sexually transmitted infections can be acquired from insect bites. Prophylaxis: There is a vaccination against hepatitis B. No prophylaxis is available for any of the other sexually transmitted diseases. Precautions: Male or female condoms, when properly used, have proved to be effective in preventing the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and for reducing the risk of unwanted pregnancy. Latex rubber condoms are relatively inexpensive, are highly reliable and have virtually no side-effects. The transmission of HIV and other infections during sexual intercourse can be effectively prevented when high-quality condoms are used correctly and consistently. Studies on serodiscordant couples (only one of whom is HIV-positive) have shown that, with regular sexual intercourse over a period of two years, partners who consistently use condoms have a near-zero risk of HIV infection. A man should always use a condom during sexual intercourse, each time, from start to finish, and a woman should make sure that her partner uses one. A woman can also protect herself from sexually transmitted infections by using a female condom - essentially, a vaginal pouch, which is now commercially available in some countries. It is essential to avoid injecting drugs for non-medical purposes, and particularly to avoid any type of needle-sharing to reduce the risk of acquiring hepatitis, HIV, syphilis and other infections from contaminated needles and blood. Medical injections using unsterilized equipment are also a possible source of infection. If an injection is essential, the traveller should try to ensure that the needles and syringes come from a sterile package or have been sterilized properly by steam or boiling water for 20 minutes. Patients under medical care who require frequent injections, e.g. diabetics, should carry sufficient sterile needles and syringes for the duration of their trip and a doctor's authorization for their use. Unsterile dental and surgical instruments, needles used in acupuncture and tattooing, ear-piercing devices, and other skin-piercing instruments can likewise transmit infection and should be avoided. Treatment: Travellers with signs or symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease should cease all sexual activity and seek medical care immediately. The absence of symptoms does not guarantee absence of infection, and travellers exposed to unprotected sex should be tested for infection on returning home. HIV testing should always be voluntary and with counselling. The sexually transmitted infections caused by bacteria, e.g. chancroid, chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis, can be treated successfully, but there is no single antimicrobial that is effective against more than one or two of them. Moreover, throughout the world, many of these bacteria are showing increased resistance to penicillin and other antimicrobials. Treatment for sexually transmitted viral infections, e.g. hepatitis B, genital herpes and genital warts, is unsatisfactory due to lack of specific medication, and cure is difficult to achieve. The same is true of HIV infection, which in its late stage causes AIDS and is thought to be invariably fatal. Antiretroviral drugs cannot completely eradicate the HIV virus; treatment is expensive and complex and most countries have only a few centres that are able to provide it. Source: WHO.


Hepatitis A


Cause: Hepatitis A virus, a member of the picornavirus family. Transmission: The virus is acquired directly from infected persons by the faecal-oral route or by close contact, or by consumption of contaminated food or drinking water. There is no insect vector or animal reservoir (although some non-human primates are sometimes infected). Nature of the disease: An acute viral hepatitis with abrupt onset of fever, malaise, nausea and abdominal discomfort, followed by the development of jaundice a few days later. Infection in very young children is usually mild or asymptomatic (e.g. causes no symptoms); older children are at risk of symptomatic disease. The disease is more severe in adults, with illness lasting several weeks and recovery taking several months; case-fatality is greater than 2% for those over 40 years of age and 4% for those over 60. Geographical distribution: Worldwide, but most common where sanitary conditions are poor and the safety of drinking water is not well controlled. Risk for travellers: Non-immune travellers to developing countries are at significant risk of infection. The risk is particularly high for travellers exposed to poor conditions of hygiene, sanitation and drinking water control. Prophylaxis (protective treatment): Vaccination. Precautions: Travellers who are non-immune to hepatitis A (i.e. have never had the disease and have not been vaccinated) should take particular care to avoid potentially contaminated food and water. Source: WHO.


Cholera


Cause: Vibrio cholerae bacteria, serogroups O1 and O139. Transmission: Infection occurs through ingestion of food or water contaminated directly or indirectly by faeces or vomit of infected persons. Cholera affects only humans; there is no insect vector or animal reservoir host. Nature of the disease: An acute enteric (intestine) disease varying in severity. Most infections are asymptomatic (i.e. do not cause any illness). In mild cases, diarrhoea occurs without other symptoms. In severe cases, there is sudden onset of profuse watery diarrhoea with nausea and vomiting and rapid development of dehydration. In severe untreated cases, death may occur within a few hours due to dehydration leading to circulatory collapse. Geographical distribution: Cholera occurs mainly in poor countries with inadequate sanitation and lack of clean drinking water and in war-torn countries where the infrastructure may have broken down. Many developing countries are affected, particularly those in Africa and Asia, and to a lesser extent those in central and south America. Risk for travellers: The risk of cholera is very low for most travellers, even in countries where cholera epidemics occur. Humanitarian relief workers in disaster areas and refugee camps are at risk.
Prophylaxis (protective treatment): Oral cholera vaccines for use by travellers and those in occupational risk groups are available in some countries. Precautions: As for other diarrhoeal diseases. All precautions should be taken to avoid consumption of potentially contaminated food, drink and drinking water. Oral rehydration salts should be carried to combat dehydration in case of severe diarrhoea. Source: WHO.

Zambia Travel Guide

The big, beautiful country of Zambia is situated in the heart of the African sub-continent, untainted by commercial tourist development, but nevertheless well-equipped to allow visitors to experience the warmth, excitement, challenges and adventures of the real Africa.

Zambia beckons with an abundance of natural attractions and extreme sports, which has earned it the reputation of being the 'adventure centre' of the continent.

The country's prime attraction is the spectacular, breathtaking Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Not only do the falls provide unmatched scenery as the water plunges into the depths of the gorge, but they are also the setting for a multitude of adrenaline pumping activities, like whitewater rafting, bungee jumping from the 364ft (111m) high bridge, canoeing, abseiling, micro-lighting over the falls, elephant-back safaris, jet-boating through the rapids and many more.

If dry land is more to your taste, Zambia offers dozens of superb game parks stocked with a profusion of birds and wildlife. Chief among the parks is South Luangwa National Park, centred on the most intact major river system in Africa, which hosts a huge concentration of game. The legendary 'Zambian walking safari' originated in this park and still offers one of the finest ways to experience the African wilderness.

Visitors to Zambia seldom linger in the towns, being bent on safaris or destined for game lodges and adventure camps, but those who choose to explore the somewhat dishevelled capital, Lusaka, will find it has an interesting charm. More than half of the inhabitants of this over-populated city are unemployed, yet the atmosphere is far from despondent as the people hustle and bustle, determined to survive. Thousands of stalls line the streets offering a fascinating array of services and goods.

Lovers of the outdoors cannot fail to find everything and more to satisfy them in the wetlands and wilderness of Zambia.

Scotland, The Southwest

"Tony and BJ meet Thomas the Train"

We wanted to go to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany this year, since we still have never been. We thought this might be a good weekend for it, but apparently so did a lot of other people; the flights were booked pretty full. Our second choice was Shannon, but that would have been on an all coach configured aircraft, and for such a short trip, we felt like we needed the comfortable napping position that a business class seat would provide. Ultimately, we let flight availability decide where we would spend our weekend and it turned out to be Edinburgh. Tony had just returned from there with his harem, but he was willing to go again with me (Happy to go – TM).

We made preparations (which included picking up a couple of travel guides from the library and reserving a car) and packed our bags. A lot of extra thought went into packing our bags due to the new security restrictions. I replaced my roll-on deodorant with a solid/stick type and removed my toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner and hair gel from my toiletry kit. Tony took all of the liquids out of his shaving kit except his “contact lens” solutions.

At the first security checkpoint, they tested Tony's contact solutions, but that was the only item that was scrutinized. When we got to the gate, there was a line of TSA agents pawing through everyone's carry-on bags. Watching this process caused me much trepidation about the approach to these security concerns. It seems that the agents are concentrating so heavily on finding contraband toiletries that they could overlook a real threat.

We got great seats on the plane and enjoyed a glass of champagne as we settled in. One of the advantages to a late flight is that it is easier to get to sleep. In fact, I fell asleep almost before we left the ground and had to be waked up for the meal. Our flight attendant looked like my friend Gary Spencer and was just about as enthusiastic as I would expect Gary to be as a flight attendant. As I looked around the cabin, all of the other areas were chowing down on their entrees while we were still waiting for the Gary Look-alike to put down our placemats. I ordered the beef and Tony ordered the chicken, which was listed as "Celebrity Chef Michelle Bernstein's Original Entree." Michelle gets my vote! The chicken; braised in red wine with tomatoes, olives and capers; was delicious! We're still trying to follow the South Beach diet (loosely) so we turned down the ice cream sundae (Not easy to do! – TM). We watched the first part of the movie (American Dreamz) but both of us fell asleep before the end. It was a light-hearted amusing flick. Friday morning, the Gary Look-alike tiptoed around the cabin so as not to wake us as he was serving breakfast. (I don’t remember hearing “breakfasssssssst?” or “juicsssssssse?” this time! – TM)

After landing, we wandered around the airport to find an ATM. We each got £200 for the trip. The Thrifty courtesy car picked us up outside the terminal and took us to the Quality Inn where the Thrifty office was. The Thrifty agent processed our paperwork and walked us out to our cute little Hyundai Getz.
She gave us the “Enjoy Scotland” color coded map with tourist routes marked. Although we had no real plan, we had decided we’d explore the Southwest, so we set “Jill” and “Emmett” our two GPS’s up with the route (Ya’ gotta’ love the technology. We set one at “road level” and one at “city level” and had no trouble getting around. – TM). The weather was positively gorgeous, but we kept noticing some wispy bugs flying around that we later realized were not bugs at all, but thistle. At first, Tony had a little trouble getting used to the controls in the car and indicated his turns with the windshield wipers (In my defense, SOME right hand drive cars have left side turn signals/right side wipers, and SOME right hand drive cars have left side wipers/right side turn signals. Fortunately the pedals are “all American” – TM).

We made a brief stop at a General Store/Post Office to get Tony a Diet Coke.

We planned to make Galashiels our first stop, but as we drove through, we decided it was a little too big and elected to continue on to Selkirk. In Selkirk, we found a parking lot just outside the Halliwells House Museum which also happened to be the Tourist Information Agency. There were some interesting steps at the edge of the parking lot leading up to a cemetery.

We made a quick tour through the FREE museum.

Then we asked the lady at Tourist Information about where we could get a bowl of soup for lunch. She recommended the Jaggy Thistle Coffee House. Lunch was cream of asparagus soup and a roast beef, sweet onion and horseradish wrap.

After lunch, we stopped into a pharmacy to pick up the toiletries we had not been able to bring with us. On our way back to the car, we noticed Sir Walter Scott’s Courtroom, also FREE! So of course we went in to look around.

Back in the car, I looked in our guidebook for information on the upcoming cities on our route. Frommers describes Gretna Green as “quite simply, an embarrassment to native Scots”, so naturally we headed that way. The book went on to say, “What else can you say about a place that advertises ‘amusing joke weddings’. The community got its fame from being the closest place to the English border where people could come to take advantage of Scotland’s more lenient marriage laws. For those of us from Georgia, this would be the equivalent of Walhalla, South Carolina. At Gretna Green, we found several tourist shops, a couple of restaurants and a blacksmith shop museum where the local blacksmith used to perform weddings.


Continuing our Scottish penny-pinching ways, we opted to skip the £3 visit to the museum and wandered around the shops, and trying on tartans before stopping at one of the restaurants for an overpriced glass of wine and cup of coffee.

As we were leaving, we saw two wedding parties arriving.

Our first overnight stop of the trip would be in Dumphries.

The Tourist Information place was closed, so we just wandered around looking for a B&B. There was a neat walking street, but all of the shops were closed.

I noticed a bustling pub (The Cavens Arms) and stopped in to ask if they could recommend a B&B or small hotel.


After we settled in, we went down the street to the Waverly Hotel for a glass of wine. The weather was so nice, we sat outside, but as soon as the sun slipped behind the building it got really cold.
We decided to check out the restaurant at the Best Western, but it seemed a bit pricey. While we were there, we saw a newspaper with a picture of the man from the pub who had helped us find a B&B. His pub was listed as the best pub in town for 2006. We decided to go back there for dinner. It was an excellent choice and worth the wait. We shared an order of Lamb Curry and a Beef Goulash. (BJ really wanted to try haggis, a local specialty. It was on every menu; our hostess at Birkhill Hotel had ordered some from the butcher, to be delivered along with her other meat needs; and the father-mother-daughter famly unit we sat next to ordered and ate some. But fortunately, BJ never got the nerve to try it. After we got back, I googled “haggis recipe” and sent her a copy of the results. Don’t even think of googling it yourself unless you’ve got a very strong stomach – TM)

Saturday morning we had a lovely Scottish breakfast of scrambled eggs, fried eggs, bacon, sausage, tomato, whole wheat toast and cereal. We refused the hashbrowns and potato scones since they are not South Beach friendly.

It was another beautiful day. We stopped in New Abbey to see Sweetheart Abbey where the Lady of Galloway, Devorgilla is buried along with her husband’s heart which she had embalmed and carried with her from 1269 until 1290 when she died. We could see everything we wanted to see without paying admission.
We also opted to skip the expensive corn mill museum tour.

Driving through Kirkbean, we saw the John Paul Jones museum (and didn’t go in. It wasn’t free. - TM), and then on to Southerness.
Along the way, we passed a golf course advertising golf with an oval ball. http://www.solwaygolf.co.uk/golf_cross.asp At Southerness, we saw one of Scotland’s earliest lighthouses, built in 1749.

Driving along the coast we stopped for gas in Dalbeattie. Here we took a gander at Dundrennan Abbey just outside of Kirkudbright and then followed the signs to the wildlife park. We didn’t go in (again, not free – TM), but noted that it would be a good distraction if we were traveling with children.
We saw our own bit of wildlife (for free - TM) on the side of the road. These rabbits were HUGE!
Newton Stewart was a lovely little town on a river. We stopped to buy some cheese at the grocery store which we then ate for lunch along with a glass of wine at the Glencairn Hotel. Afterward, we walked along the river back to our car.

We chose Stranraer as our evening’s destination and hurried to get there before the Tourist Information Office closed. The lady behind the desk said that all of the hotels and B&B’s were full because of a lawn bowling tournament and a wedding. Trusting that our luck was better than that, we decided to see for ourselves and we wandered around town. We noticed that this town (like almost every other town in Scotland) had a High Street.

One hotel had a twin room with a shared bath and another B&B had a single room, but the rest of them were full. The lady at the Harbour Lights Guest House http://www.harbourlightsguesthouse.co.uk/ was so nice, she insisted that we come inside while she called around to find us a room. She was unsuccessful as well, so we finally decided to drive on towards Ayr. On our way out of town (about 4 miles out), we found the Rhins of Galloway B&B www.RhinsofGalloway.co.uk with a VACANCY sign outside! It was a lovely little place. Our room even had a little fake fireplace to add to the ambiance. The price was £50 for bed and breakfast.

We drove back into town and had dinner at The Waterline. I had the Chicken Tikka Masala and Tony had the Vegetable Nut Roast. The Vegetable Nut Roast is something I’d like to try to make. It had roasted peanuts, cous cous, onions, celery, cheddar cheese, carrots and hazelnuts and was drizzled with a white wine sauce.

While we were there, we met four ladies from Texas who had just gotten to town and were looking for a place to stay. The bartender was calling around looking for a place for them. We recommended our B&B but by then the bartender had found them a place. It was a good thing too, because when we got back to ours, the Rhins had posted a NO VACANCY sign.

Tonight, weak from our second day in the UK without a beer (South Beach), we enjoyed our (non-South Beach) cookies and brownies (We found them in the room… free – TM) by our fake fireplace before retiring to what turned out to be the most uncomfortable bed of the trip.

We have occasionally slept on a hammock-like mattress where we both rolled to the middle, but this was our first time to have the opposite. This mattress was elevated in the middle and provided no support at the edges, so we both had to hold on to keep from rolling off the sides. It is too bad too because aside from the bed, the place was just perfect. The bed is a deal-breaker though.

The traditional Scottish Breakfast (bacon, tomato, mushrooms, beans, eggs and toast) was served in a beautifully appointed dining room on interesting square china. We watched the rain drizzle outside as we ate. This was our first rainy day.

We continued our drive, stopping in Lanark at the Lanark Loch. We were going to have a picnic of wine and cheese, but even though the rain had stopped, it was still a bit too chilly for sitting outside.
We drove into town where we had our first (and only - TM) beer, a Tennants Lager at the Port Vaults and Vennel pub.

We decided to spend our last night in Bo’ness so we would be close to the Edinburgh airport for our trip home. When we got there, we discovered that Thomas the Train had beat us there and brought with him a number of tourists.
The girl at the Tourist Information desk thought we might have trouble finding a place to stay. She was right. We kept driving further and further away from the airport until we finally found the Antonine Hotel in Falkirk. By the time we found it, we would have been willing to pay almost anything for a room, so we were very pleased to find that the rate was £55 for bed and breakfast.

As we wandered around Falkirk looking for a place for dinner, we noticed yet another High Street sign.

There were several bars and restaurants, but very few of them were serving food on a Sunday night, so we finally settled on the Manor House Chinese restaurant across the street. We couldn’t really give it a resounding recommendation, but it was hot and filling.

The bed at the Antonine was VERY comfortable and we were ready for a good night’s sleep after the previous night.

The Scottish breakfast was served buffet style but was no less enjoyable that our other breakfasts.
When we got back to the airport, we discovered that the UK has much more restrictive carry-on requirements than the US. http://www.edinburgh-airport-guide.co.uk/security.html I had to check my roll-a-board since it would not fit in the UK equivalent of the Delta “size-wise” box. Tony was able to force his backpack into the size-wise
After one last full body search, we took our Business Class seats, and headed home; The DaVinci Code was the movie of choice.

Until next time…

Caribbean Cruise

"The Turn of the Century"

Our traditional Thanksgiving plans were foiled this year. Most of the children we travel with have gone off to college, so we were faced with a dilemma. Dil-emma? Hey, what about Emma? Our niece Emma just happened to be out of school the entire week of Thanksgiving. We found a last minute deal on a cruise aboard the Celebrity Century and booked it! The tour group became larger as Emma wanted to bring an entourage (her parents and her grandmother), but what the heck?

Emma and her parents flew Air Tran to Fort Lauderdale. We decided to take the risk and fly stand-by (as we always do). The Miami flight left a little too late to keep us in our comfort zone, so we decided to fly to Fort Lauderdale on an earlier flight, arriving around the same time as the other Morrises. The Non-rev Gods were very good to us! After the gate agent verified that we were dressed appropriately, Tony and I were given first class seats, something that rarely happens these days. Tony's mom, Dorothy, travels on her late husband's retiree passes (a lower priority) so we were not surprised when she was seated in coach. We wanted to swap seats with her, but she insisted on sitting in her assigned seat. Shortly before take-off, she was paged and brought up to the last empty seat in first class!

We enjoyed the reconfigured SONG aircraft with its in-seat video games. We even won one round of the trivia contest despite the fact that neither of us are big trivia buffs. In Fort Lauderdale, we collected our bags and found the Air Tran Terminal where we hooked up with Emma and her parents, Tim and Barbie. They had decided to fly home on a buddy pass, but there had been an issue with the credit card so we had to find an agent to try to resolve it. It took about 45 minutes, but we think the agent finally got them listed on a flight. We're pretty sure there'll be some duplicate charges that will have to be resolved later. Tony decided to go ahead and get the rental car while Barbie and I resolved the ticket issue.

The ride to the Port of Miami was smooth, if a little crowded, with six of us in a full sized car, but it was the least expensive option and it was a short ride. Tony had gotten directions from one of the cruise agents to go to Terminal G for the Celebrity Century. Another agent told Tim to go to Terminal J. We rode around the port a couple of times and asked a policeman who finally gave us the correct information and directed us to Terminal 10.

Check In was almost a breeze. Emma and Dorothy got checked in without a problem. Tim and Barbie got checked in without a problem. Since Tony was not there yet, our agent Wayne (or Jack, depending on which nametag you read) explained that he could not check Tony in yet. Then Wayne/Jack swiped BJ's passport while he had Tony's reservation displayed. This changed the name on the reservation to BJ, resulting in two BJ's in the room. There was nothing Wayne/Jack could do to fix it and he couldn't find anyone else who could fix it either. Finally he resolved it by swiping the copy of Tony's passport that BJ had. Then he instructed us not to tell anyone that what he had done and to have Tony come to see him to get his boarding pass for the ship.

Tony, meanwhile, had returned the car to National, resolved a dispute about the gas, and caught the FREE Alamo shuttle back to the port. We called to tell him to go see Wayne/Jack and then boarded the ship. Except for the Wayne/Jack thing, this was the most relaxing stress free boarding of a cruise ship we had ever experienced. Onboard, we were greeted with a glass of champagne! We each went to our stateroom and agreed to meet back at the lunch buffet.

We were all very pleased with our rooms! They all had flat screen TVs, roomy bathrooms and big comfy beds.

BJ and Tony had splurged and gotten a balcony room in the Concierge Class which was about the same size as the other cabins with a small balcony. There was a bottle of champagne and a basket of fruit awaiting our arrival.


The lunch buffet was adequate although not particularly notable. Emma and Tim enjoyed the ice cream stand. Soon Tony made it back to the boat and joined us for lunch. After lunch and a little exploring, it was time for the lifeboat drill. Our muster station was in the theater. In a real emergency it would be interesting to see if people move as slowly as they do during the drill.


When we got back to our room after the drill, Martinz, our room steward, had left us a nice selection of canapés. We invited the rest of the group up to enjoy the canapés and champagne as we sailed away from Miami. Surprisingly there was enough room for all six of us to crowd onto the balcony.


Dinner in the main dining room was delightful. We had a lovely centrally located table at the bottom of the Grand Staircase.

We met our waiter, Handel from Jamaica and his lovely assistant Marcella from Romania.

The Assistant Maitre 'D who looked like Pee Wee Herman came by to introduce himself. Most of us enjoyed a selection from each of the categories. BJ went with the chef's recommendation of a mushroom pastry appetizer, roasted tomato soup, salad and Hake while Tony selected the prime rib.

Dessert for most of us was a most delicious Creme Brulee. Tony was tempted by the chocolate mousse with the almond crust, but it looked much better than it tasted.

Everyone was tired from the travel day so we made it an early night. Martinz, our cabin attendant had turned down our bed and left a chocolate on our pillow!
Sunday BJ woke up around a quarter to seven and headed for the health club. She was able to get on an elliptical machine, but by seven, all of the elliptical machines and treadmills were in use. The treadmills, elliptical machines and stationary bikes all had television screens! Back in the cabin after BJ's work out, she found Tony up and showered. BJ got cleaned up and we met the others in the Island Cafe for breakfast. The servers were very generous with the bacon!

Tim and BJ signed up for the afternoon Texas Hold-em Tournament, then Tim, Barbara, Emma, BJ and Dorothy went to the Culinary Demonstration by Executive Chef Thomas, Master Decorators, and Pastry Chef Stephan. A man whom we assumed to be a Sommelier with a very thick accent told us about the wine that was available on board. The audience was invited to taste the demonstration food and given their choice of a melon or apple martini (well, except for Emma).


We agreed to meet for lunch out by the pool, but the rain drove us inside. Tony was suffering withdrawal from Diet Coke deprivation so we purchased a soda package for him. It was reasonable ($5/day plus 15% gratuity) but a bit annoying in that he could only get his sodas in the souvenir cup.

Lunch was in the Island Cafe (buffet) again. We ate hurriedly so we could make it to the Texas Hold 'Em Tournament. Tim came in second, taking the prize of $150!

We celebrated at the Sherbet Parade and watched the Ice Carving demonstration out by the pool.

BJ, Barbie and Dorothy went to the Holiday Crafts demonstration by Elizabeth Sheeran from Boston. Elizabeth was teaching how to make "Beaudacious Bows".

BJ stopped back through the casino to try to win back her investment in the earlier tournament but only succeeded in losing another $10. The climate was nicer outside than it was in the casino so it was time for a little fresh air.

After exploring the ship, the family met in our room to enjoy the complimentary canapés and a glass of wine (well, except for Emma) before dinner. Tim told us an amusing story about running into the man who had described the wines to us at the earlier demonstration. The conversation went something like this: Tim: "Aren't you the Sommelier?" Answer - very thick accent, indignant: "No, I am the Selamasta!" Tim: "The Salamander?" Answer - very thick accent, very indignant: "No, I am the Cellar Master." The Cellar Master told Tim that he was in charge of all of the Sommeliers and all of the wine aboard the ship. We got a big kick out of pointing out the Salamander every time we saw him from then on.

It was formal night, so everyone was dressed in their finery for dinner. We descended the Grand Staircase to give everyone a chance to see our formal attire.

Everyone but Tony, the non-participator, attended the Captain's Gala Toast followed by the evening entertainment in the ship's theater. The dancers and singers were excellent. Dorothy and Emma went back to their cabin while BJ, Tim and Barbie made their way to the Cova Cafe to hear the A Cappella group, "The Cat's Pajamas". Then it was time for bed.

On Monday, BJ did her routine in the fitness club, then met the others for breakfast in the island cafe. Bacon, bacon, bacon! We watched the approach to Jamaica from our little balcony.

BJ and Emma went to the card room and put together a jigsaw puzzle while they listened to the announcements for the crew safety drill. Team Trivia was supposed to start at 11:00, but the crew safety drill was still in progress. The Morris team out-waited the competition and then sent Dorothy out in search of the Activity Staff. When he finally showed up, he organized a male Morrises against the female Morrises game. The males won, but we all got prizes!

We had decided on lunch in the main dining room, but it was closed since we were in port, so it was back up to the Island Cafe for another buffet lunch. We had an impromptu napkin folding demonstration by Marcos, one of the waiters.

It was raining, but the ship had supplied umbrellas so we decided to go ashore in Jamaica.

We stopped at the first bar we found and had a Red Stripe (except for Emma). We enjoyed watching the tourists bargaining for beads and other items on the beach.

A quick tour through the gift shop at the end of the dock and we were back on the ship in time for the afternoon Team Trivia game. This time we were not so lucky and we had competition. We got an embarrassing score of 10 our of 20. No prizes for us this time!

We played a little shuffleboard on the deck, being careful not to send any of the playing pieces overboard!

We met in our room for canapés and wine (except Emma) before dinner.

BJ had the tiny partially deboned baby chicken for dinner while Tony had the vegetable curry. Tiaramisu was among the dessert choices!

BJ, Barbie, Dorothy and Emma went to the Captain's Cocktail Party. They were a little confused when they were introduced to "The Marshall" but finally figured out that he was the Captain.
Complimentary cocktails were served to everyone (except Emma who had a coke). Barbie had what we think was a Manhattan, but tasted more like a fireball.

The captain proposed a toast and then introduced the three couples who had done the most traveling on Celebrity.
The first couple had been on 32 cruises. The second couple had been on 38 cruises. The third couple had been on an unbelievable 74 cruises! I expected them to be too large to fit on the dance floor but they were surprisingly thin and fit looking.

Showtime featured Jamaica's #1 Comedienne Matilda (who turned out to be a ventriloquist's dummy.
The opening act was Adage Duo David Lange and Ester who did amazing gymnastics.

The Newlywed/Not So Newlywed Show revealed WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION! And based on one of the couples' answer to the "Strangest Place You've Ever Made Whoopee" question, I'd advise future guests aboard the Century against sitting in the third row of the theater. One of the contestants said that his favorite condiment is "Trojan".

It was a stormy night. The ship rocked violently all night. It would have been REALLY bad if we had had to abandon ship and get on one of those lifeboats! We were really surprised when we woke up in calm water of Grand Cayman.

Tuesday we met for breakfast (BACON, BACON, BACON) and discussed our plans for the day. Tim and Barbie had picked out an excursion to a hotel with a beach but the excursion staff said it was a rocky beach. We decided to either go to Cemetery Reef, a more deserted beach or Seven Mile Beach where there were more shops and amenities. We boarded the tender for shore and were disappointed to find that once we landed we were nowhere near George Town.
The Disney cruise next to us was giving its passengers a free shuttle ride into town but our cruise was not offering transportation. Tony and Dorothy took the next tender back to the ship. BJ, Barbie, Emma and Tim asked one of the tour operators about which beach would be preferable for snorkeling. She said the seas were too rough for snorkeling so if we went to a beach, it would just be to sit on the beach. We elected to take the $5 per person ride into town and do a little shopping. Del Sol was our favorite shop with items that change color in the sun.

We noted that the tour operator had been right. If we had tried to snorkel, we would have been beaten to death by the waves. They were crashing on the rocks so hard that they were sending spray across the street and onto the porches of the shops.

After a bit of wandering around, we stopped at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville for the $7.50 "Perfect Margarita" (except for Emma). They should have titled it "The $7.50 TINY Perfect Margarita". It was delicious though.

We enjoyed seeing the parrots and other animals around Margaritaville.

We rode the tender to the ship and were back in time for lunch.
We tried out the wrap buffet and the burger grill. Naptime by the pool was the next activity for BJ while the rest of the family dominated the "Name That Tune" contest and took home winning visors.
Catchphrase was the next activity. It was a lot like Password except the password was a common phrase. There were no prizes for this activity so we moved on to the next one which was "Fact or Fiction". The Morrises dominated once more and won luggage tags for the entire team.

We invited everyone to our room for an Anchors Up party with more of those pretty little canapés and wine (for everyone but Emma).

It was Lobster and Prime Rib night in the main dining room, followed by Baked Alaska on Parade!
Following dinner, Dorothy, Emma and BJ went to the "Dance Around the World Show" while Tim played in the Texas Hold 'Em tournament. He took third place, but it didn't come with a prize. Tonight BJ and Tony slept with the balcony door open to enjoy the sounds of the waves.

Wednesday, BJ hurried to the fitness club so she could get back to the cabin in time for the breakfast we had ordered to have sent to our room. By the time breakfast got there though, BJ had succumbed to the rocking of the ocean and didn't feel like eating. Tony polished off 2 servings of bacon, 2 servings of sausage, a bagel and hashbrowns.

BJ felt better in time for the Catchphrase activity where she and Dorothy and Emma won more ID holders. There was just enough time for a game of Scrabble before lunch. Tim and Barbie were the winning team. We decided to have lunch in the main dining room for a change. We learned that we prefer the buffet.

BJ won the first round of the blackjack tournament turning her (fake) $500 into (fake) $1900, but lost out in the final round where she only won one hand. Tim won another Texas Hold 'em tournament though, adding another (real) $175 to his winnings.

Since we were disappointed with the lunch choices in the main dining room, we stopped by the buffet for a second lunch with dessert.

We went to the Crystal Room to watch the Junior Cruisers Talent Show. There were some pianists, a vocal percussionist, some hula hoopers, and tongue tricks. We didn't see any decorating at the Family Cookie Decorating Activity, but there were cookies on the buffet, so we helped ourselves.

We met in our room for a glass of wine before dinner (except Emma) and then back down to the dining room for the final formal meal of the trip. Entertainment for the evening was Noodles Levinstein, a comedian. BJ wanted to stay up for the "Ship Kicking Good Time" they were going to have at the Country Music Dance, but she was too tired.

We spent another night with the door open so we could hear the sounds of the sea as we slept and awoke to the sounds of the luggage being unloaded in Miami. We met for one last bacon loading session before disembarking. We all commented on what an easy relaxing disembarkation process the ship had.

We found a taxi that could take all six of us back to the airport for $24 - a better deal than the $9 per person shuttle ride. Tim, Barbie and Emma stood by for the earlier flight to Atlanta and almost got on, but a few last minute standbys got on the list ahead of them. BJ, Tony and Dorothy decided to take the leisurely route and wait for the later flight. The Non-rev Gods were smiling on us again as all six of us were seated in first class for the ride home!

Wehrheim, Germany

"Mail Call"

Our German daughter, Carina, is still receiving mail at our house so we had some magazines and packages that needed to be delivered to her in Germany. It was a perfect excuse for a trip so when we found ourselves with an available weekend, we headed for the airport!

We took our seats in the back section of business class along with the other 16 standby travelers. To the flight attendants credit, even though I am sure their manifest showed that we were all standbys, they treated us like royalty! A little turbulence just as we were being served almost resulted in the flight attendant (as well as our soup and salad) in our laps, but she recovered nicely and strapped herself in while we finished the first course. After a delicious meal followed by a lovely cheese and fruit plate (we're still loosely following the South Beach regime, so no ice cream sundae for us), we finished watching the movie, "Click" and drifted off to sleep with instructions to the flight attendant not to wake us for breakfast.

We awoke just in time to raise our seat backs and tray tables for landing. Arrival at the Frankfurt Airport is very different than in Atlanta. There is no herding toward passport control and we were free to wander about the concourse before leaving the area. We went straight to passport control though, to beat the crowd. The passport official did a double-take at the embroidered passport in my shirt pocket and pointed it out to his colleague.

Tony had received a renewal notice for his discount train card, so we thought we would pay for it while we were at the airport. We took the skylink over to Terminal 1, but were told that we could not pay by credit card or cash, we would need a bank note. The agent advised that it would be easier to cancel the card and then purchase a new one with a credit card.

We had reserved a car with Thrifty, but we really wanted to drive a SmartCar, so we stopped by the Sixt counter. Sixt had no smart cars available, so we started looking for the Thrifty counter. It was then that we discovered that Thrifty was off site and the only way to get in touch with them was via a courtesy phone that was well-hidden at the corner of a small information counter back in Terminal 2. The Thrifty bus picked us up 15-20 minutes later and took us to the Thrifty site about 20 minutes away. Check-in was relatively painless, but when they brought our car around, they discovered that one of the wheels was dented. We waited as they replaced it and then were on our way. Our car, a Renault Twingo, had a retractable canvas roof, but it was raining so we didn't try it out until the rain subsided.

Jill, our GPS, led us right to our daughter's apartment where we followed her directions from our "instant message" conversation about where to park and how to find the key.

"...you could park on our parking lot. Its the house on the corner, the parking lot is right into the field. Your apartment for the weekend (my apartment) is when you go from the parking lot right through the bushes where the window garden is the white door, or ... through the with garden door, the key is under the black candlehouse (?)"


Carina's apartment was simply delightful! A converted garage with a sun room, kitchen and living area downstairs and a bedroom bath and study loft upstairs. All very modern, and very German!

I have forever been challenged to use the phone in a foreign country. The tones befuddle me and if I should somehow get a phone call through, I usually cannot understand the person who answers. But I wanted to let Carina know we had arrived, so I tried to follow her instructions about how to call. My first attempt resulted in an obvious "this phone call cannot be completed as dialed" tone followed by a recorded German voice. My second attempt connected with a human, but when I asked to speak to Carina, she said something I didn't understand, so I asked if I had the wrong number and she repeated, "Wrong Number", so I hung up. I now have a T-mobile phone with internet capability so I logged into my webmail account and sent Carina an email. She called us after that and when I picked up the phone to answer it, Tony said he had thought it was the remote control for the television. Maybe it was one of those "All-In-One" remotes like we had seen in, "Click".

We told Carina we were off to get some lunch and a beer and agreed to meet her back at the apartment at 5:30. We found a little cafe called CafeHaus Zauberkessel in Wehrheim where we had a bowl of Gulaschsuppe and Spargelcremesuppe with two beers.

Since I knew my aerobics class was in boot camp at this time, I decided to have my own form of German boot camp.

We stopped by the grocery store for some essentials including a bottle of Rauscher, a local young wine that has not finished fermenting yet. We did not realize that the Rauscher was not sealed (to prevent the bottle from exploding during the continuing fermentation), so we lost a little to spillage when we lay the bottle on its side in the back seat of the rental car.

We went back to the apartment and took a short nap. When Carina arrived home, we gave her all of the mail treasures we had brought and went to take a shower. Fresh from our shower, we visited with Carina a bit and then her German mother, Christine (pronounced Chris-tine-ah) came in. Christine was very pleased to meet Carina's American mother (she had met Tony a year before). She grabbed my shoulders with a firm grip and gave me a kiss on both cheeks.

Our younger (older) daughter, Sandra met us for dinner in Frankfurt at a very traditional German restaurant called zur Sonne (the Sun) where I had the best Jaegerschnitzel I think I have ever had. Apfelwein was the beverage of the region so we shared a pitcher. Sandra instructed that it was best when mixed with mineral water, but Tony preferred it undiluted.

After dinner, we were all tired, so we left Sandra in Frankfurt and drove back to Wehrheim. Tony and I had a glass of Dornfelder wine with some 85% Cocoa chocolate before retiring.

On Saturday, I woke up at 8:10, and read my book until Carina came in around 10. We went next door to Carina's parents house for a traditional German breakfast of cold cuts, cheese and breads.


ı et Christine's friend, Berndt for the first time. He entertained us with stories of their bicycle trip through France.

After breakfast, Carina took us into town to see where the apples are crushed and made into juice or Apfelwein. Villagers were lined up with their apples for processing.


he apples are weighed and the owner is given a receipt. Then they stand in line with their receipt and are given juice in exchange. There is a platform above the apple crusher where observers can watch the process. We returned some bottles and bought some juice and apfelwein.

Carina, Christine, Berndt, Tony and I went to Hessenpark, a village of old buildings which had been relocated to create a historic area.

We relaxed at home for a little while until Sandra arrived with Rocky, the Rottweiler and Senad, the new boyfriend.

We had coffee and desserts and then took a walk through the fields. Sandra taught me that cows do not have upper teeth. I told her that I grew up on a cattle farm in Georgia and I never knew cows had no upper teeth. I think that in Germany, they pull the cows teeth!

Tony, Carina, Sandra, Senad and I went to the Magic Bowl in Oberursel for a few games. The shoes were really slick, so we did some acrobatics while we bowled.

The next lane over was filled with little children who were hoisting their balls over their shoulders and throwing them. Sometimes they would bounce across the lane in front of us as we were bowling. We have grown accustomed to Sandra beating us at all sports endeavors so we were not surprised when she beat us again, but none of our scores were anything to be proud of. We had some obligatory beers at the bowling alley and Sandra made sure we toasted correctly by looking each other in the eye while we said, "Stößchen".

Carina's friend Katrin joined us for the second game and then we went to the local Brauhaus for dinner.

I had Schnitzel and Tony had Sauerkraut with Nurnberger Rostbratwuerstchen. The food was good, but we had more fun playing with it than eating it!

The beer from the Brauhaus was very mild and had a pleasant taste, but we preferred wine with our dinner. Katrin knew the proprieter, so after dinner she got permission for us to go upstairs to see the historical rooms.

We were not quite ready to go home yet, so we stopped by Das Boot for a few games of tischfussball (foosball).

Back at home, we opened the Rauscher, ate some chocolate and talked until 2AM.

Sunday, we had agreed to meet at 9:30 for breakfast but all of us were very tired. Christine and Bernd had gotten home from a relative's wedding at 3AM. After breakfast, it was nap time. We met back up at 12:30 to go to Bad Homburg for some sightseeing.

It was a beautiful day. We took a rest stop at the Petit Cafe.

Then we walked through the KurPark, a park located amongst medical facilities where people spend time recuperating. Inside the Kurpark is a mock Roman temple, a Siamese pavilion and the oldest Spielbank (casino) in Europe. We took turns posing with the statues in the Kurpark.

When we got home, it was so pretty, we sat outside and had more Rauscher with bread and cheese while Sandra took Rocky for a little walk. Tony, Carina and I watched "In Her Shoes" until it was time for dinner. We had Christine's delicious spaghetti and salad. Bernd showed us his new wine opener that he had gotten for his birthday. He started to tell us a joke, but realized in the middle that it was not very flattering for Americans so he could not finish it. We watched Fluch der Karibik (Pirates of the Carribean) after dinner. It was dubbed in German, so I tried to use my lip reading skills to tell what they were saying.

Christine dropped by to show us the outfit she had worn to the wedding. Wow! Looks like she upstaged the bride!

The shutters in Carina's bedroom are the wonderful German room darkening kind, so Monday we slept until 10AM when the phone awakened us. Thomas, our German son, picked us up at 11:00AM and we took Rocky to Saalburg for a walk. Rocky made sure to mark his territory at every opportunity. "That's mine, that's mine, that's mine, that's mine..."

We had a nice lunch in Miltenburg at the restaurant CentGraf. German restaurants are very pet-friendly so Rocky got to sleep on the floor next to our table while we ate.

Thomas has lost 12 kilos since we last saw him!

We took a little walk around the vineyards at Furst Winery before tasting the wine.

For the first time, we tasted some really good German red wine!
We bought a couple of bottles and Thomas bought a couple of cases. We dropped Rocky off at Thomas' house in Gross Auheim before going to dinner. Thomas showed us where he sometimes takes Rocky for a walk.

We arrived early at the restaurant Adolf Wagner where we were to meet Carina, so we had a few glasses of wine and bought some cheese bread from the roving pretzel man.

The restaurant was another traditional Apfelwein restaurant, but we skipped the Apfelwein since we had already tried it. Thomas recommended that we try the beef in green sauce and the roast pork with sauerkraut. Both were delicious.

Back at home, we finished watching "In her Shoes" and celebrated Bernd's birthday with Champagne and chocolate.

Tuesday morning, we got up at 7:00AM when our first alarm went off. (We had set 4 alarms and asked Carina to knock on our door, just to be sure the room darkening shades didn't make us miss our flight.) Carina left a sweet note and a egg carton full of kindereggs for us. She's a good daughter!

German security required that we put our liquid toiletries in their zip lock bags and they took my hair-spray, because the label said it exceeded the 100ml limit by 10ml. There was probably only 10ml left in it anyway. On the way home, between meals and naps, we watched a couple of decent movies, Little Man and The Break-Up. We were herded to a very crowded Immigrations line and then we had to wait in line again for another security screening just so we could leave the airport.

It was a great trip! It is good to see that our German children are doing so well. When we got home, our mailbox was chocked full of mail. There's probably some for Carina so we'll have to go back soon to deliver it!

County Clare, Ireland

"Home Sweet Retirement Home"

Tony is still talking about retiring to Ireland. I am still not sure I'm in, but I don't have a better plan, so I agreed to go with him to look for property. I figured it couldn't hurt to look around.

I dropped Tony off at the Hilton so he could get his shoes shined while I went to park the car. I had gotten my shoes shined there a couple of weeks previous. The shiner did a fabulous job, making mine shine like new, but he was not to be found when Tony got there.

We took the Hilton shuttle to the airport, arriving in plenty of time for our wide-open flight. The jaunt through security was a little more involved than usual for us since we were traveling with our new (to us) baby laptop.

The baby laptop was one of Tony's eBay purchases. Our first laptop had the biggest screen we could find and was heavy, not at all conducive to travel. The new baby laptop, a Fujitsu Lifebook, is the perfect size for travel. Tony had outfitted the baby laptop with a new USB bluetooth device and a Sony-Ericsson wireless card that accepts his T-Mobile SIM card. He would pair the bluetooth with his GPS dongle and use the wireless card to surf the internet for property and then use the GPS and Microsoft navigation software to find the property. We also had Jill, our Garmin Nuvi GPS Navigator for backup.

The Security line at the Atlanta Airport was fairly short. We took the baby laptop out of my suitcase and placed it in it's own bin. We put our toiletries (in their 3 oz or less bottles inside of a one quart zip-lock bag) along with our shoes, keys, change and Tony's belt buckle in a separate bin. Miraculously, we made it through with all of our belongings and did not have to suffer a body cavity search. It took us a good bit of time to reassemble our luggage on the other end though.

Since we would be sitting for 6+ hours, we thought it would be a good idea to walk to E Concourse for our flight. When we finally arrived at our gate at the far end of the concourse, they were already clearing the non-revs. We noticed the girl ahead of us in line was wearing jeans and we commented to each other about it. As we were picking up our boarding passes, we overheard the gate agent discussing the dress code with her. She was looking quite distraught at the prospect of sitting in coach just because of her (very nice looking dress) jeans. I decided to offer her a pair of my pants that would meet the dress code. She was very grateful and rushed off to change.

On the plane, we met formally and our new friend Kathy (wearing borrowed pants) told us that she lives in Ireland. She is an author and has written a travel book about Ireland. She gave us the address of her website: www.celticmists.com.

We had a delightfully short flight with favorable tail-winds shuttling us into Shannon a half an hour early. The pilot warned of a bumpy landing, so we tightened our seatbelts, but it was surprisingly calm. On the ground, Kathy ducked into the first restroom and changed back into her jeans so she could return my pants.

We dawdled around the airport so that we wouldn't pick up our rental car too early. We picked up the 2007 B&B guide and a map before we approached the Alamo counter. The Alamo agent accepted our letter from the credit union showing proof that our credit card covers the collision damage waiver without question. While Tony signed the paperwork, I stepped outside to see what the weather was like. It was windy and cool. I got back to the counter just in time to hear the agent tell Tony that it would be 10 minutes before our car was ready. When she motioned to us that it was ready, I looked outside and it had started to rain horizontally. We more or less blew across the street to the car and were drenched by the time we got our luggage loaded and got seated.

Technology Gone Bad!
Dawn was just starting to break, so we decided to take our time getting our equipment set up so we could start driving when it was light. First we got out Jill, our trusty Garmin Nuvi navigator. We were surprised at how quickly she acquired satellites, but disappointed to find that we had forgotten to load the Ireland maps. No matter, thought Tony as he instructed me to get out the baby laptop and GPS dongle. We hooked everything up and opened the Microsoft Streets and Trips application. The map in the software only had the towns, but no roads. Undaunted (well, to be honest, we were both actually fairly daunted at this point), we decided to try to connect to the internet to look at some maps. No luck! The wireless card would not connect. We looked at our watch to see if we could still make the flight back through Dublin to the U.S., but it was too late.

We started driving in the dark and rain, both of us in rather bad moods. We pulled over to the side of the road & Tony took over the laptop and figured out that I had opened Microsoft Streets and Trips, the U.S. version instead of Microsoft AutoRoute, the European version. Autoroute had most of the major highways (the green and orange roads on our Ordnance Survey Discovery Series paper maps). Then I finally got the internet to connect, so at least we had SOME technology.

Watch out for that BUS!
We used our old fashioned paper maps along with the GPS tracking on the laptop to try to navigate. We started out toward Ennis. As we rounded the bend at the top of the estuary, we spotted a tiny road that looked like it might match the one on the map that we wanted to take. We had only gotten a few hundred yards down it when we rounded the bend and realized we were in the path of a HUGE Bus Eireann, coming fast. We dodged to the left and dropped the front wheel of our rental car squarely in a ditch. I was bracing myself for Tony's tirade when I saw the bus driver and two other men approaching. Another man drove up and opened his trunk and pulled out a strap. There was a lot of chin stroking and some conversation that Tony and I could not understand. They circled the car looking for a place to attach the strap and finally settled on a place just in front of the right front tire.
Tony instructed me to sit in the driver’s seat while he leapt out to help the other men. They all positioned themselves along the strap in tug-of-war style and started to pull while I gunned the motor and the tire hanging over the ditch spun. The car won the tug of war. There was more chin stroking and more conversation. We understood the word "tractor". One man got in his car and backed away from the scene. A few minutes later, he backed toward us with his tow hitch prominently displayed. I got out to take a few photos.

One of the men took over as the driver of our car and they started the tug of war between the two cars. Our car won again. They backed the other car up some more and retied the strap shorter. That did the trick! The little rental car popped out of the ditch no worse for the wear. I clapped with delight and the men all grinned and wished us a good holiday. After that experience, we were very careful about keeping the car on the road!

Our mood brightened significantly as we realized that our "pay it forward by loaning pants" deed had brought good luck to us in the form of those helpful men! It had been raining all morning, but during the car towing episode, it stayed dry and then as soon as we drove away, the rain started up again. We have "big luck!"

Not such big luck, mind you that we weren't still considering cutting our trip short though, so I tried to bring up Delta's Travelnet site to check the next day flight availability. I retrieved the baby laptop from the dash where I had put it during the unfortunate ditch experience. When I tried to put in the web site address, the "L" key generated a "3". A reboot didn't help. Finally we figured out that when Tony slammed on the brakes to avoid the bus, I had grabbed the keyboard, striking the "Num Lk" key, which on the baby laptop changes some of the letters to a numeric pad. By the time I found and fixed it, we had lost interest in checking the return flights, which was a good thing because we heard radio reports of flights being cancelled due to high winds.

We found the first house that Tony had planned to look for fairly easily, but it had a "Sale Agreed" sign posted over the "For Sale" Sign. We kept driving and found a few other houses for sale that we were able to find on the internet. Most were out of our price range.

After a couple of stops for Tony’s obligatory Diet Cokes, we started looking for a pub (mainly for a bathroom). None of the towns were populated enough to have pubs until we got to Kilrush. We popped into Crotty's pub and gratefully made our way back to the restrooms. We had a couple of pints of Carlsberg and some potato and carrot soup. The soup was the consistency of applesauce, but was delicious. Warmed and refreshed, we started out again.

We made our way out to Loop Head and found a wonderful house that had beautiful views in all directions, but was more than we wanted to spend. We drove back along the north coast where the views are spectacular. This is much prettier than the Cliff's of Moher! With the wind blowing at more than 120km/hour, the waves were splashing above the 100 foot cliffs. We later learned that two trawlers had been lost at sea during the high winds. The whole country was mourning the deaths of the crew.

We saw what we thought was a sandy beach up ahead, but as we got closer, we realized it was not sand, but foam on the rocks! It looked like snow on the road and stuck to our windows as it blew off of the water.

As we drove into Kilkee, I studied the B&B Guide and found two possibilities that were open in January. We spotted the Bayview right away and hoped they had rooms.


the front door opened when we pushed it! A good sign. We couldn't find anyone inside, so we followed the sign through the back to Hickie's bar.


We ordered a beer (my first Guinness of the trip) and inquired about a room.

We were pleased that Room 1 with a view of the bay was available. There were 2 double beds, but one had visible waves in the mattress, so we used that one for our luggage and had a comfortable night's sleep on the other one.

The bartender at Hickies advised that there were only 2 places to get food in town. The little seafood restaurant across the street looked a little too fancy for us, so we went to the Stella Maris Hotel.

Tony had the vegetable soup and I had some wonderful seafood chowder. We split an order of french fries. We made it an early night since it was our first and went to bed around seven. I woke up a couple of times during the night and had a little trouble getting back to sleep, but when 7AM came I wasn't ready to get up yet. We had arranged for breakfast at 8:30, so we finally rolled out of bed around 7:30.

Our hostess had a "Mrs. Doubtfire" brogue as she guided us to the breakfast table. As I started for a table in the corner, she instructed, "Oh no, deeeaaarrrr, take this one by the heat." She went to get me some coffee and Tony ran across the street to get his morning Diet Coke.

I ordered the full Irish breakfast, while Tony just ordered toast. When the breakfast came, I divided it with Tony. We're sort of like Jack Sprat and his wife. How did that go? Jack Sprat could eat no bacon; his wife could eat not sausage...?"

After Mrs. Doubtfire served breakfast, she said, "I think I'll take a nap. Things don't start up around here until around 1 in January." And with that, she turned out the lights and left us to finish our breakfast in the dark.

We started driving north along the coast looking for "For Sale" signs. There was a picturesque scene with a church tower just below Quilty.

Just north of Quilty, our Microsoft map actually had the road we were on! It appears that the GPS tracking is so accurate that it actually showed us driving on the left side of the road.

We saw a few houses for sale and noted the web site addresses: www.ejcarroll.com www.eraireland.ie www.leyden.ie

One of the houses, which we later found at a real estate office, was on a "yellow" road just north of Milltown Malbay. It was an interesting property with two houses, a barn and some outbuildings on it, but unless we can find someone who wants to buy it with us, at $450K, it is out of our price range.

We kept driving to Lahinch. When we came into town, we saw one of the properties Tony was looking for right in front of us. We went nuts! It was just perfect - right on the water, in a bustling town with 4 windows that overlooked the water. There was no "For Sale" sign, so we assumed it had been sold.


We parked in front of it and walked around the town. We saw a Leyden Realty and stopped in. We talked to Roger Leyden. He did not know about Clairville, but he gave us some flyers for some other possibilities. Tony took a call from work, so while he was dealing with that, I questioned Roger about how difficult it might be for an American to buy property in Ireland. He said it was very easy, "You have to agree on a price and give a deposit of 5-10,000 Euro that is refundable showing that you are serious about the purchase. When you sign the contract, you put up 5-10% which is non-refundable if you do not follow through. Then you just close the sale."

We stopped for a pint at the CornerStone Pub and looked up the Clairville on the internet.

It seemed to still be for sale. We called the agent, Aine (pronounced Onya), and she hurried over to show us the property. It was not exactly as we had pictured. It was the back half of what had at one time been a single property.

There was a small entry way with a door to the right that led to a den with a solid fuel heater (the only one in the house).

Off of the den, was a small kitchen with a dorm sized refrigerator and a sink.

Another door off of the den, led to a tiny bedroom, just big enough for a twin bed.

Back out to the entryway, we turned right and went past a storage area under the stairs to get to the "big" kitchen. The big kitchen was barely big enough for a stove, a sink and a washing machine.

A door opened to the outside where there was a patio. Halfway up the stairs, there was a decent sized full bathroom.

All of the doorways and ceilings were a bit low, barely tall enough so that we didn't bump our heads.

On the top floor was the "master" bedroom, which was "ensuite" with one of the smallest bathrooms either of us had ever seen, rivaling the one in our hotel room in Nice.

The guest room was fairly large, housing two twin beds with a sitting room adjacent.

The agent advised that it was a registered building (the equivalent of our national historic register) and could not be altered. She thought we could probably get planning permission to make some modifications to the interior but not the exterior.

Tony told the agent that he had found the listing on www.myhome.ie and raved about what a great resource it was. She said that it costs them 100-150Euro to list a property on that site!

We sat in the car for a few minutes and discussed the property. I was more interested in it than Tony was, seeing it as a place where we could come for the next couple of years to enjoy as a vacation home, and then if we still wanted to settle here, we could sell it and buy a quieter place. I liked the prospect of being close enough to walk to the shops, pubs and restaurants. Tony was surprised by my enthusiasm. We made a list of questions to ask and started talking about how to make an offer.

How much are the utilities?
What kind of water heater does it have?
Did it have a big refrigerator (or space for one)?
What is the parking situation?
How much are the taxes?
How much will insurance cost?
What is a First Time Buyer's Stamp? Do we qualify? Do we need one?
How is external building maintenance handled?
What are ownership issues with 1/2 a building?

We decided think about it some more while we drove to Doolin to see if there were any other properties that interested us.

We stopped for a bathroom break at the Visitor's Center at the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs of Moher is under construction, by the way. Well, probably not the cliffs, but certainly the parking lot and visitors center. It was so windy that Tony had trouble donning his raincoat for the walk from the parking lot. Having seen them before in prettier weather, we didn't make the walk out to the cliffs.

There was one "derelict" property that we tried to find, but it appeared to be up an ill-maintained road, and after our ditch experience we weren't interested in taking any chances. We saw some familiar faces around Doolin.

We drove out to the pier to see what the seas looked like around the ferry dock.

As expected, the ferries weren't running. We stopped in town for some vegetable soup and a pint of Harp at O'Connor's. We decided to drive back to Lahinch to spend the night where we could look around and spend more time thinking about the Clairville.

There was one B&B in the guide that met our requirement (0km from town), but we couldn't find it easily, so we stopped at the Lahinch Golf Lodge www.lahinch.ie where we had stayed 5 years before with our friend Page on a bike trip.
Conor, the proprietor showed us a nice room, but there was a crack between the window and the window frame, so he thought we might be more comfortable in another room. The next room he showed us had a broken shower head. Conor said, "Its a bit like Faulty Towers here this time of year." We were back to the first room. As we were getting settled, Conor came in with a piece of 2x4 lumber and rammed the window frame, closing the crack.

We went for a walk while it was still light and were very pleased with the variety of shops and restaurants in town. Of course, several places were closed because it was off-season. We stopped into Kenny's and sat by the fire while we surfed the internet looking for comparables in Lahinch.
Four "surfer-dudes" saw us surfing the net and came over to show us their pictures on the Magic Seaweed website http://magicseaweed.com/photoLab/viewPhoto.php?photoId=3146 In the picture of the surfer-dude below, the surfer is pointing at a picture of a wave taken just offshore at the Cliffs of Moher.

We had a good toast (tomato, ham, cheese & onion on toasted bread) with french fries at the Atlantic Hotel and then went back to our B&B.


We went to the lounge where we met some Australians and watched the local* soap opera, "Coronation Street". The Aussies went to bed and left us with the TV. We watched a bit more and then Conor came in to see if we needed anything. We asked him about the Clairville. He said that it had been for sale for a couple of years and "it's only half a house". He also said that it is near a disco and would be very loud. We started reconsidering our interest. We went to bed to sleep on it.

We slept from 10PM to 9AM! The wind blew loudly all night long! Breakfast was "fix-it-yourself" so we took our time getting ready, and then had cereal and toast. We drove up Station Road, looking for another property that we had found that "cannot be used as an investment property or holiday home." We weren't sure what that meant and we never found the actual property that was supposed to be located at 27 Station Road, but we got far enough away from the water that we knew we weren't interested.

We decided to drive back toward the south, and continue to look in that direction. We stopped at Spanish Point when we saw some surfers getting ready to go out. We tried to take some pictures from the window of the car, but rain was blowing in, so we were only able to snap a couple. These people are nuts - going out in the cold choppy surf!

We took some notes on a couple of properties before making a stop at Cooney's Quilty Tavern.



We finally found the house, and if you really squinted, you could barely make out the ocean in the distance on a clear day.

We saw another house along the way for sale by an auctioneer, Mossy Horgan. We stopped to write down the phone number just as a couple of men were pulling into the driveway.

Tony got out to talk to them. One of them turned out to be the builder. The house was in our price range (195K) and he offered to let us see it. It had a distant view of the ocean and surrounding golf courses. It was a bit chopped up, with a large den, full bathroom, small kitchen and 2 small bedrooms downstairs (one with a small shower room).

Upstairs was 2 bedrooms under the eaves with a slanted ceiling and a full bathroom.

As we left, I directed Tony to take a "gray" road on the map. Green and orange roads are major highways; yellow roads are usually paved, sometimes with grass growing down the middle. Gray roads apparently are not meant for cars, only tractors or monster trucks. The road went right through a pasture and was covered in mud puddles! They were so deep at places that I am sure the water was above the doors of the car. There was NO place to turn around. Tony was NOT happy. We slipped and slid our way down the road for about a mile and a half, just sure that we were going to have to trudge through the mud on foot at any moment looking for someone to help tow our car again. We were both wishing we had gone to the bathroom before we started this bumpy adventure.

When we finally got back to a yellow road, we found the house of Tony's dreams. It was not finished yet, but it had a fabulous view of the ocean in two directions. While we were sitting in the driveway admiring it, a man drove up. We asked him if he knew how much it was selling for. He said he was just the "bathroom guy" but he could give us the phone number of the builder.

It was getting late and we were ready to stop for the day, so we headed back to Kilkee and the Bayview where we had stayed two nights before. When we parked the rental car, we noticed that it was missing a hub cap and possibly some piece of trim from over the back window. We're not sure if those pieces were on it when we rented it or not, but we're pretty sure the mud was our addition. It was filthy!

Mrs. Doubtfire said that Room 1 was taken but she could put us in Room 3. We liked Room 3 at least as well as Room 1. It only had one double bed in it, but it had two windows overlooking the bay.

The temperature had dropped significantly so we put on more layers and set out to explore the town. After walking around a bit, we decided to stop into Joe's for a Guinness.

We called the phone number for the dream house and found out that it was out of our price range. We decided to drown our sorrows in some tomato basil soup at the Stella Maris hotel.

When we got back to the room, it was bitterly cold. I felt of the furnace and the bottom left felt warm, as if it had recently gone off or was about to come on. We burrowed down under the covers and huddled together for warmth, pretending we were in a snow cave. It never got any warmer. I kept my socks on to avoid having to step barefooted on the cold hardwood floor when I went to the bathroom. I dreamed that Mrs. Doubtfire came in and built a fire for us during the night. At 8, Tony nudged me and said I should get up to take my shower. It took about 15 minutes to coax me out of bed. The shower was nice and warm so I took a long one. When I came out, the corner of the furnace was starting to warm up a bit so I stood near it to get dressed, but it never really put out much heat.

At breakfast, Mrs. Doubtfire seemed hurt when we told her we had been a bit cold during the night. I mentioned that I didn't know how to turn on the heat and she said it was on most of the night. She said it only heated the bottom part. I went back up to the room and felt of the bottom part of the heater and it was warm, but no heat had reached the top (or the rest of the room).

I made a couple of notes of things to add to my packing list. Most of the places where we have stayed in Ireland don't seem to realize the need for a mirror near the hair dryer, so they place the hair dryer in obscure places, like behind the TV.


have decided to start bringing a larger travel mirror for these cases, or, for those places that do not supply a hair dryer, I'll pack an extension cord so my travel hair dryer will reach the mirror from the (usually only) outlet in the room. I also want to add binoculars (for watching the surfers) and a thermometer so I can tell whether we are really sleeping in arctic conditions or if it is just my imagination.

We met a nice couple from Wales at breakfast who were just here for the weekend. The wife thought she wanted to live in Ireland, so the husband thought they should come in January to see what it is like before they moved here.

As we left Kilkee, we started out going the wrong way up a one way street until a man gestured to us. We turned around and got headed the right way. We took the coast road back toward Loophead. We took more pictures of the beautiful views along the coast.
We stopped at a parking lot and walked out onto one of the rocky outcroppings. We were afraid to get too close to the edge because it was so windy.

When we got back to our rental car, it had deteriorated!

Seriously, we wondered what had happened to the occupants of these two cars. We hoped they had not met their demise on these cliffs!

We stopped at a small development in Cross, but the view was not what we were hoping for. We went on to Carrigaholt and stopped at Morrissey's Village Pub. Tony: "I'll have a Harp." Bartender: "We don't have any Harp." BJ: "I'll have a Smithwicks. Bartender: "We don't have any Smithwicks. All we have is Budweiser." BJ and Tony: "We'll have 2 Budweisers." Bartender: "We just ran out of Budweiser. All we have is cans." BJ and Tony: "We'll have 2 cans of Heineken." We played a couple of hands of Casino before starting out again.

We found a little yellow house just inside Doonaha that we had seen on a previous trip.


One other house captured our interest along the same road. It was not a new construction, but it had a nice view and a garage.


We decided to take the most direct route from Querrin to Newmarket on Fergus near the airport to see how long it would take. We stopped to write down the phone number for these new construction homes we saw along the way.

We made a stop for gas and a stop for a diet coke and were in Ennis in an hour and Newmarket on Fergus in an hour and a half. An acceptable commute. The blue line on the map below represents our route for this trip. If you look closely, you can see the pushpins where we marked houses we were interested in.

We took a room at the Hunter's Lodge where we had stayed before and strolled across the street to O'Neill's "The Best Little Pub in Ireland". We were once again treated to an "Irish Flag" and conversation with the three daughters of Anna, the owner. Anna had gone for dinner so we didn't get to see her.

We walked down to the grocery store to get some Irish Soda Bread. We're not sure if we'll be allowed to carry it back into the country with us, but we figure it is worth a try. We had soup and chips (french fries) at the Hunter's pub and then retired to our room for the night.

We had a nice flight home with a wonderful flight crew.

We made it home with the bread! Its in the freezer. Tony is going to try to recreate the Irish Vegetable soup one of these cold winter nights to go with it. Now that we've picked out a few houses we might be interested in, Tony has to decide if he is really serious about this venture!

*Update: After publishing this write-up, we got an email from our new Irish pen-pal, Karen who tells us that "Coronation Street" is actually an English soap, set in Manchester. She says, "If you want a real Irish soap though, next time you're here, check out "Ros Na Run" on TG4 (the Irish language channel) It's set in Spiddal, about 10 miles from Galway, and for a small village, a lot goes on there! It's in Irish, but with english sub-titles. I don't know what part of the States you're in, but believe it or not "Ros Na Run" is now available in Philadelphia."

**Another Update: We got our bill from T-Mobile! We won't be surfing the internet in Ireland with our T-Mobile card again except in extreme emergencies. Our bill for this trip was $450!!! Live and learn!