Around the world with Traveler

[my2cents]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

South Africa won the Rugby World Cup last Saturday. Anything short of winning the cup for the All Blacks is deemed a failure. They suffered an uncharacteristic early exit from cup play courtesy of France.

At any rate, looking forward to your next report Traveler.

Cheers

 

[traveler]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

Today's stop is Napier. This is a town with wonderful Art Deco buildings. They have walking tours leaving from the information center in town with guides who explain the history of the town and the buildings. They even do tours using vintage vehicles.

We took the ship supplied free shuttle into town. It terminated at the info center. As we exited the bus, there was a young fellow touting his wine tasting tour. When I made a further inquiry he said that payment was to be made at the information desk inside. Well, the weather was not looking too good and I felt that a walking tour of the city might not be the best choice, we went in and booked the tour. The cost was $65 NZ per person and they went to 4 wineries with a snack at the second one. This translated to about $45 US and the fact that the ship ran a similar tour to three wineries (no snack included) at $86 US, we felt good about the deal. As it turned out, it was a very good deal. Ten of us in all fit in his van and we struck off, first to the Mission Winery. It was at one time a convent and the attached church was still in use. A pleasant place with views of the vineyard.

After sampling I purchased a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc that suited our tastes. All their wines were on the light side at this and the other three stops. These were true tastings as they had a barrel available to spit into if you wanted only to taste wine or if you didn't like the wine. The people at the bar told us there was no shame in spitting out the wine. That is the way to taste. Also, there was a pitcher of water to rinse the glasses between tastings. During the ride between stops the young guide/driver gave us a detailed history of the area and its wine making. As good, if not better than one would get on a ship tour.

On the way to the second stop, my wife asked if there would at least be crackers as she was already feeling the effects of the first tastings. The driver promised there would be a snack available and that pleased her. When we arrived there we were ushered into a restaurant like setting on the ground floor. I overheard our guide talking to another guide who said there was a large group tasting in the basement. That, it turns out was the tour from our ship. This stop was a real treat. On the table before us were 5 wine glasses at each place. The guide told us that special plates of food would be out in minutes. When they came, family style, we were to share each plate between three of us at the long table. What a spread! There were chunks of freshly, lightly smoked salmon, prosciutto, venison slices, yams, olives, mushrooms, the famous New Zealand green lip mussels, pumpkin, yogurt spread and a choice of rolls or thick, toasted bread... a veritable feast for the eyes and the stomach. All this with five different wine tastings. Later we learned that the ships your got a choice of crackers at this stop, nothing more. When we left, it was already raining heavily.

The third stop was a pleasant little winery where we continued tasting and we purchased a bottle of their version of ice wine. Since there are no deep frosts, the grapes harvested late in the season are quickly placed in freezers which simulates them freezing on the vine. This sweetens the grape and makes for a very sweet desert wine.

The last stop was at a large winery. The driver had us take seats on the couches and not stand at the bar where tastings mostly took place. He brought bottles of various wines to us and generously poured the tastings. After about 10 or 12 different wines, whew, it was time to take us back to the ship. We rode through the rain and arrived at the gangway about 45 minutes before the ship was scheduled to set sail. What a great day, even with the rain.

The local band welcomed us back to the ship too...

Tomorrow, Wellington and our chocolate tour...

 

[traveler]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

Wellington, what a beautiful little town, at least by US standards. This is the capitol of New Zealand and one of its larger cities but walking in the downtown area, though there are tall buildings, a small town feel is definitely there. Perhaps that was because our guide, Jennifer, who we employed for a "chocolate tour" of the city seemed to know every second person we passed. We met Jennifer at the railroad station which was about a half mile walk from the ship. We arrived a bit before the agreed on time and took a look inside the station. It looked somewhat like Penn Station in NYC though much smaller and at no time could we spot more that a half dozen people in there. There is actually a grocery store and a wine shop in the station. By the way, if you've been in Penn Station in NYC at 4:00 AM you would see more people at one look!

As we sat outside, I said to my wife that the approaching woman surely must be our guide. She had a cheerful look and a walk that gave her away. What a great guide. There was a limit of six people on any one tour and as it turned out, we were the only participants. This was to be a walking and public transportation tour and on the short walk to the city we passed the "Beehive" an interesting government building.

We arrived in a shopping area and entered a small mall. There we were shown some of the shops, ending at a chocolate shop. The showcases had literally hundreds of different chocolates. The pleasant clerk described the differences in types of confections and we were to pick two each. My wife and I shared the four to find what we liked best. The dark chocolate covered currents were by far our (her) best pick. So good that after we left, I decided to walk back and buy four more pieces for later consumption. Only four, you might wonder? These were reasonably good size treats and at $2.50 NZ each I thought four was plenty.

Our next stop was the cable car that takes one up a steep hill to a wonderful botanical garden and the Cable Car Museum. The museum is free and shows the original construction, near the turn of the twentieth century, through photos. The museum also has the original car restored along with another car that was retired in the 1970's.

There was an earthquake here in the early 20th century, before this cable car was built and their is a plaque denoting the original shore line just below this sign. During the earthquake the ground was raised about six to eight feet (if I remember correctly) putting this area firmly on solid? ground. This is now about a half mile from the present shore line.

We proceeded back down to the city and after a short walk arrived at an old bank building which was turned into an upscale shopping mall. There we were treated to a great cup of coffee and a break for a few minutes. Then we went to the basement where another chocolate shop was waiting. Again we were introduced to many different chocolates and each had two more. Great, but not as good as the first shop. Perhaps we just didn't pick the right pieces.

Next, after a short walk we boarded one of the electric busses for a short trip across town and to our last stop. As we were told prior, this would be a surprise. A surprise it was. This chocolate shop was founded by partners, one and artist and the other a psychiatrist. What a combination to be chocolatiers. Here we were treated to chipped pieces of their goodies contained in what seemed like one hundred or more little wooden boxes lined with paper. My favorite was lemon with cracked black pepper, hers, tangerine. They were so good that we each bought a bar (tablet). At one point the clerk asked if I liked whiskey, he even had a type that went well with straight shot... as it turned out it was 100% cocoa and, yes, it would go well with a shot though it was quite bitter, it was still very good. This completed our tour but Jennifer led us to the city's museum, again, no admission charge. And advised it was worth the visit. We did visit and it was great.

We ended the day with a leisurely shoreline walk back to our ship.

Tomorrow, the end of this trip in Auckland.

 

[traveler]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

Our cruise comes to an end today in the beautiful city of Auckland, New Zealand. Since the ship was to to be cleared at about 8:00 AM on Sunday, I made sure that we had the earliest possible luggage code they would give me. Holland America doesn't like to let you know when the various tags disembark but a bit of persistence can get one their schedules. We were originally scheduled off at about 9:30 but a little talking with a person at the front desk got us 8:30 tags. The first disembark code 8:00 AM was for very early flights out.

Sure enough, we had just finished breakfast and returned to our cabin when our color code was called. We scooped up our carry-ons and left the ship for the last time. The luggage on the pier was well organized and surprisingly, all four of our bags were together. Perhaps that's because each was wrapped with a "World Cruise" strap. That makes them easy to find and perhaps holds some sway with the unloaders.

Since our flight was scheduled at 7:00 PM I had a rental car reserved and we took a waiting taxi to the airport. We were fortunate to be able to check our bags in with Quantas. In many places, that is not possible until 4 hours before departure but if that were the case, we would have just put the luggage in the trunk of the rental for the day. We set off to the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere, the Sky Tower. I drove the reverse route of the taxi and amazingly didn't use the windshield wipers a single time when making my turns.

Not until we ascended this monolith did I realize that the ship was only a few blocks away. We had a wonderful view of the harbor and the city.

Now the best part...

You can, if you are brave enough or crazy enough, jump off the tower. After careening off the tower, you are stopped in front of the observation area for a few moments then you go into what is pretty much a free fall to the ground below!

By the way, if you successfully jump once and survive, you can make the second jump free... what a deal!

The Sky Tower is 328 meters tall or 1,076 feet.

That compares to the Eiffel tower at 324 meters (1,062 feet).

Our next adventure was a drive around the edge of town with an eye toward the Mission Bay area. About half way there we came to a sign for MOTAT. The motor and transportation museum. Since I remembered there was a buy one admission, get one free, there we spent the last few hours viewing early transportation, cars, planes, trolleys, etc. Then it was off to the airport to return the car and board our plane for home.

In a few weeks, we fly to Barcelona and board the Marco Polo for a trip that will take us to Malaga and Cadiz Spain, Morocco, the Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Islands then across the Atlantic to Fortaleza, Recife, Salvador de Bahia and finally Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. If anyone is still interested in my travel log, I will describe our adventures on that trip after we return.

 

[over9five]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

Yes, please keep posting. I admire how you go off on your own. I've never been able to do that, have always done the cruise excursions.

Your posts are excellent reads!

 

[moreluck]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

Traveler......Thanks so much for all the great travelogue. This saves me a whole lot of $$$ because now I don't have to do the treveling myself. I'll just live the experiences through your descriptions.

Definitely keep up the world reporting. I find it very interesting. Enjoy your short time back home and good luck on your next adventure.

 

[cheryl]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

I LOVE reading about your travels. Please take us with you on your next adventure

 

[my2cents]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

Good on ya for writing these tour summaries Traveler. It was a pleasure to read them and the posted pictures brought the text to life. I don't think I need to ask if you guys had a good time. How many days was this itinerary for? My guess is between 10-14 days. If you wish to keep writing travel logs for future trips, I know I will read the entries. We can all learn from each others travel experiences. Your passport must be full of stamps. What happens when you run out of blank pages?

Did you like flying Qantas? IMO, they have the long international flights down to a science. I didn't suffer any jet lag going either direction. They also keep you well fed with timely meals and snack bags. I also like the GPS feature on the seat-back television. I would periodically check it to see when the plane was crossing the International Date Line, the equator, or just to see where the plane was at the moment.

Were you charged a $25 NZ departure tax when leaving New Zealand before boarding your international flight? It's one of those little things that can catch you off guard, if you didn't account for it beforehand. For Australia it's the ETA visa, which I have already taken care of. The only item which I'm debating about with my upcoming trip is a long layover in LAX at the beginning of my itinerary. If my domestic flight lands on-time, which is around noon, I'll have about a ten hour layover in LAX. I really don't want to hang around the airport, although at the same time I don't think it's worth the hassle of renting a car and going into LA for half a day. I'll probably check myself into a hotel so I can refresh myself, although I'm somewhat reluctant to even commit myself to that in case my flight out of the northeast is delayed due to bad weather. Decisions. Decisions.

Although somewhat off the immediate subject, has anyone ever traveled on Skybus? They fly out of small city airports with rock bottom fares as low as $10. I can't vouch for them one way or the other because I have never flown with them before.

 

[traveler]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

It was a 27 day cruise, 28 if you count the day you lose crossing the dateline, from Vancouver to Auckland and yes, we enjoyed every minute. As to our passports, full of stamps is an understatement. We have in fact run out of pages... twice! When you near that point there are two, actually three options. The first time I spent a few dollars to have a visa service have additional pages added since we needed a visa for India anyway. You can fill out the paperwork to have the nearest passport issuing office add (sew in) more pages. There is no charge for that except the round trip postage. When we needed more pages a second time, I used a technique that I had only heard of and not verified. When we were in Bratislava this summer we had a bit of extra time after our tour. In Slovakia, you need to carry your passport with you, not just a copy of the first page. We passed the American Embassy on the tour and decided to go in and ask if they would add pages for us. From the gate, we were directed to the secretary when entering the building. She inquired as to our business and after telling her what we wanted, directed us through a second heavy bullet proof door and told us not to wait in line but go directly to window 5. Hundreds of locals were waiting for visas to the USA and gave us a look when we went right into the next room. There a friendly woman presented us with the form to add pages. We completed them and she said we could wait an hour there or go out and return then. We opted to leave even though my wife was worried about re-entry sans passports. On the way out she felt a need to tell the Slovakian guard that we would be back to get our passports in an hour. He smiled and nodded. Later, when we returned, the guard pushed us to the head of the line at the metal detector like he had known us for years. We quickly retrieved our thick passports, thanked the secretary and left.

It is interesting that the US Embassy is the only one with extra security outside. A heavy fence, guards, metal detectors, etc. But on the other hand, it is also the only embassy with lines of people hoping for visas or work permits to go to the USA.

Quantas was a nice airline to fly, but, they left late enough for us and about half the passengers to miss connecting flights. Re booking was a nightmare but we did finally get home. I like to watch the movie and the best thing one can buy is a set of the Bose noise canceling headsets. Not cheap at $300 each but you get to see and hear the movie just like you were in a theater only without the crying kid in the background. They also knock out the engine noises so I pull the plug, leave the noise canceling on and I prop pillows around them wearing them when I sleep on the plane. The airline music also comes in like a concert hall.

The only thing more annoying than the $25 NZ departure tax is the surprise on entering Chile by plane and paying a $100 US entry fee. No other nationals pay any fee there at all. I call that discrimination at its worst... it affects me!

A ten hour layover is a drag. Check around as many hotels have "day rates" for situations just like yours. There are no shortage of hotels near the airport either so I'm sure you can work something out there.

Now to my question, we have crossed the international dateline five times now... when do I get those 5 days back???

 

[over9five]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

"...when do I get those 5 days back??? "

Book 5 trips that go the other way??

 

[my2cents]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

In addition to the date line issues, tonight we set our clocks back. I know some people who are flying out of JFK tonight for a trip to Italy. They should be in the air when the official clock gets set back. Will they be flying into a time void?

 

[traveler]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

"...when do I get those 5 days back??? "

Book 5 trips that go the other way??

I've tried that... it doesn't work!

 

[traveler]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

In addition to the date line issues, tonight we set our clocks back. I know some people who are flying out of JFK tonight for a trip to Italy. They should be in the air when the official clock gets set back. Will they be flying into a time void?

Perhaps?

 

[my2cents]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

This clock change issue got me thinking. I was wondering how long it would take if one flew from LAX to JFK tonight. I went on the American Airlines website and found a direct LAX to JFK flight which departs at 9:30 p.m., pacific time and lands in New York at 4:45 a.m., eastern time. I also checked a flight which departs from LAX at noon today and lands at JFK at 8:25 p.m.. It appears one gains an hour on the 9:30 p.m. flight.

I don't believe Europe is changing their clocks tonight, so I believe an hour will be lost en route. I just checked the FAA flight delay page and I wouldn't be surprised if the flight to Italy is delayed: http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/usmap.jsp

 

[my2cents]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

Just a correction to the Europe leg on my previous post. One gains instead of loses an hour flying tonight. I checked an Alitalia flight departing from JFK tonight at 5 p.m. eastern time and arriving in Rome at 6:35 a.m.. If one takes this same flight tomorrow, the flight lands at 7:35 a.m. in Rome. At any rate, time for a beer.

 

[my2cents]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

Just a heads up for anyone heading over to Europe in the near future. After talking with some people who recently visited Italy, it would probably be a good idea to have some Euros with you before you go and don't rely on your ATM card. There were some people in this Italian tour group who did not bring any Euros with them and totally relied on their ATM card for cash. Unfortunately, there were reports of ATM cards getting munched by the ATM machines. Additionally, some of these poor souls were unable to go into the bank to retrieve their card because the bank was closed when the transaction took place and the tour moves on the next day to a different location. These people were forced to call their bank to cancel the card and had to scramble to find another source for their spending money. Fortunately, the people I knew brought enough Euros with them to last the tour.

I believe the culprit is the fairly new "chip card" system Europe has changed over to. Instead of the magnetic strip on the back of the cards found here in the U.S., one's account data is stored on a microchip on the card. Moreover, credit cards may also be rejected, even if the amount of the transaction is no where near one's credit limit. I think the problem is mostly related to Visa cards. I'm not sure about Amex, MasterCard, etc. Moreover, if memory serves, I recall reading an article about these chip cards several months ago and instead of the four digit PIN number with cards here, Europe has moved to a six digit PIN number. At any rate, Visa has a travel tips page, which deals with this issue: http://usa.visa.com/personal/using_visa/european_travel_tips.html

 

[traveler]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

Just a heads up for anyone heading over to Europe in the near future. After talking with some people who recently visited Italy, it would probably be a good idea to have some Euros with you before you go and don't rely on your ATM card. There were some people in this Italian tour group who did not bring any Euros with them and totally relied on their ATM card for cash. Unfortunately, there were reports of ATM cards getting munched by the ATM machines. Additionally, some of these poor souls were unable to go into the bank to retrieve their card because the bank was closed when the transaction took place and the tour moves on the next day to a different location. These people were forced to call their bank to cancel the card and had to scramble to find another source for their spending money. Fortunately, the people I knew brought enough Euros with them to last the tour.

I believe the culprit is the fairly new "chip card" system Europe has changed over to. Instead of the magnetic strip on the back of the cards found here in the U.S., one's account data is stored on a microchip on the card. Moreover, credit cards may also be rejected, even if the amount of the transaction is no where near one's credit limit. I think the problem is mostly related to Visa cards. I'm not sure about Amex, MasterCard, etc. Moreover, if memory serves, I recall reading an article about these chip cards several months ago and instead of the four digit PIN number with cards here, Europe has moved to a six digit PIN number. At any rate, Visa has a travel tips page, which deals with this issue: http://usa.visa.com/personal/using_visa/european_travel_tips.html

We just returned from our recent cruise late yesterday and since we are leaving tomorrow there is just a few minutes available for a short post. Lots of stories to come about one week from now.

I do agree, never rely on one card alone in a foreign land, be it an ATM, a credit card, or any other card. Having run into problems with various cards here and there around the world, I always have alternate means of finance. No matter where you are, the good old dollar works. Not as well as in times past when most merchants would directly accept the dollar but you can exchange dollars for local currency most anywhere in the world. Always carry some dollars with you for emergencies. Also, always, always, advise your bank and credit card companies of your travel plans. They appreciate the "heads up" and it will save you some difficulties in using your card. For ATM advances, I always prefer the type ATM where you manually push your card in and pull it out. That type machine cannot eat your card. I also have an ATM card AND a debit card attached to my checking and savings account. Though it is the same bank and on the same accounts they operate in different departments in most banks. If you do have one eaten by a machine, the other is still good... Yes, I have had an experience with that problem. Bottom line CYOA when you travel.

We did see the six digit problem recently in Brazil. Our British companions for the day had their four digit pin rejected. The Brazilian restaurateur didn't speak any English and my Portuguese is limited to obrigato (thank you). He wrote and pointed to six zeros and got his point across. Apparently the Brits are still on the four digit pin just like us. I paid his bill and was reimbursed later with his thanks... That's another good hint, always have a friend who will put up the money if your card fails!

Back in a week with some stories.

 

[ditto44]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

Hi:
I see you are moving to Sedona, my wife and I moved there after I retired in 1994,we now live in Florida.

 

[DS]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

traveler,I booked my vaca today..last wk of june 1st of july...2 weeks gonna drive to new brunswick,maybe PEI...take the boat back...whale watching,any tips,ideas?

 

[traveler]

Re: Around the world with Traveller

traveler,I booked my vaca today..last wk of june 1st of july...2 weeks gonna drive to new brunswick,maybe PEI...take the boat back...whale watching,any tips,ideas?

All I can say is ENJOY! it sounds like a great trip. I haven't done PEI and that area yet so I can't help very much.

I have been quite busy but I will get back to my travel log after we return from Egypt and Jordan in the middle of February.