Trip to Alaska
Posted by creining | Filed under Travel
A maiden voyage to the Land of the Midnight Sun! I am super excited because I think I will be floored by the natural beauty!
Friday, June 18
Arrive Anchorage
Drive To Denali
Accommodations at Denali Cabins
Saturday, June 19
Denali Backcountry Adventure
Accommodations at Denali Cabins
Sunday, June 20
Time to explore Denali
Drive to Anchorage
Accommodations at Sheraton Anchorage Hotel & Spa
Monday, June 21
Denali Flightseeing Tour to Mt. McKinley
Chugach State Park and Flat Top Mountain
Accommodations at Sheraton Anchorage Hotel & Spa
Tuesday, June 22
Portage glacier
Drive to Seward
Accommodations at Hotel Seward
Wednesday, June 23
Kenai Fjords National Park Tour
Accommodations at Hotel Seward
Thursday, June 24
Exit Glacier Ice Hiking
Drive To Homer
Katmai National Park / Lake Clark National Park
Accommodations at Driftwood Inn
Friday, June 25
Time to explore Homer
Katmai National Park / Lake Clark National Park
Drive to Anchorage
Depart Anchorage
Packing for India
Posted by creining | Filed under Travel
I am taking a trip to southern India soon. The only things I will be bringing will be what fits in my Kelty Redwing 3100 backpack. Here’s the list of the stuff I am planning on taking with me:
Passport/Vaccination certificate with India visa
Travel insurance papers (Travelex)
GAP vouchers and dossier
Airline tickets
Global GSM/GPRS smartphone/charger
400 USD
Credit and debit card
Camera/camera bag/camera charger
India power adapter
Disposable reading material
Small notebook and pen
1 100 weight fleece
2 pair Prana shorts
8 t-shirts
1 sun hat
1 pair ExOfficio convertible pants
2 pair wool hiking socks
1 pair Chaco Z/2 sandals
1 pair sunglasses
1 small towel
16 pair underwear
Sunblock
Insect repellent
Headlamp
Daypack
Glasses
Extra pair of contact lenses
Saline solution
Eye drops
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Razor and shaving cream
Facial cleanser
Shampoo
Deodorant
Lip balm
Aleve
Band aids
Antihistamine
Imodium
Antibiotic (Ciprofloxacin)
Malarone
Hand wipes
Plastic Ziploc 1 gallon bags
Trip to Holbox Island
Posted by creining | Filed under Travel
I caught myself saying “what a hidden gem this is” every day that I spent on tiny Holbox Island near the northeastern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. There are no cars, white sand roads and turquoise virgin beaches. The island is somewhat inaccessible and it’s not yet developed. It’s where mexicans go to vacation. And when you eat at a restaurant you feel like you’re eating in someone’s home. It’s very community-oriented and welcoming. Pure paradise in my opinion.
I usually do a lot of research before I travel to a new place and this time was no different. As usual, the TripAdvisor website was a great resource with the hotel reviews and the friendly folks on the forums who have a wealth of information and are happy to share their opinions and answer questions. The posts I found most useful were the one on locally owned businesses and one on how much cash to bring. Of course, there were plenty of other posts on hotels and their differences, how to get there from Cancun and what to bring.
I stayed at two different hotels while on the island. The first was Villas Flamingos which was down the beach about a 20 minute walk from the village and Holbox Dream which was essentially next to the village. Both were wonderful places with their respective pros and cons. My reviews for Flamingos and Dream on TripAdvisor. I would stay at Flamingos again in a heartbeat but a similar cabana hotel on the island is Villa Los Mapaches which I would enjoy trying next time (yes, I am going back).
The best meal I had on the island was at Los Pelicanos, an Italian restaurant run by an Italian guy named Luca. It was an absolutely amazing meal with top notch service. The risotto and tiramisu are world class. The food on the island was always good and fresh. As Holbox is a fishing village, the fish and seafood was always exceptional.
The transfer service was provided by VIP Holbox. Scheduling it was a bit difficult as numerous emails to them went unanswered. Eventually using a different email address for them worked and the service went off without a hitch. There was a pickup from Cancun (CUN) airport in an air conditioned van which went to Chiquila where we were handed ferry tickets for the transportation to Holbox where we were met and led to a golf cart taxi that took us to the hotel. As I am more comfortable with the ground trip now, when I return to the island I would either get a taxi at CUN to Chiquila or try the bus from Cancun to Chiquila. Also, there are a couple other transfer services from CUN, Cancun Transfers and Mexican Caribbean, but they were a little more expensive than VIP Holbox.
hotels at a discount, priceline.com
Posted by creining | Filed under Travel
In these tough economic times, it’s nice to save some cash on hotels. I recently went to Chicago for a weekend getaway and decided to try out priceline.com for the first time. I ran across another very useful site called biddingfortravel.com that provides strategies for bidding, information on which actual hotels are in the bidding zones and a forum where people post their hotels with price which gives an idea where to start bidding. I learned that using priceline comes down to understanding and using free re-bid zones. A free re-bid zone is a city area where the highest star level available is lower than the star level you are bidding for. So in my case, I was bidding for a four star hotel in the River North area of Chicago therefore I had free re-bid zones in Lincoln Park, Midway, O’Hare South, and Skokie Niles Evanston. I started a bid at $75 for River North. Not accepted. $85 with adding zone Skokie Niles Evanston. Not accepted. $90 with adding zone O’Hare South. Accepted. I got Westin Michigan Avenue. I thought this was a good first experience with priceline and I’d do it again.
Amsterdam trip recap
Posted by creining | Filed under Travel
My trip to Amsterdam was awesome! I found the city busy yet laid back, overrun by bicycles which I enjoyed to see, dense yet sustainable and absolutely beautiful. The fact that it was fall with the leaves on the trees falling added to the experience. Walking around the city felt like being in a fantasy land as the streets are lined with charming, tasteful and gorgeous canal houses. It felt like I was walking in a city where time had stopped decades ago. One thing I notice the more I travel abroad is how much we in the states are all about over-consumption and consumerism which are things I don’t associate with yet live with on a daily basis. Anyways, as this was supposed to be a relaxing vacation for me I didn’t have an aggressive itinerary.
My hotel was right by Dam Square so the first day (after finding my hotel and checking in) I started to explore the area nearby, walked through the Red Light District and ended up going on a canal boat tour at dusk which was peaceful with the lights from the canal streets reflecting off the water.
The next day, Thursday, I was planning on going to the Anne Frank Haus but when I got there there was a note posted on the door that said it was closed that day. So instead I walked down to the museum area and went to the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum. They were both excellent museums but the Van Gogh was truly great. I spent some more time in that area, relaxing in the Museumplein (museum square) before taking the tram back to centrum.
On Friday I headed to the Heineken brewery only to find that it was closed until October 20th. So instead I walked through the Albert Cuypstraat Market which is a very large market, apparently the largest day market in Europe. There was everything from fresh fish to vegetables to clothes to watches to luggage for sale, with more shops and cafes behind the street market vendors. I spent some more time exploring the area, the De Pijp.
Saturday I went to the Anne Frank Haus which I found really moving and would recommend as a must see to everyone visiting A’dam. I walked around the 9 streets area in Jordan, went to a flea market at Elandsgracht 109, walked up and down Nieuwe Spiegelstraat popping into some of the pricey art galleries and hung out in the Leinsplein area.
On Sunday I took the train to a nearby city called Haarlem. It was a lot smaller and therefore quieter than A’dam and I was fortunate to wander a lot of the city centrum streets without seeing anyone as it was Sunday and all the shops were closed. It was a relaxing time in an amazing old city and a perfect day trip. After getting off on the train in Haarlem I got a “Freebie Map to Haarlem” which had a suggested walking tour of the city which I did.
Monday, my last full day in A’dam, I went out looking to buy a painting (my tradition) after not finding one the previous days. I found a shop on Spuistraat that, peering through the window, looked like it may have something for me but alas the shop was closed. I was just standing outside this place when a van pulled up and a guy got out and opened up the shop! He was the owner and was just dropping some stuff off. He let me look around and I ended up finding a painting that I liked and after negotiating a price for it I payed and had a great new painting. I spent most of my day in this area, Spuistraat and along Singel, which I hadn’t explored before but found it to be quite enjoyable. And that, was my trip.
Upcoming Amsterdam trip
Posted by creining | Filed under Travel
I’m heading to Amsterdam in a couple weeks. I’ve found useful information at The Channels site and the Wikitravel Amsterdam page.
I am traveling solo, which I have never done before. I’ve flown to other countries before to meet up with someone but this will be a different experience. I’m looking forward to exploring, meeting new people, spending time with myself, contemplating, growing, becoming more self-reliant and confident and doing what I want when I want. I am really excited about this trip!
Also, I am typically a planner. Down to every last detail. With this trip however it was spur of the moment, sort of. I had wanted to go to Amsterdam this year after I finished my pilot license but wasn’t really committed to the idea. But I went ahead and bought a plane ticket 3 weeks from my departure date and I’m just gonna go. And I don’t really have a set agenda. Sweet.
Okay, well I do sort of have an agenda. But it’s much less planned than normal. When I arrive at Schiphol airport I’ll take the train which will drop me off right at Centraal Station. I will buy a museumkaart there and walk to my hotel.
I did look at a bunch of places to stay. I really wanted to stay at Hotel Brouwer but they are fully booked. Here’s the places I looked into and their ratings on Trip Advisor:
Brouwer #12, Bellevue #30, Kap #146, Corner House #185 and Museumzicht #214. I also looked at the Bulldog which is an “upscale” hostel but it was in the RLD which I don’t want to stay in and I just don’t feel like sleeping in the same room as other people anymore. It reminds me of the dormers from college.
The things I want to do are the Van Gogh museum, the Rijksmuseum, the Tattoo Museum, the Anne Frank House, the DutchFlower coffeeshop, shopping around the nine streets (negen straatjes) in the Jordaan area, wandering the flea markets Looier Kunst en Antiek-centrum (daily) on Elandsgracht 109, Beverwijkse Bazar (Saturdays), 16 miles Northwest of Amsterdam and Albert Cuypmarkt (M-F) in the De Pijp neighborhood, taking a canal bus tour, renting a bike for a day or two and riding the train out to Haarlem. And if I get bored I’m going to take the train to Belgium.
Packing for the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu – Revised
Posted by creining | Filed under Travel
Revised 5/30/2008, post trip. I updated the stuff I packed. I was pretty close, the changes are in italic below.
I am taking a trip to Peru soon where I will be hiking up the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The only luggage I will be bringing will be what fits in my Kelty Redwing 3100 backpack. Here’s the list of the stuff I am planning on taking with me:
Passport/Vaccination certificate
Travel insurance papers
GAP vouchers and dossier
Airline tickets
Global GSM/GPRS smartphone/charger
500 USD
Credit and debit card
Camera/camera bag/camera charger
Disposable reading material
1 100 weight fleeces
1 North Face waterproof breathable shell
1 pair Prana shorts
4 t-shirts
1 sun hat
1 pair ExOfficio convertible pants
1 wool hat
1 pair North Face waterproof gloves
3 pair hiking socks would be nice to have another pair or two
1 pair hiking shoes
1 pair flip flops
1 pair sunglasses
1 bed sheet did not use, would not take
1 pair Patagonia thermal underwear
10 pair underwear
1 Nalgene bottle used, but could have reused plastic water bottle
Sunblock
Headlamp
Daypack
Glasses
Extra pair contact lenses
Saline solution
Eye drops
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Razor and shaving cream
Facial cleanser
Shampoo
Deodorant
Lip balm
Aleve
Band aids
Antihistamine
Antibiotic (Ciprofloxacin)
Multi vitamins
Hand wipes
Plastic Ziploc 1 gallon bags very useful, should have taken more
Camping in Wisconsin 2007
Posted by creining | Filed under Travel
As I posted last year, I wanted to go camping this year at Blackhawk Memorial Park Campground in Argyle, Dells of Eau Claire County Park Campground in Wausau, Long Lake Recreation Area Campground in Dundee, Nelson Dewey State Park Campground in Cassville, Point Beach State Forest in Two Rivers and Pine Woods Campground in Wales. Well, I made it to Blackhawk Memorial Park, Long Lake (Kettle Moraine North) as well Pine Woods (Kettle Moraine South).
So, for next year, I would like to camp at Dells of Eau Claire, Nelson Dewey and Point Beach.
Getting away without leaving
Posted by creining | Filed under Travel
I reserved a fire circle at Picnic Point last weekend and rode my bicycle there with a friend. It was such an awesome time. There’s nothing like being able to jump on my bike in such an urban area like I live, ride it for 15 minutes and be able to build a fire in what is essentially the woods and settle in as the sun goes down. And the wood was already stacked up, ready to go and free! I felt hundreds of miles away. Oh Madison, you rarely disappoint (ahem, public transportation).
Ghana Trip
Posted by creining | Filed under Travel
I just returned from spending 15 days in Ghana. The large cities – Accra, Kumasi – are swarming and oven-baked and marked by an ever-present blanket of filthy air and traffic jams. The simplest excursion is a battle against impenetrable crowds, scorching heat and a mad, horn-blaring rodeo of cars, overloaded and mufferless trucks and tro-tros, ambling goats, and gangs of adolescent hawkers going car to car peddling everything from sweatrags to sunglasses to burlap sacks of cassava root. Following is an itineray of what I did.
4/09 (Mon) Madison / In flight
Left Madison at 7:30 AM
4/10 (Tues) Accra
Arrived in Accra at 7:30 AM
Got some breakfast at Frankies (an expat hangout)
Went to an Internet cafe
Checked in at Central Hotel (A/C, large room, hot water)
Visited the Accra Peace Corp office
Walked to lunch at a vegetarian restaurant
Went back to hotel for a shower and nap
Went to dinner at Mamma Mia Italian restaurant for pizza which was very good by American standards
4/11 (Wed) Accra / Kumasi
Planned on going from Accra to Tamale via STC (countrywide bus system), bus leaving at 8:00 AM we arrive at 7:30 AM
Wait until 12:00 PM when bus finally shows up (my first experience with waiting obscene amounts of time), find out we have tickets for the wrong day
Get tickets for Accra to Kumasi, bus scheduled to leave at 1:30 PM
Wait until 5:00 PM when bus shows up, this bus doesn’t have A/C as it should so get refund for non-A/C bus
Arrive in Kumasi at 11:00 PM, I stay at Maplewood Hotel (clean, hot water, A/C, breakfast included)
4/12 (Thur) Kumasi
Check out of Maplewood Hotel and drop bags at Kumasi Peace Corp office
Head into the city and walk through Kejetia Market as well as part of the city
Go to the Vanef station to get tickets for ‘fast car’ to Bolga
Walk through the National Culture Center where I buy an african mask and a painting
Eat lunch at Vic Baboo’s (really good fish biryani and samosas)
Pick up food at Kejetia for dinner
Cook dinner at Peace Corp office – chili, guacomole, potatoes, salad
Spend night at Peace Corp office
4/13 (Fri) Kumasi / Bolga / Navrongo
Vanef ‘fast car’ scheduled to leave at 7:00 AM and leaves at 7:45 AM
Arrive in Bolga at 2:45 PM (this was very fast travelling in Ghana, driver going 75-80 km/hr)
Take taxi to Navrongo and get some beer and Wachi (rice with beans)
Check in at Saint Lucien (small clean room, no A/C, fan, bucket bath)
Drink some beer at Cool Base Spot and pick out fish to be grilled from restaurant in front
4/14 (Sat) Navrongo / Paga / Bolga / Bawku
Visit Zenga crocodile pond in Paga, feed two chickens to croc
Head to Bolga, eat some fresh pineapple and koala nuts
Get on tro-tro to Bawku, while enroute it runs out of gas, driver goes to get gas and has to suck some out of the line
Visit Bawku Secondary School
Check in at Good Shephard guest house (clean room, A/C but not running, fan, bucket bath)
Eat at Shalom Restaurant – the best fish and jollof I had in Ghana
Walk around town a bit, stop at a couple spots and visit with Godfred
Godfred gave me a ride at night on his moto through the dirt walkways to the guest house
4/15 (Sun) Bawku
Walked around Bawku a bit more in the morning
Had red red for lunch (the best red red I had in Ghana)
Stopped at a pito spot and partook
Went to Shalom Restaurant for dinner
Godfred gave me a gift of a beautiful fugu or smock
Could not sleep, it was too hot and I had no water to drink, very miserable
4/16 (Mon) Bawku / Bolga / Tamale
Left on tro-tro to Bolga in the morning and then caught tro-tro to Tamale
Arrive in Tamale at 2:30 PM
Visited with Bill at a spot
Had dinner at the Crest / Local Spot overlooking Tamale
Bought some food for breakfast
Stayed the night at the Tamale Peace Corp office
4/17 (Tues) Tamale / Mole National Park
Had breakfast of potatoes, eggs, cheese and toast
Went to Tamale station to get bus ticket to Mole
Visited arts/crafts shops, negotiated (from 180 to 140 cedis) with a guy to make 4 cloth bags from material I picked out
Made lunch, grilled cheese and avocado
Went to get cloth bags before the Mole bus left, the guy couldn’t get the material so no bags
Went to station for 2:00 PM bus, it left at 3:00 PM
Arrive at Mole at 8:00 PM and checked in (fan, sometimes A/C, bucket bath)
Had dinner of fish and chips
Had dip in the pool before bed
4/18 (Wed) Mole National Park
It rained the night before so no elephants at watering hole
Went on 6:00 AM safari for 2 hours, saw warthogs, kob antelope and roan antelope
Ate mushroom omellete for breakfast
Dip in pool
Rented bikes and rode to Larabanga to see Mosque from 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Went on safari at 3:30 PM and saw the same wildlife along with baboons but no elephants
When arrived back at hotel there were elephants at watering hole
Had guide take us back down to get closer look which was amazing
Dip in pool
Dinner of vegetable pasta that wasn’t very good
4/19 (Thur) Mole National Park / Techiman / Nkoranza / Fiema / Kumasi
Bus left Mole at 4:00 AM headed to Tamale
Got off when bus reached the Tamale-Techiman road to get tro-tro south to Techiman
Took tro-tro to Techiman
Took taxi to Nkoranza, ate yam and sauce, then taxi to Fiema to the Monkey Sanctuary
Went on tour of Monkey Sanctuary and saw Colobus and Mona monkeys and some really neat trees
Got lift in bed of pickup (along with two women and alot of mangoes) back to Techiman
Took tro-tro to Kumasi which was terrifying as it was dark outside, the roads were dusty and the driver didn’t seem to care if he lived or died
Arrived Kumasi at 8:30 PM
Stayed at Peace Corp Office
4/20 (Fri) Kumasi / Sekondari / Busua
Left Kumasi for Sekondari at 7:30 AM
Got on tro-tro in Sekondari headed to Busua
Took taxi with rastas into Busua
Got a two bed hut for two nights at Alaska Beach Club (sometimes fan, shower) which was right on beach
Had a few beers and good vegetable pizza for dinner
Went swimming in ocean under a clear starry sky
Went across the road to another hotel to play a couple games of pool
4/21 (Sat) Busua
Got up early to take pictures of sunrise
Went for swim in ocean
Got some fresh juice from a guy selling it
Went for a swim
Walked to Dixcove and back
Bought lunch of tuna from Nannah (local restaurant fish guy)
Sat by beach and read and swam
Drank some beer at Swingers Spot
Bought dinner of fish from Nannah
4/22 (Sun) Busua / Tekoradi / Cape Coast / Anomabu
Left early on tro-tro for Tekoradi
Took tro-tro to Cape Coast
Took tro-tro to Anomabu midday and ate at Anomabu Beach Resort, very good vegetable pasta
Swam in ocean a few times and went body boarding
Tro-tro on way back to Cape Coast caught on fire (this happens alot)
Ate dinner of red red at Elmina Castle Restaurant
Stayed at Kates house (fan, bucket bath)
4/23 (Mon) Cape Coast / Accra
Woke up by very loud roosters very early
Took tro-tro to Kakum Park
Went on tour of Kakum Park
Waited a long time for tro-tro back to Cape Coast
Ate lunch at Cape Coast Cafe
Went on tour of Cape Coast Castle
No time to visit Elmina fishing boat area
Took tro-tro to Accra
Arrived in Accra at 7:00 PM
Checked in at Central Hotel (A/C, large room, hot water)
Ate dinner at Frankies
4/24 (Tues) Accra / In flight
Left for airport at 6:00 AM
Airplane departed at 10:30 AM
Arrived at JFK at 6:00 PM
Slept at airport (not recommended)
4/25 (Wed) In flight / Madison
Airplane left at 6:00 AM
Arrived Madison at 10:00 AM