Do You Wanna Go?

Posted by golfkat on October 3, 2018
Posted in: Travel. Leave a comment

Did you see this from Travel and Leisure?

Destinations With the Most International Tourist Arrivals in 2017

  1. France — 86.9 million
  2. Spain — 81.8 million
  3. U.S. — 75.9 million
  4. China — 60.7 million
  5. Italy — 58.3 million
  6. Mexico — 39.3 million
  7. U.K. — 37.7 million
  8. Turkey — 37.6 million**
  9. Germany — 37.5 million
  10. Thailand — 35.4 million

This list still amazes me after decades, very Eurocentric, with only two countries in Asia, one south of our border.  I can only conclude that the majority of travelers have European roots?

A friend was just telling me about a friend of theirs who is currently in a little village in France.  They were able to find descendants of residents of that village, and hosted a town festival with only their relatives!!!!  People came form all over the world.  My guess is that most were Americans or other Europeans.
Interestingly, on my very first trip to Europe in 1971, France was not high on my light.  This was primarily due to the hostility that we Americans faced in the DE Gaulle inspired post war France.  Obviously this has changed.  Why?  Maybe France has changed since its population has changed so dramatically.
Immigration to France has changed:  46% from Europe (including eastern Europe), 30% from Africa, and only 14% from Asia. A mere 10% come from the Americas and Oceania.  For this reason alone, I begin to suspect that the typical “Frenchman” no longer harbors much animosity to Americans, and travelers in general.
Of the top ten countries listed, Turkey** is the only place I have not visited.  But here are the fastest growing places to visit, which is dramatically different than the first list:
  1. Egypt — 55.1%
  2. Togo — 46.7%
  3. Vietnam — 29.1%
  4. Palestine — 25.7%
  5. Niue — 25.4%
  6. Nepal — 24.9%
  7. Israel — 24.6%
  8. Northern Mariana Islands — 24.3%
  9. Turkey (tie) — 24.1%**
  10. Iceland (tie) — 24.1%
  11. Macedonia — 23.5%
Out of these eleven countries, by contrast, I have been to only two:  Vietnam, and Nepal.  Several, I have no desire or reason to visit:  Togo, Palestine, Niue, Israel, Mariana, and Macedonia.  Again, I would love to visit Turkey** if the politics settle down next year.
But why are these countries growing their tourism so fast?  I can only guess, but part of the reason might be a combination of cheap flights, and no requirement of a visa.  For instance, Egypt is a favorite places of eastern Europeans, since flights are plentiful, and no visa is required.  I have no idea on many of the other countries on the list.
Personally, I found Vietnam to be charming and beautiful country, with friendly people, good food, and an interesting past.  I would imagine a good percentage of travelers are retired military who were forced the endure the war in the 60s and early 70s.  For me, the French colonial roots, culture, and food are a big draw to Hanoi, in particular.  This will be my third visit to Vietnam (next month).
The initial reason we visited Nepal was to experience the culture, and to see Mount Everest.  It is definitely a third or fourth world place, void of much tourist infrastructure,  But we were able to make a great connection to a local guide, and his family.  Would I go back?  Probably not.  Once is enough for many of the places we have visited.
How some of these places made this list is a surprise to me!  Where is the heck is Togo (a west African country, between Ghana and Benin), and what is there?  And who would go to the middle east (Palestine and Israel) unless you have ancestors from there?  And Niue, a South Pacific island with less than 2000 residents.  I hear they are in the middle of the whale migration.  Macedonia, why?
I am sure you have your own travel goals, whether based on your own interests or ethnicity.  For us, getting to my mother country, Japan, took about a decade to happen.  The issues were language and cost.  Once those barriers were addressed, we made Japan a top priority.  And it remains so, particularly with the 2020 Olympics being hosted in Tokyo.  Oh, and the vast amount of inexpensive, Michelin starred restaurants there.
I say, forget these “expert” lists, and go where you want to go.  I do!!!!

Do You Layover or Fly Nonstop??

Posted by golfkat on October 3, 2018
Posted in: Travel. Leave a comment

Here (from AFAR) are some of the newest and longest flights:

When Singapore Airline’s 19-hour flight between Newark Liberty International and Singapore launches next month, it will not only be the world’s longest commercial flight but also the latest in what has been a steady stream of super-long-haul flights recently announced by several airlines.

Australian carrier Qantas just launched a 14-hour nonstop flight between Melbourne and San Francisco, which comes just months after the company introduced a 17-hour flight between Perth and London Heathrow in March. The airline has also reportedly placed an order for commercial aircraft that will be capable of making the 20-hour flight between London and Sydney by 2022—which would take the top spot as the longest flight if and when it does launch.

At the start of the year, United launched an 8,596-mile, 17.5-hour flight from Houston to Sydney, which is in addition to its routes from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Singapore, comprising the three longest flights offered by a U.S. carrier.

And it isn’t just international flights that are going the distance. Earlier this month, Hawaiian Airlines announced a new, nearly 12-hour nonstop service between Boston and Honolulu, a 5,095-mile flight that will be the longest in the United States when it takes off on April 4.

Most jet setters prefer the long non stop, as I do.  The only time I will do a stopover is when I am forced to do so.  Since moving to Fresno, most of my out of state and foreign flights require a transfer at SDFO, LAX, or Denver.
The longest flight I have ever taken was the Auckland, New Zealand to San Francisco, about 16 hours as I recall, in coach.  But I was able to sleep since the plane was only about 2/3 full, and I could stretch out across the middle seats in coach.
And one of our best flights were from Hong Kong to SFO on Singapore, in first class, at about 12 hours in length.   Of course, flying first class in Singapore is more than tolerable at any distance or time span.  It is better than being almost anywhere else!

Travel Books You Must Read

Posted by golfkat on October 2, 2018
Posted in: Cultures, Entertainment, Travel. Leave a comment

The Best Travel Souvenirs

Posted by golfkat on October 2, 2018
Posted in: Cultures, Hobbies, Travel. Leave a comment

Usually, I am not a big fan of buying expensive and bulky objects on my trips, whether foreign or domestic.  I have “collected” some of the more obvious souvenirs over the years, patches, match books, postcards, T shirts, and wine.  But most of you know I tend to keep it simple these days, with the lowly, fairly inexpensive, but always unique refrigerator magnet.

I must have several hundred, but really have no place to display them.  When I was working, I covered the sides of my file cabinets in my office.  Now, a few more recent additions are displayed on a small refrigerator in our garage.

But even now, there are some souvenirs that are worthy of venturing out from the “fridge” magnet mentality.  What might some of these items be?  Here are a few, many of which I have not personally purchased, others I would never admit to, and some that are just totally embarrassing.

Moscow or St. Petersburg, Russia  The ubiquitous matrushka dolls can be found in every store, street corner, and dumpster throughout Russia.  Yes, I thought Sheri might enjoy them.

Hoi An, Vietnam  Lacquered art objects, like candy dishes are uniquely part of the culture.  I did buy one, but who knows where it might be now?

Warsaw, Poland  My travel buddy, Mike was in search of a “black Madonna” whatever that might be.  Yes, we found it at a church supply store in Warsaw.  Would you EVER think I would walk into a church supply store anywhere in the world?

Queenstown, New Zealand  I definitely broke the rules here by buying one of their famous wool sweaters.  What made it so unique was the wool was mixed with possum!!!  It remains one of the warmest sweaters I have ever owned.

Luang Prabang, Laos  Every tourist must try their national hooch, aka “lao lao”.  It is bright red, tastes like jet fuel, and burns all the way down.  I would let you taste it, but I put it in my gas tank instead!!

Argentina  Since I could not bring home the fabulous steaks, or much of the Malbecs, I settled for a small wood sculptured landscape in Patagonia, purchased in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.  I still have it, miraculously.  Oh, I remember I also purchased a nice leather belt in Mendoza or Buenos Aires.

Hawaii  Our best souvenir is a clock made of Hawaiian koa wood, with Japanese characters for the numbers.  A photo is attached (above), it works great, uses batteries.

Budapest, Hungary  Mike and I bought some of their famous tokaji wine, but I do not know where I put it.  Did I give it to you?

Cape Town, South Africa  I bought a bottle of their famous pinotage, the one that has the aroma of coffee!!!  We drank it, of course!

Hanoi, Vietnam  I bought a beautiful silk tie.  When I got home, I went directly to Nordstrom to find a dress shirt to go with it.  Quite a nice combination, but now I have nowhere to wear it.

Scotland  I bought dozens of logo golf balls, all of which I have away to my buddy, Paul.  I may have kept one from St. Andrews, but have no idea where I put it.  I do have some golf shirts and windbreakers from St. Andrews, however.

Peru  Rather than bring back something from the Amazon, I bought a cashmere scarf that I have never worn.  It is quite nice, maybe I will give it away.

Otavalo (Colombia)  I bought more wool scarves, maybe Sheri still has one.  I think I gave the rest away.  Also, Colombia is the major supplies of the world’s chocolate, so we bought a bunch of chocolate bars.  And no, they did not melt in our bags.

Bangkok, Thailand  On our first trip there, we had suits and outfits tailored for us.  We still visit the same tailor, though now it is mostly for blouses for Sheri.  I do not need any more suits!!  But pictured above is one of the three or four suits I have left, and Sheri’s beautiful outfit.

Inle Lake, Myanmar  Of all things, I bought some Burmese cigarettes and cigars.  I figured my friends who still smoke would get a pick out of them.  I even tried one while visiting the factory there.  It reminded me of those candy cigarettes we had when we were kids.  I still have a small bottle opener I bought there.  Oh, and I did buy some real Cuban cigars for friends back home.

Champagne, France  Besides buying and drinking magnums of champagne, I brought home an ice bucket, champagne cookies, and several souvenir wine stoppers from the famous champagne houses in Epernay and Reims.

Dublin, Ireland  No Guinness, but I did find a nice soccer shirt that I can use as a cycling jersey.  But it is red, and you know how I feel about red.

Amsterdam  I bought some cute little van Gogh postcards of his “Japanese” period of his artistic life.  But the real treasure was some smoked gouda from a farm we cycled to out in the country, and a cycling jersey from the tour operator.

Wimbledon (London)  Yes, I bought a T shirt, and a polo shirt, at the All England Club  But the real treasure was discovering “wine gummies” at Harrods.

Berlin  I refused to buy a piece of the old Berlin Wall.  It should remain there as a reminder of a terrible period in our lives.  But I did find more wine gummies at KaDeWe  (Kaufhaus des Westens), my favorite department store in the entire world.

Siem Reap, Cambodia  A place where there was not too much to buy back then, other than T shirts, and some low quality local crafts. We opted for T shirts.

Sydney, Australia  We bought a boomerang, but it never came back!

Tanzania  I bought a beautiful red scarf for Sheri with animals pictured on it.  It gave her a rash on her neck.  We had to wash it, and now, it is just fine, perhaps a little weathered.

You see the pattern here, right?  Small, light, easy to carry objects, none of which attract attention from customs agents.

HINT:  Never wait until the airport and the Duty Free Shops to buy this stuff!!!  Never.

There was a time when I brought back little trinkets for my staff at Kaiser.  But as the staff and my responsibilities grew, I finally had to stop doing this.  They really looked forward to my return, if only for the gifts!

Many times, the best memories are the photos I did not take. Yes, read that again.  The photos I did not take.  The images are locked in my memory.  And I have written about many of the places I have been as well.  Who needs “stuff” when I have the real thing?travel clocktravel maptravel PatagSohbee party 2006

Most Frequent Flyers Are Americans

Posted by golfkat on October 2, 2018
Posted in: Action, Cultures, Travel. Leave a comment

From Relax News and the IATA:

The US tops the list with 632 million passengers taking to the skies in 2017, representing 19 percent of global flyers, followed by China (555 million), India (161.5 million), the UK (147 million) and Germany (114 million).

Regionally, the results remain unchanged: airlines in the Asia-Pacific region carried the largest number of passengers in 2017, taking up 36 percent of the global market share with 1.5 billion passengers.

Based on my recent travels, I can see why this is true.  The cheaper flights (under $1000) to Europe and Asia from the US are big incentives to travel.  And we see large numbers of Chinese and Indian tourists in hot spots around the world.

And the regional statistics make sense, since the region is geographically conducive to air travel, and well serviced by several discount airlines, like Air Asia (many $19 flights).  In fact, we will be using Air Asia on our inter Asia travels next month.

When it comes to the top five airlines by total number of passenger kilometers flown, US carriers dominate the ranking with American Airlines (324 million) leading the charts, followed by Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Emirates Airline and Southwest Airlines.

And the busiest international air routes for 2017 were once again air corridors in the Asia-Pacific region, led by Hong Kong and Taipei Taoyuan, followed by Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta and Singapore and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and Hong Kong.

Now, I am not a fan of the big domestic air carriers.  My favorite remains Alaska Air, followed by Hawaiian Airlines, though both offer rather limited routes by comparison.  Emirates, along with Singapore are the top rated airlines internationally.

The Asian air corridors make total sense from both a business and leisure travel perspective.  Many of our friends in SE Asia take frequent shopping and foodie trips to Singapore and Hong Kong,  And Bangkok has become the most frequently visited city in the world!

In my own words, “Let’s Go!!!!!!!”

 

Dangerous Places

Posted by golfkat on October 2, 2018
Posted in: Action, Cultures, Travel. Leave a comment

Did you read this from Reader’s Digest?  Hint:  I never read it!!!!

So in which state do the majority of these muggings take place? Nevada. FBI statistics show the state saw 217.5 robberies per 100,000 people in 2015. That’s compared to the 164 robberies per 100,000 people in the second most robbery-laden state, Maryland.


State number three is California, with 135 robberies, followed by Delaware, with 130.6. New York rounds out the top five with 120.9 robberies.  San Francisco is the third most dangerous city in California for violent crime!!

Having just returned from San Diego, the homeless and drug situation there is truly alarming.  As I walked back to my Gaslamp district hotel after an extra inning game that lasted almost to midnight, I did feel a little vulnerable.  But I tried to follow the crowd, and made it back without any trouble.

The very worst time I have had on the road occurred at one of those freeway rest stops along I-5.  I needed to use the facilities, so I stopped and went in.  Several “bums” had made the men’s toilet their temporary home.  They asked for money to buy food.  How vulnerable can a person be when they have their zipper down?  Upon finishing, I reached in my pocket, and threw all of my coins onto the floor.  I sprinted to my car, and got the heck out of there.  I forgot to mention they were holding tin can lids they had removed from their previous meal.
I always considered Washington, DC at night to be the most dangerous place in the U.S.  These days, with Uber, most of those fears have subsided.  But I can recall many times, being followed from my restaurant back to my hotel.  I was always dressed nicely, and perhaps too easy a target.
Yesterday, as I got off the bus from downtown San Diego to the airport, I was accosted by a homeless man for cash or drugs.  He said I had a choice as to which one.  I told him I had neither, and would go to the airport police to ask for his removal.  I just did not go, I sprinted inside the terminal, never looking back!!
Overseas travel:

In 2017, more than 800 U.S. citizens died overseas of unnatural causes, according to State Department data. We took into account both number of deaths and the number of tourists traveling to that country to calculate the death rates for U.S. citizens in each country.

While Mexico had the most tourist deaths in 2017, it also had the highest number of travelers — almost half of all Americans traveling out of the country go south of the border. Thailand had relatively few American visitors, but a relatively high number of deaths. The most common causes of death for visitors overseas was car accidents and homicide.

Hint:  I do not go to Mexico very often, but I do visit Thailand fairly often.  But we rarely rent a car!

However, both Vietnam and Thailand are at the top of the list of dangerous countries.  And we are visiting both next month.  Thailand had 33 deaths or 5.74 deaths per 100,000 visitors, while Vietnam had 13 deaths or 3.77 deaths per 100,000 tourists.  Rarely do either of these countries have travel warnings.  Thailand does have frequent political demonstrations, but relatively few compared to Burma, France, Turkey, and Spain.
In reality, what makes anyone of us feel we are in danger?  First, the people around me. Second the neighborhood or specific location (like a bar or party).  And third, if I ever felt out of control (drunk or drugged), which I hope is never!  Rarely do I have more than two glasses of beer, wine or champagne when I travel alone.
But a few years back, Mr. Mike and I walked into a rather seedy bar in Pucon, Chile. An inebriated, and rough looking character was mouthing off.  We paid for our half finished beer, and got the heck out of there.  It was probably the worst experience we ever had on the road.  And we knew better than to go into that bar!!!
So, when I mention to you to TRAVEL SAFELY, I really mean it.  It applies to all of us, whether experienced, solo, or in your car.

Tour de France, and Tour de Fresno

Posted by golfkat on October 2, 2018
Posted in: Action, Sports. Leave a comment

Bicycling by Molly Hurford: Eighty million American viewers follow the Tour, and every season the coverage from NBC has improved. This year is no exception, with the introduction of a commercial-free full livestream plus daily full-stage coverage on the network’s cable channel. Even those without cable essentially have full access thanks to new digital streaming options.

If you have cable out here in California, NBS Sports will broadcast every day at 10am PDT.  If you do not have cable, you can stream for about $50, or Direct TV for $35 a month.

It works out perfectly for me.  I head out on my own cycling ride about 7am, and get back about 9am, shower, and watch from about 10am.

The Specialized Robaix bicycle pictured above is the BIG brother to my bicycle, give or take about $5000 USD.

We will have slightly fewer viewers watching us ride in the Tour de Fresno on Saturday.  In fact, we are not even on TV. But our version meanders through the Valley towns and cities that I grew up in and around.  Besides my hometown of Kingsburg, we will also ride through Fowler, Selma, Dinuba, Reedley, Parlier, and Sanger.

From their website:  The Annual Tour de Fresno Charity Bike Ride is offering a 8-city tour of Fresno County including Fresno, Fowler, Selma, Kingsburg, Parlier, Reedley, Orange Cove and Sanger, and will celebrate the bounty that Fresno County offers! The ride provides five different route options: Century, Half Century, Metric Century, Fresno County Ride, and Family Ride.

You will begin your ride from the recently expended beautiful grounds at the California Home for the Aged (a.k.a: California Armenian Home) located between Armstrong and Temperance Ave. at 6720 E. Kings Canyon Rd. Fresno CA 93727. The site provides ample, free and secure parking space. The rides will pass through County Cities and neighborhoods, including Sanger, Parlier, Kingsburg, Selma, Fowler, Reedley, Parlier and Fresno and enjoy the great hospitality at rest stops in each of those cities.  I will do the Five Cities ride, about 48 miles fairly flat.

From their website: The Bike Ride will provide you with adventurous views of city streets, along with scenic views of breathtaking mountains and waterfront. Gourmet lunch grilled at the site with rice pilaf and salad will be served at the end of the ride at the tree shaded Start/Finish Park.

Tour de Fresno Charity Bike Ride is an annual fund raising event of the ATG, a Fresno based 501 (c) 3 non-profit public benefit organizations, to promote educational and charitable endeavors and tourism in Fresno County. In cooperation with the County of Fresno and the Cities within the county Tour de Fresno enjoys the generous support of Valley businesses, cycling clubs, teams, organizations and bike-stores.

Tour de Fresno invites riders of all classes to experience world class cycling events in Fresno County, starting and ending from California’s fifth largest city to enjoy its natural beauty, surrounding mountains and wonderful hospitality.

Tour de Fresno connects concerned cyclists with charitable activities. When you ride in a Tour de Fresno event, you will be riding with a purpose.  Proceeds from Tour de Fresno will promote charitable and educational endeavors in the valley, as well as promoting cycling as a viable clean-air transportation option for all residents of Fresno County.

The money you help raise will go toward helping those who are less fortune in our community through education and training, to improve their social and economic conditions and guide them to become part of productive segment of the Valley. You will be giving hope to communities that can benefit from a helping hand.

Join us, the family ride is only 17 miles.