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All posts for the month January, 2015

Dangerous Air

Posted by golfkat on January 30, 2015

Posted in: Travel. Leave a comment

The recent airline crashes into the ocean raise an interesting question. Which airlines are the most dangerous? And conversely, which ones do you really want to fly? Here is what Yahoo Travel came up with, examining fatality records:

The Most Dangerous Airlines for 2015
•Kam Air
•Nepal Airlines
•SCAT Airlines
•Tara Air

I may have flown Nepal Airlines on our trip to Katmandu, Nepal several years ago. But even riskier was the little plane we took over to Mount Everest, called Buddha Air. First, we had to wait for the fog to clear. Then, we had to balance the twenty or so passengers on the little plane. One at a time, we were allowed to walk up to the cockpit area to view the world’s tallest mountain. Everyone else, except for those pushy Japanese tourists, were told to sit and wait their turn!

The Safest Airlines for 2015
•Qantas
•Air New Zealand
•British Airways
•Cathay Pacific Airways
•Emirates
•Etihad Airways
•EVA Air
•Finnair
•Lufthansa
•Qantas
•Singapore Airlines.

Qantas is the safest. Is there a rather clear picture here? All of the airlines are foreign based, mostly based in Asia. Given a choice, I would always choose the foreign airline for a trip abroad.

Safest Low-Cost Airlines for 2015
•Aer Lingus
•Alaska Airlines
•Icelandair
•Jetblue
•Jetstar
•Kulula.com
•Monarch Airlines
•Thomas Cook
•TUI Fly
•WestJet

Fortunately for us, we fly Alaska Airlines quite frequently, to Seattle and beyond. But JetBlue made the list, despite the crazy flight attendant who used the emergency chute to deplane a few years ago.

My rule of thumb is to always choose an Asia based airline, except for Air Asia, and Malaysian Air. Numero uno to me is Singapore, followed by Air Canada.

Travel Trends, Good, Bad or ??

Posted by golfkat on January 26, 2015

Posted in: Entertainment, Food, Travel. Leave a comment

My comments in italics. Interesting!!!

Now hear this: Data from the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) forecasts that 6.6 billion passengers will fly worldwide by 2032, growing an average of 4.4% annually from 2014. Lonely Planet believes the concept of travel as a rare treat is disappearing, replaced by travel as a lifestyle choice. Fortunately, by 2032, I would be 86, and mostly likely too old to travel, at least as I do now. Maybe I can find a cure for sea sickness and become a cruiser dude.

With flights faster and cheaper than ever before, travellers are taking advantage of a global calendar of events, such as the Burning Man Festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. I have enjoyed my global events, though I expect them to be cost prohibitive in the near future. This would include events on most of your bucket lists, like the Olympics, Wimbledon, Kentucky Derby, or the Great Barrier Reef.

Lonely Planet’s predictions also bode well for economy fliers, as increased competition on well-trodden flight paths is encouraging airlines to improve the experience for everyone. Perhaps lie-flat seats, high-quality food and more luxurious touches on economy flights are not too far away? It seems like it has become increasingly dangerous to fly internationally.

Airports are also due for an overhaul as innovative departure lounges are a key part of any future travel landscape. With airport spas, art galleries, green areas and even cinemas now a common sight at most departure lounges, Lonely Planet suggests we can expect bigger and bolder leisure activities soon – maybe even a pre-flight rollercoaster. The foreign airlines have already figured this out, the big American- based carriers are still trying to cut corners and cheapen the travel experience.

Research has also seen the increase in demand for hotels that offer something extra as travellers’ explore the globe in search of once-in-a-lifetime sights. Other than perhaps a destination retreat, I just want my hotel room is to clean, safe, efficient, and affordable. Too many amenities means spending too much time inside the hotel, when you should be out exploring.

Lonely Planet also predicts that green travel is on the rise as a new generation of travellers builds sustainability into every step of their journeys. 70% of travellers expect companies to demonstrate commitment to preserving the natural environment prompting a boom in ecotourism and volunteering abroad. I am not buying this, as I believe most travel companies are more concerned about profits than green. Correct me if I am wrong!!!!

Technology is also going to play an increasingly significant role, with more airlines offering paperless travel and integrated smartphones key to planning and tracking your travels. Soon technology will mean suggested tweaks to travellers’ itineraries based on weather conditions and local events will be sent directly to travellers’ smart phones or tablets during a flight. What about the charm of the unexpected? I really do not want a trip that is planned to well, or in great detail. I like to divert along the path LESS traveled!

The pressures of modern life are also recognised, as Lonely Planet suggests we can expect an increase in ‘unplugged travel’. With no emails or mobile signal, guests can immerse themselves in their destination and truly forget about work and everyday life. Remote hotels are starting to make a feature of their lack of internet and phone signal. Or you can be like Marriott, and jam everyone else’s signal. I send a daily email out to you when I am on the road. I enjoy it, and will keep doing it as long as you want to read them.

Sourcing online reviews remains second-nature for travellers, but hunger for secret coves and local secrets is emboldening them to embrace face-to-face or local recommendations. Lonely Planet experts suggest online reviews will remain part of a traveller’s toolkit, but a local recommendation has never been more highly prized. Over my years of travel, I have found the best locals to tap into are shuttle drivers, waiters and waitresses, and your half day travel guide.

Travelers can now plan their travels from the comfort of their laptop, exploring on Google Streetview before seeing it for real. But like I said above, save some time for a little spontaneity. I really cannot see myself carrying a laptop or tablet as I explore Burma, or Croatia.

One important item the Lonely Planet left out. That would be health risks, travel injuries, and infectious disease outbreaks. You must take precautions, stay in contact with the Centers for Disease Control, and only take calculated risks in third or fourth world countries. Even then, things can go wrong. An Aussie woman on my Trans Siberian Railway trip last May had a detached retina. Fortunately, she had travel insurance, and was flown to Moscow for surgery. But who wants a Russian physician fixing their eye? Not me!!!!

Don’t laugh at Jerry Brown’s high speed rail. It might become the only way to get around this great state of ours!

Seattle Rocks

Posted by golfkat on January 22, 2015

Posted in: Cultures, Entertainment, Music, Travel. Leave a comment

Rock and roll became popular in the Fifties long before Jimi, Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Ray Charles played down on Jackson Street in the late 40s. He played and recorded with a fellow named Quincy Jones, whose family moved here in 1947. Woody Guthrie wrote over twenty songs here in the 1940s. Quincy Jones has a rich legacy that includes Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, and Michael Jackson. Even Willie Nelson moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1957, followed by Buck Owens and Loretta Lynn a year later. Along came two more groups in 1959 that topped the Billboard 100 in the Fleetwoods, and Heart. They remain the only Seattle groups to have two songs that top the charts.

Make note that the Fleetwoods were signed by the Northwest’s first rock recording company, Dolton Records. Most of you boomers know they singed another group, the Ventures, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band that became famous internationally, and recorded the theme song for the TV show, Hawaii Five-O. Other groups in this era are The Brothers Four, Chad Mitchell Trio, Paul Revere and the Raiders, and my personal favorite, The Kingsmen (Louie, Louie). They were followed in the Sixties by Robert Cray, Larry Coryell, Queensryche, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Alice in Chains, and Danny O’Keefe.

Then a local disc jockey named Pat O’Day helped launch a local pre-grunge band, the Sonics, and later, the biggest star, the one and only, Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix played down on Jackson Street, just as Ray Charles and Quincy Jones before him. Nirvana was formed in 1987, but released their it single, “Love Buzz” with Seattle’s Sub Pop Records. This label also helped groups like Soundgarden and Mudhoney.

Seattle has also benefitted by having outstanding music schools. The Cornish School of Fine Arts at the U Dub are among our country’s best. And the high school jazz studies programs at Garfield and Roosevelt High Schools provide a foundation for future artists. Of course, Paul Allen’s Experience Music Project (EMP) is one of the country’s great music museums. Even Muzak was based here for many years.

This is one of the many reasons we love to visit Seattle. Over the years, we have seen many well known artists perform here. This includes the now famous Kingsmen, singing their hit, Louie, Louie at the Triple Door. Back on April 6, 1963, they walked into a three microphone studio and recorded Louie, Louie. It was more yelling than singing, with about $40 worth of beer. The warm up had some mistakes, but became the only recording for the 45 rpm record. The single reached Number 1 on the Cashbox chart, and Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. But it sold over a million copies and received a gold disc.

The Governor of Indiana was the first to allege the indecent lyrics, mostly by Jack Ely of the Kingsmen. Ely was forced to use a strange microphone, and compounded his enunciation with some braces on his teeth (and the beer). Soon, radio stations across the country caught wind of this, and the song was either wildly popular or banned. It came to a head when the FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover wrote to radio stations, barring them for playing the song. And the rest, as they say, is history.

We enjoy Seattle’s rich musical history, as well as their more contemporary artists. These include: Paul Simon, Sting, Janis Ian, Chicago, Hall and Oats, Average White Band, Josh Redmond, Sheila E, and the ghost of Jimi Hendrix. And the venues we enjoy, Triple Door, Jazz Alley, Shoe Box (thank you, Ed Sullivan). and the Paramount are walking distance from the downtown hotels and dining.

A Winter’s Day in Monterey

Posted by golfkat on January 22, 2015

Posted in: Entertainment, Food, Travel. Leave a comment

The big secret, as Californians that we all know, is that winter does provide some of the most beautiful and sunny days of the year. Crystal clear, with little or no breeze, creates a picturesque day. A round of golf at Pebble Beach, though now a little pricey, is perhaps one of the greatest and most beautiful walks in the world. It is often seen on television during the Pebble Beach Clambake (otherwise known now as the ATT PGA Pro-Am Golf Tournament) when the east coast is slammed with cold, snow, ice, and rain.

But on those few really cold or rainy days here, what can we do to enjoy this great part of the world?

1. The Monterey Aquarium

2. The John Steinbeck Center (Salinas)

3. Carmel Mission (where Father Serra is buried) They are making him a Saint?

4. Go wine tasting (seventeen tasting rooms in Carmel alone!).

5. Road trip down Highway 1 to Big Sur.

6. Monterey Fisherman’s Wharf

7. Find your Zen at a spa.

8. When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping!

9. Drive famous Seventeen Mile Drive (both ways)

10. Find a dry spot inside (grab a glass of wine and a book)

Many reasonably priced hotels have fireplaces. And many are located within walking distance to restaurants and bars. And the risk of a terrorist attack seems quite low in Camel and Monterey. Locals are always friendly, and quick to offer a suggestion for a place to eat, drink, and play.

Without golf clubs or my bicycle, I feel betrayed and abandoned (just kidding!). But we will have our dog, Buddy with us. And he loves to run on the white sand beach of Carmel bay. We have even gone over to Pebble Beach from Carmel. And we need to do a little shopping for our upcoming trip to Hawaii. Or maybe I can just hang around the bikini shop, pretending that I am buying a gift?

By the way, the weather will be gorgeous.

Fictional Seattle

Posted by golfkat on January 16, 2015

Posted in: Cultures, Entertainment, Travel. Leave a comment

Who is Seattle’s most famous fictional character? There are many, and here are some of my favorites:

Eddie Crane is the little Jack Russell terrier on Frasier. He is known for his acting, and by being the only one who is not talking. Our dog Buddy is often mistaken for a Jack Russell, since the temperament is similar. The other part about the TV show I liked was the view from Frasier’s high rise apartment in downtown Seattle. I have yet to find that view, or even come close on any of my visits here.

My other favorite fictional character from Seattle is Mike Doonesbury, also known as Michael James Doonesbury. He started out as a freshman from Tulsa at Walden College, and shared a dorm room with B.D. He is married to Kim Rosenthal, and divorced from Joanie Caucus. Mike’s daughter Alex lived with Kim and Mike until she left for M.I.T. Mike is the everyman of the comic strip, well adjusted, and easy to relate to.

The best movie for fictional characters is one of my all time favorites, Sleepless in Seattle, starring two of my favorites, Meg Ryan (Annie Reed) and Tom Hanks (Sam Baldwin). A bit of trivia, Sheri went to the same high school (Skyline High in Oakland) with Thom, as he was known then. But the main item I remember from the movie are the fabulous houseboats on Lake Union. Though I am not one to want to live on the water, Tom’s houseboat is Seattle would be the most tempting, if only for the great location.

Don’t try to find any of these three in Seattle. Though they all seem so real, the closest you will find is a houseboat. They have been around Seattle for over 100 years, and have come to be part of the landscape of this beautiful city. It may have started out as low cost housing, but has been transformed to a hip place to live. I would love to attend a cocktail party on a houseboat. Just don’t ask me to spend the night!

I left out many others: Christian Grey (50 Shades), Robert Rath (Assassins), Harry (Harry and the Hendersons), Patrick Verona (Ten Things I Hate about You!), Max Guevara (Dark Angel), and McQ (Dirty Harry). Likewise, real life people like Bill Gates, Jimi Hendrix, Josie Bissett, Jon Krakuaer, Bill Boeing, and Bruce Lee may seem equally fictional and mythical.

As the years go by, it may be that all of Seattle becomes its own fiction, that high tech and all its glory fades into darkness. After all, look what happened to Microsoft. The same could happen to Amazon and its denizens of techies prowling and prancing along the streets at lunch and dinner time.

But I can assure you that my Seattle is definitely non-fiction!

Traveler’s Best Medicine (Friend)

Posted by golfkat on January 7, 2015

Posted in: Travel. Leave a comment

If you travel at all, these are some of the things experts suggest that you carry with you. And by that, I do mean CARRY with you, do not pack them in your checked duffle or suitcase. And I did add a few of my own items, along with comments on their suggestions.

Getting sick while traveling is no fun. Not only can it slow you down and keep you from enjoying your destination, it can also be a costly expense. Visiting a doctor in a foreign country, after all, probably isn’t part of your health plan — and buying medicine cabinet essentials in a resort gift shop or on a cruise ship isn’t going to be budget-friendly either.

The good news is that most of what you’ll ever need will fit into your carry-on. These simple lifesavers are tiny and lightweight — and none of them are in liquid form, so they won’t take up precious room in your TSA-approved quart-sized bag of toiletries.

Aspirin/Acetaminophen
From relieving pain to reducing a fever, a few of these pills is essential in your travel kit. They’ll take care of everything from sore muscles from skiing or toting luggage to sudden problems with teeth or joints. Best of all, they come in individual foil packets, so you don’t even have to pack an entire bottle. Aspirin does more things, acetaminophen is easier on your stomach.

Bonine
Is there anything worse than feeling nauseous? Even if you’re not prone to motion sickness, you never know when there will be an exception. Sure, you’ll want to pack some Bonine before cruising, just in case there are rough seas, but crazy drivers, scenic mountainous roads, water taxis, and swaying trains can also cause the travel condition. Buy generic meclizine in 25mg tablets, as it is heaper and can be used for more ailments.

Oscillococcinum
You can’t pronounce it, but the important thing is that these tiny pellets can relieve flu-like symptoms. Oscillococcinum is just one of the many travel-friendly homeopathic medicines available from Boiron. Other road-worthy gems are for sinus congestion, cold symptoms, food poisoning and more. I am not convinced it works, but must be taken very early in the disease cycle.

Adhesive Bandages
Think that walking through museums and shopping promenades isn’t a full contact sport? Your feet could argue otherwise. Pack a few adhesive bandages for unexpected blisters and other cuts. (Ladies, they’ll protect torn nails in a pinch, too.) Those of us who golf have carried band-aids in our wallet for decades. Through in an ACE bandage as well.

Imodium
For travelers, diarrhea is the most common travel-related illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control, usually brought about from unsanitary food handling. An antidiarrheal such as Imodium will save you from having to be by a bathroom all day.
Buy the generic, loperamide tablets, or get a prescription of generic Lomotil, which works much better.

Benadyrl
Bug bites, pollen, dusty hotel rooms, or even your grandma’s cat — all of these things can cause allergies while you’re traveling. Clear your head with an over-the-counter allergy medication, such as Benadryl. Buy the generic diphenhydramine 25mg caps, as t does cause drowsiness. You can double up if needed at night or for heavy symptoms.

Cold-EEZE
When you feel a cold start to come on, the sooner you can react, the less intense it will be. Cold-EEZE lozenges are loaded with zinc gluconate and are clinically proven to shorten the duration of the common cold by almost half. The primary value of zinc is to reduce the length of your cold, as it will not stop it! But you must start EARLY in the disease cycle.

Now, this is what I carry with me, along wit some of the above:

1. general purpose antibiotic, a product called a Z-pak is ideal with its 5 day regimen.

2. decongestant, like guaifenesin tablets, much safer than Sudafed, without the side effects.

3. a sleeping pill for trans-oceanic flights, my suggestion is zolpidem (generic for Ambien) 10mg.

4. Pepto-Bismol is a good preventive when you decide to eat some exotic street food.

5. a good moisturizer helps keep your skin from drying out.

6. always carry some artificial tears to keep your eyes from drying out on long plane rides.

UNESCO Sites

Posted by golfkat on January 4, 2015

Posted in: Cultures, National Parks, Travel. 1 Comment

The first sites to be inscribed were: Aachen Cathedral, Germany; City of Quito, Ecuador; Galápagos Islands; Centre of Krakow, Poland; Island of Gorée, Senegal; L’Anse aux Meadows, Canada; Mesa Verde NP, USA; Nahanni NP, Canada; Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela, Ethiopia; Simien NP, Ethiopia; Wieliczka & Bochnia Salt Mines, Poland; Yellowstone NP, USA.

I have always wondered, in my travels across the country and around the world: So what does being a UNESCO site really mean? More tourists? Probably. More funding and recognition? Possibly. Better protection, enforced by a committee that promotes responsible tourism? Definitely.

But get this! UNESCO has only stripped two places of their World Heritage titles. Oman’s Arabian Oryx Sanctuary was delisted in 2007 after poaching and habitat degradation nearly wiped out the oryx population. Germany’s Dresden Elbe Valley was removed when the Waldschlösschen Bridge was built, bisecting the valley.

Bardejov, in Slovakia, may be next to lose its World Heritage label. The medieval town is soon to have a vast shopping mall built on its doorstep; committee members are worried that the mall will violate Bardejov’s unique urban structure.

Italy has the most World Heritage sites (50), followed by China (47), Spain (44) and France and Germany (both 39). The UK currently has 28 sites; the USA has 22. Italy is surprising since they seem to do a poor job of preserving places like the famous Roman Coliseum. And in China, who knows what is real or not.

Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Shutterstock: see credit below)

Okavango Delta, a place that really seems like the UNESCO designation really fits well.