Five traveling Files for Friday

Yes, I am trying to drive a communist car. It’s not easy. Especially when it is stuck in a communist museum. Where? Just outside of Budapest. How traveling has changed…..from minis that were only allowed to travel within their country to airlines that move travelers at the drop of the hat to airlines who don’t want to fly you anywhere unless you have a million dollars.

It’s airway robbery! We’ve all heard the lament before. “There’s never any food!” “We have to pay for blankets now?!?” “Why do I have to be charged for a bag? How exactly am I supposed to go to Miami without clothes?”

Yeah airlines have not made many friends lately, which is why travel file one this Friday is that airlines have found a HEART! Yes…who knew? Hurricane Earl is making life tricky for those trying to fly off the East Coast of the United States. Delta, Jet Blue and AirTran Airways are all canceling or reducing the change fees on their flights! Awww…they must still be recovering from the mayhem that was the Iceland Volcano.

Singapore's Symbol: Lion Mermaid

Not only are airlines changing their business plans so are airports. Wifi is free, bars are loaded and shops are in malls. Not so bad if you’re going to be stuck there because of Earl. So what are you going to do if you’re stuck in Singapore’s airport? How about slide down water?!?!

Singapore does nothing mediocre.

40 feet tall, and reaching speeds of around 19 miles per hour the slid sounds amazing and scary! Think I will stick to their butterfly sanctuary that is also contained in the Changi Airport.

Which is what I did when I was traveling solo around the world. I did it by plane. What if you want to do it by boat? Well you’re in luck. The Norwegian Epic has introduced Solo Sailing! Previously singles, like myself, had to book both beds….kinda a waste. Now studios are available at a substantially normal rate. Check out the Epic’s studios. But don’t worry, you won’t be alone for long. With entertainment such as the Blue Man Group and the Bliss Lounge forget finding a travel buddy! In Bermuda CTravel can help book your Norwegian Epic Cruise.

A cruise with a unique perspective. What about a hotel with the same intrigue? Yeah we can all go to Expedia.com or Hotwire.com, but these usually have deals with big name brands. What about finding deals on boutique hotels? Somewhere to stay with some grit? Well that’s where Tablet Hotels comes in. Finding great deals on beautiful and inspiring hotels around the world they are the site for the discerning traveler.

Helping a Turkish Lady get home safely

I wish I could say I have volunteered abroad….but I haven’t. I do try and help just like we did picking-up this Turkish Lady when the rain was pelting down and giving her a lift home. So what do you do if you want to volunteer? Well one of the problems in the past has been the amount of time it takes to become trained and the time they want devoted to the task.

No longer! The US Parks Service is now happy for a day or two from their volunteers. They advertise opportunities on Facebook. Check out more information about volunteering on vacation and other traveling trends on Time Magazine’s website.

And happy Friday!

Traffic Tango

Guy with Goats in Hanoi

Why do I have to honk for Jesus? Let’s just say that I did believe in Jesus and I took my eyes away from the road to read your sign. And lets say the car in front of me came to a screeching halt.

Would I be honking for Jesus or visiting him?

Why am I on this rant? And what has it got to do with my Friday Photo of the week?

If you haven’t been following my daily blogs I’ll let you know that I have been working in an office for the past two weeks. I’ve made lots of friends. The fax machine hates me. The computer won’t turn on. I constantly forget the mail.

But the worst part? The commute in the morning. And that is even after I recognize that I live on a 21-square-mile island.

But recognize this: I ride a motorbike. It’s hot. It’s even worse with the car exhaust belting out behind the line of vehicles desperate to drop-off their passengers.

To top it off I now have to face a group of religious zealots standing on the entrance to the capital of Bermuda telling me to honk for Jesus. Somehow mixing religion and exhaust doesn’t really work for me.

And what is the point? What is the point of honking for Jesus? Are you trying to “OUT” the religious? Is Jesus really going to feel chuffed that he’s being honked at?

Do girls walking by construction sites enjoy being heckled?

To all these questions the answer is NO. (Ok maybe some girls do, but you get my point).

So why the photo? Well as I rant and rave and try to expel fumes from my lungs I try to remember that other places in the world (i.e. Vietnam) have worse traffic issues than Bermuda. Visit my photo pages for more views of Vietnam than just the traffic.

I have to remember almost a year ago I was taking overnight bus rides where I would get an hour of sleep. Then I was expelled onto a street in the middle of nowhere Hanoi, Vietnam.

Vietnam Traffic Cops

My only choice? Accept the lift of a hotel tout on his motorbike during their rush hour. This entailed meandering through guys with goats, police officers who looked ready to shoot, noodle sellers scrounging-up breakfast and coating myself in black exhaust.

I finally arrived at the hotel and immediately got a shower. Now I arrive in the office and try to recover with a cup of coffee.

And when I look at these photos I remember the difficulty last year. And I calm-down. Maybe Bermuda’s rush hour’s not so bad. Maybe I could get through it….if I wasn’t told to honk for Jesus!

I’m in a helicopter!

Ok no. Not really. Just thought I would make you look! It’s Friday and time to see the photo of the day.

Where did the helicopter come from? A friend told me if you are struggling to get someone to reply to your emails your subject should be: I’m in a helicopter!

It worked for her. Hopefully it will work for me.

Vietnam Beach

So why this pic today? Well because I was one of those poor souls this morning stuck in the rain. And no. I did not have the luxury of a car. I donned the water-proof pants and rain jacket and suffered the rush hour.

You scoff? Rush hour in Bermuda? Well it was worse than the normal commute. Why? Because the first sign of rain the cars come out, the traffic slows and start times move to 9.30 a.m. or 10.

There is only one other place in the world where I have noticed a similar thing happen – Buenos Aires! Friday night in this cosmopolitan city? Yeah you’d think you’d be out bopping (I swear I’m not from the 1950s). Rain or a threat of rain? The clubs empty.

Glad to know it’s not just Bermudians.

Vietnam? Well as you can see as darkness moves-in, life continues. I was really luck this day. I had walked for an hour through rice paddies (ok the roads that cut them up) and had enjoyed a few hours of sun before….

The sky darkened, the wind swept-up and two Americans arrived on the beach. They asked me to watch their bags while they went for a swim. I nervously watched the clouds.

They came in.

“How did you get out here?”

“I walked.”

“Oh. Do you need a lift?”

“Uh….yeah!”

I know probably silly, but thought of all hell breaking loose on me was not my idea of a good beach day. Jumping on the back of one motorbike (I could have driven it better) I was hauled back to my hostel.

The sky opened and….I was safe inside. Now I’m safe inside my office job (I’m temping for two weeks) the rain can continue in Bermuda!