You know you are! So what are you going to get that special person? Sure you could get them chocolates or waste your money on flowers.
Yep, you could do that.
But why would you when you could………BUY A TICKET TO THE CARIBBEAN! Yes it sounds expensive, but here’s the best part – it isn’t.
Sail from Tampa, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico with the Royal Caribbean Cruise line for four days in a State Room (i.e. nothing but the best for your loved one) for just $529 per person.
And if you’re feeling even more adventurous and depending on how much you have to save things, you could splurge on the Love Affair package for an additional $327 per couple.
The package includes: Private Cocktail Parties – Special Gifts – Couples Workshops on Romance, Finance & Commun- ication – Wine & chocolate covered strawberries in your stateroom – Private Events – and more…
But this cruise is not just about, perhaps, salvaging a relationship or strengthening one, it’s also about visiting a new place.
Cozumel
Explore the ruins’s park in Cozumel or the markets festooned with the local and native produce! That is if you can get yourself away from the pristine beaches.
You’ll be happy you do book this, especially if you do through CTravel who are you local experts on cruises and ensuring you get the best deal!
Since today’s post is all about cruises and because those are where the best deals are these days of economic tightening, why not treat yourself to a second one (after Valentine’s of course) and sail with the Norwegian Cruise Line!
Only it will have to be a small treat because the cruise will only set you back $399 per person for seven days!!! Well that’s for an inside room. If you really want to up your game then you can book the balcony for $599 per person. That is still an incredible savings.
7-Day Eastern Caribbean from Miami Norwegian
For seven days sail in pure luxury from Miami to Nassau to St. Maarten to St. Thomas and ensure you get the best deal you know you need to contact CTravel!
Of course if you’re looking for something a bit more exotic and long distance there is really only one cruise for you: The Baltics!
Yes for just $106 a night per person you can sail from Copenhagen, Denmark to Stockholm, Sweden, Tallinn, Estonia, St. Petersburg, Russia, Helsinki, Finland and Warnemunde, Germany over nine days.
Cruise the Baltics
You would set sail on June 4th and return on June 13th into Copenhagen for the prices starting at $949! What are you waiting for?
Oh the temperatures?! Well have no fear, by then the weather should be warming and the ice should be melting. Heck it’s June right. The average temperature in Stockholm is 70 degrees (Fahrenheit of course).
So call or visit CTravel today for more information and book your cruise for 2011!
I felt smug. Usually I wouldn’t. I mean who would when you’re being asked to hand over a piece of plastic used for large charges. Especially after they messed-up my name (I’m still a Miss)!
Why was I smug? Because I had already paid for the hotel in Boston (it was part of my trip over New Years) on the online site www.hotwire.com.
You don’t know hotwire? Well Hotwire.com has one gimmick and only one gimmick. What is it? Good question. Essentially they claim to offer reduced prices for hotels and airline tickets.
“Sounds like everywhere else Robyn.”
Yes, I know, which is why reduced prices is not the gimmick, just the substance.
Hotwire.com is about gambling. While this reservation site will offer you explanations about the hotel rooms or cars you want to rent, i.e. the room is in a three star hotel, the site will not name the hotel.
So for Boston I selected a three and half star hotel in the Back Bay area (i.e. central Boston). Sounds like it could be expensive? I actually found it on hotwire.com for just $93 a night before taxes – it came to a total of $359 for three nights.
A little over my $100 budget on my recent trips from London (so Dover, Berlin, Stockholm, Brighton, to name a few), but it was a holiday. Plus I was splitting the price so technically it was still under $100 a day.
Which hotel did I book? After I gave hotwire.com my credit card they told me it was the Sheraton in the
View from my hotwire.com booked room
Prudential Centre (i.e. above a mall). I felt pleased with my gamble.
“But the room is already paid-for, right?” I said to the receptionist.
“Oh yes, this is just for incidentals.”
My piece of plastic was much more for the Sheraton. The hotel then decided to also charge me for the three-night stay.
But that’s not the worst part. Nope. Neither is the hassle I went through to deny this charge. The disappointing part was that the hotel was only going to charge me $288!! I might have saved more than $70 if I had booked directly through the hotel!
Which led me to this column: how to use these online travel agencies such as hotwire.com, expedia.com and orbitz.com (to name a few of the most popular). Who am I to write this after my Boston fiasco?
Well that brings me to tip one: don’t be lazy or too busy. I know, I know you can’t always make a lot of time to book your hotels and flights, but make half an hour to do a little research,(which is what I normally do and what I didn’t do for this trip) and you could save yourself close to $100.
Which is why, to be fair to tip two and to hotwire.com, I have to concede they were providing a service to me, which was pulling together a bunch of hotels in Boston, providing me with their descriptions and, according to the online agency, the best price on that day….allegedly.
Taking me to tip three be careful about these sites, which also compound the search engines. I discovered this as I gave myself half an hour to try and find flights than I could find on hotwire.com (why not try another portion of the site?). Instead of hotwire.com searching, however, I was directed to two of its partners (i.e. to search through expedia.com, kayak.com, etc…) to find flights. Hotwire.com was not even going to do the work!
This discovery led to tip four and my result, which was prices above and beyond what the actual airline was quoting. In the experiment I chose Boston again (on hotwire’s partner sites), just to keep it in the family, and both expedia and kayak were above the price quoted by the airline.
Delta leaves Bermuda
On Delta’s site the round-trip flight from Bermuda to Boston and back, from January 26th until January 30 was $315. On Expedia.com? That would be $322! An extra charge of $7 just to use that service, apparently.
Ok so this column is not meant to pick on hotwire.com. Unfortunately they are in my crossfires this week because I have had to pick-up my bank account pieces thanks to them.
But tip five is watch the small print because the booking site provides plenty of clauses that release them from me actually being irate at the higher prices. i.e. “Savings based on lowest published rate we’ve found on leading retail travel sites in the last 24-48 hours for the same neighborhood, star rating, and stay dates. Availability is limited and rates are subject to change.”
But that doesn’t mean I will return in the future and in fact many of these online agencies, such as hotwire, orbitz and cheapoair.com are facing a lash back from people much bigger than me.
I’m not the only one, apparently, who is tired of being taxed, which leads to tip six. American Airlines led the way by pulling out of advertising their fares on Orbitz.com. Other airlines, including Delta, have contacted sites such as Airfare.com, cheapoair.com and OneTravel.com to also remove their flights.
Which is seven: don’t get caught in a flight pricing war because now even the sites are fighting back. Expedia.com actually removed American Airlines from it’s flight selection, while Delta contacted them and told them to discontinue the flight listings.
Low-cost carriers, such as JetBlue and Virgin America, decided to be Switzerland and just always did their own thing by listing their seat deals directly from their sites.
So to book the best tickets, hotel prices, etc… my tip eight is to initially visit an expedia.com or a kayak.com
Get ready to ski in Vermont!
and figure out the days that are looking cheaper to travel.
Then (AND ONLY THEN) do I touch on tip nine, which is to then travel to the website of the lowest airline, car rental or hotel to see if they have better deals BEFORE booking. Sure the want to book immediately and spend less time is there. But that brings us back to tip one: don’t be lazy.
Which brings us finally to tip ten: sign-up with the travel agency online sites to received their discounts and best prices. These can direct you to good deals, but again DO NOT BOOK through them. Take these as guidelines to then research on the actual provider’s site.
You will be happy you do especially when you save a possible $70 and can put that towards skiing in Vermont, which will be next week’s Rock Fever. And as always visit Robyn’s Wanderings every day for more tips and tales!
Nicola Arnold (left) taking in the marvelous Coliseum in Rome with her sister Katie
The holidays have come and gone and it’s back to the grind.
Or, well, for Robyn’s Wanderings’ latest columnist back to “de rock”.
Nicola Arnold has been scavenging the world over her holidays to bring us the latest in her adventures from South Africa to Italy and everywhere in between.
We welcome you back to your regular blogging program: Nicola’s Saturday posts:
Honey, I’m home… home sweet home… and for us Bermudians, back on de Rock… and I must admit it is nice to end up at home, even if it’s windy & rainy at the moment! I did manage to hope on a computer every now & then to write my Saturday postings while I was away.
See if you can work out the riddle below that explains the journey:
BDA-LGW/LHR-FCO-LHR-JNB-CPT-JNB-LHR-AMS-LGW-BDA
If you understand the riddle, you might be in the in travel industry, travel frequently, or admit to being an aviation geek… although you may have just been left thinking “what the heck?” Don’t worry, I had to Google a few that I did not know myself. That string of letters is the list of airport codes for each leg of my journey. 10 Flights in 21 days!
To break it down: Bermuda-London Gatwick/transfer to London Heathrow-Rome Fiumicino-London Heathrow-Johannesburg (transfer)-Cape Town-Johannesburg-London Heathrow (transfer)-Amsterdam Schipol-London Gatwick-Bermuda
In Rome, we joined-up with my older sister Katie, who lives and works in England. We stayed with my dad’s uncle who lives in Rome as a Jesuit priest, and we were also joined by Jenna, an American friend of mine studying in France who hopped on an EasyJet flight to Rome! We witnessed wedding party photos being taken outside the Coliseum, inadvertently jumped into rivers of rain that flooded down the cobblestones by the Trevi fountain – and of course enjoyed our share of pizza, gelato and marocchino coffees (an espresso with foamed milk and cacao, to be taken 2-3 times daily!).
In & around Cape Town: Within 36 hours we had accomplished a visiting marathon… we had afternoon tea
Nicola spent Christmas day chilling out in the pool with family & friends
with the friends who met us at the airport, enjoyed breakfast at a café with my mom’s uncle & aunt (who she hadn’t seen in 30 years), went to lunch with the parents of my dad’s best friend from college, ate dinner with my mom’s college contemporaries – PLUS stopping by a busy restaurant in the afternoon to see the daughter of a South African friend we know in Bermuda. We may travel light, but we certainly pack-in the travel adventures!
Next was Johannesburg, which is known locally as Jo’burg, Jozi, or eGoli, where we stayed for 8 days right up until New Year’s Eve. Christmas was upon us so the catching up, preparations and feasting were off with a bang! As I had not seen some of my relatives in 7 or 8 years, it was an absolute delight to spend a week eating leftovers by the pool (Jo’burg summertime meant 25-30°C days and nightly thunderstorms), go on day trips to historical sites such as Pretoria (we visited the Voortrekker monument to the Afrikaans’ pioneers), Soweto (an abbreviation of South Western Townships, where the famous Soweto Uprising took place in 1976), the Soccer City Stadium from the 2010 FIFA World Cup (designed to look like an African cooking pot), and even a day spent peering through binoculars to see the wild animals at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve in Kromdraai, an animal reserve where we drove a few feet past fabulous animals such as white lions, cheetah, wild dogs, rhinoceros, kudu, warthogs, jackals, and buffalo.
The Lion King (live!) during Nicola's visit to the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve
[In Africa, people flock to see the “Big Five” game animals on safari or in game reserves. These five include the lion, the African elephant, the Cape Buffalo, the leopard and the rhinoceros, as these were historically the most difficult and dangerous animals to hunt on foot. A neat fact is that on the Rand, the currency used in South Africa, banknotes published since 1990 portray a different animal of the Big Five for different denominations.]
The return to Europe meant a crash in temperature, but after New Year’s Eve on a plane and seeing an electric pink sunrise on January 1st from 35,000 feet in the air, we started the New Year in style. 2011 began with a 2-day stay in Amsterdam, and sight-seeing by boat cruises, tram rides and on foot,but not by bicycle. There was plenty of Christmas cheer about with ice skating rinks in vary city squares, Christmas markets selling sugared donuts and mulled wine (yes please!). Rather unfortunately, empty champagne bottles were strewn across frozen canals and bobbed up and down in watery canals… such is city life.
Last, but not least, in London we had 3 days to catch up with my sister Katie, our cousin Michael who also hosted us, and my Bermudian friend Kerri-Lynne who joined the Arnolds for a meal in town! Being the end of a 3-week journey, London was a bit of an energy struggle for me but the sites were seen atop the famous red, double-decker buses, where we always clambered to sit on the top, in the front. We even managed to squeeze in some shows in London’s West End, including Wicked which was fantastic even 9 rows from the back of the theatre!
Sure, we incurred delays and cancellations, upgrades (yay!) and downgrades (boo), various aviation hurdles
Hiding in the "m" is a little Bermudian in the city of Amsterdam
(taking off in thunderstorms, de-icing the plane) and at one point a finger infection (I will not expand all of the details, let’s just say I’m glad my dad could ‘doctor’ it).
Anxious to know what travels await me in 2011. Nothing is booked yet, but ideas are being put into place, and I am looking forward to the opportunities. Right now, I’m going to plead “jet-lag” as an excuse to return to my book. Not surprisingly in the genre of travel literature, it’s called “A Trip to the Beach” by Melinda & Robert Blanchard, a couple from the USA who set up a restaurant on the Caribbean island of Anguilla. As I read, I imagine myself in a hammock, sipping on a fruity drink with a tiny umbrella inside…
Yes, a Bermudian, a Canadian, a Brit, and two Americans walked into a pub (Firestones) in Quechee, Vermont and we ordered three Dark n Stormys, a gingerale (definitely not for the Bermudian) and a Vermont Ale (for the Brit).
No, this is not a joke. Well what transpired was a comedy of errors, but it was never meant to be. Nope, this was supposed to be my New Year’s Eve.
I had planned ahead. I never do that, but this time I had four other people depending on me. Why? Because I decided to drag two friends who live in Bermuda (the Canadian and the Brit) and my college roommate and her boyfriend to a house in Quechee, VT.
Some skiing, New England quaintness and a place where I wouldn’t know anyone was just what the doctored ordered. I had rock fever.
Unfortunately this ailment is nothing that a doctor can cure. Nope. Instead, it is what Bermudians feel after spending too much time on our 21 square-mile island. That and my travel column every Wednesday in The Royal Gazette, of course!
After Delta delayed our escape by five hours we arrived in Boston by 7 p.m. and began our trek to Vermont. It’s only two hours so it wasn’t too bad.
The Americans had already made it to Quechee and we found them ensconced in beer and nibbles at the Firestones’ Pub waiting for us. It was busy, but our waitress was so amazing it made the time fly.
She even carded me! I felt young again. Heck maybe I’m a questionable 21-year-old at 31? Works for me. This was going to be a good vacation.
Even better, we had a little bit of Bermuda waiting for us on the menu. Yes I wanted to escape, but I always love seeing my home country featured somewhere. Well especially because we’re so small!
There it was listed on the Firestones’ menu: a Dark ‘n’ Stormy. Arguably Bermuda’s National drink, the Dark ‘n’ Stormy consists of our Black Seal Rum (a dark, rich
Quchee's Waterfall/Glass Blowing Company
and smooth alcohol) mixed with Barritt’s Ginger Beer. Any other ginger beer just simply will not do.
I was sure Firestones did not have Barritt’s, but I thought I would give Firestones’ the benefit of the doubt (the friendly waitress who carded me, helped) and we decided to book our New Year’s Eve dinner here.
There were not many other choices. I mean, I love Quechee. It’s quintessential New England. But as far as eating on New Year’s Eve we were at a loss.
Sure we could have chosen Simon Pearce and spent $80 on a four course meal, but that would not have included drinks, tax or service. We didn’t have that kind of money.
The 31st came. We put the skis down, showered and even donned some make-up for the occasion. At 8p.m. we were ready for a good night.
Too bad our Firestones’ waitress wasn’t. Our friendly, first night waitress had been replaced with another.
“What do you want to order?”
Well, hello to you too. Yes, we would love to have a great New Year’s Eve, thank you for asking, I belittled the waitress in my head. I bit my tongue and we gave her the drinks order.
Three Dark ‘n’ Stormys, a gingerale and a Vermont ale.
“Ok, now do you know what food you want to order?”
“uhh, I mean, uh…no!”
She was starting to get downright pushy. I was getting tired of it. She left.
Five minutes later, she returned.
“Ok fine we’ll order.”
That meant our starters. We were still holding out on her. I mean we planned to be there for midnight. We were not going to get so lucky. As soon as she placed the order in the kitchen she was back.
“Now do you want to order your mains?” Not much of a question really. We did. Three Kobe steaks at various levels of cooking, a sea bass and chicken parmesan.
Easy, right? Nope.
The starters came, they entered our stomachs and the cutlery was taken away….never to return. Well not until we’d already had the steaks and the chicken.
Robyn, you forgot the sea bass?! Nope, nope I didn’t. Actually the waitress did.
I remained gracious: “Dig in guys. Please don’t wait for me.”
Drive-by photo of Firestones
“Ugh, mine’s cold. Mine’s not cooked enough,” echoed around the table.
We called over the waitress. Our conversations turned from borderline impolite to downright rude.
Us: “Sorry, but our steaks are all cold and we still don’t have the sea bass.”
Waitress: “What do you want me to do about it?”
I get it’s New Year’s Eve. I get that no one wants to work, but well, we would have spent a decent chunk of change. She would have done all right if she had managed an iota of pleasantness.
“Are you sorry they’re cold?” I asked her.
“Yes, I’m sorry. So what would you like me to do?”
Fly to the moon, solve world poverty, find the cure for cancer, I don’t know, maybe cook new steaks?!
The men at our table decided to confront the manager; I had already tried to no avail.
Manager: “Oh, yeah well I only heard about this five minutes before. I’m supposed to have dinner with my wife of 27-years. Um….let’s see how this turns out.”
It turned out that after fixing the steaks, my sea bass came out colder than before, the chicken parmesan had congealed cheese and we were done.
And so was her tip and half of the bill! We bid Firestone’s farewell.
A quick trip to the gas station delivered a few beers and some wine into our party and as we arrived home fireworks erupted on the ski hill!
I had to stay. I had just completed my Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course in Prague, Czech Republic. My apartment was new and so was the job at Berlitz language school.
I was not going to be flying back to Bermuda for Christmas. It was the first time I had spent the holiday away and I was slightly worried about how I would handle it in this landlocked country.
Where would I find a beach? What crazy Canadians would I watch swimming on Christmas Day? And then I saw the kiddie pool on my Prague corner. Huh?
The temperatures had descended below freezing and mittens upon mittens captured my hands, and the Czechs had pulled out bath tubs onto their streets.
What could possess them to do such a thing?
Well I wasn’t sure either when I spent a Christmas in Prague seven years ago. So as I walked home one day, trying to keep my toes from falling off in temperatures more suitable to snowmen, I watched as a crazy Czech dove his arm into a pool of water. Seconds later his arm and a massive fish (carp) came out.
I had to ask my Czech friends. This can’t be right. Is he really doing this? Why would he be doing this? Why wouldn’t they just go to a butcher counter in a warm supermarket? All of that seemed sane to me.
Unfortunately, for the butcher that is, warm and Christmas Eve dinner do not go hand in hand in Prague. Instead carp, which is the Czech’s Christmas Eve dinner, is supposed to be kept alive as long as possible before chow-time. That means tubs on the side of the road until they are butchered. Some Czech’s even forgo the butchering and take their carp home alive to sit in their bathtubs until Christmas Eve! Forget the goldfish pet!
Even crazier? Carp is supposed to be (I was never brave to try it) salty and boney, but it’s tradition. Don’t believe me? Don’t think the Czech’s are up for the cold? Check out this video:
Llama in Peru also on the menu?
Go figure. Christmas traditions around the world can strike the odd chord. Of course we have our own in Bermuda and sometimes they make sense (cassava pie) and sometimes they don’t (Elbow Beach boozing), which is why I’m writing about them this week for my Rock Fever Column in The Royal Gazette.
But last year I was not in Prague or Bermuda. This time last year rather than trying to decide which slippers I’m going to give my mom (ooops there goes the surprise) I was navigating Peru.
Well Peru and then Bolivia! These would be my last stops on my trip around the world. I would not, however, be spending Christmas in either place. Nope.
After 12 months on the road, I was ready to go home.
So I missed the celebration. But this year as I sit comfortably at home I was curious. What are the traditions in South America? What do Peruvians eat/do for the holiday? Well good thing my friend and soon-to-be travel buddy is from Peru.
According to my STB travel buddy, Christmas in Peru? It’s Turkey. Yeah, not very exciting or different from home (Bermuda).
I mean this is a country that eats guinea pig on a regular basis. No, I am not kidding. They eat what we call pets. Maybe they’re good? I wouldn’t know. Unfortunately all the menus I saw in Peru made the guinea pig look completely revolting.
However, according to my STB travel buddy: “People in different regions will vary their Christmas menu so some people may actually eat the little gerbil creatures, but for the majority, it’s turkey with various side dishes (often including tamales) and champagne. Panetón and hot chocolate are very popular too.”
Mmmmm….tamales. They were with a massive hit with me when I was in Peru! How can they not be? Wrapped in banana leaves, completed with corn flour and filled with meat there is literally nothing I can think of that would stop me from not loving them!
Want to learn how to make them? Yeah me too so I found this somewhat long-ish film on youtube for our enjoyment:
All this food is eaten at a get-together, party or dinner on Christmas eve which culminates at midnight and everyone wishes everyone else Merry Christmas!
Of course this is the hottest time of the year (we are talking the Southern Hemisphere here) so in Bolivia Christmas food generally focuses on picana.
Pic…what? Picana. It’s a soup made of a soup made of chicken, beef, corn and spices and is eaten usually on Christmas. Well it could be the Eve or the Day, but that just depends on the Bolivian family.
Accompanying the soup? Salads, roast pork or roast beef, and an abundance of tropical fruit and for a sweet it will be eat taffy-filled wafer cookies called “turrón“.
Unfortunately I never indulged in this amazing feast because I was whisked away by American Airlines.
As I touched my toes to Bermuda soil I was, in what can only be described as ironic, directed to arrive in London, England. My family was spending Christmas abroad.
With four days in Bermuda I packed a new bag and was set for London. Of course in England they have their own traditions for Christmas: It’s Crackers! Which of course we have in Bermuda.
Cross your arms for Crackers!
But not ones you can eat. Well I suppose you could and then you’d probably be quite sick. In any case, the Cracker tradition is not one I have ever seen in the United States.
It requires using one of these (pictured to the right) of bundles between two people and pulling them apart. Out pops a toy, a joke and a hat!
The history of it?
Of course this tradition started with who else? A Brit. Thomas Smith in 1846 to be precise. Why? Well because he had been in Paris and seen bon-bons wrapped in tissue paper. He took the idea back to England, wrapped poems in them and eventually transformed the entire idea with a banger (chemically impregnated paper that explodes when pulled).
His sons took over the business and in the 1900’s and in the 1930’s love poems turned to jokes. Ahhh the Christmas traditions explained.
Cassava Pie!
Unlike Americans, however, the British are not happy with one day-off and instead have two! Boxing Day (like us of course!), which is December 26th or Boxing Day. Want to know where our day-off comes from? Well that was a day when boys used to go round collecting money in clay boxes. When the boxes were full, they broke them open.
This year, however, I will take a break from traveling. Yes, I will be in Bermuda and will only have to travel as far as one parish to another to indulge in Turkey, ham, beans, carrots and the traditional Cassava pie!
You don’t know what cassava pie is?! Sacrilege! It is of course based on cassava, which is a starch-filled root that grows in poor soil. Hence why the early settlers, dating back to 1612, made it into everything they could.
But just because it grew-up in poor soil doesn’t mean it tastes poorly. Never! And the best part is that it is totally safe for celiacs! Well, that is, once it is cleaned properly. Cleaned improperly and you have some serious cyanide poisoning.
Bermudians, me, traditionally, now, buy it frozen, drain it, fill it with eggs and plenty of butter, chicken and even sometimes pork.
It’s a weird tradition because though everyone eats it on Christmas Day, not everyone makes it the same way. Some make it sweet, some make it savory. It’s all about your taste buds.
Which has made me hungry! It’s time to enjoy and indulge wherever you are so have a Happy Holiday, visit the Bermuda National Museum for more traditions, and of course visit here tomorrow for all your vacation needs!
Ok it’s not. I mean it’s not the guards coming from Berlin. I know. Silly, but maybe it’s that time of year. The absolute silly season.
I should know. I tried to complete all of my holiday shopping yesterday in the pouring rain, dodging hail and the five o’clock closing of Bermuda’s stores.
But’s that’s not what I’m talking about either. Instead it’s all about Solstice Stocking Stuffers today. Why? Because today is the Solstice.
What is that? Good question and one I had to look-up myself. To break it down: solstice comes from the Latin sol (sun) and statum (to stand still).
To make it fun, Solstice is generally celebrated throughout the world with sacrifice or prayers for fertility. Doesn’t sound like as much fun anymore, does it?
For the chinese it is celebrated with making balls of rice (to symbolize the gathering of the family) and it’s called “dongzhi.”
In Korea? No they don’t attack each other. That’s for every other day. Today, instead they worry about ghosts coming into villages to haunt them. It’s lore, but apparently dipping the rice balls in sweet red bean called pat jook helps repel the ghosts.
Pakistani men have cold water poured over their head for purification and then are forbidden to sit in a chair. Finally their heads are sprinkled with goats’ blood.
For the Japanese and the Scandinavians (two completely opposite cultures), on the other hand it’s all about fertility and they go about this with either lathering butter on doors or visit farms to ensure the land is ready. read more on the New York Times editorial.
But for most of us today is all about having only four days until dooms day or Christmas. Obviously for the Christians out there!
So what are you going to do? Well you could surrender and believe me yesterday I did, or you could find-out what The Harbourmaster store in Hamilton Bermuda has to offer.
Tag your luggage for $13.25!
The traveler in the family (i.e. everyone in Bermuda) will need to identify their bags, no? Well why not use these fantastic name-tags from The Harbourmaster to help?
Need something else? Got someone a bit more on the hipster side? How about a pom-pom? Yeah I wrote it. A pom-pom.
Pom-pom for your luggage locations for just $9.95
Perhaps you have someone with pesky keys which they can never find? Have you done that? You know left the island and come home to find….no home! Well no home if you don’t have your keys.
What a pain trying to fish them out of your bag. Well why not find these beautiful and hefty key chains which well mean your keys are never lost:
Keys for Keys for $20
or these handy leather-bound key chains:
Leather Key Chain for $30
Finally there is nothing like trying to keep hold of your blackberry. So I hear. I don’t have one, but from those who do I hear you want them at your finger tips.
So why not get your help from The Harbourmaster? They have all sorts of beautiful, leather cases that can carry your mechanical device like this one below:
Blackberry case for $54
Or maybe you’re someone who keeps their cash wadded in your pockets? Floating around your purse? Maybe you know someone who does?
Well that’s ok because The Harbourmaster can help you out! They have all sorts of wallets that are handy, leather and beautiful!
Like this leather wallet from the LAND Meridian collection. The best part, and you will understand if you’re from Bermuda, it’s in stock! No waiting for it to be imported.
Wallets!! Starting at $75
Or The Harbourmaster also has this selection:
Wallet with credit card holders on the outside for just $59
Whatever you do make sure that you visit The Harbourmaster on the first floor of The Washington Mall and get all the help you need for your travel goods from their helpful staff.
And OF COURSE mention Robyn’s Wanderings! Happy Holidays.
A little Christmas cheer in Bermuda - Nicola escaping the Canadian snow
Welcome to the second edition of Robyn’s New Wanderer!
Every Saturday Nicola will be regaling you with stories from her trips, how to study abroad and all sorts of fun tips on travel!
This week? Well this week I finagled a piece from her on Christmas traditions as she boarded a plane for a very new tradition: Christmas in South Africa!
So Nicola, a Bermudian who swims on Christmas Day (!!!), tell us your Christmas tales:
We are racing towards Dec 25th (Christmas of course!) at light speed and palm trees decorated with Christmas lights now make Hamilton our own version of a winter wonderland…
Well, winter in the sense of wet & windy, not white, although we do have a few sunny days too! Thanks to the Gulf Stream, Bermuda is free of frost, snow and ice, but as a ‘sub-tropical’ island we still have chillier temperatures than the Caribbean.
Bermudians swimming at this time of year are few & far between, except for the brave ones who take a dip on Dec 25th or Jan 1st… myself included, I may proudly add.
As a recent university grad, living at home has meant that I have FINALLY been able to partake in pre-Christmas Bermudian festivities since I am no longer taking refuge from the Canadian blizzards to study for the usual onslaught of December exams. Yay!
What sorts of things make up a Bermuda Christmas season?
– The lighting of the Christmas tree at City Hall, with carols and Santa’s visit
– Christmas Pantomime, which always gives the audience a good laugh
– National Trust Walk-About in St. George’s with entertainment and snacks
– Late Night Shopping in the city of Hamilton on Fridays
– Santa Claus reading the children’s Christmas letters on the local TV channel
Plus, as I was delighted to learn myself this week on a visit to Dockyards, the Bermuda Rum Cake Company makes special edition Christmas Rum Cake… now is the time to sample and “Buy Bermuda”!
But Nicola has not always been in Bermuda! Nope. She’s also “done” Noël in France:
The majority my Christmases have been celebrated in Bermuda, although I have spent some memorable holidays in France and Croatia.
Even though I was on Rotary Exchange in Lorraine, France in 2004-2005, I remember the Christmas season very well!
Europeans celebrate the feast day of St. Nicolas on December 6th, and in Lorraine there is a town called St.
Magical candle ceremony at St.Nicolas-de-Port in France, December 2004
Nicolas-de-Port.
Our Rotary district had 25 students and we were all invited to the weekend ‘Fête de St. Nicolas’… with a Christmas market and candlelight church service. We all had long, white candles that we raised during the refrain of this song:
Saint Nicolas, ton crédit d’age en age,
a fait pleuvoir tes bienfaits souverains. Viens, couvre encor’ de ton doux patronage tes vieux amis les enfants des Lorrains!
[Saint Nicolas, from age to age your favor
has rained down supreme blessings.
Come with your gentle protection to cover still
your old friends, the children of Lorraine.]
(As a side note, in France my name always causes excitement as the French pronounce the masculine name “Nicolas” as “Nicola”, with a silent ‘s’… so I tended to surprise school teachers with the morning roll call, and had mail addressed to a Mr. Nicola Arnold… bah humbug!)
Last week, I mentioned that my family and I are jetting off to Europe and ultimately to South Africa to spend the holidays with the Arnold grandparents and relatives who reside in Johannesburg.
We are backpacking, as luggage would be a drag with all our flight connections. To my great delight, my father will be travelling in a kilt. Yes! A Scottish kilt… Why, you might wonder? That is a whole different tale… look out for that posting, as I shall be including photos 😉
Nicola and her sister Katie on the beach in a chilly Crikvenica, Croatia - Christmas 2008
I cannot yet speak of Christmas in South Africa, but to paint you a picture of South Africa, we are looking forward:
– a warm summer sunshine in this beautiful ‘Rainbow Nation’.
– in Cape Town, we hope to have an excursion up Table Mountain
– Cape Town boasts beautiful beaches, perhaps we will visit Camps Bay
– The Arnold family will celebrate and catch-up most evenings around the braai (barbeque in Afrikaans… which I remember writing in my school journal in Grade 4, that my family had a bry [sic] last night, with the teacher being quite confused!)
– we shall try to squeeze our favourite South African chocolates, such as Peppermint Crisp and Chocolate Log, into the sides of our backpacks
– with any luck, I hope that World Cup vuvuzelas do not become the new, creative instruments to festively wish people a Happy Christmas
Christmas in South Africa will be new for me, so I look forward to sharing the traditions and experiences with you upon return… and look out for special “postcards updates” during my Christmas trip!
Nope. Not one! Sorry I know everyone is BIG on Eat, Pray, Love, but I am not a fan. Yes I will be the first and probably only female to say it.
I couldn’t find a book that is so far from the truth of travel if I tried. And god knows I am trying to be closer to the traveling truth with my own. Stay tuned for my book about my navigation of the world last year.
Hint: It is not a pretty bow that is tied by a rich man in Bali.
Anyway, the point of the post today is not to bash a book. No instead it’s to highlight some of my favourites! I love to read and so would any traveler. Do you know how long the bus ride is between Cusco, Peru and Puno, Peru? I didn’t think so.
Well it’s long enough to finish a good book and start a new one! Which is exactly what you could do with my first book:
I raced through The White Tiger and not because it won the Man Booker Award. Nope. Instead I thought this book, published in 2008 as the debut novel by Aravind Adiga, offered a view of India like no other book I have read on the subject. Life is told through the eyes of the main character Balram Halwai. Though clever, Balram is too poor to finish school and takes a job in a tea shop before becoming a driver for the rich in New Delhi. In the city and watching the corruption of his employers Balram realizes that he has to take matters into his own hands! I will leave it at that. You want to visit India without the plane ticket? You want an understanding of the caste system, the conflict between Hindu and Muslim, and the poverty in an interesting narrative? You’ve got your book.
French is Funny!
Ever though the French were funny? No? Well you will after reading A Year in the Merde!
Written by a Brit, Stephen Clarke, it fictionally details another Brit’s (Paul West) attempts to move to Paris for an employer who wants to open tea rooms in the capital. Paul has been recruited by the employer. Ironic, because Paul becomes nothing more than a body in the office.
No one will listen to him when they want to name the British tea rooms: My Tea is Rich. Can you see anyone in Britain drinking in that tea room? Me neither. Want a good laugh at the mannerisms of the French? Enjoy this book and its sequel: Merde Actually! You will find an amusing trip through France.
New York, New York
You’ve been to New York? Are you sure? Haven’t been to New York? Want another side to this capital city that never sleeps? I ran into this book, Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in theBronx while I was browsing a Barnes and Nobles while living in New York (irony, I know, crazy, right!). Anyway, I was looking for something different. I found it in this first book by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc.
Based in the post-1980’s in New York it focuses on families struggling to survive on a multigenerational level. But this is no Hollywood tale. It will take you through the Bronx, but also through each generations desire not to be the one before. And failing. Seriously, I’ve never read a better book about New York!
Number Four is just another uplifting book for you. Ever thought being addicted to drugs was funny? No? Ok well neither did James Frey. Or maybe he did. Anyway, though his book: A Million Little Pieces, was caught in a maelstrom of bad press (did he really do this or not?) it’s a good read. I love first-person narratives. I just do. So sue me. But he doesn’t let it drag and it’s not woe is me.
Why do I include this in my books? Even if Oprah has banned him from her couch? Well because it offers you a chance to travel though the eyes of a drug addict. I can happily say I am not one so why not read a book (as semi-fictional as it is) to get an idea?
Saving the World!
From a man who accomplished nothing to a man who tried to accomplish everything we visit Chechnya. I told you this is a random list of books who will make you travel.
The Man who tried to Save the World was written by journalist Scott Anderson and therefore is a succinct, but descriptive and intriguing novel on the life of Fred Cuny. Dubbed the “Master of Disaster”, Fred was one of the best relief workers there was. Unfortunately in 1995 he decided, against all advice, to return to Chechnya.
Him and a small group attempted to reach a rebel fortress that had been bombarded by Russians. They were never seen again. And you won’t be once you start this book! Gripping and a real life drama, it should definitely be part of your backpack!
Somalia
From the drama of a reported war to the war against women that rarely gets reported, From a Crooked Rib is by no means a new book.
Written in 1968 by Nuruddin Farah (a man) he somehow captures the sad, but real, struggles that women in Somalia face (and other parts of Africa). Ebla, the main character, went through the barbaric ritual of female infibulation, then an arranged marriage all before she ran away.
Unfortunately she is then sold into wedlock where she is raped on the first night of the “marriage”. She becomes disillusioned and yet continues to believe that marriage is the source of love and life. It’s a hard novel to read but an enlightening one on the struggles of women outside of my comfortable home.
From women to male piano tuners, I never said my list was organized. Neither is my book shelf which is what I like. I always get to travel to new places! Why stick with one genre? That would be boring.
So now we’re heading to Burma in colonial times. The Piano Tuner is about, of all things, a piano tuner. I know. Shocking. The reason he’s heading to Burma? Well one of the captains in the British Colonial Army has a piano in the hills. He needs it tuned.
Sounds ridiculous, but I bet it could have happened. In any case, it features the conflict between the British and the Burmese who just want their home back. In the most unique of manners – a piano. Filled with descriptions of jungles and lush food, I most definitely will make Burma a next stop!
Visit Barcelona
From Burma to Barcelona. Shadow of the Wind is the s a 2001 novel by Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón and it is amazing! I couldn’t put it down! Not once.
Based in post-civil war Spain, the books centres on a young boy Daniel who is exposed to the beauty of books by his father. In the secret Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library filled to the rafters with old forgotten titles preserved by a secret group of librarians. New initiates (those who know about the library) can pick one book to take with them.
What Daniel finds with his new book, Shadow of the Wind, is a mysterious author and his home city filled with dark corners and unknowns. It will keep you gripped. Just please don’t read Zafon’s second book, The Angel’s Game. It will ruin The Shadow of the Wind!
So there you have it. My reading list if I wanted to travel to somewhere new without ever boarding a plane, sitting in a car or visiting a train. Enjoy!
Want to escape next year? Why don’t you head to the Caribbean? Worried about the cost? Well don’t worry. I know, I know it’s cold right now and you want somewhere warm.
But the Holiday shopping is eating into the vacation……well it can’t on the Princess Cruises offered by CTravel.
In the new year, the Cruise line is offering cruises to the Caribbean for just $349 for seven days of turquoise water, white sand and…..WARM!
Where can you go? Leave from Ft. Lauderdale, head to San Juan, St. Thomas and Dominica, Bonaire and Aruba! Well that’s just one of the Princess Cruise’s great deals for the New Year. Check with CTravel for your local representative with all the booking abilities!
Seven-day cruise
But maybe you’re still looking for a Christmas Gift that gives back? Are you struggling with that person in your life who has everything?
Well, you and I both know that at some point everyone needs to leave Bermuda. It’s Rock Fever and you know at some point next year the gift certificate you purchased from CTravel will be needed.
So what are you waiting for? Purchase the gift Certificate by December 18 (CTravel is open on Saturday the 18th) and you could also win.
That’s right purchase a Gift Certificate from CTravel and you will be entered into the draw to win two American Airlines tickets to anywhere in The United States.
American Airlines Gift Certificate!
You’ve got three more days to purchase a gift certificate so take the opportunity to take one more person off your list!
And while you’re visiting CTravel in their Queen Street offices why not ask about another deal….Save $1,000 off your trip to Egypt in the New Year if you book by December 31!
Passage through Egypt has been developed to reveal in depth all that Egypt travel has to offer — the celebrated sites along with the less-traveled.
Leading Egyptologists join you as we see the great Pyramids, the impressive monuments and inspiring paintings and statues – built with techniques still not fully understood by modern engineers.
Your trip will include three days in Cairo before explore all of this aboard the Salacia, and along the Nile for seven days and then on land for another seven. Luxor will be fully enjoyed with some of the less known temples.
And all of this could be booked for less than $1,000 if you book by December 31! So call or visit CTravel to ask about your trip to Egypt next year!
My friend rushed, certain that the total for four eating and drinking would exorbitant.
“How is it 60 pounds? Aren’t we in London?”
“Are you sure they got everything?”
There on the waiter’s income paper was: six beers, a bottle of wine, four appetizers, four entrees, two coffees and the total.
Yes, yes the waiter had recorded everything and still our dinner only cost 60 British Pounds and yes, me and my friends are in London. But we were not eating from a street stall or even on the outskirts of England’s capital.
Instead we, well I, had planned ahead. I was determined to go out for a nice dinner, but not spend more than $100.
Why? Because I am on a mission to try and find ten trips from, and in, London for under $100 for my Rock Fever Column in The Royal Gazette newspaper. So far I have been to Stockholm and Sigtuna in Sweden; Sachsenhausen and Berlin in Germany; Hampstead, Dover, Brighton and Bath in England and now I am in London.
London's Parks
My first trip to London for under $100? That was the flight I bought with my frequent flier miles on American Airlines, transferred them to British Airways and flew to London for $65 one-way.
But now it was time to try and discover this capital city for less than $100. My first attempt was to eat-out in a nice restaurant for less than $100. Not to be done, you say, in London. Especially if there is alcohol involved?
Well you would be wrong. The four of us managed it in a restaurant near Convent Gardens (i.e. central, central London). How did we do it?
Well that is the trick of a handy website: toptable.com
Earlier that day I visited the website, chose a type of food I wanted (Mexican), picked a location convenient for everyone and the website then found an offer for 50 percent-off the food at Navajo Joe’s! Perfect.
Even better? The website made the reservation for me. I was hooked! I used their service over and over again in London to find better and better deals. Their customer service is incredible too! When a place I had reserved cancelled at the last minute they emailed me multiple times and even called me to offer to book another restaurant for me.
And toptable.com does not just book in London. Going to Glasgow? Edinburgh? Birmingham, Manchester, New York or Paris? This cheap-eats at gourmet restaurants website is there for you!
But London is not all about eating (though that’s a very large part!). I also wanted to go and see places, people and things, right? Well I could have taken a taxi. One ride, however, would probably destroy my $100 budget.
Instead, what I needed was an Oyster.
“But Robyn, you said it wasn’t about eating.”
It’s not. Oyster, for some reason, is the name of a card that I use for the London Underground. It’s refillable providing convenience, but it gives me discounts on my journey. Using the Oyster ensures that I never pay more than the Day Travel card price for any trips I took in London! The card was £3 pounds to purchase, but I could get that money back when I left London. I held on to it. The card and any of my money on it does not expire. Where do you hear that anymore?
I always, however, prefer to walk around London if I can. After escaping Bermuda where sidewalks are almost non-existent, walking through a chaotic city can inspire. Plus it’s also great exercise! Besides sidewalks there are plenty of parks to enjoy the fall/winter/spring in. So I like to check-out another website: www.walkit.com for advice. The site can give me the most direct route, distances and even walking tips.
There are, however, very few places that I enjoy walking-into more than a coffee shop. One of my favourite (sadly, perhaps) things to do is sit in Starbucks reading or writing while I am abroad. Ok, perhaps they do not have the best coffee in the world, but they do have an endless time-limit on their tables!
For £2.50 pounds I could sit all afternoon with a book! And that’s exactly what I did. Well until I had to write a column for The Royal Gazette. Then I needed the internet. Good thing Starbucks has that too for….FREE! Yes, free. All I had to do was sign-up for a Starbucks card (which is FREE) at the store and register it. Once registered I could use the internet at any Starbucks in the UK (that has it of course).
Without an internet connection of my own this was a godsend for keeping in touch, writing my blog (www.robynswanderings.com) and sending my column all for the cost of a cup (or vat) of coffee – £2.50!
With all the caffeine and some spare time, I also needed to do some shopping. Good thing London was filled
Visiting Camden Market
with markets to keep me busy and entertained on the cheap. Of course there is the Borough Market on the South side of the Thames near Tower Bridge. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday it fills with cheeses and freshly pressed apple cider. Then there is also Camden Market (up north in Camden of course) with its cheap coats, scarves and all sorts of accessories I most definitely needed.
But perhaps the most mammoth and new of shopping experiences in London is, of course, the Westfield Mall in Shepherd’s Bush. Of course, I wouldn’t normally subscribe to this beast, but I couldn’t resist having a snoop. For £1.80 on my Oyster Card I was in this mall/small town.
Good thing free internet also fits-in this town! Yes, no Starbucks card is needed. Only online registration and I had free internet anywhere in the Westfield Mall. There is also an enormous Sainsbury Grocery Store attached where fresh sushi and all the gluten-free products I might have needed could be found for a small price and a picnic.
I’m back on food. Fully stuffed, caffeinated and with a book filled with experiences for my ten columns on cheap trips from and in London it was time to depart England. For my last trip for less than $100 it was back to the flat (but check-out www.lastminute.com for good hotel deals) to pack and say adieu to friends before the trek to London Bridge train station.
Sure I could have taken the Gatwick Express train to, uh, Gatwick Airport of course, but that would be expensive. Instead From London Bridge my ticket was about £7.60. The express? £16!
Not only that, but my trip to the airport was fast. Only 20 minutes or so. The express? About the same. My final cheap train and it was time to board the plane. Back to Bermuda on my $65 flight and to green Bermuda. Well greener than London! But that’s all the hype! Stay tuned next week for Traveling Green and for all of your travel tips, tales and random stories daily visit here.
Welcome to Robyn Skinner's website. I'm from Bermuda, am a freelance journalist and have spent the last year traveling around the world solo. Visit My Postcards for the travel columns over the last year and every other page here for more information on...travels...and me!
Robyn's Wanderings 