Vox’s posts tagged traveling

Travel Note Cards

nobody@vox.com(Algar) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 01:17:46 +0000

I just look at cards that people post on the web and I can't help but be amazed at all the places in the world that people go to. Like this notecard below, I have no idea where it was taken ( the photographer doesn't even say) but all I know is that i want to go there. I wish I had more time to travel..

Islanders
    by

        CrisIsaac

Make personalized notecard On zazzle
Browse more Panoramic Photos Cards

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Our Philippines And Thailand Trip 2007

nobody@vox.com(Shirley Whicker) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:37:47 +0000

Our Philippine And Thailand Trip 2007

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Tipping in Foreign Countries

nobody@vox.com(Algar) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:54:58 +0000

Not that anyone can afford to travel these days, but this is a really good tipping guide when traveling to other countries. I for one, didn't know that in Europe you leave a smaller tip and in Australia you don't even leave a tip at all, this probably explains why they love having American tourists over there all the time. Check out the full article below and make sure you're leaving the right amount in the right country.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/traveltips/03/13/tipping.guidelines.tl/index.html

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My (three-country) whirlwind arrival in Europe

nobody@vox.com(Stephanie) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:00:49 +0000

On September 15th I flew direct Los Angeles to London, only to continue my journey via train, tube, airplane, and bus to Oslo the evening of my arrival on Tuesday. I spent some days in Oslo with a friend, did another bus, airplane, and car adventure and got to enjoy London for a day. Today I did the taxi, bus, airplane, and bus routine to get to my destination in San Sebastián, Spain. So, here I am, ready to document the last five days of my travels.

Leaving LAX was really hard because it was my grandparents who drove my to Los Angeles and sent me off at the airport. I made them give me a video goodbye, as you can see below. It was terribly hard to hold back the tears as I went up the escalator and stood in line for security, especially since every few minutes I would look down and see them waving, which just made me so sad.

Grandparentsadios

Once I got past security I experienced a flood of excitement: I am going! Finally! Then I sat for an hour waiting for my flight to board.

I love airports. I think it is so fascination that so many different people from hundreds of different places around the world all have a brief moment together in no-man's land (read:no taxes) as they rush to their flights or chill in a cafe. I have so much fun watching shoes go by and getting lost in the rainbow of constantly moving luggage. There is all this contained anticipation at airports, with every one between destinations and departures, the common and the unknown.

While waiting for the flight I read the book Expat: Women's True Tales of Life Abroad, which is just perfect for my journey and future months ahead. Each story is a different place, different reason, and different outcome of various female expatriates. It is very comforting to know that other women have felt equally stupid as I when trying to communicate in a second language, even after five years in the country as with one woman! I highly recommend this book for anyone that is moving abroad for a bit, or just interested in the experience.

Well, as much as I would like to actually get somewhere in this post, it is nearly 1 AM and I haven't really had a normal night's rest for almost a week now; I'd like to at least try tonight.

(Oh, btw, I am currently, and safely, at a friend's in San Sebastián. It is wonderful. He has made me yummy food all afternoon and there is a constant stream of live music coming through the open window from the plaza downstairs. I'm so glad I'm back).

Expat: Women's True Tales of Life Abroad (Adventura Books)

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BIG FAT ETSY SALE!

nobody@vox.com(faerwear) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:16:14 +0000

I'm going out of town for a while and putting my Etsy shop on hiatus for the foreseeable winter future. I know it's crazy, but I'm not entirely sure where I'm going to spend the winter yet. As well - I could sorely use the money.

Want something lovely? Get it now, and send me your Vox username for TWENTY PERCENT OFF on all items over $21.00US. Readymade orders will ship September 23rd, 2008, custom-made orders will ship by September 30th. I'm also extending this sale to fellow Ravelry members (send me your ravelry username if you'd rather).

Items from Faerwear.Etsy.Com

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Random - The name's Marriott.... Putrajaya Marriott

nobody@vox.com(Mama Nur) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:56:24 +0000

impressive. that was the first thought that came to my mind when the car drove around the beautifully landscaped roundabout and rolled in to the lobby. the porters were standing by the door, i got off the car, opened the boot and got my bag out.. and the porters still standing there looking at me. one had the cheek to ask me: boleh ke bawa?
i looked at him and (silently) cursed. i am sure i am 6' tall, bloned, fair skin, long legs and sport a European name like Maire Le Goles, all of them would be bowing at my feet and fighting to get my bags. double standard, hypocrete. i gave him a dirty look and walked inside, head held high.

check in, send my bags upstairs and then go out to have buka puasa with my drivers.

the room is big, with simple and well-maintained furnitures and decorations. i have the IOI Resort view outside my room. the bathroom is big, with one bath tub and one shower, and brightly colored. and the nice thing is they provide iron and ironboard in the room. yay!!!!!

the training was surprisingly bearable, given that i didnt take sahur this morning and slept like..late.. Mr Steve Roberts is one charming, persuasive and delightful trainer. he got us to talk and get involve in discussions and sharing experiences/knowledges. i learnt a lot, and already have in my mind how best to implement some of the suggestions that he had shared with us.

we got coupon for buka puasa!! yay!! and since a couple of them are not staying in, i got 2 extra coupons!!! double yay!! called up zai and asked her to come tomorrow for buka puasa here :D the buffet spread, when we got to it, is insane!!! they have stalls for mee curry, sotong kangkung, malay dishes, briyani, 7 gulai kawah (yep, 7 big kawah), ABC, ice cream, halwas and sweet stuff for sweettoothers, deserts, bubur, tacos, tortillas, guacamoles, chillies, pastas, salads, roasted lamb on the spit, tahu bakar, salads, satays, roasted chicken, naan, murtabaks, fruits.....gawd... all for RM92++ ... oh and they have traditional musicians to entertain us... i am still stuff from all the food..and thats like i haven't tried all the food and drinks..i will take more pics tomorow with my sis and her family ;)

RM92++ Ramadhan Buffet Galore at Terrace cafe

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Random - Trip to Taiping

nobody@vox.com(Mama Nur) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:03:03 +0000

went to Taiping last sunday cos papa's dad need to get stuff for his trip to US next month. the town is one of my fav. it's quiet, cool and peaceful... though i think it is somewhat compromised by the opening of the town's first mall, Taiping Sentral (they already have Giants and Tesco)

The Store near the market got sales for babywear and kids stuff, so i got Daniel a pair of boots and jeans. Daniel got his hair cut there too :)

photoshoots around Taiping.

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I should be sleeping at 35,000 feet...

nobody@vox.com(mcco12) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:13:32 +0000

This morning in O'Hare, waiting for my Shanghai flight...I am half dozing (I got like 2 hours of sleep last night), listening to a guy who is on his mobile phone just a few steps from me:

“Yeah, so it was really scary. I mean we started dumping fuel and that took a while. Well, at first we started dumping fuel and that took like 30 or 45 minutes. Then they realized that the flaps were malfunctioning so we had to dump even more fuel. And we just kept flying around and we were getting nervous that we wouldn’t be able to land because we had dumped so much fuel. And then we realized that the flaps weren’t working and then it seemed really scary. Man, I was sweating bullets up there and I know Jack was, too.

I’d say between dumping all that fuel and having to put everyone in hotels for the night, we dropped at least $250,000 for this event. I’m not sure who you want to communicate that to, but just FYI.

I’m about to get on the next flight now. I’ll text you if there is any problem but I am definitely going to double check the flaps. If there is any problem up there, I’ll be sure and let you know...”

The guy obviously worked for United, though not sure if he was a pilot or just an employee that happened to be on the flight. He spoke with authority which makes me think he was a pilot, though he was dressed casually and seemed rather young: in his early 30s.

What’s odd is that he had this conversation in a crowded terminal with hundreds of people sitting around and everyone could hear him. It sure didn’t reassure me as I waited for my flight to Shanghai!

Later, I found out that the Hong Kong flight the night before had had a major problem and was delayed for 18 hours. So it must have been that flight he was talking about...then, about 10 minutes after that they announced that the Shanghai flight was cancelled...grrrrrr. I guess they couldn't get a replacement plane for all the people who were stranded one night because of the Hong Kong aircraft so they bumped our crew and our plane for that flight this morning. That meant we were cancelled. Sheeyot. There goes my Monday night meeting. I was also hoping to have a drink with some old friends in Shanghai who are leaving for a month on Tuesday for Belgium. Sheeeeyot!!

So I've been sitting in this Chicago hotel room all day working. At least I got caught up on some other work!

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My Trip to Holland

nobody@vox.com(torilynn) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:04:38 +0000

Okay, so I got back from Holland 11 days ago, but I've been so busy and haven't had the time to actually sit down and write about it because there is sooo much that I want to talk about, but i thought about it and seriously it would take me forever. ^^; So I'll keep it short.

IMG_1215

I arrived in Amsterdam around 8am on the 11th, after a 9 hour flight, which I only slept 1 hour on. xD So I was so exhausted when I finally got there. It was hard to sleep on the plane because I was so nervous/excited. After arriving, it took about 30 minutes to go through the security, passport check, and the hassle of finding my luggage. The whole time I was unbelievably nervous and my stomach felt like it was in knots. Don't think I've ever been so nervous in my life to meet someone. :) We were supposed to meet in the airport by the Starbucks and Burger King, but due to a delay (that I didn't know about), Alex didn't get there when he was supposed to so I was kinda left standing there, wondering if he was going to show up, even though I knew he would, I think it only bothered me slightly because I wanted to be the first to spot him. We had actually made plans for me to text him once I arrived there, so we could find each other more easily, but unfortunately I didn't realize I would get any service on my cellphone in Holland so I had no way of contacting him, which added to my anxiety. lol I man there I was in a foreign country, by myself. >__> Well, anyway, I stood there for about 15 minutes, kept looking around and such, trying to spot him anywhere I could. I felt like a lost puppy in that airport, it was huge. Finally, I turned around, looked up, and saw this tall, dark-haired guy walking towards me with a huge smile on his face. And right away I recognized him, and immediately I thought 'holy hell, it's really him'.. boy did I freak out. LOL It was just so sudden and all those emotions kind of just caught up with me right then and there. I didn't really know how to react, although I knew I had a cheesy smile on my face that I couldn't contain. I can remember it all so perfectly in my head, kind of seemed like a scene out of a movie or something. It was a fun and cute moment, we were both kind of awestruck. :3 At first, I was overcome with shyness, didn't really know what to say or what to do, neither did he. A little awkward, but we got over that within the first hour or so. First thing we did after meeting, was order a vanilla latte at the Starbucks near by (was also the last thing we did before I left). And then took the train and bus to his place.

It was so awesome just seeing where he lived and being a part of what he did every day, it's not just some big mystery now. Makes me feel a lot closer to him. :) Holland was absolutely beautiful to me, I loved the community and scenery. I would love to live there if I could, really peaceful place it seems. There was such a comfortable atmosphere, felt like home. The people were really nice as well. After the first day, It really felt like I had known him forever. I was really comfortable around him, didn't worry at all, didn't care what I looked like and what not. Just someone I could be myself around. I was happy. The entire time we spent together I had a smile on my face. :D It was an amazing feeling. ^^

And even though I was only there for a week, it seemed like so much longer than that. I thought the days would go by so fast because you know what they say, 'time flies when you're having fun', but looking back, it really seemed like they dragged on. I'm not complaining though, far from it. :) We did so much together, and I loved every minute that I got to spend with him. Had a lot of firsts too xD first plane ride, first time out of the country, first alcoholic beverage in public (still underage in the US xD), first time on a train and bus, oh and the first time at the beach. OMG the beach, lol, so basically I've never been anywhere near the ocean, and he took me there on several occasions, and it really was just so relaxing and romantic. I wish I could go there every day. We took our shoes off and walked out in the ocean together, nothing special to most people, but I really loved that moment. I'll never forget it. :) And the crazy seagulls that were after our food, lol, so many good memories I made there, with him.

One day we even biked to the beach to catch the sunset, which I barely made it since I haven't used a bike in ages, my legs were KILLING me. =/ But it was all worth it, never had someone to just sit and watch the sunset with, very romantique. :3

And everywhere we went, we held hands and kissed. I never realized how comforting little things like that would make me feel.

IMG_1056e

Haha, okay, so.. I got completely trashed on my third day there, so trashed that I threw up and don't remember anything after I got up off the couch. xD Alex had invited his friends Tom, Ben, BJ, and Sosha over for a drinking contest. To start off with, we had 2 24-packs of beer with some vodka, and after every 3 beers you had to take a shot of vodka.

IMG_0771

DAMN...

That's all I have to say. LOL

I've never drank so much that I couldn't remember anything, I remember small bits and pieces, and I somewhat remember throwing up, but that just seemed like a dream. Man, I really embarrassed myself. I broke his toilet and sink, don't know how I pulled that one off. And I don't remember doing that either. xD I was already nervous when his friends came over so I guess that kind of added to my bad drinking experience, lol. That, and they got there a little late, so I kind of wanted to hurry up and drink before I got too tired to do so. Because when I get tired, I drink no more, and I really wanted to win that damn drinking contest! :P

Also we took the train to his brother's place, during the weekend, and had the place to ourselves, just the two of us. Saw a million bicycles. >__> Walked a lot. Laughed a lot. Went shopping together. Played video games. Watched movies. Cooked. ^^ Just a simple, relaxing weekend to ourselves. <3

Went back to Alex's place on Sunday, followed by going to his band practice, to watch him, BJ, and Ben play. And it was AWESOME. ^^ Never really watched a band practice, up close and personal. It was a neat experience. I thought they were really good, even though he thinks otherwise. I beg to differ. :) I finally got to listen to him sing too. ^^ During their break, we walked over and got ourselves some chinese food! And Alex took a few goofy pictures on my camera.

Monday, the last whole day we got to spend together, we went to the Efteling, a fairytale based amusement park. was such a cool fucking place. :) Even though the whole day was cloudy and practically raining every chance it got, I had a blast! The rollercoasters were so much fun, we must have ridden them several times, and they had so many cool rides, it was great, and I really want to go again. ^___^ Hopefully, I'll go back one of these days.

Well, that pretty much sums up my trip, most of it anyway. I was going to make this really short, but I ended up writing a novel. We made so many great memories together, ones I'm sure we both will never forget, and I cannot wait to go back and make even more. :) I really had the time of my life there, with such an amazing guy too. ^__^

IMG_1210

And as for the saying goodbye, I already wrote about that in a different post, don't really want to write about it again.. It was just too hard for the both of us. v__v

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I finally bought a big piece of luggage

nobody@vox.com(Stephanie) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:07:02 +0000

Basically, all of my luggage is falling apart. I have used it quite a bit I suppose. So I needed to get something I could use and it needed to be big enough to divert me from taking more than one piece of luggage. There was a sale at Kohl's, so I went and I found this beautiful eggplant-colored piece of luggage. It matches my eggplant-colored camera, which I didn't realize or care about until today.

So, here it is. Now I can pack. Now I can put all those clothes I have been throwing around my room into something.

I hate packing and since I have been in the mood to do it lately, I should just do it now.
What difference does it make whether my clothes have been rolled up for a couple of days or for a couple of weeks? Okay, a month.
Maybe I won't pack just yet.

I eat a lot of eggplant

I just got some new tights in the mail

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What makes Memorable Moments at Tagaytay

nobody@vox.com(Vicktr) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 23:13:16 +0000

I know its kind of late to blog this but I want to put it here just incase i forgot this precious memory.
My 19th birthday at Tagaytay Picnic Grove was the very best birthday i ever had in my entire life. Eventhough my my parents are away, its all good.

I was with my most special someone, Janissa together with my sister, Vicki, her husband, Ronald and her cute daughter, Naomi to join me celebrate that day.

We traveled by land, riding in my brother in law's toyota corola 94. The trip was ok, not too stressful, It just took us about 3 hours to get to Tagaytay all the way from Metro Manila.

The view of Mt. Taal is excellent in Tagaytay picnic grove. It feels like your looking at real work of art, a masterpiece done by the hands of almighty God .By the way,Tagaytay is a tourist attraction for local and foreign visitors. It is the perfect spot to have a good look at Taal Lake and Volcano. If you want to get away from the city life, Tagaytay is the perfect hide away, here are the great hotels that can be found in Tagaytay ( http://www.hotelscombined.com/City/Tagaytay.htm ) or if you want you can actually browse any hotels all around the area you want to visit. just click the link: ( www.hotelscombined.com )

Tagaytay offers a breathtaking sight of the famous Taal Lake - a lake within an island within a lake. Above are photos of sceneries that caught my attention during our visit.The bridgethere was very old, it was really scary to walk on the bridge, each step made a crack sound, i thought if i took a step further the bridge was not gonna hold on much longer, but the kids before me who passed the bridge were jumping on their way

We were planning to spend the night at one of the fine hotels located within Tagaytay
click this link ( http://www.hotelscombined.com/City/Tagaytay.htm ) to see the the fine hotels established in Tagaytay. Yeah it would have been nice to spend the night at one of these hotels but We all had something to do the next day, me and Janissa had classes and my sister and brother in law had work early in the morning.
But what makes memorable moment in such a wonderful place is the smiles that we see, the fun that we share and all thats good that makes us forget lifes' downfalls. The memories of the times we had with our love ones that keeps us sane in this world.

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Tips on Planning a Vacation

nobody@vox.com(Vicktr) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:00:57 +0000

If your reading this article, more or less, you have finally decided you want to escape from your daily routines and give yourself a break and have a nice vacation but having second thoughts if it will cost you a fortune.

Don't worry Here are some of my tips to help you save money if your planning to go on vacation.

Tip#1 Knowing How much is your Budget & Planning on how long are you going stay .
Before deciding where to go, its always important to know how much is your budget, how much are willing to spend for the trip so that you can decide where to go .

Knowing how long do you plan to go on vacation either domestic or internationally helps you make a realistic view of your expenses. The longer your stay means the more you spend money.
Carefully weigh the days on how many days you intend to stay.

Tip #2 Look for the cheapest Transportation Deals to your destination you can find .
Look for cheapest fight deals in your local travel agency or visit websites such as www.cheapflights.com which gives you great flight deals. Do this at least two weeks before the day you plan to go traveling. It helps you in having more options of great deals that you can compare. Also try to look if they have promotional discounts available , such as roundtrips, one way trips , etc. and choose that will work out for you.

Tip #3 Choosing where to stay
Like looking for great flight deals, you should also look for a place to stay that will work out for you. If you have no idea where it would be nice to stay for the during your travel, check out www.hotelscombined.com.Travelers can save time and money as Travelers can compare full price hotel data including taxes, fees and rebates.This site also features Hotels in 20,000 destinations across 195 countries.

Tip #4 Choosing Where to Eat
Now that you have a place to stay, next thing you should consider is where can you eat, be it just a simple snack or a meal time. While you walk around and explore your area. Check out each food establishments see which will meet your wallet and taste buds.

Tip #5 Buying souvenirs
Its nice to buy souvenirs for your loved ones and for yourself, Check out gift shops available. look at the price and see if it fits your budget or do it the way i do when i visit other places. I like buying something that will remind me of the places i visited be it a necklace or other items that wont cost me much.

I hope these tips will be useful when you plan to go on vacation.

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Time Flies When You are Having Fun

nobody@vox.com(Will's Wonderland) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:25:55 +0000

Well as I stated in my last blog I like to try and write a blog per day. That blog was on August 3rd. For those of you not so sufficient in math that is ten days ago. So yes, the first statement was full of sarcasm. Don't get me wrong, I mean I do love writing them and I know that the two's of people who read this are always disappointed when they look down and see that I haven't updated my blog in a while, but time seems to fly so fast these days. I decided tonight, after reading Sabrina's ridiculous blog where she tried to blame me for something or other, (I don't really remember as I wasn't really paying attention) that I would try and post again.

Over the last few weeks Chasen and the boys have been out and about bringing the "pop" rock to the masses from Florida, to Alabama, and this past week, New Mexico and Louisiana. Life on the road is normally fun, but people just assume that it's easy and a "cool" journey all the time. This would be a big fat negatory. For instance this last trip we took, we drove a total of like 2500 miles (36 hours) just to play two shows. One was a rodeo in New Mexico...nuff said. The other was a club in Louisiana, which by the way is no where close to New Mexico, with the 90's band Blind Melon. If you remember their music then I am sorry...it was terrible. It is no small wonder that they haven't had a single, much less a record worth a download since their debut in the 90's. Some people just don't know when to hang it up. I do need to go back and say however that the rodeo was awesome. Sure it was in New Mexico and sure that is not anywhere near South Carolina, but we got to see some bull riding, barrel racing, and ALMOST got to see Silver (thats Evan Silver, guitarist and "Black Gospel Vocalist" for Rod Stewart himself) on the back of a steer, holding on for dear life. In the end he wimped out, but I have to be honest and say that I don't really blame him. The show was good, and we had allot of fun none the less, but as you can see, its not always fun and games as most people believe and assume. On a final note here, we have to eat a ton of fast food and that is neither good for you, nor something to look forward to at every meal. Luckily at the Rodeo, we had an INCREDIBLE home made meal.

I posted all of this in part just to post another blog and try and get myself into the swing of doing it all the time again, but also to enlighten all you folks who assume life on the road is all fun and games. It's not...so we could always use your prayers and support, and even money if you have some laying about that you aren't using. Finally, to Lawrence Trucking Company, you have one driver out there sleeping at the wheel. He is lucky to have escaped this time with no ticket, as we did call the police on him, but we will be watching and waiting for the day when he swerves past us once again. He better just hope that he doesn't have a "How's My Driving?" sticker on his rig.

"Baby, your hair is in my foot!!"

+ WAC +

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If you ever visit Warsaw (Poland

nobody@vox.com(izusek) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:49:54 +0000

.. this link can help you with finding some interesting places to see.

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[fanmix] Utada Hikaru (宇多田ヒカル) - Traveling (twilight express mix)

nobody@vox.com(fuzzy_panda) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:23:50 +0000

Utada Hikaru - Traveling (twilight express mix)

Utada Hikaru

Another Hikki mix. Too bad I can't make a cool vid like the original.

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