Adventures – Page 4

Things to Know when taking a Cruise in Spain and Morocco

April 11, 2016 by Notourguideneeded 1 Comment

First, Why this Cruise?

My husband’s family is Venezuelan by way of Canary Islands. My dad and I had talked about going to Morocco for a while. I was sitting in a hotel room in New Orleans watching my husband sleep, when I got an email from NCL.. “Cruise Special” (or something like that). I started looking and oh boy! For $700 we could have a 10 day cruise from Barcelona, to Canary Islands and Morocco. Let’s do this! Within hours it was an easy decision. It’s also easy to plan a vacation while you are on down time of another vacation. This is why ships have the big discounts if you book your trip while still on board. They get you when you are all in a good mood and forgetting about your light bill… but I digress.

This time, we decided to invite the family so my parents, cousin and us went. I have not laughed so much in 10 days than I did then! I highly recommend that if you need a family get away, a cruise is the way to go. Then you can do things together but also independent when you need alone time. I can’t wait to do another one… but now for our recap…

Barcelona

We started the trip in Barcelona. We got there a full day earlier so we could see a little bit and then get on the ship. This also helps because then you aren’t worried about rushing to make a flight.

We stayed at Andante Hotel and I would definitely return. The front desk guys were great and even called to make us last minute reservations. The rooms were big, clean and modern. It was just walking distance from everything we needed.

I have been to Barcelona before so we were tour guides for my family. I love showing people around and showing them the sites.

Places in Barcelona not to miss:

La Rambla – I know it is touristy, but there is always a good show going on and places to buy things. You can walk up and down for hours seeing new things and the walk is free!
La Boqueria – Never in my life have I ever seen so many colors in one place. And the smells of meat and cheese and candy, oh my! And they like to give samples. Yum! 🙂

Getting to the ship…

We got up the next day and headed down to the coast. Everyone said you can walk.

Do not walk.

After piling into two cabs, we were so happy we didn’t walk. We saw people with their luggage – it didn’t look fun at all. If you flew halfway around the globe to cruise and you want to save $10 on a cab, perhaps you can find something closer to home?

So, on the ship we went. I talked a lot on the Alaska cruise about the importance of the balcony rooms. Again, if you can, spend a little money. It isn’t as important to have a balcony as it was Alaska, but it was very nice. It’s not like out in the Caribbean where it is water and that is it;there are a few things to see along the way that you might want to have a view. Coming into the ports were nice and as we crossed the strait, although it was dark, was peaceful.

view from the balcony

this is our room — This was our room. I am standing next to a chair so it is small, but it worked fine for us.

Here is where we went (not in any order):

Casablanca (Morocco)

I did extensive research on Casablanca. I had maps, addresses, etc and researched places to eat and things to do. Then on the ship, there was a an advertisement for an excursion that took us to the Mosque and a City tour. At first I was a little annoyed with taking an excursion because I had (thought) I did my research. Well, let me say this… if you think you are just going to walk around Casablanca and check out the sites, you might find yourself very tired, lost and frustrated.

First thing is the money situation. They are not in the EU, so no euros! You are only in the city for less than a day. If you exchange money there is a process that is rather complicated. The excursions have worked out a deal with markets to take euros. Yeah, yeah you aren’t getting the full market appeal, but the point of cruise ports is to sample the culture. If you want to really get into it stay awhile, otherwise just go with the flow.

That being said, do make sure you count your money. We were almost overcharged several times (they see tourists coming!).

Now the best part… The Mosque.

I must admit that I have never been inside a Mosque or know anything about it. I was a little embarrassed when I realized how little I know about the Muslim culture in general. Our tour guide was a wonderful, progressive woman. She taught us about the washing before prayer, the traditions etc. As we would walk/drive along, she would point out random things like, “you see that chair, that is for if I get tired, but I don’t need it now”. Anyway, there is sort of a line to get into the Mosque and there is only a window of time to do it. You must go with a tour, although if you decide to ignore my advice and go alone, you can get into a tour onsite.

You take off your shoes and put them in a bag to carry with you. Know this ahead of time just in case you have a hole in your sock or something.

Then the guide walked us through the building. I have a tremendous amount of photos, so if you want to see more, contact me. It was truly an amazing structure. I have seen many cathedrals and other architecture masterpieces, but this is at the top of the list. I was in awe.

Let me also address the “women”. A few people told me that Casablanca was a very modern city and women could wear/do whatever we do here in the states. That may be so, but I did not see it. I saw many cafes with only men. Most non-tourists were covered. I would not have been comfortable walking alone, but maybe after a while you get used to it.

It is also good to note that the actual city is quite far from the ship. As much as I hate to say it, this is a place that you probably do need a guide to help you navigate.

Arrecife (Lanzarote) (Canary Islands)

Have you ever ridden a camel in the desert?? I have! But if you already have, you know it is a bit organized. They won’t let you take off and run them or anything. But it is still very cool.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands)

This was one of my favorite stops. We wanted to go to Teide National Park and you really need to take a tour or drive yourself. We opted for the tour because there were five of us and we wanted to maximize the time rather than our usually getting lost.

The tour guide was beyond fabulous. One of the reasons we don’t like tours is because you are stuck with the guide’s itinerary. Our guide was flexible, showing us where we could see additional things.

We stopped to see the Finger of God. That was so neat to see the rock formations.

Then we headed to Teide National Park where we stood in the freezing wind and saw incredible views of the park and the volcano. I am so glad we opted for this because it was truly amazing.

Funchal (Madeira)

There is not a lot of major things to see in Funchal, so we opted to just take the hop on hop off bus and that was a good deal. Then we stopped off at a wonderful bakery/cafe. The waiter was just so funny and helped us with the menu and to pick out all our grand pastries! Funchal was a good place to see, but not a lot of spectacular sites other than at the piers.

Granada (Malaga) (Spain)

The second reason my husband wanted to go on this cruise was not to see Granada, but to take a bus to Alhambra. Many people know Alhambra, they just don’t realize they do. Remember in grade school when you were learning about Columbus and how we went to Queen Isabella for money to sail the ships around the world? He asked for the money in Alhambra!

There is a rich history of Catholic overtaking of the Moors at Alhambra. I wish we would have had more time to really study what was going on at the time. Read on it before you go so you are familiar with all of the stories.

There are guides everywhere, and if you can find a way to rent a car, you should. However, we took a bus because it is about an hour drive each way.

On a side note, here is a good write up of Columbus from the History Channel.

We decided to do the round trip back to Barcelona, and that let us have additional time in the city. From there, we parted ways with the family and my hubs and I took a quick flight to Paris to celebrate Christmas. But that is another story….

Alaska Cruise

April 8, 2016 by Notourguideneeded 4 Comments

Alaska.

Just go. Don’t even think about it. I hesitated and it is by far one of the best trips I have taken. It seems to be best seen, at least for your first trip, by cruise so you can experience it all. If you are not one for cold weather (me!) the cruise is great because you go out and do excursions and then you hop into your room, or the thermal spa.

Yes, I said thermal spa. If you are an experienced cruiser, you know what I am talking about and you are smiling right now thinking of the warm benches or the sea salt baths. BUT, if you are new to cruising like I was, you have no idea what is in store. I will write another post specifically about thermal spas, but let me just say it is a must. Especially in freezing Alaska.

Now, the hubs and I like to spend our money wisely and we weren’t too sure if we would like a cruise (we did) or Alaska (we did). Norwegian Cruises had a special where we could be in a balcony room for something really cheap. We decided to give it a try. We left for Alaska the first week of May. The bears weren’t even out yet it was so cold.

Getting there and logistics

There are many options for this cruise. You can start or stop in Vancouver, Seattle, or many other places. We opted for the most variety and chose to get to Vancouver a few days early, enjoy ourselves, and then return via Seattle with a day to see that city.

I would not go on this cruise in anything less than a balcony room. The view is amazing but one of the best parts of the trip was watching the whales from our balcony. The captain would announce which side of the ship the whales were on and we saw plenty. If you splurge in any area, it is this. It is worth giving up any excursion. Plus you are at sea for a few days and you still have great views.

We thought (maybe like you are now) that we could get an inside cabin and then just go to the main area. One, that is what everyone else thinks too. Two, there isn’t enough room for everyone to see. Three, it is probably going to be cold. In our case it was very cold. So, having the balcony, I could wrap myself in a blanket and sit outside fine.

Different ships and ports do things different, so keep that in mind.

Excursions

You have to remember that you are going to small towns. Depending on what time of year you go, there may not be many options of things to do. That might be okay with you and maybe not. I’m listing below things we did, and wish we did. However, Alaska is so pretty that I am not sure you could go wrong with anything if you had the right attitude.

Vancouver

I had always heard that Vancouver was fun, but it is on my list of places that I would like to return to someday. A few places that you should probably check out:

The Capilano Suspension Bridge is super cool. I wasn’t that familiar and I wish we had planned to spend more time there. I could have spent a full day walking around and we only budgeted about 4 hours. (4 hours is enough, I was just greedy :)). Check out the link above and if you don’t do anything else go there. There are lots of tree houses and tons of interactive things. Get the passport if they still have them and play the game of getting stamps. You are on vacation, you can be a child too!
I know that some people really dig the whales, but you are about to go to the middle of the sea, where you will most likely see whales for free. Choose wisely. If you must see whales, go for it. If you are thinking that is just something neat, make sure you have done the bridge before you spend the money on the whales.
The Olympic Cauldron. It’s there. Take a photo. Move along.
Stanley Park is great if the weather is good. We drove around it but it was much to cold for us to enjoy the park.

Juneau

This little town of 33,000 is only reachable by boat or plane. It is a popular spot for vacation because it does have a lot to offer. The main one is the dog sledding that will put you back several hundred dollars. I wanted to go but was torn to pay that kind of money. The universe decided for me, as it was a late Spring and everything was still frozen. We opted to take a photography whale watching excursion and a stop over at the glacier. Not disappointed with either of these.

First, we stopped off at the glacier.

and then we saw it…

The guide said it was one mile from where we were standing. That is how big the glacier is!!

You can read more about the glacier from the visitor center, and I highly recommend you check it out.

One thing I do wish we had time for was to walk on the glacier. I thought it was kind of a dumb idea sitting in my kitchen researching excursions. “Walk on a chunk of ice.. who wants to do that?” I thought. Well, now I do. After seeing the glacier in all its glory, I wanted to walk on that sucker. It’s not like you can just walk up to it either, so one for next time! (Plus, we saw a lot of whales off our balcony, but there was no guarantee of that).

Then we were off to check out the whales!

Now, I had never been on a whale watching tour before. What do they do to get the whales? Do they feed them? Well, they have spotters. And the whales are pretty habitual so the boat drivers talk to each other and then they follow the whales around. You don’t want to get too close because the boats are small and the whales are huge. It was freezing and raining, but it was super cool to be outside with the nature and seeing the whales.

Then we did something I wasn’t expecting. We went to see eagles. Now, after being in Alaska for a few days, I learned that eagles are everywhere, but early on the trip this was just amazing. (there are many eagle watching tours. think about this when booking one. there is no guarantee that you will see an eagle on your own, but based on what we saw, I’d be surprised).

Ketchikan

We stopped in at the Totem Heritage center. It’s a good stop and very interesting history. Not long but a good deal to see.

There is lots of shopping and little craft stores. I bought myself a wooden owl there.

The big thing is to go fishing, but if you aren’t into that, the city gives enough to do just walking around.

The city has a lot of history and it is well documented. It was once the seen of a red-light district and you can take a very cheesy, but good tour of the house.

Skagway

Skagway is a VERY small town. Unlike Ketchikan, there weren’t that many shops. Most people took the train up to the Yukon to see the beautiful scenery. Not us. We did it like they did during the gold rush – we rode horses!

They are very accommodating and even if you have never been on a horse, you will be okay. They do not let you go free with the horse and there is always someone around to help. I highly recommend this tour!

There were many muddy parts but the horses didn't mind! — There were many muddy parts but the horses didn’t mind!

Glacier Bay

As I said earlier, get yourself a balcony room if you can. For the main part of glacier bay, we did go to the outside of the ship because the ice was calfing (why can’t they just say dropping??).

Seattle

We only had a day in Seattle, but we got to see the highlights.

This is the famous public market. It was impressive!

The big thing at the public market is the flowers. They are beautiful and everywhere to buy!

Again, the trip was great, and I would go again if other people were going too. Or maybe if there was a sale. Or to see the bears, because it was too cold when we were there. Or maybe to so salmon fishing..

Check out some other blogs that talk about Alaska and the parts that I didn’t go:

Being left in the jungle…

March 22, 2016 by Notourguideneeded 2 Comments

I am assuming you have read my bit on Angel Falls.

We had spent the last several days trying to get to the falls and then we finally made it. It was really amazing and I have said this over and over, but if you can make it, go. I will always cherish this experience.

Getting off the boat…

I was so sunburned and dirty and we had a flight to catch back to the city. We are heading upstream in our canoe and all of a sudden the guide tells us we need to change canoes. What?? Why, we ask. Now, there is a little inappropriate cultural insensitive joke I have with my Venezuelan husband that whenever you ask a Venezuelan a question (not just him, but anyone I have ever met) they do not answer the question directly. “how is the weather?” is answered with “we need to go to the store after school”. Nothing is ever clear. And while I love my Venezuelan family, I am german heritage where questions are answered directly with as little words as possible.

So – we are on the boat, the guide pulls us over. We stand on the rocky shore for a bit and then another canoe shows up. Okay.. we change and head down.

Then we had someone on our tour that became ill. I am not sure she had eaten the whole time we were there or if she was dehydrated or what. BUT, she became ill about the same time we needed to… change canoes again?!? Why you ask? Who knows! I was told a story about the tide and the way the water changes. But I would swear to you that we got back into the original canoe we were in to begin with.

Okay, so sick lady has rested, we are in a canoe, and we are heading back. It was about 10am and I tell our guide that our flight back is at 11am. He assures me that nothing in Venezuela is on time (I agree) and that there are only like 6 people on the plane, they know where we are, blah blah blah, sit back and it will be okay.

Incidents at the Camp….

We get back to the camp and he tells us that he needs to do something and we should take a shower. I don’t want a shower. It is now 10:50 and I want to go get on the plane. Plus the shower isn’t really a shower.. more of what you see when you go camping so I am not sure I am going to get really clean anyway.

Now I am sunburned, hot, dirty, tired, and all I want to do is get to civilization. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the jungle. For a couple days. I clearly am not Jane. Tarzan would have to move to the big city to be with me.

As we finally convince Juan our guide (who was super cool btw), to get us to the, um airport?, we are driving through the jungle. And then I see it. Our plane. Taxiing. Then taking off without us!!

Nothing in Venezuela is ever on time except for the little plane in Canaima.

We are quiet and hope that it is a different plane. Juan hops out of the truck and he starts talking to people frantically. Picture this in your mind.. it is an open field. Lots of little planes. One grassy runway. The ‘airport’ is litterally a hut. There are people selling stuff they made there. Maybe a spot for pilots to get food. But it is basically and in-and-out place. There is a guy walking around as a ‘local’ in a loin clothe. I am not sure if that was advertizing or if he was for real.

So Juan is talking to people and then my husband starts in on the situation. We called the tour company and they had to call another company that said that wasn’t their fault. Apparently we were not on the flight manifest so that is why they didn’t wait for us. But then the first company blamed the next company etc etc etc. I am sitting on a bench with some pilots. The frantic talking starts to be yelling. They suggest we spend another night in the jungle. We have connecting flights and need to get out to the city.

Finally after what felt like all day, I had enough. I announce that I am calling the US embassy to find me a way out of there. Now, I know. they could care less. But I was scared and wanted to motivate them to get me out of there now. Well, as crazy as that sounds, it worked. One of the pilots overheard me and said “oh miss, there is no need for that. I need to go to the city anyway so I will take you”.

Rides from strangers…

Didn’t my mom teach me not to take rides from strangers??? What do we do? and then my husband reminds me – Kidnapping Americans would require great organization. There is no way this was not safe to do.

We approach the very very nice gentleman’s plane. It’s a Cessna. No problem. Andres hops in the back and me in the front. I am all freaked out. Then we start to go. Now, I can sleep anywhere that has an engine. So, all that fear – gone. Best nap of my life. Really.

The flight we needed to take was in Puerto Ordaz, but the pilot could only take us to Ciudad Bolivar, about 100 kilometers away. Apparently the tour company arranged to have a guy (a boy really) take us from one airport to another. The pilot tells us we have several hours and we should take the time to explore Ciudad Bolivar. I really don’t want to. I really just want to get to the city, freshen up and relax. The pilot goes on and on about the museum and we must see the museum. Reminder: I haven’t showered in days, I am sunburned, all my personal items are in a makeshift purse of a gallon ziplock bag to prevent them from getting wet in the canoe, so, going to a museum is not on my agenda.

We get off the plane, we thank him for saving our lives and I run into the bathroom to take a shower in the sink. I come out and the hubs is talking to a kid, maybe 15, probably 13. This is our driver. He is very proud of Cuidad Bolivar. He says we have plenty of time and if he just takes us to the airport there is nothing to do and we will be bored. He also says we must see the museum. Now we are curious.

We get in his older but very well kept compact car and head out. He takes us on a tour of the city and we stop at his favorite arepa cart/table/stand. Excellent arepas. I am still holding my ziplock bag purse. We eat our food and get back in the car. The kid insists that we must see the museum (is he getting commissions). We agree and head over to the museum. We walk in and the front desk guy tells me I must check my purse. It is a ziplock bag. I tell him “no” and he says, “okay” (note to self: rules are usually just guidelines).

Then we understand what the commotion about the museum was. This was not an ordinary museum. We are in a very small city in the middle of Venezuela. There are only about 300,000 people that live there and the main jobs are farming. We are not in NYC or Paris. I was not expecting this.

The museum was the Jesús Soto Museum of Modern Art.

Really??? Soto. Check out his works here: Soto Museum

Here I am sunburned, stinking with my gallon ziplock bag. And I am so tired I want to lay on the floor and we apart of his exhibits.

I tried to be a sport and really look at his work. Since then I have seen his creations in other museums and I terribly regret how tired I was.

Then I turned the corner.. there it was. Moonwalk, Andy Warhol. Really? In the middle of Venezuela. I have more respect than ever now for this fabulous culture.

And I am glad I listened to the pilot and the kid. Well, hubs listened to them. I barely went along with the deal.

Once we were done, we get in the car and head the 100 kilometers to the next airport. The drive was fantastic but the kid was going so fast, that there was not enough time to take it all in (or get concerned about kidnapping, but that is another story).

We made it out of the the airport and back to Caracas. My family greeted me with a surprise birthday cake (it was my birthday trip). And then I took a shower and went to bed.

This was the airport in Caniama — This was the airport in Canaima

Little plane and runway — Planes and runway

A view from the plane as we flew from Canaima to Ciudad Bolivar.

Chicago St. Patrick’s Day

March 18, 2016 by Notourguideneeded 1 Comment

I have been to Chicago many times and each time have had an exceptional experience. The city is great, with shopping, food and just some really good history. There is always something going on in the city and I am not sure why I do not go more often.

This year, I headed up to the Windy City to experience St. Patrick’s day. I have always wanted to see the river green and had no idea the party I was in for that day. First, let me say that Chicago knows how to party. They start dying the river green around 9am and the festivities are well under way.

It wasn’t hard to find the festivities. Just walk over to the river. The plumbers’ union is the ones that dye the river and they were having a hell of a good time.

There are parties throughout the city and many around the river or as you head to the parade.

Ah, yes the parade. I was warned by numerous people that the parade was a crazy event. I have been to Mardi Gras, Oktoberfest, etc. I can handle crazy. Well, the ‘irish’ in Chicago pack it all into one day! The crowds were everywhere, but I must say that even though I did see a few disorderlies, I never felt unsafe.

We spent most of our time at McCormicks and everyone I asked said they were not going to the parade. The hubs and I decided to head over and check it out anyway. We couldn’t get there… too many people!

Great Party here at McCormick's — Great Party here at McCormick’s

Venezuela

March 16, 2016 by Notourguideneeded Leave a Comment

I have a bit of an advantage when traveling to Venezuela because my husband is from there. So it is nice to visit family and get a real sense of the Venezuelan culture. We generally visit and then go site seeing in other parts of the country. The county is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. It makes me sad of the political unrest because I want everyone to go and experience what the country has to offer.

There are a few things to note if you choose to travel to Venezuela:

Check Twitter or call the hotels to see if there are any shortages. This is serious business. You could get there and they are out of toilet paper or worse beer. Know before you go.

Even if the hotel says everything is fine, it probably is not. Take any personal items you will need with you. Do not plan on buying anything there just in case.

Do not wear anything nice. You are not going to 5th Avenue. Express Kidnappings are real. Just be aware and you will be okay, but leave your nice stuff at home. The general rule is if you have to leave it there, how sad would you be? Then leave that stuff at home!.

If you are not a South American it can be very difficult to understand some of the culture. For example, while we were at the ticketing office, the woman needed to take a break, so she just left. We asked when would she return and her co-worker said in a couple hours. This oddly happened a lot, so don’t be upset if it happens to you.

If you learned Spanish in the US, you probably learned Mexican. In Europe you probably learned Spain/Spanish. This is not the same as Venezuelan spanish. You will get by but just know there are differences so you probably want to bring a translation book just in case.

The beef in Venezuela is amazing. I am not sure if they are massaging their cows or what but it is just.. wow!

Arepas are the official rolls of the country. It is corn-meal made into a patty and then fried or baked. They are awesome with some cheese or like a sandwich. Beware they are addicting and probably not so good for you.

Sitting in traffic on the Pan Americana is an experience all on its own. People spend hours sitting on it because the congestion is so bad. So, the Venezuelans (although I see this in many SA countries) sell items to you while you are waiting. It is a great concept. Just be aware of thefts and kidnappings and you will be fine.

Again, I love Venezuela. Venezuela does not love Americans anymore though. If you are planning a trip in 2016 or later, you will need a Visa. These visas require alot of information so be prepared. For example they want a copy of your mortgage payment and proof of income. Check the requirements before you commit to see if you can even get a visa now.

Angel Falls..

Also, read my post on Angel Falls. The trip was one of those lifetime experiences. It is a tough trip physically but worth every second. Check it out here: Angel Falls and how we got left in the jungle.

Things to Know when taking a Cruise in Spain and Morocco

First, Why this Cruise?