Day Trip to Monte Carlo, Monaco

After arriving in Nice, we took a 30 minute train ride from Nice, France to Monte Carlo, Monaco. Spent the day in Monaco touring the Prince's Palace, private car collection, and Casino. Finished the day with seafood paella and cheese at Mori's Bar in Nice, France.

On August 29th, 2016, we traveled to Nice, France for a few days of food, culture, sightseeing, and visiting friends.

Paul's Travel Maps for Nice and Ireland

Paul's travel map for Nice, France
Paul's travel map for Ireland

How to Save Money on Ground Transportation from the Cozumel Airport

This video is based on my May 2016 trip to Cozumel. This video is a comparison of different airport ground transportation options and shows how to get a taxi right outside of the Cozumel airport.

Disclaimer: This video is presented without warranty or guarantee. This is based on my personal travel experiences. I am not a travel agent and I do not represent any travel company.

Stingray Beach, Cozumel, Mexico

http://www.stingraybeach.com/
Stingray Beach in Cozumel, Mexico is one of the Top 10 Mayan-Themed Family activities according to National Geographic.

May 2016 we snorkeled with stingrays at Stingray Beach in Cozumel. They also house a few iguanas.

Milan Recap Video

Footage from 3 days in Milan
August 6-8, 2015
We arrived in Milan the morning of August 6th and took the train from the airport to Cadorna station. From Cadorna, we walked about 0.5 miles to Hotel Genius. We spent the afternoon walking, eating, and drinking between the Duomo and the Castle. In the evening, we traveled to the Milan Expo (Expo tickets are 5 Euro after 7 PM). We visited various pavilions including Mexico, Russia, USA, France, Ireland, Israel, etc...

One must have packing tip for Italy

Before you head out to a "wine region" vacation, one simple must-have item to pack in your CHECKED suitcase is....


Once again, don't pack your corkscrew in your carry-on luggage. Pack your corkscrew in your checked bag! If you are traveling overseas, you can buy excellent wine either at the grocery store or at the vineyard. This is especially true. Worried about tariffs? Then drink it in your hotel room! It can be sometimes hard buy a corkscrew while traveling, such a small and simple thing to pack! Save you money and indulge on your vacation.

5 Essentials for Long Flights

As I'm currently packing for my next international trip to Italy for some much needed vacation time, here are my top 5 travel items I can't live without for long flights (4 hours or more).

1. TSA Lock - You'd be surprised how often valuables are stolen from luggage. This is not only important at the airport, but also traveling to/from the airport, and at the hotel. I usually lock up all of my valuables every time I leave my hotel room and during hotel storage. If you don't have a TSA approved lock, TSA may cut off your lock. A broken lock is a bad way to start your international trip.
2. Travel Compression Socks - During long flights, you will be sitting for extended periods of time. Unless you are in a section with lie-flat beds, your feet and ankles will be swollen by the time you reach your destination. I have found that compression socks reduce the swelling and fatigue in my feet, ankles, and calves. Must have for any long flight. Personally, I buy a lot of travel compression sleeves for long-distance running (i.e. Marathon training). I wouldn't recommend wearing compression sleeves during air travel, you need the compression in your feet and your ankles for air travel.
3. Noise Cancellation Headphones - Planes are loud. I remember traveling before noise cancellation headphones and turning up the volume of my CD player to the max just to hear the music.  Thankfully, the price of noise cancelling headphones has dropped significantly since the first pair I saw over 10 years ago.
4. Wi-Fi Tablet with case and kick-stand - Airlines are now allowing passengers to stream movies, tv, media content in the plane to passenger's personal tablets.  It's a win-win for the airlines, removing those built-in screens from the backs of seats and/or not having to maintain screens. If you don't already have a tablet, they are pretty affordable now. You don't want to hold your tablet up for 8 hours, so always buy a case with a kick-stand.
5. Change of Clothes. Shirt, pants, socks, underwear. You never know what will get spilled on you at 30-thousand feet. What if the person next to you gets air-sick on you? What if your luggage is lost? Always travel with a change of clothes. During a trip from Atlanta to Singapore, I had a layover in Narita airport (Tokyo, Japan). During my layover, I visited the Delta SkyClub and took a shower. They even had hair dryers.

Lodging in India - Guesthouse in Mysore

In January 2015, I visited my company's Mysore office for 2 weeks. During my time in Mysore, I stayed at my company's owned lodging called the "Guesthouse."

Ramanagara Marathon in India

My most memorable experience while in India was running the Ramanagara Marathon (11K distance) on February 1, 2015.
The purpose of the Ramanagara Marathon was to  promote organ donation and child abuse awareness in India. My friend Sunaina Ravindra suggested the run to me since we both enjoy running.
The race organizers offered online registration, bib pickup, and charter bus transportation from Bangalore. Online registration was a challenge (as their online payment system did not accept credit cards from outside of India). We made special arrangements with the race organizers to pay at bib pick up. To further complicate things, we made arrangements for Sunaina's friend to pick up our bibs. The admission fee was approximately the equivalent of $7 USD.
On race day, we woke up at 4:30 am and took a Rickshaw to the bus station to meet the charter bus to the race. The bus picked us up at 5:15 am and we arrived at Ramanagara at around 6 am.

 

We found Sunaina and Balaji who gave us our bibs and packets which included a small drawstring backpack and a race shirt. Balaji is wearing the race shirt in the above photo.

It was cold, dark and foggy before the sunrise. Once the sun started to rise, the start line was a band of drum performers symbolizing the start of the race.

Start Line

We enjoyed a beautiful run that included the beautiful countryside of Ramanagara

Family of Spectators

 

Water stop along the race course

At the finish line, we received our medals and certificates of participation.

 

Although there were water stops along the race course, as outsiders, we were advised to only drink bottled water. We brought 1 bottle of water each to the race which we drank while on the race course. In the US, we usually receive granola bars and bananas at the finish line. In India, curry and/or other traditional Indian dishes were served. We needed to get back to our hotel, but the charter bus we took wasn't scheduled to leave for another 2-3 hours. We hitchhiked our way back to our hotel with a wonderful, kind, and generous family. We will always be thankful for this act of kindness.

On a very sad note, while we were leaving the race, we saw an ambulance behind us at one point. The next day we found out that one of the participants died of massive cardiac arrest. He was only 27-years-old. Read the entire article here.

Train Station in Bangalore

Train travel is probably the most common method of transportation between cities in India. Here are some scenes from the Bangalore main train station. Hosted by Paul Dunn.



There is a front entrance and back exit from this train station. When we arrived in Bangalore, we followed the crowd to the back exit and jumped into a cab. We should have walked to the front entrance and booked our return train ticket. At the time of the shooting of this video (February 2015), online train ticket reservations were not available to us.

Indian Visa approved!

My visa for India was approved by the Consulate General of India yesterday.  It's official, I'm headed to India.
Tourist Visa on Arrival in India is now available for US Citizens traveling on Holiday, but I applied for a business visa since I'm going for work.

My next International trip

I'm making preparations for my next international trip to Mysore, India in late January.  This will be my 1st trip to India, and I expect it to be quite an adventure.  This trip is for my job at Software Paradigms International (SPI) for 2 weeks.  My husband, Paul, will travel with me.  I'm looking forward to posting pictures and thoughts from my trip.

Pre-trip Tasks

1. Buy plane tickets.
2. Ground transportation & hotel - working on.
3. Visa for India - $175 for a tourist visa for my husband, business visa for me paid for by my company.  7 - 15 days processing time at the consulate.
4. Purchasing small gifts for the people I will be meeting with in India.
5. Packing list for India.
6. Buying audiobooks, movies, music - Entertainment options for the plane ride.
7. Research India - Reading India Unveiled by Robert Arnett.

My Personal Amazing Race - Boboil Gardens, Florence, Italy

In Season 12, Leg 7 (original airdate: 12/23/2007) of the Amazing Race on CBS, teams end the leg at the Pit Stop in Boboli Gardens in Florence, Italy.  Boboli Gardens, a popular tourist attraction, was also a scene in Dan Brown's novel, Inferno, where Robert Langdon and Sienna Brooks attempt to escape their pursuers.
We visited Boboli Gardens during a week long trip to Italy in March 2004.

My Personal Amazing Race - Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Batu Caves

In Season 11, Leg 9 (original airdate: 4/8/2007) of the Amazing Race on CBS, teams travel by train or bus to Batu Caves, 8 miles (13 Km) outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In this episode, teams travel to Batu Cave, ascend a portion of the steps, and obtain a clue from a clue box.
Amazing Race returns to Batu Caves in Season 24, Leg 4 (original airdate: 3/16/2014) for another Pit Stop.


In my previous post regarding Season 3, Leg 10, I discussed my visit to Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.  During this same visit in November 2005, I took a cab from the heart of Kuala Lumpur to Batu Caves (public transportation via train was not completed at this time).


Batu Caves is a religious Hindu site with the main attraction climbing 272 steps to the top.  I'll admit I was a bit out of shape during my visit in 2005 and climbing the 272 steps was challenging for me.  I stopped several times during my climb to catch my breath, and I'm sure I was completely out of breath when I finally reached the top.  Batu Caves is one of the most popular and iconic tourist attractions of Malaysia and not to be missed during any visit to KL.  Since my visit in 2005, public transportation by train has been extended to take visitors to Batu Caves, making this Hindu religious site even more accessible.

Monkeys at Batu Caves

My Personal Amazing Race - Barcelona, Spain & Paris

Las Ramblas

In Season 10, Leg 11 & 12 (original airdate: 12/3 & 12/10/2006) of the Amazing Race on CBS, teams travel by plane to Barcelona, Spain.  In Leg 11's Detour, teams have a choice between Lug It or Lob It.  In the "Lug It" side of the Detour, teams carry large heavy characters along Las Ramblas.  Last Ramblas is the most popular pedestrian street in in Barcelona.

The first task in Leg 12 is to find a clue box outside of La Sagrada Familia, the most popular tourist attraction in Barcelona.

I visited Barcelona in December 2009 with my husband, Paul Dunn.  On day 1 of our trip, we visited La Sagrada Familia which is truly an amazing structure from the exterior.  We visited on a clear, bright day and enjoyed gorgeous views of the church.  I found it baffling that this church has been under construction since 1882 and has a completion date of 2026.  The designs are extremely intricate.

La Sagrada Familia

At the end of Leg 12, teams travel to Paris, France and ascend to level 3 of the Eiffel Tower.  I've visited Paris 3 times (1997, 2006, and 2007), and the Eiffel Tower twice (1997 and 2007).

Eiffel Tower 1997

La Sagrada Familia

Las Ramblas

My Personal Amazing Race - Rome, Italy

Trevi Fountain

In Season 9, Leg 6 (original airdate: 4/12/2006) of the Amazing Race on CBS, teams travel by train to Rome, Italy and visit Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. Later in the same episode, teams travel to Athens and visit the Agora.

Amazing Race returns to the Spanish Steps in Rome in Season 24, Leg 7 where the teams must count the number of steps and solve an equation to get their next clue.  In the same episode, one team (Caroline & Jennifer) completes a Speed Bump in which they pick up a typewriter outside the Pantheon.

Spanish Steps

We visited Rome in March 2004 on a one week trip to Italy.  These photos and video were taken with a 1.3 Megapixel camera (HA!) which was the latest technology at the time.
If you haven't visited Rome, it is truly an amazing city and definitely worth the trip.  Rome has everything...art, culture, history, food, wine, and coffee.  I especially loved the cappuccinos in Italy.

My Personal Amazing Race - Costa Rica

In Season 8 (Family Edition), Leg 6 of the Amazing Race on CBS, teams travel from Panama to Costa Rica by bus and then drive themselves to Poas Volcanoes National Park.
In 2007, my husband, Paul took a two week work trip to Costa Rica.  I joined him for a short portion of the trip. Paul's Costa Rican co-workers took us for a day trip to Poas Volcanes National Park.  We had a blast!
Costa Rica is well known for their coffee.  Coffee plants are grown near the Poas volcano area, and harvested into Cafe Brit Poas Volcanic Earth Coffee.  I have had this coffee in this past, and it is one of my favorites.

My Personal Amazing Race - London

Paul @ Abbey Road

London Eye

In Season 7, Leg 10 of the Amazing Race on CBS, teams travel from Istanbul, Turkey to London, England, U.K.  Once in London, teams search for Abbey Road, the crosswalk made famous by the Beatles album cover photo of the same name.  From there, the teams race to the London Eye and look for the marked building from the London Eye, from there they follow a series of clues riding the Underground.

The Abbey Road photo (top right) is from Paul's college days when he and 2 friends backpacked through Europe one summer.

In 2007, we spent 3 days in London  as part of a week long trip riding the Eurail in Europe.
We didn't get to complete any challenges, but we did see the London Eye, ride the Undergound and covertly followed a group on a "DaVinci code" tour to a church with Knights Templar.

Underground

Stop on the DaVinci Code Tour

I have visited London multiple times in my life from when I was a small child, to Study Abroad, to post-college.  I was staying with friends in London, the night Princess Diana was killed in Paris in her car accident. My friends were so upset about Princess Diana's untimely death, they didn't even want to tell me, they just told me to watch their TV.

My Personal Amazing Race - Egypt

Tower of Cairo

On Season 5, Leg 5 (original air date: 8/2/2004) of the Amazing Race on CBS, teams travel to to Cairo, Egypt.  Their first stop is the top of the Tower of Cairo.  Next, the teams travel by taxi to the Pyramids of Giza and complete a detour near the base of the pyramids.  The pit stop is in front of the Sphinx.

We visited Egypt in December 2009 while on a 12-day Mediterranean cruise.  Our cruise boat docked in Alexandria, Egypt.  From Alexandria, we took a 3 hour train ride into Cairo.  From Cairo, we took a local Metro train to Giza.  From the train station in Giza, we took a collective taxi (about 5 miles) to the pyramids. (A collective taxi is a van that stops frequently to let customers on and off.) After touring the pyramids, we went back to Cairo and stayed at the Ramses Hilton overnight.  Our 2nd day in Cairo, we visited the Egyptian Museum which houses the King Tut mask.

My Egypt experience was one of the most amazing travel adventures for multiple reasons.  First and foremost, Egyptians are extremely friendly and helpful. On the train ride to Cairo, we met a 1st grade teacher and she told us all about life, love, and marriage in Egypt.  She was engaged to be married herself.  On the train ride back to Alexandria, we met a businessman who taught us how to negotiate for a taxi.  Everywhere we went, normal Egyptians would greet us with, "Welcome to Egypt!"  These people did not work in the tourism industry, nor were they attempting to sell us anything/ask for money.  They genuinely wanted us to feel welcome in Egypt.

Secondly, the pyramids are truly amazing.  They are much larger than I could have ever imagined.

Lastly, I was surprised that we were the only people on our cruise that did not book a guided tour.


Sadly, due to the civil unrest in Egypt, I believe Norwegian Cruise Line has discontinued the Egypt stop on their cruises.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Egypt.