My Travels

Went down to Panama on United Airlines . On this trip, I thought it would be interesting to see the Panama Canal. I did a short layover at Intercontinental Airport Houston. Since it was a slightly past midnight landing and 8 hours to kill, opted to spend what little of the night at the Sheraton North Houston at George Bush Intercontinental . Surprisingly, many of the airport hotels do not do overnight shuttle service and this Sheraton was one of the few that did. It was painfully slow at 2 am but it does work. Just make sure you start calling the hotel once you past baggage claim. Went back to the airport and landed into Panama in the afternoon. On the first night, checked into the Waldorf Astoria Panama.  I really enjoyed the hotel even if for one night in an upgraded suite with ocean views. The suite was more like a very comfortable apartment with a full service kitchen. I'm also impressed it came with a washer/dryer in the hallway closet. Handy for those food stains on your ...

Flew out to Denver International Airport on United Airlines for a work conference. I had forgotten how far outside the city the airport is located and I decided to rent a car instead of taking a taxi. Unfortunately, thunder storms and flash flooding was the weather outlook in my two days in Denver. When I landed, I picked up my car from Thrifty and chose a Mazda 2. I liked the size but I didn't like that the car lighter wasn't working which made using my GPS difficult. I don't turn off my GPS because it will turn itself off when not charging. Checked into the Sheraton Denver Downtown and was given a club room. The hotel is very big and it had two separate buildings. The club rooms were located in the Tower Building which is connected through the conference/meeting room area. The room was nice and pleasant. I did notice some water issues with the a/c unit but it seemed to dry itself out by the next day.  The next day, I went out during lunch and avoided the cold...

After arriving from Hanoi, this is my first time landing into  Tan Sot Nhat airport  in the domestic terminal. It is a very different experience from the international terminal. You have to fight for the taxis with the locals. I purchased a taxi voucher which was slightly more expensive than regular fare but it does get you some priority to getting an actual taxi. You just have to flag the taxi guy down and they will make sure you get on. Checked into the Le Meridien Saigon and it has a very bright but modern decor. The staff was very gracious. You can tell they wanted everything to go well during their soft opening period. I think the official grand opening is the following month. I was upgraded to a grand suite facing the industrial river. Although not immediately appealing, it was cool to see Vietnamese naval boats docked from the room. I was left a welcoming tray of fresh fruit and a personal walk through of the room and amenities.  The next day, I enjoyed t...