My Travels

It is a five hour drive to Jaipur from Delhi. Jaipur is home to the famous 'pink city palace' and is the state capital of Rajasthan. There are about 28 states in India with Delhi being the national capital/state. It is also home to many forts and palaces. In the evening, took some pictures of the Water Palace . Didn't linger long as the beggars and hawkers were a little overwhelming. This is my first taste of the local population in touristy areas. The persistence and aggressiveness of both beggars and hawkers leads me to think that people are very determined to eek out some kind of living even if off the hapless tourist. Checked into the Holiday Inn Jaipur . I usually don't stay in Holiday Inns but my first choice became too expensive and I figured the international locations would be nicer than the domestic locations. The room was nicely furnished and the breakfast was satisfying. I will say that the internet access was slow and unpredictable. If you are going to buy,...

Had a mixup at the train station in Ludhiana to Delhi but ended up riding for free in the "back of the bus." My advice is to not buy train tickets as a waitlist passenger and always get confirmed best class of service seats. That way, you might get something comparable to the Greyhound bus in terms of comfort. Checked into the Eros Hotel New Delhi Nehru Place . I didn't want to crowd out my friend as more wedding guests were arriving. It was also nice to be able to get stable power, internet access, and hot water. India is notorious for providing unstable power to residents as my friends have started their own generators during the various brown outs in the few days I have been in the country. The hotel was very nice, found out that Eros is a movie production company. Apparently, Indian companies go into any business that will make them money regardless of industry or specialty. The next day, hired a driver to head out to Jaipur and Agra. Compared to the train experience,...

Travelled via train north of Delhi to Ludhiana. Upon arrival, we went to a friend's house. Ludhiana appears more suburban than Delhi and the house is more of a compound than a house. :) I think in the end I preferred northern India as it didn't seem as cramped and teeming with people as the other parts of India I travelled through. The next day, travelled even further north near the Pakistan border. Went to a town, Amritsar, to visit the Golden Temple . The friend's family is Sikh and the temple is the holiest temple within the religion. On the way to Amritsar, there were two 'adventures.' The first was navigating the highway and experience Indian concept of passing. We even played bumper cars with another vehicle. Luckily, the rented car suffered the only damage and the driver took off immediately. The second event was the random checkpoints to Amritsar. The state is under military control until elections are over. During this time period, the army is trying to el...

Went out to Delhi for a friend's wedding. Flew on Continental Airlines to get to Delhi through Newark. I haven't flown Continental for many years and the recent merger with United Airlines gave me an opportunity to see what the service is like. My first leg was pleasant, the economy chairs are equipped with power ports and I had an individual TV screen to watch programming at my leisure. Something you don't find on domestic flights with United. After landing in Newark, checked out the Continental Club. I think the one I walked into was very large. Probably on par with the United Club at SFO. The one thing I noticed was the free well drinks available which is not always offered at the United counterpart. The food options were light - mostly snacks rather than light hor d'oeuvres. At the gate, Continental required everyone to come up to the counter to check visa docs before allowing you to board the plane. I guess it makes the process smoother but seemed unorganized to ...

For the holiday weekend, planned a trip to Salt Lake City for some snow. I anticipated that the snow conditions would be fantastic and give me a chance to break in new equipment.  Flew out on United Airlines bright and early. Unfortunately, my snowboard didn't make it and I missed the opportunity to try out my board at Canyons Resort . The United Baggage Representative did say that United would pay for my rental charges because of the delayed baggage. I even received two phone calls from them updating me on the status of my luggage. Now I just have to hope I get refunded before my birthday. :p Unfortunately, my anticipations of powder was dashed as there seems to be a snow drought yeart to date for this winter season in the mountain west. The conditions at Canyon City was poor and I only did a few runs. Even though the lift ticket is free for same day flight arrival, I was too tired to enjoy it with the basic rental from the shop. On the bright side, my rental should be free com...

Ended the year with a trip to Phoenix. Went over for an overnight stay. I originally thought to do a fly in fly out in a day but it ended up being the same cost as an overnight trip with hotel. Flew on United even though US Airways had more flight options. I used credit card miles to finance the ticket so the option was United. The flight also secured me into 1K status on United. It'll be interesting if this status will be a different experience than being a premier executive level next year. Grabbed a Chrysler 200 from National at the rental car facility. I was hoping that the Mercedes legacy would have impacted their engine design in this car. Alas, the influence has left the company and the car had no oomph. It wines more than a Mazda Miata. On the plus side, the interior is really nice. Checked into the Aloft Phoenix Airport hotel. This particular brand is designed for the cost minded luxury set - a less expensive version of the W hotels. Comfortable with modern design, in...

My last international trip for the year. Headed out to China on United Airlines over the holiday week and bring Thanksgiving to the expats in Shanghai. :) I was able to bring in a Honeybaked Ham for the dinner plus boxes of stuffing and instant mashed potatoes with gravy. On the way from the airport, stopped at a grocery store inside the Portman Ritz Carlton plaza. At least I call it that, there might be an official name that I haven't figured out yet. Grabbed some groceries before hitting the sack for the night. Unfortunately for me, the holiday week did not mean much of a break from school work so I spent most of my first day in Shanghai researching articles for my paper. Late afternoon/early evening, I went out to the fabric market to order some shirts and jackets. Now that it is winter, I thought it a good time to go order some warmer clothing. Apparently textile costs have gone up since the summer as the vendors were not willing to honor the same prices as my previous visit...

Decided to spend some time in the Santa Ana/Costa Mesa area for a night. Actually, I had an early morning event the next day and it being on the weekend, I thought it best that I stick around close. Checked into the Doubletree Santa Ana/Orange County Airport and got my chocolate chip cookie! :) I opted to grab dinner from Whole Foods . Had a Groupon and decided to spend it before it expired at the deli/hot food buffet section. I grabbed some garlic noodles which was really good and some korean fried chicken. I also had some sushi but it was ok. I've had better packaged sushi elsewhere. Went out the next morning to grab doughnuts for work. I've always struggled with doughnut shops in Orange County, I always feel that it can be better but yet to find that perfect shop. This morning, I ventured into Luv n Donuts on 1421 W MacArthur Blvd, Santa Ana, CA 92704. It wasn't too bad but still not on my top list. The search continues....

Planned a trip to meet a friend while using up some vouchers from United Airlines . I was able to sit on a PS (Premium Service) flight. United has a specific configuration for this Boeing 757 plane and all the seating in all three classes are fairly comfortable, every seat has a power port and there is wireless access available. Upon arrival, I checked into the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers . The hotel is conveniently located near Times Square. The rooms felt a little worn and the a/c unit was definitely on the old side. I cranked up the heat but it never felt warm in the room. In general, it was an OK experience. I called the front desk about the TV service not working and they said it was due to weather. It seemed they didn't really care much, so much for 100% satisfaction guarantee promise. Maybe this location didn't get the memo. :p I later lost a pair of new boots. It is my fault for leaving the bag unattended but it was right outside the hotel room door as I was g...

So, my week ended up in Texas for the weekend. American Airlines did a fire sale to Dallas and I jumped on the promotion. Decided to use this as an opportunity to visit some friends in the city to catch up on old times and deviate from Star Alliance . I don't typically fly American too often and it was interesting to experience a non-frequent flier status. One of the things I noticed is that even choosing seats in economy requires a fee when checking in online. I think that is more specific to American. I usually get on the plane pretty quickly so I wasn't sure what being in group 2 was going to be like. Even though both my flights were full, being in 2 wasn't bad. It is near the middle to back but plenty of space to still stuff your carry-on in the overhead storage. Any later, you'd have trouble finding spots for your carry-on stuff. Dallas Fort Worth airport is a nice airport for American. The terminals were nicely designed unlike the drab LAX version. Grabbed a ve...

Went down for an overnight stay for work in San Diego. Checked into the Doubletree Golf Resort . The hotel wasn't what I thought it would be but the room was generously sized. The hotel is a bungalow style layout. The hotel's website indicates there is a parking fee but when I checked in, it was complimentary. Makes sense as there isn't a high demand to park in the hotel's area. Not sure if this is routine or not. Before checking out the next morning, had continental breakfast in the hotel restaurant. If you're looking to have some toast and jam with coffee, it would be fine. I did notice that the locals seem to hang out here as there was a number of regulars inside the restaurant before they went golfing. An okay location, excellent cookie but not someplace I would choose to hang out.

For some reason, I also had a long layover at Narita International Airport . I had about 8 hours and decided to do some quick research in the United Lounge on what to do in Narita. Took a quick shower. I was lucky that most people had not arrived into the international terminal as the lounge was empty. It was packed when I came back in the afternoon and there was a line for the showers. At the airport, you can store luggage by the day in the arrival lobby. The storage is located near the baggage shipping area. Afterwards, I took the Keisei into Narita which is about 36 minutes by rail from the airport. In Narita, I visited the local temple Naritasan Shinshoji Temple . I found the temple grounds peaceful and really really big. It can take a couple of hours to tour the facilities. On the way to the temple, I noticed that many restaurants were slicing eels and preparing them for the day. It seems that eel is a really big dish in the town. Grabbed lunch at one of the restaurants; can'...

Arrived into Saigon in the afternoon. I had opted to fly out at midnight and had enough time to go back to my grandma's. Still feeling a little under the weather, my grandma's advice was to have some "medicine." Old school remedies, gotta love those. :) I didn't really do much as the typhoon rain storms was in full effect in Saigon. Apparently, it has been raining all week almost continuously. I left a request with my grandma for some Vietnamese desserts and she went a little overboard. It also didn't help telling her I could take 25 kg to the US. Packed up like a mule after dinner and went back to the airport. On my way from the airport, the taxi driver jacked up the price. I think partially because of my aunt's conversation. Luckily, on the way to the airport she avoided talking about money and it was the cheapest taxi fare I had seen. :p

Came back from KL to begin my travels back to the US. Rolled into the Conrad Centennial Singapore for my final night in Singapore. The second Conrad in Southeast Asia that I have stayed and my experience was reminiscent of my stay in Hong Kong a few years back. A pleasant hotel in the marina area, service was obviously their focus. Yet, I found myself preferring the Hilton Singapore even though the service was better at the Conrad. The lounge was a little small, I was actually asked if I would mind being in the conference room. I guess they get enough business to even have conference rooms integrated into the lounge. The room was nice enough and I always like the little bear and ducky. Feeling under the weather, I wasn't able to go out but I heard that going out to bars is really really expensive in Singapore. I will have to try a singapore sling next time. Headed out the next day back to Ho Chi Minh via Vietnam Airlines . An interesting note about the flight. I was told not to ha...

I was told that Singapore can be done in a few days and I would get bored. I haven't found that to be the case but had planned a one day excursion to KL prior to arriving in Singapore. Found a budget airline to fly, Jetstar based out of Australia. It was nice pleasant enough of an experience. Being on a budget airline, I didn't realize that everything is chargeable even water on the flight. For the price and shortness of flight, I suppose I can suffer through the flight. Landed into Kuala Lumpur International Airport . Not as nice as Singapore but I found it interesting they incorporated a jungle garden in the middle of the arrival hall; it is an outside garden. Took the airport express rail into KL Stesen Sentral Station. The website shows the stations in a very modern light but the station is still under heavy construction, so it isn't quite like the pictures online. Transition to the subway lines to the Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpar . The monorail was closer to the ho...

Flew out of Saigon on Vietnam Airlines . It's the second foreign carrier I've flown as part of the Skyteam alliance. Haha, too bad I don't fly Delta much. I also forget that foreign carriers still serve full meals even on short trips unlike the domestic carriers. It's like the 80's all over again for flight travel... Landed into Changi Airport . I'm once again reminded why everyone has such high opinions of this airport. It really feels like a high end mall that happens to have planes landing through here. The combination of Western chains and local tastes is interesting. I've become a fan of kaya toast and was able to have some at the airport. Public transportation is really easy in Singapore and took the SMRT to the Hilton Singapore. Located in a central location on Orchard Avenue and near a MRT station, it was nice getting out of the muggy weather. The humidity gets worse as you get closer to the equator. I'm impressed that the body odor smells are ...

It isn’t too often that I will hit multiple cities in an international trip but I will be doing so on this particular trip. In some ways, it reminds me of my trip in 2008 but a much shorter timeframe. Headed to Saigon aka Ho Chi Minh City on United Airlines . Direct flights to Saigon are not possible from the States. One usually has to layover somewhere before getting into the country. On this trip, I had to do two stops (SFO and Hong Kong) before getting into the city. Funny thing, United gave me complimentary upgrade on the two short segments so I opted to use points and cash to upgrade the transpacific flight to pass the time comfortably. The planes were the Boeing 747-400 which is a double decker airplane. On the way over, I was on the main deck. On the return, I was sitting in the upper deck. I would say that it isn’t as convenient as staying in the main deck because of smaller overhead storage and luggage stuff up and down stairs. For those on a window seat in the upper deck, th...

Traveled out to the Valley of the Sun aka Phoenix for a college football game. Decided to make it a road trip and headed out late Friday evening. Since I was coming in late, I opted to stay somewhere relatively cheap without any resort amenities. Checked into the Homewood Suites by Hilton Phoenix-Biltmore hotel. The hotel was a little dated but the room was roomy for the group. The breakfast buffet was passable, I opted to have waffles since the buffet had a self serve waffle maker. I'm never a fan of scrambled eggs buffet style, just always too runny or dry... Hopped to the Sheraton Desert Oasis Villas hotel the next day. I wanted to hit the pool killing some time before the game in the evening. I didn't realize that this hotel was a timeshare resort. I would call this hotel a medium tier timeshare hotel and the clients tend to be retirees. At least as evidenced by the people in the pool. You can tell that the hotel caters to this group as the bathroom in the room was built ...

I decided to stay in town near work for work. Checked into the Doubletree by Hilton Santa Ana-Orange County Airport for the evening. Being near the airport, the hotel doesn't offer free parking but the front desk person was nice enough to give me a parking pass gratis. The hotel seems to share with an apartment/retail complex. There are parking but for residents and shoppers. It seems like the weekends are pretty dead for them so parking isn't that big of an issue. The room was pleasant and roomy for my purposes. The breakfast buffet in the restaurant was pretty basic although the servers does not seem to know english much. For dinner, went down the street to Rubino's Pizza . Ironically, a restaurant called Little Onion was next door. The only reason it caught my eye was that I saw a Living Social deal for it and had thought to myself, what's the likelihood of me being in this area to eat? One never knows! The pizza was adequate for me, the crust was think but the edges...