Crossed the italian border a hour back and purchased the tickets at Ventimiglia to the ride into Genove and Pisa from there on. Mangesh should be waiting for me at Pisa to pick us up.
Nice was heaven again. A city built on the pebbled beach of the mediterranean it has hills to both sides and is nestled in between them. To its east is the state of Monaco and an extremely rich city in Monte Carlo.
We landed here on Thursday evening and checked in to Nice Home Sweet Home which is a bed and breakfast I had booked by dropping an email to the owner Genevine. Out of all the places I stayed on this trip so far, this was the best by a far margin, as we got a huge room with a TV, a balcony overlooking the street, two good beds and it was very clean. After dropping our bags we headed off to the beach, and took a stroll on Promenade de Anglis. This is a strip of pavment which runs parallel to the beach and one can walk or sit on the benches and view the people or the sunset.
Also this beach too has loads of topless women seated around. We went on the promenade, and then took a stroll through the gardens out of which the Jardain Anglais is a must see. Finally a stroll through the old city and the port and we were tired.
There was one more destination on our walking trip which we decided to undertake as the sun had not yet set. We walked up a hill in Nice to the Le Chateau to get some good views of the city and the French Riviera itself. We reached at 7.30 and took many photos until we were told that it closes at 7. So we had to get out of there through some side gate and make it back to the B&B.
That night I had the urge to dance and Nice is known to have some good nightlife we went out on Rue Massena and the old town at 10pm. We saw many many bars with a lot of people eating till even 11 in the night, but no dance clubs. Tired we decided to head back and drink the bottle of wine which had been purchased in Toulouse.
The next day after a hearty french breakfast we set off to lie on the beach. The beach is good but very pebbled. As it was still not summer the water was cold, and not many people ventured into the water. This beach drops off quite fast and it is quite deep.
In the afternoon we went to the Musee Massena to see a very well maintained old house. As the next day we were planning of heading to Monte Carlo we decided to get some information at the tourism office. Luckily we came to know that there are no luggage lockers in Monte Carlo, and we changed our plan and decided to head to Monaco that afternoon itself.
The bus to Monaco costs a flat 1 Euro and takes 45 minutes. We got off at the Place de Armes, went uphill to the palace and walked the old town checking out the Cathedral and the stunning views.
After that was my favourite part – we walked the F1 street circuit of the Monte Carlo GP, and as it had just happened last weekend there were still some stands, tires and traces left over from the weekend. It was fun walking one of the greatest circuits of racing, and along with that we also took in the Monte Carlo casino. This roughly took us two hours, but we pretty much ran about. A better suggestion is a half day visit here.
Looking at the casino and the people around you can see the richness of this place. Even the cabs are Mercedes brands, and we saw every type of car – from porsches to lamborginis in a matter of 5 minutes.
That night we headed back and ventured out again. This time we found a neo rock place called tapas something. This was pretty cool with two live bands, some decently priced drinks and a cover of only 2 euro. Also, listening to english songs which I had never heard of before made me realise how much I have lost touch with music in general and rock in particular.
Today morning was more of the same with a visit to the beach, and an interesting museum in the Contemporary art museum which I would recommend. It is a look at the newer age of art and is quite fascinating. Plus it is free.
That ended our france part of the trip and we bought tickets on the regional to Ventimiglia from Nice for 6.30 euros to head across the border and into Italy.
Nice – again highly recommended.
Friday, January 28, 2011
TGV to Nice (May 20, 2010)
Marseille is a mix of cultures. It seems Alexander Dumas called it the meeting place of the world, and it sure does look like it. The surprising part was that we two and maybe another two Indians were seen during our entire stay here. Hmmm...i wonder where they all went!
Coming back to Marseille, the moment you exit out of the station you feel like you are in some video game set in the middle ages. The streets are small, and from the top of the stone staircase in front of the St Charles station you can see a basilica overloooking the city.
We dropped our bags at the Hotel Vertigo which doubles as a hostel and headed off to explore this city. The itinerary was simple – walk to the Vieux Port along La Canebière and then head off into one of the most ancient district in Europe called Quartier du Panier. Just taking in the sights is so mind blowing, and the view of the forts from the port and also the meditteranean sea beyond is something to behold.
We fell in love with this place almost immediately and were repenting staying here for a shorter time than in Toulouse. Exploring the small nooks and crannies of Quartier du Panier could have taken two days by themself. These streets are not very safe in the night but as the sun seemed to go down only at 9pm we had loads of time to explore.
As we were hungry we dropped into a small grocery corner on one of these streets, and the propreitor along with one more dude tried to chat with us. We understood that he said 'Indian' and the next thing out of his mouth was 'Amithhaa Bachhan'. We were amazed that he knew Amitabh, and it was such a honour to see that people here too enjoyed good cinema. And even more amazed when they said that he is an Artist...an Artist. Amitabh – if you are reading this, you have some huge fans of yours in Marseille.
Let me interrupt here as I look out at the countyside flowing outside oin this train. It is beautttifuulll – the French Riviera looks stunning. I assume heaven looks like this!
Coming back to Marseille. Our last stop of the day was a hike up Rue Notre-Dame to the basilica with the same name. The basilica is quite grand but nothing beats the view from top. The port, the sea and the mountains are exquisitely laid out and there are so many photo ops – I dont know which to upload on facebook!
After spending about an hour we walked down to take a look at the Abbey and then to the hostel.
Our dinner was at a restaurant called 'Ivoire Restaurant' and it is a must eat place if you want to try African cuisine. The lady is called Mama Africa and she is from Cote d Ivory, and it is a different experience. Try the jus de gingembre, a refreshingly spicy ginger drink while you are here.
That night was the first night this trip we slept before midnight and it was a good decision as we woke up before 7 to head down to the beach. We had to check out early as you cannot check out after 10 and we were not sure we would return by then. After dropping our luggage at the hostel storage we headed off to catch the bus #83 at the Vieux Port.
The bus costs 1.5 euro one way and a 30 minute ride takes you to sort of a beach and park rolled into one. It is nothing great but there are some good views of the water and the mountains in the background. A pretty good end to a different experience in Marseille. This is a suggested journey for anyone wanting to check out the French Provence region, and even if not a place one should go to for something different.
Coming back to Marseille, the moment you exit out of the station you feel like you are in some video game set in the middle ages. The streets are small, and from the top of the stone staircase in front of the St Charles station you can see a basilica overloooking the city.
We dropped our bags at the Hotel Vertigo which doubles as a hostel and headed off to explore this city. The itinerary was simple – walk to the Vieux Port along La Canebière and then head off into one of the most ancient district in Europe called Quartier du Panier. Just taking in the sights is so mind blowing, and the view of the forts from the port and also the meditteranean sea beyond is something to behold.
We fell in love with this place almost immediately and were repenting staying here for a shorter time than in Toulouse. Exploring the small nooks and crannies of Quartier du Panier could have taken two days by themself. These streets are not very safe in the night but as the sun seemed to go down only at 9pm we had loads of time to explore.
As we were hungry we dropped into a small grocery corner on one of these streets, and the propreitor along with one more dude tried to chat with us. We understood that he said 'Indian' and the next thing out of his mouth was 'Amithhaa Bachhan'. We were amazed that he knew Amitabh, and it was such a honour to see that people here too enjoyed good cinema. And even more amazed when they said that he is an Artist...an Artist. Amitabh – if you are reading this, you have some huge fans of yours in Marseille.
Let me interrupt here as I look out at the countyside flowing outside oin this train. It is beautttifuulll – the French Riviera looks stunning. I assume heaven looks like this!
Coming back to Marseille. Our last stop of the day was a hike up Rue Notre-Dame to the basilica with the same name. The basilica is quite grand but nothing beats the view from top. The port, the sea and the mountains are exquisitely laid out and there are so many photo ops – I dont know which to upload on facebook!
After spending about an hour we walked down to take a look at the Abbey and then to the hostel.
Our dinner was at a restaurant called 'Ivoire Restaurant' and it is a must eat place if you want to try African cuisine. The lady is called Mama Africa and she is from Cote d Ivory, and it is a different experience. Try the jus de gingembre, a refreshingly spicy ginger drink while you are here.
That night was the first night this trip we slept before midnight and it was a good decision as we woke up before 7 to head down to the beach. We had to check out early as you cannot check out after 10 and we were not sure we would return by then. After dropping our luggage at the hostel storage we headed off to catch the bus #83 at the Vieux Port.
The bus costs 1.5 euro one way and a 30 minute ride takes you to sort of a beach and park rolled into one. It is nothing great but there are some good views of the water and the mountains in the background. A pretty good end to a different experience in Marseille. This is a suggested journey for anyone wanting to check out the French Provence region, and even if not a place one should go to for something different.
CORAIL to Marseille (May 19, 2010)
Stepped on to France soil at around 8pm on the 17th(Monday). Along the way we got a glimpse of the medittaranean sea beating along the Spanish mountain coastline. Also called as the Costa Brava it reminds me of things which I have still planned to see, and the beauty of these places.
The ticketmaster at the counter here at Cerbere spoke English, and we quickly got our tickets which we had booked through the internet on tgv-europe by handing over the credit card and the confirmation number. Then onto our first French train to Toulouse. These trains I must say are really fast and my experience was superb.
We checked in to the Residence Jolimont at midnight. This place cannot be booked online, and one has to drop them an email. We got a double bedroom for 33Euros a night which was quite a good deal. That night saw us sleep early.
The next day we headed off to The Capitole which is a prominent building in Toulouse, and right in front of it is a huge square with outdoor eateries and small markets. After romaing here for a bit we headed off to the Saint Sernin cathedral, the biggest in Europe. Also there is another cathedral – the name of which I forget and a gothic cathedral called Jacobin which is also worth a visit. Most of these are free to enter.
We walked along the river along the promenade and spent some time lying on the grass along the shores. Finally before heading home we got a shot of coffee in one of the cafes, and although quite good was really really small. Chawarma and Kebab was our take out for the evening.
That night we headed back around the general area of the Capitole. In the afternoon while we were shopping around the Capitole, which has quite a few pedestrian friendly shopping stores lined along, we had been to a puma store where the guy at the counter had told us about a place called 'The Wallace'.
Although a bit expensive, we had a good time sipping a Kir Royal and a bottle of 1492 argentinian red wine, and sitting outside under the stars.
This was quite a relaxing pleasent outing in what is pretty much a hectic trip and it felt good to get it. Toulouse is not a must see city by any stretch of the imagination but if you have to think of a day trip or are passing by, this city is worth visiting. And as an added bonus it is quite inexpensive for France.
Today morning we caught the train out to Marseille and as I am seated in this wonderful train, I look up at the french wine bottle in my bag and think of the places still out there waiting for me. Me and Nik were talking about our next trip already and with so many continents, so many countries and even the current countries still having lots to see – it sure is going to be a long journey ahead.
The ticketmaster at the counter here at Cerbere spoke English, and we quickly got our tickets which we had booked through the internet on tgv-europe by handing over the credit card and the confirmation number. Then onto our first French train to Toulouse. These trains I must say are really fast and my experience was superb.
We checked in to the Residence Jolimont at midnight. This place cannot be booked online, and one has to drop them an email. We got a double bedroom for 33Euros a night which was quite a good deal. That night saw us sleep early.
The next day we headed off to The Capitole which is a prominent building in Toulouse, and right in front of it is a huge square with outdoor eateries and small markets. After romaing here for a bit we headed off to the Saint Sernin cathedral, the biggest in Europe. Also there is another cathedral – the name of which I forget and a gothic cathedral called Jacobin which is also worth a visit. Most of these are free to enter.
We walked along the river along the promenade and spent some time lying on the grass along the shores. Finally before heading home we got a shot of coffee in one of the cafes, and although quite good was really really small. Chawarma and Kebab was our take out for the evening.
That night we headed back around the general area of the Capitole. In the afternoon while we were shopping around the Capitole, which has quite a few pedestrian friendly shopping stores lined along, we had been to a puma store where the guy at the counter had told us about a place called 'The Wallace'.
Although a bit expensive, we had a good time sipping a Kir Royal and a bottle of 1492 argentinian red wine, and sitting outside under the stars.
This was quite a relaxing pleasent outing in what is pretty much a hectic trip and it felt good to get it. Toulouse is not a must see city by any stretch of the imagination but if you have to think of a day trip or are passing by, this city is worth visiting. And as an added bonus it is quite inexpensive for France.
Today morning we caught the train out to Marseille and as I am seated in this wonderful train, I look up at the french wine bottle in my bag and think of the places still out there waiting for me. Me and Nik were talking about our next trip already and with so many continents, so many countries and even the current countries still having lots to see – it sure is going to be a long journey ahead.
RENFE to Cerbere (May 17, 2010)
The two days spent in Barcelona were two of the most wonderful of my life. Barcelona is a huge city and it is so easy to get lost in its winding streets and alleys.
The architecture too is out of this world and nothing symbolises this better than the still unfinished La Sagrada Familia by the maestro Gaudi. This forms one of the tallest skyscrapper in Barcelona and is a sight to behold.
To get from the airport to the city there is a bus service (4+ EUR), and also a RENFE train service (3 EUR). The bus is more convenient and takes you to Catalunya square, while the train is inexpensive, but has more stops including the Sants train station.
The hostel we stayed in is the Sant Jordi on Arago. It is a wonderful party hostel and I would recommend it to someone who wants to have wild nights of drinking and partying. We landed on Saturday night and went out for a few drinks at La Oveja Negra just off Las Ramblas were i got a pitcher full of Sangria and that was friggin' awesome. After this tapas at a nearby bar and finally sleep took over at around 2.
Next day we were off for a quick walk through Las Ramblas to the beach. Las Ramblas is a popular pedestrian street with lots and lots of people about. Be wary of pickpockets as it has a reputation for it. Nearby is Catalunya Square which is also a recommended location to be at.
The beach is nice, but not lots of people venture into the water. Looked like a lot of people were sunbathing topless, and I have to say that this beach had a lot of topless women.
After our time in the sun we roamed about in the old streets of Barcelona near the Cathedral and various museums. It was wonderful to get lost here and the streets were even more stunning as we walked through them.
After 3pm on Sunday entrance is free to the Musee Picasso, and we entered to take a look at the masters work. Being not too into art we liked it, but couldnt understand it. It is a worthwhile experience especially when it is for free.
Finally our last stop was the Sagrada Familia, and along the way we also took in the Arc de Triomf. Gaudis masterpiece is worth taking a look at, even from the outside it is a stunning vision of one who could only be said is a mad man, but it is beautiful. The cross, the way he potrays the disciples, the words written on it – its a cathedral fit for a big budget hollywood movie.
Tired we returned home, and the soccer game was on at 7.30, and if FC Barcelona won against Vallajedo they would win the La Liga. They duly did it 4-0 while we drank sangrias, and that blew the entire city apart. There was dancing on the streets, and not to be outdone pretty much the entire hostel was out screaming and dancing on the roads and Catalunya square. This experience will rate very highly in my memories of this trip.
After lots of dancing and drinking and a bit of singing at a Karaoke bar nearby me and Nik headed home for some well deserved sleep.
Monday morning saw us take the Funicular to Mount Montjuic which has a castle at the top. This provides some stunning views of the entire city of Barcelona and for me is a trip worth taking. There is a cable car which takes you from this funicular to the castle but at 10 EUR i would advise that one just walks the 20 minutes to the top for a really wonderful sight.
Nik enjoyed this and I have to say I was very excited to see how much we had walked laid out in front of us. And when I bid goodbye to Sophie at the front desk of the hostel I did feel emotional to leave this city too. I want to come back here again and spend more than 2 days – maybe a week, or a month or a year. This isnt going to happen – I know that, but one can always wish!
My next stop is Toulouse, and our trip involved buying a train ticket at the Sants station for a regional train to Cerbere, and once we get there we already have a ticket booked to Toulouse on the french site tgv-europe. We will be back in Spain in June at the end of our trip, but for now its Adios Spain and Bon Jour France.
The architecture too is out of this world and nothing symbolises this better than the still unfinished La Sagrada Familia by the maestro Gaudi. This forms one of the tallest skyscrapper in Barcelona and is a sight to behold.
To get from the airport to the city there is a bus service (4+ EUR), and also a RENFE train service (3 EUR). The bus is more convenient and takes you to Catalunya square, while the train is inexpensive, but has more stops including the Sants train station.
The hostel we stayed in is the Sant Jordi on Arago. It is a wonderful party hostel and I would recommend it to someone who wants to have wild nights of drinking and partying. We landed on Saturday night and went out for a few drinks at La Oveja Negra just off Las Ramblas were i got a pitcher full of Sangria and that was friggin' awesome. After this tapas at a nearby bar and finally sleep took over at around 2.
Next day we were off for a quick walk through Las Ramblas to the beach. Las Ramblas is a popular pedestrian street with lots and lots of people about. Be wary of pickpockets as it has a reputation for it. Nearby is Catalunya Square which is also a recommended location to be at.
The beach is nice, but not lots of people venture into the water. Looked like a lot of people were sunbathing topless, and I have to say that this beach had a lot of topless women.
After our time in the sun we roamed about in the old streets of Barcelona near the Cathedral and various museums. It was wonderful to get lost here and the streets were even more stunning as we walked through them.
After 3pm on Sunday entrance is free to the Musee Picasso, and we entered to take a look at the masters work. Being not too into art we liked it, but couldnt understand it. It is a worthwhile experience especially when it is for free.
Finally our last stop was the Sagrada Familia, and along the way we also took in the Arc de Triomf. Gaudis masterpiece is worth taking a look at, even from the outside it is a stunning vision of one who could only be said is a mad man, but it is beautiful. The cross, the way he potrays the disciples, the words written on it – its a cathedral fit for a big budget hollywood movie.
Tired we returned home, and the soccer game was on at 7.30, and if FC Barcelona won against Vallajedo they would win the La Liga. They duly did it 4-0 while we drank sangrias, and that blew the entire city apart. There was dancing on the streets, and not to be outdone pretty much the entire hostel was out screaming and dancing on the roads and Catalunya square. This experience will rate very highly in my memories of this trip.
After lots of dancing and drinking and a bit of singing at a Karaoke bar nearby me and Nik headed home for some well deserved sleep.
Monday morning saw us take the Funicular to Mount Montjuic which has a castle at the top. This provides some stunning views of the entire city of Barcelona and for me is a trip worth taking. There is a cable car which takes you from this funicular to the castle but at 10 EUR i would advise that one just walks the 20 minutes to the top for a really wonderful sight.
Nik enjoyed this and I have to say I was very excited to see how much we had walked laid out in front of us. And when I bid goodbye to Sophie at the front desk of the hostel I did feel emotional to leave this city too. I want to come back here again and spend more than 2 days – maybe a week, or a month or a year. This isnt going to happen – I know that, but one can always wish!
My next stop is Toulouse, and our trip involved buying a train ticket at the Sants station for a regional train to Cerbere, and once we get there we already have a ticket booked to Toulouse on the french site tgv-europe. We will be back in Spain in June at the end of our trip, but for now its Adios Spain and Bon Jour France.
Geneva Airport (May 15, 2010)
Finally I am on the trip which already is turning out to be the highlight of all my trips so far – Backpacking through Europe.
This will be quite a extensive and a very quick run through a few of the most beautiful and historic cities in Europe. My flight is a Swiss Air flight from New York – JFK to Barcelona. In between I got a lengthy stopover in Geneva, Switzerland and me and bro headed off to discover this city.
Since Switzerland is now part of the Schengen it is easy to visit on a stopover and no need of another visa.
The currency is the Swiss Frank (CHF) which is currently pretty even to the USD. There are UBS cash machines at the airport when you exit baggage claim and we had no problems in withdrwaing a few CHF.
Geneva is a beautiful city hedged in between mountains and is quite picturesque. It is easy to get from the Airport to the city and the bus #10 takes you directly. Also while exiting out of baggage claim there is a machine which dispenses free tickets for 80 minutes. So we were able to ride into town for free, and paid 3 CHF each when getting back.
There is a tourist information center right next to Gare Cornavin, and from there just walk on the Mont Royal bridge with the backdrop of the huge fountain Jet d'Eau to reach the English Garden, where there is a photo op with the huge clock on the garden. Today was a bad day as it was cloudy, cold and breezy because of which the fountain was not operating and we missed on one of the sights of Geneva.
A short walk takes one into the old town, and the huge Cathedral St Pierre. Entrance is free, and to get to the tower one has to shell out an extra 4 CHF which is worth it. The view from top is breathtaking with the city of Geneva showing against the Alps.
Right in front of it is Rue du Marche, with a lot of window shopping to be done here. We found inexpensive and a huge collection of swiss chocolates at Manor, a supermarket near the train station . I would have loved to spend a day more in this city, but my proper trip is calling and I leave Geneva hoping I will return one day when I make a tour of this beautiful country.
This will be quite a extensive and a very quick run through a few of the most beautiful and historic cities in Europe. My flight is a Swiss Air flight from New York – JFK to Barcelona. In between I got a lengthy stopover in Geneva, Switzerland and me and bro headed off to discover this city.
Since Switzerland is now part of the Schengen it is easy to visit on a stopover and no need of another visa.
The currency is the Swiss Frank (CHF) which is currently pretty even to the USD. There are UBS cash machines at the airport when you exit baggage claim and we had no problems in withdrwaing a few CHF.
Geneva is a beautiful city hedged in between mountains and is quite picturesque. It is easy to get from the Airport to the city and the bus #10 takes you directly. Also while exiting out of baggage claim there is a machine which dispenses free tickets for 80 minutes. So we were able to ride into town for free, and paid 3 CHF each when getting back.
There is a tourist information center right next to Gare Cornavin, and from there just walk on the Mont Royal bridge with the backdrop of the huge fountain Jet d'Eau to reach the English Garden, where there is a photo op with the huge clock on the garden. Today was a bad day as it was cloudy, cold and breezy because of which the fountain was not operating and we missed on one of the sights of Geneva.
A short walk takes one into the old town, and the huge Cathedral St Pierre. Entrance is free, and to get to the tower one has to shell out an extra 4 CHF which is worth it. The view from top is breathtaking with the city of Geneva showing against the Alps.
Right in front of it is Rue du Marche, with a lot of window shopping to be done here. We found inexpensive and a huge collection of swiss chocolates at Manor, a supermarket near the train station . I would have loved to spend a day more in this city, but my proper trip is calling and I leave Geneva hoping I will return one day when I make a tour of this beautiful country.
LaGuardia Central Terminal (May 1, 2010)
I am on my way to Columbus, Ohio. This is sort of an unusual trip as Columbus is not renowned to be a very touristy city.
It was in my fave book – 501 Must Visit Cities, and the tickets on American were for just 99USD roundtrip, except that they were from NYC, which is okay with me as I fly more from New York rather than Boston anyway. The last factor which prompted me to do this trip was that it was a very leisurely sort of trip which is rather different for me, and also will get me in travel mode before I go on the big bang European sojourn.
My place of stay after a long time will be a proper hotel – The Ramada to the east of the Columbus airport. So you may call it more of a proper weekend getaway rather than a backpacking cheapass trip (frugal would be the better word). Looking forward to the college crowd, and a good Saturday night out at a dance club.
Will keep you updated on places of interest as I go about, which as far as I can see are not too many
It was in my fave book – 501 Must Visit Cities, and the tickets on American were for just 99USD roundtrip, except that they were from NYC, which is okay with me as I fly more from New York rather than Boston anyway. The last factor which prompted me to do this trip was that it was a very leisurely sort of trip which is rather different for me, and also will get me in travel mode before I go on the big bang European sojourn.
My place of stay after a long time will be a proper hotel – The Ramada to the east of the Columbus airport. So you may call it more of a proper weekend getaway rather than a backpacking cheapass trip (frugal would be the better word). Looking forward to the college crowd, and a good Saturday night out at a dance club.
Will keep you updated on places of interest as I go about, which as far as I can see are not too many
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Union Station Hartford (Apr 3, 2010)
On my way to New Haven again to meet Meg, and had the time to pen down a few more thoughts.
Last post was about how to obtain an visa to Europe – the Schengen. This post I will try to cover a few train sites and how to book tickets on them.
Booking tickets on European Train/Rail sites:
My first country is Spain, but I did not use the train site to book my tickets, as the tickets between Madrid and Barcelona are cheaper if I fly. There are lots of airlines on these two routes which are low cost – Veuling and Air Europa being two examples, and hence I booked on them. For schedules and prices on trains in Spain you can refer to renfe.es which is in Spanish. I read somewhere that there is an english component to it too.
Next up – France. This is an extremely easy site to book on and after hearing complaints that stuff is in French, you realise though that they have really cheap rates for tickets especially if you book 60 to 90 days in advance. The rates go up later. You cannot also book more than 90 days before your journey.
The French rail site is voyages-sncf.com, which is in French, but there are useful tips on how to navigate on this on seat61, and also I read an article on eurocheapo.com/blog.
There is an english version called tgv-europe.com, which is exactly the same, and even though I have heard that their prices are more than voyages-sncf, for me I was able to find the same rate. Only difference was that the french site gives online ticket options on more routes, and also there is an option to hold tickets on the french language site.
This should not be an issue if you already know your dates, and also if you can pick up your tickets at the ticket counter. They say that non chip-and-pin cards like american credit cards do not work on automatic machines in France, but do so at the ticket counter. On any of the two sites mentioned above, they work fine and you should not have any issue booking tickets.
Do not book on raileurope.com or co.uk as their rates are insanely high, and also the routes displayed are lesser. By default if you pick your country as America or UK on tgv-europe you are directed to them. So select France and you can then pick up your tickets at the counter or online. For me there was India and no issues popped up.
After France, the next destination is Italy on the calendar, and although ticket bookings are open 90 days in advance, and there are cheaper tickets till 15 days before the journey, you will most probably not be able to book them unless you have an Italian or maybe european card.
All international credit cards have stopped working since March of this year, and even before that they said that the barely 20% of the cards used to work. The suggestion given is to check the schedules and try to book as early as possible when you land in Italy from the train station.
The trains are very very rarely full, and the Italian ticket machines accept the credit cards unlike their french counterparts. Also, you may be eligible for an Amica fare if booked 24 hours in advance which may cut the rate by 20% on certain trains.
If you want to try your luck at the Italian site (like I did and failed), the url is trenitalia.com, and this has an english language option.
The Austrian site is the best site I have seen for booking tickets. Absolutely no hassles, and they always give you online tickets which is so easy to handle. They also start from 30 to 90 days before, and every route usually has a few tickets at cheap rates.
For example Salzburg to Prague is 64 Euros for 2nd class on their site, but they have 8 seats for 39 euros which is a huge saving. These tickets are only valid for those times, so if you miss your train then you are out of luck. But for planners like me this helps a lot.
The Austrian site is oebb.at, and this too has options for english.
Last site I tried for booking tickets was for the Munich-Salzburg leg of my trip and the german site was bahn.de. If you are a planner this is the best resource for schedules. Every site has schedules for cities they serve, but bahn.de displays almost all cities. You can plan a trip from Madrid to Prague on this site, and it will display you all the routes for a day. In this regard this is an essential site to any Euro rail plan.
They display prices for the tickets they sell, and for me as I booked in advance I got a cheap fare from Munich to Salzburg. This site too is hassle free to book from, except that they may not offer online options on their site for all routes they sell.
Now that I have laid the options out for the countries I am visiting it should make it a bit more easier to book tickets.
I am not a fan of the rail passes as they cost around 600USD and are not for planners like me. If you plan and check the schedules and prices, the search may be tiresome, but the gains are huge. I pretty mcuh will be doing this trip for half the Rail Pass cost, by booking early and also avoiding the supplements which travellers using the Rail Passes have to pay.
A bit of research always help whether you be flexible of fixed in you planning!
Last post was about how to obtain an visa to Europe – the Schengen. This post I will try to cover a few train sites and how to book tickets on them.
Booking tickets on European Train/Rail sites:
My first country is Spain, but I did not use the train site to book my tickets, as the tickets between Madrid and Barcelona are cheaper if I fly. There are lots of airlines on these two routes which are low cost – Veuling and Air Europa being two examples, and hence I booked on them. For schedules and prices on trains in Spain you can refer to renfe.es which is in Spanish. I read somewhere that there is an english component to it too.
Next up – France. This is an extremely easy site to book on and after hearing complaints that stuff is in French, you realise though that they have really cheap rates for tickets especially if you book 60 to 90 days in advance. The rates go up later. You cannot also book more than 90 days before your journey.
The French rail site is voyages-sncf.com, which is in French, but there are useful tips on how to navigate on this on seat61, and also I read an article on eurocheapo.com/blog.
There is an english version called tgv-europe.com, which is exactly the same, and even though I have heard that their prices are more than voyages-sncf, for me I was able to find the same rate. Only difference was that the french site gives online ticket options on more routes, and also there is an option to hold tickets on the french language site.
This should not be an issue if you already know your dates, and also if you can pick up your tickets at the ticket counter. They say that non chip-and-pin cards like american credit cards do not work on automatic machines in France, but do so at the ticket counter. On any of the two sites mentioned above, they work fine and you should not have any issue booking tickets.
Do not book on raileurope.com or co.uk as their rates are insanely high, and also the routes displayed are lesser. By default if you pick your country as America or UK on tgv-europe you are directed to them. So select France and you can then pick up your tickets at the counter or online. For me there was India and no issues popped up.
After France, the next destination is Italy on the calendar, and although ticket bookings are open 90 days in advance, and there are cheaper tickets till 15 days before the journey, you will most probably not be able to book them unless you have an Italian or maybe european card.
All international credit cards have stopped working since March of this year, and even before that they said that the barely 20% of the cards used to work. The suggestion given is to check the schedules and try to book as early as possible when you land in Italy from the train station.
The trains are very very rarely full, and the Italian ticket machines accept the credit cards unlike their french counterparts. Also, you may be eligible for an Amica fare if booked 24 hours in advance which may cut the rate by 20% on certain trains.
If you want to try your luck at the Italian site (like I did and failed), the url is trenitalia.com, and this has an english language option.
The Austrian site is the best site I have seen for booking tickets. Absolutely no hassles, and they always give you online tickets which is so easy to handle. They also start from 30 to 90 days before, and every route usually has a few tickets at cheap rates.
For example Salzburg to Prague is 64 Euros for 2nd class on their site, but they have 8 seats for 39 euros which is a huge saving. These tickets are only valid for those times, so if you miss your train then you are out of luck. But for planners like me this helps a lot.
The Austrian site is oebb.at, and this too has options for english.
Last site I tried for booking tickets was for the Munich-Salzburg leg of my trip and the german site was bahn.de. If you are a planner this is the best resource for schedules. Every site has schedules for cities they serve, but bahn.de displays almost all cities. You can plan a trip from Madrid to Prague on this site, and it will display you all the routes for a day. In this regard this is an essential site to any Euro rail plan.
They display prices for the tickets they sell, and for me as I booked in advance I got a cheap fare from Munich to Salzburg. This site too is hassle free to book from, except that they may not offer online options on their site for all routes they sell.
Now that I have laid the options out for the countries I am visiting it should make it a bit more easier to book tickets.
I am not a fan of the rail passes as they cost around 600USD and are not for planners like me. If you plan and check the schedules and prices, the search may be tiresome, but the gains are huge. I pretty mcuh will be doing this trip for half the Rail Pass cost, by booking early and also avoiding the supplements which travellers using the Rail Passes have to pay.
A bit of research always help whether you be flexible of fixed in you planning!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Metro North from Stamford To New Haven (Mar 28, 2010)
Sub Header – Tips to apply for a Schengen Visa
It's been a long break from my blog writing days the previous year, and I really want to keep up with this habit. It gets tough sometimes as you are having so much fun at a certain place and becomes harder and harder to catch up with everything as the months go by.
I was contemplating writing about my last few trips – Brazil (half of it), Puerto Rico, San Fransisco and New Orleans, but I will do so only if I get the time, which pretty much means – forget it.
Next up for me is Europe with a short trip to Columbus in between. This will be my first trip with someone else – and I am pretty excited – it will be my brother, and I know it will be a fun fun trip.
I have my visa ready, and also most of my trip is planned, along with the tickets for the airline.
Let me get started with a few tips for the Schengen visa application especially if you are planning your trip yourself. This is one of the toughest part of the Euro Trip. The documentation needed is quite extensive.
Here they are:
Airline Round Trip ticket – American Airlines is one of the few airlines which has an option to hold tickets. This comes in handy when you need to have a reservation in your name, but not actually pay for it. Try this feature out if you need to hold a reservation or booking. On the AA site after you have selected your trip, along with a purchase option there is also an Hold option which will keep your ticket on hold for a day which is cool for visa purposes.
Also, the french consulate (which I went to) and also all european consulates need hotel bookings. My suggestion would be to book on sites like Marriott.com, which will allow you to cancel a day or two before your actual stay for no fee. This will guarantee you reservations when you go for the visa interview.
Health insurance is also something which is needed at the consulate for the Schengen visa. Search around for a few providers. Atlas has an insurance for approximately 30 days in europe for around 25USD which is pretty cheap. The steps are easy to follow, and once done log into your account and print out the 'Visa Letter' format which will be avaliable under your account.
Print out a itinerary, and for me it was a simple word document stating where I would be on all days of my trip. This again can be tentative and no one asks for train or air reservations so far as you have hotel reservations. My trip involved more train travel than hotel reservations so that I reduce the bookings which I need to show.
Finally the consulate where you have to apply to is either the country you will be spending the most time in, or if not sure, the country where you will land. I was landing in Barcelona, Spain and the most part of my trip would be spent in France, so I went to the French consulate.
The only document which you need to show is the train or air or bus ticket of you crossing the border. For example my itinerary said that I would be going from barcelona to Toulouse which would be my first city in France, and the lady at the consulate asked me if I had any ticket for it.
This is quite easy. France has their train site: www.voyages-sncf.com on which you can also hold tickets. I booked a ticket from Barcelona to Toulouse without actually paying for it and viola – I had a booking for that too.
I will try to give info on booking train tickets in Europe as I post my later blogs, but there is a site called seat61 which is an awesome resource for help on booking European trains.
If you are a planner and you need to know exact schedules – bahn.de, the german site is the best resource. Me personally loved this, and I saved shit loads of money on my train tickets, and did not feel the need to either buy a RailPass, or buy my tickets at the highly expensive RailEurope.
Finally the visa application which can be downloaded from individaul consulate sites asks for the validity of visa. My trip was for 29 days, so I said 90 days and checked the multiple entry option. It is highly likely that you will be asked to change this to 29 days single entry (at least the first time you apply), but if you are thorough with your documentatyion you could end up with a 90 day multiple entry visa, like I did, or even a 180 day multi entry visa like my brother (Damn him...I provided him all the documentation and he got a longer duration).
Hope this helps for planning your Europe Trip visa, and as always I encourage comments or questions.
It's been a long break from my blog writing days the previous year, and I really want to keep up with this habit. It gets tough sometimes as you are having so much fun at a certain place and becomes harder and harder to catch up with everything as the months go by.
I was contemplating writing about my last few trips – Brazil (half of it), Puerto Rico, San Fransisco and New Orleans, but I will do so only if I get the time, which pretty much means – forget it.
Next up for me is Europe with a short trip to Columbus in between. This will be my first trip with someone else – and I am pretty excited – it will be my brother, and I know it will be a fun fun trip.
I have my visa ready, and also most of my trip is planned, along with the tickets for the airline.
Let me get started with a few tips for the Schengen visa application especially if you are planning your trip yourself. This is one of the toughest part of the Euro Trip. The documentation needed is quite extensive.
Here they are:
Airline Round Trip ticket – American Airlines is one of the few airlines which has an option to hold tickets. This comes in handy when you need to have a reservation in your name, but not actually pay for it. Try this feature out if you need to hold a reservation or booking. On the AA site after you have selected your trip, along with a purchase option there is also an Hold option which will keep your ticket on hold for a day which is cool for visa purposes.
Also, the french consulate (which I went to) and also all european consulates need hotel bookings. My suggestion would be to book on sites like Marriott.com, which will allow you to cancel a day or two before your actual stay for no fee. This will guarantee you reservations when you go for the visa interview.
Health insurance is also something which is needed at the consulate for the Schengen visa. Search around for a few providers. Atlas has an insurance for approximately 30 days in europe for around 25USD which is pretty cheap. The steps are easy to follow, and once done log into your account and print out the 'Visa Letter' format which will be avaliable under your account.
Print out a itinerary, and for me it was a simple word document stating where I would be on all days of my trip. This again can be tentative and no one asks for train or air reservations so far as you have hotel reservations. My trip involved more train travel than hotel reservations so that I reduce the bookings which I need to show.
Finally the consulate where you have to apply to is either the country you will be spending the most time in, or if not sure, the country where you will land. I was landing in Barcelona, Spain and the most part of my trip would be spent in France, so I went to the French consulate.
The only document which you need to show is the train or air or bus ticket of you crossing the border. For example my itinerary said that I would be going from barcelona to Toulouse which would be my first city in France, and the lady at the consulate asked me if I had any ticket for it.
This is quite easy. France has their train site: www.voyages-sncf.com on which you can also hold tickets. I booked a ticket from Barcelona to Toulouse without actually paying for it and viola – I had a booking for that too.
I will try to give info on booking train tickets in Europe as I post my later blogs, but there is a site called seat61 which is an awesome resource for help on booking European trains.
If you are a planner and you need to know exact schedules – bahn.de, the german site is the best resource. Me personally loved this, and I saved shit loads of money on my train tickets, and did not feel the need to either buy a RailPass, or buy my tickets at the highly expensive RailEurope.
Finally the visa application which can be downloaded from individaul consulate sites asks for the validity of visa. My trip was for 29 days, so I said 90 days and checked the multiple entry option. It is highly likely that you will be asked to change this to 29 days single entry (at least the first time you apply), but if you are thorough with your documentatyion you could end up with a 90 day multiple entry visa, like I did, or even a 180 day multi entry visa like my brother (Damn him...I provided him all the documentation and he got a longer duration).
Hope this helps for planning your Europe Trip visa, and as always I encourage comments or questions.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Salvador Airport (Oct 16, 2009)
Day 2 saw me get up pretty late, and after having a breakfast of bread and cheese I headed off with my English friends and two girls from the Czech Republic to see the Christ.
From Copacabana, the bus numbered 583 takes you to the Christ, and 584 gets you back. It is not the last stop, but basically you just get off when half of the bus gets off as that is usually the main attraction on the route. The weather was amazing with only a few clouds in the sky, and this had happened after a week or so, the line to get on the train to the top was backed quite long.
One of the ladies, Suzanna knew Spanish and she somehow managed to get one of the mini buses for 40 Real’s, The train ride is supposed to be better, at 45 Real’s and it also takes you directly to the top.
The bus takes you to a certain point after which you have to get off and stand in line to get into another bus. As we were not aware of this we thought that it would be smooth sailing to the top. Once we realized we decided to hike the supposedly 2 kilometers to the top. The 2 kilometers must have been as the crow flies, because it was more like 3 or 4. Somehow we got to the top, and I have never been more disappointed.
The few clouds were right on the Christ and I could not even see his head. Fog was everywhere, and let alone Christ we could not even see Rio. After waiting there for at least half an hour we decided to leave. One of the modern wonders could not be fully appreciated by me, which was sort of a bitter sweet moment. Here I was – almost touching one of the greatest marvels in the modern world, and ah…well!
I returned back to the hostel, determined to see Rio from Sugarloaf, but it was getting later in the evening, and so I decided to take a short walk on the beach and see Sugarloaf on Tuesday.
Copacabana was pretty crowded, and I walked amidst the crowd enjoying the view of Sugarloaf and the amazingly beautiful Brazilian women. The crowd on Copacabana is a bit older in age, while Ipanema is more younger. I would definitely prefer Ipanema to Copacabana!
Dinner was a huge problem as I had no idea what I was ordering. I only knew the key words – Camaro for Shrimp and so on.
Also, Brazil has eat by kilo restaurants where you just add anything you want on a plate, weigh it and eat it. This is pretty cool, and at 19 Real’s per plate – I would say not so expensive and at least you have some idea what you are eating.
That night I wanted to go to Lapa, but there was no company. Luckily the hostel came to my rescue again. They were having a Favela party in one of the Favelas (slums) controlled by the police. I paid the 65 Real’s for the transportation and entry to this party. Also, quite a few people from the hostel were going and I also came to know a Englishman named Garry on the ride.
Garry had been doing a round the world ticket trip, and after doing Asia, central and south America was on the last day of his year trip. His recommendation – Bolivia. It’s so cool to hear such stories on the road. Even the Czech girls were doing a sort of South American trip, and it’s an experience just listening to them.
Coming back to the party – Brazilian hip hop and funk, with about 2000 people on the dance floor, while we were in the VIP section. Me, Garry and Dave (another Englishman) decided to ditch the VIPs and mix with the locals. It was a wild wild night, and the music was out of the world.
The crowd was young though, I would say around 17ish, but wow…was it something! And a party which plays – C’mon let’s twist again by Elvis, is surely worth it. And then there is the all time favorite – YMCA. Some of the Brazilian girls were impressed, and came up to us too. I talked with a girl for 15 minutes, and the only thing we exchanged was names and that I am Indian and she from Rio. Damn…I need to learn Portuguese!
From Copacabana, the bus numbered 583 takes you to the Christ, and 584 gets you back. It is not the last stop, but basically you just get off when half of the bus gets off as that is usually the main attraction on the route. The weather was amazing with only a few clouds in the sky, and this had happened after a week or so, the line to get on the train to the top was backed quite long.
One of the ladies, Suzanna knew Spanish and she somehow managed to get one of the mini buses for 40 Real’s, The train ride is supposed to be better, at 45 Real’s and it also takes you directly to the top.
The bus takes you to a certain point after which you have to get off and stand in line to get into another bus. As we were not aware of this we thought that it would be smooth sailing to the top. Once we realized we decided to hike the supposedly 2 kilometers to the top. The 2 kilometers must have been as the crow flies, because it was more like 3 or 4. Somehow we got to the top, and I have never been more disappointed.
The few clouds were right on the Christ and I could not even see his head. Fog was everywhere, and let alone Christ we could not even see Rio. After waiting there for at least half an hour we decided to leave. One of the modern wonders could not be fully appreciated by me, which was sort of a bitter sweet moment. Here I was – almost touching one of the greatest marvels in the modern world, and ah…well!
I returned back to the hostel, determined to see Rio from Sugarloaf, but it was getting later in the evening, and so I decided to take a short walk on the beach and see Sugarloaf on Tuesday.
Copacabana was pretty crowded, and I walked amidst the crowd enjoying the view of Sugarloaf and the amazingly beautiful Brazilian women. The crowd on Copacabana is a bit older in age, while Ipanema is more younger. I would definitely prefer Ipanema to Copacabana!
Dinner was a huge problem as I had no idea what I was ordering. I only knew the key words – Camaro for Shrimp and so on.
Also, Brazil has eat by kilo restaurants where you just add anything you want on a plate, weigh it and eat it. This is pretty cool, and at 19 Real’s per plate – I would say not so expensive and at least you have some idea what you are eating.
That night I wanted to go to Lapa, but there was no company. Luckily the hostel came to my rescue again. They were having a Favela party in one of the Favelas (slums) controlled by the police. I paid the 65 Real’s for the transportation and entry to this party. Also, quite a few people from the hostel were going and I also came to know a Englishman named Garry on the ride.
Garry had been doing a round the world ticket trip, and after doing Asia, central and south America was on the last day of his year trip. His recommendation – Bolivia. It’s so cool to hear such stories on the road. Even the Czech girls were doing a sort of South American trip, and it’s an experience just listening to them.
Coming back to the party – Brazilian hip hop and funk, with about 2000 people on the dance floor, while we were in the VIP section. Me, Garry and Dave (another Englishman) decided to ditch the VIPs and mix with the locals. It was a wild wild night, and the music was out of the world.
The crowd was young though, I would say around 17ish, but wow…was it something! And a party which plays – C’mon let’s twist again by Elvis, is surely worth it. And then there is the all time favorite – YMCA. Some of the Brazilian girls were impressed, and came up to us too. I talked with a girl for 15 minutes, and the only thing we exchanged was names and that I am Indian and she from Rio. Damn…I need to learn Portuguese!
Rio de Janeiro Airport (Oct 14, 2009)
5 days have passed by since I landed in Rio and it has been a really good experience so far.
Let me start from the beginning. I landed on the 10th, at around 9.30 am delayed by a half hour. This was largely because of American Airlines having a flight all set to leave in Miami, but no captain for the flight. A reserve captain arrived half hour after the flight was scheduled to depart. I was hoping that he was not out drinking somewhere which would have been scary!
Anyway, immigration and customs was pretty smooth. It is the same procedure; they check your passport and visa and stamp it. Also there is an entry/exit paper which is stamped too, and this will have to be in your possession till you depart Brazil. The stamp has a 1 on it, which means you entered Brazil.
Once out the airport I had trouble finding the ATM. It is situated in a place with not much signs. Once you exit catch the escalator to the second floor (for Indians) or 3rd floor (for Americans). There are ATMs of pretty many banks there and one should work.
Once done, there is a bus called Real Autobus at the exit outside. For 7Reals it takes you to the Rodoviaria (Bus station), Domestic Airport (SDU) and Copacabana and Ipanema along with the other main centers too. It will drop you pretty much wherever you want, so it is convenient and a cheaper option than the taxi, which may cost around 50 to get to Copacabana.
A short walk got me to my hostel – Walk on The Beach, a small but safe and easily accessible hostel from Copacabana. The breakfast is free from 9 to 11, and they do provide towels and locks for a minimal cost. The best part was the excursions which they organize. One such helped me a lot on the Saturday I landed, as it was raining and I was kind of disappointed that I would not get to do too much. I saw that there was a soccer game at the Maracana stadium which was being organized. So I joined in for 55 Real’s, and this was an amazing sporting experience.
The game was between one of the local teams – Flamingo and Sao Paulo. As we did not want to be killed, we were supporting Flamingo, and you should have seen it to believe it. This is one of the largest soccer stadiums in the world, and it was pretty packed. The noise was deafening, and emotions were running wild. An experience which I do not think I would have got if it was not raining, and I am so glad that it was.
Also, made a couple of friends – Paul and Simon from England who I hung out with the same night drinking Caipirinha’s which is the Brazilian national cocktail, and believe me extremely potent. Three for the night and I was on my bed –dead asleep. A mixture of the journey, the screaming at the stadium and the drink finally got to me and I slept like a log till 9.30 the next morning.
My first day was not exactly what I wanted – no glimpse of either Pao da Acucar (Sugarloaf) or Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer), a very brief glimpse of Copacabana when I got down from the bus and rain all around. But all of this was made up by the pone game I saw at the Maracana, along with the fact that I met a few people who I could talk to and generally hang out with.
The weather reminded me so much of Mangalore, and I was for a moment lost in it. I had begun to love Rio and I will tell you how much as I write my next post on the days after that.
Let me start from the beginning. I landed on the 10th, at around 9.30 am delayed by a half hour. This was largely because of American Airlines having a flight all set to leave in Miami, but no captain for the flight. A reserve captain arrived half hour after the flight was scheduled to depart. I was hoping that he was not out drinking somewhere which would have been scary!
Anyway, immigration and customs was pretty smooth. It is the same procedure; they check your passport and visa and stamp it. Also there is an entry/exit paper which is stamped too, and this will have to be in your possession till you depart Brazil. The stamp has a 1 on it, which means you entered Brazil.
Once out the airport I had trouble finding the ATM. It is situated in a place with not much signs. Once you exit catch the escalator to the second floor (for Indians) or 3rd floor (for Americans). There are ATMs of pretty many banks there and one should work.
Once done, there is a bus called Real Autobus at the exit outside. For 7Reals it takes you to the Rodoviaria (Bus station), Domestic Airport (SDU) and Copacabana and Ipanema along with the other main centers too. It will drop you pretty much wherever you want, so it is convenient and a cheaper option than the taxi, which may cost around 50 to get to Copacabana.
A short walk got me to my hostel – Walk on The Beach, a small but safe and easily accessible hostel from Copacabana. The breakfast is free from 9 to 11, and they do provide towels and locks for a minimal cost. The best part was the excursions which they organize. One such helped me a lot on the Saturday I landed, as it was raining and I was kind of disappointed that I would not get to do too much. I saw that there was a soccer game at the Maracana stadium which was being organized. So I joined in for 55 Real’s, and this was an amazing sporting experience.
The game was between one of the local teams – Flamingo and Sao Paulo. As we did not want to be killed, we were supporting Flamingo, and you should have seen it to believe it. This is one of the largest soccer stadiums in the world, and it was pretty packed. The noise was deafening, and emotions were running wild. An experience which I do not think I would have got if it was not raining, and I am so glad that it was.
Also, made a couple of friends – Paul and Simon from England who I hung out with the same night drinking Caipirinha’s which is the Brazilian national cocktail, and believe me extremely potent. Three for the night and I was on my bed –dead asleep. A mixture of the journey, the screaming at the stadium and the drink finally got to me and I slept like a log till 9.30 the next morning.
My first day was not exactly what I wanted – no glimpse of either Pao da Acucar (Sugarloaf) or Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer), a very brief glimpse of Copacabana when I got down from the bus and rain all around. But all of this was made up by the pone game I saw at the Maracana, along with the fact that I met a few people who I could talk to and generally hang out with.
The weather reminded me so much of Mangalore, and I was for a moment lost in it. I had begun to love Rio and I will tell you how much as I write my next post on the days after that.
LaGuardia Airport (Oct 9, 2009)
The adventure has begun – for the first time in my life I will be going to a country where I have no clue about the language, about how stuff works there…pretty clueless except for 3 guide books. I guess I finally put my wits to the test.
I am going to Brazil, will be landing in Rio and staying there for the first 4 days. After that I fly Gol to Salvador for 3 days before flying in to Sao Paulo on Gol again. This is the main part of my trip – the Formula 1 race with Jenson Button leading the championship from Reubens Barrichello. Go Rubinho…
Whenever I think of Rio the first picture which comes to mind is the statue of Christ on top of the mountain looking down at this beautiful city. This is the picture I take with me as I head on my best adventure yet.
Follow me as I explore this beautiful country…I know you guys are :)
Boa Noite…Tchau!
I am going to Brazil, will be landing in Rio and staying there for the first 4 days. After that I fly Gol to Salvador for 3 days before flying in to Sao Paulo on Gol again. This is the main part of my trip – the Formula 1 race with Jenson Button leading the championship from Reubens Barrichello. Go Rubinho…
Whenever I think of Rio the first picture which comes to mind is the statue of Christ on top of the mountain looking down at this beautiful city. This is the picture I take with me as I head on my best adventure yet.
Follow me as I explore this beautiful country…I know you guys are :)
Boa Noite…Tchau!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Greyhound to Charlottesville (Sep 19, 2009)
I tweeted a lot today, and it is for the inefficiency that plagues the Greyhound system, especially at the DC center. In NYC you have the usual issue where the bus is always overbooked and if you are lucky you may get into the first two buses. Else you will be the few people left out who has to catch the next bus. This has happened to me once – I was supposed to catch the 12.15 am bus to Boston which was 3 times overbooked and this led to me catching the 3 am bus, and reaching Boston all screwed up.
In DC too, when I was with my folks, we had to wait an entire 1 hour to get the bus to NYC. But today was the absolute worst – I reached DC at 6.30 in the morning, and my bus to Charlottesville was at 10 am from the DC greyhound station. After having a Starbucks breakfast at Union Station (which is a pretty cool station – the next best after Grand Central according to me of the stations I have visited in the US), I headed to the bus station at 8.30 am. We waited in line till10.20 when someone finally comes in and tells us that there are buses, but no drivers. C’mon greyhound…is there any better way to look foolish?
The wait went on till 11.25 when we finally boarded the bus, with the driver in it! The customer service was absolutely terrible; no information about when the driver was coming, and also no advance information that there would be a delay. Info was gleaned only through one of the mechanics who was hanging around. Also, the lady (I am guessing – the manager) did not even have a name tag on her!
I have remained pretty loyal to Greyhound for a while now, even though they have many faults – but this could just tip me over. Megabus is improving their service, I could sense it noticeably today – they are on time, their rates are less, buses are better and so is the crowd.
Greyhound – if you are on the verge of losing one of your loyal customers, who has even got a free round trip ticket from you, you really must be doing something very wrong indeed!
In DC too, when I was with my folks, we had to wait an entire 1 hour to get the bus to NYC. But today was the absolute worst – I reached DC at 6.30 in the morning, and my bus to Charlottesville was at 10 am from the DC greyhound station. After having a Starbucks breakfast at Union Station (which is a pretty cool station – the next best after Grand Central according to me of the stations I have visited in the US), I headed to the bus station at 8.30 am. We waited in line till10.20 when someone finally comes in and tells us that there are buses, but no drivers. C’mon greyhound…is there any better way to look foolish?
The wait went on till 11.25 when we finally boarded the bus, with the driver in it! The customer service was absolutely terrible; no information about when the driver was coming, and also no advance information that there would be a delay. Info was gleaned only through one of the mechanics who was hanging around. Also, the lady (I am guessing – the manager) did not even have a name tag on her!
I have remained pretty loyal to Greyhound for a while now, even though they have many faults – but this could just tip me over. Megabus is improving their service, I could sense it noticeably today – they are on time, their rates are less, buses are better and so is the crowd.
Greyhound – if you are on the verge of losing one of your loyal customers, who has even got a free round trip ticket from you, you really must be doing something very wrong indeed!
Friday, September 18, 2009
MegaBus to New York Part Deux (Sep 18, 2009)
I got tickets for 1USD from Boston to New York and another 1 USD from New York to DC which led me to this trip to one more of the 501 cities. The city is Charlottesville VA, and is considered to be the best city in US to live in. Also, Thomas Jefferson has had a huge influence here.
The bus journey involves a very tiring schedule – I will be in 3 buses from Friday evening (today) to Saturday Morning, followed by walking in the city, 2 return buses to NYC which will land Sunday morning, and then a day at Stamford, and finally my return journey which gets me to Boston Monday early morning. Try to beat that people!
Again I have to say - Megabus except for its lateness is a pretty nice bus. I am using their power outlets, their Wi-Fi and at 1 USD you can’t beat it. They have shifted their start point from South Station to the Back Bay in Boston, and I think this is because they have started these new double Decker buses. I am on the top deck right now, and it is nice to be here looking down at the traffic.
Tonight will involve a short stay at Times Square looking at the people and that is something which I really enjoy.
I will keep you updated as this trip progresses. Also, I have to still pen a post about getting a Canadian Visa and a Brazilian Visa in the US. Stay tuned for that!
The bus journey involves a very tiring schedule – I will be in 3 buses from Friday evening (today) to Saturday Morning, followed by walking in the city, 2 return buses to NYC which will land Sunday morning, and then a day at Stamford, and finally my return journey which gets me to Boston Monday early morning. Try to beat that people!
Again I have to say - Megabus except for its lateness is a pretty nice bus. I am using their power outlets, their Wi-Fi and at 1 USD you can’t beat it. They have shifted their start point from South Station to the Back Bay in Boston, and I think this is because they have started these new double Decker buses. I am on the top deck right now, and it is nice to be here looking down at the traffic.
Tonight will involve a short stay at Times Square looking at the people and that is something which I really enjoy.
I will keep you updated as this trip progresses. Also, I have to still pen a post about getting a Canadian Visa and a Brazilian Visa in the US. Stay tuned for that!
MegaBus to New York (Sep 18, 2009)
The irregularity in my postings continues. I promise I will try to be a bit more regular with them from now on.
Getting back to the Grand Canyon - which was ages ago, and I pretty much have forgotten most of it. As I was saying I parked my car and caught the shuttle buses which run in loops at the Village to get to the various points on the Grand Canyon. This is the suggested approach, as you don’t have to drive around. I caught the sunset at Mohave Point which was not so exciting just because of the awesomeness of the Canyon. Once this was done I decided to head back to my car in the night. The shuttles (first the Red, then the blue) took me through the GC Village where looking at all the lodges, I thought that it may be really cool to spend a couple of nights here (maybe with the wife!!!). I reached Mather point and I had to wait for the bus running the Kaibab Route (Green) to take me back to my car, but looking at the maps I saw that there was no bus along this route after nightfall. This was the worst part – I had to walk the remaining 2 miles to my car on the Rim Walk, with just my iPhone lending me the light, and one wrong step would have pretty much pushed me over the rim of the canyon. Not at all suggested to anyone, especially when it is 40F out (damn you Rachel…wrong info!!!). I did reach my car finally, but I don’t think I would be doing that again.
Also, most of the GC in the night is unlighted, so I would suggest getting a flashlight especially for situations like this. Even the parking at Mather Point is dark!
The ride to Flagstaff was quite uneventful, except for my car not handling properly at all, which scared me no end. I ended up at the Dubeau Hostel at around 10pm. My stay here was quite short, but the hostel was pretty neat. The charge was very reasonable at 20 USD, and it has quite a few restaurants and bars around. I slept like a log that night after a quick bite.
The next day morning was a quick grab at breakfast before heading to Sedona. It is a brilliant drive with twisting highways on hills along the around 1 hour drive to Sedona. This is a sleepy little town, but has a beautiful view of the Red Rocks around. I would suggest at least 2 days here on a relaxing vacation just to get a feel of the vibrancy of Sedona. The only suggestion which I did and you have to is the ‘Pink Jeep Tour’. They are a bit expensive – around 80USD, but it is absolutely worth it. I did the Broken Arrow tour and it took us over the rocks on an off road trail. This was my first experience at sitting in one of these vehicles, and I was astounded (Thank you Ben and Rachel). I had looked at most of these rocks from Sedona and driving up to them was something else. Our guide was very informative and she clicked a couple of photos for all of us which were some of the best I have ever been in.
Also, we saw the Snoopy formation, and it was something else. Having my fill of Sedona I decided to head off back to Chandler, with a short stop at one of the Vortexes which is also something you need to see when in Sedona. I was not able to hike to them, but it seems they are like these oval formations in the rock, which are supposed to be spiritual.
I reached Chandler in the evening, and hung out with Rachel for a while. Dinner was at a Mexican restaurant which was the best Mexican I have eaten, and frankly I am not a big fan of this cuisine. Arizona being close to the Mexican border has a pretty authentic Mexican taste. I had to return my rental car at the Phoenix airport, and this took a pretty long time. The rental offices are not in the Phoenix airport, but quite a distance away. My advice to you, if you are returning the car here - map it to the exact office address and not the airport as this is a distance away.
Rachel was initially planning of taking me and two of her friends to Scottsdale, but we ended up at Mill Avenue in Tempe, which was pretty cool. It has the baseball stadium built in sort of a rock and the nightlife is nice. I enjoyed my night and pretty much drank a lot. I don’t think I have gulped down so many rum and cokes in such a short time.
We returned back and I was off to sleep in my bed. The next day was one of the best I have had in my life. It started off by going with Rachel and her parents to the movie - ‘The Perfect Getaway’, which surprisingly turned out to be a good movie. After this me and Rachel headed out to Old Town Scottsdale, where I had a look around, bought a dream catcher (a Mexican thing – look it up, it is sort of an handicraft with a meaning behind it), learnt about Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) from Rachel and it inspired me enough to get a small skull (who has been christened as Tequila and hangs on my desk at office!).
The only item which I wanted to buy was the poncho, but I thought against it as I had Mexico to visit in the near future anyway.
We headed back home where Rachel’s Dad had a Steak Barbeque going on.This was the best steak I have ever tasted, followed by bananas with chocolate filled in them also grilled on the same grill. This is an unbeatable dessert, and my mouth still waters thinking about it.
After this Rachel, her dad, me and Bean (her dog – a cute bugger) went off to feed ducks and grab a cup of coffee. Finally it was time to pack and head off to the airport. I bid my sad goodbyes to Rachel before making my way to the airport to scan my boarding pass on my mobile (I will keep repeating this, as this is one of the coolest technologies ever – mobile boarding passes!!!)
As my flight took off I contemplated on what has been an amazing amazing journey. More than that it was more about bonding with Rachel, who I never had spent a lot of time with although we did get along famously well. Also, the trouble she took to show me around, guide me was so awesome that whenever I think back to it – it will bring a smile to my face, and a tear to my eye that this trip did not last for ever.
Anyway I should be seeing her next year in Europe and I am looking forward to that. It’s a small world baby, and for me it’s getting even smaller!
Arizona – if you have a friend or not should be visited by everyone. The Grand Canyon without saying is a place you have to see before you die, but even Sedona, The Painted Desert (which I missed), or even the drive is what memories are made of.
Remember, don’t speed a lot on the interstates – the speed limits are high, but rather than cops there are a lot more cameras, so the speeding ticket comes directly home :)
I still have more to write, but I will break this post into another. Chao!!!
Getting back to the Grand Canyon - which was ages ago, and I pretty much have forgotten most of it. As I was saying I parked my car and caught the shuttle buses which run in loops at the Village to get to the various points on the Grand Canyon. This is the suggested approach, as you don’t have to drive around. I caught the sunset at Mohave Point which was not so exciting just because of the awesomeness of the Canyon. Once this was done I decided to head back to my car in the night. The shuttles (first the Red, then the blue) took me through the GC Village where looking at all the lodges, I thought that it may be really cool to spend a couple of nights here (maybe with the wife!!!). I reached Mather point and I had to wait for the bus running the Kaibab Route (Green) to take me back to my car, but looking at the maps I saw that there was no bus along this route after nightfall. This was the worst part – I had to walk the remaining 2 miles to my car on the Rim Walk, with just my iPhone lending me the light, and one wrong step would have pretty much pushed me over the rim of the canyon. Not at all suggested to anyone, especially when it is 40F out (damn you Rachel…wrong info!!!). I did reach my car finally, but I don’t think I would be doing that again.
Also, most of the GC in the night is unlighted, so I would suggest getting a flashlight especially for situations like this. Even the parking at Mather Point is dark!
The ride to Flagstaff was quite uneventful, except for my car not handling properly at all, which scared me no end. I ended up at the Dubeau Hostel at around 10pm. My stay here was quite short, but the hostel was pretty neat. The charge was very reasonable at 20 USD, and it has quite a few restaurants and bars around. I slept like a log that night after a quick bite.
The next day morning was a quick grab at breakfast before heading to Sedona. It is a brilliant drive with twisting highways on hills along the around 1 hour drive to Sedona. This is a sleepy little town, but has a beautiful view of the Red Rocks around. I would suggest at least 2 days here on a relaxing vacation just to get a feel of the vibrancy of Sedona. The only suggestion which I did and you have to is the ‘Pink Jeep Tour’. They are a bit expensive – around 80USD, but it is absolutely worth it. I did the Broken Arrow tour and it took us over the rocks on an off road trail. This was my first experience at sitting in one of these vehicles, and I was astounded (Thank you Ben and Rachel). I had looked at most of these rocks from Sedona and driving up to them was something else. Our guide was very informative and she clicked a couple of photos for all of us which were some of the best I have ever been in.
Also, we saw the Snoopy formation, and it was something else. Having my fill of Sedona I decided to head off back to Chandler, with a short stop at one of the Vortexes which is also something you need to see when in Sedona. I was not able to hike to them, but it seems they are like these oval formations in the rock, which are supposed to be spiritual.
I reached Chandler in the evening, and hung out with Rachel for a while. Dinner was at a Mexican restaurant which was the best Mexican I have eaten, and frankly I am not a big fan of this cuisine. Arizona being close to the Mexican border has a pretty authentic Mexican taste. I had to return my rental car at the Phoenix airport, and this took a pretty long time. The rental offices are not in the Phoenix airport, but quite a distance away. My advice to you, if you are returning the car here - map it to the exact office address and not the airport as this is a distance away.
Rachel was initially planning of taking me and two of her friends to Scottsdale, but we ended up at Mill Avenue in Tempe, which was pretty cool. It has the baseball stadium built in sort of a rock and the nightlife is nice. I enjoyed my night and pretty much drank a lot. I don’t think I have gulped down so many rum and cokes in such a short time.
We returned back and I was off to sleep in my bed. The next day was one of the best I have had in my life. It started off by going with Rachel and her parents to the movie - ‘The Perfect Getaway’, which surprisingly turned out to be a good movie. After this me and Rachel headed out to Old Town Scottsdale, where I had a look around, bought a dream catcher (a Mexican thing – look it up, it is sort of an handicraft with a meaning behind it), learnt about Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) from Rachel and it inspired me enough to get a small skull (who has been christened as Tequila and hangs on my desk at office!).
The only item which I wanted to buy was the poncho, but I thought against it as I had Mexico to visit in the near future anyway.
We headed back home where Rachel’s Dad had a Steak Barbeque going on.This was the best steak I have ever tasted, followed by bananas with chocolate filled in them also grilled on the same grill. This is an unbeatable dessert, and my mouth still waters thinking about it.
After this Rachel, her dad, me and Bean (her dog – a cute bugger) went off to feed ducks and grab a cup of coffee. Finally it was time to pack and head off to the airport. I bid my sad goodbyes to Rachel before making my way to the airport to scan my boarding pass on my mobile (I will keep repeating this, as this is one of the coolest technologies ever – mobile boarding passes!!!)
As my flight took off I contemplated on what has been an amazing amazing journey. More than that it was more about bonding with Rachel, who I never had spent a lot of time with although we did get along famously well. Also, the trouble she took to show me around, guide me was so awesome that whenever I think back to it – it will bring a smile to my face, and a tear to my eye that this trip did not last for ever.
Anyway I should be seeing her next year in Europe and I am looking forward to that. It’s a small world baby, and for me it’s getting even smaller!
Arizona – if you have a friend or not should be visited by everyone. The Grand Canyon without saying is a place you have to see before you die, but even Sedona, The Painted Desert (which I missed), or even the drive is what memories are made of.
Remember, don’t speed a lot on the interstates – the speed limits are high, but rather than cops there are a lot more cameras, so the speeding ticket comes directly home :)
I still have more to write, but I will break this post into another. Chao!!!
Phoenix Airport (Aug 9, 2009)
I have had absolutely had no time to update my blog for the past 3 days, not because I was too tired but more because I have been having so much fun that I never wanted it to end.
Rachel and her family were awesome and I leave behind fond memories of staying with a proper American family, in a proper American house and having one of the best American dinners ever (with barbequed bananas, a superb dessert…yum).
And to top it all – The Grand Canyon and Sedona, two sights no one should ever miss. Hole in the ground…not too much of a sight…are not at all apt for the Grand Canyon. On Friday morning I drove my rental from Chandler up north to The GC. The highway was good, but pretty similar to the ones in Nevada (desert on both sides). First stop was at the Sunset Crater on US-89. Here an ancient volcano eruption had occurred and there is a lava flow, and black rock. It is a pretty cool sight if you have never seen volcanic craters before. Lenox Crater is a small hike which can be done to see the volcanic rock. This is a part of a bigger National Park which also contains the Wupatki National Monument, which I did not have time to see.
Remember any hike you do here – take water with you. Even after the short 1 mile hike I was panting and guzzling water.
After this I left for the GC, along 89 and then on to 64. This is where I saw the Arizona Roads I wanted to see. It was beautiful - Single lane road, a few Indian Trading Posts along the way, and canyons and desert in the distance.
This road goes to the East Entrance of the GC, and I would advice you to take this entrance rather than the South Entrance as it is not crowded, and you can find parking along the lookouts.
The route is called the Desert View Drive, and the first lookout is Desert View. Here I got my first sight of the Grand Canyon and it literally blew my mind. I will not even try to explain what I saw as it is simply no use. You have to see it to believe it – The Buttes, the Colorado River and the various colours of the canyon.
There are a few points like Grandview Point and Moran Point where you can stop and get different views of the Canyon. Yaki Point is not open to cars, but the shuttle bus takes you there. I wanted to do a short hike there called the Kaibab Trail, but I thought the better of it and stuck to the Rim Walk, which is a much simpler hike along the rim.
I drove up to Mather point, which is the first view point from the South Entrance, and finding parking is tough here. I had to turn back and park at Pipe Creek Vista which is between Yaki and Mather point. But don’t return back after 8 pm and I will tell you why in my next post!
Rachel and her family were awesome and I leave behind fond memories of staying with a proper American family, in a proper American house and having one of the best American dinners ever (with barbequed bananas, a superb dessert…yum).
And to top it all – The Grand Canyon and Sedona, two sights no one should ever miss. Hole in the ground…not too much of a sight…are not at all apt for the Grand Canyon. On Friday morning I drove my rental from Chandler up north to The GC. The highway was good, but pretty similar to the ones in Nevada (desert on both sides). First stop was at the Sunset Crater on US-89. Here an ancient volcano eruption had occurred and there is a lava flow, and black rock. It is a pretty cool sight if you have never seen volcanic craters before. Lenox Crater is a small hike which can be done to see the volcanic rock. This is a part of a bigger National Park which also contains the Wupatki National Monument, which I did not have time to see.
Remember any hike you do here – take water with you. Even after the short 1 mile hike I was panting and guzzling water.
After this I left for the GC, along 89 and then on to 64. This is where I saw the Arizona Roads I wanted to see. It was beautiful - Single lane road, a few Indian Trading Posts along the way, and canyons and desert in the distance.
This road goes to the East Entrance of the GC, and I would advice you to take this entrance rather than the South Entrance as it is not crowded, and you can find parking along the lookouts.
The route is called the Desert View Drive, and the first lookout is Desert View. Here I got my first sight of the Grand Canyon and it literally blew my mind. I will not even try to explain what I saw as it is simply no use. You have to see it to believe it – The Buttes, the Colorado River and the various colours of the canyon.
There are a few points like Grandview Point and Moran Point where you can stop and get different views of the Canyon. Yaki Point is not open to cars, but the shuttle bus takes you there. I wanted to do a short hike there called the Kaibab Trail, but I thought the better of it and stuck to the Rim Walk, which is a much simpler hike along the rim.
I drove up to Mather point, which is the first view point from the South Entrance, and finding parking is tough here. I had to turn back and park at Pipe Creek Vista which is between Yaki and Mather point. But don’t return back after 8 pm and I will tell you why in my next post!
Newark Airport (Aug 6, 2009)
I have been on a long hiatus from blogging and this I sorely blame on my parents. They were here the past month and it has been a different life for me. A complete stop to the late night partying, saying my prayers and eating home food. On a serious note though, it was nice to have them here, and I think they were pretty happy with the tour and the tour guide.
The last part of the previous post I will try to complete now. There is not much to say actually. The Niagara Falls on the Canadian Side is better than the American side by a pretty large margin. You can see the entire falls from here, most importantly the Horseshoe falls, which unless you take the Maid of the Mist ride, you will not see completely from the American side. Someone at the falls said this: The view is better from the Canadian side, but the thunderous roar of the falls is better felt from the American side. So depending on which you prefer (and the visa of which country you have) you can have your pick.
The other part of the Canadian Side is that there is much more to do. The town has good clubs, attractions and things to do. Even if you stay for a weekend you will not get bored. The same I feel is not on the American side, as there is just a park and a casino, but that’s it. Also, the feeling of watching an actual country border is way too cool!
The bus stop is in the proper city which is a few miles from the falls, but there is a bus to and fro, which should cost you 5-6CAD round trip. Form here I caught the MegaBus to NYC, which I swear I will not travel long distances with. NYC to DC is the most I can go with them I think, else you may be delayed by hours!
Now you must be wondering how come I am at Newark Airport? Well, I am on my way to Phoenix, Arizona to meet Rachel, and also see the Grand Canyon, Sedona and Sunset Crater. This was an on the spur plan when I found out that Rachel was going to be there till the end of August. I am pretty psyched about this trip; I get to meet Rachel obviously, see the Grand Canyon and also take a drive on the Arizona Roads, which can be both awesome in the day and quite lonely and scary at night!
My trip will consist of landing in Phoenix on Thursday night, driving to the Grand Canyon on Friday, stay over at Flagstaff where I can see Sunset Crater and the Wutakapati Ruins, Saturday drive to Sedona and maybe do a stop at Camp Verde at the Montezuma Park before heading back to Phoenix in the evening. After that Rachel is my guide till Sunday night, when I take the flight back to Boston.
As always I will keep you updated on how this progresses. For now I catch my Continental flight to Phoenix, and oh by the way – I have finally seen all the 3 airports in the NYC area (JFK, LGA and EWR…woohoooooo…dumb!!!)
The last part of the previous post I will try to complete now. There is not much to say actually. The Niagara Falls on the Canadian Side is better than the American side by a pretty large margin. You can see the entire falls from here, most importantly the Horseshoe falls, which unless you take the Maid of the Mist ride, you will not see completely from the American side. Someone at the falls said this: The view is better from the Canadian side, but the thunderous roar of the falls is better felt from the American side. So depending on which you prefer (and the visa of which country you have) you can have your pick.
The other part of the Canadian Side is that there is much more to do. The town has good clubs, attractions and things to do. Even if you stay for a weekend you will not get bored. The same I feel is not on the American side, as there is just a park and a casino, but that’s it. Also, the feeling of watching an actual country border is way too cool!
The bus stop is in the proper city which is a few miles from the falls, but there is a bus to and fro, which should cost you 5-6CAD round trip. Form here I caught the MegaBus to NYC, which I swear I will not travel long distances with. NYC to DC is the most I can go with them I think, else you may be delayed by hours!
Now you must be wondering how come I am at Newark Airport? Well, I am on my way to Phoenix, Arizona to meet Rachel, and also see the Grand Canyon, Sedona and Sunset Crater. This was an on the spur plan when I found out that Rachel was going to be there till the end of August. I am pretty psyched about this trip; I get to meet Rachel obviously, see the Grand Canyon and also take a drive on the Arizona Roads, which can be both awesome in the day and quite lonely and scary at night!
My trip will consist of landing in Phoenix on Thursday night, driving to the Grand Canyon on Friday, stay over at Flagstaff where I can see Sunset Crater and the Wutakapati Ruins, Saturday drive to Sedona and maybe do a stop at Camp Verde at the Montezuma Park before heading back to Phoenix in the evening. After that Rachel is my guide till Sunday night, when I take the flight back to Boston.
As always I will keep you updated on how this progresses. For now I catch my Continental flight to Phoenix, and oh by the way – I have finally seen all the 3 airports in the NYC area (JFK, LGA and EWR…woohoooooo…dumb!!!)
Sunday, June 28, 2009
New York Port Authority Station (June 29, 2009)
I could not complete the last post as I was getting through immigration on the Peace Bridge between Canada and the States. After that we immediately landed in Buffalo to learn that we were running an hour behind, and this would result in us reaching NYC at 12.20 in the morning on Monday.
I had booked the Greyhound ticket to Boston for 12.15 in the morning, expecting MegaBus to reach me at 10.45pm. Luckily I reached at 11.53pm, and literally ran with a heavy backpack from 28th to 42nd. All of this in vain, as the bus got full and now I will have to get onto the next schedule at 3.30 in the morning. Today in office is not going to be pretty.
Getting back to Toronto - after learning that the islands were not accessible I went up walking to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Also I had read somewhere that the Canada Walk of Fame was near the Harbourfront, but I could not find it. Later in the night I was walking and came across it at King St W, which is quite a distance away.
From here I caught the subway to the Visitor Centre, and got the map. Casa Loma was built by some rich dude in 1911, and it is a beautiful building, and supposed to have the most number of rooms in any building in Canada. The entry fee is 17CAD, which I did not do, but it may be worth a visit. The subway is Dupont.
The Museum Stop has the Royal Ontario Museum and the Bata shoe Museum, which again may be worth paying a visit to, especially ROM. I had a hot dog lunch here and got interviewed by a couple of students on Spirituality and Religion. After this I walked to the University of Toronto, which like most of the Universities in this part of the world are breath taking. Very serene and calm, with sports going on everywhere – you wouldn’t mind spending days there.
The last part of my hike was to Kensington Market where there are varieties of shops for different types of clothing from Cuban to Nepali. Met this girl called Stacie who took a pic on my camera, and also suggested to come over to a Reggae Dub band playing near King St. Once this was done I got on the sidecar and headed off to the Beaches. Kew Beach is the most popular one, and it is not possible to walk to there from downtown, but the streetcar numbered 501 takes you there, and it is worth riding on this for a novel experience.
I checked into the hostel later in the evening, and this was a very different hostel – The Global Backpackers Inn. Personally I was disappointed as there seemed to be people here who had stayed for ages at this place and knew each other. So it was tougher to meet new people. A private party was also going on at the hostel bar below, and I don’t know – it felt kind of weird to me. The layout also is a bit disjoint, and you will be disoriented when you enter in the first time.
One good thing was they sold the tickets to the top of the CN Tower, and I did not have to stand in line oops queue at the Tower. And just when I was reaching there I got JPs call, and we both made it to the top pretty much at the same time. The tallest free standing building in the world, till the Burj Dubai gets built is worth the 21USD. Obviously it is not NYC, where you can see the skyline from the Empire State, but just to be up so high, and look down from the glass below is amazing.
Dinner was at Momma’s Pizza near the Harborfront, where quite a few activities were going on. I said bye to JP and headed for the nightlife. King St is more the high end sort of partying, but Richmond St, John St have a good mix. I landed up at a club called Circa, for which I had got half off when I was walking the streets. Even then it was 15CAD, and I found the music quite crappy! Half way through I was falling asleep both of tiredness and crappy music. I don’t know how I lasted till 2, but I did and danced on an homage to MJ, and a song which I liked called Paris is burning.
When I came back the private party was still on, and I hung out below just watching the college crowd go at it. Finally 3 I went off to sleep, and woke up at 6 to catch the bus to Niagara Falls, ON.
This last part I will explain in the next post because my hands are aching doing all this typing!
Peace.
I had booked the Greyhound ticket to Boston for 12.15 in the morning, expecting MegaBus to reach me at 10.45pm. Luckily I reached at 11.53pm, and literally ran with a heavy backpack from 28th to 42nd. All of this in vain, as the bus got full and now I will have to get onto the next schedule at 3.30 in the morning. Today in office is not going to be pretty.
Getting back to Toronto - after learning that the islands were not accessible I went up walking to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Also I had read somewhere that the Canada Walk of Fame was near the Harbourfront, but I could not find it. Later in the night I was walking and came across it at King St W, which is quite a distance away.
From here I caught the subway to the Visitor Centre, and got the map. Casa Loma was built by some rich dude in 1911, and it is a beautiful building, and supposed to have the most number of rooms in any building in Canada. The entry fee is 17CAD, which I did not do, but it may be worth a visit. The subway is Dupont.
The Museum Stop has the Royal Ontario Museum and the Bata shoe Museum, which again may be worth paying a visit to, especially ROM. I had a hot dog lunch here and got interviewed by a couple of students on Spirituality and Religion. After this I walked to the University of Toronto, which like most of the Universities in this part of the world are breath taking. Very serene and calm, with sports going on everywhere – you wouldn’t mind spending days there.
The last part of my hike was to Kensington Market where there are varieties of shops for different types of clothing from Cuban to Nepali. Met this girl called Stacie who took a pic on my camera, and also suggested to come over to a Reggae Dub band playing near King St. Once this was done I got on the sidecar and headed off to the Beaches. Kew Beach is the most popular one, and it is not possible to walk to there from downtown, but the streetcar numbered 501 takes you there, and it is worth riding on this for a novel experience.
I checked into the hostel later in the evening, and this was a very different hostel – The Global Backpackers Inn. Personally I was disappointed as there seemed to be people here who had stayed for ages at this place and knew each other. So it was tougher to meet new people. A private party was also going on at the hostel bar below, and I don’t know – it felt kind of weird to me. The layout also is a bit disjoint, and you will be disoriented when you enter in the first time.
One good thing was they sold the tickets to the top of the CN Tower, and I did not have to stand in line oops queue at the Tower. And just when I was reaching there I got JPs call, and we both made it to the top pretty much at the same time. The tallest free standing building in the world, till the Burj Dubai gets built is worth the 21USD. Obviously it is not NYC, where you can see the skyline from the Empire State, but just to be up so high, and look down from the glass below is amazing.
Dinner was at Momma’s Pizza near the Harborfront, where quite a few activities were going on. I said bye to JP and headed for the nightlife. King St is more the high end sort of partying, but Richmond St, John St have a good mix. I landed up at a club called Circa, for which I had got half off when I was walking the streets. Even then it was 15CAD, and I found the music quite crappy! Half way through I was falling asleep both of tiredness and crappy music. I don’t know how I lasted till 2, but I did and danced on an homage to MJ, and a song which I liked called Paris is burning.
When I came back the private party was still on, and I hung out below just watching the college crowd go at it. Finally 3 I went off to sleep, and woke up at 6 to catch the bus to Niagara Falls, ON.
This last part I will explain in the next post because my hands are aching doing all this typing!
Peace.
MegaBus to New York (June 28, 2009)
Toronto is very diverse. It is a city where half of the population was not born in Canada. Hence there is a good mixture of a lot of races and types there, and that makes it so very different from Boston.
I liked it there, bit I don’t think I would like to visit it too much as a tourist. As a place to stay and do work and mingle I think it could be good.
The day started off with me going to the Visitor Centre to find it closed and only opening at 10 in the morning. It is right next to the Dundas station on the subway, and close to the Bus Terminal on Bay St. I got the daily pass for 9CAD, and immediately set off to Union Station. The subway system is small and pretty small with directions given as Southbound, Westbound, etc and also the name of the last station on the line.
Union Station is so-so, and from there I walked to the Harbourfront. It is a pretty picture and one can walk on the boardwalk and look at the ferries and such docked on the Harbor. There was a strike going on, and so the ferries to Toronto Island were not operating. This was one of the places I wanted to visit as it is also nice, and has a good view of downtown with the CN Tower dwarfing everything else.
I liked it there, bit I don’t think I would like to visit it too much as a tourist. As a place to stay and do work and mingle I think it could be good.
The day started off with me going to the Visitor Centre to find it closed and only opening at 10 in the morning. It is right next to the Dundas station on the subway, and close to the Bus Terminal on Bay St. I got the daily pass for 9CAD, and immediately set off to Union Station. The subway system is small and pretty small with directions given as Southbound, Westbound, etc and also the name of the last station on the line.
Union Station is so-so, and from there I walked to the Harbourfront. It is a pretty picture and one can walk on the boardwalk and look at the ferries and such docked on the Harbor. There was a strike going on, and so the ferries to Toronto Island were not operating. This was one of the places I wanted to visit as it is also nice, and has a good view of downtown with the CN Tower dwarfing everything else.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Greyhound to Toronto (June 27, 2009)
It is official – you can cross the Canadian border multiple times on a single entry visa, so far as you don’t leave either Canada or the US after your first visit. This is for 6 months from when your passport gets stamped when you enter Canada for the first time.
I heaved a sigh of relief after this was done, as I have no more tensions anymore. I will land up at Toronto and head to the Visitor Centre at Dundas and Yonge St.
My plans involve visiting the CN Tower, the Harbourfront, Casa Loma, Kiev Beach and the Toronto Islands. There are some other places which I may visit given time, but these are the major destinations. I will keep you updated as these come up.
I heaved a sigh of relief after this was done, as I have no more tensions anymore. I will land up at Toronto and head to the Visitor Centre at Dundas and Yonge St.
My plans involve visiting the CN Tower, the Harbourfront, Casa Loma, Kiev Beach and the Toronto Islands. There are some other places which I may visit given time, but these are the major destinations. I will keep you updated as these come up.
Greyhound to Buffalo (June 27, 2009)
I am off again, on my final foreign visit till I get a new US visa done. This time it is to Toronto, a place I had heard of a lot on TV when in India. I had thought the Olympics were held here or something, but I guess I am wrong.
Anyway, I am on the bus from Syracuse to Buffalo after which I will do the border crossing into Toronto. My trip involves a day in Toronto, partying at night and to leave early the next day for Niagara Falls on the Canadian side.
Once this is done I catch the MegaBus – Sunday afternoon and head back to NYC, where I catch a Greyhound to Boston reaching at 5am in the morning on Monday. Yes, I am living up to my crazy reputation.
Also I met another wonderful lady by the name of Melissa, and she is very interesting. I have been having a few good conversations about India and its people.
I passed by Albany and East Greenbush on the way here and for people who do not know - I stayed there for a year, and the memories just rushed back of the Residence Inn and my project there. How times change – visiting Boston a year back was traveling; now visiting Albany is!
I need to sleep; else I will be not able to do anything later in the day. Melissa is already sleeping up ahead, I need to also. Good Night!
Anyway, I am on the bus from Syracuse to Buffalo after which I will do the border crossing into Toronto. My trip involves a day in Toronto, partying at night and to leave early the next day for Niagara Falls on the Canadian side.
Once this is done I catch the MegaBus – Sunday afternoon and head back to NYC, where I catch a Greyhound to Boston reaching at 5am in the morning on Monday. Yes, I am living up to my crazy reputation.
Also I met another wonderful lady by the name of Melissa, and she is very interesting. I have been having a few good conversations about India and its people.
I passed by Albany and East Greenbush on the way here and for people who do not know - I stayed there for a year, and the memories just rushed back of the Residence Inn and my project there. How times change – visiting Boston a year back was traveling; now visiting Albany is!
I need to sleep; else I will be not able to do anything later in the day. Melissa is already sleeping up ahead, I need to also. Good Night!
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