Look what happened now...
Ready, Set, Jet!
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I'm often asked how I find the best deals or the right transportation for those big, massive trips.
It's all in the planning. Don't get me wrong I love an impromptu road trip as much as anyone, but being stuck in an unfamiliar country, in a tiny train station in the middle of the night with no phone service, no taxis and a small child isn't all that much fun, especially after a 11 hour flight. #TrueStory #LessonLearned When I'm going to be staying for an extended amount of time (read months) in a foreign country I always do as much research as possible and plan ahead, booking as much as practical in advance. But even if you are just taking a week long holiday, it's wise to understand the culture and customs of the area you will be visiting. (And the Uber limits/cost of late night taxis.) Also pre-booking usually cuts cost somewhat, leaving you with more money for shopping and dinning. #WinWin Most people tell me that they would love to travel more, but seem at a loss as where to begin. What about you? Are you overwhelmed by it all? Start with these simple steps and enjoy the process.
Now get planning! There is a whole, wide world out there just waiting to be explored! See you at the airport~
I started blogging about ABQ and my local adventures with guest here. Then got swamped at work and totally forgot to finish. #FML
Anyway, one of the places we visited was the Islets Pueblo. I didn't take many pictures because we were too busy laughing and having fun. #Truestory But, I had business on the reservation the other day and popped into the casino/resort for a coffee. (Okay, and some light slot playing.) So I thought I would file this under "Local Adventures ABQ".
Here is your history lesson for today:
I love all the native displays and artifacts. These seems to change out regularly too, so there is more than just shopping and slots here.
I think I've been to this casino 3 times? It is on my list to take people when they visit me. We usually go during the week, in the middle of the day. It breaks up a day of sight seeing natural wonders or shopping. The casino hasn't been crowded when I've been there and the people are super friendly, just like the rest of New Mexico. I guess I should mention the casino is very clean and modern, not like some of the cheesy casinos you see in Vegas, thank God.
The resort is on FB if you want to know more.
https://www.facebook.com/IsletaResortandCasino
So after leaving Iceland (Insert sobbing because I didn't want to leave) we went to back New York for a few days more days. (Read about the January trip here.) It was a non stop, pleasant night flight from Iceland to JFK. When we arrived in NYC it was much colder than in Iceland and a huge storm was on the way. We left NYC a few days later just as the blizzard was hitting the East coast. Well actually we left 4 hours before they shut the airports down due to the blizzard hitting full force! #Goodtiming And then back across town to the hotel. I have video of the cab ride, but it's pretty blurry. So use your imagination...NYC at night is really cool. :D Another amazing day and a new adventure begins! Hello! As promised, I'm answering some of the questions I have been recently asked about Iceland. Everyone sees things differently, but I find that if you are positive and open to new experiences, the results will usually be positive as well. That said, I am by no means an expert, but this was what I have learned from my most recent trip. These are the questions I have been asked the most: "1. How are you standing the cold???" We are doing fine, thanks for asking. We took too many clothes, but what else is new? The key seems to be layering. Once you understand the simplicity of layers, it becomes easy to stay warm and move back and forth from walking around along the shore line, to sitting in a cafe, comfortably. Question 2: "How many hours did it take you to get there? Did you fly or cruise? " The trip started HERE if you want to see some of what I did along the way. I think it took 4+ hours to get to New York. There are 2 time changes along the way and I slept some of the way. The flight from NYC to Iceland was right at 6 hours. It is actually a shorter trip from NYC to Iceland than NYC to LAX. #WTF? Reykjavik is on London time, so yes I did have jet lag. But it was okay, because so much here happens at night. People are up and roaming around, going on northern light tours and eating. #GoodTimes Speaking of eating, Question #3: "What gross stuff do they eat that you wouldn't touch?" Answer: Are you kidding me? I'm a mostly raw Vegan. I wouldn't touch what MOST of the world eats. So thats a mute point, but what a funny question, huh? Here are my findings on food: Question #4: "Is the airport close to town? Which airport did you fly into?" Answer: No, it's not close to town, we flew into Keflavík International Airport. From there we took a FLYBUS straight to the hotel. Buy tickets on line or at the airport. It cost around $82USD for a round trip for two people. They are also Reykjavik Excursions and run most of the tours. I found the bus company to be safe, clean and the best bet from what I saw and heard from other people. We took a couple of tours with them. (See more of my Iceland posts) Mostly everyone with the company spoke English and was helpful. Headed to the hotel. And speaking of the buses - you might wanna note: I only heard of one bus that had a restroom/WC. So prepare for that. I hope that answered a few of your questions. I really, really am enjoying my time here! Next time I'm sure we will stay longer and rent a holiday house and perhaps a car. Unless you take a tour bus thats the only way to see some of the sites here. There is so much unspoiled beauty! But you have to get out of town to see it. So keep that in mind when planning your trip. Traffic wasn't horrible, but is somewhat congested in the cities.
Oh! Did I mention my American cell phone worked here? I was going to purchase a sims card, but when I saw that I had service - I did not bother. The rate was 20cents (American) a min. to talk, with free texts and free internet service. #WIN! I'm using the new Iphone and couldn't have been happier. Ok - I'm off to explore more. Catch you later- Hi, How are things? I promise we will get back to the Thankfulness challenge shortly, if you missed any of it click here to catch up. In the meantime I recently went on a 10 day road trip. Yeah! It was GREAT to be back traveling again! I took a few pictures, and am in the process of editing them, but before I write up a HUGE post I wanted to share with you a bit about a hotel I stayed in. See, one of the biggest surprises of this trip was this hotel. I wasn't expecting much. I really was thinking I should have booked a "better" place, but when we arrived...I was very happy to see it was above my expectations. I booked sight unseen via Hotwire. I have more pictures of the room and of course some of our adventures. I will tell you the name in the next post, because I need to check the bill for more info.
We actually went BACK there on the return trip, but it was booked FULL. Which I can understand - low price and uber clean, big rooms, I'm sure its booked most nights. Look for more about it in a full post soon! It's the end of another month and I'm packing up for a weekend road trip. #Excited! But before we dive into March Madness, lets close the books on February. So here are the "Most clicked on" blog posts of Feb 2016. They may not be the BEST but for some reason people read them more than others. WTF? I don't know why. But if you missed anything here, please do catch up, as the year is only gonna get wilder! #1 most read post was: Fun in February - A post mostly of #Tacos and other Vegan fun in Austin, Texas. Missing Nola - Super short post of me crying about not being in New Orleans in, like 4ever! Different is Cool - Old ass post of a funky cool Hotel in France. Daily - A post showing more or less what I do when I'm not working. Hanging out at the organic produce section, the joys of drive thru banking, etc. Random as hell, but with pictures. Juice Junkie - Post on juicing and the benefits of and weather updates. (What was I thinking?) There were a few really good posts that didn't make the "most clicked" list. I think I need to up my title writing game. Click here to explore more of the oddness that is my life. I really thought my bitching posts about being stalked (I am so over that shite) and being bombed with FB requests would make the cut? I guess I really do need to work on those snappy titles..
I'm almost sorted for the weekend road trip now, so off you go.,,, Catch you later- We spent a few days (and I worked) in New Jersey right after we arrived from England. I am always surprised at how nice, warm and friendly the people are. 'Jersey gets a bad rap in popular culture, but it's a lovely place to visit. Pretty, right? Not what you would except. And I was very surprised and HAPPY to see a Keurig in the hotel room! Hello Coffee!
Warning! This is a picture heavy post ( + another spooky story!) This continues the December New Orleans trip. As you can see from all these crazy photos we hung out on the balcony most of the time we were in the room. One evening we returned in the early evening to drop off our shopping loot and shower/change clothes before we went out to dinner. I was 1st and went out on the balcony while the others took their turns. I walked down the length of the balcony to look down and take photos (Like the one above). There were 3 rooms total that opened onto our shared balcony. I thought we were the only people checked in. As I walked past the doors (the curtains were opened) I looked inside to see if all the rooms were the same. And an older (Maybe 70-100 year old) woman was lying on the bed in the room next door.. I freaked out (I had just peeped HER! OMG!) and ran back to our side, feeling terribly guilty. Later we went out and yada, yada, you know. The next morning we are right back here for breakfast again. And I mention to the girls what had happened and how embarrassed I was. They both look at me like WTF? And say, "There is no one staying in those rooms!" I'm like "yes, I saw her." Now it comes out that Both of them had checked the rooms too. (We are such tourists) and they were vacant. I recalled most of the incident, because I was so shocked at seeing someone. She was white, with short white hair, small frame. She had all her clothes on (Thank god) and was on top of (not under) the blankets. The TV was not on, nor did I see any luggage. So we ALL walked over to the room (the curtain was still open)... And looked in again. (MAJOR PEEPERS!!) No one there, bed still made up and no luggage/cases. No one home. :o Yikes! What the HELL!? Now they girls are all asking if she looked dead and shit? I'm like "No, of course not. She looked sleeping and modern day. Not like 1840's THAT I would have noticed." So of course we left right after that.. If you can afford it, do get a balcony room. Who knows what you will see! I can't remb. which day now. Sorry. What follows are Angelica's pictures. She went on a the Walking Ghost Tour and loved i! She recommends it to anyone that wants to see the Quarter, learn about the history and not spend a fortune. :D You know we almost never heard anything from the room next door. Well, we did hear odd knocking one night...But we all totally ignored that after the woman on the bed incident. :x But the following night we had (real?) neighbors! 2 young guys (1 from Australia). That evening as Angelica and I were sitting on the balcony waiting on Char to get ready, the cute Aussie came out and chatted us up. Angelica was quite happy to scare the poor boy to death with the "lady sleeping on the bed " story in their room! Lol There is one more day and the hotel review to go yet..so stay tuned. I’m so ready to return! (Especially after the day I’ve had!) Spent the entire day in meetings and now I just want to chill by the fire. I’m too tried to even change clothes, lol. #BrainDead from work. :( Catch you later- Good Morning! Hope your week is going well. Its pretty good here. Work has called and I have ignored it. I listened to all the messages and read all the emails. WTF?!? It can all wait until I return. Why do they think they need me so much??! Anyway. I am mostly being lazy and just chillin. I have almost completed one *book and am about to start another. *Reading not writing. Speaking of, I have rewrites I jokingly said I would do while on this adventure....as if! My Brit friends are falling outta their chairs at this. This is a "hot" breakfast in a normal US hotel. As far as it goes there were waffles (I didn't make/eat any) and bacon (also same) and some cold cereals. A few muffins, sweet rolls, bagels and what you see on the plates. This was actually quite good to be included in the price of the room. There was no cheese, but they did offer apples and oranges along with instant oat meal. There was a limited selection of tea, coffee (reg & decaf) orange and apple juice. Yesterday we went to visit some old friends and returned to the room to order pizza and gab. It was quite fun catching up! It seems there is never enough time to see everyone. Today is more of the same. Rest, nap, read, eat and repeat! LOL Not that exciting of a holiday, right? But I surely needed it. In approx 2 weeks I head off again for a girls trip. (read 5 days of partyin) So I am sure I will have more exciting pictures then or maybe not, lol ;X
After that I have to stay home for a short while because a few short months later (Crosses fingers, hope not to jinx it) We are headed back to France/Italy/UK for the rest of 2014. :O #Massive #TravelPlans I have soo much to do here, well NOT here, I am in a hotel, BUT HERE IN TEXAS before we can be gone that long. So this was a much needed break before I start bustin ass getting everything in order. (Read that in a determined voice, ok?) Now I have to run, really. I need to work off all that pizza. See you at the airport! Hi, How is it going? I'm finally doing the Hotel Review for my Las Vegas trip. (It was last week, so I'm not THAT far behind, lol) This was the hotel I booked via Groupon. It was a king or 2 double beds for $14.00 a night. (Yes, $14.00USD) The deal expired, but I am sure they will run it again..just watch Vegas deals. My roundtrip airfare from Austin, Texas to LAS was $224.00 including all taxes. BUT I really shopped around. Still the was a cheap 5 day holiday. To read about my trip & adventures start here. So go to their website, even without a coupon they are very reasonable. And yes Ladies, it's safe. I went alone. Some friends from LA did show up for a couple of days to hang with me, but the rest of the time I was all alone. Internet - every day had to call front desk to reconnect me. :( they were nice. All staff were super & no one in hotel I talked to complained about staff (which is mostly unheard of) but it was a pain. There was a "resort fee" of $15.00 a night added on for free net, shuttle service. They also asked for a $100.00 security deposit. I gave them cash and had no problem getting it back when I left. I immediately thought you could fit a motorcycle in here. WTF? We are up stair? Where on earth did that come from? Anyway, I Don't know... Phone worked too. As I said I was calling front desk to fix Internet daily, WTF?! But the A/C was Cold and the room was comfortable. It wasn't posh, but it was fine for the cost. I didn't expect much and was pleased over all. Anyway, all the reviews say the same thing. Stay in the tower (I stayed in courtyard) because the courtyard is a dump. So was it worth $14.00 a night? OF F*%KING COURSE! Was it worth $100.? No. Would I stay here again? Maybe. I miss being on the strip more than I thought I would. But on the other hand the food was much cheaper here, and by cheaper I mean it was ridiculesly cheap. So again, maybe. Look at this in house bakery. People come from the strip to eat here. :O The casino is large enough. But honestly the smoke got to me. I have never been a hater on smokers (I used to smoke --- see Tmi for this & many more embrasshing facts) but at one point I had to just go back to my room. It was bad. :X This was taken from the Starbucks area. It's small, but services was excellent. The other cafes - small but good, quick service. There were a few men that talked to me & a couple that followed me around. But there was plenty of security & they quickly left me alone when I explained I was waiting for my MMA boy friend. (Lol that was a lie, but if you know of a MMA cutey I might be in the market). *wink* Most of the people here are of the AARP set, which is not bad, mind you. But as we got closer to the weekend more of a "younger crowd" rolled in. Most of the older set talked to me & were friendly enough. The was some Hardcore Bingo happening (according to one nice lady I met) but IDK I don't play. Lol and yes, I won enough the 1st day to pay for the trip. I didn't gamble much after that (rubs wood, don't press your luck) kind of girl. That was taken on the way to the pool.. Don't ask..lol So yes, more than likely if I could get a cheap flight and had some time off I would go back for $14.00 a night (even with the $15.00 a night fee, thats cheap.)
Catch you later- |
Ms One~🌍 Welcome to My Adventures! 🌱 Foto Friday's
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