TravelStream™ news feed for member k6eid on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/k6eid en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:08:52 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/13/1227704400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/13/1227704400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/13/1227704400/tpod.html Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:08:52 -0500 Panama Canal Cruise 2008

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George Town, Cayman Islands

We arrived early in the morning and headed ashore. The town was cute, very clean, it reminded us of Bermuda, another British-controlled area. There were a lot of stores catering to the tourists but I successfully kept the wife out of them. We enjoyed walking around the town, savoring a Haagen Das ice cream, stopping at the Tortuga Rum Cake placve, and enjoying a couple bottles of the local beer (coat was US$3.50 for an 8 oz beer, no bargain!). It was a pretty day, warm and clear, but the town is expensive by US standards.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/13/1227625200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/13/1227625200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/13/1227625200/tpod.html Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:02:12 -0500 Panama Canal Cruise 2008

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Montego Bay, Jamaica

We were supposed to go to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica on the 24th but as we approached, the authorities closed the harbor due to severe weather and mudslides so we left the area. Later that day Capt. Thor told us that we were headed to Montego Bay. I'd been there before in the 1980s and swore I'd never go back (at that time there was a Marxist Michael Manley in charge and the US was not looked on with favor). Anyway we had to go back and once there, again I swore I'd never go back! We arranged a private van with driver and guide for a negotiated per person amount. Just before returning to the ship, the guide told us that we had misunderstood the agreement and the actual charge was three times the negotiated amount. Rather than fight, we agreed to pay twice the original cost. Jamaica is a dirty, squalid place, obviously with ripoff artists. Don't waste your time visiting. We did not see a single area here we would feel comfortable wandering around on our own.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/13/1227438000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/13/1227438000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/13/1227438000/tpod.html Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:53:22 -0500 Panama Canal Cruise 2008

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Colon, Panama

We entered the Canal; near Colon and they passed through the three Gatun Locks to finally anchor in Gatun Lake. It was a rainy day so didn't go ashore there. After a few hours we reentered the Gatun Locks and tied up in Colon at the Cristobal Peir.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/13/1227268800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/13/1227268800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/13/1227268800/tpod.html Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:44:35 -0500 Panama Canal Cruise 2008

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Cartagena, Colombia

We we re seaming into the bay with light rain and wind. By the time we departed the ship, the rain had stopped. We took a tour of he historic sites of old Cartagena. The city itself is bustling yet retains much charm with the Spanish and the Republican types of architecture.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/13/1227186000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/13/1227186000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/13/1227186000/tpod.html Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:27:26 -0500 Panama Canal Cruise 2008

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Oranjestad, Aruba

We arrived on a rainy but warm morning. About 1000 we departed for the submarine ATLANTIS. We boarded the sub and dove to about 60 feet. We cruised around the barrier reef then proceeded to sites where two aircraft were deliberately sunk to make artifical reefs. We then moved out and dove to 130 feet and cruised for a bit viewing the bottom. We then surfaced very quickly and were returned to the ship's mooring place. We then went into town. Most of the town is comprised of tourist traps such as diamond stores, tanzanite stores, and designer name stores. We stopped at a place to get a beer where we were charged US$3.25 for an 8 ounce local beer! Aruba is not a place I would visit again.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/12/275157360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/12/275157360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/12/275157360/tpod.html Sat, 25 Oct 2008 12:38:22 -0400 Our first trip to Europe September and October 1968

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Los Angeles, California, United States

We embarked at LAX on British Caledonian.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/12/276193440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/12/276193440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/12/276193440/tpod.html Sat, 25 Oct 2008 12:29:02 -0400 Our first trip to Europe September and October 1968

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Berlin, Germany

Here's a few photos from the tour of East Berlin.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/12/276103680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/12/276103680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/12/276103680/tpod.html Sat, 25 Oct 2008 12:24:09 -0400 Our first trip to Europe September and October 1968

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Berlin, Germany

We stayed at the Hotel Europa. We drove through Checkpoint Charlie to tour East Berlin, the then-capital of the DDR. We took a bus tour and we were surprised at the still extant damage from World War II. Our East German hostess explained that the West built up West Berlin but the Soviet Union did not have the resources to restore their sector. West Berliun eas cheery and briht, East Berlin was dour and drab! What a contrast.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/12/273078480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/12/273078480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/12/273078480/tpod.html Sat, 25 Oct 2008 11:58:23 -0400 Our first trip to Europe September and October 1968

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Paris, Île-de-France, France

We dropped the Newvilles off at Orly airfield to catch a flight back to London. We stayed at the Hilton hotel at the airport and was able to visit the mockup of the Concorde SST (which I was fortunate enough to fly on about ten years later).
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/12/276450240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/12/276450240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/12/276450240/tpod.html Sat, 25 Oct 2008 11:46:48 -0400 Our first trip to Europe September and October 1968

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Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom

Since we were close the Wales, we decided to drive to Swansea, a nearby city, just to be able to say we visited Wales (my grandmother was part Welsh)
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