UMTravels

My brother came into town Saturday night – somehow I got the weekend of his visit wrong, thought it was going to be the week before. Downside is that it only gives us one dinner together before I need to jet off to Orlando for a couple of nights. Upside is I get a ride to the airport. Downside is a $30 cab ride home. Upside is that I’ll have been sitting in lounges and in First Class all day so I shouldn’t be driving.

Got to the airport around 9:30pm for my red-eye to Houston. Found some reading material and a drink or two before the Board Room closes at 10:30…

And a selfie of me…

And of the pretty Jewish boy in orange – and yes, he’s at least 21 because he was drinking a beer. Cute little yarmulke fringed in orange as well:

The view from Seat 1B…

And the “snack” which was chicken on a bed of something I’ve forgotten:

Got to Houston with plenty of time to spare – even had time for some of the worst biscuits and gravy I’ve ever wasted carbs on:

Just refreshments on the Houston Orlando leg, also in Seat 1B.

Picked up the Thrifty rental car and headed to the condo using the GPS built into my cellphone, which is great except that it totally sucks battery power and makes the phone warm to the touch.

The WorldMark Reunion is a HUGE complex – basically a hundreds acre gated community with some timeshares in it:

10 pools (one closed for repairs) plus a water park that they are in the process of adding to, hundreds of homes, condos, timeshares, restaurants, 3 gold courses, private suttle to get you around – whew!

I’d never stayed at this WorldMark before, and it really is geared towards families. The only unit size they have is 3-bedroom, 3-bath. Think HUGE.

Ran to the market for supplies for dinner, even bought myself a dinner date:

Bought supplies for dinner for two incase Xander replies to my text. Supposedly he is in Orlando as well. If he doesn’t, and he didn’t, I’ll be eating the same meal two nights in a row.

Rib-eye and a salad – too bad there isn’t a grill on the deck. Pretty sunsets though:

In the morning after a steak (leftover) and eye breakfast it was off to “Owner Re-Education Camp”, or an excuse to suck up another $100 AMEX gift card. I actually did learn some new things – they are rolling out June 1st a “Club Wyndham” program which basically opens up more of the Wyndham properties to WorldMark owners. Upside, more East Coast properties available along with a couple more Hawaii properties – looks like LOTS of overlap to what is already available through WorldMark. First reservation is just a points reservation, sadly, after that it’s points PLUS a $99 upcharge which would be worth it for the Waikiki Beach Walk 1-bedroom with full kitchen right on the beach (but a long walk to the grocery store).

Somehow I managed to spend that $100 AMEX card very quickly once I decided to check my bag on the return flight:

Two of the bottles are of the Evan William 1783, which is a higher proof, older Evan Williams:

And a little of the kitchen in the background.

Stopped by to check out the water park after the presentation (which actually didn’t include a push to buy more points, though I saw he had that paperwork)…

It’s moments like this that I miss CaddyDaddy – he would have loved the “Lazy River” inner-tube ride.

Speaking of pools, yes, I did get a little sun time in:

And the view of my unit (second floor):

My flight home is a dinner flight to SFO (yes, in Seat 1B) and I was early enough to the airport to use one of two Club Passes that come with one of my United credit cards. It was actually much nicer and larger than what I was expecting – didn’t realize it was on the floor above the gates:

And funny to find two Irish dailies stocked (along with the local paper, McNews, and the Wall Street Journal):

Apparently Orlando is an Irish Vacation Hotspot.

Back on the plane for another selfie:

And before you knew it dinner was served – which the beef was REALLY tender, and yes, I ate the potatoes and mopped up the gravy with the roll:

But after dinner was really the diet buster – apparently they stocked WAY too much ice cream for our sundaes:

All this served by the adorable Cain who was working the First Class cabin. Here is is with his “Sharknana”:

Got to SFO a little early – and the dinner and dessert had worn off so swung by Klein’s Deli for what may be the best Rueben that I’ve had in years. The prepare it open face, broil the tops to melt the cheese, then build it into a sandwich. Was planning on only eating half and saving the other, but it was too damn good, and gone before I could get a picture of it so you’ll have to be satisfied with a silly selfie at SFO.

Got home around 1:30am. Still too wound up to sleep. A nightcap solved that problem.

[212.0]

With the summer travel season just around the corner, time to stock up on those miles before the deals go away. Today’s deal is especially good. Double Elite Qualifying Miles on certain Alaska Airlines routes through the end of May. And with airfares of $138 round-trip, that makes them a cheap way to rack up elite miles. And then there is my 100% bonus for being MVP Gold on Alaska.

The math: 678 miles each way normally

So, for $138 you get 2712 EQM and 1,356 Bonus Miles which works out to 3.4 cents a mile. Not bad. Hence to trips this week and another trip in two weeks.

And the kicker – I got upgraded on all four flights – and even moved one of the flights earlier and still kept the upgrade.

So photos from my day of eating airplane and lounge food. The Seattle Board Room view:

Breakfast on the way to San Francisco:

A warm bagel with a salmon/cream cheese spread some mixed fruit and a Jack and Diet.

The view from the San Francisco Board Room which they are permanently closing on June 24^th as they move to International Terminal A. So far the replacement is the Delta Crown Room on the wrong side of security, but their new gates are right by both the Emirates and British Air lounges – both of who are partners:

Lunch on the way back to Seattle:

Quinoa salad with feta cheese and tomatoes on a bed of greens with a cilantro dressing, Dewar’s on the rocks, Diet Coke on the side.

Back in Seattle, a little more lunch nibbles:

Chinese chicken soap with wonton strings mixed green salad, McCormick’s Whiskey with Diet Sprite.

On the way to the gate I snagged this picture for Seaside Boy:

Back in the air to San Francisco for the second time today. Dinner is served:

Turkey with cranberry spread on a warm ciabatta roll with slaw, a Seattle Chocolate, Dewar’s rocks, Diet Coke on the side. As for me, I put the slaw in the sandwich.

Since someone said I’ve been doing too many selfies – just one for this post.

We got to Seattle half an hour early to they sent us to Terminal A where the last flight of the day has been going out of since it comes in from Mexico and Terminal A is the International Terminal. The downside is that to get to the lounge you have to go out of security, cross the airport, got back through security – and then I’d have had to do it again since I was supposed to be on the last flight out. On a whim I ask if there was a first class seat available on the flight that I’d just come in on – and couldn’t believe that there was one left. It will get me in an hour earlier, which will be nice.

And the final snack of the day – fresh baked cookies hot from the oven with the usual Scotch and Diet.

These trips will get me closer to MVP Gold for next year which means upgrades, bonus miles, a free drink even when I’m in the back of the plane and other goodies.

After this trip I’ll have 31,261 of the 40,000 miles I need for MVP Gold – after the trip to Oakland I’ll be up to 33,991 or so, leaving me a shade over 6,000 to hit my Gold Goal.

In an update the my quest for Million Mile Status on United, I currently sit at 993,099 and next week’s trip to Orlando will add 5,850 leaving just 1,051 miles which I’ll hit on my SEA-SFO-MSY flight. Too bad the flight that I’ll crack the barrier on is a red-eye to New Orleans. Guessing that they aren’t going to announce it mid-flight 373 miles into the SFO-MSY leg.

[213.0]

It really isn’t a cruise to nowhere… just an overnight from Vancouver, BC to Seattle, WA – with a couple of nights in Vancouver with friends at the beginning.

Since Swanda wants to see lots of selfies, this might be a report in selfies….starting with not getting to bed early enough…

But I make the train – cab is early so I boxed my breakfast and headed out. Luckily they boarded 40 minutes early so I could just chill and snooze.

Three hours later and a couple of drinks later, we stop at the Canadian border for a red signal…more delays.

Finally coming into Vancouver, British Columbia with snow-capped mountains in the background…

A beautiful day in Vancouver…

Had lunch with Solus+ at The Parlour – a great little Yaletown eatery. He was kind enough to pick me up at the station. We shared a bunch of appetizers:

• Arugula — Anjou Pear, Red Onion, Butter Croutons, Parmesan, Pumpkin Seeds, Walnuts, Maple Shallot Vinaigrette
  
• Ahi Lettuce Wraps– Tuna, Avocado, Citris Ginger Soy, Mint, Spicy Ponzu Aioli, Crispy Shallots
  
• Brocco — Garlic, Shallots, Jalapeño, Pine Nuts, Sweet Soy Sauce
  
• Stacked Short Ribs — Hosisin and Tamarind marinated, Granny Smith Apple and Jicama Slaw
  

Solus+ had a couple of stouts; I had a couple of Manhattans. What was I thinking! No selfie? No food shots.

Got to the condo after lunch – and only had to wait20 minutes to have my room ready – a couple of hours early. Hummingbird had left me bread and wine with the front desk – what else would a priest leave ( body and blood of Christ).

The early check-in gives me time to grab 10% off coupons and head to the IGA for some grocery shopping. Much wandering later the meal plan is in place:

• Pupu platter which BamBam will decimate and not have it effect his appetite
• Southwestern salad (pre-packaged kit)
• Bread
• Rolled pork roasts on a bed of multi-colored potatoes

Hummingbird showed up with white wine and dessert. Their friend showed up with more wine, which is good since there are four of us and all I have is two bottles of whiskey.

Great views from the apartment – we lucked out and got one of the few balcony units at WorldMark at The Canadian.

After dinner the silliness begins…

No, it’s not a stitched picture, it’s a times picture with two pieces of mirror in the background, showing off the BBC News we are watching.

The boys (minus Kevvy, their guest) spent the night since they now live north of town in the Frasier Valley. Way too much whiskey was consumed, so in the morning we were off to church after a breakfast scramble:

Hummingbird is an Anglican priest who does regular Eucharist Services at the Cathedral in Vancouver.

At the noon service he asks for healing thoughts for the family and friends of my buddy CaddyDaddy who would have been on this trip had he not crapped out last year. He is due to be planted tomorrow at 11:15am with full military honors in Olympia. The mere mention of him in the service left a huge lump in my throat – I can’t imagine the mess that I would have been had I attended his interment.

The boys were off after a quick run back to the apartment, giving me time to make a run for tonight’s dinner with Helene, and a quick nap, and some work on wine shop stuff (site updates, blog postings to other sites, graphics).

Tonight’s dinner:

• Bread of Helene (a small baguette which wasn’t large enough for the carb carnivore)
• Mixed greens salad for from the salad bar at the IGA
• Broiled salmon on a bed of buckwheat noodles (leftovers from the boys – the noodles that is)

I love the condo vase with a couple of stems of fresh flowers. I’m sure that vase has NEVER held a flower in its life in the condo.

Luckily Helene brought wine, though with DancingBear dropping off wine on his way to dinner with friends, we didn’t get to it – but I was glad I popped next door and picked up another bottle of whiskey.

DB got home just as we were finishing dinner and we popped in the DVD that I bought the other night at the IGA – The Poseidon Adventure (the remake) which is appropriate since DB and I are going on a cruise tomorrow.

HUGE scramble in the morning:

• Eggs (5)
• The leftover potatoes from the first night’s roast
• The leftover cheese from the Pupu platter
• The leftover pork from the first night

Seems it’s a WorldMark tradition to have scrambles in the morning with the leftovers from the night(s) before. Now you know why I pack butter, olive oil and balsamic vinegar (not the last for breakfast).

We (DB & UM) bail on the condo at 11:15am for the Golden Princess for our cruise home to Seattle. The lines were moving OK, in contrast to one of DB’s cruises from the same terminal when four ships were in port (as opposed to two today) where the line went out the door and around the building. Think three hours in line.

Selfie of us in line waiting for the Golden Princess with the folks also on the Holland American Westerdam :

DancingBear and I booked separate cabins so we could each get 2 Princess Cruise Credits (rather than 1 for a double occupancy cabin). I booked a balcony, he booked an inside and the plan was that we’ve hang in the balcony cabin and he had Princess put him 4 doors down from mine…but the upgrade gods (yes, even on Cruise Ships there are upgrade Gods) intervened and he got bumped from his Inside Cabin to a Balcony (a two-class upgrade), and I got upgraded from a Balcony to a Suite – a sweet Suite. I hadn’t looked at what cabin I was in for a while so I didn’t notice the upgrade until I got to the room and thought “this looks bigger than I remember balcony cabins”.

Yes, that is a King Size bed on a Princess. Yes, there were TWO flat screen TVs. Now add a porch with a couple of lounge chairs and a table.

We had a quick drink in the cabin before heading to the Donatello Dining Room for lunch, bypassing the huge crowds at the buffet:

Our quite sit-down lunch at a shared table with other cruisers was:

• Chicken Cacciatore for DB (with an Old Fashioned)
• Beef Loin for me (with a Manhattan)

And yes, we both had dessert (Orange Soufflé). There weren’t many people having the sit-down lunch (only open until 1:30pm)

A little quiet time after lunch and before you know it we are in full swing – 3:45pm is the Mandatory Life Boat Drill:

After the drill it’s time to get underway. Here is us sailing away under the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver:

Honest – I was trying to get my phone ready to take a selfie, and not drop my Manhattan. We were out there for the LGBT gathering – formally known as the “Friends of Dorothy” which I sort of miss… “code and all”, like “beard“. Apparently the youngsters don’t get the old reference. FOD is to the old gay world like FOB (Friends of Bill [W]) is for the people in “recovery”. It always amuses me on cruises with they have the recovery people meeting in a bar that isn’t open.

That party quickly moved to the Skywalker Lounge (17 Aft) because it was Happy Hour with Hors d’oeuvres in the Platinum Lounge with discounted drink of the day. We ran in to a couple of other Gay Short Curisers – or as they are known on Facebook as the Seattle Princess Sea Men.

Some chips and guacamole, a way-to-sweet top shelf Margarita for cheap and we were back to the cabin for another round before dinner – the way-sweet margarita was helped by watering it down with the last of the white wine we packed on board. The red wine was headed to dinner with us ($15 corkage fee – on Princess you are allowed to bring one bottle of wine per person free and the corkage fee only applies to having it in one of the restaurants.)

Speaking of dinner:

Starter of the red snapper ceviche, then the indecision of two choices for dinner — order both. That would be the Prime Rib AND the Crawfish Étouffée.

We probably DIDN’T need to order THREE desserts…

With Limón cello for me and Bailey’s in Coffee for DB (both on sale). My best shot is of the heart “broken” to share:

That’s the Princess Loveboat Heart in the foreground and the flan in the background (the other was a flourless chocolate thingee).

DB was done after that… and I surfed the internet until midnight (150 free minutes to use as a Princess Platinum) until hunger called again at a little after midnight. I didn’t reen the cheeseburger and fries (free) but I did need the Diet Pepsi Mixer ($2.25 with fees). I asked for a “bucket of ice” – and they brought me a damned bucket:

Things from duty free and some emptys… and the “bucket” next to the ice bucket:

Don’t worry – the ice is sitting in front of a mirror.

Up early – yet another meal in the dining room – so far haven’t hid the buffet at all – a record.

Separate disembarkation lounge for the Platinum Folk (both DB and I) so it was basically leave when you want and it was home by cab (in different directions) for both of us. I actually got a nap of over an hour before heading to work for the opening shift.

Dinner at Swanda’s for dinner with two mutual friends and then it was hone to bed. Long day. Or should I say long days.

[211.2]

On the road with Xander and Roxy – headed for Redmond, Oregon for a couple of nights in a 3-bedroom “chalet” complete with BBQ grill and hot tub – the only way to stay. We will be meeting Julian and Megan who are coming from Portland to celebrate Julian’s last week in Portland before a week in New Mexico and then flying off to JapanLand for at least a year of teaching English as a Second Language.

Here is a great selfie from the road:

How nice to not have to drive the 6 hours in each direction – and unusual situation. And a pleasant one.

I forgot to plug in Burgerville into my GPS so we were out of range by the time hunger struck. But we did stumble across a gem:

That would be the Barlow Trail Roadhouse on Highway 26 in Welches, Oregon. To hell with the diet – I’m having the Biscuits and Gravy (1/2 order) and a Manhattan.

Xander went for the Miners’ Meat Lovers Omelet with mashed potatoes (from scratch) and gravy instead of the breakfast potatoes:

And Roxy went for the Stomping Mountain Toast which is Texas toast dipped in pancake batter, rolled in oats and sugar frosted flakes and then deep fried.

Talk about RICH – hello coronary.

It was 4:30 by the time we got to Eagle Crest, a WorldMark resort. They did a slooooow check-in which meant that the unit wasn’t quite ready for us…not a good sign. But it was BIG:

Julian and Megan didn’t get there until almost 7 so dinner was a little later than usual… Salmon with a Ginger Wasabi Glaze for Rosy the Pescaterian, and little lamb t-bones for the meat eaters:

For our only full day, off to Smith Rock we went – no, not my idea. Really, hiking? Me? I did actually manage to get down to the river and back, but I passed on the longer route the rest of the folk took.

Needless to say, this place it set up for hiking…and rock climbing:

Man I love my 18x zoom lenses. Since I headed one way (on a shorter trail) and the kids took the longer route – I moved the car to pick them up at the other parking lot.

Tonight’s dinner is a brazil-nut encrusted rock fish for Roxy with a spicy wasabi drizzle, and a couple of racks of pork ribs for the carnivores… It’s really nice to have Julian in the crowd – he’s a great cook and takes most of the load off me.

The breakfasts were rosemary challah French toast with South Park Blackberry Syrup (yes, I ate the carbs) with sausages, and the final breakfast was a eggs scramble with a side of bacon for everyone except for Roxy – no cheese, no bacon.

Check-out time is noon, and waiting for a load of dishes to get done put up right at that mark… back on the road again, this time with stops in Portland to drop off a book, and then to finally get to a Burgerville for my fix:

Yes, that is a Pepper Bacon Tillamook Cheeseburger with a glass of Merlot. Be warned – this might be the only Burgerville that serves beer and wine.

Got back home around 7 with Xander and Roxy staying for a couple of drinks to wind down from the road trip.

Guess it’s time to plan some more travel….

[213.0]

Another week another trip – this one to check something off SalamanderHellBender’s Bucket List – Hawaii.

The initial spreadsheet shows about $425 per person for 4 days, 3 nights with guaranteed First Class on the way there and most likely an upgrade on the way back. That doesn’t include food and other stuff while we are in Waikiki, but it’s still cheap in my mind.

The downside/upside is that we travel out of Bellingham, but they do have a great restaurant in the terminal:

Crap – is that a Manhattan in my hand and some fish and chips on my plate – bad UncleMarkie! We got there in plenty of time – time enough for three Manhattans — $8.00 each, which for an airport isn’t bad – and I saw them pouring Maker’s Mark to make them.

Onto the plane we go into seats 1A and 1C:

Too much fun. I’m really glad my friends have “bucket lists” and this one is in honor of Salamander’s 51^st birthday which was last week.

Nothing like starting the flight with a POG Mimosa (Pineapple, Orange Guava) followed by our meal:

Appetizer:

• Green Papaya Salad
• Haricot Vert and Roma Tomatoes
• Sweet Thai Chili Lime Dressing
• Warm Hawaiian Sweet Roll

Choice of Entrees:

• Mango BBQ Beef Short Ribs
• Coconut Milk Mashed Potatoes
• Buttered Green Beans

Or

• Red Curry Shrimp and Pineapple
• Cucina Fesca Rigatoni

With a dessert of Pineapple Upside Down Cake, and all the booze we could choke down.

We got in around 7pm and made our way to the bus to Waikiki – if you just have carryon luggage for $2.50 a person you can just catch the bus to Waikiki, which beats the $15.00 a person slower than the bus (which takes at least 45 minutes).

We missed check-in times so we grabbed the keys from security for our one-bedroom condo at the Royal Kuhio:

And the view…

Nope, no ocean view, but we can see the canal.

First stop of the night is to Foodland for a Rotisserie Chicken, bourbon, mixer, salad, eggs, and breakfast meats – basically condo supplies. We pulled some pieces off the poor dead bird but were ni bed before any thought of salad happened.

In the morning we are off to Hilo Hatties – not so much for the overpriced Hawaiian shirts but for the shuttle that takes us a couple of blocks from the K-Mart and the Salvation Army where I convinced Salamander to get a couple of Hawaiian shirts – the one I wanted (A Tommy Bahama) didn’t have a price tag so they wouldn’t sell it to me – damn.

Salamander and I are on different agendas – his more gogo boys, mine more laying in the sun. Luckily we don’t need to run together.

Dinner tonight is trip-tip steaks, salad, Hawaiian sweet rolls (yes, I know they are bad for me, but then in Rome…)

The next day my goal is laying in the sun and Salamander is out and about…in the on again off again rain – which cut short my suntan time. Don’t trust Salamander with a map in the rain:

And I have to say that the next day – another ruined map:

A little better, but still a mess – good thing it’s out last day in town.

But let’s not forget interesting things we ate when we were in the islands….

Salamander needed Spam since he was in Hawaii – it was a side dish with the Filet Mignon and the salad for dinner.

Our final day was a tour of the island after we checked out and picked up a rental car from the airport – here are some random pictures:

The above were the result of an around the island car tour… a great way to see the island and really make sure that Salamander has ticked off Hawaii on his Bucket List.

At the end of the day we returned the car and checked into the Delta Sky Room before our 11:55pm red-eye (yes, upgraded) back to Bellingham:

What can I say, Salamander needed a Burger King snack and I was stressed from trying to find a gas station near the airport returning the car – FOUR that were in GPS were no longer there (smells like a conspiracy to me). They did say “welcome your majesty at the front desk”…. Even got Salamander to try on the crown…

I got a little sleep on the return flight (just a small snack so no reason to stay awake)… but not enough. Still had to take a nap or two driving back south for a full day of errands – AND – cooking dinner for a sweet man who I have a crush on (no, not Salamander).

All together a VERY long Friday, the final day of holiday. Wish that sweet man that I was necking with had spent the night, but alas, he has a job interview in the morning and needs to be fresh.

[210.6 or 208.8 yesterday]

Yep, I’m at it again – spending hours flying for no reason other than the miles. Destination? Hong Kong for 15 hours.

Off to a good start in the lounge, even considering the hour:

But I noticed this on the way to the gate – TWO United flights, both to San Francisco (not unusual), but at the exact same time (unusual, and I’m guessing confusing for some):

Got upgraded to San Francisco, bulkhead window next to a dead person:

Plenty of time in the United Club in San Francisco to get a little buzz on to facilitate sleep on the Hong Kong leg. Premier Gold (and above, I’m Platinum this year) get free access to the lounges if their itinerary includes international legs:

The downside of the United Club locations in the states is that while they offer free booze, the food selection is minimal at best. Yep, lots of United planes leaving today:

And mine even had two spare seats between for added comfort:

But it was an older 747-400 without any seatback entertainment – good thing I brought a book…

One dinner and a movie down, a little whiskey and Ambien and I’m out for 6 of the 12.5 hour flight – arriving in Hong Kong a little before seven and headed to the airport hotel for a shower, some duty free drinks and a really good fish and chips dinner from room service:

Not cheap, but I had a bunch of Hong Kong dollars from previous trip. Money well spent (and half of rack rate) compared with hanging out in airport lounges overnight.

Up in the morning for a quick stroll to check in—arriving just as they were getting set up. Short immigration and security lines and ready for the long walk to the lounge for breakfast.

That would be an Early Times (for the early morning) and Diet, noodles and pork dumplings. The Hong Kong United Club is actually one of the better lounges:

But alas – time to get back on a plane, this time an ANA 767-300 (which unfortunately doesn’t count towards my lifetime miles with United) with in seat entertainment and a pretty seatmate for being stuck in the window seat again…

I have a little time in Tokyo to explore the United Club – doesn’t hold a candle to the Hong Kong Club…

And time for another flight – this one from Tokyo to San Francisco. One thing I noticed in the lobby waiting to board was a distinct lack of people considering it is another 747-400… and when the door closed on the aircraft I had four seats to myself – and lots of other people in Economy Plus did as well (more threes than fours, but still):

And eye candy across the aisle.

When I posted the picture below on FaceBook of me stretched out (and buckled in) somebody commented that my “selfie” was actually a “footie”.

Got to San Francisco with TONS of time between flights, especially when you have Global Entry (no lines) and TSA-pre (short security lines) – time enough for drinks in the United Club and oysters on the half shell and chowder at the Yankee Pier:

No upgrade on the way back to Seattle, exit row aisle – but almost snagged a $300 travel voucher to take a flight a couple of hours later – alas, they didn’t hold the plane for the 26 passengers on a late arriving flight from Hawaii so off we went with seats to spare. Sigh.

Back at home in time for a late dinner which puts me in bed at the standard time:

Another mileage run down – a little closer to that elusive Million Mile mark. Can’t wait to get there so I can open that five liter bottle of Chianti I’ve been saving for the celebration.

[210.6]

Well, it’s that time of the year again – time to read those pesky scholarship applications for the Mark Stephen Souder Scholarship For Information Dissemination. This year the scholarship is kicking off a grant of $2,688. The cost to attend Evergreen full-time? Out-of-state (which gets you an extra point on the grading scale) $35,856, In-state is $22,803. Those numbers include tuition & fees, books & supplies, and room & board. And this is at a STATE school.

This year we had 14 applications to read, almost double last year’s number, but closer to the average of what we usually see. 8 out of the 14 are fresh from high school or GED. Also pretty typical since many of the other scholarships don’t except applications from incoming freshman.

Here are the scholarship criteria:

Offered to a new or currently enrolled student attending full time who demonstrates an interest in information dissemination (e.g., writer, web designer, teacher, musician, activist; anyone helping to influence the way people think about their world) to change the concepts of “nons”—non-residents, non-Caucasians, non-heterosexuals—to create a more equal, intelligent and compassionate society. Preference will be given to non-resident gay or lesbian students demonstrating quality and creativity of prior work in the area of information dissemination. Financial need will also be considered.

And here is how we score them:

Financial Need:                                                   1    2    3    4    5

Quality of Introduction Letter:                        1    2    3    4    5

Quality of Recommendation Letters:             1    2    3    4    5

Quality of Portfolio:                                           1    2    3    4    5

Award one point for each of the following:

• Non-Resident
• Non-Caucasian
• Non-Heterosexual

Point Total for “Nons”:                 _______

TOTAL POINTS FOR THIS APPLICANT:                     _____________

Here is the venue for the scholarship reading:

We were in one of the Courtyard Studio Plus units. But you can’t grade papers on an empty stomach…

And I baked a couple of loaves of bread to go with the various spreads. Rum and mixers were the cocktails – need those too!

The panels of readers:

Xander and Roxy

SalamanderHellBender

UncleMarkie

And the results? Here is the chart reflecting each of our ratings – pretty amazing how they mostly track to each other:

I attribute the mismatch in the first couple to getting our sea legs. The translation to the Series numbers is I’m 1, SalamanderHellBender is 2, Roxy is 3, Xander is 4.

After all was said and done, it was time to clean up – think we used 90% of the dishes in the place.

Called for a 4am wakeup call – I have a 7:30am mileage run to Hong Kong.

[207.2]

Talk about a quick trip…just an overnight outside Denver with my ex and his wife. I would have stayed longer but the cheap flights were only on Tuesday and Wednesday.

And when I say cheap — $118 round-trip. Add $23 for the rental car, $10 for gas, and $35 for airport parking in Seattle and you have my expenses other than breakfast in Denver on the way to the airport (under $5).

Did I mention that I was upgraded in both directions? Knew about the return upgrade, but the “at the gate” upgrade when I was sixth on the list when I checked was a bit of a shock as there are only 12 seats up front.

In honor of my quick trip – a bunch of “selfies”:

In the Alaska Board Room.

From my going list of Airline Club Lounge photos.

The view on the tarmac featuring a salmon-thirty-salmon.

Shocked at my gate upgrade to first.

Relaxing at Dan and Lisa’s place.

Even Winston has started to like me.

In the Admirals Club at the Denver Airport…I can’t believe I forgot to get a shot of the room.

Next time. And we know there will a next time.

[205.4]

I love to train by train – as you readers might know especially from my Turkey-Bulgaria-Romania trip last week.

This week I stumbled across this image of the new Denver Amtrak/MultiModal station:

All I can say is “holly fuck”. That is one gorgeous train station. Suddenly I’m trying to figure out bookings to see it in person. I’d like to go when the main station is completed as well. I love the fact that the station mimics the Denver airport with its sweeping canopies.

The upper levels of the refurbished station will have 118 hotel rooms – which I want to try, along with two upper end restaurants and a morning/afternoon place for take-out for train passengers.

I’m thinking of an August trip since everything opens mid-July.

But that got me thinking….since there are no cheap flights during the summer, maybe I could redeem some Chase Ink Points on a little train folly. Here is what I’ve come up with:

After work on Sunday the 15^th of June I’ll catch the red-eye to New Orleans. At 1:45pm (I get in at like 6am) I hop on the City of New Orleans (Train 58) for the 20 hour trip to Chicago where hopefully I’ll have lunch with Cynthia and Lawrence since there is a 5 hour layover. Then it’s on to the Southwest Chief (Train 4) headed for Los Angeles, another 43 hours, then I have a couple of hours to kill in Los Angeles before I pick up the Coast Starlight (Train 14) to Seattle, another 35 hours.

The rack rate when I priced it out for the sleeper the whole way, $1808.90 – my cost? Free. I moved 20,000 Chase Ink points to my Amtrak Guest Rewards account and poof, free ticket with meals for those 5 days. 20,000 points is the amount for a two-zone roomette ticket on any legal routing. The other way would have been to that the Empire Builder (Train 7) from Chicago to Seattle. The flight to New Orleans was $240 (though I could have used miles).

My plan is to (once I have the last miles I need) do a Seattle to Denver run in August to check out the station that started the ball rolling.

Another hope is that I can get some more “platform moments” pictures with friends along the way – Kyle in Flagstaff, Craig in Los Angeles, Cynthia and Lawrence in Chicago, Paul and Gail in Kansas City, sis-in-law in Lamy (though it’s a work day for her). I’d like to make one of those photo books out of the pictures.

“Travel By Train” says it all.

Denver’s Union Station before the renovation with their “Travel By Train” sign.

Or in the case of Portland’s Amtrak station, “Go By Train”.

[205.6]

Many of my friends just shake their head at my mileage-run antics. The question is “why?” I think part of the answer is “Status”.

Why is Status important? Because when the flight poo hits the fan, you are much further up the food chain to get back on track.

It was early in my last evening in Istanbul when I got this text:

“Flight Cancellation – UA 47 departing FRA”.

This is NEVER good – especially when you are on a partner airline flight to get to Frankfurt from Istanbul. Logged into United… nothing, then 20 minutes later my reservation was changed… instead of leaving Frankfurt on Thursday – they had me schedule for SUNDAY, with no word on how I was to get from Houston to Seattle. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

Call to the local Istanbul United representative – I’m sorry, we can’t change routings, you need to call the US number.

Initial call to the US number said that I needed to call Turkish since my itinerary started with them.

Call to the local Turkish Airlines representative – I’m sorry, they cancelled part of your itinerary so we can’t even get you to Frankfurt. Call United.

Well – there went the calls that were merely 50 cents a minute using the hotel phone (not counting the call to the US United number at $2 a minute).

Back to the expensive option of calling United in the states. That would be from the cell phone as international calls were more expensive from the hotel phone Apparently there was labor dispute at the Frankfurt Airport, though that doesn’t explain why Turkish is still flying but United isn’t.

So, the status part… dedicated phone line to United’s Platinum Desk – basically NO wait time getting to an agent who could actually fix the problem. She got me rerouted leaving Istanbul 10 minutes earlier, but through London’s Heathrow airport, then to Houston, and onto my original flight from Houston to Seattle which I’d already been upgraded to. The only hold time was with the “fare desk” having to manually enter my ridiculously cheap airfare ($613 round-trip) – but 30 minutes later I’m booked and done. Well, 30 minutes and about $60 in cell phone charges. Beats showing up at the airport at the desk and trying to work through it in “English As A Second Language” when they can put the blame on United and even though they are Star Alliance, Platinum means poo to them.

I did the math later (as I’m shooting for Million Mile mark on United before summer) – the new routing nets me TWO less miles, something I can live with much easier than missing a weekend of work at the wine shop and pissing Jim off.

Off to bed I go – because it’s a 4AM wake-up call (for either routing).

A surprise at the desk in the morning – if I can wait 15 minutes there will be a Turkish Airlines shuttle picking up people who missed their flights last night. Well, that saves me 40 Turkish Lira ($20). The downside is 20 minutes less in the Turkish Airlines lounge which is the most over the top airport lounge I’ve ever been in (that’s another bonus of “Status” – lounge access on international flights:

The Atrium

The Omelet Station

The Quesadilla-like Station, fresh made tortellini in the afternoon

One of many “help yourself” bars

The slot-car race track

One of two player grand pianos (one on each floor)

Big-ass Macs (and printers) for people to use

Need dessert?

Need espresso, coffee, or Turkish coffee?

Maybe do some virtual golf?

Or maybe just wash up in the men’s room

Or a selfie

With my Turkish Coffee, Woodford Reserve, and a Diet Coke on the side

Should you need honey for your yoghurt – oh look, there is a dripping honeycomb

Or the pastry bake station

Or maybe just an overview

Or the movie theater

Or the library with the pool table….

Never have I taken so many photos of an airport lounge. Before the flight I popped out and bought some Turkish Cigarettes for the freezer (for my smoking friends I like to have unusual cigibutts on hand for them) using all put 3.5 Turkish Lira that I had on me…so that’s where the cab fare went (well, almost twice that).

Now, by comparison, here is the lounge at Heathrow, which oddly is a SkyTeam lounge from Continental’s past but now with access to United fliers – but NO reservation/resolution/seat-change services:

Nice (Arberlour rather than Woodford Reserve as the drink of the morning) but after the Turkish Lounge in Istanbul…well…. Also two floors, but the section of food… well, less. But free is free.

Sort of odd to be in public transportation where English is the first language – apparently 9 days has made me more sensitive… off to catch my flight to Houston, where I miss an possible upgrade by one seat, but it’s OK, as it turns out I’ve got two to myself…

A very light load to Houston – not surprising since there was another flight, same itinerary, just over two hours earlier. Here is my view:

Of course, that was AFTER the lightning strike to the nose of the plane. A nice BIG crack and boom. Flight attendants on quick – saying no worries, pilots will be on the intercom after they get close to cursing altitude….guess is bad to yell “YOOHOO”.

The plane got off a little late…and we LOST time in the air, usually you GAIN, so by the time we hit Houston I’m an hour late and have to do immigration (thank goodness for Global Entry – spend the $50 for Nexus and get Global Entry free, or just pay the $100 for Global Entry if you aren’t in a northern border state) which was like a minute (compared to the 30+ minute line I saw), wait for the luggage, breeze through customs… and then a line. No tsaPRE after 7PM in Houston for transferring passengers.

No time to check out the Houston lounge as it’s the slog from Terminal E to Terminal C and only 45 minutes to departure…yes, I’m hot and sticky by the time I plop as the last person in First Class into my seat and beg for a Jack on the Rocks.

Nice guy next to me – coming home from Switzerland. Me – I’m happy to have made my original final flight. Four hours and I’m back in Seattle grabbing bags and grabbing a cab home.

And our second good cabbie story of this trip – Indian cab driver, no surprise, Sikh, no surprise. Flawless, non-Indian English, not used to. He moved here at age 7 – and finally I can ask the question I’ve had for years after a news report… is the pronunciation of Sikh “seek” which is what I learned at 20 in India/Nepal, or “sick” which I heard on a news report a couple of years ago…turns out “sick” is the winner. Great guy – spent the entire trip taking about flight deals and how to travel as a POS (person of size) since he was 6’4″ and 410 and goes back to India with the family once a year.

It’s almost one when I get home (and I stay up until 2:30) so that I can deal with the MOUND of mail from the last ten days:

And what I threw out…

Three bills, one person note from Swanda’s sister thanking me for the gift of toiletries for her church who makes packets for the homeless, and a couple of things for one of my “registered agent” clients.

I’m home, I’m off to bed.

[210.2] Friday morning, after the fact, but not bad considering the road carbs.

My last day in Istanbul and off to Taksim Square I head on the 10am shuttle bus. Taksim Square has been in the news recently with protesting students complete with tear gas. Luckily, there was no tear gas on my visit. What there were was lots of security cameras on poles:

The square itself isn’t terribly interesting, but it is a big open space in the middle of the city:

That shot was taken from the outdoor rooftop dining area of the Burger King. Although the Berliners said it was the McDonalds on Taksim Square, I’m guessing it was really the Burger King where the gay boys gather since the McDonalds is a block or so off the square, and the upstairs is tiny, drab, and no view.

I wondered around the neighborhood for a bit – popped into a Christian Church (no photographs allowed inside):

Lovely old church and a nice change from all the mosques I’ve been visiting. It turns out that there is another historical trolley in Istanbul – and it circles the monument in the middle of the square:

If you look closely in the upper left hand corner of the photo… more security cameras. Lots of good food in the neighborhood but I was hoping to meet gay boys so off to Burger King is was – hanging out on the deck, having my meal, reading my book, killing time until the 2PM shuttle pickup to get back to the hotel.

Took another walk around the neighborhood when I got back to the hotel… did find this interesting tricked out Lada (Soviet-era mass produced tin box for the masses):

Looking close you’ll notice that there is a Ford Mustang emblem on the grill – now all it needs is the other four ponies. And for our last picture of Istanbul, one of those amusing signs that pop up in foreign lands….

I didn’t take it personally.

A quiet evening in the hotel nursing a Caesar Salad is the plan.

[? ? ?]

Nothing like booking a hotel solely for the fact that they have a free airport shuttle only to learn on check-in that:

• You are in the middle of the Textile MANUFATURING District in the suburbs
• There are no services around the hotel other than a recently opened truck stop (they were still stocking the shelves with candy bars)
• There is no public transportation
• That the free airport shuttle only runs starting at 7am (I have an 8:20 flight so that won’t work) and only runs every 2+ hours
• One upside – a shuttle to the Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque, etc.) and Taksim Square (home of the recent Turkish revolution and the second floor of the McDonalds filled with gay boys, or so the Berliners told me). Granted – only four times a day.

So, it seems like my time in Istanbul is revolving around textiles – my first hotel was in the wholesale textile district – finished goods — and my final hotel in in the manufacturing district. A little searching into the industry yields some very interesting figures with regards to textile production and sales in Turkey:

• About 10% of GDP,
• 17.5% of industrial production,
• About of 20% of manufacturing labor force,
• 32.2% of total Turkish export earnings. 2003 numbers, sorry, nothing more recent.

Those are actually HUGE numbers for a national economy in a single industry.

But, I digress.

From the train station, got cash, caught a cab unknowingly (as in gave him the address of what I’d booked) to the suburbs (32 Turkish Lira which is $16, which for the distance was crazy cheap) and ended up at the Ramada Plaza Tekstilkent. I think Tekstilkent means “town of fabric”.

Arrived at the hotel a little before ten, got quickly checked in, ran to the room, dumped luggage so that I could make the 10am cut-off on the breakfast buffet. It was a little scrappy by the time I hit it, but it filled me up.

The hotel:

The room:

The view:

The downside is that it’s in the middle of nothing. The convenience store next to the hotel (past the VW dealership) was so new that they were still stocking the shelves:

And row after row of these factory buildings:

On a humorous note, somebody stole my car and put Turkish plates on it!

But while we are on the hotel – holly crap, the spa… well, gym, pool, sauna, steam room, hamman (Turkish bath)… just let me die here:

And just in case I don’t know which way Mecca is – there is a handy tag in the nightstand pointing me in the correct direction…

What a strange place to end up.

Ordered an early dinner in the bar:

No – that isn’t milk behind the burger – its Raki, the national drink (a bit like Ouzo). The burger was surprisingly good – and I love the way they stacked the fries.

An early night (which I need after the less than perfect sleep on the train) for tomorrow I go exploring.

[? ? ?]

Checked out of the hotel at10:30, was to the train station a little before 11 – two hours before my train. Probably way too much time but better safe than sorry.

As the last shot from Bucharest – here is where I’d like to be doing my banking.

Shades of Young Frankenstein!

Having scoped out the shops yesterday, it’s just time to assemble the goodies for the train trip:

• (2) 1-liter bottles Coke Light
• (2) 500ml sparkling water
• (1) 700 ml Greek Brandy
• (1) 200ml Pear Brandy (to take back to the states)
• (1) 200ml Plum Brandy (also to take home)
• (20) Spicy Wings from KFC (a bucket worth – good either warm or cold)

Now I have FOUR bags to get on the train:

• Suitcase
• Briefcase
• Shoulder bag
• KFC bag

I should have gotten a picture of that pile. Luckily to suitcase also functions as a hand truck.

The train boss, the train…

That would be the couchette card – no beds, just seats.

Technically my car is 478, but its sign isn’t as pretty. After a little run-in with a panhandler (let me help with your bags) I got settled into the compartment – pretty much the same layout as the last one, just different veneer. And then came a young American girl with the room attendant… apparently they had put her in the top bunk of my cabin. Seems this was what was on MY ticket:

Woman. Why they sold ME a woman ticket, I’m clueless, unless the ticket agent was trying to set us up since she bought her ticket the same day. And which all the empty compartments, why double up at all. The room attendant moved her next door.

One of the first things I noticed was that there were more “amenities” on the southbound train — complete with a sealed baggie with washcloth, soap, toothbrush, wipes, etc.  — and paper towels in the dispenser in the bathroom! Dwight will be getting the amenity kit for his train collection.

In short order, the bar is set up but now that I know the routine I didn’t bother with locking the luggage to the rack:

And time to meet the neighbors Eric (British) and Chandi (Texan):

It wasn’t long before the room attendant moved Eric next door to Chandi who was next door to be since we were all getting along so well. Eric is on a week’s holiday between jobs, and Chandi just finished up six months of living in Spain, working as an au pair and learning Spanish. Lots of lovely conversation as we share a little food and drink. When it was time for me to bow out, they got this great shot of me…

Which was shortly before this:

The first border stop was in Romania to get out passport stamped to get out, then 10 miles later, in Bulgaria to get our passports stamped to get in, then at 2am in the morning to get our passports stamped to get out of Bulgaria, then 3am to get stamped to gain entry to Turkey… and there is where the fun began. While Chandi and I had electronic visas for Turkey, Eric did not, nor did two other people on the train. And the visa office at the train station wasn’t open… finally one of the guards DROVE them to the car/truck crossing so they could get a visa. Those three got a pretty sticker in their passport – all Chandi and I have is a crappy piece of paper with a barcode. Sigh.

And then there was the Midnight Express (the 1978 movie about an American college student arrested and thrown in jail for trying to smuggle drugs out of Turkey) aspect to the final border crossing as the room attendant wanted Eric and Chandi to buy him four cartons of cigarettes with dollars that he had. And here is the tatty Duty Free store:

Lots of inspections – even of mine and Eric’s luggage. Needless to say, that put us a bit behind schedule.

And a better shot of the terminus of the current train station:

Our scheduled arrival in Istanbul was to be 7:50, in was closer to 9. Grabbed my bags, headed to a bank machine (because when I bought my Jamesons at Duty Free I paid in Turkish Lira and they gave me change in Euro – there went my cab fare Lira, then to the cab stand for the ride to what I think is the suburbs to a Radison that has a free airport shuttle.

And we’ll pick up the story from there in the next post.

[213.4] Middle of the afternoon in a wet Speedo

How nice to get off at a real train station… multiple platforms… multiple trains.

I feel/felt like I’m back in Europe. One lone fly on the platform hitting up the Berliners for a hotel room, to which they replied, “we have a place and it’s already paid for” in English. Nobody hitting me up. No gypsy throngs at the cash machine. Life is good.

A 10 LEI (Romanian currency which would be about $3 USD) ride from the train station to what turns out to be the quiet suburbs of Bucharest near their big Village Museum which is a recreation of a typical Romanian Village if you took buildings from all generations and regions and plopped them down “Dorothy Kansas Style” in a FolkLoric ThemeTown. 300+ buildings – it wore me out just driving past them in the cab. Maybe next time. But for reference, here is a picture off their website: http://www.inyourpocket.com/romania/bucharest/sightseeing/essentialbucharest/Village-Museum_14745v

Think 250+ buildings like this over 15 hectares (about 40+ acres):

But I digress – you don’t even know yet that I didn’t make it to the Village Museum (though it’s on my list for the next visit).

First I have to get checked in, get ice, shower (because I didn’t shower on the train, though I did shave and brush my teeth), then return to the desk for “a clue” as to what to do. Of course he wanted me to eat in “the very good” onsite restaurant, but when pushed he circled a couple of others walking distance from the hotel – which is amazing since I’m in the suburbs.

And then there is the sunset over the new spa building….

Where I went for dinner – wandering down a road with little traffic and no people, I found the restaurant with NO parking anywhere which meant cars on sidewalks, etc. Turns out they should have had a parking garage according to the brochure I picked up – 500 people inside 400 people on the decks. The food? Serbian. And good.

Taverna Sarbului is the place – I had the onion salad (marinated Bermuda onions, much like Julian made in Portland a couple of months ago) and the lamb, and a glass of Rose – no credit cards so I had to moderate my spending (which is good for me). Here is what the place looks like (but add LOTS of people):

HUGE, noisy, children, but good food.

Home and off to bed – no getting up at 3AM to deal with the border for me tonight.

What the morning held was the oddest of scenes – a HUGE crush of people at the morning breakfast. Heavy on the Germans:

Hopefully it’s just because everyone is checking out after a conference. Good food, probably better than the Ramada in Istanbul, but no whole fruit to snag for the return train, though I did spy some hard boiled eggs.

Next stop is BACK to the train station – had I my wits about me when I arrived, I would have picked up the return ticket then. Oh well, gives me a chance to scope out grocery options for the return train. Busy place the train station:

Got my ticket in what seemed like record time – the International Desk in Bucharest quick and efficient – not even having trouble with running my credit card (unlike the Istanbul folks who I believe tried to run it as debit rather than credit).

The plan was to go see the Palace of the Parliament — CeauÈ™escu‘s massive civil administration building that was to also have contained his personal residence. The residence was never completed because he was thrown from power. According to the World Records Academy, the Palace is the world’s largest civilian building with an administrative function, most expensive administrative building and heaviest building.

I decided to walk from the train station getting some food along the way – and that was the end of getting to the palace by closing time at 4 – it was after 2 by the time I finished lunch at the Derby Pub and Restaurant. A lovely afternoon meal on the terrace of Greek chicken soup, octopus salad and, shockingly, a Manhattan – I had to see if they could actually pull one off, and they did quite well substituting a wedge of orange for the cherry (which is healthier anyway).

Luckily I had enough cash on me since they only took the chip style card with I foolishly left at home, not following my own advice to travel with one, especially in Europe.

Since it was too close to when the palace was to close I viewed it from a distance, turned around and headed back to the train station to scope out supplies for the train ride back to Istanbul. Found a small supermarket in the arrivals/departures hall that even sells hard liquor – which is good because the Jameson died by the end of my evening.

With that all sorted it was back to the hotel since it was also too late to take in the huge Village Museum which is a collection of 272 of historical Romanian houses and buildings relocated from around the country and set up as a village.

At 100,000 square meters – that’s a lot of walking after all the walking I’d already done.

But getting back to the hotel was an adventure in itself as the cab driver was young, new to the city, and instantly got turned around, even with his GPS. On the bright side he instantly kicked off the meter and told me he take me to the hotel at no charge since he screwed up. And he let me take a picture of him:

When we got back to the hotel – after a really nice conversation as well – I paid him the 10 Lei that the fare would have been even though he turned off the meter. This experience just amplifies my feeling that the Romanian people are friendly and helpful – not unlike the desk clerk on the first night with all his suggestions.

After what I’d spent on lunch I decided to finish the rest of the supplies from the train trip from two days ago, thought about supplementing with a salad from downstairs, and in the end just went to bed early.

Next up, the return train to Istanbul.

[? ? ?]

Checkout time is noon, the train is at 10pm. What to do with a day…leave the luggage at the hotel and do a little unscripted exploring.

Breakfast in Europe, lunch in Asia.

Back to Sirkeci Station (the train station I leave from later tonight) to hook up with the Marmaray Metro Line that goes under the Bosporus and ends at Aynlik Cesmesi where I catch the M4 (Metro not Tram) to Kadikpoy station where there is a historical trolley doing a circular route. I found the trolley, but for the life of me couldn’t figure out how to pay since it looks like they only took cards and not tokens. Tokens I have, cards I do not – and the thing was jam-packed so that dampened my enthusiasm. But it’s a cute little thing:

Lunch was a little Doner sandwich at the dock that included fries and pepperoncini peppers IN the sandwich. Really good and only 5 Lira. Solus+ had mentioned going to Princes’ Islands, but that ferry wasn’t for a while and seems to run every two hours so timing was an issue. As is the fact that it’s ninety minutes in each direction and I have a train to catch.

You will find Princes’ Islands located at the bottom right of the map below – it’s a car free set of nine islands that the emperor used to send his troublesome princes for blinding, execution and the like.

Instead I went to Besiktas and turned about and came back to Kadikoy. Here are some tourist shots from the ride:

Hopped back on the metro headed for the Outlet Mall I spotted yesterday to finally get a light-weight jacket to replace my beloved maroon and black leopard print that went missing on my arrival to Istanbul earlier this week. The Outlet Mall is at the Gungeren T1 Tram Stop and features a Carrefour Xpress (grocery store) and four floors of shops, a huge kids entertainment area complete with rides and, of course, a food court which was handy for having dinner before catching the train. Several turns around the building and I settled on a 60 lira ($30) cotton jacket that almost feels like neoprene, but has some lovely maroon bunting. Sort of funny that it’s the same color combination as the one I lost. There were ones in the 30 lira range but they were ones that I just couldn’t see wearing ever again.

Dinner at Green Salad in the mall – which I’ve been craving more salads – I had the mixed platter with 3 different meats, a little pasta, and a salad. With the Diet Pepsi it was under 20 lira (less than $10).

Off to catch the train after swinging by the hotel to grab my bags and a cab. The tram was clogged on the way back, luckily I started so far out that I got a seat, but it being Friday night traffic on the roads was ugly – it took a while to find a cab to get me to the train station. Made it with time to spare but you know how uptight I get about missing connections.

So, here is the map of train connections to the major European cities – you will find my route on the lower right:

Actually the “train” is a bus from the train station to where the Bosfor (what they call the train running from Istanbul to Bucharest) terminates due to work on a massive train tunnel under the Bosphorus – that would be Cerkezkoy station, 110km to the north. This the station that the Orient Express was snowed in for days in 1929 which gave Agatha Christie the idea for her 1934 novel. It hasn’t changed much:

I’m actually lucky enough to have hooked up with a couple of Berliner (25 and 27) on the bus who are working on a project on European youth’s impressions of Europe as an entity – but more on that later. With the boys in the car ahead of me, I don’t see them again until the border.

Its midnight when we board the train. From what I’d read on www.seat61.com (everything doing with long distance trains no matter the continent) the trains consist of newer Romanian sleeping cards with 1, 2, or 3 berth compartments with a washbasin and a Turkish couchette car with 4 and 6 berth compartments. The boys ended up in the more modern car, though the rooms didn’t have a washbasin, and I ended up one car back in the Turkish Couchette Car in a Soviet-era car complete with birds eye veneer in most places, and rooms that could have three berths tall and open the connected doors and you have a 6 berth configuration. They had mine made up for 2 berths, but it was just me all the way to Bucharest – for half the price of a room booked as a single.

Notice the differences in the hallways. Their car:

And now my hallway:

I should have re-taken the shop during the day, but I think you can get a feel for the difference… plastic versus wood. And here are a couple of shots of my home for the next 20 hours:

Made up for the evening above, and made up for the day, below.

I used the washbasin area to store all my snacks to keep them cool and the cabinet above for the liquids:

Nice that the washbasin had a closable lid – makes for a nice food prep table:

With memories of a EurRail adventure 30+ years ago with Tim, and knowing probably have to get off the train to get our passports stamped at the border, I’ve come up with this little security arrangement using a laptop locking cable. There is no way to pull the cable out of the suitcase and the suitcase is locked though the briefcase. Did I really need to do this, probably not, but too many stories of past grab and dash. These days with everyone flying, there aren’t enough people taking the train to make it worth it for thieves is my guess.

At about three in the morning we arrive at Kapikule on the border with Bulgaria – time to get our passports stamped:

Passport control is on the left hand side of the building – and I was amazed that there was a Duty Free shop at the train station – and open at 3am in the morning. Apparently the train coming in the other direction also arrives about the same time. It was a pitiful little shop, but the 1liter bottle of Jameson was a welcome site. An hour stop here… and then an hour stop on the Bulgarian side of the border. But know I have some really nice passport stamps!

Slept well on the train – amazingly. Next border stop was around 3pm – that would be the border between Bulgaria and Romania. Quicker, but again two stops, punctuated by crossing Europe’s longest steel bridge at 2.4 kilometers long.

The train is scheduled to arrive in Bucharest at 6:30 at night – we got in about 5:15 which is amazing because it has a reputation for running 1-3 hours late.

As for my arrival – WOW, a real functioning train station with cash machines, restaurants, shops, masses of people. Got some cash on the second try, grabbed a cab and headed to the hotel – which turns out is out of the city center near the large green belt. Doesn’t look to be tram friendly but the cab was cheap for the distance – 10 Lei (about $3) for the 20 minute ride.

I’ll drop the story right there saving Bucharest for the next post but I’ll return to the Berliners and their adventure. Here is the selfie I took on the platform in Bucharest:

Here is their itinerary – 3 months’ worth if I remember correctly:

The final leg of their journey is to Kiev – timed before all this nonsense, but it should be a good final chapter since their GenerationOne project is talking to youth about what it means to be European. You can follow their project here: http://herrundspeer.de/the-project/

I’m off to explore the city and pick up my return train ticket for tomorrow’s return to Istanbul.

[? ? ?] Clueless but I’ve been having more carbs that usual, but walking a ton.

Welcome to land of tourists and touts. Reminds me of my trip to India in 1976 with the masses of humanity. Of course if you start your first day sightseeing at the Blue Mosque then you have it coming.

There is some great ornamentation on the mosques, but when your fist overseas adventure was when you were 20-year-old, in India, at the Taj Mahal… that’s a tough act to follow.

Then it was off to the carpet museum, the tombs and another couple of mosques – I’m starting to feel like Europe and Cathedrals – how many can you see before you start zoning out.

The hotel is a couple of blocks from the T1 Tram line with is 3 lira (about $1.50) each way. It is a VERY popular way for tourists and the locals to get around so when you see this posted, it can get a little crowded:

And I’ve been on several that were that full.

Next up it’s off to the train station to try and get my ticket on the overnight train from Istanbul to Bucharest. The first attempt failed. Prices that were quoted a couple of weeks ago had suddenly gone up 30% and my credit card wouldn’t run – I blame operator error, I think he was trying to use it in Debit mode. Off to get cash, and more importantly a note from Reception at the hotel, in Turkish, telling him what I wanted. His English wasn’t good and my Turkish is nonexistent.

It is political season here with the embroiled Prime Minister Erdogan fighting for his political life as he turned off Twitter on Thursday. When I got back to the train station for round two of trying to get my ticket, I was greeting by this:

There have been candidates and their sound trucks my most of the neighborhoods I’ve been through. Nothing like trying to negotiate a ticket with loudspeakers blaring.

And while we are on the topic of politics, I spied this poster from the Tram window:

Definitely a Muslim country with many websites blocked – SilverDaddies.com would be an example of one, though Craigslist is up and running complete with MFM (Male For Male) postings under “Casual Encounters” and “Looking For”.

By the end of the process I have a ticket TO Bucharest but not the return. For some reason the return was showing up at 220 lira rather than the 194 lira of the outbound – I should have had him just issue it for the extra $12.50 USD. It would have offered me more piece of mind. So, instead of one person in on room, I may be sharing with one other (which is better than the 4 or 6 person rooms) though he said the train was pretty much empty so maybe I’ll get lucky.

Next up was the Grand Bazaar to look for a lightweight jacket to replace my lost one. Over the course of two days I attempted to find something in the massive bazaar, even with the map so I knew where the men’s clothing section was (luckily close to the Tram line).

Each of those roads/aisles/etc. are packed with aggressive vendors trying to lure you to their stalls. Same with the Spice Bazaar down near the train station. Or near all the monuments and mosques. It just gets tiring trying to politely say you aren’t interested. I think the new plan for the jacket is to head to the Outlet Mall which I spied on my tram tour to the far ends of the T1. And there is a grocery store in the mall as well so that will be good to pick up supplies for the overnight train since there isn’t a catering car (which is crazy on a 21-hour trip). That adventure will be my final day in Istanbul for this part of the trip. The plan is to have breakfast on Friday morning in Europe, then take the Metro line UNDER the Bosporus to the Asian side of Istanbul, have lunch, poke around, then head out to the mall for supplies, then dinner, then onto the train (well, the bus to the train) at 10pm having a nightcap at the Bulgarian border on the way to Romania.

One of the things that I like to do when visiting large metropolitan cities (Istanbul has a population of 14 million compared to New York City’s population of 8.5 million) – I call it Tram Touring. The idea is that you take random Trams to the end of their line, stopping off wherever it looks interesting. It gives me an idea of how the people live rather than just all the tourist hotspots.

Other topics in random order:

• Lots of folks delivering tea and meals EVERYWHERE. Assuming it’s so the shop owners who they are delivering to don’t have to close down for meals
• Man do these people smoke. Yes, you can still get smoking rooms in the hotels
• Lots of feral cats in Istanbul, not as many as Athens but still plenty. I’ve only seen one dog so far, and a refreshing lack of dog poop on the sidewalks. I get Istanbul is a cat city, not a dog city.
• Everything seems to move by human power on giant hand trucks – with the traffic I can see why:

From garbage on the top to textiles below. I’m in the textile district so I’ve see a TON of stuff being moved around by hand. Seems that each chunk of the inner-city has their own “theme”.

I’ll close with a short video clip of the call to prayer – a constant background in Istanbul. Six time a day. Here is the schedule. Each mosque has their own call, so the overlapping cacophony can be either calming or jarring.

Click Here For A Short Video:

P1160591

And a couple of sunset pictures:

Both of these were taken from my hotel room.

[? ? ?]

Thank you Russ for marking one of my maps with the highlights to see in Istanbul:

Now all I have to do it get to them all. Thanks also to Solus+ and Ton who also provided lists of things to see and food to eat.

Russ’ unexpected visit (in town to clean up the personal effects mess left behind from a friend’s suicide) means that I get a ride to the airport for my morning flight. Downside it that he will be in Seattle until Wednesday morning so I’ll miss two nights of dinner with him, though since he used to live in Seattle I doubt he will go hungry.

The upside is a ride to the airport, the downside is that it’s VERY early in the morning. Here is what I look like in the morning:

Grumpy Markie. Looking a little better after sleeping most of the flight from Seattle to Washington, DC. In the United Club at Dulles:

One of the nice things about airline status is that Premier Gold (I’m Platinum) and above is that on international itineraries you get free access to the United Club locations for your entire itinerary. Too bad the food in the US clubs is basically just cheese, crackers, vegetables and dip, cookies – not like the soup and salad fare in the Board Rooms of Alaska Airlines.

A couple of shots from the DC-Munich flight. I was amazed to find both a USB port AND a 110 outlet on the 767-400 aircraft – assuming this is a retrofitted aircraft rather than new since not many 767’s are being delivered these days:

The blue circle is the headphone jack, the other blue lite thingee at the bottom is the USB port. Sorry, no picture of the 110 outlet. I did get a picture of this “odd” message on the in-flight entertainment system as I was cruising through for movies to watch:

Yes, that’s what it says, “For Korean select Dutch.” This on a flight to Europe. The Dutch never get enough respect. And, no, I didn’t watch I Love You, Man. Saw it on another flight. What I did watch:

• Adore – wild sexual Australian sex comedy. Might have to buy that one – about the taboo of a surfer boy sleeping with his mother’s best friend when your mother is sleeping with your surfer buddy.
• Parkland – the hospital that they took Kennedy to after the grassy knoll. I don’t think I’ve ever cried at the beginning of a movie. As a child I made a scrapbook of newspaper clippings of the events. My first publishing project. Between all the tears there is the amazement that everyone seems to be smoking cigarettes in the workplace. Oh, right, that IS how it used to be.
• Rushmore – a nice relief from Parkland. Reminds me of Ferris Buller. In a suit. A little dark at times but the ultimate happy ending.
• And the capper of the four movie night…that I will watch anytime… Young Frankenstein. God I love that movie!

With all the inclement weather on the East Coast – what the displays show as an almost full flight has LOTS of empty seats. I’m guessing lots of people missed their connections:

Most every seat where you see the blue map on the screen is empty. That’s not a full flight.

So, basically NO sleep on the DC-Munich leg. Local time approximately 7am – time for the Lufthansa Senator Lounge which actually does have a breakfast buffet:

Scrambled eggs, a pretzel, some cheese, some meat – yes, there were cereals as well – a Scotch and a Diet Coke.

Had I wanted beer, there were a couple of taps to choose from:

Scotch – it’s not just for breakfast anymore.

Onward towards Istanbul:

My plane awaiting me. Had to go back to the check-in desk to retrieve my jacket, but eventually got settled into what was supposed to be an Exit Row seat, but Turkish changed the airplane type, AGAIN. Moved to a vacant Exit Row seat, but no extra legroom. It’s only a two-hour flight, so no big deal. I was amazed that it came with free food and free booze.

Arrived in Istanbul, found the right line, had my Electronic Visa, and got through Immigration in 15 minutes, and my bag was actually one of the first dozen off the plane – and my driver was waiting. Off to the Ramada Grand Bazaar – a hotel I booked thinking it was “next door” to the Grand Bazaar but is actually a short walk or two tram stops. As it turns out, the hotel seems to be in the textile district where everything seems to move around on giant handcarts because the streets are chocked with cars. The other reason for booking this place (besides frequent flyer points) is that unlike booking.com or other sites, I didn’t have to pre-pay and got 20% off of cheapest rack rate via my WorldMark by Wyndam membership.

Got checked into my room at a lovely low desk that you had to sit down at (after an offer of water/coffee/tea) – to find out that I’m getting the breakfast buffet as well (a 25 lira value – that would be $12 USD):

Got to the room and got the wi-fi set up – only to discover a low signal.

Sigh – this is the view from the room – nice street view:

A little stop at the desk and I’m moved from the 2^nd floor to the 6^th floor. So, no double bed, but two twins – and a balcony – and a see through shower. Think I’m liking this:

And the new view from the balcony:

And how close I am to a wi-fi repeater on the balcony (the in-hotel one is just down the hall):

And as the “topper” for the evening, it’s the square toilet for my square butt. Complete with little butt sprayer. I haven’t tested it to see if it’s aimed for men or woman:

Went out to explore the neighborhood and get some grounding. Got my fix of Coke Light (what all other countries call Diet Coke) for the room, to go with the ice I had delivered.

Please compare the picture of this ice to the COOLER of ice that I got delivered in Hong Kong.

Dinner was downstairs in the hotel restaurant… not memorable, but close by. A Caesar salad with chicken which cost less than the glass of wine I had with dinner. It was what I needed after a day in the air.

Dinner – done.

Cocktails – done.

The only casualty is my maroon and black leopard print jacket (that I love) has gone missing, most likely in the shuttle from the airport, but so far the front desk hasn’t been able to find it. Guess I’ll need to check out the grand bazaar for a new jacket.

[210.4 when I left town I think]

Tuesday found me at the airport again, back to Boston for the second trip this month. At least this time I’m spending the night.

In the Board Room before my flight… it’s a mid-morning flight so it wasn’t too ugly to get up and out this morning.

My seat for this trip – no upgrade in either direction is Exit Row window, not my favorite but not the worst. Here is the view as they deice the plane:

I was late getting to the gate so I have no idea how far down the upgrade list I was – I assume at least a half a First Class cabin. This is the down side of the during the normal days flights that Alaska has between Seattle and Boston. If you want to take the crappy red-eye or the early morning return it turns out it’s easy to get an upgrade because none of the guys/gals who fly WAY more than I do hate those flights as much as I do.

Here is a shot of me over what I think is either Minnesota or Wisconsin judging from all the lakes:

Got to Boston a little after 6PM and Fernando came to the airport to meet me. Such a sweetheart.

Off to dinner we go at Christopher’s in Porter Square. A little wait for a table (30 minutes) which we killed in the bar – beer for Fernando, Manhattans for me.

Got to our table – ordered more drinks and an appetizer – a Summer Roll (non-deep-fried Spring Roll) that seemed to have been prepared last night. For dinner, I broke my diet and had the Fish and Chips (good), and Fernando had the chicken, green bean special – it looked good and I’m sure it had a better name. I’m amazed that when I looked at their site today they had their Daily Specials for TODAY. Now THAT is good website management.

By 9:30 Pucci and Aisling joined us for cocktails (Martini for Pucci, Prosecco for Aisling) – lucky we had a four-top! I’m going to their wedding in July in Wicklow (20km south of Dublin), Ireland.

Apparently when Fernando chose Christopher’s he didn’t realize that it was a block from Aisling’s gym and easy for Pucci to park at – god going Fernando!

After a couple of rounds of drinks and good conversation it was time for us to all head back to our mattresses – walking distance for Fernando and I.

Slept in late, late, late, we both did… we didn’t get out of the house until a little after noon – first stop Starbucks for lattes. Which held me over for the one “T” stop until we got to the Russell House for lunch.

Here are shots of the two of us at lunch…

And here is my lovely lunch of the steamed mussels in a fennel heavy (think a jar of seeds) broth that was surprisingly good. I like that the fact that they served bottles of either still or fizzy water – wish I’d gotten the fizzy, but the glass of Bonny Doon Vin Gris Rosè was damn fine with those mussels.

After lunch Fernando and I parted ways – him for the office, me for my office – the Delta Sky Room. I had about three hours to catch up on email, drink cocktails, liberate biscotti, have some snacks, read a bunch of papers before my flight back to Seattle – number 7 on the upgrade list, but at least I’m in 6D… just behind First Class, close enough to smell the freshly baking cookies.

Bought the Rueben Hot Meal ($6), they comped me my second free drink (one free with MVP Gold), bought several more. For airplane food, that Rueben was stuffed with meat and really good. On the way out I passed on the Pulled Pork Sandwich, but the guy next to me had it and it looked good (and smelled divine).

Back at the house by 11 – time to clean out the rollaboard of all the Biscoff I popped from the Delta Sky Room – mostly because they are really good, and Roxy needs more carbs before I can get dinner prepared. I love that the Biscoff have the Delta logo imprinted on them.

Next up, TURKEY.

That trip report might have to be split into:

• Istanbul, Turkey (3 nights) Part One
• Budapest, Romania (2 nights)
• Istanbul, Turkey (2 nights) Part Two

If there was another day, I’d try and squeeze Bulgaria into the trip, but I like to have a “buffer” before I get back for my departing flight.

Worked today, working, tomorrow and Sunday, off early Monday to either Europe or Asia, depending on which side of the Bosporus that I’m on.

[209.2]

Maybe the weather scared people into changing their plane reservations, because I can’t think of any other reason that I managed to get upgraded in both directions on my Boston mileage run. For those keeping track, that would be 4,974 flight miles. By mid-April I’ll have Silver for next year, shooting for MVP Gold which I’d need an additional 15,578 miles. Too bad my Bay Area trip was cancelled as with the double EQM (Elite Qualifying Miles) that would have been 2712 miles right there. Maybe I should just start doing West Coast mileage runs while the promotion is still running. That would only be six roundtrips. I can hear the Senor Colonel groaning just thinking about it.

Took the red-eye out Monday night to Boston. 10:05pm flight so that means dinner in the Board Room:

• Red Baron, even though it isn’t morning
• Italian Wedding Soup
• Salad
• Repeat

From lovely Seat 1D, looking a bit tired already and it’s just the first leg:

Not the most flattering picture – makes me look a tad dumpy. By the end of the flight I’d watched a movie, had a little pasta and salad snack, and drank them out of Scotch – had to have Jack as my final cocktail. Nope – didn’t sleep on the 4.5 hour flight.

Arrived in Boston a little before six and the return flight is 7:45, so there is a little time in the Delta Sky Club for a little breakfast. No booze since bars in Massachusetts don’t open until 8am, or at least the airport ones.

I’ll call this one… Sunrise Over Logan.

Got back on the same jet I flew in on (Boeing 737-900 with the new Sky Interior), though my seat had gone cold since it was 17 degrees outside. Starting to feel a little ragged.

Switch to Jack and Diet for the return flight. Scotch is just not a morning drink, even if you do mix it with milk which I think is disgusting. That said, here is the recipe for Scotch Milk Punch.

Got home a little before noon and this is how I spent my afternoon…

One more mileage run next week, back to Boston, but I’ll be spending the night.

[209.0]

With the trip to the Bay Area tossed out the window – it was time to tackle some big projects, like getting the 42-inch-wide printer out of the living room and into the office.

Of course, that means totally ripping up the office/guest bedroom. Gone is the corner desk – and it took three days for it to disappear from the sidewalk – a record amount of time.

To get the living room cleaned out the printer had to be moved into the bedroom – thanks Humbubble to helping me move it – wouldn’t have happened without you. Then what to do with all the rolls of paper for the monster printer.

Solution? Go buy some dowels and make a stand:

And fully loaded with ALL the paper I have, with one spot left:

And then it’s to make a guest computing area… complete with:

• 4 universal outlets
• Audio jack to the TV
• USB CD-RW/DVD-ROM
• USB jack to the TV
• 4-port powered USB hub
• HDMI to TV
• USB Wireless keyboard/mouse

Everything all labeled and ready to go.

The carpet is back down, most of the junk found other homes, time to leave for the airport.

More work to do next week – hopefully before MoonSong comes to clean – if for nothing more than to see the look on his face at the new “office/guestroom”.

[206.8]