Plane Etiquette

As you know I love spending time in another country, but I really do hate the actual getting there process. Here is a short overview of some tips for air travelers, or what I consider "Plane Etiquette". This is all based on personal experience. I wrote this draft while on an international flight to Guatemala last year, but since then I just had to add some more. If you travel a lot, I'm sure this will be familiar to you.



Do not bring your McDonald’s Value Meal on board the plane; while it might taste good, it stinks up the plane.

Do not stop to chat up an ex-girlfriend while boarding. You are holding everyone up and I don’t need to know your personal love life.

Actually don’t talk at all…

Do not forget to take off AND stow your coat before you take your window seat.

Make sure you exactly know what your seat number is.

When you watch a movie on your personal laptop, please use headphones. Others might not enjoy the explosive effects of your Rambo action flick.

When you get up from your seat do not grab the seat in front of you to lift your entire body weight.

Do not kick the seat in front of you. If you do, stop immediately after having been given the evil eye.

When you notice that all the lights in the cabin are off, it’s time to take the hint!

Do not allow your toddlers to turn around in their seats and sing St. Nicolas songs while jumping up and down.

Make sure my face is not smothered by your coat when you stow your luggage in the overhead bin.

Do not put on stinky cologne or deodorant after an overnight flight. It’s not the first thing I want to smell in combination with plane food.

Do not narrate about everything you see on the ground as soon as the plane has dipped below the clouds.

And please don’t lose your hearing aid on the plane...for obvious reasons...

First Hotel Planetstaden Lund, Sweden

The First Hotel Planetstaden is located a little on the outskirts of the university city of Lund in Sweden. It's about a 10 to 15-minute walk from the downtown area.
As our room was not ready when we arrived from Copenhagen Kastrup airport, we ended up walking around the downtown area for 1,5 hours in an obvious daze caused by jetlag. We looked at the fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers at the market stalls, ate a sandwich from mormor's bageri and perused through the goodies at the local supermarket Coop Consum. When we finally managed to check in, I found myself looking at a clean, minimalistic hotel room, with a decent bathroom. Coming from the US, this is not a 4-star hotel, but it's fine for just a few nights. There is a small gym, sauna and jacuzzi on the second floor which is open
until 11:30pm. The best part about this hotel was the breakfast buffet. The variety
was enormous and the quality of the food very good. The minus of this hotel was the hotel staff. For some odd reason they left several messages as I apparently had never checked into the hotel...even though I was there and had given my credit card and obtained a room key. This led to my room key not working anymore, but my hotel room door being unlocked for god knows how long on the second day. The check-out process was also a little bit of a mess. Overall, a clean, practical hotel, but I'd say stay in the downtown area next time you visit Lund.

Hotel Review Guatemala - Honduras (Caravan Tours)

Caravan Tour of Christmas 2008

Tikal Futura, Guatemala City, Guatemala
This hotel reminded me of a Sheraton in the United Sates, as it doesn’t really have any Central American feel to it. It’s a business hotel in the capital city with large rooms and all the amenities you expect at this type of hotel. It’s located near a large shopping district. I liked the hotel’s exercise room and they also have spa services available. The food was good, but don’t expect gourmet-style. I only spent the night of Christmas Eve at the hotel and the view from my window at midnight of the fireworks going off all over the city was amazing. If you are there at that time, don’t plan on calling it a night early. The fireworks will surely keep you entertained.
http://www.grandtikalfutura.com.gt/

Villa Santa Catarina, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Located just a short walk from the banks of Lake Atitlan, this luxury hotel boasts a nice swimming pool with lush gardens and beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and lake. From the open-aired dining area you have a nice view over the pool, palm trees and volcanoes. Next to the reception area, there is an entertainment room which also provides free internet access.
The room was clean, the beds were hard and the bathroom was nicely done, but the faucet wasn’t working properly so I couldn’t turn off my shower all the way. This is of course preferable over having a shower with cold water and the staff had fixed the problem by the time I came back from sight-seeing. The bell boys literally ran with our suitcases to get the luggage to the rooms as quickly as possible.
The food was okay, but nothing to rave about. There is no gym at this hotel.
http://www.villasdeguatemala.com/








Posada Real de Copan, Copan, Honduras
Located a few miles outside of the town of Copan and about 5 minutes drive from the ruins, this hotel was one of my favorite hotels we stayed in on the trip. The rooms were spacious and very clean and the king-size bed was soft. I slept with the windows open and the sounds of the many birds outside my hotel window made this a very relaxing night’s sleep. The shower had hot water, but not much pressure, but the bathroom was functional.
The courtyard with palm trees and the swimming pool with hot tub was nicely maintained.
The only negative was the food which was very salty to my taste and again okay, but not great.
A few times electricity went out (only a few seconds), but this is apparently due to an energy crisis in the country. There is a natural trail at the hotel and the grounds are nicely kept. There is no gym at this hotel, internet is available for a fee.
http://www.posadarealdecopan.com/


Villa Maya, Peten, Guatemala
This eco-style bungalow hotel was my favorite hotel by far. The rooms were very large and had a fridge to keep your drinks cool. The shower had hot water and lots of pressure. There was even a small balcony with 2 chairs from which you can enjoy the beautiful nature that surrounds you. The hotel has a large swimming pool near the bar and restaurant area and the food was good, even though one time what we got didn’t really reflect what was on the menu. There is internet access for a fee, but also wireless in the lobby. No gym and no TV in the rooms. You don’t need TV when you can gaze over the water at sunset with a glass of wine and watch the crocodiles and many birds near the water’s edge. The property features scarlet macaws, deer and nature trails. This hotel is a little far from the nearest town, but you want to stay here anyway so you can take in the beautiful surroundings and enjoy some peace and quiet.
http://www.villasdeguatemala.com/




Villa Colonial, Antigua, Guatemala
This hotel was like a small town complete with a central garden and little cobble-stoned walkways in between its buildings. Everything is very colourful, including the breakfast buffet. While I enjoyed the hotel’s layout and architecture, I wasn’t that enthusiastic about my room, which was quite dark and humid. The colonial-style tiled bathroom with shower (no tub) was its best feature. The breakfast buffet was the most delicious we had during our entire trip with a wide variety of foods. The hotel provides internet access for a fee. This hotel is located at the outskirts of town, but is easily reached by foot (just consider leaving your high heels at the hotel), by cab, or even by carriage ride.
http://www.villasdeguatemala.com/

However, if your wallet allows it, stay at the 5-star Santa Domingo Hotel in the middle of Antigua, which is one of the most beautiful hotel properties I have ever seen (especially at night). Dinner was absolutely delicious, service impeccable and their chocolate mousse dessert heavenly.
http://www.casasantodomingo.com.gt/?language=en

Guatemala - Lake Atitlán

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but Lake Atitlán is the most beautiful lake in the world. Lake Atitlán is located in the highlands of Guatemala and it is surrounded by small communities where Mayan culture is still part of everyday life. The area also has 3 majestic volcanoes which tower over the lake. The sunsets are simply breathtaking and there’s a magical feel which hangs over the entire area.

The largest indigenous village near the lake is Santiago Atitlán, where an idol called Maximon is worshipped by the locals. This idol was created from a mixture of traditional Mayan gods and Catholic saints. Children will come up to you and ask you if you want to go visit Maximon and if you agree, they will guide you to his house and then ask you for the obligatory donation.

As it was market day in Santiago when we visited, I was more attracted by all the colorful produce and products that were on sale, ranging from live roosters to batteries, from ripe avocadoes to health potions. The local people wear their typical garments so tourists are easily spotted, but we were always greeted with a smile and we were offered a lot of handicrafts, such as, key chains in the shape of a quetzal bird, hand painted masks, oil paintings or jewelry. Needless to say my Guatemalan quetzales were easily spent in Santiago.

Another town near the lake is Panajachel, which is the major tourist town of the Lake Atitlan area. The streets are filled with tourists, hotels, restaurants and just outside the town you can visit a nature reserve where you can take self-guided tours along hanging bridges, go zip lining, or even observe spider monkeys that are hanging from the trees while being surrounded by coatis (a type of raccoon).

To reach Atitlán, you have to drive about 4 hours from the capital city of Guatemala or 3 hours from the colonial town of Antigua along the Pan-American Highway. The Lake Atitlán region has a lot to offer and it was sad to leave this beautiful lake behind.

I was told that the best time to visit the Lake Atitlán region or Guatemala in general is during Semana Santa or Holy Week (from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday) when processions go through towns and the country is wrapped in extraordinary colors. But if you want to experience these festivities in the town of Antigua, you have to book your hotel one year in advance. Plenty of time to plan a trip for next year.

Patagonia

Once the plane starts its descent into El Calafate, Southern Patagonia, you already get a taste of the area’s striking landscape of what is generally known as The End of the World. You literally touch down next to the beautiful turquoise lake of Lago Argentino and once you get off the plane, you see snow-capped mountains in the distance surrounded by arid stretches of land.

The town of El Calafate, from which you can visit the main attraction of the area, National Glacier Park, is really booming with tourism, but there is really only one major road where you can find plenty of travel agencies, shops specialized in outdoor gear (although the brand Patagonia is not sold anywhere as store owners told me it’s too expensive), restaurants, and even a casino that seems to be built in the shape of a glacier (really tacky).
There are plenty of hotels for each budget and they all provide lunch boxes for your day trips to the National Park. Restaurants even have signs for lunch box specials (especially empanadas) to take on your adventures.

The must-do activity in El Calafate is the “Big Ice Excursion” which is organized by the company Hielo y Aventura. Keep in mind that you can’t book directly with this company, but you have to either go through your hotel or a travel agency to book the excursion, which is really annoying to organize from abroad and in advance.

The Big Ice Excursion gives you one of the most unique life-time experiences, so it’s worth the hassle. Experienced guides take you for a 4-hour walk on the famous Perito Moreno glacier with crampons on your feet, a harness, and a backpack stuffed with your lunch on your back. Once you get to the National Park, you have time to go the viewpoints from which you have a spectacular view of the glacier and then you board a boat to cross Lago Argentino, where you start off with a swift uphill hike to the point where you receive your harness and your crampons. Then you carry those metal shoes in your backpack for another long hike to where you finally set foot on the majestic ice landscape. It’s tiring, but once you sit down for lunch in the middle of a moving glacier and you see nothing but glowing ice, snow-capped mountains and blue sky around you, you forget about the pain in your knees or the long walk back.

Needless to say, everything in El Calafate is geared towards glacier tourism, but you can also go horse-riding, drive a 4x4 vehicle, take a boat tour of all the different glaciers in the National Park or you can make your way by bus to the hiker’s and climber’s capital of El Chalten, which is about 3 hours north from El Calafate. I took a comfortable bus and arrived in a windy El Chalten. Windy and empty is the best way to describe this town. There is nothing but hiking trails, people who look like they climb a mountain every weekend, and very few places to eat and spend the night. You go to El Chalten to see or climb the famous peaks of Fitz Roy and the other peaks in the area. The weather goes through the 4 seasons in about half an hour so this is not really a nice little walk in the woods. You have to be prepared when you go there. At some point I was almost blown off my feet because of the strong wind gusts and I was told it wasn’t even a windy day!

Unfortunately, Fitz Roy was not visible from the viewing point when I arrived, but I had some bonding time with fellow hikers who were also eagerly waiting for the clouds to move out…we came close to seeing blue sky, but then the weather changed on us again and we all went our separate ways. I ended up buying the postcard, which required much less effort.

I learned that climbing Fitz Roy is actually harder than Mount Everest due to the treacherous weather in the area and because of its sheer granite faces. Climbing Fitz Roy is apparently the “ultimate” experience for a climber. I can’t even imagine what it would be like, and I am not trying to find out. I will just stick to sipping my submarino, a cup of hot milk with a bar of chocolate submerged in it, and just take in the views of the breathtaking Patagonian landscape from the bus.

Pumpkin Carving

Last week I carved a pumpkin for the first time! I know it's a little late to talk about Halloween, but I just got the pictures. We had a pumpkin carving event at work last Thursday evening and people were really serious about their pumpkins...It was really fun actually, but lots of hard work. No need to work out at the gym after it.
(although I did eat massive amounts of pizza).


My usual Halloween tradition is a lame costume which requires no effort, so I was an employee at an antibody manufacturing plant. Hence the safety goggles (which really came from an antibody manufacturing plant somewhere in the Midwest).

I spent the night of Halloween in San Francisco, but that's for another post.

PS: thanks for the pix Jill!

Spooky Trails and Tails 5K

What a slacker I have been...both in terms of running 5K races as in writing on my blog.

So last Saturday I participated in the Spooky Trails and Tails 5K run in Veterans Park in my hometown. The weather was actually quite mild and it only sprinkled for a bit before the race. I was a party pooper and did not wear a costume, but I promise to wear one next year. ShoreTurtle was representing the Belgians...why didn't I
think of that? I think I could be a very convincing Smurf!

The race was nice and I finished in about 29:24, which is not great, but I don't care about speed. I am now focusing on longer runs, so maybe I can do a 10K soon.

The scariest costume trophy went to the guy on the left. He really scared the crap out of some little kids who were participating in the 2-mile walk...nice job ;-)

ShoreTurtle, see you next time in costume! I promise!