Country Counting

I’m Terry and I love to travel.

To cruise or not to cruise? That is the question.

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I’ve never been a big fan of cruises. I’ve always felt too confined, controlled and not able to “do my thing” on a big ship. Add to that the mandated community dining and it was just too much for my rebellious self.

But, I recently saw a Viking cruise that went to two countries I wanted to visit: Algeria and Tunisia. It had been twenty years since my last cruise, so I thought, why not give it another go? Heck, thousands of people go on cruises every day. Maybe I had been wrong about my earlier assessments. After a little persuading, my hubby, Ken, agreed to accompany me.

I’ve been on three other cruises and none of them wowed me. My first experience was a spring break cruise to the Caribbean with three college girl friends. We thought we were going to have a wild and crazy time with all kinds of gorgeous guys on the ship. I can remember my Mom laughing her ass off as she dropped us at check-in. All we saw were masses of senior citizens. Suffice to say there were no ship-board romances on that cruise!

Our second cruise was with my in-laws to Mexico. That trip included hoards of loud New Yorkers and their kids running around the ship and lots of mediocre food. The third cruise was with my parents who wanted to be glued to our sides. Loud announcements on the PA every fifteen minutes were beyond obnoxious: ping pong on the Lido Deck; lecture in the auditorium and volleyball on the sports deck. Soup every night changed colors from white to gray to yellow to green. It all tasted the same.

My husband quickly adopted the name “prison ships” and we thought our days of cruise ships were dead and done.

So here we were, booked onto a one-week cruise ship leaving from Rome and returning to Barcelona. My sister reminded me: “keep your expectations low and you’ll have a good time!”

Things started out poorly. We received an email from Viking telling us that the Tunisia stop was being cancelled due to demonstrations! I quickly went online to read what was happening and as usual, things weren’t as bad as folks made them out to be. I called Viking upset about this change and threatened to cancel the trip. Of course, cancellation would mean a 100% cancellation fee. To sooth my savagery, they offered me a $200 credit. So I took the money, vowing to drink myself sick as compensation for missing Tunisia.

Once on board the ship, we had a few pleasant surprises. Our state room was much bigger than any of the previous three we had experienced. The bathroom had a separate shower, so you didn’t have to worry about showering over the toilet. The public areas of the ship were beautifully designed — modern and comfortable, with numerous options for sitting, chatting, and watching the waters go by. There was a three-story atrium area, complete with Steinway piano for afternoon concerts and an indoor pool with plenty of upscale lounge chairs and sitting areas. One of our favorite spots was the forward two-story bar, surrounded with shelves of books, ship models and sailing paraphernalia.

There were no “old school” required dining partners or times. You simply went to one of the two dining rooms whenever you liked or booked a reservation at one of the other two “special” restaurants. Our first night, we dined at the “Chef’s Table,” a special restaurant. Food wasn’t bad — but the chef had clearly not gotten the message that foam was over. Every course had some kind of foam. But it was a pleasant experience and we couldn’t really complain.

Breakfast and lunch were whenever you liked within designated times. Breakfast was from 7:00 to 10:00 and lunch from noon to 2:00. Room service, with a limited menu, was available 24 hours. You could eat as much as you liked and fortunately, the food was decent, there were healthy options and plenty of variety.

I must admit that after a week of eating on the ship, I was ready for a change. All food came from the same kitchen so it was a bit similar. The “special” restaurants did give you something slightly different, although service could be slow. In addition to the Chef’s Table, there was an Italian restaurant that was pretty decent.

Shortly after leaving Rome, the captain announced that the seas were too rough to go to Naples, the substitute port to make up for missing Tunisia. A number of fellow passengers were hoping to visit Pompeii and were thus unhappy about this development. Of course, all was supposed to be for our safety, so you couldn’t complain too much!

After a stop in Sicily, we headed for Northern Africa and our stop in Algeria, only to be told by our captain that, once again, we had rough seas and high winds and could not get into Algeria. ERRRR. I was NOT happy. So off we went to another substitute port, Mallorca.

The rest of the cruise progressed as advertised, but after talking with a number of other passengers, it appeared that many were distressed about missing the two North Africa stops.

So what is my bottom line on cruises? Here are things that are positives. You’ll get:

  • A small taste of a country or area
  • A controlled environment with food provided, tours offered and “no thinking” required
  • A one-price “all-inclusive” vacation. Viking charged $105 per person for a week for gratuities and alcohol was additional. Wine and beer were included.

However, to me the negatives outweigh the positives. I don’t like:

  • The total loss of control over where you go
  • The possibility of getting seasick (I had two bad nights on the Viking cruise)
  • Being on a large ship with a lot of other people you may or may not like. Luckily, two friends were with us on this cruise and they were fun to be with.
  • Food that can get boring after a week of the same thing.
  • Being subjected to tours that are not individualized or private. We rode busses for most of the port cruises.

If you are a cruise fan, I can highly recommend Viking. The ship was beautiful and all the staff were top-notch, helpful, friendly and kind.

Bon voyager or NOT!

 

 

 

Watch out for these guide scams when traveling

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I thought I knew every trick in the book, but our guide in St. Pierre (Canada) taught me a new way to be swindled out of $$!

We’ve all been subjected to guides who take us to rug stores and tell us this store is the only place with “quality” rugs.

Or the guide who says, I will guide you for free. Then you are dragged from one store to the next so the guide can earn a commission on the things you buy. In the middle east it’s rugs; in Venice it’s glass, in India it’s textiles, rugs and silver jewelry.

The cruise industry is notorious for this scam. They advise you to shop only at their pre-selected list of “honest” vendors. Of course, those vendors pay a fee for this listing and they also pay a commission to the guide, tour company or cruise line. You are assured these vendors are the most honest, have the best variety or the best quality of items.

It’s the oldest trick in the travel book. But on our recent trip to add a country point in St. Pierre, an island owned by France off the coast of Newfoundland, we met a pretty clever guide.

Here’s what he did. When we got in the van to head out on the tour that was sold to us as an hour and a half for $30 euros each, he said, “hey if you want to extend the tour, we can do that for more money.” I said, “well we have a lunch reservation and we have to be back for it.”

And off we went. The tour of St. Pierre was interesting, but could easily have been done in 1.5 hours. But we wound up seeing his house, the local cemetery, standing on a hillside talking – all his way of extending our time. Then when we finally got back an hour late, we were told we owed him more money. Rather than make a scene, we paid.

Clever scam. How to avoid such a deal? Be firm from the outset that you want only what you agreed to pay and don’t want to extend the tour. If you happen to want to extend while you are touring, fine, but to be intimidated into doing it just doesn’t feel right!

Solo travel: what are the pros and cons

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In all my travel to 100-plus countries, I had never traveled alone (except for a few business trips) until my recent trip to Egypt, Turkey, Northern Ireland, England and Ireland.

Niece Kelly and I spent a fabulous week together in Egypt and then she had to return to work (poor thing). I couldn’t waste a trip to Europe without an extended stay, so I decided to try going solo.

Here’s what I learned.

THE PROS:

  • It’s really fun to be in total control of your schedule. You get to do exactly what YOU want. I shopped all day in Istanbul and dashed around the Grand Bazaar making all kinds of deals to buy jewelry for friends, family and myself. I was free, unfettered by an schedule and was able to eat, drink and rest when I wanted.
  • You don’t have to worry about finding someone to go with you. You know how it is when you ask friends to come with you on a trip. They don’t have the money, or the time off or they have to take care of the kids or grandkids. There are all kinds of excuses and you really don’t care. You just want a travel companion. When you go solo, you don’t have to navigate someone else’s logistics. You simply make your reservations and head out.
  • You don’t have to worry if your companion is having a good time. It can be a daunting task to try to keep someone else happy. They have expectations and you want them to enjoy themselves. But when you’re alone, there’s no stress about a good time. You control your destiny and you can do whatever you like.
  • If you get lonely, book a tour with a group. I’m not much of a tour group person, but half-day and day tours are a good way to see a lot in a short amount of time. You also meet interesting people on a tour bus and get to bond over the experience. I took a Game of Thrones tour in Northern Ireland and LOVED it. Met other Game of Throne junkies and we had a great time seeing the locations for many of the scenes in the show.

THE CONS:

  • There’s no one to share your adventures. Sure, you can chat up some stranger on the street, in the hotel or sitting next to you in the restaurant. But, that may be a bit too familiar for some of us. The way to get around this is to use FaceTime to chat with family back home.
  • It’s a bit more expensive to travel solo. Hotel rooms aren’t split with two people. Meals and taxis can’t be shared. You get the idea.
  • Some people may not feel safe traveling alone. I have to admit, I’ve never felt scared to be alone. I am very careful not to overdress, wear any jewelry or carry expensive luggage. I try to blend in and stay under the radar. Ask your hotel front desk if you are concerned about walking at night. They can tell you if it is safe and where are the best places to stay away from.

So what is my conclusion? As an extrovert, I’d always prefer to travel with a friend or family member. I do enjoy the companionship of another person. But if no one is available, I’m not staying home!

Grab your suitcase and hit the road – alone or with a friend!!

How to shop for gold in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar — or any other bazaar, for that matter

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Buying gold in a foreign country may seem a bit daunting, but believe me it’s about the most fun I can imagine.

Two summers ago, I came down with a terrible case of kidney stones when Kelly and I were in Istanbul. I had planned to buy some 22 kt. earrings for a friend and in the middle of bargaining at the Grand Bazaar, I had an attack and had to spend the next two days in bed.

On our recent trip to Egypt, I saw that my flight was going through Istanbul and I thought, “well, why not stop there for a day or two and get those earrings?”

By the time the trip came around, I had a list of items friends and family wanted and a few items for myself.

The Grand Bazaar is huge. Take your time, look, shop and bargain!

Here are my six tips for buying gold.

1. Be ready to spend some time shopping. This is not a quick in and out. You will need to wander around the bazaar – which is huge — and look in windows to see what you want.

2. Bargaining is required. You are not going to pay the price they first quote. You need to chat, smooze and haggle. Don’t be intimidated.  It’s really fun and a great way to get to know the culture of the bazaar. You will find some nice folks, some sleezy salesmen and some people you will want to come back to trip after trip. And yes, they are mostly men.

3. When you find something you like, ask for one of the store’s cards, have them weigh the piece and give you a price. Write that on the card and take a picture of the piece. Then you can shop from store to store and compare what you like. All the pricing is based on weight, no matter what they tell you. So use what you learn as you shop to compare equal weights.

4. Find out the karat gold. You’ll find 14 kt, 18 kt, 22 kt and 24 kt. Of course prices will get more expensive as the karat goes up. So compare like to like.

5. When bargaining, be kind, firm and smile. It is a bit of a dance and the sellers enjoy the game. So work them.

6. Don’t limit your shopping to the main corridors of the bazaar. Some of the best bargains are at the smaller stores located off the main drag. I found a great “wholesale” chain guy there. I had been shopping for a chain in several of the bigger stores and finally when I couldn’t find anything, I was referred to the chain guy. My salesman took me directly to the store and I found what I wanted – a 40” chain — for about a third what I would have paid in the States.

I had a full day at the bazaar, came back to the hotel and texted my sister a pix of what I bought. She saw the chain and said, “was it pricey?” I said, “no, do you want one?” And back to the bazaar I went to buy one for her. When I got there, I knew I’d never find the chain guy on my own, so I went back to the original store and asked them to take me to the chain guy. They did and another purchase was made.

An interesting aside, while shopping for gold, I found two miniature paintings I bought for $200. I asked the shopkeeper for his card. Since he had just moved into his shop, he didn’t have any. So I gave him my email address so he could send me contact information. When I got back to the hotel between runs, he had emailed me and told me I overpaid him by $50. (I had given him crisp $50 bills and one had stuck to another.)

He wanted to give me my $50 back.

How often does that happen? So this guy is a keeper and I eventually found my way back to his store and got my $50 bill back.