Country Counting

I’m Terry and I love to travel.

What do you do when your holiday implodes?

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I knew from the very first communication with the travel agent in California, that things would not go smoothly.

Emails weren’t answered quickly. Messages were cryptic and poorly written. Price quotations changed.

But there were few other companies that handled French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname so I committed. I paid for a week with my niece, Kelly, and we scheduled the trip.

We had planned a year in advance, so we had plenty of time for all the formalities – or so we thought!

Then we were told we needed a visa to go to Suriname – just a month before our trip. No problem? Except we were on another trip which needed a passport and weren’t able to send our passports to the travel agent until two weeks before our trip to the Guyanas. They told us there would be no problem. Two days before our trip, we still had not received our passports. They assured me I would get the passports “today.” That day, our road was being paved, so my darling husband sat in his car at the end of our street, patiently waiting all day for the Federal Express truck to arrive. It never came.

The next day, the passports arrived – two hours before I needed to be at the airport.

Strike one.

After meeting up with Kelly in Miami, we got a phone call from the travel agent. There were “strikes” in French Guiana and we would have to spend the night in Guadeloupe and arrive in French Guiana a day late.

(Par for the course, our travel agent never explained what the “strikes” were. We found out by searching news sites on the web. The people of French Guiana were blocking roads and stopping airport traffic in their efforts to get the French government to help the country with more social programs and overall assistance.)

OK, we thought. We can deal. Air France said they would cover our meals and hotel and bussed us to a hotel on a beautiful piece of coastline. When we saw the room, our hearts dropped. A dump. When we asked to get lunch, we were told by a surly desk clerk that lunch was over and we had to wait until dinner at seven. A sympathetic bartender gave us a mini cup of peanuts to tide us over until dinner.

Dinner was a dried up piece of fish and lots of starches – not what we had hoped for. But as my Mom used to say, “it filled the stomach.”

Of course we had to get up at 4:45 am to get to the airport in time for our flight to French Guiana. Not a morning person, I was not happy.

On arriving in Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana, our trusty travel agent lived up to our expectations. No driver to pick us up.

Strike two.

There were a total of eight passengers on our flight from Guadeloupe to French Guiana!

I went to the information desk at the airport and asked if they knew anyone who could drive us to our hotel – an hour away in Kourou. Luckily we found a driver and for the tidy sum of $240, he drove us to our hotel, where fortunately we had reservations.

But all our other activities had not been scheduled.

Strike three.

We were through with the travel agent and solicited the help of the hotel’s wonderful manager, who helped us schedule our activities and even found us a driver to take us two hours to the Suriname border, to make the crossing by river in a rickety boat that was held together with duct tape and a wish and a promise.

Our driver, who spoke no English, just French, crossed the river with us and found a driver to take us to Paramaribo, Suriname, another two-hour drive.

Kaieteur Falls in Guyana is the longest vertical drop falls in the world!

In Paramaribo, hearing nothing further from our trusty travel agent, Kelly figured out restaurants and a walking tour of the city. We hired a car to drive us to the airport for our flight to Guyana and from there had a wonderful visit.

After all these frustrations, what did we learn?

  1. If you have a bad feeling about a travel agent, run as fast as you can. Even if you have to plan the trip on your own, you’ll be better off than worrying about him and how you will deal with him when you get home and want your money back.
  2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Everyone we asked, was helpful and kind and we wound up doing quite well on our own.
  3. Be sure you pay for any tours with a reputable credit card. Luckily, I paid through American Express and have disputed the travel agent charge. I am hopeful, I will get my money back.
  4. When you are sent to a hotel you didn’t select, don’t be afraid to inspect the room and leave if it isn’t up to your standards. We should have done that when we got to the Guadeloupe hotel. I would have gladly paid for any place else!
  5. Use every recourse you have. This particular travel agent used the Traveler’s Century Club mailing list. I copied the president of the club on my letter detailing all the travel agent’s failings.
  6. Document every expense in case you need to battle further with the travel company.
  7. Hire a visa expeditor to get your visa if there is a tight timeframe for acquiring your visa.
  8. Remember, every trip is an adventure. The bad things that happen make the best stories after you get home.

 

What’s it like to fly on a super cheap airline

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My niece, Kelly, called a few months ago and told me she found a super cheap flight to Cartagena, Columbia.

Since I’d never been to Columbia, I said yes, let’s go.

She found a flight for $300 out of Atlanta through Ft. Lauderdale on Spirit (compared to $600+ on other airlines). I’ve flown on Southwest and Ryanair, but never Spirit – an airline that bills itself as the “ultra-low cost airline.”

So how was the flight? Some pros and cons.

For the pros:

  • Cost was half the cost of more traditional airlines.
  • We flew out of Ft. Lauderdale, which was a pleasant change from the crowds of Miami International Airport.
  • The seats don’t recline

    The seats are pretty basic--what I call four hour seats, no more.
    The seats are pretty basic–what I call four hour seats, no more.

The cons included:

  • Lots of waiting in line, because of fewer staff at check-in desks
  • You’ll pay for checking a bag and getting food on the plane – much like most airlines these days. But you’ll also pay for selecting a seat.
  • The seats are so thin that you really can’t get too comfortable.
  • You can’t find Spirit on big travel websites like Expedia or Orbitz so it is a little more challenging to compare prices and schedules.
  • The airplane’s interior is plastered with advertising posters and you’ll be subjected to pitches to sign up for Spirit’s credit card
  • Customer service is non-existent. If you research Spirit online, you’ll find a horrifying list of complaints, delays and poor service.
  • The seats don’t recline

Some tips:

  • If you have a relatively short flight – say less than four hours – you’ll be fine in the seats.
  • Don’t spring for extra cost for the “big front seats.” They are wider, but don’t give you any extra service or amenities.
  • Check-in online before your flight. If you have to print a boarding pass at the airport, you will be charged extra.

Bottom line: if you don’t care about service, delays or comfort – you’ll be hunky-dorey. But if you are on a tight schedule and enjoy a comfortable seat and courteous service, pay a little extra and go for another airline.

Will I fly on Spirit again? If Kelly finds another bargain to a place I haven’t visited – most likely!

I cracked the code to get into Cuba legally and on your own

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Havana is full of crumbling, but beautiful buildings.
Havana is full of crumbling, but beautiful buildings.

With President Obama poised to make his historic trip to Cuba, it’s time to share my secret on how to get to Cuba legally and inexpensively.

I’ve wanted to go to Cuba since I was a child growing up in Miami.

Despite the politics that always swirled around Cuba, I’ve remained enchanted. It was the forbidden fruit of travel and I had to have it.

Over the years I watched as family members were allowed to go and US tour groups went to Cuba. Some individuals flew through Mexico, Canada, Jamaica, the Bahamas and other countries to get in illegally.

There are any number of group trips available, but most are for a week or longer and often at prices I deemed too high ($3500-5000).

I yearned to go on my own and not deal with a busload of companions on a prescribed trip of someone else’s making. I wanted to see Havana and its art, architecture and culture and I wanted to be independent.

So I was thrilled when two important pieces of information came my way. First I got the email address and phone number of the woman who coordinates Airline Brokers’ charter flights to Cuba out of Miami. At about that same time, a friend who is a pastor at a local church, told me his church had sponsored a visit to Cuba a year or so ago. Why not go through his church?

The planets seem to have finally aligned. I asked my niece, Kelly, who is as big a travel junkie as I am (at age 32, she has visited 99 countries) if she wanted to come with me to Cuba.

We picked a date and I began the process of getting all the paperwork together.

Here’s the process to visit Cuba legally.

Alexis Lombana (arl@airlinebrokers.net) at Airline Brokers told me her team could handle our travel arrangements, book hotels, guides, shows and take care of necessary visas and the American license for travel.

Alexis sent us all the appropriate forms. A visa is required to enter Cuba and several forms must be completed to apply for it, along with reservation forms. Medical insurance is required by Cuba, as well. Alexis and her team sent us the forms, we filled them out and then Airline Brokers took care of processing. The cost of the airfare, medical insurance, visa and all processing was $555.31 per ticket round trip from Miami to Havana. Yeah, it seems like a lot to fly 90 miles, but I figured I would save by not being in a group and going for just a long weekend.

All U.S. travelers must obtain a U.S. government approved Cuba travel license. Licensing categories include an educational institutional license, a professional research license, or a religious activities license.

Check out http://LegalCubaTravel.com If you read this carefully, you will see that it is not difficult to meet one of these requirements for a license. To meet the religious license, all we needed was a letter on church letterhead from our pastor friend stating what we intended to do in Cuba. Since my niece is a musician, we said we were planning to research the effect of music on spirituality. We embellished the wording a bit, but no one ever asked to see the letter – other than the folks at Airline Brokers. Even coming back into the US, we walked right through customs with no problems. We were asked where we had been. Cuba. Why were you there? Church mission. Welcome back to the US, ladies!

The professional research category can work well, too. A friend, who is a physician (now retired), went and wrote a paper about his trip. Legal and perfectly acceptable.

Be ready for challenges in the arrangements

I had done research online and knew I wanted to stay at the Saratoga Hotel. I wanted a historical building with as much luxury as possible. I had heard that hotels in Cuba were not up to US standards and I’m not much of a roughing it kind of gal, so I wanted a hotel that was as nice as possible. (Beyoncé and JayZ stayed there on their recent visit!)

In our case, we thought we had everything arranged and were ready to go, when we found out the woman at Airline Brokers who had made our arrangements, was no longer with the company. When we finally got a tentative invoice for our hotel and guides, the price was more than I had expected ($3770). I asked for an itemized bill so we could deduct some items to get the bill lower and Airline Brokers was not able to supply it.

Two weeks before our scheduled trip Alexis connected us with Cuba Explorer Tours out of Vancouver, BC. In a matter of days, Leonardo Hechavarria put together our trip at a reasonable price ($2600) – complete with guide, a car and driver and a detailed itinerary of all the places we wanted to see.

The only hitch in the program was that we were unable to get into the Saratoga Hotel. Everything was booked and over-booked and we were scheduled into a junior suite at a 3-star hotel, Las Failes. (The Cuban government owns at least 51 percent of all the hotels and they can pretty much do whatever they like.)

When we arrived at Las Failes, we were told there was no junior suite, so we had to take a standard double room. It was clean and we were in a great location. Other than that, the air conditioner worked on and off and no one seemed to know how to make it run continuously. There were no windows in the room and the beds and pillows were OK, nothing more. We each got one towel and there was one hand towel between us. We stayed in the standard room for two nights and on our third night were able to switch to an available junior suite – which blessedly had huge windows and a balcony.

On the way in from the airport, our guide had told us that hotel reservations are “iffy” in Havana. So we weren’t too surprised and were able to be flexible – a quality that is highly necessary for a visit to Cuba.

Things to do and see in Havana

The Tropicana show is as glamorous and fabulous as you imagined.
The Tropicana show is as glamorous and fabulous as you imagined.

Cabaret Tropicana’s show – continually running since 1939! A two-hour show of dancing and singing with the most spectacular costumes and headdresses you’ve ever seen. Sure, it’s touristy there, but we loved it.

Buena Vista Social Club. These guys are still rocking and they give regular shows (when they are in Havana) at the Café Taberna, located in Old Havana. You can buy tickets to have dinner and see a show or just see the show. Our show started at 9:30 and we had 1.5 hours of solid Cuban music. Lots of fun and a real treat to see these famous and talented guys.

Old Havana is structured around squares. They are beautiful to see and the center of life for many Cubans. Don’t miss Revolution Square, San Francisco Square, Plaza Vieja.

Hemingway's house is a "must-see" while in Havana.
Hemingway’s house is a “must-see” while in Havana.

Finca La Vigia, the house and farm of Ernest Hemingway, now a museum. A popular spot, but well worth the visit.

Museum of Fine Arts, Cuban Collection. We had our own private guide who explained each decade of art from the early 1900s to present. Kelly and I are both art geeks, so we loved it. Be sure to get a guide, as the history of the island is so wrapped around all the art. And have US currency with you in small bills for tips to locals and guides. We tipped our museum guide $10 and knew it meant a lot to her.

Capitolio Nacional, the capital was being renovated, but it is an impressive edifice.

National Hotel, famous for hosting some of the world’s greatest celebrities, and once owned by the Mafia.

Jazz clubs are located all over town. Ask your guide for suggestions or wander around the streets until you see crowds and hear the music.

Museum of the Revolution. Sure it’s a one-sided presentation of Cuba’s revolutionary past, but a great way to learn about the island’s tumultuous history.

Kelly is surrounded by mosaic sculptures, walls and fountains.
Kelly is surrounded by mosaic sculptures, walls and fountains.

Fuster’s Gallery. A friend who visits Cuba often to see his family, told us about this artist and his home. It was one of the highlights of our trip. Fuster’s house looks like tile mosaic gone mad. Everywhere you look are walls, statues, fountains and structures – all covered with colored tiles. A real feast for the eyes. Fuster also sells art here.

Note: The good thing about a dictatorship is that the city is safe. You can walk anywhere and be totally safe. Men do comment about women from time to time, but we ignored the comments or had a few good laughs about them.

Restaurants

In old Havana, there are lots of small cafes and restaurants (called Paladars). Many are privately owned. If you walk around the city, just look for places with lots of people. Many of the spots have outdoor cafes, so you can see what people are eating and pick a spot that looks good. Our experience with hotel food was mediocre. Our worst meal was at our hotel and we ate at several of the larger restaurants that cater to tour groups and they were above average, but nothing fantastic.

 

How do you pack for a two-month trip?

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IMG_6360Packing for 60 days is easy if you like to schlep big suitcases and have the luxury of porters everywhere you go.

But if you’re like me, you’ve had it with lugging heavy suitcases over cobblestone streets and opt for one four-wheel roller bag and one large soft carryon tote that you can take with you on a commercial airline.

Packing for this long a trip starts with the shoes. I have a pair of road-tested Vionic red leather sneakers (these shoes are great for lots of walking), a pair of red Mephisto sandals and a pair of navy Skechers (with memory foam inner soles) that have already seen some mileage.

In real life, I love clothes and all the accessories that go with them. But when I travel, I leave the jewelry at home, often go without make-up (just some sunscreen on my face) and try to be as low-key as possible.

My entire wardrobe for this trip is red and navy, with bits of white and khaki. Every top will work with every bottom, so as I get bored with outfits I can mix and match. Yes, I know I will want to burn these clothes after living with them for 60 days, but it beats the heck out of lugging three suitcases around the world.

For this round-the-world adventure, my niece, Kelly, and I are staying in warm climates, so one hooded jacket should be all the cool-weather gear I need. I carry the jacket on the plane in case it gets cold.

I’ll wear these amazingly soft and comfy navy slacks I found at Talbots (I know they look geeky on the hangar, but they really look great on and are so stretchy) on the plane, along with my leather sneakers (so I don’t have to pack the bulkiest shoes) and a t-shirt.

I should have enough outfits to make it for 18 days without doing laundry. We’ll be in Thailand by then and we’ll have clothes washed at our hotel there. I know, it costs a bit to have the hotel do laundry, but I don’t want to sacrifice a day of the trip to hang out at a do-it-yourself laundry.

Here’s what will be in my roller bag.

  • One pair of navy slacks and two matching tops (I wear slacks/shorts twice, but have a clean top for every day.) Since we are spending 1/3 of our time in the Middle East, I am bringing long-sleeved cotton shirts and two scarves so we can be respectfully covered when necessary.
  • One pair of red slacks and two matching tops.
  • One pair of red/navy print slacks and two matching tops.
  • One pair of red crop pants and two matching tops.
  • One pair of khaki safari pants and two matching tops.
  • One red skirt and two matching tops.
  • One red/navy knit dress.
  • One pair of red bermuda shorts and two matching tops.
  • One pair of khaki bermuda shorts and two matching tops.
  • 18 undies; 3 bras
  • 2 shorty pj sets
  • large brimmed hat

In my carryon tote, I’ll have my travel documents, a small crossbody purse I will use when sightseeing, my iPad, charging cords, cosmetics, kleenex, medications, cash, camera, two scarves, some extra undies and a clean t-shirt.