Italy Croatia Turkey Greece

I will be leaving in May for Venice, Italy where I will be doing a short one week cruise that will visit Croatia, Turkey, Greece and return to Venice 

Booking my Flight

We shall start with booking my flight, last thanksgiving I got stuck at the airport for 5 hours through united...it was really stinky as was I since I didn't get to shower before thanksgiving dinner! To say the other passengers and I were unhappy is an understatement. 

Because of this they gave us a choice of 6,000miles, $250 certificate, or 20% of our next flight and since I fly internationally I chose the 20%. So here is the catch it only works on United flights so I could book United and fly on their partner swiss for about $1450 but if I wanted to use my certificate all the flights had to be United (not partners) so the price went up to $1800 and the certificate brought it down to $1370...needless to say I was annoyed so saving my certificate for a flight were it will really make a difference maybe to India in January. 

Now seating is another problem United doesn't haven't the ability to assign you seats on your flights with other partner carriers. So what you need to do it to call those airlines and tell them your preferences so you get a seat and hopefully one with your preference. I called Swiss airlines it only took about 10 minutes and I have 3 Aisle seats for my connections. I have done this before its really in your best interest since they usually overbook flights and you might end up seatless. 

Another seating problem is that all the "complementary seats" are booked, although it says this its not true if you check-in right at 24-hour before your flight there are always a bunch of seats that open up. Silver members also get to upgrade their seat to economy plus when they check-in 24 hours before their flight so those seats will also open up. Since my flight is 7 hours and 30 Minutes I choose to sit in a Aisle seat so I can get up as I please and I don't have to wake or disturb my neighbor. However on short flights its always fun to sit in the window seat. 

When boarding if you have roller luggage that needs to go in the bins, get on the plane as soon as possible these long flights never have enough overhead room. If however you only have your backpack and know your going to put it under the seat DONT rush on the plane your just going to sit there, enjoy the terminal for the extra 60 minutes the plane takes to board. Many flights will call for specific passengers over the terminal if you aren't boarded and everyone else is so don't worry they won't leave you behind they know you are in the airport. 

Travel Planning

Now that my flight is booked I get into my super in-depth planning, I make an itinerary for the whole trip including everyone who is coming especially if they are coming in on different flights. The idea behind this is everything is in one place of reference including flight numbers, reservation #'s and where you will be on what day. 

So I know I will be traveling from the Marco Polo Airport VCE to Lido and I need to figure out the cheapest and most effective way to get there. There is a canal cruise from the airport for 13-15 Euro's of we can use the public transport and get a 24 pass for 20 Euro's but we can use it for the 24 hours we are in the city including bus and water bus public transportation

Money

To be continued...

Obtaining a Visa to India

Sample Visa from: http://www.culture-4-travel.com

Now I am no stranger to the process of getting a visa but I have to report getting a visa to India was more complicated than any previous visa's I have obtained. 

I am lucky because there is a Indian Consulate in Washington, DC but if there is not a Consulate near you be prepared to mail your passport to the closest consulate. Since may will be mailing in their passports you MUST plan in advance for your trip. The Indian embassy requests you NOT book your plane ticket until you obtain your visa. 

India only offers three Visa time lengths: 6 Months, 5 Years, 10 years and they offers single and multiple entry visa's. You are always going to want to get a multiple entry visa because even if you just went on a day trip outside India you will not be readmitted. Now a 5 to 10 year visa may be helpful for someone who will be visiting family that lives there permanently. Since my mom is there for only 2 years I would be eligible to apply for the 5 year then according to the consulate the Embassy issue me 2 of the 5 years if I was eligible  I decided to only get the 6 month visa when I was applying because when I filled out the application online I was not aware I was eligible to apply for the 5 year so I only brought enough cash for the 6 month visa. The embassy only accept money orders, cash, and checks and since almost no one uses checks anymore I had cash and not enough with me to apply for the 5 year visa.

These are the steps to obainting your visa to India

1. Go Here: Indian Visa
2. Click "Need an Indian Visa"
3. You will be routed here: BLS Visa Services
4. From here you decide if you will be applying in person or postal
5. Once you decide click the "Apply Here" button
6. Do a Document Check depending on the visa you need here:Document Check
7. Then just follow the steps listed and you will have everything you need 

The only document I did not know I needed and had to WALK to obtain was a photo copy of my State ID that was to be used as proof of address. I had to also bring a printed copy of my application, my passport, and a passport sized photos

Tip: If you have to get a new passport sized photo go to your local drug store and get the 2 passport photos for the $15 then ask for an extra page of them sometimes like 12-15 and they will only charge you .30 cents extra per picture for future use. 

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China Part 2 Zhouzhuang Ancient Water Town - Venice of Shanghai

China Part 2 Zhouzhuang Ancient Water Town - Venice of Shanghai

Going to Zhouzhuang was something totally new and I had gone to while in China before. Zhouzhuang is about an hour and half outside of Shanghai, you will have to hire a driver for the day but it is worth the expense ($100). This city dates back to I believe 755 BC, it was amazing to experience this city. You can ride Gondola's and have the chinese ladies sing to you for a price ;). People do actually live in these water towns today but, you will have to pay admission to get in ($20) and that includes exhibits of the houses many of the generals lived in. You can only go in each exhibit once with your ticket, if you lose your ticket you cannot get into these smaller exhibits. As far as food I am an extremely picky eater so it was really hard to find me to find food but I did find one place that offered pizza. Zhouzhuang is an extremely tourist funded town so as you walk around there are sellers everywhere trying to get you into their shops. I did find a set of 4 pictures for less than $10 dollars that I love, they depict the seasons in Zhouzhuang. Below are pictures from our adventure in Zhouzhuang. I consider this a MUST do next time you are in Shanghai.

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China January 2013 Part 1 Mutianyu and The Peking Opera at The Egg

Hello Again Everyone!

I've totally taken my time since my last trip posting about it! Sorry about that! I am a student so I've been super busy with classes, but now I am going to be giving you all a little insight into my latest trip to China! This trip I took one of my aunts so the trip was a little bit repetitive HOWEVER I have to say going to China in the Winter while it was very very Cold it was a great time for sight seeing since no one was at any of the sights and I have to tell you I got some of my best pictures ever.

Mutianyu Winter Time 

Mutianyu - The Great Wall of China <-- Click the Link for more detailed information on going to Mutianyu

I went to Mutianyu again with my aunt and my mom just because my aunt has never been to the Great Wall of China.  Going to Mutianyu is a perfect Great Wall Day Trip - we left early in the morning from Beijing went to see the wall then went to lunch at The School House, saw a glass blowing show and headed home.  I  was happy to see it again because I wanted to see it with SNOW! It was very cold but also extremely beautiful! Defiantly didn't do a long trek like last time but if you wanted to now would be a good time since you could get amazing pictures. 

The Peking Opera at "The Egg"

"The Egg" as is a nickname for The National Center for Preforming Arts in Beijing. It it named this because well it looks like an egg and when the water around "The Egg" reflects it correctly you can see the whole egg shape.  You have to go to "The Egg" during the day in order to buy tickets, there is a metro stop right inside of "The Egg" to see the shows visit their website http://www.chncpa.org

The Peking Opera is one of the first things that I was looking at that I wanted to go see, and what better place to look for one than the National Preforming Arts Centre in Beijing. The National Centre is a tourist spot on its own. Now some things to know about going to a Peking Opera, it is NOT for everyone they sing in very HIGH pitched voices, it is visual beautiful though, some americans find the need for ear plugs since they can't deal with the pitch. Personally I didn't think it was that bad however since it is all in Chinese it was hard to follow the story, I would almost recommend bringing someone who could help you follow the story. We didn't stay for the whole thing because we were confused and had seen enough of the beauty of the show to satisfy out tourism. Do not bring Camera's or large bags to the Opera because you will be required to use their bag check system. Below is a Youtube video of a Peking Opera so you can get an idea of what to expect. 

The pictures below are when we saw the show so it is all lit up inside and of us checking it out during the day to be able to see "The Egg" reflection correctly.

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Dragon's Head Great Wall of China

This is back to my June 2012 Trip to Beijing, I realized I didn't do any posting on that trip. This post will be specifically about visiting The Dragon's Head part of The Great Wall of China.

Dragon's Head part of the wall is in a city called Shanhaiguan.Now vising Dragon's Head is similar to other parts of the wall except that this is a very small portion of the wall that goes into the Bohai Sea. It takes about 3 hours to drive there from Beijing. Unlike some portions of the wall military was based here so much of your visit is not on the wall but checking out the military structures. This was a not tourist filled area of the wall, while there were people not anywhere near the amount you experience at tourist parts of the wall. If you can this probably one of the best parts of the wall. I went here because I've been to the classic parts of the wall, this is really for the traveler that's had a wall experience since you don't really feel like you've been on the Great Wall like you do when you go to tourist parts of the wall. However this location was super relaxing, and much less strenuous than usual parts of the wall. 

Here are some fun pictures from my trip. 

Walking the wall into the water, they make you walk on a bridge so your not touching the actual historical wall. 

This is Part of the real wall and it is lucky to put money where you can

Overview from the wall to the military base

An older part of the courtyards that hasn't been redone

In one of the courtyards, there is a Jade Dragon in the box on the right

Under one of the entrances, to the base

Beautiful Labyrinth 

Guard Tower, I'm standing on part of the wall.

This was their Jail, we saw people fitting through the bars to take pictures, I wonder how they kept the prisoners inside

I would like to talk about the accommodations, since that's the beginning of the trip. Shanhaiguan is closer to Dragon's head and some places are walkable. I am a HUGE TripAdvisor.com user especially when I travel to locations that I haven't been too but I was very unhappy staying in Shanhaiguan. Please read my Trip Advisor Review:

WHERE YOU SHOULDN'T STAY

“Best of Shanhaiguan...Stay in Qinhuangdao” June 20, 2012

Last night literally we stayed at Hai Sheng Garden Hotel ...I am a foreigner from the United States and we wanted to see Dragons Head (part of the great wall of China). On the plus this hotel is the closest to Dragons Head (2km) and it has a nice garden, pool, lobby and although I'm not a fan they had a good Chinese restaurant. However this hotel wreaked of cigarette smoke...I have Asthma and I was having a hard time breathing in Beijing so I thought I would get out of the city however this hotel just made the asthma worse...we stayed in a junior suite at the end of the hotel and the room defiantly showed signs of wear. 

We paid about $100 usd 

Problems: 

#1 Not one person spoke English not even the manager. Like seriously how do you not have any English speaking receptionists...It was a pain to check in and check out...the person I traveled with had about intermediate Chinese speaking ability I would not advise if you are not familiar with Chinese

#2 The air conditioning did NOT work when we came into the room we put both AC units on they were at 25 degree's Celsius and even though we had the AC running for hours it never got any cooler when we left in the morning the AC read 26.5. Now we did open the windows around midnight because the room was so stuffy and the cigarette smoke was keeping us up. When we asked them to come and fix the AC no one ever came...then they asked us in the morning if the AC was good...OF COURSE NOT!

#3 is the cigarette smell although in the lobby there is a no smoking sign there were ashtrays everywhere for people to use and like I said with Asthma this was the worse we even considered leaving around midnight in search of another hotel because this one was so smelly. 

#4 was the bed and OMG the floor probably would have been softer it was like sleeping on a board now some people are into FIRM mattresses I am not. 

#5 There was not one English channel...occasionally a channel would put an English show on and we could watch it.

#6 Although breakfast was free there was nothing Western about this breakfast I only ate toast and a slice of watermelon but again people were SMOKING in the dining room and I really didn't want to stay I just wanted to get the heck out of this hotel at this point.

#7 I am a rather picky eater I had to check ever single dish on the menu in order to find one thing I would eat. It was steak with onions and rice now it was very good but if you want western food DO NOT eat here they had a fridge in my room which was a junior suite so if you were willing to go the grocery store it would be fine. 

#8 They supposedly have Internet for you to use...I couldn't figure it out at all...maybe if you can read Chinese then you would be able to figure it out but we could not.

#9 The wallpaper was starting to peel and it was a little moldy on in the hallway...

#10 Besides the wall nothing else is in walking distance so make sure you bring snacks...

I think this hotel is okay if you want to be within walking distance of the Great Wall at Dragons Head and you are not affected by cigarette smoke because there is no smoke free rooms here but overall it was a good deal we paid $100 but we had a jr. suite so the value was good.

WHERE YOU SHOULD STAY

After our night at this hotel we moved to a Holiday Inn in Qinhuangdao  this hotel is VERY western it would be similar to a Hilton in my opinion and they have SMOKE FREE floors and it really wasn't any more money than the other hotel, the downside is if you are visiting the Dragon's Head part of the wall you have about a 20minute drive so if you don't have a car its not very helpful. EVERYTHING else about this location is AMAZING, its right on the beach they have western food, a spa, and walkable to anywhere you need to go. 

Travel Plans Confirmed January 2013 Trip - Beijing

Hello again everyone its time to travel again! My aunt has decided she would like to visit Beijing! So Beijing it will be I have decided my definite dates but I'm looking at December 31st - January 20. Now since its been less than a year my visa is still valid. When visiting China you must get a Visa, they have 2 real tourist options single entry visa and multiple entry visa both are only valid for one year. All Visa's cost the same amount of money so I recommend getting the one year multiple entry visa, you may decide to jet over to Japan for a couple days during your Vacation and if you only have single entry into China you will not be allowed back into China. 

If you are like me and just a tourist here is the Tourist Visa Webpage http://us.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/zgqz/t84246.htm

For your visa you are going to need the Following items:

• Passport to be given to them for Visa (must have 6+ months left on passport)
• 2 x 2 color picture for the application, a passport picture 
• You will need your hotel or residence addresses & Phone #'s while in China
• Your employer or school address and phone number
• List of countries visited in last 12 months
• And lastly your filled out Visa Application (Tourist L) 

Important things to note about application process

• Cost is $130 - Pay on pickup
• You Need to bring this in you CANNOT mail this here is the list of the locations in the USA http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/t84229.htm
• There is a 4 business day waiting period but they have a express for $20 more.
• They can do a same day rush for $30 more but it still takes a full day so you must go as soon as they open and plan to wait till they close that day. It is used for Emergencies ONLY.

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My upcoming trips

It's been a couple weeks since I posted about anything but as my next trip plans are coming together I wanted to talk about what I am going to do my next travel planning post's on. 

For January 2013 I am planning on going to Beijing AGAIN...I dont nessisarily want to go back to Beijing even though its a great city but with my mom living there my aunt's have fininally decided they want to visit my mom there since she will be leaving her post in April 2013 this is there last chance...

In the off chance they do not go I am looking into a European Cruise, or visiting Tokyo! But...most likely I will be heading back to Beijing so you'll have to wait for those entries! :)

In about June 2013 I shall be going to either Alaska or Hawaii with my mom as well as re-visiting california... My family lives in California so it wont be super touristy information but I shall probibly throw a post about Disneyland/California Adventure as well as maybe some beaches! <3

Hope your looking forward to my travels as I am! :)

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