Sinatra, the place – not the singer

Sintra is indeed magic. The LP is right about not taking a car; parking is a nightmare even during weekdays. The best means of transport is the suburban train which is quite comfortable (A/C), fairly cheap and goes very frequently to and from Sintra.

While there they had just opened the Quinta de Regaleira to the public (briefly mentioned on P 131 of the LP Portugal guide). The house was bought by the city council at a very low price from Japanese developers who wanted to turn it into a hotel, but never got a license from the city elders to do so. Entrance fee is a bit steep at 2,000 Escudos (US$10), but it is well worth seeing. They have guided tours on the hour (except around lunch time) that last almost two hours. In my case, I was the only non-Portuguese but the guide was quite willing translate everything in English. She took us first through the garden where Carvalho, the then owner, basically recreated his vision of the garden of Eden. The garden and also the chapel inside the garden have some very interesting Freemason features. At the end of the tour, the guide also took us through some of the rooms of the house itself. Overall, a nice glimpse of how the like of late 19th century coffee tycoons lived like back then.

Published in: on June 29, 2008 at 1:59 pm  Comments Off  
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Costa de la Plastica

We made an unusual discovery in Spain that caused us to rename the south-eastern section of coastline ‘Costa de la Plastica’ (the plastic coast as opposed to the Costa Brave, Costa del Sol). No one told us that the entire Spanish coast between Cartegena and Malaga was wrapped in cream plastic. It is an intensive nursery business of enormous proportions and judging by the car dealerships for Mercedes, Porsche etc, they are doing better than most of Spain. Admittedly the land covers doesn’t exactly look fertile, but it begs an environmental impact statement. Now we know where all those big Spanish lorries you find all over Europe carrying tomatoes come from.

Published in: on June 28, 2008 at 4:00 am  Comments Off  
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Russian Visas

Found a great source for Russian visas. They are definitely the cheapest around and are especially generous with free travel advice. The company is called the American Business Center and operates out of the Thunderbird – The American Graduate School of Int’l Mgmt. Last week they were charging $75 for a single entry visa, $150 for double entry and I didn’t check prices for the other types of visas. It takes approximately two days for a single entry visa. Their address is:
American Business Center
c/o Thunderbird
15249 North 59th Avenue
Glendale, Arizona 85306
(602)978-7400
This is a legit service! I spent a long time trying to find a cheap way to get a visa into Russia, and this is by far the cheapest. I really suggest you look into it if you’re travelling there.

Published in: on June 26, 2008 at 4:01 am  Comments Off  
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Shopping in Bejing

In addition to the formal tourist sights, there is much else to be seen just wandering the streets of Beijing. Just minutes away from the wealth and grandeur of the Forbidden City are countless hutongs lined by tiny, traditional courtyard homes. Southwest of Tiananmen in the Dazhalan district is Liulichang, an antique market built to look like an ancient Chinese village, lined with stores selling scrolls, chops, calligraphy, and vases. If you?re looking for more modern goodies, head to the Wangfujing shopping district just north of the Wangfujing subway stop and a few streets east of the Forbidden City, proof positive that capitalism has arrived in China, or the famous Xiushui (Silk) Market, where not just silk (shirts, traditional dresses, and pyjamas) but also brand-name Western merchandise is sold (beware that counterfeits abound). To get to the Silk Market from the Jianguomen subway stop, head east on Jianguomenwai Dajie just past the Friendship Store.

Published in: on June 23, 2008 at 3:48 pm  Comments Off  
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Ecotourism

Ecotourism tries to give you the best of both worlds – you can travel and save the world at the same time! Ideally, operators of ecotours do the least possible damage to the environment while the proftis are ploughed back into the local economy rather than siphoned off to line the pockets of multinational corporations. And ecotourism has had some noticeable successes ? gorilla-watching tours to Rwanda have been instrumental in preventing the extinction of the great apes.

However, ecotourism also has its drawbacks. Most commonly, tour operators have simply slapped the word “ecotours” onto their offerings, using it as a marketing ploy to bring in concerned punters while doing little or nothing to support the actual ideals of ecotourism. But even genuine ecotours can pose problems, especially when they become victims of their own success. Too many travelers have an inevitable impact on the local environment, while often the scent of money lures in developers who value a quick profit over sustainability.

Published in: on June 12, 2008 at 3:16 pm  Comments Off  

American Express Canada Levies Fee July 1

If you are planning to transfer Membership Rewards Canadian points to either Continental OnePass or Delta SkyMiles, do so now. Beginning July 1, American Express Canada will levy a 3,500-point fee for the transfer of points to the programs of either Delta Air Lines or Continental Airlines. At the behest of the airlines a minimum point level of 10,000 is required, however transfers can be in any increment above10,000 points.

There is currently of fee of 3,500 points being levied for expedited transfers, this will increase to 7,000 points beginning July 1.

American Express cites increasing costs as being the reason for this fee but American Express U.S. members are not clobbered with an equivalent and it is not necessary to transfer at a minimum level. Something tells us, all is not well between American Express Canada and its partnerships with the airlines.

Published in: on June 3, 2008 at 3:16 pm  Comments Off