Blogs from North America - page 8120

May 27, 2007 Sunday While Eve, Boy and Paolo went to hear Sunday mass, Emy and I were busy packing our bags for the Alaskan cruise. We spent the morning packing, and making arrangements with the Princess desk for our cab ride to the cruise terminal. We breezed through immigration at the Princess cruise terminal. We were there early, and we’re glad we decided that way. It was packed by the time we were lined up to get on board the ship. The Princess crew checked out our visas and kept our passports. We were given a cruise card which we were advised we’d use to get on and off the boat, and to make payments with as all bills are charged to that cruise card. Including the mandatory tips of $10 per day! As I ... read more

In traditional elementary school style, we both decided to scribe hypothetical letters back to the state of Wisconsin after visiting, much like we were obligated to do after field-trips and guest speakers and such. Mine goes like this: Dear Wisconsin As the self-professed 'Dairy Capital of America' I was really looking forward to your acres of cow pasture, tasting your marvelous cheese and touring your beautiful farmland. Instead, all I got was rain, mosquitoes and overpriced public campgrounds. I am truely dissapointed. Sincerely, Stephanie Andras was a little more succinct: Dear Wisconsin You suck. PS: Your cheese is good and the Packers are okay too. Needless to say, this leg of our trip was not exactly what we had expected. After waking up first thing in Michigan, we headed out early to make the 200+ mile ... read more

O mai gard! O mai gard!! America. Where the airline food is better than the Swiss could ever dream of, and the airline shopping literally has something for everyone. Most of the wackiest things ever invented are available for sale at skymall.com, and displayed in an inflight glossy brochure as thick as the latest Harry Potter, which is yours to take home. On top of this epic shopping adventure, you can also peruse the duty free catalogue, which is full of the usual expensive lolly waters (both sprayable and drinkable), and of course, the in-flight magazine, which is mostly full-page ads for hospitals, medical treatments, dental surgeries, and public speaking seminars. The only destinations featured in the magazine were American states, except for a brief article featuring somewhere in Mexico (virtually an American state anyway), ... read more

So last full day in San Francisco today. Apart from Phoenix, its the longest we've been anywhere and it still feels a bit like we have spent no time here! I have thoroughly enjoyed it though and its been different (again!) I think its a major plus that every city/place we have stopped in here has been so different to the rest. I think it has helped stave off boredom (not that I could really get bored on a rtw trip). I still can't get over how hilly it is here though. You really don't get used to it, I still hate them! Although they are much more fun at 9.5mph on one of the famous cable cars (we got to ride one on thursday!) They are exactly as you see them on tv, completely open ... read more

Hi everyone, Feeling guilty again about not updating my blog, so here's a very quick rundown of where I've been and what I've been doing, when I get photos developed will go over it all again in more detail! From Easter Island I flew to Mexico City and ended up spending 10 days there, it's a great city with so much to do and see, you could easily spend a few weeks there. Went from there to Oaxaca for a few days, then to Pacific coast for a couple of nights and to San Cristobal in Chiapas. Both Oaxaca and San Cristobal very interesting for what is going on there politically, but will save that for the long version! Then to ruins of Palenque - very beautiful, set in thick forest - and to Merida, nice ... read more