Destination Information- Alaska

It is information time! Aren't you excited?

Always wanted to go to Alaska?

Well now is the time!! That is right, Global Warming is killing the world but it is a perfect time to go to Alaska, the glaciers are calving and that is what you are spending all your money to see!!!

Now the best way to see Alaska is by a cruise. It gets you up nice and close to the Glaciers.

The places that you want to see is Glacier Bay First, then Collage Fjord, Then the Tracy Arm and then the Huber Glacier.

Glacier bay only allows 2 ships in a day, so you will pay more, but it is well worth it if you are a glacier hound!

Also get a balcony, do the math, you are paying for the scenery, so see it!

Now moving away from the cruise there is inland, you can do this by train, bus or car...once again if you can afford it, then do it! It is some of the most beautiful scenery that you will ever see! Denali National Park, Mt McKinley, Dawson Creek, even the Arctic Circle.

There are no trains that go from Vancouver to the heart of Alaska and only several airlines (small and expensive), so once again, go by cruise!

Below are some of the ports that you will see on the cruise.

Skagway looks like an old frontier town,
There is also the White Pass railway that is not to be missed!

Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park

Hiking trails at the top of the
Mountain in Juneau, this is also a great port
to go to the Mendenhall Glacier, try deep sea
fishing, whale watching!!

Creek Street in Ketchikan

Open for questions!!!

March Break At Last!!!

Well it is Saturday Night,
I worked today to insure that if the sky did fall that I would be there to catch it!

Atlas I was, and fall it did not! The relief is overwhelming! Now it is smooth sailing until Hurricane Season in the Summer!

Why is it that Mother Nature insists on making my life stressful?? I keep reminding myself that I love my job, I love my job, I love my job, I love my clients, and I will not be undone by Mother Nature or the dim whits that work for my suppliers!!!

So what next? I feel like the weight is lifted...or not, now it is time to explain to people that you can not go to Europe last minute, and a 8 hour flight can not be purchased for $10.00! Some people make no sense to me!!!

To the last minute crowd,
do you really think that you can get 7 days of 24hr premium service, all your drinks, all your food, all your entertainment, and don't forget the flight for $500? PLEASE!!! That is less that $100 a day, you can't do that at home so why would you think that you could do it in the Caribbean? Get a life people, you get what you pay for, and to me $500 for a crappy resort, is still $500 wasted.

To the cruise crowd
Now you want a cruise where every day you will be somewhere new every morning, all your 5* meals, the service, Vegas style shows, and you want it for what $300.....

People, please take a moment and really think about this with some logic! I know that you work hard for your money, and it is my job to help you apply it to a great vacation, but like your car, your house and even your clothes, you can not get qualify for nothing,

You want the best, be prepared to spend a bit more money, you will never regret it!

Phew, I needed to vent that!!! Later!

Gratitude...

Thank you for those of you who have stopped by to check out my blog.

I was encouraged to do this from a good Friend of mine

http://toofrigginbusymj.blogspot.com/

She has this crazy idea that people just might be interested in what I have to say and she wanted me to have a place to showcase my photography,( yup all that you see in flicker is mine and some that you find on her blog is my handywork as well)!

Perhaps, perhaps not! But I thank you anyway for dropping by!!!

Let me know what you think, even if you find me horribly boring, criticism in any way is always good...right?.....

The People that you Meet on a Cruise.....

I sit here thinking of the people that I meet on vacation,

I have already told you about the fun people that I met while cruising with Disney.... But the best passenger that I have ever met would be M that I met on my Holiday cruise this past Christmas.

M was married to S, a lawyer in New York. Now S was an accomplished intelligent man. I enjoyed out chats...but I just did not get "them"

I spent the first day trying to figure out what M does for a living.

• She does not work
• she does not cook (how they eat is still a mystery to me, when asked why she did not cook, she indicated that she did not have time.....)
• She does go to the gym at 6am every morning
• she takes 30 mins to add product to her hair, and an additional 20 mins to wash her hands (self confession)
• The balance of her day is completely unknown to me....

What I learned from M

• She has a Cashmere Drawer with every colour of pink on the pallet (doesn't everyone?)
• she has over 16 pashminas (and we know that these are real, my question is how many different colours can she have, she only wears pink...oh see above...it is about coordinating!!!)
• the location one sits at the table at dinner is directly related to the motion of the ship (the center has the least amount of motion, even if the table is against the wall)
• if the ship runs out of Special K, I know where it is stored, you never know when she may get hungry (let me elaborate on this, we all met on the final morning of the cruise to have breakfast at which time M arrived with a bag full of Special K( I would say 16 boxes at least)....make note that money is not an issue for M, when questioned, you never know when she may get hungry!!! Then at breakfast, she ordered Special K....and guess what? they had run out....What a shock!!!)
• Not everyone knows what a Bingo Hall is
• M is better than any dining guide that you may find in New York (now that must be where they eat!!!)
• Her purse is worth another trip to Paris to replace it if water touches it
• No matter how dumb you are, having no internal sensor is still rude
• towel rules do not apply to her (she took 6 ashore every day)
• vacant eyes = vacant mind
• Princess complex is not limited to attractive women

Whenever you go on vacation, there is that one person that leaves a memory, M takes the cake for me!!!! M I wish you and S all the happiness in the world, please never change, you bring so much amusement to the people around you!!!!

My Ladies From Scotland

These ladies have got to be by far my favorite clients!

Why you ask, Well they are 2 older ladies and they travel together.
They have that friendship that is timeless, and it also helps that they are absolutely nuts!

Why you ask, well the first time I met them they arrived in my office with their water bottles with matching knitted cosies (to keep them cold you see!)
They wanted to book a cruise on Cunard's the Queen Mary, The object, to get to a family reunion in Scotland, and they wanted to have fun getting there!
I find out when they return that one of the ladies pulled a groin muscle at the disco while entertaining the Male escorts that Cunard provides (to dance with the ladies)! She was so injured that she was wheelchair bound, but not about to miss this reunion in Scotland!

Now, bring us to present day, and they are off again, once again looking for the Male Escorts that will dance with them on the next cruise...This time they are taking a sister that has Alzheimer's.

Now do not get me wrong Alzheimer's is a terrible disease. This sister's illness is controlled with Medication and is perfectly functional....except that she loves "the drink" that she can not have.

So here my precious ladies smuggle alcohol free wine to this sister, but she can not know! Of course this lady does not believe in drinking alone, is making fun of my dear ladies because they are smashed, and look at her, not even a wrong step!

What we will do for love!
Let's see what the next trip will bring my beloved Scottish globe trotters.....

Happy International Women's Day

I know that this is not travel related, but I think still relevant


I just returned from an International women’s day event in Mississauga where I had the privilege to hear Victor Malarek (Author of “The Natasha”) Speak. And with March 25th 2007 the 200th anniversary of the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade Act I thought that it would be prudent to touch on the fact that the slave trade today is still alive and well.


The impact of migrant trafficking on Canada is estimated at between $120 million to $400 million per year and accounts for approximately 8,000 to 16,000 people arriving in Canada per year illegally. ("Organized Crime Impact Study," Solicitor General of Canada)

So please, take a moment, reflect, and the next time you look down on an Asian or Eastern European girl working the streets, in a strip bar, as an escort, or in a sweat shop, think to yourself, “how do you think that this girl could afford the plane ticket and documents to come to Canada” and if she could afford it, do you really think that this would be her chosen profession.


Open your heat to these people and remember that they to are human beings and should not be discarded as beneath you as no one deserves to be a slave, not 200 years ago, and certainly not today.

For More information on Human Trafficking Please Visit
http://www.stopthetraffik.org
http://www.catwinternational.org

Jelly Fish are not as Nice as they Look!!

IMG_4322
Originally uploaded by Travestries.

Looks like a big jube jube doesn't it?
Well let me set the record straight for you, When I met this nice "little" creature that you are looking at now, I was snorkeling at "Paradise Point" in Antigua....That is right "Paradise"
There was nothing paradise about it! I have been to this reef before and never met these unfriendlies...but alas today was not to be the case.

When I got into the water, I could not see for the jellies about, and look at it, it is the size of a dinner plate!

So I did the best that I could to swim around them, and very successfully I might add.....Until ..... Did you know that if one of these "gentle" "graceful" creatures just grazes your body it feels like you have been picked up and hurled into a Cactus......

Oh baby did it burn!!! And as I scramble back onto the boat, the men aboard have a jug of a nice yellow liquid...those of you who know about the "jelly fish cure" probably know my horror when they opened said jug and poured the liquid down my leg......you would not know my joy amidst such discomfort to be met with the smell of vinegar.....

The pain only lasted about 30 mins....and then life went on. I now have a healthy respect for these lovely creatures!

Bring on the Stingrays... at least they are soft!

Xel-Ha

What a wonderful retreat!

2 Toed Sloth

One of the many people that I have seen this year!

The Disney Wonder

The Wonders, passengers that bring their costumes for the Theme Parties.

here she is Boys and Girls!

The Disney Company,
What a well oiled Machine. Last fall I was treated to the best that Disney had to Offer, an 11 day cruise on the Disney Wonder.

Wonder, What a great word, one that I used a lot on that trip

I Wondered what was the record for the most Disney cruises taken by one person - I was told 53....Remember that Disney has only been sailing for 8 Years on 2 ships that works out to 6+ cruises a year...who has the money....who has the time?

I Wondered where all the kids were...I saw them once or twice

I Wondered what the DisBoard was....everyone knew but me.....

I Wonder what is with the autograph books and the pins...the pins....WOW!

It was such a unique and Wonderful experience for me, the characters were great, the food, the service, the fireworks.....

But alas.. I am still brought back to my first Question, why 53 times? And please do not get me wrong, this is not an isolated event, the opposite in fact...

You sit in the theatre and they say, Have you been on more than 1 Disney Cruise, the whole room stands (but me) more than 5, 1/4 of the room sits, more than 10 okay now we are down to 1/3 of the room... More than 20 My God there are still many people standing.... More than 30 okay we are now down to about 5 people.... But it is a competition among guest to cruise the most!

And we are not talking about children or crazy people, no they are people like you and me...but different ....
We have the Canadian couple with their match shirts, shorts, Salk's, hey even the ropes on their glasses...all Mickey Mouse... I met them at the comedy show while Mr. sat their giggling and nudging me "wait for this one...it is really funny..."That is right, they have seen the same show over and over again that it is memorized.....
Or the Family that had to be in the front row for all the shows video taping their 5th copy....

Yes Disney is a cult just like Trekies.. so the next time you are on a Disney Cruise, watch out, these people know Disney better than Walt did himself!!!

My First Day in the Blogerverse....

Welcome to my small world...Here you will learn what life if like on the inside...yes the other side of that dream trip is the factory that makes it work....

Weather....space...healthy competition....and then the people, oh the people that I have to deal with every day to make your dream vacation a reality!!

I sit here writing this knowing that in 24hours one of the biggest travel days of the year is about to begin...March Break

I look to the sky and beg Mother Nature to be kind to my fellow man! I look to the airlines to have their planes in good repair and good financial standing....Remember Jetsgo? I sure do!!! And I look to the tour opperators, the hotels and the cruiselines to treat you right, you have worked hard, as have I and we both deserve that you have a wonderful vacation

And I wait for Monday...for Monday you will all be sipping Pina Coladas working on your tans...and my job will be done!

Another day at the office!