Amsterdam is an interesting mix of history, culture, and over indulgence. It is clean, safe and modern. I didn’t really know what to expect, but after spending only a weekend there, I can tell you without doubt that I could live there. The first thing I noticed, besides the tall connected brick buildings,…
DetailsI decided to take my project team on on a weekend excursion so that we could have some fun and get to know each other better. My brother was going to be in town and he owns our company, so it seemed like perfect timing for a team getaway. After extensive research we decided on…
DetailsI’ve been staying at the Courtyard Marriott for the last 4 months and as much as I love that hotel and their wonderful staff, it was time to get my own place. I missed cooking, having the ability to entertain and I needed more space, so I decided to look at furnished apartments. I was pleasantly surprised to find some lovely apartment, nicely furnished, in a safe and self-contained community. So after filling out a long contract and providing all the necessary paperwork, I spent the weekend moving into my apartment in a beautiful complex called Palm Springs!
Here are some interesting facts. The smallest one I could find is 3 bedrooms and they go up to 6 bedrooms. Mine also has 3 1/2 baths plus a maids quarters. Each bedroom has its own washroom, like a master suite in the states.The maids washroom is outside by the washing machine.The service staff even have their own elevator! They don’t have clothes dryers here and instead provided me with a clothes rack, so I guess all the neighbors will get to look at my delicates out drying in the hot sun.
DetailsI’ve been in India for four months now and so far I’ve visited Agra, Jaipur, Udaipiur and Rieshikesh. Booking reservations and traveling around India is quite different from how we do things in the USA.
First of all, all reservations, even domestically require a copy of your passport. They want a hard copy and copy machines are not readily available, so someone is always taking your passport from you and then heading into the back room with it. The first time that happened I about had a panic attack. I’ve heard stories about travelers getting their passports taken away only to find they have to buy it back. Fortunately that’s not the case here!
Another thing that annoys me is that you can’t call any resort or tourist activity directly to book a reservation. You have to call a tourist service. There are so many middle men, each getting a piece of the pie, that it drives the price way up. Sometimes these middle men are just scammers that take your money and run, so you have to be very careful. Taxes are also very high, 20 to 30 percent in many areas!
DetailsLunch time here can be quite an ordeal. Over 4000 people work in our clients building and most all of them take lunch between 1:00 and 3:00. So needless to say it’s very crowded. Luckily we have a lot of options. Probably at least 50% percent of the workers bring their own lunches and…
DetailsI received a call late on Friday night from an Indian friend inviting me to join him and some friends for a weekend camping trip in an area called Reishikesh, in the Himalayas. Physically I knew I should decline because I was still getting over a bad cold, but emotionally I needed it. My…
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