It’s leap year!

I couldn’t resist posting on leap year.  I would have to wait 4 years, if I don’t post today.  Well, I am not sure why leap year is such a big deal, I don’t feel any different, I didn’t make any more money, and I’m not getting any younger, I’m not traveling this weekend, and I’m not going to any parties.

So, what’s the big deal about leap year.  In fact, I hear that it is bad luck to travel on leap year, dating back to antiquity.  The ancients who used the day more or less to balance our slightly more than 365 day rotation around the sun.  This extra day day was a day to give thanks to the Gods and pray for a fruitful crop in the spring.  Any celebration would be an affront and insult.  You stayed home, made your offering to the Gods, and went about your day.

Today, we have to make a big deal about everything … soon, we will have leap year decoration that will adorn our houses and offices.  There will be lots of stuff to buy too and we will say “This is how the ancients celebrated leap year.”  I say humbug!

The Curmudgeon

A case of big brother or a little help with your international travels?

It’s almost time for me to start planning my summer holiday and every trip I debate whether or not I want help … from a travel agency and almost for every trip I research my destinations myself with a little help from Frommer’s and Expedia, and depending on the place, the United States Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs.  The Bureau is an excellent source for information and a place for US citizens to “register” when traveling abroad.

Now, I am the suspicious type and do not necessarily like volunteering information about myself to the government, but if I am traveling to a potential trouble spot or unstable country.  I want my country to know and I want the closest US Embassy or Consular Office to know and come rescue me if I do something unintentionally stupid or illegal like taking pictures of a protest or indigenous children.  Perhaps, I am a paranoid US citizen or maybe I should not travel to places where this is a concern, but I actually register even when traveling to western Europe too.

Along with the Department of State knowing where I am, they provide a tremendous amount of information about the country including macro cultural beliefs, values, and behaviors, as well as cautions about doing things legal in the US, but illegal or disrespectful in the hosting country.  Remember, we are the visitors and if everyone was the same, why travel.

So unless, I write later that the Department of State is questioning me about my international travel, I will continue to register.  It’s not like they couldn’t find out this information anyway.  At least, I know that the Department of State has this information … I think.

Flying with those annoying mobile phone users!

One of my travel rants is mobile phone users who refuse to turn off their phones when the flight attendant says so.  To be honest, I am not sure that it even matters.  Supposedly, mobile phones and electronics interfere with navigation.  I have have read that the airlines and telecommunication companies propagate this lie about mobile phones interfering with navigation, because telecommunication companies cannot track minutes 30,000 ft/9200m in the air.  I occasionally believe in conspiracies, but not sure about this one. 

 What’s funny but very annoying is that all passengers know, of course, that they should turn off their phones once the flight attendant closes the cabin door.  There does not seem to be any particular group that is more of an offender than another.  I was on a flight not long ago where a young attractive woman was having a dispute about nothing with a “boyfriend.”  Knowing that she should not be talking on the phone, the young woman slumped over and stopped talking when the flight attendant walked by her row.  By the way, the flight attendant was absolutely worthless.   So, I thought, surely, she will stop talking before take-off … I was wrong!  I eventually turned around and sternly told her that she should turn off her phone … to my surprise she did.

That case was blatant.  Usually, mobile users are checking those critical emails.  On two separate flights that I will call a man, a woman, and two Blackberries a man and woman in business attire could not turn off their phones for a 30 minute flight.  Each time the flight attendant walked by they would cover their phones like primary school children passing notes in class.

On another flight … literally a school boy was compelled to keep texting someone about a school project, I am sure.  Each time I guess his phone vibrated, he would “sneak” the phone out of his pocket and check his messages.  Other times he kept his phone clasped in his hand.

I have learned that even if you do not say anything, If you stare long and hard, most people will discontinue their inappropriate mobile phone use.

So, why can’t we really use mobile phone?  Maybe because of mobile phone obsession … there would be a capacity load of obnoxious passengers all talking and checking their email.  How did we ever survive without mobile phones.  I am sure that every conversation would be absolutely necessary and every email would be life saving!  Lets continue the ban on mobile phones.

One of my favorite international airport

What are the factors that you like about airports?  Well, one aspect that I like is how easy is it to reach the terminal.  I like to start at the beginning.  Once at the terminal, I like to breeze through the check-in process and security, which has become much more difficult after 9-11.  Although I am grossly negligent in doing so for domestic travel within the United States, I always arrive early for international departures or when I am traveling abroad, so I expect to have to wait and wait and wait!  Airports can be terribly boring or not so boring.  I like the not so boring … either have a nice lounge or interesting shops.  Provide me some amusement.  I grudgingly almost belong to the generation that is amusing itself to death.  Among my travels thus far, I think that I have found such an airport.

A couple of years ago, we visited Amsterdam.  I must say that I was most impressed with their airport.  I liked Amsterdam too and no, I didn’t visit the red light district or coffee shops.  The Amsterdam airport is very clean and easy to navigate, but even better, there are many shops to occupy your time.  I must admit that on arrival I did not notice so much how nice the airport was.  I was ready to start exploring the city; however, on departing Amsterdam, I realize, “what a nice airport?”  We were departing early in the morning and there was not much of a crowd.  Our taxi took us directly to our terminal where we easily checked in and proceeded through security, hassle free.  Everything was easy to find and follow.  To our surprise, it seemed as if all the shops where open, so we bought those last minute gifts, which were probably 10 times more at the airport than the city.  Our gate area was not impressive, but the rest of the airport was.

As airports go, this one is nice … so, is the city!

What I learned from “Joe”

The summer of 2007, I visited Johannesburg, South Africa and I learned a couple of things from “Joe.”  The first thing that I learned upon arriving in Johannesburg was that the warnings about crime were not exaggerated, but beyond this I learned quite a few things from Joe. 

Joe was our driver while we were visiting the city.  Our gated hotel, the Peech, recommended using a driver and Joe, a native South African, was a contracted driver for the hotel.  Interestingly, only after the end of apartheid was he allowed to operate his self-employed business in Melrose. 

So, unlike universities in the United States and Europe, access to the University of Wits is controlled by security.  I asked Joe, “so, we have to go through security to get to the University.”  Joe explained that there had been many campus crimes, including crimes involving vehicles.

When Joe was younger, we was not even allowed to attend the University of Wits.  There were very few schools for blacks and those schools were inferior.

As Joe was driving us around, I kept seeing signs, offering to help people who have been black listed.  My thoughts were that this related to apartheid … people who targeted by the previous system of government, but no.  Being black listed refers to people who are equivalent to being bankrupted.  After the end of apartheid, the government was wrong-headed in providing loans to almost anyone who wanted them.  The result, people could not make their loan payments and defaulted.

While Joe was driving us around, he told us that he lived in Soweto.  I learned that Soweto is diverse, but there is a lot of black on black crime and that there is a lot of envy among residents in the area who believe that some people are uppity and deserve “to lose” their property.

While Joe readily acknowledged the problems and lingering effects of apartheid, he also recognized the work that he and fellow South Africans must do to continue healing their country.  I probably learned much more riding with Joe than any other encounters.

When to use a travel agent?

Whether or not or when to use a travel agency is one of those nagging considerations that I make as I plan or decide where I want to go.  To date, I have yet to use an agent, but there have been times when I wondered, should I have used an agent or not.

Here’s my idea of what I think a travel agency should provide.  First, I think that they should …

• Ask me about my interests and accommodation needs.
• Be much more knowledgeable about the destination.
• Be able to help me match my interest to what’s available.
• Provide literature. 
• Make my arrangements.

But, this has not be my experience.  I am usually given literature and told “these are the options.”

Thus far, I have never used a travel agency to make my full travel arrangements.  I have only used an agent twice.  The most important trip where I used an agency was the Galapagos Islands … and they were unresponsive after they got my money.  Everything turned out fine.  In fact, the only reason that I used an agency for Galapagos was because I could not find another way to make arrangements.

Making travel arrangements is hard work.  You have to make arrangements to get there, you have to find a place to stay, and you have to decide what to do.  The Internet has made this work a little easier.  There are many travel sites where you can find information, like Frommers; online agencies like Expedia; and travel blogs … like mine.

I tend to use some combination of these sources and like to make my arrangements because I like flexibility.  But travel agencies can be helpful when there is not good information online and they usually can find availability that the average users can not.  I wish agencies were more flexible.  If you are not as picky as I am, they can certainly de-stress your planning.

What anti-Americanism?

Ever since the United States’ invasion of Iraq, a certain segment of the population, specifically liberals and left of center individuals have pointed to poll after poll, stating that anti-Americanism is on the rise or at all time highs.  Some have gone as far to suggest that international travel could be perilously for US citizens.  I think that this line of thinking oversimplifies international relationships.

I have traveled to several countries after 9-11 and the Iraq invasion and must say that I am either blatantly oblivious, which I doubt, or this anti-Americanism where I must feel threaten has not materialized … at least in the countries that I have visited, which included North America, South America, Europe, and Africa.  As an aside, I did not masquerade as a Canadian, nor did I wave the US flag at every opportunity.  Bottom line, when asked where I am from, I proudly said the US without sounding boastful.

Conversely, I am not naive enough to believe that a lot of countries and their citizens are unhappy with us, primarily because of our Iraq policy.  I give people in other countries much more credit than some alarmists.  People in other countries can understand the difference between a government policy and its people.  Perhaps, people in other countries are more tolerant of different views and ideas than we are here, while they disagree with us, they are not going to spit in our face.

The four continents that I have visited since 9-11 and Iraq, I must say that everyone has been courteous and friendly.  But I always try to comport myself in a non-arrogant way, remembering that I am a visitor.  I am also respectful of local customs to the extent that I understand them and make a serious effort to speak and understand the language.  I remember being in Portugal in 2006 and receiving compliments on my Portuguese.  My Portuguese is terrible, but I tried, and didn’t just assume that everyone would speak English, which most people did.

So, maybe how we conduct ourselves abroad has much more to do with how others perceive us than our foreign policy.