Re: Travel Chat - January 2019 - Page 7

World Traveler · ‎02-02-2015

@Alter Ego WOW! Didn't expect to hear from you so soon......jet lag and all, but you probably are in the same time zone where your home is....maybe an hour off.

First, glad you made it safe and sound.

So excited for you. Especially being in the Patagonia area. It is so lovely. I think I took photos of the mountains every few miles. It was so incredible!.

So Antarctic is a post trip? Will you be on a ship going thru the Drake Passage and Shetland Islands? And where do you camp out.....Antarctica Peninsula?

Do you get an opportunity to get off at Cape Horn? There were only two ships that were allowed anywhere near the Horn the day we were cruising there. When we got in the Zodiacs, we were given one hour to explore and climb up the mountain. Then halfway up the hill, we heard the loud ship horn, warning us the water direction was changing and we had to scramble down the hill and get back in the Zodiacs and head for the ship.

We rushed down the hill so much that one of the young gals fell and broke a bone. They had to get a stretcher from the ship and carry her down and onto the ship. The rest of the trip was misery for her, and they had to carry her off once we landed in Chile.

We later heard that the other ship would not let their passengers off because the weather had changed drastically. The Horn is where the Pacific and Atlantic meet, so the water can be treacherous.

Looking forward to your photos of everything you see, including your meals! LOL!!! And also we want to see your toes (you always show the toes wherever you are, right?) when you are out camping. Quickly, before they get frostbit! LOL!!

Alter Ego · ‎03-12-2010

@World Traveler It’s 3 hours difference.

I’m flying over the Drake Passage. No Drake Shake for me! I have limited time and the Drake is a two day trip each way. I would like more time on the actual Antartic continent. And, yes, that is where I will be camping. Everything is weather dependent. If the weather isn’t good, we won’t fly out until the next day or the day after. We get a full refund if we don’t fly out after a certain amount of days.

Alter Ego · ‎03-12-2010

@qbetzforreal wrote:
Chile. Well, I was on the right continent. Chilean wines are suppose to be good.

I can attest to that! (Hiccup)

Wine with dinner was pretty dang good. 😊

And you totally had me heading in the right direction!

MarthaStewardess · ‎03-09-2010

This year I have two cruises booked. End of April, I'm doing a fourteen day Hawaii and in October a fifteen day Panama Canal. I love cruising. I had a cousin come over from England a few months ago and she went on a cruise with me. It was her first one. She loved it too (knew she would!) She said she wanted to go again, so we have one booked for May 2020.

Alter Ego · ‎03-12-2010

@MarthaStewardess I was just following a couple people as they reported from their Panama Canal crossing. They got me excited along with them! Was a great trip for both of them.

I technically have an NCL Hawaii cruise booked in 2021, but think I’m going to change to a land vacation. Still have plenty of time before my cancel date.

I hope you have a great time on both cruises!

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

I would like to take advantage of this space to remind anyone driving thru West Virginia on our interstates, DO NOT drive in the passing lane like it belongs to you!

Pass and get over, or get ready for a ticket on the basis of “impeding traffic flow”.

Also, drive with your lights on! In this state, if your windshield wipers are on, your headlights must be on.

proudlyfromNJ · ‎05-01-2010

@RedTop wrote:
I would like to take advantage of this space to remind anyone driving thru West Virginia on our interstates, DO NOT drive in the passing lane like it belongs to you!

Pass and get over, or get ready for a ticket on the basis of “impeding traffic flow”.

Also, drive with your lights on! In this state, if your windshield wipers are on, your headlights must be on.

@RedTop. LOL! They are all over! WV is not the only lucky state with these drivers on the road. Everyone feels it is their right to drive in the left lane no matter what their speed. NY and NJ also have the rain/wiper law. I do see a lot of motorist obeying this law, but of course not everyone.

Alter Ego · ‎03-12-2010

Halfway home (currently waiting for a late lunch in Santiago) and you probably won’t be getting a trip report for a few days (weeks?).

But, what a trip! Patagonia was incredible, as seen from that report. And Antarctica? Full of romance and drama!! And with a nailbiter ending. Haha I may be exaggerating, but I assure you it all fits in there. If you’ve been thinking about Antarctic travel and wanted to hear about the fly/cruise experience, stay tuned.

😊

HAPPY TRAVELS!!

Alter Ego · ‎03-12-2010

There’s a possibility that the Miami airport is my new home. May not be able to return to Chicago until the Spring thaw in March.

In the meantime, we are being entertained by the most incredible American Airlines employee. Seriously, need to get his name so I can send AA a letter about him. Many people complaining and asking questions and he’s staying calm and keeping his humor. Seriously, he even had a passenger give information over the intercom in Spanish to make sure everyone understood about a gate change.

AA brought us food to keep us quiet for a while. I assume they are hoping we’d all fall asleep.

***edited to add***

I did indeed make it home late tonight, after a 4 hour delay leaving Miami. Nobody expected us to make it out and I had even scheduled a Southwest flight for the next day using points (which I have already canceled and received all points back). Honestly, the snow and roads didn’t look that bad, but I know that I’m seeing the end of it and after city cleanup (once upon a time, a mayor lost re-election due to snow cleanup or lack thereof and henceforth the city machine has done, IMO, a good job of clearing at least the main roads quickly.)

But, honestly, if anyone is in Miami, I hope you have the pleasure of having Y Lecoin as your gate agent. Found out that he’s also the one that ordered the food for us. He was alone for most of the day, making sure we were well taken care of and keeping us informed. I had a front row seat to him working - we giggled throughout the afternoon. Heck, the captain even said that he heard how great we all were from the ground crew (him) Already sent AA a complimentary note about him even before I got on the plane.