Taken for a ride in Vegas

We hate to be scammed when we travel. But we were last night.
And sometimes it happens so fast, that there isn't much you can do about it.
Or is there? 
We will see.

What's real irritating is that I had just sent an article to a friend warning about Las Vegas cab drivers that appeared in the Los Angeles Times this week.  My friend hasn't been here in years and I wanted to make sure it didn't happen to her when she comes here next month. So you can imagined how furious I was when it happened to us. . .two days after the article had appeared.

Our flight from Seattle had been delayed and had been a bit rough, so the charming English-accented taxi driver was a welcome sight. . .we told her we were going to The Jockey Club (a gem of a find, by the way) on The Strip. It is 4 miles from the airport.  So as she mumbled about heavy Saturday night traffic, mumble, sigh, mumble, sigh, she pulled onto the freeway.  Too late. . .we couldn't stop her.

The Strip when we finally reached it was normal traffic, certainly not the mess she had us picturing it was.   We'd traveled nearly 10 miles during which time she told us how bad traffic had gotten in recent years and how much she hated driving in it and had helplessly watched as the meter as it raced to $23 and then she added $1.80 for an airport fee.  The article uses the word kidnap - it is a good word.

As Joel paid the ransom and got the bags, I got the cab number and company phone number.  By now, we were very out of sorts and told the receptionist what had happened.  She shrugged, shook her head and said yes, it was too bad, "but I have heard worse."

That sent me over the top. 
I didn't even unpack bags before I had dialed the cab company (and I have no backbone, so this should tell you how furious I was).  The manager I was referred to apologized profusely and said they try not to have this happen, but they get an occasional 'rogue driver'.  Turns out I wasn't the first one to call about this. . .woman.  Yes, making me even madder was the fact that a fellow female had scammed us.  He said they would investigate my claim and took an address where he could send a refund check.

I'll let you know how it ends, but for now, our new -- and sadly, less friendly approach will be -- "We are going to the blank destination and we do not want to get there by freeway."  I encourage you to read the article - it is right on target.

Think Hawaii ~ Think Hula

Palm trees sway under a tropical blue sky along Waikiki's famed Beach Walk. And depending on the route and time of day, you may see groups of people under those palm trees gyrating madly to the beat of drums or swaying to the gentle rhythms of the ukulele's melodies.

You'll be reminded that Hawaii is the land of Hula.

Hula c lass in Kapiolani Park -Waikiki
j.smith photo, (c) 2010

I've always loved watching hula dancers and have even been tempted to take a class . . .but never having been known for moving my feet and arms/hands in synchronized movement, I've opted not to give Beach Boy the pleasure of seeing Hula Babe trying to live up to her self-christened name.

What I think is absolutely the best part of this wonderful performance art is its history. Before the 1820's when a written Hawaiian language system began, all stories, tales, and lore were passed from generation to generation orally,through mele (song), oli (chant) and hula (dance).  Children learned from elders of gods and goddesses, family wisdom and history and were introduced to worlds both real and imagined. . .all without using a 'Google search'. 

Even today listening closely to the words being sung as a hula dancer performs, you will hear stories of lost loves, places and a yearning to return to those magical spots.

One of the free Beach Walk Hula Shows Waikiki
j smith photo, (c) 2010

If you find yourself heading to Hawaii in April 24-30, 2011and don't yet have a set itinerary, head to Hilo for the Merry Monarch Festival where you can see some of the finest hula ever performed.

Hanford: Unveiling its History and Mystery

Wind-swept Hanford
J. Smith, photo (c) 2010

I grew up just a hundred miles or so up the road from the wind-swept Columbia River Plateau; home to the secretive -- and for a kid back then -- scary place called Hanford.  I knew they made something to do with bombs there, I mean the high school in Richland, the town nearest this once-hush-hush place, is known as Home of the Bombers

Hanford's impact on nuclear history is now well documented.  Today it is an enormous hazardous  nuclear waste site.  The good news is that the Department of Energy, that agency managing, the site has a number of gargantuan cleanup projects underway.  The even better news is that they've been offering FREE public tours of the place since 2004. 

Control Room - B Reactor - Hanford Tour
j. smith photo, (c) 2010

Last fall I took one of those tours and was blown away - absolutely, blown away  -- by it. We traveled from those mysterious World War II years into the future in a matter of hours.

I wrote about the Hanford Tour and my article appears in today's Seattle Times.  Click the link to read it, then make a note to yourself to try and nab a spot on one of this year's tours. You won't regret it; and I can assure you, you'lll never forget it.

A 'Fill-in-the-blank-cation'

Vacation  

That word was the focus of on one of my favorite writing blogs this week, Macmillan Dictionary (yes, they do have a blog and I sometimes read it) and it got me thinking about travel. . .what else is new, right? Some of you are convinced that I think of nothing but travel. 

But, back to "vacation". . .have you been thinking about one of late?

If you are, or even if you aren't, consider some of the new variations to that once tried and true definition of this word meaning "freedom or a respite of time away from something."

The recession brought about the concept of the Staycation, staying at home, camping out in the back yard, saving money.
Then there was the 'skip-it-all' talk of such activities with the Naycation.
The quick getaway became a Daycation.
Hoteliers with spa features quickly captured the concept of Spacation.

The blog suggested that if you start off somewhere and change your mind midway through the trip, could it be a Straycation?
Or how about starting an adventure and quiting before it is complete? Of course, a Halfwaycation.

As I thought about the wretched weather we've had in the world the last few months we might want to add: Delay-cation for those whose flights have been cancelled.  Or for those who make a vacation out of seeking minor elective medical treatments, does it become a Medi-cation?
Is a get-away for boys a Mancation (with Womancation for the opposite sex)? Similar to Man- Caves and Woman-Caves.

Just think what Dr. Seuss could do with this. Like his Cat in the Hat, put on your vacation dreaming hat. . . what type of 'cation' would you take?  Share your ideas in the comment section below:

The House Without a Key

Kanoe Miller performs at - House Without a Key

One of our favorite outings in Waikiki is to the House Without a Key in the ultra-posh Halekulani Hotel. We go there for a taste of yesteryear Hawaii and high-end entertainment. We sit under the courtyard's centerpiece 100+-year-old Kiawe (key-ah-vey) tree, sipping wine, while being serenaded by musicians - masters of Hawaiian songs - and watch Kanoe Miller as she tells tales through her gentle hula moves; all against a backdrop of the setting sun.

But almost as good as is the setting and show, is the history of how the place got its name. You see, this indoor-outdoor gathering place, honors the book that kicked off the Charlie Chan detective series, The House Without a Key, written in 1925 by Earl Derr Biggers. 

And, as we were told, that story goes. . .

The Halekulani, originally a private beech front residence, had accommodated guests since 1917.  And it was owned by a retired sea captain. Biggers is said to have conceived the series while staying in a nearby Halekulani cottage.  The House Without a Key has detective Charlie Chan solving the murder of a sea captain.  There's a belief that Charlie Chan was based on Chang Apana, a real detective in Honolulu in the 1920's, but there are questions as to whether Biggers knew him or only knew of him.

We've been hooked on the Charlie Chan series since 2008 when Academy Chicago Publishers brought the books back into print.  And after becoming enamoured with Charlie, I always wonder if Biggers might have been sitting under the same tree sipping a libation when he came up with the idea for my favorite fictional crime fighter.

Note: Click on the Kanoe Miller link above to see a video from YouTube of her performance.  The House Without A Key is on our Amazon carousel, found on the lower right side of the http://www.travelnwrite.com/  homepage. I've also added the beach books I wrote about last week to

Diet to Go: Tropical Feast - not Famine

Okay, the truth is, we've never lost weight on one of our extended trips. . .until now.

Our culinary journey, our 'Diet to Go' (DTG), kicked off in Kirkland's safe confines.  A quick trip here or there and not of the length that would throw a monkey-wrench into the efforts. Truthfully, our hopes for Hawaii were to not gain as much as previous years. (Four pounds each last year and --oink --about six the year before).

So the fact that I am telling you we are each down 1 - 1.5 pounds from when we arrived, is amazing.

Remember, we were following the Glycemic Load Diet (the book's on the Amazon carousel on our homepage) by Dr. Rob Thompson, who also wrote a guest post about travel and dieting for us. We've not spent time 'thinking diet' but what we've done differently is:

• Maui potato chips gave way to Kim Chee,  home-made Korean spicy cucumber chunks that we discovered at a local farmer's market.
• Baked potatoes of previous years were history with many green salads taking their place; locally-grown Manoa Valley lettuce melts in the mouth.
• We've not had any crackers or corn chips or cookies.

What we have had: 

• a milk shake, a couple Starbucks frozen mochas dripping in chocolate and whipped cream, macaroni salad (in small portions),chocolate covered macadamia nuts every night along with quantities of wine far in excess of what we would have at home. 
• We've also eaten lau lau, the Hawaiian pork and fish wrapped in taro leaves and steamed in tea leaves, steak, fish, and  Hawaiian 'plate lunch' (substituted green salad for the usual scoops of rice and mac salad).
• We've eaten more than a dozen papayas and nine pineapples.

For a number of reasons, but primarily the view from our deck and the cost-savings, we've eaten every meal 'at home' since arriving at Ko Olina. We've been inspired by the discovery of a nearby farmer's market and helped by a new grocery/deli at Ko Olina.

The local fare at our nearby farmers market has been a culinary journey.  Farm fresh eggs, lettuce, fresh fish, homemade goodies have all tempted. We  sampled dark chocolate covered fresh strawberries last week at our Waianae Farmers Market and they gave me the recipe.  I think it fits in with our Diet to Go, so here it is:

Hawaiian Beach Wear

The middle-aged guy walking across the beach in colorful swim trunks and an aloha (tropical print) shirt, black dress shoes and a nice pair of black dress socks, pulled way up high on his calves made me remember the time, not so many years ago, that I brought several pairs of nylons to Hawaii. 

Now that, by far, was the stupidest thing I could have packed aside from maybe a pair of woolen gloves. Where I thought I would be wearing them, or how, with flip-flops, I don't know. I do chuckle when I read the travel journal notes from that trip that remind me: 'DON'T bring nylons again!'

But it is hard to not bring reminders of your real world and your lifestyle with you when you travel.

I've done a couple of interviews while on this trip for articles I am working on.  For each of them, I 'dressed up' - wearing my black flip-flops instead of the blue ones with palm trees.  And while I had to dig to the bottom of my purse, I finally found some lipstick - haven't seen that tube in days.

In Hawaii, clothes colors are as bright as the spirit. They don't need to coordinate either as most the time outfits are some combination of  floral and/or stripes, sometimes at the same time and worn in as sunglasses, hat, swimsuit, top, cover up, shorts, and beach towel 'wraps'.
I've come a long way since packing those nylons.  My near constant   look these days is a bright blue top which reminds me of the sea and sky, and a bright green hat the colors of palm fronds, and printed with white hibiscus blooms (hibiscus is the state flower of Hawaii). 

My wardrobe is brighter and more carefree; come to think of it, so is my outlook on life.

A Seaside Serendipity

She and I first nodded and mumbled a greeting as we passed in the exercise room at Marriott's Vacation Club Ko Olina.

The next time we passed, she said, "You look so familiar. Are you from Seattle?"

I responded that she also looked familiar in that 'sort of' kind of way.  By that point, Annette and I compared notes: I live in Kirkland and she lives in Bellevue, a couple miles down the road from me. We hadn't worked together. We hadn't volunteered together. Church? No. Civic group? No.Husbands know each other? No.

A perplexing situation.  Still there was something familiar. . .
And then we figured it out.  We had met on a cruise, some four years ago, as we sailed through the Mediterranean.  We had talked often on that ship.  We had hit if off to the point that I had encouraged them to look at a house up for sale on our cul de sac.

Now we laughed about bumping into each other in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. And we said we should get together 'back home' but neither had paper or pen to exchange phone numbers at any point we talked. . .

Their stay was over yesterday. . .Beach Boy and I were at the Farmer's Market up the road when I remembered I hadn't gotten her phone number.  So we are back to the serendipity of travel. . .bringing people together in the most unexpected of places. 

Wonder when Annette and I will bump into each other again. . .and where.