Posted by Chris on Nov 11, 2008 in
Americas,
USA The unseasonably good weather I have been enjoying is long gone. When leaving the hotel yesterday, it was minus 7. Toasty. So finally the ski jacket that came with me is being put too good use. The car was frozen too, and Hertz didn’t see fit to give me a scraper.
At the weekend we took a trip to Minneapolis. We got a very favourable rate on a hotel that was about a 5 minute walk to the main street (1st), so we decided to make a weekend of it.
First port of call was the Mall of America, which is huge. So huge that it can accommodate a theme park with 3 roller coasters right in the middle of it, along with a bunch of other rides. We spent a few hours wandering round the shops, but malls are malls at the end of the day! We were going to go to Hooters for lunch, but the queue was too big, so we went to the food court and joined an even bigger queue. But hey, it was a good burger! We took a few rides and then set off to our hotel.
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Tags: USA
Posted by Chris on Nov 2, 2008 in
Americas,
USA Halloween is a big deal in the USA, as we discovered on Friday when we turned up to a bar, dressed normally, only to discover that everybody was in fancy dress! Not to worry, we still had a good night and did a tour of Rochester’s finest night spots – Gilligans, Kathys and a brief stint in CJ’s; until we realized that we were the youngest there by at least 20 years.
Ironically, low calorie light beer is very popular here. In England we refer to this as “water” but fortunately I have been introduced to a great white beer called “Blue Moon.” You need to be careful mind…the large glasses are definitely more than a pint! We were briefly talking to a “security” guy in Gilligans, who was only identifiable as a security person by his t-shirt. We mentioned how we had came dressed as “European Guys” to which he replied “Wow, you have really convincing accents” and then went on to say how everyone from Europe sat down with a straight back, with their hands on their knees, drank tea and spoke like Hugh Grant. We all had quite a chuckle at that. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that there’s more to Europe than England. We had a great night (a good band were playing in Kathys), but everything shut at 2, and with the nearest place open after 2 over an hours’ drive away, we decided to call it a night.
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Tags: USA
Posted by Chris on Oct 29, 2008 in
USA During my time here I get a hire car which is all paid for. I hadn’t booked in advance, so I made a reservation with Hertz just a few hours before I wanted to pick up. When I turned up at the Rochester Hertz office, there was only one car outside – and it certainly wasn’t a “compact” (I can’t rent a better car, that’s the rules!). I thought perhaps it was “out back” so I went into the office and was told that the car I had ordered was not yet available…so they had upgraded me. So for the next 4 weeks I will be driving round in a 3.2 litre, 224bhp, 220lb/ft beast. But lets not get too excited here, this is an American car and so it weighs approximately 10 tonnes…but there is a bit of life when you floor it and the 4 speed automatic box springs to life and drops a cog. It’s a Saturn Aura….like a bigger, posher version of the Mondeo/Vectra. However, this is not the place to drive fast, so I don’t yet know if it has bellows where the suspension should be – so watch this space. It’s very comfortable though, and when you turn it on, the dials do a little dance. Like an Aston…just not as pretty. The car is registered in Texas…so it’s called Texas! I am now the envy of my peers – the other two guys have a Focus (Wisconsin) and a Honda (Minnesota).We’re considering defacing eachothers cars and doing a tour of the southern States, just like in Top Gear. However, it’s perhaps a little too far to go, even if the “gas” is just around £1.50 a GALLON (that’s 4.5 litres to you and I). Not used to automatics yet…so I keep slamming on the brakes with my left foot. American roads seem fairly easy to drive. Some odd traffic rules mind, such as being able to turn right on a red light. And then there is the 4 way crossroads – not a roundabout, no traffic lights – just stop signs. You approach the crossroads, stop completely, and whoever is there first has priority. Not so bad when there are just a few cars but it could get hairy when it’s busy – which doesn’t really happen here so it’s all good.
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Tags: Rochester, USA
Posted by Chris on Oct 28, 2008 in
USA If you read my last post from the Dominican Republic, you may remember how I mentioned that the end of one trip meant the start of another. However, I didn’t mention just how soon! Not long before my holiday, my boss mentioned an opportunity to go and work in the USA for a month. It wasn’t definite, but if I was interested he was happy to nominate me. Anyway, of course I was interested and I was chosen, so I was understandably delighted about that. My flights and accommodation are all covered and I get a reasonable daily budget for food & drink. There was one slight drawback however; the day I needed to fly over to Minneapolis was the day I got back from the Dominican Republic. If that wasn’t bad enough, there was around a 3 hour margin of delay possible in order for me not to miss the flights.
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Tags: Rochester, USA
Posted by Chris on Oct 25, 2008 in
Americas,
Dominican Republic I’m not really the package holiday type these days, but October is a miserable time in England…so 30+ degree heat and as much Cuba Libre as I can drink seemed an offer too tempting to refuse. I must admit, I had my reservations about all inclusive in the Dominican Republic; I had fears that it was going to be the Benidorm of the Caribbean, and that after the first meal I would come down with some horrendous stomach bug like on Holidays From Hell. In my resort at least…this was gladly not the case.
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Tags: Dominican Republic
Posted by Chris on Sep 21, 2007 in
Asia,
Dubai,
Japan,
Middle East,
Thailand 2007 So that’s it. The trip is over, and i’m back at home. I didn’t escape the jet lag this time round, but not to worry. The flight was fine and on time. For old times sake, I rinsed the drinks trolley once again. Perhaps foolishly I ended up going out on the town on Friday night!
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Posted by Chris on Sep 20, 2007 in
Dubai,
Middle East Well, it’s been an eventful few days!
On Wednesday I went on a Desert Safari excursion. Pickup was around lunchtime so I just lazed around the pool in the hotel again and watched a bit of TV. Days of Thunder was on – great film. I was picked up from the door in a Toyota Landcruiser. We had to go to another hotel to pick up another group, and from there it was off to the desert. Our particular spot was around 45mins drive. We stopped half way there to meet the other cars. Much to my surprise (and delight!) people were standing around shops eating and drinking. The locals had no issue with this (they were selling the stuff) so I stocked up. I must admit, I felt a little guilty standing drinking when they had to go all day in 45+ degree heat without a drop to drink!
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Tags: Dubai
Posted by Chris on Sep 18, 2007 in
Dubai,
Middle East Had a great day in Kobe yesterday – enjoyed the sunshine, had a look around the shops and then finished off the day in a bar, where we had a good laugh at the adventures of the last few weeks. Those big lockers in the train stations are extremely handy! From there it was on to the coach to the airport, where I sat at the back and enjoyed a nice can of Asahi beer while reflecting on the experiences of my trip.
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Tags: Dubai
Posted by Chris on Sep 17, 2007 in
Asia,
Japan Well…my time in Japan is as good as over! I can’t quite believe it’s the last day. My bags are all packed, and my passport and airline tickets provide a constant reminder that for today, all roads lead to the airport, and away from Japan.
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Tags: Japan
Posted by Chris on Sep 12, 2007 in
Asia,
Japan,
Uncategorized Well last night was quite eventful! Was a crowd of about 15 of us. After quite a hunt to find a cash machine (helpful hint…go to 7 Eleven!!), we went to a few bars and then ended up in Kareoke. Rolled back into the hostel at around 4 am…excellent stuff.
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Tags: Japan
