|
|
Welcome to my travel log! You will find here a lot more than in the travel reports, stripped from political correctness. Enjoy! 
Jun 17, 2004 02:00 PM USA; Texas - Houston, Galleria
The shopping centre of the Galleria is slightly larger than large. A female told me that it was impossible to do it in one day. I would probably want to challenge that, but I guess I spend much less time in a shop than an average female, so I guess it is perhaps true for her.
What I liked about Galleria was the fact that there range of shops and their quality was wide and anyone was able to find a shop that suits them. There is even an ice ring at the bottom level. Two years ago and on this occasion I spent simply too much money on clothing, but at least I was satisfied with my purchasing, particularly with shirts.
Unfortunately, the Galleria is not great on food, despite a number of eateries on the premises. But not too worry, in the close vicinity there are a number of restaurants and bars serving excellent food, apart from one particular Indian restaurant. I remember that two years ago, I was enjoying an open-air concert of a rather mediocre band in a pub-like restaurant, which served me the best grilled prawns dish I have ever had in my life! I have no idea how they did it, but my taste buds experienced multiple orgasm over and over again and I was trembling all over. Plus the serving was huge!
Well, Texas is famous for the food and particularly for the value for money, if not for the huge servings alone. For me, who loves eating, it is a dreamland.
This year I was kindly invited to try the legendary Texan steak. And although I would like to classify myself as a seafooderian, I could not miss this steak deal. The size of the steak is the key here. There are simply no small steaks, and I am sure that an average Texan would strongly disagree with what I am about to say next….
There are only very large, huge, massive, colossal, gigantic, enormous, and just stupid-size steaks. The smaller one (very large) would easily be an equivalent of the piece of meat that was allocated to an entire family for a month in the early 1980’s Poland, now a proud member state of the European Union.
Eating a steak in Texas is a ritual, actually. One picks their own piece of raw meat from a large display clearly marking the weight of the piece. Once picked the cook marks it with a number stabbed into it and it is cooked with this number in. so, when it is served, one knows that this is the piece that was earlier picked. I think this is wicked!
I happily complied with the procedure and picked my modest piece of meat, which took me 45 minutes to shove down my throat or I should say it kept me happy for three quarters of an hour (yes, I just realised how this sounds, and this is not what I mean, boys!). As it was my debut, the waiter presented me with a colourful cowboy bandana and I was expected to shout eeiha!, which I did, loud and clear. I still have this gadget in my flat.
|
Jun 16, 2004 02:00 PM USA; Texas - Houston
This was not my first time in Houston, but it was my first Texan steak, eiiiha! (I am actually not quite sure how to spell it, but I guess everyone would know what I mean).
Houston, Texas is not the prettiest of the large US cities. I could risk stating that it is in fact quite ugly. It is extremely spread out with few more eye-pleasing bits around the town.
The downtown, on a weekend or after 5 o’clock in the afternoon, is completely dead beyond belief. There is nothing going on there and a lack of souls in the streets creates a picture like from a bad catastrophic movie when a neutron bomb kills a large city. The first time I was in Houston, I felt like I was in a wrong place. I was the only one in the town that I could see. And I could see myself clearly reflecting in the blue glass of the tall and pretty buildings, and in particular the one that used to be a properly of Enron.
Oh, I am sorry, I almost lied here. I saw some people in the town. They arrived to see a baseball match in the big stadium in the middle of the town, but from the look of things, the match was not extremely popular like it is shown in every second Hollywood production about the US.
Galleria, at the other hand, is a busy place bustling with a large shopping centre, restaurants and bars – all week long. It is a modern area with clean boulevards and an uncountable number of hotels. I actually mixed up my hotel. I was staying at the DoubleTree, and I did not realise that there are actually two of those, and both of them are by the Galleria. They are actually some 800 yards apart.
As I arrived extremely late from Trinidad on that night (via Miami), due to bad weather in Houston, I ended up venturing from one of the DoubleTrees to another. Fortunately, I did not have to walk, and the hotel provided me with quick transportation, but I ended in bed well after 1 o’clock in the morning.
|
Jun 13, 2004 02:00 PM Trinidad & Tobago - Port of Spain, my debut
I know it is ridiculous to write about a place in which you spend just a few moments visiting and rest of your two day stay, working in a air-conditioned building, literally a few moments from your hotel. It is cheeky, but here goes. Well, I will try to be brief, anyway.
Trinidad and Tobago is an interesting islands’ combination country. What is more interesting is the combination rather than the islands. Trinidad, the larger of the two islands, is predominantly an industrial place basing on the oil exploration. The capital of the country, Port-Of-Spain is located there, obviously, and it is rather modern city. It resembles a dirty and slightly poorer American city. Well, hang on a minute! It is in fact in America! In South America, but still ‘America’.
Tobago, at the other hand is, as I read in books, since I personally never went, is an idyllic island, the country’s tourist industry pearl. I know for example that many German tourists come to Tobago for beach holidays.
Port-Of-Spain does not offer much for tourists. Who wants to go to a dirty city for holiday? It has a central park area called the Savannah, which is just a square grass park with almost no trees.
Around the Savannah there are a few good examples of colonial architecture, which are rather impressive and kept in an excellent condition. They are usually housing schools, and governmental institutions. In fact, the presidential palace is also nearby.
Trinidad is a hot and humid place! And I mean it. I love hot weather and I always escape cold Europe and go to warm countries, particularly in the winter, but, boy, Trinidad is humid! It is like being in the sauna there. Without a making a step, one sweats from every single inch of the body, simultaneously.
This is also probably why few people actually do any walking in the streets and absolutely everyone drives. It is such an unusual sight for the locals to see foreigners or perhaps just anyone, walking in the town that they would honk (use their car horn) at you and offer a lift. That is so funny, because I was only walking literally 300 meters down from the hotel to a Thai restaurant.
Yes, I know this seems peculiar to have hot Thai food in this hot and humid weather, but I guess since I was already sweating, it should not matter if I was to sweat a bit more. Right?
The restaurant, located around the Savannah, was actually very good with very professional service and, surprise, surprise, they were serving other dishes also, not only chicken.
I wanted to have a Thai curry, as always with prawns. And so did my travel companion, and there came the shocking surprise. The waitress firmly refused to put two curries at the same table! It did not matter that they were different types of curries. She said that this was simply unacceptable and one of us had to change the order from curry to something else. What kind of service is that!? The food was truly great and it made me sweat ever harder, which I loved!
I have not ever heard about this rule and subsequently, whenever I have been eating at a Thai restaurant, I was happily and conveniently ignoring it. I think it is stupid, and I am addicted to prawn curry.
In Trinidad, I discovered the greatest rum ever! It is Angostura 1824 – the best rum, I have ever tasted and I would recommend anyone to drink it straight. It is a crime (and it should be punishable) to drink it mixed with anything, even ice cubes. There are also other Angostura rums, but 1824 is best.
|
Jun 12, 2004 02:00 PM Canada - only in transit to Trinidad
Yes, I am on the road again. I only managed to get to London to see my friends, who came to visit me from France for a weekend, only to be back on the road on Sunday night.
It was not an easy ride! My travel agent did not inform me that I would need a transit visa, only to change airplanes! The ground services at the gate would not let me board the aircraft without a transit visa! We had a very short argument. I was saying that I was not intending to travel to Canada, and that I was on a business trip to Trinidad. I showed them my boarding passes and my visa for Trinidad & Tobago. We were getting nowhere. Finally, I said that I understood that there were regulations and that the staff were just doing their job. As I was trying to do mine.
So, eventually, they called an Immigration Desk at the Toronto airport, and explain that I was on a business trip, travelling first class to Trinidad via Toronto, and whether I could travel and then be dealt with in Toronto. They agreed.
The flight was smooth. But the transfer in Toronto was not! My London plane docked at a gate adjacent to the gate, where my next plane was waiting. And yet, I (and everyone with me) had to taken by an airport bus to the terminal, go through immigration, etc. I was indeed dealt with by an Immigration Officer there, who granted me 24 hour visa. And I just, just, just made it to my next flight!
|
Jun 11, 2004 02:00 PM First Round the World trip is complete
My first trip around the world is complete. It was great and I visited four new countries - Singapore, Australia, Japan, and Trinidad & Tobago.
On this trip I was lucky to travel business class long haul on some fantastic airlines: Thai International Airways, Singapore Airlines, All Nippon Airways, United Airlines, Air Canada, and Lufthansa.
It was a great trip, of which I enjoyed Tokyo and Port of Spain the most. Also, for the first time I arrived at a destination several hours before I departed. I left Tokyo at 8 pm and arrived the same day at 11 am - in Los Angeles.
|
Jun 10, 2004 02:00 PM USA; Illinois - Chicago
Chicago, my second time here, is probably my second favourite city in the USA. The first one being San Francisco. The downtown area is really compact, clean and easy to navigate. The pier running into the lake is a great place to take a walk or step into a bar for a drink.
The city is famous for its blues and pizza! And of course this skyline! The best skyline in the entire United States of North America! However, the city's main quality, in my opinion, is its city beach. A perfect place for Chicago scorching summer days.
|
Jun 09, 2004 02:00 PM USA; Illinois - Carpentersville
Today, I managed to make some time to visit my high school friend in Carpentersville. I had been to this small residential town before. It was clean and organised and orderly. But it made me think that I would not be able to live in a place, where I would need to drive to go for a drink, or go shopping, or go to the cinema.
It was a hot, very hot day and the evening was soothing. My friend's husband and sister went for a lovely dinner at a very American steak house. The name escapes me, but it was good, really good and we had a great time.
|
Jun 08, 2004 02:00 PM USA; Illinois - Naperville
It was also the second time for me in town of Naperville, Illinois, but in fact first time in the actual town, away from the many business centres and corporate offices like the one on the picture below.
This was the first time, when I was not absolutely sure where exactly I was. My hotel titled itself as Hilton Lisle/Naperville, and many businesses across the road were putting Warrenville on their addresses.
The first time I ever saw Naperville area, I was not impressed. It was simply a boring business centre located where land was obviously cheap. One had to drive for anything; shopping, eating, etc. one has to drive there, full stop, as there are no sidewalks. If one is actually spotted walking, police place an immediate arrest, since normal and decent people do not walk there.
This time round, my perception improved, but not a great deal. I went to the actual town and saw that there is a town. You know what I mean – with shops, post office, restaurants, chemist and so. All in a walking distance, and there were pavements, which people were in fact using.
I was taken to an excellent food at ‘Heaven On Seven’, a Louisiana food restaurant specialising of course in all types of spiciness. They have an entire wall of hot sauces, many with arch-funny labels, which you can sprinkle on your hot jambalaya. I made a mistake and started reading the labels on some of the sauces. I was laughing so hard, that I was hot and sweaty already before actually tucking into my jambalaya. I had to laugh. Some of the names were hysterical. Let me quote a few: Hot Lips, Dynamite, Da Bomb, Dead Heat, Mega Death, Vampfire, Sudden Death, Possible Side Effects, 2 am Reserve, Ass On Fire, Flaming Coon Ass, Ass On Fire, Ass In Space, Bat’s Brew, See Dick Burn, See Jane On Fire. These were real life names, but there were also political, like Bomb Laden, Bomb Saddam Mad Blast, as well as accountancy related, like the EnWrong Shredded.
All and all, there are people who refer to Naperville, Lisle and Warrenville as Greater Chicago, or even just Chicago. Well, let them. Chicago is nice enough to handle this direct and clear insult.
|
Jun 07, 2004 02:00 PM USA; California - Los Angeles
I was visiting Los Angeles, CA, the second time, and despite my visiting some new places, such as the oldest part of the city, I did not change my opinion about it. It is a horrible, smelly and congested city with no air to breathe.
I remember that even in 1997, I did not take many pictures in LA. The downtown has little interesting to offer and is not particularly photogenic. Maybe from a distance it looks better with the skyscrapers skyline, but such pictures are almost impossible to take due to the poor visibility and awful air quality.
The only cute parts of Los Angeles are the beaches, Venice, Beverly Hills and Hollywood with its colourful Sunset Boulevard. I am not sure how much time would a person need to get to like this city, but it seems like this must be a very long time.
In fairness, I only had this time round just about couple of hours in Los Angeles, between my last meeting and the flight to Chicago. So, I guess this is not too much time to explore the interesting parts of the city. Most of the time people have, and need, in this humongous city, is for commuting and sitting in traffic, even if they know how to navigate through the maze of roads, highways, avenues and lanes.
It is fascinating that due to the film industry, Los Angeles has developed this peculiar reputation of the factory of dreams, which provided many with success and happiness. Many Americans, and even foreigners, choose to come and live in Los Angeles, hoping they will love it. It is not my favourite place in the United States.
|
Jun 06, 2004 02:00 PM USA; California - Long Beach
I landed in Los Angeles seven hours before I departed from the Tokyo Narita airport. It was a long 13-hour flight and had I not been travelling with Singapore Airlines, I would have felt like it was a week-long. During this flight I managed to watch two films and yet had a decent night sleep.
It was my second time in California, and technically a third time, if I count my 1997 US trip as taking me to California twice on the same holiday.
However this time, it was for business purposes, so I had a completely different perspective while stepping into a restaurant, you are fully aware that ultimately it will not be you who pays the bill. I liked this feeling better than the one I had in 1997. Ha! And staying in a five star hotel almost directly on the beach makes a hell of a difference. Back in 1997, it was a very shabby motel at the back of the Los Angeles’s Chinese district.
I saw the beach from my hotel room, and I liked it for its length. The town of Long Beach did not impress me. There is nothing special over there and I did not take a single picture. Now, this is strange because I photograph absolutely everything and anything. The problem was that just around 6 pm my jetlag kicked in.
As I was getting increasingly tired, my perception was most definitely impacted. This could also be attributed to a great meal I was taken to at a fabulous seafood restaurant, somewhere in the area.
In Long Beach, there were simply hotels and although there should be plenty of restaurants, people were struggling to recommend anything immediately local.
Well, there is not much to Long Beach. It is just a single street and single beach town. I was surprised to see few plastic-fantastic structures there. I really expected more kitsch.
|
Page:
94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104
|
|
|
