Travel plan idea blog

Business class sale

AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc., today launched a sale for
seats in Business Class on flights to and from Atlanta and many of the airline's destinations with fares starting as low as $149 each way. Travelers must purchase these sale fares at http://www.airtran.com.

These special fares are available for purchase until September 30, 2005, and are good for travel through November 2, 2005. Like all AirTran Airways fares, prices included in this sale are available for one-way travel and do not require a roundtrip purchase or a Saturday night stay.

Blackout dates are as follows: October 7, 10, 16, 21 and 23, 2005. Fares do not include per-segment tax of $3.20. A segment is defined as one takeoff and one landing. The September 11th Security Fee of up to $10 is not included. Airport Passenger Facility Charges of up to $18 are not included.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Please enjoy this guest article on Kuala Lumpur, one of my favorite cities.

Kuala Lumpur, aside from being the federal capital of Malaysia, is also its principal center of commerce, politics and even entertainment. The city brings together Malaysia’s past and present, its many constituent cultures, and even its remarkable natural treasures. The city gives visitors an opportunity to see Malaysia as a whole before setting off to its other parts.

Things to see while in Kuala Lumpur

Stop One: Merdeka Square
The Merdeka Square is an 8.2-hectare area of historical interest. Here one can find a 100 meter-high flagpole that marks the spot where the Malayan flag was hoisted, to signify the country’s independence from British rule, in August 31, 1957. Aside from the historical value given by Merdeka Square, it is also an inviting spot for relaxation. At one end of the square is a site where visitors can loosen up amid the soothing waters of fountains, elegant walkways and eye-refreshing beds of marigolds and zinnias.

Stop Two: Sultan Abdul Samad Building
Facing the Merdeka Square is the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. This magnificent building was erected in 1897 to house several important government departments during the British occupation. With its shiny copper dome and 40 meter-high clock tower, this construction serves as a major landmark in the city. It currently houses the Supreme Court and Textile Museum. During every end of the year the Sultan Abdul Samad Building serves as a backdrop of how the Malaysians welcome the coming New Year.

Stop Three: National Monument
The famous sculptor Felix de Weldon designed this 15.54 meter-high bronze monument. The monument was constructed in 1966 in honor of the country’s fallen heroes during the Communist insurgency. This massive bronze structure is one of the largest freestanding sculptures in the world.

Stop Four: ASEAN Sculpture Garden
A harmonious combination of waterscape and landscape found just below the National Monument. The garden has a collection of prize-winning sculptures by some of the finest artists in the Southeast Asian region.

Stop Five: Lake Gardens
Here one is treated to a first glimpse of the unsurpassed beauty and variety of Malaysia’s flora and fauna. The park, which is built around two lakes, provides pedestrians with a soothing ambience as they walk through a panorama of lush foliage, exotic blooms, creative themeparks and regal raintrees.

Stop Six: Planetarium Negara
A blue-domed structure atop a hill in the Lake Gardens. Its attractions include a space theater, which screens space shows and movies. Its observatory houses a 14-inch telescope through which on a full moon a visitor can view heavenly bodies.

Stop Seven: Central Market
Here music, crafts and cultural practices from all over Malaysia can be explored and experienced. Local artists thrive here in order to demonstrate their skills and display their works. Look on as natives transform plain, white fabric into wonderful batik cloth by placing wonderful patterns on them. It is also a haven for shoppers due to its numerous stalls and boutiques selling antiques, handicrafts, souvenirs and Asian artifacts.

Stop Eight: Petronas Twin Towers
The 88-story twin towers soar to a nauseating height of 452 meters above the city skyline. This piece of architecture is inspired by the Five Pillars of Islam. The towers house the Petronas Philharmonic Hall, which is home of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and Petronas Performing Arts Group. Currently, the Petronas Twin Towers are the world’s tallest two freestanding towers.

Stop Nine: Istana Negara
Located just outside the city center, the official residence of His Majesty, the King of Malaysia. Pristine lawns and colorful gardens enhance the expansive grounds. Official functions and ceremonies are hosted in the palace. Visitors and tourists can witness the changing of the guards, garbed in their brilliant uniforms, daily.

Stop Ten: Menara Kuala Lumpur
It is the tallest tower in Asia at its height of 421 meters. It is currently the fourth tallest in the world. It can give tourists a panoramic view of KL from its observation deck. It also serves a transmission station for television, radio and telecommunications.

Domestic flights in America

Peter King, who covers football for Sports Illustrated made this interesting digression in a recent article:

This is why Americans get ticked off at air travel.

Wednesday night, United (good airline, bad night) flight from Chicago to Newark, due to leave 5 p.m., arrive in Newark around 8. They board the plane, though they're not going to leave "for a while'' due to weather on the East Coast and air-traffic delays. After an hour sitting there, passengers are told the flight won't leave for an undetermined time, and passengers can de-plane. Passengers de-plane. Re-board at 7:45. Go to the end of the runway, wait out the air-traffic control delay. Sit. And sit. Guy in the row in front of me has some Internet device. He's calling out AL East scores. Yanks at Tampa. Sox at Toronto. "Ortiz just hit a two-run homer in the eighth,'' says Internet Man. "Five-3, Sox. Yanks are tied, 4-4.'' Brutally warm on the plane. It's got to be 88 degrees. "Are we at the point of cruel and inhuman punishment yet?'' I ask my neighbor.

Around 9:45, we take off. We get over Williamsport, Pa. Start circling. "We've been put on a hold,'' pilot says. Nice planning. You didn't know an hour ago planes would be stacked on top of each other? Forty minutes of circling. In turbulence. Lady a couple of rows back uses air-sickness bag. Land about 12:50. Walk in the front door at 1:45. For an hour-and-43-minute flight, it took eight hours and 15 minutes from the time I arrived at the gate to the time I stepped into the house. And I think: It would have been slightly longer but significantly more relaxing to have driven the 780 miles than to have flown.

I must say that I've had similar experiences on American Airlines. I know there's no controlling the weather, but I also think there needs to be more planning in situations like this.

Travel Sweepstakes

Priority Club is holding a contest for members only at http://ihg.eprize.net/anyhotel - the prize sounds pretty good and enetering is very easy as long as you ahve your member number handy.

One lucky Priority Club® Rewards member (U.S. 50 States and DC only) will have a chance to win a lodging card worth $25,000 plus first-class airline tickets to the destination of their dreams. Registered members are also eligible for daily, weekly and monthly prizes.

Hong Kong day 2

So after taking the tram up the Peak in Hong Kong on our first day, we started our second day taking the MTR and then a train to the Hong Kong Cultural Heritage Museum. The display on Cantonese Opera was very informative and we learned about a free performance on Saturday (you just have to buy an admission ticket).

After making our way back to the train station (which was surrounded by shopping), we headed toward the cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. It was not like the cathedrals in Italy but it was OK.

We walked from the cathedral down to Star Ferry Pier where we took the Star Ferry and ended up on another island. The hawkers here were fairly in your face and irritating but once we escaped the pier the hawking stopped.

We walked to the vantage point fot the laser light show. The area was rather crowded but everyone had a good view. If you're traveling with kids you'll have to arrive early to get a spot where the little ones can see. The light show was pretty good with buildings and lasers involved. It helps that Hong Kong has a pretty skyline anyway, so the light show doesn't need to be great to impress.

One of the reasons we did so few things is that we did a lot of walking. When you spend several hours each day walking around you get a feel for the city but have less time for tourist attractions...

First day in Hong Kong

Here's the beginning of my Hong Kong/Taipei vacation:

We arrived at the airport and went to the transportation counters. The Cosmopolitan Hotel had no shuttle bus but there are private companies that offer a shuttle bus service. We paid 140 Hong Kong dollars each. A train to the Main Station would have been 80 each (there's a special price when you buy 2 tickets at atime). Of course the train doesn't put you right at the hotel...

Since we got the hotel room through priceline.com breakfast was not included and would have cost us 110 Hong Kong dollars each. We decided that we'd eat in local restaurants instead.

We then walked from the hotel to Times Square (Causeway Bay MTR) and from there to the main station. From there we walked to Star Ferry Pier which was easy to find and then to the bus stop for bus 15C which goes to the Peak tram. This one was harder to find but after asking a few people we did get there.

We then took the tram to the top of the Peak and admired the view. It was a cloudy day and there wasn't much of a sunset to see. We got some food at a Chinese restaurant under the mall. I can recommend the Won Ton soup while my friend says the 5 spice duck liver was delicious.

We then checked out the shopping mall while we waited for it to get dark. Once it was dark we wnt to the 4th floor of the mall and the North observation area. Hong Kong at night is beautiful.

We took the tram back down the peak and took bus 15c back to Star Ferry Pier. We then took bus 70 to Aberdeen and ate a late dinner at the Garden restaurant. I can't give exact directions but it was on the third floor of one of the buildings there. It was clearly popular with the locals; It was very big and pretty crowded. The Lemon chicken was very sweet while my friend got the goose. We then took bus 70 back to the hotel although we did have a fairly long walk (it was worth it when we passed the Lamborghini dealership).

Anyway, that was our first day in Hong Kong. I'll be back with day 2 soon!

Learn to cook on vacation

The Seattle Times has an article on a barbecue school and also mentions that food themed vacations are becoming more popular. That reminds me of my own food themed trip to Hong Kong and Taiwan - I'll have the travel plan up for discussion soon...

Cathay Pacific All Asia Pass

Cathay Pacific is offering an All Asia Pass starting at $1,099 that includes round-trip air between New York and Hong Kong, and travel to any or all 18 Asian cities, including Bangkok, Osaka, Seoul and Bali. The pass is good for 21 consecutive days through Dec. 1. Taxes are extra and vary depending on cities. Info: http://www.cathayusa.com/ . Purchase through a travel agent.

Links for disabled travelers

The Malaysia Star has compiled a list of links for travelers with disabilities. The idea is to get in touch with disability organizations or disabled people in the country to which you're traveling. It doesn't say specifically, but I presume the next step is to get advice from those people about where to go and what to do on vacation. The websites are supposed to have information on travel insurance, flying, and assistance.

Yabusame

From my JAL newsletter:

Yabusame, or horseback archery, is a highlight of the annual Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture, festival of September 15th and 16th. Men wearing warrior's clothing simulated from that era fire arrows at a wooden target erected in the shrine precincts as they gallop by on horseback.

I know this won't appeal to everyone, but for someone like me this sounds pretty cool. I'll be teaching and unable to go, but I'm putting on my list of things to see.