Travel plan idea blog

Mexico: Bahias de Huatulco (The Bays of Huatulco)

After a commenter on my Traveling to Mexico post mentioned Bahias de Huatulco (The Bays of Huatulco), I decided to do a little research. All I can find are positive comments.

It seems that the nature is unspoiled by the nice hotels:

Pristine beaches and jungle landscapes can make for an idyllic retreat from the stress of daily life -- and when viewed from a luxury hotel balcony, even better. Huatulco is for those who want to enjoy the beauty of nature during the day, then retreat to well-appointed comfort by night.

The closest thing to a complaint that I can find is that there's not much nightlife and that dining is expensive considering the quality of the food.

I'm not sure it's good news that the government agency FONATUR (the same agency responsible for Cancun) is developing Bahias de Huatulco (The Bays of Huatulco), but at least they are planning to preserve much of the nature. One thing I know I don't like is that some small local communities have been transplanted from the coast into Crucecita.

What are the bays you ask...

Bahía de San Augustín is the westernmost bay and is remote to the main development area. The town of San Augustín is located here. It can be accessed by a dirt road which exits the Carretera Costera (Hwy 200) near the Huatulco International Airport.

Bahía Chachacual is three miles east of San Augustín.

Bahías Cacaluta, Oregano, and Maguey are small bays located 2-3 miles west of Santa Cruz.

Bahía de Santa Cruz is a small bay on which the original town of Santa Cruz is located. The cruise ship dock, Playa Chahue and Playa La Entrega are in this bay.

Bahía Chahue is a larger bay immediately to the east of Santa Cruz and close to La Crucecita.

Bahía Tangolunda, east of Chahue, is where the more upscale resort hotels are located.

Bahía Conejos is just to the east of Tangolunda.

Travel to Mexico

The latest hurricane has destroyed resorts in Cancun and Cozumel, so people who had been planning to travel to Mexico need to make new plans. Mexico is still an option: "There is much more to Mexico than Cancun and Cozumel; those just happen to be the easiest to access from this part of the country,” said Linda Jenkins, manager of leisure travel for Conference and Travel.

Acapulco, the Mexican Riviera, Mexican Baja. I've never been to any of these places, but I imagine they can be at least as good as a trip to Cancun. I don't think a visit to Cancun is one of those unique travel experiences people like to talk about. I've been to Cancun but I don't think I've ever bother writing about it until now. It's a great place to party, but I'm sure it's not the only place...

Meet me in Site59.com

Site59.com has a feature called "Meet me in?" This helps people who don't live in the same area make travel plans together. As Frommers asks:

How many times have you tried to coordinate travel plans with a friend, relative or significant other who lives half way across the country? You have to deal with scheduling problems, flights arriving at different times, not being able to take advantage of package deals because you don't technically meet the double occupancy rule etc. Well, say goodbye to these obstacles and experience the ease of last minute travel with far away friends without the headaches.

Meet me in features one destination, two departures cities, and you can meet up to three friends or travel companions. There is also a traditional one departure city search option.

When using the 2 departure city option, one nice feature is the time together noted with every itinerary. Here's the official site59.com stuff:

Site59 offers affordable last-minute weekend getaways (from 14 days up to three hours before departure) to 165 destinations across the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America from 150+ North American cities. With real-time inventory from over 4,000 suppliers worldwide, Site59 last-minute getaways combine flight and hotel (with optional car), flight and car, and hotel and car options, and can also include travel extras and editor-recommended destination highlights so that travelers can make the most of their weekend getaway.

Mount Taishan

Mount Taishanis located in the central part of Shan Dong Province between the cities Ji'nan and Tai'an Cities. At 1,545 meters, it's not the highest mountain in china, but it is probably the most famous. I don't know much about the history but I'm told that Emporers used to go there to worship and there's a big stone gate that they would walk through during certain ceremonies.

People go here for he sun set and the sun rise. Somehow I managed to get on the tour that missed both. It was the first tour I've ever taken, and I'm not anxious to go on another.

It took 5 or 6 hours to hike up (we had a local guide and he started us off about half way up the mountain in a very rural area where locals where breaking rocks apart by using hammers to smash wedges into the large stones). It was supposed to take 3 or 4 hours but some people couldn't keep up. This was irritating not only because we missed the sunset, but also because we had to finish the hike in the dark which was fairly dangerous.

Then the next morning we had to take the cable car down the mountain early in he morning, leaving us with too little time to get from our hotel to the peak to see the sunrise.

Regarding hotels, we stayed in the Xian Ju hotel. We had to because it is very close to the cable car and while we hiked our luggage was brought up in cable cars and transferred to the hotel. Getting the luggage to one of the better hotels would have been too difficult for the guides.

If you're traveling light enough, stay in the Shen Ji hotel. You'll have to carry your luggage 10-15 minutes including up a bunch of stairs, but the Xian Ju hotel is a real dump.

Anyway, I recommend Taishan Mountain as long as you leave enough time to see the sunset and the sunrise. If you're taking the cable car thi should be no problem (it's 45 Yaun each way), but if you're hiking then leave early and choose your company wisely.

An images search for Tai Shan mountain, or Taishan (and similar terms) yields some great photos of the most famous mountain in China.

Hiking USA

I just read a CNN article about a couple that hiked for 8 months to cross America. Averaging 22 miles a day with only 4 days off seems like a tough vacation to me:

They overcame deep snow in the East, a quicksand scare in Utah, close lightning strikes in the Midwest and blinding desert sandstorms in the West while averaging 22 miles a day and taking only four days off.

The transcontinental trail starts in Delaware, meandering through Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, St. Louis and other cities, 14 national parks and 16 national forests before hitting the Pacific at Point Reyes.

More trouble in Bali

After explosions in Bali that seem to have been aimed at tourists (the three bombs went off in tourist restaurants) many are wondering what the impact on tourism will be.

Reaction seems to be much calmer than after the bombings in 2002, and Japan hasn't even changed its tourist advisory for Bali. Personally, I'm thinking about nearby destinations that are also worth visiting like Cebu in the Phillipines and Langkawi in Malaysia.

Interesting travel ideas

Susan ferrell, a travel agent in North Carolina had a few interesting ideas about "experiential travel." Clients are seeking adventures that none of their friends can say been there, done that about, such as hot air ballooning over the Mareeba Valley in Australia to spot a "mob" of Kangaroos.

She also mentions multi-generational trips - take the grandkids on a safari and spend the last day with children at an orphanage in Kenya. Another cool one is floating down the Yangtze River in China to see small villages for the last time. They are soon to be under water when a dam is complete.

These are also reasons to consider a travel agent instead of a site like expedia. A good travel agent is supposed to find the best value rather than the cheapest price.

Uncomfortable in hotel rooms?

I've never had any trouble adjusting to hotel rooms, but apparently there are people who do. I've been researching what people do to make their hotel rooms feel more comfortable:

Sight: small, framed pictures of family members, your house, your hometown, your pets, etc.

Smell: if you use a specific air freshener or scented candle in your home you can make your hotel room smell the same way.

Sight and smell: Pick up a bouqet of fresh flowers or a flowering plant (which you can give as a gift to someone you meet on the trip when it's time to leave).

Sound: Music, either from your hotel radio or from an MP3 or portable CD player.

Taste: Either snack food that reminds you of home or food that reminds you where you are (for local drinks and snacks try a convenience mart like a 7-11 or something).

Touch: You can bring a favorite blanket or pillow especially if it smell like a loved one who isn't making the trip with you.

Spiritual: Mnay hotel rooms have a Bible but if you're Buddhist (for example) you may want to bring your own spiritual reading material.

Feng Shui:

"singing bowls" are used in Feng Shui to purify the energy in a room. Sometimes a small bell or a wind chime is used to create cleansing, soothing sounds.

small, folding paper fans can be used to direct positive energy towards areas that you'd like to enhance. To enhance an area, apparently you open the fan almost fully. The base will form a slight point. The curved side of the fan and the supports of the fan should point towards the area you want to improve.

For example, to improve the impression that you make when you meet people, display an upward pointing red fan in the Fame area of your hotel room. (Never point a fan straight up or down; always display it at an angle, even if the angle is very slight.) You can attach it to the wall using non-marking, easily removed poster adhesive that you can purchase any office supply store.

Or, to enhance the general Feng Shui energy of your hotel room, attached a golden colored fan immediately inside your hotel room entry, next to the doorway, opposite the door itself.