We have heard that the major airlines have been asked to cut back, change their schedules and do what ever it takes to make flights more timely. Woo hoo! Glad to hear it! Way to go….hey wait a minute this is going to affect me, I’m not so sure about this.
We have flights booked to ST Maarten for mid April. We will travel from KC to Dallas with an overnight stay and then on to Miami and ST Maarten the next day. Our flight from MCI to DFW has been changed twice! Is all ok but a bit crazy. Flight was changed within a week of us booking from a 5PM to 7PM flight. This was ok but did get us into Dallas a bit late. Going to meet a friend so meant Rob wasn’t planning much sleep. This week that flight was changed back to 5PM flight. This is better for Rob but as long as there is a seat and they are relatively on time…I’ll be a good sport about this and just call it all good! Funny thing is I have looked on AA’s site for seating and both planes are pretty much empty for the flights that are scheduled. KC to Dallas has lots of business commuters so I am sure the flights will fill up, I just find this moving schedule to be at this point a bit humorous. I will however say that if they mess with my flights to Miami and on to SXM I will be more than a bit agitated. We have to take a cab from the flight landing at PJIA to Marigot and on to the Ferry to AXA then another cab….hoping to be checked in before 5PM really don’t want this part of the plan to fall thru. Guess we shall see!!!
Nuff said....In case I am not back on line before the holiday Merry Christmas to all.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The Iceman cometh……
Got the first snow out of the way here in KC now we got an ice storm to add to the list. Best part is that I have a new camera to play with. The ice storm struck over several days but the temp remained around 32 degrees so the roads did not freeze over. Makes for some fun pix. I even brought the camera to work today and walked around our area shooting scenes of the ice. Is a lot of fun and cant wait to get back home to mess with the pix.
While it is cold here I have my mind on SXM a mere 18 weeks away. We have everything taken care of and only thing left to pay is for the rental car, food and activities. There wont be too many activities that cost too much. We will rent a car on Anguilla for a day and we plan on going to Pinel island as well as Green Key…. May get a photographer on island to take a few shots of us but we will see that part depends on me losing some weight and I have done nothing but eat so there may not be any photographic evidence of me being there except for the pix I turn out!
While it is cold here I have my mind on SXM a mere 18 weeks away. We have everything taken care of and only thing left to pay is for the rental car, food and activities. There wont be too many activities that cost too much. We will rent a car on Anguilla for a day and we plan on going to Pinel island as well as Green Key…. May get a photographer on island to take a few shots of us but we will see that part depends on me losing some weight and I have done nothing but eat so there may not be any photographic evidence of me being there except for the pix I turn out!
Friday, December 7, 2007
Winter had to happen one day!!!
Damn!, we got our first real snow of the season yesterday. I am over winter now!!!
We are expecting ice this weekend too. Yuck! Did I say that I am definitely over winter now? Well I am. Contacted a friend in ST Maarten today and asked if there was room cause I was catching a plane down. Ok was joking with her but one snow and I am…oh yeah….said that already. With the ice that we are supposed to get I should get some nice photos, at least I hope so! Here is to KC not losing power this weekend once the storms hit. And about that winter thing....I realy am over it. Come on Spring!!
Today's good news is I did procure a second room for the week so my buddy John and a lucky friend as of yet to be named will be joining us on island for part of our trip. We traveled with him on another trip to the islands and had a good time. Actually too good of a time and he and I acted like a couple of college freshman on spring break. That wont be happening again this time but we will have fun. We have both since decided that we are interested in photography so our next trip will yield lots of photos.
My dream is to make a coffee table book of photos of ST Maarten and Anguilla for our home. I am most concerned about the writing aspect with the book. I think I have skills enough to take the pictures I want. Ok, my book my pictures!!!
We are expecting ice this weekend too. Yuck! Did I say that I am definitely over winter now? Well I am. Contacted a friend in ST Maarten today and asked if there was room cause I was catching a plane down. Ok was joking with her but one snow and I am…oh yeah….said that already. With the ice that we are supposed to get I should get some nice photos, at least I hope so! Here is to KC not losing power this weekend once the storms hit. And about that winter thing....I realy am over it. Come on Spring!!
Today's good news is I did procure a second room for the week so my buddy John and a lucky friend as of yet to be named will be joining us on island for part of our trip. We traveled with him on another trip to the islands and had a good time. Actually too good of a time and he and I acted like a couple of college freshman on spring break. That wont be happening again this time but we will have fun. We have both since decided that we are interested in photography so our next trip will yield lots of photos.
My dream is to make a coffee table book of photos of ST Maarten and Anguilla for our home. I am most concerned about the writing aspect with the book. I think I have skills enough to take the pictures I want. Ok, my book my pictures!!!
Monday, December 3, 2007
Paddle Faster.....I hear banjo music!!
We went to Branson Missouri this weekend. For those that don’t know this is the blue hair capital of America! We have family that lives there and went to celebrate a birthday.
I saw a t-shirt that made me laugh….it was Paddle Faster, I hear banjo music.
Not much of a country music fan and next to Nashville there are more country performers in Branson than anywhere else. We did however go to one of the shows. I can honestly say I had a good time. The show consisted of six brothers that sang for almost 2 hours with no instruments other than their voices. A couple of the brothers could beat-box and all sang lead for differing music types. Best part of the show for me was the Christmas component. They were fantastic in this section of the show. They close with a salute to all Veterans which brought the house to their feet.
We later went to a Stone Hill winery tasting and were disappointed with that. Issue being Stone Hill is good at making the German types of sweet white wines, neither of us care for Rieslings’ and such…we drink the heartier reds. Oh well, we visited and moved on!!
One of my favorite things to do when visiting is Sunday brunch at Big Cedar lodge….very nice food and a beautiful setting. Is fantastic!!! http://www.big-cedar.com/ I snapped a few pix there as the grounds are breath taking.
I saw a t-shirt that made me laugh….it was Paddle Faster, I hear banjo music.
Not much of a country music fan and next to Nashville there are more country performers in Branson than anywhere else. We did however go to one of the shows. I can honestly say I had a good time. The show consisted of six brothers that sang for almost 2 hours with no instruments other than their voices. A couple of the brothers could beat-box and all sang lead for differing music types. Best part of the show for me was the Christmas component. They were fantastic in this section of the show. They close with a salute to all Veterans which brought the house to their feet.
We later went to a Stone Hill winery tasting and were disappointed with that. Issue being Stone Hill is good at making the German types of sweet white wines, neither of us care for Rieslings’ and such…we drink the heartier reds. Oh well, we visited and moved on!!
One of my favorite things to do when visiting is Sunday brunch at Big Cedar lodge….very nice food and a beautiful setting. Is fantastic!!! http://www.big-cedar.com/ I snapped a few pix there as the grounds are breath taking.
We were there after a wedding and found this rose pedal on a trail...
The new pix are test drives of a new digital camera that I have in hand….practice for my shooting in St Maarten in April.
The new pix are test drives of a new digital camera that I have in hand….practice for my shooting in St Maarten in April.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thinking of SXM
As many of you know I frequent a travel board by the name of Travel Talk on Line or www.TTOL.com There was some conversation this week about waterfalls on the island.
When we were last on island we walked the entirety of Baie Rouge. At the far West end past the last house there were cliffs with a small waterfall. This may be man made from one of the palatial palaces on the cliffs or run off from landscaping and or their pool but I did snap a pic ….
There was also an earthquake off the shore of Martinique yesterday. I sent one of my friends on SXM a note asking how they fared and it sounded like pretty well. She said she was in her car at the time so felt it but at first thought her car was acting up. Said no damage to her home or the resort she works at. Damage aside I was just glad to hear that her entire family was safe.
I knew that there was volcanic activity in the general area as well as a very deep trench off of Puerto Rico but for some reason never gave significant earthquakes a thought….guess was just thinking too much about hurricanes…oh yeah that season officially ends today too! Woo Hoo my favorite island has escaped for yet another storm season.
When we were last on island we walked the entirety of Baie Rouge. At the far West end past the last house there were cliffs with a small waterfall. This may be man made from one of the palatial palaces on the cliffs or run off from landscaping and or their pool but I did snap a pic ….
There was also an earthquake off the shore of Martinique yesterday. I sent one of my friends on SXM a note asking how they fared and it sounded like pretty well. She said she was in her car at the time so felt it but at first thought her car was acting up. Said no damage to her home or the resort she works at. Damage aside I was just glad to hear that her entire family was safe.
I knew that there was volcanic activity in the general area as well as a very deep trench off of Puerto Rico but for some reason never gave significant earthquakes a thought….guess was just thinking too much about hurricanes…oh yeah that season officially ends today too! Woo Hoo my favorite island has escaped for yet another storm season.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Re-visiting parts of our trip checklist…
Tier I (make or break stuff) COMPLETED!!!!
Step 1 pick dates…check
Step 2 invite friends….check
Step 3 book Time Share…..check
Step 4 book extra days on Anguilla……check three days at the Allamanda on Upper Shoal Bay.
Step 5 price flights…..check and not only priced but purchased.
Tier II (nice to have…..very nice to have) Big changes on this front!!!Big ticket items to purchase (hopefully) before tripPurchase 1 Procure a laptop from son….This purchase took a huge turn this weekend. Darned Black Friday Sales…lol. Had son’s laptop and got it running again but still needed a battery. Found a great sale on a pretty decent laptop and decided to scoop one up. So now I am not in process of rebuilding his machine rather learning Vista software on my new one. This task can now be checked off as done!
Purchase 2 New digital camera(s) Eldest son just purchased the Canon Rebel XTi 10.1 MP……Has offered to loan it to me for our vacation….still investigating an Olympus point and shoot that can be used in snorkeling…depth to 33’ with no external case, I’m very interested. Most likely done here too but one never knows.Purchase 3 pick up some dive equipment for CB (child bride) …at least the “underwear” We have a mask and snorkel. Will probably hold off on the fins as we are planning to pack carry on luggage only and fins won’t fit into that combination… Pretty much finished here as well.
We are still planning activities for the trip and I have contacted a local dive shop on Anguilla to set up dives but the other activities will wait until we are on island.
My page will be changing a bit soon as we have met almost all tasks needed to be finished for our trip. We are already kicking around where to go next year and who to go with….It wont be back to St Maarten next year for sure…we are actually talking about either Mexico or possibly the Florida Keys…
Step 1 pick dates…check
Step 2 invite friends….check
Step 3 book Time Share…..check
Step 4 book extra days on Anguilla……check three days at the Allamanda on Upper Shoal Bay.
Step 5 price flights…..check and not only priced but purchased.
Tier II (nice to have…..very nice to have) Big changes on this front!!!Big ticket items to purchase (hopefully) before tripPurchase 1 Procure a laptop from son….This purchase took a huge turn this weekend. Darned Black Friday Sales…lol. Had son’s laptop and got it running again but still needed a battery. Found a great sale on a pretty decent laptop and decided to scoop one up. So now I am not in process of rebuilding his machine rather learning Vista software on my new one. This task can now be checked off as done!
Purchase 2 New digital camera(s) Eldest son just purchased the Canon Rebel XTi 10.1 MP……Has offered to loan it to me for our vacation….still investigating an Olympus point and shoot that can be used in snorkeling…depth to 33’ with no external case, I’m very interested. Most likely done here too but one never knows.Purchase 3 pick up some dive equipment for CB (child bride) …at least the “underwear” We have a mask and snorkel. Will probably hold off on the fins as we are planning to pack carry on luggage only and fins won’t fit into that combination… Pretty much finished here as well.
We are still planning activities for the trip and I have contacted a local dive shop on Anguilla to set up dives but the other activities will wait until we are on island.
My page will be changing a bit soon as we have met almost all tasks needed to be finished for our trip. We are already kicking around where to go next year and who to go with….It wont be back to St Maarten next year for sure…we are actually talking about either Mexico or possibly the Florida Keys…
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Same flight…way different price!!
Got on line today to add my FF id for my flights to ST Maarten in April.
While there I poked around a bit and selected the same flights to the island and back ….wow what a difference in pricing. I thought I did well getting our tickets at about $600 each. Guess I did really well as the fare today was over $1500 each for yes the exact same flights and no this isn’t first class either!
I know that the airlines change the prices of their seats almost daily but come on!!!
This is exactly the reason I watch several travel sites for months before I decide to pull the plug when the price is satisfactory to me.
When we travel to the islands we book our timeshare 13 months out and then at 360 days out from the end of the trip I start looking for airfare…best days I have found to watch for sales seem to be Tuesday and Wednesdays. Have made it into a routine to browse several sites and when they get to a price that my wife and I agreed upon, I whip out the card and grab up a couple of tickets.
Know that the airlines are making the business travelers or those that have to fly last minute pay dearly while those of us that can sit on dates can find deals.
While there I poked around a bit and selected the same flights to the island and back ….wow what a difference in pricing. I thought I did well getting our tickets at about $600 each. Guess I did really well as the fare today was over $1500 each for yes the exact same flights and no this isn’t first class either!
I know that the airlines change the prices of their seats almost daily but come on!!!
This is exactly the reason I watch several travel sites for months before I decide to pull the plug when the price is satisfactory to me.
When we travel to the islands we book our timeshare 13 months out and then at 360 days out from the end of the trip I start looking for airfare…best days I have found to watch for sales seem to be Tuesday and Wednesdays. Have made it into a routine to browse several sites and when they get to a price that my wife and I agreed upon, I whip out the card and grab up a couple of tickets.
Know that the airlines are making the business travelers or those that have to fly last minute pay dearly while those of us that can sit on dates can find deals.
Monday, November 12, 2007
We are slowly getting there.
Well folks the calendar keeps changing, the weather is going from Indian summer to oh my God it is getting chilly and Rob isn’t too happy! I think the season change has impacted me and I suffer from an affective disorder that when I don’t get enough sun my body goes into a mild depression. Obviously time to blog and think about this Spring sitting on the beach with my beautiful wife and celebrating a quarter century together.
Am looking at cameras on a regular basis and think we have a purchase narrowed down to a couple of possibilities. One is another point and shoot…with a bit of a twist. Olympus makes a 7.1 megapixel point and shoot that is good to 33’ under water…something to snorkel with for sure and play a bit in the surf … the other is more traditionally what I am looking for. I really have the itch for a D-SLR camera. I am an ole 35 mm guy and would love to be able to do some nice depth of field work and to be able to change out a couple of lenses. Of course a D-SLR will run me more than twice the price of the Olympus camera.
My wife spent some time looking at our pictures from years past and said that it was fun to look at all of those and to reminisce about all the fun we have had on island. She also discussed starting to tuck away some money for our next trip … a mere 5 months away.
We still have lots to do and plan but some of this will be last minute planning. I still need to find a photographer on island for some portraits. We will have some friends meeting us on island and have talked of taking a day trip to Prickly Pear.
Some of the things of interest we plan on doing…. 3 days on Anguilla, there we would like to drive around the island and visit a few beaches, possibly pick up a couple of dives and enjoy some fantastic food.
7 days on ST Maarten, will visit Grand Case for a nice meal, go to Pinel island as well as Green Cay. Visit Friar’s Bay and make the hike over to Happy Bay. I know it seems like a lot but when we get to the beach we do relax a lot so no problems mon. We will be rested upon our return.
More later…….
Am looking at cameras on a regular basis and think we have a purchase narrowed down to a couple of possibilities. One is another point and shoot…with a bit of a twist. Olympus makes a 7.1 megapixel point and shoot that is good to 33’ under water…something to snorkel with for sure and play a bit in the surf … the other is more traditionally what I am looking for. I really have the itch for a D-SLR camera. I am an ole 35 mm guy and would love to be able to do some nice depth of field work and to be able to change out a couple of lenses. Of course a D-SLR will run me more than twice the price of the Olympus camera.
My wife spent some time looking at our pictures from years past and said that it was fun to look at all of those and to reminisce about all the fun we have had on island. She also discussed starting to tuck away some money for our next trip … a mere 5 months away.
We still have lots to do and plan but some of this will be last minute planning. I still need to find a photographer on island for some portraits. We will have some friends meeting us on island and have talked of taking a day trip to Prickly Pear.
Some of the things of interest we plan on doing…. 3 days on Anguilla, there we would like to drive around the island and visit a few beaches, possibly pick up a couple of dives and enjoy some fantastic food.
7 days on ST Maarten, will visit Grand Case for a nice meal, go to Pinel island as well as Green Cay. Visit Friar’s Bay and make the hike over to Happy Bay. I know it seems like a lot but when we get to the beach we do relax a lot so no problems mon. We will be rested upon our return.
More later…….
Monday, October 29, 2007
New Logo.....
Rob is excited, at the Pirate party my buddy bbdJohn presented me with the logo above to use on our websites. Happenings......
It’s been two weeks since I have added to my BLOG and there have been plenty of happenings. We hosted our annual Pirates and Wenches party and it was a blast. There will be more about that on my webpage soon along with pictures to incriminate some.
Newest and best is a friend of mine and I are working on a combined website. WWW.Beachjunkie.com and he presented me with a logo for use with beachjunkie and my AXARob site as well. I will post it in the next few days. This is an initial view of the logo as there will be a few tweaks to it before we make it ours to keep.
I have another friend here in the Kansas City area that is getting together a business of his own and we have been talking of ways to link our pages in and interweave some of what we have. I am learning from him and helping him in some other areas. Is fun that we are both from Kansas City and so love the Caribbean that we are willing to spend most of our free time focusing on the islands mon!
As I posted some time ago, we have purchased our tickets for our April trip to the island. I check on them regularly to make sure AA hasn’t changed flights on us. We land early enough to grab a cab to Marigot and catch a ferry over to Anguilla for a few days of rest on Upper Shoal Bay. Have contacted Shoal Bay diving about taking a couple of dives with them too.
I booked our flights using the cheap tickets website www.cheaptickets.com . We found a great fare but cheap tickets but as in my last post we were not able to book all seats thru them. I got back on AA’s site and had no problems booking seats for all flights. We want to sit on the left side of the plane coming into the island for pix during landing and on the right side on the way out so we can snag some pix of the island as we leave….
I also want to sit in front of the wing and to have a window seat coming and going to the island. Aisle seating for me the other 4 flights.
If you see this logo while on island, come by and say hi. We may have a small gift for you ....if we get enough items printed.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Ramblings about American Air and a party
American is already at it!
We just booked flights last week and already a change to my itinerary. This one isn’t too bas as our first flight is KC to Dallas with an overnight. The change was that the flight is an hour later and we will get into Dallas at around 9:15 PM Will have to be back at the airport at about 4:30 so we can check in for a 6AM flight so not much sleep but some is better than none by all means!!! Best part of this SNAFU is that I was going thru Cheaptickets.com to book my flights and seats. They only let me book seating for 3 of the 6 flights. I then got on American’s site and with my conformation code pulled up my flights….was able to book seating on all flights….that is as long as they don’t change yet again!!
Pirates dead ahead!!
This week is ratchet up time for our second annual Pirates and Wenches party which is this Saturday night. Spent all weekend either buying stuff for the party or getting the house ready…which is kind of funny as it now looks like the set of the movie Twister after the storm. We moved all of our furniture to our hardwood floors and cleaned all the carpets yesterday…tonight no Monday Night Football for Rob as I will be moving all of the furniture back to where it belongs. No problem at all. We have all the rum we need for the party and now will need to pick up a bit more Grand Marnier. All three kinds of juice are in our possession so now it is just a matter of food and dressing the part. Oops forgot that we still have to get a couple pumpkins and carve them too….
We just booked flights last week and already a change to my itinerary. This one isn’t too bas as our first flight is KC to Dallas with an overnight. The change was that the flight is an hour later and we will get into Dallas at around 9:15 PM Will have to be back at the airport at about 4:30 so we can check in for a 6AM flight so not much sleep but some is better than none by all means!!! Best part of this SNAFU is that I was going thru Cheaptickets.com to book my flights and seats. They only let me book seating for 3 of the 6 flights. I then got on American’s site and with my conformation code pulled up my flights….was able to book seating on all flights….that is as long as they don’t change yet again!!
Pirates dead ahead!!
This week is ratchet up time for our second annual Pirates and Wenches party which is this Saturday night. Spent all weekend either buying stuff for the party or getting the house ready…which is kind of funny as it now looks like the set of the movie Twister after the storm. We moved all of our furniture to our hardwood floors and cleaned all the carpets yesterday…tonight no Monday Night Football for Rob as I will be moving all of the furniture back to where it belongs. No problem at all. We have all the rum we need for the party and now will need to pick up a bit more Grand Marnier. All three kinds of juice are in our possession so now it is just a matter of food and dressing the part. Oops forgot that we still have to get a couple pumpkins and carve them too….
Friday, October 12, 2007
Update to pre-trip planning
DISCLAIMER: This covers where I am in the planning stage Since we are now a few days shy of being 6 months before we get on island. This covers the list that I posted on August 29th so if you dont want to see the update...You may wish to skip this one.
All tier I planning completed.
A. Dates are set. We will be on island(s) from 16-26 April….woo hoo, first three days will be in Anguilla and the rest at our timeshare.
B. We have invited some friends along, unfortunately one couple said that they would be unable to make it ….they have a son that is a senior in HS and I can fully understand that they don’t want to miss any of that. The other person we have invited is a friend we will call BBDJohn….long story that I may or may not explain here.
C. Timeshare is booked for 19-26 April. I will have to add a room fairly soon to get BBDJohn a place but that should be no problem at all.
D. Anguilla. We are booked at the Allamanda on Upper Shoal Bay for the evenings of the 16-18th of April with a checkout on Saturday returning to ST Maarten to finish our vacation. Just CB and I will be on the AXA leg of this trip. We are soooo looking forward to this! Will rent a car for one of the days here to explore a bit but don’t know who from just yet. Maybe we will get ahold of our old friend Dennis Mussington and see if he will give us the guided tour and maybe just drop us off at a few places for a while.
E. Have airline booked….$600 each from KC. We do overnight in Dallas on the first evening but that is no problem as we will be in the islands before 2PM the next day.
F. Have made arrangements with AAA car rental for a Corolla for the week we are on island….it is $150 a week and no we don’t need a car that size but Rob is a big guy and would like to have a bit more room and is willing to pay for the extra space. I am bigger than some of those little cars on island…LOL
Tier II
1. Laptop is working but needs a new battery. No sweat we still have the holiday coming up. It is an older laptop so is pretty heavy but I will be taking it with us so I can blog and post pix while there.
2. Still in market for the DSLR. May stick with what we have but really really want a new camera.
3. Dive Equipment. Dunno how much we will need I have full set of dive underwear and wife has mask, may get her a snorkel and fins and be done with it or may rent fins there so all can still be done with carry on like we like it to be.
Tier III
Activities while on island.
These we have discussed and are continuing to discuss.
#1&2 I think we will either do Prickly Pear trip or dive but most likely not both, this will be CB’s decision.
#3 Jet ski out to Caye Verte…this is a Rob decision and I really want to do this one so my guess is we will. For those that don’t know this is the little island in front of Club O.
#4 Beaches. We have added 2 must do’s to our list one being Pinel Island and the other the jet ski trip above. List of other beaches is Cupecoy, Long , Plum, Rouge ( that covers the lowlands) Would like to obviously go to Orient as well as Friar’s and even a little hike over the hill from there to Happy. With timeline some of these will be partial day visits for us.
#5 Dinner in Grand Case area….will do but not too sure where yet.
#6 We are still in need of rousting up a photographer for some photos.
#7 Meet with some TTOL friends for a dinner out or at least a few drinks
Well there is the trip plan update…we are truly most of the way done…now I can sit back and think about things like…a new camera and activities to do for our 25th anniversary on island.
All tier I planning completed.
A. Dates are set. We will be on island(s) from 16-26 April….woo hoo, first three days will be in Anguilla and the rest at our timeshare.
B. We have invited some friends along, unfortunately one couple said that they would be unable to make it ….they have a son that is a senior in HS and I can fully understand that they don’t want to miss any of that. The other person we have invited is a friend we will call BBDJohn….long story that I may or may not explain here.
C. Timeshare is booked for 19-26 April. I will have to add a room fairly soon to get BBDJohn a place but that should be no problem at all.
D. Anguilla. We are booked at the Allamanda on Upper Shoal Bay for the evenings of the 16-18th of April with a checkout on Saturday returning to ST Maarten to finish our vacation. Just CB and I will be on the AXA leg of this trip. We are soooo looking forward to this! Will rent a car for one of the days here to explore a bit but don’t know who from just yet. Maybe we will get ahold of our old friend Dennis Mussington and see if he will give us the guided tour and maybe just drop us off at a few places for a while.
E. Have airline booked….$600 each from KC. We do overnight in Dallas on the first evening but that is no problem as we will be in the islands before 2PM the next day.
F. Have made arrangements with AAA car rental for a Corolla for the week we are on island….it is $150 a week and no we don’t need a car that size but Rob is a big guy and would like to have a bit more room and is willing to pay for the extra space. I am bigger than some of those little cars on island…LOL
Tier II
1. Laptop is working but needs a new battery. No sweat we still have the holiday coming up. It is an older laptop so is pretty heavy but I will be taking it with us so I can blog and post pix while there.
2. Still in market for the DSLR. May stick with what we have but really really want a new camera.
3. Dive Equipment. Dunno how much we will need I have full set of dive underwear and wife has mask, may get her a snorkel and fins and be done with it or may rent fins there so all can still be done with carry on like we like it to be.
Tier III
Activities while on island.
These we have discussed and are continuing to discuss.
#1&2 I think we will either do Prickly Pear trip or dive but most likely not both, this will be CB’s decision.
#3 Jet ski out to Caye Verte…this is a Rob decision and I really want to do this one so my guess is we will. For those that don’t know this is the little island in front of Club O.
#4 Beaches. We have added 2 must do’s to our list one being Pinel Island and the other the jet ski trip above. List of other beaches is Cupecoy, Long , Plum, Rouge ( that covers the lowlands) Would like to obviously go to Orient as well as Friar’s and even a little hike over the hill from there to Happy. With timeline some of these will be partial day visits for us.
#5 Dinner in Grand Case area….will do but not too sure where yet.
#6 We are still in need of rousting up a photographer for some photos.
#7 Meet with some TTOL friends for a dinner out or at least a few drinks
Well there is the trip plan update…we are truly most of the way done…now I can sit back and think about things like…a new camera and activities to do for our 25th anniversary on island.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
“I love it when a plan comes together” -Col. John "Hannibal" Smith from The A-Team.
Yesterday I booked my airfare….have had our timeshare room for months.
Since then have booked our room in Anguilla at the Allamanda
http://www.wiol.com/anguilla/Allamanda/default.html?ref=google&gclid=CKGxn7GVgo8CFQ6CPAodeXKM2A
This is a very small hotel on beautiful Upper Shoal bay. The hotel has 3 floors and 20 rooms. Our room will be on the second floor. We are very excited. This stretch of beach is our favorite place to hang out and just lime the day away. We are only staying 3 days on island then going back to SXM for a week. This will be an easy 3 days for us...we will beach it and maybe take one day to dive.
Have also booked our rental car on SXM we will once again go with our friends at AAA. triplea@domaccess.com The car is a fair price and Alain has been so good for us to work with in the past. There are several good rental car companies on island, AAA was recommended to us by some friends and we are sticking with them. Is $150 a week for a Toyota Corolla + insurance and taxes….fair price for a decent car. AAA uses license plates from the French side of the island. The rental cars on the Dutch side all use plates that start with an R. this has been rumored to make them targets for break-ins as they know that the folks are rental and transient and the follow up with the local police isn’t much as even with an arrest it is very unlikely that a tourist will fly back to the island for a court date for petty crimes.
So as of today…rooms booked, flights taken care of, to include seat assignments. Most important there for us is to be on left side of the plane in front of the wing on the flight into SXM so I can take pictures of the island as we are coming in for landing.
Flights are KC to Dallas for an overnight stay then Dallas to Miami and Miami to SXM arriving at 1:55 PM. We will then grab a cab to Marigot for a ferry ride to Anguilla.
Three fantastic days on Anguilla and then ferry back to SXM for a week at our timeshare.
Return flights are an early morning flight out of SXM to San Juan. San Juan to Dallas and Dallas to KC arriving home at about 4PM. This is important to me as I will be leaving the next day to host a conference in Las Vegas. By then I will be pretty sick of travel for a couple of weeks any way.
Now am waiting to see if our buddy BBD John will be joining us in SXM with a guest.....John I am sure you will but we still need to make plans for you to stay....
Since then have booked our room in Anguilla at the Allamanda
http://www.wiol.com/anguilla/Allamanda/default.html?ref=google&gclid=CKGxn7GVgo8CFQ6CPAodeXKM2A
This is a very small hotel on beautiful Upper Shoal bay. The hotel has 3 floors and 20 rooms. Our room will be on the second floor. We are very excited. This stretch of beach is our favorite place to hang out and just lime the day away. We are only staying 3 days on island then going back to SXM for a week. This will be an easy 3 days for us...we will beach it and maybe take one day to dive.
Have also booked our rental car on SXM we will once again go with our friends at AAA. triplea@domaccess.com The car is a fair price and Alain has been so good for us to work with in the past. There are several good rental car companies on island, AAA was recommended to us by some friends and we are sticking with them. Is $150 a week for a Toyota Corolla + insurance and taxes….fair price for a decent car. AAA uses license plates from the French side of the island. The rental cars on the Dutch side all use plates that start with an R. this has been rumored to make them targets for break-ins as they know that the folks are rental and transient and the follow up with the local police isn’t much as even with an arrest it is very unlikely that a tourist will fly back to the island for a court date for petty crimes.
So as of today…rooms booked, flights taken care of, to include seat assignments. Most important there for us is to be on left side of the plane in front of the wing on the flight into SXM so I can take pictures of the island as we are coming in for landing.
Flights are KC to Dallas for an overnight stay then Dallas to Miami and Miami to SXM arriving at 1:55 PM. We will then grab a cab to Marigot for a ferry ride to Anguilla.
Three fantastic days on Anguilla and then ferry back to SXM for a week at our timeshare.
Return flights are an early morning flight out of SXM to San Juan. San Juan to Dallas and Dallas to KC arriving home at about 4PM. This is important to me as I will be leaving the next day to host a conference in Las Vegas. By then I will be pretty sick of travel for a couple of weeks any way.
Now am waiting to see if our buddy BBD John will be joining us in SXM with a guest.....John I am sure you will but we still need to make plans for you to stay....
Monday, October 8, 2007
Flight booked!!!!
I’ve been watching airfare prices since about March and today pulled the trigger.
Found flights on AA running about $150 less than they were recently and well within the price range I had set so, out came the plastic…a puff of smoke a few minutes later and we had our tickets/seats and actual flight times that were decent. ST Maarten here we come.
Have also made initial contact with the rental car company we use while on island.
Will also be trying to book a hotel room on Anguilla for 3 nights. Rob is getting excited....only 190 more days LOL!!
As you may have noticed if you have been following my blog…probably not many out there. I have not posted for some time now. I was pretty sick and spend a couple of weeks in the hospital after an emergency surgery. I am on the mend obviously and will have a nice scar on my foot …works well with my pirate costume…LOL
Nothing much else to add today but there will be more to come.
Found flights on AA running about $150 less than they were recently and well within the price range I had set so, out came the plastic…a puff of smoke a few minutes later and we had our tickets/seats and actual flight times that were decent. ST Maarten here we come.
Have also made initial contact with the rental car company we use while on island.
Will also be trying to book a hotel room on Anguilla for 3 nights. Rob is getting excited....only 190 more days LOL!!
As you may have noticed if you have been following my blog…probably not many out there. I have not posted for some time now. I was pretty sick and spend a couple of weeks in the hospital after an emergency surgery. I am on the mend obviously and will have a nice scar on my foot …works well with my pirate costume…LOL
Nothing much else to add today but there will be more to come.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Halloween Party Planning
Since the last blog I have gotten my unserviceable laptop back up and running and have downloaded Google earth and Picassa 2.0 software for picture editing.
Still checking flights regularly from KC to SXM. Have found some flights for as little as $628 including tax but the travel days are long and grueling….starting at around 7:30 AM from MCI and arriving in SXM after 10:00 PM. I know there are better flights for close to the same value so I keep surfing prices.
We are now hard at work on our yearly Pirates and Wenches Halloween costume party. Guest list is just about complete. We are working on additions to our costumes and soon will go buy all the liquor we will need (that should keep the local liquor store happy for a while). We go thru just a bit of rum at these little bashes. I make a pretty potent but good flavored grog. The punch consists of light, medium and dark rum’s (Pyrat rum of course) and Grand Marnier as well as orange, grapefruit and pineapple juices. This makes for an incredibly smooth rum punch (grog) that carries enough wallop to get any buccaneer or wenches attention in a hurry. This is one of those drinks that as long as you continue to drink and stay fairly still all is well but when you move about you realize just how liquored up you have become.
Still have menu items to consider…anyone out there know where I can get some hard-tack?? Will have a rum cake and other items like parrot (chicken) wings and pegs, veggies and lots of other sweets.
We are even looking to make it a bit more interesting, I have a palm reader lined up as well as ideas for some fun….when half crocked….games. Am gathering new music to play that either has a Pirate or escape to the Caribbean theme.
We really want to have a good time but want all to be responsible so we recommend all bring a designated driver or that they stay the night, we want to have fun but we have no intention of getting anyone hurt or in trouble with the local authorities.
Still checking flights regularly from KC to SXM. Have found some flights for as little as $628 including tax but the travel days are long and grueling….starting at around 7:30 AM from MCI and arriving in SXM after 10:00 PM. I know there are better flights for close to the same value so I keep surfing prices.
We are now hard at work on our yearly Pirates and Wenches Halloween costume party. Guest list is just about complete. We are working on additions to our costumes and soon will go buy all the liquor we will need (that should keep the local liquor store happy for a while). We go thru just a bit of rum at these little bashes. I make a pretty potent but good flavored grog. The punch consists of light, medium and dark rum’s (Pyrat rum of course) and Grand Marnier as well as orange, grapefruit and pineapple juices. This makes for an incredibly smooth rum punch (grog) that carries enough wallop to get any buccaneer or wenches attention in a hurry. This is one of those drinks that as long as you continue to drink and stay fairly still all is well but when you move about you realize just how liquored up you have become.
Still have menu items to consider…anyone out there know where I can get some hard-tack?? Will have a rum cake and other items like parrot (chicken) wings and pegs, veggies and lots of other sweets.
We are even looking to make it a bit more interesting, I have a palm reader lined up as well as ideas for some fun….when half crocked….games. Am gathering new music to play that either has a Pirate or escape to the Caribbean theme.
We really want to have a good time but want all to be responsible so we recommend all bring a designated driver or that they stay the night, we want to have fun but we have no intention of getting anyone hurt or in trouble with the local authorities.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Stepping thru pre-trip planning
(No I am not obsessed….ok maybe just a little)
You will also find I repeat some things here over and over...that is so my male mind remembers it otherwise it might slip away into oblivian....hey there is a game on....what was that I ment to write down....touchdown...oh well I'll remember later..or not!!!
Tier I (make or break stuff)
Step 1 pick dates…check
Step 2 invite friends….check
Step 3 book Time Share…..check
Step 4 book extra days on Anguilla……investigating
Step 5 price flights…..investigating heavily
Tier II (nice to have…..very nice to have)
Big ticket items to purchase (hopefully) before trip
Purchase 1 Procure a laptop from son….needs new hard drive and battery but otherwise I like all the extras this machine has on it……check
1a price out needed parts….investigating
1b purchase and install parts….on hold till 1a completed….duhh
Purchase 2 New digital camera(s) Looking at either a high end beginning DSLR or low end pro…thinking Canon XTi or D40 and possibly an inexpensive point and shoot as well……..investigating heavily Olympus has a point and shoot that can be used in snorkeling…depth to 30’ or so with no external case, I’m very interested.
Purchase 3 pick up some dive equipment for CB (child bride) …at least the “underwear” consisting of a good mask, snorkel a good set of split fins and some booties and possibly a shortie wetsuit. I usually use an on line shoppe….. http://www.leisurepro.com/ Have made several purchases and have been very happy with all.
Tier III (activities we know we want to do)
#1 a day trip to Prickly Pear with friends
#2 couple of mornings diving..one each in AXA and SXM
#3 jet ski over to CayVerte (Green Cay) and also ferry to Pinel Island
#4 visit way too many beaches. We try to get to 3-4 each time we go.
Last trip was Orient Plum and Cupecoy only. Trip before was Orient, Rouge, Longue, Plum. This trip already know we want to visit Pinel, Verte, Rouge, Plum, Friars, and Happy as well as Prickly Pear and a few days on Anguilla.
#5 dinner in Grand Case….yes we have been to the island several times and no we still have not eaten in GC. We certainly will this time.
#6 Contact island photographer and schedule a photo shoot with him...will provide name and review when I return.
We do pack a lot of activities into a trip but all is; 1. general and 2. changeable if one or other of us is not interested or has a better idea.
Yes this trip is still a long time off (231 days).
My planning is about passing time between the year mark in which we book our return to our Timeshare and the day we get on the plane.
Rob is a much happier person when thinking about and planning for vacation, if you don't believe me ask CB she will tell you.
We may get there and go to one or two beaches and never even think about anything or place else. But…..nah not like me at all.
I really like to explore and do something new and different each time we visit.
Kind of live by this plan…."make a thorough list write it down and then use it as my book mark while lying at the beach and laugh"…..thinking that we could have been too busy to enjoy much at all if we would have followed any plan.
You will also find I repeat some things here over and over...that is so my male mind remembers it otherwise it might slip away into oblivian....hey there is a game on....what was that I ment to write down....touchdown...oh well I'll remember later..or not!!!
Tier I (make or break stuff)
Step 1 pick dates…check
Step 2 invite friends….check
Step 3 book Time Share…..check
Step 4 book extra days on Anguilla……investigating
Step 5 price flights…..investigating heavily
Tier II (nice to have…..very nice to have)
Big ticket items to purchase (hopefully) before trip
Purchase 1 Procure a laptop from son….needs new hard drive and battery but otherwise I like all the extras this machine has on it……check
1a price out needed parts….investigating
1b purchase and install parts….on hold till 1a completed….duhh
Purchase 2 New digital camera(s) Looking at either a high end beginning DSLR or low end pro…thinking Canon XTi or D40 and possibly an inexpensive point and shoot as well……..investigating heavily Olympus has a point and shoot that can be used in snorkeling…depth to 30’ or so with no external case, I’m very interested.
Purchase 3 pick up some dive equipment for CB (child bride) …at least the “underwear” consisting of a good mask, snorkel a good set of split fins and some booties and possibly a shortie wetsuit. I usually use an on line shoppe….. http://www.leisurepro.com/ Have made several purchases and have been very happy with all.
Tier III (activities we know we want to do)
#1 a day trip to Prickly Pear with friends
#2 couple of mornings diving..one each in AXA and SXM
#3 jet ski over to CayVerte (Green Cay) and also ferry to Pinel Island
#4 visit way too many beaches. We try to get to 3-4 each time we go.
Last trip was Orient Plum and Cupecoy only. Trip before was Orient, Rouge, Longue, Plum. This trip already know we want to visit Pinel, Verte, Rouge, Plum, Friars, and Happy as well as Prickly Pear and a few days on Anguilla.
#5 dinner in Grand Case….yes we have been to the island several times and no we still have not eaten in GC. We certainly will this time.
#6 Contact island photographer and schedule a photo shoot with him...will provide name and review when I return.
We do pack a lot of activities into a trip but all is; 1. general and 2. changeable if one or other of us is not interested or has a better idea.
Yes this trip is still a long time off (231 days).
My planning is about passing time between the year mark in which we book our return to our Timeshare and the day we get on the plane.
Rob is a much happier person when thinking about and planning for vacation, if you don't believe me ask CB she will tell you.
We may get there and go to one or two beaches and never even think about anything or place else. But…..nah not like me at all.
I really like to explore and do something new and different each time we visit.
Kind of live by this plan…."make a thorough list write it down and then use it as my book mark while lying at the beach and laugh"…..thinking that we could have been too busy to enjoy much at all if we would have followed any plan.
Friday, August 24, 2007
To Do List has been Started......
We are starting to create a list of activities for our trip.
I am going to upgrade my camera and take lots of island pix. I so enjoy trying to find something unusual to shoot. Funny with all the pix I take very few are of people…
This trip we are even talking of getting a hand held GPS to plot our daily journey. Yes I am a bit obsessive but I also have my reasons…We (my friend that is going with us and I) are owners of a couple of websites and the more info we have the more we can share on those sites.
We will certainly hit a beach each day weather permitting.
Beaches we will most likely visit are in no particular order;
Orient, Cupecoy, Rouge, Baie aux Prunes, Firar’s, Happy, Pinel and Green Caye. We are talking of a day sail to Prickly Pear and will stay on Anguilla for a few days and hit a beach or two there as well.
I know that all those beaches sound like a lot especially to those that go to the same beach each day, but we enjoy the change of scenery and we may visit 2 beaches in a day…as some close enough to allow that. We will get plenty of time to do nothing more than relax for sure.
CB (my Child Bride, who she is actually older than I am but looks so much younger) and I are discussing a few half day dive adventures. If so we certainly will dive Anguilla waters and most likely a pair of St Maarten dives as well.
One of these trips we will make it to Saba but for now CB is more interested in shallow dives until she has a bit more experience. I am good with 30-70’ as well as 120’ as long as I am “getting wet” I am happy. I have done a two tank dive off of SXM before. We dove the wreck of the HMS Proselyte and another site just off of Simpson Bay. Not a lot to see but were able to keep skills up and to me I want to at least dive once a year. This of course means we will not do our normal carry on only baggage but since we will bring our own fins, mask and snorkel, will be checking luggage this time…yippee!!
Again this is a big anniversary so we will do a bit of shopping one day (LOOK FOR US Depti) and catch a very nice meal somewhere. I have found out thru Travel Talk OnLine (TTOL) that there will be at least 2 other couples there celebrating their anniversary the same week we will, is possible that we may all meet up for dinner somewhere in I’m sure Grand Case one evening.
We are not huge on dining out but will on several occasions. This will be our 5th trip to the island and we still have not eaten a meal in Grand Case. This trip we certainly will eat a meal or two there. We also enjoy Peg Leg Pub, good food, drinks and Sean’s hospitality is bar none best we have found on island. We do like to eat lunch out and always stop to see Andy and Cheryl for lunch as well as one of our little known favorites…ribs and chicken from Danny at Cupecoy. This time I also want to visit Halsey’s as the brother of the owner is from the KC area and become a friend of ours. We also want to try Hideaway’s at La Vista as well as our old stand by Zee Best for breakfast. I have given up my caffeine habit so there will not be that drive to go to Zee Best every day to get my day started with a double espresso like in the past but who knows by then may be drinking coffee again….
Will have a photo shoot on the beach taken of us to celebrate a quarter of a centaury together….cant believe CB has stayed with me that long….I wasn’t sure she would hang on 25 months and couldn’t imagine years but nothing makes me happier than the fact that she has.
Is interesting, our vacations are usually filled with activity but in the same sense very relaxing as we spend the biggest part of each day on the beach.
Nuff for today!!
I am going to upgrade my camera and take lots of island pix. I so enjoy trying to find something unusual to shoot. Funny with all the pix I take very few are of people…
This trip we are even talking of getting a hand held GPS to plot our daily journey. Yes I am a bit obsessive but I also have my reasons…We (my friend that is going with us and I) are owners of a couple of websites and the more info we have the more we can share on those sites.
We will certainly hit a beach each day weather permitting.
Beaches we will most likely visit are in no particular order;
Orient, Cupecoy, Rouge, Baie aux Prunes, Firar’s, Happy, Pinel and Green Caye. We are talking of a day sail to Prickly Pear and will stay on Anguilla for a few days and hit a beach or two there as well.
I know that all those beaches sound like a lot especially to those that go to the same beach each day, but we enjoy the change of scenery and we may visit 2 beaches in a day…as some close enough to allow that. We will get plenty of time to do nothing more than relax for sure.
CB (my Child Bride, who she is actually older than I am but looks so much younger) and I are discussing a few half day dive adventures. If so we certainly will dive Anguilla waters and most likely a pair of St Maarten dives as well.
One of these trips we will make it to Saba but for now CB is more interested in shallow dives until she has a bit more experience. I am good with 30-70’ as well as 120’ as long as I am “getting wet” I am happy. I have done a two tank dive off of SXM before. We dove the wreck of the HMS Proselyte and another site just off of Simpson Bay. Not a lot to see but were able to keep skills up and to me I want to at least dive once a year. This of course means we will not do our normal carry on only baggage but since we will bring our own fins, mask and snorkel, will be checking luggage this time…yippee!!
Again this is a big anniversary so we will do a bit of shopping one day (LOOK FOR US Depti) and catch a very nice meal somewhere. I have found out thru Travel Talk OnLine (TTOL) that there will be at least 2 other couples there celebrating their anniversary the same week we will, is possible that we may all meet up for dinner somewhere in I’m sure Grand Case one evening.
We are not huge on dining out but will on several occasions. This will be our 5th trip to the island and we still have not eaten a meal in Grand Case. This trip we certainly will eat a meal or two there. We also enjoy Peg Leg Pub, good food, drinks and Sean’s hospitality is bar none best we have found on island. We do like to eat lunch out and always stop to see Andy and Cheryl for lunch as well as one of our little known favorites…ribs and chicken from Danny at Cupecoy. This time I also want to visit Halsey’s as the brother of the owner is from the KC area and become a friend of ours. We also want to try Hideaway’s at La Vista as well as our old stand by Zee Best for breakfast. I have given up my caffeine habit so there will not be that drive to go to Zee Best every day to get my day started with a double espresso like in the past but who knows by then may be drinking coffee again….
Will have a photo shoot on the beach taken of us to celebrate a quarter of a centaury together….cant believe CB has stayed with me that long….I wasn’t sure she would hang on 25 months and couldn’t imagine years but nothing makes me happier than the fact that she has.
Is interesting, our vacations are usually filled with activity but in the same sense very relaxing as we spend the biggest part of each day on the beach.
Nuff for today!!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Today's Ramblings
I have continued investigating flights/fares and trying to decide my travel route…please keep in mind we aren’t going to the islands until April 2008….just a short 237 days away (but who’s counting besides Rob), so you can see my issue here right??.....right???
I think we have settled on a route….will be a lay over evening in most likely Miami. Then on to Anguilla for three days and will then ferry over to Marigot and take a taxi to our resort on ST Maarten for another 7 days. Return trip will all be in one Loooooong day. Price today looks to be around $750. I’ll keep shopping and the prices will come down some.
Next on my list is a new camera, have 2 shots at that. My birthday is in a couple of weeks and there is always dear ole Santa. Ok haven’t been good enough this year for Santa but one can hope. Am looking at a digital SLR. I am very familiar with Canon so am looking at a couple of cameras there. One around $600 and one around $1200. Guess which one Rob wants….yup!!!
Speaking of photography I still need to get the name of the photographer our friends used last year on island. They had their pix taken at Cupecoy just as the sun started to set. Great pix and I would like to use the same photographer. Maybe we can have a bit of an SXM reunion this weekend and get together with Jeff and Bonnie and procure the name of the photographer that they used…..if not there is always next weekend.
As you have probably already read…since you are reading this post. It will be our 25th anniversary. We are due for some new pix of the 2 of us. We were quite young when we married and are starting to get a bit long in the tooth and I am getting a bit round about the middle…now the Mrs is better looking every day, a mid 40’s knock out!!! Fun thing is I tell her that all the time and she doesn’t believe me.
Party time….If you have perused my site a bit you will read a story about a costume party we held last Halloween, it was pirates and wenches. Well it seemed to be a pretty big hit so P&W II will be coming this fall. We have locked down the date..it will be Oct 20th. It is a lot of fun and keeps in that Caribbean theme and gives me yet another hurdle to clear before our trip. We have the date and most of our costumes already….guest list is growing and will go out soon.
I think we have settled on a route….will be a lay over evening in most likely Miami. Then on to Anguilla for three days and will then ferry over to Marigot and take a taxi to our resort on ST Maarten for another 7 days. Return trip will all be in one Loooooong day. Price today looks to be around $750. I’ll keep shopping and the prices will come down some.
Next on my list is a new camera, have 2 shots at that. My birthday is in a couple of weeks and there is always dear ole Santa. Ok haven’t been good enough this year for Santa but one can hope. Am looking at a digital SLR. I am very familiar with Canon so am looking at a couple of cameras there. One around $600 and one around $1200. Guess which one Rob wants….yup!!!
Speaking of photography I still need to get the name of the photographer our friends used last year on island. They had their pix taken at Cupecoy just as the sun started to set. Great pix and I would like to use the same photographer. Maybe we can have a bit of an SXM reunion this weekend and get together with Jeff and Bonnie and procure the name of the photographer that they used…..if not there is always next weekend.
As you have probably already read…since you are reading this post. It will be our 25th anniversary. We are due for some new pix of the 2 of us. We were quite young when we married and are starting to get a bit long in the tooth and I am getting a bit round about the middle…now the Mrs is better looking every day, a mid 40’s knock out!!! Fun thing is I tell her that all the time and she doesn’t believe me.
Party time….If you have perused my site a bit you will read a story about a costume party we held last Halloween, it was pirates and wenches. Well it seemed to be a pretty big hit so P&W II will be coming this fall. We have locked down the date..it will be Oct 20th. It is a lot of fun and keeps in that Caribbean theme and gives me yet another hurdle to clear before our trip. We have the date and most of our costumes already….guest list is growing and will go out soon.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Catching up
Haven’t blogged lately, was fighting off a pair of nasty staff infections…all is now better.
Have been following airfares and thinking of cities to fly thru….so far have looked at KC-NY-SXM, KC-CLT-SXM, KC-MIA-SXM and now thinking of KC-MIA-SJU-AXA. We are planning a 3 night stay in Anguilla so flying in to AXA is a real possibility. Have to weigh out the $$$ difference as we would fly into SXM we would then need a cab and pay for the ferry over too..may be worth flying into AXA instead of SXM.
We will have some friends with us for part of our stay, he has been to the islands with us before but she has not. Will make for some fun adventures as we do like to go to Orient and Cupecoy but will not participate in the C/O lifestyle with friends from home. Folks we meet on island is a different set of circumstances but we have boundaries with friends from home.
I’ve also been toying with the idea of getting a certification as a travel agent but am slowly and cautiously looking into this. I have a job that already keeps me busy enough.
Our countdown to the island is 239 days…sounds like a long way away but…time will pass quickly and the planning is almost as fun as getting there to me. This year will be our 25th anniversary so I am doing a bit more digging into things to do on island that will be memorable. Am seriously thinking of procuring a photographer while on island to take some beach shots of my wife and I like one of our friends did for their 25th a year or so ago. Problem here is….I am a bit larger than I would like to be….ok 40 lbs larger.
I have changed my eating habits and will incorporate exercise in hopes that I can lose 25lbs or better before we go. That way I won’t embarrass myself for pictures.
Check in later as I am sure our adventures will gain steam as we strive to get back to the islands for vacation.
Have been following airfares and thinking of cities to fly thru….so far have looked at KC-NY-SXM, KC-CLT-SXM, KC-MIA-SXM and now thinking of KC-MIA-SJU-AXA. We are planning a 3 night stay in Anguilla so flying in to AXA is a real possibility. Have to weigh out the $$$ difference as we would fly into SXM we would then need a cab and pay for the ferry over too..may be worth flying into AXA instead of SXM.
We will have some friends with us for part of our stay, he has been to the islands with us before but she has not. Will make for some fun adventures as we do like to go to Orient and Cupecoy but will not participate in the C/O lifestyle with friends from home. Folks we meet on island is a different set of circumstances but we have boundaries with friends from home.
I’ve also been toying with the idea of getting a certification as a travel agent but am slowly and cautiously looking into this. I have a job that already keeps me busy enough.
Our countdown to the island is 239 days…sounds like a long way away but…time will pass quickly and the planning is almost as fun as getting there to me. This year will be our 25th anniversary so I am doing a bit more digging into things to do on island that will be memorable. Am seriously thinking of procuring a photographer while on island to take some beach shots of my wife and I like one of our friends did for their 25th a year or so ago. Problem here is….I am a bit larger than I would like to be….ok 40 lbs larger.
I have changed my eating habits and will incorporate exercise in hopes that I can lose 25lbs or better before we go. That way I won’t embarrass myself for pictures.
Check in later as I am sure our adventures will gain steam as we strive to get back to the islands for vacation.
Friday, July 13, 2007
More pre-trip ramblings
More on the friends thing.
My buddy John went with us to SXM in Nov of 2005. He had just suffered thru a divorce and was needing a break from his newly altered reality….actually his wife was supposed to come along too as we had been planning the trip for about 18 months…..told you I am obsessed with this travel thing. John got us in the divorce settlement as she had a need to split up their friends so, needless to say she decided that this trip probably wouldn’t be for her and she backed out….(worked out for the best obviously)
John and I are kind of peas in a pod….I seem to be the dreamer and instigate and John seems to be the action guy and makes things happen.
Quick little John story here to drive the point home…
We are from a conservative area of the country, wife and I had been to SXM a few other times and had been to Orient beach and even done the gawkers walk thru Club O…. But never in the nude. We shared with John that when you cross the rocky area by Pedro’s you were supposed to drop trow and do the walk in the buff. John decided that he would take the walk…came back and I asked him….so did you drop em? He sheepishly replied that yes he had and I busted up in laughter…he asked what was so funny…didn’t you when you went. Thru teary eyes I replied no, we just walked it but weren’t brave enough to go bare….John hounded me for two days till finally I did the walk too…..brought wife with but she stayed fully clothed and was less than happy to go with me….
As obvious but the story above we had a blast but since John was sans partner on the last trip we hung out a bit too much and consumed way too much beer, rum and even tequila while there….we have promised the Mrs (mine) that we would behave at least a bit better this time.
Whether or not John brings someone this time is his choice…..ladies…want his number???? We will have rooms in differing sides of the resort and will rent separate cars. We are even thinking about different travel days so only 4 or 5 days of the 10 overlap.
John and I have started a couple of web pages that are SXM based
(his)http://www.bbdjohn.com/
(mine) http://www.axarob.com/
(ours)http://www.beachjunkie.com/
We are looking to snap up lots of pix while there and gather more ideas for our pages….hence part of the reason for us going at the same time. Besides we thought it would be fun to travel to the island together….group travel seems to be as much fun as couples travel as long as there is space for couples stuff when you get where you are going….
The start of planning activities for the trip
Yes we are already making plans and no we probably won’t do two thirds of them but it is fun to plan. John is planning on taking a little GPS with him to plot our where we have been, we will both bring digital cameras as I am currently in the market for a new digital SLR. John has a video cam and editing abilities so I would imagine that next May….just 10 short months from now….that our sites will be filled with streaming video, pix and some mildly humorous adventures.
Plans so far are;
1. for us to all day trip on a cat to Prickly pear island for some snorkeling.
2. He is talking about doing the Tiko Tiko trip…don’t think my wife is up for that.
3. We are discussing a morning of diving…if wife will go. Yes we are both PADI certified.
4. Lots of sun on many beaches
We have never been to Pinel island but will make it there this year and maybe even to Green Key island in front of Club O too.
My buddy John went with us to SXM in Nov of 2005. He had just suffered thru a divorce and was needing a break from his newly altered reality….actually his wife was supposed to come along too as we had been planning the trip for about 18 months…..told you I am obsessed with this travel thing. John got us in the divorce settlement as she had a need to split up their friends so, needless to say she decided that this trip probably wouldn’t be for her and she backed out….(worked out for the best obviously)
John and I are kind of peas in a pod….I seem to be the dreamer and instigate and John seems to be the action guy and makes things happen.
Quick little John story here to drive the point home…
We are from a conservative area of the country, wife and I had been to SXM a few other times and had been to Orient beach and even done the gawkers walk thru Club O…. But never in the nude. We shared with John that when you cross the rocky area by Pedro’s you were supposed to drop trow and do the walk in the buff. John decided that he would take the walk…came back and I asked him….so did you drop em? He sheepishly replied that yes he had and I busted up in laughter…he asked what was so funny…didn’t you when you went. Thru teary eyes I replied no, we just walked it but weren’t brave enough to go bare….John hounded me for two days till finally I did the walk too…..brought wife with but she stayed fully clothed and was less than happy to go with me….
As obvious but the story above we had a blast but since John was sans partner on the last trip we hung out a bit too much and consumed way too much beer, rum and even tequila while there….we have promised the Mrs (mine) that we would behave at least a bit better this time.
Whether or not John brings someone this time is his choice…..ladies…want his number???? We will have rooms in differing sides of the resort and will rent separate cars. We are even thinking about different travel days so only 4 or 5 days of the 10 overlap.
John and I have started a couple of web pages that are SXM based
(his)http://www.bbdjohn.com/
(mine) http://www.axarob.com/
(ours)http://www.beachjunkie.com/
We are looking to snap up lots of pix while there and gather more ideas for our pages….hence part of the reason for us going at the same time. Besides we thought it would be fun to travel to the island together….group travel seems to be as much fun as couples travel as long as there is space for couples stuff when you get where you are going….
The start of planning activities for the trip
Yes we are already making plans and no we probably won’t do two thirds of them but it is fun to plan. John is planning on taking a little GPS with him to plot our where we have been, we will both bring digital cameras as I am currently in the market for a new digital SLR. John has a video cam and editing abilities so I would imagine that next May….just 10 short months from now….that our sites will be filled with streaming video, pix and some mildly humorous adventures.
Plans so far are;
1. for us to all day trip on a cat to Prickly pear island for some snorkeling.
2. He is talking about doing the Tiko Tiko trip…don’t think my wife is up for that.
3. We are discussing a morning of diving…if wife will go. Yes we are both PADI certified.
4. Lots of sun on many beaches
We have never been to Pinel island but will make it there this year and maybe even to Green Key island in front of Club O too.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
In the beginning....
Where to start….hmmm….I’ll share some of the basics. The wife and I have been married 24+ years and I am planning a return trip to ST Maarten. This will be our 5th trip in 7 years to the island and probably our 10th or so to the Caribbean.
Rob is a tad obsessive and is a long term planner. Some times thinking of and enacting said planning is part of what gets me thru the crazy hustle and bustle of the daily grind.
History
We are timeshare owners so I can plan as far as 14 months in advance and typically do just that. So my blog is a bit behind as I have already scheduled our room for return in April 2008..wooo hoo!!!! We love St Maarten (SXM) in April. We have survived the Midwestern winter but there is still a bit of nip in the air here at home and it is also during our anniversary so what better reason to travel someplace warm and inviting.
Travel friends
We will be going with a friend of ours and his girlfriend. No we don’t see this as a recipe for disaster but much more an opportunity at having some friends along for some of but not all of the fun stuff. He has been with us to the island before so knows the lay of the land so to speak. We have had very frank discussions about things such as…. there will be several days during the trip in which we will be going to one beach while they go to another, need for rental cars, and of course rooms that wont connect.
The Next TRIP
Ok, room booked for 7 days and we are giving strong consideration to another 3 days on Anguilla. Looking at a 10 day trip. Travel from the KC metro area is obviously indirect…and on some airlines more indirect than others.
Most of my postings here will be around that subject for a while…..
I frequently check a few sites for airfare….know that the round trip price from KC averages $750 but that there are certainly bargains to be had…..Have found best days to check are Tuesday and Wednesdays. Have learned that we can travel for less if either going to the island of coming home mid week.
Some of the sites I use are;
http://www.sidestep.com/
http://www.onetravel.com/
http://www.cheapoair.com/
and the airline sites.
Most direct route from KC seems to be….KC to Charlotte and Charlotte to SXM.
That is on US AIR
American offers many many alternatives…all less than pleasant but if the price is right we will either struggle thru San Juan or Miami customs and enjoy flying on at least three planes…..
If you are still awake, stay tuned there will be more to come…yawn!!!
Rob is a tad obsessive and is a long term planner. Some times thinking of and enacting said planning is part of what gets me thru the crazy hustle and bustle of the daily grind.
History
We are timeshare owners so I can plan as far as 14 months in advance and typically do just that. So my blog is a bit behind as I have already scheduled our room for return in April 2008..wooo hoo!!!! We love St Maarten (SXM) in April. We have survived the Midwestern winter but there is still a bit of nip in the air here at home and it is also during our anniversary so what better reason to travel someplace warm and inviting.
Travel friends
We will be going with a friend of ours and his girlfriend. No we don’t see this as a recipe for disaster but much more an opportunity at having some friends along for some of but not all of the fun stuff. He has been with us to the island before so knows the lay of the land so to speak. We have had very frank discussions about things such as…. there will be several days during the trip in which we will be going to one beach while they go to another, need for rental cars, and of course rooms that wont connect.
The Next TRIP
Ok, room booked for 7 days and we are giving strong consideration to another 3 days on Anguilla. Looking at a 10 day trip. Travel from the KC metro area is obviously indirect…and on some airlines more indirect than others.
Most of my postings here will be around that subject for a while…..
I frequently check a few sites for airfare….know that the round trip price from KC averages $750 but that there are certainly bargains to be had…..Have found best days to check are Tuesday and Wednesdays. Have learned that we can travel for less if either going to the island of coming home mid week.
Some of the sites I use are;
http://www.sidestep.com/
http://www.onetravel.com/
http://www.cheapoair.com/
and the airline sites.
Most direct route from KC seems to be….KC to Charlotte and Charlotte to SXM.
That is on US AIR
American offers many many alternatives…all less than pleasant but if the price is right we will either struggle thru San Juan or Miami customs and enjoy flying on at least three planes…..
If you are still awake, stay tuned there will be more to come…yawn!!!
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