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We've driven through New York city a couple of times and the traffic is not something to smile about. Driving to the airport is already stressful and you do not want to deal with that when you have other travel issues to take care of and worry about. That is why it is advisable to take the airport shuttle if possible. We've used an aiport shuttle service and we saved money in airport parking fees which can be expensive.
In New York city and the surrounding suburbs, one company that offers airport shuttle service is Go Airlink Shuttle. They offer Shuttle to JFK, Newark and La Guardia. Unlike other airport shuttle companies which makes you walk far to reach their service, Go Airlink Shuttle picks you up from the inner curb just outside of baggage claim. They can do this because have an official permit given by the Port of Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Go Airlink Shuttle has a fleet of comfortable and modern vans with a separate luggage compartment. Their drivers are courteous and professional and they also provide customer assistance at the Ground Transportation Desk in the airport. Make your reservations online and receive a special discount.
8.29.2008
Take Some Stress Out of Traveling to NY Airports
8.24.2008
A Day in the Streets of San Francisco
San Francisco, a city that has special memories for me. I remember visiting this city for the first time when I was 15 years old with my parents and siblings. I was awed by its beauty and vowed that I will come back. I did come back, 9 years later when I migrated here in the US. Since it is a tourist destination, we always have relatives and friends visiting from the Philippines and around the US. Naturally, my sister and I became the 'tour guides' during these visits. I've memorized the route from our house to the popular sights in the city so I didn't have to use a map. There was one time though wherein they closed one main road and I had to find a different way. Boy, was I in for a treat! I had to drive up a steep hill with a light on top and guess what? I was driving a car with manual transmission! I remember my sister and cousins laughing and teasing me when I was driving up the hill. I didn't think it was funny that time of course. If you haven't been to San Francisco, then I highly recommend visiting the city. There are different San Francisco tours available in the website Trustedtours.com.
Trusted Tours & Attractions also offer city tours in 23 cities in the United States. For example,if you are visiting the Los Angeles area, they can get discounted Knotts berry farm tickets or other theme park in the area. They also have online travel guides and you can sign-up for their newsletter. By signing up for their e-newsletter, you get a chance to enter to win a $150 Magellan’s Gift Certificate. This offer ends August 31st, 2008.
8.10.2008
Jungfraojoch - The Top of Europe
Jungfrao or Jungfrau (the virgin) at 13,642 feet, is one of the three well-known peaks (the other two are the Eiger (the ogre) and the Monch (the monk))in the Bernese Oberland region in Switzerland. This photo was taken from our room balcony in Wengen.
From the Sphinx Observation Tower, you can view Jungfrao close up. It is advisable to start your day early to get the best possible view. We got lucky, the weather was perfect that day. There were no clouds to block the beautiful vistas. Read full post for more photos.
One has to take the Jungfrao railway to reach the so-called 'Top of Europe'. Jungfraujoch is the most popular railway trip in Switzerland. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to reach the top from Wengen with a train change in Kleine-Scheidegg. It was built by Adolf Guyer-Zelller, a Swiss railway pioneer. It took 16 years to complete this railway. They had to dig a tunnel through the Eiger and Monch.
The underground tunnel leading to the elevator that took us up 360 feet in just 25 seconds to the Sphinx Observation Tower at 11,723 ft. It is the highest vantage point in Europe.
The Sphinx Observation Tower and Terrace. It has a 360-degree view where you can see the alps from France to Germany.
Jungfrao, up close and personal from the Sphinx Observation deck. It is COLD even in the summertime.
There is also a plateau on the glacier where one can enjoy ski sports. My son, shown here, enjoyed going down the hill with the snow disk (free rental.) They also offer skiing, zip line, dog sled rides and glacier hikes.
The Aletsch glacier as seen from the restaurant. It is the largest in Europe. It is 14 miles long and is about 2,300 ft. thick. It moves at about 20 inches a year.
The Ice Palace, 100 ft. under the glacier. It wasn't very slippery but it was FREEZING. It's a 3,280-square-foot museum of ice sculptures.
I highly recommend going up to the Jungfraojoch. It is well-worth the trip and the expense. The train tickets are expensive, it costs 90Euro roundtrip from Wengen or 118Euro from Interlaken Ost. If going with children, purchase the Swiss Kids Pass (20Euro), they can ride free with an adult in the Jungfraojoch raliway. If you can, stay in Wengen or Murren and head up early in the day. The air up the top is thin so if you have high-blood pressure or heart problems, consult your doctor first. It is advisable to take your time and not exert too much effort while on top. Dh and I felt light-headed after 2 hours so we headed down. The kids meanwhile felt fine. For clothing, bring your winter jackets, it is cold even in summer. I had on a couple of layers of long-sleeved shirts, a fleece sweater and a jacket. The kids meanwhile wore their winter jackets.
-----Read Full Post-----My Dream African Safari
I know that I married the right person when after going all over Europe for a month, we haven't tried to kill each other. Traveling is already stressful, add to that the stress of bringing kids under 10 years old, what else could be the perfect test for a relationship? Now that we SURVIVED that trip, we are already planning our next big vacation. It would be nice to go on an African Safari. I remember watching the old 'Tarzan' show with Johnny Weismuller and Ron Eli and wanting to go see the African Plains and the wild animals for myself. When we went to Europe last June, we didn't go with a tour group or use a travel agent. I planned all of it by myself, thanks to the internet.
Going on an African safari is different, I would want to use an established tour agency. Safety is the key, specially if you plan to climb Kilimanjaro. I saw this travel show where they went to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, it is so beautiful at the top but the climb was tough. You definitely have to be in pretty good shape to do it. You also need to use a knowledgeable tour guide and outfitter like Ultimate Kilimanjaro; they specialize in leading private custom climbs on Mount Kilimanjaro. There was a young boy here in New England that climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro last year. What's amazing about this story is that he lost one leg to cancer and he did it to raise money for a cancer organization. This goes to show that if you set your sights on a goal, you will reach it as long as you try your very best.
8.06.2008
Wengen, Switzerland
In all the countries we visited in Europe this summer, dh and I loved Switzerland the most. No words can ever describe the beauty of this country. We visited Luzern and the Jungfrao region which is simply amazing. If you like nature, then this should be on your list of places to see. This is my favorite photo which I took late at night with a full moon.
The village of Wengen is an alpine resort, set high on a sheltered alp above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, right in the heart of the Bernese Oberland. 
It is 4265 ft. above sea level. This town can only be reached by a cogwheel train, there are no roads going up the alps. 
My son in the playground in Wengen, with Jungfrao as the backdrop.
The view from our south facing room at the Hotel Caprice
8.02.2008
Would You Like To Shower Before The Plane Lands?
Imagine you are on a 15-hour flight to the other side of the world (i.e. Philippines), wouldn't it be nice to be able to take a shower in the middle of the flight? How I wish!
like a regular plane lavatory.7.30.2008
Travel Tip #6 - Lighten Up
Travelling across Europe by train for a month takes a lot of planning in all aspects of the trip. We want to travel light so we only brought two medium-sized luggages. That means, we had to do the laundry every week-and-a-half. Since luggage space is at a premium, we also opted to mail back our souvenirs every couple of weeks. 
Venice, Switzerland, France and Trier. The last mail drop was in Netherlands with Dutch souvenirs and gifts from friends. This method comes with a cost though, it's not cheap to mail packages from Europe. The most expensive post was in Italy which cost us 70E and the cheapest was in the Netherlands. So you might want to factor the mailing cost into your decision. It was a no-brainer for dh and I, we'd rather pay for the post than lugging all that extra weight across Europe. 7.29.2008
When in The Netherlands, Watch Out For Bikes...Yikes!
There are bicycles everywhere in The Netherlands. Everytime I look out the car window, I see a person riding a bike. When we were visiting Amsterdam, I saw this traffic light for bikes. I did not notice this in other European countries we visited, maybe some of them have it too. I think it's good that they have these all over the place. Now, if they can only ask those bikers to slow down. We had a couple of close calls with bicycles, granted we shouldn't be in the bike lane but what happened to using their horns or bells? What do they expect from tourists, we are usually too busy looking around at beautiful sights to pay attention to where we are going.
7.24.2008
High Expectations For Belgium
I really had high expectations for Brussels and Antwerp. Being an old city, I was looking forward to visiting and seeing it in all its glory. The start of the trip should've been an ominous sign. I remember talking to the person who helped me with our EuroStar tickets. She asked me why we would want to visit Belgium. She said that there's nothing special about it. I should've listened!
Anyway, traffic entering the city. We didn't see any accidents or detour, it is just backed-up. When we finally got in the city, there was no parking to be found. There weren't even any useful signs, no directions towards the famous Brussells monument. What a disappointment. After driving around for an hour, we gave up 
and just went to see the Atomium. It is a huge building that is shaped like an atom which was built for an exhibition in the 50's. We then proceeded to have lunch in the area and the kids rode the merry-go-round.
found a parking space. We went to see the Antwerp Hauptbanhof (train station), this one definitely impressed me. It is beautiful inside! Too bad they had cranes up front, they're still in the process of renovation. It was also here that I had my first taste of a REAL Belgian Waffle which I wrote about in my food blog, Kusinera sa Amerika.
7.23.2008
Our Summer Vacation B.C. (Before Children)
Dh and I like to travel. The last summer vacation we had before the children came was in Las Vegas. Don't get me wrong, we are not into gambling. Sure, we dabble a little in slots (for me) and Black Jack and Poker (for him) but we don't go overboard. We do it because that is one of the things to do in Las Vegas. Other things to do would be casino hopping since the new casinos in the strip is a site to behold, from the architectural detail of the buildings to the actual art itself inside the casino. The Treasure Island casino has an outdoor show that is free for all. We also went to Madame Tussauds where we saw famous and infamous celebrity waxworks. It's kind of eerie looking at these though.
While we were in Las Vegas, we rented a car and drove to Arizona to see one of the most beautiful natural wonder in the world (my opinion, of course), the Grand Canyon. It is truly a site to behold and dh and I found ourselves a quiet spot and just sat there and stared at the beautiful vista for hours. Now, back to Las Vegas. We also watched Siegfried and Roy's show at The Mirage, that obviously was before the awful incident involving one of the tigers. We stayed the the Luxor hotel, this was newly built back then. We wanted to experience riding the unusual elevator, so we booked a room in the pyramid part of the hotel. It was quite an experience since the elevator did not go up but went diagonally.
Las Vegas is definitely one of those cities that has something for everyone. It is now a place where you can bring the whole family since they made it a point to have attractions for all ages. You can get more information at Trusted Tours and Attractions where they have online travel guides. If you sign up for their newsletter, you will get a chance to win a $150 iTunes Gift Card.
My Brave Boy
My darling little boy had his 4th year medical check-up last Monday. For the first time, I wasn't there with him because I had a Jury Duty that day. Dh was with him along with my daughter. Dr. Bender said that he is growing well and is tall for his age. He is now at 40 inches at weighs 41 pounds. He received two shots and they pricked his finger too. For the first time, he didn't cry when he received all of these. Dh said that he just looked while they were doing it and did not even flinch. What a brave boy! I was so proud of him upon hearing this. For his reward, dh bought him some strawberry ice cream which is his favorite flavor.
7.22.2008
7.19.2008
If You Need To Go...
Can you guess what this is? If you are ever in Amsterdam, Netherlands you will see these scattered across the city. I was flabbergasted when I learned what it was for. I couldn't believe it. I had to take this photo to show everyone back home. I'm glad I did. :)
Have you figured it out yet?
Well, believe it or not, it is a urinal...for men, obviously.
When in Venice Do the Gondola
Ahh, Venice...wait, let's do it over. Ahh, Venezia. There, that sounded much better. Somehow using the Italian counterpart sounds more romantic. I miss saying 'grazie' or 'scusi'. Anyway, on to Venezia. One of the most romantic and beautiful cities in the world. I've always dreamed of visiting Venice, Italy. I've been
lucky that
I fulfilled my life-long dream last month. We spent two days in this amazing city. It is the most expensive city in Italy compared to Rome and Florence. Since real estate is at a premium here, naturally the hotel rates are also sky high. We could've stayed in the Four Seasons or the Ritz Carlton in New York City with the amount of money we paid in Venice.
Of course, since we are in Venice, there is one thing that shouldn't be missed. That is riding the Gondola through the narrow canals of this city. Yes, it is very expensive but
was it worth it? Of course!
It may have cost us an arm and a leg but the memories of going through the canals in a Gondola is priceless. The house in the middle of the last photo was the house of Cassanova, the so-called 'world's greatest lover' or womanizer for that 
matter. You can also see the effects of the sea water on the buildings. We saw a lot of erosion on the brick walls, rusty gates and rotting wood.
Riding a gondola in Venice is truly an amazing experience. Just remember to not think about the Euro to Dollar conversion so that you will enjoy the ride.
7.17.2008
A Day in Kaiserslautern, Germany
Dh and I met fellow blogger and good friend Vicky and her husband Bernie last month while we were visiting the southwestern part of Germany. We met in Kaiserslautern and we visited a Japanese garden. It was great to finally meet her after all these years. We felt so comfortable with each other immediately and we had a great time together. Too bad that it was such a short encounter, she had to work that day so we met in the afternoon.
Vielen Dank Vicky for the gifts you gave us. I hope that we will see each other again.
Strange Photo @ Trevi
This was just one of the photos I took of the Trevi Fountain in Rome. I noticed that there were a couple of round objects on the photo. I checked the other photos I took before and after this one and found nothing on it. That means it is not some dirt on the camera lens. If you are familiar with the term 'ORBs', then that's what I think these are. I see a couple of orbs in this photo and I highlighted the two obvious ones. Kind of creepy...
7.16.2008
Parking Space Too Small? No Problem!
This is the 'Smart Car'. I saw a lot of these cars in Europe especially in Rome where the streets are small and narrow. This is a neat car to have if you live in a place where parking is at a premium, like New York City or San Francisco. You can squeeze in where regular-sized cars cannot. This is just a two-seater car (obviously) and is not a gas-guzzler. I don't know about safety though, I wouldn't want to be in this car in an accident.
In Rome, No High-Heels Please!
This is what the cobbled streets of Rome look like. I cannot imagine how one can walk these streets everyday wearing high heels. Obviously, Italian women are used to it since I saw some wearing 3-inch heels and walking comfortably..or it might be just that I didn't see them tripping on these cobblestones.
A Place To Whine About in Rome
