Travel and tips

Attention: the most fancy places are usually tourist traps. We suggest to get lost in the narrow streets away form the big crowded ones. You should not pay more then 2 euros for a delicious crusty walking pizza.
If saving is your travelling philosophy, you can also drink your water from the public fountains that are spread all over. And after pizza? You need to end with a fantastic ice cream! For an excellent one try Giolitti’s (Via Uffici del Vicario, 40, ph: 06 6991243; www.giolitti.it) that since 1900 has been serving savoury ice creams behind all expectations. It’s not in every guide… only Romans know!! Basically till now you should have spent not more then 5 euros!!! Quite good news for backpackers, or also families with children travelling on a budget!! Right?But the best tips are the following: dinner out in Rome!!The San Lorenzo and Trastevere neighbourhoods are both renowned for reasonably priced Roman-Style cooking. If you have a lodging there it will also be easy to get around: otherwise there are plenty of guest houses or family B&& (bed and breakfast, in Italy are also called pensioni or family guest house) available in many websites, among the others you can try Flashbooking.com which allows to book directly online providing you with the BB maps and directions and contacts as well. Very useful! We suggest you chose your BandB according to the location and if you get your accommodation in Trastevere be sure you will be in the most traditional, buzzing and authentic area of Rome!There are very few things Romans will line up for. One of these is da Baffetto near Piazza Navona, more exactly in Via del Governo Vecchio,14;ph. 066861617). After 9 pm prepare to wait quite a lot because they do not take reservations but pizza is fabulous!!For tradition Roman dishes there is also Trattoria da Francesco in Piazza del Fico, 29 (ph: 06 6864009) hidden in a cosy square that serves as a private garden. If this is not enough and you are planning to stay in Rome for few nights, consider a visit to Alfredo alla Scrofa and try the specialty: ‘Fettuccine’ (Via della Scrofa, 104)For a little more expensive but trendy place (which is pizzeria, restaurant, wine-bar, ‘cheeserie’ all together is ‘Gusto in Piazza Augusto Imperatore, 9; ph: 06 32262 73; open every day from 10 in the morning until 2 in the night).

When you’re on a full-blown vacation or even when you are just taking a weekend trip, your meals can be enjoyable milestones in your day rather than the subjects of your nightmares; and speaking of nightmares, the cost of eating can eat up a big part of your vacation budget. Following are some tips that will help you eat better, spend less and, as a result of the two, possibly even sleep better while on your trip.
BreakfastStart your day with a healthy breakfast and, by definition, that excludes ‘just grabbing a donut for the road.’ Not that there is anything really wrong with donuts but donuts and pastries are high in sugar and fat — sugar may give you a morning boost but it doesn’t last long and half way through your morning you’ll find yourself looking for a second breakfast or a brunch. Your best bet for breakfast is eating a balanced meal, just like your other meals of the day: Many hotels and motels offer you a complimentary continental breakfast — that just means a breakfast buffet with a good variety of foods — just what you need and what you should be looking for! Work your way around the buffet you’ll find them offering bread, waffles and English muffins right next to a toaster, some jams, jellies and syrups for spreading or pouring on your toasted choice, a variety of cold cereals with milk or sometimes hot oatmeal, some fruit for your side dish or for mixing in with your cereal and then there is yogurt, orange juice, grapefruit juice and tea or coffee. If you skip the continental breakfast and opt for a restaurant meal, the same rules about a balanced breakfast apply but you’ll be able to add eggs, bacon, sausage and table service to the mix.
With breakfast done, you’ll have a ‘full tank’ that will keep you going through your morning activities and keep you focused on enjoying a full schedule rather than being distracted by an empty belly.
Lunch When you think about it, it makes sense to have your main meal of the day in the middle of the day — especially when you’re traveling. What you’re doing is packing in the calories and then, during the course of your active afternoon, burning them off. This also makes good financial sense; many restaurants have lunch specials that feature all the things you will be able to buy later, at supper time — at a higher price. If you’re staying in a hotel or motel, ask the desk clerk or concierge about their favorite restaurant. You may get a tip about a restaurant that serves some local favorite foods; that’s a nice way to enhance your travel experience with some genuine local flavor. The rule about eating a balanced meal works for lunch as well as it does for every other meal. You might start your lunch with a salad with a favorite salad dressing or a fruit salad or fruit cup or that salad might be a main course — there are some wonderfully filling and healthy (balanced) main-course salads with chicken, ham, bacon bits, seasoned croutons and a world of other ingredients. Depending on where you’re traveling you may just want to experiment a bit with some local favorite menu items — ask your waiter or waitress to suggest something and be sure to ask about ingredients if there is something you know you shouldn’t be eating. Don’t skip dessert! A small dish or ice cream, with or without toppings or a small slice of pie or cake is a nice way to finish your lunch (remember, this is your BIG meal of the day). Snacks?“Just in case” foods are always a good idea when you’re traveling. You may be sightseeing or just traveling when you get that urge to “eat something.” Stopping and buying something is always possible but its really an unnecessary expense if you have a snack bag stowed away in your bag or backpack — besides, stopping along a tour route to buy something means your paying inflated tourist prices! The way to put together your own snack bag is to stop at a grocery store and buy some dried fruits, nuts, raisins, crackers and something to put on the crackers like peanut butter or cheese. Keep your snack bag handy!SupperAfter your big lunch you should be looking for a light meal to end your day — it’s good for your waistline and will give you a better night’s sleep. One great and economical idea for that end-of-the-day meal is to combine that trip you should have made to the grocery store for your snack items with some purchases for your supper. Get some tasty lunch meats, bread, cheese to make sandwiches and some fruit for dessert. Many hotels and motels have small refrigerators in their rooms and many even have microwaves; when making reservations pick a location with these amenities and use them. Making your own supper can be a major savings to your vacation budget and may even allow you to save enough to spend an extra day visiting an attraction you might otherwise have to skip. Home again!It’s always good to be home and just in case it hasn’t occurred to you, you might look at some of these eating and spending tips and apply them to your eating habits and your food budget even when you’re not on the road. Bon Appetit!

When you stay in Paris for a short while, eating out at a decent, reasonably priced restaurant may become a silly game of trial and error. In this new series of articles, I will recommend several places no traveler will ever regret having tried out!Facing the eating-out issueWhen it comes eating out in Paris, travelers unfamiliar with the city may have a hard time finding the right place to eat out. Consider it this way: you are to live, breathe and eat for a short while in a city which counts over 1,500 restaurants, in a country internationally known for its exquisite food. Where do you start from? And what guarantee do you have to hit the right spots for lunch and dinner?A large number of my American friends select to follow their favorite travel guide’s recommendations. Good thinking. But there’s a downside to it: travelers tend use the same travel guides. And too many tourists kill authenticity. The so-called ‘French cuisine’Being born and having lived in France for 30 some years before I found my true home in America, I have an in-bred tendency to be extremely picky when it comes to food. When I travel back to Paris, I especially dislike being served so-so cuisine at over-inflated prices. By the same token I find it very hard to accept that any of my American friends touring Paris be served run-of-the-mill food posing as ‘French cuisine’. Hence this new series of articles.
In the course of several recent trips to the French capital, I was introduced by local friends to a few restaurants I found to be absolutely noteworthy. My first stop will be ‘Chez Georges’.
The set‘Chez Georges’ stands out tall amongst my recent discoveries. I had received an invitation for lunch from Philippe H., an attorney-at-law who specializes in brokering deals in record time. Philippe has been lunching at ‘Chez Georges’ for the last 20 years or so, he is a fixture of the place. He even has his own table there. A very practical state of affairs, mind you, as ‘Chez Georges’ always operates at full capacity, and one needs to book at least 48 hours in advance to get a table.
The decor is typical French 1920-30, with a mosaic floor, large mirrors on the walls, dark brown wood panels, and sandish paint. The restaurant is divided in two rooms, both very narrow. The first room features a bar and a row of small square tables. Being close to the door and window panes, it is well lit. The room in the back is larger, with two rows of tables. It’s also darker, without any windows. The (small) kitchen is situated at the back of this room, and the restrooms another step behind.
The place is obviously packed, and very busy. It smells good food, and though guests are allowed to smoke I didn’t find cigarette smoke to be an issue. The whole atmosphere is congenial, vibrant and lively. No elevator music to bother you, but your neighbors’ voices may cover yours. Very Parisian, no doubt, but I saw several American folks having lunch there.
The featOur party of six was soon tended by Zoe the waitress, a sight for sore eyes. This smiling brunette is married to the restaurant manager, a friendly fellow who tends the bar and the cash register. Zoe has a nice word for everyone, can explain the menu in details, recommends what’s right for you, and moves about diligently.
The menu at ‘Chez Georges’ is as varied as appetizing. Everything on it spells French tradition. We decided to order a large selection of appetizers to share, including rillettes (a sort of pate made with pork, duck or goose), pink radish, herrings, museau (beef head pate), potato salad, and other delicacies. The goods came in generous portions, and a couple of bottles of white Sancerre helped us gulp all this down. (Sancerre is a light red or white wine. It is made from black pinot or white sauvignon, and is grown in the Touraine region.) We were served two different types of fresh bread, including a delicious Poilane breadWe then attacked the entrees: duck filet with potatoes for me, please, served pink. (In my book, duck cooked to ‘done’ is unpalatable.) Soon came the plates, full up. My duck filet was perfectly cooked, and thick and tender as it should be. A wonderful abundance of gorgeous food! We accompanied the main fares with a bottle of red Chinon, a wine grown in my hometown. Things to get damned for!All is well that ends wellThe dessert was as succulent as the rest of this hearty meal. I had a Tarte Tatin, an caramelized apple pie baked ‘upside-down’. Apple slices are first baked on sugar, then covered with dough, and put in the oven again for a short while. When baked, the pie is turned over so that the dough now supports the apples. The result is a very tender pie, with a sweet but not overpowering taste of caramel. It is served with vanilla ice.
We all finished the meal on a good espresso. The check was very reasonable: it came to about 60 USD per person, for an unforgettable meal that included a ton of appetizers, six main fares, seven servings of dessert, 3 bottles of wine, and espressos for everyone. Expect to pay USD 30 on a lighter fare and less wine.
Though very hearty, my meal was easy to digest. I didn’t feel bloated afterwards, just slightly tipsy thanks to multiple servings of light wine. The products used were of very good quality, the bread freshly baked. The service we received was diligent and friendly. Definitely a place I recommend you, my traveling friends!Where?Chez Georges1 rue du Mail75002 ParisTel: 33 (0)1 42 60 07 11Lunch and dinnerClosed on week-ends and holidaysBook a table at least 48h in advance

Steer them together, and you’ll see how Lisbon’s not just made of bricks. In terms of food, well Lisbon has nothing to envy to some other Mediterranean Capitals.
The gastronomic part of your trip to Lisbon should start right in the morning, taking a good Portuguese pequeno almoзo (breakfast) made of galгo (hot milk with coffee, the Portuguese version of the cappuccino) and a bolinho a little cake; you’ll get to choose among a good variety of them. The most traditional ones are the pastйis de nata (little puff pastry baskets filled with custard and sprinkled with cinnamon and icing sugar). Then, in the middle of the afternoon, you shouldn’t forget the lanche it’s the afternoon snack, usually salty, waiting for the late dinner: a torrada (a thick leaf of grilled bread with salty butter) or a croissant misto (a huge croissant filled with ham and cheese) will perfectly do. As for the main meals, the Portuguese typical dish is bacalhau (cod fish); they cook it in lots of ways, though maybe the ones you’ll find more frequently are Bacalhau com natas (in the oven, frayed, with cream and potatoes), Bacalhau а Brбz (fried, frayed, with eggs and potatoes) and Bacalhau а Lagareiro (in the oven with onions and peppers). Then, an interesting dish is the Carne de porco а alentejana (pork in the Alentejo way), a mixture of potatoes, pork and clams! In Lisbon caracуis (snails) are very popular, and then a variety of fish and meat. If you long for a soup, then you can ask for a caldo verde (a cabbage soup with chouriзo cured spiced sausage slices) or a sopa da pedra (the name, stone soup, is based on a legend, which tells the story of a beggar who asked a lady for some hot water and a stone to make his soup. Made curious, the lady gave him what he asked, while he carried on adding ingredients to it; it ended up to be a full soup with everything the lady had in her kitchen, and that’s actually how it’s made: with all the vegetable and sausages the chef has got at his disposal!). When you’ re ready to experience some spiced chicken stomach, ask for moelas served in pieces, drowned in an abundant and spicy sauce, with bread to accompany.
Desserts: leite creme (a kind of custard, with sugar on the top and grilled) and arroz doce (sweet rice: that’s what it is! Rice cooked with milk, sugar, lemon rind and cinnamon).
Drinks: Porto wine is obviously a must, but try some vinho verde, too; after a good dinner, the licor beirгo is one of the Portuguese typical liquors, together with the amкndoa amarga (almonds liquor) and, typical of Lisbon, the ginja (the beloved Lisbon’s ginginha, a black cherry liquor). If you’d like a refreshing beer, then a Super Bock will help it’s the Portuguese beer brand, along with Sagres; ask for an imperial to have a glass, caneca for a tankard; garrafa for a bottle. Notice that as soon as you’ll sit at a table of a restaurant the waiters will bring you olives, patйs, cheeses and bread without being asked you’ll pay just what you’ll eat!Some good hotels may sometimes have gourmet restaurants inside providing guests with Portuguese delicacy and some other international dishes. The chain of Vip hotels can be a good starting point: they usually provide a central accommodation with average prices in standard rooms. In high season from June to August, for example, you can expect to spend 30-50 euros per person with breakfast and full services.
Here the list of some of them spreading all through the Portuguese Capital: the Vip Executive Zurique Hotel; Hotel Vip Executive Arts; Vip Executive Barcelona; Hotel Vip Inn Berna; Hotel Vip Executive Diplomatico; Hotel Vip Executive Suites Eden; Hotel Vip Executive Madrid; Hotel Vip Executive Suites Marques; Vip Inn Veneza Hotel; VIP Grand Lisboa Hotel and Spa.

When in Rome, do as the Romans. When in Thailand, do as the Thaпs do. Nothing will endear you more to the local people in Thailand is knowing how to eat like they do.
This is something very simple but goes a long way in making friends in a foreign country. And since eating is the national sport of Thailand, doing it the right way will help you in fitting right in.
Most Thai meals consist of meat, rice and vegetables. I know this is a generalization but I am talking about most of the meals. For meals like this you will only be given two utensils, a spoon and a fork. There are also fried noodle dishes that are also eaten with spoon and fork.
The spoon is used to eat with and the fork is basically a shovel used to push food on the spoon. The meat will cut in bite size pieces so there is no need for a knife. Once you get used to it, it is a very easy way of eating.
A knife is only needed if you order something like a steak or have some bread that needs buttering. But, this is not Thai food.
Chopsticks are primarily used when eating soup. One of the Thai staples is noodle soup called gwet-ee-ow (your phonetics may differ from mine). This soup can be found on almost every corner in Thailand. It comes with a variety of vegetables, different sized noodles, and different meats. There will be different condiments that can be added; hot chili peppers, crushed peanuts, sugar, vinegar and more. The best thing to do is to add a little and give it a taste and see what else needs to be added. Of course, a spoon is also used to sample the broth.
You can also get back to basics and enjoy some Thai food with no utensils at all. You can call it Thai finger food. Sticky rice, fruits, and vegetables are sometimes easier to eat just by using your fingers. Your girl may peel, break, or share a bite with you and all she will use are her fingers and her teeth. It may not be the most sanitary, but it is delicious and a lot of fun.
And, if you are really brave, you can sample some of the Isaan, or northeast, snacks. You will see many bug carts in Bangkok and Pattaya displaying crickets, ants, beetles, silkworms and other delicacies. If you can down these, you will endear yourself to your Isaan friends forever.
So, as you can see, there are just a few things to learn to eat like the Thaпs do. Eat the local food and do it in the proper way and you will enjoy your holiday all the more.

The first time I went to Thailand was back in 1973. I was a young soldier in the United States Army and Bangkok was my first duty station. I was there for 18 months and my first meal back in America was a Big Mac, fries and a Coke.
Times have changed and fast food places dot the Thailand countryside. Everything from KFC to McDonalds to Pizza Hut is everywhere. They are not just in the big cities and tourist town, but exist in smaller towns like Khon Kaen and Phitsanulok.
Granted, I am a junk food junkie back in the states, but usually in Thailand, I tend to eat the local food. Actually it is Thai fast food.
I prefer to eat from the local street vendors that can have a plate ready for you in less than one minute. And, it is a lot cheaper and tastier than the local Burger King.
But, when I am in Thailand for three or four weeks, eventually I give in and have to have some burgers, fried chicken, or pizza. And, for my Thai girlfriend, it is a special treat to eat from one of the American “restaurants”.
When I go to Khon Kaen, I love to eat the fresh seafood at the local restaurants. Bar-B-Que prawn with vegetables and rice is all I need for dinner. My sweetie will get some oysters and papaya salad and all is good.
When we are in the room and decide to stay in to watch a DVD movie, she just loves to call the Pizza Company for some pizza and chicken wings. I get the pizza and she devours the wings.
Breakfasts are usually standard fare of eggs and rice with perhaps a sausage or two. Occasionally it will be Thai soup or a noodle dish like pad thai. Once in a while we like to go to a hotel run by foreigners and they have an “American” breakfast.
Lunches are snacks for me. I like to have some chicken or pork BBQ on a stick with some sticky rice. Or, if my girl is in a good mood, she will drive over to KFC and grab some spicy chicken sandwiches. And, of course, she gets me the blueberry cheesecake dessert.
We both enjoy the Khon Kaen restaurants that are around the local lake or rivers. They have these small, thatched booths with great views. The food and service is excellent and some have a live band playing local Thai country music.
So, Thailand has the best of both worlds. You can get anything from a pizza to a cheeseburger, or fried rice and noodles. Great food and super prices. Another reason I love Thailand.

In this day and age, we are always traveling. Whether on a business trip, visiting home for the holidays, or you just want to go on vacation, planning and funding the flight is always a headache. That is why most major banks and other credit card issuers now offer Airline Credit Cards. Airline Credit Cards provide the usual services of regular credit cards to make life a little easier. Not only is having an Airline Credit Card convenient, it is almost a requirement for anyone who is traveling. Come home with the perfect souvenir for everyone so that they can experience your trip as well! You never know when you will need emergency funds if you are in a foreign country! Well known credit card issuers such as Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express offer great plans on various airline credit cards. When researching which card is perfect for you, make sure that you take advantage of special offers that each one introduces to you such as 0% APR, reward plans, low rates on balance transfers and any other bonuses that will suit you. Usually, airline credit cards allow you to collect points through time and use of the card at various locations. These points can then be redeemed for airmiles, or other traveling rewards such as hotel accommodation, travel insurance, cruises, and car rentals. Search carefully and you will find that some even offer double points! You could also take advantage of offers like free first class upgrades or free companion airfare.
When choosing an airline credit card, you can either get a credit card from your favorite airline or you can get a credit card with flexible rewards. An airline branded credit card usually has a great rewards program, but is limited to only that airline. A flexible rewards credit card can earn you trips on any airline with no blackout dates. Even if you don’t have a trip planned for anytime soon, make sure that you take advantage of these special Airline Credit Cards now. Earn points on your everyday purchases now.

Retire at 54 years of age and be happier?Well aged 54 and separated from my wife and seeing my friends gain weight and have health problems made me think. I was gaining weight also, I was not happy with the direction my life was headed, so what can I do? I starting thinking of the alternatives. Retirement? No one wants to talk about it or even think about. Perhaps it makes us feel older if we do that. So years go by and things do not change. We do the same things, eat the same foods until the doctor tells us to make some changes, and we carry on like we will live forever. Unfortunately we won’t live forever and we should be thinking of retirement before we kick the bucket. After all what did you work all those years for anyways? Well to cut to the chase I was thinking of going to the Dominican Republic to live. But after going there twice I found that the power was unreliable, there were safety concerns, doctors and dentists were not easily accessible and it was pricey. With time on my hands I sat in front of my computer and did some research. and discovered that Thailand was a popular retirement destination. In fact I read that Chiang Mai was the most popular retirement destination in all of South East Asia. Hundreds of hours of research later by methodical, planner George and he has come up with the best retirement country and also the best retirement city in all of South East Asia and perhaps the world. Chiang Mai, a city of several hundred thousand inhabitants. Located about 420 miles north of Bangkok and less polluted, less expensive, and with less traffic than Bangkok and also cooler than Bangkok. Chiang Mai, unknown to most of North Americans yet visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists yearly, and home to thousands of foreigners who have visited there, found it to their liking and decided to make this their new home. I arrived in Bangkok on Nov. 23, 2004 and that is where we will start our real life experiences, adventures and misadventures.
After the tiring trip I decided to stay over a few nights in Bangkok. Then well rested I was ready to continue onwards to Chiang Mai. A quick one hour plane flight or a relaxing 13 hours train ride which one was it to be? With the extra luggage I was bringing including computer and golf clubs I decided on the train. The bumpy ride in a very comfortable reclining seat (2nd class A/C) set me back all of $15 dollar U.S. and this included two meals, a refreshment and a pastry. It was a bumpy ride with little to see but the forest. But I had all my luggage aboard, no extra charge, and the bumpy ride was just what my legs needed for their circulation. My research enabled me to be well prepared for my journey and I am not one to leave things to chance. Things went as planned and I arrived at Chiang Mai train station and had reserved a room for 21 days at the Bossotel Inn which was directly across the road from the train station. Like a normal tourist eh? Yes, I am Canadian how did you know?I think in total I spent something in the neighborhood of 600 hours of research on the internet and I learned what I could but there was more, much more to learn. I lived like a tourist at first living in a hotel, eating my meals there. I played pool before breakfast at a snooker establishment behind the hotel. After breakfast TV was the norm and then later in the day I would walk to the Night Bazaar shopping and tourist district about 30 minutes away. The walk there was good exercise, it gave me a chance to see the people and businesses along the way and get familiar with the city. Walk, look around, pop into O’Malley’s pub for a cool drink and to meet Scot, a fellow Canadian, and the owner.
The hotel rate was $16U.S. a night with taxes and breakfast included. I wanted to stay in a serviced apartment later but did not want to book it until I had seen it first. I was favorably impressed when I visited the apartment and proceeded to book it. So three weeks at the hotel and then on to the serviced apartment which would run about $250 a month with utilities and water included, and breakfast extra. The apartment had internet available in the rooms at an extra fee, or internet on site, massage spa on site, rooftop pool, motorcycle rental, beauty salon and restaurant which had entertainment in the evenings. The TV has a large selection of channels by way of satellite, there was free parking on site, and a great location near the Central Mall. So it had it allOther retirees recommend staying in a condo or serviced apartment for 6 months or more to get familiar with the city before proceeding with any sort of long term rental arrangements.
I met a lovely lady name Nichaya. She was a hairdresser during the day and my tour guide, companion, means of transportation during the evenings. Although I weigh more than twice her weight we rode around town on her motorbike. Her driving the motorbike and me on back. This may seem odd but it is not uncommon. Unless you know the city and really know how to drive a motorcycle you shouldn’t. These motorcycles are 100 and 110 cc engines which means they are not powerful but they are very economical in terms of fuel. We could drive around all week all over town for only $2 U.S. in diesel fuel. To learn more about living in Chiang Mai one has to live with the people. Find out what they eat, where they shop, what they do daily. By this time Nichaya or Wan her nickname which everyone has here and I were becoming very close and fond of each other. I invited here to Patong a beach resort for a weeks holiday. She refused but each day I would ask again. Finally she relented and agreed. Have any of you heard of the December, 2004 tsuanmi? Well guess where I was at the time? Right. Right there. The tsunami hit a few days before we were scheduled to return to Chiang Mai. We lost a camera, some clothing, some pictures but found each other. She handled the situation calmly and we were unharmed. In case you are interested this is what happened.
Tremor about 3 a.m. Woke me up and I wondered whether it was an earthquake. Around 4:30 a.m. another tremor. Awakened me again. At around 7 a.m. a large boom sounded like a shotgun blast and then a minute later another such loud boom. I thought it may be terrorists out by the pool area and I recommended staying in the room. Nichaya told me to get out of the room. We grabbed a few valuables, passport and ran out of the hotel. Our hotel room was on the lower level facing the pool area which is about 6 feet lower than the lobby area of the hotel. We ran by the pool, up the stairs to the lobby and out the front entrance. Just as we crossed the road water gushed out from the hotel and on to the street. So the water level needed to be at least 6 feet high just to reach the lobby area. Motorcycles, vehicles were being carried down the streets in all directions by the sudden gush of water. We were on higher ground across the street and took off our shoes and I rolled up my pants. After an hour or so the water level began to recede. It was about this time when a motorcycle policeman drove by and alerted everyone that there would be another wave coming shortly. He was right. Another similar wave went through the lobby and on to the streets again. Now the water level was back to where it was before and we could do nothing but wait. The day before the tsunami hit we were on a boat cruise to Phi Phi Islands. Two days before the tsunami hit we rented motor boats at the beach. If this had happened a day earlier or at a different time then you would not be reading this article.
When the water level receded and it deemed safe we re-entered our hotel lobby to find a young boy who was in the pool when the tsunami hit lying of the floor with someone trying to resuscitate him. Unfortunately the boy did not make it. The hotel staff were totally unprepared. Nice people as they are they did not have a clue what to do. Guests were yelling out, Call a Doctor, Have you called a Doctor? The hotel staff smiled politely but either did not understand or were unable to reach anyone. When we approached our room we found it was devastated. The outside window smashed by the water, the door broken, mattress and furniture upside down and the room inaccessible. Hotel guests were taken to higher ground by buses and trucks. We sat by the roadside on higher ground waiting. The hotels found alternate accommodations in nearby Phuket which was about one half drive away from Patong. We left the others who sat by the roadside and went to some hillside shacks where Wan was able to greet the people, speak their language and explain the situation. They offered us refreshments and a place to lay down and wait. Only when we reached the airport a day later did we realize the true extent of the devastation. There were tourists at the airport with cuts, bandages, broken bones but worse yet there were many people unaccounted for. Wan and I were unhurt but learned something about each other through the experience. We showed how we react in emergencies and also we learned something about hotels and Thai people. After writing to hotel management at the Patong Merlin hotel on at least 6 occasions to that location and to their sister Phuket hotel which was undamaged by the tsunami we received one reply after 5 weeks. They did not try to clean any of the clothes left behind, did not try to return any of the contents, did not even try to contact us with a letter or e-mail saying sorry about this experience. We stayed there for a week at $100 U.S. a night and will never stay in a Merlin hotel again. Would it have been handled differently or better in North America?Well a one hour flight back to Bangkok for some shopping and then the short one hour flight back to Chiang Mai, my new home.
Now life is different. Wan and I live in her townhouse with her daughter and mother. Her husband passed away and she has been the one they rely on. Wan has a beauty salon downstairs in her townhouse. What is different now?Well I have learned how to live here on less. There are accommodations to be had here from $80 a MONTH and excellent accommodations can be had for $200 U.S. a month. By excellent I mean similar to a hotel room, TV with cable or satellite, pool, restaurant on site and in a good location with twice weekly or weekly cleaning. I eat Thai food now with chicken wings, French fries, and some homemade potato soap several times a week. I read that Thai’s can make anything taste delicious. That is TRUE. They use fresh ingredients in their cooking. There are many farms nearby and the produce from fruits, to vegetables is abundant year around and very cheap. There is also a fantastic selection of seafood’s to pick from. You can buy the seafood from the market or from a large grocery store where the selection is varied and fresh. If you want you can pick out a live fish, continue with your shopping and when you are checking out pick up your cooked fish to take home for dinner or lunch. I recently bought pineapples at the large grocery store. Large, fresh, mouth watering pineapples. Ten baht each or .25 cents U.S. each. They will cut if for you and put it on styrofoam with cellophane wrapping for free. Back to the cooking. The reason Thai food is so delicious is partly the freshness of the ingredients but mainly the sauces. Simple cooked rice with fried vegetables becomes a delicious meal with the right sauce added. Something to watch out for if you do visit here. Two small bowls are presented with many of the meals. One has a green paste/sauce and the other a red colored paste/sauce. These are added to fish or meat by way of dipping or by placing a small amount on a tablespoon from the bowl and then on to your food. WATCH OUT!!!! The red is spicy hot and should be added in measured quantities. The green should not be added at all unless you are Thai or Mexican in my opinion. The green one is the hottest of the two and can make you perspire, reach quickly for a glass of water and visit the washroom in the middle of the night and not to brush your teeth. Fantastic food and bargain prices. Great accommodations and bargain prices. Friendly people who go out of their way to make you feel at home. So many things to do that I can not even list them all. Cable TV with 54 channels for $8.25 U.S. a month. Installation cost of cable was around $7 U.S. and $2.50 extra for the second TV. Internet and telephone for about $20 U.S. a month total . People work hard. Many have their own businesses and work 16 hour days 7 days a week. The business may consist of setting up a table and a few chairs and selling noodles, cooked meat, fruits or a small convenience store with home cooked foods on the side. I see the parents take their children to school which is expensive here. About 80,000 baht or $2,000 U.S. per year for schooling, clothing and textbooks for a 7 year old. They teach the children English even at this age. The parents have to work damm hard to pay for the schooling but they are doing this in hopes of their children obtaining good jobs and having a better life with more to look forward to. Cats and dogs here are numerous. Just about everyone in our neighborhood has either a cat or dog or both. Our neighbor has 6 cats plus 2 kittens and he does not have a fulltime job. It is difficult for him but I know he loves the cats. He has offered to give us a few but we do not have the space. So to sum things up. It isn’t perfect here. You can find something to complain about if you look hard enough but for me it is as close to perfection as I will find.
I can tell you about one or two things that I do not like and I could tell you about the hundred things I like. I am a picky person so if I like it here and have very little or nothing to complain about then I am sure others will love it here also. So enamored by Chiang Mai am I that I have created a website to help other retire here. First to come here on vacation and then to retire here. Our website address is:http://www.retire-on-550-month.comIf you want you can retire here on less than that, but to live a comfortable life here that is all that it takes. Visit our website for Thai foods and recipes, to learn more about living here, and to see pictures of Chiang Mai. So from a healthier, happier George who is living here on less and enjoying itKhop Khun Khrap or thank you in Thai for reading the article. If you come here on vacation or to stay long term give me a call and we can go to a buffet and watch them make sushi, where you can select the ingredients of a soup they call Suki, where you can eat an unlimited amount of fresh salad with a choice of dressings and shredded chicken on the side, pick from an assortment of cooked meats, noodles, or fish, and then top it off with a variety of desserts and the best cup of coffee I have had in years for $2.50 U.S. after taxes and tip. The best selection of freshly prepared food and lowest priced all you can eat buffet restaurant in Chiang Mai in my opinion.

Member countries of the European Union, as well as Iceland, Norway, Japan, Singapore, Australia and others - have implemented new regulations regarding liquids in carry-on bags. As a result, there are potential implications for passengers who purchase liquid duty-free items (e.g. perfume and liquor) while traveling to and from international destinations.
Because many duty-free shops in other countries are located before the security checkpoint, all liquid duty-free items purchased in those airports will be placed in special sealed tamper-evident bags in order to be permitted through those countries’ security checkpoints. The tamper-evident bag is not currently accepted through U.S. checkpoints.
To avoid the risk of having to abandon your liquid duty-free items in the U.S. and abroad, please follow the guidelines below.
For passengers traveling to an international destination from the United States:Duty-free purchases of liquids of any size from shops in the U.S. are permitted if you have a nonstop flight to an international destination.
If you have a connecting flight in Europe, Japan or another international destination, U.S. duty-free liquid purchases in containers larger than three ounces will not be permitted through security checkpoints because they will not be in the an approved tamper-evident bag. Note: If you purchase a liquid duty-free item in the U.S. you will not be able to get a tamper evident bag for it before going through international checkpoints.
For passengers returning to the United States from an international destination:On nonstop flights bound for the US, duty-free liquids purchased in an international airport will be permitted through the checkpoint only if they meet U.S. requirements for the use of tamper-evident bags. Duty-free delivered to the aircraft for passenger pick-up, bought on the plane or purchased after the security checkpoint are allowed.
If you are flying to the U.S. and have a connecting flight, duty-free liquids that meet U.S. requirements will NOT be permitted through U.S. security checkpoints. If you have a connecting flight, liquid duty-free purchases must be placed in your checked baggage. Since you will be required to reclaim your checked bags prior to passing through customs inspection, you can place duty-free liquids into your bags and recheck them for your connection.
Please note, this information applies only to liquid, aerosol, or gel duty free purchases that exceed the three ounce restriction for single containers.
Transportation Security Administration Tips * When traveling to an international destination with a connection, buy your duty-free liquid items on the last leg of your trip.
* In Europe and other countries that use the tamper-evident bag, passengers should not open the bag before the security checkpoint, or else the duty-free contents may be seized.
* When returning from an international destination on a connecting flight in the U.S., use your time in customs to place any duty-free liquid items in your checked bags.

The city called Dumaguete in the Philippines is named after the word “daggit” which is from a local dialect of Visaya which means “to snatch” or “to swoop”. Dumaguete City was named as such for the pirates that had always been active in the coastal city, Dumaguete long time ago. Historically rich in culture from many years ago, the city of Dumaguete has beautiful heritage sites to offer. The tiny city Dumaguete has always been on the Philippine map; it is a coastal city situated in Negros Oriental. Contrast to the size of Dumaguete City, it offers greatly awesome things for you to discover. The beauty in the panoramic view of Dumaguete City will inspire the old traditional wonder of the place with the reconciliation of the modern amenities it can provide its guests. Being a peaceful bay area, people are warm which earned Dumaguete City the title, City of Gentle People. The city of Dumaguete has finally ended its silence. The beauty of Dumaguete City has caused the influx of tourists. Many people heard of the city’s name for the reknown beautiful outdoor adventure experience it has offered its visitors. Presently, industrial technology is continuously developing in Dumaguete City since it is also known as the “Center of Learning in the South” or as the “University Town”.
Dumaguete City’s most tempting quality is the adventure outdoor that can lasts your whole life. Paradise in its own simple luxuries are offered in Dumaguete City through the shiny crystals of white sands surrounding the beaches. Finding the place called Dumaguete is synonymous to finding a place of haven. Imagine the modern amenities within the city with historical beauty and wonders all rolled into a little corner in the Philippine Islands. You can always find a diving site, a vacation home that can assure to make you feel at home. Getting from other famous places from Dumaguete to other neighboring areas famous for tourism in the Philippines is another convenience of the city’s location as well.
Visit the city named Dumaguete in the Philippines and plunge into the lure of different gifts of nature in the small coastal city. Experience the breath-taking relaxation of the soul, mind and body. Find the perfect nature’s beauty in Dumaguete City; beauty at its purest form. Discover the relaxation and splurge into the magic of the place. Endless journeys in search for the perfect paradise with the sun, sand, and water can be finally brought to an end in Dumaguete City!