You Have Your Bucket List, I Have Mine

2012 was a good year, by my measures. Had fun with my significant other, traveled and knocked some items off the bucket list. Here is a recap, and I'd love to hear about your year, your bucket lists and any resolutions you have? 

I made it to the Georgia O’Keeffe museum in Santa Fe – take that, bucket list!

We saw whales in the wild in Hawaii – being doused with blowhole water was an unforgettable experience. Being spit on by a whale is far cooler than it sounds. 

Went to the Pez Visitor Center (Orange CT) – so much delicious Pez. I never knew this should have been on my bucket list, lucky for me we drove past it on I-95.

Visited Martha’s Vineyard (ferry!)

Attended a Formula 1 race. Very cool. 

Tried Popeye’s chicken for the first time. Damn good. 

Went to Zoo Lights at the National Zoo. This may not seem like a big deal but I liked it. 

We were on TV (DIY Network). Look for us on the show "I Want That" trying out household items. I built a shelf. 

Finally saw GNR in concert. This is not easy, given Axl Rose's proclivities and likelihood to have shows cancelled. 

Toured Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio in Arizona. Highly recommend. 

Experienced a NASCAR race in Richmond. Not my first NASCAR rodeo but the Richmond track is singularly interesting - you can bring your own alcohol. Good people watching. 

2^nd time around at the fun Gold cup races. 2013, will plan a proper tailgate party. 

Participated in the Washington Tennis Education Foundation auction (met Art Monk and Charles Mann, and only spent $100 on an auction item). But new rule, we are not allowed to go to charity auctions. 

Met Train (the band). Got my picture made with them. 

Threw a surprise bday party for bestie Af. I think she was truly surprised and if she wasn't, she'll never tell. 

Completed a 1,000 piece puzzle with no picture to go by. Again this may not seem like a big deal, but it can ruin relationships. 

Partied with pirates. Yup. 

Finally ate at the Peppermill in Las Vegas (hey you have your bucket list I have mine). 

Saw Poison & Def Leppard in concert for first time; saw Florence & the Machine; saw B-52s for 3^rd time.

Celebrated 5^th anniversary of going to Bethany Beach with family friends. 

Got to Dogfish Head Ale brewery restaurant (DE) and Stubb’s BBQ (TX) at last. 

  

Visited Paramount Ranch - now part of a National Park, it is a set that looks like an old Western town where scores of movies and tv shows have been filmed. 

http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/paramountranch.htm

Took a sunset sail on a historic schooner in Baltimore harbor.

Flew Virgin America for first time – not bad.

  

Went to weddings in Maui, Martha’s Vineyard, Malibu mountains, St. Michael’s Eastern Shore Maryland, Delray Beach FL. NIce to celebrate that much love with people we care about - and fantastic venues.

Experienced Amoeba Records in LA- a fun, giant music store. 

Drove to top of Sandia Crest mountain, NM. Long story about trying to take a tram that was closed, but lovely view and drive. 

In sad news, we said goodbye this past spring to our beloved senior dog Java who went to canine heaven. For Thanksgiving, we welcomed rescue dog Cinder into our home. 

One door closes, another one opens. Sometimes a window. Here's looking forward to a great year in 2013 with my fur babies, my spouse, my friends and family - I'm a lucky gal and I wish nothing but the best and an upward trend for all of us. And Dallas is back on January 28 .... see y'all. 

  

Travel Round-Up – Transsexual stewardesses, obese bags and why flying coach still beats flying cargo

The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that a brave airline in Thailand is hiring transsexual “third sex” stewardesses, aka Ladyboys. They predict other airlines will follow their lead. I applaud their gesture toward equal rights. And not to be mean, but these stewardesses are far better looking than the last flight crew I got on Continental.

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/09/6016617-pioneering-airline-hires-ladyboy-flight-attendants?ocid=twitter

Way to go, PC Air.

They are punishing our bags for being obese
Another reason to hate an airline: U.S. Air is upping its bag fee from $50 to $90 dollars when the bag is overweight. See earlier post on packing light.

What about the ripple effect this will have on the souvenir industry? We are all going to think twice about buying the funny looking monkey made out of coconuts with obscene sayings on it if we are a) packing smaller or less luggage and b) worried about exceeding a weight limit. This could be devastating to all the tourist shops that make their living plying you with irresistible souvenirs.

Anyone out there routinely ship stuff home rather than having to pack it? What are your tips for keeping bags light?

Stowing away inadvertently in the cargo hold
On a related note, there was a story in the news last week about how some poor baggage handler at National airport got stuck in a cargo hold when his coworker inadvertently closed the door on him while he was loading bags. Passengers heard screaming and thumping coming from somewhere in the plane and alerted the crew – how unnerving is that?

Apparently this is not the first time this has happened, on the same type of plane – and there was a reported incident in which a guy actually flew in the hold from DC to Boston …

First, I’m amazed that this could happen so easily. Second, if there are three incidents we’ve heard of, that means there must be more that happen that don’t make the news. And third, doesn’t this sound like a safety issue? If it’s that easy to lose a person on the tarmac or for someone to accidentally get locked in the cargo hold, then how easy would it be for someone to sneak in there on purpose?

I hope someone at the FAA is looking into this. And I hope someone at least sent that baggage handler a muffin basket.

“It is a curious emotion, this certain homesickness I have in mind. With Americans, it is a national trait, as native to us as the roller-coaster or the jukebox. It is no simple longing for the home town or country of our birth. The emotion is Janus-faced: we are torn between a nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange. As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known.” - Carson McCullers

Around the world girl – and the merits of paper underpants

A friend at work was telling me how her mother had just embarked on a three-month cruise around the world. The mother and her sister were traveling together and the itinerary sounded great – Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean/Central America, through the Panama Canal, Fiji, Australia, Asia up to the Mediterranean, through the Strait of Gibraltar, ending up in London and flying back to the U.S. from there.

I’m sure there are many advantages to doing this sort of trip as a cruise, namely that you don’t have to continually schlep bags around. But you’d still have to pack for three months and for a wide variety of occasions and climates.

I have a hard enough time packing for a three day trip let alone for three months. (I have issues with being able to pack light but I’m in a 12-step program)

Are you looking for packing tips for your trip around the world? Lonely Planet posted a short article recently with some thoughts and considerations for extended travel from a true road warrior, like the type of person who can live out of a backpack for extended periods of time and is a blackbelt in hostel survival.

I don’t have a lot of experience with that kind of hard-core travel, but I could relate to the question of what category do you fall into when it comes to packing:

The Boy Scout: prepared for anything
or
Lifeboat Survivor: one who packs only enough to forestall death, or at least social ostracism

I definitely fall into the first category and have had to learn the hard way not to drag everything and the kitchen sink with me on trips. (blame my parents – someday I’ll tell the story of a fateful road trip to Florida with my packrat Dad and a filled to the brim Ford Gran Torino station wagon)

Disposable undernancies: my Mom and her sister Clara have some good stories about traveling to Europe in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s as young carefree lasses. Coming from a pretty strict religious upbringing in South America, I can only imagine how it felt for them to experience the freedom of travel and wonders like the Eiffel Tower, the ski slopes of Switzerland. They were not backpacking, it wouldn’t have really been that mainstream at the time I don’t think and it doesn’t fit their personalities – but in a nod toward convenience and packing lightly, they apparently hit upon the seemingly genius product of paper underwear.

Designed to be disposable, you could have a new, clean pair every day and not have to worry about packing a bunch of skivvies, let alone lugging funky dirty laundry around with you or having to deal with washing clothes on the road. Sounds like a good idea, but I have to wonder about the structural integrity of a pair of paper briefs. I can’t help but think of a hospital gown, crinkly, ill-fitting and tearing easily. And no word on whether this sort of thing was common at the time or just a quirk of the Hernandez girls. I guess it might cut down on the temptation to get involved with romantic encounters while on the road.

I have not come across such a product in my own travels, nor have I really looked, but I’m sure a quick online search would yield something (maybe a company like Magellan’s). Frankly I’m a little afraid to look. These might be sold alongside those plastic jars that are to be used for peeing in when you’re in the car for a long time and can’t get to a bathroom, let alone Depends type products. What would you call them? Paper Pants. Or Underpaper. Maybe Disposa-brief. But I digress.

Aside from the option of disposable clothes, some small packing revelations gleaned over the years: pack outfits, not clothes. Chances are, I don’t need that many pairs of shoes. Risk of needing formalwear – low. And don’t take hardcover books.

What are your tips or thoughts on paper undies? Here’s the link to the Lonely Planet piece:
How to pack for a round-the-world trip