Because Eventually I Have To Die, Maybe
Vacations
Canadian Travel = Less Credibility
Mar 11th
Does going to Kelowna even count as a vacation when you live in Calgary? I’m serious.
I read all these blogs about people going everywhere and anywhere, staying months in exotic locals, eating interesting food, meeting people from all over. Me? I’m going to Kelowna. I’m trying really hard not to complain, Kelowna is beautiful, it will be relaxing, and the Rocky Mountains are an international destination. And I only have four days of vacation time for this birthday vacation. Being a student with a part time job, saying “I only have four days of vacation time” kills me inside, but it’s true. I’m trying desperately to grad by the end of 2009 which involves spring and summer courses, thus reduced fun time. Last summer I dicked off to Eastern Canada for a month, this summer I have four days!
I decided I couldn’t drop a few grand for a four day vacation. I just spent $1,600 or so on a crappy week in the Dominican Republic. And, it turns out air transportation companies don’t care how long you are staying for, the flights cost the same. It was hard, but I told myself it had to be within driving distance, and it had to be cheap. I simply could not justify flying to Venezuela for four days, as awesome as that would be. Even San Fransisco was out of budget.
On the bright side, I found a wicked deal on Expedia a suite in Summerland near Kelowna right on the lake front. I guess when it comes down to it a vacation is a vacation. Relaxing on the beach in Kelowna nestled in between giant mountains is probably just as nice as relaxing on the beach anywhere. It just doesn’t come with the travel cred.
Things I will get to cross off of The List include…
#308 Go to the Spotted Lake at Osoyoos
Halifax
Mar 4th
The trip to Halifax was interesting. It wasn’t my choice to go out there, more of a last minute decision to accompany my boyfriend to see his extended family. The trip was very nice, not just for the sights but for having been able to meet his amazing and generous family. We stayed in an ancient old nunnery with a view of the Bedford Basin and had our own ride to kick around in. We made it out to the infamous Peggy’s Cove and to Pier 21 (which is terribly boring and not as interesting as I thought it would be.) Both items were on my list so I’m two more closer to completion!
Here are some pics!
It doesn’t look like I’ll be getting another trip until June when I hope to get off somewhere for a few days to celebrate my birthday. I’m bouncing around San Fransisco, Seattle and Yellowstone.
When You Don’t Enjoy Your Vacation
Jan 27th
I was trying to avoid writing about my trip to the Dominican Republic, but I cannot put it off any longer. It was silly, not wanting to write about. I’m just scared to admit the truth about my ridiculously expensive excursion: it was terrible. Not I-was-held-hostage-and-forced-to-eat-raw-cow-pancreas terrible, but I certainly did not get what I thought I paid for.
When I got back I was depressed. Not depressed because it was the end of my vacation, leaving the Dominican Republic made me happy. Getting on the plane was truly wonderful. I was depressed because the best part of my vacation, other than the odd playful dips in the ocean, was laying in the room watching the BBC and bootlegged movies on “Punta Cana TV”. I was angry at myself for letting my money go to waste on what I should have known would be a terribly packaged resort deal. Why didn’t I fly to Santo Domingo and take in some real culture and actually see some of the Dominican Republic? Why did I let myself be duped into an over priced resort with constant noise from helicopters and screaming Germans. Why didn’t I make sure there was ready access to fairly priced or free excursions and activities.
Truth be told, I could have gone to any over crowded noisy beach on any tropical island, I wouldn’t have known the difference. I have to take it as a learning experience though, no matter how embarassed and angry with myself I am. I know now that resorts are simply not for me. I like options, being able to go places, and most of all, being able to leave if necessary. The resort experience, for me, held the feeling of being held against my will. I had no idea where I was, no access to entertainment or the food of my choice. I was paying to be held captive for a week, or at least that is what it felt like to me. It just isn’t my travel style, which I can readily admit I am still learning.
Traveling isn’t something innate for me, I’m learning what I like and how I like to do it on the road. I can’t expect perfection at every turn, but I can expect myself to take crappy vacations and realize how to avoid the same pitfalls the next time I head out into the wide world.
In the end I came back with two things crossed off of my list
#241. Stay at an all inclusive resort
#583. Soak up the Caribbean sun
New Year, New Adventures
Jan 2nd
I don’t have much to say other than the fact I leave for the Dominican Republic tonight for a week of beaches, sand, and binge drinking.
Vacations are awesome. I’ll save real travel for when I have more than a week to invest.
Cursedness and Travelling
Dec 22nd
When I finally gave in and paid for my long overdue tropical vacation to the Dominican, I figured something would go wrong. Rarely does anything ever go as planned in my life, it is an actual curse on my family name (or so the story that I made up goes). This is especially true when it comes to travelling. Occasionally things work out properly, but it’s usually when I am with Adam and his uncanny amount of good luck manages to over ride my cursedness.
So of course when I come home yesterday to find a message from Maria, our lovely Flight Centre travel agent, I was not surprised at all. “Chelsea, please call me back immediately, your resort stay has been cancelled, but don’t worry, it’s a good thing”. Pessimist that I am, I assumed I had been placed on the no fly list or that Adam’s habit of looking like an extremist terrorist had caught up with him. As it turns out, I wasn’t right, but we all saw that coming. Actually, our original resort had been shut down due to health reasons, which they were refusing to communicate to Sunquest about. I guess Sunquest decided for the sake of safety not to send any clients there until it was fully resolved. Fair enough, I’d rather not go somewhere on vacation and die. The awesome part is we got upgraded to a different (and much nicer) resort, still in Punta Cana, for free!
While I don’t doubt that many other things will go awry in the next two weeks before we leave, I’m happy to have gotten past the first inevitable change in plans. These things are to be expected and at least I came out ahead this time, ending up with a better hotel for the price of the apparent death trap I was headed to.
Can a Computer Replace a Person?*
Dec 18th
About a month ago Adam and found ourselves standing in a Flight Centre office, waiting for the next available agent. After weeks of fruitless and confusing searching on the internet for a nice all-inclusive resort somewhere warm we had given up and were looking for help. Expedia, Travelocity and even the Flight Centre’s own website are great if you know what you are doing and even moreso if you have a favourite destination, but if you are a newbie, they can kind of suck. So, keeping in mind that I had promised myself to take help wherever I could get it to finish this list, we headed to a Flight Centre location to figure out where to go.
After about 45 minutes of running through pricing and options, we settled on a new resort on the Western side of the Dominican Republic, near Punta Cana. White sand beaches, gorgeous rooms, and blowing palm trees everywhere. I do feel a bit guilty my first trip out of North America will be to a resort town with absolutely no semblance of real culture, but honestly I just want a beach and all inclusive drinks. It’s been a rough semester and the one coming up should only prove to be worse. I’ll save the “real” traveling for the summer or later in life, right now I just want to sit on the beach, drink margaritas and soak up that Caribbean sun. Also! A lot of reviews (negatively) pointed out it’s where the locals choose to vacation. Why this is negative I don’t know, I’m looking forward to some local tips on how to get super drunk.
*The Office
The Friendly Skies Above Las Vegas
Nov 10th
I actually miss Vegas. Or maybe I miss travelling in general. I’m not sure anymore.
How Do We Compare
Sep 23rd
Past: Drinking, gambling, Grand Canyon, doing whatever I want
Present: Sitting in class, listening to someone speak the same sentences I read in my textbook the night before, wondering if I start work at 5 or 6
Future: Laying on Mexican beaches
The periods in between traveling are pretty much terrible.
I have absolutely nothing planned that will fulfill anything on my list. I guess in a month I am seeing a live comedy show, but that is about it until December 27th, when I hit Mexico (or Cuba?)
I want to say that I’m not dead, but it certainly doesn’t feel like I am living at the current moment.