Choosing Planes, Ships, Trains, Buses or Automobiles

Our six-week European Swing was designed around my daughter’s wedding in Scotland’s Guthrie Castle. It was indeed memorable. But it was also highly educational. It gave us a great view of the differences among the different modes of transportation.

The first two weeks were in Scandinavia and Russia through a combination of airplanes and a ferry (from Finland to Russia) to transfer from one country to another. We used public transportation in Oslo, Helsinki, and Stockholm. In St. Petersburg, we were on a bus excursion from the ferry. We found that car rentals and fuel were sky-high.

The next two weeks were spent on an MV Explorer cruise through Denmark, Scotland, Iceland, Ireland, and England. We embarked in Stockholm, Sweden, did city walking tours in Copenhagen, Denmark, Lerwich, Scotland, Isofjordur, Iceland, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, and took bus excursions for Rekjavik and Akureyri, Iceland.

The last two weeks were in the UK. We disembarked in Southampton, England. It was a Sunday and car rental companies were closed during the season because their entire fleet would have been rented out for the weekend to be returned only on the following Monday.  So besides car rentals, we used trains (and other modes) for road trips across the UK.

First, when it was just my husband and I, we walked the towns and used trains from Southampton to Brighton, Brighton to Canterbury, and Canterbury to Gatwick. That’s the airport where we picked up my daughter and her two daughters.

The five of us then rented a Renault Captur, big enough to carry us and five bags. In two days, we covered Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Bath from our hotel  in Warminster. Then we toured the Cotswolds and southwestern Wales from an Airbnb in Cheltenham for the next two days. On the last day, we visited Windsor Castle from Heathrow Lodge.

Third, after my daughter’s wedding, we joined our BFFs and partners using trains, buses, a private car, cabs, and the tube, whatever was appropriate and available, touring London, Liverpool, and Edinburgh. 

Here is what we learned. Cruise ships can be the least expensive mode, especially if you get a highly discounted one like we did through Groupon. Organized excursions, however, can dramatically raise the cost. Use them when necessary and explore by yourselves, whenever possible. The biggest drawback, however, is you get the least sense of a place and people with just 8 hours at port. But if you are a foodie, you can get the best variety and quantity of food on a cruise ship. There is also a ready like-minded community to travel with. Finally, there is no need to pack or unpack!

Planes, trains, cabs, and buses are less convenient, having to haul luggage through different means of transfers, especially on windy, damp, and cold days. But these road trips can give you the best sense of place and people because you can stay as long as you want. The longer you stay, the cheaper the lodging becomes.

Even if you must drive, a road trip by car may be even more cost-effective (car rentals become cheaper the longer the period), as long as parking fees and the cost of fuel aren’t exorbitant. But maybe not in the UK since driving is on the wrong side of the road, the back roads are very narrow, and the speed limits are higher than those in the US. It can sometimes be quite scary!

We concluded that a road trip gives you the best sense of place and people. We always prefer to travel by car but if fuel and parking costs are not reasonable or driving conditions are unfamiliar, then trains, buses, and planes are the next best. We will reserve cruise ships only as an exception. One such exception is short ferries from one country to another. But when in town, walk around and use public transportation!  

            

MEETING THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD WHILE TRAVELING

And I’m not talking about beauty contest winners, gorgeous glamorous celebrities, or as-yet undiscovered alluring beauties. My definition of “beautiful” in this post is “of a very high standard; excellent.” As travelers, we get exposed to many unfamiliar, uncomfortable, unnerving situations. During such trying times, when you meet people whom you don’t even know but step up to help with a kindness of the highest order, consider yourself lucky. You have just come across a beautiful person.

Nine years ago, Bill and I had just gotten married and we flew to the Philippines to introduce my home country to my new groom. On the way back, we passed by Taipei, Taiwan to visit his friend for a couple of weeks. The small country island was easy to visit with the High-Speed Rail System that can take you from Taipei, the northernmost capital to Kaohsiung, the southernmost urban center in just 2 ½ hours.  One of our day trips using the system was to Tainan on the southwestern side.

Taiwan’s capital for 200 years during the Koxinga and Qing dynasties, Tainan boasts of many old fortresses, historic temples, and rich folk cultures.  After visiting Fort Provintia, the old Dutch fortress, and the oldest Confucian Temple of Taiwan, we took the bus to the Taiwan Salt Museum in the Qigu suburban district. The bus driver did not speak a word of English but took pains to help us understand that we better be on the same spot where he let us off at 3 pm, the last bus back to Tainan. 

Taiwan Salt Museum

The Museum consists of a huge salt mountain, salt spas, and the building housing the exhibits built on the site of what was once the country’s largest sea salt field after the salt mines ceased operations in 2002. As luck would have it, we missed the bus! After anxious moments with the non-English speaking staff, the Manager came and ordered a taxi for us. It came an hour later by which time I was already hungry. We could only find a cup of coffee for Bill. Inside the cab, the driver noticed me, stopped the cab, got out, opened the trunk, and handed me the best crackers I have ever tasted!

After the Taiwan trip, we decided to extend our honeymoon by driving an RV all over North America. We bought a 24-foot Class C and traveled from Seattle to Boise, to Calgary then to Alaska through the Alaska Highway up to the Arctic Circle, down the West Coast to the US Southwest. Then we got ready for our three-week tour of Mexico from Nogales, Arizona through Hermosillo, Los Mochis, Mazatlan, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Saltillo, San Luis Potosi, Monterrey, and Laredo, Texas. Actually, many friends were convincing us it wasn’t safe to RV in Mexico but no one could stop us from this next adventure.  We felt we were on a roll!

our RV at the hotel parking lot

From Nogales, Arizona, our first stop was Hermosillo, Mexico. Our RV Park was right along the highway; it was easy to find. It was quite unnerving, however, that we were the lone RV in the Park. The next night, we had a more difficult time looking for our Park.  We stopped at a gas station to fill up and, in broken Spanish, asked about where the Los Mochis Trailer Park could be. Two rough looking young men in the beaten-up car in front of us looked at the address I had scribbled on a piece of paper and quickly motioned us to follow them. The next twenty minutes were agonizingly uncomfortable. But they did lead us to Hotel Los Mochis.  It turned out our RV Park is the hotel’s back parking lot! The young men refused the pesos we offered for their help. That night we may have been again the lone RV but no fear settled in. We had just met two beautiful people. We would meet many more in Mexico. 

In 2014, we were on a UK road trip on the way to my youngest daughter’s wedding at the Guthrie Castle in Scotland. I was with my husband, my eldest daughter, and her daughter.  The road trip was to take us from London to Stonehenge, Bath, the Cotswolds, Wales back to the Windsor Castle and London before the flight to Edinburgh. With plenty of sight-seeing planned, our hotel stays were going to be just sleeping time. Our first night was at the Farmers Hotel, between Stonehenge and Bath in the town of Warminster.

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Farmers Hotel

The building was 300 years old. It was difficult getting our luggage up the narrow, convoluted stairway. But the beds were comfy. We quickly went down to the Italian Restaurant on the premises. Our pasta and pizza dinner was delicious, but it was the company that was remarkable. The hotel was run by a small Italian family. The father was the Manager, his three sons, the Chef, the waiter and the butler, and his daughter, the cashier. That evening our families became one. The Chef was so happy he gave us tons of free dessert. The father invited us to watch the World Cup Championships on TV. Although England lost, it was such a fun night. My granddaughter got up early the next day to buy a potted plant as a gift to the family. Lots of souvenir photos were taken before we headed out for Bath.

the family of beautiful people with my family

Luxurious facilities, excellent location, wonderful amenities may make the most popular lodging options, but places like Farmers Hotel are one in a million. My daughter thanked me profusely for selecting the hotel.  Today, my daughter and I still keep in touch with the daughter through Facebook. This small Warminster family, the two Mexican young men, and the Chinese taxi driver are some of the most beautiful people we have ever met. When you travel, you get the chance to meet many! 

Note: Headline Photo is from the "Top 12 Most Beautiful People in The World" post of Sarah Salman in the WondersList Blog

Our Lifestyle Adventures: I Was a Nanny in London and Loved It!

Kyrie and me

Kyrie Stephens Pijuan was born to my youngest daughter April and son-in-law Clint at 7:40 pm, September 14, 2015, at the Queen Charlotte Hospital in London.  He came by C-section after April’s heroic attempt of 40 hours in labor and 16 hours of being induced. No wonder, .he was all of 8.4 pounds, such a big baby boy for my 5’2” 120-pound April. I was told Clint was that size when he came into the world, too! In any case, he was the biggest bundle of joy ever to arrive at the couple.

Kyrie when I arrived, when I left, and now!

Bill and I had just been in Kauai for two days when we got the news.Just a day after we got back to Phoenix from trips to Maui and Oahu, I was on board a Norwegian Air flight to London. Clint was at the airport to pick me up. Soon Kyrie, my 7^th apo (grandchild) was in my arms.  He said, “Hi GrandMum!” in that cute British accent! April and Clint had just had an exhausting two weeks. After the hospital, poor Clint had his hands full. April had a fever and Kyrie woke up every 2 hours to be nursed, burped, and changed. 

Clint, April, and Kyrie at Cromer Pier, winner of 2015 Best Pier Prize

It was so good to be able to help, burp him, put him to sleep and talk to him. Just don’t ask me to change his nappies! Alas, I also did not have the means to feed him!  I delighted in my tasks that included making meals for our little family. Local grocer Sainsbury was just below their 2-bedroom flat and for individual cuts of meat, the butcher was just a short block away. Across was the fruits and vegetable co-op. An artisan bread shop completed my needs two doors away. Even a wet market was only four bus stops away with a Filipino store to boot! I loved the local life in this part of London!

April's neighborhood

Peng with a copy of my book

Just eight bus stops away is Westfield Mall, site of the 1906 Summer Olympics. The place used to be part of what is called White City because every edifice was white. That is where I met two of my friends for lunch. The first was Peng, a colleague from the Institute of Advanced Computer Technology. She has made London home with her husband and daughter.

the Notting Hill Bookshop with Sonia

The second was Sonia Tan, a mentor at NCR Corporation Philippines who was visiting London. Rachel, her friend’s daughter, toured us around Notting Hill and Portobello Road. We had our photos taken at the Notting Hill Bookstore where Hugh Grant and Julie Roberts met and the blue door of his apartment. We also had halo-halo at Lakwatsa, a Filipino pub.

with Jane at the Millenium Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral at the back

But the very first friend I met was Maureen Jane Regala-Gibbs. We had been together at the University of the Philippines ROTC Corps of Sponsors some 47 years ago. A member of London’s Royal Academy of the Arts, she took me as her guest to the famed Ai Weiwei art exhibit that was going on at the time (up to December). Oh, what marvelous works this renowned rebel-artist of China produced! The theme of the exhibit is “Everything is art. Everything is politics.” After the tour, we had a brief stop at the British Museum, Jane’s apartment close by, and tea at Covent Garden.

the Ai Weiwei Exhibit

Just before I left London, we met again to view the newest attraction of London, the fabulous Sky Garden on the 35^th-37^th floors. There was an unobstructed view of the Shard Building, the tallest building in London, the London Bridge, the Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. Then we walked to St. Paul’s Cathedral, where Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married, and turned left to walk the Millenium Bridge. At the end of this bridge was Shakespeare’s Globe Theater on the left and the Tate Modern on the right. We viewed collectors’ displays at Tate and had scones, clotted cream, and tea at the Café.

the Sky Garden

And then Bill had some good news. We had about 5,000 points left in our Diamond Resorts time-share that we had to use before the end of the year! When I looked online, there was a one-bedroom unit available at Cromer Country Club in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. On Kyrie’s one –month birthday, we took this 3 ½ hour drive for a one-week vacation by the sea. Unfortunately, we were met with wet, cold and windy days. Despite this uncooperative weather, Clint enjoyed the fitness center, indoor heated pool, sauna and steam bath. I went to the gym four times!

Cromer Country Club

On the fifth day, the sun was shining, and we happily brought mother and son to town, to the beautiful stone cathedral and the famous Cromer Pier, the Gem of the Norfolk Coast and Winner of the Pier of the Year 2015 award.  I will just let the pictures do the talking. It was the prettiest beach town and pier we have seen in our travels around the United Kingdom. In fact, we went twice! I hope Kyrie gets to visit it again one day when he can appreciate its beauty.

Cromer from the Pier

On the sixth day, the sun was again shining! This time, we took Kyrie around Cromer Country Club and discovered a hill beyond the country club. Atop the hill were the helipad, the lighthouse, the lighthouse keepers’ cottage, and the best view of the whole town. With the peeking autumnal (somebody pointed out to me that it isn’t called fall in England, but autumn) colors, everything was picture perfect, including our villa (Villa 1), the garden, and the Virginia creepers.  

Virginia creepers

What a great 25 days I had as a Nanny in London. If you noticed, I did not forget the traveler in me! But I will surely miss my Kyrie. It’s a good thing I will be traipsing around seven countries in Europe with my BFFs and then return to a 2-week Mexican vacation with Bill! Perhaps my longing for Kyrie will be somewhat eased until I meet him again as a Nanny in Melbourne!

view of Cromer from atop the hill

Wonderings on Wanderings: 10 Reasons Why I Would Go Back to the UK in a Jiffy!

Dracula, an outdoor play at the Whitby Abbey Ruins

the colorful little cottages
at the beach in Whitby, United Kingdom

Just by way of introduction, the United Kingdom (UK) has an estimated population of 64.1 million in about 94,000 sq. mi.,  2/3 the population of the Philippines’ 98.4 million and only slightly smaller than its 115,000 sq. mi.  England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland make up the kingdom; some powers of the last three are devolved to its capitals: Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast, respectively. Wales was incorporated in 1536, Scotland, 1707 and Ireland, 1801. In 1922 five-sixths of Ireland seceded to form the Republic of Ireland. But on September 18, 2014, Scotland rejected the vote for independence.

little bridge over river

herds of sheep

I spent a total of two months in the UK, three weeks before April’s wedding to Clint and five weeks after. The newly-weds were ready to adopt the country as their own until April found out her work visa could not be transferred into an immigrant one. I got a pretty good idea why the couple love the UK. Here are my 10 reasons why I would go back to the UK in a jiffy:

little English garden

rolling farm meadows, even near cities

1. One hallmark is the simple, good life! Examples are lines of small colorful beach cottages for changing along beaches, sturdy stone bridges over clear rivers, rolling farm meadows everywhere, herds of sheep grazing in grasslands, and pretty little English gardens.

Stonehenge

Caerphilly Castle in Wales

2. There is a lot of precious history that is preserved in prehistoric, Roman, and religious ruins, venerable clock towers, imposing monuments, living cathedrals, and all kinds of castles that are in ruins or still in use.

red phone booth

3. The UK also reminds me of my favorite color combination, red and black: especially the ubiquitous red phone booth, the big red Hop-on-Hop-off bus, and the sleek and spacious black cab.

4. The great tradition in theater, established by the likes of Shakespeare et al, continues to live on. I saw more plays in my two months there than my previous five years with Bill, most of them outdoors! In London, shows like Wicked are wowing thousands everyday.

high tea

5. The UK ranks high on human development indicators, almost as good as the US although not as good as the Scandinavian countries. People are generally happy and enjoy quality of life. The country is 87% white.

6. The economy is very stable: it is the sixth-largest economy in the world and the third-largest in Europe. The tourism industry is a major part of the economy, along with oil and gas. She ranks as sixth major tourist destination in the world and London is the city with the most international visitors. There are a lot of reasons to do so. Even in my favorite sport of tennis, Wimbledon in the outskirts of London is the premier major tournament.

pasty!

scone, jam, and clotted cream

7. Food supply is excellent. Every single fruit or vegetable I bought was deliciously sweet and fresh. Seafood was always fresh and available. I loved the pies, especially the pasties that were bigger versions of the Filipino empanada. But I simply went gaga over fruit scones and clotted cream. Clint, April, and I had it every single day! And I would not mind having High Tea every day, just not at the Ritz!

narrow English roads

wonderful walk-ups

8. The energy-producer is also ranked #43 in per capita carbon footprint vs. #12 USA, #32 Finland, and #33 Norway. She is definitely energy-efficient.  Roads are very narrow, cars are very small, and people depend on public transport systems like the highly developed rail network. Homes are usually modest; thatched cottages and small stone homes in rural areas and walk-ups in the cities are still popular. Families have few appliances; they usually just air-dry clothes after washing and manually clean up dishes before hand washing.  

thatched cottage

9. In terms of governance, the UK is also remarkable. The unitary state is a very stable constitutional monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II, the current British monarch has ruled for an amazing 62 years; she is 88 years old.  The country is also one of only four countries in the world to have an uncodified constitution. The UK Parliament can perform "constitutional reform" simply by passing Acts. It is wonderful to view the debates on the Parliament floor. It is even more wonderful that the Parliament can legislate many changes without much rancor in either the political parties or civil society.

Hop-on-Hop-off Bus

 

Salisbury Cathedral

Brighton Clocktower

10. The UK has fourteen Overseas Territories, former colonies and remnants of the British Empire. It  remains a great power, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the EU and other world organizations of power. At its height, the empire consisted of almost a quarter of the world, the largest empire in world history. Her influence can be observed in the language, culture, legal systems, and governments of many of its former colonies, including Canada and Australia, the United States, and even former colonies of the United States like the Philippines. Everybody speaks English there, albeit in many different accents!

The UK is a great country to live in. How I wish April and Clint are able to stay there! Actually they wanted to so much; too bad it didn’t work out for them.

Our Lifestyle Adventures: Seeing a Slice of the Newly-Weds' Life

Newcastle Train Station

view from my bedroom

Clint and April have quite a darling two-bedroom townhome in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK which was home to me for five weeks, July to August of 2014. My bedroom overlooked a wall with interesting graffiti beyond their backyard’s vine of purple and white flowers. I was so glad the room also had an elliptical that helped me shed the pounds I had amassed over the course of our long trip through Scandinavia and the UK. The small backyard below my window was the scene of many barbeques the couple hosted. Their CFC (Couples for Christ) household sometimes met at their cozy home.

my room

the CFC Household meets at the couple's home

Most of the time, however, they would meet at Krizette Lucas’s home which had a large deck for entertaining. Their friends included Krizette’s husband Den, Cheryl and Jason, household heads, Nicolay and Anthony, Charrie and Nat and Ana and Brian. They comprised the couple’s UK family who has adopted them as their own. I joined their household meetings and welcomed the chance to renew the bible studies I had started in the Bureau of Internal Revenue with a CFC Philippines’ elder, Liway Chato, who had taken me as her Deputy Commissioner.

at the Lucas Deck

Since April and Clint both work, most of the time I would be left alone in the apartment. I made it a point to prepare dinner for the couple to come home to: Korean beef stew, steamed fish Hongkong style, Hainanese chicken, etc. I also used the “alone” time to try to finish my edit of the book manuscript after the editorial evaluation in June 014.Sometimes, their friends would coax me into joining their outings.

Once we went to the High Force Waterfalls on the River Tees, near Middleton-in-Teesdale, Teesdale, County Durham, England. The waterfall is within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Despite popular belief that it is the highest waterfall in England, at 71 feet (22 m), : Cautley Spout, in Cumbria's Howgill Fells, is almost 590 feet (180 m) high.

High Force WAterfalls

the whole group that went to see the Falls

The whole of the River Tees plunges over a precipice (cliff edge which is almost vertical) in two stages, creating two separate falls in former times. After the completion of Cow Green Reservoir in upper Teesdale, this seldom happens now. In harsh winters the falls would freeze, creating cathedral-like ice formations. That would be beautiful to see but it would be too cold for me! We all had a grand time negotiating photo-ops and were so disappointed the access to the falls from the top of the cliff was closed.

picking large, luscious, and 'licious strawberries

Since we all still had time to spare before the afternoon sun turned into an evening glow, we stopped by to do some strawberry picking at a strawberry farm. You cannot imagine my joy at seeing such HUGE strawberries growing straight out of the earth-clinging vines. What a great adventure to experience! We ate as many fresh strawberries as our stomachs could carry while combing the farm. Of course, I brought home a basket for Clint and April.

at the outdoor play

April in front of  her office
HP in Newcastle, UK

One afternoon, the couple also took me to an outdoor play near their offices. It would have been more fun had it not been so windy, making the afternoon colder than it was meant to be. But the Indian food available at the kiosk was so good it was definitely worth the trip. We all wished inexpensive quality entertainment like that was as available in other cities, most especially Metro Manila. 

Another time, we went to a Western Cowboys and Cowgirls Birthday party for the little boy of the Talagas. And guess what the piece de resistance was? You got it right…lechon…oh how I have missed this Filipino delicacy! Clint, April, and I had so much fun at the photo booth, too. The Filipino community sure knows how to celebrate events and keep the Filipino fire in Newcastle burning well!

English Cowboy and  Cowgirls

I saw how my daughter April and her new husband Clint live in the UK. Judging by the cozy home, the fun-loving and spiritual friends they have, and the awesome sight-seeing around northeastern United Kingdom, they are living a simple, charmed, and happy life. What a way to start a marriage. I am so glad I got to see a slice of their life. I hope it continues long and well through the march of babies..