Japan - The Long Journey Home

TRIP REPORT

Background:

In a previous blog post I mentioned that Japan is a destination you can typically find me heading off to at least once or twice a year. Not only is it my home away from home, but currently my mother is residing there. Is there a better reason to jet set across the globe then to visit your mom? The answer, dear reader, is no.

Despite having been to Japan a few times in the last two years, this visit promised to be a little unique. I had always traveled with friends or alone, never with family. This time, not only was my mother going to be meeting me in Tokyo, but my brother and sister were going to be making the long trek with me. As children we grew up in Japan, but when I was 13 and my siblings much younger then that, we moved back to the United States. My brother and sister haven't been able to return since then, so this was a big trip for them. The excitement was building as time ticked down. Despite planning a trip for everyone that was essentially a carbon copy of one of my earlier visits, I was excited to experience Japan with my family. We were going to start off with a few days in Tokyo, head over to some relaxing hot springs in Hakone, make a quick day trip to Hiroshima, and then attend the famous Gion Matsuri in Kyoto.


Getting There:

Despite its comparatively small size to other nations, Japan is extremely well connected to the outside world by plane. All major US airlines besides US Airways fly into Japan, in addition to the two big Japanese air carriers. If that isn't enough, you can always manage to connect north or south of the border with Air Canada and AeroMexico, or connect in major European and Asia cities.

While Chicago has direct flights to Tokyo on American, United, Japan Airlines, and ANA, the cheapest option for my siblings and I to get into Japan was to fly on American from Chicago to Tokyo through New York. Considering my brother and sister both list "broke ass college student" on their yearly tax filings, price was of the utmost importance on this trip. Having a few spare upgrades available on American through my elite status, I ended up moving the three of us into first class for our domestic flights and business class for our long trek across North America and the Pacific, while sadly our return from Japan would be in economy.

We arrived with plenty of time to spare and were quickly checked into our flight from Chicago to New York. We quickly grabbed some food to eat in the Terminal 3 food court before heading over to the Admirals Club to partake in some free wifi and assorted snacks. Not accustomed to flying very often, my brother and sister seemed to really enjoy putzing around in the lounge waiting for our flight to New York. Soon we were boarding our flight to LaGuardia and my brother and sister enjoyed their very first First Class flight. The crew was friendly and seemed to take a liking to our traveling troupe, even meeting up with us at the baggage claim and talking to us about our trip while waiting for taxis. We checked into a cheap Priceline hotel near JFK (the LaQuinta, Spanish for "Sometimes I don't change your sheets") and crashed.

Checking in at New York JFK was a breeze. We were able to use the premium passenger check in section which had no line. Anytime you can avoid a line while at the airport, its a good thing in my book. We were handed our boarding passes and quickly shifted our way through security before settling down at the Flagship Lounge/Admirals Club to wait out our boarding time. We grabbed some seats near the big windows and snapped a few pictures of our plane.

Boarding was finally announced and we schlepped our bags through the terminal and boarded the AA 777 that was taking us to Tokyo. We settled into our business class seats. American's business class on the 777 sits 2-3-2, which was convenient for us as we grabbed a row in the middle section. It was at this point that my brother and sister pretty much threw the little restraint they had left to the wind and really started diving into the experience. Pictures were taken, seats were converted into beds, and sparkling wine was offered.

The service on the flight was outstanding. Our flight attendant took very good care of us, always addressing us by name and always checking in on us after waking up from sleeping or periodically while watching movies. Food was ..... meh. You're on an airplane so what can you expect though? I've heard mythical rumors from across the travelsphere that there are some amazingly tasty airline meals out there. My hunt, sadly, continues....


Arrival:

Arriving in Tokyo's Narita is always a fairly easy experience. Generally speaking, landing in most Asian locations I've been to have been fairly easy experiences. The immigration procedure is efficient and painless, though the Japanese do require fingerprints and photographs to enter the country. Despite the hassle, we were all quickly processed through to collect our bags and were waved through customs in less then 10 minutes. While it would have been great to have our Mom meet us at the airport, it seemed silly for her to waste money on a pricey train ticket just to get back on a train and head back to Tokyo, so we agreed to meet her at our lodgings. We purchased local train tickets from Narita into Tokyo for 1000 yen each and boarded our train.


Tokyo:

Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo. A city with millions of people with a million things to do. I've heard a few people nonchalantly mention that despite its size, Tokyo really isn't that interesting of a city to visit. I wholeheartedly disagree. I've never been disappointed with my numerous visits to the Japanese capital, and this time was no exception.

We only had a few days to spend here, so we wanted to make sure we hit up a few of the big sites. We were staying at a little hostel in the Asakusa district, so the first morning we ended up walking over to Senso-ji Temple, which is the largest Buddhist temple in Tokyo. Its historic Thunder Gate with the giant red paper lantern has been the hallmark of numerous pictures and postcards from Japan. We wandered up the covered street lined with various shops hawking trinkets and tasty treats. The temple itself has a fairly large complex with a few sights to see. The giant straw sandal on a gate, the main building itself with murals painted on the walls and ceilings. Dragon shaped water fountains. Jizo statues galore. It's chaotic and frantic at most times of the day, but always an interesting and fun place to be.

We moved on from Senso-ji and hopped a few train stops over to Ueno Park. This green area in the middle of northern Tokyo is always an interesting place to stop by. They were hosting an ice sculpting contest in the open forum area near the National Museum campus. One section of the contest had already started by the time we wandered into the area, but we made sure to grab a good position to watch the second portion. The Japanese summer swelters; the heat is never too high, but it's high enough to make you feel like you're baking when you combine it with the awful sticky humidity. Sitting around blocks of ice while tiny chips from chisels and saws fly all over was a unique way to cool off.

We hopped back on the Tokyo subway system and made our way over to the Shinjuku/Harajuku area to take in the impressive Meiji-jingumae shrine. This is probably my favorite spot in Tokyo. Literally a few steps away from some of the heaviest trafficked streets in the most populous metropolitan area in the world, you have this quiet, forested oasis that offers shade and relaxation. Marked by massive wooden gates bearing the seal of the Emperor, you walk for almost a mile through a heavily wooded path before reaching the serene confines of the shrine. If you're lucky, you'll see a traditional Japanese wedding taking place as you walk through.

The next day we took the sightseeing a little easier. We marched around the Imperial Palace for awhile, taking in the famous Nijubashi bridge (said to resembled a pair of glasses) and wandered over to the parliament building, the Diet. Realistically there isn't much to do at the palace, so we headed over to the touristy Tokyo Tower, which resembles the Eiffel Tower for all intents and purposes. We shelled out for the overpriced tickets and headed up to the observation deck, staring out at the massive breadth of Tokyo. The Tokyo Metropolitan building is a much better view if you want to see all of Tokyo, but the Tower was good enough to keep us entertained, especially my brother and sister who got a big kick out of standing on the glass viewing platform to freak my mother out. Feeling the grumbling in our stomachs, we decided to sit down for some nice Japanese food.

We ended the day on the unmanned robotic train to Odaiba, a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. We got our pictures taken with the fake Statue of Liberty (notice a theme with fake replicas of other famous world landmarks?) and then did a little shopping for my sister at the all-women's mall, Venus Fort. Its interior is designed to mimic Venice, Italy. Wandering around, it really just reminded me of the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas.

Weary and exhausted from walking in the heat all day, we headed back to our hostel and prepared for our early morning trek to the mountains.


Hakone:

While at times it seems like a sleepy little town in the mountains, Hakone is a pretty major destination on the touring map, both with foreigners and with the Japanese. Tucked away into the mountains south east of Tokyo, its full of natural beauty, misty lakes, active volcano vents, and natural hot springs.

A very difference atmosphere then Tokyo and a welcomed change at this point in the trip.

Getting to Hakone is a little bit of a pain. You take a short bullet train ride from Tokyo to the town of Odawara where you then transfer to a local train or bus that winds up the mountains. We splurged a bit on the hotel for this location. After sleeping in a clean but cramped hostel in Tokyo, were were looking forward to something a little more luxurious.

The hotel we were booked into sat prominently on the bend of the river running through this region.

Keeping with the traditional Japanese style, shoes are removed when you enter the building and kept in a locker. We shuffled down the hardwood floors to our room, which had an open format and was tiled with straw tatami mats in all directions. We booked a corner room overlooking the river, and we had a wrap around enclosed veranda that allowed views of the mountains and river. On a separate balcony attached to our bathroom, we had our own personal outdoor hot bath. In total seclusion you were able to disrobe, wash yourself clean, and dip into the hot water while listening to the river flowing by and birds chirping in the greenery. Heaven.

Also included in the room was the traditional "gift" when you arrive in a Japanese inn, which for us included delicious hot tea and some citrus jelly snacks.

Having spend half the day commuting to our new location, the only thing we did the first day was enjoy the hotel's facilities. In addition to our personal hot tub, there were men's and women's hot springs on the bottom floor. The family split up and took turns trying the different baths, soaking in the ambiance and just relaxing. To cap off the night, we headed into town on foot and ate some delicious tempura.

The next day we managed to crawl out of the comforts of the hotel, though we did linger a bit to soak up some more of that warm water. The weather wasn't cooperating much, which made it difficult to do much sightseeing. The wind was kicking up pretty strong, which meant the cable car line through the mountains to a lot of the sights was shut down. Of course we didn't know that before we headed up to the cable car station, but that's what travel is all about, right?

We hopped on a bus to Lake Ashi instead. Situated at the top of the mountain, it was an odd change from what we'd seen all day: sunny and windy. Once we reached Lake Ashi, it grew much darker and misty, almost as if we had wandered on to the set of "The Ring". Then again, a foggy lake with a fake pirate ship floating in the middle of it isn't really all that creepy, is it?

After wandering around the lake for awhile, he headed over the to historic checkpoint further around the lake. During the age of shoguns and samurai, the Emperor erected a checkpoint in Hakone to control the movement of people in and out of the region. Hakone has erected a replica of this checkpoint with plenty of markers and mannequins to give you the general idea of how it functioned. Additionally, there is a cedar lined walking path through the woods that was erected to provide shade to travelers on their way between the two regions. We walked down the cedar path through the mountains in silence, enjoying the shade on a muggy summer day.

Before we knew it our time was up in Hakone and it was time to move on to the next destination. We did manage to spend a little time back in Odawara before we caught our train to Kyoto to visiting the castle there. Not as impressive as Himeji Castle which I saw on my first trip back to Japan, but still a cute and nice place to visit.

Hiroshima:

We were staying in Kyoto, but Hiroshima is a close enough train ride that you can make a day trip out of it, which is what we did our first full day out of Hakone. There isn't much to say about Hiroshima that doesn't cause me to get misty and reflect on what it means to be both Japanese and American. Needless to say, our entire time was spent in and around the Peace Memorial Park viewing the monuments and remnants of what the atomic bomb did to the city and its residents. I've been to Hiroshima before, but this was the first time I was able to make it into the museum to see the documents and mementos of that moment in history. It's difficult to explain just how it makes you feel. Sick. Awestruck. Angry. Thoughtful.

Kyoto:

Kyoto is essentially the city people think of when they think of old Japan. Geishas, tea houses, paper lanterns, and austere temples. Any visit to Japan should stop at least for a little while in Kyoto, so of course we did.

We managed to plan our time in Kyoto to coincide with the annual Gion Matsuri, the biggest festival in all of Japan. The night before the big event, we met with one of my mother's friend who lives in Kyoto. He's the manager of a grocery store and his friend owns some restaurants around Kyoto. We were treated to a delicious free meal at a German joint as a result of this fortunate connection.

The big meal helped fuel us the next day, which ended up being particularly fun, yet grueling. The main event of the Gion Matsuri was today, which included a parade. For the festival, different organizations build large "floats" which they drag and push down the street. The big thrill is when the floats get to a bend in the road, where bamboo slats are laid on the ground and doused with water and the massive floats, some of which are 3 or 4 stories tall (see below...), are pushed on the slats around the corner, bobbling back and forth on the verge of tipping. What makes it even more thrilling is the fact that the floats are stacked to the max with riders.

Leading the procession is a young boy who has been selected from a local merchant's family. For the entire week of the festival he conducts his duties and is not allowed to touch the ground and is carried at all times by men from location to location.

After the boy passed our location and a few floats careened around the corner, the heat became too much to bear and we had to retreat to the relative cool of the public transportation system and some lunch.

To finish out the day, we ended up climbing to Kiyomizu-dera, a temple near the top of a hill on the eastern edge of Kyoto. It's a popular destination, so as you laborously climb the hill you are constantly surrounded by people either headed up with you or headed down. The street is lined with shops on each side hawking souveniors, talismans, drinks, and ice cream.

Kiyomizu means "pure water", and this temple is definitely full of water. Though devoted to water, the most interesting piece of the temple is the "stage". Built with no nails, the stage sits on stilts hundreds of meters over a ledge on the hill side. Jumping from Kiyomizu's stage is the Japanese equivalent of the English "leap of faith".

Final Thoughts:

As always, Japan is a first class destination. I'm completely and utterly biased, so take that with a grain of salt. I genuinely feel that its a great destination that is both adventurous on the one hand, and familiar and comfortable on the other. It's foreign and friendly. It's difference but managable.

Its the ideal first point of entry for those who are looking to travel in Asia but are afraid of the language barrier and "chaos" many people associate with the Far East. I invite all of you to go, and to take me with you. I'm happy to play tour guide.

Safe Travels,

Leo

It's the End of the "World" As We Know It?

It was a slow time here at the blog last week, due to some travel related difficulties. Unfortunately I have this thing called a "job" that requires me to occasionally climb onto a plane and jet off to quite a few quiet, forgotten corners of the American heartland. Needless to say, the week I spent without cell phone reception or internet access in south eastern Iowa wasn't exactly my most interesting or memorable trip. My apologies for the mini-break, but I've had a difficult time in general figuring out how to maintain updates on the blog while I'm on the road.

Despite the general lack of modern technology in the quaint little community of Ottumwa, Iowa I was able to keep informed on some of the news stories making the rounds in the airline/travel community. While there was a lot going on, a few of the recent news stories all seemed to have a similar theme in common: the oneworld airline alliance. It has definitely been a rough year for oneworld, and the news in the last few weeks doesn't seem to be trending upwards either.

First, a little background....

The oneworld alliance is a collection of airlines across the globe who have agreed to collaborate in order to provide a higher level of service to their customers. The members include American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, LAN, Royal Jordanian, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Malev, Mexicana, and Qantas. Additionally, S7 Airlines from Russia and Kingfisher Airlines from India are on deck to join the alliance in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The alliance allows members to code share and sell tickets on another members plane as if it were their own plane. For example, I live in Chicago and am a loyal American Airlines (AA) customer. Unfortunately, AA doesn't fly to South Africa. In the age before alliances, I would have had to have flown AA and switched over to another airline to reach my intended destination. Now, I can simply log onto AA's website and book at ticket to South Africa. I'd take AA to London or Madrid and then connect to a British Airways or Iberia flight. My ticket will say its an AA flight, and I will earn miles and benefits as if it were an AA flight. Additionally, I will have lounge access and all the preferential treatment loyal airline fliers receive from their home airline. The idea of an alliance is to make global travel seamless for the traveler as the airlines cooperate on policy, procedure, and in general attempt to maintain a similar standard of service.

While I do not believe in any way, shape, or form that the oneworld alliance is anywhere near falling apart, it certainly seems like they have been struggling to maintain the quality level of service they've been known for in the past. Some examples:

• In the earlier part of the year, Japan Airlines (JAL) was struggling with the possibility of bankruptcy. Plagued with financial issues left and right, the Japanese carrier was looking to cut costs and increase revenues wherever they could. The corporation entertained the idea of leaving the oneworld alliance for the SkyTeam alliance. While many oneworld carrier do have flights into Japan, SkyTeam rival member Delta Airlines trounces oneworld member American Airlines in the all important US-Japan connecting traffic market. The drama unfolded over several months when JAL finally announced plans to remain in the oneworld alliance. The JAL crisis revealed some of the vulnerability in oneworld's alliance strategy. Where as other alliances admit airlines much more freely, oneworld seeks to bring in "quality" carriers who do not provide redundant, overlapping service. With minimal overlap in the alliance, the loss of JAL would have cut oneworld's access to the crucial Japan/China/Korea markets that are vital for business travel. JAL's exit would have left Cathay Pacific (CX) as the only Asian partner. While a quality airline, CX hardly serves enough destinations in China, Korea, and Japan to allow oneworld to claim any substantial coverage in Asia where JAL to leave. Regardless, JAL's choice to remain in oneworld didn't come without a price, as the airline has decided to slash routes and capacity to reduce losses. JAL remains in the alliance, but its a weaker partner then it was before.

• Also facing financial crunches, AA and British Airways (BA) are currently negotiating with a few of their unions about work hours and pay among other things. BA has already suffered through a short flight attendant strike, and there are more announced on the horizon. The BA flight attendant union seems to strategically pick times of the year with high passenger traffic to go on strike, making the disruptions much more apparent and thus raising awareness of the dispute with the flying public. Similarly, AA is currently in negotiation with two of its employee unions that seem to be making very little progress. The possibility of a strike grows every day, which would cause more then a little bit of heartburn for the general flying public in the US as well as with frequent fliers on AA.
  
  
  

• oneworld's South American partner, LAN, announced last week that they plan to merge with another major South American carrier, TAM. TAM, unfortunately, is not a member of the oneworld alliance, but claims membership in the rival Star Alliance. You can already see where this becomes problematic. Once the two carriers merge, the question becomes which alliance will they choose? LAN is a South American powerhouse airline, which has a long and strong history with some of oneworld's carriers. Yet, while TAM is a new, up and coming airline and fairly new to the Star Alliance, the immense number of partners LAN would gain in the Star Alliance seems very lucrative. oneworld currently has 11 members with 2 confirmed pending members. Star Alliance currently has 28 members with 2 confirmed pending members. While the oneworld crew has a strong reputation for excellence, Star Alliance's combination of massive numbers as well as several well respected airline (Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, United, Continental, Lufthansa, Asiana) makes for an alluring change. With oneworld's policy on not admit partners that would overlap existing service, the loss of LAN would reduce the alliance's ability to service South American destinations drastically.
  
  
  

• The last bit of news has been brewing for a few weeks but seems to have really exploded in the last few days. Newest oneworld alliance member Mexicana, has declared bankruptcy. The first rumblings of trouble began when Canadian government officials refused to allow several Mexicana flights to depart from Canadian airports as creditors began to call on the airline's outstanding debt. This led to Mexicana indicating bankruptcy was looking like an option and claiming its financial woes were largely based on the salaries of its flight attendants and pilots. Soon after, the airline ceased to sell international tickets on its website. While no future ticket sales were being made, the airline insisted that future flights would still operate. With bankruptcy now declared and a significant revenue stream severed, it looks less and less likely that Mexicana will be able to fulfill its obligation to passengers who have already purchased tickets. Combined with the possibility that LAN might leave the alliance after its merger, oneworld's position in Latin and South America looks like it could be in jeopardy.
  
  
  

While its clearly not the end of the alliance, oneworld has struggled in 2010. Considering oneworld is the alliance that I participate in as a member of AA's AAdvantage program, I have a vested interest in seeing that they continue to be profitable and successful. Here's hoping they can get their act together and make some big changes in the near future.

Safe Travels,

Leo

Vancouver - Where Wild Meets Mild (Weather)

TRIP REPORT

Background:

Living in Chicago, Canada is the closest foreign country to which I can make a quick get away for a weekend of fun. As much traveling as I have done in my life, our friendly neighbor has never made it onto my list of visited destinations. I'd always intended to go, but I'll admit to letting the allure of more exotic destinations ensnare me first. Guilty as charged. It took the wedding of two close friends to finally draw me north of the border, but I'm glad I finally made the trip. Despite having a very limited amount of time on the ground, I truly enjoyed my time in Vancouver and I definitely am planning on making another visit.


Getting There:

Traveling to Vancouver is an adventure in and of itself. You have quite a few options.

All major US and Canadian airlines fly to Vancouver International Airport (YVR), which is the 2nd busiest airport in Canada. One of the draw backs of taking a flight north of the border is that there are large taxes applied to air travel into Canada. The ticket I ended up purchasing on American Airlines (AA) ended up including almost $150 in additional taxes. Say what you want about the US, but the $8 fee I pay to fly into New York or Dallas is nothing compared to what you pay flying into Canada. AA recently started a direct flight from Chicago to Vancouver, but the cheapest tickets actually routed through Dallas, so that's what I purchased. Flying to Vancouver through Dallas is more then a little out of the way, but when you look at my travel patterns its pretty par for the course.

Due to the amount of travel I do with AA, I received complimentary upgrades to first class on all four of the flights it took me to get from Vancouver and back. I'm recently took on a membership with American's Admirals Club, which is their lounge service. It provides travelers with a relatively quiet location with free wifi, complimentary non-alcoholic beverages, and light snacks while they wait for their flights. This turned out to be quite useful on the way back from Vancouver when I was delayed in Dallas for almost 8 hours due to thunderstorms.

I left on Friday afternoon and arrived around the same time in Vancouver due to the time difference between the Midwest and the west coast.


Arrival:

My first impression of Vancouver's airport? Very, very nice. As soon as I exited the plane I was surrounded by sunshine streaming in from the glass walkway leading to the arrivals terminal. We were on the 2nd floor and the path to the immigration lines has plenty of signage. The walk is pretty lengthy, but you probably won't mind or notice. The majority of the path is filled with leafy green plants and trickling waterfalls, seemingly a nod to the close affinity Vancouver has with its natural surroundings. As you stroll along the walkway you can take a peek at a few pieces of native artwork placed throughout the building.

Immigration was more.... suspicious of my arrival in Canada then I had been led to believe they would be. Canada has a reputation as a very easy going country, but the immigration official grilled me for a good 5 minutes on my reason for visiting, where I was staying, where I planned on going, and why my visit was only for a few days. Eventually I received another stamp in my passport and moved on to collect my baggage and catch a cab to the bed & breakfast most of the wedding guests were staying at.


Stanley Park:

One of the main attractions in Vancouver is the massive waterfront Stanley Park that sits on an outcropping of land near the Central Business district. With thousands of acres of forested land, this park is one of the largest urban parks in North America. The entire park is lined with a paved path called the Seawall, where Vancouverites can jog, bike, run, and walk along the bay. The park is filled with a variety of public beaches, playgrounds, picnic areas, and cultural art pieces for a wandering visitor to take in.

Our bed & breakfast was only a few blocks walk from the park, so 6 of us met after a late breakfast to go wandering through the park before the wedding that evening. We made our way down streets lined with restaurants of every imaginable type. Greek, Korean, Japanese, Middle Eastern, French. A testament to the diverse population of Vancouver. We entered the park passing through tennis courts and lounging families. The weather was amazing, sitting somewhere in the middle of the 70s temperature wise, with a slight breeze and solid sunshine.

We made our way down toward the seawall and headed east along the coast. The bay was filled with boats of all types. A cluster of small sailboats looked like they might be engaging in a race of some sorts. Industrial tankers floated quietly in the distance. Couples held hands as they waded into the water and skipped over seaweed and slippery, mossy sea plants on rocks. In the distance was always a stretch of water with a shoreline opposite, white washed buildings and modern glass towers resting peacefully at water's edge.

It was amazingly peaceful and beautiful. It was an odd mix of modern city living with wilderness. Towering tree lined hiking paths that were just minutes away from Thai restaurants and the headquarters of the Oneworld airline alliance. Kayakers skimming the water in solitude while cars zip past in the distance. Totem poles and lichen blanketed tree stumps with Indian tourists eating falafel sitting amongst them. Coming from Chicago, I was jealous. While its always nice to have my office in the Loop, there isn't much space where one can get away from it all. Michigan Avenue, State Street, Millennium Park. They're always crammed full of people. Vancouver seems to have the right mix of modern business trappings and green escapism.

The Wedding:

That afternoon me and my friends enjoyed the celebration of love and devotion that constitutes a wedding. Vancouver was a beautiful backdrop for this event, providing both the scenery and the legal recognition for this occasion. My two friends who were wed that day are both men. While they are US citizens, they were interested in tying the note in a location that would provide the recognition of their commitment that it was due. While some US states do allow for gay marriage, the future of its legality is questionable in the US, so the couple decided that they would make their vows in Canada.

A limousine picked up the grooms and guests at the bed & breakfast we were staying at. Destination weddings tend to be small in size, and our entourage today was 11 people. The ceremony took place at the home of the wedding commissioner. She had a lovely balcony overlooking a well kept garden. Vows were exchanges, smiles were had, tears were shed, and the deed was done. Time to celebrate!

The newlyweds asked the driver to give us a driving tour of the city. We were whisked through the streets of Vancouver with champagne in our hands. Chinatown, Granville Island, Canada Place, Marine Building, Robson Square. These city landmarks were gazed at and commented upon by 11 slightly intoxicated revelers. It would have been much nicer had we had the time to stop at each location and get a proper look, but tonight was reserved for celebration, drinking, and eating.

We were dropped off a few blocks from our restaurant by the limousine. Vancouver was holding a Jazz Festival downtown, so many of the streets were blocked off to vehicular traffic. We made our way through the neighborhood knows as Gastown and sat down at our restaurant: Al Porto. Food had been preset for us on the table and we immediately dug into a very nice spread.

Granville Island & Central Business District:

The next morning, after a night of celebration, we headed out on the exploratory trail again. This time we walked down toward the shore on the opposite end of what we had explored the day before. It was a bit hazy and misty that day, but it was pretty nonetheless. Lots of odd sculptures line the bay area. One reminded me instantly of the giant rack of ribs from the opening of the Flintstones. I read the marker explaining what it was but at the end of the day, it was just a giant iron rack of ribs. Another statue we looked at seemed to be sitting with its legs pulled up toward its chest. The frame of the statue was constructed using letters from various alphabets from all over the world. Again, another monument to the diversity of this Canadian city.

After our slow meandering along the shoreline, we reached a stable of water taxis. After some quick conversation, we agreed to hop on one to venture across the small channel of water and see the Public Market on Granville Island. Despite its name, as far as I can tell Granville Island is not actually an island. The map seemed to indicate it was just an outcropping of land. Perhaps it was an island at one time?

The Public Market was filled to the brim with tourists and shoppers galore. The salty aroma of fresh fish hits your nose as you enter, but its quickly replaced by the sweet smell of fresh picked apples, or the arresting scent of lilacs. The facility itself reminded me of Pike's Place in Seattle, though I suppose this version was much less touristy. We wandered around for awhile, making small purchases of food here and there while ducking into eclectic shops.

Having had our fill of Granville Island, we hopped a water taxi back across the channel. The grumbling in our stomachs told us that it was about time for a proper meal. We headed out for some Canadian grub. I had my first taste of poutine that afternoon, and I must say it was delicious. Being lactose intolerant, the cheese curds were probably not in my best interest, but what is travel without a little culinary adventure?

We wrapped up that day walking north and taking in more of the sites along Stanley Park. It's just so massive in scope it takes awhile to see everything it has to offer. We saw a pretty large Inukshuk statue. This is fairly well known since the Vancouver Winter Olympics this year as it served as the symbol for the games. While I originally thought this was erected for the Olympics, it turns out this was actually constructed much earlier as part of the Expo in 1986.

Having had a full day of hiking around Vancouver, we retired for the day for another round of great food and nightlife.

Grouse Mountain:

Sadly, due to work obligation my visit in Vancouver came to an end. My traveling companions were able to stay longer though, and did get to see a few more sights that they shared with me. They were able to .....

Enjoy another hearty and delicious breakfast at our B&B....

Hike and zip line through the misty Grouse Mountain to get an amazing view of Vancouver......

And they even saw some bears!


Final Thoughts:

Despite the little time I had on the ground, Vancouver really impressed me. The city is fairly clean and easy to navigate. It is very modern in feeling but at the same time manages to maintain some of the "frontier" atmosphere you get when you imagine some of the western cities of North America. The integral mix of wooded space with glass and steel through the city is refreshing and calming, especially to someone who comes from one of the more "concrete jungle" areas in the United States. The varied ethnic makeup of the city means that the culinary offerings in Vancouver are amazing. I've had some good food in my travels around the world but the eats in Vancouver are definitely pretty impressive.

Vancouver isn't perfect though. Public transportation options were available but seemed limited in scope. Most of the locations I needed to get to were not serviced by the train lines and required multiple bus stops. Also, the service level in most of the restaurants reminded me of Argentina. The wait staff only stops by if you make a massive amount of effort to get their attention. While I enjoy being left alone to dine in peace, I do enjoy having a some level of service that makes sure I don't have to set off fireworks to get another glass of water.

All in all, Vancouver gets a big thumbs up, a definite return trip, and has sold me on visiting more of Canada.

I Went To China & All I Got Was A Free Ticket To Paris.....

I'm fully aware that I promised trip reports on my recent shenanigans in Vancouver and Tokyo, but getting the pictures ready and on a media format that makes it easy for me to include in a post has been troublesome. It'll be here soon!

Just a quick update on the future travel schedule of your dutiful writer....

New York City, NY

August 29th

American Airlines, Economy

ORD-LGA-ORD

Delhi/Agra/Fatehpur Sikri/Jaipur, India

September 2 - September 14

American Airlines, Business Class

ORD-DEL-ORD

Beijing, China

November 10 - November 17

American Airlines, Economy Class

ORD-PIT-ORD-PEK-ORD-DFW-PIT-ORD

After a whirlwind year, those three trips still seems massive to me. I'm pretty excited to be going to the two most populous countries in the world only two months apart. I'm sure that one or two additional trips will creep their way into my schedule as well. Atlanta seems to be calling my name lately, and I have enough miles on United for a North American round trip itinerary waiting to be cashed in. I've thought of saving them for something better but likelihood that I'd accumulating any more miles on United in the near future is pretty slim.

The New York and India flights are pretty straight forward, I get to climb on a plane in Chicago and end up deposited at my location when I get off that same plane. The China itinerary is a bit more ... complicated. American Airlines is currently running a promotion that allows you to double the amount of elite qualifying miles (EQM) earned on flights by flying out of certain airports, and triple the amount of redeemable miles (RDM). RDMs are the miles you get from an airline that you can use to get free stuff with. A lot of people collect the miles for awhile and get a free ticket somewhere, but you can also get free magazine subscriptions, ipods, and hotels stays. The list of free junk you can get goes on and on and on. For someone interested in traveling, RDMs are a huge commodity. With this in mind.....

I looked at the cities the promotion was good out of (Raleigh/RDU, St. Louis/STL, Nashville/BNA, and Pittsburgh/PIT) and discovered that flying to Beijing (PEK) from PIT was a reasonable $800. What does that all mean? Let's look at the math:

Flying from Chicago to Beijing directly would mean:

$1400 for the flight, 13,158 EQM and 26,316 RDM. Keep in mind, the 26,316 in RDM is enough for one round trip ticket on American Airlines to most locations in the US and Canada.

Flying from Pittsburgh to Beijing would mean:

$800 +$99 for the flight from Chicago to Pittsburgh, 26,316 EQM, and 65790 RDM. The 65,316 is worth almost enough to do 3 round trip tickets on American to most locations in the US and Canada, or one round trip ticket to Hawaii, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Europe, or Japan.

So for the $900 I spent on my ticket to Beijing, I ended up with enough miles to make another free trip to just about anywhere in the world that I would want to go. Think of it this way, when I bought my ticket to Beijing, I got a trip to Paris/Buenos Aires/Tokyo for free. A 2 for 1 sale. I get to spend a week in China seeing some amazing sights and eating amazing food, and when I get back to Chicago, American Airlines will thank me for my business by giving me another flight for free. Love. It.

The elite qualifying miles (EQM) were a big draw for me too, as it actually solidified my elite status on American Airlines and its Oneworld partners for another year much faster and easier then I thought I was going to do this year. That's a topic for another blog post this week though.

Safe Travels,

Leo

Hawaiian Has Seoul

When I think of flying to an exotic international location, the airlines that I think of taking are typically some of the bigger names: American Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, etc. The likes of Hawaiian Airlines doesn't really float to the surface of my brainstorm. Sure, they'd be an option for me if I were looking to catch a few golden rays on Waikiki Beach but if I want to see the Opera House in Sydney, or eat some of the freshest sushi money can buy in Tokyo, Hawaiian wouldn't seem like an option. Maybe it should though.....

Recently the airline announced that it is seeking to begin service to Seoul's Incheon airport, which serves as South Korea's gateway to the world. While it might seem odd on the surface, there seems to be some data that supports the airline's decision. In November of 2008, the United States granted visa-free visits to citizens of South Korea, making vacations to Hawaii much easier. The Hawaiian Tourism Authority recorded a 44% increase in visitors from Korea in 2009 and estimates that with direct service from Honolulu to Seoul, the state can expect additional revenue near $74 million per year. That's not chump change, especially with the recent downturn in the economy and how it has effected Hawaii's tourist industry. Seoul's Incheon serves as a hub destination for travelers throughout Asia as well, so the net increase from other Asian countries has the potential to increase in kind.

Hawaiian Airlines isn't new to the international flying market though. Just recently they were awarded tentative approval to fly from Honolulu to Tokyo's Haneda airport. While the option to fly to Tokyo's more well known Narita facility was always available, Haneda is much closer to Tokyo, making it a more convenient option for Japanese travelers. Additionally, Hawaiian flies internationally to Manila in the Philippines, Sydney in Australia, and Papeete, French Polynesia. While not technically international, Hawaiian has flights to Pago Pago in the southern Pacific's American Samoa. Clearly these routes are designed to facility the movement of tourists from their homes to Hawaii or from other tourist destinations. To a Hawaiian resident or innovative traveler it also opens the possibility of seeing some far flung destinations in a unique manner. Sure, you can take a 12 hour flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo in a single trip, but what's the fun in that? Fly, or stop over, in Honolulu for a spell!