Dominican Republic (Punta Cana) Notes (Did not travel but made plans)

Research from March 2016


Hotels (all inclusive) in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic:

1. Alsol Luxury Village
   Address: Boulevard Zona Hotelera, Playa Juanillo, Punta Cana 11517, Dominican Republic
2. Barcelo Bavaro Beach - Adults only - all inclusive      Address: Carretera Bávaro Km. 1, Playa, Punta Cana 23301, Dominican Republic
3. Iberostar Punta Cana All Inclusive
4. Iberostar Dominicana All Inclusive   Address: Carr. El Macao - Arena Gorda, Punta Cana 23000, Dominican Republic

Munich - Fussen - Garmisch (Zugspitze)

Cellphone service in Germany:

Tried to buy a sim card but apparently my phone was still locked with Sprint.

Options for Cell-phone service are:
Vodafone all Europe plan - 40 Euro (with 4GB internet included); Or 35 Euro with 2GB Internet;
Vodafone Germany plan (much cheaper) - from 15 Euro for 1 GB Internet.

  

Car Rental in Munich 

Rented a car in Munich from Hauptbahnhof (main train station) where they had several options - Hertz, Europcar, Avis, Budget. We ran into problems with Budget and their poor customer service (reserved the car online but when arrived to pick it up she said they have no cars. Very not German I should say). So we had to rent a car for X2 the price from Europcar.  

Make sure you have GPS service.

Munich to Fussen Trip - recommended Restaurant!

On the way to Fussen we stopped by for dinner at little town of Marktoberdorf where we found a restaurant named Gasthof Burger. But don't let the name deceive you. It was the best German restaurant we've been to during this trip. And we only went to German ones during this trip.

 
It was about 1.50hr drive from Munich to Fussen.

Hotel in Fussen:

Jacob Hotel - nice little place with good buffet breakfast and probably morning coffee that made just right.

Address: Schwärzerweg 6, 87629 Füssen, Germany
Phone: +49 8362 91320

Neuschwanstein castle:

From there we drove to the "Disney prototype" Neuschwanstein Castle. We parked as close as we could (6 Euro flat rate).
There are two ways to get to the castle which is located on a high mountain. One is on the horse carriage (6 Euro per person) and another is on the large bus (1 Euro). We took the horse uphill and bus downhill.

I should say a third way is to walk but that's just not happened with minus C temperatures and its also A VERY LONG WALK uphill. There are other places to walk around so I'd save your efforts for other times.

Tickets to Neuschwanstein castle:
While everybody will tell you that you can only get them downhill - there is also an Information desk inside the castle where you can buy tickets to get inside of the castle. The thing is that you need a tour guide to get in and each group is limited. So we could not get inside. However walking around the castle is free and still worth going. Lots of photo ops.

You also may reserve the tickets to Neuschwanstein online in advance but only 3 days before the tour date.

 

Drive from Fussen to Garmisch: 

 

Frankfurt, Germany Notes

Inexpensive hotel in Frankfurt, Germany, close to the Central Train Station

Fair Hotel, Frankfurt 

HOTEL AN DER MESSE

Mainzer Landstrasse 118
60327 Frankfurt am Main

Telefon: +49 69 97570000
Telefax: +49 69 97570036

messe@fairhotelfrankfurt.de

http://fairhotelfrankfurt.de/frankfurt/ 

Hong Kong Notes

To-From Airport

Airport Express (MTR) - 24 minutes from airport to Hong Kong island. Free shuttle bus from Kowloon and Hong Kong stations to major hotels.

Airport Express Travel Pass  (1 ride)
- HK $220 ($29 US) Airport Express Pass. Fare includes refundable deposit of HK$50
+ 3 days of travel on MTR, light rail and MTR Bus (72 hours)

Airport Express Travel Pass  (2 rides)
HK$300 ($40 US) - HK$50 refund.

Bangkok, Thailand Notes

Hotels in Bangkok (Kaosan Road)

Buddy Lodge - 265 Khao San Road,, Taladyot Pranakorn, Bangkok, Bangkok, 10200, Thailand
$66 at hotels.com
$47.5 at their website buddylodge.com

Villa Cha Cha -  36 Tani Road, Taladyod , Pranakorn, Bangkok 10200
Tel: 66 (0) 22801025-7, 089-684-5550 Fax: 66 (0) 22801024

Tokyo, Japan Notes

Sightseeing 

There is a public bus "Tokyo Shitamachi Bus" or "Tori Bus" that takes through the most famous tourist places. It is a public bus that cost 200 yen per ride adults.
You can also purchase one-day pass for 500 yen.

Bus runs every 20 minutes.
You can pay when boarding the bus, only coins or 1000yen accepted.

On weekends it has an extended route and goes to additional 3 stations: Tokyo Station, Nihombashi and Akihabara.

Timetable and Bus stops here

Must DOs:

- Eat fresh sushi for breakfast at Tsukiji market (grab a map and navigate yourself to the restaurants, check out the market itself); Have cash ready, not credit cards.
- Various temples in the area
- Robot Cafe show Robot Restaurant (Shinjuku) (do not order with meat - find dinner to eat around the are instead). Arrive earlier, follow instructions. Book tickets online here: http://www.shinjuku-robot.com/pc/system.php?lng=en 

Where to eat:

• After arriving to Shibuya - head to Genki sushi (5 min walk from train station);
• Other good meals: Shabu Shabu beef; fresh sushi in the morning at Tsukiji market. 

Costa Rica

Day 1. San Jose airport. La Fortuna.

Day 2. La Fortuna. 

Woke up early because of few hours difference. Hotel brealfast was nice but continental. 

Went off to find some tourist activities. Rented 4wheel cars and rode to the river.  Worked out the $40 per hour deal instead of regular $90. 

Gift Wrapping Idea - Jeppesen Maps

Jetlag Benefits

Hotels in Baden-Baden, Germany

Baden-Baden is famous for it's SPAs.  It has two termal SPAs.

1. Caracalla located in Romerplatz 1, Baden-Baden
2. Freidrichbad (Roman-Irish) 

List of inexpensive hotels in Baden-Baden, Germany.
It took me 3.5 hours on a plane to put together this list. Later, I did not go to Baden-Baden after all. I am posting the list for my own future references.

The main thing to have in mind when searching for cheap hotels is to look for an address. It should say "Baden-Baden" as a city. Otherwise you are risking to end up with  a long commute everyday to reach that bathhouse you wanted to visit so badly.

Hotels:

• Kull von Schmidsfelden Hotel $57 with free wi-fi and breakfast
• Hotel Am Froschbachel $71 
• Henre-Punant Platz 2, Buchl (this one is way to far from Baden-Baden though)  
• Faxe Schwarzwalder Hof #68
  Weinstrasse 79, Kappelrodeck
• Christliches Nichtraucher-Hotel $64
  Sonnenbring
  Olgastrasse 65, Bad Wildbad
• Hotel Beck 85 euro, 
• Hotel Regent 61 euro
  +497221973880  
• Hotel Merkur 82 euro
• Bad Hotel zum Hirsch 90 euro
• Guesthaus Auerhahn 59-79 euro  - two buses from Hbf, one bus to City center/
  +4972217435
• !!Hotel am Markt 60-80 euro 
  Marktplatz 18 +49722127040
• !!Historic Hotel Rathausglocket from 77 euro +49722190610

Hostels:

• Werner-Dietz Jugendberge
  Hardbergstrasse 34. Check-in time 17:00 15-27 euro.
• Booksunshine
  Augustplatz 25-30 euro - private room, shower on a floor.

Getting Around Munich, Germany

When you arrived to the MUC airport, there is a train from Flughafen (airport in German), it runs right from there.
The city center is Main platz. There are two trains that go there. S8 and S1. The fastest is S8. I made a mistake and took S1, it took me 45 minutes to get to the city center. S8 goes straight to the center while S1 goes around the whole city and makes lots of stops.

Costs:
It cost 10.40 euro for one-time trip from/to Flughafen. If you plan to take more Subway trips that day - buy 11.40 euro all day pass.

Other things about Munich:

Main bus station called Munchen ZOB Hackerbrucke
Address: Arnulfstrasse 21, Munich
+498945209890
---Taking bus to get around Bavaria is often more convenient and much less expensive that trains.

Main train station called Munchen Hbf
is located near bus station (just one stop away on S-bahn).

List of inexpensive hotels in MUC near Hauptbahnhof

I put this list together when I was preparing to stay in Munich for a day, while commuting to the States.

• InterCity Hitel Munchen €80
• Condor Gastro GmbH *** €85
• !! Hotel Modern * €55
• Atlas CityHotel  *** €50
• Pension/Guesthause am Hauptbahnhof €58
• Hotel Jessin €35 
• !!Easy Palace Station (Smart Stay) €39
• Hotel Tessin €35
• Hotel Dolomit € 9  

Prices at June 2013 

P.S. I guess you can call yourself well-traveled when you can spell "Hauptbahnhof" without mistakes. Lol 

Traveling as a style of living

Facts about Ukraine you did not know

- The name of the book written by the first Ukrainian president is "It is what it is"
- The name of the book written by the second president of Ukraine is "Ukraine is not Russia"
- Ukrainian national anthem starts with words "Ukraine has not died yet..."
- The most famous Ukrainian writer is Taras Shevchenko. His most famous poem starts with words "When I die you should bury me in a grave on the large field, in my native country..."
- How to recognize Russians/Ukrainians in line? They come so close to you that you are getting a feeling they think you are their relative. But the purpose of such behavior of course is so no other person would physically not be able to cut in line in front of them. And Yes, that includes you too!
- Talking about lines, be aware that simple question "Are you in line?" may lead to long conversation how you should look better to determine whether he/she is in line or not "Why am I standing near this line if I am not in it, isn't it obvious?!"
- One of the most famous old ukrainian sayings is "My house is far from others', I don't want to know anything" (Моя хата скраю, - ничого не знаю) . Another famous one is "If I can't eat it, I will at least bite it". (Как не съем, то понадкусываю).
- Ukrainians call Russians "Moskali" (from Moscow). Russians call Ukrainians "Hohly" (from special hair style Hohol that Cossacks were wearing).


More coming...

Have a friend who has been abroad? Maybe he is a spy?!

This text is in Russian. It is a guidance how to recognize whether a person is a spy or not.

US Customs Color Book

This color book I found in  one of the major US airports. 

- Hey you go son/daughter, color marijuana, cocaine and criminals. Just make sure the weed is green and cocaine is white!  :))) 

Would you give such color book to your child? :)

Commandments of Frequent Airline Traveler that I Follow

1. Don't ever check your luggage. It can be lost, stolen, damaged. Did you know that airport security check is not the last stop where your bag can be opened. When you give your bag to an airline employee you are sending it underneath an airplane. BUT before that, - bags are checked by TSA people. They have all the rights to open your bag if they see anything suspicious on a x-ray. Now I don't want to say that TSA are not doing a great job, but there was cases when money or items were missing after. And have you heard of this outrageous story when some TSA employee discovered a vibrator in one lady's bag - he decided to take a custom declaration form and to write an offensive note and put it the note to her bag.

This is also vital when you need to catch tight flight or changing airlines. You don't want to go pick up your bag and then go check it with another airline.... That's a no.
So, only carry-on!

2. 3-1-1 rule. From the first rule there are some following changes in a way you have to pack: 3-1-1 meaning not more than 3 ounces of liquids (each bottle), all in one SMALL zip-lock bag. If it does not fit to small zip-lock - very high chance it will be taken from you.
1 - 1 means only one large carry-on and one small purse/ laptop bag is allowed.

3. Use luggage tags. Tags help to locate you in case bags were lost. I prefer using bright color tags. This is in case if I had to check my bag, it will help me to locate my bags among others' passengers. Some people use colored stripes and threads for this purpose. Some buy colored bags. I prefer business casual style and my bag is black. Having a bright green tag helps.

4. Pack light. This is especially important for me, as I am a woman. When you travel along you will have to carry your carry-on bag with you, put it above the seat on an airplane, put for security checks etc. Often I feel uncomfortable asking men to help me with that. And sometimes there are no men around, just ladies... Light bags also will make it or break it when you are rushing to catch a flight. This is why I try packing light. This commandment is the hardest for me thought :)
Also remember that the weight of your bag should not exceed an airline norms so you won't have to pay for extra weight (often it's not more than 20 kilos).

Travelling to Israel over Yom Kippur

There is always a trick travelling to some religious countries over holidays. Israel is one of those countries...
In 2011 Yom Kippur is on 7th and 8th of October. This holiday has flexible date and on 2012 it starts at sunset September 25, 2012.

Yom Kippur dates

Sat, October 8, 2011
Wed, September 26, 2012
Sat, September 14, 2013
Sat, October 4, 2014
Wed, September 23, 2015

!!ALL Jews in Israel observe Yom Kippur!!

Yom Kippur is the most important Jewish holiday that being observed not only by Orthodox Jews but secular jews as well. Usually Jews have 2-3 prayers a day, but on Yom Kippur there are five prayer services required.

What is Yom Kippur

Yom means "day" in Hebrew and Kippur comes from a root that means "to cover or hide"; a secondary meaning is "to obliterate (sin)" and hence "to expiate".

What to expect travelling to Israel on Yom Kippur

People who observe Yom Kippur have to follow this rules:

No eating and drinking
No wearing of leather shoes
No bathing or washing
No anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions
No marital relations (no sex)
No any vehicles that have motors (Bicycles, roller-skates are allowed. I guess horses too?)
No TV, radio, Internet

These rules starts day before Yom Kippur at sunset. This day called Erev Yom Kippur.
Even it all starts at about 5pm, everything starts to shut down at 1pm.

What Yom Kippur means for tourists in Israel

This is very important to remember that ALL Jews observe this day. What that means is that you will not be able to buy anything (including tickets, food and drinks), eat, drive, travel (except walking or by bicycle etc).
AIRPORT shuts down on Yom Kippur too!

Driving in Israel during Yum Kippur

Even if you've rented a car in Israel, it is highly NOT recommended driving during Yom Kippur.
There is no such legal law that prohibits driving, but here is why you don't want to drive in Israel during Yom Kippur:
- Because nobody can use motor vehicles (and can't do pretty much anything), everybody go out on the streets and freely walk everywhere including highways
- Kids can throw stones in your car, which will not only damage your car (think you'll be involved with insurance for most of the trip), but also can get you killed or injured
- The only vehicles allowed in Israel are emergency vehicles (I guess Christians and Muslims work shifts on Yom Kippur?)

What to do in Israel on Yom Kippur

Unless you observe the holiday - it's hard to find anything to do in Israel at this time. The best choice is to stay by the sea on the beach or on the Arab territory (in Jerusalem or go to neighboring Jordan or Egypt).
And don't forget to buy food and drinks in advance!! Only some hotels (such as on Dead Sea) offer meals during Yom Kippur.

If you still up to travelling to Israel over Yom Kippur - just follow advice and wait until it's over to continue your Israel trip!

Please don't hesitate to share your comments and ask questions!