I remember years ago, my Brazilian friends would nag about high airfares in Brazil where you'd pay $400 to fly to Bahia from Sao Paulo. GOL changed that for ever. BUT now I read that JetBlue is after the Brazilian skies.  Yep, JetBlue, or B6, as we airline buffs know it. Another reason for me to finally finish that damn article on low cost airlines that I've been meaning to publish here for so long. But hey, my dissertation first :) As I always say, thank you, JetBlue, I'd never fly you, but I love you, as guys like you make competition fiercer and I can fly to Cancun for $100 OW on a big airline getting big perks and big miles..hurray!!! :) Here's the relevant article on B6 taking its wings in Brazil next year:

Source: David Neeleman

David Neeleman Names His Brazilian Airline `Azul'
Tuesday May 6, 11:00 am ET
Name Was One of 150,000 Submitted by Brazilian Consumers in An Online Competition

Merry Christmas from Buffalo, NY!

Though I’m freezing my ass off in here, I thought it’d be cool to come up with my friend R to meet his family, experience the real Lebanese Xmas feast, and—OK, true—to see some snow for Xmas since there is none in DC. And you know, Xmas has to be white! And I totally don’t mind being freezing cold as I’ll be in Panama in a few days where there is 85 degrees right now (and no rain at this time of the year, halleluiah!) J

 

I’ve been reminiscing about my 07 travels for the past few days and I am amazed at how many places I’ve seen—many of them thanks to my conference and/or research travels, topped off with a few personal trips when I’d visit friends or family .

 

2007 started off in Ljubljana, Slovenia. I remember how my Slovenian, Italian, and Mexican friends that were with me for New Year’s Eve would go to the Preseren Square with Euro coins in their pockets to buy burgers (OK, the burgers those guys over there call pleskavica). And were they yummie, even though we didn’t buy them with Euros—the vendors were SO NOT prepared for the arrival of the Euro. So our “let’s-go-to-the-main-square-to-get-pleskavica-with-Euros-for-the-first-time” didn’t work out as planned, but was still quite fun. Total fare to LJU via LGW (CO, JP) came to like $550. Great deal, right?

 

Before going back to the States I spent a couple of days in Venice, Italy with my Italian friends and then jetted off to London, UK on EasyJet where “my” CO took me across the pond to EWR and then DCA, my adopted home. Though sick’n’tired of flying through Venice and London, it’s almost always worked out as a much cheaper way of going home (unless Adria Airways has some big time sale, in which case I’d fly home from London).

 

Soon after the New Year’s I found myself in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, FL. God, I loved the weather there. I couldn’t resist the cheap airfare from BWI (thru CLE) into FLL for some 50 bucks OW on CO (and with a free 1^st class upgrade on the way down!). It was my very first trip to Miami (other than merely connecting at the airport) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Though it was only a longer weekend, I had a blast….those Long Iceland iced teas were fabulous and my friends down there were real hoots. I had a three day taste of the Caribbean before zooming down to CancunJ.

 

My winter is usually not complete without going down to Cancun and—my fav—Playa del Carmen, Mexico and the special CO offer for $85 OW to Cancun via IAH was a MUST (with a free 1^st class upgrade on both legs from/to IAH). Though I found Playa even more American and touristy than last year, I kept myself away from the crowded areas as much as I could and mingled with the locals, eating “real” Mexican not rather than your typical NY Marriot food. 5 days was so not enough, but at least I had so much fun, thanks to my friends from Cancun, Playa, and Cozumel Island.

 

My first conference (Biolinguistic Explorations) took me to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Unfortunately I had to fly out of EWR for the low fare on CO, but it worked out great—free 1^st class upgrades on both legsJ. It was freezing in DC in February while SD had mild summer weather with some 70 degrees. I didn’t see the gorgeous beaches in the touristy areas that fill postcards at every corner and in brochures, but I was happy to see the “real” Dominican way of life in the capital. Though stricken with poverty, most Dominicans were so humble and nice and they’d take me everywhere and make me try every single food they eat. I ended up at a huge 2-day party with people I’d never see in my life and I had a blast. Some of those friendships were made for life, I’m pretty sure of that! And I am so going back!!!

 

Late February and March were hectic as hell due to my conference presentations. My next conference talk was a plenary address at SHAV Speech and Hearing Association of Virginia that took place in Richmond, Virginia. One thing is for sure—as soon as you drive 20 minutes out of DC people start getting nice(r) and the food a lot cheaper. Picture this: a breakfast buffet at the Holiday Inn in Richmond with like 6 stations of omelettes, waffles, eggs, cold cuts, salads, desserts, toppled with unlimited coffee and tea, $8. Can you beat this? Hell no, at least not in DC LOL. Plus, the conference crowd at SHAV seemed so much more “human” than most of my usual linguistic encounters with a lot of stuck-up noses and eye rolling. Linguists, get real, come to SHAV or ASHA!

 

I spent Easter at home for the very first time since I’d started grad school in DC. I flew to Cologne, Germany as CO had this awesome deal for $99 OW, $198 RT from EWR. I added a RT from DC to EWR for 90 something bucks and I got to Germany for some $350 all in (RT, that is!). Tell me if which travel agent could have done this! Eheheh. However, being stranded in the middle of nowhere in the suburbs of Frankfurt is kinda not pleasant, so I took a train to Munich and then Jesenice, Slovenia for next to nothing (another online-only deal). The whole travel ordeal was kinda tiring, but hey, I got home for ham, horseradish, and the “potica” cake for $450 all in. J

 

April and May usually screw up my school and travel plans as I usually start singing “love is in the air” way sooner than I should (and start burning 10s of 1,000s of air miles that I’ve earned since the beginning of the year). May 07 was no exception (even though I still didn’t forget the April/May 06 drama LOL). I found myself in Querétaro, Mexico this time (the name comes from the Otomí language, meaning “the great ball game” or from the P'urhépecha language, meaning “place of stones”—apparently after a gorge that resembles the two opposite walls, used in the ball game by native Indians). I only spent a long weekend there. The city isn’t particularly interesting though it has some nice colonial architecture and the famous aqueduct. The ice cream was yummie, but who went there for ice cream anyway LOL.

 

I spent almost the entire summer in Panama, with a long weekend trip to Mexico City and Querétaro, Mexico (w/ my CO/CM miles, of course—I do almost all my travel in the summer w/ miles to avoid outrageous airfare prices). And yes, I flew up to Qro. again (I know, I know, I never learn LOL). However, I wanted to see the Frida Kahlo exhibition at the Bellas Artes before bussing to Querétaro, but didn’t quite make it as there was no time. Qro. was lotsa fun, though I kinda knew it would be my last trip there (at least in 07). I wrote the bulk of my Ph.D. dissertation in Panama the summer, but also managed to go check out the Pearl Islands in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Panama City and a couple of more beaches on the Pacific side, such as Gorgona and Decameron. No time for my Caribbean this time! On the way to the States late August, I made another stop in Mexico City, Mexico (again, there’s nothing better than a high season reward ticket with open jaw and a free lay over [or even two, if you’re smart and know how to play the game]—something that would cost you between 1,000 and $1,500 on a regular ticket!).

 

My fall semester started off with a trip to London and Oxford, UK. My friend A and I presented at the University of Oxford and I squeezed into my trip a long weekend trip home. In London, I met with my friend S, who’s been living in London for quite some time and though it was only one night, we had a blast drinking Leffe beer and eating Thai. London still has its charm, but it’s becoming so non-English—I kinda felt they’re more and more americanized with Starbucks coffee stores at every corner, Payless shoes, and iPod nanos, toppled with some kinda eastern European and middle eastern mixture of attitudes. It kinda didn’t sit in, I prefer NY J.

 

I made two trips to Boston, MA in the fall/winter—one late October and one mid December. The first one was a trip to the BUCLD conference at Boston University and the second one was a consultation meeting with my Ph.D. co-director. Both cost me $58 OW from BWI (w/ a free upgrade on the EWR-BOS leg in the first one), but I got lucky on the second one where I was rerouted from/to DCA due to the snowstorm. Boston’s one of my fav cities. Though they all say how dull it is at night, I had so much fun with my friends from East Boston. I feasted on Colombian farmer’s platters with frijoles, ropa vieja kinda beef, platanos, arepas, and Brazilian feijoada and big chunks of bacon chicken and beef—not to mention all the good beer I downed at the three bars we went to. The December trip was a bit quieter because of the cold and snow, but at least I saw my friends again.

 

Never before had I wondered around so much in New York City than in the fall & winter of 07. Though the Broadway strike prevented my Panamanian friend R and me from seeing a musical a week before thanksgiving, I went back with F, another Panamanian who was visiting, a few weeks later. He wanted to see the Phantom of the Opera and I agreed I’d go see it again. It was OK, but Christine’s role was sung by a new girl and it just kinda didn’t do it for me—not that she was bad, but I liked last year’s Christine better. NY was crazy as shit—packed with people who were laughing, crying, farthing, peeing, spitting—you name it. Though I love NY, I hate the crowds in NY, I really do, but I did this whole NY in December thing mainly for F. The entire city was lit up—I particularly liked the Rockefeller Center where I’d have my fav hot drink this winter—the Starbucks white chocolate peppermint mocha.

 

I spent Xmas in Buffalo, NY. I saw the glimpse of Niagara Falls from the American side, but didn’t actually go to Canada. Buffalo has been freezing and there’s like half a foot of snow out there on the sidewalks, somewhere even a foot or more, though the roads are clean. I’ve spent nothing but eating, drinking, and shopping at malls since I got here some 3, 4 days ago. Oh, I did the movies—Will Smith's I Am Legend on a big ass 5-storey high IMax Thatre screen. That rocked! J

 

And I’ll top off my 2007 in Panama City, Panama—my second adopted home. Can’t wait for the sun and the heat after this, and—of course—my friends and my little chats over dinners and coffee with them, my escapes to the beach, and me getting back in shape after 2-weeks of pigging out on Xmas food, especially the 5-day Lebanese Xmas feastJ

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

 

Yeeeah, more airfare war for us living in the US--since Virgin took its wings, United has slashed off tickets to SFO for 20% and more. Here's a Reuters article from a few days ago on the airfare wars, particularly between Virgin and United and Virgin and Southwest. And if you ask me about a great MR (mielage run) [on big airlines] for the DC area right now--it's Seattle time (prices from $99 and up OW from BWI and some $30 more from DCA). I wonder what SEA looks like at this time of the year--probably not like DC, where we're currently stille xperiencing 85 degrees outside-ahhhh.

============================================================================

Virgin fuels fare war between U.S. airlines

By Kyle Peterson

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The launch of low-cost airline Virgin America Inc this year has triggered a fare war that has nearly halved ticket prices on some routes and could erode earnings at rival airlines.

The competition has been especially fierce between Virgin, which is partly backed and fully branded by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, and UAL Corp's (UAUA.O: Quote, Profile, Research) United Airlines on the transcontinental route between San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Low-cost carriers JetBlue Airways (JBLU.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Southwest Airlines (LUV.N: Quote, Profile, Research) also have been drawn into a turf war with Virgin and responded with capacity additions and fare cuts.

"It's pretty apparent that the airlines are worried," said Rick Seaney, chief executive of fare tracker FareCompare.com.

Virgin launched service in the United States on August 8, diving into a U.S. airline industry that is recovering from a years-long downturn.

Through deep cost cuts and fare hikes, U.S. airlines have managed a recovery in the last two years after grappling with low-cost competition and excess capacity. But the Virgin invasion adds fresh fuel to those troubles for some competitors.

FARE PRESSURE

According to FareCompare data, United has cut its lowest advance purchase fares on round-trip flights between San Francisco and Washington by 20 percent since mid-July, when Virgin started selling tickets.

Lowest advance purchase fares do not necessarily reflect average fares, which see some seasonal reductions as the peak summer travel season winds down.

Other carriers have attempted to fend off Virgin by adding more flights to routes where Virgin flies, Seaney said.

For example, when Virgin added 447 seats, or three daily weekday flights, to its San Francisco-to-Las Vegas route, Southwest responded by adding 959 seats, or seven flights, on that route.

When Virgin put 745 seats, or 5 daily flights, on the route between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Southwest said it would add 8 daily flights.

Such capacity additions can attract more travelers, but they also create a glut of seats and pressure fares.

"They don't want to lose market share, so the airlines that run right against (Virgin) start adding aircraft," Seaney said.

It is a trend that is unlikely to reverse any time soon, said Terry Trippler, an airline expert at myvacationpassport.com.

He said Virgin's fares and focus on in-flight services, such as entertainment, make it a formidable competitor for the cross-country business travelers that United and others have courted aggressively in recent years.

"More than bringing fares down, they've assured that fares will stay down," Trippler said.

IMPACT ON REVENUE

A UAL spokesman declined to comment on competition with Virgin, except to say that United welcomes it.

But it is only a matter of time before the fare reductions on transcontinental routes begin to depress industry revenue, said Joe Schwieterman, transportation expert at DePaul University.

He said UAL will be the first to feel the Virgin's squeeze but other airlines will be in a similar situation as Virgin expands.

"I think the fourth quarter is when you could see a modest bottom line impact," Schwieterman said. "Virgin America will likely emerge as a West Coast powerhouse."

(Reporting by Kyle Peterson, editing by Tim Dobbyn)

i'm back in panama city--back to same old same old, work, gym, and my dissertation [not necessarily in this order hehe].

 

the pearl islands were simply AMAZING. i had never seen so many fish in my life, driven a golf cart so damn much, and seen so many beautiful beaches in one little spot.

 

after a 15-minute flight on air panama we ended up on the island of CONTADORA first. we went snorkeling solo version as soon as we got there and everything was great [well, except that i got beaten by a jelly fish, lost my oakley sunglasses, and got a bit sunburned] -- i know, this sounds awful, but i had sooo much fun [ok, the jelly fish thing kinda sucked, but i wouldn't give up, i just went on and on, swimming and staring at those yellow and blue and violet and red fish - i even saw eels! :)]. then i realized i should probably put a t-shirt on as i started feeling the hot sun on my back already. i swam the rest of the way with my t-shirt on and got back just fine. and then i did the ancient medicinal procedure when i got out of the water [i know, i know, it sounds really gross (well, for those who actually know about it heh)], but i didn't want my jelly fish sting to be on my arm for ever]. my whole arm was in small blisters and some kinda rash--watch out where you're peeing, dom lol...i gotta ... what??? p...p...ppp?? LOL

 

the island is so small you can drive around it several times a day in a golf cart. a little cart full of gas for 24 hrs of use will cost you between 35 and 50 bucks, depending on who you are, where you are, and what you speak--yeah, literally!; for example, if you're staying at a hotel where we were [since this is the "official" rent-a-golf cart place], speak to the guy who works there in italian [he's italian], you're gonna get a discount. if you are an outsider, appear like you have plenty of cash and start haggling in english, well, the cart is still yours, but for 15 bucks more :)) [sometimes i just love being european and speaking different languages LOL] -- grazie, piero!!!

 

the next day we took a tour [again, guided by two really nice italians from genoa]. they took us to 3 islands in the pearl islands archipelago (chitre, chepra, and mogo mogo) and it was just *wow*. being in the pacific, you would think the ocean is darker and the sand beaches are brown rather than white, but it's not like that at all. it looks exactly like the caribbean, with crystal clear blue and green water, white sand beaches, and thousands of huge palm trees. the island of contadora is all green and full of bushes and flowers.

 

on the tour, they took us snorkeling--this time "more professionally"--and it was again, wow...amazing...can't believe it. the fish were huge and of many shapes and colors and i couldn't believe my eyes. i saw dory from "finding nemo"; no nemo, though, i guess clownfish don't like those coral reefs hehe. we also saw 2 whales - a momma whale and a baby whale. according to our guide teresa, the baby whale is bigger than our boat. i only saw the two big tales and i even filmed them. they also took us to this part of the ocean that was full of starfish -- they were so big and real pretty.

 

there's no partying and "wild" bars on the island. this is NOT cancun or decameron or something alike. it's quiet and more for couples and families, i'd say. things close at 10 and if you were too busy at the beach or taking a nap in the evening after your snorkwling adventures, chances are you're gonna have to go to bed HUNGRY :). we ended up at a--you wouldn't believe it--an austrian/swiss restaurant eating wiener schnitzels and french fries. it smelled like my mom's kitchen :)

 

on the way back, we flew taca's regional airline, called aeroperlas. they left our luggage on the island and it came with the next flight an hour later :) as if we had come from paris or something LOL we tried to get a couple of free tickets from them for all the inconvenciens and troubles caused (we served them everything from "we didn't have the car keys to go home from the airport" to "dom was beaten by a jelly fish and is feeling really bad") - to no avail. this is not the coutnry with US-like customer service lol

 

so if you ever come to panama, do yourself a favor and go check out the pearl islands. there are more than 200 islands in the archipelago, only some 6, 7 of which are inhabited. contadora is the only one where you can actually live comfortably -- where you'll find restaurants, bars, and small stores. the biggest one, the king's island ("la isla del rey") has a luxury resort called "hacienda del mar" with direct TV and personal jacuzzis in every room. and that's about everything there is on the island. so i'd stick to contadora.

oh, and don't take the "ferry" from panama [we heard it's really uncomfortable and makes you seasick like crazy] & shouldn't be called a ferry at all. it's more like a little boat. instead of a 2-hour suffering voyage on a "ferry", take air panama or aeroperlas and get to the island in 15 mins. then relax on one of some 8, 9 beaches, you can even swim in the buff on the swedish women's beach [they luv blonde swedes, i guess lol] -- this is the ONLY official nude beach in the entire republic of panama! my fav beach was playa camaron/going into playa cacique, in front of the beautiful "villa romantica" hotel. it looked just like a piece of caribbean with white sand beach and light blue color [see the attched pix].

 

all in all, it was an amazing trip and for those who have seen any of the three survivor shows on TV, come see it in person, too. it's *so*worth it!

 

saludos de panama!

  

Oh sweet, Virgina Amercia just announced today that it's taking its wings! Congrats, VA!

Their entertainment system rocks--it features special mood lightning (depending on the mood of the flight, outside weather and time of the day), 1,000s of MP3s, video games, and pay-per-view movies. VA is a cashless airline, it says--all you need to do is order food, movies, video games, etc. on your private in-seat viedo screen and swipe your credit card. Some commodities and perks come for free with your airfare. Sweet!

And the price for all this? Well, Washington DC (IAD) to Los Angeles (LAX) $129 OW total, $258 RT total. Not bad at all. No hidden rules of the game, blackout dates, and 300% higher fares on the weekends--all this with a user-friendly reward system called "eleVAte". First Class on the above-mentioned route goes for $369 OW. Not bad! Well done, VA--I hope yoy stay with us for many years to come and though I'm sticking to "my" CO/CM (Continental/Copa), I will defintiely check out this new birdie just to experience the perks they got to offer.

Chek out VA on http://www.virginamerica.com

 

Greetings from Panama.

 

 

Here I am again--the land of some of the most beautiful beaches on the planet, chicken dresses ("polleras"), crazy carnivals no one but panamenians really appreciate and comprehend, red devil public buses (aka. "diablos rojos"), the cheapest booze i've seen around, and the land of one of my favorite airlines, i.e., COPA.

 

Panama is developing frigging fast and I am really delighted to see many changes, though the skyscraper after skyscraper policy is kinda getting on my nerves already--allright, it *does* look cool to see all these magnificent towers by night (which reminds one of Manhattan), but damn it--for those who live, walk and drive here, the traffic is absolutely atrocious. Avenida Balboa, Via Espana, and Calle 50 get so jammed that I've started walking everywhere rather than taking cabs since it takes me longer to get where I want to get in a taxi. Taxi drivers will tell you how they're closing all the living space with these damn skyscrapers and in 5 years' time, there'll hardly be any space left to walk around. And they're damn right, I'm telling you. It seems that plans are on the way to fill up the bay and add another row of skyscrapers in front of the existing one--ouch, this means 1,000s of people will lose their nice vista, including the billionairs that Donald Trump's company takes around to show them the place where Trump's huge hotel and condominiums tower will stand (check out his georgeous creation at the official website, http://www.trumpoceanclub.com/). We're talking years from now, but still...And I so want to invest in some property here later on when I have the money. There's still time, they say :)

 

What else is new here?

The Panamanians voted FOR the Panama Canal expansion, which will create more jobs, more competition, more cargo--and of course--a bigger flow of cash into the country.

 

I discovered a Sushi Itto restaurant, part of the Mexican chain (http://www.sushi-itto.com.mx/) close to where I live. I pigged out on sushi with my friend Ray the other day. Yummie. OK, it may not be like the nicest shick venue, but it's definitely classy enough to go and be seen. I also discovered BENIHANA (http://www.benihana.com/) a few blocks from here and will defintiely go check it out soon. I *LOVE* Benihana and their sushi. Another new thing I just learned a few days ago--and I was like *WOW*, can't believe it--was that SANBORNS from Mexico (http://www.sanborns.com.mx/sanborns/) is coming to Panama. They're opening their first restaurant at Multiplaza very soon as part of their Central American expansion. I need to go check out if their molletes will taste the same as the ones I always eat in Mexico. What else is new? Copa is expanding big time--they just started flying to DC Dulles (IAD), Guadalajara, Mexico and Cordoba, Argentina. They now fly to some 25 destinaations in the Americas. Bravo, COPA, I love getting your miles and perks--the only thing you need to do is hone on your English, damn it, it was really BAD the other day when I flew to Mexico! [speaking of which, they might contract us to do some training for their pilots before I take off from here].

 

My free lancing ("professional services" as it is dubbed here) has worked out great; I love my job and my boss. I've mainly been doing professional workshop development for call centers such as Dell and Nars (and hoping to do it for Copa, too). I also found a nice cozy apartment to live--just half a block from the office. I'm attaching some pix below so you can check it out. It's so cute, all white and beige. The housewarming party was pretty late--June 30th--but was kinda cool. It was a cocktail night--I ended up making margaritas and other cocktails long into the night--with my beautiful candle-lit living room table made of massive wood from Virginia, US.

 

I've not traveled anywhere but Mexico since I got here late May--too much work plus I've been working on my dissertation a LOT. The weekend in Mexico was awesome and flying first class on Copa was a nice experience, too.

That said, however, I am traveling this coming weekend and I am *SO* excited about this trip. I'm going to--I know you're gonna envy me this one-the Pearl Islands (http://www.focuspublicationsint.com/focuspanama/es/perlas-es.htm)

 

Though not my favorite side (remember how much I adore the Caribbean side, i.e., the Atlantic), the Pearl Islands ("las islas de las perlas" in Spanish) are pushed down south in the calm turquois Pacific waters with amazing white sand beaches that look just like Caribbean beaches. This is where rich Panamanians and foreigners have their weekend houses or even entire islands.

 

I'm attaching a couple of pictures of one of the most popular islands called "la isla de Contadora" ("the Island of Counting"), which got its name by the Spanish who counted their booty and other wealth before it was shipped to Spain. Those of you in the States who watch the popular show The Survivor will remember that the show featured the Pearl Island three times--more than any other destination in the history of the show (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivor:_Pearl_Islands).

 

Allrighty--will post more when I get back from Contadora (I hope to go to a few other islands, too, particualrly la Isla del Rey, the King's Island). Oh, and I can't wait to do some snorkelling, go see some sharks or whales and maybe even do some scuba diving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

oh, this will definitely *stir up* at least some summer air fares....

all airlines, beware of this baby :)...skybus...the name reminds me of the mexican low-cost carrier called "Aerobus" (basically, "airbus"), the monterrey-based no frill airline that's growing like crazy--just like its parent ryainair in europe. so we got another baby airline in the air.

still waiting to see richard branson's brainchild - "VIRGIN AMERICA" (http://www.virginamerica.com/ is already up and the airline is waiting for the government's approval).

not that i'd do these smaller, cheap airlines--though the new ones boast all-leather seats and individual in-seat screens with satellite TV and VIRGIN promises to be the most high-tech of them all--but i just love competition as this makes me fly cheaper and with lotsa frills :)

here's today's article from USA today on skybus.

 

 

from USA Today, may 1 2007

 

Airline Skybus gets off ground in May

 

By Dan Reed, USA TODAY

 

Airline start-up Skybus announced Tuesday that it will launch service next month from its Columbus, Ohio, base, moving discount travel in the USA closer than ever to the bare-bones model pioneered by Europe's popular Ryanair.

 

i haven't written anything here for a couple of months as i've been so damn busy, but have finally made it down to florida & "my" mexican caribbean again. i was down in miami & fort lauderdale back in january, jetted down to cancun & playa del carmen to see my friends there one weekend in february, and flew dotn to the dominican republic in late february where i presented at a biolinguistics conference i'd been invited to.

 

i spent the easter break in europe in that georgeous weather & got back to DC only to get soaked a few times, freezing to death. well, now this is changing and we're seeing *HOT* days again :)

europe was nice and so was my newest addition to my miles that i wanted to save for free summer flights to and in central america/caribbean :) after the 50% extra mileage promotion (for up to 15,000 miles) and after the 50% silver preferred extra miles, i clocked up some 13,000 miles in a single round trip for less than $300 all in (yeah, i can hear you CO guys, it *was* CGN for $99 OW, 260 RT all in LOL). cologne is in the middle of frigging nowhere, but is a no frill airlines mecca and as such it is extremely cheaply- & well-connected to pretty much anything in europe and north africa, though--like always--slovenia is a darn exception. $500 to fly to "the country on the sunny side of the alps" connecting thru prague or munich or frankfurt is a NO WAY, JOSE!!!! adria airways--you *suck*, you *suck* big time, and you *suck* so much that i'm surprised you're still flying around. damn you!

i flew down to MUC from CGN for $30 RT, $90 all in (!!!), but couldn't get closer to slovenia.

"oh, you just gotta do it the old way", i thought. so i did--on a damn train. gosh, how i'm not used to taking trains anymore and the people on this side of the pond still talk abut eurorail. gimme a break! eurorail is sooo pase; think easyjet, ryanair, germanwings, lufthansa city line, whizair, etc. "but it's the landscape", they say. landscape my ass, you ain't seeing no landscape on a night train from amsterdam to munich, please!!! and most long distance trains are red-eye journeys. 

                                                           ======

 

now that the sun has come out the flip flop nation has awakened (and those who know me know damn well what i think of flip flops beyond being beachwear!!!). with the sun and the flip flops in april always come great summer fares that last only until about early june (for those who don't know that, may 31st is usually the *magic* date).

 

let's see, my pick of the week from washington dc is mexico city for $156 on united (that was first listed mid april actually and was gone for most days in may as quickly as it appeared; well, in 48 hours--for those like me, this is plenty of time--we usually get frustrated if the fare is gone after 12 hours or so!!!); american matched its price a few days later. a RT fare will total $256 and you can fly direct from IAD or connecting through ORD on UA. and you know the american connecting scenario--conencting at DFW, sometimes MIA. interestingly, mexicana was selling all their mexican markets including MEX from BWI for $155 RT (w/out tax), totaling around $260. i haven't seen mexico city this cheap for years. i almost went last weekend, but *my* CO is 271, which is still some $100 less than usually, but i'm giving it another thought :) will decide these days, depending on how busy i am.

 

my second pick of the week was definitely los angeles for $100 RT from BWI on NW. it was gone in NO TIME, but it was there and it was bookable--i tried it! :) going to california for $140 RT all in is SUUUPER. :)

 

and the third pick of the week would be chicago (either midway or ORD) for $47 OW on ALL airlines pretty much. this fare has been consistent for quite some time and i just can't believe how low it is. damn!!!

and...for those like me who hunt for big miles on big carriers (and love airtran, jetblue, southwest, and spirit but would never fly them), CO just announced a sale to ponce and san juan, puerto rico for $99 OW from EWR - i've seen these fares for $20-30 cheaper and especially now with the spirit advertising caribbean and central american fares at a few cents (that never pop up when you try to book them by the way!!)--but the summer is approaching, so all in all paying $200 to go to PR is not that bad, i guess. you pay for the season, as you all know.

that's why i almost never purchase any ticket in the summer and get everything with my miles -- my upcoming 3-month panama trip with a free layover in mexico on the way back would have been over $900 if i'd bought it. this is when you just *love* the perks and frills of big airlines when they give you such a ticket FOR FREE :)

happy travels!!!

Saturday, December 16, 2006

 

I’m writing this on a plane somewhere northeast of St. John’s, crossing the Atlantic on a CO flight 18 from EWR to LGW. It was the second time I was flying on a CO silver metal and the second time they gave me a free upgrade (I got it for the DCA-EWR leg). I wish they’d do the same for the EWR-LGW leg, though hehehe, but the gate counter woman explained to me that they’d only do this if the plane was overbooked. Oh, okay, maybe some other time.

 

I got this email from farecast a few days ago, telling me I was chosen to evaluate their new farecast technology that predicts the airfare price flunctuation—sort of like what I did for farecompare and then emailed their CEO w/ questions and suggestions. Well, well, let’s give it a try. I put farecast to a test—I let it search the 5 routes that I have flown and/or researched most often in the past few months: WAS-LON, WAS-PTY, WAS-HNL, PHL-HNL, WAS-CUN. Amazingly, the software was extremely precise; what I was most interested in was to see whether it’ll tell me that the PHl-HNL deal is just out of this world, too good to be true, and I should buy it IMMEDIATELY at $345 plus tax, totaling $390. Well, it did. It also advised me not to buy the WAS-PTY ticket for 600 something, which is exactly what I’d suggest to anyone. All in all, it seems like a nice piece of technology that does a pretty reliable job, comparably to what I would do with my own know-how and manual search. So, give it a try: www.farecast.com (note that international routing is currently still not supported!!!)

 

What is it about farecompare & farecast that’s so damn special, you may ask—there’s Orbitz and Expedia (as my fellow traveler, a student of computer science at the University of Pittsburgh who’s sitting next to me says lol); well, let me give you a concrete example why I keep telling everyone to forget about orbitz and expedia and Travelocity for at least a little bit. J.A. called me when I was down in PTY, leaving me a msg on my cell, asking me if I could get him a *sweet* deal for his friend who wishes to fly from orlando (MCO) to phoenix, AZ (PHX); unfortunately, I wasn’t home and when I returned his call, he told me his friend had **already** bought a ticket. How much did he pay, I asked, naturally (I feel this has been the most common Q I ask people on planes these days LOL); a whopping $500, he said, but—he added—we tried everything, airline websites and classic airfare online reservation system and *nothing* was cheaper. Give me a second, I said, while logging onto zuji. Well, I’m sorry to say this, but this route costs $156.50 RT plus tax, totaling below $200 [now that I’m publishing this, the fare is down at $109.76+tax valid until jan15th on selected days only!!!]. *Where?*, he almost screamed. Well, give me the dates, I said. dec22nd….and coming back….wait wait wait, did I hear dec22? When *on earth* will I teach people that dec22 and dec23 are the WORST DAYS TO FLY in the entire year (together w/ the thanksgiving weekend). OK, I kinda survived…coming back on Jan what? Jan1, he says. Now that almost gave me a heart attack. Ok, I’m correcting myself—the WORST DAYS TO FLY (PRICE-WISE AND CROWDS-WISE) are dec22-dec24 and jan1-jan3. got it? Yeah, he said. Just tell me one thing, is he flexible to leave a day earlier and come back a day or two later? Yeah, he said—OK, then tell him he’s a jerk, an idiot, a moron, a dunnowhatelse, paying $500 for a ticket that is worth $190. I checked the availability—dec21, returning jan6, $156 + tax; jan4 and 5 *did* give me this price, but that was very late already, so I’m sure it would have been available 3 weeks before. So much for NOT KNOWING how much to expect to pay. The golden rule of every search for a good airfare is—remember— KNOWING HOW MUCH TO EXPECT TO PAY.

 

Still at 37,000 feet above the ground south of reykjavik, but—london, here I come.

 

 

back from panama where the weather was crappy as hell...i didn't see the sun until the day before last. so much for my trip to the beach. decameron went down the toilet, so did playa blanca and coronado and everything else. oh well...

 

but alas, my workshop went *really* well and they may invite me again late february/early march. also, the copa airlines people were very interested in my program development for their staff, which may kick off in february, too...i am really studying & training hard to become a free lancer in this, geesh :)

 

speaking of which, i got upgraded to First/Business on CO on the way from IAH to DCA. now how cool is that?

now i see it was worth boycoting LH, UA and US...for a *very* good reason. i turned silver w/ CO while in panama and on the very first flight as a silver FT i'm already upgraded. awesome! mr. rus -- seat 2A!

the LH staff at FRA once shoveled it in my face that "zer are never any upgrades for silver members"...well, screw you, LH! i'll stick to CO (& SkyTeam); in less than 8 months i've clocked up around 80,000 miles and 27,000 EQM (silver is 25,000), and that was *BEFORE* my legs from PTY to IAH and IAH to DCA...if i had been a bit better, i could have rung up enough miles for GOLD. in fact, R wanted me to do an MR w/ him to HNL, hawaii. i really can't do this now as i'm flying to europe in less than 10 days and i got lotsa things to take care of here. so i guess honolulu will be my first official MR for 2007. less than $350 RT from PHL and BWI, this is a very *sweet* deal which you simply CANNOT beat. 5,500 miles each way. this *is* more than sweet, baby!

 

next time i post pix here, they won't be sony shot ones anymore. i left my sony cyber shot in a cab the last day of my stay in panama. i realized it as soon as i slammed the door, but the guy drove off in no time. i ran after him for almost 2 blocks (yeah, i know, this reads like a soap opera!), but he wouldn't stop. anyway, i just ordered this cute CANON power shot A540 and circuit city is giving me a free 1 GB SD card. i decided to switch to canon this time as i read better reviews for it than for the cyber shot cams. i'm picking it up monday next week and should be all set and ready for me xmas photos in slovenia!

 

oh, and my cute new dell inspiron e1505 latop is here--with a personalized touch, which is still on its way, a quick snap cover featuring ciruelo cabral's WHITE DRAGON [picture attached :)]. i might use the dragon cover or the extra mediterranean blue quick snap cover that i purchased additionally ($25) -- the blue cover, too, looks *really* nice lol. now i can be much more productive while waiting for my planes at DCA, BWI, IAH, CLE or EWR.

 

CO has another sweet deal to cologne [CGN] (near FRA) from EWR for $99 OW. this is a perfect MR for those who are in short of miles for 2006. i'm done w/ miles for this year though i got another 2 legs to do before Jan 1 (DCA-EWR, EWR-LGW).

 

...happy travels to all of you & have a peaceful holiday season. and to many more travels and miles in 2007! :)) and we'll celebrate the new MR year as it should be celebrated, w/ a glass of champagne in hawaii! anyone wants to join me on the big island? :)

 

 

 

Yesterday, US Airways proposed a merger with DELTA airlines. I couldn't believe this as US just finalized the merger with AMERICA WEST. If DELTA agrees, the new airline could seriously kick ass - it would be the biggest airline in the US, beating even AMERICAN.

 

Now, for someone like me, the biggest Q is whether US would stay in STAR ALLIANCE or go to SKYTEAM; since DELTA is a proud member of SKY and the new airline would be operating under DELTA's name, I doubt that DELTA would cross over to STAR....which means that I can start flying US again like in the ol' days when I'd be flying them all over, esp. to Central America & Europe.

 

Now with*my* CONTINENTAL I go everywhere, but could go on DELTA, too. I just have never done it since DL has older planes, less routes than CO plus I love my extra 500 booking miles on CO....but if US was to become part of DL now, I could do US on competitive routes out of DCA which are chepaer than on CO connecting through EWR...this way I wouldn't need to go to BWI all the time, where CO is competing like crazy for its slots with SOUTHWEST, offering same-price tickets out of BWI via EWR to everywhere SOUTHWEST flies.

 

anyway, I think this merger could be a great thing...the Q is whether DL will say "yes" and marry US. only time will tell...

and then, I'd love to see CO merging w/ NW or UA. ouch, dom!! hehehe

 

....only 5 more days to my next trip to panama...hurray!!! it'll be some work (i'm giving a workshop on language development), but mainly pleasure. after my workshop i think i'll hit the beach - *my* caribbean is calling me again lol

 

OK, i gotta check this out, i thought. anaheim, orange county (OC, as it is known to many), california, oct 22, 2006. 84 degrees F in jon's 2006 corvette. it's so pretty outiside and the air is so freaking different here than in DC. i feel no humidity and no car exhaust. m-aaa-g-i-cal place, disneyland. jon has the tickets already. i scan them - whopping $84 per person. shit, they really *milk* money out of you, don't they?

grand hotel CA, just off the park looked nice, but far from a $600 per night magic hotel, as advertised online. i would have never paid that much money. while the "disney" people who guide you before the check-in process at a hotel are too busy blabering about how wonderful their parks are and how magically everyone will feel in their company, the check-in agents are waving at you, yelling, "next customer, please". way too chaotic and disorganized. we had to wait for the room for hours. it wasn't ready until 5.30pm.

the hotel lobby looks like an enormous cabin in the swiss alps. kinda interesting, but almost tacky. wait, maybe not tacky, but--hmm--fake!!! i miss my *real* alps LOL

the disney adventure park. thank god we don't need to stand in line - the hotel has its own entrance to the park. the only *really* good thing, i thought after the end of the day. then -- oh my god -- look at those lines! screaming californian, the first roller coaster we decide to do, has a waiting time of 50 mins. alrighty, maybe we should do the fast pass next time. great ride, great pix, but jon feels sick. oh-oh. time for a short pause. and so on and so forth.

space mountain *rules* and i think it's one of the most awesome rides i've ever been on. i'd go back just for that ride, i guess. indiana jones -- nah, nearly not half as good as space mountain. space blasters -- don't lose time. utopia - closed that day. pirates of the caribbean - kinda too slow; same as "i corsari" at gardalanad in italy. i wonder who has copied from whom. johnny depp's pirates is a pretty new movie, but maybe disneyland had some kinda "pirates" ride before it became associated with the hollywood blockbuster.

food at the park? plastic tortillas with beef, soggy rice and some sort of Ok beans for 9.99 + tax, and my big beautiful apple for almost whopping $2. 2 fast food menus and 2 bottles of water - $33. *geesh*. i wonder how families of 4 or 5 can manage this when they come to the park.

in a nutshell, yeah, you got to see it and ride it and feel it. but long lines and all those hoards of people pushing their screaming kids around in their pushcars may be too much. skip saturday and sunday and go during the week. and do the fast pass. it pays off, though it's not available after 6pm anymore. the coolest things: space mountain (a roller coaster in pitch dark), california screaming (a roller coaster with some interesting twists, turns and loops, the tower of terror at the hollywood hotel (an elevator going up and down a 13 floor hotel, abandoned but not forgotten for its ghostly visitors), and possibly indiana jones and star tours (a simualtor ride).

i didn't see mickey mouse, but got a cool pic with pluto. pluto, you're the man :)

i guess it's now time to go check out disneyworld in orlando, FL. i hear it's much more interesting and the food is better. if only walt disney was still alive. i hear he was a much better manager and had much better food at the park, but since the park changed hands, it has only gone down. overpriced and overcrowded. some cool rides, but generally -- pretty disappointing.

luv the pix, though LOL.

 

 

 

yeah, it's *back in DC*.

and here's the memoirs of *my* summer 2006 panama in bits 'n' pieces - literally :)

 

after more than 3 months, i'm leaving panama. sniff sniff. i'm gonna miss this country *so* damn much, mainly its people. i even got used to my new bed, my new apartment, my new job, everything in here. all these things made me somehow forget my chaotic and busy life in dc, the constant pressure in the academia of having to always *say* things about your work, present and publish it, and impress people. in panama, i realized how much there is that i could do with my education and my knowledge that would actually bring $, not just take them away & i would still do what i think i do best - *TEACH* and *EDUCATE* :)

 

yuki & hana came down from DC to see me. we had a lot of fun together here in PTY. they *loved* the panamanian seafood (not just its taste but also its price! heh). i'm attaching their cute picture of the yummie corvina fish and octupus in garlic sauce in here so your mouth can start salivating lol. the girls spent a weekend w/ the kuna indians up north in the san blas archipelago & they had a blast, they said. i was kinda envy of them as i couldn't make it up north due to my time constraints, plus i wanted to save some money for september as i get no money from GU until late september. so my trip to SAPI BENEGA on the island of PLAYON CHICO went down the toilet, but, hey, i'll come back in here and will definitely check it out on my next trip. i even talked to the owner over the phone and she was damn nice. she told me they now have brand new cabins w/ *modern* toilets hehe. check out some pix from yuki & hana and be amazed. it's a freaking paradise up there. they told me they wished they woulndn't need to get back to civilization in here (much less back to DC heeheh).

 

so here i am, pondering on panama, panamanians, my dissertation, my life at GU, every damn thing, mixing w/ everything else. time to move on. *tear*. it's gonna be back in DC soon. fabio keeps telling how he'll miss his slovenian roommie and how much he's learned from me in this short time. ahh, fabio. he still needs to do my hair before i leave hehehe. i'm gonna get him something nice to remember me. and there's fran, whom i'll be missing dearly. i really wanna come back in october and see his play...we'll see...and there's my gang from clubs and bars and everyone else whose path i've crossed in these 94 days. LES VOY A EXTRAñAR UN MONTON!

 

and here's some farewell pix of balboa avenue, the fish market, and some yummie panamanian food (broiled corvina fish w/ veggies and fried octopus in garlic sauce w/ fried plantains), plus the last pic of me taken here in my apartment, and a few pics from the farewell party at FIESTA CASINO at HOTEL PANAMA w/ my students from A.E.O.C.; i'll keep those *raunchy* pix from the wednesday club party w/ my panas for myself but i'm attaching a collage i made with nice pictures from that fiesta (lol) plus some from other parties i've been to. it looks kinda cool, i think; plus there's my hollywood-looking pic (heeh) from amador causeway, taken by edgar last friday when i took him out to pomodoro in las brisas del amador as it was his bday. nice shot, eh?

 

i'm also attaching a collage i made from yuki & hana's pix from san blas - check them out & be amazed! *wow* :)

 

love ya, panama, see ya soon! off to mexico and then DC, it is! cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i was bugging my student and friend patty to give me another cool idea for a weekend trip and she spat it out in no time, 'la isla grande'. you'll love it if you like the atlantic side better than the pacific one, she said. hurray, i thought, anything that spells 'caribbean' is MY THING.

 

fran and i packed our bags at 5 in the morning on saturday and drove to colon and then continued to portobelo, a little seaside village that played a prominent role on the spain-americas trading routes. today you can still see the remains of a spanish fortress that stood produly at the edge of the spanish port with huge canons that spain used to defend pirates and other boys that would interfere with their trade ehhe. we met a huge portuguese group and eavesdropped every single word their guide said, so we actually got a free history lesson besides simply a nice vista.

 

we visited the local church worshiping the black christ. the black christ was supposed to be shipped to the caribbean, but the weather wouldn't permit the shipment like three or four times, so the locals finally gave up and took it as a sign from above. hell, he's black, but if he won't wanna get out of here, it means, there's something good for us with him here, they thought. so they kept the black jesus christ and every year on october 21 they celebrate their patron saint day. apparently they all get to wear pink, my students said, but noone was really sure about other customs and mu sources wouldn't say anything this either except that oct 21 is *the* day.

 

the road was so damn shitty and it took us sooo long to hit the village of LA GUAIRA, listening to T.A.T.U., madonna, and gwen stefani on our way (yeah, we were both kinda fed up w/ regeton already lol). we parked the car in the little village and took a boat to LA ISLA GRANDE. my gosh, it was *soooo pretty*. so freaking pretty. we stayed at VILLAS EN SUENO, where the owner was this kind older woman who'd be opening PIPAS (green coconuts) for us three times a day coz i was so hooked on them. i even filmed her while she was drilling a whole into those big juicy fruits before sticking a straw into them and serving them to us one time. how cool! oh, i'm such a tourist it's disgusting lol.

 

we explored the beach and found this lovely cake shop and cafeteria that was advertising ice cream made of rose petals. it got my attention, i'm telling you this, so i'd walk into the (private) house and aks about it. the woman was so damn nice, she told me she makes all ice cream herself and her speciality is honey frozen yoghurt and rose petal sorbet. then she'd say and do the weirdest thing. she stepped into her house again and came back with a postcard from slovenia, signed by some girl from ljubljana who apprently had been on the island a couple of times already. i thought this was *so* random. and i thought i was the very first slovenian on the island. sniff sniff. well, veronika, think, it was--i forgot--beat me. according to the cake shop woman, she had a panamanian boyfriend. fran and i started laughing our asses off, looking at the postcard. 'she's coming back in the summer', she said. i'm sure she is, i said. just hoping she won't come dressed up in cow skin and leather boots like you can see on the postcard. this is freaking hillarious!

 

i felt like in paradise. la isla grande was the highlight of all my trips i've taken so far in here. so damn beautiful. the beach, the greenery, the sand, the ocean. it's out of this world. and the weather was *great*. pass me another pipa, will ya?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

my student paty recommended me 'el valle de anton' in the state of cocle, some 80 miles (120 km) south west of pty.

i checked out lotsa websites and consulted my FOCUS guide and it did sound like a perfect getaway for a sunday.

i particularly wanted to do the CANOPY TOUR that i had wanted to do so freaking much back in costa rica last year and never did as the morons wouldn't take my credit card and i didn't have a 100 bucks in my pocket.

 

anyway, fran and i had so much fun tree topping though-to be honest-it does sound much more adrenalin-evoking and scary in a brochure than it really is. if you don't brake (basically, if you don't pull the rope down and just let it go), it can go pretty fast. fran was almost shitting his pants before letting it go, so i decided to go first, also coz i wanted him to film me while i was swinging off that thick cable. i got down in like 40, 50 seconds, maybe a bit more, and was obviously craving for more. but, shit, every jump costs additional 10 bucks, so we just did one. just to give it a try. i definitelly wanna do a complete 5-8 jump thing in panama or costa rica next time. it is A LOT OF FUN.

 

the main square aas buzzing with kunas and other locals, selling all sorts of crap. there were 1,000s of golden frog statues, pins, tablecoths, you name it. this damn frog is on every single thing they touch. ok, let's face it, it *does* look like a neat frog, but i'm kinda tired of seeing everything shaped like a frog or colored like one. enough of frogs! we skipped the zoo, so my eyes wouldn't see *real* golden frogs (golden frog: la rana dorada, in spanish). if you have time, do the zoo. american guides highly recommend it.

 

instead, we did the 'el macho' waterfall after doing our little canopy tour. and then, i wanted to swim in the little lake below the waterfall. oh, at least, that's what it sounded and looked like in my brochure. NADA QUE VER, i mean, NOT AT ALL. the freaking lake is *not* below the waterfall, but like 100s of feet away from it. we paid a few bucks to get in and found oruselves w/ 5 local kids and their dad playing hide and seek in the water. geesh! no turquise water falling down the rocks like i was imagining it. i thought i'd be like fernando colunga bathing in a morning waterfall shower in 'esmeralda' in the cover scene of the famous mexican soap opera. then it turned out that i'd left my swimsuit back home in pty. so here goes my waterfall shower and my turquise blue waterfall. we left the place, hoping we'd get a refund as i didn't have my swimsuit. 'you've already paid for it and gotten a ticket', the guy said. ok, i guess that was a 'no'. packed our bags we did and off we went...only to discover this weird place w/ thermal water wells on the other side of town.

 

funny, no source mentioned this thing. it looked like a primitive aztec spa to me. they charged 50 cents to get in and let us take a dip in a thermal water well. everyone was wearing these weirdest facial masks, looking like zombies, young and old, male and female alike. i was laughing my ass off, like no way i'll do that, but little did it take and i found myself lining up to get CLAY myself lol. they told us to put some liquid clay on our faces and let it dry up. so we did. i wish i had brought my cam w/ me. i'd left it in the car. damn it!

 

so the hot water springs definitely were the highlight of our day. bizarre as they sound, they sure can make your day lol.

we left the little town starving and i was sure fran would want to get his lechona (fried piglet meat) on his way home. well, we opted for LA CASCADA in PTY instead, which is a story by itself. a run-down place, looking like a brothel in a red light district in amsterdam, with red lights above each table to turn on when you are ready to order and looking something that most of you would definitely avoid, it looks like out of this planet. and their 20-some page bilingual menu reads like the most interesting food and life philosophy on earth. the plates were *huge* and the meat was *great*. though poor for the eyes and our wallets, the place definitiely was rich for our bellies. yummie! i had not had so much seafood and steak in years. !buen provecho!

 

 

 

 

 

I'm becoming so damn Panamanian, they all say. The way I talk, eat, lose track of the time & come late for meetings, and want to save money by buying Panamanian ketchup, ham, or cheese rather than Heinz, Hellmans, or Craft products. But believe it or not, these things cost THE SAME as in DC & being on a Panamanian salary, one soon realizes that THEY'RE FREAKING EXPENSIVE...But I found a solution - a third JOB lol. Actually, THEY found ME! Kaplan Inc. contracted me to teach 'English for tourism' to people working in the tourist industry (mainly Continental & Copa Airlines travel agents) three times a week for 3 weeks (and yeah, they pay an American rate per hour!!). Those who know me will know that I'm LOVING all this touristy s***, be it airlines, frequent mileage programs, making itineraries, making plans to travel on a shoestring, etc, etc. So it's back to Hellmans & Heinz (I LUV YA, Mrs. HEINZ though I know lotsa Americans hate ya!!!) & my weekend getaways LOL.

 

I went to the province of Chiriqui last week. Chiriqui is some 8-hr drive northwest of Panama City. It was...well, it was VERY FAMILIAR, though my Panamanian friends found it a PARADISE. Chiriqui is all foresty, with lushious green trees, mountains, waterfalls, and small Swiss-looking villages. Or, Slovenian-looking, for that matter. That's why I felt AT HOME, and for me, it was no big deal to pass a huge pine tree forest, which elicited many 'OH's' and 'WOWs', and 'How beautiful's' from my friends. We attended some village wedding, drove around the villages, visiting my friends' relatives' farms ('fincas') & freezing to death as there was no hot water in the little cabin where we were staying & the temperatures dropped down to the 40s and 50s at night. BRRR! The first time I'd felt COLD in Panama!

 

A few days ago, RR came down from NY to have a short layover on his way to Guatemala & San Salvador & Fran & I took him around Panama City. I finally saw Mirador Causway on a sunny Sunday afternoon, full of people roller skating & biking. The restaurants were packed. We chose the Italian Alberto's. We also went to Casco Viejo, the Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal, and Mi Pueblito (My Little Village), an open air museum depicting Panamanian traditions & their villages & crafts. It was a beeeeauuuutiful Sunday. Check out some new pix below!

 

Sunday Fran & I are going to EL VALLE DE ANTON, a couple of hrs from here. I thought of the place as a perfect escape from the steaming hot city (Uafter I heard about it from my student Patty), hoping I can do at least the canopy tour (jumping between tree tops on cables) & swimming at the waterfalls, if not also horse riding. Will report more on that next week. Stay cool wherever you are! Literally, COOL!

Time's flying so damn fast. I've been here for almost 2 months now & have been enjoying myself a lot. Work is long hours and tiring sometimes, but hey, I wanna live comfortably. Got a nice apt in Bella Vista, a couple of blocks from the sea (see the pix below), bought a new desktop, got the Cable Onda cable internet, and got a much better paid job at AEOC. I'm now doing teacher training & teaching phonetics & phonology to Panamanian EFL teachers and I'm loving it. I'm also giving workshops at AEOC & have been called to do a couple of them for KAPLAN, too. Hurray! I haven't written anything for my dissertation yet, but Ihave analyzed some data. I'm determined to work hard for the last 6 weeks.

 

I was soo happy to receive the news from DC that my academic merit and the Ph.D. diss abstract won the best award by the Graduate School Association at Gtown. Hurray! I'll get 400 bucks for research travel, which is better than nothing.

   

I'm finishing my course at AEOC in a couple of days. I guess I'll miss my students. They were a lot of fun. I think I've learned more from them than they have from me. I know so much more about the Panamanian culture now. To celebrate the US Independence day, the school organized some kinda talent show with skits & my students were, of course, the best lol. They acted out a little skit I had written especially for them, combining some facts about the whole signing of the declaration of independence in MA, twisted with some situational humor, spiced up with my background in doing TV voice over for the CNN & Slovenian Magazin years ago when I was in college. The show opened with 2 hosts announcing the 4th of July celebration and then taking us back in time as if the audience had been watching a Discovery Channel documentary, which was - in fact - acted out by the rest of the students. Well done, guys! I was so damn proud of you! (see a couple of pix from the event below)

 

Here's also some pix of my apartment & the view from my kitchen window; and there's some more from the Parade of 1,000 polleras (traditional Panamanian costumes), or, 'El desfile de mil polleras' and from the 'San Juan' Festival, celebrated in Chitre, Los Santos, a few hrs West of Panama City.

Panama is bello, bello, bello, and its people even more. I' m loving them. LITERALLY! Heheheheh ¡Besototes de Panamá a todos!

¿Que sopa, fren¿, (Panamenian) or, ¿Que pasó, friend? (general Spanglish), or, How are you, my buddy?...After 3 days I already found a job in here. Though I'm not gonna make a fortune, it'll pay the bills and let me get around on the weekends from time to time. Time for an apartment hunt now! Greetings from Panama City, Panama.