YUCATAN XMAS

5 days, over Xmas, in the Caribbean. Dec. 23 – Dec 27 2013

Puerto Morelos is a beautiful little fishing village midway on the Riviera Maya, halfway between Cancun and Playa del Carmen.

From here it is a short bus ride to Puerto Juarez (the ferry to Isla Mujeres), Cancun, Playa del Carmen ( and the Ferry to Cozumel), and Tulum.

Monday, flight from Vancouver. 

Tuesday, Xmas eve, explore your hotel.

Wednesday,  Xmas day, depending on the festivities, part of the day at the hotel, the rest of the day at Playa Del Carman, about 20 min. by bus.

Thursday, Boxing day, catch the ferry over to Cozumel.

Which leaves you Thursday evening and Friday morning to enjoy your hotel.

Ocean Coral Resort Hotel Puerto Morelos, Mexico Includes;

- All meals, local drinks, and snacks included 24 hours a day.

- Mini Bar (water, soft drinks, and beer)

- Daily activities program

- Nightly Entertainment

- Kid's Club (ages 4 to 12) and Wading Pool

- Teen Club (10+)

- Complimentary Wireless Internet in lobby area

- Selected Non-motorized water sports (1hour/day)

- Scuba diving lesson in pool (1 per stay)

- Special Welcome Cocktail

- 7 a la carte dining options

- 1 buffet restaurant for breakfast, lunch, dinner

- Room service

- Pool and beach waiter service

- 4 swimming pools

- 3 Outdoor Jacuzzis

- Tennis court

- Fitness center

- All taxes and gratuities 

Flight - Vancouver to Cancun Dec. 23

Cancun to Vancouver Dec. 27 

Flight, luggage, & health insurance $167 

Total package = $1923.37 

(BOOK NOW before prices change)

TRAIN AND CRUISE

Did you know that you can take a tour of Southern B. C. by train. In fact you can go across Southern Canada, as far East as Toronto.

You can do a tour of the West coast, by ship, from Seattle to Alaska.

Or you could combine the two and enjoy a rail-ship tour in either direction, starting, or ending, at; Alaska, Banff, Calgary, Jasper, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, or Whistler.

How can you tell that I just completed a training course for Rocky Mountaineer train tours?

Drop me an E.

XMAS IN HAWAII

Too early to think about Christmas?

Not if you want a cabin aboard the only cruise ship that will be sailing the islands on Christmas Day.

Fly direct from Vancouver, B.C. Dec. 19

Hotel for 2 days.

Sail out of Honolulu Dec. 21, cruise 5 different islands, return to port Dec. 28.

2 nights in a hotel and catch the plane back to Vancouver, Dec. 30.

Total $5818.55 *

Total trip = 11 days, 4 nights in Honolulu, and 7 days aboard NCL `Pride of America’.

For more information, drop me an E.

·     

** Price cal. May 27, & based on; 1 person, 2 * hotel near beach, Economy seating on plane, and inside (Double Occupancy) cabin.

GOLF & HISTORY

What do golf and history have in common? I mean besides the fact that golf is one of the oldest games/sports in modern history.

Did you know that Marriott has spent the last umpteen years touring England and buying up old; houses, farms, hotels, and government buildings, and restoring them.

People travel to visit; golf courses, historic buildings, and spas.

One could, conceivably, combine these pastimes. Say; if you were to play a round of golf in the morning, spend the afternoon absorbing the history of your accommodations, then spend the next day travelling, you could, from Bournemouth to Leeds, stay in a different Marriott hotel, and play golf on a different course, and absorb some English history, seven times in 2 weeks.

What a concept. What a great summer holiday. What a tour of England.

 For more details contact me. Oh, lets not forget, some time for a spa in the evening. 

DESTINATION SPA

Many people like to travel just to visit spas.

There are many types of spas and there are many locations of spas.

One could travel the world visiting spas. You could challenge yourself, visit a spa in every continent.

Marriott offers a hotel with a spa in nearly every continent; Africa, Asia Australia, Europe, Middle East, and the Americas.

Or you could travel spas, and countries, with a continent. Say: Africa, with 3 countries hosting Marriott hotels with spas; Asia, 13 countries; Australia -
S. Pacific, 2 countries; Central America, 13 countries; Europe, 16 countries; Middle East, 9 countries; North America, 3 countries; and South America, 5 countries.

If you want less flight time and more spa time, just travel one country. Marriott offers 11 hotels with spas in Canada, 32 in China,  9 in Mexico, 9 in Turkey, 6 in the UEA, or 50 in the US of A.

Less travel time, more spa time, just tour one state. You will find  8 Marriott spas in Arizona, 27 in  California, 34 in Florida,  8 in Georgia, 14 in Hawaii, 8 in New York (state), and 7 in Texas.

Touring and spas, not an original concept but truly an endearing one. There are many different types of spas and Marriot hotels offer a spa of every type, somewhere.

Interested, contact me, and tell me which type you would like to visit.

GOOGLE + SUCKS

Have I ever told you how much I hate goggle.  I have had this blog for years. Long before Guugle was ever heard of. How it became gobble I have no idea. Now that I have joined Centre Holidays they have supplied me with; a website, an E mail, a Twitter, a Face Book page,  and a You Tube account.

Had I known they would all be Gabble accounts I probably wouldn't have joined.
Goog + got into the act and now I can't separate my personal accounts from my company accounts.
I spend more time tying to separate them than I do posting, or reading, and I am really getting sick of it.

I am so pissed off that I am tempted to sell my MAC and get a Winn... NO, No, not that, anything but that.
Wouldn't do me any good anyway.  Gigle controls Windows as much, if not more than, Mac.
And of course trying to get in touch with the clowns that own the stupid software and explain to them the mess they are making is about as sensible as banging your head against the wall.

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I HATE GOOGLE.

I tried to up load a video to my You Tube account. Don't ask me where it went.  Some stupid Youtube account somewhere, but not mine.  When I try to find my you tub account I find a website that says it is mine but it is full of stuff that I never put here.

Why do I bother, you are all in love with google.

If you happen to stumble across my video, about Tuxpan, tell it to go home, it belongs at http://www.youtube.com/user/Bear39224?ob=0&feature=results_main I think.

ACCOMMODATION

When I travel I usually take the cheapest flight available. (This often means I have to leave within 72 hours.)

When I arrive I walk out the `departure’ doors, avoiding all the cabs and tour guides clustered around the `arrivals’ doors.

I then walk off the airport grounds and catch a city bus.  I ask the bus driver to drop me in the area where the cheap hotels are.

One might think that accommodation is not important to me.

It is.

Like any traveler I have my wants and needs.

First is price. After negotiating a price with the desk clerk (Prices are usually negotiable in any hotel, if you are talking to the person who has the power to make these decisions.) I then ask to inspect the room.

If the sink only has one tap (faucet), this room does not have hot water.

If it has two taps, I make sure that both work and determine how long it takes for the water to get hot and how hot the water will get. (I abhor cold showers.)

In one hotel, my friend and I had to show the lady how to ignite a hot water tank.  She had owned the hotel for years, never knew she could offer her guests hot water. A sign, and the room rates, went up the next day.

Another thing that is important to me is a seat on the toilet. Or even a toilet. In the orient I am at a disadvantage because many places don’t have toilets and my knees do not handle my 250+ pounds in a squat position.

Another must for me are an overhead fan, with variable speeds, that runs quietly,

Slow speed will keep mosquitoes away and the low hum will drown out the drunks on the street below.

These minus 1, and 2, star hotels can usually be found in a market area, away from heavy traffic, but close to the people, restaurants, shopping, night life, and the heart of the culture. Sometimes I luck out and it is also close to a beach.

No matter who you are, or where you travel, accommodation plays a major part of the enjoyment of your trip.

Be it a mom and pop Posada, or a five star luxury suite with balcony and catered breakfast, finding the right hotel; at the right price, in the right location, with the right amenities, may not be the center of your trip’s planning but it should d be an integral part.

I can help you with that.

As a travel consultant I can help you choose; the right means of transport, the right accommodation, and the right itinerary.

From home to home, and everything in between, visit my website or send me an E.

Lee

GOA THIS SUMMER?

Summer is coming.  School will be out.  And we are going…. going to…..  going to go…... Going to goa …

Yes! Goa!

Look on a map, see the Arabian Sea.  The little town on the edge of India.

Look closer, it is not a little town, it is a state,

Not too many years ago it was a country.

4, 5 hundred years ago when all the European countries were out trying to grab their part of the new world, Portugal took a small handful of the Indian Continent.

Now 60 years after it was repatriated to India, Goa is still home to many buildings of Portuguese architectural design. The Portuguese language, though slowly being replaced by English, is still not uncommon. Of course all the languages of India are spoken as are many other languages.

Goa has ever been an international destination. Surrounded by India on three sides it is bordered on the West by one, almost continuous, beach.

Naturally resorts abound, from mom an pop B & Bs to large 5 star luxury developments.

As well as having a; large, modern, international, airport, it is also a port of call for cruise ship lines and home port to ocean, and river, cruises.

As a couple, or a family, for a summer to remember, remember Goa when you are trying to decide where to go(a) this summer.

For more information visit my website or contact me.

Have a great summer.

TYING, OR RE-TYING THE KNOT

Getting hitched, jumping the broom, eloping?

Are you thinking of  `tying the knot’, or, perhaps, `re tying the knot’?

Is June the first thing that comes to mind, a church the second?

How about something a little different, Xmas in the Caribbean!

And why not?

Book now for `re tying specials’ in Grenada.  Book a group requiring 5 rooms or more and the happy couple get their room `upgraded’ free.

An exquisite location featuring contemporary designed rooms and suites…OOohh, you want pictures. Sorry this resort is so new it isn’t open yet.

Just picture you and your spouse being pampered on a warm tropic isle while everyone back home is bundled up like Eskimos (Sorry, Inuits).

For more details, and possibly pictures, visit my website or contact me

Lee

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Today I passed my B. C. exam.

I am now licensed to sell TRAVEL INSURANCE.

Would YOU like to be my first customer?

How about a nice cruise,  this summer, 7 nights Kiel, Germany to St. Petersburg, Russia, or 14 nights Hamburg, Germany to the Arctic Circle?

Children are more than welcome, in fact if they are under 12 - FREE, (except for the tax)

Sail in Luxury like you’ve never experienced.  

Visit my website my Website or drop me an E.

Bear

THE 5 `W’s

Reporters, police officers, fire investigators: anyone who gathers information is aware of the five `W’s.

Who, What, Why, Where, What else?

These are the basic questions these people need to ask to do their jobs.

Have you ever filled out a form on-line to request flight information; Where are you, Where do you want to go, When do you want to travel?

Only 3 of the five. But for a truly enjoyable, carefree trip, there are actually a lot more than five.

There’s; who are you, who are you traveling with, how old are they, where are you going to stay when you get to your destination, what are you going to do when you are not sleeping, the list goes on.

Those simple little forms on the flight web pages are a good starter but they don’t cover the things like layovers, insurance, etc.

If you really want a safe enjoyable trip, talk to a travel consultant and don’t be embarrassed, or put out, because you get asked a multitude of question.

Have you heard of the `Davina’?

Hint: Picture the newest, most luxurious palace on the open seas.

Inspired by the worlds top diva, Sophia Loren, the Davina will reach Florida, from the Mediterranean, this fall and cruise the Caribbean this winter.

Imagine, an 18 day luxury, Atlantic, cruise from Venice to Miami, with a port or two in the `Caribe’.

Now think of how many questions the travel consultant will have to ask you to make sure you get; the cabin of your choice, the diet you require, the right shore excursions, the pre, and post, sail hotels, etc.

Okay, you are getting tired, of reading, but just remember this, for a great vacation, take the time, answer, and ask, a thousand `W’s. 

Five is not enough.

Bear

I just got my travel sales license this week, so,  

For many more questions, and answers, check out my new website, or drop me an `E’ 

DEMOCRACY AND SENORITY

Last night at work (The Killing) I mentioned to  a fellow driver that there was no point in voting for NDP because they won't promise to bring back our seniority.
He replied, "You can't bring it back. It is gone. it is law."
Well, isn't that the whole point of electing a new Government, to change the law.
That's what governments do. They; make, break, and change laws.
The whole point of electing a new government is to get rid of the old laws that we don't like and get new laws that we do like.
However no new government is going to change the laws if we don't tell them which ones we want changed and how we want them changed.
Invariably we elect new officials to office and the reason we elect them is to undo the laws the previous officials had made. But they never change them.
Why, because they are too busy with their own agenda.
Now, during the pre election campaign trail, is when we need to tell them what we want.
We have to make them realize that if they want our vote, they need to put our agenda ahead of theirs.
That is what democracy is about.
It isn't important that you go to the meetings, and rallies, of a particular party.
You need to go to every rally and every meeting of every candidate, of every party.
You need to use; mail, E mail, phone calls, meetings, whatever it takes, to impress upon, ALL, candidates, regardless of their party affiliation, that if they want your vote they have to promise to do what you want when they get in power.
If the last party passed a law saying your union can not dispatch according to seniority then you must tell all candidates that you want that law rescinded and then vote for the cnadidate that promises to do so, regardless of what party he is a member of.
That my friends is how democracy works.

PLANNING TO DRIVE IN FLORIDA?

If you are one of the thousands who like to drive; to, or in, Florida you should take note.
In it's attempt to combat, illegal immigrants, and forged drivers' licences, the state of Florida now requires that all non residents have, in their possession, while driving, an INTERNATIONAL DRIVERS LICENSE.
This must be obtained before entering Florida.
As a Canadian it must be acquired before leaving Canada.
The only place that will issue such a document, in Canada, is the automobile association.
It can not be obtained from the government.
The law came into effect earlier this year.
However, there has been no word of any officers enforcing it.

Nearly ten years ago when the rest of the country was slipping into a recession B. C. was flying high.

We had one of the best economies in the world.

Then the Liberal Party, under the leadership of Gordon Campbell, decided they wanted to kill the Teamsters union.

At that time the film industry was bringing two billion dollars a year into the province.

The liberal party forced a clause into the contract between producers and the film industry which leagally killed the contract.

Then, and for the following few years, the movie companies stayed away from B. C.

Immediately B. C. fell into the recession with the rest of the world.

Over the past couple of years I have heard a lot of speeches, from a lot of people, asking,`How do we revive the film industry?'

But not once have I heard anyone promise to reverse the decision of the seniority clause.

GOOD 2 B HOME ?

GOOD 2 B HOME ?

`13/3/30

We R back. 

2 months in China. Saw some more of the country, and some more parts of Shanghai.

Had a lot of spare time and screwed up my website so if you weren’t able to get into some pages, hopefully you can now.  If not drop me a line and let me know.

And I managed to finish sorting and editing my U.S. pictures.

Check out my; Nevada, Utah, and Washington pages.

Yours

Lee

Have you ever visited my PICTIONARY page?

R U in the BIZ?

Would you like to be in my Pictionary?

Tell me the name of your position.

Write me a one or two line description of your position.

I can put you in as quote, or I can use a picture of you at your job.

What could be more Canadian than CBC Radio?

To prove my point, this morning, `13/1/9, at 11:00 AM, the CBC had its usual 5 minute newscast.

2.5 minutes of that consisted of a news anchor from the USA telling us about a ferry accident between New Jersey, (wherever the hell that is) and New York. 

No one was killed  and no explanation for the accident was known at that time.

To follow up this exciting on-the-scene report the CBC then donated 30 seconds of its time to telling us about 2 young Canadians who were killed in a accident in ??.... I’m sorry, somewhere in Eastern Canada.  

The news brief was so brief I don’t even remember which province it was in.

Thank God we have the CBC keeping Canada informed of what happens in Canada, so that we can all be CANADIANS.

I watched a movie last night, `Alex Cross’, starring Tyler Perry. I hadn’t seen it before but I knew what was going to happen next.  I had read the book `Cross’ by James Patterson.

Excellent book, and excellent movie. Kudos to James, and Tyler.