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  • International Jaunts 2020

    Oceania Pays Up Again!

    17 novembre 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    Our international jaunts "wallet" has once again been made whole — with a 25% bonus — for the cancelation of the cruise we would have embarked on 23 November had Oceania not canceled it back in October.

    The 125% FCC for the cruise fare was posted to our O account on 23 October. I've already transferred it to the 2022 sailing we've had on the books for a while now. What with the vaccine news and all, we're hopeful that cruise will be a go 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

    The taxes and fees for the canceled cruise posted to the original form of payment as cashback today. For some reason, a small portion of that amount was credited back to another credit card ... still good, but I had not used it to pay for this cruise. Doesn't matter, really. We got it all back. That's what counts.

    This footprint officially wraps up our "International Jaunts 2020" FindPenguins trip. Hopefully, 2021 will prove to be a better travel year internationally.    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020

    Another One Bites the Dust

    5 ottobre 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Another cruise bites the dust!

    Not that the news of the suspension of cruises by Oceania through November came as any big surprise. We’ve been waiting for the announcement to be made for a few weeks now.

    When we booked this cruise earlier this year, we knew it was a risky proposition. We knew that the chances of the sailing going ahead as planned was nil. But the low-cost — and O’s Traveler’s Assurance Program — made having a Caribbean getaway on the books worthwhile.

    O is offering a 125% FCC [future cruise credit] or 100% full refund back to the original form of payment. As we did with a previously canceled cruise, we’re going to take the FCC and apply it to a 2022 cruise reservation we’ve had on the books for a while now.

    This cancelation pretty much puts paid to any international travel this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has seemingly won the battle in 2020. 🤞🏻 2021 will be a much better year to travel internationally.

    In the meantime, we’ll continue traveling with the motor home this year to scratch our travel itch.    Leggi altro

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  • Türkiye 2021

    Phoenix Cruiser Staying Home

    24 agosto 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    Wasn't it just four days ago that I was still saying that we'd be driving the Cruiser down to Houston to catch our flight to Turkey? In fact, didn't I just buy tickets to return us to Houston so we could drive the Cruiser back home? "Yes," to both of those questions. But things have changed now.

    This morning, looking at the nearly 1,100-miles it would take to get us to Houston from Colorado Springs, we started re-thinking our plans. Four or five campground stays in each direction ... no time to dally along the way ... the possibility of snow and ice on the roads on the way down to Houston ... the wear and tear on the cruiser ... the expense of storing the Cruiser in Houston for several months. Hmmm! Suddenly the plans and logistics were no longer very appealing.

    When we found non-stop flights from COS to IAH, we started to seriously rethink our plans. That the cost of roundtrip tickets was about half the expense of the Cruiser trip down and back made flying more appealing. That we could book the tickets under United's current change fee waiver sealed the deal.

    We were unable to add the COS-IAH-COS flights to our existing plans, but the UA agent linked all three reservation codes, so for all intents and purposes it seems like we booked one set of tickets. Now to keep our 🤞🏻 that COVID-19 does not throw a wrench into our plans.    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020

    Itinerary Change for Nov Cruise

    7 agosto 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    I’d be lying if I said that the itinerary change came as a surprise. It didn’t. After all, nothing is certain in these pandemic times. But frankly, I wasn’t expecting to get a change so soon after making the final payment on our November Caribbean cruise.

    One of the new-to-us ports — Puerta Plata in the Dominican Republic — has been removed. The reason is given as “… delayed berth construction in Puerta Plata.” The new itinerary moves our last day at sea up to 1 December. And instead of a day at sea cruising the Atlantic on 2 December, we will be stopping in Nassau, the Bahamas. It’s been a few years since we’ve been there, so I’ll need to do some research on things to do. But not until I know the cruise is a definite go.    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020

    Riviera Final Pmt ✔︎

    6 agosto 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    A few days ago, we got a notice from O extending our final payment due date for the November Atlantic & Amber Gems cruise to 24 September.

    We decided not to wait until then. I made the payment today. It's a small payment and is risk-free. Under O's COVID-19 Traveler's Assurance Program, we technically have until two days before the cruise to cancel for 100% FCC.

    By making the full payment now, we're thinking we might actually get a 125% FCC instead of just our deposit back should O cancel the cruise before the new final payment date. That would be a good return on our small investment ... and we can apply it to one of the other bookings we already have on the books.    Leggi altro

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  • Türkiye 2021

    THY Tickets for March 2021 ✔︎

    2 agosto 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    This afternoon we booked saver award tickets on Turkish Airlines to travel to İzmir, Turkey from Houston, Texas in March. Why aren't we flying from Denver? Because that would require connecting flights. It's bad enough that we have to take a flight to get to my home city from İstanbul ... no need to add a second stop.

    Our miles are with United Airlines, so we made the booking through the UA website — 77,000 miles each for business class … one way. Plus $6.80pp in taxes and fees. That’s pretty much the same as what we paid in March this year and is a good deal. If due to COVID-19, the trip falls through, we’ll just redeposit the miles and still be good to go.

    Seats for the long haul flight — IAH to IST — open up 100 days prior to departure, so we'll have to wait until November to make our selections.

    We plan to drive the Cruiser to Houston and leave it at the storage facility we used when we were full-timing in the Phaeton. Of course, we could always change our minds about that … there is still plenty of time to make up our minds.    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020

    Cancelation of Plans for 2020 ✔︎

    19 giugno 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    It took a while — from 14 March when our 2020 overseas travel plans fell through until 19 June when the last of the refunds for our canceled plans posted to the credit card — but I'm now able to put a checkmark next to the to-do list for this most unpleasant tasker.

    Our 2020 plans included:

    * two cruises — one of which took us from the US to Spain; the other one was eventually canceled by Oceania Cruises.

    * seven flights — two of which took us from Barcelona to İzmir; and three of which took us from İzmir back to Denver; the remaining two flights were eventually canceled by the carriers ... SunExpress and Norwegian Air.

    * one bus ride — which was eventually canceled by the operator .... National Express.

    * sightseeing passes in England and Spain — both of which we canceled once the cruise was no longer possible.

    All of our unused tickets/fares were refunded back to the original form of payment ... in most cases with no hassles. Even the miles for the flights we had to rebook at the airport in Istanbul (because IAH in Houston doesn't have COVID-19 testing facilities) were redeposited and fees refunded ... no questions asked.

    Oceania gave us the option of a full refund for our canceled cruise, or a 125% future cruise credit on the base fare and a refund to the CC for the taxes and fees. We opted for the latter and plan to apply the FCC to a 2022 cruise that's been on the books for a while now.

    SunExpress was the only company that insisted they would only give us a voucher or rebook us for a different flight. So, we initiated a dispute with Chase, which in turn prompted the carrier to refund the full amount back to our credit card.

    They say patience is a virtue. Practicing that virtue paid off for us. By waiting for carriers/operators to cancel sailings and flights, we reduced the hit to our wallet. Our $ loss for all of our canceled plans — $82.66 — was due entirely to exchange rate differences from the time when those plans were made (over a year in some cases) and when the refunds were issued. Unavoidable ... and an amount that we can live with under the circumstances.

    We're itching to travel overseas again, but I don't think it's going to happen any time soon. At least not until fall or winter. In the meantime, we'll continue to make use of our RV to explore our home state.    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020

    Crazy for Booking? Perhaps!

    21 maggio 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    I'm sure that's what anyone who reads this footprint will say ... that we are crazy. But the price for a late-November 10-day cruise to the Caribbean on Oceania's Riviera was just too good to pass up ... especially since we managed to snag one of the cabins with an extended veranda.

    The plan — if all falls into place — is to sandwich this cruise between an RV trip from Colorado to Florida and back.

    If we actually get to go on the cruise, we'll be celebrating our 39th anniversary in Gustavia, St Bart's. If not ... well, we'll have some more FCC to apply to the 2022 cruise we've had on the books for a while.    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020
    Our cruise is officially a victim of the Coronavirus.

    European Quest No More

    24 aprile 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    Back in mid-March, COVID-19 had begun exploding as the Coronavirus spread across the world like wildfire. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that traveling was going to be severely impacted. Within hours of our arrival in Turkey, we decided to cancel the balance of our 2020 travel plans and return home. By March 20, we were self-quarantining in Colorado Springs.

    Our now-canceled travel plans included some small-ticket items, as well a couple of big-ticket ones ... such as a short cruise along the coast of France on Oceania’s Marina.

    The cruise line had already announced favorable changes to its cancelation policy. Knowing that we now had up to 48 hours prior to embarkation to cancel the cruise, we decided to bide our time and wait before taking any action. After all, the chances of the cruise sailing as expected was less than nil. And if Oceania canceled the cruise before we did, we would likely have additional remuneration offers to consider.

    March passed into April. Cruise lines, including O, continued canceling sailings in increments. European Quest, expected to sail on 25 May, remained a go even though all of the ports on the itinerary were still closed to cruise ships ... and expected to remain that way for the foreseeable future. It was tempting to cancel and be done with it. But we persevered. Patience was the name of the game.

    Well, today it happened. I received an email notification bright and early that advised us of the cancelation of all O cruises through the end of June. European Quest was officially a no-go.

    We have two options to consider now. Leave the money with O and receive a future cruise certificate for 125% of what we paid for the cruise. Or, receive a 100% $$ refund back to our original form of payment. Hmmm!

    The smart money might be to take the cash and run. But we don’t have to make the decision immediately as there is a grace period until 8 May to advise O if we want the $$ refund.

    I have some niggling questions that need answering before we make our decision. I’ll be calling O on Monday to seek those answers.    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020
    Familiar view from our basement window — Colorado Springs, Colorado.
    The laundry room serves as the quarantine space for our travel clothes.

    Home Sweet Home

    20 marzo 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F

    It sure felt good to see the house when the Uber driver turned into our cul-de-sac around 5:00p. He made excellent time getting us home from DEN. I’ve got to hand it to CDOT ... they know how to clear the roads after a snowstorm.

    Mui had adjusted the thermostat remotely from BOS, so the house gave us a toasty welcome ... good under the circumstances as it was only about 26F outside.

    Leaving the bags in the garage — to be disinfected tomorrow before we start unpacking — I headed inside for a hot shower to get rid of all the travel grime. Mui hopped in the car and went to Walmart to provision us as best as he could until he can get to the commissary tomorrow. We mostly need fresh goods, milk, etc ... canned and dry stuff is already in the pantry. And we have plenty of TP and a Toto bidet ... so no worries 😉

    The plan is for us to self-quarantine for the next 14 days ... just in case.

    That doesn’t mean we’ll be in solitary confinement. We plan to take advantage of the warming temps forecasted for next week to take some long walks here in our community. There’s a nice trail that runs by our house that will make it easy for us to get some fresh air ... while we continue to distance ourselves from others ... even after our self-quarantine is over.

    Though the trip is over, I’m going to keep writing. Maybe a “mock trip” on FP ... “Life During the Coronavirus Crisis” ???    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020
    Through the clouds we go — Aboard UA652.
    Have a nice snow cover here in Colorado — Aboard UA652We're on the ground @ DEN — Denver International Airport, Colorado.That's one tall control tower — Denver International Airport, Colorado.

    Landed and On Our Way Home

    20 marzo 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 27 °F

    It is done. UA652 landed on time just before 2:30p. We were off the plane within 15 minutes and on our way to collect our bags ... that took another 10 minutes. By the time we arrived at carousel 11, our bags were already on the belt. Yay! Smooth ... easy peasy.

    We’re now on our way home in an Uber that picked us up from the DEN arrivals terminal within 10 minutes of calling for a vehicle.

    It’s obvious from all the snow on the ground that Denver was slammed by a snowstorm. But the roads are mostly clear ... a little slushy in a few places. I don’t anticipate we’ll have any issues getting home.

    I think I’ll try to catch up on some online reading for the rest of the ride home.    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020
    Social distancing is good ... wearing a surgical mask unless you are ill is not.

    Social Distancing Phobia

    20 marzo 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌧 50 °F

    By phobia, I don’t mean being afraid to social distance ourselves. Quite the opposite ... I mean the phobia that is making some people take the concept of keeping space between oneself and others to extremes.

    I get that people are afraid of the coronavirus. Rightfully so. I am too. We should all take it seriously. Washy washy hands with hot water and soap — frequently — as well as disinfecting when water is not available is key. Putting space between ourselves and others is an excellent precaution as well.

    Why am I writing about this? Because there’s a passenger on this aircraft who was taking the social distancing to an unhealthy extreme while we were at the gate awaiting the call to board. This increases the stress level unnecessarily ... not good for our mental health, which is essential in combatting the coronavirus.

    Here's the story ...

    When we arrived at our gate at BOS, we happened to take two seats across from said passenger. WHO says to keep a distance of 3 feet with others ... 6 feet is recommended by some organizations. There was far more than 6 feet of separation between us and this woman ... we at one end of a row of seats and she at the other end of the row of seats across from us ... sitting catty-corner and not even face to face.

    She immediately berated me by saying that we’re supposed to practice social distancing. To which I politely responded that I was doing just that by not sitting next to or immediately behind her. I also mentioned that there was about 10 feet between us. Huffing, she told me that I was so smart. I don’t think she meant it in a nice way.

    When Mui sat down next to me, the woman gathered her stuff, told me that “I’m just like all the other Bostonian liberals,” and moved all the way across the waiting area. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I had only been a Bostonian for a few short months ... and that was when I was born in one of the suburbs of the city 60+ years ago! Best not to engage further.

    Guess what? Minutes after she moved, newly arriving passengers started taking seats near her ... always with plenty of distance ... definitely more than 6 feet apart. She put on gloves and a surgical mask and moved away again. Eventually, there was nowhere for her to go.

    And now ... here she is in the first class cabin with 15 other passengers ... with no social distancing whatsoever for the next 4 hours and 19 minutes. Even odder, she doesn’t seem to have any qualms standing by the bathroom to chit chat with others in much closer proximity than she ever was to us or the passengers around her at the gate prior to boarding. By my count, there are at least two crew members and another passenger standing with her in the tiny space between the bathroom, galley, and the cockpit door. Go figure!

    I’m sad for this woman. I get her fear ... I really do. I even gave her the benefit of the doubt, thinking that perhaps she has an underlying medical condition that made her more cautious. That thought went out the window when she forgot all about social distancing and engaged people in close proximity ... as she is doing even as I write this.

    The stress of the circumstances we find ourselves in these days can be alleviated by educating ourselves on what is right and wrong ... what to do to protect ourselves ... what to do to protect others ... what not to do because it has no practical benefit.

    Keeping as positive an outlook as possible under the circumstances will help our mental health. And will go a long way towards helping us get through these difficult times under which we must continue to live our lives.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy ... remain upbeat!

    (More info about social distancing and other preventive measures at this link, which is one of many one can goggle on the web ... https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditio…)    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020
    The last two checked bags are coming up the conveyor belt — Boston Logan Airport.
    Goodbye Boston ... thanks for making our re-entry into the USA so easy — Boston Logan Airport.Only glimpse of Boston on take off before ...... the aircraft climbs through the clouds. Boston is somewhere below us.Thunderheads ... yup, it's a bumpy ride — aboard UA652.No snow here — Aboard UA652.Plenty of snow here — Aboard UA652.Aerial view from aboard UA652.A bed of soft white clouds below us as we wing our way to Colorado — Aboard UA652.There's a storm way over there on the horizon — Aboard UA652.

    Aboard UA652 ... BOS to DEN

    20 marzo 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☁️ 48 °F

    It’s exactly noon and we are in the air. The Boeing 737-800/900 that is our air-chariot is winging it’s way to DEN. The announcement from the cockpit said we'll be landing in Denver in 4 hours and 19 mins. Add a couple of hours to collect bags, get an Uber, and drive to Colorado Springs ... we should be home by 5:30p ... thanks to the two-hour time gain going from EDT to MDT.

    Speaking of the bags ... they are on the aircraft. Since we turned our bags into United last night after going through customs, we were keeping 🤞🏻 that the bags would make it onto the plane this morning. It was such a relief to see them rolling up the conveyor belt and into the belly of the airplane.

    Our departure from BOS was timely ... push back at 11:40a ... wheels up 15 minutes later. I got one misty glimpse of the Boston skyline before we were above the cloud deck.

    Although the four-row first class cabin is full — 16 pax in all — most of the occupants are UA employees ... flight crews deadheading to Denver and points beyond. We’re in the last row again ... no one to sneeze on us and a solid bulkhead between us and the economy cabin. One of the UA pilots switched seats with me, so Mui and I are sitting together instead of across the aisle from each other.

    I can’t see into the economy cabin, but based on the number of people waiting at the gate, I will venture to say that there is plenty of social distancing ... I’m sure the middle seats are all empty. Had we not been upgraded, we probably would have been just fine in the exit row seats we originally had.

    A flight attendant has come around to take our lunch order. But the pilot has requested that the crew take their jump-seats as he has been unable to find a route around the thunderheads in the area. He’s expecting a bumpy ride for the next hour or so. It has indeed been a bit turbulent ... not too bad, however.

    LATER ...

    Somehow the captain found us a way around the bumpy patch — at least long enough for the meal service to be completed. I’ve always been curious about how tandoori chicken tastes, so that’s what I selected ... the other option was a salad topped with chicken breast. The verdict on tandoori? It’s a tad spicy for my palate.

    No real entertainment system on this aircraft ... except on eDevices. I’m not going to mess with that. I’ve got 📖 and ✍️ to keep me occupied for the 2+ hours remaining before we land.

    More when we're on the ground.    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020
    Not many options for food ... good enough to tide us over — Boston Logan Airport.
    Our flight's a go — Boston Logan Airport.Our chariot awaits at Gate B29 — Boston Logan Airport.Snow clearing crew at work at our home in COS ... must have gotten 3+ inches overnight.

    At BOS Again!

    20 marzo 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    Good night’s rest. Back at Logan Airport for our flight to DEN.

    Grabbed a bite to eat at Starbucks ... got ourselves upgraded to first class ... awaiting boarding to be called. All’s good in our world at the moment.

    P.S. Got a ding from our Simplisafe camera doorbell. Turns out we must have gotten more than 3” of snow overnight ... snow clearing crew is at work and triggered the alert. It’s nice to be able to monitor activity at home no matter where we are.    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020
    View of the airport from our room at the Hilton — Boston Logan Airport.

    Bureaucracy Alive & Well

    19 marzo 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌧 41 °F

    What do I mean by the title of this footprint? Let me backtrack a bit and explain.

    TK81 from İstanbul landed at Boston’s Logan Airport around 7:30p. We were quick to disembark and follow the signs to immigration. Found the Global Entry kiosk ... processed through with a few quick selections on the monitor, and got our receipt to go through to customs. No problem.

    With our Global Entry renewal applications still pending, we were supposed to do our approval interviews on entry back into the US. Turns out all interviews have been suspended indefinitely. Alrighty ... one less thing to deal with. No problem.

    Next we collected our bags ... and headed to customs to turn in our entry receipt and the health forms we were asked to complete on board the flight. No officials along the route to hand anything to. No problem.

    So, what happened to having to re-route through an airport that had quarantine and testing facilities because we transited through Barcelona less than 14 days ago? We weren’t expecting much when we arrived at Logan. Maybe a temperature scan would be taken ... which may have been done unobtrusively as we walked from the plane to immigration. At the least we expected to be asked some questions. Nope. Nothing. Nada.

    We did no more to enter the country in Boston than we would have done in Houston. And that’s what I mean by bureaucracy being alive and well. Someone somewhere came up with some re-entry rules for the USA that caused a slight hiccup in our travel plans. But no one is seemingly implementing said rules. Go figure.

    Oh well! We’re in the US. We know we got on the airplane in Turkey hale and healthy. We plan to self-quarantine at home for the suggested 14 days ... as soon as Mui makes an off-hour run to Walmart for milk and other necessities. No he’s not going to stock up on 🧻 🤪. And of course, we are going to practice social distancing whenever we go out and about.

    Anyway, to wrap up our arrival in Boston ...

    After turning over our checked bags once we got through customs, we headed to the United ticketing counter to see if there were any earlier flights. Nothing tonight ... nothing non-stop tomorrow morning before our scheduled 11:55a departure. Alrighty ... let’s stick with the plan and get some rest.

    Instead of messing around with an off-airport hotel, we headed to the Hilton, which is between terminals E and A. Pricey ... but convenient. After being up and about for more than 24-hours, convenient was good!

    Tomorrow we head to Colorado.    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020
    That bed looks mighty comfy 💤💤💤 — Hilton Hotel @ Logan Airport, Boston.

    Arrived in Boston

    19 marzo 2020, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌧 41 °F

    I’m too beat to write much. Only four hours of sleep last night and then a 24-hour+ travel day has taken it toll. But all’s well. We’ll get a good night’s rest at the Hilton Hotel at Logan International before continuing our trip to Colorado mid-day tomorrow.

    More to come later.    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020
    Taking off from IST under blue skies — İstanbul, Turkey.
    The Alps perhaps? — Aboard TK81 somewhere over Europe.Time for a late lunch/early dinner — Aboard TK81.Tasty multi-course meal — Aboard TK81.Time to get some rest ... maybe — Aboard TK81.

    Aboard TK81 ... IST to BOS

    19 marzo 2020, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    Smooth flying so far. We have about three hours left before we land at Logan Airport. Time to do a quick catch up footprint.

    I’ve already posted about the glitch that has us heading to Boston instead of Houston ... no quarantine facilities for those who transited a Schengen country ... should that be necessary.

    Since the tickets were issued through United, however, we had to get the change made through UA. Though Star Alliance Partners, the two airlines’ rezervation systems apparently don’t talk to each other.

    Placed a call to UA ... no can do ... the wait time to get to an agent was two hours. Tried to make the change online ... no can do ... had to check in to the flight first ... not possible on the UA site since the Houston flight was operated by THY. In the end, we just bought another set of award tickets — these through Boston — and then canceled the Houston tickets. Worked like a charm.

    Boarding TK81 at 2:50p, we settled into our Biz Class seats — 5J/K ... last row in the cabin, with a bulkhead behind us. Excellent ... no one to cough or sneeze on us. The flight was 10 minutes late departing the gate at 3:50p ... wheels up 30 minutes later.

    THY is known for its good service, and this flight has not disappointed. The flight attendants have been quite attentive. The Meal service — which was preceded by wine + warm-from-the-oven nuts + nibbles — was excellent ... mezes (tapas); creamy red pepper soup; sea bass en papilotte (one of three main courses available); and a selection of desserts ... including a to-die-for chocolate bomb filled with chocolate mousse and a mango surprise. Really yummy!

    After dinner, our lie-flat beds were prepared and the cabin lights were dimmed. Mui did manage to sleep for a few hours, but I was too wired. So I spent some time journaling, processing photos for this footprint, listening to music, and watching a movie or two on the in-flight entertainment system.

    I checked out the views below ... but once we were over the Atlantic it was either 100% cloud cover or nothing but “water, water, everywhere.” We did see some amazing mountains while still over Europe ... will have to check the GPS tag to see if they were the Alps. If so ... wow! So little snow on those peaks!

    And here we are ... all caught up. The aroma of food is wafting in the air ... the 👨‍🍳 is preparing the “before landing” meal. I think I am going to abstain ... I’m still stuffed from the first meal service.    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020
    Is this our chariot from IST to Houston? No this one's taking us to Boston instead.

    Hit a Glitch ... Going to Boston Instead

    19 marzo 2020, Turchia ⋅ ☁️ 48 °F

    Turns out Houston can’t take us because we flew through Barcelona, Spain less than two weeks ago ... no quarantine or testing facilities apparently.

    No problem. We switched to Boston. Still flying to the USA today ... but have a long layover in Boston. No problem ... will get ourselves a hotel and rest before continuing onto Colorado.

    The best thing to do now is to go with the flow ... and that is what we are doing.    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020
    Practicing my Vanna White pose 🤪 ... Welcome to İstanbul — @ IST.
    Not so easy linking the world in the age of the coronavirus.Hardly anyone in the domestic terminal — @ IST.Domestic baggage claim ... WOW! — @ IST.International Terminal @ 9:53a — @ IST.International Terminal (other direction) @ 9:55a — @ IST.International Terminal @ 11:40a — @ IST.Yay ... TK33 is on the board with a gate assignment — @ IST.

    At IST ...

    19 marzo 2020, Turchia ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F

    TK2309 was scheduled to land at 9:20a. We did so much earlier. With very little ground traffic, we also made it to the jetway at the domestic terminal in record time.

    It was so odd to see the concourse and baggage claim all but deserted. Far from the norm here at IST. There were more people wandering about and standing at the counters when we crossed over to the international terminal, but no lines whatsoever at immigration ... two minutes, if that, and we were in the secure area. Now — at 11:15a — the number of people wandering around has grown, but nowhere near to the numbers that we’re used to seeing here.

    Most of the people around the check-in counters were trying to find ways to get home ... lots and lots of canceled flights. One large group of passengers were protesting, marching while chanting “Bu uçak kalkacak.” (This airplane is going to take off.) They peaceably dispersed when the police showed up.

    Mui and I headed to the THY Business Lounge ... only to find that wing of the airport closed in its entirety. So we re-routed to the Smiles & Miles Club ... another THY Lounge. I’ll give you a tour in a separate footprint.

    Our gate assignment for the Houston flight has been posted ... no blinking yellow words next to it. That’s a good thing.    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020
    As TK2309 emerges above the cloud cover en route from ADB to IST.
    I thought it interesting that the clouds are on both sides of the water but not over it.Views over İzmir as we wing our way north to İstanbul.Mui assures me the eggs taste better than they look — aboard TK2309.Aerial view of Paşalimanı Island in the foreground — Sea of Marmara.Sea of Marmara crossed ... the body of water behind the isthmus is Küçükçekmece Lake.I believe this is Sazlıdere Dam in İstanbulAerial view of the suburbs of İstanbul.

    Aboard TK2309 ... ADB to IST

    19 marzo 2020, Turchia ⋅ ⛅ 43 °F

    I need to write this fast. This is just a 45-minute flight + a 30-minute taxi to our gate when we land at IST. (That taxi time might be a slight exaggeration ... but not by much. IST is a huge airport.) They are about to begin a full-blown breakfast service in the business class cabin in which we are flying. Thanks to the United Airlines miles we’ve been accumulating, we get to make this “coronavirus emergency flight” in style.

    So how has our day progressed so far? Up at 4:30a ... called the taxi at 5:45a ... at the airport for check-in by 6:15a ... at the gate an hour later at 7:15a (I’ll explain why below) ... onboard the aircraft and in our seats by 7:30a ... the 737-800 in the air before our scheduled departure time of 8:00a ... breakfast served, eaten, and trays collected by 8:20a ... descent into IST begun at 8:25a.

    Due to all the flight cancelations, there’s little air traffic. So, we’re expected to land 30 minutes ahead of our scheduled arrival time. A little side bonus of the COVID-19 chaos.

    Why did it take so long between our check-in and gate arrival? A small hiccup with our bags. Turns out that whoever entered our reservation into the THY system misread United’s $0 charge for our 70-lb x 2 (per person) luggage allowance as 0 luggage allowance. We got it straightened out and our bags are in the belly of the aircraft winging their way to İstanbul ... as we are. All’s well that ends well.

    I’ve got some nice views below me as the aircraft finishes crossing the Sea of Marmara. Time to check it out. More from the lounge at IST ... 🤞🏻    Leggi altro

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  • International Jaunts 2020
    Breakfast hosted by Aylin & Murat ... Alsancak, İzmir — Turkey.
    Not a soul on Kordon in this direction ... Alsancak, İzmir — Turkey.Aside from anglers, not many people on Kordon in this direction ... Alsancak, İzmir — Turkey.This digital panel counts the number of bikers and walkers. Mui's the 452nd person to walk by today

    Last Day of Abbreviated Europe Trip

    18 marzo 2020, Turchia ⋅ ☀️ 46 °F

    Our departure day is nearly at hand ... much earlier than anticipated when we set out from Colorado on 27 February. Tomorrow morning we head to the airport to begin the long haul back.

    We’re sad, but the circumstances are what they are. Our goal now is to get home safe and sound. Reports from several friends who have entered the US from overseas in the past few days indicate no hassles or delays at the airports ... at least at the international terminals. 🤞🏻our experience follows suit.

    This morning Aylin hosted us for breakfast. Afterwards, Mui and I left to get haircuts at the barber at the US military facility here in İzmir ... one less thing to have to deal with when we get home.

    Since we had time before our appointment, we decided to take a circuitous route to get to the barber. The weather was nice and a bit of fresh air was in order ... felt really good after two bone-chillingly cold days. I’ve never seen Kordon, the waterfront promenade, this deserted ... except perhaps on census day. With all the bars, pubs, cafés, bistros, coffee houses, and similar establishments temporarily closed by government decree, only a few souls were out and about ... and most of those people were fishing on the boardwalk. The shops were mostly deserted ... some limiting the number of patrons who can enter at any one time to two or three.

    I’m now at mom’s ... Aylin and Murat joined us for afternoon tea. As did Mui ... after taking care of a few last minute errands. We’ll have dinner together as a family before Mui and I head back to the condo for an early night ... we’ll be off to the airport at 6:00a.    Leggi altro

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