Traveling with the Jones

One Christmas long ago I couldn’t think of a gift to give my Grandmother and her sister, my beloved Aunt Lydia.  They were very tough to buy gifts for as they were the kind of women that would much rather you call them frequently and/or spend time with them than buy them things.

I was a youngster living far away immersed in working long hours advertising agency world with very frequent last minute work travel.

In a bit of last-minute creative desperation, I bought two little blue plastic pencil boxes, and two books of postcard stamps.  I stuck handwritten stickers on each box, labeling them the Postcard of the Week Club.  When they opened their gifts, I explained that I would be using the stamps to send them a postcard each week from my travels, and they could store the cards they received in the boxes.

I’m not sure how well the blue plastic boxes were initially received, but once the postcards started arriving, the gift was a hit. I’d often buy postcards in the airport, and scrawl a quick hello on them while on a flight, and then mail them the next time I saw a post office box.

It was the gift that could never stop. When my initial supply of stamps ran out, books of more postcard stamps magically appeared in my mail. This “club” continued from January, 1989 through 1997, when my grandmother turned 100, and most everyone in my small hometown turned out for the party.

Needless to say,  I felt that I had to up my game, so I gave Grandma “B” the Postcard of the Day Club, reserved only for special people who are 100 years or older. My grandmother might have been 100, but she was sharp. If I every sent her the same postcard twice, she let me know. Needless to say, I got into the habit of buying postcards where ever I went. I loved hotels that had free cards in the room. Those racks of advertising postcards in bars and restaurants were my friends. The tourist folding strip of cards. The bound booklets of tear-out cards. I have them all.

Grandma B died when she was just four months short of her 102nd birthday.  Over the years, I extended shorter term subscriptions to the Postcard of the Week Club – to my grandfather when he was in the hospital, to a friend on bed-rest with twins, to another friend struggling through the rigors of graduate school, to two beloved aunts.

I have never lost the habit of buying postcards everywhere I go, and I have a huge collection.

However, I have found a better way to send postcards when I travel. 

I subscribe to Postcardly — a service turns pictures and text that you email into real-life postcards, delivered by U.S. Mail.

There is also a Postcardly app, which I use on my iPhone to send postcards.

When we are traveling in foreign countries, I know longer spend tons of time tracking down postcards, stamps, and writing and mailing the cards.  I simply choose my favorite photos on my phone, and address and send them in a few minutes through the Postcardly app.  Or, I email them when I have wi-fi.

Postcardly prints my postcards and mails them to my family, friends and clients through U.S. Mail. Sometimes the cards arrive while I’m still traveling.  I also like to send photos of family events to family members that attended.  Folks who are not on Facebook especially love them, but everyone seems to enjoy getting postcards in the mail, especially if they are featured in the photo.

If you want to try Postcardly, the company offers a free trial. Click here to sign up for three free postcards, and see how this works for you.

You will make someone’s day.

Do you send postcards when you travel? Where’s the most memorable place that you’ve sent a postcard from? Please share in comments below. 

Check out these other Travel Tip posts: 

6 Packing Tips From A Road Warrior

Our #1 Strategy for Staying Healthy When Traveling

Flying Internationally from the U.S. with Diabetic Medications and Supplies

3 Tips to Avoid Forgetting Something When You Travel

How to Get Your Preferred Dining Seating on a Cruise

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Last December, we sailed on a 14-Day Asian Holiday cruise from Singapore on Holland America Line’s ms Volendam.

One of the highlights of the cruise was the three-day visit to Myanmar (formerly Burma.)  The Volendam was docked in Thilawa, the port city for Yangon, Myanmar, and we took three different shore excursions to Yangon, which you can review in detail here, here and here. During our time in Myanmar, we did not get to visit Bagan, the ancient city and surrounding plains where with more than  2,200 Buddhist temples and pagodas survive today that were built between the 11th and 13th centuries.

Our friends James and Rick did take an overnight flight tour to Bagan, Myanmar, purchased through Holland America’s shore excursions.

They were kind enough to share the highlights of their experiences from the Best of Bagan Tour here on this blog.

3 Highlights of Bagan, Myanmar During our Best of Bagan Tour through Holland America Shore Excursions

As a visit to Myanmar was the primary reason we booked this sailing, we were relieved that our high expectations were exceeded by both the shore excursion and the people we met in Myanmar. These were our three favorite highlights.

1. Shwezigon Pagoda

The first Buddhist pagoda we explored was just minutes from the airport in Nyang-U. Built in 1102 AD, this original structure is in beautiful condition and appears popular with visiting Burmese. As with all pagodas and stupas, you will be required to take off your shoes and socks and are encouraged to circumnavigate the structure in a clockwise direction, in accordance with religious custom. We could not resist the temptation to take hundreds of photos here – our first of six major temples on this tour.

2. Shwesandaw Pagoda and Reclining Buddha of Shinbinthalyaung Temple

In one iconic stop, you will immerse yourself in the essence of Bagan. Although most pagodas are off limits for climbing, here you will have a chance to ascend five terraces and look down upon the hundreds of temples of this ancient city.

Nearby enter the Shinbinthalyaung Temple to encounter a massive reclining Buddha.

3. People of Myanmar

Time after time we found the people of Myanmar to be joyful and curious. Although English is surprisingly widespread, traveling in Bagan still requires a healthy dose of humility and a sincere smile. Here we met two children inside the Ananda Temple (both wearing the ubiquitous thanaka cosmetic paste on their faces).

Other memorable encounters included artists in the Nyaung U Market and of course, our enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide, Daniel Townsend, pictured below.

Tour Details

Price: $1,199 per person, based on double occupancy. While this is the most we’ve ever paid for a shore excursion, it was absolutely worth the price and we would book again. The tour price included an English speaking guide, all transfers, sightseeing and excursions by private air-conditioned coach with driver, entrance fees, cold towels and bottled water on board, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and one beer or wine per meal, domestic air ticket and deluxe hotel accommodation.

Group Size: We were 15-20 in a bus that could hold 30-40.

Ground Service: The group was led by a very professional guide and also included a coach driver, an assistant driver and a shore excursion staff escort from the ms Volendam. Throughout we were given the highest level of service, no different than aboard the ship.

Air Travel Yangon to Bagan: We had more curiosity about this aspect of the tour than any other. Our flights were both operated by domestic carriers using very new ART-72 aircraft (European built). The 60 to 90 minute flights both were smooth and included a meaningful snack. En route to Bagan we flew via Heho aboard Air KBZ and on the return we flew nonstop aboard Mann Yadanarpon Airlines.

Lodging in Bagan: Our stay at the Bagan Lodge was beyond expectation. The meals were delicious, the rooms were spacious and well appointed, and to our surprise, the Wi-Fi was better than at any hotel we’d see during our three weeks in Asia. As an unexpected bonus – we awoke to dozens of the famous hot air balloons of Bagan being inflated all around the property.

Questions We’ve Been Asked:

Could you do this on your own? In our opinion, no; not by visiting Myanmar aboard a cruise. The logistics are just too much given that the industrial port is over an hour from the airport and transportation requires patience in Myanmar. If visiting Myanmar independently, you could organize a Bagan trip on your own.

Did you feel safe? Absolutely. We don’t want to understate the struggles going on within Myanmar, but tourism is highly prized by the government. All our encounters with locals left us to believe we were welcomed. The aircraft, buses and hotel all felt very safe.

Was it hot? Not in December. The temperature in Bagan was in the 70’s – cooler and dryer than along the coast at Yangon.

Was it enough time? Is it ever enough time? We felt there was a huge value to doing the overnight tour option and not compressing this into one long day tour. That said, if you were going independently I’d suggest three to four days in Bagan. But as first time visitors, we definitely felt we saw the highlights in 24 hours.

Any final tips? For the minimal $69 surcharge, add the evening at Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon. We were so happy to see this massive structure at night. Plus the route traveling from the Yangon airport to the pier made this a logical stop.

Many thanks to James and Rick for sharing their photos and the highlights of their overnight shore excursion to Bagan.

Have you visited Myanmar via a cruise ship? What was the highlight for you? Please share in comments below. 

To read more about our Asian Holiday cruise experiences, check out these posts: 

Exploring Langkawi, Malaysia by Taxi

Early Morning Views from Singapore

Exploring Kuala Lumpur By Taxi from Port Kelang, Malaysia

Christmas Day in Phuket, Thailand with a Visit to Tiger Kingdom

Christmas Eve on Holland America Line’s Volendam

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We recently made a long weekend trip to Panama City, Panama. One of the best parts of our visit was our stay at the Hilton Panama, a new hotel in downtown Panama City.The high rise hotel has its outdoor pool high above the hustle and bustle of downtown Panama City.

Also on the pool level is a stunning, spacious executive lounge. Hilton Honors Diamond members check in here, avoiding the reception.

The executive lounge offers terrific oceanfront views of Panama City, with plenty of space to work, have small group meetings, or relax during complementary cocktails each evening.

Breakfast is offered in the executive lounge, but Diamond Hilton Honors members are given the choice of having a complimentary breakfast buffet in the Society Cafe restaurant. Ricardo was our server, and he was a hospitality superstar.  He’s serving cafe con leche with two pitchers: one of strong, dark coffee, and the other of filled with hot milk. The buffet has many choices of both American and Panamanian dishes, along with made to order eggs, omelets and waffles.

This is the view of downtown Panama City from the outdoor deck of the Society Cafe.

Our ocean view room, #2309, had a huge amount of space and an interesting layout. When you entered, there was a small room with a work desk.

You turned right to head down the hallway to the bedroom.  On the way, you passed by the closet, the coffee maker and mini-bar, and one entrance to the bathroom on the left.

The bed in this room was one of the most comfortable we have ever slept in; we found ourselves having to enjoy afternoon naps.

You entered the giant bathroom through a sliding glass door off of the bedroom. The free-standing tub offered a stellar view overlooking downtown, if you wanted a view with your bath.

The bathroom had a large mirror, a nice selection of toiletries, a lighted make-up mirror, and fun fixtures.

There is also a large glass shower with a soothing rain head.

Our only bathroom complaint: we wished the designers had closed in the toilet in a bathroom this spacious.

One of our favorite spots in the hotel was the indoor/outdoor cafe on the pool level.

The restaurant served delectable pizzas, pastas, salads and other food, along with fantastic desserts such as the Cuatro Leches cake.

The outdoor tables are also a nice place for a late night glass of wine or for sipping the local favorite Ron Abuelo 7 Year Old Panama Rum on the rocks.

Our bottom line on the Panama Hilton:

• Sparkling, beautiful new hotel
• Three terrific dining venues including the only Ruth Chris Steakhouse in Central America
• A convenient, downtown location with stunning oceanfront views
• Reasonably priced, and only a Category 5 award if you are using Hilton Honors points
• Huge beautiful gym and spa, and perfect executive lounge

English is not as widely spoken here as we expected, but better than most places in Panama City.  Your servers will try to teach you a little Spanish if you are willing to try.

We’d stay again at the Panama Hilton in a heartbeat.

Have you visited Panama City, Panama? What is your favorite hotel? Please share in comments below.

 

Check out these other Hilton hotels:

A Peek Inside the Hilton Washington Dulles Airport Hotel

A Peek Inside the Hilton Clearwater Beach Hotel

A Look Inside the Hilton Kuala Lumpur Hotel

A Return Visit to the Conrad Centennial Hotel in Singapore

A Look Inside the Milan Hilton Hotel

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