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Archive for the ‘cheap vacation’ Category

Straight for the air plane in to your car waiting for you at the air port. This has practically made it easy for tourist to avoid the hustle and insecurity issues they face while using taxi or other forms of transport once they arrive in South Africa. In the resent past most tourists either business or leisure related visitors have complained of harassment by various persons or of rip off by taxi drivers form the air port. car rental is here to change this bad behavior by simply providing you with means of transport straight form the airport to your destination anywhere within South Africa.

With a rental car, you are free from rip off by taxi people, free from street harassments and free from property loss in between the airport and your residence. Car hire has therefore saved you a lot of mental torture and valuable property that would have disappeared. With inbuilt navigation system, you will not need a tour guide and that saves you money. The after sales survives will also assist you get along well and avoid authority interference while in South Africa.

It may sound simple but anyone who has been a victim would have wished for a car rental experience then to avoid the mental torture they might have experienced. When visiting a new place be sure to meet some level of hostility but with the rental services, we help you minimize the risk.

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The end of the semester is upon us. It is final’s week, yet I feel indifferent about my current situation. Never has final’s week felt so low-key. This past weekend was Easter, which entailed no school on Friday. Thursday I went to the club for the first time in Santiago. Although I am glad it went I stand by my original word that I am not a club person. I left at roughly 3:45am, and did not return home until 5:00am. However, I was probably one of the first people to end the night. I went out again on Friday night to the bars and later a club. Again I got back home at roughly five in the morning. Yes, this is calling a night early in Chile.

Two nights in a row was enough for me. I took Saturday off. I had barbeque with my family instead. Sunday all us gringos had a barbeque in the park. We played a game of soccer with a few of our Chilean friends. Last night we had a group dinner for USAC. A lot of us headed out for the bars afterwards despite it being the Monday of final’s week. After the first bar I went home. I was alone in this choice. All my other twenty-some-odd friends continued bar hopping.

Even though I arrived home at “only” 1:45am I missed my first class today. I did not care in the slightest that I missed class. Even my professor did not care as she met my in the halls to handed me my paper after class. Apparently only four of eleven had showed up. Two of those four had stayed out three hours later than I did last night.

Exam number one of two is tomorrow. It is currently 7:00pm. I have yet to start my homework or study. I probably will do little of both tonight. I am completely over school at this point. I still try to learn Spanish, but as far as class work goes I could care less. The last day of classes is Thursday. After that we will all begin to part ways. I do not leave until Sunday, an inconvenience, because that means I have to hang around Santiago for a few extra days. However, that is the price I pay for flying with LAN Airlines, and having them change my flight date.

As I mentioned I feel indifferent as of late. I should be excited to go travel, or at the least get done with school. But nothing seems to get me going. I think it does not yet seem real. How could the semester already be over? It seems as though we have just began. I feel fortunate to be staying for an extra two months. If I was not I would probably be regretting only studying abroad for a semester. But I am content with the way things have worked out for me. I had a good experience during the semester here in Santiago. I still have sufficient time to travel the continent, and I will return to the states with a job all lined up for me.

I cannot place my finger on why I am feeling the way that I am. Perhaps it is because I know that everybody I know is soon going to part ways. I am not super close with anyone I have met this semester so I do not think it will be that hard to say goodbye. However, it is nice to have those familiar faces around when in a foreign land. Whatever the reason may be for my indifference, I assume that once I step on that plane headed for Easter Island I will leave this feeling behind. You would think that I would be thinking that Sunday cannot come fast enough, but as of now I do not care one way or another. When it does arrive it will be a nice change. Until then I can enjoy what life has to give me, appreciate the friends I have made, do some studying, and make my final preparations for my trip.

Sunset
over downtown JacksonvilleFirst let me say: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JENNA! We love you.

We’ve spent the last five days in Jacksonville; two at Ortega Yacht Club Marina and 3 at the municipal docks next to the Jaguars’ stadium, which is called EverBank Field (Gator Bowl.) The municipal docks are free (except during events,) we just pay for electricity. It’s pretty nice, but a long way from any stores, and there is a heck of a current going past and through. There’s a lot of water going in and out of the St. Johns River here. We get rocked a lot from the wakes of passing boats. Today we were entertained by the local marine law enforcement stopping boats and writing citations for speeding in a no wake zone. The Fire Rescue boats and the Sheriff’s boats are kept at the municipal docks, too. Their boats going in and out create as much wakes as the passing boaters.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT:

In the words of our dear friend, Claudia, “This has gone on long enough. It’s time to go home.” Tomorrow we begin to mosey on towards home. We talked it over and decided we don’t want to continue on the Great

Fishing at Jacksonville
it’s a long stretch down to the waterLoop. The big waters scared us and we are ready to get back to our family. We expect to be home around the end of June, which will be a trip of almost 8 months. We are just not meant to be away that long. It’s been fun, wouldn’t trade the experience for anything, but that’s enough.

We plan to be in Titusville next Thursday and Friday, hopefully the space shuttle will go up as scheduled on Friday. If not, we’ll just miss it. We are heading for the Okeechobee waterway west to Ft. Myers Beach, then north from there until we again cross the Gulf of Mexico. Then on to Mobile and the Tombigbee to the Tennessee to home. We’ll keep on posting to our blog, as we’re still seeing new things.

Y’all come on back with us.

Downtown Jacksonville
bridges all lit up
Gator Bowl
EverBank Field, home to the Jacksonville Jaguars

This is a shortened version because after typing up 500 words for the USB there’s no where to put it on this computer!
Dubai is amazing and we are really enjoying the experience here. From the pre-oil to the new Dubai is extraordinary.
We did a City tour yesterday, which really told the story. Brian has taken 400 photos – don’t worry won’t be uploading them on here – but the architecture is worth seeing. Everything is so clean, white and chrome – no graffiti, no litter, just new, new, new!

We went to the Dubai museum where is it all explained in an entertaining format – housed in the only Fort left. Went to the old city and crossed the creek by boat, went to the Gold Souk where there were many, many diamond and gold shops. Brian and Nobby looked a bit bored with all that – although Chris and I offered to go in and pick something up – but in the end we sat and very happily people watched. So many different cultures only 17 – 20% are native to Dubai. We also saw the only palace built before oil – just a stone block – then they took us to the palaces of today but from a distance only.

The Novotel is opposite a large shopping mall – heaven for Chris and I and yes, we have shopped! Hard not to in a place like this as our dollar is doing well. The weather is a gorgeous 30 degrees just perfect for swimming in the pool. In 2 weeks the temps will be more like 40 so we are really lucky.

The service has been second to none. From the time we stepped off the plane, someone has been there to guide us and help us. Food has been fantastic – although very western. The hotel is full of tourists – lots of families, this seems to be the place to come to for an easy holiday.

Today we’re off on a helicopter – my first time so I am very excited and then for a change of pace 4 – wheel driving in the desert before having a feast under the stars with the Bedouins and some belly dancing.

Hopefully next stop we can upload some photos.

So, our plan on the day after we arrived in Chandigarh was to have the driver take us to the bride’s house at 11:30am so we could make it in time for one of the wedding ceremonies. The alarm was set for 10:00am, but unfortunately it was too quiet and we ended up sleeping until 11:30! We rushed around to get ready only to find out that the driver wasn’t there, yet, thankfully. We requested a 12:30 pick up which gave me more time to get ready. Jonathan was out taking care of getting cash out of an ATM to pay the driver that drove us from the airport to Chandigarh. He was actually waiting for Jonathan in the lobby of the hotel that morning for his money! Jonathan went on a hunt to find a functioning ATM that actually had money, and after 40 minutes he was successful! We made it with plenty of time to spare to the bride’s house and spent about 3 hours there watching the ceremony, getting the henna tattoo and just people watching and taking it all in. Everything was perfect…there was so much food, so many interesting people to talk to…it was like nothing we’ve experienced before! After the ceremony we headed back to the hotel, relaxed for a few hours, then went back to the bride’s house for yet another party! There was more food, more drinks, more interesting conversations and more people watching! We got back to the hotel room around 11:00pm and crashed hard! We had a free afternoon the next day, and Jonathan decided to head to one of the markets to do some exploring. I stayed in and relaxed in the nice and cool air conditioned room. He came back with some great pictures, and some new clothes for both of us…as well as some awesome jewelry for me! We ended up taking a nap before getting ready for the big night…

India- to be continued!