Destination - Mexico

“We do not need to understand other people and their customs fully to interact with them and learn in the process; it is making the effort to interact without knowing all the rules, improvising certain situations, which allows us to grow.”
Mary Catherine Bateson

Cabo San Lucas

Downtown Cozumel

Mexico is a foreign country, but it is right next door.  It seems more foreign than Canada, because they speak another language, plus their culture is so different from ours.  Mexico has its problems with drugs, and violence, so there are certainly some areas you should avoid.  In the past few years we've heard a lot more about that, and it has scared off some of their tourism.  If you decide to go to Mexico, just remember that some places are safer than others.  I would avoid the border areas, they have never been that representative of the rest of the country anyway.  The most popular tourist areas are , of course, the coastal cities.  But Guadalajara and Mexico City are also well worth exploring.  Mexico City is the capital of Mexico and its largest city as well as its most important political, cultural, and financial center.  Guadalajara is Mexico's second largest city. It has historic buildings, wide avenues, and lovely parks.  

Harbor area - Ensenada

Since I live in the San Diego area, I am very near the Mexican border.  We can see the lights of Tijuana at night.  Mexico affects our  lives every day, from the pollution in the Tijuana River, to the illegal aliens, to the fear that our borders are not secure and terrorists may come across.  Few of us ever venture across the borders anymore, we’ve been there and there is no reason to go back across.  And it is no longer as easy to cross the border.  We used to drive back and forth with just our drivers licence. Now you have to have either a border crossing card or a passport, and the lines to cross have become longer.  This has been a good thing on cutting down on the teens who used to cross the border every week-end  in order to drink, and to quite often get into trouble.  But just because we drive across the border less, that does not mean that we don't go to Mexico, there is a lot more to Mexico than the border areas, and Mexico is worth exploring.

Cabo San Lucas

Driving to Mexico has become less popular in the past few years because of the drug cartels and the violence.  When I worked at AAA we sold Mexican insurance for drivers going into Mexico.  From the San Diego area they were primarily going to Baja, some only a short distance, such as Ensenada or San Felipe, others would drive all the way to Cabo.  The Cabo drive would take several days, and we would advise not driving at night or getting into isolated areas.  But most the time people drove in Baja with no problems.  The past few years we saw the decline in the Mexican insurance sales, but there are still those hardy souls who do the drive and enjoy it.  If you decide to go this way, just use common sense and stay in hotels at night and drive during the day.  Do not camp out on isolated beaches. 

Cruise ships leave from San Diego every week, heading for the Mexican Riviera – Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo, and Acapulco.  They also leave from Florida, heading for the Caribbean, which have stops in Cozumel and Cancun.  All of those places have wonderful beaches and all the beach activities that go with them.  A Mexican cruise is a good way to see that area.  You are not in any one place for long, but you can get a quick look at each, and then if you find a favorite place you can go back and spend more time there.  All of the beach towns are considered safe places to travel.

Park in Guadalajara City

I am not going to go into each area of Mexico and talk about them.  I have never been to any of the interior areas of Mexico, so I do not feel I could really do those areas justice.  I have always wanted to go to Guadalajara, as I have heard it is quite beautiful.  When I was in high school there was a summer trip organized by my Spanish teacher to live with families in Guadalajara, and I begged to go.  Unfortunately, my parents could not afford to send me.  I know they would have if they had felt they had the money.  So it is a place I have always wanted to see.  But it is a big world out there, and there are so many places I want to see, and I have not made it there yet, but hopefully someday.

Puerto Vallarta

I have been to most of the beach resorts on the Pacific side, and they are all very nice.  We did a cruise that started in Acapalco and stopped in Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatalan and Cabo.   We also own a timeshare in Mazatlan, so have visited there several times.  My favorite place on the west coast is Puerta Vallarta.  Not for its beaches, but the city itself is quite lovely.  There are nice beaches nearby.  And I liked Cabo San Lucas in Baja, it is a fun stop, a place to let your hair down, and probably the best snorkeling on the Pacific side, which still wasn’t as good as other places I have snorkeled, but it was okay.

My favorite place in Mexico is Cozumel, which I have visited twice.The town is not as touristy as some, but does become quite crowded if a cruise ship is in port.  I am a snorkler and Cozumel is a really great place to snorkel, as well as being a beautiful area with a lovely town.  There is a park just outside of town which has a great beach, Chankanaab National Park.  The snorkeling is great at the park and there are statues underwater to see while you are snorkeling.  You can rent snorkling equipment and there are beach chairs and refreshments available.  There was a list published a few years ago by a diving magazine, listing the top 10 diving and snorkeling places in the world, and Cozumel was on that list.  The water is so clear and beautiful.

Underground River in Xcaret

Cozumel is an island, and there is a ferry that connects it to the mainland, where the town of Playa de Carmen is, and there are many fine resorts on the mainland.  The Mayan ruins of Tulum are right there.  They are different from other Mayan ruins because they are on a cliff above the ocean, and the ruins are in excellent condition.  The Xcaret water park is nearby.  It has a lagoon for snorkeling and Mayan ruins also.  But the best thing to do at Xcaret is to get in an inner-tube and float through their underground river.  It is cooler underground, so a chance to get away from the intense Caribbean heat and cool off, and it is great fun.  It is not entirely underground, there are plenty of open areas, so I don’t think anyone would feel too claustrophobic.

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is not too far from Cozumel.  You can take a day trip to it from there.  Many people prefer to stay in the more glitzy and commercial Cancun, and then visit Chichen Itza from there.  The ruins at Chichen Itza are the most famous of the Mayan ruins and are quite well preserved.  They are not in a coastal area, so the inland areas are much hotter and dryer.  Make sure you take plenty of water with you for a trip to these ruins.

There are cruises that also cover these areas of Mexico.  We took a Caribbean cruise a few years ago that left from Port Canaveral, Florida.  It made stops in Key West, Cozumel, Belize City and then Progresso (which is the town closest to Chichen Itza. and tours were offered from the ship).  So if you wanted to see the area and just get a quick overview of that area, a cruise would be a possibility.

Copper Canyon area

Another area of Mexico that would certainly be worth exploring is the Copper Canyon.  I have not personally done this trip, but have had quite a few clients who have, and everyone loved it. There are plenty of tours to be booked to the Copper Canyon.  But the most popular way to go is by train.  Most of the tours do include the train trip, so make sure you book one that does.  Or go on your own, but make sure you make reservations in advance. The train takes you from sea level at Los Mochis and rises to around 2500 metres before descending into Chihuahua City.  The train hugs the edges of mountains and crosses deep ravines on its bridges – there are 39 bridges and 86 tunnels on the route.  The journey takes 14 hours total, but there are 7 stops along the way and you can elect to stay at any of the places the train stops, for a night or two, before continuing on the journey.  The views are spectacular.

Another way to see the Copper Canyon is to take a Mexican Riviera cruise that stops in Topolobampo.  The cruise ship offers all day trips that take you to the Copper Canyon from there.  However, you leave the ship at around 5AM and are gone all day.  And you won’t see the Copper Canyon as well as you would from the train.  People who have taken that excursion have told me they were disappointed.

Me, snorkeling in the warm
 Mexican waters

Mexico has a lot to offer.  Don't be afraid to go, but use common sense, and don't go into areas that are known for having problems, such as some of the border towns.  And check for alerts before you go, to see if there are any areas you should avoid.  In general, the beach cities on both the Pacific and Caribbean sides are safe.  The large cities, such as Guadalajara and Mexico City are like any large city in the world, they have areas that are safe and some that are not, so use caution, and travel safely.

Destination - Las Vegas - Or What to do if you don’t gamble

"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but the 400-pound woman perched in front of a slot machine, oozing bum-flesh off her stool as she balanced a cocktail and cigarette in one hand and robotically tugged the slot arm with the other... that's still with me".  Brian Sack

Las Vegas, also known as Sin City, is not everyone’s cup of tea.  I have gone to Las Vegas several times, and I’m really not a big fan.  I find it too fake, and I am not really a gambler, plus - there are way too many smokers for me to enjoy it.  I don’t have anything against gambling and have been known to play the slots for a little while, but once I’ve lost $20 I’m through.  I can think of better things to throw my money away on.  But most people do go to Vegas to gamble, and many never leave the casinos.  For those who decide to go, but would like some options, there are lots of other things to do there. 

Forum Shops at Caesars

There are plenty of shopping areas.  Every big hotel has shops, but the ultimate shopping experience is at the Forum Shops at Caesars, which is a large mall with lots of shops to choose from.  There are art galleries, a great chocolate shop (Chocolate by the Bald Man), a spiral escalator, the Atlantis fountain show which includes a fire and water show, a 50,000 gallon aquarium, and lots of great restaurants.

There are of course lots of shows to see in Las Vegas.  Big name stars perform there regularly, plus there are plays and Cirque Soleil shows available all the time, as well as magic shows, comedy shows and musical revue type shows.

Luxor Hotel

Exhibits are another option, they rotate through Las Vegas, so you will have to check to see what is going to be on while you are there.  Right now there is an exhibit at the Luxor called Bodies…The exhibition.  It has a 3-D vision of the human form.  It has nine rooms dedicated to different parts of the body, and it has a section on fetal development.  Also at the Luxor is Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, which features more than 300 artifacts and replicas from the ship.  When you enter you are given the name of a passenger.  When you exit you find out the fate of your passenger.  This year is the 100^th anniversary of the maiden and final voyage of the ship.

If you have kids, there are lots of fun things for them.  Circus Circus has a great area for the kids to play carnival style games and arcades.  There are water parks, roller coasters, movie theaters, a children’s museum and the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay.  Every hotel has a pool, some are better than others.  The best pool in my opinion is at Mandalay Bay.  And there is a children’s park at Town Square Las Vegas.

There are even a lot of free things to do in Vegas, including all the fountain shows,  gardens at the Flamingo and Bellagio, high-flying circus acts at Circus Circus, and the free 3-D movie “I Lost MY ‘M’ in Vegas” which is at the M&M’s World store.

Hoover Dam

If you are bored with Las Vegas there are numerous tours you can book, such as a day trip to the Grand Canyon or Hoover Dam.  You could go to the Colorado River or even take a wine tour of Pahrump.  You could also do these trips on your own, by car.

And there is no shortage of places to eat.  Almost every hotel has a buffet where you can get just about everything to eat for a pretty good price. There are some themed restaurants, which can be fun. The Rainforest Café is in the MGM hotel, Planet Hollywood is at The Forum, and Excalibur has the Tournament of Kings dinner theater where you eat with your hands and watch jousting.  Another option is off the strip and is a fun alternative for adults.  Capo’s is a restaurant that is like an old speakeasy.  You have to have reservations, and when you arrive, a door slides open and you have to give the password to get in.  There are booths with curtains for privacy.  It is Italian food and is gangster themed.  They are at 5675 W. Sahara and their website is http://caposrestaurant.com/

Bellagio Hotel with fountains

There are numerous hotels to choose from, more then I plan to go into in this writing.  But you can choose any of the big hotels on the strip, such as Bellagio, Caesars, Mandalay Bay, MGM, , Riviera, etc.  Or you can pick a less expensive motel, usually those are just off the strip.  Then there is the downtown section with many hotels in that area.  The downtown area puts on a spectacular light show each evening, so even if you are not staying there, it is worth a trip down to see it.

The most expensive nights to stay in Las Vegas are always going to be Friday and Saturday night, so if you want a bargain you should aim at staying there mid-week when the prices are lower.  Of course holidays will also be more expensive, especially New Years where you will need to book months in advance.  You might consider a package to Las Vegas which includes air, hotel, transportation, shows, etc.  They quite often are the best deals as they put blocks on the rooms and air in advance.  Check with a travel agent for a Southwest Vacations package to Las Vegas. As a travel agent I used to book a lot of these packages, and they have the best deals. 

Mandalay Bay Hotel - Pool and Lazy River

Myself, if I find myself in Las Vegas again, I will go get a spa treatment which is always my favorite thing to do.  Or I will shop or hang out at the pool, preferrably the pools at Mandalay Bay where they have a wave pool and a Lazy River to float on.

If you want more information on things to do or places to stay or anything to do with a vacation to Las Vegas, I suggest checking out this website: http://www.vegas.com/attractions

**Pictures taken from the internet

My Bi-Plane Adventure

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." 
 Leonardo da Vinci

Getting ready for take-off

For Christmas I told my husband that I didn't want any more "stuff".  We have so much, and we really need to downsize, instead of adding to it.  I wanted to have adventures instead.  He bought me several adventures.  They were certificates for things that I could do whenever I was ready.  My first adventure I did in January, it was a kayak/whale watching trip.*  This week I decided to do the 2nd adventure, which was a flight on a bi-plane. 

The trip was with Barnstorming Adventures here in San Diego.  www.barnstorming.com We first picked up our daughter, Kim.  She wanted to go and watch and take pictures.  She is thinking about doing this with her husband, so she wanted to come along.  We had lunch on the way, and then we arrived at Montgomery Field. 

Del Mar Fairgrounds & Racetrack
from the air

I put on my head gear - that is so that I could speak to the pilot and hear him.  We took off and flew north toward the coast and Del Mar.  There were a few clouds, but we were below them, so it was a beautiful day for flying.  I took a few pictures while up there, but mostly I just enjoyed the view.  We flew all the way down the coast till we were almost in downtown San Diego.  Then we headed back inland over Qualcom Stadium, then made a steep turn and headed back to the field to land.  It seemed like it was over all too soon.  I was really enjoying being up there with the wind and the fantastic views.  We had a smooth landing. 

Coming down the coast

I would recommend this trip to anyone who likes to fly.  It is certainly different in an open cockpit.  They have bi-plane rides available in most cities, and it is a great way to see the area, and a fun way to spend the afternoon.

*If you would like to read about my first adventure - the kayak trip - go to the January archives.

Looking across Mission Bay to OB

Looking down on Crystal Pier in PB

My plane coming in for a landing

taxiing back to the terminal

What I do on my Summer Vacation

“If you're not beside a real river, close your eyes, and sit down beside an imaginary one, a river where you feel comfortable and safe. Know that the water has wisdom, in its motion through the world, as much wisdom as any of us have. Picture yourself as the water. We are liquid; we innately share waters wisdom.”  Eric Alan

Our cabin

We have a cabin in Washington state. The land has belonged to our family for several generations. When I was a kid we had a small one room cabin with a deck and an out house. That cabin was jointly owned by my mom and her 2 brothers, so there were a lot of people using it. Then they split the property up and my mom had a deck and a shed built on our part of the property, and she pulled a travel trailer up next to the deck. It had a flushing toilet, at least, which was hooked into a septic tank, but we didn't have running water, so we hauled jugs of water up from the river to flush the toilet with. That worked okay, because during those years we were using it for day use only, as my mom lived only a half hour away and she had guest rooms for when we were there. 

Our river below the cabin

But now my sister and I jointly own the property, and we decided a few years ago to make it a more permanent structure that we could use for longer periods. We didn't have much land space so the cabin is small, but quite comfortable. In fact the footprint of the actual cabin is 250 square feet, but it is 2 stories and we still have the shed and the deck. The upstairs is reached by ladder. We still don't have running water as of now, but the well is in, and we are in the process of getting that hooked up. That will be a nice improvement. Last year we stayed there for 3 weeks, and the neighbors allowed us to run a hose from a cabin up the road, so that was our running water. It was more like camping out than I would have liked. But the river is right there, so you really don't need to shower too often, besides we were roughing it. But when the water is hooked up it will make washing dishes and taking showers a little easier.  

The river below the cabin

So, why am I putting this in a travel blog? Because for us, our yearly trip to Washington and our cabin is part of our travels. It's a 2 day car trip from here, although quite often, now that we are retired, we take longer to get there and detour to see sights we have missed in the past. Last year we were gone 6 weeks total – 3 weeks at our cabin, one week on the Washington coast visiting my husband's family, and one week up in Canada, then a side trip on the way home through Glacier National Park in Montana. It was quite a trip, and the dogs were very glad to get home at the end of it. 

For me, the river where our cabin is happens to be a place where I can go and feel completely at peace. It is one of the prettiest places, I think, in the whole world. Our river is a small river that flows into the Columbia River. It is in the woods, but only about 5 miles from a town. There are other cabins along the road. In fact, quite a few of the owners of those cabins have owned them since I was a kid. Now some of the kids I played with when I was young have taken over their cabins, the same as my sister and I have.

 

 

Field by our cabin

There is a field between us and the road, where there have always been horses, and at one time donkeys.   We quite often see deer. They come right up the path by the cabin. And one night we were sitting on the deck and we saw an osprey (a large bird that looks quite like an eagle) fly by and land at the top of a tree straight across from us. It sat there for awhile and then suddenly dived down to the river and came up with a fish in its talons. The fish tail was swinging back and forth. The osprey flew downstream with the fish, probably to feed its young. Quite a sight, I wished I'd had a movie camera handy. We also have had whole flocks of Canadian Geese that have landed there, probably on their way back to Canada, and families of ducks.

rope swing across from us

I think about the movie "On Golden Pond" and Katherine Hepburn talking about the loons on the lake and she would go off and pick berries.  I feel kind of like that sitting on our deck at night. We keep track of what birds we have seen and I make blackberry cobbler from the berries I picked that morning.  Only ours is a river and not a lake, and not nearly as peaceful during the day. We have the best swimming hole on the river right in front of our deck, so all the local kids come to swim. They have to trespass on private property to get in, but most of them are good kids just having fun. And you have lots of people who go up river and then float back down on their inner tubes and they all stop at our swimming hole to swim. 

Local kids on the cliffs across from us

There is a rope hanging from a tree straight across from us, where everyone has to stop and  swing out on, and a rock cliff to jump off of. There is also a waterfall across from us, which is quite pretty. Just below us are some rapids that are fun to go over in the inner tubes. So we have all the background noises, which to me are happy noises. The sound of water flowing, the screams of the kids as they swing out on the ropes, and jump off the rocks. It is fun to watch them, also.  

Baxter and Sadie on our deck

For me, this is a chance to reconnect with nature, to relax and just be myself. I take walks everyday, usually with the dogs. I pick berries, read, swim or float down the river on my inner tube. We have friends and family nearby, so its a chance to see people we don't get to see the rest of the year, and in the nearby town there are cute shops, restaurants and a farmers market to pick up fresh produce. We mostly eat at the cabin, with occasional meals out. But its simple fare, salads and casseroles, quiches and such. Its a pleasant getaway.

  "What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn't have any doubt – it is sure to get where it is going, and it doesn't want to go anywhere else.” Hal Boyle

Pictures are Memories of your Travels

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” Pat Conroy

Banff National Park, Canada

Doorway, Durnstein, Germany

I admit that I am one of those travelers that takes lots of pictures.  I have a camera on a strap around my neck, and I snap away.  Thank goodness for digital.  I remember when I used to be careful how many pictures I was taking, because I didn't want to run out of film, and besides, it cost so much to print all those photos when you got home.  And with film, you didn't know if you actually got the shot until you got home and saw the print, and when it didn't turn out, you couldn't just go back and take the picture again.  Now I don't even make photo albums anymore, I just store all my photos on discs.  After all, albums take up so much space and who is ever going to want those when I'm gone.  With discs I can pull them out and watch them whenever I want, and they take up very little space.

Doorway in Hvar, Croatia

Child at the zoo in
Chongquing, China

I will say though, that when traveling, I make a point of taking some pictures, then putting the camera aside and really enjoying the place without the camera.  You don't want to see a place only through the lens of the camera.  And I like to take pictures of odd things.  While in Croatia last year, I became fascinated with taking pictures of doorways.  And in China, it was children, which my friends and family found amusing, as I have never been a "kid person".  But I thought the children in China were so cute and well-behaved.  I kept snapping their pictures.  I've always loved the water, so quite often I take pictures of harbors or the sea.  And I love animals so tend to snap them whenever I see them.

Sequoia

I sometimes like to try to be artistic, and shoot through openings, like arches or doorways, so that the  scenery is framed.  While in Sequoia National Park last year we walked through a tree that was laying on the ground and was hollow.  Halfway through there was a large opening and I got a really neat shot of the trees through the opening.  But most the time I am just documenting the trip and what we see, and trying to get the best shot I can.  I will never be a professional, but I enjoy taking pictures, and I also enjoying going back and looking at them years later, and remembering the fun we had on the trip.

Plitvice Lakes NP, Croatia

Last year we took a trip to Croatia.  There was a young woman in our group who was traveling on her own.  She was a camera fanatic.  She must have taken several thousand pictures in the 3 weeks we were on this trip.  She wanted pictures of herself with the background, so she was forever holding the camera at arms length pointed at her face and whatever was in the background.  She also would ask anyone in the group to take her picture whenever possible, which was fine, but she didn't want just one picture, she'd then get you to take 7 or 8, which was sometimes a little annoying.  We particularly noticed it when we were in Plitvice Lakes National Park.  The scenery there was spectacular, and we were all in awe of it.  But Marivic spent the entire time standing with her back to the scenery pointing her camera at it and herself.  I doubt if she really saw much of the park.  So the one thing I will say to everyone, take some pictures, they are nice to have later, but make sure you also see the area you are going to, first hand - and not only through the lens of the camera.

Budapest

Hvar Harbor

 "Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don’t have film."

Unknown

"When setting out on a photographic holiday, always provide yourself with two cameras, one to leave in the train going and the other to leave in the cab coming back."  W.C.Sellar & R.J.Yeatman.

 

Staying in a Whorehouse in Dublin

"All the pathos and irony of leaving one's youth behind is thus implicit in every joyous moment of travel: one knows that the first joy can never be recovered, and the wise traveler learns not to repeat successes but tries new places all the time."  Paul Fussel

Glass Blower in Dublin

In 1989 my 20 year old daughter and I were doing a 3 week trip that started in London, we took a side-trip to Paris, then back to England, across Wales and over to Ireland. We arrived in Ireland by ferry in Waterford. We spent that day touring the Waterford Crystal factory, where we purchased some crystal to be shipped home. We then got on the train and headed for Dublin.

When we arrived in Dublin I hailed a taxi and asked to be taken to a B&B that I had researched, but I had not made reservations. The taxi driver obviously had ulterior motives (probably a commission), but he said he knew a much better place for less money, and could he take us there instead. He was pretty persuasive, so I agreed. He took us to a place that looked nice enough. I did notice that the parlor area was done in red velveteen wallpaper, it was maybe a bit much, but they had availability, and it looked okay, so we decided to stay there a couple of nights.  Our room was nice, and it had a sink and a shower, but the toilet was down the hallway.

Molly Malone statue in Dublin

We spent the rest of that day seeing the sights of Dublin, we took a city tour, and we wandered the streets. There was a big soccer game, and a group of soccer fans who were a little tipsy surrounded us while we were posing for a picture in front of the statue of Molly Malone and her fish cart (also know as The Tart with a Cart), so we ended up with a group photo with them, that was kind of fun.

When we got back to our room Kim left to use the toilet. She came running back a few minutes later to tell me that when she got there the door was open, so she went in, and a man was there displaying himself to her. She got out fast, and she was a little upset. I went back to the toilet with her, and he was gone. We decided that we would go to the bathroom together after that.

Kim in front of Clontarf Castle

The next day we did more sightseeing and that evening we went to a dinner show at Clontarf Castle. It was a fun event. You sat at a long table with other diners and there was the table for the “royalty.” It was all done fairly authentically to medieval times, even eating with our fingers. And the atmosphere was great. We were sitting with an older couple, celebrating their anniversary, who lived there in Dublin. At the end of the meal we went out and were waiting for our bus to take us back into town when the couple pulled up in their car and asked if we'd like a ride. We got in and told them where we were staying and they both started laughing. They said we were staying in the heart of the red-light district and that our B&B was a known whorehouse, but that they always kept some rooms available for the gullible tourist trade, it helped fill in their vacancies. Things then started making more sense.

We were leaving the next day anyway, so we went back to the place and spent another night in the whorehouse. The room was clean, the breakfast was very good, and we didn't have anymore men in the toilet area, so we were fine.   We can now say that we have slept in a whorehouse.

The Titanic - 1912 -2012

"Many brave things were done that night but none more brave than by those few men playing minute after minute as the ship settled quietly lower and lower in the sea...the music they played serving alike as their own immortal requiem and their right to be recorded on the rulls of undying fame."
 Lawrence Beesley, Titanic Survivor

Entrance to Exhibition

You may wonder about why I would write about the Titanic on a travel blog.  Well, it is travel related, although certainly not very successful travel.  Talk about things going wrong on a trip, this was the ultimate bad luck, for many people.  But this year is the 100th anniversary of the sailing.  Many cities are putting on exhibitions.  San Diego has an exhibit which will continue till September, and I think it is well worth going to.  My husband and I just recently went to it, and we both enjoyed it.  The exhibit is at the Natural History Museum in San Diego's Balboa Park.  If you live somewhere other than San Diego, check your museums, the exhibits are going on in many cities throughout the United States, and for that matter I understand there is an exhibit in Belfast, Ireland where the ship was built.  Since we are heading that way soon, we may just check it out.

My boarding pass

The exhibition we went to was fun, because they give you the name of a person on a boarding card as you enter.  It tells you whether your person was in First Class, Second or Third, or a member of the crew.  My person was in First Class, and her name was Mrs. Isidor Straus (Rosalie Ida Blun).

Mrs Isidor Straus of New York, NY was 63 years old and was married to Isidor Strauss - the owner of Macy's department stores. She boarded the Titanic at Southampton with her husband Isidor Straus, her maid Ms Ellen Bird and his manservant John Farthing. The Straus's occupied cabins C55-57.  Mrs Straus almost entered Lifeboat 8, but at the last minute she turned back and rejoined her husband, she had made up her mind: "We have lived together for many years. Where you go, I go."   Friends tried to persuade her, but she refused. She handed her maid Ms. Ellen Bird her fur coat.  She told her she wouldn't be needing it, and had her get into the life boat.  Mr and Mrs Straus went and sat together on a pair of deck chairs, her body was never recovered.  Ms. Bird survived and tried to return the fur coat to the Straus' daughter, but she told her to keep it, her mother had given it to her.

My husband was given the boarding pass of Mr. Edward Beane who was traveling with his bride Ethel.  He was 32 years old and was born 19 November 1879 in England.  Beane moved to New York where he worked as  a bricklayer. He had returned to his home town of Norwich to get married to Ethel Clarke. The ceremony took place some days before the Titanic would leave. The newlyweds had ticket number 2908 and paid £26. They boarded the Titanic at Southampton as second class passengers.  Mr Beane, survived the sinking together with his wife. They were one of a few "honeymooners" that were not parted by the rule "women and children first". Both were rescued in lifeboat 13.

The actual exhibit has stories on the walls of different people and how they ended up on the Titanic.  It has actual artifacts that were recovered from the ship, and it has a full-size re-creation of what a first-class cabin would have looked like.  The exhibit gives you an idea of what life on the ship would have been like. 

At the end of the exhibit there is a list of everyone who was on the ship, and you can check to see if they survived or died on board.  It really is quite a good exhibit, and if you have any interest in the Titanic, it is worth going to see. 1517 people lost their lives that night, and 705 survived.  Amoung those who died were the musicians on board the ship, and they played their instruments until it sank.  The ship sank in the early morning hours of April 15th, 1912 - 100 years ago today.