Odyssey In A Bad Organized Airport

Odyssey in a bad organized airport
…or how I lost almost my connection flight. You know the name doesn’t make a good person…the same happens in the real tourist world. Miami in Florida sounds great as a City itself and a tourist pearl in the Golf of Mexico and the Caribbean. I think
Miami has from both sides something and I do not know if Miami is more a Latin City
or an American City. Beautiful beaches colorful and friendly people the perfect climate…but when I just think about its airport I prefer to go around, avoid that
City.

You can say what you want but the infrastructure of his airport stinks; sorry about
that but this is the way how I feel about his airport. The other day I had a
connection flight to the beautiful City of Santo Domingo and I had two hours to catch the flight…but I only can tell you that I almost missed the flight. I just arrived when everyone had already boarded.

Let me tell you about the odyssey: I arrived with American Airlines at station 2. I
walked to the sky-train to passport control. Entered the train and headed for station 3 where the passport control or immigration control is located. I thought coming out the train at station 3 it is easy to reach immigration. But I was completely wrong.

When I left the train I had to walk quite a distance to the immigration. I had just arrived at the immigration area and the problem started.I looked at my watch and I saw that it had past only 25 minutes since my arrival at the airport.

So I was confident that I will go through everything on time. When I arrived at the area there were only a few counters open because it was still early in the morning. And suddenly there were more and more officials to occupy the empty places and as I was standing in the furthest left lane it was easy for me to switch over to the new lane where nobody was. And I thought, “Anton this time you are lucky and within a few minutes you will be on your way to the gate.”

Tip to my readers: When arriving to the immigration area it is good to go as much as
possible to the left counters which are 29 to 35 as these are in the left corner the
arriving passengers do not see these counters in the first moment because they are
hidden behind a wall. These counters have saved me lots of time sometimes.

But you’ll never imagine how wrong I was. Waiting for the luggage and get it through
custom and leave the luggage at the connection flight counter. Go up to the second
floor through security check. And there the nightmare started. When coming out of
custom you are almost near the street. So when you go to the second floor you are in
the departure area for all passengers to every destiny. You can imagine how many
people are going through security check. It took mi many minutes -almost 30 minutes
to be true- and then you have to go to the gate.



But please make sure that you already know where you have to go after security check
otherwise you will lose valid minutes. After security check I started to walk but I
noticed that the gate was not in that part of the terminal and that I had to go by
train to the next terminal (D) where my plane was leaving. Go up to the train enter
the next arriving train and drive to terminal D, going out of the train and start to
walk because time was passing by. I only can tell you I arrived at Miami airport at
about 10:30 local time and I got to the gate for Santo Domingo at 12:15 and the plane were supposed to leave at 12:30. I was sweating like never before but finally I arrived at the gate and took my seat and relaxed.

A good advice, never take too much hand bag with you. When you like to go to Santo
Domingo and you arrive e.g. from Mexico City you’ll have to walk between security
check, sky train and departure gate very fast otherwise you might lose your flight.

But besides all the hassle it is worth to go to Santo Domingo you will forget all the trouble when you get to Santo Domingo that’s for sure. Have a nice trip in your next get away from home where it might be awful cold.

Anton Winkler likes to write about different subjects. For more information go to his website antonwinkler.com

Renaissance Santo Domingo Jaragua Hotel & Casino

The Marriott chain of hotels is without any doubt has a beautiful selection of hotels all over the globe. And the hotel in Santo Domingo the capital of Dominican Republic is no exception. It is a hotel for every taste and gustos of a traveler. Even so the hotel itself is an older construction but the remodeling was a great success in my opinion.



People who like 'Spa', massages, sauna and fitness to relax when travel this is a great place to stay. I do not exaggerate when I say that the outfit in the fitness room is one of the best and most equipped I have seen lately. I was "boca abierta" as the Spanish say, when I entered first into the fitness room. And the charm and friendliness of the people make the stay in the hotel even better.

The almost 14 days stay in that hotel was an exceptional relax time. One did not feel the working hours when coming back to the hotel in the evening and an one hour or plus stay at the fitness center was a relax even after sweating like crazy.



The swimming pool area is a nice quiet and almost private place where you can relax under the beautiful Caribbean Sun and get a little bit color for the winter time or let say you charge a little bit Vitamin D. And what is better than the Caribbean Sea.

You know I always wonder why is it that the poorest countries all over the world have the highest taxes for tourists and business people. Have you ever wondered why? And what is more surprising that the people in those countries do not live better; is it that the benefit of the taxes never come to the people? It is a real pity seeing that misery in those beautiful countries or I would say paradise on earth.

So, coming back to Santo Domingo and the hotel Renaissance Jaragua Hotel & Casino there was one little thing that really got me upset. You normal pay with credit card in order that you do not need a deposit and you can move around as you please. But in this hotel they have a strange politic that they authorize you a certain amount on you card instead of leaving it open as it is the case in almost every hotel. And when you have passed the amount they have authorized they bother you in this case they send me 3 letters of good paper and with an envelope just to remind me that I owe a certain amount of money. But the worst thing was that I was leaving the next day anyway. So I really urge the management of the hotel to get rid of that stupid politics they have with the accountant department. Especially when we are talking about a world wide hotel chain like Marriott. This type of politics can make some people upset...just a comment.

But Santo Domingo is worthwhile a travel trip and even if it is only for a few days to relax.

Talk to you soon

Anton

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Anton W. likes to write about different subjects. For more information go to his blog http://antonsexclusivetraveltips.com
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Another Pearl In The Caribbean Sea

There are many attractive places in the Caribbean Sea. There is Jamaica the sweet and colorful island as his nature and fruits.

And there is another ‘Pearl’ called Dominican Republic. And it is without any doubt difficult for me to tell which the best is. The colorful and sweet as a mango Jamaica or the Spanish speaking, and friendly and naturally colorful island of the Dominican Republic with his beautiful and colonial style city of Santo Domingo.

Santo Domingo

Situated at the edge of the Caribbean Sea with her beach with soft waves is a real pearl of the Caribbean and without any doubt an island worth to visit. Santo Domingo was the first city of the Spanish Crown in the new world. The city was officially founded on August 5 of 1498. It was destroyed by a hurricane in 1502 and rebuild on a different site nearby.

The city of Santo Domingo is not only a tourist attraction and the cultural center of the island, it is also the political, commercial and financial center of the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican are known for her friendliness happiness and warm hospitality.

Santo Domingo had the first catholic Cathedral, monastery, hospital, palace and university of the new world.

In 1990 UNESCO declared Santo Domingo World Heritage Site.
It has everything you can imagine. But the best way to discover a beauty is by visiting every corner of the city on your own.

Talk to you soon

Anton

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Anton Winkler loves to write on different subjects. Read more at
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Jamaica As Sweet As His Favorite Fruit

When traveling in the West Indies there is a common fruit that has sweetness as his people.

Even so the origin of this fruit is Southeast Asia but you can see, smell, and taste it in all tropical and subtropical regions. And Jamaica is no exception. And this fruit is called ‘Mango’.

Mango is Jamaica’s most popular fruit and the love for mango is expressed in an old Jamaican folk song:

Mi nuh drink coffee tea mango time
Care how nice it may be mango time
In the heat of the mango crop
When di fruit dem a ripe an drop
Wash your pot turn dem down mango time or something like that.

It is said the mango plant has arrived around 1782. I think there is no other country where you have so many names for this sweet and colorful fruit. Open it and you will see that strong yellow color and taste the sweetness of the fruit. Almost every Jamaican has a favorite type, some love the sweet ‘Bombay’ where as some prefer the ‘East Indian’ and ‘St. Julian’ or also called ‘Julie’. Than you have the ‘Blackie’, ‘Robin’, ‘Stringy’ there are lots of names all over Jamaica. Although you can see this sweet fruit all over the island but the most abundance crops are in St .Elizabeth, St. Mary, St. Thomas and Clarendon.

The best thing about mango is that they not only taste good, they are also healthy. Did you know that they contain many essential vitamins and minerals in every bite you take?

They give you a vitamin A, C and vitamin E injection, but also levels of vitamin B especial B6 and vitamin K, amino acids, potassium and copper. But it doesn’t stop here; the peel and the pulp are full of antioxidant carotenoids and polyphenols and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

So, when you come to Jamaica between May and July don’t forget to load you up with this colorful, sweet, juicy fruit and his charge of vitamins and minerals.

Talk to you soon

Anton

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Anton Winkler loves to write on different subjects to inform his friends and helping other people with their business. Read more at antonwinkler.com

Ability To Do Something Different Or Just Common Sense Of Doing Something Better?

Interjet is the new trend. Fly with interjet and you'll be pleasantly surprised
as I was, when I entered the plane. You’ll feel like flying in economy class.

You have more leg-space as in any other airline I've seen until now. And I think I have flown a lot.

It is not as they say "chicken class" no, flying with interjet is flying business class at a very low prize. I cannot say more than discover it and experience on your own.

Experience the new trend of flying like a business person but with a different prize.

The air crew is friendly and very helpful you will feel like home (in case your wife makes you a comfortable life.

there is maybe a negative point I have to say, the punctuality is not as you might have it in other planes, but what the heck if the prize is okay you give a little bit
in and you do not expect too much.

But I can tell you that it is a pleasant flight experience when flying the Airbus A320.

Take your next flight with interjet and you'll experience the pleasant way of flying without feeling to sit in a cave. This is an easy way to plan a get-away with your loved one or spouse for a weekend. Just experience it now before the prices go up for whatever reason. In Mexico you never know what the future will bring.

Would you like to fly in a plane and feel like flying in business class, I bet you do! And the prize is right that's for sure. I’m sure that you’ll look into interjet when you book your next flight to a destiny in Mexico.

Talk to you soon

Anton

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Anton Winkler writes on different subjects and helps people to start on the crowded highway of the cyberspace. For more information go to antonwinkler.com

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Discover The Beauty of Jamaica

You know when you travel to Jamaica the first time everything is so different and sometimes it kind of scares you. First of all the traffic - driving on the left side is for us very difficult to follow. But the friendly inhabitants of the island are a blessing for every tourist.




Where to stay in Jamaica especially in Kingston the capital is for every tourist a question before starting the journey. When coming to Kingston you land from the seaside and the other part of the city is surrounded from mountains. There is no other expression that Mother Nature has blessed the island with magnificent waterfalls and natural wonders.

The highest point of this beautiful island with about 3 million people is the Blue Mountain Peak with 2,256 meters. This island attracts lots of tourist all year round from all over the world. Many tourist come for romance, or weddings or honeymoons. They stretch out on the silky beaches or swim in the blue Caribbean Sea. Warm and fun-loving Jamaicans guarantee a pleasant stay and a memorable vacation that you never will forget.

Jamaica has won fame through their sport athletes as Usain Bold, Asafa Powel and Shelly-Ann Fraser and many years back Merlene Ottey with the record of the most World Championship medals (14). It is astonishing that a island with only a 3 million habitants holds many sprint records and gold medals. But Jamaica is also home of Lennox Lewis the former undisputed world heavy-weight boxing champion.

When coming to Kingston one of the best hotel locations is The Jamaica Pegasus. The friendly people and the good service is always something to remember to. The buffet they serve during lunch is delicious and pricy. And with smiling elegance of the people it is just something you’ll never forget.


The big lobby room with the 24 seven coffee-shop that means 24hour service you never get hungry you can order even at 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning. But who is hungry at this time of the day…oh, don’t forget the nights can be long in Jamaica and after a night-long dance or night bar visits you might be hungry and thirsty but this in no problem at all in the Jamaica Pegasus they are always happy to make your stay enjoyable. Think twice when planning your next vacation this might be an alternative.

Talk to you soon

Anton

There Exists Only One Pearl In The Caribbean – Jamaica

What do you think when you hear the word Jamaica, what first comes to your mind is the worlds fastest Athlete, Reggae, Rum, Red Stripe beer, Rastafari just to mention some.

Coming to Jamaica is always a nice adventure, even in these modern times.
The word Jamaica sounds like colorful dressing of the people, sun, reggae and lots of more. When thinking of the word Jamaica it is or it sounds like some magic maybe – Voodoo?

I just remember the movie with Steven Seagal where he was persued from a Jamaican drug dealer and Steven didn’t live in peace until he killed that person or I think there were two brothers. Anyway, this is an island where you have all year round sun and last not least where you can lay on the beach the whole year. It is just wonderful. It sounds like paradise on earth. But what am I telling you…don’t believe me just go for it and try it out.

For the coffee drinker is important to say, that Jamaica has one of the best coffee – “Mountain Blue” a famous coffee that is being exported to all over the world. That is what I like from Jamaica…even when drinking coffee you taste that black magic…don’t believe me – taste it and tell me afterward what do you think about it. As a coffee lover you won’t regret it. You feel the magic all over the island.

Jamaica is really blessed from Nature, you have miles of white-sand beaches, numerous rivers and waterfalls, and mountain and valleys. You can look at the natural wonders and also at the man-made works of art almost all over the country. But what most attracts me is their cuisine - a real ‘paladar’.


Jamaica is a pearl of the Caribbean with its famous Montego Bay where the day never ends. But to live up in Montego Bay you might need some energy pills or energy drinks to keep with the path. But you are on vacation and you should really forget everything for a few days.

Talk to you soon


Anton

Frankenmuth –“Little Bavaria in Michigan”?

When immigrating to other countries there is no need to forget your own custom. And Frankenmuth is no exception. Even so the original purpose of bringing Christianity to the Chippewa tribe was the main driving power and has lost over time its strength. But maintaining there custom and living style is a strong pattern to keep when living outside of your own country and Region.



Frankenmuth is a small city in Saginaw Country in the U.S. State of Michigan. The city is located within Frankenmuth Township. But it is politically independent.

When you come the first time to the city you will be impressed of the size of Bonner’s Christmas Wonderland, which states to be the world largest Christmas Store and looking at the size just by driving by you’ll believe it. When driving the first time to Frankenmuth my first impression was I’m driving into a German town. When many years outside of your home country you’ll appreciate and recognize the typical house construction of your country and you just feel like at home.



History

Conservative Lutheran immigrants from Franconia (which is now Bavaria) came to this part of the States in 1845 according ‘wikipedia’. The German word “Franken” represents the Province of Franconia in the Kingdom of Bavaria and the German word “Muth” means courage, therefore the city name of “Frankenmuth” means “courage of the Franconians”.

The whole area around Frankenmuth is like a magnet for other Germans from the same Region. The names Frankenlust, Frankentrost and Frankenhilf illustrate the origin of the people that is Franconia or Franken.

Tourism

Tourism is the main source of income for domestic people. Over 3 million tourists come annually to the city and spend their money in Bavarian shops and taste Bavarian food and Bavarian beer. But not only Bavarian themed shops and products attract tourists, no, not at all. Frankenmuth also attracts tourists with festivals and other events whole year long. But I also can imagine that the strong influence of Franconian-style architecture attracts lot of people.

Entertainment

Talking about entertainment there is to mention:

* The World Expo of Beer (this event is mainly a community fund-raiser).

Dog Bowl and Great Lakes Hot Air Balloon Championships
The Dog Bowl is like an Olympic-series of many dog events. This event is held
over Memorial Weekend in late May.

* Bavarian Fest

The Bavarian Fest began in 1959 in working together with the Grand Opening Celebration of the Bavarian style addition to Fischer’s Hotel on Main Street of this small city.
The visitors are invited to hear Bavarian music played by authentically dressed German bands and watching the parades, enjoy dance music, face painting and lot more.
And as all this type of events you get offered German foods and dessert, and last not least the German and domestic Beer. Each year thousands of people enjoy the annual Sunday Bavarian Festival Parade.

* Summer Music Fest

For Polka-lovers there is the Summer Fest. This week-long Polka Festival takes place in Frankenmuth’s Heritage Park. But there is every weekend entertainment with Bavarian Music.

* Oktoberfest

And as in every Bavarian related festivity there is also the famous Oktoberfest. The Oktoberfest has been celebrated the first time in 1990. According to ‘wikipedia’ Frankenmuth is the first Oktoberfest outside of Munich to be sanctioned by the Parliament and the City of Munich.
When celebrating the Oktoberfest it is usual or chic to wear the typical and traditional garments like Lederhosen, Dirndl, Trachtenmode, and typical shoes. All this together makes the atmosphere you live at the original Oktoberfest in Munich.

* Frankenmuth Snow Fest

Frankenmuth is also host of the top snow-sculpting events in North America, called the Frankenmuth Ice Festival.

There is really all-year around activity for Bavarian-culture lovers and people enjoying entertainment from different cultures.
And you should not forget the largest Christmas Market where you can supply for Christmas season almost everything you can imagine.

So, why not organize the next escape to one of the festivals in Frankenmuth?

Anton Winkler

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Anton Winkler loves to write about different subjects. You can read more at his blog antonwinkler.com and antonsexclusivevacationtips
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Travel By Car VerseTravel By Plane

Sometimes you should decide before leaving your home whether to travel by car or travel by plane. But you never know what awaits you on the route nor what can happen at the airport. This was my longest travel to Veracruz. It took me 7.5 hours, okay, I took my breakfast in the beautiful city of Puebla. Not exactly in Puebla but in the Holiday Inn alongside the autobahn to Orizaba and Veracruz.

But it still was more than 6 hours travel time what normally takes me only 3.5 hours. More than half way to Veracruz I was seriously thinking if it would not have been better to fly instead of drive. But in my opinion you enjoy more of the trip and the country side by traveling over the autobahn.

Even so the temperature is very high at this time of year and especially when you come down the hills and enter the valley of Cordoba. When you are closer to Cordoba you are almost at sea level and the high percentage of moisture makes the temperature worse. You just feel how the sweat drops down your back. But the visit to Veracruz makes worth the sacrifices.

Veracruz has lots of places of interest, like San Juan de Ulua Castle. A visit to this colonial place takes us back in time and some how led us understand a little bit about the history of this beautiful port.

There are other places like Baluarte de Santiago one of the four bastions which still exists. This bastion was the protection against assaults of the pirates.

Another attraction is Sacrifice Island in front of the Port of Veracruz. This island was discovered in 1518 by the Spanish man Juan de Grijalva

Naval Museum

The Cathedral which dates back to 1662 and is called: “The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Asuncion”. It has a base with basilical form with five ships; the highest of all is the central ship.

Municipal Palace that is opposite of the park of the city; the construction was initiated in 1600.

Convent of San Francisco which is now the Holiday Inn of Veracruz Historical Center was founded by the first franciscanos that arrived at America and the building dates back to the end of century XVI and beginning of the XVII. It was reconstructed in 1715 with the sponsorship of the University of Merchants of Seville.

And of course for the Gulf-of Mexico-water-lovers there are the beaches. The port of Veracruz is and has been with all his beaches an important attraction of this region. The important beaches are called: Villa del Mar, Yacht Club, Iguana Beach, Marti Beach and Mocambo Beach.

For shopping-lovers there are the malls to acquire all kinds of souvenirs, beach clothes, postcards and lots of other items.

We should not forget to mention the restaurants of Veracruz where you can try the typical food of the region and of course international food. If you prefer the veracruzian atmosphere you should go to the famous ‘Café de la Parroquia’ with traditional food and also economic prices.

But the jewel of Veracruz is the people, with their friendliness and humor.

Talk to you soon

Anton

Travel to Dolly Wood

Not many entrepreneurs care about their home but there is one particular personality I have in mind, the self proclaimed Barbie, the country singer icon Dolly Parton. Everyone who likes country music has heard in some way or another the name Dolly Parton with one of her famous song ‘My Tennessee Mountain Home’

It is amazing what some entrepreneurs do for their home town and Dolly Parton is no exception.

If you are traveling with your family to the Nashville area I would say 'Dolly Wood' is a must see in your travel guide. The theme park is celebrating his 25th anniversary and has a lot of attractions to celebrate his birthday. Without any doubt there will be a lot of activities to celebrate this ‘birthday’.

Born in the country, loving the country as she does and express her love to the country and folks with her songs, Dolly Parton set a signature at Dolly Wood. It looks that her dream of a female Walt Disney has come into reality.

For some decades now there have been visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains Park but when she signed her name as a co–founder the change was big. She has turned the park into a 2.5 Million visitor’s attraction per year that is not bad for an entrepreneur like she is.

So, if you don’t know where to spend your vacation this year, think about it, Dolly Woodland can be very attractive…and just imagine you see Dolly Parton in person…my gosh what a coincidence.

Dollywood theme park is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The park hosts a number of concerts and musical events each year. The park is open from early spring until around Christmas.

Talk to you soon

Anton

Shanghai: The Bund Is Back

China shows the world that if you want to attract tourism you can do it the right way

Every bad place can be refurnished like a house. The only thing you need is the idea to change something, put the money into it and change the face of a Harbor, or City, or whatever part you want to change to attract more tourists. Nothing is impossible. And China has gone the way for change. The Bund in Shanghai is one of most famous tourist destinations of the City. And Now the Bund is back for tourism.

Shanghai: The Bund Is Back

Name: According to Wikipedia the name "Bund" means an embankment or an embanked quay, and comes from the Hindi word band, meaning an embankment, levee or dam (a cognate of English terms "bind," "bond" and "band," the German term "bund," etc.). "Bund" is pronounced to rhyme with "fund".



The term was brought to Shanghai by the family of Victor Sassoon, a Baghdadi Jew. There are many "bands" to be found in Baghdad, even today. There are numerous sites in India, China, and Japan which are called "bunds" (e.g. the Yokohama Bund). However, "The Bund" as a proper noun almost invariably refers to this stretch of embanked riverfront in Shanghai.

History:

The Shanghai Bund has lots of historical buildings, along the Huangpu River, that once housed numerous banks and trading houses from the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Russia, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as the consulates of Russia and Britain, a newspaper, the Shanghai Club and the Masonic Club. The Bund lies north of the old, walled city of Shanghai. This was initially a British settlement; later the British and American settlements were combined in the International Settlement. A building boom at the end of 19th century and beginning of 20th century led to the Bund becoming a major financial hub of East Asia. The former French Bund, east of the walled city was formerly more a working harbourside.
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