Earlier this year, I was looking to head to South or Central America to work on my Spanish.  As I began to search for air fares, I found a reasonable fare to Quito, Ecuador.  I had been to Quito once before, but just for one day.  I had always wanted to return. 

I had also always had a desire to go to Panama and see the Panama Canal.  As I started to check out my options, I discovered the round trip fares from Oklahoma City to Panama City, Panama were the lowest I had ever seen–$380.80 to be exact!  As I continued  my research, I found I could really do both cities, Panama City and Quito, for just a little bit more  money.

My wife was not able to go due to work, so I asked my daughter, Stephanie, if she would go with me.  She could go for only 3 days due to her own job, but was certainly up for the adventure if we could make it work. 

The plan was set—We would fly to Panama City for 3 days, see the Panama Canal and whatever else we could possibly squeeze in.  After 3 days in Panama City, Stephanie would fly home to OKC alone and I would fly southward on COPA airlines to Quito, Ecuador.    I could have saved a little bit of money by flying from Panama City back up to Miami and then down to Quito all on AA, but time was money for me.  Plus I figured it would be more fun flying Panama City direct to Quito. 

My goal in Quito was completely different from Panama.  In Quito I planned to enroll in Spanish Language school, live with a local family, and  travel around in Central Ecuador as time permitted.  I had only 3 weeks to plan the entire trip.  It would be a trip of 2 different experiences. 

I will post a series of reports of my adventures in both countries.  I have plenty of photos to share……so stay tuned.

Steve Barrymore

ssb11@prodigy.net

Taipei-Sun Yatsen memorial

The museum wasn’t yet open to the public but I convinced the guard let me stick my head in the door and take a photo of the statue of Sun Yatsen.

May I present.....Dr. Sun Yatsen

I paused for 15 minutes on the grounds watching older couples do traditional dancing to beautiful Chinese music.

Taipei -early morning dancing at the Sun Yatsen Memorial

Returning on the subway, I ran to my room, packed my roll-a-board and grabbed a taxi to the bus stop 6 blocks away in front of the Lai Lai Sheraton. No time to walk.

I had 15 minutes before the bus, hurried into the lobby of the Lai-Lai and purchased a pair of earrings for my wife for Mother’s Day. I only had $80, the manager wanted $90, and I paid her $70 telling her I needed $10 to get home from Taipei.

I had been in Taipei for only 16 hours.  What a blast! I arrived at the airport at 12:30; left at 2 p.m., changed planes in San Jose and Dallas and was home at 7 p.m. Sunday to wish my wife “Happy Mother’s Day”!

 At my hotel I hailed another cab to go to the Hard Rock Café for a t-shirt which I had promised my wife I would buy for her.  The cabbie got lost.  I was reading the map and using sign language to direct him.  It was raining. 

With my 15 minute segments ticking loudly in my head, we finally found the Hard Rock!  I dashed in, took 2 minutes to select a t-shirt, and made a mad sprint back outside to the waiting taxi to go back to the hotel.  Segment #2 was complete!   

I had predetermined I would stop at midnight and get some sleep. It was 11:45 p.m.  I still had 15 minutes left to see more of the city!   Fortunately, the subway station was across the street, but it closed at midnight, so I had to hurry. 

I ran across the street and took a quick 4 minute subway ride out and back one stop to familiarize myself with the system so I could maximize my time in the next morning.  It was Midnight! Segment #3 was completed and it was bedtime.

I called my wife, set four alarm clocks, and got 5 hours sleep. 

Next-The streets of Taipei, early in the a.m.

I thought I had planned well, but I had not checked the weather. 

There was a typhoon that had decided that it was going to strike a glancing blow at Taiwan.  The Pilot came on and said he would have to change the route, adding an hour to an already long 14 hour flight.  Total flight time-now 15 hours. 

For that long of a flight, I had to continue go to the back of the plane and do deep knee bends just to remain limber.  I was going to need all my strength and flexibility when I landed in Taipei. 

I arrived in Taipei on Saturday, 7 p.m. local time.    It was raining due to the tail end of the typhoon.

 Taipei Airport Immigration and Customs

Taipei Airport-inside the lobby

I had already researched the bus system and was ready to go when I hit the ground.  Within 15 minutes I was on the bus into Taipei.  After a one hour bus ride the bus driver let me out a couple of blocks from the Taipei Hilton where I would be staying.  I walked the last 3 blocks in the rain. 

I quickly checked in and showed my plans to the concierge.  He helped me out by writing instructions on a card in Chinese for each destination where I wanted to go. I could quickly hand them to any taxi driver and maximize use of my time.  Taxi drivers in Taipei generally don’t speak English. 

By this time it was 9 p.m. and the clock was ticking.  I was losing precious time. I better hurry.  I had to leave tomorrow!!

Steve Barrymore

Next-The race is on!

post your comments here or e-mail me at ssb11@prodigy.net

See all my other travel blogs on NewsOk.com:

Travel tips:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/travel-tips/

Colombia:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/colombia/

Mexico:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/mexico/

Caribbean island of Barbuda:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/barbuda/

San Juan  with a 5 hour layover:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/san-juan-puerto-rico/

Fly around the U.S. for the day:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/day-trip/

 When I boarded the American Airlines 777 in San Jose, my seatmate was a Taiwanese woman who asked me how long I was planning to vacation in Taipei.  I told her “only one night”.  She didn’t believe me, so I called Carol on my cell phone and asked her to talk with the lady and tell her my plan.  Carol agreed(reluctantly) to speak with her on the phone.

 Here is my new  best friend from Taiwan-my seatmate

My new friend listened intently to what Carol was telling her.  She finally said “I think your husband must be crazy, but our mayor should give him the key to the city for doing this”.  Whereas Carol replied, “I think he must be crazy too, but just humor him on the 14 hour flight!”. 

After thinking about it for awhile, my new friend volunteered for her family to give me a ride from the airport into the city to my hotel.  I politely declined telling her I needed to master the airport bus system while I was there. 

I then buckled up for the flight.  It was only supposed to take 14 hours, but a typhoon was making its appearance!!  Add 1 hour.

Steve Barrymore

 Next-The flight over the water-

Post your comments here or e-mail me at ssb11@prodigy.net

See all my other travel blogs on NewsOk.com:

Travel tips:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/travel-tips/

Colombia:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/colombia/

Mexico:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/mexico/

Caribbean island of Barbuda:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/barbuda/

San Juan  with a 5 hour layover:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/san-juan-puerto-rico/

Fly around the U.S. for the day:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/day-trip/

Here was the plan: ( Continued) 

I would leave Oklahoma City at 6:00 a.m. on Friday morning, fly to Dallas, then to San Jose, CA and on to Taipei across the international dateline, arriving there at 7 p.m. on Saturday and leaving on Sunday at 2 pm.   I would be back home by 7 p.m. Sunday (total trip time-61 hours) leaving only 19 hours on the ground to see the city!

 I purchased the ticket and for the next two weeks spent every evening laying out a plan to maximize my time in Taipei. 

Due to time restrictions, I decided to concentrate on just seeing everything possible in the Southwest quadrant of the city.  Every night I poured over the map doing my best to memorize the layout of the city.  I planned every minute of the 19 hours in quarter-hour segments. I was energized by the challenge.  

 I booked a room at the Taipei Hilton in the center of the SW quadrant across the street from the Taipei main subway station to maximize my time, and yet still be able to catch a few hours of sleep to avoid total exhaustion. 

I left Oklahoma City with $200, a Chinese phrase book, my rollaboard luggage, and a great sense of adventure!

Next-The 15 hour flight to Taipei

Post you comments here or e-mail me at ssb11@prodigy.net

Steve Barrymore

See all my other travel blogs on NewsOk.com:

Travel tips:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/travel-tips/

Colombia:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/colombia/

Mexico:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/mexico/

Caribbean island of Barbuda:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/barbuda/

San Juan  with a 5 hour layover:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/san-juan-puerto-rico/

Fly around the U.S. for the day:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/day-trip/

I got to thinking about some of the BEST trips I have ever taken and thought I would do a few blogs on one that was not only a challenge, but REALLY fun as well!  So here it is:

A couple of years ago I was surfing the net looking for low air fares. I spotted a new route on AA from Oklahoma City to Taipei through San Jose, California. They were offering some incredible introductory fares for a limited time.  Plus, I could rack up a bunch of frequent flyer miles since they were paving the route with bonuses!  It would be the ultimate mileage run!!

I mentioned to my wife Carol, how much I had always wanted to see Taipei. She replied, “you’re not getting any younger, why don’t you just go”? She couldn’t get away, but didn’t want to prevent me from going.

The only problem was that the cheap fare remaining was for a flight in two weeks, on Mother’s Day weekend, leaving on a Friday and returning Sunday—just for a weekend! Carol said as long as I was home on Sunday, and bought her a Mother’s Day present in Taipei, she would be fine with me going to Taipei just for the weekend.

I would have only 61 hours total to fly across the Pacific to Taipei, see the city, and be home. What a great challenge and with only 2 weeks to plan the entire trip!! Was I up for it?  You bet!

Here was the plan: (to be continued)

Post your comments here or e-mail me at ssb11@prodigy.net

Steve Barrymore

Next-The plan is put into place

See all my other travel blogs on NewsOk.com:

Colombia:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/colombia/

Mexico:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/mexico/

Caribbean island of Barbuda:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/barbuda/

San Juan  with a 5 hour layover:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/san-juan-puerto-rico/

Fly around the U.S. for the day:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/day-trip/

Part 10:                                                                                                                                                                       Stacey recently updated her comments from above with the following:

“I still love my list, though here are some technological updates:”

1) I’ve moved from film cameras to digital with an underwater bag to a new waterproof digital camera – sweet!

2) I also pack a photo memory card reader so I can blog photos on a trip and leave the memory card instead of the camera when I have a CD made of my photos for backup.

3) I carry a small UV water purifier Steripen instead of a water purification pump system.

4) Instead of a clothesline with pins I braid small-gauge surgical tubing which makes a stretchy, easy to tie up clothesline that doesn’t require pins since you can just poke the corners of your clothes into the braid.

5) Instead of packing around guide books I razor out the pages and chapters I need and just pack those. I also make copies of guidebook maps and laminate them so they’re handy and hardy.

6) For travel to really hot areas I’ve grown fond of the neck coolers that have crystals in them that swell when soaked and stay really cool for hours; they’re reusable, but may be confiscated as “gel” if you try to take them in a carry-on or wear them on the way home (but they’re cheap, so no big deal).

Ok, that does it for travel tips.  Thanks to Stacey for her contribution. 

 Next stop is Taipei, Taiwan, across the Pacifc and back in 61 hours!  Can you do it?  It’s a fun blog to read.  Don’t miss it!!

Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net

To read about my other travels click here or http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/mytravels/

Comments?  Please post below or email me at ssb11@prodigy.net

Here are some more of Stacey’s Travel Tips, all written by her:

“Email to yourself anything you might need including airline and hotel reservation numbers and contact information, emergency numbers, email and snail mail addresses, travel websites, and scans of your passports and traveler’s checque numbers in case you somehow lose everything you were carrying.

I’ve traveled “heavy” and now that I’ve experienced travel with only a carry-on, I can’t imagine what anyone would want to take that would be worth lugging around more. Here are 2 helpful websites about packing light, not specific to Latin America:

http://www.onebag.com/

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/packlight.htm

My own(Stacey’s) Central Am. packing list is #14 here:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=828622&tstart=0
Also, here is the preamble to the 2003 travelogue of our family’s trip to Belize, more philosophical.

~As Mason Williams would say, “Don’t go down to the ocean with a notion of what you will find”. In other words, expect your adventures to be wonderful but don’t expect them to be predictable;

~grab every opportunity to get to know the people as opposed to just seeing places and scenery. Hanging out in small villages and seeking out locals gave us many of our most special memories;

~take advantage of things that are every day experiences for locals, like beans and rice, bus rides and bike rides, and shopping for produce;

~remember the Peace Corp adage: “It’s not right or wrong, it’s just different”;

~stay as long as you can and adventure out from bases; we typically had 3-7 days in each location, and were glad for it;

~when traveling as a family, listen to the kids, plan to enjoy your together times and to spend times exploring on your own, as safety allows; our individual strengths and interests were woven together to make the trip more memorable for all of us;

~see a lot, but allow time to lay around in hammocks or sit and drink a coke with locals;

~read before and during your trip: guide books, identification books, the Belize Forum, and books set in Belize and written by Belizean authors, both fiction and non-fiction;

~pack a comprehensive medical kit that includes an antibiotic like cipro and a good quality water filter;

~take school supplies or books to donate along the way and gifts for kids and hosts (we took little rubber frog finger puppets and photo magnets showing a view of the wildflowers, mountains and Columbia River Gorge from our house);

~for bugs we preferred Sawyer’s Time Release Deet bug repellent, which worked wonderfully and allows less deet to be absorbed into your skin than most formulas. We took hefty doses of B vitamins and garlic pills starting weeks before we left in an effort to smell repugnant to those smallest of pests, and found that it worked perfectly in areas where there really weren’t any mosquitoes, but failed miserably where there were (hence, the Sawyer’s).

~other things we were glad we had: headlamps, plant and animal identification cards, copies of our lodging reservation and payment emails, sun hats, sunblock and aloe, sarongs (for the females) and bandanas, blank journals, a variety of cameras (including underwater ones) and lots of film, good quality waterproof binoculars, clothes line and pins, cable ties, our own fishing equipment, including a great collection of hand-tied flies, open minds, a desire for adventure, and our senses of humor.

Thanks to Stacey for those.

Stay tuned for “Part C” of Stacey’s travel tips–

Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net

To read about my other travels click here or http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/mytravels/

Comments?  Please post below or email me at ssb11@prodigy.net

Here is what she has to say when she travels to Central America:

“Sometimes I travel alone, sometimes with one or more of my kids and/or my husband, sometimes with a group in tow.  I don’t feel overly paranoid but have never had a problem and would like to keep it that way.  Here are my concessions to safety when I travel in Central America:”
:: I avoid the big cities as much as possible
:: I don’t “party”
:: Where recommended I take specific transportation (Hedman Alas in Honduras, for example, or avoiding chicken buses on the mountain runs in Guatemala, taxis after dark)
:: I know where I am and where I’m headed
:: I don’t wear jewelry (not even my wedding band) and try not to flash camera equipment or money around
:: Some trips I carry a “throw down wallet” with an expired card or 2 and the day’s cash in it
:: I keep important documents and cash under my clothes (except what I need for shopping, buses, etc. for that time period)
:: I ask locals about safety in an area – evenings, hiking, etc.
:: I travel really light so I don’t feel vulnerable getting my bag off and on buses, shuttles, etc.
:: I continue to build skills in Spanish

Here is her trip report when she went to Honduras:  http://sidewalkmystic.com/CopanRuinas.htm#Stacey

And some links to some of her other blogs:

MY PHOTOS ON FLICKR:  http://flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections
LIVE AND LEARN IN HONDURAS:  http://liveandlearninca.blogspot.com/
LIVE AND LEARN IN GUATEMALA:  http://liveandlearninguatemala.blogspot.com/
BLOG FROM 3 WEEKS ON THE BAY ISLANDS LAST SUMMER:  http://holemansinhonduras.blogspot.com/

Next week-I will post some more of Stacey’s travel tips and philosophies–

If you have an travel tips, post a comment here or e-mail me at ssb11@prodigy.net.

Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net

To read about my other travels click here or http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/mytravels/

Comments?  Please post below or email me at ssb11@prodigy.net