Well they have finally arrived! Our two new travel sites are finally live! For great information on vactioning and traveling to the Caribbean, Mexico and other beautiful spots in the world check out Caribbean Cruise Travel Guide
Caribbean Cruise Travel Guide is a dynamic interactive site loaded with information for you to learn more about this part of the world. But what's even better -- content pages are built into several pages where you can leave a post on your favorite cruise, beach, all inclusive resort and more. These content pages are very interactive and much like facebook! Other people can comment on your comments and you can choose to be notified by email, if you like, when someone comments on your review! How cool is that!
Here are a couple of examples for you to check out: Comments on Sandals White House Resort Jamaica or a review on Why Cruise! Read why Lynette loves cruises so much -- she's been on 23! Feel free to leave your own comments or even start your own new review!
Our second new trave site is very exciting and new in the travel industry! It is going to rival sites like Orbitz & Travelocity -- only better -- why? Because you can actually reach a real live personal travel agent! Check out SAND Travel to plan, shop or even book your own vacations now!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Amazing Haitian Artist - Jean Claude Martin
While take a brief break from our midwest Ohio winter this year we decided to spend a couple of days in beautiful Savannah, Georgia before driving on to Florida.
When in Savannah we always love walking through the historic squares and along the river front. The Savannah river front is home to many different restaurants, shops and stores. It also has some amazing street performers and vendors.
I have to admit my wife, Sally, is much more of a shopper than I am. Sometimes, like this time around, I like to just sit in the sun with a good book and read or people watch.
Within a few minutes an artist named Jean Claude Martin from Haiti starting setting out his paintings. As I sat on the brick wall reading I asked him if I could move down so he could have more room for his paintings. He said maybe just a couple of feet and I would be fine.
As I viewed his paintings I became interested in the beautiful blend of vibrant colors and Caribbean scenes. As I casually began to ask Jean Claude about himself and his art I became intrigued.
When in Savannah we always love walking through the historic squares and along the river front. The Savannah river front is home to many different restaurants, shops and stores. It also has some amazing street performers and vendors.
I have to admit my wife, Sally, is much more of a shopper than I am. Sometimes, like this time around, I like to just sit in the sun with a good book and read or people watch.
Within a few minutes an artist named Jean Claude Martin from Haiti starting setting out his paintings. As I sat on the brick wall reading I asked him if I could move down so he could have more room for his paintings. He said maybe just a couple of feet and I would be fine.
As I viewed his paintings I became interested in the beautiful blend of vibrant colors and Caribbean scenes. As I casually began to ask Jean Claude about himself and his art I became intrigued.
Jean Claude Martin setting up his paintings
A sample of Jean Claudes vibrate colorful talent!
Jean Claude Martin was born in the impoverished country of Haiti. At an early age he become "a man". Jean Claude was forced to learn a trade (skill) at an early age if he wanted to survive.
Jean spent his time watching his elders as they farmed and harvested the crops, carved sculptures, made baskets, prepared the animals they raised for the market and painting pictures. These were the things the native Haitians did daily to prepare for trade at the markets.
After much time spent observing and practicing, Jean discovered his talent and destiny. He became an artist.
I returned later to discuss with Jean Claude's which of his paintings I would like to purchase
We ended up buying the one in Jean Claudes hand. Love it!!
Jean Claude paints three styles 1) the market place 2) the countryside 3) and the ocean view. All of his paintings are done in acrylics which are much more durable than oils. He has been painting for over 20 years!
If you want to collect some one-of-a-kind art you simply must stop by to see aspiring Haitian artist Jean Claude Martin. He can also be reached at 912-441-2725
Monday, March 7, 2011
Latest Travel Updates: Mexico's West Coast
We absolutely loved Puerto Vallarta and Rivera Nayarit! With a beautiful hospitable people and scenery that is second to none.
If you love Palm Trees like I do you will want to stay at the beautiful Westin Resort and Spa
Built on an old Coconut Plantation with over 200 mature palms!
Want to Step-up Your Game?
If you are looking for a more upscale experience try the Marival Residences and World Spa. Located in Rivera Nayarit these are beautiful condo like villas. An all-inclusive property where all really is included (except your spa services). We stayed here a week and plan on going back in November 2011.
We will be splitting our stay between the Marival Residences, Marival Resorts, Westin Resort and, downtown beach front property, the Buenaventura Grand. We really wanted to go back and explore each one of these fabulous properties and their surrounding areas.
We will be splitting our stay between the Marival Residences, Marival Resorts, Westin Resort and, downtown beach front property, the Buenaventura Grand. We really wanted to go back and explore each one of these fabulous properties and their surrounding areas.
Our spacious condo at Marival Residences and World Spa
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| A very good bottle of Merlot on the house Street Performers Puerto Vallarta Amazing aireal street performers on the beach downtown Buenaventura Grand Close to downtown for great shopping and right on the beach!  We loved the Buenaventura Grand. We plan on staying here Nov. 2011 Sally's BFF Louie the Silver Guy  Sally buying her silver from Louie on the beach Louie is located right by the Marival Resort We've all done this before!  Our friends Josepha and Kevin burying Yasmina in the sand. This is winter weather in Puerto Vallarta! Massages and Spas We did get our massages at Venus Sunshine Spa! Sally arranged for 5 of us to go in! One of the best massages I think I have ever had. I would highly recommend them to you! Our friend Onelly has promised to take us to a spa that the locals go to next time we visit. $20-30 and hour. I'm in! Book Your Own Travel Do you like to find and book your own travel online, but like the idea of having a travel agent to ask questions of? If so check out SAND Travel. |
Monday, November 8, 2010
Busy Travel Year and New Projects!
With Sally's new job as Group Coordinator for KHM Travel Group, the largest host travel company in the U.S. we have hit the ground running! Already this year Sally has been to Jamaica three times, Riviera Maya (2 weeks ago) and we are packing to leave for Puerto Vallarta the end of this week, Nov. 12th.
I actually tagged along with Sally on her last trip to Jamaica. We stayed at the fabulous Sandals Whitehouse Resort. We had a great time and toured several other Sandals properties on the island.
Me and Sally enjoying sunset on our Jamaican beach
Sally took several of her friends along with about 40 other ladies on a W.I.N.O.S. get-away to the Riviera Maya in Mexico. W.I..N.O.S. stands for Women In Need Of Something (I thought maybe time away from men?) They all had an amazing time shopping, dancing, feasting on great food and of course a bit of the nightlife.
Sally and her two amigos buenos. Hola!
We will be staying at the Marival Residences and World Spa near Puerto Vallarta. A beautiful property from what we understand. We are excited to see this property and experience all they have to offer as well as tour the other properties they have lined up for us to see.Sally is excited to see her friend Norma again. Norma owns and operates Venus Sunshine Spas in Puerto Vallarta. Sally tells me this is where she received one of the best massages she has ever had. I said, "Really?!" As you may know from earlier post I was a professional massage therapist for 10 years. She has received her fair share from my skilled hands!!
I am looking forward to meeting Norma and getting one of these really great massages!
Before I close, I have to mention my new project.... this is my baby! http://www.caribbean-cruise-travel-guide.com/
The website is a really labor of love. You will be able to find all sorts of great information about the Caribbean on it. Anything from the best cruise ports, what to do when you get there, best places to eat and drink. Where to get the best prices on massages, where to sample as much free rum and tequilla as you want and much more. Even traditional Caribbean recipes including favorite island drink recipes.
Within a very short time it will be very interactive and you will be able to leave your comments and talk about your favorite Caribbean places to go and things to do. It is live now, but is still getting content added almost daily so stay tuned!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Vacations Tips Western Caribbean
My wife and I just returned from a training/vacation trip to Tampa and the Western Caribbean.
Carnival Cruise Line hosted two days in Tampa, Florida at the fabulous Embassy Suites downtown for ship tours. We toured the Carnival Inspiration and Legend. The Tampa Visitors Bureau gave us a tour of Tampa Aquarium. Very nice! I had never realized how silky soft the flipper of a stingray felt until our tour.
If you have any cigar aficionado’s in your life then Ybor City, Florida is a must visit for them! Ybor City was once the cigar capitol of the world. If you like craft beers check out the Tampa Brewery in Ybor City.
Ybor City is rich in heritage and history. Actually on Nov. 21, 2009 an attempt at the Guinness World Record for the longest hand rolled cigar will be judged at the Ybor City festival. It will be 185 feet long.
We found the beaches around Clearwater, Florida to be to our liking. Powdery white sand, palms for shade and nice wide beaches.
After touring the Carnival Legend we boarded her about a week later, after spending a great week in Key Largo, and headed for Cozumel Mexico. Cozumel is an interesting port in that there is plenty to do but it is somewhat touristy. We have rented a jeep and driven around the island before while visiting beaches and ancient ruins.
This time around we discovered Cozumel Massage. This is wonderful place in the center of the downtowns main street. It is a professional massage studio located at Av. Rafael E. Melgar # 471 Col. Centro. Check them out at www.cozumelmassage.net (make sure you use .net and not .com) Fantastic massage for only $40 US! Veronica owns and operates it. We opted for the deep tissue massage.
Our next stop on the cruise was Grand Cayman Island. This can be somewhat spendy here. Several people we met on the ship took excursions. Some opted for the “beach party” excursion. They were taken to a public beach area with nice lounge chairs which also included a drink for a cost of around $40 US.
My wife and I jumped on the public bus system for $2 each and got off at the same beach. Put our towels on the sand and swam in the same beautiful water. We then asked the folks renting snorkel equipment where the locals snorkeled. They told us to walk up the beach about ½ mile to Cemetery Beach to a great reef. My wife brought her own gear.
We had a wonderful walk up a fabulous beach and met some nice people staying at a private condo. They pointed out some great spots to see tons of fish. After great snorkeling we caught the bus back for $2. When we reached the port we even found a spot to sample free rum. We ended up taking a couple bottles with us.
Our next stop was Belize. Belize is very famous for its reefs. There are amazing diving and snorkeling opportunities here. There is also zip lining here too as well as tours of the area.
We stayed fairly low keyed here and opted to head outside the “cruise village” to an inexpensive internet café we had heard about. It was a short walk and cheap. It only cost us $1.75 for 45 minutes of fast internet connection. Then we walked through the local straw market and had a couple Belize beers at the Wet Lizard Tavern and Restaurant. www.thewetlizard.com/
Our next and final stop was Isla Roatan off Honduras. We really enjoyed this stop and took the zip line excursion here as we had heard it was the highest, longest and safest in the Caribbean. We ended up booking through a company online called Island Marketing. We only spent $52 US apiece for almost 2 hours of incredible zip lining.
After the zip line portion they took us to a private beach club and bought us all a drink. We spent about an hour on the beach. This was a great price compared to the cruise line excursion offered in Belize at $150 US. We returned to the port with plenty of time to check out the straw markets and try some local beer.
To learn more about the zip line on Isla Roatan check out www.southshorecanopy.com Tell them Sally and Norm from SAND Travel suggested them. We loved it and will do it again!
Carnival Cruise Line hosted two days in Tampa, Florida at the fabulous Embassy Suites downtown for ship tours. We toured the Carnival Inspiration and Legend. The Tampa Visitors Bureau gave us a tour of Tampa Aquarium. Very nice! I had never realized how silky soft the flipper of a stingray felt until our tour.
If you have any cigar aficionado’s in your life then Ybor City, Florida is a must visit for them! Ybor City was once the cigar capitol of the world. If you like craft beers check out the Tampa Brewery in Ybor City.
We found the beaches around Clearwater, Florida to be to our liking. Powdery white sand, palms for shade and nice wide beaches.
After touring the Carnival Legend we boarded her about a week later, after spending a great week in Key Largo, and headed for Cozumel Mexico. Cozumel is an interesting port in that there is plenty to do but it is somewhat touristy. We have rented a jeep and driven around the island before while visiting beaches and ancient ruins.
This time around we discovered Cozumel Massage. This is wonderful place in the center of the downtowns main street. It is a professional massage studio located at Av. Rafael E. Melgar # 471 Col. Centro. Check them out at www.cozumelmassage.net (make sure you use .net and not .com) Fantastic massage for only $40 US! Veronica owns and operates it. We opted for the deep tissue massage.
Our next stop on the cruise was Grand Cayman Island. This can be somewhat spendy here. Several people we met on the ship took excursions. Some opted for the “beach party” excursion. They were taken to a public beach area with nice lounge chairs which also included a drink for a cost of around $40 US.
My wife and I jumped on the public bus system for $2 each and got off at the same beach. Put our towels on the sand and swam in the same beautiful water. We then asked the folks renting snorkel equipment where the locals snorkeled. They told us to walk up the beach about ½ mile to Cemetery Beach to a great reef. My wife brought her own gear.
We had a wonderful walk up a fabulous beach and met some nice people staying at a private condo. They pointed out some great spots to see tons of fish. After great snorkeling we caught the bus back for $2. When we reached the port we even found a spot to sample free rum. We ended up taking a couple bottles with us.
Our next stop was Belize. Belize is very famous for its reefs. There are amazing diving and snorkeling opportunities here. There is also zip lining here too as well as tours of the area.
We stayed fairly low keyed here and opted to head outside the “cruise village” to an inexpensive internet café we had heard about. It was a short walk and cheap. It only cost us $1.75 for 45 minutes of fast internet connection. Then we walked through the local straw market and had a couple Belize beers at the Wet Lizard Tavern and Restaurant. www.thewetlizard.com/
Our next and final stop was Isla Roatan off Honduras. We really enjoyed this stop and took the zip line excursion here as we had heard it was the highest, longest and safest in the Caribbean. We ended up booking through a company online called Island Marketing. We only spent $52 US apiece for almost 2 hours of incredible zip lining.
After the zip line portion they took us to a private beach club and bought us all a drink. We spent about an hour on the beach. This was a great price compared to the cruise line excursion offered in Belize at $150 US. We returned to the port with plenty of time to check out the straw markets and try some local beer.
To learn more about the zip line on Isla Roatan check out www.southshorecanopy.com Tell them Sally and Norm from SAND Travel suggested them. We loved it and will do it again!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Are the Planes We Fly in Safe?
Imagine you're a pilot, and you're flying a Boeing 737 filled with more than 100 passengers. Suddenly, the gauges show that Engine No. 2 is in trouble, so you shut it off and start flying the plane on the other engine alone.
To Cut Costs, Airlines Send Repairs Abroad Oct. 19, 2009
That's a troubling enough scenario. But what if it's worse than that: What if it turns out that a mechanic mixed up the wires in the cockpit, not long before you took off — so your gauges are reversed and you actually turned off the one good engine?
Mechanics who had just repaired the plane at the Aeroman repair company in El Salvador had, in fact, crossed the wires on two engine indicators in the cockpit. NPR obtained internal US Airways documents that describe the incident, and a senior company executive confirmed it.
Mistakes In El Salvador
This is just one of at least three troubling maintenance mistakes that mechanics in El Salvador have made recently while fixing US Airways planes. There could be more. But airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration don't make maintenance problems public. NPR first learned about these incidents from mechanics at Aeroman and at US Airways.
Pressure To Hasten Repairs
"It's a great responsibility," one mechanic says, sitting under a cactus along a narrow road near San Salvador. "Our supervisors are constantly highlighting to us that our job is not a game. The life of 200, 250 people that are flying depends on us."
But the mechanics say managers keep pressuring them to fix the planes faster. For instance, if there's rust on a metal beam, but it's just a little over tolerance, "the supervisor says, 'Oh, just leave it like that,' " the mechanic says, through an interpreter. " 'There's no need to repair it.' "
Outsourcing Aircraft Maintenance
Nine major air carriers reviewed by the FAA's inspector general sent 71 percent of their heavy airframe maintenance checks to outside repair stations in 2007, up from 34 percent in 2003. Foreign repair stations got 19 percent of these major maintenance jobs in 2007. The work includes complete teardowns of aircraft.
The FAA requires that mechanics fix the planes according to the airline manuals — whether they're in the U.S. or overseas. But the mechanics at Aeroman say their supervisors often say that takes too much time.
One mechanic says that just a few days earlier, he and his colleagues were replacing a kind of rivet, commonly called a Hi-Lok, along the fuselage. The airline's manual said they should use a "shear" Hi-Lok that's carefully engineered to withstand a specific amount of pressure on a specific part of the plane. But the mechanic says Aeroman didn't have the right Hi-Loks on hand, so the supervisor told them to use "tension" Hi-Loks that weren't approved for that repair.
The mechanic says he resisted, because the wrong Hi-Loks "would cause, actually, a crack in the fuselage when there is turbulence." When the supervisor pressured him to use the incorrect part anyway, "I told him no, because the manual does not allow me to do that," he says. But the supervisor ordered him "to go ahead and install it, because we were in a hurry to turn around the airplane."
Another mechanic ticked off other problems at Aeroman. Some employees don't store glues at the required temperatures, he says. That means the glues could fail — which potentially means that parts of the airplane could fall apart.
And this mechanic says some workers can't even read the airlines' repair manuals. The manuals are written in English, but some mechanics at Aeroman can't read English including him.
FAA Inspections: No Surprise
In theory, FAA inspectors should catch these problems. The FAA is supposed to inspect every repair shop that fixes U.S. airplanes, in the U.S. and overseas. But the mechanics at Aeroman say FAA inspections are a joke, because the inspectors always tell management at Aeroman when they are going to show up — they do not do surprise inspections.
That means mechanics put the glues away in the proper temperature-controlled storage areas. They get rid of any unauthorized parts. "Then, the FAA won't ever find anything," the mechanic says. The inspector general's investigations have found that FAA inspectors never even showed up at some foreign repair stations, for as long as three to five years.
Legislative Action
Some aviation specialists and members of Congress say that as the industry cuts maintenance costs and other expenses, the margin of safety is getting thinner.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) is pushing legislation in Congress that would require the FAA to be tougher on foreign repair companies. "When you have a situation like this," McCaskill says, "and the company in El Salvador is going to make a lot more money if they can promise the planes out more quickly, then that is a dangerous stew that we are stirring."
In late September 2009, US Airways discovered another mistake at Aeroman: Mechanics mixed up the wires in the cockpit of another plane — the second case of crossed wiring in less than a week. Again, the gauges were connected to the wrong engines.
Here is a list of airlines that outsource their heavy airframe maintenance: AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, America West Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. http://pamablog.typepad.com/pama/outsourcedcontract_maintenance/
Links to this story:http://www.npr.mobi/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=113877784http://search1.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113877784&ps=cprshttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113942431
To Cut Costs, Airlines Send Repairs Abroad Oct. 19, 2009
That's a troubling enough scenario. But what if it's worse than that: What if it turns out that a mechanic mixed up the wires in the cockpit, not long before you took off — so your gauges are reversed and you actually turned off the one good engine?
Mechanics who had just repaired the plane at the Aeroman repair company in El Salvador had, in fact, crossed the wires on two engine indicators in the cockpit. NPR obtained internal US Airways documents that describe the incident, and a senior company executive confirmed it.
Mistakes In El Salvador
This is just one of at least three troubling maintenance mistakes that mechanics in El Salvador have made recently while fixing US Airways planes. There could be more. But airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration don't make maintenance problems public. NPR first learned about these incidents from mechanics at Aeroman and at US Airways.
Pressure To Hasten Repairs
"It's a great responsibility," one mechanic says, sitting under a cactus along a narrow road near San Salvador. "Our supervisors are constantly highlighting to us that our job is not a game. The life of 200, 250 people that are flying depends on us."
But the mechanics say managers keep pressuring them to fix the planes faster. For instance, if there's rust on a metal beam, but it's just a little over tolerance, "the supervisor says, 'Oh, just leave it like that,' " the mechanic says, through an interpreter. " 'There's no need to repair it.' "
Outsourcing Aircraft Maintenance
Nine major air carriers reviewed by the FAA's inspector general sent 71 percent of their heavy airframe maintenance checks to outside repair stations in 2007, up from 34 percent in 2003. Foreign repair stations got 19 percent of these major maintenance jobs in 2007. The work includes complete teardowns of aircraft.
The FAA requires that mechanics fix the planes according to the airline manuals — whether they're in the U.S. or overseas. But the mechanics at Aeroman say their supervisors often say that takes too much time.
One mechanic says that just a few days earlier, he and his colleagues were replacing a kind of rivet, commonly called a Hi-Lok, along the fuselage. The airline's manual said they should use a "shear" Hi-Lok that's carefully engineered to withstand a specific amount of pressure on a specific part of the plane. But the mechanic says Aeroman didn't have the right Hi-Loks on hand, so the supervisor told them to use "tension" Hi-Loks that weren't approved for that repair.
The mechanic says he resisted, because the wrong Hi-Loks "would cause, actually, a crack in the fuselage when there is turbulence." When the supervisor pressured him to use the incorrect part anyway, "I told him no, because the manual does not allow me to do that," he says. But the supervisor ordered him "to go ahead and install it, because we were in a hurry to turn around the airplane."
Another mechanic ticked off other problems at Aeroman. Some employees don't store glues at the required temperatures, he says. That means the glues could fail — which potentially means that parts of the airplane could fall apart.
And this mechanic says some workers can't even read the airlines' repair manuals. The manuals are written in English, but some mechanics at Aeroman can't read English including him.
FAA Inspections: No Surprise
In theory, FAA inspectors should catch these problems. The FAA is supposed to inspect every repair shop that fixes U.S. airplanes, in the U.S. and overseas. But the mechanics at Aeroman say FAA inspections are a joke, because the inspectors always tell management at Aeroman when they are going to show up — they do not do surprise inspections.
That means mechanics put the glues away in the proper temperature-controlled storage areas. They get rid of any unauthorized parts. "Then, the FAA won't ever find anything," the mechanic says. The inspector general's investigations have found that FAA inspectors never even showed up at some foreign repair stations, for as long as three to five years.
Legislative Action
Some aviation specialists and members of Congress say that as the industry cuts maintenance costs and other expenses, the margin of safety is getting thinner.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) is pushing legislation in Congress that would require the FAA to be tougher on foreign repair companies. "When you have a situation like this," McCaskill says, "and the company in El Salvador is going to make a lot more money if they can promise the planes out more quickly, then that is a dangerous stew that we are stirring."
In late September 2009, US Airways discovered another mistake at Aeroman: Mechanics mixed up the wires in the cockpit of another plane — the second case of crossed wiring in less than a week. Again, the gauges were connected to the wrong engines.
Here is a list of airlines that outsource their heavy airframe maintenance: AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, America West Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. http://pamablog.typepad.com/pama/outsourcedcontract_maintenance/
Links to this story:http://www.npr.mobi/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=113877784http://search1.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113877784&ps=cprshttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113942431
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