We all use vending machines for getting crackers, drinks and chips but you can also get some very unusual things at vending machines all over the world. In Singapore, you can get fillets of frozen salmon from the fjords of Norway at 61 locations. Ars-en-Ré, France has a vending machine that dispenses oysters in packages of two to five-dozen. The oyster lockers also offer other treats like paté and sea asparagus. Crab is such a popular dish in Japan and China you can get live crabs in a vending machine. They come with vinegar and ginger tea – essential accompaniments.
Cedar Creek, Texas has a great idea! They have a machine that is restocked daily with homemade full-sized pecan pies and other sweet pecan treats. It’s probably a good thing we don’t have that around here. A crepe vending machine has a home in Kobayashi, Japan near the dessert maker’s shop.
Potatoes have a special place in the cuisine of Belgium, Germany, France and Scotland. Potatoes (like our french fries) and onions can be found in vending machines all over.These fast food options are an economical way for farmers markets to extend hours without having to pay staff to be on duty. They also have fresh sliced bread as well as strawberry vending machines.
Another great idea is a “Cupcake ATM” which dispenses on of five flavors which change daily. The Cupcake ATM in Beverly Hills also stocks doggie treats. Or go to Aptos, California where they have a machine that will dispense a tray of 18 farm fresh eggs for $4 all while a chorus of animatronic chickens in seasonal attire cluck a version of Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood”. Much more entertaining than opening the refrigerator door at the grocery store. If you come across an Art-o-mat machine in the US, you can get a miniature masterpiece created by a local artist.
Dubai has a gift vending machine that has everything from scented candles to perfume and lingerie available at the touch of a button. It even comes out wrapped. In Japan you can feed your banana craving with a Dole banana from a machine. Or feed your intellectual side with a book vending machine in Singapore.
If you forget to take your bait when you go fishing, you might be lucky enough to be near a “Bait Bank” machine. These are stocked with minnows, mealworms, maggots, etc.
It seems that if people will buy it, it can be found somewhere in a vending machine. So, go out and explore our world and find a vending machine to feed your craving or need.
Does travel make you happy? For most of us it does. We enjoy discovering new cultures, new ideas, new people and new food. Travel gives us the pleasure of discovery and the joy of meeting new people. It connects us to history of ourselves and our world.
Travel expands our mind and our spirit. It is usually a wonderful educational experience to meet new people with different ideas, different foods, or a different outlook on life. You can find vibrant cultures and cities or quiet beautiful countryside. Traveling is one of the best ways to learn more about yourself. Every day traveling brings a new set of issues and opportunities. The way you handle those also gives you insight into who you are. You’ll know yourself and your ability to handle things better, and with a fresh perspective on what you want out of life.
We see things through an expanded understanding of our world. If I had never been to Africa, I would never have appreciated running water as much as I do now. I would never have understood some of the hardships others face, thus giving me an appreciation of all I have. There are so many other cultures, landscapes, ideas and experiences available around the world and our own country. We just have to go there and open our minds to other experiences.
In our own country, we can experience history, the big cities, the small rural towns, the vast countryside. We can see beautiful waterfalls, visit museums and art galleries, ride horses in the water or in the fields. We can have a gourmet meal or local cuisine. We can experience many beautiful or fun things – the Grand Canyon, the family reaction to a funny happening, etc. Making memories is experiencing the joy in discovery or sharing the simple things with others.
Recalling memories of happiness can sustain a feeling of contentment long after the moment has passed. New experiences are memories that can stick with you forever. Every destination or experience has something to teach or remember. Immersing yourself in what you are doing is a great learning experience.
So, plan an experience now! You will learn many things!
I want to share a link that has the vast majority of travel related companies policies regarding the Virus. This is a link to a page on our website that is constantly updates with the latest information.
I have posted a bit about our home theatre set up in a couple of posts about new equipment, but this is about the overall system. This is not a surround sound movie watching system. It is a very well developed two channel stereo music system, that happens to have a video monitor.
The speakers are two pairs of Dahlquist DQ-10’s that have been mirror imaged and stacked into frames I built about 35 years ago. The speakers have every available mod done to them, along with driver rebuilds over the years. Of all the components in the system, these are the constant, I have listened to a great many systems over the years, and have yet to come across speakers that have the extended frequency range, low distortion, ability to image and ungodly dynamics of these. There are other reproducers that may excel in a small degree, but none do it all like the DQ-10’s. Large scale orchestral, choir, chamber music, vocal, jazz, even rock are all reproduced as recorded. There is also an SVS subwoofer that handles the low bass from about 80hz down to 18hz. This does relieve the main panels from having to do a lot of low bass work, thereby lowering distortion.
The primary electronics are all Emotiva. The power amps are XPA-1’s which produce a kilowatt into the 4 ohm load of the stacked DQ’s. The speakers are famous for requiring a lot of power and high current. Having that much available power means that there is never an issue with reproducing what ever dynamics are called for, yet the first watt is about the cleanest I have ever heard with the exception of some dedicated low power class A tube amps.
The preamp is a two channel XSP-1, and the DAC is a XDA-2. One of the primary points for me was that all analog signal paths in the equipment are fully balanced. Even the power amps are balanced all the way to the speakers. This results in a noise floor that is inaudible at any level.
The two other posts detail the other equipment in the system, so I won’t go over it again. The display is the last of the Panasonic Plasma TV’s. Six years ago when I acquired it, it put any LCD set to shame. Deep blacks and shadow detail, along with beautiful and subtle color. Of course since then the OLED displays have overtaken this set in so many ways, yet until it breaks completely it will stay in the system.
It has been a work in process for over four decades, but it has now come to the point that I am very satisfied, and see no further upgrades unless something dies irreparably . About all that I will do now is acoustic tweaks to the room and listening environment.
In our business, we get to try lots of ships and preview many more. We do our best not to sail on any given ship more than once or twice. It’s important that we have a broad base of knowledge about the offerings from all the cruise lines. In this way we can speak from personal experience about the ship, crew, dining, and entertainment.
During the first week of December this year, Deedee and I had the privilege of being invited to an inaugural sailing of the new Sky Princess and to attend the naming ceremony after the cruise. This was a short three day cruise for the travel advisor and trade press community, so they were obviously putting their best foot forward. Having said that, this is an awesome ship.
In many ways it is a new look for Princess. Much cooler colors tending towards blues and muted tans instead of the dark woods and browns of the older ships. A very pleasing new color scheme without moving away from the understated elegance that Princess has always eschewed.
Our cabin on this cruise was a balcony on deck 17 mid ship on the port side. A category BD for those of you that follow such things. Again a much cooler color scheme than before. First thing is the bed. Not sure what they have done, but it was the best sleep we have had in a long time. Not to stiff, not too soft, just right. The duvet has a sheet under it which made Deedee very happy. The bathroom was not huge, but the shower was a reasonable size, although still with that damn shower curtain. The closet and drawers were redesigned, with much better ability to organize stuff. This is one of the better additions to the cabin. A decent sized desk with lots of outlets and USB ports plus some beside the bed. Yeah!! No couch in the balcony cabins, you have to go to a mini-suite or above for that. Decent sized balcony fo two people. Overall, very pleased with the cabin.
A unique feature with Princess is the Ocean Medallion. This little disc comes to you a couple of weeks before you board and is your ticket to everything that is available on the ship. Boarding is so much simpler, because you just walk up to the desk, the system reads your medallion and its done. From there, you show it at the ship and you’re in. The medallion opens your cabin door when you get very close. The little screen welcomes you and as you approach the door the door handle has a red ring. When recognition is complete that ring turns green and the door is unlocked. The medallion is your onboard purchases device, and works with the ocean medallion app. We were at the adult pool and wanted a drink. We called up the app, ordered the drinks and the waiter brought them right to us a few minutes later. This works because the system knows where you are. Meeting up with friends is also a snap, as the app can tell you where other folks in your party are on the ship. Very cool tech, and it works as advertised the majority of the time.
I also have to comment on the ship’s wifi. Best I have ever had on a ship. Now compared to land based broadband, thats not saying much, but it is reliable, and Princess doesn’t charge by the hour or gigabyte. It’s open and running 24/7. Wifi calling on the phone worked perfectly, and email and most online websites did as well. It is still satellite based, so there is a good deal of latency. When lots of people are on it, it can get SLOW, but that’s just how the technology works.
All of the mainline large cruise ship providers now spend a lot of time and funds on the entertainment piece. Princess is certainly no exception. The broadway shows we saw were outstanding. Full of energy and great dancing. Singers were first rate. There was a show based on video games that I wasn’t certain I would like, but in fact was dazzling with the sets and visuals, and very entertaining. Comedy shows were excellent with several very good comics highlighted.
On a three day cruise, there wasn’t nearly enough time to try all the dining venues, plus we had some times we had to eat with our Cruise Planners group. We did try the buffet on the Lido deck, and it was very good. Pretty much like every other buffet on a ship. Two pizza places. One in the atrium, and the other on Lido. Of course an ice cream spot. The specialty restaurant we did get to try was Sabatini’s. We are both suckers for great Italian food. Our previous encounter on the Crown Princess left a bit to be desired. Princess has revamped the menu, and it was excellent. The dishes leaned a bit towards the Tuscan region with a smattering of Southern Italy and Sicilian available. Well prepared with great presentation, along with a wonderful wine selection. Excellent, attentive staff. Hopefully the Crown Grill measures up.
The main dining rooms were very stylish with the new color schemes and decor. Excellent service for dinner and breakfast. The menu’s were very good with delightful pairings of dishes and wines. No issues at all.
A common problem on most ships is the lack of deck chairs around the pools and decks. On the Sky, we never felt like we were squeezed out of finding a couple of places to sit, even on sea days. The adult pool on deck 17 was by far our favorite. There were not a lot of kids on board, but we never saw one at the adult pool. In fact, this is not really a ship to entertain children. No water slides, or laser tag. There is a kids area, but its all interior space. Lots of eateries and bars all over the outside areas, and of course you can get just about anything brought to you with your medallion.
OK, I admit to being a classical music fan, and somewhat of a scotch snob, so having an amazing string quartet, and a wee dram in the atrium every evening before dinner was an absolute joy. The ladies were from the Eastern Europe countries, and were conservatory trained. It showed. The ensemble playing was superb, and the selections from Mozart to Bussoni, plus some more popular tunes were performed with emotion and precision. Did I mention that the Macallan 15 was very good as well.
Not being a gambler, the casino was not a big deal for us, however it was fairly large and looked like it had a great variety of table games and machines.
Bottom line. This is likely the best ship in the Princess fleet at the moment. Next year, the Enchanted Princess launches in Europe and is the sister ship to the Sky. As with any ship and crew, there were a few hiccups, but the overall experience was absolutely top notch. This is a ship that, as travel advisors, we will have no problem recommending to our clients.
Its not often that I absolutely love a product, but this is one of those cases. I will say that unless you have the specific need for a USB to SP/DIF digital audio converter, then don’t bother to read on. This product solves a very specific problem.
I had been using a Mac Mini for many years as the hub of our home theatre. The optical output of the Mac went straight into the DAC, and the sound was very good to excellent with that setup. The Mac died, and i decided to build a new HTPC from scratch. This computer is running Linux, so there can be some issues with interface. In this case the DAC was old enough that the USB audio out from the computer wouldn’t talk to the DAC. I didn’t want to go spend a lot of money on a new one, so I went looking for a new solution.
I had heard about Schiit Audio for some time, as a company that builds outstanding audio products that fill specific niches in the market. As it turns out they built this little box that did just one thing. It takes the USB audio feed and converts it to a coaxial SP/DIF signal to feed to a DAC. My assumption was that it would do just that. I was not expecting the WOW improvement to the sound of the system.
After putting it in the system and configuring some settings in the Ubuntu audio system, I started listening. From the very first recording I knew this was special. Everything sounded cleaner with more definition and coherence. The image tightened up to the point that every instrument or voice was in the right place and the right spacial size. Now understand, the system imaged well before, but now it was just flat amazing. I had been mostly listing to high def FLAC files because they seemed to sound so much better than CD rebook issues. With this gadget, even standard 44.1/16 FLAC files sound wonderful (if its a well recorded.).
So whats going on inside? Just connect your USB source to Eitr’s USB input, and connect Eitr’s coaxial SPDIF output to any DAC that accepts coaxial input. Now, you have complete isolation from source to DAC, together with a superb, low-jitter coaxial SPDIF interface for bit depths and sample rates up to 24/192. The Eitr features the same unique Gen 5 USB input technology as in our upgradable DACs. It’s simply the highest-performance USB input available today, with complete electrostatic and electromagnetic isolation (via transformers), self-power of all critical low-noise and reclocking sections, and separate, precision clock sources for both 44.1 and 48kHz multiples. (And if you don’t understand the technobabble, here’s the point: it works great and sounds great, too.)
If you need this, buy it cause its the best, and a bargain at 99 bucks. I would suggest you do it soon, as the product is on there list to be discontinued. Thank you Schiit Audio for a superb product.
Keep your cruise papers organized. Carry a few magnets with you on your cruise. The walls of your cabin are magnetic and you can use the magnets to keep the paper you need for that day out of the stack.
The bathrooms could benefit from a scented air freshener so bring one with you (not candles or anything that needs to be lit). You can hang it on the shower or towel bar and help cut down on bathroom smells.
There is room under the bed where you can store your suitcases. Some lines store extra linen there but you should be able to put most of your luggage under the bed.
Bed configuration should be specified before your cruise but if you find it is not to your liking when you get there, you can ask your cabin steward to have it changed. They can be single beds or queen/king bed.
Other furniture in the room is pretty set with where it is. Most tables, etc. are heavily weighted so the don’t move in rougher seas.
The tap water in the cabin is safe to drink. Ship’s water systems go through rigorous filtration and testing which is overseen by U.S. And European health agencies. So, you don’t need to carry lots of bottled water.
Expect a little smaller room than your average hotel room. But they have it well arranged to utilize the space you have as well as lots of storage nooks.
History buffs have a lot of historic sites to visit in South Carolina. From Fort Sumter to Parris Island, South Carolina is absolutely brimming with Civil War and American history.
We have the site of the first shot of the Civil War in Charleston at Fort Sumter National Monument. The National Monument also includes the Visitor Center on Patriots Point and Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island. The Fort Sumter National Memorial is a fascinating look into the beginning of that war. There are preserved elements at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie with still standing artillery and other historic items. A visit to the Charleston Museum will give you a better understanding of the importance of these sites. It has an exhibit called “City Under Siege” which gives interesting details about what lead to the secession and the battle at Fort Sumter. While you are in Charleston, the Secessionville Historic District on James Island is a collection of sites and structures relevant to the Civil War.
No Civil War history would be complete without a visit to River Bridge State Historic Site. It is on a 400 acre site about seven miles from Ehrhardt. You can do a walking tour which lets you view the mostly intact Civil War fortifications and the cemetery.
Even our State House in Columbia has Civil War significance. It narrowly avoided complete destruction during Sherman’s march in 1865. The building has six bronze stars marking where artillery batteries hit the building.
The SC State Museum in Columbia features a Confederate Relic room, a Military Museum, as well as an impressive Civil War collection. There is a replica of the H.L. Hundley submarine (you can see the original in Charleston), several copies of the original Ordnance of Secession as well as plenty of authentic artifacts.
At the Parris Island Museum at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot near Beaufort, you can get an in-depth look into several Civil War conflicts taking place around the Port Royal Sound area. There are several Confederate Museums in SC. The Confederate Museum in Charleston houses a collection of Civil War goods and items. Greenville is home to the South Carolina Confederate Museum. Myrtle Beach is home to the South Carolina Civil War Museum which features authentic firearms, uniforms, and other artifacts.
There is lots of history in our state offering in depth looks into the era and you can have fun learning.
Why would you want to consider an all-inclusive resort for your vacation? At all-inclusive resorts, you can enjoy everything they have to offer at no additional cost. You know what your vacation will cost and there are no surprises when checking out, as you might have on a cruise. All meals, even speciality restaurants, water activities, shows, entertainment, drinks and pools are included in the price. The only exception is spa treatments and some motorized water sports. Pick your all-inclusive based on what you want to do for a fabulous vacation!
Each all-inclusive brand offers different amenities. Some have swim-up rooms where you can swim from your room terrace to the main pool. Some have butler service or concierge service. Most have 24 hour room service. Some have in-suite plunge pools, Jacuzzi, and in-suite rain showers or outdoor private showers. You can have a destination wedding of your dreams or a fantastic honeymoon. You can go snorkeling, windsurfing, surfing, diving, fishing, play basketball, beach volleyball, or bocce ball, take language lessons, cooking classes have a cookout on the beach, go whale watching, watch turtles hatch and go into the ocean, participate in special parties like dance parties, watch a movie under the stars on the beach, go to eco-parks, have a private dinner on the beach, etc.
If it isn’t an all adult resort, there are family rooms and clubs for children which offer many activities and family time. There are activities just for children from camping on the beach, video games, and sports to learning a new language or learning to cook.
It can be confusing to compare all the different all inclusive brands and all inclusive individual hotels. The choice is enormous and each island, city, or country usually only have a few of the brands. You can do the research yourselves, or call your travel advisor for help. If you find the right all-inclusive you can have a vacation with a lifetime of wonderful memories!
Traveling alone can be intimidating, especially if you are a woman. There are a few safety precautions you use at home but it is good to review them before you travel, whether to another city, take a cruise, or travel to other country. Being aware of your surroundings and planning ahead will go a long way to make your trip an enjoyable, safe one.
Make sure you have photocopies of any travel documents you need and keep them with you. It is also a good idea to make electronic copies of them and email them to yourself. The electronic copy ensures you have them even if you misplace the photocopies.
Traveling with a group is the safest way to travel. You don’t have to stay with the group for everything but if you are sightseeing, find a tour or several other like-minded women who can go together. There is safety in numbers.
It’s OK to talk to locals. If you don’t, you will loose the flavor of the area you are in. Men are OK to talk to, just pick the right man in the right situation. If there are others around or he is with a family, that’s fine.
In Europe if you look at someone in the face, they accept that as you are willing to talk. Wear shades and you don’t have to worry about it. If you don’t want to talk to them, tell them firmly NO and walk off. A wedding band is somewhat of a deterrent.
Act with confidence as if you are comfortable wherever you are. Protect your purse or wallet at all times. In a restaurant, hook the straps in the leg of your chair or keep your purse on your lap.
By using common sense, making good decisions, and above all else, having confidence in yourself and your ability to travel on your own, you’ll be rewarded with rich experiences ― and great stories to tell your friends.
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