Anyone got any travel planned?

[Souschef]

For fun, you may want to take the Lahina to Kanapaali sugar train.

 

[CoolChange]

São Paulo (city), Brazil

I will be heading to downtown São Paulo for a couple of weeks next month, mostly business.

I am hoping to have one weekend mostly free and would welcome any suggestions to those who have been. Please consider that I speak no Portuguese and very little Spanish.

Thanks in advance.

 

[audreyh1]

To celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary we splurged and spent a few nights at Napili Kai on Maui. Here was the view from our lanai (room balcony) - actually, a view of Lanai from our lanai! It was fabulous.

 

[Souschef]

I will be heading to downtown São Paulo for a couple of weeks next month, mostly business.

I am hoping to have one weekend mostly free and would welcome any suggestions to those who have been. Please consider that I speak no Portuguese and very little Spanish.

Thanks in advance.

I suggest a little book called "Just Enough Portuguese" from Amazon .It is small and fits in your pocket. It has sections for various things and at the beginning are common expressions

 

[check6]

To celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary we splurged and spent a few nights at Napili Kai on Maui. Here was the view from our lanai (room balcony) - actually, a view of Lanai from our lanai! It was fabulous.

You did take the ferry over to Lanai's Menele Bay didn't you, rent a jeep and drive over to Ship Wreck Beach?

 

[audreyh1]

You did take the ferry over to Lanai's Menele Bay didn't you, rent a jeep and drive over to Ship Wreck Beach?

Nope, didn't drive around much except up and down Haleakala a couple of times before going over to the West Maui beaches. Maybe some other time.

 

[braumeister]

I will be heading to downtown São Paulo for a couple of weeks next month, mostly business.

I am hoping to have one weekend mostly free and would welcome any suggestions to those who have been. Please consider that I speak no Portuguese and very little Spanish.

In my experience, downtown São Paulo has the highest population of pickpockets I've ever seen. They are very, very good at it, so be extremely conscious of the people around you when walking about.

OTOH, you'll also find just about every kind of ethnic restaurant you can imagine, and the food will generally be excellent.

Do try to learn at least a few general purpose Portuguese phrases; it will be very helpful. But don't use whatever Spanish you know -- that's a no-no in Brazil.

 

[simple girl]

I will be heading to downtown São Paulo for a couple of weeks next month, mostly business.

I am hoping to have one weekend mostly free and would welcome any suggestions to those who have been. Please consider that I speak no Portuguese and very little Spanish.

Thanks in advance.

If you have time, catch a flight and go see Iguazu Falls.

Iguazu Falls


It's one of my most favorite trips of all time.

We paid for a private tour guide which involved pick up at the airport, transport to/from hotel, and transport to the falls on both sides (Brazil and Argentina). We hiked around the falls - absolutely stunning. We also took a boat tour (thrilling!) that took us right up to and then even underneath the Devil's Throat falls.

 

[CoolChange]

If you have time, catch a flight and go see Iguazu Falls....

This is actually on my bucket list; but, I doubt if I'll have the time to venture that far out on this trip, not anticipating nearly enough down time for my liking.

 

[braumeister]

This is actually on my bucket list; but, I doubt if I'll have the time to venture that far out on this trip, not anticipating nearly enough down time for my liking.

I agree that Foz de Iguaçu would be quite a trip. However, for something completely different, one of my favorite little towns is in the state of São Paulo, about ⅓ of the way toward Rio de Janeiro. Campos Do Jordão is a delightful little "touristy" town in the mountains, and when you get there you could easily think you're in the Swiss Alps.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g303607-Campos_Do_Jordao_State_of_Sao_Paulo-Vacations.html

 

[Nemo2]

You didn't ask for them, you didn't want them......but here are our boring pics anyway:

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...63&authkey=!AK680jsNmqV3AwU&ithint=folder,JPG
(As usual, click on first pic then use side arrows.)

 

[Fedup]

I like the pictures that I may visit Spain and Portugal some day. Not this time though.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Nemo2]

If anyone encounters problems with the previous link, this one may be preferable:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nJfrr5eyTD_gHq-QVvMVhFI_BfrORXuZNVJCkAyoD_s/edit?usp=sharing

Hit 'Present' top right corner, then the arrows or space bar to advance.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Amazing photos, Nemo. I am stealing your itinerary for next spring.

 

[Nemo2]

Amazing photos, Nemo. I am stealing your itinerary for next spring.

You might want to visit northern Spain just a wee bit later than we did, maybe even a couple weeks so that the rain's done.

 

[explanade]

When did you go? They said go in mid July to minimize the chances of rain but it's generally a wet region.

There is suppose to be a variety of terrains, like beach villages, mountainous regions, etc.

San Sebastian looks pricey.

 

[Nemo2]

When did you go? They said go in mid July to minimize the chances of rain but it's generally a wet region.

We just got back on April 24......wetter, but less tourists.

There is suppose to be a variety of terrains, like beach villages, mountainous regions, etc.

We didn't hit the north coast.......after years of a misspent juvenescence spent hanging around beaches, they, like me, have diminished in appeal.

San Sebastian looks pricey.

Tourist town, close to France....

 

[Moemg]

Great photos !Nemo

 

[ohyes]

You didn't ask for them, you didn't want them......but here are our boring pics anyway:

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...63&authkey=!AK680jsNmqV3AwU&ithint=folder,JPG
(As usual, click on first pic then use side arrows.)

While I did not know I wanted them, I did.

Loved your photos!!

Thanks for sharing. I am going back to see if you shared information on how you arranged your trip.....would so love to do something similar....

 

[Ronstar]

Great photos, Nemo! Thanks for sharing.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Nemo2]

I am going back to see if you shared information on how you arranged your trip.....would so love to do something similar....

Our next jaunt, leaving here on Halloween evening, is, apart from the day trips out of Malaga for the 18 days or so before we catch a westbound transatlantic*, pretty much finalized........but today we placed a deposit on this:

16 nights departing May 9, 2017 on
Pullmantur's Monarch


Cheapest Inside $275
55+ Rate $261
Cheapest Oceanview $415
55+ Rate $394

Cheapest Balcony $695
55+ Rate $660
Cheapest Suite $695
55+ Rate $660

Click for additional rates: Singles Rates
No brochure rates were provided by Pullmantur. The prices shown are US dollars per person, based on double occupancy, and subject to availability.Select alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are included with this itinerary. Prices do not include port charges, government taxes or fees, airfare or (where applicable) airport taxes and fees.

ITINERARY

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART
Tue May 9 Puerto Limon, Costa Rica 4:00pm
Wed May 10 Colon, Panama 7:30am 3:30pm
Thu May 11 Cartagena, Colombia 11:00am 8:00pm
Fri May 12 At Sea
Sat May 13 At Sea
Sun May 14 St. Maarten 10:00am 6:00pm
Mon May 15 Antigua 8:00am 6:00pm
Tue May 16 At Sea
Wed May 17 At Sea
Thu May 18 At Sea
Fri May 19 At Sea
Sat May 20 At Sea
Sun May 21 At Sea
Mon May 22 At Sea
Tue May 23 Funchal, Madeira, Portugal 8:00am
Wed May 24 At Sea
Thu May 25 Lisbon, Portugal 7:00am

(*Since we're getting old(er)......OK, OK, since I'm getting old(er), we find that using these repositioning cruises as buses is waaay more comfortable than flying, and if it wasn't for the time frames/unavailability we'd take them in both directions.)

At this point, (subject to possible drastic change), we're contemplating arriving in Lisbon with minimal luggage and freewheeling from there......i.e. grabbing a local bus/train to a small town and looking for accommodation when we arrive......rinse & repeat.

When driving a car it's not much of a problem, but using public transport at my (our) age it could turn out to be untenable....(and a PITA).

To be continued.......

 

[MichaelB]

Well, looks like DW and I will be going to Italy next year.

Good thing I didn't get around to paying for the airfare, there has been a change of plans. Since our last family get together there is one new grandchild and another on the way, we don't live near each other so not everyone has been formally introduced. So, instead of an Italian get-away for 2, we are now hosting a family get together - one week cruising around the Caribbean Sea.

I'm not a big fan of boats and water but I do enjoy getting the family together, so this'll be a blast.

 

[audreyh1]

Good thing I didn't get around to paying for the airfare, there has been a change of plans. Since our last family get together there is one new grandchild and another on the way, we don't live near each other so not everyone has been formally introduced. So, instead of an Italian get-away for 2, we are now hosting a family get together - one week cruising around the Caribbean Sea.

I'm not a big fan of boats and water but I do enjoy getting the family together, so this'll be a blast.

Congratulations on the grandchildren. Getting together on a boat for a week sounds like a great way to do it.

 

[audreyh1]

I'm starting to work on an early fall southern France and part of Spain trip.

We'll fly to AMS to visit family first, then fly to Lyon to start the trip. Fly back to US from Barcelona. Want to visit Provence and Riviera in France, and probably Andalucía as well as Barcelona in Spain.

Now I just need to start filing in the details!

 

[explanade]

Those are all great places. Never saw them together though, broke them up into several trips 1-2 week trips.

Lyon won some designation as the best-lit city in Europe.