Friday Night Fish Fry- Oistins, Barbados

I first read about Oistins Fish Fry a few years back when considering a visit to Barbados. 

We decided to go elsewhere that time but I never forgot about this weekly event. 

When we decided to go to Barbados in April, it was at the top of my list for things to do!

Traffic in Oistins

Oistins is a fishing village in the southern part of Barbados. It also has some beaches and is well known to locals and tourists alike for it's Friday night Fish Fry. The fish fry gets really crowded and stalls sell all types of fish (grilled or fried) like tuna, swordfish, mahi-mahi- flying fish, shrimps and many others. There is also music blasting, booths selling various crafts and locals hanging out and playing dominoes.

Riding the ZR

We decided to take the bus to the fish fry. We read that the road would be full of traffic once we got close to the village but it didn't take too long to arrive. When we got to the bus stop, a van called a ZR pulled up. It was packed with people going to Oistins and we decided to squeeze in. (A ZR is a privately owned van that legally runs the local bus routes)

Riding in the ZR was a fun experience in itself. Reggae music was blasting and there wasn't a bit of empty space but this didn't seem to disturb a sleeping baby. I was holding Lucas in a carrier and he slept through all of the fun!

We had read in the Lonely Planet guide that Pat's Place was the stall to eat at. Based on the amazing aroma in the air, huge crowds and long lines, it seemed like a great choice. We got on line but were then offered a seat by one of the waitresses. This was definitely a mistake. It took her about 10 minutes to find a spot for us. She then disappeared for a while before coming back to take our orders. I am pretty sure we could've stayed on line and been served much faster.

Pat's Menu

The grill at Pat's

After waiting for what seemed like forever, our food finally came. 

Kim ordered flying fish (Barbados' official national fish) which was very good asides from the bones you had to watch out for. I had shrimp which were rubbery- I would not recommend them. Each dish comes with a plate full of sides- rice & peas, macaroni pie, french fries and some salads. Each plate cost $30 Barbados which is $15US. 

Flying Fish

I am glad that we got to check out the Oistins Fish Fry but was not impressed with the food. However, it is still a fun event well worth checking out.

American Airlines 10% Off Codes Giveaway- Two Available

I have two American Airlines 10% off codes (good for up to 6 people) to give away. 

I totally forgot that I had the codes, but a post by Million Mile Secrets reminded me that they were expiring soon and I could not make use of them.

The codes each have different book by & travel by dates:

• Code 1: Book by 5/4/12, Travel by 5/11/12
• Code 2: Book by 5/15/12, Travel by 5/21/12

Terms: 

• Codes good for round trip flight (no open jaw) booked on AA.com
• Good for travel to/ from any airports
• Good for one time use per code

Leave a comment (with your e-mail) to enter my give away

Contest Ends 4/30/12

 

An EASY 2,000 Priority Club Points

Here is a way to earn an easy 2,000 Priority Club Points

To earn the points you will need to complete online profiles for Priority Club Shopping, Dining & Cruises. You will also need to register your credit or debit card with Shopping & Dining. 

The price to pay for the points is a few minutes of your time and receiving e-mails from Priority Club.

**An additional 1,000 points can be earned through the Dining program for spending $30 on a single dine at a participating restaurant within 45 days.

The Offer (from the Priority Club site) :

1,000 Points-Shop: 

Reward yourself every time you shop. Earn up to 20 points for every dollar spent at over 600 of your favorite online retailers. Earn 500 bonus points when you set your account to receive special offer emails. Plus, register any of your credit or debit cards to earn an additional 500 bonus points and maximize your point earning opportunities at participating retail store locations

500 Points- Dine: 

The Priority Club Dining program rewards you for going to your choice of thousands of participating restaurants, bars or clubs – including many of your favorites. Earn 500 bonus points and 5 points per dollar spent when you complete your online profile, plus earn 1,000 points when you spend $30 on a single dine at a participating restaurant, bar or club within 45 days. Simply register your credit or debit card – the rest happens automatically

500 Points- Cruise: 

Reserve any stateroom on any sailing on the world's top cruise lines through Priority Club Cruises and you'll earn points based on the length of your itinerary - up to 20,000 points. Register to receive Deal Emails from Priority Club Cruises to earn 500 bonus points and be among the first to learn about sales and the hottest new offers.

Offer ends May 31, 2012 

Sign up HERE 

United MileagePlus: 250,000 Miles Away Sweepstakes

United Mileage Plus Shopping is running a sweepstakes that is giving away a lot of miles.
You can earn multiple entries for the contest.

The Prizes:

• One Grand Prize of 100,000 Miles (approximate value $3500)
• One Prize of 50,000 Miles (approx. value $1750)
• Four Prizes of 25,000 Miles (approx. value $875)

Open to legal residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia
Must be member of MileagePlus and at least 18 years old at times of entry
Sweepstakes ends May 4, 2012

Enter the contest HERE

Lufthansa- Assemble Your Own 747-8 & Win 2 Tickets

On the new Lufthansa website you can put together your own virtual Boeing 747-8 (the latest generation of the new jumbo) from digital 3-D components.

This sounds similar to a really neat site Boeing had a while back where you could Design Your Own Dreamliner which was addicting and lots of fun!

By registering on the Lufthansa 747-8 site you will have an opportunity to win 2 tickets to fly on the new 747-8 and some other prizes!

All participants that complete the virtual machine will have a chance to win:

• Two tickets for a flight on the new jumbo
• One of two exclusive, limited edition 747-8 chronograph watches
• Bath Towel
• Coffee Mug

Some Rules:

• Entry available to anyone 18 and over
• Not open to participants from Italy
• Competition ends 6/1/12

 Enter the contest and build your Lufthansa 747-8 HERE

Shop For A Hat, Get in the Local Paper- Vienna, Austria

Authentic Alpine Hat

One of my favorite souvenirs to buy while traveling is hats. I wrote about this in my post about my purchase of a Tarboosh in Egypt. (You can read the post here)

On my trip to Vienna, my must buy souvenir was a Traditional Alpine Hat. 

After visiting a store which sold traditional clothing and hats near Hofburg Palace, I decided that a nice, authentic hat was out of my price range. I'd have to start looking in regular souvenir shops and hope to find a good imitation.

I decided to check out a couple of touristy stores later that day and was pleased to find some good looking hats in the $15-$20 range. I found a hat that I was interested in. I was trying it on and looking in the mirror when a man came in and motioned like he was taking a picture with his camera and said "Click Click" to me. I shrugged and said sure, a bit confused why he wanted a picture of me trying on the hat.

Traditional Alpine Hat purchase

A moment later Kim noticed another man walk into the store holding a small notebook. He came over to us and said that he worked for a newspaper called Kurier. He was writing an article about tourism in Vienna and wanted to ask me a few questions. He told us that the article would be in the paper the following day! 

Cover of the paper I was in

The first thing I did the following day was go to a newsstand and buy a couple of copies of the paper. I was thrilled to see a photo of me (wearing the hat) in the paper but I had one problem, I could'nt read the article since it was not written in English!

Awesome picture from Kurier

I had planned to ask someone at our hostel to translate and read the article to us. Later in the day we stopped by McDonald's for a snack. While we were eating, a young, local guy sat near us. I asked if he spoke English, which he did and showed him the article. He looked at the photos, looked back at me and was like no way, that's you. He was smiling and laughing and went on to read us the article.

I don't remember exactly what I said for the little interview, but I remember saying something like- Vienna is cool!

My Top 5 Animal Encounters

I was asked by travel clothing company SCOTTEVEST/ SeV to write an article for their weekly Pocket Guide newsletter. I am happy to announce that this post will be featured there!

My wife and I are both animal lovers, so when traveling we always look for opportunities to see wildlife in their natural habitat.  I've had many amazing experiences and thought creating a Top 5 list would be a lot of fun! Here are some of my favorite animal experiences from around the world.

#5 The Giraffe Center- Nairobi, Kenya

Our First Kiss

I've read about and seen Giraffe Manor on television a few times. When I booked my trip to Kenya, I was really hoping to visit. (The Giraffe Manor is a hotel with beautiful grounds. While eating meals, the Giraffes might pop their heads through the windows to join you.)

I looked into visiting but it was not in the budget. However, I saw that there was another option- The Giraffe Center. The center offers great, close-up interactions, an open feeding platform where you could check out the giraffes at their eye level and is the only place that I know where you get the chance to kiss a giraffe!

Find out more about The Giraffe Center HERE

#4 Snorkeling with Turtles- Folkestone Marine Reserve, Barbados

On our recent trip to Barbados I really wanted to go snorkeling with the giant sea turtles.  I didn't expect to get to go since we were traveling with a newborn.We were told that children must be at least 2 years old to go out on these trips. I gave up hope but then when we visited the Folkestone Marine Reserve we were approached by a friendly guy asking if we were interested in seeing the turtles. Hope was renewed- my wife and I could take turns snorkeling while the other watched the baby. 

We decided to give it a shot and had a glass bottom boat all to ourselves. There were lots of turtles in the water, which was crystal clear and made for amazing viewing. The turtles were all different sizes, some pretty huge and they came swimming right up to us.

#3 Elephant Nature Park- Chiang Mai province, Thailand

While researching things to do on a trip to Thailand, I came across the Elephant Nature Park. 

The park is a sanctuary and rescue center for elephants. It also runs programs to educate people about the issues Asian elephants face. The trip was an incredible experience. 

We started the day stopping to pick up fruit for the elephants at a local market. After the drive through the countryside we arrived at the park and had the opportunity to feed elephants of all ages and sizes from a viewing platform. I kept going back to feed the babies which were so cute. We also heard the stories of many of the rescued elephants and also learned about the problems they face in Asia. It was great to see them in such a giving and caring place.

After lunch, we had a chance to bathe the elephants in the river. They gave us some safety instructions and then we were off to scrub away. 

Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine that I'd be scrubbing the back of an elephant. I hope that I didn't forget to wash behind their ears!

Find out about Elephant Nature Park HERE

#2 Swimming & Snorkeling with Manatees- Crystal River, Florida

While reading Nat Geo Adventure Magazine, I came across an article about kayaking with manatees in Florida. I did a little research online and found out that you could also swim with them! In fact, Crystal River is the only place in the world where it is legal to do so.

We ended up spending two days in the area- day one we got to swim and snorkel with the manatees, on day two we did a kayaking trip.

While kayaking was fun, the snorkeling was amazing! The manatees were very friendly and curious. Once I entered the water, this friendly manatee swam right over to me. At first you wonder if this is a smart thing to be doing- manatees weight around 1,000 pounds. However, they are harmless and the simplest splash can startle them and cause them to swim away.

If you are interested in swimming & kayaking with manatees, find out more HERE.

#1 Trekking With Mountain Gorillas- Bwindie Impenetrable Forest, Uganda

This isn't just my #1 animal experience, it might be one of the most memorable travel experiences I've ever had! Trekking with mountain gorillas is a unique experience which can only be done in 3 countries in the world. It's estimated that there are less than 800 left and I got to see about 15 of them!

This is an extremely expensive experience- permits cost around $500 for a chance to visit the gorillas. My wife and I both thought it was well worth it. The money keeps out the masses and also goes towards helping to protect the gorilla's habitat.

I’ll never forget my first glimpse of the silverback as he came out of the bushes followed by the rest of his family.  They came very close to us and went about their business- eating, playing, napping and just enjoying life.

Top Two Animal Encounters I'd Love To Do:

1. Visit the Giant Pandas in Chengdu, China
2. Trip to the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador (I get really bad sea sickness so when the time comes I will do a land based trip)

Fill The Pot With Gold- Win 2 Tickets to Prague

KLM's iFly magazine is giving away two tickets to Prague in a new contest.

To enter: Answer 5 questions to have a chance to win. If you get any wrong, you can keep trying until you get them all right..

The prize: Two Eonomy Class return tickets on KLM to Prague. The winner's flight to Prague will be operated from any destination by KLM, Air France or Delta.

Must be 18 years old at time of entering contest

Contest ends June 1, 2012

Enter the contest HERE

Jetblue Getaways $30 for $150 Credit on Google Offers

Google Offers has a pretty sweet deal: for $30 you get $150 towards an international vacation package with Jetblue Vacations.

• Three night minimum stay required
• Travel Dates: 4/26-6/13 & 9/4-1/31 & 11/27-12/18/12
• Flights originate & return to JFK, LaGuardia, Boston, Newark or Westchester County
• Must be 18 or older
• Limit of 1 offer per person
• International destination include PR & USVI
• Same airport required for departure & return
• Redeem offer by 5/24/12

Purchase this deal at Google Offers

Update on Credit Card Bonus Miles for 2012

In 2011 I earned 775,000 miles from credit card signup bonuses which I wrote about here.
Getting close to that amount of miles in 2012 is not going to be easy and is going to take some creativity.

I wrote about my first credit card that I received in 2012 and my strategy of only applying for cards with bonuses of 50,000 miles/ points or higher. (You can read that post here)

I've been waiting for a new card to come out with a huge bonus (let's say 75,000- 100,000) but nothing has materialized as of yet. I decided recently to rethink my strategy and went ahead and applied for two cards with a sub-50K signup bonus. (more on this below)

Here are the cards that I have applied for in 2012 and the signup bonus that go along with them.
(I've only applied for five cards so far and was approved for all of them)

1. Chase Southwest Personal Card- 50,000 miles
2. Chase Southwest Business Card- 50,000 miles
3. Citi AAdvantage Business Visa- 50,000 miles
4. Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa- 35,000 miles
5. Barclays US Airways Mastercard- 40,000 miles (potential for another 10-20,000)

Once I receive all of these bonuses, I will already be at 225,000 miles earned  in 2012.
Not bad at all if you ask me!

Why did I decide to change my strategy?
The days are flying by in 2012 and we are almost into May. If I keep waiting for massive offers to come out, I might be waiting until next year. Nobody knows for sure what new card offers are on the way. By going for cards in the 35,00+ range, I will be replenishing my accounts as I use miles for travel over the course of this year. I was also getting way too antsy waiting for new cards!!!

• I decided to apply for the Alaska Airlines card due to a few factors. I don't really have any BOA cards. Most of the big offers over the last year have been from Chase and I don't want to keep applying for their cards and get banned from cashing in on future offers with them. I'd also love to go to Alaska. 
• I decided to get the US Airways card for different reasons. One common factor is the lack of cards from Barclays. I recently cancelled my US Air card and wanted another way to add to my Dividend Miles account.  By adding 40-50,000 miles, I should have enough for 2 flights to Europe. I also plan to play the US Airways Grand Slam again this year and having this card is an easy hit.

At this point I don't feel confident that 2012 will bring me as many miles as last year from credit card bonuses. However, if I can get to 500,000 miles I will definitely consider 2012 a very solid and productive year!

Hotel Review: Pirate's Inn- Browne's Gap, Barbados

Awesomely Cheesy Sign

While traveling, my favorite places to stay are hostels, inns, guesthouses and simple hotels. I don't want to break the bank on a room when I won't be spending much time there. I am not saying that I don't like fancy hotels but to me they are just not worth the money.

I like that these kind of properties are often in prime locations offering affordable and fair prices. The rooms are pretty basic but we always take private rooms, not shared dorms. I also feel that when I ask for info like where to eat, the staff is usually pretty honest and won't just point us to the hotel restaurant.

Pirate's Inn

For our first time traveling with our baby Lucas, Kim and I initially considered staying in a resort style hotel. Since we were using our Capital One points to pay for the trip, we thought it would be a good time to splurge a little. About a month in advance we started looking online and making calls. Many of the places in our price range were sold out for the dates needed. We even considered staying at the island's most popular all-inclusive (they had babysitters available!) but we couldn't justify spending what we would normally pay for a week's stay, on just one night (we also didn't really think we'd actually be able to leave Lucas with a stranger.) 

Security at the Inn

After we looked online some more, Kim came across an apartment hotel called Pirate's Inn. 

I immediately said let's do it. With that kind of name, it's got to be awesome! All joking aside, the inn was reasonably priced (around $117 per night), was in a good location, had air conditioning, a pool and was available. 

We decided to go ahead and book the room feeling good about what we had found.

View from Our Terrace

The Pirate's Inn has a nice open, common space which features a pool, restaurant, bar and lounge chairs for it's guests. We only used the restaurant one time, having breakfast our first morning. The pool was very nice and clean. Every day we saw the staff cleaning and taking care of it. Kim really wanted a pool at the hotel we chose, but we only got to use it one time.

The Pool

Our Terrace- top floor, right side

We were all pretty happy with the room. It seemed like a good value (for Barbados) and was very clean. The room was a decent size and had a large closet with shelves within the bathroom.

I found the bed to be comfortable but on Kim's side the mattress sagged while sitting/ laying down close to the edge.The pillows were also very good and this was one of the few  times that I did not need to use my travel pillow on a trip.

The room also had a small kitchenette area. It was set up along the narrow hallway that led into  the room. We did not cook while at the Pirate's Inn but we did get a lot of use out of the refrigerator, dishes & utensils. There was also a good amount of space to store dry goods on some shelves. We bought cereal and drinks at local supermarkets and ended up sitting outside on our terrace for breakfast (asides from the first one). We had some guests each morning- a bunch of local birds.

The Kitchenette Area

The room had a small flat screen TV with a decent selection of channels to choose from. 

WiFi was included and worked very well in the room, terrace and pool/ common areas.

Entertainment Center

Pirate's Inn is located in Browne's Gap, Christ Church.

There is a KFC, gas station with convenience store and small shopping mall about a 2 minutes walk from the inn. The mall had a bunch of restaurants, some shops and a pharmacy/ grocery.

There is a very nice boardwalk right by the KFC. It's a nice place to take a walk along the coast and you'll pass some restaurants along the way.

 

Getting around the island from Pirate's Inn is very easy. There is a bus stop up the road about 2-3 minutes away where you can catch the local bus or min-van. They both cost $1 per ride. The inn can also help you get a rental car which we did for 3 days during our stay.

Some Points of Interest:

• Grantley Adams Airport (BGI)- 15-20 minutes by taxi- $20US
• Bridgetown- 20 minute bus ride 
• Oistens- 15 minute bus ride
• Rockley Beach (one of the nicest beaches)- 10 minute walk
• Harrison's Cave- recommended to rent a car- 35 minutes drive

I'd definitely recommend Pirate's Inn if you are heading to Barbados. The friendly and knowledgeable staff helped to make the stay enjoyable. If we ever go back, we'd consider it for future stays!

Click Here to find out more and book a room at Pirate's Inn.

JFK Runway Run Contest Winner

The Prize

I wrote a post about my experience running a 5K in the JFK Runway Run last week.

I knew that the contest was limited as to who would be interested since I only had a specific size to give away. 

The contest had a couple of entries and I am happy to announce that comment #1 from spe salvi was selected by random.org as the winner!

Congrats to spe salvi! 

Please leave a comment on this post or e-mail me at michaelwtravels@gmail.com  so we can get in touch and I can send you out the prize!

Wyndham Rewards: Super Sweeps Contest

 

Wyndham is running a contest called Super Sweeps. 

They are giving away a bunch of great prizes.

There are weekly prizes and a grand prize where you can be a VIP guest to a Marvel movie premiere.

The Weekly Prize (3 selected each week):

• 1- Autographed movie poster
• 75,000 Wyndham Rewards points (good for a 3-night stay)

The Grand Prize Red Carpet Premiere Family trip:

• 4- Red Carpet Premiere Tickets for a Marvel movie in 2013
• 1 million Wyndham Rewards points for airfare, hotel, car rental etc...
• $2,000 spending money
• 1 autographed movie poster

Open to legal residents of the 50 US States, District of Columbia & all provinces of Canada except Quebec

Must be 18 years old (or the age of majority in their state or province of residence at the time of entry- not exactly sure what that means!)

Contest ends May 15, 2012

Enter the contest Here

Win 4 Tickets to UEFA Euro 2012 in Ukraine

Coca Cola along with KLM are giving away two prizes for four to attend the UEFA Euro 2012 in a Facebook contest.

The matches take place in Kharkiv, Ukraine. 

I can't say that I am much of a soccer fan but I'd love a free trip to Europe to attend a match. 

I've been to matches in Scotland and Latvia and both were lots of fun.

Prize (2) Includes:

• Four KLM economy class round trip tickets to Amsterdam from any KLM, Air France or Delta Airlines destination
• 4 game tickets Netherlands – Denmark on June 9th or
• 4 game tickets Netherlands – Germany on June 13th 
• Transfer Charkov airport – city center, meals, drinks
• Transfer city to stadium and transfer stadium – airport
• One night hotel stay in Amsterdam prior to the day trip to Charkov 
• Two nights hotel stay in Amsterdam after returning from Charkov
• One camera (the main page says it is a Canon IXUS220HS but the official rules mentions a Samsung)

Must be 18 or older to enter

Contest ends May 9, 2012

Enter the contest Here

A Beautiful Beach: Rockley Beach- Barbados

I am not really a beach person or the type to lay out to get a tan. While traveling I think there are much better things that can be done with your time. However, I promised Kim that we would go to the beach while visiting Barbados. We heard that there were lots of beautiful beaches around the island. We planned to use our rental car to visit a few beaches but one of the best ended up being a 10 minute walk from our hotel!

We visited Rockley Beach aka Accra Beach (on the south coast), two times during our trip. The beach was gorgeous and just about as nice as any beach I've ever visited. The sand was clean and the water was as blue as could be.

Our Base

The moment you set foot on the sand, you get offered chair and umbrella rentals. The prices are negotiable and we opted for one chair with an umbrella.The cost was about $10 US.

We had bought a little tent with SPF for Lucas but most of the time he slept in his stroller and was overall a very good boy.

The beach had a good amount of facilities- clean bathrooms and small huts selling food, drinks & souvenirs. You could also rent jet skis and do other water sports.

Across the street there are a couple of fast food restaurants as well as a small shopping center about two minutes down the road.

There was also some entertainment on the beach. This women was doing lots of crazy movements, stretches and head stands. I am thinking she might be practicing for a try out with Cirque Du Soleil.

I decided to go for a swim to cool off and it was very refreshing. There were some waves but the temperature was pretty much perfect.

The beach also made for a great place to jump. With such a nice setting, how could we resist!