Jan Trabandt Travel Blog » Jan http://blog.jantrabandt.com notes from my travels Fri, 07 Sep 2018 14:49:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2 Coming next Friday… a few days in Santiago, Chile! http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=3620 http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=3620#comments Fri, 12 Jun 2015 18:40:38 +0000 http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=3620 Flying Copa airlines with a 6.5 hour stop in Panama on the return flight for a quick trip into town to check out their new subway (the first in Central America!) that opened last year.

Will be in Santiago, plus a day trip to Valparaiso on the coast.

]]> http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?feed=rss2&p=3620 0 More scooter info http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=340 http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=340#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 02:16:32 +0000 http://jantrabandt.com/wordpress/?p=340 So in Miami I saw more metered mini-spaces for motorcycles and scooters (also in San Diego, fyi) as well as this sign on a bicycle rack warning against towing of scooters :-)

Scooters will be towed from this bicycle rack
]]> http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?feed=rss2&p=340 0 Hollywood FL: some photos and thoughts http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=325 http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=325#comments Tue, 04 Oct 2011 02:40:14 +0000 http://jantrabandt.com/wordpress/?p=325 Continue reading Hollywood FL: some photos and thoughts]]> I liked the broadwalk (not boardwalk) area in Hollywood FL, more so than the one in Fort Lauderdale:

  • It’s wide, with a marked “wheels” lane (bicycles, rollerbladers, baby carriages etc. – just not skateboards)
  • Clean; lots of garbage cans (inside large clay pots) on the broadwalk and beach
  • Happy hour on the boardwalk with a view on the sand and water (with breezes)
  • Varying landscape; besides the broadwalk, the walking/cycling trail continues through parks, behind some houses (historical and otherwise), with frequent parking and beach access
  • Unfortunately, a fair number of empty storefronts

And yes, it was hot and humid even at the end of September!

Looking south along the beach The Broadwalk (not boardwalk) in Hollywood - I ate breakfast at that "pizzeria" Hollywood Beach Theatre right by the beach in one of several parks The beach in Hollywood FL - quite wide, gray sand (but those lounge chairs are rentals, not free) Hollywood FL from the air (the intra-coastal waterway is clearly visible) Typical side street ending at the broadwalk North towards Fort Lauderdale (FLL is actually Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport) ]]> http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?feed=rss2&p=325 0 San Francisco: a “rebuttal” to some of my Taiwan comments http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=310 http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=310#comments Tue, 04 Oct 2011 02:00:48 +0000 http://jantrabandt.com/wordpress/?p=310 It turns out San Francisco has some of the things I found “advanced” in Taipei:

  • Some dedicated motorcycle parking
  • Intelligent transit video screens with arrival times (also, many bus stops have an LED screen that shows the next bus arrival time)
  • Multi-lingual announcements on some transit systems (English, Mandarin and Spanish)
Muni streetcar real time train map showing not just the arrival time of the various cars, but their location at other stations. Dedicated little motorcycle/scooter parking, with its own meter (behind the blue motorcycle) at $0.60/hr That's a lot of bicycles! Parked for the bluegrass festival in Golden Gate Park ]]> http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?feed=rss2&p=310 0 San Francisco: Otis Clay performing at Ameoba Records http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=313 http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=313#comments Tue, 04 Oct 2011 01:55:48 +0000 http://jantrabandt.com/wordpress/?p=313 This was a free 1 hour concert in Haight-Ashbury area of SF (next to Golden Gate park) on Sunday.
Effectively I was in the “front row” – fun to watch his facial expressions.
The movement of the 6 piece band (+ 2 backup singers) reminded my of the Blues Brothers.

Blues legend Otis Clay in free performance at Ameoba Records
]]> http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?feed=rss2&p=313 0 Misc Taipei notes (last ones!) http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=298 http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=298#comments Sun, 02 Oct 2011 01:40:43 +0000 http://jantrabandt.com/wordpress/?p=298 Continue reading Misc Taipei notes (last ones!)]]> Some final misc notes on Taipei.
This should be the last Taipei note. See www.jantrabandt.com/wordpress/ if you missed the earlier posts.

  •  Some stores (like 7-11 and Family Mart) had a little machine that would heat-seal (in a few seconds) a plastic film on the top of a drink (e.g. coffee), making it spill-proof, at least until you push a straw into it when you are ready to drink it.
  • You could use your EasyCard at some retailers, like 7-11
]]> http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?feed=rss2&p=298 0 Map of Taipei with my points of interest http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=256 http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=256#comments Sun, 02 Oct 2011 01:38:56 +0000 http://jantrabandt.com/wordpress/?p=256 To put my Taiwan trip into a little perspective, see this google map of Taipei with places I went:

my Taipei map

]]> http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?feed=rss2&p=256 0 FL vs CA: 2 coasts, 2 beaches, 24 hours http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=291 http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=291#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 18:17:33 +0000 http://jantrabandt.com/wordpress/?p=291 One morning this week (late Sep) I’m sitting in the shade (it’s hot!) having a coffee before a nice warm swim.
The next afternoon I’m freezing in the cold wind and barely manage to dip my toes.

Hollywood FL vs San Francisco CA – guess which is which :-)

FL vs CA - which is which coast (24 hours apart)?
]]> http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?feed=rss2&p=291 0 Bicycling routes in Taipei http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=288 http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=288#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 18:07:28 +0000 http://jantrabandt.com/wordpress/?p=288 Continue reading Bicycling routes in Taipei]]> There are almost 100km of bicycle trails along 5 river banks in the city, including out to the coast just past Danshui/Tamshui.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to do any bicycling in my limited time; the one day I tried, I found out I couldn’t rent a bicycle at one location and return it at another (as I had been misinformed at the tourist office).

For a detailed bicyling map see www.taipeitravel.net/download.do?fileName=/d_upload_ttn/att/files/10002736.pdf. (5 MB).

There is also a free short-term bicycle hire system called U-bike. Currently it’s only in Xinyi district (i.e. between Taipei City Hall/Sun Ya-sen Memorial Hall and Taipei 101). However, you have to have a smart chip credit card.

See www.taipeitravel.net/en/ for general Taipei visitor info.

]]> http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?feed=rss2&p=288 0 Felt up by the TSA at FLL – sort of http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=286 http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?p=286#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:42:03 +0000 http://jantrabandt.com/wordpress/?p=286 Continue reading Felt up by the TSA at FLL – sort of]]> So I finally had to officially refuse (“opt out” is the official term) the full-body scanner and get the TSA full pat-down (usually I can pick a line where there is no such scanner, or they are picking random people instead of everyone). My pat-down wasn’t as intimate as reports suggested (though it did take more time than the scanner would have). YMMV (your mileage may vary).
Still, better than the unknown health risk of the scanner, IMHO.

]]> http://blog.jantrabandt.com/?feed=rss2&p=286 0