Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Old (Odd) Travel Memories (1990)

Background.
For almost 30 years, I have been a driver for someone who does historical reenactments.  At the time of this event, he was attending a Revolutionary War reenactment in Wayne, New Jersey.

I would help pack the van to the gills with reenacting equipment (tents, tables, desks, flags, etc, plus a lot of equipment for overnight stays at a local hotel/motel). Then I would start driving soon after midnight, driving carefully south through the greater Metropolitan New York area to reach Wayne, New Jersey, by 5-6 AM, so that I could help in setting up the Rev War camp. After the camp was set up, I would then drive to an accommodation in the area and finish the task of unloading several suitcases of clothing, wedges for sore backs, applique equipment, and the Cpap bag (which carries a machine for the purpose of sleeping at night).

After checking into the large chain hotel, I began the task of unloading the car and carrying the many bags into the room.

By this time, I was exhausted, so I switched on the TV and laid down for a rest.
The door flew open, and a man (the manager of the hotel) rushed across the room, grabbed the bag you see below, and raced out the door, screaming, "We don't allow cats at this hotel!!!"
After a short time, he returned with the opened bag, asking, "WHERE'S the cat?!"

Note: After entering hotel rooms now, I secure all available bolts before resting.




Sunday, June 15, 2014

Valparaiso, Port City West of Santiago

One of the most important port cities in Chile is Valparaiso.
I would encourage you to explore the links on this page. 

The residential area is built on hills overlooking the harbor.
It is possible to drive into the hills, but it is time-consuming.
In order to create a more efficient way of accessing the city from the residential area, ascensors have long been  utilized. Click the following link to see images.





Street Market



In April 2014, a fire destroyed over 3,000 homes on the hills of Valparaiso. Click here for images of the fire.


We're off to Santiago!