Worst Travel Experiences

Tuesday, Tuesday.  Got in 6 miles this morning at 5:15 and with such a short run, I managed to get to work early, early today and am hoping to maybe make it to the 6:00 yoga class tonight.  Only 7 days of the 30 day challenge complete, and my husband is already complaining about not seeing me awake at all.  I feel like this reminds me a little of what it was like when a blogger I read and her husband were both doing Ironman training. 

Since it's Tuesday, I'm going to do the travel prompts again.

Rules for TTT - please take a moment to answer this week’s questions on your own blog then add your link in the comments section for this post at Without a License so we can all see your answers! Please invite your readers to link back to their post on this post too so we can see everyone's answers and connect with other bloggers! (Remember to add the TTT graphic above and these rules to your post as well!) TTT Topic: Worst Travel Experience

1) What do you hate the most about traveling?
2) Is there any situation you try to avoid when traveling?
3) How do you avoid that situation?
4) Cruise/Flights/Bikes/Cars/Bus - which is your least favorite way of traveling?
5) What is your worst experience while traveling?

Today's Topic: Worst Experiences!

1) What do you hate the most about traveling?I hate feeling like I overpaid or got scammed.  Note that I don't hate overpaying or getting scammed, I just hate it if I become aware of it.  One problem with traveling to places with tourists is that there are usually plenty of scammers.  When you add a language component, it gets worse. 

2) Is there any situation you try to avoid when traveling?I try to avoid huge waits.  It's sometimes unavoidable but it drives me up the wall.  I feel like travel time is so precious to me (that whole "limited vacation days" thing), that when I end up in line for hours to wait for the tram to take us down from Hua Shan mountain in China for example, or to get into the Uffizi in Florence, I feel like I'm missing out on things I'd prefer. 

3) How do you avoid that situation?
We try to make reservations for places where we can (like the Uffizi), but for other things, we just try to evaluate whether it's worth it and whether it's necessary (i.e., if we could pay more to avoid the line).  Sometimes there's just no way around it.  At Hua Shan, it had started raining, so masses of people were trying to leave at the same time, and we were ready to go as well, so we didn't want to try to wait out the line.  So when we're stuck waiting, we try to make the best of it, talking to each other, observing those around us, sometimes writing out postcards. 

4) Cruise/Flights/Bikes/Cars/Bus - which is your least favorite way of traveling?Can I say cruises if I've never been on one aside from a few days down the Yangtze in China?  I just have no desire to be on a boat going to different ports with a ton of other tourists, eating my meals on a ship and being on a schedule for when to do things. 

5) What is your worst experience while traveling?Hmm, food poisoning, crime, or lost passport in a city with a consulate closed for three days and a scheduled flight in one day?  Probably food poisoning, which has happened twice -- once in China, once in Kenya.  In Kenya, I was alone and almost delirious with fever, the part of me that was rational was very scared.  And in China, I knew what it was and that it would pass, but it was still miserable for a couple days.  I was also a crime victim in Napoli, Italia once, and that was pretty miserable, I felt very vulnerable and exposed and sad afterward, even when I had changed clothes.  The lost passport thing happened in Poland and probably took about two years off the end of my life (but in the end, it wasn't lost, it was with my brother's roommate, long story).

Yoga taking over life

More yoga...

It's pretty much all I've got to report right now.  A typical day this week will look like this:

4:35 (Tues/Thurs), 5:00 (M/W/F) wake up
5:00 (Tues/Thurs), 5:15 (M/W/F) leave house
5:15 (Tues/Thurs), 5:30 (M/W/F) start running with friends or boot camp
6:45 back home
7:45 leave for work
8-6 work, work, work, don't talk to anyone, don't leave desk for lunch (I can't complain about this when it's tax time and I know people in that biz have it much worse)
6:00 change into yoga clothes
6:10 drive to yoga
6:20 arrive at yoga
6:30-8:00 Bikram class
8:15 back home
8:25 dinner ready
8:35 done eating
8:40 kitchen cleaned
8:45 clothes laid out for morning
9:00 bed

REPEAT until end of April pretty much...

Yow, it's tough.  I feel like I have no "me" time, but in reality, isn't all my life "me" time?  I choose to run and go to boot camp, I generally like my job (or at least I did until our new parent company made some big changes a few months ago, but I still love the actual work I do), and certainly no one is making me do yoga!  But doing this 30 day challenge essentially means I'm not doing anything else. 

I can write down a few blog thoughts during dinner, but I'm pretty much off the grid I guess for this month. 

Anyway, here's how my 30 day challenge is unfolding, six classes complete so far, next one on the books in about 5 hours. 

Fri, 4-4-14, made it to the 4:00 class, which was awesome because it meant we had a real Friday night!  Instructor was the surfer looking guy with shaggy blond hair again and I had a GREAT class for a while.  And then I concluded that my body is lopsided.  Specifically, I think my right eye and eyebrow are higher than my left.  And I have a more pronounced love handle on my left side.  In between noticing all of that, I took an extra water break just before starting the spine series.  And since I'd gone to class from home instead of straight from work, I'd brought a bottle of G2 with me.  And I gulped it.  Way too much sugar.  I ended up sitting out one set of one spine exercise, and generally quietly belching and feeling like I might puke for some time.  Very close to leaving the room.  A.) That's why they give you water breaks at designated times and you're not supposed to do it at other times.  B.) That's why they say "have a SIP of water" and don't tell you to chug it.  C.)  That's why they say WATER, not Gatorade or some other sickly sweet drink.  Oops.

Sat, 4-5-14, went to the noon class after going for a walk with a friend in the morning.  An instructor I had before, Julie.  I recognized her and said hello on the way in, so she looked up my name.  In the past, she'd kind of irritated me.  She seems kind of clique-ish, hugging students, calling people by name, etc.  And she also seems to screw up the dialogue at least once every other class.  But from the second class started, I felt good and was enjoying her energy.  And then we got to the first part of the first series of Awkward pose and she called ME out by name as doing a good job!!!  And I was!  I was sitting way down in the chair, leaning way back, trying to fall down backwards.  I was grinning for far too long after that!  Class felt like it went by very quickly.  Part of that was because it did -- she forgot to do one part of standing head to knee -- she was talking to a student about what do to differently, and she totally skipped over the first leg of the second set.  But who am I to complain about a skipped exercise?  I just enjoyed the little class cheat, and no one pointed it out.  Oh, and she totally screwed up her dialogue during "wind-removing" pose, reading one leg when we were doing both, and realizing it and just telling us to pull, pull, pull.  But she's definitely in my "preferred" column now, either way. 

Sun, 4-6-14, wen to the 10:30 class after having done my first run back since my calf injury last week Thursday.  I'd run a very slow 7 miles and been glad I didn't go further as it started pouring when I finished.  I felt so bad for my buddies running Boston -- they had 15, but some of it was race pace, so at least they were moving kind of fast.  But it was still sucky conditions for all of them.  Anyway, yoga was one of my old favorite instructors, Andrew.  I think I was in one of his very first classes as an instructor.  He also called me out by name to give me guidance on how to improve, also much appreciated.  Class was great.  Felt like I was making progress in several postures. 

Order of preference of postures (NOT according to ability):
Fixed firm (managed to get my hips on the floor for the first set Sunday, and even stuck it out for half of the second set)
Standing separate leg stretching (goal is forehead on the floor, I'm not even close, but progress)
Toe stand (I've gotten up a couple times, but usually, I can't even bring my hands to the sides and balance)

Back to Bikram

I've been thinking about going back to regular yoga for some time, but I just couldn't get myself to do it.  As I mentioned, there was a lot of turmoil at work in mid-January (including a RIF of non-attorneys), and that made things stressful so I needed yoga more, but I was also spending a lot more time at the office so I had less time to do yoga (unless of course I wanted to give up time spent running, at boot camp, eating or sleeping). 

But feeling that sharp pain in my calf one week and one day ago while I was at the track was the push I needed. 

I went back to Bikram on Friday night, even though we had out of town guests.  They went to happy hour then hung out at the house with hubby, and we went for a late, casual dinner after yoga (very casual, I didn't even have time to wash my sweat-soaked hair, yuck). 

Friday's class was at the studio closest to my house (less than a mile and a half away), taught by a guy with long shaggy blond hair.  My overwhelming impression was that I'd lost most of the progress I'd made through regular practice before.  It was primarily apparent in standing separate leg stretching, when I realized my forehead was at least a foot away from the floor.  But at least I knew what I was doing and how to try the postures properly.  Overall, it felt good and went fairly quickly. 

I was a bit sore on Saturday, but mostly hurting in my calf from the running injury. 

Sunday was more touring the city with our guests, still a sore calf. 

Monday I was generally feeling better, and decided I'd start a 30 day challenge on Tuesday.

Tuesday, since I couldn't run due to my sore gastroc, I went to a class at the further studio (about 2.5 miles from my house, but closer to my office) at 5:30 in the morning.  The instructor was a woman with big hair who did not have a typical yoga body.  As I hoped, after the first set of the very first breathing exercise, she declared that it was just too frigging hot and she walked out of class.  I was grinning the entire time, but a few people apparently forgot that it was April Fool's for about 10 seconds until she came back in.

Wednesday, I was a bit yoga sore, but I'd had an early day at work with a very important conference call in the morning, so I decided to leave early and go to the 6:00 class at the studio by my house.  The instructor had long curly hair and kept going hoarse and coughing the first 2/3 of the standing series.  One student went out to the desk and got her a mint.  At the first water break, she drank a bunch, and it got better, but by the time we got to triangle, we could barely hear her and it felt like she cut the posture short (don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining!!!!).  I was very non-yogi and kept wondering why TF she didn't just try the mint.  Finally she opened the mint and that was the end of the coughing and losing her voice.  I felt like I saw the most progress (a whopping 3 classes' worth) in standing bow pulling pose, but of course, only when my left leg was on the group -- the calf injury is getting better for sure, but the leg is definitely weaker. 

Thursday morning, I went to the 5:30 a.m. class at the studio by work again (still no running).  Definitely the toughest class so far.  Not sure if it's because my last class ended 10 hours earlier, or if I was tighter than usual or what.  But yikes, it was a struggle.  I basically considered sitting out at least one set of every single posture, but I never did. 

My favorite posture has always been fixed firm.  Not sure if my calves are that much fatter or if muscles are just tighter, but I can't seem to get my hips on the ground when I'm sitting, so I really shouldn't even start fixed firm.  The main tightness/pain seems to be in my left ankle, which is weird.  But I think I'm seeing some progress there too. 

Today, I think I'm going to enjoy a 24 hour break from yoga.  Since I'm working from home, I might attempt to go to a late morning or lunchtime class (I have a CLE from 12-1 that is a webcast though).  Ahh. 

Part of me wishes I could just fast forward to the end of the month and see where I end up.  Do I finally drop those stubborn Oktoberfest and Italy pounds?  Do I ever get my forehead on the floor again?  Do I become a zen-master?  Do my new flip flops get the Bikram funk odor?  Do I break down and buy a special yoga towel?  Do I figure out a way to get big ice cubes in my bottle when I go to class straight from work?  Do I get back into my old routine of going to the nearby grocery store right after class to buy Gatorade?

So many questions, and only time will tell! 

TTT: Your World View and Traveling

Life is ticking along. 

Very, very, very busy weekend with our out of town guests.  4 museums in depth, 7 restaurants, 2 parks, 1 trip to the stockyards, several bottles of wine and lots of other drinks, not enough sleep, and tons of walking.  But so much fun.  Hubby's best friend is a very interesting guy and they really love spending time together.  And his wife's perspective is so interesting (she's from Ukraine, and her family is still there), and I could spend hours talking to her.  The 4 days ended far too quickly. 

BTW, my calf still hurts but I think it's getting better.  I finally got it checked out and it's my lateral gastroc, as I suspected, and the RX was just rest and ice, as usual.  Ugh.  Glad I'm not running Boston in a few weeks. 

I finally returned to Bikram yoga Fri afternoon after something like a year (?? really??) off.  My past experience with Bikram was that it was a good way to resolve running-related injuries or soreness.  So I figured it might magically heal my gastrocnemius.  Sad how little it seems I can do compared to at the end of my last 30 day challenge.

So after that initial class on Friday, I decided to take a few days off yoga, and this morning I started a new 30 day challenge.  I figured as long as I'm not running this week, there's no work travel coming up this month (I hope, one trip to Philly on the books that I'm hoping will get cancelled), hubs is going to be out of town for about a week of the month, and I desperately want to drop some LBs, there would not be any better time to start. 

First class of the challenge already felt better than the class on Friday.  Hoping one month will make a big difference, but even after one day, I'm sitting up straighter I feel and pounding the water so far.

For years I think, I followed a post topic from a blog on Mondays, but that is on a hiatus for two months (hosted elsewhere, but I haven't had a chance to check it out).  So this is an ideal time for another blog I read to start a weekly post topic! 

And this one is about travel, which is perhaps my number one passion. 

Rules for TTT - please take a moment to answer this week’s questions on your own blog then add your link in the comments section for this post at Without a License so we can all see your answers! Please invite your readers to link back to their post on this post too so we can see everyone's answers and connect with other bloggers! (Remember to add the TTT graphic above and these rules to your post as well!)

TTT Topic: Your World View And Traveling

1) How has travel changed the way you look at things?
2) What type of new experiences do you look forward to when you travel?
3) Do you usually go out of your comfort zone when traveling or stick to what's comfortable and familiar? 
4) What part of the world intrigues you the most and why?
5) Is there a stereotype or common belief about your own culture/country others have that you don't agree with?

TTT Topic: Your World View And Traveling
 
1) How has travel changed the way you look at things?

This is a tough question -- how hasn't it?  I think primarily I notice how unwelcoming our country is to people who don't speak English and how many people seem to have little knowledge of (or interest in) the world around them.  I think I've written about this before, but one year on Where in the World is Matt Lauer on the Today Show, a viewer had the option of a free trip to any of Matt's destinations that year.  The choices were Namibia, Madrid, Kuala Lumpur, and a mountain in the Swiss Alps.  The viewer said he was going to pick the Alps (or maybe Madrid), but then Matt's final destination was revealed to be Barbados, and that's what he chose.  Somewhere nearby, not expensive to get to, not mind-blowingly different, and I just couldn't grasp how he could make that choice.  It was so the opposite of what I would have done, picking Namibia probably because it would be the most expensive (and since I've already been to KL).  But at the same time, travel has made me look at the similarities of people everywhere.  Appreciating the differences (the people rhythmically hitting themselves in the morning in China), and appreciating the similarities (how there's still a big line at a popular breakfast place before people hurry into the subway, away to the daily grind). 

2) What type of new experiences do you look forward to when you travel?

I am usually most excited about my "number one sight" (and taking our annual Christmas card picture there), followed by food.  But when I'm there, I always find that I also love the people we meet and the unexpected adventures we have. 

3) Do you usually go out of your comfort zone when traveling or stick to what's comfortable and familiar? 

It's a mix for me, but I tend to be outside my comfort zone.  My husband and I both hate any kind of organized group tour, even where it would be so much easier (like in China).  We love being a team and figuring things out together.  But I love my routine of running in the morning and when we're in a city for several days, I find I sometimes find a route that I like on the first day and run it repeatedly.  We also sometimes hit up the same restaurant or cafe multiple times.  When we were in Breckenridge in 2008, we found this pizza place called Eric's Downstairs, that was right by a crepe stand.  We ate at both of those at least three times in four days.  In Malta, we went to the same cafe for coffee every day.  When we were in New Mexico last week, we had a total of three dinners and three lunches -- two dinners were at this little restaurant called Luna Rossa associated with a vineyard that wasn't far from our hotel. 

4) What part of the world intrigues you the most and why?

Most intriguing would probably be Asia.  It strikes me as the most different from everything I'm used to.  Asia is so large and diverse, and just so different it's hard to explain.  So far, I've only been a few places in Asia -- China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand -- but this year hopefully we'll be adding India and maybe Nepal to the list. 

5) Is there a stereotype or common belief about your own culture/country others have that you don't agree with? 

Hmm, my gut reaction is to say not really.  The stereotype of Americans is loud, large, culturally insensitive, and mono-lingual.  And unfortunately, those are the ones that seem to stand out most.  I still shudder with a particular memory from Florence, Italy in 2007.  We were sitting outside at a restaurant.  Florence is a city full of tourists to be sure.  Particularly Americans, but really, plenty from everywhere.  But this restaurant was as off the beaten path as you can easily be in Florence.  Because we'd already been in Italy for a couple weeks and had spent much of that time with my husband's family, we were already deep in our Italian-speaking groove.  So at the restaurant, we were conversing in Italian.  There was a woman nearby -- not large, but loud and mono-lingual.  We'd seen her do things Italians wouldn't do (not ordering a complete meal, having a capuccino afterward, etc.).  But it wasn't anything particularly notable.  But then her check had come and she was shouting loudly at the waiter "you mean you don't take dollars???"  We were appalled.  She apparently had no euros and was demanding that he accept US dollars as payment.  He spoke English well enough to direct her to a bancomat, but she was refusing.  It was so horrible and pretty much exactly what I think of as typical American tourists.  Of course for every American tourist like that, there are probably dozens more that I didn't notice who defy the stereotypes.  And I think the American stereotype I have is most true in Europe.  In Africa and Asia, caucasian Americans stand out a bit physically, but they don't seem to meet the same stereotypes of being loud and culturally insensitive.  In Africa and Asia, I noticed that Americans were larger (not necessarily overweight), but it seems that is less and less pronounced as Asians particularly seem to also be getting larger.  And in Africa and Asia, Americans may still be mono-lingual (I think Chinese is very difficult, and I never made any effort to learn any local language in Africa, relying solely on English and French), but they don't seem to demand in the same way that others speak their language.