First, the good news. When I visited China, all the hotels i stayed in had in-room broadband internet access. Now, the bad news. Unfortunately, only the hotel in Nanjing had in-room wireless internet access. For the rest, online access came in the form of an ethernet cable. If I was lugging around a MacBook Pro, I would have been set. Instead, I was trying to travel light with only an iPhone and iPad, both without ethernet ports. So, I was left trying to find free wireless access points wherever I could find them, which usually meant hotel lobbies. I was able to find a wireless access point in most hotel lobbies, but there were a few that just left me completely off-line. Next time I travel outside the United States, I’ll bring along my Apple Airport Express
Category: Travel
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China Hotel Internet Access
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iPhone Video Panorama App
The Video Panorama application for the iPhone offers a simple method for generating panoramic photos. First, use the app to take a video across a panorama. The app then generates a panoramic photo presumably by stitching together still images from the video.
When Video Panorama works, it generates a decent panoramic photo, such as the intersection, Suzhou garden and stone gate photo. However, the process is not entirely bug-free, as evidenced by the uneven horizon of the Shanghai Bund, the shifted exposure in the Nanjing bridge photo, as well as the curved roof line at the Yonghe Temple.
Loved the simplicity of the app, but I need a way to work around the limitations.
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2010 Expo ä¸Šæµ·ä¸–åš Dining
Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China offers many dining options. However, because the expo grounds are so expansive, I found it difficult to plan for a meal at one of the famous restaurants featured at the expo. Instead, when a meal time arrived, I just opted for the closest dining option. This meant a cafe for lunch and Maxim’s, the Hong Kong fast food chain, for dinner.
Many of the national pavilions also offer food options. At the Portugal pavilion, I purchased some delicious portuguese egg tarts at their shop. The Belgian food court sold Belgian waffles (as expected) and French Fries with Mayonnaise. As a guest at the World Expo, I should be more open and experimental in trying out new food options, but I just ordered the French Fries and asked them to hold the mayonnaise. They were using Kraft mayonnaise and not some Belgian product, so I didn’t think I was missing too much by skipping the dipping sauce. By the Italy pavilion, a restaurant was serving pizza and gelato. I almost stopped for the gelato, but the wait was too long. I really wanted to try some of the more famous Chinese restaurants who were operating at the 2010 Expo, but I wasn’t anywhere near the China Pavilion during lunch or dinner.
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Bose QuietComfort 15 Noise-Canceling Headphones
Before the iPod and iPhone came along, I never carried around my own set of headphones, especially on a plane ride. I just used the airline-provided set of headphones to listen to the airline-provided entertainment options. However, the first time I brought an MP3 player aboard a plane, I discovered that I couldn’t hear the music using the standard-issue white earbuds because the ambient airplane noise was too loud. So, I during a recent long-distance flight, I decided to try a set of noise-canceling headphones.
I really liked the Bose QuietComfort 15 headphones. These headphones comfortably fit both young children and adults alike. The headphones, which fit around the ear, really made the bothersome background airplane noise vanish. The Bose QC15 headphones came with 1 AA battery, an airplane adapter (which converts a one prong audio plug into a two-prong audio plug), as well as a carrying case. To use the headphones, you must turn on the headphones, which is activated by a switch on one of the ear pieces. The single AA battery lasted during the roundtrip Trans-Pacific flight, a shorter regional roundtrip flight in China, as well as numerous plane and bus rides. I had packed an extra AA battery just in case I lost power, but that never occurred during two weeks of usage.
The good part of using the Bose QuietComfort 15 headphones was that I could view the iPad, iPhone or onboard entertainment system at a lower volume setting. With the noise-canceling activated, I could comfortably listen to the onboard movie as the second-lowest audio setting. Using the complimentary airline-provided headphone, I had to turn the volume much higher and still couldn’t hear the movie nearly as well as when I was carrying the Bose QuietComfort 15 headphone. This product is a winner.
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Cathay Pacific EmPower Laptop Charger
Traveling across the Pacific Ocean used to be a grueling experience. However, the long flight can be made more tolerable with an iPhone or an iPad in hand. However, what if you run out of juice half way across the ocean? From the Cathay Pacific website, I thought I needed an EmPower charger, so I ordered a Kensington K38037US Auto/Air Power Inverter with Two USB Ports for Mac or PC
. But, once I was aboard the plane, I realized that I had made a mistake because I didn’t need a separate EmPower charger. Right above the EmPower outlet was a standard two-prong outlet. I didn’t need to recharge the iPad for the Trans-Pacific flight, but I was able to recharge the iPhone whenever the battery ran low using the regular wall outlet charger.
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Happy Hollow Park & Zoo
Yesterday, I visited the Happy Hollow Park & Zoo in San Jose, CA. The park just re-opened the previous weekend after an almost two-year renovation. When I arrived shortly after 10 a.m., I already saw a long line of cars waiting outside the toll booths. The parking lot itself was already about a third full. I saw a number of parties park outside the parking lot and walk in. $10 is a bit much for parking, but you can buy a $40 for 10 visits parking pass at the admission booth. From the parking lot, it’s only a short walk to the main entrance.
The entrance features a number of whimsical sculptures, such as this delightful pig family. The park features additional sculptures inside.
When you enter the park, the first ride I encountered was the Keep-Around-Carousel. I loved all the different animals, such as zebras and ostriches. This carousel was a bit different in that I could only hear music whenever I passed the attendant’s booth. No centralized pipe organ music typically found in carousel rides. Actually, I couldn’t figure out whether the music I heard was part of the ride experience or just something the attendant’s were listening to at the moment. Riding a merry-go-round in semi-silence is odd. Also, the ride operators have not completely worked out the kinks in their system. The kids were all seated on their animals for a long, long time before the ride started.
I encountered the same problem on the Pacific Fruit Express Family Roller Coaster. The one minute roller coaster ride takes two quick laps around the short track. However, it took 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 minutes to unload / load the passengers each time. They really need to work on turning around the rides to keep the line moving and the kids happy.
The longest wait was for the Danny the Dragon ride, located at the back of the park. If you really want to ride on the dragon, come early and head straight for the back of the park. Compared to Disneyland, the lines here don’t look long. But, for whatever reason, the line was moving just too slow and we ended up skipping this ride. Too long a wait in the hot afternoon.
Oh no! Dorothy and Toto kills the WIcked WItch of the East.
The puppet theatre features three different shows throughout the day. I saw the Three Little Pigs show, which offered a humorous twist on the original story. Overall, a fun day for the family. Oh, we also packed lunch because I read that the food service was a bit slow. The park has a lot of picnic tables, and only one place selling food. Pack a lunch and save some time.
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Koret Children’s Quarter at Golden Gate Park
The Koret Children’s Quarter is located at 320 Bowling Green Drive in Golden Gate Park. Also known as the Children’s Playground, the Koret Children’s Quarter features an abundance of activities for young children, including swings, an artificial (concrete) surf with larger-than-life hermit crabs and other marine animals, a sandbox, and two climbing and play structures that include the usual ladders, tunnels and slides. The Koret Children’s Quarter also offers a two-track concrete slide where young children can ride down the concrete hill on a side of cardboard or in a cardboard box. Cardboard boxes from Costco appear to be particularly popular.
Nearby is the Golden Gate Park carousel, which is housed in the rotunda with doric columns.
A $2.00 fee buys you a ride. For children 6-12, the price of admission is only $1.00. Children 5 and under ride free when accompanied by a paying adult.
Had no idea where the brass ring was hidden, so no free ride for me. Besides the usual ponies, you can also hop aboard a lion, billy goat and rooster, if you so inclined.
Simply a great place to spend a morning or an afternoon. The only downside is that parking may be difficult to find if you arrive late and the park (and parking) fills up quickly.
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Install Snow Chains
If you are traveling to Lake Tahoe during the winter, be sure to check the road conditions for the major highways in the area. If you have an iPhone, add this California DOT page to your home screen to check on current conditions for 80, 89, 28 and 50. Highways 80 and 50 will cover the two routes to North Lake Tahoe and South Lake Tahoe. Highway 89 runs from 80 to Lake Tahoe, and is also the route to Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. Highway 28 covers the remaining loop around Lake Tahoe.
The Weather Channel application is also indispensable in that it offers a quite a bit more detailed information than the default weather app. Just be warned that the 10 Day Forecast is not entirely reliable because the situation can change. The forecast gets more accurate the closer you get to your travel date.
If you are not fortunate enough to own a vehicle with 4-Wheel Drive, buying snow chains in advance is advisable. At worst, if you don’t need or use the snow chains, you can always return them. If you may be installing snow chains or tire chains for the first time, view several of the snow chain installation videos on YouTube. Inevitably, the written instructions that accompany the tire chains will be a little unclear, so having seen someone install snow chains first will be absolutely helpful. You should be aware that different snow chains have different designs, so the installation process will not be identical across different makes. However, having some basic idea on how to install a snow chain will not hurt. Seriously, all manufacturers who sell products that require assembly or installation should upload a video to YouTube to demonstrate how easy (or hard) their product is to assemble or install.
When I first watched the above video, I could not fully appreciate all the tips it offered. For example, the Oregon DOT advises that the tire chain installer should wear a rain coat. I thought it was to shield the installer from the elements. However, when it came time to actually install the snow chains, I finally understood their advice. Reaching around the wheel to install the chain can get your jacket really dirty if you are not careful. Next time, I’ll bring a rain coat or a poncho.
I would also suggest that you bring a pair of latex gloves. I wore two pairs of gloves: latex gloves inside and leather work gloves outside. I suppose heavy duty rubbers gloves might work as well. Anyways, if it has snowed outside, the leather work gloves will get wet and soak through. That’s where the latex gloves come into play. You don’t want to be working with wet hands when the weather outside is in the 30s or lower.
Another tip is to extend your windshield wiper each night. Just pull it away from the windshield so that if snow falls overnight, your windshield wiper will not be frozen stuck to the windshield the next morning.
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Lake Tahoe Dog Sledding
The Resort at Squaw Creek offers a variety of winter activities for families with children. Located in Lake Tahoe, tourists can enjoy a dog sled tour or ride a one horse open sleigh at the Resort even if they are not hotel guests. For first-time visitors, the Resort is located on Squaw Creek Road away from Squaw Valley USA and the Village at Squaw Valley. If you’ve reached the Village, you need to turn back.
Anyways, the dog sled tours are offered by Wilderness Adventures. You do need to make reservations as the dog sled tours do fill-up. However, be forewarned that the availability of the dog sled tours depends on the weather. The first day that I tried to book a tour, the dogs were not running because of adverse weather conditions. The second day I tried, the tours were all booked. Fortunately, I was in Lake Tahoe long enough and was able to fit in a dog sled tour the following day. Wilderness Adventures is located in a yurt in the back of the Resort at Squaw Creek. Their one hour dog sled tour takes you through the Squaw Valley meadow. It’s a fun and relatively unique excursion.
Adjacent to the dog sled tours is the one horse open sleigh that also travels through the Squaw Valley meadow. This adventure is a lot cheaper than the dog sled tour and even more popular for young children.
The Resort at Squaw Creek also has an ice skating rink that young children might enjoy. While it lacks the history of the Olympic Ice Pavilion, it is located in a more protected environment. Also, the food choices at the outside chuckwagon were definitely more enticing. The hearty pastrami sandwich looked like real pastrami.
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Squaw Valley
Squaw Valley USA is a winter sports resort located in Lake Tahoe. For families with young children in tow, Squaw Valley offers an abundance of entertainment options. The cable car ride to High Camp is an exciting adventure for young kids. Just make sure to call in advance just in case operations are temporarily suspended due to a Wind Hold.
At High Camp, visitors can rent a pair of ice skates at the outdoor Olympic Ice Pavilion. Make sure you are dressed appropriately because the skating rink can be extremely cold and windy. However, the Olympic Ice Pavilion does offer a 360° view of the surrounding mountains, which is quite a sight to behold.
The Olympic museum was really a television and several display cases of Olympic memorabilia. You can easily see their entire exhibit in about 30 seconds. So, come to High Camp for the ice skating. Don’t make a special trip just for the museum.
I was not impressed by the fare at their food court. The pastrami in their pastrami sandwich didn’t look like any pastrami I’ve ever seen before. The Village offers more dining options if you can time your meals.
