BootsnAll Travel Network



Rock of Ages, Hope Cementary, Golf

August 9th, 2006

8 – 8 – 06

 

Today we overslept a little bit and did not get going until past 9.

 

Kevin, Carol, Maria, Little Kelly and I got to tour the Rock of Ages granite factory.  The tour included location of the quarry and the plant where they cut the stones and the plant where they make the monuments.

 

As we all know, Vermont is the Granite capital of the world.  And Rock of Ages is the biggest company in this industry.  They produce granite tombstones, giant granite rollers for Hersheys to grind the cocoa beans. 

 

The quarry that we saw is at least 200 ft deep.  We saw the workers drill the granite and hoist a slab of 23 tons from the bottom to the top.  The said that this area of granite is 5 miles long, 4 miles wide and 10 miles deep.  At the rate they are producing, it would take 4500 yrs to exhaust this supply of granite rock.  They also import colored granite from Ukraine, S. Africa.  and the Carolinas and Pennsylvania.  They usally harvest 6 of those 23tons slabs a day.  They only harvest 10 mos. out of the year as the other two are just to cold to work in.  the workers on avg. make about $30 per hr. 

 

We saw some of their results at the Hope Cemetery.  A granite race car, a soccer ball and other ornate sculptures adorn some of the grave sites.  There are just hundreds of these big granite tombstones.  One moseleum, entirely made of granite is believed to have cost the owner $900,000!  So, there is big business in rocks.  This was a really neat tour of a cemetery.

 

In the afternoon, Kevin and I along with Kevin’s friend Rick and Mark golfed at the Barre Country Club.  A great golf course with panoramic view of the Vermont Mountains including Camels Hump or Camels Back, which is a landmark that everyone from here recognizes.

 

After golf and grilled steak dinner, I’m very tired and ready for a great night sleep.  Overall a great vacation day.

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We’re Here!!!

August 9th, 2006

8 – 7 – 06

 

Well, our stay in Utica, NY was a pleasant one.  We both had a lenghty sleep recovering from our long travels.  Maria is doing better with her cold.  All the medicine is finally taking effect. 

 

Today, we leave for Vermont to see the McDermotts (Kevin, Carol, Connor, Kelly, Jake).  It’s been two years since Maria has seen her friend and it’s been three years since i’ve seen the family when they were passing thru from Colorado to Vermont. 

 

Our route took us from Utica to upstate New York across Lake Champlain to Burlington and then to Barre, Vermont.

 

The Adirondecks were just beautifull!!!  It’s really a reminder of Door County for us, except in a very large scale.  The main feature in this area is Old Forge.  It’s like Door County combined with the Dells!!!  Which means alot of antique shops along with the water slides and putt-putts.  There are tons of people here even for a monday.  The resorts that are prevelent in this area are full as indicated by kids riding their bikes and skateboards all over the shoulder.  Joggers are also prevelent on the shoulders.  Of course lakes dots the whole area.  The scenic highway is cut thru the woods and in some instances trees are cleared to offer scenic vistas.  The mountains are gorgeous and very green! 

 

Road construction are everywhere in this strech of road.  Our longest wait was about 15 min. when a resurfacing job was going on at Tuppers Lake.

 

We stopped at Lake Placid for lunch at a greek restaurant and had a great lunch of olives for starters and souvlakis sandwich.  This is an awesome restaurant.  Of course as everyone knows, this city is the site of the ’32 and ’80 winter Olympics.  The Miracle on Ice happened here when the collegiate american all-stars beat the soviet pros and went on to win the gold medal in ice hockey!  I remember that game distinctly as I was getting a filling in my tooth while the radio at the dentist was on with the game live.  I already knew the final score but watched the game on TV that night and heard Al Micheals immortally described the feeling of the moment.  Incredible moment in Olympic history. 

 

We didn’t get to see any of the particular venue sites, but we did pass by the location of the ice track where Eric Hieden of Madison won I believe was 5 gold medals in speed skating.  We also could see in the mountains the location of the ski runs where the competitions were held and where the future ski olympians train. 

 

Again the vistas with the mountains and streams were spectacular.

 

I took us another 1 hr and 30 min. to go from Lake Placid to Port Kent.  We arrived at Port Kent and they were loading the ferry to take us across Lake Champlain to Burlington.  Luckily, there is plenty of room to board.  After we paid $19.25, we boarded the ferry. 

 

I was wonderfull to be top-deck and feel the breeze and watch Burlington get bigger and bigger as we approach her.  The ride was fairly smoothed.  It took exacly an hour to cross the lake.

 

We found the McDermotts house with no problem whatsoever.  Their house is beautiful and is located in a cul-de-sac and sorrounded by trees and beautifull view of the Vermont mountains. 

 

We arrived there around 4:30 ish and gabbed with everyone until 11pm.

 

Overall a great day to start our visit with the McDermotts.

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Maid of the Mist!

August 7th, 2006

8-06-06  

Needless to say Maria and I slept in today after the long day yesterday.  We got up around 7 am and got out of the door by 10 am.  Yeah, we hit the snooze a few times.   Before we checked out.  I made reservation for our stay tonight in Utica, NY.  The Best Western hotel.  

We again headed for the Falls to take the boat tour into the Horseshoe Falls itself.  I was excited like a little kid in a candy store for the first time.  Another adventure.   

We bought our tickets and lined up to get to the elevator to go down to river level.  The elevator ride didn’t take long and soon we were handed a blue plastic raincoat.  After a 10 min. wait we boarded and set sail for the falls.  One thing of note.  The “captain” mentioned safety and location of the lifeboats and/or life jackets about 3/4 of the way into the boat ride!  Glad to know he really cared about the passengers.  I thought it was just another money making operation.  There are 4 boats total from the American and Canadian side.  Each boat takes about 20 min to complete a tour.  Staggering number of people go on these tours.  It seems like the boats are always full of tourists.  

Anyway, the tour started with the view of the American Falls.  Then proceeded to the Horseshoe Fall.  This is the time when you really get soaked.  Unfortunately my raincoat was riped open by the neck area as I tried to tie my hood shut so my hair would not get wet.  Well it didn’t until the wind blew it back, but the whole front of my shirt was soaked.  The boat was actually pretty close to the waterfall.  That was pretty exciting to feel the roar of the water come crushing down and I could hardly see anything because of the brightness and water in my eyes.  But manage to sneak a peek here and there to get the feel of the power of the falls.  It was an awesome feeling being that close to the falls. 

I hopefully wish that I will do this again sometime in the future.   It’s a beautiful day and after sitting a bit on the park to dry up, Maria and I headed to the Hard Rock Cafe for some lunch.   

After lunch, we crossed back into the US thru the Rainbow Bridge and into Niagara Falls, NY.  

Our trip across NY, passing thru Rochester and Syracuse was uneventful.  Took the I-90 thruway (tollway).  Except for one moment when ………………………..   I was cruising nonchalantly at about, say really past the speed limit.  Passing slower cars here and there admiring the view.  After passing two cars on a crest, all of a sudden a sheriffs car was right next to me and I looked and it took a few seconds to register and wham! I thought OH S—, big time ticket.  BUT, this sheriff car, after slowing down to look at me, just took off and was gone in a flash.  I mean in a flash.  He must have been easily going 100mph.  I did notice he had a few “passengers” in the back seat and it looked like he had pressing matters at hand.    After drying my seat, j/k!!!   After taking that all in and waiting for Maria to stop laughing about the whole thing.  We just kept going along.  I did slow down once we were 20 miles from Utica.  Just to get our direction right.  

We got into Utica around 5 ish.  Got settled in.  Didn’t want to push it today since this is Sunday.  A day of rest.  We just made a few phone calls, plan for tomorrow, and reserved our room in Barre, VT.   

Went out to a nice Italian steakhouse and treated ourselves a bit.  We will be relaxing tonight and getting more sleep.  Hopefully Maria will recover from her cold soon.   We will be in Vermont from Mon thru Thur morning.  Then our plan is to head home via Toronto.

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It’s still flowing!!!

August 6th, 2006

8-05-06

 

Our trip actuall started yesterday when Maria and I got to Milwaukee around 9pm.  Deanna and Donny greeted us but were ready to go to sleep as Deanna will be working the next day.  Maria and I also got to sleep early as our alarm was set for 3:30 am!!!

 

The alarm went off and I got up with no problem as my adrenalaine (sp) was really going.  Barely got any sleep at all last night.  Maria is sick as she has a cold.  Not a good start for her.

 

We got to the ferry terminal at 5am and checked-in and got in line for boarding.  The boarding went well and the ferry took off on time at 6am.  The sunrise over Lake Michigan was fantastic and the view of the city skyline appearing in front of you from the nightfall is really fun to watch.  I was on top-deck and snapped a few pics.  Then joined Maria below deck to get our plans organized and get a whatever sleep and rest we can get.

 

We did managed to get some sleep and also some bagels with coffee and tea for breakfast.  The ride was calm for the most part and you can feel a little bit of rocking of the boat.  The lake was calm and it made for a pleasant journey across Lake Michigan.

 

We arrived in Muskegon, Michigan at 9:30 am ET.  The ferry ride took exactly 2:30 hrs.  The unloading went fairly quickly.  With Maria navigating we found our highway right away and we’re off to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

 

The drive across Michigan was non-eventfull as we took the by-pass route in all the big cities like Grand Rapids, Lansing and Flint.  We stopped to gas and eat lunch before we hit Flint.  We ate at an Arby’s fast food. 

 

We then headed for Port Huron to cross the border into Canada.  This will be my first time setting foot in Canadian soil, but I believe it will be Maria’s third time.  The canadian border guard was friendly and chatty as he stamped our passports.  Now it’s official that I’ve been in Canada, eh!

 

The drive across Ontario from Point Edward to Niagara Falls was also uneventfull.  Their highway system is similar to ours.  Although they should set the speed limit faster as the highway was marked only with 60 kmh speed limit!  Needless to say, I followed a few fast rabbits to see the Falls.

 

We stopped once in Strathroy to gas up.  This should take us all the way to Niagara Falls.  We also stopped in Brantford Tourist Center to book for a hotel in Niagara Falls.  The reason we stopped here is that getting late in the afternoon and with no reservation, we wanted to know for sure where we are staying that night.  If none were available in Niagara Falls, we would look for a room in Hamilton which is the next big city. 

 

We were able to secure a room at the HoJo (Howard Johnsons).  We also went to a grocery store to get Maria some medicine for her cold, some water and snacks.  We also got some canadian money from the ATM.

 

We got to Niagara Falls around 5:30 ish after some heavy duty traffic stoppage just north of the city at St. Catherines.  Massive construction going on.  Probably to upgrade the border crossings. 

 

After checking in we went to see what we went there for.  The Falls themselves.  The Falls are incredible.  Pictures you’ve seen does not do it any justice.  The size and the volume of water going over the rock ledge is just massive and awesome!  oh, about a quarter of a mile from the falls, i thought it was about to rain when Maria informed me that it was just the mist from the falls.  It just depends on which way the winds are blowing that day as to what part of town is getting wet.  We stayed there ’till about 9:30 to see the falls at night all lighted up.  There are about 10 big, powerfull spotlights that shine on the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls with different colors to make it look impressive.  I suppose they needed a gimmick for nightfall to keep the people from leaving.  I was an awesome sight none the less at night with the spotlights.

 

This is Maria’s third visit here.  No, not with a new husband each time as some of you are probably thinking.  In the immortal words from Tony — You sicko! 

 

Anyway, after seeing the “lightshow”, we got something to eat, then headed back to our hotel to rest up from our 18 hr day. 

 

Niagara Falls, a truly national treasure that one should see in their lifetime!  Better hurry up before it really becomes commercialized, if it’s not already. 

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Road Trip 2006 (Vermont)

August 3rd, 2006

Well, It’s beginning of Aug. ’06 and Maria and I will be road trippin’ to Vermont.

Our plans are set and now we’re hurrying up to pack for the trip.  Lot’s of small stuff to take care of before we head out tomorrow (8/4).

Looking forward to blogging on the road and add some pics as we are taking Maria’s brother laptop with us.  I hope that I can learn to use it while on the road.  Should be no problem.

We are going to see Maria’s friend from HS, Carol and her family.  They live in Barre, Vermont.  Just east of Montpellier.

Here’s our itinerary:

8/4:  Travel to Milwaukee and stay w/ Deanna.

8/5:  Take the early morning ferry (Lake Express) across Lake Michigan to Muskegon.

Try to make it to Niagara Falls, Ont. by nightfall.

8/6:    See the falls in the morning and head for Lake Placid, NY by nightfall.

8/7:    Take a ferry across Lake Champlain and head for Barre.

8/10:     Head for Toronto, Canada

8/12:   Take the 11pm ferry from Muskegon to Milwaukee

8/13:    Head for home.

This should be fun little trip.  Should see some interesting spots along the way.

Well, the trip starts tomorrow and we have alot of stuff to do yet.

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Wow! People actually read my Blog! Thanks!

February 27th, 2006

Can’t even remember the last time I updated the blog.  I have been so busy with stuff to see and people that I’ve met.  Not counting all the relatives.

 To everyone, thanks for the concern for my safety.  I’m doing fine and will be home by the end of the week.

 Zamboanga was awesome as it was one party after another.  My uncles are some of the funniest people around.  Even I can understand most of what they are saying in Chabacano, I usually have to ask to translate in english.  or in Mexican english! 

 The food was great and the atmosphere was awesome.  The sights brought back some great memories but after 3 days it was time to move on.

Mom and dad headed to Manila to head home for the US on the 22nd.  I went to Cebu on the 19th to catch a flight on the 20th to Boracay Island.

My night in Cebu was uneventfull as I just tried to catch as much sleep as I could. 

The next day, I got on my flight to Caticlan, which took about an hour.  Then from the airport to the boat dock I took a tricycle.  Then I bought tickets for the banka ride from Caticlan to Boracay Island.  The banca ride took about 45 minutes to dock #1.  The water was choppy with half to a foot high wave.  But big enough to rock the boat at times.  Great ride with great views of the islands, especially Boracay.

Boracay is the greatest if not the greatest Resort Island in the world!  The sand is so fine that It doesn’t hurt your feet walking on it or when it’s hot.  The water is cool and clear and great for swimming.  I spent alot of time swimming during the day at White Beach and Puka Beach.  Also traveled to the other side of the island to see other beaches.  I also did some snorkling.  Great spots to see corals and fishes.  Did some jet skiing.  Rode a motorcycle in the Island.  Great way to see the Island.  Unfortunately, in a graveled road, I slid the motorcycle and scratch my leg and arm and jammed my shoulder.  It hurt like a son-of-a-gun an hour later, but doing fine now except for some movements.  At night, I usually try to find unique to eat, mostly seafood.  Delicious eating here all for less than 10 dollars, which usually includes a beer.  The main street on the beach (foot traffic only) has plenty of shops.  Got a Tatoo (Henna) also.  You’ll have to wait when I get back to see what it is.  My stay in Boracay was short but sweet.  I could have stayed here my whole trip but not this time.  Great pictures of the beach!

 Back to Manila on the 23rd.  As soon as we landed, I heard people talking about trouble brewing in the city.  Sure enough next day, PGMA declared state of emergency.  So the curious of me went to the demonstration (which happened to be held less than one mile from the hotel).  Unfortunately did not bring the camera, but saved some newspaper article.  Anyway, saw the people rushing to the christ monument and the police repelling the crowd with water cannons and batings.  It was just a wild scene.  I stayed as far away from trouble but was also able to see things.  It was just one protest of several that happened that day to commemorate the ouster of Marcos regime 20yrs ago. 

My time here in Manila has been filled with shopping and seeing sites in downtown Manila and Intramuros. 

Will be heading home soon and looking forward to seeing everyone again.

 Thanks for all your concerns.

jaime………

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Back to the Past!

February 17th, 2006

Yesterday, we flew to Zamboanga.  A large city in Southern Mindanao Island where I grew up.

The flight was uneventful until landing and you could really see the urban sprawl in this city.  We landed and there was a C5 Starlifter parked about 200 yrds from our plane.  I’m sure it was part of the Filipino-American military excecise going on at the moment.  Everything in this town is on red alert, but not in an obvious way.  There is more checkpts around the city than normal.

Upon arrival, our relatives greeted us and went to a seafood lunch right away.  The seafood was all still alive.  We picked out some crabs, prawns, fish, and some fresh veggies.  It was one of the most delicious food I’d ever had.  I did try a little bit of the crab, even though I’m alergic to it.  I just had too. 

In the afternoon, we went to see the old house we used to live in.  It’s changed dramatically since we have left.  The front and side yards are gone and so are all the fruit trees.  The fences were built up so you can’t see the property inside.  We knocked on the door to see if we can take a look see, but noone was home.

We then visited my old school.  It’s called Western Mindanao State University.  The place has also changed as more buildings are added.  The old elementary building is gone and is replaced for the better.  The place is full of students.  They”re even letting muslims go to school here.  Things change allright.

The highlight of the day was meeting all my uncles that I used to hang around with when I was young.  We had lots of laughts recalling our younger days.  We also had lots of San Miguels.

I’m sure the next two days will be more of the same.

until next time, “bahala na.”

ps-I hope it’s not snowing too bad back home.

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White Beach, Panglao Island

February 13th, 2006

Yesterday, Feb. 12 the family had a picnic at White beach, in nearby Panglao Island.

 We rented two nipa huts to set-up our food and things.  There were plenty of people today even if the weather was cloudy.  It rained for a little bit but stayed away nonetheless.  The water was cool and once you were in it, it felt great.  The sandy beach is pure white and feels great under your feet especially around this time of the yr.

 We had plenty of filipino food to eat.  Which is great because there were about 25 of us.  There was great comraderie and joking around. 

We also rented jet ski’s.  I spent about 45 min on those jet ski’s  and it was a blast!  The salt water was great!  I haven’t swam in salt water in while.  Probably when I left here. 

The public portion of the beach is shrinking as the resorts are starting to invade.  Tourists were everywhere.  Which is good for the economy here.  They need it, but at the same time they are losing their treasure.  Is this progress?

 At night, Rommel and I went to a Sabong (cockfight).  I tried to learn all the intracacies of the process.  From finding an opponent, getting the odds, making a bet, watching the fight, watch the surgery of the wounded chickens and watch the dead one’s get handed to the winner’s wife so she can go home and cook it.  We saw this cock with 7 wins in the night.  Not only did the owner made alot of money but will have a feast monday night or later that night.  The betting is very cool.  Everyone makes their own bet with whoever they want and there are hand signals that shows how much you bet.  I did not bet, but rommel lost 400 and won 300 on separate fights.  Lost a 100 for the night.

There were hardly any women at these things, but there were alot of kids.  As young as 7 or 8 making bets.  This was a small arena.  The arenas in the big cities are much bigger that holds thousands and have better cocks fighting.  This was a local venue.  As we traveled about 20 min outside the city to watch the Sabong.

Overall a great day of activities.  Tomorrow, I’ll catch up with e-mail, hotel reservations, etc.

Wed. we leave for Cebu city and Thu. to Zamboanga.  Our stay in Bohol is coming to a close. 

 until next time, “bahala na.”

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These hills aren’t alive, they’re chocolatey!

February 11th, 2006

Yesterday, Rommel and JoJo hired two vans to take us around the sights in the island. 

 We first met Rommels family at Bohol Tropics and exchanged pleasantries.  Then we headed out.

Our first sight is the blood compact sight.  This sight is where the conquering spaniards made a blood compact with the natives, but later reneged and destroyed pretty much every city they went and started colonizing the natives.  There is a statue commemorating the event.  This sight is located between the city and my grandmothers house.  The view from the statue is spectacular.  The ocean and the islands.

Our next stop was Baclayon Church.  Which is the second oldest church in the county.  The first being in Manila.  This is somewhat of a big church but old.  It’s starting to show it’s age.  Very nice interiors with beatiful relics. 

After a long drive thru the mountains and man made forests, we finally got to chocolate hills.  Just because the hills are named chocolate hills doesn’t mean you can just jump in and start eating chocolate to your hearts content.  On the contrary.  It’s named chocolate hills because in the dry season it is brown and the landscape looks like a thousand of heshey’s kisses was dropped from the sky.  We did see more than a few of the hills but it was pouring when we got there and did not climb the 200 steps to the viewing platform.  We ate lunch and headed back to the city.

 On the way back, we went to the floating restaurant area and also to see the tersiers.  The tersiers are the worlds smallest monkeys.  They’re about the size of one’s own palm.  They are so cutesey like that the women just go ga-ga over them.  They’re interesting to see thought as they are very shy.

 We then just had the wedding rehearsal and dinner was great.  Great filipino food and got to meet more relatives.

Overall a very tiring day as I crashed.  I think I’ve finally gotten over the jet lag thing.

Until next time, “bahala na.”

PS- Is it snowing back home?

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What’s up lately?

February 8th, 2006

After the Lake Taal excursion, we just pretty basically got ready to move on to Bohol.  Did alot of money exchange since rates will be lower in Bohol and shopping for balikbayan presents.

 

Got a haircu.  A flatop that took at least 30 mins with razors to cut the edges and a back massage.  All for two dollars.  Also got the full body Massage for seven dollars.  I did all of this at the wellnes center in the Robinson mall. 

 

We also went to get the Barong Tagalog (A Filipino traditional suit).  Had it tailor made along with the pants for 200 dollars.  Got it the next day before we left and it fit great.  Can’t wait to wear it Sat. for the wedding.

 

Our flight to Bohol was not at all exciting as I mostly slept and it only took 1 hr.

 

Will  try to post some pics soon if I can figure it out.

 

until next time, “bahala na.”

 

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