Presidential Inauguration Day in Santiago + 3 Strong Earthquakes (6.9, 6.7 & 6.0 magnitude) Darn Close to There = J&L May Now be Heading into the “Area of Severe Shaking” (see map on previous post).
Showing posts with label Natural Disaster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Natural Disaster. Show all posts
March 11, 2010
Vegas Just Changed our Odds...There's Still a Whole Lot of Shaking Going On
Uh, the excitement continues...
Presidential Inauguration Day in Santiago + 3 Strong Earthquakes (6.9, 6.7 & 6.0 magnitude) Darn Close to There = J&L May Now be Heading into the “Area of Severe Shaking” (see map on previous post).
Presidential Inauguration Day in Santiago + 3 Strong Earthquakes (6.9, 6.7 & 6.0 magnitude) Darn Close to There = J&L May Now be Heading into the “Area of Severe Shaking” (see map on previous post).
February 27, 2010
Maybe it's a sign...The odds are 3:1
So, we've had some interesting travel experiences over the years that have involved natural occurrences such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, volcano eruptions as well as storms of both the electrical & tropical kind. We have also had some unnatural events such as the G8 Conference in Russia, a World Cup final celebration (riot) in London and the infamous sheep incident on the train to Belgium. So basically, it's not a vacation without a natural disaster occurring, right?
Click on the map to enlarge it.
Usually these kinds of things happen WHEN WE ARE THERE. So, we are closely watching the betting lines in Las Vegas and have seen one that has us a little worried:
Odds 3:1 that a freighter carrying granulated lime Jell-O will collide with a freighter carrying several tons of sponges while transiting the Panama Canal causing the majority of the water in the waterway to be absorbed or turned into a wiggly, lime treat that goes with everything because "... there is always room for Jell-O.
3 to 1 odds? Given our track record, I would take that bet.
Seriously, our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been impacted by the recent catastrophic events in both Chile and Peru.
- Back in January, in and around the Machu Picchu area of Peru experienced major flooding.
- Today, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Central Chile area.
Click on the map to enlarge it.
Usually these kinds of things happen WHEN WE ARE THERE. So, we are closely watching the betting lines in Las Vegas and have seen one that has us a little worried:
Odds 3:1 that a freighter carrying granulated lime Jell-O will collide with a freighter carrying several tons of sponges while transiting the Panama Canal causing the majority of the water in the waterway to be absorbed or turned into a wiggly, lime treat that goes with everything because "... there is always room for Jell-O.
3 to 1 odds? Given our track record, I would take that bet.
Seriously, our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been impacted by the recent catastrophic events in both Chile and Peru.
July 12, 2008
There's Always a Weather Issue...
Ok, when we travel we tend to run into some sort of weather-related issue.
At Heathrow we were waiting to board our plane. The Business Class folks were asked to board but then there was a long wait & no one else was called. Then, the Business Class passengers all walked off of the plane.
We were only told that there was some sort of mechanical issue with the plane & that our flight would be delayed.
A few hours later (did we mention that Heathrow does not seem to have air conditioning) we were able to board the plane. The pilot made an announcement to explain the reason for the delay saying that the plane had been hit by lightning as it came into Heathrow during the previous flight.
Go figure!
At Heathrow we were waiting to board our plane. The Business Class folks were asked to board but then there was a long wait & no one else was called. Then, the Business Class passengers all walked off of the plane.
We were only told that there was some sort of mechanical issue with the plane & that our flight would be delayed.
A few hours later (did we mention that Heathrow does not seem to have air conditioning) we were able to board the plane. The pilot made an announcement to explain the reason for the delay saying that the plane had been hit by lightning as it came into Heathrow during the previous flight.
Go figure!
January 5, 2008
Not Us
Apparently a Norwegian cruise ship hit a glacier in the Antarctic. This was a small ship & was not the NCL ship we are on.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22429821/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22429821/
January 2, 2008
Villagers Flee Volcano Eruption in Chile
So, we may have mentioned earlier that it isn't a vacation for us without a natural disaster happening, right? Well, a day or so after we left this part of Chile, the Llaima Volcano erupted.
Details:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jan/02/naturaldisasters.chile
Once the locals kept trying to explain to "us Americans" that this was just like the Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980. Once we mentioned that we had actually experienced that one we were treated like celebs.
Fortunately, we were far enough away from the Chilean volcano's eruption so that it did not interrupt our trip.
Details:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jan/02/naturaldisasters.chile
Once the locals kept trying to explain to "us Americans" that this was just like the Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980. Once we mentioned that we had actually experienced that one we were treated like celebs.
Fortunately, we were far enough away from the Chilean volcano's eruption so that it did not interrupt our trip.
December 27, 2007
Rough Seas...
We've been fortunate enough to go on a dozen or so cruises in many parts of the World & have never experienced such rough seas, especially at night (which has made sleeping an interesting experience). Many of the crew members are turning shades of green.
Aside from a few bruises from bumping into things due to the rocking of the ship, we're still OK.
The odd thing is that the weather has been quite nice.
Aside from a few bruises from bumping into things due to the rocking of the ship, we're still OK.
The odd thing is that the weather has been quite nice.
July 19, 2007
DSW @ ORD
Shoeaholic Alert!
Our overnight hotel in Chicago was right across from a shopping mall and a DSW (for those not savvy, DSW = Designer Shoe Warehouse). It would have been a landmark day on the calendar for Lori to stay the night across the street from a shoe store, but not go in. However, we ended up there anyway.
As we were walking across the street to the mall to pick up some items that were not packed with the carry-on (Joel did not anticipate the canceled flights, etc), Lori's shoe broke! So, we turned around and headed for the shoe store. We could have sold tickets as we walked across Skokie Blvd with Lori only wearing one shoe.
Somehow, our shoe and weather karma has ensured a memorable end to our vacation. We are now waiting for the departure for our flight home. Hopefully we have enough airline karma to get home tonight.
Our overnight hotel in Chicago was right across from a shopping mall and a DSW (for those not savvy, DSW = Designer Shoe Warehouse). It would have been a landmark day on the calendar for Lori to stay the night across the street from a shoe store, but not go in. However, we ended up there anyway.
As we were walking across the street to the mall to pick up some items that were not packed with the carry-on (Joel did not anticipate the canceled flights, etc), Lori's shoe broke! So, we turned around and headed for the shoe store. We could have sold tickets as we walked across Skokie Blvd with Lori only wearing one shoe.
Somehow, our shoe and weather karma has ensured a memorable end to our vacation. We are now waiting for the departure for our flight home. Hopefully we have enough airline karma to get home tonight.
Mrs. International 2007
As we were having breakfast on the last day of the cruise, someone had to say "... and we haven't had any weather disasters!" This was in reference to tornadoes in Dallas, hurricanes in Jamaica, an unseasonable heat wave in Paris, and a canceled Mexico trip due to Wilma, etc. It just seems that our last several vacations have included some sort of significant weather event.
Fast forward 15 hours when we were getting ready to land in Chicago (after a very tight connection in London where we ran from one terminal to the other to catch our "closing" flight) and were told by the pilots that there was some heavy rain in Chicago and we were going to "circle" because the airport was backed up. We landed about 50 min. later and found that our final connection to Seattle was delayed 90 min. We grabbed a bit of dinner and settled in at our gate as we watched an amazing thunder and lightning storm hit the airport. About 30 minutes later, our flight was officially canceled.
After getting our flight re-booked for today, we got on the phone to find an hotel room. The cots that were strewn out on the L-Concourse would have constituted "camping," which we were not up for.
Now, what does all this have to do with Mrs. International 2007? Well, when we arrived at the hotel, we found that the majority of the rooms are booked out to contestants for the pageant. Needless to say, the chicken was star struck this morning as breakfast was spent with many tall women in evening gowns and wearing sashes.
Fast forward 15 hours when we were getting ready to land in Chicago (after a very tight connection in London where we ran from one terminal to the other to catch our "closing" flight) and were told by the pilots that there was some heavy rain in Chicago and we were going to "circle" because the airport was backed up. We landed about 50 min. later and found that our final connection to Seattle was delayed 90 min. We grabbed a bit of dinner and settled in at our gate as we watched an amazing thunder and lightning storm hit the airport. About 30 minutes later, our flight was officially canceled.
After getting our flight re-booked for today, we got on the phone to find an hotel room. The cots that were strewn out on the L-Concourse would have constituted "camping," which we were not up for.
Now, what does all this have to do with Mrs. International 2007? Well, when we arrived at the hotel, we found that the majority of the rooms are booked out to contestants for the pageant. Needless to say, the chicken was star struck this morning as breakfast was spent with many tall women in evening gowns and wearing sashes.
June 9, 2006
2006 Baltic Captials Cruise Threatened by G8 Summit
Strange things tend to happen to us when we travel. Sometimes, they start to happen before the trip has even started.
This July, we are planning to spend some time in London & then take a cruise through the various Baltic Captials. It's our big 40th birthday celebration and we are extremely fortunate to have this travel opportunity.
Unfortunately, security has been increased in preparation for the G8 Summit Conference in St. Petersburg, Russia. This was announced a few days ago. Because of this, our cruise line has had to drastically change the itinerary. Instead of spending more time in the various Baltic captials, it looks like there will be more days at sea instead.
While this is not necessarily the cruise line's fault (they worked hard to not cancel the cruise entirely), it is a bit disappointing.
Fortunately, we will still get the opportunity to visit the following Baltic Captials/European Locations:
Because we are not too thrilled with spending multiple days at sea while in Europe, we are looking into other travel options. Right now, it looks like we may:
This July, we are planning to spend some time in London & then take a cruise through the various Baltic Captials. It's our big 40th birthday celebration and we are extremely fortunate to have this travel opportunity.
Unfortunately, security has been increased in preparation for the G8 Summit Conference in St. Petersburg, Russia. This was announced a few days ago. Because of this, our cruise line has had to drastically change the itinerary. Instead of spending more time in the various Baltic captials, it looks like there will be more days at sea instead.
While this is not necessarily the cruise line's fault (they worked hard to not cancel the cruise entirely), it is a bit disappointing.
Fortunately, we will still get the opportunity to visit the following Baltic Captials/European Locations:
Because we are not too thrilled with spending multiple days at sea while in Europe, we are looking into other travel options. Right now, it looks like we may:
- Get off of the ship in St. Petersburg & stay there a few extra days.
- Fly off to either London or Paris for an extra day or so.
- Fly home.
May 18, 2006
Nothing Says "Vacation" Like a Category 4 Hurricane - July 2005
In July of 2005, we decided to go to one of those "all inclusive" resorts in Jamaica with a group of friends. All was well, the resort was beautiful, the food was good and the weather was fantastic....until Hurricane Dennis hit.
It was a wild ride. Everyone stayed inside the resort and rode out the hurricane because there was no where else to go to. In fact, our resort was considered to be one of the safe places for the locals to go during the hurricane. Uh, did we mention that this was an open-air resort located on the beach in the direct line of hurricane fire? Ponder this for a moment... Uh huh. Fortunately, our resort sustained little damage.
Eventually we were able to get out on a flight out of Jamaica. The drive to the airport was certainly an E-Ticket ride. The best part was just after the hurricane when our driver came to take us from the resort to the airport (which was on the other side of the island). He told us the following;
- Most communications were down & no one really knew how bad the hurricane damage really was.
- He had no idea if the airport was functioning.
- He had no idea if the roads were passable, but he'd try to get us as close to the airport as possible.
- He had heard reports of violence outbreaks along the local roads (locals ambushing passing cars, looting, etc).
Take a deep breath.
Wait for it.
Ready?
He told us that everything would be OK because he had a loaded gun with him. You could just feel the joy oozing from us at that point. We did eventually make it to the airport & only had a few "character building" moments along the way.
That experience certainly expanded our definition of "fun." We did pick up a slick little souvenir @ the airport to remind us of our experience.
May 4, 2006
Panama Canal Cruise - Spring 2004
In the Spring of 2004, we took a cruise through the Panama Canal and documented it using the links listed below.
The killer things about that cruise were that:
The killer things about that cruise were that:
- The average age of the cruiser was 67.
- We took Joel's parents on the cruise for their 50th wedding anniversary.
- Joel's father won a free cruise for 2 while on this cruise. They were some of the youngest folks on the ship.
- We narrowly avoided a tornado enroute to Puerto Rico.
- At the end of the 20 days, all family members were still talking to one another.
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