I’ve always been biased when it comes  to places for scuba diving but a friend who had just come back from Club Med Dominican Republic told us that we had to book Club Med – so we are trusting his opinion and going to Club Med instead of DisneyLand.  So now we are going to have to hunt down some camera goggles so that we can film our underwater adventures plus we may be visiting some dolphins as well.  My kid is very excited about seeing a pink dolphin – she wants to swim with it.  The camera goggles will work well for us because it will keep our hands free while it films everything we do – from snorkelling to spearfishing.    I think we are going to get 2 of them – and we can get them at our local store in the mall – or wait I think it’s an online only thing – so yes, we can still buy it online.   Club Med should be a fun place for any kids too – and I’m sure we could use some sun right about  now.

]]> http://www.isbreading.org/2012/02/club-med-dr/feed/ 0 http://www.isbreading.org/2012/01/flying-with-airmiles/ http://www.isbreading.org/2012/01/flying-with-airmiles/#comments Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:18:03 +0000 breading http://www.isbreading.org/?p=3782

We’ve collected airmiles for years now and have always heard of people cashing in on their airmiles and making use of them to travel for free.  This year we are planning to visit Disneyland with our kid – so we are also cashing in on our airmiles and flying economy to Orlando Florida and we heard that Westjet – the airline we chose to travel in – had very good seats for our trip.   They have skullcandy headphones for kids when they watch their movies on the plane.   My kid had asked me if she can bring home those skullcandy headphones after using it – and truth be told I don’t even know if we can.  I guess if she liked it so much we can buy it from the airlines or search for them for sale online.   I hope we get good seats with our airmiles – even if we don’t get the skull candy headphone for free -  a 4hrs flight and a layover of 3hrs is not exactly fun if the seats on the airplane isn’t good.

My ex-boss being a resident in Madrid, of course brought us to places where the locals go and The Plaza De Santa Ana was recommended by him and it’s a real Spaniard experience here especially in the evenings.  You don’t find a lot of tourist around and drinks and food were a lot cheaper than the places where the tourists are brought to by their tour guides.  There were outdoor cafes and bar everywhere at the Plaza De Santa Ana and folks play guitar there every night with singing and dancing – it was a very lively scene.  There are a few vendors there – who would try and sell you their touristy souvenirs and you can politely refused if you didn’t want any.   We usually stay till late in the evening – as people watching as well as the singing was really good.  If you want to experience a true spanish atmosphere – try this plaza.

The Plaza is always crowded and with lots of people.

]]> http://www.isbreading.org/2012/01/plaza-de-santa-ana-madrid/feed/ 0 http://www.isbreading.org/2012/01/the-joule-dallas/ http://www.isbreading.org/2012/01/the-joule-dallas/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:14:01 +0000 breading http://www.isbreading.org/?p=3691

I was only in Dallas once with my ex-boss who was looking for Tubing Bender for a project we were on way back in 2008, since I was in Canada – it would be easier to bring me a long than his engineer in Singapore.   We stayed that The Joule in Dallas on Main Street  – I think I liked the location best – and because it right where the central area was – it was definitely convenient for us to go about our business and to receive business associate in the hotel or a nearby cafe.   I don’t remember them having a business center but they did have some PC  – and internet connection that you can hook your laptop to at the lobby.  The staff were extremely friendly and they did have a restaurant inhouse – Charlie something  – I can’t remember the name.

The rooms were very nice – and modern – I liked the colors immediately – it didn’t feel like I was sleeping in a hotel – it was like an apartment.

Like I said – everything was pretty modern – right up to the bathroom experience.

Loved the outdoor pool – for in Canada – most hotels has indoor ones.  I really wouldn’t say that it’s a boutique hotel – because they had a lot of rooms – the concierge was pretty helpful if I remember correctly.   Anyhow, we found our tubing bender in Dallas and return home after a 3 days stay.  So if you are in Dallas looking for tubing bending – stay at the Joule, Dallas.

]]> http://www.isbreading.org/2012/01/the-joule-dallas/feed/ 0 http://www.isbreading.org/2012/01/traveling-with-electronics/ http://www.isbreading.org/2012/01/traveling-with-electronics/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:42:07 +0000 breading http://www.isbreading.org/?p=3618

So it’s that time of the year again – where you see tons of Canadians flocking to the south to the warmer weather – and to our friendly neighbors in the south.  If you ever go to Cuba or Mexico – you would think that the entire population in Canada might have migrated there.  But hang on before you head for the airport with your tablet laptops and 3D cellphones  – what are the laws to bringing them on the airplane and crossing custom?

Like many travelers, we cannot travel without at least 1 of these gadgets – and I don’t blame you because we still need to keep in contact with the rest of the world/work even though we are on vacation.  So I found out a little more about traveling with electronics like cellphones, laptops, your favorite androids, your e-readers, gaming devices and digital cameras.  And it looks like we are all safe with that – all passengers can bring their personal electronics on board but make sure you check with your airline for its restrictions.  But most airlines prefer your carry them with you on the plane – so that they don’t have to be responsible for any damages/lost item.  But you still cannot use your electronic items when the plane takes off and land – so there you have it.  And going thru’ custom with them shouldn’t be a problem at all.   So those escaping the winter – and heading out south – have fun !

I loved traveling as you all know – but I`m also worried when I travel that I might fall sick or worst – if the kid gets sick and everytime we do stay in a hotel that is dusty I get a very bad headache or migraine. Chronic headache is actually my greatest enemy when I am traveling  – therefore, I never leave home without my travel health kit – and I tell yer – I feel a lot safer when i have all my back up medication and anything that I might need in this travel health kit.   I take a small portion of whatever I need, from tylenol to band aid with me when i travel and of course medication for my headaches/migraine is a must and if I don’t get an attack, it will not go to waste, I can always use it on my next trip.  But of course, I do check for expiry dates and make sure I change them ever so often if I haven’t used them for the last 6 months.  So if you are traveling for vacation or work  – make sure you pack your health travel kit with you – for you never know when you might need it.

For someone who travels as much as I did before – you would be surprised at how much pictures I had printed out during the last 20 yrs of traveling.   20 yrs ago – I wished for a printer that I could carry around with me and print out pictures I liked or had taken with a friend or family members and share it with them immediately but alas, there was none.  As I looked at my Epson TM-T88V receipt printer today – I was thinking about how nice it would have been if I had a printer that was this small and prints as fast but in color.  Of course, they now have portable printers that are small and affordable now – but with digital cameras – one don’t really need to print out all the photos that you’ve taken during a vacation to find out which one is the best.  But it would still be very nice to have a small color printer like the Epson that I have for my store’s receipt printer to use for my holiday pictures.  I really like my Epson printer – it’s small – cheap and definitely ink friendly – now if only some manufacturer or designer can design a portable printer as small and lightweight as my Epson – I’m sure folks like us would love to have one too.

So it’s that time of the year again – where everyone is rushing to go on vacation or getting out of the cold weather into the warm.  Some of you might be going home for Christmas as well or visiting good friends in another continent.  But before you leave home with your kids especially if you are traveling with your kids – make sure you check if there is a nearby doctor or hospital and if you are staying in a hotel if there is an in-house doctor.  That’s what I do everytime I go on vacation with my kid – I remember how flustered I was when my kid had a temperature for days – and the nearest hospital was like an hour away.  Luckily the hospital was well – equipped with medical computer cart and all the medical equipments needed for x-ray and needles else I would be really devastated.   So before you go on your Christmas vacation, check if you can find medical help nearby where you are staying before leaving and take the number and address down – you never know what might come up during your vacation.

So you are thinking of bringing your kids for a vacation this Christmas – but of course – you need a hotel that is kid friendly and have certain amenities for kids as well.  But you also don’t want to pay top dollars for just accommodation alone for you want to leave some spending money so that you and your kids can buy some souvenirs home right?   I can understand it completely – but do you want to just choose a hotel with a pool and pool safety fence or do you want also restaurants for them to eat in – as well as an amusement park nearby for convenience reason?  What about the rooms?  do you want a hotel to provide those free roll-in bed or a sofa bed?  yes you have to take all these into consideration.

The Westin Chosun is one of my favorite hotel when I am in Asia – not only is it reasonable in prices – it is kid’s friendly as well as very near a shopping market.

The Myeong dong market is like a cluster of shopping center together – they have loads of high end shops here – and you can shop till you drop.  I loved the street food on the Myeong Dong Market – and everything is just so cheap there.

The interior of the Westin Chosun is pretty luxurious as you can view from this picture – very much like a Japanese hotel but much bigger rooms.  The pool is an olympic size pool and you can see children playing at the children’s pool and although they do not have safety fences like the B & B’s in the West – you also will be in awe of the Olympic size pool that most western hotels do not have but definitely kid’s friendly.

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