Walking quickly through the jungle of Chitwan National Park in the southern Terai of Nepal, I follow my guide confidently as we chase down the rhino that was spotted by another group. Tika, my guide, wants to make sure I get to see the rhinos. There were also 2 other groups in the area and in order to get to the rhino first, he said we had to move fast! Chitto, Chitto! Fast, Fast! We gained speed and soon passed up the 2 larger groups. Tika moved through the jungle in his plastic flip flops easily and as we neared the river, I saw the big black rhino standing in the water. I held my camera up and she turned her head looking at me. I gazed upon this majestic animal and felt grateful to be able to experience this in the wild. The rhino slowly got out of the water and walked back into the jungle The other groups were just arriving as she disappeared from sight.
I was also able to see the Kingfisher bird, 2 types of deer, a handful of monkeys playing, and a crocodile sunning in the rocks. Oh, and one blood-sucking leech on my belly!
This week a new travel app called Spotworld was released in the iTunes App Store. It’s an app designed to be a kind of social networking for travelers. They call themselves “The Global Social Travel Guide.” Similar to Facebook, you can “like” travel itineraries created by members. I signed up right away and created, Must-sees in the Kathmandu Valley. I can see this app going big…Really Big! The app is easy to use and has a nice lay-out. It is a little buggy but with some user feedback, I’m sure the bugs and kinks will get worked out. I also received a very timely email reply from the CEO.
On my trip to Nepal this year, I’m planning a stop-over in Hong Kong. So I went out in search of Hong Kong travel apps. The Hong Kong Tourism Board offers a great free app called Hong Kong 720°. Offered within the app are virtual tours of popular attractions in Hong Kong. Also listed is information on visitor centers, emergency services, and government services. The tourism board also offers 4 other free apps but this is definitely the best one!
If you’ve ever been to Hong Kong, you’ve probably ridden the MTR train. The first time was a bit confusing but once I figured it out, I realized how simple and cheap the train travel really is. If you’re going to Hong Kong for the first time, you may find the appto be confusing. At the train station you can pick up the map brochure which explains the system better. After a few trips, the app will make sense to you. I’m looking forward to using it on my next stay in Hong Kong.
And last but not least, if you fly Cathay Pacific, try out their app CX Mobile. You can use the app to check-in for your flight, get flight status & schedules, and they even offer some simple city guides to the places they fly to. I used the app once for check-in and flight status and was very happy with it.
I am in the travel planning stages again and I’m so frustrated I could scream. My daughter is graduating from college in May and I’m taking her to Hawaii to celebrate. I found a great deal on a condo rental for a week. Check out VRBO, by the way!
Last month, airfare from LAX to OGG was $650 round trip. I thought that was too expensive and decided to wait. That was a mistake. It is now $1172 for a direct flight to Maui. I’ve tried everything. The cheapest I can find is $719 with a connection and layover making the trip a total of 10 hours. I don’t want to spend the first day of our vacation on a plane!
In contrast, for about the same amount of money as the direct flight, I can fly to Hong Kong for $989 and to Bangkok for $1189. Now, does that make any sense?
I just had to rant……
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