Flew via Rome; NY to Rome was 7:15 with a good tailwind. Purser and my seatmate spent a good hour having a loud Italian argument over where Karen and I should honeymoon in Italy. Food on Alitalia Business Class was better than expected. Today was 9/11 anniversary and business class was empty but economy was full. Rome airport has been renovated nicely with monorails and pretty terminals. Nice business lounge for Alitalia with a room filled with massage chairs and PC workstations. 1 hour flight to Malta; not worth the upgrade here. Alitalia upgrades you on a courtesy basis only if economy is full. Same seats to Malta, just more room between rows. Was stuck behind what appeared to be some Russian prostitutes at border control and that took some time. Most striking thing about landing in Rome on the way to Malta is the interesting looking trees. In Malta, not advised to drink the tap water. Meridian Hotel is the only 5 star in the city of Valletta, the capital, but it’s a bit out of date. The island looks like Cyprus; $15 and 15 minutes to the hotel by taxi from the airport. 

A nice evening walk in Valletta is to the main gate at the entrance to the city before you get to the old city. It is about 10 minutes walk from the hotel. Started with a 3 hour walk beginning with the main street in the old town; mostly cheap goods not worth buying. Walk the perimeter with the public gardens, walls and forts; sunset at Hastings Gardens; the Barraka Gardens are nice. Not humid today; hardly drank any water even though I walked up and down hill for 3 hours. Very British in flavor; 35 years independent. There is a marker in town quoting FDR’s speech thanking the Maltese for their sacrifices to save the future of mankind during WW II; not much in the rhetoric has changed over these 50 years. Could’ve been Bush’s speech for the war on terror.

Ivan’s Jet Lag Tips: Arrive in the morning; drink only water on the flight and order VGML (pure non-dairy vegetarian) as it digests well; nap a few hours on arrival and make believe it’s bedtime (ie: take a shower and put on sleepware); keep snacking during the day and stay up till about midnight and then sleep late the next morning. Have quiet time before going to sleep at night. Even if you wind up taking 3 showers in the first 24 hours, that’s not so bad. 

Within Malta city a taxi costs about $12 flat rate (all figures USD), so it is better to walk or use the buses. The Malta Experience is a good 45 minute film; check for times before you go as there are not many showings each day, particularly on the weekends. St. John’s Co-Cathedral closes early on Saturday so if you are weekending be sure and get there Friday or Sat. morning. Fine Arts Museum is good for 10 minutes; meals at some local cafes; the food is mediocre here.

A 40 cent / 20 minute bus ride gets you to Medina, a nice old city to walk around in for an hour. The Meridian hotel in Valletta is just outside the central bus station which is a series of bus stops. At the end of the main drag in Medina, there is an overlook of the plains and the gardens just past the city wall. Xara Palace, a Relais Chateaux property, is just inside Medina – nice hotel but nothing to do there. Go for dinner. In my case, I went to Medina during the day and came back for dinner. 3 course meal for $65 with tip. All the diners were English speakers from around the world. Taking the bus instead of the taxis, I made back the cost of the dinner. Air Malta back to Rome; how many people can you squeeze into a 737? All in all, Malta is a safe and touristic English haven an hour's flight from Rome with very pretty sites and natural beauty, but it is not particularly upscale and I wouldn't forego other places in Italy in order to rush to Malta.

72 Hours in Rome

I come to Rome to shop every so often and I vowed that on this trip I would come a day early and walk around the city to get more of a feel for the place. The express train from the airport to the center of town takes 30 minutes every 30 minutes but it is a really long walk to the taxi stand once you get off the train, even with moving sidewalks. It cost 8 Euro to get from the train station to the hotel and 10 Euro to get on the train; the taxi straight to the airport is about 45 Euro (a sedan is also roughly 45). Not necessarily a great deal to take the train, particularly if you are traveling as a couple. Grand Hotel Minerva is right behind the Pantheon and, at 220 Euro per night, not excessively priced considering that Rome is not cheap. A spinach and mozzarrella sandwich and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice for starters (why can’t we get those sandwiches here?)  and then a very long walk beginning with the main department store (Rinascente) about 10 minutes walk from the hotel, Trevor Fountain, Spanish Steps (Hassler Hotel is at the top of them and the hotel’s concierge says San Pietro is the place to honeymoon; so will other concierges of the best hotels); Villa Borghese gardens, metro to Coliseum and pay the 10 Euro to go inside (the Spanish steps metro station is huge with endless escalators). Good music in the supermarkets; it’s a clubby sound everywhere you go here. Coliseum and ruins in the Palatino (take the detour and go see them; it’s a nice walk along the city walls and the colors toward sunset are magnificent); Circus Massimo is a bunch of nothing. Walk along to piazza Venezia and return to the hotel, about 10 minutes behind the p. Venezia.  This is a 4 hour walk. The Arch of Titus is not the Arch of Constantinople; the latter is the one right in front of the Coliseum; the other one is toward the Forum ruins. Dinner at Sabatino at piazza S. Ignazio near the hotel recommended by the concierge; I was a good mamito (mamma’s boy in Italian) under the supervision of a Real Italian Mama who made sure I ate real good pizza, pasta and salad. Gelato at La Palma, 200 meters behind the McDonalds by the Pantheon.

After agonizing about letting the hotel clean my clothes, I relented since taxis back and forth and the time would have wound up costing the difference. Piazza Fiume has a better Rinascente which also carries housewares. The one I usually go to is on Via Corso and that has some items that the other one doesn’t. It is best to go to both, but the one at Fiume is the better store. You cannot combine both stores for VAT purposes or return goods bought from one store at the other. Stores on piazza D’Spagna (next to the Spanish Steps) are closed on Mondays till 4pm. So are many things; being in Rome on a Monday morning or early afternoon is a waste as for shopping. This year I am not crazy about the neckties and the suits are not as interesting; green is out of fashion and in Hong Kong I will also have problems finding green fabrics. So what to do on a Monday afternoon in Rome? Balloon ride over Villa Borghese with a great view of the city for 15 minutes for 14 Euro. On a weekday mid-afternoon there was no wait. Excelsior concierge also recommends San Pietro as it is romantic, on the cliff, private beach, near the city of Positano on the Amalfi coast. Taxied back to p. D’Spagna, walk along via Corso and city center; there is an Auto Grill on Via Corso behind the Rinascente and this is a great value cafeteria. Visited stores on via Nazionale such as Socrates, Tutto Sport on via Morgagni for sports shirts with letters put on the back. Very hard to find this in Rome. Cisalfa chain of sports stores do not have this stuff. Evening shopping at Rinascente till 10pm. 

Vatican Museum: allow 1.5 hours. Highlights are Sistine Chapel and Stanza Rafaelli. Lots of walking and these two items are close to the end; cannot go backward though it would be best that way. Best advice is to go early and head straight to the end; you can repeat the rest of the walk-thru tour afterward.  Lunch in the cafeteria. More Rinascente, then to Via Nazionale to Savoy 68 and Jacques Simeon; bought less than usual since I know I am going to Hong Kong and I should only buy things I am really sure I cannot get over there. I will find in Hong Kong that they have more of the fabrics shown in Italy than I expected. Euro is strong right now but there are sales. Piazza Venezia: can climb to the top but only from 9:30 to 5:00 (but can exit till 6:30). Sent a parcel to Florida on 16 September; as of 2 October it’s still not there even though I sent it air mail insured. It cost me 60 Euro to send 8 pounds with insurance for 200 Euro of contents. 

Amazing thing about Rome is that there are few stoplights but everyone does indeed stop for pedestrians who step into marked cross walks. Also there are no gas stations in the city; just pumps at the side of the road. More Rinascente for me; condolence shopping of whatever I felt bad I didn’t get earlier in the day. No black bowties for sale here; they are out of fashion. Other colors are OK such as burgundy. Dinner rooftop at the hotel with a nice view of the city. Rather pricey and really not worth it.

Be sure to get cash back for your VAT before boarding the shuttle to Terminal C Gates 20-33 which is where your flight is likely to depart from; all the major companies have cash-back counters to the left and right of the customs desk where you must get your tax refund forms stamped. VAT refund has become very easy at this airport. I am flying Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong which is an 11 hour flight; if you ask, there is a walk-up upgrade fare of 870 Euro from Business to First Class and I am told that Cathay First Class on a 747 is the best in the industry, so I tried it. Pretty good deal actually for me, since I was flying business class round the world for under 5k, and a ticket like this normally goes for 7k. (Even better is the fact that 2 weeks later, the charge still hasn’t shown up on my American Express account.) Aside from the fact that the business lounge for non-Alitalia flights sucks (no English reading, no internet, no food); first class is very good with a flat seat, lots of food and they give you these pajama outfits that are worth taking home. Complaint: on their entertainment system, you have to start from the beginning every time you switch channels. There are 2 minutes of the same commercials running on each channel. It is super annoying. I must have watched the same commercial 50 times.

106 Hours in Hong Kong (More than 4 Whole Days!)

SARS Scare Lives On. At least they don’t take your body temperature manually; they have this infrared machine that scans everyone as they walk down the aisle. Hotel Intercontinental Hong Kong in Kowloon; the old Regent Hotel, consistently rated as one of the world's 10 best hotels and it deserves its good rating. After a morning of napping (I got lucky; arrived at 8am and got upgraded to a junior suite as my room wasn’t ready.) The view from the coffee shop of the Hong Kong skyline is a winner and the spa is very chic. Lots of construction going on of a railroad station which will make it easier to go to and from China. Always impressed at how interesting the area is and how much progress is going on. Super modern everything; very friendly to tourists; always asking if you want something and the hotel is a beautiful property and run well. At the tailor, the Italian fabrics are all here. David has gotten a lot of swatches that only Peter had a year ago. Good breakfast, tea and evening canopes in the Club Intercontinental (although few vegeterian items) but still no good reason to have to eat out. In with the tailors most of the day. Lane Crawford has lovely neckties and is a very well designed department store. There is a Lantern festival and it is pretty to walk along the promenade along the cultural center; everyone has a place for skateboarding, breakdancing, or whatever. Teddy Bear Kingdom opened in a shopping center next to the hotel; OO EE OHH AH AH says the Teddy Bear song which plays on endlessly.

Oops, I crushed my eyeglasses in a freak accident. Fell off my night table and under my pillow. Got a new pair of titanium frames from Japan for $275 with lenses; it would cost $500 in the states however the quality of the lenses is slightly inferior; makes no difference to many people but I am very sensitive and know the difference. Lunch with friend Mark Tung; he sees a long road to economic recovery here. Hong Kong still hasn’t recovered from 1997. Running in place to catch up here. No job security. Taxi to Stanley Market looking for little boxes with creaking dancing froggies. It was popular a few years ago but is extinct now. The new tunnel is so much faster than the old one but it costs an extra few bucks. Tried on my wedding tuxedo which came out real good. Lobby is filled all day long with graduates of some tech school prancing about with their parents in their gowns. 

Big Money Saving Tip: I’m tired of Amex and Visa charging about 3% to convert my foreign currency purchases back into dollars on my credit card statement. So I’m pulling out cash every day from my ATM cards and using them to pay my bills. There the rate is the market rate and there is no commission or bank fees. Also the merchant doesn’t like paying 3%, so between the two charges there is room to negotiate down the price a few points.

At 9:30pm you can get to a laptop in the hotel lounge though there is no late night snacking opportunities in the lounge. Sunday morning visit to the Museum of History for a very good presentation. The UK conquered Hong Kong for opium smuggling to China to preserve its balance of trade when prior diplomatic attempts failed. Has the world changed with oil being the currency of today? Nice exhibition; allow 90 minutes as there are several films. I was a bit surprised at how cruel the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during WW II was viewed here.

It is hot and humid outside and there is no desire to walk anywhere. Laborers wear jackets outside; how can they stand it?

Here’s a fun thing to do in Hong Kong if you really want to do something on the wild side: Take a helicopter tour from the top of the Peninsula Hotel. Combine it with dinner in one of the hotel restaurants. www.heliservices.com.hk or call 852.2802.0200. Cannot book the helicopter unless you are a guest at the Peninsula hotel or you book one of these packages.

Another thing I’d like to do next trip is go to Ocean Park, the theme park which offers rides, escalators and chair lifts up the mountains. The mountains that surround the city are really beautiful and the taxi ride to Stanley Market or Victoria’s Peak doesn’t do them enough justice.

Lots of time sitting in the shops talking to the tailors. One of the workers found me the froggie boxes at about $3 apiece and I bought a dozen for gifts to the kids. Back to the Japanese: Elton said that only 1/7 of the Japanese occupation army were Japanese; the others were Chinese. The concierge at the Intercontinental says the Japanese and Koreans were of Chinese ancestry and it is a big controversy just who was what. This is a good example of living history in question in this part of the world. World’s worst pizza tonight for dinner at the hotel coffee shop; I got it taken off my bill at checkout. With all the construction, the Sheraton or the Peninsula is more convenient but afterward this place will be hopping again since it is on the water and a bit of an oasis from the hubbub on Nathan Road. Hong Kong has the most magical skyline looking at it from the Kowloon side. A drink in the Intercontinental lobby or a walk on the promenade at sunset or in the late night is a lovely place to be thinking Global Thoughts. I am working on my idea of the US as Global Citizen vs. Global Policeman and I will write out my thesis on the return plane ride. In my room I am watching BBC World and looking out the post card windows behind my bed at Hong Kong skyline and harbour. Life is beautiful. It is $35 half hour ride by taxi to the airport which is organized very well; the Cathay business lounge is one of the world’s best with several bars, tons of daily periodicals, beautiful reading and internet rooms with artsy volumes and ponds, and several free restaurants and a noodle bar. Bamboo and mood lights in business class cabin; 11 hours to Vancouver. 

24 Hours in Vancouver

On my flight I sat next to a Chinese guy who lived in Israel for 5 years and spoke Hebrew. Upon arrival, they are crazy about SARS; two questionnaires and 3 inspections. 4 hours walking around Vancouver. I arrived at 2pm and so am going straight through the day without a nap. Immigration at the airport was not so fast; since 9/11 Canada is not a shoe-in for entering and exiting the country. Walked around city center; there is a subway, uniformed ambassadors to show you around and funded by the merchants’ association. Nice green areas but overall a gridded plain city and rather flat in the city center. Nice shops; cruise ships stop here and lots of Asian tourists and residents. Observation deck from Harbour Centre has good views and you can come back on your ticket at night. Granville Island is a nice little diversion; Imax film on Alaska behind the exhibition center next to my hotel, The Fairmont Waterfront, which is right where the cruise ships dock. 

Bit of a nippy chill in the air; am watching sunset and I can see a big mountain all the way down in Washington state. Feels like the town is sprucing up for its bid for the 2010 Olympics. Bay Company is a major department store but it is not upscale; there are other stores such as Holt Renfrew and Harry Rosen. The hotel is near the harbour and there are sea planes and boats from 7am as well as noise from the harbour during the night. There are many hotels in Vancouver and most are within a few blocks of each other; this is a good place to hunt for deals and the other Fairmont is more centrally located. Visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge; a fun touristy diversion about 15 minutes and $12 taxi ride out of the city (all numbers USD) featuring a bridge that shakes as you and everyone else walks on it, forest trails, totem poles and meanwhile I got in for free with my travel agent’s card. 

Airport is a real drag to go through with security lines and a departure tax; this is one of the worst airports I have had to fly through; after spending all the time checking in and getting to the gate, there was no time to do anything else there and there is no fast-track for business class. Poor way to cut budgets; the airport stores can’t do any business.  Bank gave a really bad conversion rate. There is a section for preclearance of US flights but my flight is the Cathay flight from Hong Kong that stops over in Vancouver and terminates in New York so it clears customs in New York. Here the business lounge had no food and the PC’s didn’t work. For a dozen passengers, you’d think they would do a better job of it. 4:10 to New York on the top of a megatop 747; it’s a great way to do this kind of flight. When I got to New York, I got lucky. I declared 3k worth of goods at customs and they just waved me through!

Some good travel tips for using rest rooms on airplanes: Hold your hand to the ceiling to brace yourself; used bottled water to rinse your mouth if you are brushing your teeth; use the bathroom before landing or before exiting the aircraft; use restrooms toward the front of the aircraft as it is less bumpy toward the front.

Click here to take the photo tour.