I wanted to put together a list of items that we took with us for the South Africa trip. And while most may be intuitive, some were items I had not thought of before the safari. Hence, this list.
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I wanted to put together a list of items that we took with us for the South Africa trip. And while most may be intuitive, some were items I had not thought of before the safari. Hence, this list.
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Last January, I heard a podcast on Amateur Traveler about a Botswana safari and knew that we had to make that the theme for our next vacation. While I was trying to arrange that trip, it became clear that we did not have the budget to go proceed with that safari. Besides the safari provider wanted us to visit in March when the weather would be much better. I was hesitant as we would hardly have ten days during spring break to make the trip versus two weeks in December. In the meantime, I had already booked one-way flights for us to Johannesburg. Things were at an impasse and so for the longest time, I just let the matter sit.
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For our winter break, the JJ family took a trip to South Africa. It was our first foray into Africa. The way our flights were booked (on miles), we had an 11-hour stopover in Cairo, en route to Johannesburg. Our thoughts immediately turned to vaccines that we might need. If you remember, we could not complete our trip to Nicaragua from Panama due to yellow fever vaccine restrictions. We did not need a repeat of that scenario.
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The streets of Santiago de Queretaro
On Thursday of our week-long stay, we were halfway through our trip. But the best parts of the travel were yet to come. Our friends, the K family, had traveled to Mexico and recommended reaching out to Uriel, of Bike Tour Queretaro, for our travel to this area. Our original plan had been to take a bus from Mexico City to Queretaro, but Uriel offered to pick us up and spare us the trouble.
Uriel and his wife, Ana, run Bike Tour Queretaro. They provide bike tours, as their name suggests, around their hometown. But they also take travelers to nearby places to explore, and there is plenty to discover in this area.
We all piled into their SUV and took off. Though young, Uriel proved to be an experienced driver and we felt comfortable throughout the trip with him. He is well versed in English and speaks a couple of other languages as well. The trip took us just over a couple of hours. We stopped along the way to try some pastes at Pasteko and a bathroom break. Pastes are baked pastries that can be either sweet or savory.
Pastes from Pasteko
Situated to the northwest of Mexico City, just over 200 km away, Santiago de Queretaro has played several important roles in Mexico’s history. This area was first ruled by the Otomi tribe, who had to fight back the invading Aztecs. Once the Spanish arrived, the Otomi eventually allied with them to defeat the Aztecs. One of the Otomi chiefs, Conin, converted to Christianity and founded this city in 1531. Queretaro was a major player in fostering the idea of Mexican independence from the Spanish. Many revolutionaries made this their main headquarters during this fight. After Mexican independence in 1821, statehood was conferred on Queretaro in 1824.
During the Mexican-American War, Queretaro became the temporary capital of Mexico in 1846. It was here that the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed at the end of the war, in 1848. Emperor Maximilian I of Austria moved here and this area was under French rule for a short period. He was executed on the Cerro de las Campanas (Hill of the bells) in 1867. In 1917, the Mexican Constitution was drafted and passed here in Queretaro at a constitutional convention, marking the end of the Mexican Revolution and the rise of a time of political stability.
By the time we reached Queretaro, we were famished, so Uriel drove us to the Mercado La Cruz. After finding a place to park, we entered the maze of shops in this colorful market, closely following behind Ana and Uriel. They led us to a small stall, Antojitos Rosy, where we got gorditas. Most fillings had meat but we were able to find one with cactus that was vegetarian. These were small and we had to eat 3 or 4 each to satisfy our hunger. Once lunch was done, we took a stroll around the market. We stopped at a vegetable and fruit vendor and sampled fresh fruits before buying some.
Antojitos Rosy stall
Wandering through Mercado la Cruz
Fruits and Veggie Stand
Next on the itinerary was the bike tour which typically takes about 1.5 to 2 hours and covers about 18 important locations, if one can be quick enough and keep a steady pace. I, however, am not the most established bike rider, so Uriel decided to change up the itinerary. We covered the more difficult terrain by car and left the easier parts to the actual bike tour.
We first drove to the Plaza Fundadores or Founders Square. This plaza was built to commemorate the founding of this city and the people associated with it. It’s said that at this site, during a war between the Otomi and the Conquistadors, a vision of Saint James appeared. This made believers of the Otomi and their chief, Conin (who changed his name to Fernando de Tapia after his religious conversion) who founded the city here. Across from the plaza is the Templo y Convento de la Santa Cruz. Built in 1531, with the origins of the city, the church has now been restored. There is a stone replica of the Holy Cross here. The other main unique feature of this church is a tree within the convent that grows cross-shaped thorns. Apparently, a pious friar, Antonio Margil who used to walk long distances to this area, stuck his walking cane here and after his death, the cane grew into a tree with these unique thorns instead of flowers.
Templo y Convento de Santa Cruz
Inside the church
From here, we walked down a short distance to the viewpoint for the Aqueduct which is the pride of Queretaro engineering. Built in 1736, measuring 75 feet tall with 72 arches and extending an impressive 4200 feet, this aqueduct conveyed water to the city from the nearby springs until 1970. Uriel told us an interesting story about a lady who became a nun who convinced a local businessman to build the aqueduct.
A view of the aqueducts and Queretaro
Uriel then drove us to his little office where he and Ana store their bikes. We got fitted with helmets and reflective vests. We chose the right bikes for each of us and soon we were off. Uriel had another guide join us on this tour.
Before, we left, Uriel gave us information about how the tour would go down, riding in a single file, all the rules, and signs to follow on the roads. Then off we went. The kids and Mr. JJ followed the leader guide, while Uriel brought up the rear to ensure I wasn’t falling too far behind.
It was definitely a unique experience exploring the city on bikes, something we hadn’t done before. The first set of streets we went on wasn’t too busy, the streets were narrow and the houses were all close together. Our first big stop was the Cerro de las Campanas. Called the Hill of the Bells, for the stone here that when struck has a bell-ringing like quality, this area is considered a National park. This is where Emperor Maximilian I was executed along with two other generals. There is also a massive, imposing statue of Benito Juarez. It was hot on the day we biked and it was good to rest under the canopy of the trees here and cool down.
Benito Juarez statue
Chapel on Cerro de Los Campanas
From here we rode back, past the university area, until we were back on the main street to the Teatro de la Republica. Uriel pointed out smaller, locally important buildings along the way. The Teatro is an impressive neoclassical building that has been home to a few historical events. Emperor Maximilian was sentenced to death here and the Mexican constitution was drafted here. The building itself is entered through a 3 arched doorway, the inside lobby is beautifully done. The theater is unique in that the entrance to the building lies perpendicular to the stage and the auditorium. We did not have access to the inside, but we took some time to enjoy the little we could see.
Teatro de la Republica
The historical events at this building
Our next stop was at the busy Zenea Garden where we saw people playing music and generally having a good time. A fountain here pays homage to the goddess Hebe. The garden is across from the San Fransisco Temple and was once part of the atrium of this convent.
Back at the BTQ office, we picked up our belongings and headed to our Airbnb for the next couple of days. Luckily, it wasn’t too far from the main areas.
Uriel told us the city was safe to walk in at night. So after resting up for some time, we chose to eat at Bhaji curry house, an Indian restaurant. It was about a 25-minute walk to the area, but the architecture, the undulating streets, the busy Plaza de Armas kept us distracted. We were the only customer at the restaurant, the waiter was a young kid with a pleasant disposition and food was adequate.
We walked back to the Plaza and enjoyed the music outside the El Meson de Chucho El Roto. The Plaza was busy at that time of the evening with friends and families and couples. Further away, we stopped by the Zenea Garden again, this time to watch several older couples dancing to live music while younger kids skateboarded and hung out. We have come to truly appreciate the functionality of a plaza. It’s truly wonderful to see people out and about after dinner, enjoying a terrific evening, with great music and dancing thrown in. The streets were quaint, cobbled at times, some empty, some busy, but all very safe to travel on.
Some of the beautiful, rustic architecture of Queretaro
Pool view from our room at the Disneyland Hotel
As mentioned in yesterday’s post, one of the highlights of our recent trip to Disneyland was the last minute booking at the Disneyland Hotel. We were quite excited as we started out on our journey. A steady rain accompanied us on the way to the airport, but the flight was scheduled to leave on time. Our flight was from Dallas Love Field at 10:25 PM, landing in Los Angeles at 11:45 PM.
Of course, the best plans are laid waste by the weather, sometimes. And so it was, that due to rain and lightning, the incoming flight was routed to Austin first, and then to Love Field. By the time we left that night, it was 230 AM Friday morning. After catching an Uber from LAX, we reached the Disneyland Hotel around 430 AM, Pacific time.
Disneyland Resort Express provides shuttle buses between Los Angeles airport, John Wayne airport and hotels in the Anaheim resort area. Shuttles run between 7 am and 8 pm every day. Roundtrip charges per adult are $48. Our flight was scheduled to arrive too late for us to avail of this service, so we chose to Uber our way to the hotel.
Lobby at the Disneyland Hotel
Needless to say, we were exhausted by the time we reached the hotel. The check-in counter was understandably empty and we completed the process over the next few minutes. The staff, while efficient, showed no real empathy for tired travelers. Perhaps, my expectations exceeded reality. Since we had already lost most of the first night of our stay, we tried to get one room for the remainder of our time but were told the premium room wasn’t available until later in the morning.
We were assigned a standard room at the Frontier Tower and soon we were there catching up on much-needed sleep. By 11 am, we were up and ready to move out of the room. But first, we stopped at the Tangaroa Terrace for breakfast. Mr. JJ and I enjoyed the thick and fluffy Japanese pancakes (they were indeed thick, fluffy and very filling) with compote and guava syrup while Sonny JJ got the Tangaroa toast, a brick French toast with bananas foster, whipped cream, and toasted coconut, served with hashbrowns instead of bacon.
Our room at the Disneyland Hotel
Our room at the Disneyland Hotel
Next, we went to the main lobby where one of the managers asked us to stow our luggage with the bell service. Our room wasn’t ready for occupancy yet.
The walk from the hotel to the California Adventure Park took about 15 minutes, mainly because we were finding our way for the first time and taking in the sights and sounds of the Disney Downtown. The day was superb and the decorations everywhere, in honor of Halloween, so colorful.
After a satisfying day at Disney’s Californa Adventure Park, we walked back to the Disney Downtown district where we enjoyed dinner at Black Tap. Then we walked back to the main hotel lobby and got our keys for the new premium room with pool view.
Although the layout was similar to the standard room, this one was much bigger and the two queen beds did not feel cramped. The view from our room was of the pool area and Frontier lawn, a significant improvement over the parking lot from the first room. We also had a view of the Matterhorn in the distance.
Vanity area
Bathroom area
The entryway to the room was flanked by a vanity area to the right and the bathroom to the left. There was adequate space here for three adults (Sonny JJ feels like an adult somedays) and a separate vanity area meant two people could get ready at the same time.
Sonny JJ and I spent some time looking for the Mickey ears motif across the room and found about 5 or 6 of them. The following morning we looked down onto the lawn in front of the hotel to find Mickey Mouse himself smiling at us from the creatively trimmed bushes.
Mickey ear motif
Mickey ear motif
Good Morning, Mickey!
The water area at the Disneyland Hotel has three different pools. They were not immense but large enough to keep both children and adults busy. The Monorail pool has slides as well. Given our short visit, we did not use the pool, but I could easily visualize spending three or four days at the resort, combining poolside fun with visiting the parks.
Surrounding the Monorail pool is adequate seating as well as a large outdoor fireplace. We found many people hanging out here at all times of the day and night. It seemed a pleasant area to lounge in and enjoy a good book, listen to music or enjoy a quiet chat, in front of a warming fire.
Outdoor fireplace and seating
The Disneyland Hotel has two other towers, the Fantasy tower where the main lobby is located and the Adventure Tower, located perpendicular to the Frontier Tower. I genuinely enjoyed the lawns and gardens along the walk path at the hotel. They boasted a nice array of flowering plants and bushes and the Mickey and Minnie topiaries were fun to discover and appreciate.
According to the designingdisney.com website, the original idea for the Disneyland Hotel was conceived in 1954 and at its grand opening in 1956, featured over 200 rooms, an Olympic size pool, several cocktail lounges, and restaurants. It has since undergone several transformations. The Monorail service was extended from the park to the hotel. These original Disneyland Hotel buildings were torn down in 1999 to make way for Downtown Disney and the parking facilities of the Disneyland resort. Read more about the history of the Disneyland Hotel here and here.
The sorcerer’s hat en route to Downtown Disney is a must-see. Although the hotel offers a total of five restaurants and lounges, we liked the Tangaroa Terrace so much we hung out there two mornings. The Terrace has the Dole soft serve ice cream although we didn’t stop to try it.
Tangaroa Terrace
Tangaroa Terrace
Japanese Pancakes
I found the proximity to the Disney Parks a huge benefit. The second day, after we had explored most of Disneyland, I was too exhausted to wait for the Fantasmic viewing. So I left the boys to enjoy the show and walked back to the hotel to turn in early. It was a pleasant walk through Downtown Disney but also safe and I was back in the room in no time. Similarly, that morning, we took advantage of the Extra Magic Hour to finish some of the attractions in Tomorrowland. This meant, we had more time to spend at Galaxy’s Edge, when it opened at the usual time. Disney hotel guests can also make use of the Package check service. After we built the lightsabers, we realized they were cumbersome to carry around all day. So we took them to the package check service at Pioneer Mercantile in Frontierland. Although the boys went back to pick up their package before leaving the park, they could have had them delivered to the Bell services for pick up the following morning.
Sorcerer’s hat
The one other aspect of the Disneyland Hotel that I enjoyed much were the toiletries. I simply liked the Disney H20+ collection of conditioners, shampoo, body wash, and bath soap. They were in sea salt and sea marine fragrance. It has been a long time since I closely guarded and packed leftover toiletries but I certainly did with this one.
Toiletries that I loved
All in all, we had a wonderful stay at the Disneyland Hotel, even though most of our day was spent at the parks. But I would certainly think about returning here to enjoy a more relaxed time, taking advantage of the pools as well as the parks.
Disneyland California Adventure Park
Ever since Disney announced the addition of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to their parks, Sonny JJ has been fervently awaiting its opening. That took place in May 2019 but we were unable to visit this summer as we had other plans. But children are nothing, if not persevering, and he kept up a constant campaign to visit Disneyland. Eventually, we decided to take advantage of the Columbus day weekend to fly to LA. We would leave late Thursday night, after work and return late Sunday night. We booked our travel on Southwest, as they had the last flights out.
I used the United Mileage Plus X app to book the Disneyland Resort 2-Day 1-Park per day tickets for the three of us. Missy JJ was away at school and wasn’t able to join us. Sonny JJ then created an account on www.disneygiftcard.com, and combined all our tickets into one. This allowed access to all our tickets in one area.
Next, I wanted to book hotels and this became a source of debate. There were Hilton hotels available on points and with a 15 to 20-minute walk to the Disney gates. I also found a Hyatt House close-by, but it cost about $350 per night. Sonny JJ wanted to stay here as it was closer and we could walk back and forth. Mr. JJ wanted to book a Disneyland resort hotel but at three weeks before the trip, their prices were over $900 per night.
Mickey Cookie at Disneyland
While intermittently researching hotels, I found both Costco and Undercover Tourist had hotels plus a 5% discount on the park entry tickets. Unfortunately, they weren’t available for the dates we needed. So, I booked the Hampton Inn and Suites Anaheim Resort Convention Center with points for two nights and cash for the last one.
Our biggest draw at Disneyland was the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and we felt it would be best to do that on the second day of the trip as we would have fully rested and recovered by then. We didn’t want to risk being late on Friday and lose time. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge offers two major experiences (other than the Millenium Falcon ride), the Savi lightsaber building workshop, and Oga’s Cantina. Both are highly popular and hence, reservations are recommended for both.
Sonny JJ was able to download the Disney app and make the booking for the lightsaber workshop for Saturday morning but there was none available for the Cantina. We also learned that Disney Maxpass has to be bought at the time of booking the park entry tickets which I did not do. Hence, we had to wait until we were in the park to get the Maxpass tickets to use the Fastpass distribution system. These tickets cost $15 per person per day.
On the morning prior to our visit, Mr. JJ (who did not wish to give up on the resort hotel idea), tried valiantly to book a room at one of the Disneyland resort hotels, of which there are three: the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa, Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. Staying at one of the three hotels offers some of the following benefits:
Extra Magic Hour wait at Disneyland
Thus, it made sense to try to get reservations at the resort hotels even at such a late hour. At lunch that afternoon, I checked the Disney and the Undercover Tourist websites again, without luck. I then decided to be old-fashioned and call the Disney reservation number, 714-956-MICKEY. I thought if we could get even a two-night stay at one of these hotels, it would be worth it.
After listening to my request, the young man on the other end put me on hold while he researched some options. First, he found two different room types for two consecutive nights at the Disneyland Hotel and I was thrilled, but as we delved further into the booking, he was able to find me a room for all three nights. The first night would be a standard room with two queen beds and the next two nights would be a premium room with a pool view. This latter one was a wheelchair accessible room that hadn’t been sold. While the prices weren’t cheap by any means, they certainly weren’t as high as the $900 per night as I had originally seen. After comparing with other dates for a three day weekend, I estimate overpaying by about $500. But for a last-minute effort, it was well worth the price.
Tower entrance at the Disneyland Hotel
I quickly booked the three nights and then called Hampton Inn and Suites. Hilton policy states all cancellations must be done 48 hours prior to the check-in time. I was just over 24 hours but had resigned myself to write away the points in favor of the resort hotel. I was able to cancel the third night booking without difficulty but the agent wouldn’t cancel the first two nights’ reservation. She asked me to talk to the hotel directly since it was a late cancellation. I talked to two people on staff at the hotel and each one promised they would cancel my booking and possibly, return my points. But after a couple of hours, nothing showed up on my Hilton account. So I called a third time and spoke to a lady staffer who took down all the details of my request. After researching my account, she eventually came back to say that the booking had been canceled and that as a gesture of goodwill, the hotel would reinstate all my points. Indeed, shortly after, my Hilton account confirmed both. I was grateful and ecstatic!! Finally, we were all set to travel to the Happiest place on earth! Sonny JJ got his dream of traveling to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Mr. JJ was happy to be at the resort hotel and I was just happy to be back on the road again.
Pro tips:
Street art, Roma Norte
On Wednesday of our trip, our last day in Mexico City, we took a trip to Teotihuacan in the morning. We had pre-arranged a food tour through Tasty Bites ahead of the trip. We chose them as they had a Vegan Street Food tour. And I found an article by a visitor with good reviews. The company ran regular tours from Tuesday to Saturday starting at 130 pm and private tours were scheduled between 130 pm and 4 pm. We scheduled ours for Wednesday as we thought we would finish the Teotihuacan tour by then.
We paid $45 per person for the tour. We didn’t have to print out any confirmation but had to show the tickets on our phones. We were supposed to meet our guide 15 mins ahead of the start of the tour, around 115 pm. The meeting point was not far from our Airbnb in Roma Norte.
As it turns out, we started late for Teotihuacan and the Uber ride back to Roma Norte took over an hour. Robert, the owner at Tasty Bites, had sent us an email that Victor would be our food tour guide and details on how to contact him. I emailed Robert to see if we could change to a later tour or to a private one. But they did not have openings either way. If we missed the start of the tour, we would have to join the group at the second point on the tour.
As luck would have it, we made it to the tour just a couple of minutes late. Victor had picked up the other guest, a young adult who was visiting Mexico City with her family, but being vegan had decided to do this tour. All six of us walked all over the Roma Norte area for the next 2 hours. The weather was just perfect for an afternoon stroll and Victor kept us busy with stories about life in the city. Originally from NJ, he had decided to move to Mexico City, where his family originates from. He was a chef by trade and was working as a consultant in the food industry and leading tours as well.
Our first stop was at La Pitahaya. We sat outside at the tables sipping on the hibiscus flavored agua fresca with ginger and cinnamon. It was paired with a tortilla made from beets, amaranth, and flaxseed with a potato filling. It looked and tasted awesome! Especially after the long trip to Teotihuacan and back!
Hibiscus infused agua fresca
As we ate, we learned more about Victor, his experience obtaining a driver’s license in Mexico City, and learning to drive in the crazy traffic. We talked about ourselves and the other guest talked about how she had become a vegan and was enjoying it.
Beet flavored tortilla with potato curry filling, La Pitahaya
Our walk to the next point was pleasant. The traffic at that time was not overly much. The route we took had sufficient trees and provided enough shade. And the walk provided enough of a stimulus to taste and drink the next set of delights.
At the next stop, Forever Vegano, we again chose to sit outside enjoying the cool air. This time, Victor ordered another drink, this time, a tropical coconut flavor with two tacos. The tacos were on whole wheat with breaded and fried cauliflower with chipotle mayo, avocado, purple cabbage and pico de gallo. The ingredients were fresh and just sufficient to saturate the palate without overloading.
Coconut infused agua fresca
Tempura Cauliflower tacos, Forever Vegano
We then walked to a different portion of the neighborhood, where the streets became busier and soon we were at a street food stand called Pan d’Monium. It’s a food stall offering vegan foods like burgers, pizza, hot dogs and fries. And was quite popular with the local crowd. We ate half a burger each and the patty looked like a slice of real meat but tasted very good. By now, we were full, having quenched our thirst and assuaged our hunger. But we walked on to the last stop, which was a torta and vegan taco place called Gatorta. Our tour companion had heard a lot about this place and was very eager to try it.
Pan d’Monium food stall
Vegan burger, Pan d’ Monium
At Gatorta, we enjoyed a Milanesa torta or sandwich. Made from seitan, it was loaded with tomato, lettuce, avocado, and onion. Although we had walked quite a bit, we were just not hungry enough to do justice to this torta. We did, however, share one of the brownies that they are famous for.
Milanesa Torta, Gatorta
We had spent two hours walking all over the neighborhood and were not even aware of it. Victor was a pleasant tour guide and kept us entertained all the time. Our tour companion shared some stories from prior trips to Mexico City. The terrain was easy to navigate and did not require any extra effort on our part. We were just thrilled to be able to try a section of creative Mexican cuisine.
On the whole, we had a great time on the tour.
Pro-tips:
If you are planning to go on a food tour, I would recommend: