Not Your Average Gal

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Edinburgh, Scotland: Part 6 – Conclusion

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Last year, we traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland for a quick mini-moon after our wedding in Somerset, England. We spent 4 days exploring old castles, climbing rolling hills and of course, sharing some Scottish whiskey with friends. I want to keep each part of these Trip Reports as short and sweet (and maybe picture-filled) as I can, so you can easily pick out the major details.

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This is Part 6 and the final post in a series about our trip to Scotland.  

Edinburgh, Scotland –  Trip Report Index

Part 1 - Planning & Introduction

Part 2 - Flight & Accommodation

Part 3 - Edinburgh Castle & The Whiskey Tour

Part 4 – Arthur’s Seat & The Ghost Tour

Part 5 - St. Andrews, Castle Course

Part 6 - Conclusion

On our last day we just walked around and took some pictures of beautiful Edinburgh.

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We bid farewell to friends with one final dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Because, when in Scotland…

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It was the best God damn Mexican food we’ve had to date. And that’s from someone who calls South Florida home. We had a few pints at a local pub and made the best of our last night together. We’re fun people.

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The next morning the hubster and I flew from Edinburgh to Amsterdam to Atlanta and then home to Fort Lauderdale. We’re travel troopers.

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I cried as we took off on the flight home to the states from Amsterdam. My emotions boiled over and the reality of it hit me. I didn’t know the next time I would travel again. I think the Hubster thought that the finality of getting married had just hit me, but he was dead nuts wrong.

I just didn’t know when I’d be hopping on a jet plane next. Traveling is in my blood. (Thankfully that was remedied 6 months later for our honeymoon to Cambodia and Thailand.)

What would I do differently?

Hit the Highlands. We realized too late that we wanted to visit the Highlands and go “Nessy hunting.” All the tours to see Loch Ness were booked and none of us felt comfortable enough driving a manual on the left side of the road. I would also require everyone to speak with a Scottish accent if we were to drive on the left side of the road. Some people just aren’t as good as that as me. I bet they felt intimidated.

Final Thoughts

Even though I’d been to Edinburgh twice at this point, I’m still itching to get back to Scotland. There are so many places that I have yet to see and explore. I just want to put on my hiking boots and Nessy hunting hat and GO! I just can’t get enough of the Scotland.

I hope you enjoyed our trip to Scotland as much as we did.

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Which was your favorite part? Which country should I blog about next?

Edinburgh, Scotland: Part 5 – St. Andrew’s Castle Course

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Last year, we traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland for a quick mini-moon after our wedding in Somerset, England. We spent 4 days exploring old castles, climbing rolling hills and of course, sharing some Scottish whiskey with friends. I want to keep each part of these Trip Reports as short and sweet (and maybe picture-filled) as I can, so you can easily pick out the major details.

This Part 5 in a series about our trip to Scotland.  Stay tuned for more.

Edinburgh, Scotland –  Trip Report Index

Part 1 - Planning & Introduction

Part 2 - Flight & Accommodation

Part 3 - Edinburgh Castle & The Whiskey Tour

Part 4 – Arthur’s Seat & The Ghost Tour

Part 5 - St. Andrews, Castle Course

Part 6 - Conclusion

I like thoughtful presents. Ones that clearly took a little bit of time and preparation. The kind that obviously show the gift-giver knows you.

I didn’t think we were going to exchange wedding gifts because much like most things with our wedding, we weren’t super traditional.

Quick. Cute wedding break!

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I’m all about experiences. We had talked for years about doing a golf trip to the UK and Ireland. I knew we would visit St. Andrew’s while in Edinburgh, so why not give him the experience of a lifetime? Besides marrying me, of course.

How to play at St. Andrew’s Castle Course:

  • I bought the round online.
  • Emailed his buddy who was going to be with us in Scotland to confirm the newbie-hubster would have a partner. (I’m a decent golfer, but I would hold up this group and the courses in Scotland are much different than anything we regularly play.)
  • Convinced him to pack a pair of khakis and hid his golf rain coat.
  • Confirmed his shoe size in European sizing.
  • Got his golf shoes and clubs reserved at the Castle Course for his arrival.

Then, the day we got married, I gave him a copy of my emailed confirmation of his tee time.

His reaction was pretty great. And his response was along the lines of, “I knew there was a better reason you made me pack khakis that I didn’t want to wear!”

The morning of his round, he was all packed and ready to take the train out to St. Andrews from Edinburgh. He had everything lined up perfectly in our awesome flat. It was pretty adorable. I waved goodbye since I planned to meet up with him toward the end of his round to snap some shots and explore St. Andrew’s a bit more with friends.

He actually made me take this picture when he left. That’s how excited he was.

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I walked around Princes Street for a bit after he left and found a super cute purse at Top Shop for £5 that I still use today. It’s sad I can remember that, but I couldn’t tell you what I had for breakfast this morning. I met up with my girlfriend Jill that morning. It was her husband, Steve, that golfing with my newbie-hubster. We had lunch at a nice pub and then we hopped on a train to St. Andrew’s. That sounded so British that even I want to throw up.

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Upon arrival we were greeted by these two loonies, Jen and Ian. I love my friends. Note the hilarious sign. 2 Pretty Lasses. I’m still shocked I hopped in a car and went for a ride, you know, on the left side of the road.

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It all worked out. We’re still alive today. The feeling in my right side has finally come back.

We toured the quaint seaside town of St. Andrew’s for a bit.

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The sun finally peeked its way around the clouds and cast a nice yellow hue, highlighting the beauty of lush Scotland. We made a quick stop at perhaps the most famous hole in golf which is right next to the world famous Clubhouse of St. Andrew’s.

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Then we made our way to St. Andrew’s Castle Course so Jill and I could see our husband’s live out their dreams. I’m pretty sure they peed their pants twice. We caught up with them around hole 17.

The following are a combination of pictures the hubster’s caddie snapped, as well as when I joined. Enjoy. The views are fucking fantastic.

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Needless to say, I’m Wife of the Year. Not sure I’ll be able to top that gift for a long time.

After the boys wiped the drool off their faces, we headed back to Edinburgh and survived again!

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Soon after we said goodbye to our pals who were heading back the next morning to the states. It’s crazy to think this gal and I were roommates at Michigan State University and now, you know, just chilling in the streets of Edinburgh.

Life is fun.

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Up next is my conclusion of our trip to Scotland. Stayed tuned!

The Sometimes Silly Reviews on TripAdvisor

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As you know, we’re heading on another adventure this July to: Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia and South Korea. Since I like to painstakingly go through detailed logistics of our trips, I spend a lot of time reading reviews on TripAdvisor.

First of all, TripAdvisor is fantastic. I can honestly say it has helped create some amazing memories on our adventures. They do a really good job of weeding out fake or paid reviews and leave it in the hands of “the people.”

Except, sometimes “the people” suck.

For instance, I was looking at hotels and guesthouses for our upcoming stay in Bagan, Myanmar.

Sidenote: If you have any recommendations, please let me know!

The accommodations around Bagan are a bit of a mystery. Traveling to Myanmar hasn’t been open to everyone until fairly recently. The tourist culture has essentially just started to exist, with hotels and tour companies popping up all the time. So there really are only a handful of hotels to explore and leaning on the reviews of other travelers is essential.

While narrowing down options for hotels, I came across a review that essentially said this:

This place was spotless, staff was friendly and we had a wonderful time. I would have given this hotel more stars, but they offered very few options for a western breakfast and that was truly disappointing. 

I mean, really?!

You’ve traveled tens of thousands of miles away from your normal breakfast and because they don’t have that as an option in their country, you’re going to dock points? We aren’t talking about an international hotel chain here people. We’re talking about a mom and pop guesthouse that is dealing with the sudden influx of tourism in an otherwise cut off portion of the world.

But, you didn’t get your damn omelet and bacon.

Live a little, lady. Try out that crazy Eastern breakfast. It may be delicious and dare I say, you may actually like it. Plus, worse case scenario, you go outside the hotel and get the precise breakfast you want.

The hubster and I like to take quick staycations sometimes and stay at local hotels in Fort Lauderdale. It’s the beauty of living in a tourist town— we can snag really good deals last minute. Since I have Hilton Gold status, I try to earn points staying with them, plus the chances of an upgrade are better.

One time we stayed at the Fort Lauderdale Hilton Marina.

Fort Lauderdale Hilton Marina. Fort Lauderdale Hilton Marina.

Looks gorgeous, right?

Well, let me tell you after reading quite a few reviews on TripAdvisor about how dilapidated this place was, I actually got sort of worried that even the $99 we were spending may not have been worth it.

That was until I stepped inside the hotel and realized people are ridiculous.

This hotel is near the cruise port, so a lot of cruisers stay here the day before they leave. I like cruises, it’s not my favorite way to travel, but I do like sitting back and going with the motion of the ocean. I’m not sure how people who enjoy floating cafeterias cruise can have such an acquired taste for first-class digs, but apparently it’s possible.

I just couldn’t see how this hotel was run-down and dirty. Granted, there is an older portion of the hotel but it’s easy to request not to stay in that part. That said, I can’t imagine it had the third-world conditions these people were speaking about. The complaints seemed to be more along the lines of it wasn’t precisely what they wanted.

Which leads me to my TripAdvisor tips when leaving a review.

1) Know your audience

If you’re staying in a small budget guesthouse, know that the people who are looking at reviews for that hotel, are looking for a bed, clean digs, a warm shower and a friendly smile. They most likely don’t care that breakfast doesn’t come with hash browns. Don’t bring your petty stuff ’round here.

2) Slow your roll with expectations

You pay for a certain level of service, certainly. But if you’re staying at a busy chain hotel for $150 a night the day before you leave for your cruise, you most likely aren’t going to have the red carpet rolled out for you with an offer for a massage poolside by a good looking chap who is simultaneously whipping you up any cocktail your little heart desires. Would be nice though…

Don’t let TripAdvisor be your medium for a travel power trip.

What Crossing the Atlantic Looks Like

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Ever wondered the flight pattern for a Transatlantic flight? No? Oh well, I do. Like I mentioned in my last post about where we’re going in July, I lurrrrve flying.

Well, KLM recently released a super cool video of the Atlantic “tracks” planes take going Eastbound or Westbound over the Atlantic and how they coordinate it 90 minutes prior to entering each “track.”

This was totally up my alley. Especially watching the landing. If you’re an AV Geek, you’ll enjoy it too.

Tip of the hat to, One Mile at a Time.

Destination Known: Where We’re Going in July!

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We asked for your suggestions in helping us decide where to go this upcoming July. The response was great— with tons of fabulous, detailed advice and suggestions.

As I mentioned, we were thinking of heading back to South East Asia, specifically to Cambodia. But, with the help of some readers’ suggestions, we added a couple other fantastic cities to our itinerary. See? Following this blog is a big deal. Pat yourself on the back.

I’m happy to tell you guys…

This July we will be heading to:

  • Hanoi, Vietnam
  • Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)
  • Bagan, Myanmar (Burma)
  • Phnom Penh, Cambodia
  • Siem Reap, Cambodia
  • Seoul, South Korea

How cool is that?! Our general itinerary looks like this (for now):

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We may need to adjust cities to accommodate the schedule, which means this could change. If we find we’re not giving enough time to really explore, we aren’t opposed to cutting things out. For now, this is ideally what we want to do.

AND WE’RE SO EXCITED!

More late night tuk-tuk rides are in our future.
More late night tuk-tuk rides are in our future.

 

We are going during low-season, so it should be less tourist-filled. But, that comes at a cost—it’s rainy season. And it will be hotter than eating ghost pepper chili in the middle of the desert. We’re South Florida residents now, so we’re prepared. Also, our plans may need to change if a cyclone hits. We’ve been known to have some bad luck with weather and traveling (aside from our wedding in England) so, we’re good at being flexible. Read: finding the nearest watering hole.

Tentative Sights To See:

Hanoi, Vietnam (3-4 days)

  • Halong Bay
  • Sapa (weather dependent)

Yangon & Bagan, Myanmar (Burma) (3-5 days)

  • Shwedagon Pagoda
  • Bagan Temples

Phnom Pehn & Siem Reap, Cambodia (7 days)

  • The Grand Palace
  • The Killing Fields
  • Angkor Wat (explore other temples we didn’t see)
  • Floating villages

Seoul, South Korea (2 days)

  • Gyeongbokgung Palace
  • Gangnam Style (Sorry. Had to say it.)

Have I ever told you guys what an AV Geek I am? My office looks out on the flight path into Ft. Lauderdale Airport. I usually can name what type of plane is flying past… *NERD ALERT.*

Anyway, you may not be as impressed by this, but I think it’s so neat.

Our flight paths and total miles:

Bagan, Myanmar (Burma) Bagan, Myanmar (Burma)

We don’t have all our flights booked yet, just the main ones to and from the States. Only paid $66.73 too. That’s for another post…

Thanks for all of your suggestions and input, obviously it helped. We don’t have a ton of insight on Seoul and we’re figuring out just how exactly we’re going to get to Myanmar (Burma) without wasting days of travel.

So, if you have any suggestions on places to go and explore while we’re there, comment below. I’d love to hear it!

Here’s to 5 months of exciting adventure planning!