Hello everyone!
Once again, I find myself writing on the eve of a big trip using my BluePass on JetBlue Airways, though this time, mercifully, I get to sleep at home before heading down to Long Beach then onto Boston tomorrow. It has been a week since I got home from DC, Aruba, and Chicago, and most of the week has been spent recovering from a bad cold that I picked up right on the tail end of the trip - probably a combination of going from Aruba to Chicago in one day (and still wearing shorts when I got in), and the numerous pressurization cycles from the flights.
In any case, I'm feeling better and up for the coming challenge, which is my most ambitious and adventurous yet. Before I go into detail on that, here's a brief photo recap of what happened on the last trip:
At the Timbers game in Washington DC!
The first stop on the trip was back to Washington DC, to go to the Portland Timbers soccer game that had been postponed due to Hurricane Irene. If you remember, way back in August, this game was on my itinerary for the very first BluePass trip. The very fact that I could easily just fly back out to the East Coast to watch the make up match is one of the best testaments to the BluePass I can think of. Anyway, I had a LOT of fun at the game, standing and chanting with the Timbers Army section (I would guess we had about 40 people there). A slice of Portland in the nation's capital!
The match started off great, with Portland scoring in the first half. DC United scored with about 20 minutes left in the second half to equalize, and with both teams desperately needing a win to stay in playoff contention, the end of the match was totally insane. No defense whatsoever, aside from the goalkeepers. Really intense and fun to watch, although the match ended in a draw. Just look how exhausted the players were:
Both teams were eliminated from the MLS playoffs that week - DC that night, Portland later on.
The Timbers were awesome, even in the case of the draw. All of them came over on the field to applaud our section, way up at the top of RFK stadium. Plenty of great spirit and well worth the trip.
After the match, it was back to the best hostel ever, for a very quick night of sleep, as I got up at 4:10 AM to get dressed, ready, and check out of the hostel before the Metro opened at 5:00 AM, as I needed to take the first train to DCA airport, because my flight to Boston departed at 6:25 AM. Of course, I made it, but would not have if I hadn't had been on that first train. Such was the cost of getting to Aruba. I'll take that deal.
Approaching Aruba. It is actually much bigger than this photo indicates.
Can you spot the windmills on the shoreline closest to me in this picture?
Aruba was really interesting. Immediately, it struck me as a sort of desert. There aren't really any big trees, and everything seemed pretty dry - though it did rain a LOT while I was there. I was picked up at the airport by Stanley, the owner of A1 Apartments Aruba, who gave me a mini tour on the way to his place.
The apartment itself was really nice - way more than adequate, especially since I've been using so many hostels. At $70 a night, it was worth the cost as a private spot to kick back and relax. However, I wasn't in Aruba to stay in a room, so after listening to the latest BS Report podcast and resting up, I left and started exploring downtown Oranjestad (the capital) for the sunset. Check out what I came across on the beachfront!
Why hello there, Mr. or Mrs. Lizard!
I started to think that I must have been super lucky to find a lizard, but then all of a sudden, I noticed that they were all around me! And not just lizards, but...
An Iguana! It froze as I saw it, then skittered away when I got too close. Pretty amazing, though!
That was an interesting introduction to Aruba, for sure. Here's the stereotypical sunset picture for you:
Palm tree AND cruise ship in this one. Double touristy.
I had a fun time exploring Oranjestad briefly that evening, before heading back to my apartment for some much needed sleep. The next day, I awoke, planned out what I was going to do, and headed outside, only to find that it was pouring with rain! I waited it out for about 30 minutes, then ventured outside. Stanley, the owner of the apartments, told me that it only rained when good people came to the island, haha. I didn't mind it because it didn't last very long. It did rain a TON though. Good ol' tropics.
Yeah, I don't think Aruba is really used to having torrential rain for more than a few days.
The first item on my agenda for the day was the National Archeological Museum, which was free, air conditioned, and really well done. Trifecta.
The museum. I loved the rich colors in Oranjestad.
I will spare you all the pictures from inside the museum and the rest of the city, but I have them saved for potential future classroom use. Next, I went for a long walk on the beach (it wasn't very romantic) to get to Eagle Beach and its Divi trees.
I had fun walking along the boardwalk (when there was one) and taking in the white sands of Aruba, along with the menacing storm clouds in the distance.
Waves crashing onto a small rocky area on or about Eagle Beach, Aruba.
Pretty soon it became apparent that it was going to rain again, so I turned around and headed back towards the shelter of the city.
This may be a Divi tree, even if it isn't the most stereotypical?
Back in Oranjestad, this is Fort Zoutman, the oldest building in Aruba - constructed in 1798 by the Dutch army. This was right before the sky opened up again, and totally drenched me.
Another sunset over Aruba, this one behind the main street on the waterfront of Oranjestad.
I thought this was probably a more typical sunset for someone that has lived in Aruba their whole life.
This is a local dish (of Dutch origin) - Keshi Yena, served with rice and beans and macaroni and cheese. It was really cheesy, and of course, totally delicious.
Yes, I definitely had fun on my trip to Aruba. It was nice to get some sun (though I probably shouldn't have tried to walk the three and a half miles to the airport in it when I left - some sky divers had mercy on me and gave me a lift for the last mile or so) and explore another Caribbean culture.
I then headed for Chicago, where I enjoyed a nice Sunday watching NFL football with my brother, before heading back home to Portland on Monday. The flight from Chicago to Boston that day happened to be my 100th lifetime JetBlue flight, which I thought was pretty cool - and I got a congratulations from @JetBlue on Twitter for it.
A look at Lake Michigan and Chicago from my 100th lifetime JetBlue flight,
from Chicago to Boston.
from Chicago to Boston.
JetBlue must be getting tired of me costing them money at this point. After two versions of "All-You-Can-Jet" (a similar program to BluePass, with unlimited flights, but only for one month, and no city restrictions - which I used on weekends as I was teaching/tutoring in 2009 and 2010) and BluePass, I think I've spent around $3,500 in my life with JetBlue. That would be $2000 for BluePass, plus $600 for AYCJ 1 and $700 for AYCJ 2, plus another $200 for the one time I've actually bought a flight without the pass, and the credit card fee I paid. So combine all that, before taxes, I'm averaging about $35 per flight on JetBlue. And that is going to continue to go down as I keep traveling on the BluePass - I have 127 lifetime flights booked. If I take all of them, it averages out to $27.56 a flight, before taxes. Not bad.
Speaking of those upcoming flights, here's what I have planned for the next three weeks:
1) San Jose, Costa Rica. My good friend Tyler is heading down to Costa Rica with his mom for ten days, and since I can basically go for free, they invited me along! I'm taking a pretty circuitous route to get there, though - leaving tomorrow afternoon from Portland to Long Beach, four hours in Long Beach (yes! I love that area), then a redeye to Boston, then really tight connection (I officially have only 29 minutes between when I am supposed to land and when the next flight is supposed to depart) to Orlando, then on to San Jose. So it's about 24 hours of travel, haha. But hey, it will be worth it. I will be in San Jose at Apartotel Cristina from Tuesday through Sunday. I'm really looking forward to staying longer in Costa Rica, as last year, I was only in the country for about 24 hours - enough time to go bungee jumping, buy some souvenirs for my students at Marshall, and get soaked by a tropical rainstorm, but that's about it.
Mostly, I think it will be relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere, as Tyler and his mom both have plenty to do. The apartments are close to Sabena Park, which sounds great, so I'm sure we'll explore there. Also, we are hoping to find a way to watch the big Oregon/Washington game on Saturday - VERY late at night!
2) Boston, then Philadelphia, via DC. Because there is no way I can get to DC from Boston after 10:00 PM, which is when my flight from Orlando lands (by the way, this trip will give me two excuses to use my new Global Entry fast pass through US customs), my friend and lifesaver, Max, is letting me stay at his place outside Boston. This is the third time that Max will come to my rescue, and let me tell you, the alternative of trying to find a place to sleep in Boston's airport is NOT fun. So yeah, I'm really blessed to have Max as a lifeline in the Boston area, especially with the quirky stipulations of the BluePass.
On Monday, it will be off to Philadelphia for the Eagles game! I am proud to see how they crushed the Dallas Cowboys earlier this evening. Hopefully the same thing will happen vs. Chicago, but it is never that easy. The reason I'm headed back to Philly is mostly because there was no way I was going to get face value for my ticket, and I want another shot to see the Eagles win (0-2 in person this year). So I will be at Monday Night Football on ESPN at 5:30 PM PST next Monday, the 7th of November. It will be a race to get there - a flight to DCA, then a rush to connect to a MegaBus to Philly, then a rush to put my stuff down at Apple Hostel before heading out to the game. Luckily, I know where everything is now. Still, I hope there isn't any freak storms like this past week on the East Coast!
3) Washington DC. I know what you are thinking. Luke, you were just there! You have been to DC like three times already on this pass! True. However, this is unavoidable. I'm not subjecting myself to another MegaBus ride from Philly to Boston. I'm also not willing to get up at like 3 AM and take an Amtrak to Boston. So, I'm taking it nice and easy. MegaBus to DC at mid day, then staying the night in the best hostel ever, because there was really no feasible way of getting to my next destination without a ton of pain in the process. Plus, DC is one of my favorite cities in the world. Why the heck not stay another night?
4) Miami, Florida. You had better believe I'll be bumping the Will Smith song on the way. Miami has been at the very top of my most desired US cities to visit for a good two years, and now it is finally working out. First off, because I have the time now to get from Fort Lauderdale (JetBlue doesn't serve Miami directly) via train. It's still going to be a heck of an adventure getting to South Beach, but the reward is something I'm really highly anticipating. I'll be staying at Deco Walk Hostel, which looks insanely awesome. And at $16 a night, it's really hard to go wrong. Main objectives on the trip: explore South Beach, photograph a ton, and eat all the Cuban food I can. After two nights in Miami, it's on to:
5) The Bay Area for Oregon vs. Stanford on November 12th. Oh heck yes. I bought these tickets way back in August because I knew I was going to get there. I managed to convince 5 other Duck fans (my brother is flying in from Chicago, a friend from high school - Sawkia, and three guys Tyler knows) to come with me. The tickets would be 5 times more expensive now on StubHub. Woo hoo! This is the biggest game in the Pac 12 all year, and is more than likely going to determine who represents the Pac 12 North in the inaugural conference championship game in December. So yeah, it's big. I think every Duck fan is scared because of our tendency to lose in really big games, but we did beat Stanford last year. In any case, I'm really looking forward to this weekend. It will probably by at 5:00 PM PST on ABC on November 12th.
This is yet another case where my friend connections all over the country are helping out big time. My buddy Terrell and his wife recently moved down to Oakland, and they are letting me stay with them for two nights so I can go to the game. Terrell and I met through the MAT program at Lewis and Clark, and have stayed in touch mostly through our fantasy football league - which I won last year, but he looks like he could win this year, mostly because of Cam Newton. Anyway, another big time blessing.
6) Barbados. Another case of: I'm getting back to Boston before 6:00 AM, so why would I NOT go to a Caribbean destination that I can only get to if I am there before 6:00? Same case with Jamaica earlier in the pass. Why Barbados? Mostly because I was able to find cheap accommodations ($40 a night! For an apartment suite!) and because of Barbados Concorde Experience. Barbados has also been advertised nonstop via JetBlue's LiveTV inflight, and eventually, it made me want to go there. Sure, there are a bunch of other destinations I could have gone to (Bermuda, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, or The Bahamas) but those all seemed to have serious flaws. In order: too expensive, not enough viable options to stay and for transportation, been there before (loved it, but still), and a combination of expensive/hard to get to. Barbados also has a pretty awesome once a week flight that is going to be super helpful to get to my next destination.
But first, I'll be spending three nights (an eternity by my standards) at Tropical Winds Apartment Hotel. The only bad thing about the place seems to be that it is far away from all the main attractions. I don't mind taking the bus, if I can figure out the system, haha. The $40 a night (just for the month of November) was WAY cheaper than all the other options too.
7) San Juan, Puerto Rico. Okay, so this is one of those where only a true jetting diehard like me would even contemplate. Here's the deal. JetBlue has two flights a day from Barbados to Boston (via JFK) only once a week - Thursday night. That earlier flight that is only on Thursday saves me here - otherwise, I'd be getting back at midnight, and there are no options other than staying in the airport at Boston that night - blah. In this case, I get into Boston around 10, and there happens to be a flight leaving Boston for Puerto Rico at 11:59 PM. So yeah, I'm hoping to sleep on that flight. But even better, I'll only be on the ground in Puerto Rico for three hours - enough to go outside the airport for a bit to photograph the sunrise, if I want, then I head right back to Boston, then New York, then finally home to Portland after 19 straight days on the road - on November 18th. I'll be back in Portland for a total of 48 hours - so I can go to the Oregon/USC game on the 19th, before I have one more BluePass trip to somewhere (I haven't decided, but I have the flights to and from Boston booked, so it's just a matter of picking where to go for a night). The BluePass ends on November 22nd. It will have been one wild ride, that's for sure.
There you have it! That is the exhaustive blog entry that I knew I needed to write and now I have. Now I need to get some sleep so I can get up and get ready for all this chaos. It is going to be difficult to pack a backpack for three weeks, I'll tell you that! I hope that I get to post updates throughout this big last trip, but we all know how that goes. Stay tuned - I will post to Twitter and FaceBook if I do get a chance! Have a great day and thanks for following along!
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