This year I wrote Am I Losing the Points Game? The premise for that post was that I was spending too much on annual fees. I also will admit that I spend too much because I churn too much leaving me with minimum spends that convert want to do’s to need to do’s. I’m not buying things just to meet the mins, but I am buying them all at once to hit the mins. When I saw the offer for the Capital One Business Venture X, I told myself to let it go. I don’t need to spend 20k in 3 months. I don’t need another 150k points. But then I looked at the business expenses that are coming up and rationalized that pre-paying them would not be reckless. As far as the $395 annual fee, it will not help my desire to see the total balance decline (see 2023 What I Spent (And Received) in Annual Fees). But, the card does come with a $300 travel credit which, combined with the points, more than offsets the introductory fee. The only question is whether I will keep the personal card (see Keep vs. Cancel (Proactive Edition): Capital One Venture X).
I have done my fair share of adventurous things. Some were riskier (and dumber) than others (see Wild One: TPOL’s Top Daredevil Activities). Swimming with whales in Tonga is officially at the top of the list for the most reckless activity. It almost did not happen thanks to my irresponsible way of not planning anything in advance.
Booking
I arrived in Tonga in style (see Fiji Airways Nadi to Tonga: The Best Business 737 Experience) with no plans on what to do while I was there. I had read somewhere that tourists could swim with whales. I started searching for it on my phone. I quickly found out that this is the main attraction in Tonga as it is one of the few places in the world where it is allowed. With only one full day remaining, anxiety took over as I tried to find a company that would take me on this excursion. Many of the websites said that they did not do single-day tours. Many said they were sold out. Many had been shut down because they had their license revoked. On TripAdvisor, I read that one company had ‘lost’ a tourist. Too busy trying to secure a reservation, I did not take the time to think about what that meant.
With no leads, I went down to the front desk of my Little Italy Hotel (see Guns & Butter Travel Guide: Tonga) to see if they had any referrals. The woman called someone on the phone and despite not speaking Tongan, I could tell that the news would not be good. She hung up the call and told me that the operator was in the hospital and that he could not take me out. She then gave me a phone number for another operator called Deep Blue Tonga. Armed with only a phone number, I didn’t have much hope that I would connect with someone. Luckily, the number was connected to a WhatsApp account. Within minutes, I received a reply that there was availability for the next day but that the weather might not be ideal. The operator wrote, “Please be aware that the weather forecast is stating that the wind will be strong. Just need you to be aware as boat ride will be rough.” With no hesitation, I wrote, “I can handle it!”
The cost was TOP550 per person ($232). I was told to be ready at 6:20 am and was told to bring a jacket and a towel.
Lost Tourist
With the booking complete, I now had time to do more research on the lost tourist. I was unable to find any information, but suffice it to say I don’t think the tourist went AWOL on purpose. I did not sleep comfortably that night.
Disclaimer
I woke up the next morning anxious about embarking on this adventure. I was not reassured when I read the disclaimer provided by the company:
I, Alexander Bachuwa, hereby affirm that I have been advised and thoroughly informed of the inherent hazards of snorkeling/whale swimming. I understand that neither my instructor, Deep Blue Diving Tonga, nor any of its respective employees, officers or agents may be held liable or responsible in any way of injury, death or other damages to me or my family as a result of my participation in this activity, or as a result of the negligence of any part whether active or passive.
Legal Analysis
I had a similar disclaimer in my bungee jump experience in Victoria Falls (see 3,2,1 Bungee! Bungee Jumping Victoria Falls) where, incidentally, the rope did snap on a jumper (watch Woman survives terrifying bungee failure). I knew, understood, and appreciated the risks that came from jumping off a platform. I did not know, understand, or appreciate the risk that comes with swimming with whales the size of Greyhound busses in the middle of the ocean. It was also off-putting to read that the outfitter could disclaim negligence whether it be active or passive. My thoughts went back to wondering what happened to the lost tourist.
Small Boat vs. Little Boat
We were supposed to go out in a small boat. Luckily, there was a change of plans and we went on a bigger one.
A Millonaire’s Yacht
Before setting off in search of whales, we were informed that we would have to make a stop at a mega yacht to pick up a few more passengers. Nothing says disposable income like a mega yacht. I asked the owner how much it costs to have a yacht such as that. He said the price of a car. He did not elaborate. I assume he didn’t mean a Toyota Yaris.
Safety Instructions
All aboard, we were told to pay attention to the safety briefing. We were told to avoid contact with the whales. In the past, curious whales approached swimmers and did not practice social distancing. If, for some reason, the whale came too close, we were told to get away as quickly as possible. We were also told to wave our hands in the air should we have a panic attack in the open sea.
Procedure for Swimming
The swims would go as follows: the spotter would yell “whale starboard” or “whale port.” The group would then jump into the water and follow the guide while trying not to splash.
Whale Fact
Do you know that whales can hold their breath for one hour underwater? Their calves cannot and must come up every five minutes. Keep that in mind for later.
Whale Season
Whale season begins in July and ends on October 31st. I was there on October 27th. I was also told that since it was so late in the whale season that most outfitters had closed up shop for the year. Those guides typically only go out a few miles from shore to spot whales, finding it cost-inefficient to spend money on fuel to venture further. In addition to the legal disclaimer, I was also informed that it was not guaranteed that we would see whales. This reminded me of the great white shark experience in Cape Town (see Ripoff Alert! Great White Cage Diving in South Africa with SharkLady Adventures).
Egocentric TPOL
We were out at sea for hours. I was losing hope that we would encounter whales, and I was growing bored. I started to think that the universe was against me. First the great whites in Cape Town, the rabbit in Malta (see Guns & Butter: Malta Travel Guide), and now the humpbacks in Tonga! As we sailed on, I wondered why they didn’t rely on technology like the dude from Ace Ventura.
You see those blips? That’s a Norwegian whaling fleet. I’m sending them new directional coordinates. They’ll find Jimmy Hoffa…before they find any whales.
Then I recalled how my guides in Kenya were able to spot animals with nothing more than their bare eyes, something that I would struggle to do in a gym (see Maasai Mara: Day 1 of Safari & Amboseli National Park: My Second Beautiful Safari). As we drifted further and further away from land, I began to accept that we may not see whales today.
The captain and lookout crew.
Group 1 Ready!
All of a sudden, the guide yelled “Group 1 Ready! Starboard!” Group 1, of course, were the millionaires. They scrambled to the back of the boat with their fancy snorkels and fancy wet suits and prepared to disembark.
Group 1
I went to the starboard side and took a photo of the gigantic whale. I have seen humpbacks in Maui but never this close. Words, photos, and videos cannot describe these creatures.
Can you see her?
Group 2 Ready!
The guide then said, “Group 2 Get Ready!” As I was rushing to the back of the boat, I was told to hold off. The whales had disappeared again. Gloom took over once again.
Group 2 Ready! (Again)
The whales were spotted again and once again we were told to get ready. I jumped in the water. It was shockingly ice cold. I began to follow my guide. The other members of group 2 were hastily doing the same. I was kicked in the head by a flipper and was struggling to keep up with the guide. I was out of breath and exhausted. Meanwhile, waves were crashing down on top of me filling my snorkel with water. It was at that moment I came close to removing my snorkel, coming to the surf, and waving my hands in desperation. It was at that moment that it dawned on me that I was in the middle of the freezing cold ocean with relentless unyielding waves attacking me from all angles. And it was at that moment that I questioned why none of us were wearing life jackets. Instead of continuing to hyperventilate through my snorkel, I removed it from my mouth, reminded myself that I knew how to swim, and ignored how out of control this situation was.
I got about fifty-feet out and then suddenly the great beast appeared before me. I tell ya he was ten stories high if he was a foot. As if sensing my presence he gave out a big bellow. I said, “Easy big fella!” . . . I could see directly into the eye of the great fish!
[interruption]
Mammal.
Whatever.
Greyhound Bus
While I was no longer scared of becoming the next lost tourist, it did occur to me that this animal the size of a Greyhound bus was going to have to come up for air soon. It was probably not the best idea to hover much longer. My guide then ushered everyone back to the boat. It was quite a sight to see a bunch of humans fluttering around trying to get back on the boat while nature had its way with us.
The Adventure Continues
We went out a few more times after that. Each time the waves seemed bigger and bigger and the danger ever more clear and present. Within that chaos, I found calm, focusing only on getting more quality time with the humpbacks.
Time to Head Back
We were supposed to take one more swim with the whales but the guide said the water was too rough. You can imagine how bad it must be if, in my opinion, the waters were already treacherous. I asked the guide how far out we went. She said 30 miles.
Videos
Our guide had a GoPro and captured videos of the adventure. I also purchased videos that she had taken in what I presume were more calm times.
Versus my swim:
Overall
When I wrote, Wild One: TPOL’s Top Daredevil Activities, I was looking for thrills that were not artificial, manufactured, or man-made. This was it. Nothing will compare to this experience. It was everything wrapped into one: thrilling, death-defying, stupid, holistic, sadistic, and, dare I say, optimistic. Can you believe that these whales come back every year to Tonga to have their calves? Nature is still in business. Swimming with whales was incredible, even if it meant putting myself in harm’s way.
I have no airline status. The closest I have to anything resembling status is Spirit Saver$ Club (see Why I Joined Spirit Saver$ Club). And that’s not status. That’s a discount program. Today, I received this offer from AA:
Who would sign up for such a lousy offer? What benefit would I receive from being gold? For 80k miles, I was able to book a flight from Saudi Arabia to Puerto Rico (see How to Book the Best Itinerary: AA, Avios, Aeroplan, Miles & Smiles, Flying Blue, LifeMiles, Capital One). I’m not going to burn 199k miles in the hopes that I receive an upgrade from Detroit to Chicago. Please comment on why I’m making such a terrible mistake by not signing up. And then send me $2,000.
Location
The Grayson is located at 39th and 6th Avenue, steps away from my second pho restaurant (see Pho 39: Choice #2 in NYC). More importantly, I was within walking distance to my meeting in Midtown, something I did not want to do on the cold, slushy, freezing day. The alternative was a $50 Uber that would have taken much longer.
Room
While the room wasn’t big, it was well-appointed.
View
Got one window facing a brick wall.
While it wasn’t facing a brick wall, there was not a view. I enjoyed the snugness of the enclosure. I also find something romantic about fire escapes.
The Bedding
When I checked out, I had to stop by and ask the front desk where they bought their bedding. The pillows were remarkable and the comforter was much better than the one at home. All of it comes from Revival New York. I went to order bedding from them but like all great items, they are not available to ship to my home in Puerto Rico.
Bathroom
Jerry’s got nothing. Newman’s got nothing. You’re the only one I know who’s got the good stuff, and I need it bad, baby, cause I feel like I got bugs crawling up my skin. Now you gotta help me out.
I couldn’t live in New York with this weak water pressure. Other than that, I liked the gold touches of the bathroom.
Notable Item
The notable item in this room was the dog. I wonder how many go missing and how much guests are charged when they do.
Bar
Absent a complimentary drink, TPOL does not drink or dine at a hotel bar. It is too bad I’m too frugal as this one was quite nice.
Overall
Compared to the nightly rate of $400, 18k is a steal. Compared to the prices of other points hotels, 18k is a bargain. If it wasn’t the dead of winter, I would probably have saved my points and stayed in LIC as 18k is better used for vacation destinations, not work meetings.
A Canadian man has been arrested in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai after he allegedly opened the door on a commercial plane and triggered the evacuation slide prior to takeoff (read full story here).
The article goes on to say that he faces the following penalty: If found guilty he could face the death penalty, imprisonment of up to 20 years, and/or a 600,000-800,000 baht ($16,700-$22,300) fine.
I’m going to guess that he gets fined and banned from returning to Thailand.
I’ve done some dumb things when I’ve traveled (see TPOL’s Travel Lessons), but I have yet to be arrested. How about you? What’s the dumbest thing you have done? So I, like my readers do to me when I share such stories, can call you stupid too.
The first step in my Buenos Aires Residency was to book a flight from my full-time residence, Puerto Rico. In theory, this should be very easy. I found the business class flight on lifemiles.com for 40k points and hit ‘submit.’ I received an error that my reservation could not be completed and that an agent would assist me. I waited for a live person to come on the chat but the only one to show up was Mia, an ironic but fitting name. Mia didn’t understand anything. After repeated attempts to communicate with Mia, she gave me these options:
I selected the second one and thought progress was being made. I was wrong.
I clicked the option again and again but Mia’s brain continued to be unavailable. Instead of cyber-bullying Mia the moron, I called Lifemiles by phone. Now, I am waiting for them to send me the payment link which could take up to 72 hours.
I have completed three residencies thus far: Madrid, Melbourne, and Bangkok. All were in 2023. All were a great success. To keep the party going, I consulted the list of possible candidates and came up with three cities I have visited before: Barcelona, Buenos Aires, and Cape Town. The plan is to spend 6 weeks in each city living, eating, drinking, and enjoying my life as a local. The first trip will be to Barcelona in the summer followed by a joint a back-to-back residency of Buenos Aires and Cape Town in the fall and winter.
I will provide the details of air travel and long-term accommodations as the process unfolds. Of course, like moving to Albania (see Canceled! TPOL’s Move to Albania), everything is subject to change.
Post GM firing in Barcelona 2011.Post Weisberg Meyers Firing in 2013. My last time working for someone excluding the 2014 Mongolia debacle.TPOL’s Tip: Do not trek Table Mountain in flip-flops and with no water.
I was staying at the Grayson Hotel which is located on 39th Street and 6th Avenue (see Stay for the Bedding). I didn’t want to go too far out of my door for anything. As the name suggests, Pho 39th is located on the 39th. Within two minutes, I arrived, ordered, and received the following:
The spring rolls were exquisite.As far as the bowl, I was a little skeptical because it came out instantly, and I didn’t care for the chic spoon. It is awkward to use and does not add to the experience.I was impressed by the number of sprouts and the size of the bowl.Size matters but a big taste is most important.It was great.
Overall
If you don’t want to go downtown because of the weather or because you dread the subway, go to Pho 39.
TPOL’s Tip: Pho 39 is located at 70 W 39th St, New York, NY 10018.
As Michigan football goes, so goes my life. All problems feel tremendously worse with a Michigan loss. All problems feel trivial with a Michigan win. Today, I have zero problems and Ohio State ain’t #won.
Bula was a word I would hear frequently throughout this trip. It means hello or welcome in Fijian, but the sincerity of the word cannot be translated. This warmness of the flight attendants and the Fijian people is authentic.
I have flown many 737s in my day. Some were better than others (see Ethiopian Business JNB-ADD: The Worst Flight Experience). Undoubtedly, the Fiji Airways flight from Nadi, Fiji to Tonga was the best.
Should I give up churning? What would I do after that? Stop points traveling altogether? Stop blogging? I must not. I can’t. I will find a way to keep winning this points game.
After it was published, I reread the post. I honed in on this line: Grand Total: $3977.06.
Is $4000 in annual fees worth it? In the old days, I would say yes because the value of my redemptions vastly outweighed the actual retail price (see Bus-Ted: TPOL Points & Cash Summary). Today, I am not so sure. First, devaluations have killed aspirational redemptions (see Do You Believe in Miracles? Emirates Showers, Dreamliner Suites, Tahiti Triumph!). Yes, QSuites is readily available but how many times do I want to be surrounded by the purple monster for a long-haul flight? While business class is fine, I much prefer flying first. But these days airlines are eliminating first-class altogether. And those that offer them do so at alarming rates. I don’t care how many points I have, I am not going to pay for anything but ‘saver,’ which is next to impossible to find.
I once wrote, Devaluation? I Laugh in the Face of Devaluation. As I continue to rack up points, I fear that the joke is now on me. I have more free time now, more income now, and more points now. The problem is that there aren’t many places left that I want to go (see 126 Countries Left, If I Go), and even when I find a place, I do not have a way of getting there in style.
Fiscally, it doesn’t make sense to keep applying for cards, paying the annual fee, and sitting on points that lose value as each day passes (see Virgin Atlantic Devaluation: I Waited Too Long). Should I give up churning as I said I would in 2016 (see I Quit Churning!)? If I did, wouldn’t I miss the thrill of instant approvals and the thick envelope coming in the mail? What would I do after that? Stop points traveling altogether? Stop blogging?
I must not. I can’t. I will find a way to keep winning this points game.
Come on Emirates. Let me back in the first class club!
TPOL’s Tip: Pho 39 is located at 70 W 39th St, New York, NY 10018.
