Look above the title of this post. You’ll see that it falls under ‘Points-Complaining‘. I don’t have a section for Thank You’s because 1) I’m a salty bastard. 2) Companies don’t do the right thing (see Happy Festivus! Airing of Points Grievances 2019). Notwithstanding point one, I have to say thank you to American Airlines which issued a full voucher for a basic economy round-trip due to coronavirus. While the ticket was not purchased after March 1st and my departure was within fourteen days (the current guidelines for free waivers), AA made an exception. For that I am grateful.
If the cuisine in Nepal is anything like the food in the Priority Pass lounge KTM, my health is in trouble. Connecting to Bhutan (see Nepal Visa on Arrival, Needed Even in Transit), I spent an hour in the lounge eating curry mutton, tender beef, and fried chicken. But for being told to go to the gate, it could’ve turned into a Fat Guy at the Lounge experience. Don’t let the outside of the airport fool you, the inside of the lounge is quality.
I need to start smoking.
When I see the quantity of food and the quality of food, I wonder why US lounges are so inferior.
Originally I was supposed to go to Bhutan after Nepal. The lack of availability on Drukair, the flag carrier of Bhutan, necessitated the change of going to Bhutan first.
I landed in Kathmandu at 9:45AM with plenty of time to make my 1PM connection. I was told that I still needed to purchase a 1-day visa even if I was in transit. Instead of arguing like I did in Sudan, I paid for the 15-day visa since I was going to need it anyway (see TPOL’s Visa Drama Saga Stories).
It costs $15 per person and multiple currencies are accepted. If you want to pay by credit card, be careful. It showed up as a cash advance on my credit card!
Another requirement is having a photo, something I sometimes carry and sometimes do not. Instead of fumbling through my bag to find one, I said I did not have one. The officer shrugged and copied my passport instead.
After the visa process, I went out of the airport only to go back in. That’s when the fun got going. The power went out intermittently, and the line for Drukair reminded me of my worst airport experience in Calcutta where everything was done by paper and there was no organization.
I could have waited in the line that had no order for an eternity, but decided to implement my usual strategy of going right to the front and pleading ignorance if anyone made a fuss (see Air China Business Chengdu Kathmandu: Sleeping Through Breakfast). No one did. I showed the agent a digital copy of my Bhutan visa and was given my ticket.
One hour after landing I was waiting in the immigration line to exit Nepal. The line was long and took an additional 30 minutes. The reason I kept such a close eye on the time was to see if Ms. TPOL would’ve made it had she stuck to her indirect flight (see Buying Cheaper Tickets at the Airport). If her flight was on time, she would have but it would certainly have been stressful.
TPOL’s TIP: Visa on arrival works in Nepal, just leave plenty of time to deal with it.
Looking to travel to Bhutan? You’ll need to apply for a visa and more importantly, travel with a guide. The process is a bit sketchy. First, go to Bhutan’s official website for tourism. From there, find a licensed tour operator. There are thousands listed. I didn’t know what distinguished one from another. After that, choose the type of trip you want and the number of days. Per TPOL’s Travel Philosophy, I searched for a company offering a four-night tour. Most had itineraries that were ten days or longer. I found one that offered short, customizable itineraries and decided to go with them (see Bucketlist Bhutan Tour Guide Review).
They responded promptly to my email and suggested a 5-night itinerary. The cost was $3436 Here is the breakdown.
TPOL’S TIP: There’s a charge of $250 per day and a surcharge of $40 if you travel solo or $30 if you are two persons. The cynic in me says that’s why travel agents insist on these absurdly long itineraries. The ‘authentic travelers’ will argue that two weeks is not enough time to connect with a place. Go with your own philosophy when choosing a length.
Wiring Money
Everything was going smoothly until we were asked to wire money. Credit cards are not accepted and without the protection of Visa, I was skeptical to send a company $3436 just because they responded quickly to emails. It also wasn’t reassuring that the company’s email was @gmail.com. I wasn’t too concerned that someone in Bhutan would rob me. However, I was more paranoid that the website for booking trips to Bhutan could be redirected to a nefarious party posing as a Bhutanese travel agent without any connections to Bhutan. “It could be a 500lb fat guy in a basement.” To be safe, I went back to the official government website and only clicked on outbound links from that site before I, once again, ended up on BucketList Bhutan’s site. Having done all I could do, I sent the wire and hoped for the best.
Flights
Flights can’t be booked using points or cash. They must be booked via the travel agent. That became problematic because while we were waiting for the money to clear, the flight we wanted was no longer available. This forced us to go to Bhutan before Nepal and required me to pay more for Ms. TPOL’s flight from Chengdu (see Buying Cheaper Tickets at the Airport).
Money Clearing
The money cleared 3 business days later, and I received an itinerary that appeared to be real.
Visas
A day later, I received an email with my visa clearance letter. This also appeared to be legitimate.
Departing Nepal
After I arrived in Kathmandu and bought my 15-day visa for Nepal, I went to the Drukair check-in counter. The first moment of truth had arrived. Would I receive a boarding pass?
Boarding pass issued!
Arriving Bhutan
The next moment of truth came when I landed in Bhutan and I had to clear immigration. That was not a problem either.
Tour Guides
Finally, I waited to see if there would be someone at the airport to pick me up. Indeed there was.
Overall
I may have been overly paranoid in booking Bhutan but that’s a lot of money to send via wire. My advice, apart from using this tour company, is to start from the official government page and go from there. Finding happiness is not easy. It took diligence and persistence and a lot of cash to begin the pursuit.
Bhutan awaits but first you must wire cash to this account.
If you’re interested in selling, please reply with a confirmation that you would be interested, and I would love to set up a call at your convenience to discuss things in more detail.
I’ve flown Air China business many times. It is underrated. As part of the ANA RTW ticket, I maximized my 22k miles in business by adding the final Chengdu to Kathmandu segment.
The first perk for adding this flight was taking the private bus to the plane. If you’ve never flown in China, let me tell you why this perk is worth a point out. In China, when boarding is announced, there’s a mad scramble to get to the gate. Zone 1, Zone 2, Southwest’s A, B, C, means nothing. Everyone rushes to get to the door as if the plane is going to leave without them. As a foreigner, I take advantage of this chaos and head to the front of the line while pleading ignorance in the rare instance that someone questions me for cutting.
In business, the chaos is slightly alleviated as business class passengers don’t have to get on the bus with the economy passengers en route to the plane.
For breakfast, I chose the Chinese meal and the flight attendant asked if I wanted to be woken up when breakfast was served. I said no. Sleeping on a plane whether it be in first or peasant is sacred and should not be interrupted. I don’t know why all airlines don’t implement a policy not to disturb passengers who fall asleep. That nudge for, “Do you want breakfast?” isn’t as annoying as the process of falling back asleep.
With a blanket and a pillow, I slept uninterrupted and do not regret not having to take more photos of food. It’s not like a reader will skip flying Air China from Chengdu to Kathmandu because of breakfast options. How do I know this? Because this is the only direct flight between the two cities.
Visit any news site and all you read about is coronavirus. Open BoardingArea and there’s a stream of coronavirus posts in a variety of languages. I tried to avoid the subject altogether, but now I feel compelled to write about it.
The first reason is because I was living in Shanghai last fall (see TPOL in Shanghai) and have no sense of what life is like there at the present. Like natural disasters in Puerto Rico, it is difficult to know what is true and what is exaggerated (see “Puerto Rico Rocked by Earthquake”: Enough Dramatic Headlines). I hesitate to reach out to my friends living there for the same reason I didn’t want people asking me if I had electricity here. I am not a victim and distant acquaintances’ sudden, “Are you fine?” inquiries were not heartfelt.
The second reason is because I believe that coronavirus is a threat that should be taken seriously. My (former) friend used to criticize me about not traveling to countries where there was an alleged terrorist threat. My counter was that traveling to a place publicized as dangerous is not fun because the streets will be empty (see Would You Travel During the Rainy Season?). Seeing pictures of employees wearing masks in the Apple store in Shanghai or reading about the anxiety of residents in Milan is enough to convince me to stay away for the time being.
Finally, justified or not, I have a fear of what could happen if I, as a foreigner, am infected with the virus while I’m abroad. Would I have the same access to healthcare as I do if I were in the US? How could I contact my friends and family to inform them of my situation? Would I be quarantined and left alone wondering what happens next? Those concerns may be far-fetched, but the paranoia or discrimination that has come from this epidemic is already apparent (see Bloomberg’s article Virus Panic Devastates Chinatowns From New York to Sydney).
It seems like it is only a matter of time before this epidemic becomes a pandemic and hits the international community hard. Politics and blame must be put aside before coronavirus becomes more catastrophic than it already is. Until then, I am going to limit my travel as much as possible.
TPOL learning Kung Fu in Wudang Mountain outside of Wuhan in 2009.
Carnival Trinidad may have been the most fun two days of my life. It was certainly two of the most exhausting. I booked the trip on Thursday, left on Saturday (see Where to Pool Party in Miami), and arrived Sunday on time to realize that I had no time to prepare for what was what was going to happen on Monday and Tuesday (see How to Book Trinidad’s Carnival Last Second for Free*).
To spare you the anxiety and confusion, I have written this Last Minute Trinidad Carnival Guide.
Lodging
If you can find availability, the Hyatt Regency is in a good location. If you want spectacular service, stay at the Hilton Trinidad. If you want a great value for points, stay at the Courtyard. I never found availability at the Radisson, even last minute.
Hilton TrinidadCourtyard Trinidad
Taxis
There is no Uber in Trinidad anymore (see Uber in Trinidad: Save Hundreds). Instead, there is TT RideShare app. If you can locate a driver, you’ll be riding for cheap. Otherwise, prepare to spend an obscene amount on taxis. One way to and from hotels is at least $12 in the day and $20 at night versus only a few dollars for TT.
Juve (J’ouver) Tickets
Juve is the pre-party to the real party. Or maybe it’s the other way around. It starts at 3:30AM and goes until sunrise. The first step when you come in last minute is to try to find Juve tickets. I worked with the beautiful people who found someone selling tickets. I didn’t know about TT Rideshare so I spent $24 going there and back. After intense bargaining, I paid $75 to join Pink Poison. This included a tee-shirt, pink paint, and, most importantly, a bracelet and cup allowing me to drink as much as I could.
My Juve band was called Pink Poison. Here is the backroom where they sold their merchandise.
Play Mas Costume
“Who are you playing with?” Get used to that question. It means which band are you going to be partying with. After securing my Juve bracelet, the next step was trying to find someone to sell me a costume for the main event. I thought this was going to be like Carnaval in Rio where I would receive an ornate costume. While those are available, they cost a fortune. Once again, the Hilton helped find me someone who was selling last-minute bracelets. For the bargain price of $570, I received a pair of board shorts, the all-important bracelet, and a cup for the never-ending open bar. It also includes lunch and dinner. That price may sound expensive, but I did not meet anyone either local or at the hotel who spent less than I did. In fact, many who had booked months in advance paid considerably more (see TPOL’s Guide to Bargaining Abroad).
AmIin Cancun?
TPOL’s TIP: Don’t forget your cup. You need it for the open bar.
Don’t Go Out on Carnival Eve
I was told to rest on Sunday because it was going to be marathon to get through this event. Of course, I didn’t listen and headed out to see what was going on. That was a mistake. There was not much going on. After an hour on the streets, I made the smart decision to return to my hotel.
I had to stop for a gyros first.Roti would have been delicious as well, but I wouldn’t have slept the night away had I indulged myself.
TPOL’s TIP: In addition to hosting the best carnival in the world, Trinidad has some of the best food in the world (see Where to Eat And Drink in Trinidad).
Juve
I showed up around 3:20AM and tried to find Pink Poison. I could not find them. I walked down the street and passed truck after truck. There was no one else with my same tee shirt. I checked the paper to confirm the time and place. I asked the police if I was in the right place. I was. Still, there were no people. 4AM came and I finally saw Pink Poison people. While we waited for our turn to go, I watched the madness that was to be the next two days of my life.
TPOL’s TIP: Pay attention to the songs. A combination of repetition of alcohol will result in you memorizing all the worlds. Famalay, in the video above, was a popular one in 2019. But my personal favorite was Hookin’ Meh:
Some songs were better than others:
A truck full of speakers blasting at 3AM.
As the sun began to rise, the Pink Poison crew began to get restless. Why were we standing on a corner instead of dancing? While other groups were celebrating, we were getting worried.
6AM and we’re still in the same spot.
Lucky for me, I made friends who had and were happy to share their Hennessy. That and Patron XO were my official sponsors of carnival. As we waited our turn, we saw what became of others that had taken theirs.
Finally, it was time for Pink Poison.
The party doesn’t start until the paint.Followed by the fire hose.
My friend with the Hennessy.
So Long was another hit:
The dancing continued for miles.
Inhibitions and carnival are polar opposites. Paint and partying is what Juve is all about.
I started off a bit reserved but by the end I fit right in, pink paint and all.
At 9AM Juve came to an end. The main event began at 10AM. I had enough time to go back to the Hilton, shower, and prepare to play mas with Fantasy.
TPOL’s TIP: Bring shoes that you will throw away. The paint will ruin them. Cover your phone with a case. The paint will ruin it.
I had never participated in Juve before. Next time I hope to be part of a more organized group, and next time I will have more energy. I was more of a bystander in the event than a participant. That was about to change.
Play Mas Monday
With only one hour to go before I had to find my band, I thought a 30-minute power nap was a good idea. Three hours later I woke up with the same anxiety that comes from oversleeping before a flight. All sorts of thoughts rushed through my mind. The first one was why did I go out early the night before? The second was why did I spend so much on this bracelet if I’m not going to use it? The third was, thank you Hilton for allowing me to sleep in past checkout, but no thank you.
I packed my bags in a hurry, threw on my Fantasy board shorts, and grabbed my drinking cup. I rushed down to the lobby and got in an overpriced taxi. And that’s when it hit me: I had no idea how to find my band. Luckily for me, the hotel had previously told me to download the D’Junction app which provides real time data as to where each band is. I showed it to the taxi driver and he made his way to the general vicinity. He pointed that my band was straight ahead. I paid him and jumped out of the car. Here’s what followed:
A convoy of open bars.A convoy of speakers. Note: this one almost was stuck until a brave man helped with the wires.A convoy of party folks.
I learned the basic dance:
TPOL’s TIP: Everyone said I was nuts for wearing sandals but I was quite comfortable in my Rainbows.
I recognized the song in the video below from Juve.
But wait, it’s halftime.
We went to the cricket field and had lunch. The smart people took naps before the party started again. I tried but I was too tired to sleep.
Then the party began again. Hennessy was provided. Hennessy was needed.
TPOL’s TIP: Water is a good idea between Hennessy and Patron XO shots.
It’s impossible to describe the positive energy. Here I was on virtually no sleep having an epic time. (This is one of few times that the word epic is used appropriately.) Everyone was friendly. Everyone was dancing. It was, as the song says, one big Famalay.
“Watch the truck, watch the truck,” was one of many chants of the day.Safety against getting run over by the truck.
These guys were nuts:
And then the night came. By that time, I knew, or at least I thought knew not only everyone in the band but also every word to every song.
Watch everyone go nuts when Famalay is played in the after party.
Play Mas Tuesday
Wake up! You hear me?! You don’t want to miss the big day. You especially do not want to miss crossing the stage. For carnival goers in costume, this is the highlight of the event.
He came all the way from Japan.
Time to cross the stage!
And now for the moving party.
TPOL’s TIP: If for some reason you don’t want to play mas, you can follow the band by standing outside of the rope. But then you would miss out on dancing to Mr. Killa’s Run Wid It, a carnival classic:
You should play to play, literally.
Temporary police interruption.Police gone
More friends along the way.
TPOL singing like he knows the words.
This video summarizes everything about carnival. Have you seen TPOL this happy before?
The march to the after-party. You should recognize the song by now.
The party did not stop. The night of day two was out of hand.
Famalay one more time!
Lessons
While the actual carnival takes place on Monday and Tuesday, people come days before to eat, party, and drink.
Getting your bracelets ahead of time is advisable. It would have been miserable to come all this way and sit on the sidelines. I was fortunate that Hilton helped me so much. Next time I go, I will contact the locals I met who will handle the logistics for me.
After the festivities are over, everyone heads to Tobago for much-needed R&R. I went to Grenada.
Nothing, not even this guide, can prepare you for the best carnival in the world.
Carnival Trinidad is the Point Of Life. Like others who attended, I suffered from post-carnival depression. The only cure is to book for carnival the following year, something I failed to do. Thus, my carnival withdrawals continue.
As a blogger, I feel compelled to visit more than one lounge when given the opportunity. As a Fat Man in the Lounge, I feel compelled to visit more than one lounge when given the opportunity. The airport in Chengdu provided that opportunity. Naturally, I went to the Air China Lounge first because it is restricted to its own business class passengers. Ms. TPOL, flying in peasant class (see Buying Cheaper Tickets at the Airport), went to the Priority Pass Lounge.
Air China Lounge
The joke was on me, at least in terms of seating. The Air China Lounge was tiny. It was set up like a movie screening room. Regarding the food, the Air China Lounge had great dumplings, something delicious anytime of day. The other snacks received a hard pass. After a few more dumplings, I left the lonely lounge to reconnect with Ms. TPOL.
Part of my ANA RTW Ticket was a flight from Chengdu to Kathmandu. Originally, I was supposed to spend 4 nights in KTM and then go to Bhutan. Because there were no flights to Bhutan after I confirmed my money transfer went through (see Booking Bhutan), I had to swap plans. This presented one problem. Ms. TPOL’s flight left CTU at 8:25AM, connected in Tibet, and arrived in KTM at 11AM. This would give her two hours to clear immigration and deal with the visa on arrival process (see Nepal Visa on Arrival, Needed Even in Transit). Since we were spending $3300 on the Bhutan package, I thought it best to change her flight to my direct one. The fare difference was $465 ($657-$192). With such a disparity, I decided to risk her happiness and keep the flights.
At the airport, I thought I would ask one more time if I could make the ticket swap. Remarkably, I was told that it would only be $200. I agreed and off we went. I don’t think relying on tickets at the airport to be cheaper is a sound strategy, but it paid to ask.
As the sun began to rise, the Pink Poison crew began to get restless. Why were we standing on a corner instead of dancing? While other groups were celebrating, we were getting worried.
Inhibitions and carnival are polar opposites. Paint and partying is what Juve is all about.
At 9AM Juve came to an end. The main event began at 10AM. I had enough time to go back to the Hilton, shower, and prepare to play mas with Fantasy. 
