As is tradition, TPOL chimes in with his football playoff rankings. As is tradition, someone comments, “What does this have to do with travel?” Somehow those people don’t understand that you must take trains, planes, and automobiles to get to these great games (see Stadium Reviews).
Here is the list:
Oregon
Georgia: Lost to Alabama and Ole Miss
Boise State: Lost to Oregon
Texas: Lost to Georgia twice
Arizona State: Lost to Texas Tech & Cincinnati
SMU: Lost to BYU and Clemson
Indiana: Lost to Ohio State
Notre Dame: Lost to Northern Illinois
Tennessee: Lost to Georgia and Arkansas
Ohio State: Lost to Michigan and Oregon
Penn State: Lost to Ohio State and Oregon
Clemson: Lost to Georgia, Louisville, South Carolina
In 2008, I heard about this magical event on an island in Thailand called the Full Moon Party. I knew nothing about SE Asia, let alone Thailand. I was told it was an epic party on the beach that should not be missed.
In August 2009, as a broke graduate student, I took the budget-conscious route by flying from BKK to Surat Thani. From there I took the slow ferry to Koh Samui and then to Koh Phangan.
After that effort, I enjoyed the nights leading up to the Full Moon party.
Cactus bar: Now closed
Because I had to be in Shanghai for the start of my MBA exchange program (see The Pointless Global MBA: Take 2), I had to skip the actual night of the Full Moon party.
No full moon for Pre-TPOL.
TPOL’s Tip: Be careful of authentic Thai Redbull. One is enough for the week.
Advice I didn’t heed my first time around.
In November of that same year, I went back to Koh Phangan for only the night of the Full Moon party. While the beach was packed with people and while the party lasted through the morning, the Full Moon event was not as fun as my first time in Koh Phangan.
Recall: one bucket of Redbull vodka is enough.
Morning: still going strong.Didn’t recall: one bucket of RedBull vodka is enough.
Alex’s Tip to Future TPOL: The nights leading up to the Full Moon Party are better than the party itself.
Alex’s Knowledge in 2009 and TPOL’s Tip: Unless you want to end up with bandages, do not participate in activities involving fire e.g., jump rope, limbo.
Full Moon 2022
In 2022, TPOL turned 40 and celebrated his birthday by going to his homeland for the first time (see Iraqi Homecoming: My 40th Birthday in Baghdad ). All grown up, TPOL heeded Alex’s advice and booked a trip to Koh Phangan for 4 nights, leaving purposefully on the day of the Full Moon Party.
The first two nights were quite tame. I assume that this was due to post-Covid low travel numbers.
TPOL was the DJThe streets weren’t abuzzAnd the bars were empty.But buckets were still for sale.
While the party picked up the next two nights, it did not compare to the crowds from my previous travels. Nevertheless, I had a spectacular time. This time I did not have buckets of Red Bull and vodka, a surefire way to create debilitating, irrational anxiety the next day. This time I, once again, did not participate in fire activities. This time, like the times before, I left thinking that I am not too old for this shit.
Have you been keeping up with this trip report? Do you know how many times I have been to Fiji at this point? Although I experienced the best 737 business class flight on Fiji Airways (see Fiji Airways Nadi to Tonga: The Best), there were no Avios available for my flight to Samoa from Fiji. This is what coach looks like should you be interested.
TPOLās Guns & ButterĀ Travel Guide is the best way to see as much as you can in as little time as possible. Hereās how it works āĀ A trip is composed of two factors: Labor And Lazy. The opportunity cost (what is given up) for relaxing and being Lazy is gained by being adventurous in the form of Labor and vice versa. The guide includes inefficient activities i.e., tourist traps that should be avoided and aspirational activities that are worth doing but may be impossible to see given the constraints of time and resources.
What is there to do in Samoa? To start, you must understand that there are two islands in Samoa, Upolu, where I stayed and SavaiŹ»i, home to the famous blowholes.Ā Unfortunately, logistics made it impossible to visit the latter, thereby inspiring the name of this post (see I Blew It: Missing Blowholes in Samoa And Tuna in America).
We hired a driver to go to the trench and to take us to Samoa’s iconic beaches. Unfortunately, it had rained in the morning flooding access to said beaches. We settled for this one:
FoodĀ
At the beach, I had oka (Samoan fish salad) along with a bottle of wine.
Don’t miss Samoan nachos
I am not big on room service, but the food at the Sheraton was excellent.
GolfĀ
I did not golf but learned that there are three golf courses in Samoa.
TPOL’s Trivia: Our driver said that Daylight Saving Time was introduced so executives could get in a round of golf after work before it got dark!
More Trivia
In 2009, the government switched from driving on the right to driving on the left.
Overall
My time in Samoa was too short. I will be returning.
This is TPOL BREAKING NEWS. The Motel 6 is no longer leaving the light on for you in Long Island City. It has been rebranded as the Feather Factory Hotel Queens NY.
Why do I know this? Because I was in NYC looking for an affordable room.Ā While I would have liked to have remained at the Hyatt Place LIC, I could not rationalize burning 15k Hyatt points or spending $400 for one night.
Using Google Travel, I came across the Feather Factory, conveniently located within walking distance from the Hyatt Place LIC. The name ‘Feather Factory’ had me intrigued. The rate of $140 had me convinced.
So how was it? Let’s take a look:
There it is kids. The factory where they make feathers.What a great name for a hotel. I envisioned a room with puffy pillows.
Checking-In
I arrived at 10AM. The front desk said that 3PM was the normal check-in time but I could check-in right away as the room was available. How nice I thought (contrast Hyatt Place Times Square: Why So Rude?).
RoomĀ
The room had high ceilings and a reasonably comfortable bed.
The puffy pillows fantasy was not to be.I also expected a plump down blanket.
Shower
It had better pressure than the Hyatt Place Times Square.
LocationĀ
It’s a fifteen minute walk to the subway station. For one trip, I managed to walk. Then my laziness set in. I took Lyft to the city on one occasion and took Uber from the subway stop on the way back.
Across those tracks are the tracks for the subway to Midtown.
Motel 6
I learned that this used to be a Motel 6 when I set my location on the Lyft app. I’m not sure how much has been invested in upgrades, but changing the name from Motel 6 was all the upgrade I needed to book this hotel.
Overall
$140 to be a few stops away from midtown Manhattan was fine for one night.
Three questions immediately came to mind: 1) What sensitive information was on the tablet? 2). Isnāt the tablet password-protected for inevitable situations like this? 3) Can JetBlue keep me on the plane?
While a building cannot be rude, those that work in it sure can be. Here’s what happened:
I took an early flight from Puerto RicoĀ which arrived in NYC at 9:28AM. After enduring the AirTrain (see JFK AirTrain: Why Mess with Uber to Manhattan?) and the subway, it was 11AM when I arrived at the hotel. The place was a zoo. The lobby looked more like a bus station than a hotel. The queue for the front desk was long with many impatient guests. When it was finally my turn to check-in, a woman frantically jumped in front of me asking for a new room key since she had a taxi waiting. The lady at the front desk looked at her with scorn and said that she would have to get back in line. The woman pleaded for a room key. The attendant again directed her to the line. Sympathetic, I said that it was fine to give her a new room key.
My generosity was lost on the employee. She barely greeted me and only spoke to me to tell me that my room was not ready. I asked if she knew when it would be ready. She told me that normal check-in is at 3PM. She then asked for my phone number and told me that they would call when the room was ready.
As an Explorist, I don’t expect much from my status, though I have been granted access to my room many early mornings. In this case, it was obvious that the staff was overwhelmed and that the hotel was at capacity. How else can they justify charging $650 for one night at a Hyatt Place? Instead of waiting in the DMV lobby, I went to look for coffee. I made the mistake of going to Pret A Manger and paying $5.18 for a double espresso. For that price, I could have gone to my favorite coffee place in the City, Felix Roasting (see Best Java in NYC).
I didn’t make the most of the extortionate coffee price. Though I loitered in the cafe until 1:30PM, I was too tired to ask for the Wi-Fi password. I opted to use my hot spot instead.
Delirious from the lack of sleep from the night before, I went back to the Hyatt Place. To my amazement, I found guest after guest being given room keys. Like the woman before me, I skipped the queue and went to the front of the line. I asked if my room was ready. They said they would check. Indeed it was ready. I calmly asked why no one called me. I was given no response. I asked why so many people were checking in in front of me. Again, no response. I kept asking and was told that each guest’s situation is different. Unsatisfied, I calmly asked again. The woman at the front desk walked off and a man came. I reiterated my questions and was given multiple explanations: 1) Your room just became available. 2.) We were just about to call you. 3) The guest before you had checked-in the prior night so his room was available. 4) You were upgraded so your room took longer to become available.
Given how busy and chaotic the hotel was, I would have been satisfied if they told me that they had simply forgotten to call. The rude attitude towards me and towards other guests by multiple members of the staff was unwarranted as were the excuses.
I was especially annoyed with the “we upgraded you” explanation. Upon arriving, I specifically said that I didn’t need an upgrade. All I wanted was a bed so I could go to sleep before my meeting.
Too tired to argue and too incoherent to continue speaking, I took my room key and made my way to the ‘upgraded’ room. While not quite Coming to America bad, I could not help but wonder what the non-upgraded room would have been like. Here’s what I found:
It’s only got one window, but it’s not facing a brick wall.
Bedroom
This is one of the smallest rooms I have stayed at in NYC.
The room was so small that I had to make a great effort to capture the whole bed in one photo.
Upgrade?Ā
Were you expecting an espresso machine as part of the upgrade?
Bathroom
The bathroom was even tinier. The shower had no pressure. The water dripped on the metal drain, one droplet at a time. Think Chinese Water Torture.
Don’t trip over the toilet on the way to the shower.You see the metal drain? Ding, ding, ding.At least the Hyatt Place soap is consistent.
Office Space
There was a small depressing nook where a single guest could sit and lament paying full price for this room.
Lonely is the man who sits here.Even lonelier in black and white.
Location
While I hate Times Square and prefer to stay away from Midtown Manhattan, I must point out that this hotel is not directly located in Times Square. It is half a mile away which may be critical should you be in NYC on a cold, snowy day.
TPOL’s Tip: The address isĀ 350 W 39th St, New York, NY 10018Ā
Overall
After one night, I had enough of this hotel. I went back to my old reliable choice, the Hyatt Place LIC (see It Was the Best Deal in NY).
I will not be welcomed back, though I was never welcomed from the start.
On my way back to Puerto Rico from NYC, I flew JetBlue Mint (see The Best in the US). I was ready to get off the plane when the flight attendant made the following announcement:
We have lost a JetBlue tablet that contains sensitive information. We cannot let anyone off the plane until the tablet is found.
A few minutes later, the flight attendant made the same announcement. Three questions immediately came to mind: 1) What sensitive information was on the tablet? 2). Isn’t the tablet password-protected for inevitable situations like this? 3) Can JetBlue keep me on the plane?
Curious, I messaged JetBlue on X, formerly known as Twitter.
I have no idea what ‘mandated disembarking procedures’ are. But, before I could ask, the flight attendant allowed those sitting in Mint to disembark. On the way off the plane, I passed multiple police officers. I suspect that the tablet had more information than beverage cart orders.
On day 2 we headed back to the old town, passing by another mosque that was commissioned by Saddam but was never completed.
We visited neighborhoods where UNESCO was rebuilding the city. This gave me a sense of optimism and made me believe that maybe there was some hope for humanity.
We went to the Assyrian church which is next to the Chaldean church, both of which were destroyed by ISIS. These hallowed grounds were the places that Pope Francis visited in 2021. Despite the efforts to rebuild, much work is needed to restore the churches.
A further tour of the old town showed more of the havoc that ISIS caused. It is hard to imagine that only a few years ago this place was a killing zone with civilians being used as human shields to advance a hopeless ideology (see ISIS Influence in Istanbul: A Call to Arms for the Arab World).
The mosque on one side. The destruction on the other.Eerie to say the least.Just a typical day with an armed patrol in an area covered with rubble.
The terror has been replaced by NGOs. We visited one that pulled bodies from the rubble and continued to work on restoring what was once a beautiful city. The headquarters were lent to the NGO by a philanthropist who used to deal in the horse trade business.
One interesting story was how from one room in the mansion ISIS was firing at the Iraqi army and the army firing back from another.
Imagine this was once the scene of a gun battle.
Lunch
After that intense morning, it was time for lunch. Lunch was on top of a grocery store. The grocery store had some interesting snacks, but the restaurant was nothing worth writing about, except for the triple caffeinated Arabic coffee.
Overall
Half of day two in Mosul can only be described as intense.
