Find the nerdy planning here. Find the picture preview here.
Getting There: I took a taxi from the airport and consulted my Blackberry for a reasonable fare. Google said $10 so I like to bargain for $8 and go from there. On the way back, I took the taxi called for me by the hotel.
Following the overnight flight from Maldives to Kuala Lumpur, I paid $161 for a round trip ticket on AirAsia to Saigon, a deviation from the business class opulence of the Explorer Award ticket. Arriving at 10AM in Ho Chi Minh, I was hoping that the Sheraton Saigon would let me check in early which they did. Exhausted, I passed out, completely oblivious to the sounds of motorbikes swarming below.
ExciteBike!The Hotel
The Sheraton Saigon is typical of Sheraton hotels worldwide (excluding the pitiful Sheraton Times Square.). It had a plush king size bed, ample space, a great shower, and a decent view of the city. But for $151/night there are much better deals to be had in the city especially if you’re packing a carry-on full of points. I stayed for one night to meet the requirement to qualify for SPG Gold for 2014. For that purpose, it suited me just fine.
I appreciated the Christmas decorations that made me feel at home.Beautiful Christmas DecorationsLook at all those presentsThe LobbyThe Room View of the MekongThe crazy fruitThe Location
Saigon is a tiny city. The Sheraton is in a great location in the heart of all it. It is walking distance to everything including the first restaurant on Pho King’s Phoking tour of Saigon Pho, the terrible Pho 2000: President Clinton’s Bad Dining Advice.
Stay Tuned for the Pho King’s Phoking tour of Saigon PhoConveniently located across the Circle K, the Sheraton provides an ideal pre-party spot
The points world is buzzing about Amex’s latest perk on its platinum card- Hilton. Hilton Gold is great especially when traveling abroad. I received ocean bungalow upgrade in Seychelles, a stellar room at the Conrad Tokyo, and the over-the-top Japanese Penthouse at the Hilton Colombo Residence.
But is the $450 annual fee for the Amex Platinum worth it for this benefit, among others? As someone who has both the Amex Platinum Personal and Business, I will give you my finest legal answer: it depends. While the Amex Platinum personal card gives a $200 airline statement credit if you can maneuver the restrictions and provides SPG Gold status and access to the Centurion Lounges (see Vegas, Mexico City), I’m still wary of the high annual fee when cards like the Citi Prestige provide a $250 airline credit that can go directly towards airline tickets, access to the Admirals Club Lounge when flying American, and 3 free rounds of golf.
On the other hand, is it better to pay $95 for the Citi Reserve card for Hilton Gold and $95*2 for the SPG Personal and Business? The answer again is it depends. If you are striving for platinum with SPG and benefit from the 4 night stay credit towards the 25 required and if you can MS or shell out 10k on the Citi Reserve for a free weekend night then paying for those cards are worth it. Personally, I need SPG platinum in my life and this will be the second year I have earned a free Hilton night which may be used in Tahiti. For those reasons, I hold onto these three.
This year’s Keep vs. Cancel list is complete and I’ve already paid the annual fees for the two Amex platinum cards. So for now they’re all in my wallet. Next year when the annual fees become due, I may have to reconsider carrying all the cards when one Platinum may do the trick.
Then again, it depends.
For convenience, here is a list of all the Platinum Personal card benefits and here is a list of all the Platinum Business card benefits.Hilton Gold in Seychelles
The Conrad Maldives Airport Lounge Review is part of the Trip Report: The $77,000 Trip Heard Round the World which covers 5 Continents, 13 Countries, and 17 Cities.
Find the nerdy planning here. Find the picture preview here.
Before you take your $500 seaplane ride to your Conrad Maldives bungalow, the luxury (or misery) begins at the Conrad Maldives Airport Lounge. Perhaps it is called the Seaport Lounge. My experience at the lounge was far different from my companion’s.
Despite being the first off the plane, the first to clear customs, Ms. TPOL was bumped from her early noon flight to Rangali Island. She was stuck waiting in the lounge with old sandwiches for snacks stuck between the lunch and dinner service. Needless to say, she wasn’t pleased. The hotel blamed the seaplane company for the delay. The seaplane company blamed the hotel. In the end nobody cared.
Not to sound like a jerk but my experience at the lounge was great. Well rested after a night on Male, I arrived at the lounge in time for breakfast. Sitting on a reclining day bed, I drank my espresso, had some fresh eggs, and waited to board the seaplane for paradise.
I found it interesting to observe the manners of those waiting in the lounge who came from all corners of the globe. I assumed that these people were part of high society and would conduct themselves with grace. That wasn’t the case. Each time more food was brought out, it was a feeding frenzy of people who acted like they hadn’t had a good meal in forever. As someone who stays on points, flies on points, I am guilty of taking it too far in trying to exploit everything that is free. Nevertheless, I try to observe some rules of etiquette such as waiting my turn in line!
But in the words of Jay-Z, “You can pay for school, but you can’t buy class.”
After that comedy, it was time to board the plane to Rangali.
It is worth mentioning that lounge access is not offered for free on the return but must be purchased at the hotel. Due to a sprained ankle, Ms. TPOL got us complimentary access and endless bowls of pasta while we waited for our flight to Kuala Lumpur. The ravage behavior of hungry patrons was on full display for dinner as well. This time I can cut them some slack because we were all starving after enduring the unconscionable prices for subpar food at the hotel.
Male Seaport and AirportThe check-in deskThe loungeEmpty, peaceful initiallyGet your breakfast before the hungry wolves doThe plane, the plane
The British Airways Colombo to Maldives Flight Review is part of the Trip Report: The $77,000 Trip Heard Round the World which covers 5 Continents, 13 Countries, and 17 Cities.
Find the nerdy planning here. Find the picture preview here.
Male is one of the most densely populated cities in the world with a population of over 100,000. That means next to nothing until you step foot onto Male which most people fail to do. This is a mistake for a few reasons: First, getting to the Maldives is an exhausting experience. Before you take the overpriced sea plane to your overpriced hotel in the middle of the Indian Ocean, spend one night recuperating from the journey. Second, visiting Male allows you to see what life is like for the people of the Maldives. Though some live full-time at the resorts, the majority live in cramped quarters on a tiny island. It is like Hong Kong but exponentially more compact. Finally, by arriving a day early, you can schedule your sea plane for first thing in the morning. That way you are not stranded at the airport all day while your travel companion (me) is sitting in the bungalow’s hot tub.
View from the WingIt’s amazing how much land is taken up by the Cricket field
The British Airways Colombo to Maldives Flight Review is part of the Trip Report: The $77,000 Trip Heard Round the World which covers 5 Continents, 13 Countries, and 17 Cities.
Find the nerdy planning here. Find the picture preview here.
In the good old days, you used to be able to fly Emirate Shower Class from Colombo to Male from $300 and experience a nice soak at 30,000 feet. That is no longer the case. When I booked this RTW ticket, I made it a point to avoid using British for any of the segments in an effort to steer clear of fuel surcharges. The one exception was my flight to the Maldives which I was not only lucky to find available but also was surprised to find it was aboard a 777. Imagine taking a 777 for a flight that is only an hour and a half long.
British flies direct from London to Colombo then onto Male. While the majority of the passengers are exhausted from the 10.5 hour flight, I was ready for my short trip across the Indian Ocean.
What makes British Business unique is the reverse facing seat layout which is perfect for couples traveling to a romantic getaway like the Maldives. I was alone at this point so I put up the privacy guard and passed out. Though I can’t say too much about the flight itself, I will advise that anyone flying to Maldives should consider a couple of days in Colombo to break up the trip.
British BusinessThe Privacy Guard
It’s been a tough year for manufacturing starting with the FreeBird being taken away. The twists and turns of MS can be found in my most popular post, I’m In Manufacturing, Spending. With all these ups and downs, this Election season I pledge to build a great firewall for those that give away a million secrets like the boy who cried Vanilla Reload one too many times.
Today, I discovered more bad news. Giftcards.com, the site that used to charge $999 for $1000 worth of gift cards not only has eliminated free shipping but also has eliminated USPS shipping for $1.99. The only shipping they offer now is USPS Delivery Confirmation for $7.45. This means that the price of a $1000 order jumps up to $1015.29. In a matter of months $1000 of gift cards went from free to a $7 charge, to the current price gouge of $15.
Our trusty chocolate alternative to these cards goes for $5.95 for $500 though it is only loadable on the Bird not Swerve. Unless free shipping comes back or at least a discount, I won’t be ordering anymore gifts from this retailer. I guess you could order more than 1k to offset the shipping cost but in my experience those orders don’t get approved.
For those whose Target’s require a gift card with a name or for those that use Swerve, I don’t know what the solution is. One thing is clear, the war on MS is in high gear so like Andy Dufresne said, “Get busy loading or better get busy dying.”
How much more can we take?
Trying different zips didnt helpThis is an obscene amount for gift cards
The Colmbo, Sri Lanka Travel Guide is part of the Trip Report: The $77,000 Trip Heard Round the World which covers 5 Continents, 13 Countries, and 17 Cities.
Find the nerdy planning here. Find the picture preview here.
Colombo, Sri Lanka just sounds like a cool place to visit. It is.
Here is the Travel Guide using the Guns & Butter methodology:
A trip is composed of two factors: Labor And Lazy
Anything on the line (Production Possibilities Frontier for my fellow economists) is an efficient use of your time depending on your tastes and preferences.
Anything inside the line is inefficient as should be avoided.
Anything outside is aspirational but may be impossible to do given the constraints of time and resources.
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.
Sri Lanka is a country rich with history, culture, and people. The capital of the teardrop island is Colombo, a crazy city that has been described by the author Cherry Briggs as follows: “If Bangkok is Asia’s city of sex and drugs, Calcultta the city of death and poetry, and Tokyo the technotropolis of innovation, then Colombo is their immature sibling, still trying to find and assert its identity.”
Colombo is a mishmash of all countries in the region. This eclectic, colorful mix is what makes Colombo worth visiting even if it is only for a couple of days before heading off to the beaches of Sri Lanka or an atoll in the Maldives.
Here’s a breakdown of how to organize the chaos:
Street Shopping
Looking for a headache, head to the local market where everything is on sale. Fruits, bootleg Beats by Dre, and clothing all are sold in one jam packed area. I suggest doing this first thing in the morning while you still have energy to deal with the crowds and the bargaining.
The grapes of wrathBeautiful bananasThe colorful market trucksThe old school busTailor marketDude mean mugginI bought oneIP rightsThe City
There’s lots to do and see all over the city from temples to snakes.
The metered tuk tuk! He was honest but other friendly ones try to pull at your heartstrings so beware.
Beira Lake
Beira Lake in the heart of the citySimamalaka shrine, on an island in Beira Lake
Gangaramaya Temple
The TempleGangaramaya TemplePoor elephant at Gangaramaya TempleAnd this scary guySaid I could hold the snake and that it had no venomTrain to Mt. Lavinia
Ask many people and they’ll say the best thing about Colombo is getting out of Colombo. It is that hectic. While you could take a taxi to the beach, I recommend taking the open air train. It moves slow enough that you feel safe but having no door between you and death makes it a somewhat dodgy experience.
Somehow I paid for the ticket to Mr. LaviniaAnd followed the signsNext to Myanmar, Sri Lanka has the coolest trainsAll aboard!The cabooseAway we goHop on, hop offArrivalThe tracks lead to the beachThe Beach
You’ll notice the graph has the beach as the most restful activity in Colombo. That all depends on how much you feel like kicking back and relaxing or if you’d rather do push ups, pull ups, and dips on the makeshift gym at the beach.
First I got sidetracked by a luxury hotelAnd crashed a local weddingThe beach from the hotelThe national beer (shown here poured by the waiter)Next to the beach gym is the bar.The friendly localsDrinking & Eating
The amount of energy you expend on drinking, eating, and exploring is up to you. It is also best told by me using photos:
Street Food
Street food curry
Traditional Food at Pagoda Tea Rooms
Pagoda Team RoomThe sweetest dessertThe famous Pagoda Tea RoomThe delicious rice curry
Famous Food at Ministry of Crab
Ministry of Crab: Make reservations!A bottle of white all to myself, yes pleaseThe chili crabThe espresso
The Bar Next Door
In order to get a table, patrons have to buy a vat of beer, so I did.
The vatMore friends
As you can see Colombo was an awesome time. Everything here was done in one day meaning I must return to so an do a lot more.
By far my favorite drinking game is the 7-11 game which I invented as a way to explore Hong Kong on foot. Today’s discussion of how many frequent flier account numbers I could recall by memory has inspired me and my new Twitter drinking buddy @Ahall41116 to combine two things I enjoy: points and drinking.
There are a few variations of the game that will be fun for the whole family.
Points War: My cousin George and I used to play War with the loser having to take a drink if he lost the best of 7 challenge and a shot if he lost a War. The same concept applies here. Randomly scroll down your Award List and challenge your balance of that program to that of your friends. Alternatively, you could challenge his status in that program. Loser drinks.
If you really want to get sophisticated, create your own valuation system for what each program is worth. With a valuation of .000000000001 for SkyPesos his 200k would come up short against your 25k SWA RapidRewards.
Points Poker/Points UNO: Have a cocky friend who thinks he has more points than you, challenge him to Points Poker. Create playing cards with the popular points programs and create a valuation system for evaluating which programs are worth what. Here is mine:
Ace: Alaska
King: Singapore
Queen: American
Jack: Hyatt
10: British
9: United
8: Hilton
7: Southwest
6: Lufthansa
5: IHG
4: Club Carlson
3: Frontier
2: Delta
Joker: LifeMiles
Not really sure how this is different from normal poker/uno nor would I be motivated to create the playing cards but it was fun to assign Joker’s Wild to LifeMiles- a little points humor for your Tuesday.
Points Memory: Switch Award Lists and challenge your friend to recite her frequent flier number, balance, expiration date for various programs. Mistakes means drink.
Preferred Venues:
Airplanes: Emirates, KoreanAir, and Virgin Atlantic all have open bars at 30k feet.
That’s the best that I could come up with but I welcome any ideas and any challengers. I will update the rules as the game is played and improved.
The Award Balance Drinking Game: Bottoms Up
We walk up to the Southwest self-help kiosk. I don’t reach for my wallet as Ms. TPOL does to check-in. “No checked bags, print boarding pass, I win,” I boast with great satisfaction. I have my Rapid Rewards number memorized. Seinfeld would be proud.
Heading to the Admirals Club, I didn’t take out my Citi Exec card, I recited my AAdvantage number by heart. Even worthless Delta is no match for my memory as I login to verify that I have indeed drained my SkyPesos account to zero.
This brings me to SPG, a number that is too long and has no pattern. Every day it seems SPG has a promotion, targeted or not, that requires me to input my SPG number to register. I never remember it and have to go back to AwardWallet to look it up. The same can be said about the ugly Hyatt GoldPassport number whose use of a letter at the end throws of my rhythm. Finally, there is Club Carlson with enough digits to resemble a nuclear code. Even if I can remember one, there’s another for my business account that I have just forgotten.
The nerdiness of the points game is apparent by the number of accountants, lawyers, and financiers who blog on the topic. That is why I don’t feel ashamed to say that I feel cool when I can recall account numbers to agents and excel through the check-in process while fellow travelers bumble around for a credit card to swipe.
Any other nerds out there willing to admit to the satisfaction of knowing their frequent flier numbers?
The Hilton Colombo Residence Review is part of the Trip Report: The $77,000 Trip Heard Round the World which covers 5 Continents, 13 Countries, and 17 Cities.
Find the nerdy planning here. Find the picture preview here.
Getting Here: I braved life and limb and took a taxi from the airport. The driver took me to another Hilton. I discovered this at check-in where I had a welcome drink then was told I was at the wrong hotel. Even though it was late at night and I had just arrived after a long day of traveling, the Hilton wouldn’t use the courtesy vehicle to take me to my hotel. Instead, I hate to wait a half hour for a taxi to come and pay again to go to my hotel located a few minutes away.
Thanks for the unwelcome drink
In reviewing the Conrad Tokyo, I said that Hilton Gold is the best status abroad for the effort required to maintain it. The Hilton Colombo Residences is another reason why this is true. For 16,000 points and $82/night I had the three bedroom Japanese Penthouse with an unbeatable sea view.
The Staff
The staff was very friendly and helpful providing tips on where to go eat and drink as well as arranging transport.
The Room
The room was ridiculously large for one person if not ten. It was so big that it had its own router. Walking in, I was given a tour of all the amenities and provided with a welcome fruit basket along with a bottle of wine. The best feature by far was the enormous balcony. With a bottle of wine in hand and the Jambox, I had a nice time watching the sun go down from the balcony overlooking Colombo.
Master bedroomThe living roomThe welcome tableI used all the dishesThe snake pitThe Location
The Hilton Colombo Residences is located in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Colombo. It is a train ride or tuk tuk away from the beach but is walking distance for exploring the city’s attractions and near many restaurants and bars.
33 FloorsThe Hilton Colombo ResidenceOverall
This was a great bargain for points especially because of the penthouse upgrade. I would definitely return/live at the Residences if I was back in Colombo.
