Travel Guide - ThePointsOfLife

Housing World Cup Qatar: Adventurous or Fyre Fest?

thepointsoflife

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November 15, 2022

I am leaving for the World Cup in a few weeks (Booked! Round 3 for the World Cup). I am flying there on QSuites, but that is where my luxurious experience ends. When I visited in October, I stayed at the Hyatt Regency and the Grand Hyatt. At 5,000 points the Hyatt Regency Doha may be the greatest value next to the Hyatt in Kota Kinabalu (see Hyatt Regency Kota Kinabalu: The Best Deal in the Hyatt Portfolio). With a suite upgrade and a stay cert, the Grand Hyatt Doha was even more compelling. Searching today, I found that the Grand Hyatt is sold out and the Hyatt Doha is going for $1300 a night. While I was not surprised by this, I was shocked by these options:

Fan Village Cabin Free Zones

2. Cruise Ship Hotel

3. Sambook Ship Dhows

I don’t know what to make of these choices. All I know is that I have to have government-verified accommodations booked in order to be allowed into the country. Fortunately, I am arriving during the knockout stage so if there is a Fyre Fest run on toilet paper, it will happen in advance of my arrival. Is anyone else going? And where are you staying?

Chase Matches Ink Unlimited 90k Offer

thepointsoflife

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November 14, 2022

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Don’t you hate it when you apply for a card and months later see that the same card has a better offer? Sometimes banks will match the offer. Sometimes they will tell you to get lost. I applied for the Chase Ink Unlimited. The offer was 75k URs after $7,500 spent in three months. 2.9 months later, I read that the offer was 90k URs after $6,000 spent in three months. More points and less spend? How could this be? I wrote to Chase on the secure message center, and they instantly credited me the 15,000 points. That was easy and unexpected.

Booked! Qatar Qsuites Round 3 for the World Cup

thepointsoflife

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November 11, 2022

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In July, I stayed up all night before succumbing to sleep before waking up again to buy my tickets to the World Cup (see Is TPOL Going to The World Cup?). The time has come for the start of the greatest tournament in the world. The problem is that I had no way of getting there – until now. Last week, I randomly searched Qatar‘s website for two tickets from Miami to Doha. I was shocked that there were two flights with multiple seats available. I was even more surprised that those seats were still available after I battled Amex for a double points transfer (see Amex Transfers Points Twice! The Fight Is On!). My new problem is how I will get home. Originally, I wanted to complete the 25,000 Mile RTW Trip which still has me in Doha but, as was the case in May, I can’t find any availability from Tokyo to Los Angeles. Speaking of availability, World Cup Urban Turbans are available at IQKhameleon.com. I will be sporting my US one in the hopes that we get to the round of 16.

a head scarf with a black football ball — Stay Cool in Doha while supporting your team! Buy Now.

This will be the third time I’ve flown Qsuites this year. The first was on the way back from the aforementioned trip to Iraq (see Iraq Homecoming). The second was after breaking my 100 UN country count (see Out of Office: TPOL Breaking 100 in UN Countries Visited, Not Golf). Besides the return flight, these trips all have one thing in common: I have yet to complete the Trip Report!

Guns & Butter: Mt. Etna, Sicily Travel Guide

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November 10, 2022

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Guns & Butter: Mt. Etna, Sicily Travel Guide

Mt Etna Sicily Travel Guide is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report.

TPOL’s Guns & Butter Travel Guide is the best way to see as much as you can in as little time as possible. Here’s how it works: 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.

I have already written the Guns & Butter: Sicily Travel Guide. I thought it would be appropriate, given that I almost made Mt. Etna my home, to write a separate travel guide for this unique place. Getting There If you’re coming from Palermo in the north, go to southern Siciliy by train (see Palermo to Catania, Go by Train)

a landscape with a mountain in the background

If you’re arriving from Catania airport in the south, rent a Panda and take the short 1-hour drive.

Stay Do not stay at Casale Poggio del tiglio, better known as agritourism insane asylum (see Agritourism in Sicily: The Insane Asylum Accommodation).

a sign on a stone wall — When I made the reservation, I imagined that it would be like going to dinner at my grandma’s house or my best friend’s house. I thought there would be bottles of wine, more food than I could eat, and a general inquisitiveness among the owners and the guests for one another. Maybe that sort of place exists, but it surely was not at Casale Poggio del tiglio, which is Italian for DO NOT STAY HERE.

Do stay at Il Picciolo Etna, a nice golf resort minutes away from the old town of Castiglione and the wine tasting of Mt. Etna.

Do

Play Golf

With the possibility of purchasing a villa slightly higher than it was half a day before, I needed to see what Italian country club life was like.

The 10th hole, a par 3, is the most magnificent hole on the course because it stares directly at Mt. Etna, an active volcano. I fired off a beauty with my hybrid and watched it sail right at the mountain.

Had it went in, I would’ve taken it as a sign to move to Castiglione, as originally planned (see Nothing to Rent in Tuscany, But Maybe I’ll Buy a House in Italy). Don’t Buy a place here. Although it was fun to go through the process of becoming an Italian homeowner, I should have listened to my Italian who said, “This is a stupid idea.” (see 1 Euro Italian Villa: Would She Be Mine?).

two men standing in front of a building — A lawyer and his foolish client.

The romanticism of owning an Italian villa wore off when I visited the town and saw what was available. Here’s what 40k gets you:

Read Did TPOL Buy a 1 Euro Italian Villa? for a full recount. Do Forget the idea of owning a villa and focus on exploring Castiglione.

a building with cars parked in front of it

a stone building with stone pillars and a stone staircase

a table and chairs outside a building with a wall of bottles

Do Continue wine tasting at these places:

Etna Nocciole

Tornatore

a bottle of wine next to a glass of wine

Barone di Villagrande

a man sitting at a table with wine glasses

Gambino Winery

a group of wine glasses and bottles of wine

Il Buongustaio

If the vineyards are closed, go to Il Buongustaio, a small deli and wine store. It’s the best.

a man pouring wine into a glass at a table outside

Watch Out As we were zipping down the mountain, trying to keep up with other Pandas that were driving at higher rates of speed, a man stepped into the middle of the road with a small sign that he raised in the air. We thought it was construction and began to slow down. Stopped, our Panda was approached by two police officers. One asked for our documents and the other stood behind the car. We gave him our American driver licenses and registration. After fifteen minutes he came back to the Panda, handed us our driver licenses and said have a good night (see Mount Etna, Sicily Wine Tour: Fun & Games Until Police Stop).

Overall I have been to Mt. Etna twice. While I won’t be living there full time, I would go back for the food and wine.

Mt Etna Sicily Travel Guide is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report.

The End of Days: TPOL Joins TikTok

thepointsoflife

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November 9, 2022

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It’s the end of the world as we know it. And I don’t feel fine. In fact, I am quite angry to announce that I am now on TikTok (follow me here). How did we get here? I have no idea. Like the midterms which had 300+ election deniers on the ballot, my devolution from scholar to influencer has been years in the making. Like the state of politics, the reason for my decline is social media. Instead of reading a well-written, extensive blog post about my time in the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia (see Salt Flats, Bolivia: The Definitive Guide to Going), today’s audience prefers a five-second clip of me running through said flats composed with a trending audio clip.

@alexanderbachuwa
#saltflats #saltflatsbolivia #uyuni #uyunisaltflats #tpol
♬ Made You Look – Meghan Trainor

While I would love to say good riddance to these people, I will not do so for three reasons:

This is an entertaining video.
There’s a slight chance people will click the link in the bio and read the blog post.
I can produce unique, quality content that highlights why blogging is and continues to be one of a kind.

The blog is not the only venture on TikTok. Instead of creating a TPOL handle, I am using my full name, Alexander Bachuwa, to promote everything Alexander. This includes my law firm BachuwaLaw.com, my marketing agency LawyerOnaCloud.com, my book Everyone’s Advice Is Wrong . . . Including Mine, and my sports brand IQKhameleon.com.

YOU MAY NOT LIKE ME…

BUT YOU WILL LEARN TO LOVE ME!

BECAUSE I’M…

THE BEST…

THING…

GOING…

TODAY!

WOOOOOOO!!

Can’t find that classic on TikTok.

Amex Transfers Points Twice! The Fight Is On!

thepointsoflife

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November 8, 2022

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Amex Transfers Points Twice! The Fight Is On!

Transferring points to travel partners is a one-way street. We all know this. I am conservative when it comes to transferring points because I would much rather have MRs, URs, or TYP in my bank account than in a partner account. In need of a flight to Doha for the World Cup (see Is TPOL Going to The World Cup?), I needed 38,000 more Avios points. Unfortunately, Chase and Amex did not have a transfer bonus at this time, which can be as high as 40%. Annoyed that I didn’t transfer more points when there was a promotion, I begrudgingly hit ‘confirm’ to initiate the MR to Avios transfer. Instantly, I received an error, “Your transaction did not go through. Try again later.” Since award availability can disappear instantly, I tried again right away. This time the transfer went through. However, I noticed that my MR balance had dropped substantially. I checked the account activity and saw that 38,000 points were deducted twice from my account. A feeling of nausea came over me as I contacted Amex via chat. It came as no surprise that they were utterly useless and did not accept accountability for their mistake. Indeed, the first agent tried to get rid of me by telling me to call back the following day to see what could be done. Another agent told me to contact British to see if British could reverse the transfer despite knowing that British would not be able to do so.

a screenshot of a chat — Angry typing leads to misspellings.

By the time I chatted with the supervisor, I had spent over an hour pleading my case. My urgency for booking my award ticket was hijacked by my quest for justice. Alas, there was no justice. Amex awarded me zero points and did not wish any mercy on my soul. The fight will continue!

Amex Credits Me $.14 Worth of Points!

thepointsoflife

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November 7, 2022

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I received this message from Amex: At first, I was impressed that Amex owned up to the error. While I would rather have points than money, I was pleased that they were doing something about it proactively. Then I checked my statement and found this on my Marriott Bonvoy statement: $0.14! I know that Bonvoy points are worthless, but are they this worthless? Despite what Amex said in this email, they have not taken care of everything for me. Now, I have to call and complain again. Add it to the list of gripes that I have against the world of which I have no motivation to pursue (see Complaints: How Long Till You Let It Go?).

Simply The Best: October 2022

thepointsoflife

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October 31, 2022

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Michigan beat Michigan State. That’s not all that was great about October.

TWA Hotel JFK: Where to Not Spend a Layover
The TWA hotel is run down. The furniture was worn, and the white decor was covered with the expected filth that took over the World Trade Oculus.
World’s Longest & Best Business Class Flight: JFK-SIN
I boarded frantically. I left wishing I had a few more hours of pampering. Thank you SQ for being excellent.
Vietnam E-Visa Not Processed: Another TPOL Duck Up?
Grow up TPOL. You can’t keep winging the visa system just because you think visas are stupid, which they are.
Marriott Tang Plaza Singapore: Who Needs Hanoi?
I am glad I didn’t receive my Vietnam visa. It reinforced that I need to endure to live and travel to places of this affluence, infrastructure, and organization. Marriott Tang was a pleasant preview of this.
13.5 Hours in JFK: Wait, There Was Early Check-in?
Call Bachuwa Law, operators are standing by.
Welcome Back: Where Have I Been?
If you haven’t been following me on IG, @thepointsoflife, let me tell you where I’ve flown for the last 31 days by way of the Great Circle Map.
Wyndham JFK Airport: One Lie After Another
I had to go to NY for work and made more than I lost. But $550?

Marriott Tang Plaza Singapore: Who Needs Hanoi?

thepointsoflife

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October 28, 2022

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Marriott Singapore Hotel Review is part of the Reunion Tour Trip Report.

Getting There Prepare to download another rideshare app (see Grab: The Rideshare App in Singapore And Thailand). It costs $11 USD.

If you find yourself with no visa to Vietnam because it’s independence day there and they didn’t process your paperwork on time (see Vietnam E-Visa Not Processed: Another TPOL Duck Up?), there are better and worse places to be than Singapore. The reason I say better is because Singapore is not cheap, especially for hotels. Fortunately, I hoard my Marriott stay certificates and was able to redeem one at the Marriott Tang. Location Marriott Tang is located on the famous Orchard Road, close to Newton’s Circus, the best place for street food (see Guns & Butter: Singapore Travel Guide).

a tall building with a red roof — The instantly recognizable Marriott Tang

a hallway with marble walls and red columns

Room I received an upgraded room and a welcome gift of a Tiger beer and chocolates. Having flown 19 hours, I was already confused as to what time it was. The clock read 10AM but the beer said happy hour. I compromised, called it noon, and finished it off in a few gulps.

a bottle of beer next to a box of chocolates

Bathroom I didn’t know what time it was and I didn’t know how bad I smelled. I took a long shower so as to not offend my bed.

a shower with a shower head and a shower head

a group of white bottles with red and green text on them

Sleep It was Saturday in Singapore but it was also early. With nothing to do, I decided to take a nap. This made no physiological sense since I slept a solid ten hours on my direct flight from JFK-SIN (see World’s Longest & Best Business Class Flight: JFK-SIN).

a city with many buildings — Sleeping the day away

Pool I slept so much that I began to dream that I was at the pool. I finally shook myself out of my sleep trance and realized I was still in my bed. Although the room was free, I still needed to make use of the facilities to justify burning the certificate. While lounging at the pool, I began to wonder why I was going to crazy Bangkok the next day when Singapore was Grey Poupon – civilized (see Booking Bangkok After Vietnam Failure).

a person's feet in front of a pool with buildings in the background

a pool with chairs and a building in the background

Lounge I was productive in my JFK office (see 13.5 Hours in JFK: Wait, There Was Early Check-in?). I was more productive in the Marriott lounge. Wi-Fi, Tiger beer, a margarita, a Singapore Sling, and Jameson were all I need to endure a day at the office.

The food was good but if you’ve never been to Singapore, save your appetite for the aforementioned food stalls.

Breakfast I was impressed by the variety but depressed by the dry dumplings. The made to order soup, following a night all over Singapore (see Singapore Nightlife Guide: Hip Hip Hop-a You Don’t Stop), was the right remedy.

Who Needs Grab? Basking in luxury, I decided to take the hotel transport to the airport.

a car parked in front of a building — One lie per post is acceptable.

Overall I am glad I didn’t receive my Vietnam visa. It reinforced that I need to endure to live and travel to places of this affluence, infrastructure, and organization (see Vote for Where TPOL Will Move Next And…). Marriott Tang was a pleasant preview of this.

Grab: The Rideshare App in Singapore And Thailand

thepointsoflife

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October 27, 2022

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Grab is part of the Reunion Tour Trip Report.

It used to be that I would land in a new country and haggle with the taxi drivers until I received a good rate for the hotel (see Sharm el-Sheikh Taxi: For 40, I Bring You Camel, Tomorrow). Now, I spend the extra time trying to figure out which rideshare app works in the country that I am visiting. In Singapore, the app was Grab. I downloaded it and went through the hassle of setting up an account. When I went to add my credit card, it said that it was not an acceptable form of payment. I tried another and another before I gave up, convinced that Grab doesn’t take American cards. Exhausted from the drama of not receiving my Vietnam visa (see Vietnam E-Visa Not Processed: Another TPOL Duck Up?), despite a relaxing 19-hour flight from JFK to SIN (see World’s Longest & Best Business Class Flight: JFK-SIN), I had no patience to try the 3 other rideshare apps. I went down to the taxi line and prepared myself to get robbed (see “Taxi my friend?” The Worst Places to Hail a Cab). Standing in line, I reloaded Grab and received a notification to register where in the world I lived. After selecting USA, I went back to the credit card page, and magically my card worked. TPOL’s Tip: If your card doesn’t work, Grab also takes cash. TPOL’s Tip: Grab is also available in Bangkok, though I found the wait times to be too long for getting around the city. Still, it was useful to see how much Grab would charge when negotiating with a local taxi and as a way to get to and from the airport. Overall For convenience, I wish Uber had a monopoly for rideshare apps throughout the world. I am tired of setting up a new account in each region I visit. For price, I am glad that rideshare apps like Grab exist.