TPOL Endorses Biden

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TPOL Endorses Biden

Endorsement is part of The Lost & Found Year(s): COVID Trip Report.

Four years ago I voted for Trump because of corporate tax reform and to get rid of the illegal ACA mandate. Since that time, I moved to Puerto Rico which solved my tax problem and now I pay for private health care at a reasonable rate. As this is first and foremost a travel blog, I will focus on two reasons why I can’t vote for that fool again.

  1. I want to travel. I’ve never seen anyone handle something so poorly and lie about it so brazenly. I wrote about how bad this pandemic could be way back in February (see Travel Or Stay Inside? TPOL’s Thoughts on Coronavirus) and caught hell for it. The good news is that the COVID deniers no longer comment, though I’m sure they still read the blog (see Social Distance Yourself from Misinformation). The bad news is that being right means a life of living in my basement (see Back on Lockdown in Puerto Rico) for fear of the unknown (see Thanks Donald! My COVID Test in Puerto Rico). While golf is fun and I like the island life, I miss the filth and grime of big cities. A year ago I was returning from Shanghai. Now, I can only fantasize about going back (see Recap! TPOL in Shanghai). This is no way to live.
  2. I want to be respected in the world. The President calls countries shithole nations, but it is America that is a joke. I was fine being called The Ugly American. Now, everyone feels sorry for us. This is no way to live.

In April, I wrote Do I Stay Or Do I Go? Thoughts on the Second Covid Wave. Given the travel restrictions, I have no choice but to stay. It’s Donald Trump that has to go.

two bottles of beer on a towel on the beach
I’ll trade beach for busy.

Amex Shutdown? Remedy & Going Forward

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Amex Shutdown? Remedy & Going Forward

Attorney Advertising Disclaimer: The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

DoC wrote American Express Shutting Out Some People’s Accounts For Using No-Lifetime-Language Offers. Whether this is legally permissible is up for debate. Amex tries to protect itself by using the catch-all rule, “If you applied for one or more cards to obtain a welcome offer(s) that we did not intend for you,” then we can rescind the offer.

As a consumer lawyer (Submit an Inquiry if you have been shut down), I obviously disagree with Amex’s retaliation. Amex should do its due diligence in not issuing the points in the first place, not to mention the fact that Amex made transaction fees based on the purchases that gave rise to the bonus.

Ultimately, I don’t think this lifetime language is going to be around much longer. With a pending recession, these banks will have to be less restrictive with their approval process (see We Need Another Recession).

Have you been shutdown? Do something about it! Contact Bachuwa Law.

 

Let’s Zoom Naked

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Let’s Zoom Naked

Zoom Naked is part of The Lost & Found Year(s): COVID Trip Report.

How many of you have received the email that says that you have been naughty on your laptop and there is a video of you doing something that you should not be doing? And all it takes to make that go away is paying a few bitcoins. Since nothing has been made public, the transfer must have gone through.

In this COVID nightmare, many of us who work from home can’t be bothered to put on pants (distinguished from Jeffrey Toobin’s situation). Imagine the embarrassment from neglecting to turn off the camera before standing up. Imagine the embarrassment if the meeting was being recorded. Since COVID isn’t going away, it seems like the only way forward is to make pants optional and provide a disclaimer that viewer discretion is advised. The alternative is to take TPOL’s advice and Stop Zoom Calls altogether.

a man sitting in a chair
#LIBERATEPANTS

Bottoms Up! Crowne Plaza Sanya City Center

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Bottoms Up! Crowne Plaza Sanya City Center

Crowne Plaza Sanya Hotel Review is part of The Year of the Monkey Trip Report which covers the following places:

For such a small island, Sanya has many hotels. I started off at the Four Points Sanya, moved to the Sheraton, then to the Crowne Plaza, and ultimately went to the Marriott.

Positive 

The Crowne Plaza is right next to the nightlife. Literally, it’s across the street (see Sanya! Where to Party Guide). a road with buildings in the background

Negative 

The Crowne Plaza is right next to the nightlife. Literally, it’s across the street. a building with many windows and lights at night a street with trees and a light pole

Hotel Itself 

Like the Four Points, the Crowne Plaza Sanya is much nicer than I would find in the US. a reflection of a logo on a marble floor a purple lights on trees and a chair

The Hotel Nightlife 

Skip the hotel’s entertainment.

a menu on a table a room with a chandelier and chairs

a city at night with lights
View from the lounge

Bedroom 

You’ll need a comfortable bed after Sanya is through with you.

a bed with a table and chairs in a room a bed with a glass wall and a lamp a bed with white sheets and pillows a tv on a wall

Shower

A hot shower will also be of use.

a bathroom with a glass shower door a bathtub with faucets on the side Crowne Plaza Sanya Hotel Review a shelf with small bottles on it Crowne Plaza Sanya Hotel Review

Overall

If you’re looking to party or be in the city center, then this is a great choice.

Crowne Plaza Sanya Hotel Review is part of The Year of the Monkey Trip Report.

Testing Positive: TPOL’s Back

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Testing Positive: TPOL’s Back

Testing Positive is part of The Lost & Found Year(s): COVID Trip Report.

I don’t know when my last blog post was. Was it two weeks ago? Was it longer? I write blog posts so frequently that I don’t remember. What I do know about is Antifa. And what I can say is that testing whether I didn’t have to break for a vacation (see TPOL’s Vacation Post Policy) was a good idea. That experiment has left me feeling positive. My editor was worried that I would quit, but I assured him that this approach was for my mental well-being. Now that I’m back, expect the same great content as before until my next trip when I’ll be forced to run the Turkey Trot virtually (see Cyberbully? TPOL’s Puerto Rico Turkey Trot (2nd Edition)). Here’s to hoping that the jackass in chief leaves peacefully and doesn’t try any Ohio State shenanigans before January (see The Game: A Wolverine’s Guide For Surviving Columbus).

a man holding a bottle of beer
Me & Corona.

TPOL’s Vacation Post Policy

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TPOL’s Vacation Post Policy

Yesterday I went on vacation. In this new world of shit, this doesn’t mean hopping on a plane. It means mentally checking out of my daily routine which, despite COVID, is actually productive and fulfilling. Still, I need a break from fighting big companies (visit Bachuwalaw.com).

What I’m trying to figure out is whether going on vacation now or in the future relieves me of my obligation to blog daily. I used to blog on the go in an attempt not to fall behind on trip reports. I scrapped that idea because I would rather enjoy my trips than spend hours deciding which photo of the hotel soaps I should use. With my staycations, which I expect will last through next spring, I don’t have the burden of trip reports. But does that mean I should spend my free time writing posts?

I’m not sure who invented the rule that successful bloggers have to post daily. TV shows take breaks, late night hosts take weeks off, and the Olympics is every 4 years. Still, people tune in when they’re back on the air. Accordingly, I too will take a sabbatical when it’s vacation. Whether it’s 3 days during the never-ending pandemic or 3 weeks when my normal life resumes, TPOL will go dark. Of course, I reserve the right to break my silence should the need arise.

Like all great entertainers, I will announce when I’m going offline. That way you aren’t constantly hitting refresh in anticipation of my next post.

a kitchen counter with bottles and a blender
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have drinks to drink.

 

Sheraton Sanya Resort: Be Quiet! It’s Relaxation Time

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Sheraton Sanya Resort: Be Quiet! It’s Relaxation Time

The Sheraton Sanya Hotel Review is part of The Year of the Monkey Trip Report which covers the following places:

Sanya is a great place to visit. There’s a superb nightlife (see Sanya! Where to Party Guide) and there are plenty of beautiful beaches. It’s the island’s goal to become the Hawaii of the East. The first night I was at the Four Points near the city center enjoying the big city feel, think Honolulu. The second night I moved to the Sheraton. Now I was beachfront but much more isolated, think Maui? (See Sanya, China: Struggling To Find Where to Stay.)

Valet 

The best thing about the hotel is the valet. They parked my car in the lobby.

a red car parked in a large building a man posing in front of a red car a red sports car in a large building

The Hotel Itself

The hotel is massive. The grounds looked like Hawaii. a large lawn with palm trees and bushes a large lawn with palm trees and a building in the background a building with a pond and a fountain a pool with palm trees and a body of water a pool with palm trees and a beach in the background a large lawn with palm trees and a body of water

The Suite

The suite was spacious and cool, a nice retreat from the hot Sanya sun. a living room with couches and a table

a tv on a cabinet in a room a living room with a tv and a tablea room with a tv and a bed a bed with pillows and a couch in a room a bed with pillows and a bench a bedroom with a bed and a couch

The Bath 

I’m not one for sitting in hotel tubs, but it was aesthetically nice and connected to the bedroom.

a bathroom with a tub and a sink a bathtub with a towel rack and bottles on ita room with a bed and a flower pot

The Bathroom

Hot shower, that’s my style.

a group of plastic cups and bottles on a counter a mirror in a bathrooma shower with a shower head and a shower head

The View 

Easy to see how I could believe I was staying in a Hawaiian paradise.

a view of a tropical forest from a high point of viewa pool with palm trees and a body of water a pool surrounded by trees and a building

The Pool

The Hawaii meets jungle theme continued.

a path with trees and bushes a swimming pool with trees in the background a pool with trees and plants around it

The Beach

And now to finally relax on the beach, or at least attempt to do so.a lifeguard tower on a beach a group of signs on a beach a group of lounge chairs on a beach a beach with people and water

For so few people, the guests that were there were amazingly noisy. It was like I was back at the club. The reason I had left the city center was for peace and quiet. I found none. Any confusion if this was Hawaii or if this was a secluded getaway was destroyed by the rambunctious crowd. And I’m not talking about young spring breakers. I’m talking about a group of old people who did not understand the concept of rest and relaxation. It was nonstop yelling and carrying on.

a group of chairs and umbrellas on a beach
It wasn’t until sundown that I could unwind.

Overall

The Sheraton Sanya is a lovely hotel. I only had one day on the beach so it would be unfair to generalize if Sanya-goers are always annoying or if this was an obnoxious bunch. I can say that the peace and calm was more visually represented than audibly.

The Sheraton Sanya Hotel Review is part of The Year of the Monkey Trip Report.

Refunded! Kathmandu Airport Cash Advance

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Refunded! Kathmandu Airport Cash Advance

Do you recall the post, Complaints: How Long Till You Let It Go?? Here’s one I didn’t let go and now can live to tell about it. I was charged a $10 cash advance fee by Citi for using my Prestige at Kathmandu Airport. There was no way of knowing that it would be processed as a cash advance which is why I caution against using credit cards to pay visa fees (see Rainy Season? Visa? Lessons from Travel (ANA Edition)). I tried to deal with the charge when I came home via chat. That did not work. I emailed the office of the president and was surprised when I received a call stating that my request had been received and that Citi would reverse the charge.

Citi and I have come a long way since the days of arbitration (see Beating Citi in Arbitration, What It Means for You).

TPOL’s TIP: Contact Citi using this email CitiERU@citi.com

Keep Vs. Cancel: Amex Business Gold

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Keep Vs. Cancel: Amex Business Gold

The usual answer for keep vs. cancel regarding annual fees these days is cancel. There are two cards where this rule did not apply. First is Chase Ink. Second is the Amex Business Gold. I use both of them to get 3X points on ads. For me, that’s the best way to accumulate points and more importantly, money. The annual fee of $175, the grandfathered rate, for my Business Gold came due. I called to see if anything could be done about the fee. Usually I ask for points, but since points are useless right now, I asked for them to eliminate the annual fee. Surprisingly, I was offered $100 statement credit. I accepted it and on we go.

I’m happy to refer anyone looking to sign up.

TPOL’s TIP: The new version has an annual fee of $295, but you do get 4X points on ads. Tempting but not worth the cash for me.

a close up of a card
Let’s play The Price Is Right – what number do you think is before the 0?

Simply The Best: September 2020

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Simply The Best: September 2020

There’s good. And then there’s the best. Here are those for September:

  1. Lost in Airports: Can’t You Read the Signs?

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    Does the Mcdonald’s sign say turn around and it’s behind me? Or does that sign say go downstairs?
  2. Restaurant Sunflower: Best Seafood Lisbon, Portugal

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    I could tell you a romantic tale about how a local artist recommended this restaurant and how it was authentic. The truth is I was smart enough to avoid the main street and lucky enough to find this place.
  3. Iberia MAD-SJU Business: Great to Fly Direct

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    My first option out of Puerto Rico is Iberia, in business of course.
  4. What’s the Worst Discount Carrier?

    We’ve all heard the horror stories about flying Ryanair. Is it the worst discount carrier?
    We’ve all heard the horror stories about flying Ryanair. Is it the worst discount carrier?
  5. Pop In Pub Crawl: Lisbon, Portugal

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    Do you sign up for pub crawls or do you prefer the pop in?
  6. Traveling While Iraqi, Reading Signs, Misleading Hotels: Lessons from My #NoCollusion Trip

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    Only detained twice, never robbed, and didn’t miss a flight. Not bad for such a long trip.
  7. Recap! #NoCollusion, No Albania for TPOL

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    Take a look at this. Have you seen anything more beautiful?
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