Tag: Travel

Sault st marie and locks

Fun museum with sturgeon you can pet
View of locks
Crane for locks
Downtown  Sault St Marie
As a past yooper, I loved this sign
Fudge is popular in the upper peninsula
Not sure I want to tour a shipwreck museum when I’m on a cruise
More downtown on our walk
Sidewalk art
A tequila bottle tree
This area was huge in shipping iron.  Now, less so but still a part of the local industry
Who could resist a crepe?
Halloween mural

For a moment, I thought this was real

Important monuments in or near Delhi

Jama Masjid

The  Jama Masjid served as the imperial mosque of the Mughal emperors until the empire ended in 1857. It was also a site of political meetings and unrest during several key periods of British rule.

The Red Fort, a UNESCO site

This fort/Palace in Old Delhi was the main residence of Mughal emperors.

The fort was plundered of its artwork and jewels in 1739. Most of the fort’s marble structures were subsequently demolished by the British following the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

The remains of the Red Fort

Qutub Minar, a UNESCO site

The Qutub Minar minaret  and “victory tower” is at the site of Delhi’s oldest fortified city.

Lunch

Lunch place most notable for these brightly colored bears

Gandhi Smriti memorial and assassination site

Eggo if you please

Despite two months of Japanese on duolingo, I don’t speak Japanese.  I can read it sometimes, even write a little but saying the words is terrifying.  I’m certain that instead of saying hello, I’m saying “You are a walrus.” Or perhaps I uttered something even more offensive.

message_1535819095206So I did what any teacher’s daughter would do.  I made flash cards! One side has the Japanese and English translation, the other has my best guess of how I’m supposed to pronounce it.  For example, Good morning in Japanese is pronounced a bit like Ohio, our state. And English sounds like a bit like Eggo (the toaster waffles) so that’s my cue.

So my plan is to point at the Japanese for whatever phrase I’m mangling so that the recipient can read it and realize that I didn’t mean to insult him. I made an extra set of cards for Ray.  Now we’re just a couple of days away from testing the strategy. Fingers and flashcards crossed.

Traveling Japan in Airplane Mode

Most U.S. phones don’t give free phone calls and data in Japan. So what is a data addicted traveler to do? If you have a 3g/4g phone you can almost surely use it over Wi-Fi, especially in large cities like Tokyo and Kyoto.

black dslr camera teaspoon ice cream and iphone x
Photo by Malidate Van on Pexels.com

A basic plan
Step 1:
Turn your phone to airplane mode which eliminates the risk of unexpected and pricey roaming charges. When near a free WiFi location, turn on Wi-Fi and GPS/location while staying in airplane mode.

Step 2:
Leave your phone in airplane mode but manually turn on Wi-Fi and location when you are close to a known free spot. Get familiar with all the places that offer free Wi-Fi. Tokyo and Kyoto metros offer free Wi-Fi, which combined with Google maps will guarantee you get off at the right subway stop. Since the map is still available after you exit the station, you will still have the steps

The luxury solution
If you’re spending a lot of time in rural areas or need to be always connected, whether for work, or your facebook addiction, you can rent a pocket Wi-Fi at the airport. Definitely order one online in advance as they are popular. Here is basic information to get you started if flying through Narita airport.
https://www.econnectjapan.com/blog/pocket-wifi-rental-at-narita-airport/

Actual phone calls
Most 3g/4g phones have the option to make calls over Wi-Fi. Unless you make a ton of calls, this should be adequate. If you’re a phone call person, and have a removable sim card, you can get a new sim card for Japan. Check on whether it includes text messages. If not:

Text message savvy
Use something like Facebook messenger that can avoid text messaging fees when used over Wi-Fi.

Obviously, I’ll be a lot smarter about this after our trip. If I have more tips, I’ll add them then.