Weird Hostel Experience #2

This morning I noticed a rather large family checking in (3 young girls, 2 women, and 1 man) and I thought it was strange to see an entire family at a hostel since I associate hostels with younger people who are still in school or recent graduates.  During the first dinner, we were definitely the oldest people here!  (more…)

Weird Hostel Experience #1

Being fully and totally in jet lag mode, I woke up this morning at 4:30 am and tossed and turned for a bit, then sat up thinking maybe I would get up.  I noticed someone was sleeping in the top bunk of the other bed in the room and when we went to sleep last night, that was an unoccupied bed.  I leaned over and checked the bottom bunk of our bed where Paul was sleeping, and noticed he wasn’t there, so I figured he wasn’t able to sleep in the bottom bunk and moved over to the other bed.  The room was still pitch black and the breathing pattern sounded basically the same as Paul’s  -  although it seemed odd that he would move to a bunk bed where someone else was sleeping on the bottom. (more…)

1st Dinner Experience in Lisbon

In Lisbon, Sunday is still generally a day of rest and religion, and most places are closed either all day or early, so the hostel offered a dinner option for 5 Euros.   When we checked in, the girl at the desk described it to us as including salad, fries, wine, Portuguese roasted chicken, and dessert.   Sounded great to us and it would be an opportunity to meet some other people staying at the hostel, so we decided to join. (more…)

Our Only Complaint So Far…

After a 25 min bus ride to the center of town, we checked into the Rossio Hostel and learned that, apart from the whole shared bathroom situation, a hostel can be just as nice as a hotel!  Granted, this is our first hostel experience and the Rossio is rated as one of the top hostels in the world, but we really feel like our expectations are exceeded!

The lounge is comfortable, the kitchen is nice with two fridges to store anything you decide to buy at the supermarket, there’s 3 computers with fast Internet available for you to use as well as Wi-Fi Internet if you have your own laptop, the TV room is equipped with comfy couches and  quite a big plasma TV where you can watch cable TV or DVDs, and the bedrooms here are impeccably clean.

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Blood Donation Failure

So being a superstitious Buddhist, my mom phones me up and tells me that Paul and I should go donate blood before we leave because it’s good karma in case something happens to us when we’re away.  I think “yeah OK, sounds like a good idea” and phone up Canadian Blood Services (CBS) about a week before we’re scheduled to leave Vancouver… (more…)

Plastic, Cash or Travellers Cheques

The market for Traveller’s cheques has been in steady decline for a few years, despite the overall increase in travel. This has been caused by a number of factors, not least being the increased issuance of credit cards and debit cards, and the extent to which they are accepted abroad. Support for the use of cards and the undermining to Travellers Cheques has been further eroded by the massive growth in the worldwide ATM network. This is coupled with the perception (and fact) that travellers Cheques can be a pain to cash. Especially on weekends or the during holidays.
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Chip Cards in Europe

“Smart cards,” also known as “chip and PIN cards,” are increasingly commonplace in Europe. Such cards incorporate microchips that are programmed with user information and security data. Normally, you’ll need to enter a four-digit Personal Identification Number, or PIN, when you make a purchase. This makes it tougher for thieves to use stolen cards or card numbers.
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$0.00 airfare

Sometimes you have to wonder how Air Canada can charge so much and still be losing money while Ryanair is practically giving away airfare and is still profitable?

Take for example our flight from Porto to Madrid.

From Porto (OPO) to Madrid (MAD)
PASSENGERS

1. MR MONKEY 2. MRS ROOSTER
PAYMENT DETAILS
*********0.00 EUR Total Fare
********20.00 EUR Taxes, Fees & Charges
********10.00 EUR Passenger Fee: CC
********30.00 EUR Total Paid