St. Petersburg, Florida

 In May 2023, I spent the day in St. Petersburg, Florida. Here's what I saw:

The Fountain of Youth

So this fountain is now just municipal tap water, but it is really an homage to a spring that used to be there that drew visitors from around the world. I still drank from it and rubbed it on me. Here's a post from roadsideamerica.com

Sunken Gardens

This is a real "old" Florida attraction with the sign to show for it and all. It is full of birds and plants that are labeled for your education. The main attraction is the flamingos. They were my favorite. Much to my chagrin, you can't feed them, but you do get pretty close to them! You also find yourself below street level as you walk through the gardens. It is right in the middle of a busy area, but you don't sense it when you are there. Weddings are held there because it is so beautiful. Admission was $15. Here's a post about it on roadsideamerica.com

Mazzaro's

This is an Italian market. They have a room full of wine, lots of sausage and cheese and I even saw duck bacon. They are crazy busy on Saturdays, so if you can, go during the week, though they are only open until 5 pm. The prices are typical for imported goods. It was an interesting place to visit for the photo ops alone! Here's a post from roadsideamerica.com

The Pier

This is a new addition to St. Petersburg, opening up in 2020. After walking all the way down it and realizing I'd have to walk all the way back to get to our parking spot, I was pleasantly surprised to learn they have a tram that will ride you up and down the pier. There were booths with various goods for sale and one person playing the guitar. I was with my friend, Jenn, who just happens to be Mike's ex wife, and the guitarist starting playing the song that came on the radio when I was picking out Mike's clothes for his funeral and we both got chills. Free to walk on. We bought a pizza at one of the restaurants on the pier and it was about $11. A lemonade or pop was about $4. The photo is the beach at the end of the pier. 

Traditions School of Herbal Studies

There was an event at this business and they were hosting a drum circle. If you are into herbs and natural remedies, this is a good place for you. 

New Orleans

Last weekend I drove from my temporary home in Montgomery, Alabama to New Orleans, Louisiana. It took about 4.5 hours. I rented a car because I wanted to keep the miles off my car (which has many). I got the car from Thrifty via hotwire.com I usually rent from Enterprise via Costco Travel, but I left it too late and there was nothing available from Enterprise. I had to pick up my car at Montgomery airport. Luckily, my former roommate gave me a ride. He also watched Chewy for me.

First stop - Mississippi
I stopped at a rest area in Mississippi and found this notice about the color of the toilet water:

Well, that's good to know. That's about all I experienced in Mississippi.

Parking - I parked at Canal Place across the street from the casino, Harrah's New Orleans.

It seemed to be a fair price and in an easy to locate place. It was about thirty dollars for the day and right when you exit the parking garage, there is a tour bus stop selling tickets. There are also lots of crowds, so I asked for directions to Bourbon Street.


Next up Bourbon Street - I walked about eight crowded, side street, blocks until I came upon Bourbon Street. There were police standing at road signs that blocked off the street. I had no idea

where to start, so I just turned to the right and moseyed on down the way. It was just as I had seen in pictures, with so many lights, bar after bar, and people walking down the street with drinks. There were people standing on balconies at bars looking at the people below. Music emanated from the bars to the streets. At first it seemed exciting, then it started to take a turn. I had a person in drag come up to me to take a picture with me and ask me for money for a "sex change operation." I quickly realized since I was a woman alone, I was definitely seen as an easy target. I went into a shop to buy my obligatory souvenir magnet and the surly shop owner saw my measly purchase and insisted that I had to pay cash. No problem, I said. Thank goodness, for once in my life I had cash on me. This shop owner just seemed like he hated every one that walked into his shop. Then I decided to stop in a bar and actually sit down and listen to some authentic Zydeco music, which was recommended to me by someone in the chiropractor's office. I had never heard of it before, so when I saw a sign for it, I stopped in. The bouncer let me know in no uncertain terms that there was a one drink minimum and I needed to buy a drink to have a seat. No problem, I said. I went to the bar to order a drink and just ordered what seemed to be their signature drink. The bartenders were wearing ear plugs and did not

look happy to be there. I felt like I was in the episode of Seinfeld with the "Soup Nazi" where I had to quickly and confidently place my order and pay immediately. Once I got my drink, I found a seat in the front row of a quite small room with a band playing in the front. There were a couple of drunk people dancing in front of the band, but everyone else was seated (there wasn't room to do much else). I tried to focus on the music and noticed the looks on the band member's faces. They also didn't seem happy to be there. In fact, it looked like at least one of them hated their life. I know that seems like a strong statement, but that's the impression I got. I was disappointed no one was playing a washboard or something like that. Shortly thereafter, I saw a panhandler playing a plastic washboard with a sticker on it that said, "Music is not a crime."

Pedi cab -
I was growing tired of Bourbon Street, and I saw a bicycle with a seat attached.

I asked if he could give me a ride and he said yeah. It was hard for me to get on the bike b/c the step was a bit high for me, but I crawled on in. (After that, I always got on and off at a curb.) I originally asked for House of Blues because I wanted somewhere I could eat while listening to live music. He suggested Frenchman Street. On the way there, it was a little nippy, but he had a blanket available. He gave me a proper tour telling me all out the galleries vs. balconies (one covers the sidewalk, the other doesn't), Romeo spikes (to prevent people from climbing fences) and how New Orleans has the only confirmed vampire existence. He showed me where Anne Rice used to live. It makes sense now why she would write such stories. This was such a cool experience and worth every penny. It was $1 a block. He gave me his card so that I could call when I needed a ride back to my car.

Frenchman Street - As we rode by, I could hear a band playing at a Mexican restaurant on the corner.


I decided to stop there and ate on the patio while listening to the music. After finishing, I headed down Frenchman Street and came upon some "New Orleans" style music on the sidewalk. The crowd was so large, it was blocking the street!






AirBnB - I stayed at an AirBnB outside of New Orleans. It ended up being farther out than I anticipated, but it was only like $25 a night, so you really can't beat that. There was this sign on one of the bedroom doors. Needless to say, I did not open that door. It was just a place to sleep and served its function, though if I go again, I will probably pay a little more to be closer to New Orleans.

Bus Tour

St. Louis Cemetery #1

73 Distillery

73 Distilling - 301 N. Claiborne Avenue. - We stopped here for a short bathroom break and to sample their fine spirits. I asked which would be appropriate for someone who is a wuss about alcohol and she told me all of the samples were at least 80 proof, so I passed on that. I did, however, purchase a drink at the bar that was recommended for a lightweight such as myself. It was fine, not something I'd get again. Oh, and I paid $2 for a small bag of chips because by this point I was starving. Could've done with a restaurant stop as part of the tour.

Gumbo Festival - Read about it here.
The 2018 Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival took place Saturday, Nov. 17, and Sunday, Nov., 18, from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. both days in Louis Armstrong Park. Admission is free.

I told my tour bus driver that I was going to get dinner and he told me about the Gumbo Festival going on. He even dropped me off there. I was so excited to see that there was not only vegetarian gumbo offered, but also gluten free.

Planning and Panic

I am leaving for Cambodia in just a few days. I am so excited and nervous and know that there is no turning back now!

Just to review where all the info from this trip came:
I found out about the flight through The Points Guy on Facebook. His main schtick is getting miles from credit cards, but he also posts really good air fare deals when they become available. My round trip flight from Chicago to Phnom Penh was under $450. That is the entire reason I decided to take this trip. Give me a good deal and I'm there!

Hotel -
When it came to booking a hotel in Asia, I had absolutely no clue where to begin. I first looked at AirBnB, which is what I used exclusively during my Canada road trip this summer. There were many great listings, but I realized that I didn't know enough about the city to figure out how far away the homes were from the airport or tourist attractions. My main focus on this trip is comfort and convenience. I will gladly pay more to be dropped off at the door of wherever I am going. This trip has such a fast turnaround and such immense probability of jet lag, that I don't trust my ability to navigate on my own after traveling for 39 hours (this includes my overnight in Tokyo).

Next I went to the Lonely Planet website and found the Cambodia Forum. This led me to Booking.com and Agoda. Agoda is where I booked my rooms for Phnom Penh and I booked Tokyo on Booking.com. Booking.com does have price match, so if you find your room cheaper elsewhere, they will match it. I didn't use that feature, so I can't report on that.

TSA - I did apply for pre-check from the Transportation Security Administration. The cost was $85 and lasts 5 years. I did this last month, and here in Indianapolis, I was able to get an appointment the next day. I did not do the Global Entry, though, which apparently requires an actual interview in addition to the fingerprints. When I went, the person just asked me the same questions from my online form and took my fingerprints. I don't know if Global Entry is different. I do know that it costs more and word on the street is that in some cities it is hard to get in to schedule an interview.

As for activities while in the cities, I have found ideas from Trip Advisor and Viator. Viator is apparently the same company as Trip Advisor. I would read reviews on Trip Advisor and check out prices on Viator. So far, my plan includes a Robot Cabaret Show in Tokyo.

Did I mention I am staying at an internet and manga cafe and sleeping in a capsule in Tokyo? Yeah, just going all in.

In preparation for Tokyo, I ordered Japanese Yen from my bank. It should be in tomorrow. They were not able to order Cambodian Riel. I have no idea how one would get that money here, but I read that they also widely accept and prefer the American dollar.

This summer in Canada, my debit card would not work at stores, so I am going to have my credit cards at the ready in case I run into a similar situation. I want to have many options so I don't find myself in a financial bind.

Oh, and you have to have a visa to enter Cambodia, but you can get that at the airport upon arrival. My plan was to get it ahead of time on their website but I got tripped up by having to upload the photo and not having a scanner for my passport picture, and next thing I knew, I was out of time. D'oh.

What started out as an impulse buy has definitely turned into a lot of moving pieces fitting together. I also contacted a school in Cambodia and will be spending a day there while I am there. That is one of the things I am most excited about. If I had thought of it sooner, I could have tried to arrange more meaningful for my time there. I learned at the volunteer work camps on vfp.org, but there are none going on during the week I am there.

Whenever I become overwhelmed by a big trip, I think, "Just follow the end of your nose". Putting one foot in front of the other, I will make it there.

Single digits

Nine days (single digits) before my trip to Cambodia/Tokyo/Washington DC . Finally sorted out my night in Tokyo. I'm going to be staying in a 'capsule' manga/internet cafe. Yeah. And then I'm going to the robot cabaret. Boom.

https://thepointsguy.com/2016/08/tpgtv-robot-restaurant-in-tokyo/

For the first time, I'm feeling more excited than nervous. But then when I pause and think about it, I get nervous again. 

I'm nervous about the 13 hour flight from Chicago to Tokyo. 

I'm nervous about navigating my way around Tokyo.

I'm nervous about the seven hour flight to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from Tokyo. 

I'm nervous about not fitting in the seats on the plane, pushing into the space of the person next to me. Hoping I'll have an empty seat there. 

I'm nervous about being so tired from the traveling that I actually won't be able to do much. 

I'm excited to go someplace I've never been and someplace I've never even thought of going. 

I'm excited to see new things and share these experiences with my friends, family and students. 

I'm excited that I'm actually doing something that really seizing the day and getting the most out of the short life we have here on Earth. 

But for now, I must sleep. Work still awaits me at 7:15 am. Cuddly time for me and Chewy. 

Cambodia Panic Attack

I am trying to sort out the details of my Cambodia/Tokyo/Washington DC trip that I so bravely booked a couple of months back and I feel like I am ready to puke. What in the sam hell was I thinking? I knew it was outside of my comfort zone, but I was feeling all powerful and hopped up from my Canadian road trip, I thought, I am woman, hear me travel and all of that good stuff. And then I saw the plane seat size - 16.5 inches wide. WTF?! My ass is much larger than 16.5 inches wide.

Well, to console myself, I'm getting a hotel with a pool and a bathtub so I can chill when I arrive. Via taxi. Which I will hopefully have to myself. With air conditioning. I am the not the 20 something I once was, that's for sure!