Paddy in the Big Apple

Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:30:00 +0000

KL is a food lovers paradise with a fusion of multiple Asian cuisines, Indian, Chinese, Thai to name a few but Malaysia has stamped it's own twist on these classics. The Petronas towers are the most infamous landmarks and the city has an average temperature of 30C/90F year round. Shopping is a serious past time for those seeking to escape the heat with 60 large malls. The food courts in the malls are excellent in terms of quality and value and a far cry from the deep fried crap served up in Western malls .

Tags: ..Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur..

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The many faces of Singapore

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:30:00 +0000

I've been on several trips to Singapore and was never disappointed. It has an interesting mix of East meets West with sightseeing, business, expat party life, diverse ethnic people / food, shopping and bizarre pampering.

Tags: ..Singapore..

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Ubud - Indonesia

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:56:00 +0000

For all the hoopla I had heard about Bali, I have to say I was very disappointed as I mentioned here but luckily not far away is the spiritual center of Ubud which is a tranquil shot of bliss (if such a thing exists). Rice fields, monkey sanctuaries, rain forests, waterfalls are among the highlights. Forget about sleeping in as the local wildlife is buzzing from the wee hours. Here are some pics and video.

Tags: ..Ubud - Indonesia..

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All aboard the bus..Indonesia Style

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 02:59:00 +0000

Travel in Asia can be a little chaotic at the best of times and space is a premium luxury not often afforded to budget travelers. Case in point, this 3 hour ride in a minivan with official seat capacity for 9 people which at one point had 17 people with luggage. Comfy! Check the video below.

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Tags: .All aboard the bus....

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Prambanan, Indonesia

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:01:00 +0000

We visited the impressive 9th century Hindu temple compound (one of the largest in South East Asia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site). There was a local school tour where the kids obviously didn't have much interaction with pasty face westerners like us, so we were immediately inundated with requests for photos and felt like celebs for 15 seconds. There is a night show with dinner and the backdrop of the illuminated temples which is well worth seeing.

Tags: ..Prambanan, Indonesia..

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Yogyakarta - Indonesia

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 02:49:00 +0000

The more time I am back in the 'comfort' of the West the more I think about the pleasure of the East which was not so comfortable at the time. Here are some pics / vid from Indonesia.

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Tags: ..Yogyakarta - Indonesia..

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Mount Bromo Volcano - Indonesia

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 08:00:00 +0000

This spectacular active volcano in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, was one of the highlights of our trip to East Java, Indonesia. You can take a trip by jeep to the heart of the crater but the real jewel is watching the sunrise from a distance. Enjoy the pics.

Tags: ..Gunung Bromo..

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Watch Town, Guangzhou, China

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:30:00 +0000

Guangzhou, China is not exactly on the main tourist trek but anyone in retail will be more than familiar with this industrial city. Different neighborhoods are home to blocks of shops selling the same thing. The video below is from 'watch town' where you can buy real and fake watches in bulk and all accessories to along with them. There were no shortage of customers when we were there.

We bumped into a very strange bunch of kids doing an even stranger photo shoot.

As always there is a classic 'Ching-lish' sign to amuse..

Tags: ..Watch Town, Guangzhou, China..

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'The Place' Shopping Mall, Beijing

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 06:00:00 +0000

More video from my brief travels in China. This one is from Beijing in 2009. This shopping street is good for people watching and a pre-dinner drink (plenty of western style restaurants too - but why would you want western food - when in the East). It's actually more modern and happening than most 'Western' commercial centers, yet wander a few blocks and peasant 80+ old folks are risking life and limb, weaving thru smoggy rush hour traffic on bicycles collecting recyclable materials. China continues to be full of surprises.
You can text a message to the gigantic screen to the amusement / dismay of all

Followed by dinner including insects, frog and 'lamb'!

Tags: ..The Place Shopping Mall, Beijing.

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Price Mistake - Free w/e car rentals on Avis - Act Fast!

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 03:03:00 +0000

Update: Deal is now Dead. Snooze you lose..

Similar to the deal I got last year this comes thanks to Mr Pickles - Book a w/e car rental with AVIS and ensure a Friday night pick-up using code 'tuea002' in the box for coupon code for 2 free Reward Weekend Days and you get your rental for free or just taxes. I just tested on the Avis site and it worked. Bring a copy of your booking to the counter just in case. Block book every weekend from now to eternity while the code lasts. - Enjoy!

Note: Some good advice from InACents to have a backup plan just in case.. .

Tags: ..Price Mistake - Free w/e car rentals on Avis..

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Hong Kong Rugby Sevens - Party Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 03:36:00 +0000

It's that time of the year again when thousands of people from all over the world descend upon Hong Kong for the party of the year. I was fortunate to take part in this crazy-fest in 2009 and 2010. Here are some scenes from my inauguration - Enjoy..

Tags: .Hong Kong Rugby Sevens - Party Time..

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Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, Shanghai, China

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:00:00 +0000

China does have a lot of people, no doubt. This video is from a trip to Shanghai in 2009 when I lived in Hong Kong. Despite the crowds, it had a very Western commercialism feel about it. Globalization in action..

The photo below is from the glass floor in the Oriental Pearl Tower. Those with vertigo should steer clear...

photo credit here

Perhaps the sign on the ground floor is appropriate?

Tags: ..Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, Shanghai, China..

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Is it just me or is Award Booking getting more difficult

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:30:00 +0000

I was checking the availability of flights for NYC to Dublin in late May using Googles ITA search engine and the cheapest I could find per person for non-stop was $930

Price for 2 adults
Ticket cost per passenger	$929.97

Price for 1 infant in lap
Ticket cost per passenger	$123.20

Total cost for 3 passengers	$1,983.14

and $730 with a connection

Price for 2 adults
Ticket cost per passenger	$729.00

Price for 1 infant in lap
Ticket cost per passenger	$105.20

Total cost for 3 passengers	$1,563.20

Add a lap infant and it all adds up to be not exactly a bargain. I needed to find another way as cash is a little tight right now and I refuse to rack up debt on a credit card.

Even after using miles to splurge on first class to Argentina back in December, I still have almost a million miles spread among the various airline accounts of the missus and I.

I checked pointhub (which can hit or miss) for award availability but it was giving me outlandish 120K+ award availability for coach?

I doubled checked on several airline sites directly and sure enough it was 100K+ for Delta and US Airways.

American wanted 90K although I could have got it for 40K if I was flexible on the dates but alas I am not and I don't have enough miles anyway.

United was 60K but I didn't have enough miles although I could swap in some Ultimate Reward points but I'd rather hold onto them for a rainy day.

I have 400K Avios (British Airways) points but they are notorious for exorbitant fuel surcharges of $500+. Searching the BA site is also a frustratingly slow waste of time.

It's been widely publicized on the forums and travel blogs that you can book Boston to Dublin return for only 25K Avios points flying with Aer Lingus who remarkably charge minimal fuel surcharges. You can search for availability using the United or Qantas websites (partner award availability). Once you find the flights you want you need to call BA to make the booking. So I gave it a shot and it worked like a luck Irish Charm!

I got Boston to Dublin direct for 2 adults & 1 lap child for 52,500 points + $274 in taxes/fees. I still needed to get a return from NYC to Boston which I found for $156 x 2 on United. Total outlay for the trip is $586 + 52,500 Avios points.

That is still more than I'd ideally like to pay because of the connecting flight and I could possibly have used those Avios for multiple short hop US flights but I still have a nice little nest egg for that. Sure ain't easy getting from A to B for a reasonable amount of points & taxes these days.

Tags: ..Avios British Airways Aer Lingus Avoid Fuel Surcharge..

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Hotel Best Rate Guarantee

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:24:00 +0000

Numerous hotels and travel booking sites offer a best rate guarantee (BRG). If you find a cheaper price than what you booked they will offer a refund of the difference and credit towards future stays. The BRG is open to a hack/abuse as follows:

Today, Dan's Deals had a post on how to get a free night at the Holiday Inn Express in Times Square, New York using the BRG and then TravelBloggerBuzz posted about an NBC news article where Mike, a travel hacker exploits a similar guarantee by Expedia to rack up $50 credit vouchers to the tune of $1800 every year. There is even a blog dedicated to finding and publishing how you can exploit the BRG here
I've not used this nor am I planning to and I'm pretty sure having this hack advertised on NBC will likely be a bad thing for those genuinely trying to get a one-off matched rate. Maybe I'm finally developing a sense of morality. Thoughts?

Tags: ..Hotel Best Rate Guarantee..

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US Airways 15K Bonus

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:37:00 +0000

I received this targeted offer in the post today. 15,000 miles for $750 x 3 months = $2250 in spend using your existing US Airways Mastercard. Not exactly a bargain but good for those trying to top up miles. Added to the 40,000 mile sign up bonus for the card it might work for some.

Amalfi Coast - Italy

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 03:32:00 +0000

From an Xmas trip many moons ago - This is what Italy looks like in Winter - enjoy!

Tags: .Amalfi Coast - Italy..

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Snowed Under

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 04:03:00 +0000

I've been a tad snowed under recently (literally and figuratively) with work and weather and thus have had little time to post to the blog but fear not - I'll be back..

I dug myself out of this mess in 25 minutes. It's my first time having to shovel snow (oh what I've been missing!) but doubt it will be the last.

Tags: ..Snowed Under..

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Compensation for NO Movies/Music on United UA846

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 12:00:00 +0000

My wife and son are finally home and flew (Business Class) from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Newark, New Jersey on United flight UA846 a few days ago (January 19th). The outbound flight was great but the return not so great. I splurged 117,500 miles for her return ticket. In fairness I earned those miles for free via 'the knowledge'. The entertainment system was out of service for the entire 11 hour return flight. United offered this option (take it or leave it) as compensation via email.

a.) 7,000 miles or b.) $100 e-voucher or c.) 10% off an economy fare

I'm glad they are at least making an effort to compensate but not sure it's quite enough - thoughts?

Tags: ..Compensation for NO movies/Music on United UA846..

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How to maximize when you volunteer to be BUMPED from a flight

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:00:00 +0000

My wife and son were to stay in Buenos Aires for another two weeks after New Year, but I needed to return to work in New York. I typically max my vacation time by flying home on the latest possible red-eye and going straight to work but on this occasion I had booked a one-way with miles (Xmas travel is $$$) and taken the only option, a Friday night American Airlines (economy) flight from EZE (Buenos Aires) to JFK (New York). When I presented my passport the agent told me they were looking for volunteers to give up their seats and fly the following day. For my trouble I would get a u$d600 travel voucher and 1 nights hotel accommodation and food (dinner, breakfast and lunch) and taxi to / from the airport.

My plans were flexible and it seemed like a good deal but I already had accommodation with family so how could I get this to work even more to my advantage? There was a family event in BA 2 days later that I would like to attend so I asked if I could fly 2 days later instead of 1 day later. After the agent spoke briefly with a supervisor, the answer was "YES" but only 1 day/night hotel / food would be provided. Good enough, I thought, I'll take it!

So a voucher was issued for a limo taxi (to/from airport), hotel and food (dinner, breakfast and lunch) x 1 person (yes just ONE) + $600 travel voucher (valid for one year). Hotel and food for one person isn't much use when you're with your wife so we would need to hustle a little more. I returned in the limo taxi back to the in-law family abode, offloaded luggage and then wifey and I left Junior with Gran-Ma and headed to the 4 star InterContinental Hotel in the center of Buenos Aires.

Check-in was a little awkward when I presented my voucher for one person (solo) but after some banter the clerk called a supervisor and all was good. Dinner (3 courses but no alcohol included) was also only for one but the menu was surprisingly affordable for a 4 star hotel so the extra main course dish only came to u$d15. I had delicious steak for the fourteenth day in a row (it's hard not to order steak in Argentina)

Breakfast was also only for one and checked by half a dozen staff with guest names on clipboards so I went alone, ate my fill and brought back a few plates to the room for wifey. We had the option of late check out and lunch but declined as we had the family event to go travel to.

So instead of a Friday night flight, I flew on Sunday night - When I checked in they asked me again if I wanted to volunteer to take the next flight. Not an option for me this time I said. An 11 hour flight later and then straight to the office for Monday morning - Bottom line - Maximize the BUMP by asking. Nothing ventured - Nothing gained!

Tags: ..How to maximize when you volunteer to be BUMPED from a flight..

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Asado (BBQ Argentina)

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:31:00 +0000

Perfecting this is no easy process. Wood is the preferred fuel to burn until the embers are broken down and orange. Timing the cooking of the lomo (tenderloin) takes practice. The chorizo (spicy sausage) takes on a delicious smokey flavor. Add ice cold beer and some malbec wine and you're in food heaven.

How much do things cost in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2013?

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 17:04:00 +0000

Prices have increased considerably since I spent a year here back in 2007 to 2008. Back then it was relatively cheap to live here in comparison to the USA or EU. Assuming you had modest savings in a strong currency like Dollars or Euros you could live very comfortably. Many people chose Buenos Aires as a location for retirement.

The exchange rate in 2007 was u$d1 = arg 3 pesos
The official exchange rate in 2013 is u$d1 = arg 5 pesos
The actual exchange rate on the street aka "blue rate" is more like arg 6.5 pesos

You might expect more bang for your buck with the change but with inflation it is quite the opposite. In the table below I have tracked changes in prices since 2007. Here is the original post that attracted a lot of attention back then.

.Use the scroll bars below to see the entire list or click here

UPDATED JANUARY 2013

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Tags: ..Inflation in Buenos Aires, Argentina 2013..

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Unlock iPhone 5 via eBay for less than u$d10 - CRAZY!

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 03:08:00 +0000

I am the worlds biggest skeptic on services that claim to offer unlock codes for iPhones since Apple lock down the system pretty well. Unlocking means you can pop any SIM card into your phone so you can use it with any mobile carrier you want. When travelling this can save you $$$ in roaming charges.

It seemed to good to be true but since eBay offer the buyer a lot of protection and the cost was a fraction of what many other websites were offering, I decided to buy an unlock code for my wife's GSM iPhone 5 for u$d9 off of eBay from this seller. I had used eBay to successfully find an unlock code for my own Samsung Galaxy 3 a few months earlier so I had at least a little optimism. Sure enough 24 hours later I got an unlock code which iTunes confirmed unlocked the iPhone 5.

I believe this seller probably has a contact in AT&T to assist the process but I don't really care so long as it works and I confirmed by popping an Irish SIM card (3 Network) into the phone while visiting Dublin a few weeks back and it worked like a lucky Irish charm. The price has now dropped to less than u$d6 which is less than the cost of a SIM card in many countries. Enjoy the savings brought to you by PADDY in BA. Also check out my previous posts on unlocking iPhones here and here. Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here.

Tags: ..Unlock iPhone 5 via eBay for less than u$d10..

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United Airlines Business First Class

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:12:00 +0000

A lot of point junkies never seem to get around to using their hard or easy earned miles. I splurged a lot of miles to fly the missus and wee lad in first class on the eleven hour direct flight from Newark to Buenos Aires and it did not disappoint.

The seat reclines to a full horizontal bed so after a 4 course dinner and a little too much champagne and a movie we slept very well. The baby slept most of the trip too which I'm sure the other passengers were somewhat relieved at.

Now it just remains to adapt back to flying coach :-(

Paddy is back in BA

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 16:47:00 +0000

I started this blog as a way to keep a journal of my sabbatical year in Buenos Aires back in 2007. Now I'm back (for 2 weeks) but you wouldn't think that looking at our check-in bags.
I will update my Cost of Living in Argentina post shortly. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Credit Card Churn

noreply@blogger.com (Paddy in BA (Quickroute)) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 07:00:00 +0000

I wanted to add a few more cards and more importantly points before year end so I applied for and was approved for not one but two no annual fee Citi Hilton credit cards offering 50K bonus points each after $1500 spend within 6 months (see details on flyertalk here). This will bring my Hilton points balance up to 350K which is enough for at least 5 nights in high-ish end hotels or 10+ in normal Hilton brand hotels.

Last application for 2012 was the Club Carlson 85K bonus points after $2500 in spend in 90 days (see details on flyertalk here) There is a $75 annual fee not waived but there are so many perks with this card including 40K renewal bonus that it is definitely worth it. This will top up the Club Carlson bonuses of 300K I've picked up from here

Happy 'free' Travels folks!

Tags: ..Credit Card Churn..

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