Lake Tekapo View, NZ

This is the view of Lake Tekapo, a glacier lake in New Zealand from my hostel room. It has a million dollar view but very inexpensive to stay there.

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Pittsburgh At Night From River View

Pittsburgh, PA has a very spectacular view at night especially from the river view. Among others, from left to right are the Football Stadium, Highmark and PPG buildings.

Travel Wise

My tips on "travel wise:"

1) For airport parking, it is wise to park around the same area so that you know where to look for the car when you return to the lot.

2) Always allow extra time if you are catching a popular flight on a Monday morning. I nearly missed my flight twice in 4 months. The first being the Monday after Easter, and the second was due to a road construction which obstructed the traffic.

3) I don't check-in my bag on outbound flights but I do check-in a bag for homebound. I have to be at the clients' office on time so I do not want to waste time making a report on lost baggage when I am away from home and deprive myself of the things I need to use.

4) Book your ticket early so that you will have a better and cheaper connection and fare.

5) Always have a map and driving direction of the place you want to go. Not all cab drivers know the road well.

6) Book your hotel room early. I was in Linconshire (26 miles from Chicago) last week and I could hardly believe that although there are several hotels nearby, only 1 hotel and resort had a room for me. It is pretty expensive yet almost fully booked.
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My first Taxi Ride from O'Hare Intl Airport (ORD)

When I arrived at ORD last Monday morning, the airport was pretty busy. The waiting line for taxi was about 40 feet long. I wanted to go to Wheeling which is about 16 miles from the airport. The first cab I boarded did not know the direction and the meter kept running while he tried to figure out how to get there. I decided to request for a driver who knows the direction.

After another 10 minutes of waiting, I was directed to another airport cab but the driver did not know how to get to Wheeling either. I would be charged 150% the price shown on the meter.

The cab did not have an air-conditioner so you can imagine how hot, humid and noisy with the windows down and 2 persons (he and I) talking on the phone asking for directions after he lost his way. He grumbled all the way and I told him I would get down and get another cab.

So, how much did it cost me? $60 in fare and $1 in toll.

My 2 greatest mistakes are:
1) I assume that all cab drivers would know the way.
2) I did not print a map or driving directions to help him and me.

I am going to Chicago again next week and I am more prepared. Feel free to share your experience.