Peter A. Klein's Blog, page 3

On the Road Again – The Whisky in Scotland Is Not Whiskey

Scotland is a beautiful country! St. Andrews is the home of golf and many golfers I know would love to play at least one round of golf there. Golf is not a big deal for me. The only good day I have had on a golf course was driving the drink cart for a one-day golf tournament.

I much prefer another Scottish staple – their whisky. Notice that the Scottish beverage spelling does not have and e. I was in my late teens when I first tried Scotch, as Americans call it. Over the years I tried the whiskies found in most bars across the United States.

On the Road Again – On Vacation Take a Break and Relax

For many of us, travel is part of a vacation. A vacation is used to get away from work and the daily routine. Unfortunately, once the travel has started the concept of incorporating relaxation into the vacation is forgotten.

To better take advantage of your vacation it is a god idea to schedule some time off. You need to give yourself and your traveling companions a chance to just relax. No driving, no tours, no flights, no nothing! Just kick and read a book, play some games, do a puzzle, soak up some sun, go for a swim, or take a nap.

On the Road Again – You Never Know Who You Are Going to Meet

As you can probably tell from the blogs I have written recently, I like to travel. Seeing unfamiliar places and trying new food are a couple of reasons to travel. Some of my most memorable incidents while traveling center on people.

This blog was inspired by my younger son. He took a trip to Japan. While he and his friend were having dinner at a restaurant in Tokyo. He and his friend both zeroed in on a conversation at the table next to them since the two men there were speaking English. My son said hello to the other diners. Lo and behold, like my son the two men were from San Diego and living in the Bay Area.

On the Road Again – STOP at Stop Signs

This blog post does not apply to those readers who are traveling, but to anybody driving.

Stop signs mean STOP. They do not mean whatever you want them to mean. Stopping is mandatory! Stop does not mean slow down. It does not mean do whatever you want instead of stopping.

There are two stop signs in my neighborhood that are ignored by a majority of drivers. Yelling at them does not seem t help. what does get them to stop is pulling out my cell phone and pretending that I am video taping their driving. If any one questions me, I tell them I send the infractions to the sheriff's office. That generally end the discussion.

A driver may think that their vision is great and they can see anything that might get in their way at an intersection with a stop sign. Children and animals can be small and difficult to see. Also, children are impulsive and may dart out into the driver’s path with no warning.

The solution to preventing such an incident is to stop at stop signs!

Thank you.

Happy driving!

On the Road Again – Which Recreational Vehicle Is for You?

If you are in the market for a Recreational Vehicle, which one is for you? By Recreational Vehicle, RV henceforth, I mean the type that has it own engine. This is usually called motorized, which is wrong. A motor is driven by electricity such as in an electric vehicle, EV. “Motorized” RVs usually have an engine that uses diesel fuel or gasoline.

On the Road Again – One of the Reasons I Like to Travel

Yesterday morning I went for a walk in my neighborhood. I opted for a route with mostly short or not steep slopes. A bit more than halfway through my walk I said good morning to a lady going the other way. She replied and I detected an accent.

A few minutes later I made a U-turn and headed for home. I came upon the lady and could not help myself and asked her where she was born. She replied, “Berlin.”

On the Road Again – What is the Best Way to Get Where You Are Going?

For many of us we take a plane to get to wherever we are headed when we travel. If you eliminate the time spent checking your bags, getting a boarding pass, waiting to get on and off the plane, and baggage claim, it is the fastest means of travel for us. What other means of travel are open to us? They are:

Walking
Bicycling
Motorcycle
Personal Vehicle
Personal Vehicle with a Trailer
Recreational Vehicle
Airplane
Boat
Ship

That is nine ways to get from one place to another.

On the Road Again – Ten More Things to Not Do in Foreign Countries

As if last week’s blog was not enough, here are ten more things not to do in foreign countries. As always, do your research before hitting the road so you know what to expect.

Don’t be too friendly.

Being too friendly may put a target on your back so to speak. Pickpockets can use this as means to get close to you and steal whatever they can.

On the Road Again – Ten Things to Not Do in Foreign Countries

When we travel we represent our home. If you travel across the United States, you represent your hometown and home state. Your actions reflect your home. When you travel outside the United States, you represent all of us here in America. Here are some rules to help you represent yourself and all Americans when you are traveling in one or more foreign countries.

Don’t ignore the standard dress guidelines.

In many locales, dress guidelines are more like dress codes. In many Islamic countries head scarves are required for women. Shorts should not be worn in any religious building.

On the Road Again – What Reason Do You Need to Travel?

Mark Twain wrote “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

That is a great reason to travel! We have too much prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness across the globe. Any means to lessen these is good.