The tour of the Caribbean officially started with the first port-of-call being the tax haven city of St. Thomas. I woke up early to see if there were anything glorious to see as the cruise ship moved gently into the calm harbour waters. Nothing much in fact and the skies were kinda dull. Being a tropical zone, rains were expected just like in Singapore. The ship was quite one time as planned disembarkation was to be at 8am. Proceeded to the buffet deck which was one deck below the open top to have breakfast. It was free seating and everyone could come and go as they please. There were a number of food stalls offering quite a variety which was nice since we had eat from the same restaurant for the next 6 days so we could spread the coverage a little.
Intercontinental breakfast available.Dining area for breakfast.Snapshot of the ship’s internal – multiple levels of the floating hotel.
We disembarked and went through a few warehouse type of tourists shops till we reached the road. There were taxis that seemed like a converted lorry with rows of benches to ferry tourists around. We told one of the “in-charge” there we were wanted to go to Magen’s bay and he ushered us onto one of them. It wasn’t too far a ride and soon we reached the isolated white sand beach. The costs seemed fixed and was all printed out and placed facing the passengers.
View from the passenger’s seat.Print list for the various destination.One typical taxi.Calm waters and white sand beach. I had to have my feet feel the sand!And there was this huge bird…Nice long stretch of beach. It was too early in the day so it was nice and quiet.As the sun started to peek out from the clouds, the highlighted colours brought to bay to life!
Admiring the view while having a beer at one of the few drinks stall till we thought it was time to see more of Charlotte Amalie. Took the taxi went back to town. Our next stop was to go to Blackbeard’s castle by taking the 99 steps (though there were definitely more) and on the way, pass by the Emancipation garden and Fort Christian.
Bell in the Emancipation Garden.Vendors’ Plaza – Pasar Malam style.Red Fort Christian, closed!The famed 99 steps to the top where Blackbeard’s Castle was situated.
There was some walking distance to the 99 steps and some climbing up to Blackbeard’s Castle. The climb wasn’t difficult as it wasn’t really steep but the beer had got to me somehow and I had to rest while near the top. After the steps, there were a bit more walking on sloped path. We thought we saw the entrance but we didn’t know how to enter as it looked locked and we went around and entered at the back of the property. It seemed like a private property now but there was a bar selling drinks at many statues of famous pirates dotted the small compound. There was a round stone castle column in the middle of the compound and that was about as much of a castle that we got. However, the view was worth the visit. Ordered the drink and just enjoyed the view (the cover page!).
Statues while climbing the 99 steps.At Blackbeard’s Castle, with a canon in the foreground.A swimming pool in the castle compound?Captain Jack Sparrow was here.Visited the poop deck.Flags waving in the wind atop the castle.Welcome to the Blackbeard’s Castle.
It was already running late and we went around to look for lunch. As we walked through the alleys to look for cosy little Glady’s Cafe, one of the top few recommended places on Tripadvisor which served Caribbean cuisine.
Found in one of the many alleys.Nice old style deco.Cosy place.Caribbean cuisine – Kambing with rice
After the filling dinner, we walked off the fullness through shopping! The main shopping street was pretty close to the cruise ship and it was a really long stretch! However, as it was a Sunday, shops were closing at 4pm. I had an item on my shopping list, a Seiko watch that was only available in the American market and I managed to find it after visiting several shops there. It was sold really cheap though I had to negotiate a little with Amazon listed prices and showed to the salesperson. As this was a duty free shopping, things were really cheaper. It was also interesting to find out that there were various Singaporeans who set up stores there selling stuff to the tourists, of all places! Some more last minute shopping and then it was back to the ship, going through the Xray scanners and the also logging in with our access cards.
Shopping street with shops decked on both side of the road.Back to the cruise.
Since it was still early for dinner which we had to adhere to the prearranged time slot, we went back to the room to take a nap. Dinner was served at the same place and we had the a American family of 6 as company for dinner with a fixed waiter. It was nice to know new friends and we were going to have the same company till the end of cruise. There wasn’t a port of call the next day and we would be just cruising to the next port of call on Xmas day. However, there was a formal dinner the next day also known as the Captain’s reception for Xmas Eve.
View of port in Charlotte Amalie.
When we returned to the cabin, we were pleasantly surprised.
Woke up really early in order to catch an early flight to Puerto Rico, where we would be boarding a 8D7N cruise of the Caribbean on non other than the Royal Caribbean Cruises! The cruise itinerary was booked in Singapore through one of the travel agents and the documents and bills could all be settled in Singapore, saving all hassles. We chose the Brilliance of the Seas for its itinerary, mainly because it visits St. Lucia, a beautiful island with the Pitons and has quite a few port of calls. The only downside was that the departure is off San Juan and not from Florida which some of the cruises do depart from, mainly because the cruise catered for visits to Southern Caribbean and it was not possible to travel that far schedule-wise.
It was a 3hrs flight to San Juan from Orlando and we were taking the flight operated by Air Tran. The boarding time of the cruise would start at 12pm and the ship planned departure was at 6pm. After the flight into San Juan, we took the taxi to San Juan harbour.
There was quite a crowd already waiting to board the cruise ship. There were a couple of checks before we could enter the registration and waiting area. The registration counter had given some hardcopy info on what to expect on the ship and we went to sit at the waiting area for boarding. Unlike Orlando, the weather wasn’t cold in San Juan, and the waiting area got a little stuffy due to the crowd and without air conditioning. There was supposed to be some food but didn’t looked appetizing enough. We could technically leave the place and return later but that would mean going through the security again. The wait was longer than expected, going beyond the stated waiting time. When there were signs that a queue was forming, we went to join the queue only to wait a bit more as the crew had some issues with the shuttergate that did not seemed to be able to operate and they had to manual wind up the gate.
Boarding was really long as there were a checkpoints and xray machines, similar to what you see in the airport, just more thorough. By the time we were through, it was almost 2pm already. Proceeded to the reception to do check in and get the keys to our rooms. The cruise ship was huge and there were many lifts but also many people moving around. After checking in, we wanted to go explore San Juan during the “boarding” time and checked with the concierge but they advised against the idea, since the old town was some 1hr away by taxi considering the traffic conditions and we might not make it back in time. So we just proceeded to eat at the restaurant and spent the day exploring, reading up on tours the following day and taking a nap for the lost sleep we had to trade for the early flight. There was a daily program sheet that recommends stuff to do during that day and also gave an introduction to the port-of-call the next day. Tour itineraries could be managed in the room using the TV.
Dinner was served in the main restaurant and there was a dress code to adhere to if eating at the restaurant but we didn’t make it since we were late and we had to eat at another complimentary restaurant that served fish and chips. On board the cruise ship were some entertainment venues, such as a theatre for short musicals or standup comedy, a casino, a bar, basketball court, swimming pool, movie theatre, arcade room and a shopping arcade. We weren’t that interested and retired to our room.
Catching the early flight at day break.The size of the vessel evident from the side.Our cabin was nice and cosy.Private balcony for views.Balcony view of San Juan Port.Elongated room.Toilet was slightly squeezy but adequate.
Our 2nd day in Orlando started early too, cause we were going to Universal Studios this time around! What made it different from Singapore’s version was that there was a particular section of the studio made for Harry Porter. After breakfast, we made the transport arrangements over the same counter and we soon we were at a bus stop a few steps from Universal. Rushed through the shopping area and had to line up in a queue that was already there before Universal was opened for business. Once opened, we quickly made a beeline to the Harry Porter section. Of course there were express passes, but these had to be bought and could be used only once per participating attraction., but necessary definitely.
Entrance to the Harry Porter section.Train has arrived.Streets of magic land of Harry Porter.Hogwart with the simulator ride.
So we made our way to the Forbidden journey where we snaked along corridors of Hogwarts that were decorated very nicely and fits the magical experience straight from the movie set. Before we made it to the long queue, there was a place to dump all our loose belongings, including cameras into lockers that were really small. I had to urgently squeeze the bags into one locker in the dark chaos of the little room where everyone else was doing the same. It didn’t help that the lockers were centralised controlled by a computer, even though these were free for a certain time limit.
I was thoroughly impressed with the ride as it gave a immersive experience which I did not understand how that was done. It was a simulator with a huge screen that gave you the feeling that you were part of the action coupled with props when you swing from one area to another. My wife didn’t feel well after the ride, due to motion sickness but I thought it was pretty well done and worth the queuing. After this, we recovered our items and while my wife rested, I went ahead with a roller coaster ride, the Dragon challenge. The roller coaster was pretty good with the twist and twirls while we hang with our legs dangling. This one gave me motion sickness instead and I had to steady myself while making my way back to my wife (must be the age).
We took our time to walk the beautiful streets nicely decorated and also got ourselves a Butterbeer, which tasted like vanilla coke with froth. Entered the owl store to get a Harry Porter wand too.
Well replica that brought fresh water for washing hands.Shops in Harry Porter segment.The Owl Post.Inside the Owl Post.Of course I had to have the Butterbeer.
We left Harry Porter to explore the other sections. There was a Lost Continent section that looked fun but was closed for maintenance. We walked also walked through a very bright and colourful section known as Dr Suess. Mainly catered for young children and thus it was more viewing for us.
Lost Continent.Nicely decorated ATM.Colourful land of Dr Seuss.What a big hat!Looked like a circus in a tent.Car with the Hulk designs and smashed doors.Hulk roller coaster.
So we ended up walking to street where Marvel characters dominate the theme of the section. We queued for the Incredible Hulk roller coaster and it was fun! The sudden surge while the roller coaster climbed the incline was a nice surprise. The queue for this ride was pretty long even with the express pass. There was also lockers available which we had to deposit before boarding the ride. We spent quite a bit of time at the Marvel streets, as I was sort of a Marvel fan myself. Going into stores which sold movie merchandise to comics but didn’t really get anything.
Fantastic 4 cafe.Merchandise store with Ironman center piece.
There were photo opportunities with the Marvel characters and I had to take some with them! There was the Wolverine that had a queue going on, particularly popular with the kiddos!
A photoshoot with Green Goblin.Posing with Cyclops.Wolverine busy with the kids.
There was a simulator ride with Spiderman as the character within a tall building. The simulator actually moved, though not as fast as a roller coaster, and we had to wear 3-D glasses for that in-your-face experience. It was quite enjoyable.
Spiderman ride in the building.Deco along the way to Spiderman ride.Street of the comics.
As we continued on, we saw other comics characters other than the Marvel ones, such as like Betty Boop and Popeye. There was a water based ride for Popeye but we didnt’ take it, knowing that we could end up wet, and it was cold to get wet! There was a huge human air dryer which we saw people got in to dry themselves.
Popeye’s boat.Popeye’s ride.Human air dryer.
There was a Jurassic Park theme section in the studios. Wandered into the main center where there were displays of dinos that made you think you were in a museum. There was an area where dinosaurs were being breed and there was an incubator where dino eggs were hatching. Part of a “live” show actually showed a “scientist” introducing the dino details as the baby dino broke the shell and he recovered it and showed them to the amazed kids.
Jurassic park.Discovery center in the Jurassic Park section.Dino skeleton replica.
Soon it was lunchtime and we went back to Harry Porter section. The restaurant was packed with people and there was a queue to to ordering point. The place was decorated resembling having lunch in the old tavern which was kind of nice. The food sold was ok and there was also butterbeer so I bought one that comes with a memorabilia mug that I could bring home after I finish the drink (at a price). There were people who would try to locate empty tables for the customers but we didn’t know that and went around to chope seats before I went to get the food. The queue went as far as outside the restaurant and we were fortunate to have eaten earlier.
Dining hall of wizards.Lunch at Hogwarts.Stores of tricks.
After lunch we dropped in to catch a show of Sinbad and his adventure to save a princess from a evil wizard. On top of the stunts and the flying around, there were mini explosions and fire to add to the realism. Typical kind of show you would expect from a movie making studio but it was entertaining. The theatre with the fire show allowed for a temporary escape from outside cold too.
Watching Sinbad rescuing the princess with real flames – we could feel the heat!
We caught another show at Dr Seuss that was pretty well recommended online which I wasn’t really interested but had the time to do so. This was sort of a little musical about the Grinch who stole Xmas and we had to queue early in order to get the seats closer to the stage. The show attracted quite a crowd eventually, popular amongst family with children. After sitting through the show that had bright colours and catchy tunes coupled with the elements fitting of a musical, I thought I liked it!
The Whos walking in the street.Heartwarming Xmas show for the whole family.
By then, we had explored the Island of Adventures. We weren’t really into the thrill rides especially those that had to do with heights but there were a few of them there. We exit the theme park and do a little shopping along City Walk, a street with a few merchandise stores that included a NBA official store and a Hard Rock Cafe. I bought a Bubba Gum tee from the Bubba Gum company – familiar company from the famous Forest Gump, played by Tom Hanks. Then we took a cab to get back to our hotel.
Panoramic of the City walk.Hard Rock Cafe of Orlando.NBA stores selling NBA related products, along city walk.Forest Gump Company – Bubba Gump.
When we arrived back at the hotel, it was already dark. We made our way across the main road from the hotel where there were some restaurants along the main road. One caught our attention and we went in only to find that it was selling Chinese economical rice, but named as Panda Express. The food was expensive too! We had takeaways back to the hotel.
Panda Express store.Packed Chinese dinner.Fortune cookies attached.
It was actually still early after dinner and so we decided to go visit a Premium outlet mall to satisfy our shopping desire. There was one pretty close by and easily accessible by taking a bus that was at the main road. There were a few bus stops and we had to check which one the bus actually stopped to board. Bought some cold were stuff from Northface which was put immediately to good use. Couldn’t buy too much since we were only at the beginning of our 2 weeks tour. Went back in a cab after the shop closed and packed the new stuff into our luggage for a flight out the next day.
Our flight was scheduled to fly off at night to Dubai where we would continue on with a connecting flight to JFK. After that, we would board a Jetblue flight to Orlando and start our journey in the America. But it all didn’t start well, we boarded the flight but it was slightly delayed in taking off from Changi Airport. When we landed in Dubai and made our way to the connecting desk, the staff told us bluntly that it was too late and we had to take the next flight as it was slightly one hour before the next flight. Left with no other choice, we made our way to the customer service counter, at this time where there was a already a queue formed for various enquiries, including a few passengers like us who missed the connecting flight too.
At the counter, it became really frustrating. There were just 2 staffs serving the customers but there were more staffs that seemed to be doing nothing but moving around. When we became the next one to be served, I approached the staff behind the table whom was just ignoring us. I greeted her and asked about the next available flight and she just told me to wait as she did not know how to handle it. Went back to the queue to wait somemore. When we were called by another personnel to the counter, he didn’t even apologise and told us that the next flight was some 6hrs later. That was the last straw when I just told them off that if it was not for them, we would have make the connecting flight and that we were going to missed the Jetblue flight to Orlando. He mentioned that Jetblue was their partner airline but he wasn’t able to change the flight because we purchased directly from Jetblue. We tried to ask for alternative routes such that we might be able to make up time but he does not seemed to know his geography well. We had to take out our Ipad to show him the possible other states’ airport but as he checked back, there were any other available airport. We asked for what they could do for us and they unwillingly offered some F&B vounchers which was pretty limited in choice at one of the cafes. Talked about customer service.
We waited out the the 6 hrs coupled with free wifi in the airport and having some not-so-delicious food and then we were on our way to JFK. The morning flight landed some 12hrs lately at JFK and we made our way to the Jetblue counter and told them that we missed the flight. They were kind enough not to charge us for another pair of tickets but a USD100 no-show for the first flight and then we were off to Orlando, the 7pm flight and another 2.5hrs hour. By the time we arrived at Orlando, it was late and we huddled to get a taxi in the balmy night to Quality inn, some 20 mins away.
Free mealPepperoni pizza was the only pizza option for claim.Was given vouchers from Cosi.
Check in was effortless and we made our way to our room, which was away from the reception area on the 2nd storey. It was a welcomed hideaway from the winter night and since we were also hungry from the long flight, we went to the so-called world’s biggest MacDs that was 3mins walk from the hotel and take away our dinner to our room.
Xmasy feel in JFK.Spacious roomComes with a tub!Festive cheer with little treats!3 mins walk to our first dinner in US.World’s biggest Mac?Dinner take away.
By the time we settled for sleep, it was almost 1am.
Day 3 Epcot Theme Park
Started out early as it was necessary to get the best of the available time in a theme park. Had breakfast at the hotel and it was a buffet spread. After which, we went to the tour arrangements counter we booked tickets for transport that brought us to the theme park train station, a short drive from the hotel. The central train station served the various Disneyland theme park and this was the link for people intending to hop from park to park. We chose Epcot as this was theme park was exclusive only to the one in Orlando, whereas Disneyland was available in various places (like Hong Kong). We only got the one day pass as were thinking of park hopping as we didn’t really knew if we could cover the park in a day and even if we didn’t like it then we had to stick to it as we had made reservations for a restaurant by the central lake to watch the fireworks and have dinner.
Epcot famous ball
To get the most out of a visit to the theme park, one must study the type of rides and activities that were present and check the popularity, since the more popular the rides were, the more likely the queue was going to be horrendous. It was really not about the queuing since we were all used to it as Singaporeans but more of having more bang for buck in the theme park. We made use of apps (yup, there are simply apps for almost anything) to help us prioritized the fastpass and normal queuing sequence and just followed that since it could get confusing balancing the were rules to obtaining fastpasses and queuing and looking for the ride at the same time.
Nemo.Stingray.The Seas with Nemo and friends.
There were already queues forming for the more popular rides and we were glad that making it early to the theme park was totally worth it.
Spaceship Earth ride.One of the exhibits in Spaceship Earth.
Spaceship Earth was a easy going history lesson ride where you get to see exhibits showing different periods of time of man and then towards the future. Not to my liking though.
Test Track – the top 2 most popular ride.The other ride which was popular.Fast passes, issued from machines near entrances of the rides.
So after securing the passes, we went around to visit the other parts of the theme park. Went into Capt EO 4D experience, hosted by Michael Jackson (image). Other than the 3D effects that was prevalent everywhere already, there was also the element of feel with air blowing and water droplets splashing onto our faces.
Soaring is an immersive cinematic experience atop a simulator that brings the participants high up to provide the flying feeling. It was definitely one of the better rides though it was not terribly exciting compared to a theme park roller coaster. A must do in this park.
Capt EO.View of the glass pyramids where Capt EO theatre was.Someone wrote something in the sky.
The park had 2 sections, one was more science-ty and the other was a world pavilion showcasing architecture from 10 countries around the world (see map). While waiting for our time go for our rides using the Fastpass, we moved to and from the 2 sections based on proximity to the next attraction. We went over to the Mexico and the Norway section before our next due attraction at the Test Track.
Mexican pyarmids.Old buildings of the Norway Pavilion.Buildings that resembled the Scandinavian Norway.Viking ride.
Vikings were the main theme in Norway segment and in there was another easy ride on a boat with exhibits showing stuff that was encountered by these pioneer seafarers.
The Test Track was a place where you given opportunity to design your own vehicle and get to test drive them (virtually). There was a photo session available too where you get to pose with your design with superimposed photo of yourself and this would be emailed to you. There was also a model of the Camaro for photoshoot, popular for being Bubblebee of the Transformers. The highlight of the visit here was definitely the beautiful corvettes on display and the thrill ride (but short) during the “test drive”. Definitely a must do too.
Futuristic Concept car by Chevy.2 really wicked rides, corvettes! You don’t see these in Singapore.The Orange ticket to Mission space!Inside the crowded Mission Space waiting for our turn.
Missions Space was a ride that offered 2 choices – one was the extreme and the other mild. We didn’t know what to expect and since there were really much excitment in the rides for the whole day, we thought we would try the extreme one. Furthermore, the queue was much longer and that would probably meant we made the right choice. It was a ride that provided the feeling of weightlessness and it felt really amazing! I think the ride made use of a centrifuge to spin at 2Gs – you could feel first the pressure and then the weightlessness. However, after that we didn’t feel good and a little light headed and nauseated. Sat down at the exit for a rest to recover. I would still attempt it though if I were to visit again!
We started to explore the world pavilion after the last ride. Started off with the Canada and ending with Mexico for our dinner.
Nice flowery garden.Buildings in the Canadian pavilion
There were basically streets that were designed to give you the feel of being in that country. There was one shop in the UK section that sold soccer related products.
UK street replica.
France section gave the visitors a feel of being in Paris. There was even an Eiffel Tower in the background. We chose a French Boulangerie to have some delicious pastries and just chill.
French style design.Having coffee in the streets of France.Boulangerie where we got delicious pasties.French pastries.
We then went over to Morocco that had a more contrasting design. It appealed to me a little more since I had not visited that country before.
Mosaic tiled fountains.Morocco styled architecture.Like in the middle east.Internal of the building.Interesting architecture.
There a place for Japan and the typical architecture was recognizable. We hadn’t visited Japan since Fukushima incident and it was a refreshing visit.
Japan temple replica.Japanese architecture.
USA pavilion had a building that we went into that had sort of presentation of US history. I didn’t last the whole show as I felt asleep – less due to boredom and probably more due to jetlag.
An American building.A replica of capitol hill.A presentation of US history.
Italy’s Pavilion showcase the few noticeable structures of Venice, which looked pretty good, at least from my memory of the visit in 2005.
Familiar statues replica of Venice.Campanile replica.Italian statue replica.
Germany architecture sort of reminded me of Munich town. There was a glass blowing craftsman that was blowing glass balls probably for Xmas trees deco.
A replicate of Munich street?Glass ball blowing artist
China pavilion had replicas of architecture of Beijing, such as the Temple of heaven which looked good.
Temple of Heaven replica.Temple internal deco.
We actually reached Mexico pretty early. Entered the pyramid and there were stalls selling Mexican stuff and a restaurant too. Didn’t get anything though.
Mayan carvings.Inside the Mexican pyramid were restaurants and stalls selling Mexican foodstuff.
Our plan was to have dinner and at the same time enjoy the fireworks over the lake. We had made reservations at the La Hacienda restaurant which we read online that had huge windows that stretched from the top to the table level. These provided good views of the fireworks. The only thing was we were not able to choose which tables we wanted, so even if we reserved, we need to see if we were lucky enough to get the tables next to the windows. And usually people who wanted to have dinner there also wanted to catch the fireworks so when they do get the window seats, then its too bad! So our plan was to arrive early. We went in at about 6pm for our 730pm reservation. However, we were seated at a table beside the ones near the windows. The other tables were either already taken or if not reserved for a bigger group. We then asked if we could move if any of the tables were available and went ahead with ordering.
La Hacienda de San Angel restaurant.Sunset over the central lake.Mexican food served.
Food was new to our taste buds but tasted ok. Portion was huge and since we were planning to stay the long haul (till 930pm) it was sort aligned with our plans. Ordered the recommended Margaritas too though we weren’t really the people who drank. Everything seemed smooth and we even ended up with seats beside the windows after the table beside us emptied. But we didn’t last till the fireworks. The food became too cold to consume and it didn’t help that we felt full from the huge portions. In the end, we gave up and went out beside the lake to watch the fireworks instead. We left the restaurant early and thus walked around some more to experience the park in the dark. Went to the toilet the last time before we finding a location and sat down there to wait till it was time. I even fell asleep while waiting, difficult in resisting the alcohol effect. Soon the crowd started to build and there were people waiting all around. The show started on time and it felt great being so close to the fireworks. The weather made the difference of watching fireworks compared to in Singapore where to need to squeeze with the crowd in hot and humid conditions. Not appealing at all!
Xmas tree shining in the night.Sphere at night.Fireworks!
The fireworks started on time with a storey telling session that slowly built up to a climax of light streaks and booms, within expectations of a great fireworks show. However, the drizzling rain followed soon after that saw a massive crowd trying to get out of the park quickly and also escaping the rain. We donned our rain coats that we had prepared and slowly made our way to the pickup point. It was one of the last transport back to the hotel but there was more than sufficient time from the park to the train then the pick up point. Our tour first day has ended.
Epcot theme park might not cater to visitors who were looking for thrill rides or Disney characters. I felt it had more emphasis on visual entertainment and of course the world pavilions. Those who wanted a glimpse of it could quickly do the first half of the day in this park and park hop to another one for the 2nd half of the day.
Escape Plan to USA and the Caribbean in December 2012:
Total duration 21D19N Singapore is 13hr ahead of New York, USA. Flight time is 18hrs flight on Emirates from Singapore to Dubai and then to JFK. Friday evening flight on 18th Dec and arrival in JFK in the evening of the 19th.
This escape plan was planned to do one of the “to-do” item of the bucket list, which was to celebrate New Year in one of the biggest party in the world – New York Times Square, and also take the opportunity to visit the Caribbean and at the same time escape the freezing cold.
Budget nature: Budget buster
Though SGD gained against the greenback which made the spending just a little less painful, the holiday season plus the cruise with similar thinking Americans (who wanted to escape the cold) really dealt the finishing blow to the budget.
Complexity: DIY possible for the beginners
Since there is already no language barrier (less the accent), and with good infrastructure in terms of roads and public transport, making your way around is very straight forward.
