Posted by jerry on April 14th, 2006 — Posted in Journal
With my phone battery sputtering to a halt, and no sign of a charger being available anywhere in continental USA, how do you stay in touch back home?
Here is where my travel technology holds its own… I am writing this blog entry in a Washington DC hotel room using the hotel’s wifi system on the ipaq 2750 handheld, and a bluetooth keyboard. Who needs a laptop? I have the means to type anywhere – on a plane in a coffee shop or in the hotel.
Okay so I can’t connect wifi on the plane, but in the hotel, for US$9.95 a day I can have unlimited access to the internet and email. Need to download a map or send an email? just go online. So how difficult is it?
First open the bluetooth connection to the keyboard (or not if you are happy using a stylus for input), then open the wifi application and click on ‘site survey’ in the ‘manage’ button – that will tell you what networks are available at that location. Then when it says “connected” 0pen the browser – in my case Internet Explorer and fill ou the form on the hotel homepage and that’s it, you’re online.
So here I am using the browser to write this blog entry over my morning coffee 🙂
Cheers
Jerry
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Posted by jerry on April 12th, 2006 — Posted in Journal
Miami is wet, and I am writing this in a hotel room with a relieved expression on my face. It all began when I checked in to the airport in Canberra – everything went fine and the quilt was carefully consigned to the hold for me to collect in San Francisco. A very comfortable 15 hours later and I collected the quilt at San Francisco airport and with a clear two and a half hours checked the quilt into the American Airlines baggage system.
Another 6 hours or so – making it around 30 hours since leaving Canberra I found myself waiting with several other transferees from Qantas to American Airlines in Miami looking dejectedly at the carousel when all other bags had been collected.
I joined the queue – and to cut a long story short, it seems that a whole baggage cart had wound up in St Louis.
This morning it was tracked to Miami International Airport, and thence to the Biltmore Hotel.
I had some great conversations with the airline and hotel staff when I told them the package contained three art quilts destined to be auctioned in support of Hurricane Katrina survivors – and they became especially keen to track down this item with more than usual vigour! Everyone I spoke to thought the quilts were a wonderful idea and wished the quilters every success
happily – it turned up and has been sent on its way to the coordinator in Florida 🙂
Cheers Jerry
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