Tag Archives: Uber

Middle East 2024 Day 7 and 8 – UAE

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Final full day in Dubai! We started the day fairly late (woke up at 1pm). Trying to decide what to do while the sun is still out, we ended up going to an awesome rooftop bar that is very close to Burj Khalifa (it is on the 54th floor of the Address Sky View buildings, on the actual bridge that connects the two). Details can be found here (I would say reading the following blog post is part of this blog post):

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2024/12/01/ce-la-vi/

Afterwards we made our way to the Dubai Mall via walking. We initially thought there were protests that were happening because it was fairly busy, and police were directing people. Seems like this may be normal during rush hour.

At the Dubai Mall the main thing we spent 2 hours doing is going through the Aquarium (it’s quite expensive though at $80 USD). I do think it’s worth seeing it. The main tank is quite large, but there are a bunch of smaller tanks and areas (ie penguin, turtles, bats, and alligators) to see and explore.

After the aquarium, just walked around to check out the mall (ie saw the skating rink, their food court (full of mostly American fast food), and China Town (not too special)).

We ended the night at a place called Tap Room, where it provides an excellent view of the Dubai Fountains.

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2024/12/01/the-tap-room/

We saw/heard 3 songs at the fountain: Thriller, Will Always Love You, and some Asian traditional song. The best show was the middle one of those.

We walked back to our hotel (took 30 minutes) which ended the night.

Next morning (day 8), we took an Uber to the airport, DXB. Our uber driver made so many wrong turns, that we were very rushed when we got to the airport. Next time would probably take a taxi since taxi drivers are more experienced.

Take-aways:

  • There are mosquitos in Dubai (around the Souq’s and beach areas). Bring repellants
  • Uber was our main mode of transportation
  • Next time stay in the Marina / Palm Jumeirah area (or a hotel in the inner circle of the Burj Khalifa, ie in the Address Sky Towers)
  • Probably bring 3L of alcohol from Duty free when flying into Dubai
  • For Emirates, if flying with the A380, the move it to book with premium economy, and then wait like 3 days before the flight to see if you can upgrade to business for basically half the price (ie it went from $10k to $3.5k USD)

Middle East Day 3 – UAE

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We caught a flights at 11am on flyDubai from DOH to DXB. Aside from the long luggage line (and the flight agents asking if I had a ticket onwards from Dubai) the flight was a good experience.

Also, we ended up getting 2 whisky bottles at the Duty free since UAR lets you bring in 4 liters (and we didn’t want to deal with the whole process when we landed).

After landing, customs was easy (and they give you a free 10GB SIM card!). Then headed in an Uber to the hotel, the Taj Hotel. Will say the drive is interesting since the architecture of the newer parts of Dubai are amazing. (Really contrasts to old Dubai).

At check in they did greet us with an Indian style lay and tea drink.

Afterwards, we made our way to Dubai Old City. We did however first stop by the Al Fahidi historical neighborhood to get food at this really popular tourist restaurant called Al Khayma Heritage restaurant:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2024/11/27/al-khayma-heritage-restaurant/

After, explored the Bur Dubai – Diera Old Souk area of Dubai Old City, where there are lots of coffee shops and vendors (that are very aggressive). If you walk more along the river though, will say that was more pleasant.

We then took an Abra type boat to cross the river to make our way to the more modern (which reminded us of Asia) Souq area, where we went through the Gold Souq. Vendors there were also aggressive, but still did a bit of window shopping for a necklace.

(FYI lots of Al Fahidi was closed off/ under construction. Next time doing a walking tour around here and old Dubai might have made more sense).

From the Gold Souq area we made our way back to the hotel to end the first night in Dubai.

Amsterdam 2024 – Day 1

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Flew into AMS with United business class (50K points + $600). Also, seems like iPad holder could fit a large iPad Pro.

Checked into Park Centraal Hotel. Conveniently located near one of the ADE venues Melkweg, and also just close to high end shops in general (ie Rimowa… which I mention specifically because a friend’s wheel broke off during they’re travel to AMS and they got it fixed).

After checking in, we walked around a bit to grab some liquor and water. Then we Ubered to a pop up ADE set where Oliver Heldens and Eli Brown played a b2b. It was located at a store called Glamcult. They even have free beer and Redbull! Only complaint was that it was really hot.

After, we had dinner at a place called Momo. Details can be found here (only slight annoying? thing is that some girl named Nina was very insistent on hanging out):

Momo (Amsterdam)

We then got ready for a night at Melkweg where we mainly saw Oliver Heldens. The venue had a main room and a side room. We were there for around 4 hours.

Japan 2022 Day 3 – Kyoto

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We checked out of our hotel in Osaka (Hotel Intergate) around 11am and headed to Osaka station to catch our 12:30pm JR-west train to Kyoto station (picked up an onigiri for the train ride!).

After getting to Kyoto station, we dropped our bags in our hotel, Henn Na Hotel (they were pretty strict with only allowing check in after 3pm).

After dropping our bags, we tried this McDonald’s out at JR Kyoto station:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/11/25/mcdonalds-jr-kyoto-station/

From there, we took the JR-west train to the Fushimi-Inari-Takisha shrine (which I’ve been to before). On our way back to the hotel, we also stopped by the Tofukoan Temple (I spelt it this way last time I was here, but it’s actually Tofukuji Temple). Although this time around we could find the Zen Garden.

Afterwards, we went back to the hotel to rest for 2 hours so that we could get ready for a night at the Gion District.

We took the JR-west and subway to Gion (see the end of this post about the train systems here).

We started at the area where you may see Gesiha’s. We went to the following speak easy, and then the following restaurant for dinner (we were trying to find a spot for Kobe beef, but they all basically stop serving at 9pm. Good to know for next time!):

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/11/25/bees-knees/

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/11/25/abusan/

Afterwards, we tried to clubs, both in the Gion district (they are supposed to be the best ones in Kyoto). One was World Kyoto (would not recommend. They kept playing Michael Jackson and Bruno Mars with bad transitions). The other one was called Kitsune Kyoto. I would go back here since they played 2012 top 40 edm (ie Zedd, Hardwell, etc). One thing to note about the entrance fees of the clubs is that they give you a drink ticket, which is basically the price of what a normal drink would be).

We then taxied back to the hotel.

A couple notes about the transportation system in Kyoto (ie getting around):

Taxis: calling them through Uber is hit or miss (ie wait times are sometimes long, or they cancel). You can usually try and flag one down faster than getting one through Uber.

For Kyoto, there are three types of trains in the station: Shinkansen, JR-west, and subway (aka the local metro). To get around Kyoto (ie to Gion or the Fushimi-Inari-Takisha shrine), you would use a mix of the latter two types of train (Google maps is your friend to find out which ones to use). And for the latter two, Suica is fine for payment (love Apple for iterating it with the iPhone).

For the Shinkansen, that is supposed to be for really long journeys (and it is fast). Typically you need to buy two types of tickets (one is the basic ticket, and the other is the limited stops ticket). When purchasing the ticket, you will have the option to add the limited stops ticket as well (I guess some people may not need it since they have a monthly pass limited stops ticket) You can buy the tickets at either the stations using terminals, or buy online (however if you buy online you still need to pick up the ticket at a terminal using the credit card you purchased it with. Also. each Shinkansen train has a name, ie Nazomi, and a specific number. Use that name and number to find which platform you should go to at the station by looking at the monitors. You can also find the platform via Google Maps by searching for the train routes (and specifying the date/ time your train leaves (although platforms are subject to change).

Croatia / Bosnia – Vodice / Dubrovnik Day 13

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We left our hotel in Vodice around 10:30am and headed to Dubrovnik Airport (to drop off our rental car)

Really the only areas of interest along the way during the drive was the gas station stopped (to get some supplies, refuel, and throw things away), and crossing Bosnia. (Also the trip did affirm that Croatia’s highway system is pretty modern, but with a lot of tolls (the inner city roads however are a different story, since they are all small and tight).

Crossing Bosnia was really easy (we gave them our passport, and they didn’t even look at all 3 or scan them). It was a 9 minute drive to Bosnia, so super short. Going back to Croatia, they did check and scan all our passports.

After the border, it was about an hour till the airport. At the airport, when returning of our rental car to XL rental cars, we did have a bit of bad luck (guess because was Friday the 13th). There was two slight scratches on the hood of the car, which cost $400 USD (we really don’t know how they got there). Hopefully Chase Sapphire reserve will be able to cover it.

We then took an Uber to our AirBnb (what had crossed our minds is to take a ferry from a close city called Cavtat to Dubvrovnik, but decided against it since the port is far from the AirBnb).

We got to our Airbnb in 20 minutes, and then got some food at a place our host recommended called Belvedere. Details can be found here:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2021/08/15/belvedere/

After dinner, got to the AirBnb, and I actually booked a separate hotel (for logistical reasons). Booked Arch B&B (super close to the AirBnb), but they then moved my reservation to Studenski Dom (a really awesome new dorm). It was great, from the newness, to no mosquitos, to the free breakfast. The only thing I did have to do is ask them to allow me to have the AC be able to set at a lower temperature (lowest was initially locked to 28 degrees Celsius!).

I did ask the receptionist at the AirBnb what club he recommends to go to. He said Revelin. I looked it up, and I was convinced (they do bring in famous DJs like Tiesto, and the website said it was in a castle).

Revelin is in the old town (which makes sense since it’s on/in a castle). The Uber ride was 12 minutes. The DJ did not disappoint (some refreshing progressive house and deep house). Great way to end the night.

Croatia – Tisno / Zadar / Plitvice Lakes Day 11

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Started the day by checking out of our mobile apartment at The Garden Resort, and then caught an Uber (after multiple attempts). The cost was 600 Kuna, so not terrible. Next time I would either have the front desk reserve a taxi, or go to Tisnotaxi.com and reserve it there (price is about the same as an Uber).

After getting to Zadar, we ate lunch at a place called Eat Me (it took a while to find a restaurant. Most of the “eating” places we found were cafes that only served drinks. Details about the restaurant can be found here:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2021/08/11/eat-me/

After eating, we went to the west part of Zadar to check out the Sea Organ and the Sun Salutation. The Sea Organ sounded interesting (ie. notes were a bit random), and the Sun Salutation is supposed to be over Ed during sunset or sunrise.

We also passed by St Anastasia’s Cathedral, which looked in a bit of rough shape since it was bombed in World War II.

We then picked up our rental car from XL rent a car (found through Priceline). Cost of the rental car is $550.

It took about 2 hours to get to Plitvice Lakes. Gotta say the road infrastructure all seems very modern (like the tunnels, which unfortunately I didn’t take a pic).

We had a bit of trouble finding our AirBnB at first (first time Google Maps failed us in this trip… but still wayyy better than Apple Maps in Croatia).

For dinner, since the line up was long at a restaurant we wanted to check out, we went to a local grocery store called Market Ivka and bought ingredients for wraps (salami, ham, prosciutto, wrap bread, Mayo, and lettuce).

Also did laundry in the evening. The wash cycle is pretty king (it’s 2 hrs!). The dryer “Gentle Care” setting is 50 minutes, but unfortunately didn’t fully dry my clothes.

Croatia – Tisno Day 6 (Defected Day 2)

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Started the day by leaving the festival grounds to get brunch at a place called Carmen. Details can be found here:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2021/08/07/carmen/

Then spent the first part of the day chilling in the water near the beach stage of defected (between 2pm to 6pm). Water was great, chatted with some people from the US, and the music was great.

Then we chilled at the Olive Grove stage for a bit, where a more deeper type of music was played by a DJ named Sef Kombo. It was a really great set.

Then we got dinner (got a burger). Burger was good, but waited almost 15 minutes for it.

Then went to the beach stage for a bit (no notable DJs).

After, went to the main defected stage (also no notable DJs).

Lastly, we took a (200 Kuna) taxi to Barbella at 1am, then left at 4am using an Uber (about 100 Kuna). Nearly lost my phone (dropped it on the floor of the Uber, a d the Uber driver was closing the door on me! Ugh).

PS. We created a drink mixing White wine and Red Bull, which White toro

PSS. Sneaking alcohol was possible. Got Ballantine’s whisky and wine, and snuck it in by throwing it over the fence.

Croatia – Hvar/Tisno Day 5 (Defected Day 1)

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Last day in Hvar. We checked out of our apartment at 10am, and got brunch at the same place we got brunch on the first day:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2021/08/04/bb-club/

We then caught a ferry back to Split at 1:00pm to catch our ride to Tisno. We hired our Uber driver (that picked us up from the Airport), which cost 850 kuna (compared to 1200 kuna on Uber or Bolt).

We got the festival entrance, and at first got tested for COVID (it was a 10 minute test). Fortunately all of us were good.

We got to security, and they made us throw our opened alcohol out.

The tent was relatively good, but initially was missing a fan (we had to ask for one). The general store was also useful for toilet paper, water, and wine (they had not hard liquor unfortunately).

The festival itself has 3 stages. There is the classic stage (beach stage), olive grove, and defected stage. The first and last were good since they played more deeper music (like tech house).

The food itself was good (got gyoza and fries). However the wait for gyozas was wayyyy to long (like 20 minutes). But didn’t get food poisoning, so that’s good.

The DJs I remembered seeing (that were good) are mainly in the defected stage are Monki, and Armand van Helden.

Alberta – 5th Day

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Last day in Calgary and Alberta. I woke up early at 9am so I could get a lot in before my flight.

Since it was raining, I started off with lunch at Ten Foot Henry (I took an Uber, and I have to say, Uber is basically like SF prices. I didn’t travel more than a mile, and I paid $10 Canadian):

Ten Foot Henry

After, since it was still a bit drizzling, I made my way towards a cafe at Inglewood called Rosso:

Rosso (Inglewood)

Sitting in the cafe, it eventually stopped raining, so I was able to walk around Inglewood (which is like a basic old town downtown). I even stopped by a local CIBC to do some banking.

Reaching the end of Inglewood lead me to the RiverWalk, where I past Fort Mason, and China town. I then ended up at Prince’s Islam Park, and walked around there for a bit.

After, I returned to my hotel to grab my car, where I drove to the Saddle Dome to check out the preparations for the Calgary stampede next week.

From there, I headed to the YYC. I was early, so I checked out the Aspire Lounge. The Lounge has a good selection of alcohol, food, and a sleeping area! One of the best Priority Pass lounges I’ve ever been to.

First Day in Hong Kong!

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So the first thing I did when I got off the plane was to get an Octopus card (basically the suica equivalent in HK, which proved to be super useful in Japan). Then I took the airport express train to Hong Kong station, which only took 24 minutes!

From Hong Kong Station I made my way to my hotel in LKF. On hind site, I should’ve continued taking the train to Central station, since walking on the street proved to be a challenge. Many of the sidewalks had fences so you couldnt j walk easily. So with my not so light luggage I had to take not so straightforward paths. In some cases, there were overpasses that needed to be taken (didn’t realize that for a bit). And finally, when I got to the street near my hotel (Wellington street), it was on a hill! When I went on the hill, I overshot the turn I was suppose to take! Eventually I got to my hotel.

After getting to the hotel I met up with Jas around 2:00pm. We headed straight to the Intercontinental Hotel for high Tea (along the way we strolled through the avenue of stars). 

  
   
 
While walking, she explained that for construction, the scaffolding they used are built from bamboos:

  
After high tea, we checked out some sites a long the way back to Central (including the Tsui … clock tower). 

   
 
When we went back to central, we ferried over, which gave some nice views of the bay.

  
When we got back to central, we ordered an Uber, which took us up to Victoria Peak. Here are some pics:

  

While we were up at the peak, I got to ty this amazing McDonalds salmon burger:

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When we came back from Victoria Peak, we got dinner at a restaurant called Tsui Wah restaurant. Apparently it’s a place people go when they are super drunk and ending the night.

   
 
After dinner, we joined a pub crawl that went to 4 bars in LKF, and one nightclub. Two of the bars were called boomshack and the other one was called Geronimo. On the pub crawl I met one guy from Boston that was telling me that when he was in Macau, he hung around some prostitues that told him how the trade was like. They said there is one guy that coorindates where each of them go, and they have connections with various clubs in Asia (and they fly the prostitues around Asia). Also, apparently they need to make a minimum of $3000 USD a month.

Another guy I met at the pub crawl was named Alexander (Mason). He worked as a manager at Nobu, and helped open up the Nobu in Miami. He said he was a “host” originally at a nightclub, which is one level up from a promoter. I added him in FB and he said to contact him if I wanted to try and get into a club in Vegas (Encore Beach, Wet Republic).

I also met a person who works for Muni.

We ended the night at a club called Magnum. I thought the drinks were over priced. It was like $10 us for a bottle of water! I was definitely like WTF. 

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