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Tirana, Albania
What could go wrong with my trip to Albania? Two things were potential roadblocks to my trip – an airline strike and the weather. The Air Canada strike did not happen, with pilots settling for a 42% increase over 4 years! I covered myself with a Westjet flight that was cancellable for a credit. Weather has been unpredictable in eastern Europe this fall. After a summer of temperatures up to 45, there has been torrential rainfall and deadly flooding. Looking ahead in my weather app to my time in Albania, I saw a day when 70 – 100 mm of rain was predicted, and temperatures of 30 in early October.…
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Will an Air Canada pilot strike scuttle my plans?
Air Canada pilots will be in a strike position soon Air Canada pilots have voted to strike if they have not reached an agreement with Air Canada by Sept. 17. And if the pilots don’t strike, Air Canada has suggested it will lock them out. My flight to Albania is Sept 19 – Regina to Toronto is Air Canada (AC), onward is with Polish Airlines (LOT). The booking was made using Aeroplan points. When will I know if my flight is cancelled? If an agreement is not reached by Sept. 15, either party could give 72 hours notice of job action. Air Canada would begin to pre-emptively cancel flights for…
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Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia
Where am I going next? In a few weeks, I will be joining a small group adventure with Intrepid Travel to these countries. If you want to know more about the trip, click this link https://www.intrepidtravel.com/ca/kosovo/kosovo-albania-macedonia-explorer-143597 “It’s hard to find a patch of Europe as secluded as this one. Among the rugged mountains and green fields of Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia there are plenty of shepherds, monasteries, lakes, valleys and Byzantine churches – what’s lacking is crowds. It’s taken decades for the Balkans to wipe away memories of conflict and communism, but (amazingly) they’ve emerged strong and smiling. From hip cafes in Skopje and the soft shores of Lake…
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Maldives
Maldives is a country of almost 1200 islands. Somewhere between 150 and 200 of them have private resorts – one resort per island. Another 80 or so islands are inhabited by locals. The actual number is hard to pin down since the numbers change – resorts appear, islands disappear. Yes, islands have disappeared already. Maldives is the first country that may disappear due to rising sea levels from global warming. Much of the land is only about a meter above sea level. I decided I must visit since I was only a short flight away from the capital, Male, when I ended my Sri Lankan adventure. Why is Maldives so…
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Sri Lanka
Where is Sri Lanka? Sri Lanka, formerly know as Ceylon, is an island in the Indian Ocean off the south coast of India. Brief history of Sri Lanka Urban settlements were first recorded about 3000 years ago, in the 10th century BCE. Sri Lanka was colonized since the 16th century by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. It gained independence in 1948. Sri Lanka experienced a civil war from 1983 to 2009. In 2004, tens of thousands died in the tsunami, along with destruction of coastal resorts. In 2019, terrorists attacked churches and hotels on Easter Sunday. And then came Covid. So Sri Lankans are very happy to welcome tourists back.…
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United Arab Emirates – Dubai
Why visit Dubai? I finally booked a trip to a destination I had been eyeing for years – Sri Lanka! But it is so far away, on the other side of the world. And then there were terrorist attacks in 2019, followed by the pandemic years. But now Sri Lanka is welcoming visitors. I looked for flights to Sri Lanka, and many of them connected through Dubai. And I thought, why not do a stopover there? It’s a dazzling city, home to a lot of “biggest in the world” structures, and known for its over the top opulence. And then I looked at a map, and saw that Maldives is…
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How is recovery after anterior hip replacement surgery?
It’s been three months since my surgery and my recovery has been great! No, that’s not me in the picture, but if you thought that for a minute, I’m flattered. My story so far This is my second hip replacement. The first one went so well I decided to just get this one out of the way, instead of waiting at least another year. I knew I would get the best type of hip surgery, anterior. My surgeon was top notch and has done hundreds of these surgeries. I could get it done very soon, within a month or so, on my schedule. (I deferred for a couple of weeks…
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Will private hip surgery be worth it? My second hip surgery
I’m now over a year out from my first hip surgery! My story so far If you haven’t checked it out yet, this is my story pre-surgery, what you need to know about hip replacement surgery – and nobody tells you: https://lynntowin.ca/what-you-need-to-know-about-hip-replacement-surgery-and-nobody-tells-you this is my story leading up to surgery, what happens before hip replacement surgery: https://lynntowin.ca/what-happens-before-hip-replacement-surgery this is my story about my hospital stay after hip replacement surgery: https://lynntowin.ca/my-hospital-stay-after-hip-replacement-surgery this is my story a month after hip replacement surgery: https://lynntowin.ca/a-month-after-hip-replacement-surgery and this is my story about wondering when I will get my other hip replaced: https://lynntowin.ca/when-can-i-get-my-other-hip-replaced What’s been happening with my second hip surgery? Well it could be any…
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Waterton National Park
Where to stay in Waterton National Park Waterton is one of the most beautiful parks in Canada, and that’s saying a lot. It’s a huge area, but its townsite with rental accommodation is tiny, with only about 30 year round residents and a dozen hotel complexes. I’ve been to the park a few times before, and always stayed in campsites or lodgings at least half an hour from the park. This time I wanted to be in the town, just for convenience. I booked a hotel about a month before, and paid a little over $300 for the privilege of staying within steps of restaurants and shops. The room I…
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The trip home from Turkey
It was finally time to return home. For the rest of my trip, check these posts: https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1720&action=edit https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1738&action=edit https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1753&action=edit https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1786&action=edit https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1850&action=edit https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1880&action=edit https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1920&action=edit https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1990&action=edit Tips for international air travel Checking in I couldn’t check in online to my flights. I also couldn’t see any emails on my phone suddenly, so no links to help me check in. A British guy in the lobby told me to log in through my email website, and that worked! I still couldn’t check in online, because the time of my flight had changed – by five minutes. With help from the hotel staff, I arranged a taxi, then shuttle bus to the airport in…