The Traveling Eye is here in Montreal, staying at the Le St. Martin Hotel Particulier Downtown. I know it’s a long name but there is a meaning behind the name. Particulier is a term from France that was applied to upscale bed and breakfasts whereby the service was homey yet exceptional. Le St. Martin is...
Year: 2011
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March 10, 2011May 17, 2021 Abu Dhabi & Dubai’s Opulence
by Ja'Vonne
Visiting Abu Dhabi, one of the seven Emirates and the capital of UAE is opulence at its best. They discovered oil in 1968 but were not able to maintain its wealth due to bad business deals with foreigners. However, it did not take long before they realized what needed to be done. They set out...
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March 9, 2011May 17, 2021 Dubai
by Ja'Vonne
Arriving in Dubai was a huge difference from arriving in Egypt. Already you can feel the different vide of the city. Here it’s more conservative and stand offish. Airport officials are in long crisp white robes and head dresses. Not so many smiles. As we exit the airport our local guide is ready to greet...
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March 6, 2011May 17, 2021 The Nile and Nubia
by Ja'Vonne
Nubian boy in Aswan As we sail south along the Nile River the complexion changes. We are heading to Aswan and the Nubian people. Nubia or Nuba is an ancient Arabic word for Gold so Nubia was the land of Gold. Originally Sudan was part of Egypt. To give your a geographical reference,...
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March 3, 2011May 17, 2021 The New Egypt
by Ja'Vonne
We’ve left Cairo and are now on board the Sonesta Star Goddess, an all-suite ship, for a four-night Nile River cruise. When we left our hotel in Cairo at 5:30am on Monday, the streets were empty due to the curfew that is in effect from midnight to 6am. The Cairo airport is not the hectic...
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February 28, 2011May 17, 2021 African-Americans Break Aviation Barrier
by Ja'Vonne
Hi Everyone! Do you ever think that daily , without hesitation, we jump on planes, watch the flight attendants go through their routine of showing us where the exit signs are and listen to the pilot as he or she tells us that we are flying at 30 thousand feet, that there was a time...
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February 25, 2011May 17, 2021 In the New Egypt
by Ja'Vonne
Good evening, It’s 11:00pm in Cairo, Egypt on Friday, Febuary 25th. I am with a group of 12 who decided to travel after majority of their group members decided other options. We started out with a group of 93. These 12 passengers wanted to travel to Egypt now, so I decided to travel with them....
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January 26, 2011May 17, 2021 The Evolution of Cruising
by Ja'Vonne
Last Friday on our show we had special guest, Ines Turus, President and CEO of Cruises International to talk about the evolution of cruising. The key points to the conversation were the following: The new ships that launched in 2010 and are being launched in 2011 especially the mega ships where entertainment, food and cabins...
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January 13, 2011May 17, 2021 Travelers Ten Commandments
by Ja'Vonne
Years ago one of my travelers gave me great information and advice in the form of Travelers Ten Commandments to share with the group. While this is written with group travel in mind it’s a good credo for all travelers to live by. Travelers Ten Commandments(1) Thou shalt relax…relax…relax…and put thy trust in God and...
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January 11, 2011May 17, 2021 Protect our Historical Sites
by Ja'Vonne
Last week our show was on Travel Trends for 2011 and while we’re looking at the year ahead we should also look at the years beyond. As I return to some of the same destinations and historical sites over the years, I’m seeing a rapidly changing environment. From carbon emissions to stupid and irresponsible tourists...