Taste of Fort Collins

post from FelixWong.com on 25 June 2011 08:21:04 PM. © FelixWong.com

Recently, in between the soft, piano-accompanied jazz melodies by Diana Krall and the overplayed pop songs that stretch their artists’ vocal cords to their climatic limits, the tunes piping out my home sound system have typically been mid-to-late 90s rock. Nostalgia for my college days? Hardly, considering in between term papers, problem sets, exams and [...]

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Savvy Saturday, In the Know Update for Those Who
Want a different Experience

post from The BucketList on 25 June 2011 07:30:55 PM. © The BucketList

I´ve been hearing about a few opportunities around Ecuador and wanted to write a post as they come and go quickly. Here´s the latest! Volunteering-Hostal Tiana and their sister hostel further up the Quilatoa Loop are looking for volunteers to help run the hostels in exchange for room and board. They ask for seven weeks … Read more

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http://savvyroundtheworld.wordpress.com/2011/06/25/savvy-saturday-in-the-know-upd
ate-for-those-who-want-a-different-experience/

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Protected: Flight Fashion Reviewers page

post from 1000 Places to Fight Before you Die on 25 June 2011 12:47:29 PM. © 1000 Places to Fight Before you Die

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

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http://1000fights.com/general/flight-fashion-reviewers-page/

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Sean Lions and Pier 39

post from my adventure odyssey on 25 June 2011 11:50:56 AM. © my adventure odyssey

Credits: Papers from Moninda’s Sea Memories; Elements from PouYou and Me kit; Journal Paper from Scrapmatter’s Life Little Surprises kit California Sea Lions are found along the coast of eastern North Pacific from the coast of Vancouver all the way … Continue reading →

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How to Quiet a Noisy Freehub

post from FelixWong.com on 25 June 2011 11:27:53 AM. © FelixWong.com

Whenever you are coasting on your bike, does your “high-quality” rear wheel sound like a naughty little kid attached playing cards to the spokes with clothespins while you weren’t looking? Anyone who rides a bicycle with Chris King or Campagnolo hubs probably knows what I’m talking about. While not quite as loud as bikes with [...]

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St. Regis Bangkok: new luxury hotel with quality
in all the details

post from Gard's travel blog on 25 June 2011 05:22:33 AM. © Gard's travel blog

I have been to Bangkok a few times and I have stayed at hotels like Plaza Athenee, Sheraton Sukhumvit, Westin, Lebua, Centara CentralWorld, Le Meridien etc just to give some sort of idea of my experience with hotels in Bangkok before reading this review. I normally try to stick to Starwood hotels these days as I have a Starwood gold card and that can of course bring some benefits. This time I choose to stay at St. Regis as they had a special opening offer as the hotel opened recently and because the location seemed pretty good. As usual I booked the hotel online of Starwood Preferred Guest and the rate was 7300 Bath excluding taxes. This offer also included breakfast for two or dinner for two, complimentary internet and a 1000 Baht voucher for Elmis spa.

Getting the airport taxi staff to understand where we were planning on going was not easy. First of all it is a new hotel in Bangkok and Thai?s normally struggle with some of the sounds in the St. Regis name. But we explained that it was on Ratchadamri road and next to another hotel. At the hotel we were welcomed and a woman took us to the reception on a higher level. Check in was not done in the regular way standing at a desk ? instead it was done by sitting down in comfortable chairs while getting everything sorted out. Check in went fast and I was taken to my room 2005. The room was very impressive at first glance ? the floor being with white tiles to start with and the rest in darker wood. To start with there were the usual wardrobes with lots of hangers, a small safe, robes etc. There was room enough for my large Samsonite suitcase to be placed between the wardrobes and I appreciate that. There was a large Samsung TV and in the furniture underneath it there was a fridge that even included a half size bottle of champagne ? you don?t see that every day in hotel fridges.
The bed was huge and quite comfortable but the pillows were a bit too big and hard for my liking. There was also a desk with two chairs and a two seat sofa with a small table. And then there was a beautiful view of ?The Royal Bangkok Sports Club? from windows stretching from floor to ceiling. The bathroom was set up it a genius way ? there were sliding doors between the bedroom and the bathroom and hence it was possible to make it into a full room with 4 walls. The bathroom was tiled with light tiles, included huge mirrors, a modern style bathtub, two sinks and a large shower with a huge rainforest shower head. There were also very good amenities and the shower soap even included some scrubbing grains. There were also tooth brush, shaving kit, mouth wash etc. The towels were huge and soft. The toilet was in a small separate room in the bathroom and I think that it a good idea.

The breakfast was included in my room rate ? I normally don?t eat that much breakfast but it is always interesting to take a look at the selection. Some of the Bangkok hotels have an enormous selection of food at the breakfast buffet. At St. Regis it seemed to be toned down a bit and hence it was not as impressive as other buffets. But the hotel did have all the stuff that you normally need ? bread, selection of cereal, various fruits, various cold cuts of Italian ham and sausages, a selection of eggs in various ways made according to your order. I did not try the restaurants at the hotel but they have a hotel bar with the same great view over the sports club. There was even a sword on the bar and it seems like they use this every night when opening the champagne bottles.
The pool area was not huge but it actually looked like there was quite a lot of sun during the day in the pool area. In addition to this it seems like they also have a nice spa and exercise room at the same floor.

Location of the hotel is very good ? as you have the skytrain station right outside the door it is easy to get around. But you can also walk if you can stand the Bangkok heat. It is only about 700 meters to CentralWorld or a bit longer to the start of Silom road.
But there is no such thing as a perfect hotel and here are some of the things that can be improved or things that didn?t work out quite as I expected at the hotel.
The internet was complimentary in my room rate but normally this is something that costs like 500 Baht per day. In these modern days I would like to see the internet for free at hotels. The internet also stopped the second I checked out of the hotel!
I also had free pressing of 4 items in my room rate and I got in touch with the butler service to get it picked up. But when I came back to the hotel at night the shirts had not been picked up and were never picked up at all.

The shower was great but the problem was that it was leaking out on the bathroom floor ? I hope this is fixed soon as it is annoying with water splashing around on the floor.
When I booked the room online I got e-mails from both the reservation desk and the butler service asking me the same questions. This shouldn?t be necessary.

Conclusion
Despite of the few problems that I have mentioned above, I have to admit that this is one of the best hotels that I have stayed at in Bangkok and even around the world. The reception was great and the staff seems to be highly focused on giving the customers an exclusive experience. The room itself was beautiful and there seemed to be quality in all the details ranging from furniture, leather casings for everything to the great amenities. When I checked out I mentioned some of my ?problems? as a feedback to the hotel and this was picked up by the assistant manager. She gave me her card and took the time to listen to my feedback and I appreciate that. I would not hesitate to stay at the hotel again if the price is right. It is a true luxury hotel! You can find more info on the hotel homepage.

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http://gardkarlsen.com/blog/?p=922

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Awesome Horse Rides on a warm June day

post from Leura Blue Mountains Guide on 25 June 2011 04:35:30 AM. © Leura Blue Mountains Guide

We are borrowing from Werriberri’s marketing theme for we think Kathy Tucker has captured the essence of Werriberri Trail Rides when she says “awesome”. While we did not venture onto a saddle after the fog lifted, Kathy took us in a four-wheeler into the Blue Mountains bush where her beginners ride. The scenery is truly “awesome”.Beautiful escarpment, [...]

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http://www.leurabluemountainsguide.com/blog/wordpress/?p=160

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Hanging out at Cafe Haiti

post from Streets of Lima on 25 June 2011 04:22:08 AM. © Streets of Lima

[...]

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Top Chinese Companies in the World

In the Forbes' list of Global Top 25 companies in the world, six are Chinese companies.

They are :

Petro China

ICBC

China Construction Bank

Bank of China

Sinopec China

Agricultral Bank of China

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http://www.madaboutshanghai.com/2011/06/top-chinese-companies-in-the-world.html

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Awesome Horse Rides a gorgeous June day

We are borrowing from Werriberri’s marketing theme for we think Kathy Tucker has captured the essence of Werriberri Trail Rides when she says “awesome”. While we did not venture onto a saddle on this gorgeous Blue Mountains day, Kathy took us in a four-wheeler into the bush where her beginners ride. The scenery is truly “awesome”.Beautiful escarpment, [...]

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http://www.leurabluemountainsguide.com/blog/wordpress/?p=160

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