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In the next few months I will be visiting Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and the extent of my Spanish language capabilities are what I can remember from a Spanish 101 course I took in college plus a little that I’ve picked up from telenovelas and spanish music stations over the years. What I need to learn now are the words I’ll need to get through basic transactions like ordering food, shopping or hailing a taxi, etc., so I searched my iPhone/iPod Touch apps prepared to pay for a decent learning tool, but ended up choosing the Spanish Dict app, which is free and seems to work quite well. This language learning app which is more than a dictionary, also includes a comprehensive phrase section. Like the “old fashioned” traveler’s phrase books that people used as recently as the 1990s, the word section includes categories on topics such as greetings and introductions, directions, transportation and more. There is even a selection of useful phrases for “love and dating” . One of the shortcomings of the phrase book section, is that it doesn’t advise on banter – so it doesn’t have any advice on the appropriate polite response to things. For example, in the “love and dating section, “Me estas molestando” is a bit harsh to the question -”¿Quieres casarte conmigo?” if you’re an adult. In the “restaurant section” – “Qué asco!” also seems a bit extreme. If you don’t like how something tastes simply set it aside. Being rude or jumpy doesn’t help a traveler’s cause so when using the phrase book, don’t forget to be tactful, and use the rule of thumb, if you wouldn’t say it in English then don’t say it in Spanish … or any other language. Read the rest of this entry »
Remember when travel used to involve months of advance planning in order to get a decent rate? Sometimes you had to reserve rooms and flights so far in advance that you never could keep up and ended up not doing it at all. Thankfully this is no longer the case. If you have a few consecutive spare days available this April for example you can take advantage of this deal:
The all-inclusive Gran Bahia Principe La Romana is just $55 per person, per night for stays April 4-30, 2010, if you book with CheapCaribbean.com. Regular rates are $159 per person. Be sure to book quickly. At this rate, rooms won’t last long.
Now that’s a quickie Caribbean get away in a four star resort with a room rate that’s cheaper than a grungy motel down the road. Combine it with a fare sale which isn’t hard to find and you have a refreshing, and reasonably priced get away for the cost of a minor shopping spree.
Click here for details about the Gran Bahia Principe La Romana. If April’s no good, don’t worry, looks like the savings continue through the end of June.
