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Zip around the US Capital, Washington Monument, and Smithsonian buildings on Capital Segway. I recently had the unexpected pleasure to receive a tour as a gift, and enjoyed the experience.

The Tour

Tours are given 3 times a day (including weekends and most holidays). After a 15-minute training video, each person is given a Segway to steer inside and around the offices of Capital Segway. Groups are 5-15 people on average. The tours last 2 hours and take you to the traditional Washington DC tourist sights. What set the tour apart for me (aside from the Segway) was how informed and interesting the tour guides made each stop. Already familiar with the area, I found the information from the tour to be unique.

Riding The Segway

The Segway can be quite intimidating to see at first. The instructional video is rather thin and makes it seem like all you can do is fall off the thing. Once you set on though you’ll see how seamlessly the internal gyroscopes do their job. A little lean forward will get you going and a little pull back will slow you down. I was comfortable on the Segway after about 10 minutes and was zipping around the first stop - Pennsylvania Avenue outside of the White House.

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One night during my recent trip to Harman’s North Folk Cottages I decided to take the advice I had read in the cabin journal and head over to Hermitage Inn Restaurant. The previous visitors to the cabin wrote that the steak was the best in town and wanted to see if it was.

The Hermitage, open since 1840, offers a wide variety of selections in its menu, which is a good thing since most else in town is fast food. There restaurant serves fish, chicken, and meats as well as several type of salad and soup. Make sure to ask for the specials, since there are interesting offerings there - the waitress forgot to mention it until after we had ordered.

The Steak: The filet (about $16) was tasteful, but over cooked - granted the servers ask everyone to cut in and check their meat first. Overcooking means that you’d have to send the steak back to the kitchen for a new one and wasting food isn’t very eco-friendly.

The Appetizer To Get: Mushroom caps. Broiled mushrooms stuffed with crab cakes, not very big (about $9).

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Two miles down the road from Harman’s North Folk Cottages are Smoke Hole Caverns. The caverns are a must visit if you are in this part of West Virginia. Unlike other caverns along the east coast of the United States, the Smoke Hole Caverns actually go up into a mountain.

Tours run every 30 minutes 7 days a week from 9am-4pm. Our tour guide was friendly, enthusiastic, and well versed in the historical and geological features of the caverns. You could tell she really enjoyed teaching others about the caves and the really rubbed off on everyone else. (I wish for the life of me I could remember her name, I’ll do some research and get back to you!)

The cost is $10 for a tour that lasts about 30 minutes. Along the tour you will run across a mineral spring with running water. We were told that it was drinkable and I was one of the few who proved it. It’s probably some of the freshest natural water I’ll ever drink.

If you end up arriving between tours, there is a fairly large gift shop with crafts, books on being/cooking like a redneck, and a small fast food kitchen (all with lower than expected prices). You can take a look at some of my better pictures after the jump and the rest here.

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Enjoy a remote section of the Appalachian mountains by staying in the comfortable and clean Harman’s North Folk Cottages. I enjoyed a recent stay there which I couldn’t wait to get home to write about. There are approximately 20 cabins on a small stretch of land right in the mountains of West Virginia. The cabins are far enough apart to where you get a good deal of privacy, but feel close enough to civilization to be comfortable.

Location

The cabins are in Cabins, WV, a tiny town about 2 miles away from Smoke Hole Caverns. Step out of the front door of the cabin and you’ll see the north fork of the Potomac River and one of the impressive mountain faces. There is a convenience store about a mile down the road, but make sure to stock up on groceries. The nearest one is 17 miles away.

Pictures

You can see some of my pictures of and around the cabin here.

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This is a guest post by Fresh Wes who recently participated in the Semester at Sea program through which he visited 10 different countries.

• 1. Place to Visit - One of the most fascinating stops our group made was to Inle Lake, which is located in the mountains of Shan State. The sole method of transport is via wooden boats, most outfitted with small outboard engines. This makes for a relaxing journey across the calm waters of the lake. I recommend staying on the lake itself, in a large cabana, overlooking the water. Sunrises and sunsets on the water are absolutely incredible.
• 2. Currency Exchange - The national currency, the kyat, is heavily regulated by the government. Foreign travelers trying to find a fair exchange rate must avoid any banks. You will likely find the value of a US dollar to be 10-15 times as high when exchanging currency on the street. Be careful though, as this is not considered legal, but for some it is a necessity to make international travel cheaper.

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Get the best deals on common gifts, clothes, and other Indian goods at Indian malls rather than small shops. Both the malls and larger stores offer many of the same goods you’d find in the large shopping areas around Brigade and MG Roads but with lower beginning costs.

Mall prices are generally 20-30% lower and can be brought down 40-60% - depending on your bargaining skills. Many of the smaller shops cater to tourists and higher class shoppers making them reluctant to knock of a few rupees for people who are perceived to have money.

Ironically this seems to be why the malls are a good place to catch a good deal. They aren’t frequented very often by touristy shoppers and are keen on making a sale. Make sure to go at off hours or around closing time and don’t seem to eager to buy. Go to Brigade and MG Roads for good coffee, places to smoke, or great food and save your souvenir buying for the average mall.

[photo by: Arindam Thokder]

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In the thick of a partially residential, semi-business area of crowded Bangalore lies Mocha Cafe. Mocha is a spacious coffee bar that serves food and hookahs with a variety of tobacco flavors. The place is frequented by mostly a younger crowed and has a good fill of people from the mid-afternoon through the evening hours.

The coffee is strong and the hookahs are new, giving a refreshing (but powerful) shot of smoke with each puff. The prices are reasonable, a cup of coffee will run you about $3 and a hookah around $8. The service is good as well - it should be since Mocha has the Indian trait of hiring about 3 times the number of employees that an American or European establishment would. Most of the staff are ethnic residents Manipur, located in the eastern reaches of India. The several waiters I spoke with said they all came to Bangalore for work, as is the case with many ethnic minorities from Manipur.

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I’ve finally been able to upload a few pictures from my first day of walking around Bangalore, India. I’ll continue posting as the week continues.

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I’m going to be traveling around southern India for the next two weeks and writing about my travels along the way. Currently I’m in the process of packing using the 10 of Essentials rule. I’ve purposely limited myself to a small check-in piece of luggage in order to avoid weight fees.

Despite my Google hacking preparation, does anyone have any suggestions for travel to this part of the world? Leave me some tips in the comments, and I’ll keep you updated with posts and pictures along the way.

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The slogan adopted and originated in Austin, Texas to “keep Austin weird” was created to promote small businesses throughout the city.

The embodiment of the weirdness can be seen throughout the city as large chain restaurants and stores not easy to come by.

Travel down to the South Congress area to find a strip of individual restaurants, beer, with live music…of course. You can find weirdness in Austin, including people, places, and events at the Keep Austin Weird homepage.

I’d like to hear comments from those of you who have been to Austin, as my time there was short. Austin barely missed out on my list of the best US cities to visit on a weak dollar.

[photo by: traylev]

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