Cookie travels

I cannot count how many road trips and travels our family had enjoyed with our used car. Used car is a good option for us coz of its cheaper price compared to new ones. Our move to Europe again prompted us to buy a used car. My hubby had three cars to choose from but after the test drive, he settled for Volkswagen. We of course missed our previous Jeep coz it was spacious compared to our current car so sometimes we tend to dream about SUVs. Anyway, each used car we owned brought forth different road experiences. One of them I remembered was the tire that suddenly got distorted in shape. We had to replace it with a new one, including the other three tires to avoid similar incidents in the future. Battery is also another problem.

Used cars can be cheaper but the maintenance might become costly in the long run. So it is a good advice to do your used car research before buying one. You can start by reading articles pertaining to used cars at BuyYourCar.com. Their articles on ‘Value Of Buying A Used Car’, questions you need to ask the seller, verifying the car’s condition, making the most of your test drive, post-drive checkpoints, safe buying tips to avoid identity theft, payment scams and other frauds, and the used-car-buyers’ checklist are essential guides in buying used cars.

You can find the best priced used cars at BuyYourCar.com. This United Kingdom based company has a huge database of used cars from private and used car dealers. If you visit their website, you can use their search facility with criteria such as car make or car model. You can also further refine your search by setting the price range, distance, postcode, and seller type. If you don’t have any particular car in mind, you can also browse through their extensive list of used cars with photos and information such as engine and transmission, body type, color, mileage, price, seller type, and address. BuyYourCar.com not only helps you find used car, they can also help you sell your car online. And if you want to know the most popular used cars at BuyYourCar.com, check out their website. Was it Volkswagen?

Whenever we travel, it’s customary for us to shop for souvenirs, memorable stuffs or whatever that we feel like buying inside the shopping center. We would usually spend half a day shopping for a two day trip, and longer shopping time for long vacation.

Let me share with you some shopping ideas for those with teenagers at home. I know kids are becoming technology oriented and would want to have their own PCs for games, downloading music, or chatting with their friends. Instead of buying them a pre-assembled PC, it would be better if we allow them to build their own machines. Kids can learn the barebones of computer here and parents can save over $1,000 compared to those readily available PCs. It’s a win-win situation.

Why not surprise them with a DIY or Do It yourself PC kit in one of your travels. I’m sure it would bring them smiles. If you are pressed for time and can’t find one as you shop around coz I know short trips can be very hectic, you can always order online at EasyAsMyPC. Their Do It yourself PC kits are easy to assemble and contains everything your child needs to build his or her own computer. These kits also include clear and easy-to-follow instructions in English, lots of illustrations, and a full manufacturer warranty. A screwdriver is all your child needs and the results are remarkable in only a few hours. A great surprise indeed.

When you travel to United States for a holiday be sure it’s somewhere during Thanksgiving so you won’t miss the shopping event in the United States known as Black Friday. Black Friday falls on the day after Thanksgiving probably anywhere in the last week of November. You can check your calendar for the exact Thanksgiving Day. Now let me tell you why you shouldn’t miss this shopping event. You can save a lot of money when shopping for Christmas by purchasing items during black Friday coz of the deep discounts given by retails stores. Shoppers are just so in the shopping mood here even your boss will give you a day off despite its being a non public holiday. What’s up for grab? There are door buster deals, wherein items are sold at a very low-price for the early birds who can come to their store as early as 5am or there’s the loss leader for items sold at cost or even at a loss.

On the other hand, this might not be a good idea for you if you are a shopper who wants to enjoy a hassle-free shopping experience coz Black Friday shopping is a chaotic shopping encounter. You have to wait in line outside the store at a very early time, experience shoulder-to-shoulder customer traffic, jammed store aisles, crowded and busy elevators, the rush and the grabbing of hugely discounted items, you are lucky if you get that item you want, not to mention the hunger, stress, and sleepiness. But here’s the good news, you don’t have to experience all these in order to enjoy a Black Friday sale. At Black-Friday.net you can still purchase Black Friday items. It’s online so it’s hassle-free. Their consumer friendly website enables you to plan your holiday shopping and also offers email alerts so you will know when new Black Friday announcements are available. Remember shopping here is hassle-free.

This summer we have been thinking of going camping. There are many camping sites here in Finland and it’s just a matter of planning where we really want to go. For this kind of outdoor travel, for me 5.11 tactical pants would be an appropriate gear. I like it coz it’s convenient and durable to wear. It has spacious cargo pockets that allows you to store a handy flashlight, mobile phone, or any other stuff you want to carry, even some reading materials like pocketbooks or magazines to keep you entertained while on the go. These kinds of pants are all readily available in tactical outdoors shop online. With just few mouse clicks you can choose the different designs and colors you want, read the features and product description, and eventually decide which one to order. With shipping usually done in the same business day, it would be in time for a camping trip. What about you, what’s your perfect gear for a camping trip…?

I’ve been window shopping yesterday and wish I’m in Thailand. So many brightly colored spring wears and accessories on display in the shops. And summer wears are coming up, too. Ah shopping! It’s really cheap to shop in Thailand especially for clothing, accessories, shoes, electronics, and more to which I just realized now, I never took photos of my shopping spree. Aside from those mentioned, here are some shopping finds in Thailand from another travel bug happysteps.net, with photos.

No interesting destination so far except for the family holiday we had in Helsinki last December which I haven’t blogged yet. I’ll resume my sightseeing trips in and around Pori when weather is good for such activity. On the other hand, here’s some info I’d like to share if you are visiting Pori, yearning for Asian food, or simply looking for anything exotic. There is an Asian treasure in Pori you might be interested. It is a small Asian store along Yrjönkatu, opposite block after the Post Office, the Thai Market. I don’t know why they named it as such possibly because there are a lot of Thais shopping here. I met 3 Thai ladies already on my different stops to this store. This shop not only sells Thai products but also goods from Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, and other Asian countries. The owner told me that they order their supplies from Helsinki where there are 2 bigger Asian markets there. I also learned that they replenish their vegetable supplies every Wednesday and dry goods every few months. My hubby’s colleague who has been staying in Pori for more than a year now told us about this market. It’s something he thinks we might want to check out for Asian food products. At first I think I won’t but when you miss that familiar dish, it’s a place to visit.

Thai Market opens Mon-Fri 11-17, Sat 10-14
Address: Yrjönkatu 7, 28100 Pori
Tel/Fax: 02-633 1339
Email: info@thaimarket.fi
Website: www.thaimarket.fi

It’s Saturday once again. It’s my hubby’s day to go to ‘fish market’ as what we call it. I was curious to see how the fish market in Pori looks like so I went with him. Hubby discovered this market few Saturdays ago and since then he frequents this place for fish. I think fish vendors come here on Saturdays only. This is my first time to shop here and it doesn’t look like the usual fish market I’ve seen in Thailand or Philippines. This is an open area where the vendors park their vans or trailers, put up a stall and display different kinds of fish; and the place is clean. Not much vendors too. Today there were 5 stalls. They were selling Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Pike (’Hauki’ in Finnish), Burbot (’Made’ in Finnish), Whitefish, and others. I stopped asking the lady the names of the fish but can’t help to speak out my one last question. I asked her how they cook Burbot coz it looks weird. She replied “it’s good for making soup”. Hmmm. Some vendors also sell smoked fish and others sell fish packed in styrofoams. Anyway we bought a Rainbow Trout. I brought my camera with me and took some photos so you can see what I’m blogging here. Fish lovers, you might find the fish you like in this market!

rainbow trout	burbot
pike	salmon