Our LONG Connection with Hyatt Hotels

It was exactly on April 12, 2023 that Pieter's account with WORLD OF HYATT got closed.

Already during the time Pieter worked for Campbell Soup, he frequently stayed at their Hyatt Regency at Cherry Hill, New Jersey—close to the Campbell Soup Headquarters.

That now is a Hilton.

Even our canine Mauzie spent the night there with us on October 23, 1983 as Pieter had to make a presentation for the President of Campbell Soup—while we were in San Francisco he had to write this...

See: From Santa Cruz to San Francisco for the Weekend ←click link.

So that means Pieter was in his 40th year of membership.

But now I got my own WORLD OF HYATT

~

In March of 2008, Pieter received a very unique email message

For Pieter's 50 unique Hyatt hotel stays—he received a gift of 10,000 bonus points!

That was for stays between January 1995 and March 2008...

Pieter's Hyatt Map with Hawaii, USA, Curaçao in the Caribbean and to the right Singapore

Showing the different locations from left to right:

Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport; Hyatt Place Scottsdale/Old Town in Arizona; Grand Hyatt Atlanta, Georgia; Hyatt Regency Jacksonville, Florida; Grand Hyatt Washington, DC

More cities from left to right:

Hyatt Place Scottsdale/Old Town in Arizona; Hyatt Place Atlanta/Cobb Galleria in Smyrna, Georgia; Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort an Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida where we took our Foster–Daughter after her graduation from the University in Surabaya, Indonesia; Grand Hyatt Washington DC where we also took our Foster–Daughter; Hyatt House Philadelphia in Pennsylvania

Some favorite ones in the South East:

Hyatt Regency Savannah, Georgia; Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa Bonita Springs in Florida

Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa in Honolulu, Tempe in Arizona, Norcross in Georgia

Again Waikiki, Hawaii and Grand Hyatt Tampa in Florida

Hyatt Place Tempe/Phoenix Airport in Arizona and Hyatt Regency, Savannah in Georgia and Hyatt Place Orlando/Universal in Florida

Our favorite Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty Six where we watched Princess Diana's funeral... Princess Diana's Funeral and Our Hyatt Regency Pier 66 Adventure ←click it.

Hyatt Regency Miami

Fun games for points...

Addictive those games for points!

We ALWAYS enjoyed all of our Hyatt stays!

We did start using Pieter's remaining points by the end of 2022 for free nights: Our Stay at Hyatt Place Downtown Knoxville and Meeting Blogger Friend ←click link. Also on 2nd Christmas Day when we used more points for free nights: Our Stay at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando, Florida ←click link. 

Pieter also did earn a $ 100 Hyatt Gift Card* which we used towards the end for paying for our meals in Orlando...

Followed by this free stay: Our Stay at Hyatt Regency Sarasota Florida ←click link.

For our Trip to the WEST last year July, we also stayed mainly at Hyatt hotels.

Now I am looking forward to using my personal WORLD OF HYATT card for the first stay at a Hyatt hotel — hoping that will be soon enough in the coming months.

December 31 With Pieter J.C. Vedder Visiting Sitanala Leprosy Hospital in Indonesia

 Just wanting to take you back to Indonesia during the time we did still consulting, after having lived and worked there for about 3 years.

So you get to see how we spent New Year's Eve...

~ 

December 31, 1998

Grateful for Gil Gillis from TV 35 (at that time) for putting this together for us to show to the Rotarians and others.

En route to our work, on December 31, 1998, we visited Sitanala to deliver a donation from the Dublin, Georgia Rotary Club and Friends. 

Hand delivering the cash US Dollars to Father S. Binzler, a Jesuit, who worked with the leprosy patients on their designated compound.

On November 04, 1989 Princess Diana visited the very same Sitanala Leprosy Hospital.

On my blogpost: {Like Princess Diana, I also Tried to Tackle the Leprosy Stigma} ←click on link.

On the following video you also will see shocking images of the damaged and burned buildings of the Chinese Christians, who ran the businesses for the majority.

In May and November of 1998, those 'rioters' damaged some 6,000 buildings and tortured, raped and killed some 1,200...

It was for me personally the closest I've ever come to a war zone.

Pieter starts out with his finger on the map showing our route of flight for reaching our 'work' destiny:

Atlanta, Georgia/USA on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to Amsterdam, then on to Singapore and finally reaching Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.

Happy New Year to ALL!

Both of us LOVE Elephants

 Having touched a baby elephant in person in South India even made us fall in love deeper with elephants.

We even love to wear elephants...

Me, September 18, in my Escada elephant outfit—complete with shoes and I forgot my jeans purse...

Pieter wearing his black Escada silk elephant tie.

Shown in a 2015 blog post: {Princess Diana's Elephant Tie just like Pieter's} ←click it.

If you scroll down you also see Princess Diana wearing her Escada elephant jacket in black versus mine in blue jeans below her picture.

Backside of my Escada silk elephant shirt.

Also elephants on the cuffs.

Such designers are artists!

Yes, I do have a silk scarf in that style as well.

Showing the embroidered elephants around pockets and matching elephant belt.

Had to take this picture of the belt buckle inside, not in bright, sunny daylight to show you that on the previous picture it was just some glare at the top.

Related link:

{We met 4 Baby Elephants in South India - Fuzzy and  Soft...} | previous post by me

Princess Diana's Funeral and Our Hyatt Regency Pier 66 Adventure

 At times it does not work out the way you planned it to be...

But in a good mood we set the nose of our car Southbound on September 3, 1997.

At home, ready for our short trip with end destination Fort Lauderdale, Florida...

Wearing a hat with my Hermès silk shawl around it.

Escada jeans and top...

Our wood garden visible behind me.

We woould be driving in our Mazda Millenia S, from December 19, 1994.

We did our Outlet shopping and in Ellenton at the Escada Outlet I was surprised to find still so many strawberry items; 75% off now.

One night at a Best Western in that area and next day we drove to Sawgrass Mills Outlets via I-75.

At Last Call by Neiman Marcus I found the Chanel pumps from $ 535.00 for $ 149.00 that were too small for me when we saw them in May; now in my size! 

Pieter bought a Nokia cell phone...

Then to the Budget Inn for the night.

On Friday morning, September 5, we had to leave, too bad as at 13:00 there would be a program on TV about Princess Diana...

Around 14:00 we checked in at Hyatt Regency Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale, just before the weather became really bad due to hurricane Erika being on its way from Puerto Rico. 

Pieter had to go back to the car and got wet...

Closing the double insulated curtains, I tried on my Outlet scores...

My Chanel thongs, a previous score from Last Call by Neiman Marcus.

Loved these Escada strawberry pieces when I saw them in the big catalog.

So what else to do ,when it is raging outside, but making photos...

My watch from Singapore airport taxfree

We did visit Matthew & Sandra Keysers (my sister–in–law's Uncle & Aunt) and back to our Hyatt Regency Pier 66 where we enjoyed a great dinner with a bottle of wine.

Our luxury two free nights!

Saturday, September 6, we did watch the funeral of Princess Diana at 4:40 while the storm raged outside.

Now we also got to know WHY we had double curtains in our room; for blocking out the noise of the raging wind and rain. 

We had a perfect room with balcony also around the corner but no way we could step outside...

You can view a short video of the dramatic clouds upon our arrival: Princess Diana's Funeral Day and our stay at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. ←click link.

We could not swim so we went to Bal Harbour and it still was stormy with heavy rain.

We drove in our own Mazda Millenia to Bal Harbour, not in this Hyatt Regency limo...!

Pieter got a pair of nice Charles Jourdan shoes and we enjoyed an ice cream.

Already had my Escada strawberry shorts and sweater, with matching purse.

Also found my most favorite ever La Perla bathing suite at the Aventura Mall and they would mail the matching pareo skirt.

Seen in above photo, ONLY photo I have of it (click link below to know WHY...). Pareo skirt is next to my feet.

We went to bed in time and next day we drove home in one stretch the 565 mile or 909 kilometer.

Those were the days when we both were driving and traffic was not that bad!

Related link:

Our First Stay in Fort Lauderdale, Florida | previous post by me

{What Type of Feet do YOU have?} | previous post by me where I show the La Perla bathing suit...

WORLD LEPROSY DAY

 On January 30, it will be the annual WORLD LEPROSY DAY

In 1989 this lady received a prosthesis from Princess Diana and then in 1997 from the Dublin, Georgia, USA Rotary Club.

As you quite well know, while working and living in Indonesia we got involved with the Leprosy project.

{My 6 Min Presentation The Truth About Leprosy for GPDLI, AtAmerica U.S. EMBASSY JAKARTA}←click link

Even back in my birth country The Netherlands we had a leper colony...

The Windmill Herald was a bi-weekly Dutch-English Newspaper printed by Vanderheide Publishing Co Ltd. Langley, BC Canada.

Comments are off here, only via above link...

{Princess Diana's Elephant Tie just like Pieter's}

Sometimes it is funny what you might come across in this world!

So it is for this silk Escada Elephant Tie, that I got for husband Pieter.

Husband Pieter showing his silk Escada Elephant tie...

Princess Diana wearing it with her Escada Elephant suit.

Princess Diana's Escada tie set to fetch £3,000 ←click on link from Fashion Telegraph UK

Closeup of Pieter's Escada tie...

Princess Diana gift tie makes £3,800 in Essex auction ←click on link.

Even though I never wore a silk tie, I have to admit that Princess Diana looked stunning wearing one!

Princess Diana's Escada tie expected to fetch £3000  ←click on link

Princess Diana’s silk Escada tie set to smash £3,000 estimate as it goes under the hammer ←click link to Daily Mail UK

This is me in May 2000, in Maastricht, Netherlands, wearing my Escada jeans suit with gold embroidered Elephants...

Not wearing a silk tie but a silk scarf with Elephants!

That's me, in May of 2000 after the International Mushroom Science Congress and after a hair cut!

Both of us, LOVE elephants, those intelligent and gentle giants...

Via FB's: What Animal Will You Be Reincarnated As? Pieter would be an Elephant as shown above!

{My 6 Min Presentation The Truth About Leprosy for GPDLI, AtAmerica U.S. EMBASSY JAKARTA}

In commemoration of World Leprosy Day I got invited by Mr. Nuah Tarigan Sahing from GPDLI (Disability Care Movement & Leprosy Indonesia) to be a speaker at the Talk Show from AtAmerica, U.S. EMBASSY JAKARTA. Of course I felt honored but it was impossible to be present for the actual presentation in Indonesia on Friday, February 28... 

~

We were coming home from The Netherlands to the U.S. on February 25. Knowing full well that it was the LAST time I would ever see my Mom — but I agreed for having a professional video made with the help of a dear friend and great donor for the Dublin, Georgia/U.S. Rotary Club's Leprosy project in Jakarta, Indonesia. Below this post you will find the two previous posts that I did write about our visits to the Leprosy hospital where also Princess Diana did visit.

Coming home by 22:15 on the 25th, I did dedicate the 26th for writing the transcript for my 6 minute video presentation. The video was made in friend Gil's studio Gillis Studio (click link) on the 27th. 

Not quite recovered from my jet-lag and seeing my Mom for the very last time, but it was not about me but about Ending the Stigma.

Real video is further below...

'Advocate for ending the STIGMA of Leprosy'
The above is just a screenshot; not the actual video for clicking on! That is further down...

The time of 2:00 - 4:00 PM or 14:00 - 16:00 would have been in the middle of the night for me in U.S. time. No way I could have done this in real time...

So uploading my 6 minute video onto YouTube made it possible for them to show it for the Presentation.
This you can click in the center for viewing!

If you like to watch this on YouTube you also find the link to my complete transcript as well as here below: The Truth About Leprosy - Experiences by a USA Citizen for GPDLI & US EMBASSY Indonesia.pdf Direct link to YouTube: The Truth About Leprosy - Experiences by a USA Citizen for GPDLI & US EMBASSY Indonesia

This is my contact person Nuah Tarigan Sahing, from the GPDLI, Jakarta, Indonesia. He is a warrior on behalf of those Leprosy victims and we need more people like him that are active on social media for raising awareness.

All participants in this Talk Show are seated and here the Host is introducing me as a friend of GPDLI... This is where the Live Stream (just click hyperlink) will be showing my YouTube uploaded video.

This is me in the Leprosy hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 1989 this lady received a prosthesis from Princess Diana and then in 1997 from the Dublin, Georgia, USA Rotary Club.

Ending my 6 minute presentation with the words:

The Stigma of Leprosy has to STOP! We need to raise more awareness in the media and with journalists.

Pleased that this @america video Presentation The Truth About Leprosy yielded 4,798,000 viewer minutes so far. It has been taken off the air later...   LEPROSY IS A CURABLE DISEASE LEPROSY IS NOT A HEREDITARY DISEASE  LEPROSY IS LIKE ANY OTHER DISEASE IT CAN BE CURED

Related links:

{World Leprosy Day} | previous post by me

{Like Princess Diana, I also Tried to Tackle the Leprosy Stigma} | previous post by me
{My 8th Blog Award - Sunshine from Japan} | previous post by me mentioning our fight for the underdog
{We saw FOUR Armadillos at Lunch Time!} | Humans can acquire a leprosy infection from armadillos by handling them or consuming armadillo meat, and are a presumed vector and natural reservoir for the disease in Texas and Louisiana - previous post by me

{Mom & Dad's 65th Wedding Anniversary} | coming home from The Netherlands—seeing Mom for the LAST time...‏