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Original Message
"I need a Vacation"
Posted by foonermints on 11-18-12 at 03:31 PM
Where should I go?
Even though my high altitude climbing days are over, I'd still like to go back to Argentina. The flight's a little spendy, but I enjoy the cafe culture in Mendoza. On the other hand, maybe just settle for a week in Cabo San Lucas? A cruise? That would be a first! I really have little desire to return to Thailand or Nepal, and I'm sure as Hell not going back to Afghanistan, even if some people want me there.
Guess what? *lalalalalala*

What does OT think?


Handcrafted by RollDdice
Never been in Europe, either, but there was that girl from Düsseldorf..
OH! I spent a night in Frankfurt, too.

Table of contents
Messages in this discussion
"Africa, then Australia."
Posted by Estee on 11-18-12 at 03:53 PM
You can narrow it down from there, but you've got continents to check off.
"RE: Africa, then Australia."
Posted by foonermints on 11-18-12 at 04:28 PM
Africa? Where's the cafe culture? Probably Rhodesia, or whatever it's called nowadays..

I spent a pleasant month in New Zealand. Driving was crazy until I got used to it. I hadn't thought of Austrailia. What's there besides the opera?

I wonder what Italy is like?


You'll never find me!

"RE: Africa, then Australia."
Posted by Karchita on 11-18-12 at 07:52 PM
I think Italy invented cafe culture. You'd like it there. I think everyone needs to go to Italy before they die; it is delightful. We were in Sicily a few years ago and loved it.

And despite the bandito incident, I would recommend Nicaragua. Dollar for dollar, what you pay for airfare to Nic will get you someplace less like the United States than any place else. Granada is quite civilized and has cafes, the Corn Islands are truly idyllic, and the volcanoes and various national parks provide opportunity for some mild outdoor adventures. Honduras was great, too.

We had a great time in Mexico City last year and it has cafe culture galore. In fact, we'll probably go back there this year. I'd highly recommend Queretaro as well (about 3 hours from Mexico City). Culture and cafes galore. I spent about six weeks there last year and am trying to figure out how to get back there this year. It's gorgeous and like Europe but at 1/3 of the price.


"Cafe' Life?"
Posted by LeftPinky on 11-19-12 at 11:32 PM
South of France - especially this time of year when there are no mobs of tourists. Hang out in Provence - Arles or Aix in Provence, great wine, good food, wonderful people!

"RE: Cafe' Life?"
Posted by foonermints on 11-20-12 at 09:32 AM
The only problem is that my French is pretty terrible.

I'm afraid they'll stone me for "language mangle".

"RE: Cafe' Life?"
Posted by kingfish on 11-20-12 at 09:56 AM
Just say Champaign and chauffeur a lot, and they'll take you for a native.

Say Champaign enough and you won't really care what they think.

"RE: Cafe' Life?"
Posted by Dakota on 11-25-12 at 02:53 AM
LAST EDITED ON 11-25-12 AT 02:54 AM (EST)

>I'm afraid they'll stone me
>for "language mangle".

That happens in London. In Paris they just sneer.

Edited for tiny spelling error.


Agman's Spring Fling '12

"Go somewhere, low, and flat"
Posted by Snidget on 11-18-12 at 04:23 PM
Like the Maldives, before they go under.
"Maldives?"
Posted by foonermints on 11-18-12 at 04:41 PM
That sounds good.
I completely forgot about the Galapagos too. I spent some wonderful time there, and Sandee would go nuts for the animals.

Snidget: instantly doubling the cost of vacations.

"RE: Maldives?"
Posted by kingfish on 11-18-12 at 06:11 PM
Find a mountain with an escalator.

Or,

I took a great vacation in Africa, a safari thru the Okavango in Botswana. Loads of untamed animals in close up situations, kinda unsettling sometimes, especially with the lions and leopards, but definitely an animal enthusiast's dream. Also a birder's dream trip. African birds life is extremely fascinating. They may even have a few possums.

You need an experienced guide to get the most out of it. We did a camping deal where we camped out (in tents and camps set up by assistants to the guide) and ate food cooked over a campfire by camp setteruppers. After spotting lion and hyena tracks in the dust after we woke up on the first morning, we were inclined to hold off visiting the latrine at night. Or pee in a cup. Walking around at night was definitely right out.

The elephants are the most fun and the most frightening. One answers to the name of Ed, and if you run across Ed, tell him hey from me.

We did our hunting with cameras (which would be my recommendation, you get to do more touring and seeing, and if you are hunting you spend too much time being involved in that. Plus you have a lot of border crossing/entry issues if you bring your own weapons), but you can get a license to take one of a few different species of animals (mostly the deer/antelope like ones) as part of their wildlife management program.

Main rule is don't mess with young animals of any kind. Mama'a get real mean.

"Africa"
Posted by foonermints on 11-18-12 at 06:59 PM
Thanks for the information. It's now on the list.
I don't hunt anymore. Unless it served a practical purpose for food, I was never in that cult. Be lucky if I could shoot a beer can off a fence post at ten feet. With a slingshot.

We had a guide in the Galapagos. I completely understand what you mean. I don't think Sandee would be into camping with her back problems, but as I recall, dirt is cleaner than lots of foreign mattresses.

I could rarely wait to get out of Dodge and into the wilderness when I was young. Maybe now I just want to oogle.

Maybe there's a pill for that.

"RE: Africa"
Posted by kingfish on 11-18-12 at 09:35 PM
Yeah, a bad back would be a problem. They provide army cots and air mattresses (I have never liked army cots so I slept on an air mattress on the ground) so sleeping might not be a problem, but you need a healthy back to take the jolting around on unpaved dirt jungle trails.

We were on benches in the bed in a small PU truck, and I took a few shots to the head from an overhead crossbar when the guide got a little frisky crossing low areas.

Worth it, though. The Okavango is an amazing place.

"RE: Africa"
Posted by foonermints on 11-18-12 at 09:58 PM

»and I took a few shots to the head «

Allright. This is a no-go.

Sandee refuses to wear a helmet.

I'm having flashbacks to Vietnam. No, not really, but another option is to see it again. I'm a pretty tough guy. Italy sounds better though.

"RE: Africa"
Posted by kingfish on 11-18-12 at 11:48 PM
No need to warn you not to tickle the snout of the crocodiles, then?

I know people who did a bike trip down the west coast of Italy, Naples to Calabria, then to and around Sicily. They said that the downhill parts were pretty easy.

The wine in northern Italy is better, though.

"RE: Africa"
Posted by Karchita on 11-19-12 at 03:51 PM
But the pizza is better in the south.


"What a Dilemma!"
Posted by foonermints on 11-19-12 at 04:13 PM
Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza? Wine? Pizza?
"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by Starshine on 11-19-12 at 04:18 PM
The Lake District, not many cafes but loads of pubs, some wonderful walks, Kendal mint cake, Striding Edge, or maybe the Highlands of Scotland, wonderful views, wonderful people, the unhealthiest diet in Europe (and possibly the world) dodgy tartans (My Scottish family is from Portobello, why have we got a tartan?)

http://www.expeditions.com/Day_By_Day65.asp?Expedition=723&Destination=288

If you want cafes then I back Italia, Napoli is where the pizza was invented, but if you stay in Sorrento you can avoid the muggings and still experience the real thing, also you can easily arrange trips to see Pompeii, Herculanium, Vesuvius, Capri (so beautiful the Emperor Tiberius abandoned Roma for it) and the Amalfi drive. And if you can arrange it Roma itself is a wonderful city with a lot to see and do (the Pantheon is one of the most amazing buildings I have been in and it's almost 1900 years old, the Popes nicked all the bronze from the roof). If you tell your guide that you are a Brit it is amazing the number of digs at the UK there are in the Vatican.

I know you are from Lalaland, but I should warn you that Italian driving is best observed from afar (and oddly enough even before cars were invented they had this reputation) if you want to cross the road safely dress as a nun.

Lovely cheese Mooney

Where are Voice of the Beehive when we need them?


"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by kidflash212 on 11-19-12 at 04:21 PM
I'll chip in for the vacation if fooner will dress as a nun for the whole trip.
"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by foonermints on 11-19-12 at 06:12 PM
"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by weltek on 11-20-12 at 12:07 PM
The "cafe culture" thing made me think of Italy, too. So, so much to do. We flew into Italy, spent two weeks driving around quaint hill towns and stayed a few days in Siena. Then we dropped our car at the airport in Florence and did public transportation in Florence, Prato (conference there) and Rome for a week. It was perfect in every way.

That being said, Spain, Chile, Argentina an Brazil are high on my list.



-Handcrafted by RollDdice

"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by Starshine on 11-20-12 at 12:56 PM
Spain is vastly under rated, like most countries it has a variety of landscapes, the people are friendly (Although angry with the Government and EU), prices are quite cheap, and the food is just starting to be recognised as a superior cuisine.

It does take a bit of getting around though, if you wanted to visit Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, and Santiago de Compostela, actually it's only about a thousand miles, long but doable I suppose.

"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by kingfish on 11-20-12 at 03:00 PM
Trains for long distance, and car rental for shorter travel makes that problem much more doable.

I did a round from Madrid thru Galicia and Asturias to Santiago de Compostela, then thru Portugal to southern and coastal Spain, Malaga, Marbella, up thru Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Barcelona and back to Madrid via rail and car. We took our time and the hops were very comfortably doable. Rented villas in Portugal - (Oh the Port wine in Porto!) and Southern Spain.

Spanish wine/sherry is very good, and the Tapas make lots of meals unecessary.

"STOP it!"
Posted by weltek on 11-20-12 at 03:18 PM
I can't afford Spain until at least 2015, so quit tempting me.


-Handcrafted by RollDdice

"RE: STOP it!"
Posted by kingfish on 11-20-12 at 09:13 PM
let me know when you go and maybe I can give some tips.
"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by MKitty on 11-21-12 at 03:00 PM
I desperately want to go back to Spain. Was only there for a few days in Barcelona a few years back..and totally fell in loe with the place. The architecture, the food, the lifestyle...everything I love!! I hope to get back there for 2014 as I have a six month sabbatical coming up then...


*winter delight from Sharnina*

"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by Max Headroom on 11-19-12 at 04:59 PM
I hear Timbuktu is beautiful this time of year. And one-way plane tickets are much cheaper than round-trips.

"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by foonermints on 11-19-12 at 06:21 PM
"Despite its illustrious history, modern-day Timbuktu is an impoverished town, poor even by Third World standards."

Why does this not sound good to me?

"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by Karchita on 11-19-12 at 07:07 PM
I hear that if you dress as a nun, they treat you well.


"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by foonermints on 11-19-12 at 07:36 PM
Possibly.
Again on the Plus side, I could get a new whacking stick.
"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by kingfish on 11-19-12 at 07:54 PM
I hear Tim bucked two. Fred only bucked one.

And I hear that the wine in Timbuktu tastes like Yak pee. Actually I heard the wine in Timbuktu is Yak pee.

"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by foonermints on 11-19-12 at 08:01 PM
LAST EDITED ON 11-19-12 AT 08:01 PM (EST)

No doubt imported. Probably from the Northern region of Yak Pee City.
It's good to know that Max cares about my well-being.

"Note:"
Posted by foonermints on 11-19-12 at 08:13 PM

Not Yak Pee. It's actually pretty good this year!
"Have you been to"
Posted by moonbaby on 11-20-12 at 01:19 PM
New Yak City?

"Rumor Has It"
Posted by foonermints on 11-20-12 at 10:48 PM
That Secret Santa might hideaway there.

Hee!

"Another suggestion."
Posted by Max Headroom on 11-20-12 at 07:37 PM
Fatick, Senegal. Be sure to say hi to my niece while you're there.
"RE: Another suggestion."
Posted by foonermints on 11-20-12 at 10:53 PM

How many people want to send me to Africa?
"RE: Another suggestion."
Posted by kingfish on 11-21-12 at 09:44 AM
Not me. We got a case in Anarctica, and I need to send my #2 to gather evidence. Apparently there is a bad egg in the Emperor penguin colony, and he/she's selling chicks into white/black slavery. Terrible business.

So, if it were me, I'd also be considering Chile, or a combined tour of Chile, Patagonia, and Argentina, with a side trip to visit penguins in Anarctica. Checking that 7th continent off the bucket list is something to consider. Might waiot till it's warmer there.

Lots of good wine there too, and they make tortilla pizzas.

"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by Dakota on 11-21-12 at 12:57 PM
Australia. New Zealand.


Tribe's Talent '12

"My best idea yet."
Posted by Max Headroom on 11-21-12 at 03:07 PM
Ask Sandee where she wants to go. And then take her there.
"RE: My best idea yet."
Posted by Karchita on 11-21-12 at 03:26 PM


Why didn't I think of that?

"RE: My best idea yet."
Posted by foonermints on 11-22-12 at 02:55 AM
I could ask where Karchita wants to go.. and taken her there.
foonermint: Only the Holy thoughts.
"RE: My best idea yet."
Posted by Starshine on 11-22-12 at 09:52 AM
Sadly you cannot take her to Sandy Island anymore

Mean Australians

"No Problemo"
Posted by foonermints on 11-22-12 at 12:41 PM
Grit's favorite author, Clive Cussler, will ressurect it. Packing my bags already.

I'm taking my Secret Santa gift with me, too.

"The List"
Posted by Karchita on 12-01-12 at 07:49 PM
Circumnavigation of the Mediterranean Sea. Overland in a clockwise direction, starting in Spain and ending in Morocco. Six months minimum time allotment. We may need to wait for some areas until there is less lead in the air.

RTW (Round the World). Going west. One year minimum time allotment.

South America. All of it. One year minimum time allotment.

Mexico. For five years, give or take.

Also:

Thailand
South Africa
New Zealand/Australia. Six months minimum time allotment.

Or anyplace else. I have fun wherever I go.

First rule of travel:
Go.

Second rule of travel:
Have fun.


foonermint: Only holey thoughts. Fixed that for ya.

"RE: The List"
Posted by foonermints on 12-02-12 at 04:47 PM
I like your approach.
Whenever I went somewhere I usually spent at least a month. How can you get to know the place in just a few days?
In Nepal, I'd rent the 2nd floor of the Shakti Hotel. It was my base during the pre-monsoon season. Cost? about $40/month. It was my home that I'd drag myself back to after climbing.
The month I spent in the Galapagoes went by in the blink of an eye. Couldn't get the permit renewed, but I should have become a fugitive. Foonermint: Illegal alien!
I'd probably still be on the lam from la migra.

I like South America. That Brazil visa is a shock, but wth.

Thailand - I've passed through a lot, spent a week in Chaing Mai, but I'm still not that fascinated.

Got a crazy rental car for a month in New Zealand with a few friends. Nobody wanted to drive, so guess who volunteered?
Two Rules: "Don't hit anything" "Don't get hit by anything!"

We should start with the Med. I'd give that a year.
Five years in Mexico? Sure you want to be with "Gringo Grande?"

Hey, people are short.
/flirt

"From my Secret Santa List.."
Posted by foonermints on 11-22-12 at 02:28 AM
I'm going to ask where Sweden wants to go. I bet it's Argentina.

"RE: From my Secret Santa List.."
Posted by woeisme1 on 11-22-12 at 02:58 PM
Croatia. Because it's beautiful.




"is That"
Posted by foonermints on 11-22-12 at 03:34 PM
Where "croakies" are from?

"I don't know"
Posted by woeisme1 on 11-23-12 at 00:58 AM
What a "croakie" is, so maybe.





"croakies"
Posted by moonbaby on 11-23-12 at 07:22 PM
are those bands made from scuba suit stuff to hold your sunglasses around your neck. I used to have one that had dinosaurs on it.

"RE: croakies"
Posted by woeisme1 on 11-23-12 at 10:28 PM
I <3 you moonie.





"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by Starshine on 11-24-12 at 04:57 AM
I thought about sending you for a walk in the woods ala William McGuire Bryson, OBE. And then I discovered... walking in Europe This one sounds good although I'm not sure about you will come to an abrupt halt on the Beskid Pass which is the Ukrainian border. Follows a gap in the trail: the portion through Ukraine and Romania and the first stretch in Bulgaria is non-existent.


"RE: I need a Vacation"
Posted by foonermints on 12-14-12 at 01:45 AM
I'm still considering some of this, but for Summer. Great inspiration. Thanks!
"Looking @ Brazil"
Posted by foonermints on 12-01-12 at 06:30 PM
LAST EDITED ON 12-01-12 AT 06:56 PM (EST)

$140.00 $180 for a visa? Yikes!
But word on the street has it that since Brazil has a recipricocity agreement with Russia, I can go there, too. Anytime in the next five years.

Since my Portuguese is as good as my Russian, I'll be set. Or not. Still looking into Starshine's ideas..

eta: update! Maybe I should just go to Monterrey?

"Journey to República Federativa do Brasil"
Posted by cahaya on 12-01-12 at 08:06 PM
LAST EDITED ON 12-01-12 AT 08:35 PM (EST)

... and see if you can't meet this guy.


agman's world

A well-traveled man, a road warrior, around the world and in time.

"RE: Journey to República Federativa do Brasil"
Posted by foonermints on 12-02-12 at 01:15 PM
Who dat? And what happened to his hair?

"My favourite travel book"
Posted by Starshine on 12-02-12 at 06:59 AM
The wrong way home

or maybe

The full Montezuma

Lovely cheese Mooney

Where are Voice of the Beehive when we need them?


"Rough Guide Travel Hot List for 2013"
Posted by Starshine on 12-13-12 at 04:46 PM
And the rest of the UK laughed and laughed to see Margate on the list


Lovely cheese Mooney

Where are Voice of the Beehive when we need them?


"Margate - The English Venice Beach?"
Posted by foonermints on 12-14-12 at 00:21 AM
Valparasio I'd forgotten about. It sound interesting. I'm wondering if I can take an entire month off from the Bomb Factory and combine Argentina and Chile?
A neighbor of mine just got back from visiting hs family in Brazil, and he didn't make it out to be so good. In law problems? Who knows? Took a little bit of the wind out of my sail for that one.

I still appreciate your hiking options, maybe because they look like long-term plans over the future years.

foonermint: still working on The Plan
*small snot-nose to Agman!

"RE: Margate - The English Venice Beach?"
Posted by weltek on 12-14-12 at 11:18 AM
I'd punch you in the face out of jealousy if you did a month in Argentina and Chile.


-Handcrafted by RollDdice

"RE: Margate - The English Venice Beach?"
Posted by Karchita on 12-14-12 at 02:39 PM
Bah. With only a month, I'd choose either Argentina or Chile, not both. I've done some research because a trip in those parts has been in our radar for some time, and they are big countries with lots to see and do in places that require a lot of travel time to get to. You could do both in six weeks perhaps, but a month wouldn't be enough.


"RE: Margate - The English Venice Beach?"
Posted by foonermints on 12-14-12 at 11:00 PM
Your arms aren't long enough, sweetie.

Oh! and in response to Karchita, maybe I could "do" either Argentina or Chile, while still having time for Sweden..
?

"So Far"
Posted by foonermints on 01-06-13 at 11:14 PM
It's looking like 2 weeks in Chile. Then? Back to the grindstone.

Yep, I know Karchita: Bah! .. but half a loaf..
Besides, maybe I won't get punched in the face. Not too much, anyway. Who's got the contacts? Just to think, I used to date Rick Steve's cousin.

"RE: So Far"
Posted by Karchita on 01-08-13 at 03:24 AM
Chile sounds really nice even for two weeks. I was just kidding about the 'bah'.

I understand there are some very good looking men there.