msj Posted November 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Okay, I'll take Sleepy Hollow, but Americans can keep New York. What did you do in Sleepy Hollow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Squid Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Going to Ucluelet this weekend and the wife asked about bringing wine and Campari. I told her no; austerity all weekend. But she talked sense into me so wine and Campari it is. I like ukey... we stay at some rental cabins there occasionally... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msj Posted November 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Black Rock for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallc Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 (edited) What did you do in Sleepy Hollow? They have quite a few Legend of Sleepy Hollow related attractions for the month of October. My fiancee and I love Halloween, so we went to three of them. All of them were very well done. Edited November 5, 2015 by Smallc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallc Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 http://www.hudsonvalley.org/events/blaze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msj Posted November 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 That looks like fun. Thinking about going to NY city next fall to see Daniel Craig in Othello. Practical to rent a car out there or use uber? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallc Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Practical to rent a car out there or use uber? I've driven in Toronto, Vancouver, Vegas, Denver...honest to god (that I don't believe in), people in NYC drive like people in the third world. If you're staying in the city take a cab or even better, the subway (oh, on that - Toronto has a very clean subway. New Yorks is much larger and goes everywhere, but it's full of garbage, rats, and urine). It can take you anywhere you want to go for $3 a ride on a single ride ticket. It's not somewhere I'll be going back to anywhere soon for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallc Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 In other news, I'm having a really hard time to nail down a trip this winter. I spend most of my money (that doesn't go into house renovations or my Mustang payments) on travel while at the same time working to get out of debt. There's really really high prices this year after Christmas break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Squid Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Black Rock for us. Fancy Shmancy! I've had lunch and cocktails there... beautiful place. Saw whales out the lounge window while sipping a couple Dark 'n' Stormys.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Squid Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Mustang payments Boss302 Laguna Seca edition? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallc Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Boss302 Laguna Seca edition? Not quite. It's a black 2015 3.7. Everyone says why not the 5.0, but I'm more than happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Squid Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 (edited) Not quite. It's a black 2015 3.7. Everyone says why not the 5.0, but I'm more than happy with it. I was way off... Edited November 5, 2015 by The_Squid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallc Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 So I'm going to Puerto Vallarta in January. Direct flights and return from Winnipeg with Westjet. I'm not going all inclusive because the internet says not to. All told, for the two of us, for a week, it's $1720 in a 3 star hotel with very good reviews 1 block from the beach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallc Posted January 9, 2016 Report Share Posted January 9, 2016 3 days to go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msj Posted January 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2016 Got back from Ecuador a couple of days ago and still processing the trip (literally in terms of the 150 videos and 1,000 pictures taken on my phone, never mind the thousands of pictures on our camera). Weird trip consisting of 3 tours linked via Quito. Tour 1 was odd because it was just a tour guide, driver, my wife and me. Kept thinking I'm not wealthy enough for this and Ecuador is not cheap enough for this (their currency is USD so 40% premium) but we did it anyway. Left Quito and travelled to Mindo. Saw: settled volcano crater, Equator museum with a shrunken head and the standard water swirl on the equator and off on the north and south side, egg balancing etc. We were with a tour guide at the museum and enter a hut. We could hear the cute little sounds of guinea pigs from a pen. The guide asks "do you know what that is?" And the wife replies "yes, we had one for dinner last night" [At Mama Clorinda's in Marsical Foch Square in Quito]. The vegan from Switzerland who tagged along with us had a horrified look on her face. The tour guide points to a picture of a woman in the hut. Says something like "that woman was one of the oldest women in the world and she ate Guinea pig all the time." Ha! Anyway, on with the tour. Get to Mindo and we are staying at a nice resort. Mid week so few people are around. Dinner that night in the restaurant had two other tables with on table consisting of 6 Canadians from Toronto. Didn't talk with them as they were so absorbed with each other's conversation about house prices in the 416. Went bird watching to see the Andean cock on the Rock and other birds. Went to a humming bird place and just sat there staring at all the humming birds while sipping on a Coke. Who was the humming bird now? Went to a butterfly place sort of like Butterfly World in Coombs. Walk in and the trees at the far end suddenly shake and hundreds of butterflies fly off. A minute later and the trees rattle again. A couple minutes go by and I notice a guy come out from behind the trees. Nice! Checked out the chocolate place and had fun on the tour. At one point the guide switches on a fan that they use to separate the edible chocolate from the shell. So I put my hand down in the unit and start screaming. It was funny after the initial shock wore off.... We stayed a second night at the resort and had it all to ourselves. So we lounged in the hot pool listening to various birds and insects and frogs make their noises ("hump me, hump me" would be my crude translation) prior to the sun going down in a warm, misty, jungle. Then off to dinner and then to bed. The next day we headed back to Quito to meet our group for the second tour..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted January 10, 2016 Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 (edited) One of the best(short) vacations ever for me was to Bali. It was reasonably cheap to get there, really cheap for everything purchased there, good shopping, good beaches, very friendly and genuine locals, and plenty of interesting things to do. You need 2 weeks because the trip there and back is long. The only other downside is the overabundance of Aussies, who are generally easily avoided if you stay away from Kuta Beach. They come to drink. It was funny to watch them continue WWII with the Germans though. There were a few of both nationalities in one very nice hotel we stayed in, and they didn't get along. The Germans, being Germans, would send an ambassador out each morning at about 5:30 AM to mark out prime spots at the pool. This process consisted of dragging the big chairs to the prime spots poolside, and marking them with special heavy beach towels which were issued one per guest. Then the Germans would show up a few hours later to sunbathe, and have all the prime ground staked out for their exclusive use. I am an early riser, so from my balcony witnessed a pack of loaded Aussies arriving home from a night of partying soon after and- objecting to this systemic hogging of real estate- proceeded to toss all the towels into he pool then head of to pass out in bed. The Germans showed up a couple hours later to find all those prime spots taken by others(not the Aussies, who were no doubt sleeping it off). Near the pool was a big pile of sodden towels fished out by staff. Arguments ensued, arguments lost by the 'possession is 9/10ths of the law' rule. Next morning, I heard but did not see that much the same thing happened. Next morning, the Germans laid in ambush for the Aussies staggering home. They started to chuck the towels in, the Germans sprang out from the weeds nearby and a big argument ensued. While they argued one of the Aussies succeeded in tossing the rest of the towels into the drink. It looked like there was going to be a fistfight as tension escalted but the Aussies diffused it by tossing two of the bigger Germans into the pool too. All parties then went back to the rooms without further damage, except the Germans had no towels to dry off and some sorely wounded pride. We only stayed another day, but heard no reports of homicides from our next stop in Bali. Edited January 10, 2016 by overthere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dialamah Posted January 10, 2016 Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 (edited) My best vacation was going to Egypt with a girlfriend to visit my sister. It was great to have an entire family of Egyptians, to live in the community so to speak. At the time, my sister and her husband had two homes, one in Ain Sokna and the other in Agamy. We visited pyramids, where the vendors offered us gifts upon learning we were Canadian and that my sister had married an Egyptian. We took a river cruise down the Nile, stopping at Luxor and Aswan and various other places to look at temples and historical sites, as well as local markets. I got really good at bargaining, so much so that I almost stranded us outside of one of our stops because I tried talking the driver down so much that he eventually said what I suspect is the Arabic equivalent of f***-off. At another market along the waterfront; two or three of the vendors followed us along the wall trying to persuade us to buy, suddenly stopping at a specific point. My sister asked why, and was told that if they crossed that line, the police would fine them or something. My sister than proceeded to hop from one side of the line to the other, saying "harass" - "not harass". The vendors laughed, and we all took pictures of each other, and my sister bought the abaya they'd been trying to sell her. We visited Port Rashid, saw the site of the Rosetta Stone, and the military fort there. We went to Edfina, which has absolutely no historical significance that I know of, being merely the city in which my brother-in-law's family was raised. The family got together and presented a feast of traditional foods, served in the traditional way - which meant we sat on low stools and cushions on the floor, eating at low tables and without cutlery. This turned out to be the day my body suddenly decided to protest the new food it had been experiencing for the week prior and I was barely able to force down any of the food. At the pyramids, we took a camel ride and the boy who managed my camel looked about 15 years old. He asked if I was married, and I said yes (wasn't true but it saved me from intense flattery/courting behaviors); he then informed me of his two wives and several sons, no daughters. This seems hard to believe given how young he looked, and that Egyptian males tend to marry later in life, after they've accumulated a 'household' to provide to the wife. I don't recall if it were Aswan or Luxor, but I went exploring on my own while my sister and girlfriend went on a balloon tour. I was approached by a Nubian, who wanted to persuade me into sex: he described how much better (bigger) he was than any Eqyptian, and knew to take his time. His sales pitch not working, he then offered me his last, best deal: he wouldn't charge me. There was lots of male attention, one apparently serious "offer" and an introduction to a single Christian gentleman, which I suspect was an attempt at matchmaking by my brother-in-law. At a Nubian village, during the course of a tour of a home the young man was proud to show me the room he had ready for a wife: a plywood bed, no mattress, a couple of blankets. He showed me a shawl, belonging to his grandmother, and put it round my shoulders, taking the opportunity to cop a feel. The girlfriend who traveled with me found the patriarchy obvious and somewhat annoying at times; I barely noticed it and found it amusing when I did. No doubt I'd feel differently if I lived there, but for a couple of weeks it was just part of the experience. The patriarchal behavior by men includes elements of chivalry and protection along with their assumption that they can/say do what they want at the female's expense. I was no doubt protected from the worst of it because I was accompanied by Egyptian male family members in Cairo and Alexandria, although even on the Nile river cruise we were never bothered or harassed, despite being three Western females on our own. In some of the more rural areas and smaller towns it was more evident but still, we were treated with respect by all but a handful of men we came across. I would love to go back, but not before the instability is resolved. Edited January 16, 2016 by Michael Hardner profanity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
On Guard for Thee Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 I flew myself from southern Sudan to Capetown in a helicopter. I'd seen most of the west coast of Africa but this was my first time on the east. It's much prettier. I got to sit in Winston's favorite chair in the hotel in Kampala, take a buzz by Kilimanjaro, eat lobsters in Pemba, and enjoy the beauty of the beaches of Mozambique. From wars to the shores I titled it. I suggest staying away from the wars, but I highly recommend east coast of Africa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msj Posted January 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 Ecuador - tour numero dos: We met our tour group of 16 people plus our tour guide at 6pm at the Mercure hotel. This was going to be a larger group than either my wife or I was used to: the retired teacher from New Zealand, an almost retired meterologist from Miami who has seen most of the world; the couple from the UK - she who needed her Wifi and he who missed his dogs; the lesbian couple from Toronto- a lawyer and a teacher; the presumed gay couple - a computer engineer for Hydro Quebec from Montreal and the other a financial professional from New York, a young doctor and his wife from North Carolina; a young lawyer and her husband also from North Carolina; an engineering student from Germany; a young engineer from Toronto; and my wife and myself - a designer and CPA from Vancouver Island. Quite the similar group: Not one of us has children (yet). Professional types. All prefer to travel than spend time with their friggin' families at Christmas time . Anyway, we meet and greet and walk down Amazonas Ave and turn right to get to Mariscal Foch ("Foch Yeah!") for dinner. Mama Clorinda's was full so off to the Magic Bean for a mediocre dinner. Next day we were off to the airport at 8am for a flight to Coca and then a 2 hour boat ride down the Napo River before a half hour canoe ride to the La Selva Lodge in the Amazon. Felt like a mooch having two guys paddling us all that way while we watched the weaver bird nests go by. The Amazon is an interesting place. Very humid. So humid that you get your own dry box in your room consisting of a small box on the wall with a light bulb inside. Good enough to deposit our passports,iPads, iPhones, camera, and other other valuables. In hindsight, should have pulled our clothes out of our bags and rotate them through the box as the dampness settled in over the two nights we stayed there. Our first night half of us went on the night hike through the jungle: saw some creepy spiders ( and I like spiders), a glowing fire fly, a large toad, and numerous other critters. Got back to the lodge for a late dinner and drinks before heading to bed for another early start the next morning. We were up for breakfast at 5 am and headed out on the canoes (saw some monkeys along the way) to the big boats and the Napo River so we could see some parrots eating clay along the river bank. It was like David Attenborough was present. Went to a local village after, saw some leaf cutter ants, had a 12 year old "entertain us" by climbing a cocoa tree to get us a pod ("are we not entertained!?"). Blew a dart at a papaya (but they wouldn't let me eat it after) and ate some smoked king beetle larvae before heading back to the lodge. Then it was time to hike up to the watch tower to spot some birds and then go out for our turn at the night canoe for some bat and monkey spying. Back for a late dinner and some horrible ceviche before bed. The next day we headed back to Coca for a flight back to Quito and then off to Papallacta. Going from the Amazon to 3,400 meters was hard on the wife so we went to the spa and booked some treatments. We checked out the public bathos (hot springs) but settled into the ones in front of our cabin along with most of our tour group for some tour group bonding. Anyway, this report is getting really long so let's leave it here now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 I highly recommend east coast of Africa. Paul Theroux has written a few books about it, spanning about 40+ years of travel and living there. He is not so enthusiastic! WEll, OK, he is a curmudgeon...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msj Posted January 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 Paul Theroux has written a few books about it, spanning about 40+ years of travel and living there. He is not so enthusiastic! WEll, OK, he is a curmudgeon...... I've been meaning to read Theroux. Any other travel writers you like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallc Posted January 30, 2016 Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 I'm considering going one of 4 places this summer: Greece (Athens and Santorini) Rome Transylvania Mexico City and Teotihuacan I'm having a really hard time deciding what it is I'd like to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msj Posted February 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 I'm having a really hard time deciding what it is I'd like to do. By summer I assume you mean July/August? That should rule out Greece, Rome, and Mexico as too hot. So Transylvania it is! Or, go to Poland: supposedly a cheaper place to go since it's not on the Euro and you can get 4 star hotels for $60 (according to the National Post so who really know?). And Poland isn't going to be super hot in July/August so it would be a good place to go too. Now, late September into October then I would choose Greece but Greece will probably always be my favourite place to go. Which now raises the idea of Croatia for the summer: it's like going to Greece but probably a bit cooler. Don't you hate getting this kind of answer where more places get added than get crossed off the list?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallc Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 By summer I assume you mean July/August? I shouldn't have been so specific. It could really be any time lol. That should rule out Greece, Rome, and Mexico as too hot. Actually, the surprising thing about Mexico City: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_City#Climate The hottest time of the year is spring. So Transylvania it is! My fiancee is a big vampire fan (yes, we know they're not real). She's the reason for that one. Don't you hate getting this kind of answer where more places get added than get crossed off the list?!? Poland is definitely on my list - eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-TSS- Posted March 3, 2016 Report Share Posted March 3, 2016 Reading this thread makes me almost blush in embarassment. Where have I been? To Stockholm and St. Petersburg. That's about it. I haven't even been to Tallinn which is about a 2h ferry-ride away from where I live very near. I travel a lot within Finland but I just don't have any interest to travel abroad. I also have some sort of fear of flying. The idea of being trapped in a can of aluminium which takes off scares the shit out of me. Needless to say that I've never flown and needful to say that I never will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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