Experiences travelling abroad

MrsDangermouse said:
But actually one of my favourite activities on holiday is visiting supermarkets
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Same here, but also food markets. The other most favourite holiday activity is mucking about on/in/under the sea. I will happily wonder about looking at historical stuff, but my best holiday memories are of days when we have food shopped for a bbq meal , hired a boat and set off in search of a remote beach to bbq and snorkel.

Duck59 said:
One thing you discover from travelling around a bit is that you have to be a bit careful taking photos
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Yes, it's funny how some countries are paranoid about it. There is also a religious aspect to it as well in some countries
 
Yorky said:
Back in the early 80s we (my wife and I and two kids) went on holiday to La Rochelle on the west coast of France. We drove there in our estate car and prior to leaving to return to England, stocked up with French wine. A friend in the UK had asked us to look out for a particular Le Crueset cooking pot so we called in a few supermarkets on the way back to Calais. In each one we decided that we had a little more room for wine so we bought more....and more. We eventually found the Le Crueset pot in question but there was only just enough room to fit it in the car.
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You're basically describing us on our way home from holiday too....one of the (many) joys of motorhoming in France......except that you can fit a lot more in a motorhome than in a car :okay:
We belong to a scheme where you can stay for free on a lot of French vineyards so we tend to start collecting bottles right from the beginning of the trip and usually have a good collection by the time we stop off in Calais just before catching the tunnel home (at which point we fill up any gaps). We have a new motorhome now with much more storage so this year's trips were going to be a chance to see how much we could fit in....I've converted one of the floor lockers into a wine rack which I estimate will take at least 40 single bottles (they're much more difficult to pack safely than cases), cases should fit in various other lockers or in the rear garage. It'd just be nice to have the opportunity to test it out!
 
Yorky said:
Back in the early 80s we (my wife and I and two kids) went on holiday to La Rochelle on the west coast of France. We drove there in our estate car and prior to leaving to return to England, stocked up with French wine. A friend in the UK had asked us to look out for a particular Le Crueset cooking pot so we called in a few supermarkets on the way back to Calais. In each one we decided that we had a little more room for wine so we bought more....and more. We eventually found the Le Crueset pot in question but there was only just enough room to fit it in the car.
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Priorities right, lol.

Russ
 
Duck59 said:
One thing you discover from travelling around a bit is that you have to be a bit careful taking photos. I remember a couple of incidents in particular.

The first was in Accra in Ghana. We had been walking down by the sea front and there was a rather pretty little lighthouse some way ahead of us. I took a photo of it. Only when we got up close to it did we see a sign informing us that taking photos of it was strictly forbidden and subject to all kinds of prosecution and punishments.

The second was in Tirana in Albania. Tirana has a tiny railway station; the only smaller one in a European capital is probably the one in Pristina in Kosovo. I had just taken a photo of the station from outside when a man in a blue shirt jumped up and started shouting and waving his arms about. He may or may not have been the station master, but I concluded that he probably wasn't wishing me a nice day and I quickly put the camera away.
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When in the uk in 98 we called at goathland where the pub from heartbeat is. We took a camera in, the guy said no one gets behind the bar or take photos. He had to go out the back for some reason. We have a pic of me behind the bar.

Russ
 
CraigC said:
A client flew me to New Zealand (Auckland), I was bound for Devonport. While standing in line at Customs, an older woman behind me collapsed. The EMTs were still working on her 30 minutes later when I cleared. Worst flight of my life. Though the client arranged for a taxi to drive me to Devonport, there were no local taxis to get around, had to walk everywhere. I had my first introduction to Indian food on that trip. The folks there were bringing bottles of wine to the restaurants. First time I'd ever saw that.

My first time flying was when I was 15. I worked as a runner for a law firm in downton Miami. They needed to get a brief to Chicago that same day. I was chosen to deliver it. Flew out of Miami Intl, landed at O'hare, took a taxi to the Sears Bldg, delivered the brief, got back in the waiting taxi, back to O'hare and back to Miami. Got home in time to hook up with my friends.
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You're prolly aware Devonport is our naval base. Pretty pathetic navy at that. When catching a ferry from Hong Kong to Macau we saw the us navy carriers and battleships in the harbour, a very very impressive sight.

Russ
 
Another Bob-And-Doris story:

We were in Switzerland, and the plan that day involved going up Mount Titlis, which is pronounced like it sounds, apparently.

Bob, ever the jokester, would take every opportunity to get Cari, our tour guide, to say "Titlis," as in:

"Right, everyone! On board, we've got a big day today, going up to the ski area of Mount Titlis! Exciting!"

"Excuse me, Cari, I didn't catch that. Where are we going?"

"Up Mount Titlis, Bob!"

"Mount...?"

"Titlis!"

Then Bob would grin like a schoolboy. 😏

This went on for the whole drive:

"Sorry, where are we going again? Mount Tidbits? Mount Giblets?"

"Mount Titlis! It's beautiful! You'll love it!"

"Say that again, I want to write it down so I don't forget."

"Mount Titlis!"

"Got it." 😏😏😏

We got to the gondola thingy:

"Sorry, I left my paper on the bus. Where are we?"

Never mind that emblazoned all over the car is "MOUNT TITLIS." :)

"We're going up Mount Titlis! Fun!"

"I'm not getting that, could you spell it, please?"

"T...I..."

Then Doris stepped in:

"Geez, Bob! Give it a rest, willya?! Titlis! Titlis! Like our damn granddaughter Ann, TITLIS!"

:laugh:
 
Another thread where offal was mentioned reminded me of an occurrence in Damascus.

I was there with a representative of an intelligent pig operating company and there would be no work on the Friday so we took the opportunity of having a few beers on the Thursday evening; quite a lot actually.

On the Friday morning I suggested a visit to the Umayyad Mosque which is apparently the earliest surviving stone mosque in the world. Although neither of us were feeling well, we decided to walk because it wasn't far from the hotel. Why we chose the offal souk as the route I don't know but we were three quarters of the way through when my colleague started to look seriously sick. All along the street were "shops" discharging the internals of animals into the gutter and the stench was horrendous. He eventually said that he couldn't go on but I explained that if we didn't we'd have to go back the same route.
 
Speaking of pigs.

When I was working in Kuala Lumpur I had an urgent telephone call from Petronas asking if we could provide a 6" cleaning pig urgently (they had a serious reduction in flow through one of their oil pipelines). I rang our usual pig suppliers in UK and located one already built up in Richmond, north east England. I asked them to put it in a vehicle and deliver it to our yard on the Wirral that day, which they agreed to do. I then rang our yard and asked them to hand carry said pig on the first available flight to Kuala Lumpur. My boss rang me back within 30 minutes telling me that there was an available flight that night but the cost would be significant for a next day return and they really did not have anyone available to carry it at such short notice. However, he knew that my daughter was on holiday with me in KL at the time and asked if she had any friends who may wish a free holiday for a week (the week return was about 70% cheaper than the next day). I rang her and she rang arounher friends and found a volunteer (actually the son of a friend of mine who worked in the group).

OK, sorted. I told my daughter to get him down to the depot that afternoon to pick up the pig and he's on the 23:30 flight out of Manchester.

Although only afternoon in UK it was late evening in KL when I had my boss on the phone. "He's got a broken leg!". "Is he capable of carrying the pig?" I asked; it was quite heavy. "Apparently so", my boss confirmed.

We picked him up from the airport complete with pig the following day and delivered it to Petronas. They were impressed by the speed of delivery and highly amused at the one legged transportation.

A 6" cleaning pig (not the actual one).

41478
 
The scene: a hotel by Lake Balaton in Hungary.

The German people in the room next to ours had brought their dog along on holiday with them. The dog was a large German shepherd and took exception to being left in the room when its owners went down to breakfast in the mornings. They always did so at the earliest possible time, seven o'clock.

We preferred to leave things a bit later. The downside of this was having to listen to this dog barking incessantly. After about four days of this, we were on our way to breakfast one morning when Catherine stopped outside the door and yelled, "Schweinhund!" at considerable volume.

Now, whether the dog was taken aback by the vehemence of the shout or was merely surprised at being addressed in its own language, we will never know. Whatever the reason, the barking stopped instantly. Catherine looked at me, raised an eyebrow and said, "Alles ist gut, ja?"
 
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Ciao a tutti,
I forget this Ray many year ago take me Cornwall place name Newquay it very pretty place. So then I still pretty an have nice figure so I get new Bikini, it neon Orange Ray say when he see it 'Sarana you see that from space!!'
So we go Fingal's beach Ray say he like learn surf I have new bikini on an beach bag floppy sun hat an big sun glasses, there was café there so Ray say sit on wall I get sandwich an some drinks. I walk to wall an sit down in lump chocolate ice cream. Ray come back an see my face He ask what wrong. I say Ray I sit in some thing, he say stand up Bella. I stand up Ray start laugh I ask if it bad. He come close an whisper in my ear 'Bella you look like you have pooped in panties. I go bright red an spend all day with towel wrapped round waste so cover brown stain an bottom. I so embarrassed I have last laugh though every time he stand on surf board he fall off it.
I amazed how hard get chocolate stain off bottom :eek: Now I always look before sit!!!!

Sarana x
 
Saranak said:
Ciao a tutti,
I forget this Ray many year ago take me Cornwall place name Newquay it very pretty place. So then I still pretty an have nice figure so I get new Bikini, it neon Orange Ray say when he see it 'Sarana you see that from space!!'
So we go Fingal's beach Ray say he like learn surf I have new bikini on an beach bag floppy sun hat an big sun glasses, there was café there so Ray say sit on wall I get sandwich an some drinks. I walk to wall an sit down in lump chocolate ice cream. Ray come back an see my face He ask what wrong. I say Ray I sit in some thing, he say stand up Bella. I stand up Ray start laugh I ask if it bad. He come close an whisper in my ear 'Bella you look like you have pooped in panties. I go bright red an spend all day with towel wrapped round waste so cover brown stain an bottom. I so embarrassed I have last laugh though every time he stand on surf board he fall off it.
I amazed how hard get chocolate stain off bottom :eek: Now I always look before sit!!!!

Sarana x
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This is hysterical! :roflmao:
 
Saranak said:
Ciao a tutti,
I forget this Ray many year ago take me Cornwall place name Newquay it very pretty place. So then I still pretty an have nice figure so I get new Bikini, it neon Orange Ray say when he see it 'Sarana you see that from space!!'
So we go Fingal's beach Ray say he like learn surf I have new bikini on an beach bag floppy sun hat an big sun glasses, there was café there so Ray say sit on wall I get sandwich an some drinks. I walk to wall an sit down in lump chocolate ice cream. Ray come back an see my face He ask what wrong. I say Ray I sit in some thing, he say stand up Bella. I stand up Ray start laugh I ask if it bad. He come close an whisper in my ear 'Bella you look like you have pooped in panties. I go bright red an spend all day with towel wrapped round waste so cover brown stain an bottom. I so embarrassed I have last laugh though every time he stand on surf board he fall off it.
I amazed how hard get chocolate stain off bottom :eek: Now I always look before sit!!!!

Sarana x
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41569
 
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