OT: The Travel Thread

[GoodKiwi]

Did he make it to the top?
People have cardiac events doing that Mountain. 19, 341 feet feels like your lungs are squeezed gasping for breath. Altitude sickness

He did make it to the top. I'll ask for his permission to share some pictures of it next time I speak to him.

 

[ThaDevilGirl]

Start with one. There are so many ways to travel and to do so cheaply. I'm sure there will be some great suggestions from HF posters at large.

I'm not strapped for cash, so if need be I can shell out some money. Last fall I went on a tour of multiple national parks in SW USA and it was such a great trip. I'd redo the whole trip if I could. There are some easy trips I could make, such as Chicago (really want to go), Orlando/Cape Canaveral, and perhaps other national parks. Never been to BC as well, and I also want to visit Seattle too.

I'd like to go back to Europe but I think most of my trips overseas in the near future will be to Portugal. I had a great time in Spain two years ago and I'd love to go back to Barcelona and Mallorca.

 

[Zusammenhalt]

Answers the age-old question about why they did it. "Because it is there."

I feel privileged to have the friends I do. They travel the world and share their experiences. I have a vivid imagination so can picture myself there.

I have issues with bugs and crawlies so not sure if I can push past my comfort zone for those exotic locals. For example they were in Istanbul a few days after Khasshogi was beheaded and dismembered. A little too barbaric for my taste even though it looks quite civilized.

 

[Runner77]

I'm not strapped for cash, so if need be I can shell out some money. Last fall I went on a tour of multiple national parks in SW USA and it was such a great trip. I'd redo the whole trip if I could. There are some easy trips I could make, such as Chicago (really want to go), Orlando/Cape Canaveral, and perhaps other national parks. Never been to BC as well, and I also want to visit Seattle too.

I'd like to go back to Europe but I think most of my trips overseas in the near future will be to Portugal. I had a great time in Spain two years ago and I'd love to go back to Barcelona and Mallorca.

Oh, I did not mean to infer that you were cash-strapped. Nothing wrong with trying to save some bucks. Actually, there are people who are wealthy and who look for deals all the time. That's a big part of how they became wealthy.

The spots you mention are really popular and I always hear great things. Someone I know who went to Portugal, enjoyed eating the catches of the day as they were unloaded from fishing boats and immediately made on the grill. And experiencing the tapas bars in Spain is something apparently. Of course, there's more to it than food, someone like you who's been there, is in a much better position to vouch.

 

[Zusammenhalt]

Because of its residents and their spirit. It is always that I remember while traveling. With Beirut, it was the sheer optimism of people I met there given the every-day uncertainty of life. The latter never seemed to come up and shatter their blind optimism for the better. It was infectious.

Yes it's always the people that help to make the experience. Broadcasting happiness and optimism is uplifting to be around.

 

[Zusammenhalt]

The SW US National Parks are on my bucket list. Not a national park but highly recommend the sand dunes of Honeyman State Park in Oregon.

 

[Kriss E]

Well, I am of lebanese descent. My parents fled the war and made a life in Montreal once they realized how much safer it was to build a family there.
They enrolled my brother and myself in a private french system school so the majority of students (and even teachers) were immigrants. So I've been exposed to traveling and different culture for my entire life.
The majority of my friends all moved to live abroad at some point in time, so it was something I always wanted to do.
Over the years, I tried getting away but it never worked out, and in between attempts got into a couple 3-4 year relationships.
About 3 years ago, my buddy living in Hong Kong sent me a message saying the gym he went at were looking for expat trainers. He gave them my info and they reached out. Two months later I was moving here.
That's essentaully how it came about for me. Always wanted to try living abroad, could never make it work until I finally did.

I'm not the overly big planner. I'm a very unstressed person that goes with the flow. So I didn't plan my move very well, I was just happy to bounce. It was tough to say goodbye to all my people but it was also exciting.
Not going to lie, my idea of Hong Kong was pretty much China Town in Mtl. That's what I thought I was coming to except bigger. Boy was I wrong. It's more like NYC than anything else I find. The difference though is the culture is obviously different, the people you meet, and the climate.
I really love it here, despite the absolutely unthinkable price of rent.
A 650sf apartment costs me 4000$ CAD per month. My buddy worked for a company that paid his rent, his aparment was 1700sf and that cost 20 000$ CAD per month. Just insane.

What I noticed when moving here is how much of a different world this is. Everything revolves around the US back home, over here the US isn't a big topic. People barely watch any TV, the city is always lively no matter the day. Nobody watches TV. As soon as there is a public holiday on a monday or friday, people travel around asia. Even if not, people will go away for weekends. It takes about 1h30 to fly to Thailand...so you leave work a bit early on friday to catch a flight, book a return flight at 5am on Monday, enjoy your time in Thailand over the weekend.
So far I've done Bali, Thailand, Sri Lanka, next on the list is either Phillipines for Xmas. Vietnam is also a must, but I always push it back for some reason lol. I will try to go there for a weekend in November.
I wish I had traveled around more but it's been tough seeing how I come back to Mtl once or twice a year too. I came back to Mtl 4 times for certain obligations and that takes away a lot of vacation time because of distance.
An advantage to living here is that the city is quite expensive, so anywhere else you travel to, you're always happy when you receive the tab.

Another change is how quickly things move here. Land of opportunities they say? Well, every 6 months or so, I get approached for a new venture. There is a lot of money here, people like to invest, build, and develop.
I came here as a crossfit coach, strength and conditioning/personal trainer, olympic weightlifting coach. After about a year, I became the Master Trainer for another company that poached me. For this company, I transformed my position into more of a consultant. I worked with them on various projects, from recruiting MMA coaches in the states of UFC Hall of Famers to work in Shenzhen, to developing gyms for co-working spaces, to participating in huge fitness festivals, to more and more. I was approached to direct a school of sports in Shanghai by an investment fund.
All this in less than 3 years...Things just move. Back home, there's nothing. Investors leave, things are very stagnant.
Now, I don't think I want to stay here indefinitely. I'm thinking another couple years and then we will see. I would like to live somewhere else in Asia though, it really is a beautiful place that has so much to offer.

 

[Runner77]

I've read an account of Quebec reporters who spent a couple of weeks doing the mythical Route 66. Parts of it disappeared, however, there is enough to dig into and take in. And how Route 66 takes you near the Grand Canyon.

 

[Runner77]

Well, I am of lebanese descent. My parents fled the war and made a life in Montreal once they realized how much safer it was to build a family there.
They enrolled my brother and myself in a private french system school so the majority of students (and even teachers) were immigrants. So I've been exposed to traveling and different culture for my entire life.
The majority of my friends all moved to live abroad at some point in time, so it was something I always wanted to do.
Over the years, I tried getting away but it never worked out, and in between attempts got into a couple 3-4 year relationships.
About 3 years ago, my buddy living in Hong Kong sent me a message saying the gym he went at were looking for expat trainers. He gave them my info and they reached out. Two months later I was moving here.
That's essentaully how it came about for me. Always wanted to try living abroad, could never make it work until I finally did.

I'm not the overly big planner. I'm a very unstressed person that goes with the flow. So I didn't plan my move very well, I was just happy to bounce. It was tough to say goodbye to all my people but it was also exciting.
Not going to lie, my idea of Hong Kong was pretty much China Town in Mtl. That's what I thought I was coming to except bigger. Boy was I wrong. It's more like NYC than anything else I find. The difference though is the culture is obviously different, the people you meet, and the climate.
I really love it here, despite the absolutely unthinkable price of rent.
A 650sf apartment costs me 4000$ CAD per month. My buddy worked for a company that paid his rent, his aparment was 1700sf and that cost 20 000$ CAD per month. Just insane.

What I noticed when moving here is how much of a different world this is. Everything revolves around the US back home, over here the US isn't a big topic. People barely watch any TV, the city is always lively no matter the day. Nobody watches TV. As soon as there is a public holiday on a monday or friday, people travel around asia. Even if not, people will go away for weekends. It takes about 1h30 to fly to Thailand...so you leave work a bit early on friday to catch a flight, book a return flight at 5am on Monday, enjoy your time in Thailand over the weekend.
So far I've done Bali, Thailand, Sri Lanka, next on the list is either Phillipines for Xmas. Vietnam is also a must, but I always push it back for some reason lol. I will try to go there for a weekend in November.
I wish I had traveled around more but it's been tough seeing how I come back to Mtl once or twice a year too. I came back to Mtl 4 times for certain obligations and that takes away a lot of vacation time because of distance.
An advantage to living here is that the city is quite expensive, so anywhere else you travel to, you're always happy when you receive the tab.

Another change is how quickly things move here. Land of opportunities they say? Well, every 6 months or so, I get approached for a new venture. There is a lot of money here, people like to invest, build, and develop.
I came here as a crossfit coach, strength and conditioning/personal trainer, olympic weightlifting coach. After about a year, I became the Master Trainer for another company that poached me. For this company, I transformed my position into more of a consultant. I worked with them on various projects, from recruiting MMA coaches in the states of UFC Hall of Famers to work in Shenzhen, to developing gyms for co-working spaces, to participating in huge fitness festivals, to more and more. I was approached to direct a school of sports in Shanghai by an investment fund.
All this in less than 3 years...Things just move. Back home, there's nothing. Investors leave, things are very stagnant.
Now, I don't think I want to stay here indefinitely. I'm thinking another couple years and then we will see. I would like to live somewhere else in Asia though, it really is a beautiful place that has so much to offer.

Your account is fascinating. Thanks so much for sharing. One never knows where opportunities will come from but your description shows that you have to be open to it. Real happy it worked out for you, you're going through experiences that will last you a lifetime.

 

[Per Sjoblom]

When I was still living in Sweden I worked as a train traffic controller and they found cracks in the wheel axles on several high speed trains
( using ultrasound). We had to take them out of traffic and replace the axles. I accumulated almost 500 hours of overtime. In Sweden you can take out overtime times two so I took my 6 weeks vacation added the almost 1000 hours. I left Sweden in January when it was minus 20 degrees and flew to Australia. I traveled around Australia for 4 months and saw the Great Barrier Reef, experienced a typhoon in Surfers Paradise in Queensland ( was out running on the beach and a shrimp was tossed in the air and hit me in my face) I saw saltwater crocks, played and sang live in Sydney using a borrowed guitar, saw Ayers Rock and met many Sheilas. Then I went to New Zealand for a month and traveled in both islands and watched the All Blacks beat the Aussies in rugby in Windy Wellington. Finished off with 2 weeks in Fiji where there was a military coup that happened 5 days before I went home. I got paid the whole time thanks to the OT.

 

[Kriss E]

Your account is fascinating. Thanks so much for sharing. One never knows where opportunities will come from but your description shows that you have to be open to it. Real happy it worked out for you, you're going through experiences that will last you a lifetime.

Thanks! I'm blessed with having great and supportive surroundings. It always made it easier to think no matter what home will always welcome me back. I never once thought of coming back though.
I was never particularly interested in Asia, what a discovery it's been. After living here though, I would definitely say it's a must.

 

[Per Sjoblom]

I feel privileged to have the friends I do. They travel the world and share their experiences. I have a vivid imagination so can picture myself there.

I have issues with bugs and crawlies so not sure if I can push past my comfort zone for those exotic locals. For example they were in Istanbul a few days after Khasshogi was beheaded and dismembered. A little too barbaric for my taste even though it looks quite civilized.

I went to Pamplona and we arrived there at midnight so we slept in a forest on the outskirts of the city. When I woke up in my sleeping bag I felt something moving inside the sleeping bag so I took a thick Thomas Cook book with time tables for trains ( I was traveling around in Europe) and hit my upper leg as hard as I could. Then quickly moved out of the sleeping bag and saw this big hairy spider splattered all over the inside of my leg quite close to my Johnson, a few of the legs were still moving.

 

[Runner77]

When I was still living in Sweden I worked as a train traffic controller and they found cracks in the wheel axles on several high speed trains
( using ultrasound). We had to take them out of traffic and replace the axles. I accumulated almost 500 hours of overtime. In Sweden you can take out overtime times two so I took my 6 weeks vacation added the almost 1000 hours. I left Sweden in January when it was minus 20 degrees and flew to Australia. I traveled around Australia for 4 months and saw the Great Barrier Reef, experienced a typhoon in Surfers Paradise in Queensland ( was out running on the beach and a shrimp was tossed in the air and hit me in my face) I saw saltwater crocks, played and sang live in Sydney using a borrowed guitar, saw Ayers Rock and met many Sheilas. Then I went to New Zealand for a month and traveled in both islands and watched the All Blacks beat the Aussies in rugby in Windy Wellington. Finished off with 2 weeks in Fiji where there was a military coup that happened 5 days before I went home. I got paid the whole time thanks to the OT.

That's quite the work/pleasure combo. Sounds like a plan, lol.

Since you hail from Sweden, I wanted to add that my wife traveled there for business over 15 times and absolutely loved it. She can no longer do so as she's since working for a non-Swedish company, however, she tells me that the cost of living is quite high and how the best restaurants were operated by Italian chefs, lol. I was expecting her to tell me that Swedes were operating the best restaurants but no. How do you explain this?

I was particularly intrigued about that day around June 24th where the sun never goes down and how people celebrate it. Apparently, it's a thing to experience.

 

[Per Sjoblom]

That's quite the work/pleasure combo. Sounds like a plan, lol.

Since you hail from Sweden, I wanted to add that my wife traveled there for business over 15 times and absolutely loved it. She can no longer do so as she's since working for a non-Swedish company, however, she tells me that the cost of living is quite high. I was particularly intrigued about that day around June 24th where the sun never goes down and how people celebrate it. Apparently, it's a thing to experience.

Where I come from it's quite light (same latitude as Churchill Canada) and it doesn't get dark and you can see a little bit of the sun at midnight but up north the sun is clearly visible. It's actually hard to sleep, I had black sheets hanging over my window. Of course it is the opposite on December 24th.

 

[Runner77]

Where I come from it's quite light (same latitude as Churchill Canada) and it doesn't get dark and you can see a little bit of the sun at midnight but up north the sun is clearly visible. It's actually hard to sleep, I had black sheets hanging over my window. Of course it is the opposite on December 24th.

So this 24 hour day of light, is it celebrated? What is the event called? What do people do? Is it 24 hours of partying?

I'm referring to this:

Around the summer solstice (approximately 21 June in the Northern Hemisphere and 22 December in the Southern Hemisphere), the sun is visible for the full 24 hours, given fair weather. The number of days per year with potential midnight sun increases the closer towards either pole one goes.

 

[Per Sjoblom]

So this 24 hour day of light, is it celebrated? What is the event called? What do people do? Is it 24 hours of partying?

I'm referring to this:

Around the summer solstice (approximately 21 June in the Northern Hemisphere and 22 December in the Southern Hemisphere), the sun is visible for the full 24 hours, given fair weather. The number of days per year with potential midnight sun increases the closer towards either pole one goes.

Yes, we celebrate midsummer, when you're a kid is dancing around the maypole, get some extra candy. When you're in the teens you go to some camping close to an outdoor concert place, you get drunk, try to pickup girls

In the old days they celebrated midsummerblot, they partied, got drunk and sacrificed animals and humans for a good crop, usually a horse, cow, pig and a slave but sometimes their chieftain if it looked like it could be a bad crop. It was also a midwinterblot gathering.

 

[Runner77]

Yes, we celebrate midsummer, when you're a kid is dancing around the maypole, get some extra candy. When you're in the teens you go to some camping close to an outdoor concert place, you get drunk, try to pickup girls

In the old days they celebrated midsummerblot, they partied, got drunk and sacrificed animals and humans for a good crop, usually a horse, cow, pig and a slave but sometimes their chieftain if it looked like it could be a bad crop. It was also a midwinterblot gathering.

So this sounds more like a celebration amongst Swedes. It doesn't seem like an international event like say Oktoberfest, where a large contingent of non-locals travel in to party with the locals.

 

[Mrb1p]

My best friend climbed Kilimanjaro last year. I was too much of a chicken to join him on his adventure. :/

Thats something that is on my bucket list. Just gotta convince my hiking partner, my gf, thats probably the hardest task.

 

[Mrb1p]

I feel privileged to have the friends I do. They travel the world and share their experiences. I have a vivid imagination so can picture myself there.

I have issues with bugs and crawlies so not sure if I can push past my comfort zone for those exotic locals. For example they were in Istanbul a few days after Khasshogi was beheaded and dismembered. A little too barbaric for my taste even though it looks quite civilized.

Youd love Costa Rica


Speaking of of bugs, I chose Maui, on account of his lack of predators and crawlies....
I was greeted with a 8 or so inches arthropod creeping down on me... while I was in the crapper. Worst experience of my life .

A few days later, I woke up with a similar sized slug a few inches from my pretty face, 2nd worst experience of my life .

 

[waffledave]

Once you go to the islands in Greece it's hard to really go anywhere else. You can spend your whole life touring those islands. Each one has a very different culture.

 

[Mrb1p]

Im looking into NZ for next year or so, high peaks, surf, snowboarding, it seems to speak to me on a high level.

 

[Per Sjoblom]

So this sounds more like a celebration amongst Swedes. It doesn't seem like an international event like say Oktoberfest, where a large contingent of non-locals travel in to party with the locals.

No, just a bunch of drunk Swedes, drowning, fighting and other traditional customs.

 

[Tyson]

I have been fortunate to have traveled to close to 40 countries. I don’t travel as much anymore but I do make an annual business trip to South Korea.

 

[Per Sjoblom]

Im looking into NZ for next year or so, high peaks, surf, snowboarding, it seems to speak to me on a high level.

Yes, New Zealand is as beautiful as Norway. I went on a hike in a subtropical forest that ended in a glacier. There were some wild pigs that originated fromwhen Captain Cook visited and they were nasty, big ass black hairy swines. Did only see captive ones but they were big and angry. I hithchiked from Rotorua to Wellington, people were really friendly. Amazing meat and produce and funny parrots that live in snow capped areas and can attack sheep and another parrot species that destroy cars (tearing off windshield wipers). I did some flyfishing, saw repercussions from a major earthquake that happened a year before. There were also a lot of yellow jackets that arrived with a boat from Europe in the 1930s, they had no natural enemies so they spread all over.

 

[PhysicX]

I have been fortunate to have traveled to close to 40 countries. I don’t travel as much anymore but I do make an annual business trip to South Korea.

And how's South Korea? Always wanted to travel there.