Author Topic: Travel Culture  (Read 6426 times)

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Offline Omni

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #15 on: February 21, 2017, 02:23:47 pm »
Be careful!

A former PM of Norway has supposedly been detained for an hour because he travelled to Iran in 2014.

On a diplomatic passport.

My first trip working in Iran (Kish Island) I ended up chatting at breakfast one day to  American who was also working there but who was living in Canada. He warned me about crossing the border into the US with the Iranian visa showing. They glue a card that takes up a whole page showing the visa info. Of course I was scheduled to go to Dallas im a few weeks for training. I figured all I could do was just play dumb, but when it came to US Customs I sipped my boarding pass into my passport at the appropriate page and handed it to the mam. Them I said Oh I'm sorry I just keep all the paper work together amd luckily he said Oh that's OK, turned to another page, put the stamp im smd I was on my way. Phew!

Offline msj

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #16 on: March 06, 2017, 11:03:27 pm »
I have read that the US may pass legislation allowing Canadians to stay for up to 8 months without having to file tax returns.

Also, it looks like many provinces are allowing us to be outside the country/province for up to 7 months.

This is awesome: while I will continue to avoid the US for the foreseeable future, but I am hoping to be able to spend 7 months each year bouncing around Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and, who knows, maybe even Myanmar.

Warm countries, great people, the best food, and cheap.
I've gotta have more cow bell! -Bruce Dickinson

guest4

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #17 on: March 07, 2017, 08:24:51 am »
My niece is planning a trip to Europe and Egypt next year.  I'm envious. 

Offline JMT

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #18 on: March 07, 2017, 10:14:32 am »
I've been hesitant about Egypt given the situation there.

guest4

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #19 on: March 07, 2017, 12:57:10 pm »
Having family there helps.   




Offline msj

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #20 on: March 07, 2017, 10:45:12 pm »
My wife was at a dinner party with friends on Saturday (I am already too tired from tax season so stayed home) and found out that her girlfriend, who has a boyfriend who is now working in Egypt (Dutchman dredging the Nile), cannot get permission from her ex-husband to allow her 9 year old daughter to travel to Egypt with her for a visit.

Glad I didn't go because everyone was beating up the ex in absentia.

When my wife was telling me about this later, she said something like "they will all get picked up by private security ...."

I just looked at her in disbelief.

Um, if adults need private security then how comfortable would you be to see your child go with your ex spouse to a foreign country for a month?

Oh, I could see it click for her.

Man, if I was in on that conversation I would have felt like a Trump supporter at a feminist convention.

I've gotta have more cow bell! -Bruce Dickinson

guest4

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #21 on: March 07, 2017, 11:32:25 pm »
Private security or private driver?   When I visited prior to Mubarek's sacking, my brother-in-law arranged for pickup by his company's private service for pickup and delivery to Cairo airport.  Having an employer supplied driver readily available seems to be a kind of perk in some jobs.    Perhaps that has morphed into security for foreigners. 

Offline msj

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #22 on: March 07, 2017, 11:45:27 pm »
Private security. 

They want us to go too but the timing doesn't work although I offered for my wife to go while I stay home and work.   ;D

I've gotta have more cow bell! -Bruce Dickinson

guest4

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #23 on: March 08, 2017, 12:39:05 am »
Private security. 

They want us to go too but the timing doesn't work although I offered for my wife to go while I stay home and work.   ;D

If you ever do go, I highly recommend a Nile cruise. 

Offline msj

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #24 on: March 16, 2017, 11:43:35 pm »
Hmmm, I notice the ads on this site keeping popping up with Intrepid Travel's visit Costa Rica.

Like it knows that's where the wife and I are planning to go in December.

Think I should do a search for tranny Thai ladyboys and see what pops up!  ;D

And, no, that is not going to pop up, you pervs!
I've gotta have more cow bell! -Bruce Dickinson

Offline msj

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #25 on: March 21, 2017, 09:16:29 am »
Trump is trying his best to create jobs for US airlines.

Clearly targeting Arabian Peninsula based airlines with the latest ban on cameras, laptops, and tablets on flights: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheAtlantic/~3/S7pHKGSlnLs/

Also see this:  https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-02-08/u-s-shouldn-t-raise-barriers-to-middle-eastern-airlines

All we need now is for foreign countries to follow suit and place similar bans so we have to check cameras and laptops and subject them to theft from baggage handlers. 

I wonder what the next few years will bring for Canadian passport holders.  Sweden/Germany have strong passports, the US, for now, too. 

Hopefully this will not taint us. If anything, I hope Trudeau works harder to ease restrictions so maybe Canada can benefit from Trump's idiotic attempts at protecting US based airlines. 

With the revoking of visas to specialist nurses at Windsor/Detroit and the turning away of the "rapists and murderers" at the southern border, I hope the white nationalist agenda fails miserably as various labour markets feel the squeeze. 



I've gotta have more cow bell! -Bruce Dickinson

Offline ?Impact

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #26 on: March 23, 2017, 06:00:11 pm »
cameras and laptops and subject them to theft from baggage handlers.

Not baggage handlers, TSA agents. ABC did a test with iPads passing through security, and found one stolen by a TSA agent. They showed the security camera footage of the officer handling the iPad, but the TSA said there was no record. They had enabled the iPad tracking software, and traced it to the agents house. They showed up at the agents house and asked for it and he denied having it. They then sent the command to have it alarm, and they could hear it beeping from inside the house. The shytehead TSA agent finally admitted that his wife took it, yeah right. At least when they checked with the TSA a few days later the official response is the agent was no longer working there.

Offline msj

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #27 on: April 23, 2017, 10:14:36 am »
Travel plans for 2017 are now up in the air but for good reasons.

Friends from France are coming out in July and then friends from little England in September. 

The ones from France have lived on the Island before but from England - they have never been here so: Road Trip!

Going to see Hornby Island, Tofino, Ucluelet, Victoria, Osooyoos, Kelowna, Lilloet, Whistler, and Vancouver (yawn, the boring part of the trip). 

I've gotta have more cow bell! -Bruce Dickinson
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Offline JMT

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #28 on: May 09, 2017, 12:08:36 pm »
22 minutes until I get on the plane to leave Chicago for Hong Kong.  It's pretty exciting.
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Offline msj

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Re: The Travel Thread
« Reply #29 on: July 03, 2017, 09:40:11 am »
Have had a lovely time in Victoria, Metchosin, and Port Renfrew this Canada Day long weekend.

Lovely Italian dinner (chicken liver, duck confit, chocolate tort) at Cafe Brio in Victoria. 

Then made it to the B&B in Metchosin which is a quiet rural farming/arty/hippie community 35 minutes away.

Went to Port Renfrew yesterday and had a great time at botanical beach. Tide pools full of mussels and sea urchins and stuffs.

Stuck the Go Pro into the pools to shoot some video and one of the park volunteers watched me closely.

She didn't know me but could probably see the mussel lust in my eyes as I would have loved to have harvested some instead of only getting video. 

Surprised as to how awesome the Pub is: craft beer, excellent food, awesome speakers - the only wrong with them was the country music.   

The drive out and back is on the slow side: windy highway on par with going out to Tofino but much slower.

The fog lifting up all morning made for many cool scenes. At one point we could see the shadows of wind swept fog clouds moving across the highway. 
I've gotta have more cow bell! -Bruce Dickinson