Results 126 to 150 of 154
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06-05-2019, 11:09 AM #126
I think it could be a Mandarin-to-English translation issue.
I've only been to Chinatown in NYC and that one in Montreal so I can't comment on China specifically. I trust spook though that they have them in Yueyang.
Speaking of Quebec, its like going to France without dealing with the French. So there's a lot to like there, including much better car rental experiences. I'd like to cast a vote for Quebec even so its not a country yet."timberridge is terminally vapid" -- a fortune cookie in Yueyang
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06-05-2019, 11:18 AM #127Registered User
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06-05-2019, 11:20 AM #128Registered User
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06-05-2019, 11:20 AM #129
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06-05-2019, 11:22 AM #130
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06-05-2019, 11:27 AM #131Registered User
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Who needs stickers when you can get a tattoo. Chicks dig commitment.
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06-05-2019, 11:36 AM #132
I feel delco's commitment to that franchise may pale in comparison to this guy's commitment to Star Wars.
https://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainm...ks-tattoo-guy/"timberridge is terminally vapid" -- a fortune cookie in Yueyang
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06-05-2019, 11:39 AM #133
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06-05-2019, 11:48 AM #134
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06-05-2019, 01:06 PM #135
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06-05-2019, 03:21 PM #136
Tanzania: I've traveled there many times and lived in Arusha for half a year. From the Rift Valley to Zanzibar to the western jungle, it's a fantastic place with very cool people.
Japan: I lived there for a couple years but never felt like living there permanently. Anyhow, Japan is dope. For some reason, Japan has always felt more "exotic" than any other place to me, despite at least superficially having more western influence. I strongly prefer Osaka and Kansai to Tokyo.
Syria/Jordan: Not being sarcastic about Syria. I spent three weeks there in 2002. The people were ridiculously friendly and hospitable (routinely inviting you to their homes for dinner), Damascus was a great city to wander around, there was little western influence, and you could walk around ancient Roman ruins in a place like Palmyra that surpassed anything in Rome without seeing any other tourists whatsoever. And the baklava (they obviously didn't call it that) that was ubiquitous in the country was crazy delicious. Given the more recent and ongoing tragedy in Syria though, I'll substitute in Jordan, which is also a very cool place (Petra!).
Thailand: It's kind of a cliche, but it's hard to have a bad time in Thailand (unless you spend too much time in a place like Patong).
Ireland: I haven't been there for 15+ years, but everything, even Dublin, felt very local and friendly in the late 90's/early 00's. Half the time I hitchhiked around, and I never had to wait long to be picked up. Often, when a car couldn't give me a ride, the person would nevertheless pull over and explain why they couldn't give me a ride. I was just a young traveler with a stupid backpack who deserved no explanation, but it was always touching. Also, there is no better drinking environment than a proper Irish pub.
Honorable mentions: Nepal (mountains!), Canada (mountains!), South Africa (everything but mountains!), England (Leeds!), Malawi (the lake and Mulanje Massif).
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06-06-2019, 07:18 AM #137
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06-06-2019, 07:46 AM #138
Dang, man. You've been around! Totally agree about Japan. Never had a bad time there and it's one of the countries I left having the most respect for the culture. Sure, every culture has its issues when you look beneath the surface, but Japan probably has the most little idiosyncrasies that I felt I wanted to learn from. Cleanliness chief among them. They make EVERY other country look a bunch of dirty 3rd world shitholes by comparison. Even the homeless camps in Tokyo are nice and tidy, so even their mentally ill and destitute have some freaking pride. I love it.
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06-06-2019, 09:23 AM #139
Don't miss out on Lesotho and the Drakensberg - a range of peaks at 10-11k, lots of vert on approaches and even some winter snow. We loved hiking there and it looks like mountain biking is growing on the SA side. The peaks on the east side of the Western Cape were also impressively rugged. Not a very tall, but looked like fun to hike/scramble.
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06-06-2019, 11:22 AM #140
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06-06-2019, 12:52 PM #141
Yeah. I always have deep admiration for people who have crappy jobs but nevertheless take them seriously and do their best, and Japan epitomizes this phenomenon.
I spent a few days hiking in Amphitheater and was blown away. It's not really "alpine" in my mind, but the scenery was unreal. We jumped into Lesotho for a day, so I can't really say I've seen the place. Ditto for Swaziland, where we spent only a few days. Honestly, SA could easily be on my list. I loved the place.
I hear you. I really like the popular places (Europe, Japan, Thailand), but my favorite travelling has always been a little off the beaten path.
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06-06-2019, 03:22 PM #142
Yup! Been a while, but isn't the word for this concept "Shokunin"? From garbage men to McDonalds fry cooks to engineers, the pride and seriousness that people put into their jobs is astounding. We could learn a lot. Haha.
Totally. Many times, the fewer the tourists, the better. Great place I want to go back to is Kyrgyzstan. Get out to the mountains out there. Amazing place. Actually all those countries in Central Asia/former Soviet republics really don't get enough attention. Been to 4 of the "Stans." Kind of nice going to remote mountainous countries where no cruise ships can get to with literal boatloads of Americans/British/Australians/etc. out on holiday swarming the place. Some day I want to do some ski touring out there. The options would be freaking endless!
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06-06-2019, 08:37 PM #143
The general SEasia mix of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam (never been to Myanmar, can't speak at the time it was a 4 week wait for a visa) has an awesome mix of generally friendly people, natural wonders & beauty, fascinating history and cuisine. Definitely a fun place to travel.
I haven't been in a few years but even then, and perhaps moreso now the money thats poured in over the years changed some parts of it for the not-quite-so-nice to my taste and it is the time to go further into the hills. not bitter, some of the place I was "before" the change, some at the time, some after (it would have been kinda fucking cool to smoke opium in what was supposedly the last "real" Opium den in the world and that one closed in early 00s Vientiane - ya, maybe thats bullshit don't @ me and fuck up dreams)
Which isn't to say Bangkok is horrible - it has some great food.Last edited by dunfree ; 06-06-2019 at 10:24 PM.
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06-06-2019, 09:17 PM #144
Wait, what? I’m interested by all that, but it seems really stream of consciousness
I still call it The Jake.
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06-06-2019, 09:34 PM #145
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06-06-2019, 09:36 PM #146
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06-06-2019, 09:37 PM #147
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06-06-2019, 09:38 PM #148
Favorite Country, in no particular order
....
Quando paramucho mi amore de felice carathon.
Mundo paparazzi mi amore cicce verdi parasol.
Questo abrigado tantamucho que canite carousel.
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06-07-2019, 05:52 AM #149
I am soon to be leaving fuckthisjobistan.
watch out for snakes
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06-07-2019, 12:02 PM #150
One of the things that's always appealed to me is the Silk Road. In the 60's and 70's, a lot of British hippies would apparently buy a Land Rover and take a similar path, which sounds pretty damn cool. I would love to explore the Stans. The skiing in Kyrgyzstan looks legit.
I also think Iran would be a pretty cool place to travel. Loads of history, culture, natural beauty and relatively free of recent Western influence for its degree of modern development. When I looked into it a long while ago, the main problem was that customs and security at the airport apparently fleeced most western tourists of huge amounts of cash/baksheesh regardless of whether you had a legit visa or not. I've had to pay $50 or so to get certain stamp-wielding soldiers at border crossings to recognize the legitimacy of my visa, but the stories from Tehran were of much greater amounts.
Anyhow, this is all daydreaming. That kind of travel is for people who do not have careers, kids, and mortgages, alas.
Quick Cambodia story: In the late 90's, one could shoot a rocket launcher in Phnom Penh for about $40. This sounded to cool to 20-ish me. So when I made there in 2002, I bought a large bag full of papaya (couldn't find watermelons) and went to the place--which, disturbingly, was right next to the airport--in the hope of blowing up a pile of fruit with a rocket. Unfortunately, the price had gone up to $200, which was too much for my shoestring budget. We ended up shooting our pile of fruit with an old AK-47 instead. (Hard to aim.) The next day, I went to the Killing Fields museum and felt like a massive asshole.
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