Three Favourite things to do
1 travelling first class by train in England .
2 Riding in a black cab in London .
3 Flying business class
You are very lucky to have such friends . Me to and I reciprocate . I have just had my friend Linda stay with us who lives in Eaton Square . She flew out for my daughters eighteenth birthday . Through her I went to Queens club here in Sydney which is a woman's only club and met a whole new group of friends .i didn't know it existed . It was like going back in time . Twila would understand from her time in colonial Malaya.
Dirk Borgargde the English actor wrote some mavelouse books about living in France . Well worthy read .
Hope you haven't been frightened away jaywalker by all the nonsense on here .
Trains and boats and planes
Trains TGV Zurich to Paris
Boats Venice Corfu ferry
Planes landing in Maldives
I have only travelled on trains in Australia & Chine. I have sailed through a couple of cyclones, but my scariest experience was sitting in the cockpit of a 747 landing at the old airport in Hong Kong. You used to fly between a number of tall buildings & when the pilot spotted the runway off in the distant left, he banked sharply & landed safely.
I sat alongside the pilot whose name was Angel. When he flipped the single engine thing on its side so as to take better pictures of the ground the English girl behind me threw up. It was over the Nazca lines in Peru. Nothing beats travel in India [trains] for the culture and Nepal [busses] for sheer fear.
I used to love Kai Tek Airport it had character when I lived in Hong Kong I was flying out frequently and never had any drama . For such a small group on here it is amazing the amount of travel done and interesting places visited . Love your story Ackers . The Nazca lines must have had incrediblbly detailed master plan .
ps - the Nazca lines still have the pundits a bit baffled. Some lines/figures intersect.
My scariest flight was almost into and instantly out of Leeds in heavy snow/fog. The pilot aborted a landing - probably couldnt see past his nose [the planes - not his]. I felt as though we were taking a moon orbit attempt the thrust was so great. I worked in Dublin and flew a bit between there and Hull.
I once flew from Frankfurt to Milan with Lufthansa . When we got over Milan you could see one tall smokestack poking up through the low lying clouds . All the other airlines diverted .Not Fritzy in he went blind as a bat and landed everyone on board clapped . I was saying fu.... Drongo .
The most frightening landing I have experienced was into Gibralter during the Spanish embargo in the 70s we 1st landed in Morroco as the Levant wind was too strong to land on the Gibraltar airstrip and would blow us into the Rock, we were on standbys for when it dropped. Wind dropped we took off and just before landing the Pilot came on said " for those of you who do not know with the embargo by Spain if we go into Spanish airspace they will shoot at us we therefore turn on our side straightening out just before landing, you will be looking down at the sea as we decelerated we straighten up just before touching down with heavy thrust back as the landing strip is very short just to reassure everyone no plane has failed so far to stop before the end of the landing strip"
I thought the old Hong Kong airport strip was a cinch after that landing.
Armed Spanish Guardia made sure no one could cross into Spain and we were warned fishing boats or swimmers from Gibraltar who got near Spanish waters were shot at, no fresh milk for us for 18 months and all fresh water tankered in, the Gibraltarians were and are determined to remain British and put up with it for years, and now it has started again.
Like all stories on here there is so much unsaid . What was your job Viv in Gibraltar.
Like all stories on here there is so much unsaid . What was you job Viv in Gibraltar.
Like all stories on here there is so much unsaid . What was you job Viv in Gibraltar.
Like all stories on here there is so much unsaid . What was you job Viv in Gibraltar.
Like all stories on here there is so much unsaid . What was you job Viv in Gibraltar.
I chose not to work as I had 7 month old baby my husband employed by Gib Government, you would like this story we were invited onto Hms Norfolk to meet Prince Charles and then by the ships Dr. to go with him to meet a prostitute who was concerned about one of the Ratings. Prince to prostitute in one night, and actually the prostitute was very very nice and genuinely concerned about the sailor.
What a great vignette, it doesn't cease to amaze me the experiences that such a small group have had. Here's another one in 1986 the people's power resistance against Marcos was coming to a head in the Phillipines. Marcos fled on Feb 26 and Mrs Aqino took over as president . I flew in on the 28th . The Aqino family are extremely wealthy and very close . Unbeknown to me we had working for us one of her nephews who invited me after checking with his Aunt to a family dinner that night. So there I was the only non family member having dinner with the new president just two days after Marcos left . I still have a photograph of Me And Mrs Aquino at that dinner.
One other thing I was staying at the Madarin Oriental in Makati and when I arrived all the staff lined up to greet me , Iwas the only Guest.
Does anybody on here know anything about security in modern pakistan? I have been invited over there to a couple of seminars in Jan or Feb. I was not at all concerned until I was assured that there would be no security problems because a local General would be taking care of us.
just check if it was the same general who was guarding mrs bhutto when her head got blown off
it may depend upon just where you were going to be but dont risk being near a christian church - that was the last suicide bombing [Google]
2 Universities in Islamabad & 1 in Karachi.
revised: my three favourite things
1 - wake up
2 - plan next trip
3 - travel
4 - sex
Expose pseudos
Awwww. Thanks Akkers. Been a while since I heard that song. Brought a tear, no several tears.
Is Robi back from Bali? When are you going Jags ?
not sure - abbey probably knows. she takes a keen interest in these things. prolly keeps a diary on where every one on this site is at. poor thing hasnt much of a life
she had a go at Robi for posting on this site while on hols.
we leave mid december. still deciding where to stay in seminyak
Did I mention that friends of mine hirer a villa . Two couples . All mod cons including cook driver etc .
you did. but with only the 2 of us, might be better to just book a hotel.
villa's are great if in a group I reckon.
Yes I guess your right or with children another friend went with his three children and having your own pool cook etc was a boon and he could relax with his kids .
Aquatrek :)
The Windmills of Your Mind
is an excellent exposition of an optical illusion painted by Octavio Ocampo.
Definitely well said.
I dont have just a nice tight bum
We are looking forward to next year's trip with more anticipation than usual. I lived in Kent in 91 and 92 and shared a house with a couple who became very close friends. At that time they had a holiday house in France and then some years later they moved permanently to Spain and we have visited them in both places several times. They have just recently exchanged the house in Spain for an ancient chateau in France about two hours inland from La Rochelle. They have sent photos and it looks amazing so we are going to stay with them next July. Can't wait to see it. Its origins go back to 1100 and it also belonged to a woman philosopher who hid British and American pilots during the war and was very active in the Resistance.....very interesting history.