The Travel Thread

No kidding! It’s tiny. The other surprising thing is the welcome you feel from the people there, both Jewish and Arab. Despite what you see on the news, most people there just want to live in peace. I never felt unsafe in Israel.

3 Likes

I felt unsafe once. My Arab driver stopped in an Arab village between Tel Hai and Tel Aviv. He went inside a bakery and I stayed outside and took pictures. A guy in a truck stopped in the middle of the road yelling at me in his language. He did not like me taking pictures for some reason.

1 Like

Most of the violence is by radicals, not the normal population

1 Like

Amazing to think that it was 50 years ago.
I have been to a few places. Advice I can recommend is to carry an AMEX. Do not use a VISA.
I learned the hard way on how my VISA card numbers were “stolen” It is a major pain to get charges taken out. AMEX is awesome. You have a problem? They take care of it. You also have added insurance benefits with them. Take pictures? Make sure you have multiple memory cards and store them in your luggage when possible. If somebody steals your camera you will still have part of the memories. Buy your ticket on line? Make sure you have read the fine prints 100 times before you go to the next page. Stay away from staying near a major attraction. You can find a much cheaper hotel but much “cozy” and you will get a better appreciation of where you are.
Remember this?

This could be you

or you

Remember it is not a given that you will get an automatic. Please just learn how to drive a stick shift…it is more fun too.
and lastly.
Don’t do this

and keep your eyes on the road

Was in San Francisco for a long weekend to visit a friend. High was 62 for the entire time, what a great escape from the Houston heat.

I was expecting the worse, with all the reports of the homeless and drugs. It was 100% fine, I saw less homeless than the last time I was there 2 years ago.

We stayed at the Marriott Union Square, saw one bum in 4 days in front of the hotel. We were 3 blocks from the Square, so maybe that buffer helps.

Spent most our time in Hayes Valley area, North Beach, and an afternoon at the wharf and one in Sausalito and another in Mission. Seems like the homeless are now just congregating in a couple spots, near Union square and Tenderloin. I saw none in either North Beach or Hayes. Did run into a few on the side streets of mission while walking to a brewery.

All and all it was fantastic other than the prices.

2 Likes

No way you went there without getting pooped on, stabbed with a needle, or shanked. At your rental car got broken into, right?

Going by the media, that’s pretty much what I expected. Didn’t have a single person ask me for money in 4 days. And we walked a ton, which is one of my favorite part of SF. Very happy out strolls weren’t ruined by poop throwing, shankings or panhandling.

So did you have to camouflage yourself as a fellow homeless person to avoid such ruination? Or perhaps you yourself pooped on the sidewalk as a way of warnings others to stay away?

2 Likes

It’s like jail, you get there and fling poo at the biggest bum, then everyone leaves you alone.

2 Likes

Kind of like the walking dead? Good thinking.

Where am I going? I’ve been told I’m going to hell in a hand basket; but my immediate future has Colorado in October for my great niece’s wedding.

Where have I been? I’ve been to 44 states and 26 countries outside of the US. I still need to make it to Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

I would like to make it to Ireland, but my bride doesn’t want to leave the US.

2 Likes

I’m going to San Antonio, Lubbock, Dallas, Memphis, and either Greenville, North Carolina or Annapolis, Maryland this fall, for no particular reason.

1 Like

A visit to Hawaii will change your life.

1 Like

Pattaya Beach in the 70’s was paradise on Earth for a 21 year old

Maui did it for me. Kauai is next on my bucket list.

Oahu is nice too. Sunset Beach has a peaceful easy feeling about it and the best snorkeling in the world, IMHO, is at Hanauma Bay.

Heck, just smelling all the plumeria all over the place and on everyone’s leis is enough to draw one back. Then there are daily rainbows and perfect weather.

I’ve been to Maui twice and Oahu once. You are 100% right about both places. My first ever snorkeling was in Hanauma Bay. Nothing, I mean NOTHING has compared to that experience.

I was supposed to go back to Maui for an awards trip from work in February. It was cancelled due to a Covid outbreak.

Johnny, I have been to Hawaii 16 times, once to the big island, twice to Maui, Oahu 4 times, and Kauai 9 times. Linda and I are figuring out if we can go back again next year and if we do, whether it will be Kauai again or Maui. We love Kauai the most, each time we have gone back, it seems more and more people are there and the traffic is pretty heavy compared to the first time we were there.

I hope to make it back to Oahu again just to take my grandson to Pearl Harbor to see the Arizona Memorial and USS Missouri. My granddaughters aren’t interested. But now that I’m retired and the prices are going up every day, I don’t know how many times we will be able to go back. I still have to get my season tickets for football and basketball and Cougar Pride donation plus other charities and church. Not to mention the sand is running out in my hourglass.

1 Like

Mike, I hear you on all that. :slightly_smiling_face::upside_down_face: It’s just different over there.

Yes it is Johnny. I could feel my body relax as soon as I got off the plane.

2 Likes

A good friend moved to Hawaii 3 years ago. Now I’ve never hated anybody more in my life. :rofl: