Vacations

[Lucky 1]

Originally Posted by ocean breeze

Just recently came back from Brazil. A week in the Amazon rainforest and a week in Rio De Janeiro. Which marks the completion of all the places i wanted to explore before i die and i did it in less than four years.

Some people are going to be annoyed or upset by this. Can you imagine a person that many resent is actually out living their dreams?

Outstanding! I've been to Brazil a few times and Rio is wonderful!
I hope you got to enjoy a Caipirinha (or two!) while there!!

[ocean breeze]

Originally Posted by Lucky 1

Outstanding! I've been to Brazil a few times and Rio is wonderful!
I hope you got to enjoy a Caipirinha (or two!) while there!!

Thanks. Safe travels for you and your family. Seems like you've been everywhere.

[Lucky 1]

Originally Posted by ocean breeze

Thanks. Safe travels for you and your family. Seems like you've been everywhere.

Yes....I've been all over the America's from as far south as the Straight of Magellan to well north of Winnipeg Canada......and all over sub-Saharan Africa.

I've gone where I want to go.....and where I have not been pretty much comes down to having no interest in going there!

For instance I've had no interest what so ever in seeing Europe , most of Asia or North Africa and the Middle East.....

The one exception to that is my wife loves Paris....so every couple of years she drags me off to France....I gotta admit the food is pretty incredible there!

Same for Australia ...I'd probably never go except my wife has some family outside of Sidney and we've been there a couple of times in the last 10 years.......From Texas....Australia is one long damn airplane ride!!!

I'm sure my wanderlust comes from my father who hunted and fished all over the world.

My father had his private pilots licence since he was a teenager and when I was 25 years old he told me if you want to get your pilots licence I'll pay for it...so I did.

This led me to buying a (very used) Piper Cherokee when I was 28......after a few trips down south in the Piper it became painfully obvious that it was a good little plane but just didn't have the legs or the speed to go the places I really wanted to go.

So that led to trading up every few years to bigger and faster planes.....172....182-RG.....now for the last 20 years or so...a six passenger a Cessna 210 Turbo Centurion.

Now the Cessna 210 is 31 years old and I'm wanting to replace it but everything I've looked at really costs now!!!!

On top of that my family has grown to include grandkids...the oldest of which is almost 12 and has clearly inherited our family penchant for wanderlust so we are outgrowing the Cessna and something bigger and faster than that means moving to some kind of turboprop.....and those are very expensive!!!

Don't know what I'm going to do about that yet......

[ocean breeze]

Interesting experiences. You seem like you had an interesting life, lucky 1. Username seems fitting.

I feel much the same about Europe in that i don't see the appeal in comparison to other parts of the world. Seems like an easy place. Less adventurous, less risk, not much of a cultural difference from the U.S. I could be wrong, but i get the impression that's why most choose Europe in comparison to other parts of the world that are much more culturally diverse. Middle East and Asia seem interesting though. If i had to choose another long trip, it would probably be India, Thailand, or China. Israel, and Peru seem like fun places to explore as well.

[Altair]

Originally Posted by ocean breeze

I feel much the same about Europe in that i don't see the appeal in comparison to other parts of the world. Seems like an easy place. Less adventurous, less risk, not much of a cultural difference from the U.S. I could be wrong, but i get the impression that's why most choose Europe in comparison to other parts of the world that are much more culturally diverse. Middle East and Asia seem interesting though. If i had to choose another long trip, it would probably be India, Thailand, or China. Israel, and Peru seem like fun places to explore as well.

Good lord, you couldn't be MORE wrong.

Every country in Europe will feel different.. culture, architecture, food, how people behave. Many Europeans dislike the American culture where you get the same in every city.. the same restaurants, the same sort of buildings, the same sort of 'logic' in how US cities were made with business centres and shopping malls, etc. how people define their lives etc. We don't have that as much, we have much more a ''sense of place'' and variety that's just not even remotely comparable to your country.

For many of us it's also weird to be mentioned in the same breath as the US when it comes to ''the Western world'' because sorry pal but we're worlds apart..

Going to the US is a culture shock!

[ocean breeze]

Originally Posted by Altair

Many Europeans dislike the American culture where you get the same in every city.. the same restaurants, the same sort of buildings, the same sort of 'logic' in how US cities were made with business centres and shopping malls, etc. how people define their lives etc.

If Europeans believe that Los Angeles is the same as New Orleans or Miami is the same as New York then i could only say that Europeans are just as ignorant about American cities as i am about their country. Not even the accent or way of living is the same. Speak with someone from the northeast and speak with someone from the south and you'll get something completely different.

[Altair]

Originally Posted by ocean breeze

If Europeans believe that Los Angeles is the same as New Orleans or Miami is the same as New York then i could only say that Europeans are just as ignorant about American cities as i am about their country. Not even the accent or way of living is the same. Speak with someone from the northeast and speak with someone from the south and you'll get something completely different.

''Just as..''

Ha! Not quite. Yeah, there are differences alright, but they're not even remotely comparable to the differences between Rome and Stockholm, or London and Bucharest. Even neighbouring countries will be very different.

Your next stop should be Europe.
Perhaps you CAN be saved.....

When you are in Europe you will understand the meaning of the word variety.

[carebear]

Do you always make a argument out of every damn thread? even a thread on vacations you have to pick apart to the last word. Talk about being uptight over someone’s world vacation experiences LOL


ocean breeze: I can’t WAIT to see your photos from Brazil!!!

Originally Posted by Altair

''Just as..''

Ha! Not quite. Yeah, there are differences alright, but they're not even remotely comparable to the differences between Rome and Stockholm, or London and Bucharest. Even neighbouring countries will be very different.

Your next stop should be Europe.
Perhaps you CAN be saved.....

When you are in Europe you will understand the meaning of the word variety.

[Altair]

Originally Posted by carebear

Do you always make a argument out of every damn thread? even a thread on vacations you have to pick apart to the last word. Talk about being uptight over someone’s world vacation experiences LOL

Oh lighten up..!!! His impression of Europe is totally off. You want me, as a European, to ignore that?

Err... no, not gonna happen. I'm justified to defend this glorious continent..!

Besides, it was also a bit of fun. Pretty sure Ocean Breeze can take it! He ain't a cherry pie..

[ocean breeze]

Originally Posted by Altair

''Just as..''

Ha! Not quite. Yeah, there are differences alright, but they're not even remotely comparable to the differences between Rome and Stockholm, or London and Bucharest. Even neighbouring countries will be very different.

Your next stop should be Europe.
Perhaps you CAN be saved.....

When you are in Europe you will understand the meaning of the word variety.

I wouldn't mind stopping by Europe one of these years. I'm pretty sure i'll enjoy it too. Right now, nothing draws me there. And yes, i'm pretty sure many of the cities are different from each other. There is no denying that. Your speaking about many countries in comparison to just one. And in comparison to other parts of the globe i don't see Europe offering much. New York and London and Rome. Or New York and Cairo and Johannesburg. The latter will likely provide a much more diverse set of cultural experiences. It already has.

Originally Posted by carebear

ocean breeze: I can’t WAIT to see your photos from Brazil!!!

Perhaps next week i'll start posting them. Which is like two days away.