Travellers tales ..

[Bez]

The lovely Randall often posts some interesting tales about his travels and adventures around the world. To be honest, I've rarely gone more than 200 miles away from where I live ....(sad but true)...so I am always fascinated to read other peoples stories.....so here's your chance to tell a tale about where you've been and your adventures along the way...

[minks]

Awww this looks like goo fun.

Well this was one of my fave adventures, we took the girls and went with my boss and her daughter for a weeks stay in Jamaica. We had a 4 hour flight to toronto, a 4 hour stop over in toronto, and then a 4 hour flight to Jamaica. Upon our arrival we were immediately picked up by the Villa Driver and had a 3 hour drive along the coastal highway which was a real adventure as it is all single land and as you take corners the driver merely honks and he who honks first has the right away. Yes it seemed perilous. We stopped here and there along the way so we could buy some food and drink and one of the little road side pubs (a shack really) was just finished setting up these stacks of speakers, that had to top 10 feet high. Our driver told us at the end of the day the pub owners set out these speakers and play the music very loud, and this is their way of inviting folks to take notice and buy drinks from their establishment. He said you can get 2 kinds of beer in Jamaica, White Stripe and White Stripe Lite. Well he then told us that the speakers were called "mileaways" and we looked at him oddly and questioned him and he said yes "mileaways" you can hear them a mile away. Ahhh we were set, the driver was a hit for us for the remainder of the trip. As we went along our way, the stopped at a near by beach just a public beach with hopes of us haveing a wee stay until we were confronted by armed and flap jacketed police who spoke to the driver in their native language and we had to move on. After we left the driver informed us the found the supect who robbed a major grocery store in Kingston and we had to leave as they had just shot him. Apparently in Jamaica you shoot first ask questions later. Well this was the high and low point of our arrival day. But after that it was all good and we had the time of our lives in Jamaica and would go back in a heart beat.

[pantsonfire321@aol.com]

Arrrh Jamaica,we bloody hated it..... after a cramped 11 hour flight from London we thought we had landed in paradise ...arhhhhh it was hot, balmy, and sooooooo tropical .....nothing remotely like the Med. The first day we decided to venture down to the little town/ harbour and find a nice secluded beach ,we found what we were looking for only to be told that it would cost $30 US dollers each to use the beach and at $120 dollers per day for three of us we said "yeh right bollox" so didnt stop there (we were later told about a free public beach). Well.... next stop the ATM Jamaica has lots of banks and lots of police with BIG f***off guns , more than one kind i think, (police not guns) well any way to get into the ATM you have to lock your self into a tiny little cubicle outside the bank and try your luck... what you dont imagine is 20 rough looking blokes standing out side watching your every move ...all i can say is ..we got a few dollers and legged it - we were scared!!! Now Jamaica is a very poor country and you cannot walk 30 yards from your hotel without being harrassed by locals into buying weed,pills,skunk what ever and you never tell then MAYBE LATER ..because we didnt want to be rude and they never take no for a answer... you just say maybe tomorrow ..well f*** me they follow you, they shout across the road, they even come and sit next to you in KFC, they even tryed to sell it to my then 14 year old . Now i'm sure Jamaica is a really beautiful place we just did'nt see much of it because of difficulty's getting car insurance or we would of travelled more and seen more..but, from what we did see it was dirty, dogs laying dead in the road and if you dont have a crossing nearby ..you just paint one and they use every opportunity to rip off the tourist from your luggage to telephone calls... so we won't be going back in a hurry .....But... it was'nt all bad his lordship and the sprog got to swim with dolphin's (im scared of water) - he got to scuber dive and jet ski and lose the kid in shark infested waters ( thats another story ) and we went to Dunn's river falls a very famous water fall and spent far to much at the duty free outlets it was'nt so bad . I do have one word of warning though ..the rum is 70% proof and about £7 quid a bottle over there and £20 plus quid in london and, if your a large breasted blonde like me BEWARE i had my 6ft, 15 stone cockney geezer as a body guard but them there locals likes their buxom women and they don't leave you alone...so ladies you have been warned!! ps and it was rainy season and boy did it rain ...

[BabyRider]

Bez, I haven't had much chance to travel myself, but the first 2 weeks of July Bullet and I will be taking our honeymoon on the bikes. Our final destination before we head home? Florida, when I hope to God to meet LC. I'll have some good stories then, I'm sure!!

[chrisb84uk]

Wel being in the situation I am in at the minute, I don't get to travel much either, so the big trip in a months time is the first for me in a long while. Then I will be able to post some more detailed encounts of my travels, which should be so much fun!!

[pantsonfire321@aol.com]

Maybe i should'nt mention us getting caught doing somthing....blank blank blank on a balcony in greece ...No better not its a family forum.xxxxxxxxxx

[pantsonfire321@aol.com]

MAJORCA ---- never ever ever will i go to Majorca again.We got a cheapy 99 quid job a couple of years ago and I HATE SPAIN /MAJORCA .We had a lovley apartment a lovely complex there were just far to many brits. We got off the plane idiot husband put our luggage into the coach then came up to doss for the short journey to our appartment ,only then did i realise the twat did'nt have our camcorder bag .It was the only thing i've ever trusted him to hold (never again) the twat had left it on the trolly .So that was £1000 pounds plus worth of camcorder, film, camera ,binoculars and other gadgets .I nearly killed the bastard .We then got to our hotel and had two solid days of rain and two nights of howeling singing, i got food poisoning midweek and spend the last two days in bed with migraine . Some how in - between we hired a car and saw most of the island and i know im not missing anything ..i will NOT be going back .

[chrisb84uk]

Wow Pants, you sure have had your fair share of bad holidays!! When was the last time that you had a pleasant one??

[pantsonfire321@aol.com]

chrisb84uk wrote: Wow Pants, you sure have had your fair share of bad holidays!! When was the last time that you had a pleasant one??


Silly as it sounds we 've never concidered them really bad holidays when you think of the location and the fact your on holiday relaxing its never really that bad --- it can always be much worse... and thats what insurance is there for.

[minks]

Awww Pants pity you had such a crummy time in Jamaica.

[Bez]

Although I haven't travelled that much, we did go to Jersey in the Channel islands for a week in the '80s. We went on a day trip to SARK, a very unique small island. The Island has it's own goverment and the history is 'feudal'. There are some very stringent rules...namely....NO VEHICLES WITH ENGINES except tractors. The islanders walk, ride bikes or horses. You could take a 'tractor bus' from the jetty or walk. I walked but it was quite a steep climb. We had a tour round the island in a horse drawn cart...it was a real experience.

When we got back to the village square, one of the horses pulling another carriage reared up and the carriage tipped over and a childs leg was trapped underneath. Holiday makers lifted the carriage and the local doctor was called. he arrived driving a tractor towing an 'ambulance' that was a small converted caravan. The child was found to be bruised and shocked but otherwise OK. Had she needed to go to hospital in Jersey, a helicopter would have been called in, but they are only allowed on the island in dire emergencies. At that time there was only 1 Hotel which had a fantastic restaurant. There are a few B&Bs on Sark so you can have a real 'get away from it all' holiday.



Things have moved on a bit over the last 20 years and Sark has its own website.....



http://www.sark.info/



http://www.ci-methodist.org.uk/Sark/map_of_sark.htm

[minks]

Hawaii

We went to the island of Maui for friends of the family's wedding. While there we had some wonderful adventures.

We got up one morning at 3:00 am and drove to the top of Mt. Haliakalak. It was freezing cold and it made us wonder why we traveled this far when we could have stayed home and experienced the typical Calgary winter. Well as we stood atop of the mountain at the ungodly hour of pending dawn, slowly the sun began to peak out from.... below us, yes we were higher than the horizon. Well as the sun rised the sky turned a lovely hazy orange and at one point it was a firey red ball split in 2 by the clouds. It was facinating to watch it come up from under the clouds, pass through the clouds then rise up over the clouds. So worth the cold wait on the mountain top.

While on the gorgeous island of Maui, we boarded a Katamaran and were wisked out into the ocean off the coast of the small island known as the horseshoe island. Once there we were dropped into the water among the coral reef and I experienced my very first adventure in snorkeling. Now remember I come from Land Locked Alberta, Canada so for me this was they ulitmate thrill to see the coral, the plantlife and the fish for 3 hours. I was tireless, the sun was wonderfully warm, the ocean gloriously calm. On our way back we passed by an area where the dolphins were frolicking but they didnt stick around too much for us.

The wedding was performed on a private beach with tiered levels of greenery and flowers. The bride and groom were gorgeous the sun shining and a mild breeze. The minister was a hawaiian priest, very robust and native looking in native ceremonial robe. It was stunning and a perfect way to get married.

We walked the beaches at sunset a couple times and one time were amazed at how many frogs came out at night, they literally covered the beach and the grounds where we stayed.

It was a fantastic vacation and the wedded couple came away with as grand of memories as I had.

[Bez]

Now we're coming to the holiday period, don't forget to post your tales and experiences here....Randall....we love you stories...post more please...

[Bryn Mawr]

One of the best holidays we had was driving round central Turkey.

Highlights included :-

stopping in a tiny village to check the map (it was obvoiusly not on the road we thought we were on) only to have the locals invite us in for tea and cakes before escorting us to the right road out. No common language but their kindness and sign language was enough.

Being stopped by the army who tried to commandeer our hire car - we just played dumb and bluffed it out.

Seeing the holy site of the Whirlling Dirvishes in Konia

Exploring the underground cities of Capadocia and the rock houses in the volcanic landscape.



All in all a wonderful two weeks