Want to see the world? Hurry up!

[Swammerdami]

Decades ago people told me they'd like to travel when they retired. My answer was always the same: Want to see the world? Travel NOW while there's still a world to see!

Just now my Google news feed (or Samsung news feed?) presented me with a List of tourist destinations NOT to visit. The problem wasn't that tourists no longer liked these places; it was the opposite, that tourists liked them too much! They are overrun. Balinese beaches "are now buried under 300,000 tons of plastic waste." Barcelona and Mallorca were also mentioned as places where "the locals don't want tourists."

Topping the list were Bali and Ko Samui. My daughter visited both recently and liked them OK, but I'm sure they weren't like they were decades ago.

I've never been to Indonesia at all, but I visited Ko Samui 40 years ago. No airport; bungalows were cheap. Tranquility! Most of Phuket was similar in those days. I stayed at one beach where electricity was available for only 2 hours a day, right at sundown. Patong was nearby (as the crow flies) for nightlife but neighboring beaches were not connected: you had to drive your motorcycle halfway to Phuket Town to find a road for a different beach. The beaches near where construction on a Club Med was just beginning were electrified 24 hours but still very tranquil. For lunch I had swordfish steak (less than $1) and in evenings I went to a "disco" where beer and hamburger were each about $1. Everyone was very friendly. I was care-free and very content. Altogether I spent several very happy weeks on Phuket Island.

That was 1984. I visited Phuket again in 1990 with my future wife and changes were very tangible. Patong had turned into a mini-Pattaya. I've not gone back since and I don't want to.

- - - - - - - - -

The same newsfeed presented me with an article on Bhutan, the country that emphasizes happiness over wealth. The King had to impose democracy: His subjects were happy with the monarchy. With schools taught in English, they're now suffering a "brain drain": Other countries want the happy English-speaking Bhutanese as workers. So now Bhutan is promoting tourism to provide work for young Bhutanese. If you want to check it out, my advice remains: Go NOW!

 

[GenesisNemesis]

I've seen some of it.

 

[DBT]

I think you could forget about visiting places like Rome or Venice during peak season.

 

[Ford]

I was just talking about this with my sister. She went to Paris a few months ago, and lived in Edinburgh when she was working on her master's degree. She travels all over the country doing research for her job (historic preservation), and is now thinking about going to Italy this year. Rome, Venice, Florence...all part of a tour group thing.

I haven't traveled much apart from crossing into Canada and Mexico when I lived on the border. I've been to Hawaii a few times, the Bahamas, and the Riviera Maya in Mexico. I don't like "touristy" places (I stayed at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas when I tagged along with my daughter's then boyfriend's family) and I couldn't wait to get away from that place and go into town and find some local flavor.

I listed a few of the places I'd like to visit, and my sister and I clearly have different tastes. Rarotonga, Zanzibar, the Northwest Passage, the Nordland Railway up above the Arctic Circle, and other faraway where there's no "peak season" for tourists. Give me a secluded beach with no one else around and I'm a happy camper. Maybe after my employer finally gets around to laying off the rest of us, I can find a job that pays well enough and offers enough vacation time for me to finally check a few places off my list.

The one place that will probably remain unchecked on the list? Iran. I've heard that the people are warm and welcoming to visitors despite the theocracy, and what better place to have some Persian food, but Fuckface Von Clownstick has ensured that I'll have to avoid that country for a very long time.

 

[bilby]

I haven't traveled much apart from crossing into Canada and Mexico when I lived on the border.

I didn't know Canada and Mexico even shared a border.

 

[GenesisNemesis]

I haven't traveled much apart from crossing into Canada and Mexico when I lived on the border.

I've been to Canada a couple times to visit some relatives, unfortunately they turned into MAGAtards and will never visit them again. But probably will go back to Canada at some point.

 

[Ford]

I haven't traveled much apart from crossing into Canada and Mexico when I lived on the border.

I've been to Canada a couple times to visit some relatives, unfortunately they turned into MAGAtards and will never visit them again. But probably will go back to Canada at some point.

I grew up across the St. Clair River from Canada. I think we probably went there by boat as often as a border crossing. You could take the ferry, and halfway across you could buy Canadian fishing licenses. Some of the best spots on the lake were on the Canadian side. We also used to go to this farm to pick strawberry's, and the Canadian border guards would say "oh, can you bring some back for me?" We took a long boat trip up the Canadian side of Lake Huron and up into the North Channel. All we had to do was make a phone call in Sarnia and give them the registration number for our boat. Stopped off to visit relatives in Bayfield, and 10 days later we crossed back into 'Murica at Drummond Island. Of course, this was in the late 80s and way before all the madness.

When I lived in El Paso in the mid 90s, it was a short drive (or walk if you were downtown) into Juarez. I used to go over at least once a week to do radio nights at a club in the wealthy part of town. It was just normal everyday life to cross back and forth. When visitors would come to town (record people, etc) and ask "where's a good place for Mexican food?" we could answer "Mexico!" Next thing you know we'd be at Chihuahua Charlie's sipping on maragitas and eating a nice lunch for next to nothing (in US dollars).

 

[Elixir]

I haven't traveled much apart from crossing into Canada and Mexico when I lived on the border.

I didn't know Canada and Mexico even shared a border.

They do. It’s called the US.

 

[bilby]

I haven't traveled much apart from crossing into Canada and Mexico when I lived on the border.

I didn't know Canada and Mexico even shared a border.

They do. It’s called the US.

Perhaps it's time that they evicted that border.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

2032 appears to be the deadline, so get those airline reservations in early.

"We're not at a direct threat. We're not in immediate risk. This is not an alert. This is not a crisis situation," Moissl said.

First spotted last month by a telescope in Chile, the near-Earth asteroid known as 2024 YR4 is estimated to be 40 to 100 metres across. It's travelling at around 15 times the speed of a high-velocity bullet. It is now moving away from Earth but will return in 2028.

And if it does impact earth (again — a 98 to 99 per cent chance it won't), it's estimated to happen on Dec. 22, 2032. The probability of impact changes over time as more analysis comes in.

Personally, I haven't seen much of the world. A lot of the Northeastern/habitable portion of North America, though. Newfoundland is where I want to really get to. Hawaii a distant second.

 

[Tharmas]

About twenty-five years ago my wife inherited a tidy sum which we invested, and we’ve used much of the proceeds for travel around the world. One of our most prized memories is a trip across Russia on the trans-Siberian railroad, all the way from Vladivostok to St Petersburg, with multi-day stopovers in Vladivostok, Irkutsk (including Lake Baikal), Ekaterinburg, Moscow and St. Petersburg.

There were only four others on the trip, and a guide, all Australian. In each city we visited we also had guides.

We feel very fortunate to have been able to make the trip in 2006 when Putin was just coming into power, because nowadays Americans would be in danger of arrest and charges of spying or at the least drug possession.

 

[Toni]

I’ve been to Canada—barely into the country. Used to cross into Windsor once in a while when we lived near Detroit and since then have crossed into Canada just a tiny bit, saw a really nice park, lovely views around Lake Superior.

Most Americans get very little vacation time and in our earlier years, money and time were both limited so all of our traveling was between wherever we were living and our families, conveniently located 5 hrs apart from each other. Later, it was hard to wrangle teenagers with their summer jobs and soccer and all of that and then I was working a job with a fairly demanding schedule. Hubby never cared much for traveling but about 15 years ago, he had a big health scare and would require surgery and I put my foot down, booked us a place on a lake and said we’re going. End of. He liked it enough that we’ve gone back most years since then ( pandemic made it harder/less desirable. Or more desirable after a while.) Now that his retirement is approaching we had planned to take a long car trip to Maine, cross over into Canada and come back home on the Canadian side. Renewed our passports and everything. Now, I don’t imagine they would like to see us there. Or anyplace else in the world, for that matter. But we will do a trip to the lake this summer, this time with most of the kids plus partners plus grand baby. And grand dogs. It’s only a week. What could go wrong??

Before we became such a pariah, there was talk of crossing the pond to see real live football ( and museums and castles and gardens and markets for me while they watch matches) with one of the kids who has gone and loved it. I’ve always wanted to see Paris and Wales and Ireland and PNS makes all of England look spectacular and New Zealand and Italy and a friend from Romania tells us that it’s beautiful there. One of my kids spent a year in Poland wants us all to go back with him.

I’m afraid now that we will never get there. Who would have us?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I’ve been to Canada—barely into the country. Used to cross into Windsor once in a while when we lived near Detroit and since then have crossed into Canada just a tiny bit, saw a really nice park, lovely views around Lake Superior.

Lake Superior is super. Puskawawa, Lake Superior parks, Marathon, a little bit of red rock. Some nice falls too. I know there is a whole world out there, but Ontario is just a wonderful place. No mountains, but plenty of everything else.

Most Americans get very little vacation time and in our earlier years, money and time were both limited so all of our traveling was between wherever we were living and our families, conveniently located 5 hrs apart from each other. Later, it was hard to wrangle teenagers with their summer jobs and soccer and all of that and then I was working a job with a fairly demanding schedule. Hubby never cared much for traveling but about 15 years ago, he had a big health scare and would require surgery and I put my foot down, booked us a place on a lake and said we’re going. End of. He liked it enough that we’ve gone back most years since then ( pandemic made it harder/less desirable. Or more desirable after a while.) Now that his retirement is approaching we had planned to take a long car trip to Maine, cross over into Canada and come back home on the Canadian side. Renewed our passports and everything. Now, I don’t imagine they would like to see us there. Or anyplace else in the world, for that matter. But we will do a trip to the lake this summer, this time with most of the kids plus partners plus grand baby. And grand dogs. It’s only a week. What could go wrong??

If you do the drive to Maine, take Rte 2 in northern Massachusetts in lieu of I-90. A little slower (but not slow), a lot nicer drive!

I’m afraid now that we will never get there. Who would have us?

Canada will always have you. They like the money.

Newfoundland is on my list of places to get to.