Your next big trip is....

I've been to Dakar, Senegal before. If I was going to give the world an enema, that's where I'd stick the tube.

Really?

I'm surprised - so far I've only heard good things about it. Most African cities can be noisy, dirty and full of street kids, but there is also so much colour, life and music that I usually quite like them. On the other hand, some can just be ugly!

What didn't you like about Dakar?

I pulled into Dakar while in the Navy stationed aboard a FF. It was in the early 80's. The streets were filthy, the people were filthy, there were armed soldiers carrying machine guns walking the streets, the beaches were so full of garbage laying in the sand that nobody in their right mind would spend much time there. There was a very bad odor about the place. We went into a couple of bars and never ordered a drink. We turned around and walked right out. Just a really bad scene. Stuck our heads into a couple of small cafe type places. Wouldn't order anything to eat because it was so bad. The streets were full of beggers. I don't know why but I've never seen so many amputees in one place in my life and I've traveled a good part of the world. Came back to the ship and found out that none of the other sailors would even leave the ship. After being there for a couple of days there was a cookout at the American Ambassador's house. We all went over to his place and had some fun swimming in his pool and helping him drink his beer. I bought only one thing while I was in Dakar and it was a hand carved elephant that I watched some guy sitting on the pier carve out of what I believe is ebony wood. I still have it to this day. I spent a grand total of maybe $6.00 in Dakar, Senegal. Out of everywhere I have ever been to while in the Navy Dakar was the absolute worst.

Interesting...I'll be happy to report back in a couple of months!!

I suspect it has changed a lot - from what I understand these days Senegal is doing very well. It is supposed to be safe, stable and democratic, and quite a role model for Islamic states. Certainly it is having a real tourism boom.

But you never know until you arrive, and it may well be that it is somewhere I'll spend 2 nights and then head out of town. People had raved about Addis Ababa, and I just hated that for many of the reasons you hated Dakar!

But - positive thinking - I'm expecting it to be much like Ghana, which I absolutely loved.
 
...hopefully coming up this summer. Where are you headed to?

I'm going to the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the Ukraine in June, then Croatia for the party when Croatia joins the EU on July 01.

Then it's off to Africa, this year to Senegal, The Gambia and Guinea Bissau. I'm doing a bird-watching trip up the Gambia River, but don't have specific plans for Senegal yet - but hopefully enjoy some great music, food and beach life.

My daughter is planning a big trip to Disney in Orlando. She is putting in the man hours, arranging rooms, meals, parks, and a spa day for me. She is getting me a scooter cuz there's no way I can do all that walking.

I have enough hotel points for 10 nights in Hawaii. And if I don't get it together and use them I will expire before they do, which is never. I'm thinking of just going to Hawaii for 5 of those nights, then going back and splitting the nights up to take a cruise which leaves Honolulu and goes to all the Hawaiian islands and to French Polynesia and back. There is a more expensive one that includes Australia, but 30 days on a ship sure sounds like a log time. I really hope I don't die at Disney. Can think of far worse ones to die than Hawaii and French Polynesia.
 
...hopefully coming up this summer. Where are you headed to?

I'm going to the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the Ukraine in June, then Croatia for the party when Croatia joins the EU on July 01.

Then it's off to Africa, this year to Senegal, The Gambia and Guinea Bissau. I'm doing a bird-watching trip up the Gambia River, but don't have specific plans for Senegal yet - but hopefully enjoy some great music, food and beach life.

My daughter is planning a big trip to Disney in Orlando. She is putting in the man hours, arranging rooms, meals, parks, and a spa day for me. She is getting me a scooter cuz there's no way I can do all that walking.

I have enough hotel points for 10 nights in Hawaii. And if I don't get it together and use them I will expire before they do, which is never. I'm thinking of just going to Hawaii for 5 of those nights, then going back and splitting the nights up to take a cruise which leaves Honolulu and goes to all the Hawaiian islands and to French Polynesia and back. There is a more expensive one that includes Australia, but 30 days on a ship sure sounds like a log time. I really hope I don't die at Disney. Can think of far worse ones to die than Hawaii and French Polynesia.


I don't know why anyone would go on a cruise anymore. How many times do we have to hear horror stories about illness, sinking, stranding, and feces-wading before the industry just dries up entirely (so to speak!).
 
...hopefully coming up this summer. Where are you headed to?

I'm going to the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the Ukraine in June, then Croatia for the party when Croatia joins the EU on July 01.

Then it's off to Africa, this year to Senegal, The Gambia and Guinea Bissau. I'm doing a bird-watching trip up the Gambia River, but don't have specific plans for Senegal yet - but hopefully enjoy some great music, food and beach life.

My daughter is planning a big trip to Disney in Orlando. She is putting in the man hours, arranging rooms, meals, parks, and a spa day for me. She is getting me a scooter cuz there's no way I can do all that walking.

I have enough hotel points for 10 nights in Hawaii. And if I don't get it together and use them I will expire before they do, which is never. I'm thinking of just going to Hawaii for 5 of those nights, then going back and splitting the nights up to take a cruise which leaves Honolulu and goes to all the Hawaiian islands and to French Polynesia and back. There is a more expensive one that includes Australia, but 30 days on a ship sure sounds like a log time. I really hope I don't die at Disney. Can think of far worse ones to die than Hawaii and French Polynesia.


I don't know why anyone would go on a cruise anymore. How many times do we have to hear horror stories about illness, sinking, stranding, and feces-wading before the industry just dries up entirely (so to speak!).

I thought the same thing recently. How quickly we forget. We always think it won't happen to us, though. The thing I would worry most about on a cruise would be legionnaire's disease. But then I work in a clinic where we have not just psych, but also primary care, and am exposed to everythng. Have only had 2 respiratory infections since 2002. And I don't really believe God protects nurses.
 
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My daughter is planning a big trip to Disney in Orlando. She is putting in the man hours, arranging rooms, meals, parks, and a spa day for me. She is getting me a scooter cuz there's no way I can do all that walking.

I have enough hotel points for 10 nights in Hawaii. And if I don't get it together and use them I will expire before they do, which is never. I'm thinking of just going to Hawaii for 5 of those nights, then going back and splitting the nights up to take a cruise which leaves Honolulu and goes to all the Hawaiian islands and to French Polynesia and back. There is a more expensive one that includes Australia, but 30 days on a ship sure sounds like a log time. I really hope I don't die at Disney. Can think of far worse ones to die than Hawaii and French Polynesia.

That sounds amazing. I also think 30 days is a long time for a cruise, but most people I know who have been on cruises talk about how much there is to do...movies, mini-golf, swimming...it must be a unique experience.

I think around 10 days would be a nice cruise, and ideally with lots of stops - that you wouldn't get in the Pacific. Even so - seeing the Pacific Islands is a great thing to do. I've only been to New Caledonia, which I found quite a mixed experience, but would love to go to Vanuatu, Tonga etc.
 
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Going to Canyonlands and Arches National Parks to do some desert backpacking

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Heading to New Orleans this fall for the Crescent City Blues And BBQ Festival.
 
I will be spending 8 weeks in Portugal, living 30 minutes north of Lisbon along the coast and also doing some traveling around the country. I have already posted this on another thread. This trip has been planned since last fall.
 
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I will be spending 8 weeks in Portugal, living 30 minutes north of Lisbon along the coast and also doing some traveling around the country. I have already posted this on another thread. This trip has been planned since last fall.

Eight weeks is a great length of time for any country. In that time you can really explore off the beaten track.
 
In this summer my plan to go to the Switzerland because my family member's insist me for the Switzerland one of my friend recently had complete the tour of Switzerland he told to me about the attraction of places Zurich Has everything. Great shopping, tons of different activities, museums...
 

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