Hi,

I seek your advice on a destination that might include the following:

Lots of space and heat. Mars is out of the question as I only want a
1-2 week holiday. Pyramids are of prime interest as is safe food,
water and reasonable accommodation. Airfares are of no consequence.

My concerns are that I don't want it to be a one-way trip. I am keen
on either Cairo, Egypt or Lima, Peru and beyond. However, my
Australian Government advice is to defer any non-essential travel to
either destination. They also suggest that Egyptian borders may be
closed without notice. If I don't return in time for work, I lose my
job, no questions. Although my main job is in the travel industry, I
am not well travelled. I intend to make up for lost time before I die. 
I'm not into the group thing, so I don't want a tour that tells me
when to eat. Rather, a destination suggested by you which allows me to
call on guides if I wish to. Camels are good, as are archeologists
inviting the layman to learn. My other interest would be the Amazon. I
have not approached other staff in the industry, as I want your point
of view beyond the insulation of 5 star hotels and packaged deals.
Anyone residing in my areas of interest may have the best advice. My
departure date is as yet undecided. Tomorrow would be great, but
anytime from now that gets me back to the land of Oz before the end of
January 2005.

Any ideas welcomed. 

Kind regards, Phil

Hi Phil :)

How lucky for you to have the time to take a trip at this time of the year!!!!!!
I only have 3 vac days left that I'm attaching to weekends from now on...

I LOVE travelling also!!!
I took 4 trips this year and next year I will get 5 weeks vacation:) YAY 

I have no answer to your question ( I'm of the peanut gallary flavour,
as you know...lol )

But I will follow your post to see where you will be going.

Please send me postcards?

Steph53

I'd opt for Peru any day. They have pink dolphins!

http://www.discoveramazonia.com/Peru/yarapa.htm

ts

Hi Steph,

Thanks for the hello. Yep, I am Lucky Phil. Hey, I'm tapping away at a
keyboard conversing with you, how lucky is that? Having travelled
little, even from a short experience in Johannesburg, I do realise how
lucky I am to be living where I am. Just wish I could make a
difference for people with some impact to ease their pain and promote
hope. Especially the children. Imagine if everyone spent just 10% of
holiday time helping someone out. Imagine what we could do.

So, you are turning your weekends into long weekends. Fantastic. Make
the most of them. You mentioned 4 trips. Do tell, where did you visit?
To be totally honest, I'm tossing up between being totally lazy under
the Bora-Bora sun, or actually making a bit of effort to learn more
about the livelihood of others. Pyramids are big on the agenda though.
I don't want to sound like a wuss, but I also don't want to remain so
naive as to end up with a one way trip confined to a hotel with bars,
bread and water, or worse.

I would send postcards if I could, but GA chooses not to create an
avenue for like-minded people to make contact. Presumably this is to
avoid the possibility of hackers harnessing contact details. Fair
enough. Words on a screen might have to take the place of postcards.

Take care Steph.

Phil

TS,

Now you're talkin'. How good is that? So tempting, I might even forgo
the Pyramids. Pink Dolphins? Show me. Wanna come with me? The
Champagne bottle upon the bed in the picture would go to waste
otherwise.  :) Maybe Steph could come too! Hey, I'll sleep on the
floor, or in our dugout canoe. The US dollar rate sounds reasonable
considering what's on offer. Thanks for directing me to the site. We
should consider a remake of "Survivor". Trouble is, you girls would
win, 'cause I would not have the heart to vote you out.

Looking forward to more, Phil

Phil..

I like your agenda and thoughts about aiding others..

I am a social worker in Canada but currently I am in the * fraud squad
* Heheheh..So my agenda differs a tad...

As far as my trips this year:

AZ ( USA ) in April
MN (USA ) in May
New York State &  Vermont in Sept
Niagara Falls ...both Canada & US sides in late October

I know these sound pretty tame... but alas... thats me...heheheh

BTW...there ARE ways to find our e-mail addys and such...

Just keep digging...

Steph 53

I like champagne...

Phil,

I live on a rock in Puget Sound. I love winter. I don't fly, so it
would take me until next May to get there.  Besides all this, I think
if I was gone for this long, my husband would get a tad suspicious!

in lieu of champagne, here's a wild idea from the Savvy Traveler:

"The search for spiritual enlightenment is a growing sector of modern
travel There?s a new spiritual center developing in Iquitos, Peru.
There, on the edge of the Peruvian Amazon jungle, a special sort of
traveler is seeking out a powerful medicine made by the local shaman
there. ?Ayahuasca Tea? is a potent psychedelic that you drink under
the guidance of a spiritual guide.. . . ."

(http://savvytraveler.publicradio.org/show/rundowns/2004/20040213/rd20040213.shtml)

whoa nellie!

ts

you and Steph should go and have some tea!!

Hey Steph,

You .. tame ?? Surely not. Niagara sounds fantastic. It's amazing
existance should not be measured by the distance from your home. AZ
sounds the go too.

Thanks for the cryptic hint re addys as you say.. but I don't wish to
be presumptuous, just because I might like to make direct contact with
another. I can picture say a site where GA might redirect those
wishing to do so. This could deflect the potential problem of hackers
away from GA. However, I must remind myself that this is not a chat
site. Thank God.

hhmm .. digging hey .. well my shovel is somewhat blunt. Further
direction may be required to access what you suggest, provided that
the recipent is responsive in welcoming further interaction. I know
that I should not post my e-mail address here. So, what is it that you
suggest?

Regards, Phil

TS,

Bring your husband with you. You guys enjoy the Champagne, I'll keep
an eye on the dugout.

Phil

Is it OK if I enter a Comment > Here?

It is? Great!

Well, Phil, have I got a couple of GREAT ideas for you and what's more
I bet those two lovely ladies who live on a rock somewhere may well be
persuaded to join up with you.

Beware though because I suspect that they may be sirens and you
probably know what a noise these make.

So here are the ideas (and I am truly sorry if I've jumped onto the
toes of some deserving Researcher):

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=434191

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=434185

But please be quick, places are strictly limited.

Bon vacances!

Bryan

Thank you Bryan, I had almost used "Hiking in Peru" as the subject.
Upon closer inspection, the Champagne bottle depicted does in fact
resemble Dom P. Would you care to join the throng Bryan? Bring your
daughters and the AK47 too. The noise from the sea sirens should ward
off most predators.

TS, whoa Nellie alright! I think I'll stick with the mind altering
Scotch and give the Ayahuasca tea a miss. Have you booked your boat
trip yet?

Steph, ah yes I see you too like Champagne. Seems we might have to
book out the village at this rate. We will need proficient canoe
paddlers. Make sure you bring your man also.

Take care all, Phil

Hi, Phil

Many thanks for the invitation.

Better late than never. 

I shall get the BalloonyCraft checked out. I've now hired 4 Flight
Attendants which may seem a tad excessive but it's a long way from
here to there.

They are also very scrumptious.

Entre nous, when TS says that 'she lives on a rock', do you suppose
she is referring to Alcatraz?

Bryan

<I'm snickering . .  snicker . . . snicker>

actually, it's really very funny.  My little rock has often been
referred to (by those locals who for various reasons have a hard time
leaving) as ORCATRAZ!    Now there's a riddle for you . . .

as far as my new role as a sea siren . . . ever see the Cohen Bros
movie called Oh Brother Where Art Thou?  " . . . it wuz dem Si-reens!
They done turned 'im into a toad! . . ."    Si-reen actually rhymes
with my real name.  Oh, geez, there's riddle # 2 . . .

gotta go now. Gotta start rowing.   
Will bring my Google goggles and keep an eye out for that Looneycraft
. . . . uh, I mean Ballooneycraft (tm) . . .

ts

So is TS a Doreen? A Maureen? An Irene? A Jolene? A Kareen? A Lavene?
A Noreen? A Queen?

My guess is ....... IRENE!

Hi, Irene!

actually it's Latrine . . .

any questions?

you all are gonna need a Latrine when you get to the hinterlands of Peru . . .


;-)

ts

Hi all,

The Probonocraft will be an excellent vehicle for the venture. If you
pilot the craft Bryan, how about you pick up Steph and Irene of Orcas
Island on your way to collect me? I'll wait for you on the top of
Ayer's Rock.

Phil

Holy Moley!  I've been found out! 

I was about to say that my last name was Shithaus, but . . .

oh poop!

hi phil!

I feel partially responsible for hijacking your question, so I'm wondering . . .

all silliness aside, where ARE you going for your holiday?

I mean, time is of the essence, don't you think?

ts

ps will you take a laptop?  are there ISPs in the Amazon jungle?

Hi Irene,

Thank you for your interesting question. You can hi-jack me anytime. :)

I spoke with a work friend last night. I have been convinced to take
up your suggestion of Lima/Amazon/Cuzco/Machu Picchu or somewhere
thereabouts. I will do the Aussie thing first, then plan for a
departure to Peru after Christmas.
Perth, Monkey Mia or Cable Beach, Broome sound the go first. Not sure
yet, might just hit the east coast northern beaches.

I inquired about Isps in the Amazon. Apparently none are available,
but plenty of Asps are. The only laptop I expect to see is a tin plate
to eat from. Looking forward to escaping computers, phones and the
plastic noise of daily life.

Any other suggestions or links to package deals/tours would be
appreciated. Although not into the group thing, I will need some
direction, so it might be wise to team up with a small group. The
bonus of course will be in meeting people from all over with a common
interest.

All the best, Phil

ps Granville wants to meet you. I told him you are not only married
but far too lady like anyway to grace your prescence upon him. I'm not
sure he understood. He walked off muttering something about Toffs.
Poor Granville.