The holiday thread :).
 

I like to hear stories about peoples holidays. Just a thread to talk about where you're going, where you've been, how it was and what you done :D I'm quite interested in globe trotting.

I haven't been to a lot of places in this world, but the best place I ever visited has to be California. I have some family out there, spread out in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Fransisco, and Oakland, and I loved all those places. I especially liked the beaches (Newport, Laguna, and Huntington Beaches in Orange County, and Venice Beach). I was there a few years ago for 4 weeks, spending a good amount of time in each city. No, I did not spot any celebrities in Hollywood, but I did check out all the stores they buy from!

During the same trip I also visited Death Valley National Park, in the middle of the Mojave Desert, specifically Badwater Basin, during one of the hottest summers recorded there. On the day I was there the temperature was approximately 130'F, and dry as hell. I thought I was going to burn up!

I once went to Acapulco with a group of lads. The minute we arrived at the hotel we slung the suitcases into the room. I swear they were still sliding along the floor as we slammed the door shut. Straight out the front to flag a taxi down.
We told the driver to take us to a place with plenty of beer and fit women.
We sat in the cab as we drove down the main strip past all these top night spots wondering when the driver was going to stop. He drove on and straight out of town for about another 30 minutes. Just as we were beginning to get a little concerned (being our first night and all, plus being very street wise) we pulled into a lonely dark building on some hillside somewhere.
One of the lads said, "what the fuck is this place!"

The driver replied with a huge grin..."best whorehouse in Me'ico!"

:laughing: I've had plenty shifty taxi drivers. Never been drove to a brothel before though. Amazing story :laughing:

From June 10 to July 1st I will be in Europe...visiting family in Belgium and England (with a few days in London on my own), visiting an aunt & uncle's vacation house in the south of France, visiting a friend in Switzerland, and maybe something else like Barcelona or Amsterdam. Though I don't want to rush around, so I might just chill on the Côte d'Azur‎ at the end of my trip after spending a few days at my aunt & uncle's in Provence.

This can't come soon enough! Although I haven't planned any of it yet except for my actual plane ticket.

Wow!! That sounds so exciting! Be sure to take lots of pictures :)

When I was younger my family used to go to the Caribbean alot. I remember we went to Aruba twice, the Mayan Riviera, and on a couple cruises, one of which we stopped in Antigua, Barbados, St. Maarten, St. Lucia and St. Thomas, and the other one we stopped at Cozumel among other islands (can't quite remember). I also went to most provinces East of Ontario with my family, and to Florida and Pennsylvania in the States.

With my friends I've only ever been on small trips, ie. Montreal or skiing trips in Quebec.

I really want to go to Europe though, and Italy and Greece in particular. Egypt would be nice as well.

Yeah, me too. I'd love to do that with my friends when we're all done school, and before we have to go into the real world!

This sounds amazing. I'm sure it'll be absolutely out of this world. Be sure to tell me all about it with pictures :).

As for thom and burning wanting to come to Europe. Swapsies? I'd kill to go across the pond. I'm going to cancun but I don't feel it really counts in the sense that it's a holiday resort. I want to go somewhere like a stereotypical American suburb and live. I'm hesitant to go to America because I'm not 21 *sucks* but Canada will do if I ever get the funding :).

On holiday I recommended travel to Spain, its amazing country, high temperature, alcohol, drugs, pretty nice girls, awesome climate to chillout, go to Spain and don't back to your home. :>

Death Valley is one of mine and my wife's favorite places. Going there really feels like a trip to another planet and the sheer number of stars you can see at night is mindblowing.

There are places like that in the West of Ireland, I remember being out in Sligo for a joint 21st/18th in a cottage out in the middle of nowhere a few years ago. We were lucky enough to be there at the same time as a meteor shower, the view was absolutely stunning. We spent about an hour lying in the middle of a road/dirt track looking at them fall, even without the shooting ones there were enough stars to make it an hour well spent, I've never seen the milky way so clearly either!

That was my experience in Death Valley as well, the Milky Way was very, very distinct. There's no horizon glow there to speak of and no cell phone reception or radio stations available either.

Now that I think of it, I guess it would be appropriate for me to post some of my Death Valley photos. They're a couple years old but it was a vacation I took so it's in keeping with this thread.

The Devil's Golf Course
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...golfcourse.jpg

Ubehebe Crater (a volcano that destroyed itself thousands of years ago)
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...ebe_crater.jpg

Bad Water Basin. All that white stuff is salt packed down by people walking on it, the brown stuff to the sides is salt too though it hasn't been packed down. It's also interesting to note that it was about 110 degrees Fahrenheit down in the valley when I took this photo and yet, as you can see, it was still cold enough up in the mountains for there to be snow on the ground.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...water_path.jpg

Zabriskie Point
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...iski_point.jpg

Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude!

They look wonderful. There's something so alluring about a place in which there is virtually no life. There's an interesting book about the allure of that territory called Moon Palace, by Paul Auster. Ever since I read his descriptions of what being in such a place, surrounded by everything that isn't "civilisation", can do to you.

It really is an amazing place, so alien. And it's huge. The whole national park, which is basically the valley and surrounding hills is 5,270 sq mi (13,649 km2).

Jans, isn't it amazing that Bad Water Basin is one of the lowest points on this planet at ~280 feet below sea level, and then you look up to the mountains which are only about 80 miles away? Mount Whitney, one of the tallest peaks on the Earth, is in that part of the mountain range, standing at 14,500 feet.

It is amazing. And it's even more amazing that they have a footrace every year where people run from Bad Water Basin to Mount Whitney.

I don't think Mount Whitney is one of the tallest peaks in the world though. Still, it's pretty big.

I love holidays! Traveling is my main love in life. I'm going to New Zealand in July, and hopefully London in September/October if all goes well (and if I'm not tempted to stay in New Zealand...)

It's definitely in the top 5000.

Regardless, it looks beautiful. Regrettably I never made it up that far north during my stay in California. But even the southern parts of Death Valley are fascinating.

I'm going to Tennessee for a family reunion in July. It shall be fun! We went there before, but I was probably about 9. And we never went into the city, which was kind of unfortunate. This time though, we'll be staying in one: Gatlinburg!

http://www.southern.wvnet.edu/ss/spe...gatlinburg.jpg

Those photos are brilliant Janszoon. It looks an amazing place, aesthetically.

I love it there. One of my favorite places to camp.

Let us resurrect this one. It's summer time, so anybody going anywhere nice?

I'll start. Heading out to Kos on Thursday, and it's like being a kid at Christmas all over again, so excited it's actually shameful, been wearing an ear to ear smile all day haha!

I'll be heading to upper Michigan in August. It's a weekend gig, but it's as close to a "Holiday" as I'm gonna get. I haven't had a proper vacation in 7 years since I'm self employed.

I need white sands, blue waters and palm trees.

white sands, blue waters and palm trees.

white sands, blue waters and palm trees.

white sands, blue waters and palm trees.

I know someone who lives in Marquette, where Northern Michigan University is. I went there once and it was a nice place, but I'm a big city girl so it wasn't terribly exciting to me.

Where abouts is Kos again, caaant? Some of my friends went there a few years ago I'm sure. This the first holiday with the lads? :laughing: carnage.

It's a Greek island just off of Turkey.
It is yeah, absolutely hyped for it :D

Oh wowwwww, nice! Have a great time!

I want to go to Europe so badly, but I just don't have the money and it's just so... far away...

Cheers BD.
Yeah, it will be quite the journey from where you are, but I'm sure you'll get to experience the Mediterranean one day :)

I'll try dig out a camera to take some pictures for you all haha.

I might take a weekend trip to the Bay area, or maybe go a bit further sound to Santa Cruz or something, that could be nice.

My buddy moved out there last year and said it is absurdly expensive. He is paying like 500 bucks a month to live in the same room as 2 other people.

Yeah that doesn't surprise me at all, California is expensive no matter where you live. It always made me wonder how people who work at like... McDonalds afford to live there, or if they do like your friend and pay an absurd amount to share a few square feet of floor in a rundown tennament.

I guess its expensive because they can? I mean if everyone wants to live there I suppose you can charge whatever you can get away with for everything. I cant think of any other reason if would cost so much. Didnt used to.

I didn't go any holidays this year :(. Depressing. Probably going to save up for a trip to Thailand or somewhere similar for a few months next summer. I'll probably go it alone too :).

I didn't get to go anywhere either this summer. Working all day everyday, but managing to save some money. I hope that I can go to Europe either sometime this winter or next summer with my boyfriend. I'm not counting on it but just hoping!

Come to Scotland!!! I'll get you both absolutely mangled. :D (only if you felt up to the challenge ha!) You should totally visit regardless, it's so beautiful.

Yeah I'd love to go to Scotland, it's definitely on the bucket list lol. My boyfriend has been to Scotland and other parts of the UK, and Europe (since most Europeans just vacation elsewhere in Europe), but I wonder if any of you guys could out drink him lol

Certain areas are expensive. San Francisco is second to New York for average price of rent in the U.S. You literally have to wait months to find places for rent and then they're sold virtually the same day. I contemplated moving there once. California is a pretty vast area. You can find cheap rent for sure. Hell you can live in the Salton Sea for peanuts. Smells like rotting flesh but you get used to it.