Trip to the Holy Land - photothread.

[Bettyboo]

Cracking thread, Betty.

I was working in the region for a while in 09 and travelled through Turkey, Syria and Lebanon.

Lebanon is a proper night out.

I've never been to Syria or the Lebanon. Only three days in Israel next week... Probably some beach time in Tel Aviv and some Jerusalem time too.

[helge]

Since you are there, some donkey pics woud be nice, and do forward a kick in Netanyahu's balls from me.

Have a nice trip

[Bettyboo]

Bibi isn't that popular with most folks...


Looking for flights back to Korea from the UK, the prices were high (£1000+ for direct), so I looked for something else. The plan is that flight to Tel ASviv, 3 days there and then a flight back to Incheon will cost the same money, as well as being an interesting few days in a place I've never been.

[Backspin]

Unclick this box when you link the pick. Then it will be full size [ ] Retrieve remote file and reference locally

[Bettyboo]

^ yeah, I did that on a couple, but takes bloody ages!

But, you folks can click on one photo then scroll through them - much easier work for you lot than me!



Edit to add: should be big pics on every post, now. Took f'kin ages...

[Joe 90]

Tip top thread BB!

The Jockey Club put some decent events on throughout the year to entice peeps to the races.

We watched Madness live last year for £15 each.
To watch them normally at a gig is about £50 -£100.

Cambridge is on the bucket list now.

How many Xanax did you take?
Are they a good buzz with a beer, raving at the Hacienda like its 1989?

[Stumpy]

I had a couple of 2 hour sleeps, but always woke for the food.

Good Grief. Seriously BB, How can one possibly eat that shit food on an airplane? I really do not know how people do it. Business or First class.......Maybe and only one meal on a long flight. As for economy....just toss that crap right in the bin. I just flew from California to Taipei then Taipei to Swampy. Didn't eat anything but a handful of Cherries my wife brought on for the 1st leg with a nice pour of Kavalan. The stewardess always looks at me confused when I say "No Thank You" when they wheel those food carts up and down the aisles almost all damn flight. I did ask for a Haagen-Dazs Ice cream cup on the 2nd leg as I wanted a little sugar rush when I landed.


Trip looks interesting nonetheless. Cheers

[katie23]

I was going to give @bettyboo a red since I thought it was false advertising - no pics of the holy land yet!

Nevertheless, it was interesting to see and read your impressions of your motherland before your journey to the holy land. How many years has it been since your last visit to Blighty?

Thanks for the pics. Enjoy your visit & your vacay!

[Bettyboo]

Tip top thread BB!

The Jockey Club put some decent events on throughout the year to entice peeps to the races.

We watched Madness live last year for £15 each.
To watch them normally at a gig is about £50 -£100.

Cambridge is on the bucket list now.

How many Xanax did you take?
Are they a good buzz with a beer, raving at the Hacienda like its 1989?

Yes, the JC (not Jesus Christ, TD's saviour...) are. very good. £15 for Madness tickets is excellent.

The Hacienda stuff at Newmarket was excellent.

Cambridge is a nice day out, and there are loads of places around to. visit too such as the Duxford Air Museum.

[Bettyboo]

Good Grief. Seriously BB, How can one possibly eat that shit food on an airplane? I really do not know how people do it. Business or First class.......Maybe and only one meal on a long flight. As for economy....just toss that crap right in the bin. I just flew from California to Taipei then Taipei to Swampy. Didn't eat anything but a handful of Cherries my wife brought on for the 1st leg with a nice pour of Kavalan. The stewardess always looks at me confused when I say "No Thank You" when they wheel those food carts up and down the aisles almost all damn flight. I did ask for a Haagen-Dazs Ice cream cup on the 2nd leg as I wanted a little sugar rush when I landed.


Trip looks interesting nonetheless. Cheers

Stumpy, did you factor in the quantity of xanax I'm taking on travel days?

The Korean Air food pics don't look great, but the taste - for economy class food - was good. Also, 14 and half hours is just so boring that eating is just something to do, then it makes you go to the toilet, that's something else to do; you gotta get those hours out of the way...



Cherries sound nice. &, Haagan-Daz sounds nice; you, Sir, are a man of quality.

Me, less so (I might move to Harlow where I'd fit in well... ).

[Stumpy]

Stumpy, did you factor in the quantity of xanax I'm taking on travel days?

The Korean Air food pics don't look great, but the taste - for economy class food - was good. Also, 14 and half hours is just so boring that eating is just something to do, then it makes you go to the toilet

BB,

Dropping a load on an airplane has to be awful. All my years flying both domestic and global I have never taken a shit on an airplane. Honestly though, sitting for hours on end and eating loads of food seems like a bad idea, especially crap food.

On long flights walk around and then go stand around and chat with the stewardesses enjoying a drink.

However, we all travel different. Never taken Xanax on a flight.

[Bettyboo]

I was going to give @bettyboo a red since I thought it was false advertising - no pics of the holy land yet!

Nevertheless, it was interesting to see and read your impressions of your motherland before your journey to the holy land. How many years has it been since your last visit to Blighty?

Thanks for the pics. Enjoy your visit & your vacay!

Well, Portman Road is the real Holy Land, Katie, and I will have a lovely surprise for Armstrong later in the thread...

Where my parents live, on the edge of Hertforshire/Cambridgshire, is very nice, so it's always pleasant to pop back. Here's a stock photo:





I did pop back this time last year for 10 days and enjoyed it (which encouraged me back this year); it's my mother's birthday in July. Other than that, 1 funeral, 3 days, in 20 years.

The food and traditional stuff is nice. The changes in society and watching the BBC are less nice... But, that might just be that I'm an old git.

Today, I've booked a local restaurant for 4 (me, parents and sister) because I want a traditional Sunday lunch; I'll pick up the tab, and it won't be this side of £100, if we go for a bottle of wine, starters and desserts then it might be closer to £200 - so, eating out can be very expensive here compared to Thailand, the Philippines and Korea.

I head off to Tel Aviv at 7am Sunday from well guess where - here's a clue:








&, just for fun:

[Mendip]

I'd pre-booked my seat on the Korean Air site (free! - think about that BA!!!) Pre-checked in, so it was a breeze at the self-baggage check-in - very fast.

It recently cost me £30 per seat to pre-book seats (before check-in) with KLM. When I travel with the daughter I think it's best to ensure we are sitting together. When travelling with the wife I'm willing to take the risk of separation.

I absolutely detest those machine check-ins which they now even have at Swampy. I always seem to get the baggage label tangled up when trying to stick it on the bag as well.

A strange thing happened to us... because it was all automated check-in, no-one had checked our passports (other than automated scans) during the bag drop operation when usually the daughter would have her UK passport checked, etc etc. I had checked us in online. It wasn't until finally boarding the plane that she got a 'beep' when presenting her boarding pass when leavng the gate for boarding and had to go see some people at a desk. They wanted to check she could enter the UK no problem as the booking was made using her Thai passport.

It seems strange to me that they leave this so late. If she didn't have the UK passport they would have had to find our checked bags, remove them and send us back, which would presumably cause some delay to the flight.

[bsnub]

My Sony player (£1000) and Shure SE846 earphones (£1000) is my go to travel time-spender - I've 200+ FLAC albums on it, the sound is great, and I can wear it for 10+ hours in comfort.

Now you are speaking my language. Nice bit of audio kit and way above the heads of almost everyone on TD aside from you and me.

[Stumpy]

I'll tell ya. If you fly a lot it is paramount to have a good set of noise cancellation headsets for long flights. I couldn't handle it without them. Even if you are not listening to anything just the noise cancellation is excellent. I just upgraded a bit back to the Bose 45. My wife now uses my Bose 35. I have a Samsung S20 that I essentially gutted and only use it for a music tool and connect via BT and after a few knocks of a good whiskey I can relax and sleep for hours.

[Reg Dingle]

^^ That Walkman was around before M People and the Hacienda.

Nice fillies on display there Betty, but quite disturbing the lack of alcohol on this pilgrimage.

Took about 25 minutes to drive home. A pleasant evening

You went to a concert only a 25 minutes drive away and endured it sober rather than pay for a taxi?

You sound like the other frugal Southerner on here

[Stumpy]

You sound like the other frugal Southerner on here

ahhhhhh, who would that be......Dil......

[bsnub]

That Walkman was around before M People and the Hacienda.

Can you explain to me what a FLAC file is? BB like myself is an audiophile, we would not expect a normie like you to understand.

[Reg Dingle]

Who out of you and your brother is the budding Jane Torvill?

[taxexile]

bb

Is there anything you've liked or felt positive about thusfar in the thread, Tax?

it's an excellent travel thread, although i would question your need, obsession actually, for £2000 worth of audio equipment merely to mollify you for the flight. each to their own i suppose.

bb

The changes in society and watching the BBC are less nice... But, that might just be that I'm an old git.

which was pretty much the point i made in my post.

enjoy your trip to the holy land, are you red sea pedestrian by any chance?




....

[Stumpy]

^ the pink rollerblades are a big question.....

[Reg Dingle]

Can you explain to me what a FLAC file is?

Fucking Loadsofdata Audio Codec that's been around since the 80's too

[Bonecollector]

Nice thread BB, I will stay positive.

Looks like a great little bus to the airport but was it really 3.5 hours to the airport, why not take that airport link?

Never knew you lived in Seoul! we were due to go there recently but had to cancel; shame as I was looking forward to hiking in Bukhansan National Park.

I used to enjoy sitting at the back and over the years became quite a connoisseur at economy seating. The last few years I was flying with Finnair back and fourth from London and they had these two priority seats right at the front of economy class. I have always found I get a better sleep at the back of the plane though and you don't have to walk past all the glaring faces when you want to go to the back of the plane.

Food didn't look half bad and as you say, it usually tastes better than it looks. Finnair economy food is horrendous in every way and over the course of 3years and about 8 flights, I only had one meal. I usually load up with dried fruits, nuts and protein bars.

Seems like you are having a nice first few days. A bit of racing and a golden oldy town. Nice to see family; I have always thought family time is better spent quality over quantity.

I went to Beirut, Lebanon back in 2001 and had a great time. Beirut has some epic food, the beach was nice and they also have the mountains. I have been wanting to go to Israel and Jordon at some point, so am looking forward to hearing of your experience.

Safe travels mate!

[bsnub]

it's an excellent travel thread, although i would question your need, obsession actually, for £2000 worth of audio equipment merely to mollify you for the flight. each to their own i suppose.

Well you are an archaic old angry boomer, so that is not surprising. Your idea of audio is an am radio from 1959.

the pink rollerblades are a big question.....

What rollerblades? I see a pair of roller skates in a girl size. Are you going nuts? Now kids can not wear pink skates to satisfy you fucks?

[Bonecollector]

When travelling with the wife I'm willing to take the risk of separation.

555555555