legov Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Pointed at something resembling a chicken the waitress looked at me as if to say "you sure ? " then took me over to a tank with the biggest frog I've ever seen in my life in it Was there a picture of the dish on the menu, or did you have to rely on an iffy English translation of the dish's Chinese name? Yeah it was pictures we just couldn't work out what it was ... Frog would have been my 975th guess Did you order it in the end? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Old Trafford. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Pointed at something resembling a chicken the waitress looked at me as if to say "you sure ? " then took me over to a tank with the biggest frog I've ever seen in my life in it Was there a picture of the dish on the menu, or did you have to rely on an iffy English translation of the dish's Chinese name?Yeah it was pictures we just couldn't work out what it was ... Frog would have been my 975th guess Did you order it in the end? No , I have tried Frog before but that was tiny , this thing was the size of a small country !! I opted for hands under the arms in a flapping motion whilst making clucking noises and got chicken ( least it tasted like chicken ) The Chinese do eat some muck though don't they ... And they don't waste a drop of the animal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 (edited) my problem with beijing was more that id just had enough by the time i got there, like i said the conditions on the overnight train were shocking and made me ill. it was freezing cold and foggy, id been in china for 3 weeks by then, just couldnt be bothered with any of i, enjoyed the olympic park, enjoyed the great wall even though the part i went to was hard work, but the rest of it i didnt enjoy, didnt even do the trip through the old streets which i wanted to do think i was in beijing for 3 days and probably did 3 maybe 4 things, the rest of the time i was in the hotel Edited February 8, 2014 by villa4europe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Berlin - for whatever reason, whilst i was there i didnt think i was enjoying myself, seemed a strangely quiet city compared to say london and there was nothing like la ramblas, i can remember walking down unter den linden at about 8pm and passing about 4 other people on the way, no doubt there was loads of people somewhere (potzdammer platz was busy when i went there on my last night) but it was eerily quiet in the centre, i also did probably more walking there than ive done anywhere else after being kicked off the tube for not stamping my ticket at the station i got on which pissed me off, wasn't until i got back and started to think about it properly that i realised how much i had actually liked it I kinda felt the same about berlin. Wasnt sure whether I liked it or not. Seemed pretty quiet when I went and to be honest their is a surprisingly lack of things to do. I was there 4 nights, but I had seen everything I wanted to see in 2 days so was pretty bored. Love the history of the place though. Berlin is often lauded for having the best nightlife in Europe, however it is hidden away and you need to know what you are looking for. I've been twice, first time was wonderful.. helped I knew a girl there who took us to all the best places. Second time I went, it was dead quiet. My friend had left Berlin at that point and we couldn't find where the action was. Tip is, if you go, do your research! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Berlin - for whatever reason, whilst i was there i didnt think i was enjoying myself, seemed a strangely quiet city compared to say london and there was nothing like la ramblas, i can remember walking down unter den linden at about 8pm and passing about 4 other people on the way, no doubt there was loads of people somewhere (potzdammer platz was busy when i went there on my last night) but it was eerily quiet in the centre, i also did probably more walking there than ive done anywhere else after being kicked off the tube for not stamping my ticket at the station i got on which pissed me off, wasn't until i got back and started to think about it properly that i realised how much i had actually liked it I kinda felt the same about berlin. Wasnt sure whether I liked it or not. Seemed pretty quiet when I went and to be honest their is a surprisingly lack of things to do. I was there 4 nights, but I had seen everything I wanted to see in 2 days so was pretty bored. Love the history of the place though. Berlin is often lauded for having the best nightlife in Europe, however it is hidden away and you need to know what you are looking for. I've been twice, first time was wonderful.. helped I knew a girl there who took us to all the best places. Second time I went, it was dead quiet. My friend had left Berlin at that point and we couldn't find where the action was. Tip is, if you go, do your research! I had the best after pub Kebab I've ever eaten in Berlin so that saved it from making my list Walking around Berlin is the best way they've put all these signs up telling you what function various buildings served in the war and you'd miss half of it if you took a taxi or bus.... The wall has lots of interesting pictures and info there as well , looked like a temporary exhibit but maybe it's still there ? Oh and of course nefertiti's bust ( oh matron ) Nah Berlin is still great IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 The East Side Gallery is still there yes. I took a weekend in Berlin recently. You may think you've seen it all in two days, you really really haven't. Might be my favourite place in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoelVilla Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I can't come up with 3 here. I think White Hart Lane is one of the worst stadiums Ive been at and we should be above them because of that alone. We are not obviously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Alton Towers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legov Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Pointed at something resembling a chicken the waitress looked at me as if to say "you sure ? " then took me over to a tank with the biggest frog I've ever seen in my life in it Was there a picture of the dish on the menu, or did you have to rely on an iffy English translation of the dish's Chinese name? Yeah it was pictures we just couldn't work out what it was ... Frog would have been my 975th guess Did you order it in the end? No , I have tried Frog before but that was tiny , this thing was the size of a small country !! I opted for hands under the arms in a flapping motion whilst making clucking noises and got chicken ( least it tasted like chicken ) The Chinese do eat some muck though don't they ... And they don't waste a drop of the animal The Chinese name for "frog's legs" (the dish) literally translates into "paddy chicken." That's why I asked. (besides, frog kinda tastes like chicken) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morley_crosses_to_Withe Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) Bali. After being recommended Bali by a colleague who travels there every year, and another who'd just got back, I had high hopes for when I visited the island. I even timed the holiday so I'd be there for my 30th birthday. I couldn't have been more disappointed. The beaches were pretty crap compared to other parts of Asia; and Kuta (a popular resort) was basically where Australian 'bogans' (chavs) go - it's their version of Benidorm (albeit more exotic). I also thought the food and people didn't stand up to other places I'd been. Just a massive disappointment after hearing good things. The best part about it was the Gili Islands which are an hour or so fast boat ride away. Edited February 9, 2014 by Morley_crosses_to_Withe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Chesterfield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avflife Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Villa Park, Madrid and well struggling for a third option, urm Villa Park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Bali. After being recommended Bali by a colleague who travels there every year, and another who'd just got back, I had high hopes for when I visited the island. I even timed the holiday so I'd be there for my 30th birthday. I couldn't have been more disappointed. The beaches were pretty crap compared to other parts of Asia; and Kuta (a popular resort) was basically where Australian 'bogans' (chavs) go - it's their version of Benidorm (albeit more exotic). I also thought the food and people didn't stand up to other places I'd been. Just a massive disappointment after hearing good things. The best part about it was the Gili Islands which are an hour or so fast boat ride away. I've got friends that have been there and talk about it in the same way as your colleagues ... Clearly they are seeing something that we didn't I've never seen so many Aussie stereotypes in one place and I've been to Earls Court ... I stayed at Kuta as well and thought it was a bit Meh ... But as a gateway to where we were going (Komodo) it served as a good stop off point and for being in a bar watching villa beat Arsenal on opening day this season , it did have something going for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Chesterfield Hanoi is an interesting choice ... Did you do HCM as well ? as i thought that was the more interesting of the 2 ( maybe because I spent more time there than Hanoi ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I went south to North. HCMC was my first experience of Vietnam, 4 nights there and thought it was brilliant. Really interesting history/culture stuff, good nightlife and I loved that park in the middle where everyone went to work out in the evening. All my way up the country people were telling me if you liked HCMC you'll love Hanoi etc etc. I just didn't like it. Part of the problem may have been that I was there for five or six days before we went out to halong bay; had intended to go up to Sapa but ran out of money and the weather was crap so were advised against. I just got bored in Hanoi far too easily, and as such found it very disappointing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoony Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Newcastle. I was told great night life, fun people etc etc but I ended up going there with some uni friends and managed to get into a fight in the first bar we went to (and I'm not at all a violent person), was inexplicably subjected to kind of inverted racism when someone kept calling me a Muslim word removed over and over (given the fact that I'm white and have an Oxford accent, this made very little sense) and was generally just treated like crap by locals the whole time I was there. I will never go back. Miami. Just don't go there. At the risk of sounding like Thom Yorke, plastic people, plastic places, plastic food, not much to do and what there is to do it's shite and unaffordable. I've visited 22 states and Florida is by far and away the worst one I've been to. New Orleans. Now this one is a bit harsh because it isn't really New Orleans' fault. Great music and great food, but the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is still very much apparent. The place is poverty stricken and all the negatives that come with poverty stricken areas are all over New Orleans with the exception of the French quarter. It's a violent, unwelcoming, under-developed and just downright rough place that is in total disrepair both physically and sociologically. if you venture away from the French Quarter, you're entering somewhere that has been crippled and abandoned by the US Federal Government, and it shows. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 it's a much more subjective category, the shitty trip to somewhere I've actually known people not like Barry Island, which is frankly bizarre and a sign of mental illness, but equally a town is at the mercy of the people you meet and the mood you are in Somebody in the positive 3 places named Bristol as a good place, my initial experiences of the first few trips to Bristol were awful. It literally stank and the people were aggressive. They had a zoo you needed a mortgage to enter and half the roads had road works that had no diversion signage. But since then I've been to other areas and I've really enjoyed the vibe. Similarly, Paris is fantastic but I know so many people that swear they would never ever go back. So with that caveat in mind, my 3 piss poor places are: 1. Edinburgh, dull, damp, boring, expensive. 2. Dublin, just didn't get into the spirit of it I guess, it was just a slightly run down working city. Perhaps I needed a local guide or more time or a different attitude on the day. 3. Mombasa, truly third world, but with hired thugs to keep the poor away from the tourists' dollars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoony Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 it's a much more subjective category, the shitty trip to somewhere I've actually known people not like Barry Island, which is frankly bizarre and a sign of mental illness, but equally a town is at the mercy of the people you meet and the mood you are in Somebody in the positive 3 places named Bristol as a good place, my initial experiences of the first few trips to Bristol were awful. It literally stank and the people were aggressive. They had a zoo you needed a mortgage to enter and half the roads had road works that had no diversion signage. But since then I've been to other areas and I've really enjoyed the vibe. Similarly, Paris is fantastic but I know so many people that swear they would never ever go back. So with that caveat in mind, my 3 piss poor places are: 1. Edinburgh, dull, damp, boring, expensive. 2. Dublin, just didn't get into the spirit of it I guess, it was just a slightly run down working city. Perhaps I needed a local guide or more time or a different attitude on the day. 3. Mombasa, truly third world, but with hired thugs to keep the poor away from the tourists' dollars. It's so true. Your mood, weather and circumstances are all so important. E.g. I went to Edinburgh and had an amazing time but I have a friend who works for the council there and we got into everything (and I mean everything) for free. So it was cheap and awesome, but can see how it could be expensive and crappy! Dublin is featuring heavily in this thread and I have to agree. I found Dublin far too expensive and as a tourist you're just getting shafted everywhere you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I went south to North. HCMC was my first experience of Vietnam, 4 nights there and thought it was brilliant. Really interesting history/culture stuff, good nightlife and I loved that park in the middle where everyone went to work out in the evening. All my way up the country people were telling me if you liked HCMC you'll love Hanoi etc etc. I just didn't like it. Part of the problem may have been that I was there for five or six days before we went out to halong bay; had intended to go up to Sapa but ran out of money and the weather was crap so were advised against. I just got bored in Hanoi far too easily, and as such found it very disappointing. Makes more sense now I thought I was in the " best 3 " thread and couldn't work out why you'd put Hanoi over other parts ( though Chesterfield should probably have been a clue ) I didn't think a lot of Hanoi either , compared to the rest of Vietnam fwiw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts