Xela Posted April 10, 2016 Author Share Posted April 10, 2016 I need to get something sorted... quarter into the year and have only used 1 day of my 6 weeks allocation for this year. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicovilla Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 (edited) Got back from my 3 weeks in Sri Lanka. Absolutely stunning country. Started in Colombo and went to Kandy, Haputale, Ella, Tissa, Tangalle, Mirissa and finally back to Colombo. Highlights included a 3 day trek up in the mountains around Haputale, staying with some brilliant folks in the Hill villages ; Hiring and driving a Tuk Tuk for 4 days along the south coast (quite tricky to control at first but you soon get used to it, and great fun) ; the wildlife we saw -Elephants, Apes, Lizzards, Whales. Also incredibly cheap. 3 weeks, including flights, accommodation and spending money came to less than £1000 each. Rest of the years trips Milan (lads weekend in May) India (Amritsar and Haridwar) in July Hong Kong and Taiwan in September Italy over xmas and new year. Also looking to fit in a couple of weekend trips to Copenhagen and Porto in. Edited April 11, 2016 by chicovilla error 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 1 hour ago, chicovilla said: India (Amritsar and Haputale) in July look into the wagah border ceremony when you are in Amritsar , I only found out about it after I got back from Amritsar but it looks like good fun ... it was a Holy day when I was at Amritsar , crowded would be one way to describe it , but not in a bad way ... behind Darjeeling , Amritsar was probably the next best part of my India trip . I much preferred SL to India I must admit , not quite so busy , and SL has quite a lot of places worth seeing Nuwara Eli / Horton Plains were pretty cool as was Sigiriya ... the safari was a bit average but probably the time of year rather than the fault of SL 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicovilla Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 1 minute ago, tonyh29 said: look into the wagah border ceremony when you are in Amritsar , I only found out about it after I got back from Amritsar but it looks like good fun ... it was a Holy day when I was at Amritsar , crowded would be one way to describe it , but not in a bad way ... behind Darjeeling , Amritsar was probably the next best part of my India trip . I much preferred SL to India I must admit , not quite so busy , and SL has quite a lot of places worth seeing Nuwara Eli / Horton Plains were pretty cool as was Sigiriya ... the safari was a bit average but probably the time of year rather than the fault of SL Yeah planning on taking in the Wagah border ceremony. Its my 4th trip to India, and I have to say I love the place. I will hang around the Golden temple complex in Amritsar for a couple of days, then catch the night train to Haridwar to see one of the main Hindu pilgrim places on the banks of the Ganges (previously been to Varanasi, and thought it was incredible). Will also re-trace the steps of the Beatles in Rickishesh further up the Ganges. One concern is that July sees the starts of the monsoon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 39 minutes ago, chicovilla said: One concern is that July sees the starts of the monsoon! least it will wash away your sins 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted May 19, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted May 19, 2016 (edited) Keep watch on this space for a bit of a day trip (thanks to VPN and a boss who doesn't particularly care if I come into the office as long as shit gets done, I'm not even taking a day off) today. Those of you who are fans of Hitchcock, Cary Grant, and/or Eva Marie Saint may recognize some photos to come: I do like the feeling of noticeably slowing down and looking down at the GPS speedometer and seeing that you're down to 135 mph... Edited May 19, 2016 by leviramsey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted May 19, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted May 19, 2016 Southeastern Connecticut (protip: if traveling on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor north/east of New Haven, try to sit on the left-hand side heading Westbound* or right-hand side heading Eastbound, for the better view of the shore. You do miss out on the view from the Hell Gate Bridge of the Manhattan skyline, though, if also traveling north/east of New York. *: for historical reasons (going back to the Pennsylvania Railroad and New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad), the NEC between Boston and Philadelphia is named East (towards Boston)/West (towards Philadelphia), though most popular usage would use North/South. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted May 19, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted May 19, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted May 19, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted May 19, 2016 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted May 19, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted May 19, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted May 19, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted May 19, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Two weeks today I'll be heading to Tel Aviv for a wedding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giro Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Off to Tokyo Monday, excited ain't the word! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted May 20, 2016 Author Share Posted May 20, 2016 13 hours ago, Giro said: Off to Tokyo Monday, excited ain't the word! Excellent. Its still on my to-do list once I have time and my health improves sufficiently How long you going for? Got an idea what you are going to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 I haven't been out the country this year ... must be a record for me , will have to make up for it in the second half of the year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted May 21, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted May 21, 2016 Thursday's day trip was a ride on a trio of private railcars from New York to Boston (the long way around: on the direct route, the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak only hauls private varnish overnight). The going rate for chartering private railcars approaches $5,000 per car per day, but because these three cars were needed in Boston for a party this weekend, the owners of the cars decided to make a little money on the side by selling seats for the equipment move. $349 including lunch, dinner, and unlimited drinks. Truly the way to travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted May 22, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted May 22, 2016 You can just about see me through the seventh window on the first of the private cars (Babbling Brook). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrinityRoadSteps Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Have a like from VTs resident train nerd. My 2016 US jaunt is now all booked. Out on the 27th June BHX-Newark-Chicago. A day there before heading up to Milwaukee for a few days. By train of course. Harley Davidson museum. Brewers game. A few other bits and bobs. Back down to Chicago for the rest of the time. Cubs and WhiteSox games. All the usual sights and stuff in Chicago. Can't wait for a few trips on The L. Having a little day trip to Kenosha too. To ride the old Street Cars. First time in the US on the 4th of July (will be at WhiteSox v Yankees for the afternoon) Returning back on the 7th July Trains and Baseball. What more could a man ask for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giro Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 On 20 May 2016 at 11:16, Xela said: Excellent. Its still on my to-do list once I have time and my health improves sufficiently How long you going for? Got an idea what you are going to do? I'm going for 9 nights. And pretty much drawn up my itinerary in terms of the tourist spots. Off to see Tokyo Fc next Sunday (not hoping much for quality but hey another ground ticked off the list) I'm just excited for the food really, can't wait to have some Kobe beef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 The food is insane and I don't think I had sushi there once, not really my thing but the beef, the tempura, the katsu, the ramen, the omelette type things that I can't spell okinimyaki or something Hit the bakeries, hit them hard... And kit Kats and go to KFC in Hiroshima and get the chilli orange chicken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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