A world away over here, but I'm not so far off the beaten track that I don't see Westerners every day. Very rustic / "authentic" travel hasn't really appealed to me yet.
Glad it's enjoyable!
what's allowed? From the photo, it seems that short and long-sleeve shirts, pants, and shorts of any length are not allowed. Is there any clothing that IS allowed?
I had a Swiss neighbor in Brussels... he built his house with the exact floor plan as his former home in Switzerland so that he could arrange his furniture the same way. Was he eccentric or is this normal for the Swiss?
They require me to manually approve every comment, and furthermore don't let me know when there are new ones! So that is not a great feature of Travelblog.
Speedos - I have no idea what the deal is. Chen suggested that maybe its for hygiene (they think you might have just been wearing your board-shorts around, but probably not your speedo!).
Wed has come and gone, and still no money! Don't be surprised to hear on the news that the guillotine has made a reappearance in Paris.
hmm last comment didn't seem to post. hope this doesn't double-submit.
i liked that woman's glasses. too bad we don't have more of that here. would spice up the talks a bit. we've talked a bit about the culture of being smart in the states a bit and it certainly has an effect. there's also that recent article on asian mothers you may have read, and while i disagree with her methods, it's my belief that the culture of having that kind of expectation amongst your family and peers drives them to perform better and can translate into "success."
the speedo requirement is interesting. is it to keep the pool in fashion? interesting that there's a dress code.
i recall the double-female locks. i think they extend beyond france too.
hope you get your money soon. it is kind of ridiculous otherwise. i thoroughly enjoy your updates, hope to see another one soon!
entertaining update i like the post. speedos are required?? that's interesting. i do recall the double-female locks when i visited and i think it extends beyond france.
hope you get your money soon. i thoroughly enjoy the updates and your perspective, can't wait for the next one!
entertaining update i like the post. speedos are required?? that's interesting. i do recall the double-female locks when i visited and i think it extends beyond france.
hope you get your money soon. i thoroughly enjoy the updates and your perspective, can't wait for the next one!
fascinating. i like hearing about differences in social attitudes, particularly from our european counterparts. also i'm sure you talk went fine: it's probably the accent! =)
I just figured out that I have to approve comments, which is ridiculous. I hope I can just enable them all without approval.
Luggage was not a big problem. I wheeler + 1 giant duffel is definitely the way to go. You stack the duffle on the wheeler and loop the duffle handles over the wheeler handle, and then you are wheeling 100 pounds around no problem. Getting thru the metro turnstyle was really the only issue. I wish I had brought less T shirts tho, and instead brought a printer or some other useful household items!
Smiling + photos + paperwork Same thing in Chile my friend. When I went to get my Cartnet (Chilean ID card), I had to bring a load of paperwork (much much more than would be required for a Driver's License or Passport in the USA). Additionally, I had to bring in my own mug-shots, which had to be taken at an official mug-shot-certified location. I tried to smile when they took my photo -- no dice. Smiling is definitely not allowed for mug-shots in Chile. Anyway, at least they have graduated to digital cameras in Chile. And, in fact, one no longer has to bring in his or her own photos to get an ID card. Maybe you should have moved to Latin America. Things seem to run a little more smoothly down there. :-)
france! enjoyed the pictures of random baguettes. i think the french are "notorious" in europe (at least amongst americans) for the amount of english they don't speak, so it's possible that other european countries might tend to hold more graduate classes in english. how did the trip with all your luggage happen by the way? mark and i are interested (did you manage the subway?). also is the mcdonalds you're at in the suburb, or is it in paris? just wondering how far away from the cities the american influence has spread.
last question, not french related: arizona airport? yay or nay on excess number of hot girls?
Martha crosland
non-member comment
Quite different cats!
Enjoying your blogs. You've certainly are far from Overlook! Enjoy. Martha Crosland