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Airports from the 9th Circle of Hell
Online travel forums are filled with gems, if you have the time to dig for them. Luckily we do the dirty work for you in our somewhat regular Forum Ferreting feature.
Airports--they all stink, as far as we see it. Mostly because air travel is so unpleasant these days. But there are some airports that go from unpleasant to teeth-ganshingly irritating, and the Thorn Tree is full of opinions as to which are in that latter category. Frequent mentions went to Heathrow, JFK, Buenos Aires, and Dallas/Fort Worth, but we liked these three choices best:
Charles de Gaulle: CDG hands down, although the staff there are fine. It's just a dirty airport that badly shows its age. It needs to be burnt to the ground and rebuilt from scratch. I think it's way beyond being able to be remodeled.
Dublin: For a country that is masquerading as a first world nation, the biggest airport is like ellis island - it's crowded, confsuing, inefficient and outdated. As a matter of fact, the only thing that seems to have changed there in 30 years is the size of the crowds, which have grown exponentially. Flying internationally there is bad enough when its transatlantic, but within the EU they stick you into this little area about a 1/2 mile from the regular terminal that is crowded like a bus station; hell, it LOOKS like a bus station, and you still have to walk out the the tarmac and line up and get on the plane. this isn't a problem in, say, phoenix, but last i checked it often rained in ireland.
Philadelphia: to anybody out there,if you are flying in from Europe, and you have to connect in Philadelphia, you are missing your flight. I used to work for Lufthansa there, and I would say about 20 people from each flight would miss their connection because they either could not figure out where to go for their connection, or did not have enough time to get from one terminal to the next. And most of the people who work there are clueless and could not care a lick about you. You are lucky if you have never had to go through that experience in your life.
What, no Frankfurt? It's pretty dreary, too. And where's the Starbucks?
[Image via razorbern/Flickr]
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Forum Ferreting: Ain't What it Used to Be
Online travel forums are filled with gems, if you have the time to dig for them. Luckily we do the dirty work for you in our somewhat regular Forum Ferreting feature.
All that glitters is not gold, as the saying goes, and nowhere is this more evident than when traveling. No matter how much fun you're having, there are scams, bad restaurants, shoddy hotels, and worst of all, destinations that are just plain disappointing. But it's not just you! Lonely Planet's forums are rife with such tales. Here are a few places that posters considered "most disappointing":
Jordan: Sadly, Petra in Jordan. I didn't exactly expect to have it to myself, but I also didn't expect (1) to have to smell donkey/camel shit for the entire walk through the Siq to the Treasury, I didn't expect (2) to see some Bedouin trinket stall in front (literally) or even inside every ruin, I didn't expect (3) to have quite so many people tugging at my arm to buy something, and I didn't expect (4) to see quite so much garbage in some of the "backcountry" locales we sought out to get away from (1), (2), and (3). I did expect the voluminous vomit of package tourists, though, so I can't really complain about that.
Morocco: Chefchouan, Morocco: The Euro stoner tourist vibe was so heavy that it was almost oppressive, leaving a noticeably heavy tourist imprint on what would likely otherwise be a nice town. Like Disneyland for the hash crowd, I have no need to go back.
Croatia: Many people (and guide books) had built Croatia up to be some sort of absolute paradise and overall it was OK (I loved Plitvice park) but it definitely didn't live up to my expectations. Nice country but not amazing - more expensive than I expected (groceries surprisingly so) and finding sobes (rooms for rent) was a major pain in the ass sometimes. Give me Greece any day over Croatia.
We'd have to add Zurich to this list. Not that we had high expectations going in, but the Swiss aren't big on the whole excitement thing. Or the inexpensive thing, for that matter.
[Image via sailing Nomad/Flickr]
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Forum Ferreting: The Best Cities in the Powder Keg of Europe
Online travel forums are filled with gems, if you have the time to dig for them. Luckily we do the dirty work for you in our somewhat regular Forum Ferreting feature.
In light of Montenegro's recent secession from Serbia and the increasing popularity of Croatia--this year it's been upgraded to Cote D'Azur on the Adriatic--the Balkans are on everyone's lips. If you don't head to the beach, however, and instead try to get a more authentic experience in the region's many cities, which ones should top your list? Dubrovnik may be the classic choice, and Sarajevo the option for the slightly more adventurous, but our money's still on Tirana. What's more fun than the occasional power outage?
Sarajevo: I'm afraid I am going to be unoriginal and go for Sarajevo too. A very enjoyable place to hang around for a week or so. In addition to what everyone else said, I love the feeling of being close to the mountains, and the views you come across walking around the hilly suburbs.
Tirana: The most Balkan of all the capitals. Ripped-up pavements, mosques, bazaars, Communist monuments and the wildest colour scheme of any city in the world. The mayor Edi Rama has unleashed artists to repaint hundreds of apartment buildings, even if the residents didn't know about it. Now all the Communist grey has been replaced with lurid pink, orange, green, yellow and purple, often just on one building. Blloku must have more bars and cafes per square metre than anywhere this side of Bangkok.
Sofia: At first look horrible, but after couple of days fantastic, Sofia is a very young city (tons of students) and has lots of night life. The city centre is compact and overall very nice. One can ski/hike on Mt. Vitosha, only 20 mins from the centre.
One day, we'll do a comparison of bürek in every Balkan country. That's an assignment that our stomach could fully support.
[Image via ectoformo/Flickr]
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Sofia, So Fresh
Online travel forums are filled with gems, if you have the time to dig for them. Luckily we do the dirty work for you in our somewhat regular Forum Ferreting feature.
Bulgaria: It's on everyone's lips, right? Sofia's a party town, there's cheap skiing, cheap seaside resorts, cheap this, cheap that. It gets difficult to tell what's true and what's travel writing B.S., so once again, we'll dip into the magic that is the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree forum to educate ourselves on the ins and outs of Bulgarian tourism:
Varna: Varna is well worth a visit in the summer, it's a great city. Lively nightlife, laid back attitude and nice beach. It's also a good place to base yourself to explore the rest of the Black Sea coast. Resorts like Sozopol and Nessebar are very pretty, but packed with tourists in summer and accommodation is pretty hard to find and can be very expensive. Varna is the only place along the coast with youth hostels and the prices (food, drink, taxis etc) are much cheaper than elsewhere as there are not so many Western tourists.
Sofia: I think one of the major problems is that the city doesn't have a central focus for people (and tourists) to congregate. Instead, it has many smaller areas -- parks, squares, etc. -- that take a little more time to see and appreciate. It's also not as pedestrian friendly as some other major cities in the region. And it doesn't have a quaint and historic "old town" like some other Bulgarian (and Eastern European) cities. Since it's the major transit hub for the region, you'll probably be heading to Sofia anyway. For that reason, I'd say it's worth a full day, and perhaps two, depending on how much time you have to travel.
Nessebar: If you will be there when the weather is warm, it is a nice place to go and walk around all the little shops that are there. It is beautiful as well --since it is its own peninsula.
Bulgaria--the next Slovakia? Discuss.
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Snap Decisions
Online travel forums are filled with gems, if you have the time to dig for them. Luckily we do the dirty work for you in our somewhat regular Forum Ferreting feature.
Photography--difficult in general, but even harder in Iceland. So much natural light! So many geysers! So many blondes! Yep, there are a lot of options for a shutterbug, but it never hurts to have a plan. Here's what the tipsters on Frommer's Travel Talk forum have to say are the best places to snap pix in the country:
·Puffins: Look for them in the summer months - after 25 June thru August. Many places are off limits b4 that due to nesting. Go to Westmann Islands in Aug (look for actual dates) when islanders help baby puffins head to the sea,near Dyrholaey or the Snaefellnes Penisula.
·Glaciers: Between Kirkjubæjarklaustur and Hofn is Jökulsárlón - fabulous colors where glacial ice breaks into smaller pieces and escapes to the North Atlantic.
·Black Sand: Oh, I would have to add Vik as a great photo op -- the black sand beaches and rocky formations in the ocean are quiet amazing, as are the surrounding cliffs! Some of the bus tours go there, but might not offer you a lot of time to take shots. One I went on stopped in Vik for lunch and I skipped the meal to take photos, but could have used a lot more time.
For the record, we didn't make any of those names up. We swear.
[Image via Island Kerstin/Flickr]
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Viral Marketing
Online travel forums are filled with gems, if you have the time to dig for them. Luckily we do the dirty work for you in our somewhat regular Forum Ferreting feature.
We love us some local fruits and vegetables, but sometimes it's hard to tell which markets are used by the locals, and which are for lobster-red tourists waddling through while stuffing their fanny packs with trinkets. If you're headed to Southeast Asia anytime soon, though, here are some gems from the LP message board:
·Laos: There is a hmong food market about 8kms out of Vientiane. I have seen some pretty strange things there. As you head out of town past the southern bus station there is a junction where route 13 heads right. The left is towards Bancun, route 10. About 2 kms along on the left in the afternoon you will find that market.
·Malaysia: in Malaysia, Kota Baru's Central Market, Kuala Terengganu's market (before it moves into new hygenic and soulless surroundings) and especially the Sunday morning market along the river in Temerloh (1 hr 45 mins from KL). There's a long post on the latter at eatingasia.typepad.com, look in the Beyond KL (or sth like that) section on the sidebar. Also Pudu Market in downtown KL.
·Cambodia:
Mahachai, about an hour out of Thonburi by train, is another nice one. The train stops right in the market. In Thonburi where the ride starts (Wong Wian Yai) it is all markets and food vendors. There are few if any westerners at either end.
Looks like we have some healthy foods in our future. Just don't expect us to eat one of those stinky durian fruits.
[Image via spytzer/Flickr]
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Balkan Bonanza!
Online travel forums are filled with gems, if you have the time to dig for them. Luckily we do the dirty work for you in our somewhat regular Forum Ferreting feature.
We're convinced that Albania will become the next popular destination on the Adriatic (and Ionian) coast. Maybe not today, but there are few places in Europe that are as vibrant and cheap while still feeling so foreign. We're not alone thinking this: British Airways is starting nonstop flights from London to Tirana this month.
Albania is not a good starter country for travelers, though, as there are a lot of nuances to learn. Here are a few that we gleaned from a recent Lonely Planet thread:
·Staring: Wherever you are, AVOID staring at Albanian males. Prolonged eye contact is offensive for Albanians, and in many cases has been a cause for fights.
·Talking: When having a friendly discussion with an Albanian, it will most probably drift towards POLITICS. This is one topic that Albanians spend probably 40 - 50% of their time talking about. My advice to you is DO NOT get involved in such discussions. Albanians can become very passionatly involved in such conversations, and it is no news that friendships have gone sour because political views did not match!
·Blood Feuds: You may have heard of the so-called "Gjakmarrje" (Blood feud) which is still present in northern Albania. If there is a quarrel about land and a male from a family gets killed than the victim's family has the RIGHT to kill another male member of the murderer's family (or the murderer himself). My dear friends, blood feuds in NO WAY affect foreigners. First of all it is unlawful by the Code's rules; second of all you'd have no reason to get involved.
We were pretty worried about the blood feuds, too.
[Image via avb212/Flickr]
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Intrigue & Shirmp Cocktail on the High Seas
Online travel forums are filled with gems, if you have the time to dig for them. Luckily we do the dirty work for you in our somewhat regular Forum Ferreting feature.
When we saw the a thread titled "Tips for First-Time Cruisers", we just had to check it out. It wasn't nearly as salacious as we hoped, but it was full of useful information. We have a mental block about cruises--too many pairs of Dockers pants in one place frightens us--but we suppose being arming the rest of you with some knowledge couldn't hurt. To wit, some tips for ships:
·Excursions: Try to avoid the ship excursions which only move as fast as the slowest person and are very pricey. Go independently by rental car, bus, taxi or just walking. It is more fun, cheaper, and you get to see so much more.
·Seasickness: My most important recommendation for a first-time cruiser is get your doc to prescribe the ear patch and wear it the entire time! We had a big storm the day we spent at sea and I did not even get queasy. If I had been sick (and I get motion sickness very easily), it would have been a miserable trip.
·Shoppng: If you are a perfume buyer (I save all year), checkout prices at home before buying in the Island-good idea for buying anything! Ships also have bogo in the liquors and will sometimes match prices on the islands so you don't have to schlep them.
Here's our suggestion: To earn some extra cash, improve your shuffleboard skills so that you can hustle some seniors. They can't resist double-or-nothing when it comes to shuffleboard.
[Image via akira3/Flickr]
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Speed Thrills
Online travel forums are filled with gems, if you have the time to dig for them. Luckily we do the dirty work for you in our somewhat regular Forum Ferreting feature. 
Who doesn't like to enjoy their driving every now and then? Too bad the fuzz is all over you most places. Notice we said "most". There are still some quality spots for speed freaks, even in the US. As for any points you may get on your license as a result, don't look at us--we're just enablers.
·Australia: Northern Territory (Australia) is unrestricted outside towns. The risk of hitting a cow or a roo at 170 kmph adds some spice to your journey.
·Wyoming: Speed limits have nothing to do with it, but if you want to burn the cobs out, Wyoming state highway #59 from Gillette to the Montana line is as lonely a road as I've ever driven. Make sure you have plenty of gas and check your tires. You go 10 or 15 minutes and don't even meet a car, and if the cops ever bother to watch it, you can see them a long way off.
·Montana: Montana was the best place before they made no speed limits. Then, if you were pulled over, the fine was five bucks in cash only for "wasting gas". Everyone kept a five spot in their glove box and drove as fast as they wanted.
Speeding is fun, but we find it just as exciting when our cabbie cuts across three lanes of traffic in 100 ft to make a turn, and he's only going about 40mph.
[Image via AndrewMorrell/Flickr]
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Gut-Wrenching Horror Takes a Holiday
Online travel forums are filled with gems, if you have the time to dig for them. Luckily we do the dirty work for you in our somewhat regular Forum Ferreting feature.
Sure, you probably think we're all highbrow, writing about restaurant reviewers and covering Atlantan highway videographers. Pshaw. We always make up for it in our Forum Ferretting coverage.
This week's coverage: The grossest tourist attractions in the world, Paris Hilton's ladyflower excluded.
·Indonesia: If you are looking for gruesome 'pure' tourist attractions you could take a closer look at the feeding of live goats to Komodo Dragons in Indonesia.
·Mexico: Just outside Guanajuato in Mexico there is a graveyard with an attached museum full of mummified bodies. The authorities started digging up the bodies to dispose of them when they ran out of room to bury the newly deceased and found that they had been mummified due to the ph level of the soil so decided to build a little museum to display them. As you would.
·Cambodia: It was probably the Buddhist Temple outside of Ko Kong Cambodia with life sized statues depicting demons torturing people in hell. Didn't even know that Buddhism had a hell until I visited this temple.
Our money's still on the bathroom at Welcome to the Johnsons.
[Image via hotdogg3uk/Flickr]
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Head of the Class
Online travel forums are filled with gems, if you have the time to dig for them. Luckily we do the dirty work for you in our somewhat regular Forum Ferreting feature.
Today's discussion is essential to the future of mankind: what beers are best in Central and Eastern Europe?
Sex Toys, sandwiches and now beer; we're not being very sensitive today, but forum ferreting is about helping inform you, dear reader. And these nuggets will help arm you for your weekend, assuming your plans involve beer.
·Czech Republic: Best for me are in Czech - especially like Zlatopramen (from Usti), Chodovar (from Chodov I think), Jezk (from Jihlava) and Louny (from Louny). Bernard is also a really wonderful beer, but I have only seen it on draft once or twice.
·Poland: Dog in the Fog, brewed outside Krakow and only available, as far as I know, in and around krakow is the ultimate beer. So so good, I want to import it! It's a Tyskie brewery product, I think.
·Croatia: Croatia: Karlovacko from Croatia is probably my favourite, although all the off-licenses near me sell all manner of Polish beers I haven't seen a Karlovacko in London yet!
Czech beers generally reign supreme in this category, but we've got a dark horse vote for Niksicko Gold from Montenegro. Simple and smooth, it's more fun to order a "Nik" than a Bud.
[Image via baboon*/Flickr]
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