Discussion Random Discussion

[gringo2011]

Yeah the Taliban are no friends of the Iranians. Wanted to flood the West with heroin but instead imported massive addiction into Iran.
Remember hearing around the time you were there, that there was up to 2 million addicts in Southern Iran.
Don't know what's happening lately ad the theocracy keeps a tight lid on news.
Reckon it would be just as bad now though.

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Some friends just came back and said it was a lovely orderly place with fantastic people that just wanted to feed you and get you to meet all their relatives. They didn't mention any social issues so I guess it depends where you go. They moved around but couldn't comprehend how different it was from what we see on TV.

 

[CursingFijian]

Cue austinnn ?

I was saving that one in case we run out of funds and I need to appeal to his humanitarian side and ask him to take in a couple of refugees.

 

[gringo2011]

Have you read Peter Marshall's book, Heretics and Believers: A History of the English Reformation?

Try this book too, this is William Dalrymple following the path from mount Athos following the trail of John of Moschos a 6th century monk, into the levant. It's fascinating because the Lebanese civil war is ending and the start of a lot of the issues with Islamic fundamentalism are starting up. He goes to monasteries that still speak Aramaic and talk enthusiastically about the stability and order of Syria and their open mindedness about different religious faiths. It's a great snap shot in time of a complex region and the last throes of Christian Orthodox religions. Since then they have been selling off everything they have to Israeli interests and are nearly wiped out from countries with Islamic majorities.

Amazon product ASIN 0006547745

 

[gringo2011]

Anybody have any good tips for travelling around France. Wifey and I embark on a 30 day holiday in three weeks time and the only thing we have nailed down is the first three days in Paris at this stage.

Any tips will be greatly appreciated.

When you hire a car book an Auto, there are only about 2 in France so make sure you book one......and when you get one they will give you are car so small you suitcase will need it's own car. Tackling manual gears and left hand drive is interesting, you'll have no indictors on when turning but wipers on full pelt and using 5th gear. If you drive don't expect to go anywhere fast either.

Seriously though, the French get canned but are mostly very nice people. Try some Pidgin French and they will love you for trying. Eat heaps of cheese and baked goods they are obscenely good. Look for a good coffee shop before you go, the French coffee is shit. Old Paris is beautiful and you won't have enough time to do everything touristy. Just walking along the river to the parks and stuff is nice. Museums like the Louvre and Pompidou centre are awesome but can be a lot to take in. I prefer Montmartre than the Eiffel Tower, the lines are just insane and ruin the experience, view is still pretty good.

 

[gringo2011]

I was saving that one in case we run out of funds and I need to appeal to his humanitarian side and ask him to take in a couple of refugees.

I think he was in Nante....I spent 4 hours driving in to go to the airport from Brittany. They have a ring road like melbourne that makes walking look quick. I now have can unreasonable hatered of Nante with out seeing anything but the ring road and airport.

 

[austinnn]

I was saving that one in case we run out of funds and I need to appeal to his humanitarian side and ask him to take in a couple of refugees.

You'd be welcome chez nous CF! I actually haven't seen much of France. Despite being a lot smaller than Aus, in European terms it's still a reasonably big country with very different areas, whivh will -depending on your interests - be more or less worth visiting.

So before thinking about places in particular, consider:

What are your interests? Wine culture? Spanish or German culture? City? Countryside? History? Culture? Beaches etc? Mountains? etc

How do you intend to travel? Car hire or train? Bicycle? Do you want to stay a while and relax anywhere or see as much as you can?

Edit: I've just read your post properly! You'll be arriving smack bang in the middle of the school summer holidays, which means hotel prices will be twice as high and most places will have sold out already. Get booking asap for anywhere decent!

Most hotels and tourist sites have at least one employee who can speak English sufficiently to communicate basic ideas.

 

[Joffaboy]

I am intending to revert back to Fijian and bypassing English all together. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Bulla

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[VDS66]

Fair call.

I think too many people are living lives based on what other people tell them they should be.

It's not easy to have the strength to say **** it, I'm creating my own life and don't care what others think.

Speakingvfor myself, it all came to a head a few years back with all the pressures of expectation and chasing a life that I believed would lead me to happiness.

However, once I went through the "know thyself" process, I gained clarity and perspective.

Ultimately, I believe 99% of people are l

Some friends just came back and said it was a lovely orderly place with fantastic people that just wanted to feed you and get you to meet all their relatives. They didn't mention any social issues so I guess it depends where you go. They moved around but couldn't comprehend how different it was from what we see on TV.

Because Western media is do objective...

A good friend is Armenian / Iranian.

It's a totally different life for them behind closed doors but you do have to watch your step outside... What you say etc.

 

[Joffaboy]

Some friends just came back and said it was a lovely orderly place with fantastic people that just wanted to feed you and get you to meet all their relatives. They didn't mention any social issues so I guess it depends where you go. They moved around but couldn't comprehend how different it was from what we see on TV.

Persian are like 99% of everyone else on earth, friendly, hospitable, welcoming and love to have you in their home.

Don't believe the hype

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[Persevering Saint]

Try this book too, this is William Dalrymple following the path from mount Athos following the trail of John of Moschos a 6th century monk, into the levant. It's fascinating because the Lebanese civil war is ending and the start of a lot of the issues with Islamic fundamentalism are starting up. He goes to monasteries that still speak Aramaic and talk enthusiastically about the stability and order of Syria and their open mindedness about different religious faiths. It's a great snap shot in time of a complex region and the last throes of Christian Orthodox religions. Since then they have been selling off everything they have to Israeli interests and are nearly wiped out from countries with Islamic majorities.

Amazon product ASIN 0006547745

One of my FAVOURITE books is Basil Pennington's diary of his time on Mount Athos. Fascinating place. A wonderful Christian mystic in a very mystical place.

 

[Persevering Saint]

Because Western media is do objective...

A good friend is Armenian / Iranian.

It's a totally different life for them behind closed doors but you do have to watch your step outside... What you say etc.

I used to have an Iranian Arab friend, who had escaped to Australia, only to spend five years in a detention centre.

He had some stories, let me tell ya...

 

[VDS66]

Persian are like 99% of everyone else on earth, friendly, hospitable, welcoming and love to have you in their home.

Don't believe the hype

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Pretty much all Muslim people are.

We went to Egypt for our honeymoon and they were great.

When visiting Langkawi we'd leave my son with staff at a department store and they'd go nuts over him.

Another mutual Persian mate was a member of The Revolutionary Guard. Went to Japan and married a Jewish woman.

Took him almost 20 years and divorce before they let him back in. Lol.

 

[CursingFijian]

You'd be welcome chez nous CF! I actually haven't seen much of France. Despite being a lot smaller than Aus, in European terms it's still a reasonably big country with very different areas, whivh will -depending on your interests - be more or less worth visiting.

So before thinking about places in particular, consider:

What are your interests? Wine culture? Spanish or German culture? Countryside? History? Culture? Beaches etc? Mountains? etc

What time of year are you coming?

How long will you actually be spending in France?

My nephew is marrying 28 days after we arrive. So we were intending to spend 19 days touring France and just over a week between Florence, Venice and Geneva. Might leave Rome for another trip?!

We don’t have any real preferences. Not real wine connoisseurs so anything spectacular and tranquil would be idyllic though sometimes the two don’t always go together.

I love old architecture and engineering and my wife would happily spend a day in some manicured gardens. We arrive one day before World Cup final day. If France goes all the way Paris might just be the best place in the world to be.

 

[VDS66]

I used to have an Iranian Arab friend, who had escaped to Australia, only to spend five years in a detention centre.

He had some stories, let me tell ya...

Yes no doubt.

I'd say they are no different to us in terms of aspirations in life.

They just don't have political freedoms or freedom of speech.

When the authorities come down on you it's pretty severe.

 

[Yawkey way]

I used to scuba dive off Inverloch and Cape Pattison a lot. The most common shark bights on divers in that area were Wobbygong sharks. Dumb divers would think that they were fairly harmless like a Port Jackson, and grab them by the tail. The Wobby's would turn around and hang on like a Bull Terrior.

I also used to snorkle and windsurf off Phillip Island, in places that ...retrospectively i wonder how stupid i must have been.

You get some serious sharks down there and anglers used to bait around kilcunda shark fishing.

I've surfed and free dived all over the place but I was never very keen on the island.

Waves weren't good enough to brave great white territory with the seal colonies.

More of a west coast man to be honest.

You see some stupid people, here's another tip for beach goer's don't pick up bottles, cans etc from the water.

They may have a little octopus that looks like it belongs with some salad until it gets angry and its blue rings appear.

 

[austinnn]

My nephew is marrying 28 days after we arrive. So we were intending to spend 19 days touring France and just over a week between Florence, Venice and Geneva. Might leave Rome for another trip?!

We don’t have any real preferences. Not real wine connoisseurs so anything spectacular and tranquil would be idyllic though sometimes the two don’t always go together.

I love old architecture and engineering and my wife would happily spend a day in some manicured gardens. We arrive one day before World Cup final day. If France goes all the way Paris might just be the best place in the world to be.

Sounds like you should really stay in Paris, with a day trip to Versailles nearby. I'll give it some more thought.

 

[StFly]

Deadly snakes and spiders in Australia are a big worry for many of us Poms, in addition to the searing heat in some parts. I've never seen a wild snake and have desire to meet one! 51 degrees is impossible for us to comprehend. Most of us aren't aware the temperature scale goes that high. 51 Fahrenheit is okay; 51 Celsius would be instant death.

51 C is 123.8 F.

I laughed at my first visit during the "summer" period.

26 and light rain most days, spring I said, people looked at me weird in tank tops and shorts with sweat on their brow panting from exhaustion. Mate, no air con, sat through 47, 49, 51, 53 where the train lines melted, as did anything rubber this is chill as.

Then falling asleep on the couch I see a tiny little spider start walking across the floor, friend turns to me and goes "don't worry, it's harmless" being half dead asleep "bitch please, I've beheaded a brown snake with a shovel, I think he's lucky I can't be arsed" to again, weird looks of what sort of alien am I?

If you have common sense you are fine, for instance the brown snake was baking in the sun, if it was say, coiled in an S spring I'd have been running in the other direction for a flame thrower. Same reason with red back spider nests you use a 5 iron or really bloody long metallic pole to get rid of it and you have steel capped shoes in case you need to kick the shit out of something. Otherwise quick reflexes on small movements.

Woke up once with a white tail spider on my neck, from sleeping. Didn't feel him, bathroom break, hand wash, look at mirror, see him chilling on the neck, dry hands, position and flick off immediate porecline holder to body before he can scurry off. Small movements to not agitate it, and then immediate resolution, was over in about 2 seconds. Because again, if you know how they act, you can combat it easy peasy.

 

[DGontheQT]

Anybody have any good tips for travelling around France. Wifey and I embark on a 30 day holiday in three weeks time and the only thing we have nailed down is the first three days in Paris at this stage.

Any tips will be greatly appreciated.

Go to Marseille , I think it's their second biggest city , but it is as good a city as there is in Europe. You can do the Battlefield tour thing in several places. I'd also suggest to wing it a bit , as they have some beautiful towns and villages. Pick a direction and drive in it.

 

[gringo2011]

My nephew is marrying 28 days after we arrive. So we were intending to spend 19 days touring France and just over a week between Florence, Venice and Geneva. Might leave Rome for another trip?!

We don’t have any real preferences. Not real wine connoisseurs so anything spectacular and tranquil would be idyllic though sometimes the two don’t always go together.

I love old architecture and engineering and my wife would happily spend a day in some manicured gardens. We arrive one day before World Cup final day. If France goes all the way Paris might just be the best place in the world to be.

If you love old buildings and engineering and get to Normandy I recommend this place. It's a phenomenon that they built it by hand in such a difficult to reach place. It's mind bending the effort it took to build.

http://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/dis...rmandy-must-sees/mont-saint-michel-106-2.html

 

[SaintsSeptember]

You get some serious sharks down there and anglers used to bait around kilcunda shark fishing.

I've surfed and free dived all over the place but I was never very keen on the island.

Waves weren't good enough to brave great white territory with the seal colonies.

More of a west coast man to be honest.

You see some stupid people, here's another tip for beach goer's don't pick up bottles, cans etc from the water.

They may have a little octopus that looks like it belongs with some salad until it gets angry and its blue rings appear.

I stood on a sea urchin off Point Wilson once, was squeezing out pieces of spine for weeks .

 

[CursingFijian]

If you love old buildings and engineering and get to Normandy I recommend this place. It's a phenomenon that they built it by hand in such a difficult to reach place. It's mind bending the effort it took to build.

http://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/dis...rmandy-must-sees/mont-saint-michel-106-2.html

Definitely going to get to that Gringo. Cheers.

 

[MUFKilda]

I laughed at my first visit during the "summer" period.

26 and light rain most days, spring I said, people looked at me weird in tank tops and shorts with sweat on their brow panting from exhaustion. Mate, no air con, sat through 47, 49, 51, 53 where the train lines melted, as did anything rubber this is chill as.

Then falling asleep on the couch I see a tiny little spider start walking across the floor, friend turns to me and goes "don't worry, it's harmless" being half dead asleep "bitch please, I've beheaded a brown snake with a shovel, I think he's lucky I can't be arsed" to again, weird looks of what sort of alien am I?

If you have common sense you are fine, for instance the brown snake was baking in the sun, if it was say, coiled in an S spring I'd have been running in the other direction for a flame thrower. Same reason with red back spider nests you use a 5 iron or really bloody long metallic pole to get rid of it and you have steel capped shoes in case you need to kick the shit out of something. Otherwise quick reflexes on small movements.

Woke up once with a white tail spider on my neck, from sleeping. Didn't feel him, bathroom break, hand wash, look at mirror, see him chilling on the neck, dry hands, position and flick off immediate porecline holder to body before he can scurry off. Small movements to not agitate it, and then immediate resolution, was over in about 2 seconds. Because again, if you know how they act, you can combat it easy peasy.

I'm scared of wasps, so deadly snakes and spiders would be a problem

 

[gringo2011]

I'm scared of wasps, so deadly snakes and spiders would be a problem

In Melbourne we've killed off most of our wildlife. Don't see snakes even much in the country these days. We have a country property and when I was a kid the snakes used to come up to the house and would hang around the orchard. I haven't seen a snake there for a decade now. As for spiders we get red backs as the most dangerous spider....they aren't even an issue. My dad had a plant nursery and the red backs would hang under pot rims and bite you. Even as a kid they gave you a red swelling that lasts a couple of days and goes away. I never even got a head ache from one. I think if they bit a baby or an aged person 20 times or something it might be dangerous. I also spend every summer in the sea and never see sharks ever.

We like to sound tough but you are more likely to get run over or fall off a tram than get hurt by wildlife here. It's like working that an angry badger might hurt you.

 

[StCicatriz]

i think this might be a WA thing but the government has just started running a mental health campaign over here. there's some really good ads on tv for it. aimed solely at men. they're really really good. basically the gist of the message is people asking men if they are ok and men not flipping out. i think we are slowly slowly slowly getting to the point the stigma on mental health is removed.





have they done a similar thing over there?

 

[Quixote]

The biggest trick in the world was giving humans the belief of havng a choice over who controls them

Yeah man.