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Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 9:43 am
by Giff
Fuck dude.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 9:47 am
by brian
Under the circumstances not gonna take any chances so gonna see a doctor tomorrow if it’s not better.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 10:39 am
by Pruitt
On the bright side, at least you didn;t get sick until you got home.

Hope it's just a matter of some immodium and rest.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 10:47 am
by A_B
Pruitt wrote: Tue Jul 24, 2018 10:39 am On the bright side, at least you didn;t get sick until you got home.

Hope it's just a matter of some immodium and rest.
Immodium is usually a bad idea if you can be reasonably close to a toilet. Your body wants to get that bad stuff out. It means things are working, even if it is miserable.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 10:52 am
by sancarlos
A_B wrote: Tue Jul 24, 2018 10:47 am
Pruitt wrote: Tue Jul 24, 2018 10:39 am On the bright side, at least you didn;t get sick until you got home.

Hope it's just a matter of some immodium and rest.
Immodium is usually a bad idea if you can be reasonably close to a toilet. Your body wants to get that bad stuff out. It means things are working, even if it is miserable.
Was just going to say that.

Drink lots of water!

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 11:02 am
by Pruitt
A_B wrote: Tue Jul 24, 2018 10:47 am
Pruitt wrote: Tue Jul 24, 2018 10:39 am On the bright side, at least you didn;t get sick until you got home.

Hope it's just a matter of some immodium and rest.
Immodium is usually a bad idea if you can be reasonably close to a toilet. Your body wants to get that bad stuff out. It means things are working, even if it is miserable.
It's all coming back to me now - you're right, that stuff is like a cork.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 1:39 pm
by mister d
Sorry about your vacation, Brian : (

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 1:44 pm
by brian
The endless flights and food poisoning or whatever the hell this is was well worth it. Thailand is awesome. Best part was there are basically no Americans there and getting the hell away from everything. Hard to get too much further away.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 1:48 pm
by Ryan
brian wrote: Tue Jul 24, 2018 1:44 pm The endless flights and food poisoning or whatever the hell this is was well worth it. Thailand is awesome. Best part was there are basically no Americans there and getting the hell away from everything. Hard to get too much further away.
young soccer players wrote:Hold my tank

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 2:21 pm
by DaveInSeattle
Anyone have any recommendations for Cancun/Playa Del Carmen area? We are going to a wedding in Merida in February, and then will probably spend a week afterwards doing beach type stuff somewhere close. I've been to Cancun once, but it was ages ago (Fall of '89...was in a bar watching the World Series when the earthquake happened) so I'm sure things have changed radically.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 2:51 pm
by brian
DaveInSeattle wrote: Tue Jul 24, 2018 2:21 pm Anyone have any recommendations for Cancun/Playa Del Carmen area? We are going to a wedding in Merida in February, and then will probably spend a week afterwards doing beach type stuff somewhere close. I've been to Cancun once, but it was ages ago (Fall of '89...was in a bar watching the World Series when the earthquake happened) so I'm sure things have changed radically.
Was here for a wedding three years ago. (The same friends I was visiting in Thailand actually.).

It’s pretty spectacular. Food and drinks were way better than any all-inclusive I’ve ever been to.

https://www.eldoradosparesorts.com

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 2:53 pm
by rass
We stayed at a small hotel a half block off of 5th Avenue (the main shopping/dining/nightlife drag) in Playa Del Carmen. It was owned by a couple of US ex-pats, and they had an agreement with a number of the beachfront hotels that got us beach access and some amenities (chairs and umbrellas). That left us on our own for food, drinks and entertainment, but in the middle of everything so we could walk to just about anything we might want to do. I'd highly recommend staying in that area vs some of the big resorts that are more removed. There are definitely more luxurious or resort-y options in Playa Del Carmen proper than what we chose.

Note this was all 2010 (found a sports bar to watch the USMNT lose to Ghana) so I have no idea what current conditions are down there.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 5:50 pm
by Brontoburglar
Brontoburglar wrote: Fri Jul 20, 2018 9:59 am now accepting your best "maximize your all-inclusive resort" stay tips

leaving next week for two days in Miami and 5 in the DR
the trip is not gonna lead to a breakup!

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 5:52 pm
by DSafetyGuy
Brontoburglar wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 5:50 pm
Brontoburglar wrote: Fri Jul 20, 2018 9:59 am now accepting your best "maximize your all-inclusive resort" stay tips

leaving next week for two days in Miami and 5 in the DR
the trip is not gonna lead to a breakup!
So, you already broke up?

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 10:25 am
by Brontoburglar
DSafetyGuy wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 5:52 pm
Brontoburglar wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 5:50 pm
Brontoburglar wrote: Fri Jul 20, 2018 9:59 am now accepting your best "maximize your all-inclusive resort" stay tips

leaving next week for two days in Miami and 5 in the DR
the trip is not gonna lead to a breakup!
So, you already broke up?
day before

(no, all is well. and I drank way too much presidente)

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 11:41 am
by Sabo
Mrs. Sabo and I are considering going to Ireland sometime in 2019. I spent two weeks there in 1994, but I rarely strayed from Dublin. Any suggestions from Swampers who've been there in recent years?

We almost certainly will go to the southwest part of Ireland, as that's where her family originated and she's on a big ancestry kick at the moment.

Thanks in advance.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:42 pm
by cerrano
Sabo wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 11:41 am Mrs. Sabo and I are considering going to Ireland sometime in 2019. I spent two weeks there in 1994, but I rarely strayed from Dublin. Any suggestions from Swampers who've been there in recent years?

We almost certainly will go to the southwest part of Ireland, as that's where her family originated and she's on a big ancestry kick at the moment.

Thanks in advance.
mrs. cerrano went in 2015 for 2 weeks and had the best time. we rented a car (which is somewhat expensive due to the insurance you have to purchase because your cc travel insurance is not applicable) which was entirely worth it as opposed to a bus tour. rock of cashel was pretty cool and my wife got into arguments with who we believe to be long lost relatives in the pubs in cashel. cork was nice for a homebase to visit cobh and kinsale. for my money, the dingle peninsula was the highlight of the two weeks we spent in ireland. there was a drive you could do to the purported most western point of europe, but the views on that drive were breathtaking. the west coast in general was just gorgeous. galway was 10 times better than dublin. the aran islands were a little overrated in my opinion due to the length of time involved in getting there. one of my favorite places was doolin near the cliffs of moher which we got to see in the evening sun, which was was rare according to our b&b proprietor. doolin was a great town for music but most of them were. go see the burren which is an environment unlike anything you've ever seen.

i would go back to ireland in a heartbeat. the people were the best part of the trip.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2018 6:34 am
by Square Rob
DaveInSeattle wrote: Tue Jul 24, 2018 2:21 pm Anyone have any recommendations for Cancun/Playa Del Carmen area? We are going to a wedding in Merida in February, and then will probably spend a week afterwards doing beach type stuff somewhere close. I've been to Cancun once, but it was ages ago (Fall of '89...was in a bar watching the World Series when the earthquake happened) so I'm sure things have changed radically.
Wife and I love Playa. May actually buy a condo there in Playacar. I much prefer Playa to Cancun, as it’s quieter and the beach is much better. 5th Avenue area is good for food/shopping/people watching. Watch out for hustlers, but it’s safe.

If you stay on the beach, try to find somewhere a bit away from the ferry pier, as the pier is huge and can get a little stinky near there. We like the southern end of the beach, and have stayed multiple times at the Sandos resort there. It’s right next to public beach area, where there will be a bunch of good kite surfers to watch.

If you just want to hang out on a quiet beach, the iberostar complex in Paraiso Maya is also nice, though it’s one of the places there were issues with bad drinks/alcohol last year.

Honestly, when we go, we only leave the beach to eat dinner and sleep. Beach bars have drinks and food, so we just hang out there all day.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2018 6:35 am
by Square Rob
Other nice thing about playa is the ferry ride to Cozumel is cheap and easy, so it’s fun to go over for a day trip.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2018 7:07 am
by Sabo
cerrano wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:42 pm
Sabo wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 11:41 am Mrs. Sabo and I are considering going to Ireland sometime in 2019. I spent two weeks there in 1994, but I rarely strayed from Dublin. Any suggestions from Swampers who've been there in recent years?

We almost certainly will go to the southwest part of Ireland, as that's where her family originated and she's on a big ancestry kick at the moment.

Thanks in advance.
mrs. cerrano went in 2015 for 2 weeks and had the best time. we rented a car (which is somewhat expensive due to the insurance you have to purchase because your cc travel insurance is not applicable) which was entirely worth it as opposed to a bus tour. rock of cashel was pretty cool and my wife got into arguments with who we believe to be long lost relatives in the pubs in cashel. cork was nice for a homebase to visit cobh and kinsale. for my money, the dingle peninsula was the highlight of the two weeks we spent in ireland. there was a drive you could do to the purported most western point of europe, but the views on that drive were breathtaking. the west coast in general was just gorgeous. galway was 10 times better than dublin. the aran islands were a little overrated in my opinion due to the length of time involved in getting there. one of my favorite places was doolin near the cliffs of moher which we got to see in the evening sun, which was was rare according to our b&b proprietor. doolin was a great town for music but most of them were. go see the burren which is an environment unlike anything you've ever seen.

i would go back to ireland in a heartbeat. the people were the best part of the trip.
This is awesome advice. We almost certainly will rent a car instead of doing any kind of organized tour, so knowing about the insurance is very helpful.

Yes, I hope to spend a lot more time outside of Dublin than my last trip. Dublin is a great city, but I'd much prefer to see the countryside. The little I saw was pretty amazing, and it's easy to understand why Ireland is called the Emerald Isle.

Thanks again!

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2018 7:24 am
by rass
Sabo wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 11:41 am Mrs. Sabo and I are considering going to Ireland sometime in 2019. I spent two weeks there in 1994, but I rarely strayed from Dublin. Any suggestions from Swampers who've been there in recent years?

We almost certainly will go to the southwest part of Ireland, as that's where her family originated and she's on a big ancestry kick at the moment.

Thanks in advance.
It's been even longer since I was in Ireland (17 years ago, vs my previously mentioned absence from Mejico), and my wife's extended family is from the opposite corner of the country (technically a different country, I guess), but if you have some free time I can't recommend County Down enough. It's beautiful. Though at that time things were still "troubles"-ome enough that our Newry-bound train, on a line eventually terminating in Belfast, got stopped so they could check the tracks for possible tampering (pre-9/11 when terrorism was still quaint).

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2018 9:33 am
by cerrano
Sabo wrote: Fri Aug 03, 2018 7:07 am
cerrano wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:42 pm
Sabo wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 11:41 am Mrs. Sabo and I are considering going to Ireland sometime in 2019. I spent two weeks there in 1994, but I rarely strayed from Dublin. Any suggestions from Swampers who've been there in recent years?

We almost certainly will go to the southwest part of Ireland, as that's where her family originated and she's on a big ancestry kick at the moment.

Thanks in advance.
mrs. cerrano went in 2015 for 2 weeks and had the best time. we rented a car (which is somewhat expensive due to the insurance you have to purchase because your cc travel insurance is not applicable) which was entirely worth it as opposed to a bus tour. rock of cashel was pretty cool and my wife got into arguments with who we believe to be long lost relatives in the pubs in cashel. cork was nice for a homebase to visit cobh and kinsale. for my money, the dingle peninsula was the highlight of the two weeks we spent in ireland. there was a drive you could do to the purported most western point of europe, but the views on that drive were breathtaking. the west coast in general was just gorgeous. galway was 10 times better than dublin. the aran islands were a little overrated in my opinion due to the length of time involved in getting there. one of my favorite places was doolin near the cliffs of moher which we got to see in the evening sun, which was was rare according to our b&b proprietor. doolin was a great town for music but most of them were. go see the burren which is an environment unlike anything you've ever seen.

i would go back to ireland in a heartbeat. the people were the best part of the trip.
This is awesome advice. We almost certainly will rent a car instead of doing any kind of organized tour, so knowing about the insurance is very helpful.

Yes, I hope to spend a lot more time outside of Dublin than my last trip. Dublin is a great city, but I'd much prefer to see the countryside. The little I saw was pretty amazing, and it's easy to understand why Ireland is called the Emerald Isle.

Thanks again!
if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. i love talking about our trip because it was my first outside of the us and it was better than i could ever imagine.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:25 pm
by brian
For the first time in 26 years, there's a new US Interstate highway.

The first stretch of I-11 opened today south of Las Vegas. Eventually, it'll run from Mexico to Canada, but the immediate priority is the Las Vegas to Phoenix stretch. (Las Vegas and Phoenix are the only two cities in the United States with more than a million people not connected by an interstate highway.)

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:38 pm
by Sabo
brian wrote: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:25 pm For the first time in 26 years, there's a new US Interstate highway.

The first stretch of I-11 opened today south of Las Vegas. Eventually, it'll run from Mexico to Canada, but the immediate priority is the Las Vegas to Phoenix stretch. (Las Vegas and Phoenix are the only two cities in the United States with more than a million people not connected by an interstate highway.)
I wonder if they'll ever get around to finishing I-73. I remember sitting in local committee meetings in my first reporter job about that interstate, which I think was supposed to run from Mackinac Island (I think) to Myrtle Beach.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:43 pm
by Giff
Does the 26 years mean brand new roadway? Cause I think I-14 is a new interstate but it took over an existing US highway that was improved.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:48 pm
by brian
Giff wrote: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:43 pm Does the 26 years mean brand new roadway? Cause I think I-14 is a new interstate but it took over an existing US highway that was improved.
Yeah, probably then. This section was all newly constructed though some of the LV to Phoenix route will use existing US-93 roadway though it'll have to be upgraded to interstate standards.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 7:10 am
by Ryan
Anyone done an Alaska cruise?

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:23 am
by Nonlinear FC
Sabo wrote: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:38 pm
brian wrote: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:25 pm For the first time in 26 years, there's a new US Interstate highway.

The first stretch of I-11 opened today south of Las Vegas. Eventually, it'll run from Mexico to Canada, but the immediate priority is the Las Vegas to Phoenix stretch. (Las Vegas and Phoenix are the only two cities in the United States with more than a million people not connected by an interstate highway.)
I wonder if they'll ever get around to finishing I-73. I remember sitting in local committee meetings in my first reporter job about that interstate, which I think was supposed to run from Mackinac Island (I think) to Myrtle Beach.
I-75 runs from Mackinac down through Atlanta and I don't know where it ends.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:25 am
by A_B
Miami, baby!

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:26 am
by govmentchedda
Just north of

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:29 am
by mister d
Ryan wrote: Tue Sep 25, 2018 7:10 am Anyone done an Alaska cruise?
My former supervisor.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:34 am
by brian
A_B wrote: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:25 amMiami, baby!
I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic because he lives in Florida or what, but I have to respect the fact that I'm a map geek and at one point in my life could have told you the terminus (terminuses/termini?) of every primary interstate in the country. (For example, I remember I-94 runs from Detroit, MI to Coeur d'Alene, ID).

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:39 am
by Johnny Carwash
brian wrote: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:34 amI'm a map geek and at one point in my life could have told you the terminus (terminuses/termini?) of every primary interstate in the country. (For example, I remember I-94 runs from Detroit, MI to Coeur d'Alene, ID).
Do Interstate 10.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:44 am
by Nonlinear FC
Johnny Carwash wrote: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:39 am
brian wrote: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:34 amI'm a map geek and at one point in my life could have told you the terminus (terminuses/termini?) of every primary interstate in the country. (For example, I remember I-94 runs from Detroit, MI to Coeur d'Alene, ID).
Do Interstate 10.
Oh, that's a cool one!

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:48 am
by Ryan
mister d wrote: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:29 am
Ryan wrote: Tue Sep 25, 2018 7:10 am Anyone done an Alaska cruise?
My former supervisor.
OK, thank you

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:49 am
by brian
Johnny Carwash wrote: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:39 am
brian wrote: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:34 amI'm a map geek and at one point in my life could have told you the terminus (terminuses/termini?) of every primary interstate in the country. (For example, I remember I-94 runs from Detroit, MI to Coeur d'Alene, ID).
Do Interstate 10.
Without looking isn't that Jacksonville to LA?

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:52 am
by Ryan
Yeah, Santa Monica. I've been at both ends of that for probably a total of 5 miles and not a foot in between.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:54 am
by brian
Easy trick to remember is that interstates are numbered from south to north and west to east. Even numbered are east/west and odd numbered are north/south. So the higher the number the further north or east it is. Etc., etc.

ETA: Also, the interstates ending in 0 (i.e. I-10, I-40, I-80, etc.) generally span the entire country.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 9:02 am
by Johnny Carwash
Yeah, the 10 is Santa Monica to Jacksonville. It's also the only one I remember.

Re: Swamp Travel Guide

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 9:08 am
by GoodKarma
Ryan wrote: Tue Sep 25, 2018 7:10 am Anyone done an Alaska cruise?
I did in June of 2017. I recommend the experience but not the particular cruise line...Royal Caribbean in this case. What do you want to know?