View Full Version : Vacations
Roguish Lawyer
06-14-2004, 12:59
What is the best place you've ever gone on vacation/leave?
Where have you always wanted to go on vacation/leave, but not yet been?
Bonus: The over/under on Bangkok is 32. LOL
Panama is a great place to go on vacation. I've lived here for the past two years or so and I love it.
Cartegena, Colombia is a great spot if you just want to spend some time on the beach with beautiful latinas.
I would like to go on vacation to Angkor Wat, (Siem Riep?) Cambodia.
Worst place that I've been - Dhaka, Bangladesh.
EDIT - I like Bangkok too, but for me its not at the top of the list.
Roguish Lawyer
06-14-2004, 14:01
My favorite spot is the Kona Coast.
There is this place in the Maldives I want to visit.
DunbarFC
06-14-2004, 14:04
Spent 3 weeks in South Africa once
Best trip I've ever been on
I once went on leave from Panama to Curacao. It was a dive trip and I more than got my money's worth. The editor of "Dive" Magazine was there. I think his name was Paul Tismoulis. The water was unbelievable. There was black coral at thirty feet and on a wreck at 180 - 200 feet you could look up and see the bottom of the dive boat and also take pictures with available light. Little to no swimming, the reef was a verticle drop-off. The only problem was that the water was so clear and the light so constant that it was easy to lose track of your depth. The food was Dutch/Malayan.
Where would I like to go? Anywhere I haven't been. I was 33 when I got married and had BTDT to my hearts content. I will admit to anyone that if I had married sooner it wouldn't have lasted.:rolleyes:
Brother Rat
06-14-2004, 14:31
Best : Costa Rica. Beautiful, and the people are friendly.
I've always wanted to do some heli-boarding in Alaska.:cool:
Jack Moroney (RIP)
06-14-2004, 14:55
Vacation, is that a civilian term? Been on leave between assignments, been TDY enroute, been on pass, hell I have even been a snowbird and a blackbird doing "casual duty" but don't ever recall being on anything called vacation. Of course I think I have vaguely heard the term from some hard nosed lane instructor somewhere mixed in with, " Every meal a banquet, everyday a holiday, etc, etc, etc."
Jack Moroney
Roguish Lawyer
06-14-2004, 15:00
Originally posted by Jack Moroney
Vacation, is that a civilian term? Been on leave between assignments, been TDY enroute, been on pass, hell I have even been a snowbird and a blackbird doing "casual duty" but don't ever recall being on anything called vacation. Of course I think I have vaguely heard the term from some hard nosed lane instructor somewhere mixed in with, " Every meal a banquet, everyday a holiday, etc, etc, etc."
Jack Moroney
Topic has been edited. Thank you for the clarification.
I once snuck into Club Med while in Haiti...God what a beautiful sight from the shit hole of Port au Prince.
The CO and CSM were pissed...grounded me for seven days inside the base camp.:D
No going out on patrols for seven days...like that hurt my fuckin feelings.:p
The Reaper
06-14-2004, 16:17
Well, now that we have expanded the topic to include leave...
Maui.
Mount Everest.
TR
NousDefionsDoc
06-14-2004, 16:25
Been - Aruba
Want - UBL's cave
Roguish Lawyer
06-14-2004, 16:27
Originally posted by NousDefionsDoc
Been - Aruba
I like Aruba, but it just doesn't compare to Hawaii. Beaches and diving are as good, but you don't get the topography.
Team Sergeant
06-14-2004, 16:28
Originally posted by NousDefionsDoc
Want - UBL's cave
If you can get a group rate for that let me know.
The Reaper
06-14-2004, 16:40
Originally posted by Roguish Lawyer
I like Aruba, but it just doesn't compare to Hawaii. Beaches and diving are as good, but you don't get the topography.
Or the service.
TR
Originally posted by Team Sergeant
If you can get a group rate for that let me know.
Can I tag along? Sans....M4...pistol...etc. :munchin
I'll try Hawaii pretty soon though.
I missed Aruba. I flew into Curacao and dove off of Bonaire.
FWI: Has anyone noticed the naming of the Dutch Antilles? Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. Someone was practicing his alphabet.:D
I also had a 21/2 year "vacation" at Pattaya and 1 1/2 in Panama. Also skied in Garmisch and Berchtesgaden, climbed in the Alps and treked across the frozen Tundra od Alaske. Who needs a vacation? What more could you ask for?:rolleyes:
Another SF saying: "To think people actually pay to do this and we get paid."
North Shore of Kauai is nice, so are the Texas Hill country and the Davis Mountains.
would like to go to Europe
Roguish Lawyer
06-14-2004, 17:14
Originally posted by QRQ 30
I missed Aruba. I flew into Curacao and dove off of Bonaire.
My first dive was off Aruba, but it was one of those pre-certification resort dives, so I didn't get to go down to the wrecks. :( I'd like to go back there, but it is so much farther than Hawaii that I'm not sure it's worth it . . .
Not when you live in Panama!!:rolleyes:
I'd like to go back there, but it is so much farther than Hawaii that I'm not sure it's worth it . . .
Not that I've travelled as much as many of you here...but Hawaii is my absolute favorite so far. The perfect peace I experienced walking the beach at sunrise...and realizing this beautiful island was part of the USA...was awe inspiring.
You're all killing me with this thread. I had next week booked to head back to Scottsdale, Arizona for pleasure this time around, and the Bosses saw fit to "postpone" all vacations until after the end of June due to excessive workload.
:mad: :boohoo
Roguish Lawyer
06-14-2004, 21:02
Originally posted by Pandora
I had next week booked to head back to Scottsdale, Arizona for pleasure this time around, and the Bosses saw fit to "postpone" all vacations until after the end of June due to excessive workload.
:mad: :boohoo
That's terrible. Scottsdale weather is really pleasant this time of year. Right, TS? LOL
Maple Flag
06-14-2004, 21:13
Loved Panama when I went in 2001.
Must visit places for me (in order):
Borneo
Kenya
Thailand
Israel
The Reaper
06-14-2004, 21:21
Originally posted by Maple Flag
Loved Panama when I went in 2001.
Must visit places for me (in order):
Borneo
Kenya
Thailand
Israel
Anyone who is headed to Panama with a significant other should check out Contadora Island and Las Perlas.
Very nice.
In Hawaii, I highly recommend flying into Oahu for a few days of the tourist sites, then getting over to Kauai (especially the North Shore), Maui (go to the top of Haleakala and drive down to Hana as well), and the Kona Coast of the Big Island.
Those on a big budget trip can use the stop-overs to and from a week or two in Australia or New Zealand.
Just my .02.
TR
Roguish Lawyer
06-14-2004, 21:30
Originally posted by The Reaper
In Hawaii, I highly recommend . . . getting over to Kauai (especially the North Shore) . . . .
If you golf, play The Prince. But if you play like me, bring LOTS of balls or you will run out. LOL
Chiangmai was my favorite place.
Since I live on Oahu, I'll recuse myself from that location.
Kwajalein and the Marshall Islands are my next adventure for some WWII treasure hunting and good diving.
Ferratus
06-15-2004, 01:01
Being a college student, I can't yet afford to visit any of these more exotic locales. But I'm pretty excited to say that in two weeks I'll be leaving for New York to start hiking/busing/hitching rides through Boston, D.C., Chicago, Detroit, or wherever else this poor-man's trip will take me. Never been east of Texas, and this seems like a pretty good way to see the country.
As far as past vacations go: I was in Paris in '98 on the night that France won the World Cup. If I'm not mistaken, the unofficial count was 1.5 million people, French and Brazilian alike, celebrating on the Champs-Elysee. That was certainly a rather memorable evening for one sixteen-year-old California boy.
Team Sergeant
06-15-2004, 07:49
Originally posted by Pandora
You're all killing me with this thread. I had next week booked to head back to Scottsdale, Arizona for pleasure this time around, and the Bosses saw fit to "postpone" all vacations until after the end of June due to excessive workload.
:mad: :boohoo
Scottsdale in June! lol
It was 103 in the shade yesterday. People don't go outside here during the summer months. Even the snowbirds have all gone home.
We moved from away from Scottsdale for various reasons, not a bad place if you're 85 and rich.
You want to come out here in the winter, its a chilly 70-80 during that time.
TS
Radar Rider
06-16-2004, 00:53
I went on vacation with my wife and her family to an island off the southern coast of Korea. It is called "Cho' do", and has a population of about 200 people. We rode on the supply vessel that visits the island twice a week. The island itself is beautiful, and the people were wonderful hosts. It's one of those places where they don't lock their doors. We had gone to visit her cousin, who was teaching grades K-6 there (all in one classroom!). Even as a roundeye, I never felt like an outsider (I suppose it helps that I speak the language). We hiked all over the island, and went fishing at night. It is a beautiful place to get away from it all.
One place that I would like to visit is Pyongyang, North Korea. No, I'm not a communist. I'm just fascinated by a place that is so closed off to the outside. I want to see for myself if it is really a clean and orderly capital city, or if it is all just a facade. The area also has some historical sites that may very well date back 5,000 years; I'd like to see those, if they are real.
Long weekend at Havasu Canyon.
Beautiful emerald green waterfalls, simply amazing, and a great walk out. (Grand Canyon)
Bill Harsey
06-16-2004, 06:51
Recently got to visit a destination resort community in North Carolina called Ft. Bragg. Best three days I've had in a long time. For more normal type camp excursions, Steens Mountain Oregon, look that up on Google.
Jack Moroney (RIP)
06-16-2004, 07:01
Originally posted by Radar Rider
I went on vacation with my wife and her family to an island off the southern coast of Korea. It is called "Cho' do", and has a population of about 200 people.
This is one of those, you ain't going to believe this stories, but when I got to Korea in 78 I wound up being offered two assignments. One was S3 for the 1st-23rd Infantry and the other was as the commander for a small detachment on what sounds a lot like the island you describe but it was called Chej a do. Seems that this island served as a local incountry R&R spot whose main attraction was pheasant hunting. Now, having had my share of "hardship tours" I just could not imagine explaining to my wife and kids that this "hardship tour" for which we were going to be apart for a year was going to entail hunting pheasants and running a frigging resort. Come to find out the 2nd Division AG thought my ecclectic background in SF with a couple of degrees in wildlife management made me the ideal choice to control the place and keep the pheasant population healthy for the various hunting trips he knew the Division Commander liked to do from time to time and saw this as a great way of making points with MG Grange at my expense. Figuring that I could deal with the wrath of the G1 a lot better than I could my wife's, I opted to become the S3 1st 23rd.
Jack Moroney
Bill Harsey
06-16-2004, 07:08
Steens Mountain is about as far from anywhere as you can get in the lower 48. The mountain is 30 miles long, rising one mile above the high desert floor. What I mean is you can stand on top and see the desert down between your toes over the East Rim. I can't believe the wild bighorn sheep stick to the side, we see those too. The sumbitch is so big that military fighter aircraft practise flying the canyons and then break down into the Alvord Desert training for a particular far away place. Key to the trip is fishing for Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. It can snow up there any month of the summer, I've woken up on the ground in August to a fine 26 degree F morning.
The Reaper
06-16-2004, 07:17
Originally posted by Bill Harsey
Recently got to visit a destination resort community in North Carolina called Ft. Bragg. Best three days I've had in a long time. For more normal type camp excursions, Steens Mountain Oregon, look that up on Google.
I can assure you that your experience at Bragg and Mackall was significantly different from those who visit while wearing the uniform, and those who come here for training will really get to enjoy the temperate climate.
Remember, you were here during a cold spell, had refreshing beverages and a tour guide.
TR
Bill Harsey
06-16-2004, 07:27
Originally posted by The Reaper
I can assure you that your experience at Bragg and Mackall was significantly different from those who visit while wearing the uniform, and those who come here for training will really get to enjoy the temperate climate.
Remember, you were here during a cold spell, had refreshing beverages and a tour guide.
TR Sir Reaper, That was fully understood at all times. I'm both in awe of and have extraordinary respect for the soldiers who both train and base from there. Much the free world depends on how things are done at that location.That previous post of mine was an attempt at some humor using both ignorance and understatement as the comic device.
The best dive spot in the world remains the little isolated Island of Sipadan in North Borneo (the island where hostages were taken 2-3 years back by the Abu Syaff).
It is simply beautiful.
If anyone needs information about the place, drop me a line. I would be glad to help out if you need info..:)
avtar
brewmonkey
11-06-2004, 08:38
One of the best camping spots I have ever been is Round Pond right outside West Point. Not much of a campsite but it is where my dad took me when I was a kid and taught me land nav, tracking and other stuff. Neat little lake to swim and play in but the real fishing is in the spots scattered across the hillside and hidden from the general campsite.
If you golf, play The Prince. But if you play like me, bring LOTS of balls or you will run out. LOL
Yes did my honeymoon next to that course, very nice. Also did Maui and played Mckenna which is on the south west coast overlooking Molikini crater on a Thanksgiving day; sans wife. Again this while on our honeymoon. She hasn't let me forget that one to this day. :eek:
Next big trip will be to the dive spots in Thailand since I hear it is incredible. Plus I love the food!
Any recommendations in Napa Valley or Sonoma?
Best : Yellowstone/Tetons 2 weeks
Want to go : Australia Diving the Reef and Bikini atoll diving the Sara and the fleet.
Weazle23
11-06-2004, 14:34
The Gorge Amphitheater while staying at a freinds lakeside cabin on one of the Soap Lakes in central Washington State was an amazing place to enjoy a concert weekend.
Mowich Lake, in the NW corner of Mt Rainer NP is a great spot for a base camp for different day hikes, or as a one time stop on the trail encompassing Tahoma.
I'd like to get to see Isreal...and pretty much everywhere else I havn't been on this planet.
The Gorge Amphitheater while staying at a freinds lakeside cabin on one of the Soap Lakes in central Washington State was an amazing place to enjoy a concert weekend.
Mowich Lake, in the NW corner of Mt Rainer NP is a great spot for a base camp for different day hikes, or as a one time stop on the trail encompassing Tahoma.
I'd like to get to see Isreal...and pretty much everywhere else I havn't been on this planet.
I used to hike out the in the early 90's...you're right..there are some great hiking trails..and some great lakes..:) Def. worth a look if you are based at Fort Lewis or in the N/W...:)
avtar
Team Sergeant
11-06-2004, 19:44
I used to hike out the in the early 90's...you're right..there are some great hiking trails..and some great lakes..:) Def. worth a look if you are based at Fort Lewis or in the N/W...:)
avtar
Been there done that, the rain forest in Washington is the place to see! That's got to be one of the coolest places on the planet, in fact if I recall there are only TWO temperate rain forests in the entire world!
TS