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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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 Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:33 am Post subject: Round-the-World Adventure! Advice Needed |
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I'm going on a wild-and-crazy adventure this summer. I am quite alarmed about it, actually, since this will be my first time venturing into unknown territories without a host or a guide.
I could really use your insight. I'll tell you what my plans are at the moment, and you can tell me whether I'm crazy. I need help estimating things like cost, and advice on transportation and such.
Stop #1: Winnipeg, Canada (2 weeks)
My family lives here, and the more far-flung members will be gathered there in early August. I'll be camping out at the family home and also staying with friends. Nothing unfamiliar here.
Stop #2: UK (1-2 weeks)
I have a few friends here and there in England that I'd like to see, but I don't want to impose for any length of time. I don't mind staying in horrible grotty places as long as I get a chance to see what my birthplace is all about, and go husband-shopping in Scotland.
Stop #3: Finland (3 days or so)
I have a couple friends here I'd very much like to see, so I thought I'd pop by while I'm in the neighbourhood. It's a world I know very little about. I think I'll gawk at the blond people, challenge my liver with their booze, and be on my way.
Stop #4: Estonia
What's in Estonia? I don't know! That's why I'm going. I knew virtually nothing about this country last week. Couldn't even find it on a map. Now I am curious as hell about it, and from what I have gleaned it sounds charming and mysterious and hopefully cheap.
Stop #5: Turkey
A friend of mine will be working in Turkey, and she wants to hang out with me here. I fear the men will be pesty but some appropriate garb should help with that. I'm hoping for beaches and hookahs and history.
Stop #6: Iran
The visa will be tough, but after I arrive, I assume my Iranian friend will have everything arranged beautifully. After all, Middle Eastern hospitality is nothing to be sneezed at! We'll be in Tehran, I think, I'm looking forward to the art, the fragrant gardens and the music.
Then back to Korea.
I've never been to any of these countries before (except for Canada, of course, and England when I was 2.) I've never travelled with such a loose schedule before.
Here are some things I wish I knew:
--How do I keep safe? How dangerous are these countries, particularly to women?
--How do I behave like a good guest when my friends are hosting me?
--How do I eat? (I'm a vegetarian.)
--How do I access my paycheque from abroad? (I'll be getting a paycheque at the end of July which would be handy)
What can you tell me, seasoned travellers? |
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cazador83
Joined: 28 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:19 am Post subject: |
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are you white-skinned/blonde?
um, be safe in iran. goodluck. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:29 am Post subject: Re: Round-the-World Adventure! Advice Needed |
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| kermo wrote: |
Here are some things I wish I knew:
--How do I keep safe? How dangerous are these countries, particularly to women?
--How do I behave like a good guest when my friends are hosting me?
--How do I eat? (I'm a vegetarian.)
--How do I access my paycheque from abroad? (I'll be getting a paycheque at the end of July which would be handy)
What can you tell me, seasoned travellers? |
Accessing paychecks.. KB banks has an international ATM card. Mine worked last time while in the Philippines. Others have said theres didn't worked. So who knows the verdict on that - there was a thread about it before.
Eating.. UK has tons of vegetarian restaurants.. not sure on the rest.. but you'll always find something, I'm sure.
Behaving like a good guest.. the fact you are concerned about, means you probably will anyways.
Danger in these countries.. without doubt, Iran is the huge mystery. No idea. I've been to Turkey.. quite a few women do go there as tourists.. but I gotta say.. quite a few women I met while there spoke about locals following them around if they were unaccompanied. I even taught a few sample jobs at ESL scools.. and local Turkish female students told me they have specific names for those kind of guys.. and they often target Istanbul women without headscarves as well.. assuming they might be 'easy'. For the most part, particularly Istanbul and the well-travelled areas, you should be fine though. I'm going to guess you could alleviate a lot of that stuff in both Turkey and Iran if you threw on a headscarf and conversatively dressed. More important for Iran.. as Turkey has so many westerners, you'd be more or less just another one of them if there.
Regarding Estonia.. there will be tons of people going from Finland to Estonia on boats all the time.. and its popular for all the Scandinavians to 'party' in the Baltics.. just a boat ride away and fraction of the prices/costs.. so you should be fine there.
Iran is the only real mystery.. the others you should be fine. |
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flotsam
Joined: 28 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:33 am Post subject: |
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I have about 6(4 white, one Baha'i Indian, one Muslim Egyptian) female friends who have been to Iran and not only were they fine, they said it was one of the countries where they felt safest in.
India is a different matter--those guys in the cowbelt have turned groping into a national pasttime.
Last year I did: Thailand-Laos-Cambodia-Myanamar-India-Turkey-The Netherlands-England-U.S. over about 7 months with a Star Alliance RTW and it was a breeze. My countries and yours don't overlap much but just PM me with any specific questions.
Winnipeg? WTF? |
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trevorcollins
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:46 am Post subject: |
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| jmoore2001 wrote: |
| um, be safe in iran. goodluck. |
also don't be too paranoid about supposed danger zones.
generally they're really nowhere near as bad as the media and fear mongering state departments would have people believe.
i've never met anyone who's been to iran who had a bad word to say about the place. certainly as long as you take reasonable precautions (as a woman covering up is the main one) you'll alleviate 99% of the potential threats. |
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inspector gadget
Joined: 11 Apr 2003
Location: jeollanam-do in the boonies
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 3:14 am Post subject: |
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Finland is really nice, Helsinki is a cool city make sure you go to some night clubs, also make sure you get outside of helsinki Porvoo is a cool place to see. If you have the time I would suggest going way up north to lapland. From Helsinki you can get a ferry straight to Tallin Estonia. The estonian people are really nice to say the least very friendly, again try and get an experience going outside of Tallin. Having said that Tallin is likely one of the most charming places you can visit in the Baltics. Go and hang out in the main square its ful of outdoor cafes/restaurants, great place to people watch and drink good beer, Saku is the brand I was fond of.
I also suggest Oslo and stockholm if you can manage it since your already up in the Baltics
Have fun |
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Natalia
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 3:29 am Post subject: |
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| flotsam wrote: |
India is a different matter--those guys in the cowbelt have turned groping into a national pasttime.
Winnipeg? WTF? |
Absolutely. There is no other country that can compare in terms of being targeted by the local 'men'. I tried counting how many times I was groped each day, but always gave up when by mid-afternoon it was going past 30. And that was with me on the lookout, with a heavy bag and elbows ready for whacking, and some choice words ready to be yelled.
I have not been to Iran, but I hear it is not as bad. The society on the other hand has many horrific aspects to it, so it's best to keep your head down.
I have only heard good things about Estonia. There's a strong possibility I will be heading that way in the next 18 months.
Sorry I have nothing of much relevance to offer. You're making me jealous - it's still 11.5 months before I embark on my next big world trip.  But those four months of being free to go wherever I want are a fantastic motivator while I'm stuck here in a pretty ordinary job (to put it nicely). |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 4:21 am Post subject: |
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| flotsam wrote: |
I have about 6(4 white, one Baha'i Indian, one Muslim Egyptian) female friends who have been to Iran and not only were they fine, they said it was one of the countries where they felt safest in.
India is a different matter--those guys in the cowbelt have turned groping into a national pasttime.
Last year I did: Thailand-Laos-Cambodia-Myanamar-India-Turkey-The Netherlands-England-U.S. over about 7 months with a Star Alliance RTW and it was a breeze. My countries and yours don't overlap much but just PM me with any specific questions.
Winnipeg? WTF? |
I am inclined to agree that women are fiercely protected in countries like Iran (based on conversations with Iranian friends) so things like sexual harassment are really considered out of line.
In India, I travelled in a pack of friends, with the men circling the women protectively. Whenever the boys weren't around, I was followed by men yelling "Hello! I love you! I am India!" (I have white skin and dark hair.)
Re: Winnipeg, pardon? And thanks for the heads about re: RTW-- I'll research that and pm you with specific questions. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 4:36 am Post subject: Re: Round-the-World Adventure! Advice Needed |
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| kermo wrote: |
| What's in Estonia? I don't know! That's why I'm going. I knew virtually nothing about this country last week. Couldn't even find it on a map. Now I am curious as hell about it, and from what I have gleaned it sounds charming and mysterious and hopefully cheap. |
a real traveller at heart |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 4:39 am Post subject: |
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| flotsam wrote: |
| Winnipeg? WTF? |
spoken like a true tourist 
The 'Peg is great in August, and camping at the lake is huge then, plus the restaurants in that city are well worth it. And kermo did say that's where family is. So don't diss da rainbow connection. |
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dreamscape
Joined: 05 Aug 2004
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 4:58 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Last year I did: Thailand-Laos-Cambodia-Myanamar-India-Turkey-The Netherlands-England-U.S. over about 7 months with a Star Alliance RTW |
flotsam, if you don't mind my asking, roughly how much was your ticket? I'm trying to figure out a loose budget for a similar trip in a year or so. |
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crystal
Joined: 04 May 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 5:00 am Post subject: |
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| Finland is cool. There are some really nice things to see in Helsinki and nearly everyone speaks fantastic English, they are also incredibly friendly. It's a pretty expensive place though. I would recommend trying Mintu when you're there - delicious peppermint alcohol. And definitely get the ferry to Estonia. Those ferries are amazing. They have duty free onboard and things are so cheap - I got one to Stockholm and all the Finns were going crazy snapping up alcohol all over the place and partying the night away in the night club. Seems to be one of those uniquely Scandinavian experiences not to be missed. Estonia seems to be a beautiful country from what I've seen on TV and what not but can't tell you much about it. Sounds like an amazing trip - I'm jealous |
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I-am-me
Joined: 21 Feb 2006
Location: Hermit Kingdom
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 6:56 am Post subject: |
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In the end...let me know how much the whole trip cost. Maybe i can afford one paycheck to do the same.  |
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Njord
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 8:06 am Post subject: |
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| crystal wrote: |
| Finland is cool. There are some really nice things to see in Helsinki and nearly everyone speaks fantastic English, they are also incredibly friendly. It's a pretty expensive place though. I would recommend trying Mintu when you're there - delicious peppermint alcohol. And definitely get the ferry to Estonia. Those ferries are amazing. They have duty free onboard and things are so cheap - I got one to Stockholm and all the Finns were going crazy snapping up alcohol all over the place and partying the night away in the night club. Seems to be one of those uniquely Scandinavian experiences not to be missed. Estonia seems to be a beautiful country from what I've seen on TV and what not but can't tell you much about it. Sounds like an amazing trip - I'm jealous |
Well, I was about to give some advice on Finland and Estonia, but it seems inspector gadget and crystal beat me to it. There is no duty free on the boat between Finland and Estonia because they are both EU. The duty free between Stockholm and Finland exists because the boat stops for half an hour (or less) in Mariehamn in �land. �land is an autonomous region of Finland with a Swedish speaking population. It is not part of the EU customs union, hence the cheap beer. Actually, it's not that cheap, just cheap relative to the Nordic countries on either end. Sweden still has a state liquor monopoly. The ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn is only an hour or two anyhow. You can also buy a seat on a helicopter, creating the fastest link between any two capital cities in Europe.
I second (third?) the advice that you should visit Stockholm. It is (in my humble opinion) the best city in northern Europe. It is composed of islands and bridges with the vibrant and historic old city at the center. There's plenty to do in the north of Sweden as well, and visiting in the summer it might be fun to live in the land of the midnight sun for a few days, at least. |
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Cigar_Guy
Joined: 05 Dec 2005
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:16 am Post subject: |
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Kermo, I'm not sure where you're from or how much traveling you've done thereabout, but--nothing in the US? New England in the summer is great almost anywhere you go.
And, (dare I say it, lest there be some obvious reason not to go there, such as "I grew up in Staten Island) no New York? I mean, it's probably more expensive than most of the other places you're going, but you can't beat the city in the summertime (Shea stadium is beautiful when there's a chance at the pennant and my Mets are doing very nicely so far).
I'm sure I'm inviting some screams my way, but so be it. |
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