The Travelling Periaur Thread!!

[Snaga]

Here's a thread to share your journeys with your fellow Periaur.:D

I'm going to Seattle tomorrow! Yay!:) 5000 mile flight...erm... not yay...:(

But I'm all stressed with getting everything ready.... Gahhhh! *hates packing*

[TheFool]

hehe, a note on packing: don't leave a full bottle of shower gel in the end pocket of a bag, it's liable to leak all over other peoples luggage.. :o . I just got back from Aberdeen, next time I hope to see more of it than the train station, a hotel, and the docks. Might be going to Stonehaven soon. C'mon Scots tell me how great it is! :D

[Elbereth]

wow! This is right up my alley now!

Well...I guess I will tell you where I've been...and take off from the there....I just got back from a week's trip to Dallas, TX...where I worked at the International Gift fair. I'm a sales rep for a Handbag and Accesories company at the momment...so this is only the start of a series of trade show I will be attending this summer. Next week I take off for Atlanta...and then I then go to LA, Chicago and San Francisco.

But tommorow I take a short treck to NJ to visit my sister and have a mad crazy karaoke night with my siblings. My brother is in town so we are planning to take the stage by force! We get terribly cheesey when we are around each other...so it should be loads of fun!

Well...I better finish packing! Bye!!!!

[DGoeij]

Offcially I'm writing an essay now, but I couldn't resist visiting TTF, and so I bump into a new Periaur thread. Hurray!

My travelling this summer is fairly limited if mentioned in distances. I'll be spending a week with my girlfriend in the northern provinces of the Netherlands, mainly Drenthe and Friesland. The main goal is to spent time together and meanwhile visit some "pittoresque" sites in my very own country.:D

But before that, I'll be attempting to walk 200 km's in four days during the Nijmegen marches. If I succeed, it will be my fifth medal, a neat silver one.:rolleyes:

And with my scoutgroup, we'll be visiting Morbach, a place in southern Germany, close to the French border (if my information is correct).

[Niniel]

200 km in 4 days is a lot... I just walked 200 km in 8 days, but that was with a 20-kilo backpack and no walking experience whatsoever. That was in Belgium and Germany.

[DGoeij]

Originally posted by Niniel
200 km in 4 days is a lot... I just walked 200 km in 8 days, but that was with a 20-kilo backpack and no walking experience whatsoever. That was in Belgium and Germany.

That's a lot too, considering the fact that 20 kilo's isn't funny either. And I suppose you encountered more hills that I ever did around Nijmegen. :)

[Niniel]

Well, isn't there the 7-hills-run around Nijmegen? There are actually quite a bit of hills compared to the rest of this flat country. But yes, I saw a lot of hills, but they were all doable (that word looks weird....).

[Legolam]

I'm off to Bolivia in under a week! It's a bit scary, so any support/help/advice would be gratefully received!

[Elbereth]

Hooray!

*kisses the ground*

I'm home at last!! I just arrived back from LA and Chicago and boy am I glad to be home...even if I did have a very good time on my trips. I'll be home for two weeks, so I will do my best to try to revamp this little ole guild of ours.

Wish me luck!

:)

[Aulë]

Originally posted by Legolam
I'm off to Bolivia in under a week! It's a bit scary, so any support/help/advice would be gratefully received!

Take care not to sit under any trees.
I hear that Bolivian Drop Bears are rife at this time of year...

[DGoeij]

Welcome home Elebereth.:)

I thought Dropping Bears were an exclusive XXXX-ian treat? Oh well. :D
Follow the basic rules which enabled most tourists to enjoy their holidays. Learn at least some of the local language, don't travel alone and be suspicious towards the 'special price for you' and 'step into this dark alley for very nice shop' types. Unfortunately, they might even be happily smiling ten year olds.
And be sure to have seen at least something of the actual country, apart from sweaty westerners with money instead of brains and 'locals' who are fully aware of this. ;)

I myself will leave for the world famous German town of Morbach tomorrow.

[Legolam]

Right, kids, I'm off as of 6am tomorrow. I apologise for my dismal activity this summer - but it's been really hectic here recently. I've managed to get so stressed that I now have quite a serious throat infection on the eve of my departure and I'm not allowed to take any drugs at all to help as it would screw up the reserach :( :rolleyes:

Anyhoo, I'll try and get on here when I get to a Net cafe, but no promises. See y'all on the 4th September :D

[Aulë]

Don't forget to keep an eye out for those Bolivian drop-bears ;)
I wouldn't stand under any trees if I were you.

(Once they have got a hold of you, they don't let go) :D

[Snaga]

I think you are confusing them with the Bolivian Neck Monkey.

I am back from America:( But I had lots of fun and Washington is a beautiful state, with lots of volcanoes and forests and stuff. Plus Wonks lives there so its all good.:)

I have also been to the Sussex coast. I can recommend Littlehampton beach (sandy and nice) and not Goring (pebbly and sea-weed infested).

[Legolam]

You thought you could mock me whilst I was gone?!?!?! Seems Bolivian Internet cafes are cheaper than I thought (25p an hour!) so I might be on a few times in the next few days before I go up to the research lab.

Thought y´all might want to know that I have mild altitude sickness and sitting staring at this VDU is killing my head, so I´m going to head back off to the Hostal (walking like an old man because I´m so breathless!) and sleep for a bit. :)

[DGoeij]

Originally posted by Legolam
Thought y´all might want to know that I have mild altitude sickness and sitting staring at this VDU is killing my head, so I´m going to head back off to the Hostal (walking like an old man because I´m so breathless!) and sleep for a bit. :)

Now that's something I've never experienced. Is it that bad? I hope you get used to it soon enough, I can imagine it would be really annoying.

[Legolam]

Altitude sickness is best described as a really, really bad hangover. On my first day arriving in La Paz, I had the worst headache, felt really weak and dizzy and completely lost my appetite (not like me at all!). I also had no energy and just walking to the bathroom exhausted me. However, one good nights sleep later and I was pretty much fine.

I just wanted to say that I´m off up to the lab tomorrow and won´t be around to keep tabs on y´all. However, you can keep tabs on me by checking out the live updates, diaries and images at www.apex-altitude.com

If you really want to know more, email the people on that website, they´re really keen to educate people!

[Aulë]

Originally posted by Legolam
Altitude sickness is best described as a really, really bad hangover.

Well I guess you should be quite used to it then ;)
Have fun :)

[Niniel]

I'm BACK!!!! I survived my holidays and am finally back, and I won't go anywhere for a while, I promise!

[Aulë]

Hehe- I just read a few of the Diary entries for Legolam's little expedition. (Read the entry for the 9th of August- she wrote that one)
And it appears that she did not tell us all of what was going to be happening: it appears that they are also 'testing' Viagra in their little lodge :D
It seems that Hannah is having more fun than she revealed ;)

She has also successfully avoided the camera so far- no pics of her on the site.
And you'll all be pleased to know that she (along with all the others) is suffering horribly from altitude sickness :p

Have fun up there Hannah ;)

[Legolam]

Well, I´m back in civilisation for 24 hours, having endured the mother of all altitude sickness! I haven´t actually managed to write a diary entry yet (our leader censored mine on the 9th!), but apparently there´s photos of me somewhere. And Aule´s right, we WERE trialling Viagra at altitude. I´ll write more later today and let you know more about the lab :D

[Legolam]

Well, I´m back from the lab at Chacaltaya, and it was certainly an experience I´m not likely to forget! The lab was in a bit more disrepair than I´d imagined, but it was made up for by the stunning views of the Andes and La Paz below us. I only spent 7 days there, which was a bit less than expected.

The jeep trip up was amazing, as we approached Chacaltaya on a REALLY thin road from La Paz. I expected to be really cold, but the lab was usually warm enough, and there were lots of hot drinks, clothes and table football to keep us warm.

I got hit pretty badly by acute mountain sickness up at the lab. The headache started on the way up in the jeep, and got steadily worse until the first evening, when I couldn´t really move. 3 people had already been evacuated by this point, and I was determined not to be the 4th. So I ate my paracetamol and went to bed in the "infirmary" room. I slept better than most (mostly due to the warm room), but had absolutely no appetite for the whole 7 days, which was a little disconcerting. I got a stinking headache and nausea every evening before bed, and every morning. One particularly bad day, I couldn´t even move from the sofa in the common room. The washing and toilet facilities had a lot to answer for too, as flu and some stomach bugs started to go about the group as time went on.

However, it wasn´t as bad as all this seems, mainly because of the people up there. Doing the research was actually quite good fun, even with the 14 tubes of blood taken from us every 2 days. I even helped out on some of the stuff when I was well enough. We had 2 days off - one of which we spent tramping up to Chacaltaya itself (5395m). The view from up there was stunning and, even though I was too breathless to do the rest of the walk with the others (my oxygen saturation never got above 70% all week, and one day it was 61%!), I sat and sunbathed for an hour. It was amazing.

The best point at the lab was two nights ago, when some of the people who´d been evacuated with bugs came back up for the last night. They´re now our best friends, as they brought with them 3 x 1m diameter pizzas for lunch, coffee and chocolate (things we weren´t allowed during the studies)!! You should have seen everyone´s faces, it was better than Christmas! The photos will be legendary. My appetite began to pick up after that, and I got down to the serious business of beating everyone at table football! We eventually came down last night in the jeep (in pitch black, which was quite fun and scary!).

Today, I spent the time wandering La Paz and drinking in the oxygen! We went to the "black market" today, which sells everything you could ever wish for that´s been bootlegged, including "Yves Saint Ralph Lauren" shirts!! Talk about fakes! We also had a bit of a hairy moment in the taxi to the restaurant for lunch, but it was fun! I had llama steak for lunch, and it is delicious!!!

Keep checking on the website, as more photos will be revealed!

PS Aule, I´m pretty sure I WAS on Viagra, as I got the most stining headaches up the mountain, at least partly due to the drug. But apart from that, no side effects!

[DGoeij]

Originally posted by Legolam
Chacaltaya

Gesundheit :D

Sounds like you're having one heck of an experience to say the least, while you're still able to have fun. Good job. I won't go into the Viagra stuff, that's too easy.
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Didn't you suffer from a stiff neck?:p
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D'oh! I'm sorry.

[Aulë]

What's wrong with the online diary, Hannah?
It hasn't been updated since the 14th. I want to find out whether you killed that local girl or not ;)

[Legolam]

I´m back in La Paz!!! Sorry about the lack of diary updates on the website, but it´s not my thing, and anyway, this is better!

This place is beginning to feel like home for me, it´s pretty cool! I´ve been up at Copacabana on Lake Titicaca for the last 4 days, and it´s awesome!!!! I spent two days there, then two days on the Isla del Sol, trekking about with my CD player. Bolivia really is the most beautiful country I´ve ever visited!! I now have blisters and sunburn, but it´s totally worth it.

Anyhoo, I´m back in civilisation for a couple of days, then I´m meeting back up with my friends (oh yeah, forgot to mention I was travelling alone!) and going to the salt flats in the south of the country. I´ll keep you updated!! :cool:

[Legolam]

If you´re interested in the research we were doing, check out the website. They´re adding in synopses of what we did. The breath condensate was the worst experiment to do!

I won´t be online until I get home now, so adios!!

[Snaga]

Wonks and I went to Wales today. It was fun... lots of sheepses.:D We went to Llandridno Wells. Its pretty.

All the road signs are in Welsh and English. Some of them have the English painted out just to annoy people like me.:)