Do Americans have it better?

[DixieGal]

Right, NO FLUSHING SQUATTERS! That's why i went back to clarify that I meant modern sit-down toilets are necessary.

[yvanleterrible]

Do Scots have squatters?

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Most of the French toilets were squatters... At least when I was last there (which would be about 20 years ago). And they all flushed!....

Now I understand why they are all slim and all have strong legs.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Sonist

Now I understand why they are all slim and all have strong legs.

Makes it hard to relax and get some reading done doesn't it?

BOb

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Makes it hard to relax and get some reading done doesn't it?

BOb

True..., but it would also make me feel better about reading borrowed books....

[MaggieScratch]

Boy, I thought it was bad when I lent some books to a friend and she dropped them in the bathtub while reading there!

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by MaggieScratch

Boy, I thought it was bad when I lent some books to a friend and she dropped them in the bathtub while reading there!

Hm, are you sure it was the bathtub...?

[MaggieScratch]

Originally Posted by Sonist

Hm, are you sure it was the bathtub...?

Oh dear. D:

[kacir]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Funny. But, I'm with you. To me "roughing it" means staying in a 3 star hotel.

Once I went for a trip with a very specialized travel agency. We went by bus around half of Europe (including countries like Romania, Bulgaria) plus Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel. During 30 day trip I only spent two nights under the roof. One night we slept under the aqueduct. We usually slept next to the bus in sleeping bags somewhere near the road. The bus had a trailer with a field kitchen and we had a cook.
Once we slept in cemetery next to Palmyra oasis in Syria. We woke up and we were surrounded by curious Bedouin children, goats, camels, ... They couldn't believe their eyes when our cook started preparing breakfast ;-)
Once, while in Syria we trier to make camp in a forest next to the road far from the nearest town. In five minutes we were surrounded by soldiers wielding automatic rifles. It turned out our camp was next to a secret military establishment. We were escorted to the nearest little town and were told to make camp on the main square. We spent half the night talking to local people. It was a very nice experience (talking to local people, not being escorted by an officer speaking in interesting combination of Engrish, Russian and German).

This is what *I* call "roughing it":
- 10000km in a bus (and 3 times on a ferry), in 30 days through exotic countries
- sleeping next to the bus in the ditch
- eating (most of the meals) from a field kitchen - similar affair the army has, just more Spartan

[Ea]

Originally Posted by kacir

Once I went for a trip with a very specialized travel agency. We went by bus around half of Europe (including countries like Romania, Bulgaria) plus Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel. During 30 day trip I only spent two nights under the roof. One night we slept under the aqueduct. We usually slept next to the bus in sleeping bags somewhere near the road. The bus had a trailer with a field kitchen and we had a cook.
....

Exceot for the lack of personal (mind)space for a whole month, this actally sounds like fun. Fun like a trip like this: BBC: Recreating a Viking voyage Don't think I could have managed it myself, though.

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by kacir

Once I went for a trip with a very specialized travel agency. We went by bus around half of Europe (including countries like Romania, Bulgaria) plus Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel. During 30 day trip I only spent two nights under the roof. One night we slept under the aqueduct. We usually slept next to the bus in sleeping bags somewhere near the road. The bus had a trailer with a field kitchen and we had a cook.
Once we slept in cemetery next to Palmyra oasis in Syria. We woke up and we were surrounded by curious Bedouin children, goats, camels, ... They couldn't believe their eyes when our cook started preparing breakfast ;-)
Once, while in Syria we trier to make camp in a forest next to the road far from the nearest town. In five minutes we were surrounded by soldiers wielding automatic rifles. It turned out our camp was next to a secret military establishment. We were escorted to the nearest little town and were told to make camp on the main square. We spent half the night talking to local people. It was a very nice experience (talking to local people, not being escorted by an officer speaking in interesting combination of Engrish, Russian and German).

This is what *I* call "roughing it":
- 10000km in a bus (and 3 times on a ferry), in 30 days through exotic countries
- sleeping next to the bus in the ditch
- eating (most of the meals) from a field kitchen - similar affair the army has, just more Spartan

I like that. Asides from the bus that sounds like the wagon trains of the first american settlers. Waking up surrounded by Indians.

Seriously it reminds me of scouting, some of my best memories.

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

... Waking up surrounded by Indians.

Seriously it reminds me of scouting, some of my best memories.

Wow! You must be kind of old...

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by Sonist

Wow! You must be kind of old...

Being old has its advantages. There is much less peer pressure.

That camping trip sounds (almost) wonderful! So many new and different experiences. While personally I could do without the confines of a bus every day, I'd love to share in the rest of it!


Stitchawl

[M T McGuire]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Actually in parts of Europe it is still believed and even taught that there are only 4 continents. Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. There are also a few large islands.

Dale

Ah well, you're kind of right because the way I was taught it (UK) it is about land mass but Africa, despite its tenuous connection to Asia is counted as a separate one. Hence you get five olympic rings; one for each continent; because we have no sensitivities about which bits of the Americas are which.

1. Eurasia
2. Africa
3. Australasia
4. The Americas
5. Antarctica.

Cheers

MTM

[M T McGuire]

Originally Posted by kacir

Once I went for a trip with a very specialized travel agency. We went by bus around half of Europe (including countries like Romania, Bulgaria) plus Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel. During 30 day trip I only spent two nights under the roof. One night we slept under the aqueduct. We usually slept next to the bus in sleeping bags somewhere near the road. The bus had a trailer with a field kitchen and we had a cook.
Once we slept in cemetery next to Palmyra oasis in Syria. We woke up and we were surrounded by curious Bedouin children, goats, camels, ... They couldn't believe their eyes when our cook started preparing breakfast ;-)
Once, while in Syria we trier to make camp in a forest next to the road far from the nearest town. In five minutes we were surrounded by soldiers wielding automatic rifles. It turned out our camp was next to a secret military establishment. We were escorted to the nearest little town and were told to make camp on the main square. We spent half the night talking to local people. It was a very nice experience (talking to local people, not being escorted by an officer speaking in interesting combination of Engrish, Russian and German).

This is what *I* call "roughing it":
- 10000km in a bus (and 3 times on a ferry), in 30 days through exotic countries
- sleeping next to the bus in the ditch
- eating (most of the meals) from a field kitchen - similar affair the army has, just more Spartan

That sounds like Top Deck travel. Was it a converted red double decker?

PS It also sounds brilliant!