Where would you choose to be for the next 12 months? If you could be Whisked Off on a Magic Carpet, all expenses paid, Where would you Be?

[Mike Teavee]

I've mentioned this before (hopefully not on this thread) but I sort of envy the guys who are from the US as it seems to me you can live in more or less any kind of place you want without leaving the US. 

 

Bustling metropolis, Quiet mountain/countryside, beautiful beaches, Hot, Cold, Mild weather... US seems to have every kind of living environment that anybody could want. 

 

Oviously I'm assuming (in keeping with this thread) that money isn't a factor here... 

 

 

 

Edited August 9, 2021 by Mike Teavee

[DBath]

2 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

Does KLM have a First Class? 

 

Have flown Business with them a fair few times from the UK/Singapore & once from Thailand but don't recall any time where there was a First Class. 

 

 

You’re correct, it was Business Class. I booked the flight through Delta Airlines as a partner operated flight. And while KLM may be different from other International First Class cabins, it was not different from Delta’s First Class when we  left the US to fly to Seoul then BKK almost two years ago - it was actually a better cabin and service was comparable.
 

Thanks for pointing it out. Otherwise, you’d never know that I flew week-in and week-out for over 25 years working as a management consultant. 

[newnative]

    If all my expenses were being paid I think I would like to spend 12 months in Japan.  I lived there as a child for 2 years in the early 60s.  My partner and I made a brief stop in Tokyo for a couple days on a return trip back to Thailand from the US in 2017.  That stop made me want to return sometime and explore other parts of Japan.  

[Mike Teavee]

1 hour ago, DBath said:

You’re correct, it was Business Class. I booked the flight through Delta Airlines as a partner operated flight. And while KLM may be different from other International First Class cabins, it was not different from Delta’s First Class when we  left the US to fly to Seoul then BKK almost two years ago - it was actually a better cabin and service was comparable.
 

Thanks for pointing it out. Otherwise, you’d never know that I flew week-in and week-out for over 25 years working as a management consultant. 

Lol, the reason I asked is because I have some AirBlue miles & the BKK-AMS-MAN route isn't a bad way for me to visit the UK so I got all excited when I saw KLM 1st Class (not that their business class isn't enjoyable in normal times). 

 

Was it full service (food & drinks) on the flight/in the lounge? I ask because I'm hearing bad things about Qatar (Who I've got 70,000 THB of flight voucers with from a cancelled flight in March last year) so looking at alternatives. 

  

 

[vinci]

grown ass men don't wish and dream they just go and do it, if they can't atleast they try.

[simon43]

I was just chatting on my ham radio to a guy who lives in Penrhyn Atoll, north Cook Islands.  Looks a nice sort of place ????

 

[Daffy D]

On a cruise ship

 

Clean fresh ocean breeze, food, drinks and entertainment plus medical all close at hand and fresh group of passengers every couple of weeks all without going anywhere.

[i84teen]

Block M JK, Indonesia

[DrPhibes]

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

I was just chatting on my ham radio to a guy who lives in Penrhyn Atoll, north Cook Islands.  Looks a nice sort of place ????

 

And the nearest 7/11 is how far from his house?  I think I've been living in Thailand too long!

[oldhippy]

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

I was just chatting on my ham radio to a guy who lives in Penrhyn Atoll, north Cook Islands.  Looks a nice sort of place ????

 

That could have been me..... but I got kicked out of Rarotonga for managing a small hotel without work permit.

Aitutaki looks a little bit like Penrhyn, but with regular flight connections, and some modern conveniences.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, newnative said:

    If all my expenses were being paid I think I would like to spend 12 months in Japan.  I lived there as a child for 2 years in the early 60s.  My partner and I made a brief stop in Tokyo for a couple days on a return trip back to Thailand from the US in 2017.  That stop made me want to return sometime and explore other parts of Japan.  

Speaking of Japan, a stay in the Ginza with unlimited funds would be enticing.

[Toscano]

Ponte Agli Stolli near Figline Valdarno , about 40 minutes southeast of Florence Italy by train or car .

I lived there for a number of years and made many friends . Though physically fit and very active ,

I'm 84 yrs and the traveling might be a much for me now , complications like travel insurance .

[ExpatOilWorker]

On 8/8/2021 at 1:35 PM, simon43 said:

That's very impressive!  But just to comment, the impressive part is more down to your friend's skills at computer imaging and editing, because that picture is using simulated/false colours to make it look impressive, (and there is nothing wrong with that at all!).

 

I do similar things with data from geo-stationary weather satellites.  The data that I receive from the satellite typically looks like this:

 

 

but after computer editing, it looks like this:

 

Yes, he does spend many hours a PC color enhancing the images. 

This is his equipment list:
Telescope: C8 edge hd + 0.7 reducer
Camera: ZWO ASI294MM-Pro.
Mount: Skywatcher EQ6 R Pro
Focuser: ZWO EAF· 
ZWO Filter wheel
ZWO filter
Guidescope: Skywatcher EVOguide.
Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM mini.
ZWO ASIAIR Pro for control 

Edited August 9, 2021 by ExpatOilWorker

[Sparktrader]

9 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

I've mentioned this before (hopefully not on this thread) but I sort of envy the guys who are from the US as it seems to me you can live in more or less any kind of place you want without leaving the US. 

 

Bustling metropolis, Quiet mountain/countryside, beautiful beaches, Hot, Cold, Mild weather... US seems to have every kind of living environment that anybody could want. 

 

Oviously I'm assuming (in keeping with this thread) that money isn't a factor here... 

 

 

 

Except they are still surrounded by Americans.

[DBath]

7 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

Lol, the reason I asked is because I have some AirBlue miles & the BKK-AMS-MAN route isn't a bad way for me to visit the UK so I got all excited when I saw KLM 1st Class (not that their business class isn't enjoyable in normal times). 

 

Was it full service (food & drinks) on the flight/in the lounge? I ask because I'm hearing bad things about Qatar (Who I've got 70,000 THB of flight voucers with from a cancelled flight in March last year) so looking at alternatives. 

  

 

I really liked KLM, had never flown them before. I love those little houses they give you at the end of the flight. Each one (there are 85 or so) is fashioned after an actual home. In the US Delta is hands-down the best airline by far. Internationally, I’ve only flown Cathay Pacific, Iberia, Korean Air and United. I’ve found Cathay Pacific were far superior compared to all of the US Airlines I’ve flown (and I’ve flown all of them).  FYI, I’m an American (please forgive me for that), but I know great when I see/feel it.

Edited August 9, 2021 by DBath

[DBath]

46 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Except they are still surrounded by Americans.

I’ve really come to resent people like you. Do you think you can peg everyone as if you know them? How ignorant you are. You don’t know me. 

Edited August 9, 2021 by DBath

[Sparktrader]

28 minutes ago, DBath said:

I’ve really come to resent people like you. Do you think you can peg everyone as if you know them? How ignorant you are. You don’t know me. 

It was a joke. Gee dont be so sensitive.

[steven100]

31 minutes ago, DBath said:

I’ve really come to resent people like you. Do you think you can peg everyone as if you know them? How ignorant you are. You don’t know me. 

relax .....    Lol    he's joking ...

Edited August 9, 2021 by steven100

[Mike Teavee]

59 minutes ago, DBath said:

I really liked KLM, had never flown them before. I love those little houses they give you at the end of the flight. Each one (there are 85 or so) is fashioned after an actual home. In the US Delta is hands-down the best airline by far. Internationally, I’ve only flown Cathay Pacific, Iberia, Korean Air and United. I’ve found Cathay Pacific were far superior compared to all of the US Airlines I’ve flown (and I’ve flown all of them).  FYI, I’m an American (please forgive me for that), but I know great when I see/feel it.

Glad you enjoyed the flight, I've always enjoyed flying KLM & really like Schiphol AIrport... 1st time being  introduced to Chips (for us English, you guys call them fries) with mayonaisse! - Awesome ????

 

Enjoy your time in Spain, TBH I don't think you'll even think of leaving there for the next 3-4 years once you're settled but if you do, maybe we'll see you back in Thailand again ????

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sparktrader]

20 minutes ago, steven100 said:

relax .....    Lol    he's joking ...

Americans with a sense of humour are great. Bill Burr etc

[DaveSamutP]

Mars. Tired of humanity. 

[DBath]

1 hour ago, Sparktrader said:

It was a joke. Gee dont be so sensitive.

Are you British? Because I usually get British humor. 

[Sparktrader]

14 minutes ago, DBath said:

Are you British? Because I usually get British humor. 

Nevermind.

[DBath]

2 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

Americans with a sense of humour are great. Bill Burr etc

I have a great sense of humor, I also know you weren't joking - based on other interactions I've had with you on here.

[DBath]

2 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

Glad you enjoyed the flight, I've always enjoyed flying KLM & really like Schiphol AIrport... 1st time being  introduced to Chips (for us English, you guys call them fries) with mayonaisse! - Awesome ????

 

Enjoy your time in Spain, TBH I don't think you'll even think of leaving there for the next 3-4 years once you're settled but if you do, maybe we'll see you back in Thailand again ????

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schiphol Airport was very well done. What really struck me though was after we landed around 6:00am the place was empty, similar to BKK when we departed there the night before. We went to the lounge at Schiphol and when we left there to go to our gate about 2 hours later it was wall-to-wall people. I wasn't expecting that.

[Sparktrader]

6 minutes ago, DBath said:

I have a great sense of humor, I also know you weren't joking - based on other interactions I've had with you on here.

Wrong. I generally like Americans. Obviously not all though. The ones with a sense of humour are good.

[DBath]

16 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Wrong. I generally like Americans. Obviously not all though. The ones with a sense of humour are good.

Yeah, obviously....and I really don't care one way or the other.

[oldhippy]

2 hours ago, DBath said:

Are you British? Because I usually get British humor. 

British humor no longer exists, it disappeared after a 52% - 48% vote.

The British are now back to Benny Hill / Bojo making fun of everything, in particular of coal miners.

[Meat Pie 47]

exactly where I am now

[StreetCowboy]

5 hours ago, DBath said:

I really liked KLM, had never flown them before. I love those little houses they give you at the end of the flight. Each one (there are 85 or so) is fashioned after an actual home. In the US Delta is hands-down the best airline by far. Internationally, I’ve only flown Cathay Pacific, Iberia, Korean Air and United. I’ve found Cathay Pacific were far superior compared to all of the US Airlines I’ve flown (and I’ve flown all of them).  FYI, I’m an American (please forgive me for that), but I know great when I see/feel it.

It's a long time since I've flown with them, but I always thought Cathay Pacific were the best.  HK was a great airport to transit.  If I had a choice, I would take Cathay over a carpet any day.

Back in the day, I'd opted to go to the Philippines for the Calcutta Cup.  I met by chance a colleague at the airport "Haway, Cowboy! You know the flights are all delayed because of a coup in the Philippines?"

"Aye, well, I do now", and time ticked slowly by.
We got away a couple of hours late, and the nice folks at Cathay gave us a HK$ 20 beer voucher to use while we waited for our connection at Chek Lap Kok.
"Aye, right, that's not going to get us a can of Tsing Tao at the food court, and the flight is not leaving till 3 am (or some other heathen small hour of the morning, I forget the fine detail)"
Top airport, by the way, Chek Lap Kok, and very well served by the MTR.
We checked through immigration (plenty of time to spare) and strode purposefully to the MTR desk.
"See day tickets?  Can we come back after midnight on a day ticket?"
Anyone with four hours to transfer flights who does not pop into Tsim Sha Tsui for a skinful is not making full use of the MTR.  Prudently we took the penultimate train back to the airport, for fear of mishap, and we still had hours to wait,  By this time the food court was all closed.  And we still had our HK$20 scarcely-a-can vouchers...
We went to the lounge.
"We're booked on the sadly-delayed 1110 to Manilla departing at 03godknowshwen, and they gave us these beer vouchers.  But the food court is all closed.  Can we use these in the lounge?"
"NO"
"Well, Ive got a magic silver card"

"Naebautherpal, inyego"
"Yes, but then my buddy would feel all lonely down here..."
"In you go!"

I was struggling to get to the pub on Burgos Street before they closed around 0600 am, and the Calcutta Cup the following day was a bit of a blur after the anthems,  A shame, really, as we won, and while it's nice to win when you're the better team, it's great to win when you're not.

I have other fond memories of Cathay Pacific, but that is my fondest, and most oft-repeated.  Unlike Cleopatra, I have never travelled in a carpet.