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Ian Plumbley's Travel Review

Having travelled the world for many years, I finally came to the conclusion I should comment on the good, the bad and the ugly... As well as share some of my observations along the way. Enjoy the tales and safe travel's everyone © Copyright Ian Plumbley 2007


Any comments, links or articles added by others which do or don't relate to anything I have written or published is their responsibility and not mine.

Monday, September 29, 2008

So much for a renewed commitment

Having spent 12 months away from blogging I realized that I probably will never commit to it so I should sign off and say goodbye for now and leave until time allows and inclination drives me back... so see you sometime when... thanks for reading!


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Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Where am I now?

Having spent the last 12 months in a journey of life and distance, I find myself 5,000 miles away from my birth place, going through divorce and in a world I could only have dreamt of, in actual fact I did not dream of it, I just see it as I journey through it... so here I am now living in the USA and enjoying all that that brings good and bad and the bad ain't that bad actually, I am pleased to say.

I for one am happy with the way the journey has gone, it has been tough but so is everything you really desire and I desire happiness and for that I keep striving.

I intend to keep pushing for it, happiness that is, with the aim of writing articles more frequently and reminding myself of where I have been and where I am going...

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Thursday, October 12, 2006

Hotel Furniture Buyers and Designers

These days the beds in hotels are very comfortable and very easy to sleep in... they employ people to test the beds and make sure they do what they are supposed to do... so when do you think they will get around to testing the desks and "office" chairs they never match up, they are not able to be set at the right height because they haven't been bought for the purpose, they cause injury/strain to your back and arms... so when are they going to move to this part of the furniture...

Any one with inside knowledge please pass this on...


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Saturday, September 09, 2006

Tattoo's

Once the sign of tribal warriors or seasoned sailors, now the sign of what I do not know...

Some tattoo's are very artistic and clever and for the record I have no problem with tattoo's I don't have one but having spent 5 years in Her Majesty's Royal Navy I have seen many a tattoo, good and bad.

However, what I can't understand is why do pretty young ladies/girls have huge ugly tattoo's all over their body, what is that all about, pretty, small, discreet, little tattoo's can be attractive but what is it with the big things that cover most of the skin, what is going to happen when age becomes a reality and in 30 years time, what will all these blue skin beauties look like, with their saggy bodies covered with blue ink and you can't work out what the tattoo actually is anymore, what was once a pair of wings looks more like a set of John Wayne's saddle bags printed on the skin.

Remember a dog is not just for Christmas as a tattoo is not lipstick that will wear off after a couple of hours...

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What is it about Asian food

Where ever you go in the world there is always a Chinese or Indian restaurant, now generally the Chinese food is very similar where ever you go, from Hong Kong all the way heading west to Hollywood.

But then there is the Indian food, the good old traditional curry, it is a known fact that the number one dish/meal in the UK is now a curry in fact it is a Chicken Tikka Masala, however, where ever you go in the world, apart from the occasional similarity of the above dish, the food all tastes different even if it is named the same, Rogan Josh surely is a Rogan Josh, but no it is anything from a thick stew with hot spices to a really flavoursome meal with a mixture of tomato's, peppers and meat... so what is this all about.

The Chinese were clever in matching the needs of westerners to help increase their popularity by including vegetables and meals they don't have in China, however, they are now global options, as for the good old curry they keep the same names tell everyone it is authentic and just the same as it was/is made in India, well all I can say is either the Chef's have a bad memory or there is more than one India in the world and they all have different traditional variations of the same meal...

Never mind, enjoy your curry whatever you get, just order a Rogan Josh and enjoy the surprise.

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Thursday, September 07, 2006

British Airways First

It is a product that exceeds expectations and delivers above your dreams, the beds are actually big enough to be a bed, the space is yours, the intrusion is non-existent and the staff are brilliant, you even get to see the Captain...

The food is excellent and plentiful, you could loose control of your diet and enjoy it at the same time.

If you were to find fault, it would be one thing, the in flight entertainment system is, all but the video option, the same as economy and even there it is out of date, yes outdated not bad, you have 18 channels and a Map page and a wide choice of programs.

Would I recommend this level of travel, damn right I would is it worth the money, well that is only a question of affordability, it is definitely value for money however much it costs.

Wouldn't it be great if this was the basic standard and then imagine how great BA First would have to be then.

As an aside, one great benefit, of the recent terrorist issues, there is now a sensible amount of carry-on bags being taken on board and making it a much better situation.

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Sunday, August 20, 2006

A travel thought I had yesterday

Which really should have been posted here as it is about the native nations who once lived and run what we now know as North America or the USA.

The blog posting is here


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Venice Beach… Not quite the same as Venice itself

What a fantastic experience this place really is, as my daughter said a “little scary” with fantastic visual benefits, sounds that make your ears jump around faster than your eyes, you can get anything pierced or tattooed and in as many places as you can buy tee shirts, with fantastic images on the front, from the Beatles to sexual positions of the animal kind.

This is the only place I have ever seen two policemen watch as a kid spray paint his graffiti art on a wall, with the sound of a dozen or maybe twenty random people playing drums to some even more random but rhythmic beat, whilst thirty to forty people all watched on swaying uncontrollably to the beat.

Street performers revel in the sun whilst attracting the beautiful people getting as many rays of sun as possible, prior to going down to the famous Muscle Beach Gym, which by the way in over 10 visits to Venice Beach at varying times of the year and day I have yet to see those body builders who you wonder how they get all that muscle in that one skin. I have though seen the man whose sign says “I work for marijuana” right in front of those two cops who had been watching the graffiti king, hell bent on becoming the next Picasso.

Then look out, although as you would expect in California, there are cycle and roller blade paths and routes everywhere, you get rushed by a variety of roller bladders and skateboarders, from stunt pro level down to the older guy who is obviously hell bent on pleasing his new found, too young for him, partner who is less stable than Bambie on the ice in the film of the same name.

Then you have the weirdo’s, you know the ones who dress normally, have well kept hair and dress like human beings, they stick out like sore thumbs in this fantastic circus of extreme and culture.

Venice Beach is a must if you are ever in LA, take it for what it is, try not to get sucked into getting a piercing or tattoo, henna or real, (I keep getting tempted to get a tattoo, the only thing that stops me is my wife, she would kill me… I am sure) just watch and absorb as you walk along the beach front, take in what surely must be the greatest and most complete mix of extreme and culture in one single walkway in the whole world, drink a beer at one of the outside bars, sit and people watch, buy a piece of Pizza to fill a gap and enjoy what is for sure the best free entertainment in the world.
And don’t miss the shop that sells the American Indian gifts, memorabilia and read some of the information regarding the history of their people, it might just make you sit up and think about what was all that about…

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Wednesday, July 12, 2006

We make our beds and therefore we have to sleep in them...

But what if we don't make them and someone else does, are we sure they change the sheets?

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© Copyright Ian Plumbley 2006

When one travel's so much it can be a chore even if you visit places some people dream of so here for all time is my view of some of the places I visit enjoy reading and safe travels.