#1 Italy, May 22, 2013

I met my three friends, Jeanne Johnson, Carol Freeman, and Alyce Rodda, in the Rome airport after I had stayed overnight in Rome. Actually it wasn’t quite that simple---we were a couple of hours looking for each other, due to a mixup in plans. Anyway, all’s well that ends well, and we moved on to pick up our rental car. Well, that was a nasty surprise! The company had a policy that nobody could rent and drive the car if they were over 75 years of age. It certainly would have been nice to know this before we rented the car. We carried on to another rental company, and were able to rent a car and soon we were on our way.

We drove north to Partina in steady drizzle. Tuscany looks beautiful even in the rain! It feels really nice to be in my ‘Italian home’ again. We spent the next two days getting organized—grocery shopping, visiting, and cooking roast rabbit. The rain final... more »

Couchsurfing or is it now sexsurfing??

Oh wow! I just read about how couchsurfing has gradually become sexsurfing for some couch surfers and hosts.

Although, I have registered as a member way back in 2010, I haven't personally host or have had the opportunity to become a couch surfer. In 2010, I did try contacting a few members in a couple of Asian cities but because I am of Asian appearance, these people did not bother to reply and I sort of gave up on the idea.

Have offered accommodation to a couple of mature aged couch surfers but after letting them know of my whereabout, I did not hear from them so, that was that. I refused to host a couple of couch surfers because one asked to stay for a week and the other group was for a family of four. I felt quite overwhelmed by that many people. :)

Now, after hearing this and many other stories, I am beginning to question the wisdom of couch surfing. more »

Jamilla - my Camino Donkey

A work in progress

LeeGil asked how I'm going to make the donkey I'll be taking with me to carry my baggage on my Camino walk next spring. I thought she deserved a posting of her own, as there will be much more news about her in the coming weeks/months. So here goes:

Jamilla, my donkey (the name means 'perfection' in Arabic) will be about the size of a miniature Mediterranean donkey.

Her framework has been cannibalised from an old ironing board, which I've dismantled and cut down to size/shape. Oh, my poor hands! On top of the (now smaller) ironing surface goes Jamilla's body, which also doubles as my bag. This has been configured to hold 45+ litres, as I carry about 40 litres, summer or winter and, along with my research on donkeys, has determined her over-all size.

Her body and legs, etc. will be made from a pvc-covered fabric, which will keep her waterproof. Shape ... more »

Latin America travel report

Hi guys,
As usual I spent this past winter traveling in warm climes (I live in the drizzle/drear of the Pacific Northwest of the US). This trip was largely in familiar territory; but due to serious foot pain I didn’t want to stress, so the trip ended up being more ad hoc, more invent-it-as-you-go than usual.

Accordingly, this travel report is more scattered, and the product of a camera that manifested less inspiration than usual.

Nevertheless, enjoy.
Lee

Check it out

More Bad Karma

My bad karma is at it again! I really don't think I'm that evil to warrant all this nonsense.

I'm leaving for five weeks in Fiji in a couple of days and wanted to take 350 pds stlg I've had lying around since my last trip to London, as backup funds. Yesterday I separated the stlg bills from the coins, stored the coins in a wallet along with spare Euros and put the coins back in the drawer where all my left-over foreign currency bits and pieces are kept. This morning I decided to pack up my travel handbag, looked for the stlg bills only to find they had completely disappeared from the face of the earth. I am SO SURE I left them on the bureau along with all the other things that have to go into the handbag.

I have gone through every handbag and wallet I own, 2 or 3 times, including the foreign coin collections, unpacked and repacked both the checked bag and the carry on bag... more »

travelling companion

hi
well i am mahendra 54 from india. i am looking for travelling companion to travel in my country. any one of similar age who is keen to do budget travelling in next 2 months are welcomed. plan and dates are flexible.
love to hear soon
mahendra

Travel Companion.....

Recently, I had dinner with a friend who is into photography. She stated that the last time we went on a day outing, I stopped at various times to wait for her to take photographs of various sights that was of interest her which made her uncomfortable and therefore she would not invite someone out with her again unless that person has an interest in photography. So, I said, "fair enough" for I don't think I could travel with someone who takes 6000 photos during a three weeks trip. She looked astounded as if I had said something sacrilegious. lol

In a recent Journeywoman article, I read that someone travelled with a matched tc from hell. This woman actually bullied her and made her trip miserable. Perhaps it is better to bear the cost of paying a single supplement then allowing someone to ruin your trip.

So, what are the worst traits that you came across when you venture out with... more »