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Long-haul January holidays

08:42 / 28.07.03

Not sure whether it's the after-effects of a grey & rainy Pride in the Park or the inevitable hangover/comedown, but I'm increasingly feeling that it's wayyy too long since our last more-than-a-week-away foreign holiday. The last biggie was India over two years ago (remember the 'Elephant Head Trip' thread?) and we're both champing at the bit to get away again this coming January - and will hopefully, by then, be able to finance a three-to-four-week trip.

Any suggestions? It's got to be warm, and ideally multi-centre - or, at least, combining a few days of lying around on a beach at either end with a chunk of 'doing stuff' in the middle. There are still plenty of bits of India we've not experienced, and it's tempting to go back there. Also keen on the idea of Thailand (although I've been before, so there'd be the constant danger of provoking argument with the wanksome 'of course, it's gone downhill since '93' line) and maybe Sri Lanka.

Where do you go to, my lovelies?

09:23 / 28.07.03

Hmm, I don't know, but I DO know if you need anyone to house-sit I will be happy to do so, purely out of the completely selfless goodness of my own heart.

Will get back to you on the destination tip...

09:25 / 28.07.03

We might just take you up on that, La Bombe...

09:35 / 28.07.03

Malaysia's always good. You could fly to Kuala Lumpur, spend a few days kicking around the city, and then for your beach destination you could either do Penang, which is has a colonial capital called Georgetown (or Penang) and some nice beach hotels further along the coast, or if you want a more relaxed, quieter time there's Langkawi, which is a gorgeous little island a bit further north than Penang. There should be some decent two-centre holiday deals on t'internet or Teletext. You don't need visas or any special jabs like India, and January should be hot hot hot.

12:14 / 28.07.03

A nice jaunt from Costa Rica to Mexico would be nice. Ruins, cities, rainforests, beaches, etc. etc.

The Return Of Rothkoid

13:06 / 28.07.03

Come to The Land Of Rothkoid, like you promised, elephant-head!

Scrubb is on a downward spiral

13:21 / 28.07.03

Indeed - Oz. What about Melbourne, lovely Melbourne? Lovely Brunswick St. Lovely Ocean Road. Lovely beaches. Lovely sunshine. Lovely Cherry Ripes and Violet Crumbles and Jaffas and Lifesavers (although maybe eating sweets isn't that great a motive for travelling halfway across the globe).

13:42 / 28.07.03

Bit homophobic, the old Malays, are they not, Sax? Sounds wonderful otherwise. Mind you, Skegness would sound appetising at the moment.

I would love to go to Mexico, Baz, but have suggested this many times to no avail. Ganesh only likes countries where there are other elephants.

Rothkoid, you alluring little possum, we are saving up for the great Oz adventure. I am concerned about travelling all the way to God's own country, mind, when all the inhabitants seem to spend all their time trying to get out of it. To come and do bar work in Willesden.

I'm thinking Thailand more and more, because I've never been, because I know all the songs from the musical, and because it said on the Today Programme this morning that all the buddhist monks have suddenly become gay. And it must be true if John Humphreys says so.

Depends if we can get some money sorted, I suppose. But if I'd always waited till I could afford it, I'd never have been anywhere.

13:46 / 28.07.03

Violet crumbles? Are they anything like the little circular chalky parma violet sweets you get here? I used to love those.

I have no recommendations, because I have not been that far afield, but I hope you have a great time wherever you go.

hanabius yamamura

13:48 / 28.07.03

i hear orkney's nice ... you could visit cameron ... ... ...

13:56 / 28.07.03

And perhaps hold both my thumbs over his windpipe. Not a bad idea...

13:57 / 28.07.03

Away and boil your heid, hana_bi. kd8jing h&dk3ling jhg£jfing Cameron! A whole island full of people with chubby, ruddy cheeks and those damnable sing song voices? No, no, no.

Now get back to work.

14:04 / 28.07.03

Is that a typical accent in Cameron's part of the world then? He sounds remarkably Welsh in his Scottishness.

Jesus. Can't believe that little fucker has wormed his way out of the BB4 thread and is trailing slime all over the rest of Barbelith. And that I'm helping him. Ugh.

14:10 / 28.07.03

Nothing wrong with sing song accents by the way, it's a proper Scottish accent - Jings

I would go for the land of Ties everything I hear about it sounds cool and it looked really nice in "Holiday - You Call the Shots"

14:14 / 28.07.03

I generally like Welsh and Scottish accents (and would quite like one or the other myself, as opposed to the bland South London tinged one I've actually got) - wasn't implying otherwise.

OK, I'm going to shut up now and stop thread-rotting. Muchly sorry, Xoc and Ganesh.

14:23 / 28.07.03

Bit homophobic, the old Malays, are they not, Sax?

Ah, yes, I'd forgotten about that. I'm sure there's a healthy scene in KL, but maybe out in the sticks they're not so enlightened.

Thailand good, though. Bangkok and Phuket. Sounds like a Two Ronnies sketch.

Scrubb is on a downward spiral

14:28 / 28.07.03

Violet Crumbles are worth travelling across continents for - they're like Crunchie bars, but the honeycomb inside is much much more dense. Mmm...density...

16:03 / 28.07.03

India!
I'd recommend a tour of Kerala, it has all the sight-seeing/relaxing/drinking etc you could need!

23:38 / 28.07.03

Well, I don't know about *warm*, but I can meet you in Guangzhou, if you'd like. Or Hong Kong - it's only 2 hours away by ferry.

I'm not sure what the politics are like right now, but I had a marvellous time in Bali. Ubud is grand. (If you're nervous about the Islamic fundamentalist factor, be aware that Bali is probably the least Islamic of the Indonesian islands -- they eat too much pork.)

I'd also raise a voice in support of South Africa. It's a tremendous country, really, and January is a good time to see things. Not the best month for gamespotting, but not the worst. I have an uncle who runs a safari business in Botswana - he & his wife have authored quite a few photo-heavy coffee table books. He was also trampled by what is believed to be the world's largest elephant (Tshokwane, the "Great One"). And I can definitely recommend Malealea Lodge. It's splendid. Do a long pony trek there - in places where no autos can go - then head off to Cape Town and drive the Garden Route (which starts in the wine country) -- you'll end up in Durban, which is home to a vast Indian population. If you like, you can drop by my late grandfather's hometown and see the statue of Gandhi. It's where he got put off the train. If you like, continue northward through KwaZulu Natal, check out the surf at Jeffrey's Bay (selected as the world's best break in "Endless Summer," but no longer as sweet a swell), then do a little safariing around Mpumulanga. I'd avoid Johannesburg like the plague, though.