Re: Earliest memories of another country?
 

My earliest memory of another country was going to Vancouver BC when I was 12 with my parents. We went to the Capilano Bridge which is suspended high above a gorge and all these tourists were on the bridge. I watched in horror as the bridge swayed from all the people. My dad walked across it to the other side where you could hike trails deep in the woods. I was too chicken to do it:( Went back when I was first married and again watched my hubby this time walk all the way across the bridge alone :o

Colette

Re: Earliest memories of another country?
 

That's funny!!

Re: Earliest memories of another country?
 

When the earthquake hit LA and the lights were knocked out all over, there were reports of 911 calls with people saying 'what's wrong with the sky?' as for the first time many of them were seeing a non-polluted evening sky filled with stars.

I remember nights out in the country where the stars were just so thick. You could even see the other spiral band of the Milky Way. Made you feel kind of small. I miss that. I really hate light pollution (the county I live in has an active anti-light pollution group fighting halogens and excessive lighting).

Re: Earliest memories of another country?
 

I can see the sky like that every night up here...you soon get sick of it and yearn for a bit of neon.

Re: Earliest memories of another country?
 

For me it was Wales. My mum and dad saved all year round to take the five of us (five lads) to Rhyll for a week. We used to get the coach and the drive took forever. The beach at Golden Sands was covered in sharp pebbles (no sign of sand, golden or otherwise) and I loved it so much I cried all the way home. My first grope was with a scouser named jacccchhhhkeeeee :) on the beach at age twelve and we swore to marry before promptly never seeing each other again.

After that is a mish mash of nearly drowning at blackpool beach, falling off a pissed off and very bony donkey and getting lost on the golden mile (cried a lot in my kiss me quick hat ha ha).

I ran away to paris age 19 and starved for a while before winding up lost and broke in Amsterdam. Stayed for six months living on skunk and strawberry ice cream. Rose coloured glasses to be sure. One day I will live in a caravan in Rhyll :)

Sorry to ramble. Great thread btw :thumbsup:

Re: Earliest memories of another country?
 

hear, hear!

Ahh... days of snakey b gone by.

Ooh but first memory has got to be when I visited Detroit.

I must have been around 4 or 5 at the time and all I remember was grey skies and lots of really burly men .

I didn't think much of the states then, but I do remember going to Disneyland/world in Florida soon after and thought that America was a wonderful, magical place full of princesses and castles... My, my was I wrong!

Re: Earliest memories of another country?
 

Detroit? Those weren't the men...

Re: Earliest memories of another country?
 

:rofl::rofl:

Re: Earliest memories of another country?
 

hmmm....

the joys of androgeny!

Re: Earliest memories of another country?
 

My latest and wierd memories of traveling to another country was to Cambodia via Thailand in 2004.My trip from Kenya to Bkk,which was the first long distance travel from home was safe and smooth.Upon arrival at Bkk airport i asked for directions towards the exit but the only answer I got from the airport workers was"me no speak English".In one way and another, I managed to finally exit the airport and search for a place to rest my head for the night.

The sun was scorching hot, not to mention the high humidity.At the hotel the people were very welcoming and thankfuly they spoke English.Therefore i was able to extract lots of info about Thailand as well us how i would get a bus route to Phnom Pehn.

The following morning I went to the Cambodian Embassy and gladly got a visa within ten mins.My next step was to take a tuktuk and off to the bus stop.The bus was to ferry passenger to the Thailand/Cambodian border( POIPET). Here I met very soft spoken conmen who managed to convince me to change my dollars to Riels( Cambodian money) I later realized my naivity because i easily trusted them.

The only vehicles traveling from the border were trucks.Confident and daring, i went for it.Unfortunately, I was the only" barang" foreigner while the rest were natives.They spoke and laughed:D which at first i did'nt mind.After a covering about twenty miles we were asked to pay fare and all over a sudden the vehicle stalled.The driver came to the back and removed my baggage and signalling me to get off the truck.Scared, i did, my water filled with butterflies i sensed something wrong was going to happen.

The moment i stepped out, the car sped off.Gosh! I missed home and began regretting my decision of traveling.On second thoughts I encouraged myself.The locals began to sorround me.The scene was like that of a chief addressing the villagers.Worst was that they were laughing nd speaking in a language that i could not understand.
How was I going to get out of this? Luckily a Philipino guy who happened to be walking around came to my rescue.I explained the events and asked him to take me to a nearest phone booth.I called my friends in Cambodia.They had friends who lived around the place that I was stuck.They then phoned the friends who came and picked me up.I spent the night at their place and traveled the following day.

It was a very challenging trip but also exposed me to a learning field.I am more careful.

Re: Earliest memories of another country?
 

That sound like a exciting mess! Espescially the butterflies in your water.

Re: Earliest memories of another country?
 

Oh yes, it was both exciting and scaring....I meant to say butterflies /water filled my stomach...:D

Re: Earliest memories of another country?
 

I was going to join my ex a month after he'd gone with his Army regiment to Germany,I'd never flown before,and was scared silly,so the doctor had given me a couple of sleeping tablets for the hour flight!,from Brize Norton to Gutersloh...I took them then realised it was going to be fun!,and managed to fight them off until the following day....we'd gone into Osnabruck to look round when they suddenly hit,and I was SO tired he literally stood me up against a post outside a store while he went in for a minute and had to wake me up so we could go home,I was fast asleep leaning back against the post!!!!!
The first real memory of coming to the US was landing at Andrews AFB in Washington DC,and my stretcher being laid on a huge concrete loading slab,everyone else was being taken off in ambulances to different hospitals,but no-one seemed to know what to do with me!,it was dark,and eventually they stuck me in an ambulance and we went round the other side of the building and the driver parked up while she ran in to get my med. records,the other guy was in the back of the ambulance with me,I could see out of the back window,and I said we're moving backwards,he said no we're just waiting so she can pick your records up...so I said well the buildings are moving then!...next thing I knew he dove over the front seat head first to yank the hand break on!....I remember saying 'Looks like my curse has come with me!!!!!!!' LOL!!!:)

Re: Earliest memories of another country?
 

My first trip to the US was a road trip to beat all road trips. My boyfriend conned me into a weeks holiday so he could watch the new star wars film before everyone else! We flew into Newark, and apart from booking a car and the last weekend's accom in NY nothing else was planned.

We flew into Newark quite late in the evening, and decided to head to washington, so we opened our map which was the whole of the US on an A3 page, and headed off. Only to get stopped by some cops turning people away from the less savoury areas of Newark (thank you lady cop!). We drove and drove and drove, thinking that all the TV shows have motels on the side of the roads... but there arn't any on the I-95. So I said we should pull off and try our luck in a town. We pulled into a town where everyone was out on their porches... and what looked like shotguns by their sides watching us cruise by.. we got out of there pretty quickly.

Anyway eventually made it to washington, did the sights there. then decided we should go to Some gambling place by the sea by New york. But got lost, so decided to drive all the way to Niagra falls. spent about 6 hours there and then drove back to New york!

I had booked us into a hostel with 'individually' themed rooms that was close by madison square gardens. When we got there this outragously gay guy welcomed us in his 'Village people' workmens shorts! the place was half renovated and the stairs were so wonky I thought I would die as the place came crashing down!. Our original room was the 'madame butteryfly room' :ohmy:. I asked what else they had, and we ended up staying in the 'Star Trek' room:D, which was a square room with metal covering on the floor and the walls painted to look like the control panel of the star ship enterprise, and a big picture of leuitenant lahoura (?) staring at us as we slept.

It was a GREAT holiday!

Re: Earliest memories of another country?
 

Uhura :D