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Orale

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by Orale

  1. This may be addressed further down thread, ignore if so. But are these kids that are missing 10 weeks or whatever still turning in assignments and taking/passing tests?
  2. I did a four day Safari in January to https://www.parsonshilltop.com/ in South Africa, about 10 to 15 miles from the place conVinced stayed. I found and booked it on booking.com. I thought it was an amazing experience. This particular camp only has four tents and one Landcruiser safari vehicle and it's in a reserve with fewer nearby camps, so none of the 20 vehicles parked around a lion nonsense. We saw every animal (most many times) minus the leopard or cheetah (I forget which one is in KNP). It was about $400 a night for two people including safari rides, meals, and drinks from their self-serve bar. The camp offered a 5 a.m. morning ride and 5 p.m. evening ride around the reserve with each lasting about 3 hours depending on if we were getting lucky. My buddy and I did both morning/evening rides while other guests did just one. We flew into Capetown and stayed a week and then flew two hours to Krueger National Park. Capetown is an amazing beautiful city. If you decide on a Safari in South Africa, I'd highly recommend spending time in Capetown. We stayed in the Gardens neighborhood which turned out to be my favorite neighborhood in the city. I will say that self-booking the flights to CT and KNP as well as the Safari was easy and straightforward. You can use an agent or service for the convenience of course. But for South Africa at least, I don't think it's necessary or even necessarily easier. The Safari camps send a vehicle to the airport to gather you, so once you book your flights and a Safari camp, everything else is typically taken care of by the Safari camp. We did three days in Johannesburg after KNP for the cultural sites (Cradle of Humankind, Soweto township tour, Mandela museum). It was an interesting city to visit for a couple days, but unless one just has a lot of time to kill, I'd suggest skipping it.
  3. You'll love it. I rented an AirBnB in Montmartre in November and really enjoyed hanging out in the neighborhood.
  4. Totally. Was in CT in January and loved it. Food was excellent and the natural beauty spectacular. But there is a sort of constant low level anxiety people have about crime that's unfortunate. BA may be in a similar position, if not already, with their rising poverty.
  5. It's a great place to rent and live. I may do the same eventually. But their rule of law is squishy at best and purchasing seems like a huge unnecessary risk. Plus moving to different neighborhoods every 3 to 6 months seems like it would be fun if you're renting furnished apartments.
  6. If you enjoy military history, I'm a big fan of the military history museum at Fort DeRussy Military Reservation on the edge of Waikiki. Another often-overlooked site is the Hawaiian Plantation Village which has restored and replica plantation buildings and housing from the sugar era that I found interesting. There's a small but well-done museum inside that tells the history of the sugar industry and the larger story of Hawaii and the many cultures that immigrated here in the 19th century. A great stop for history buffs.
  7. Seems like this would help Biden. It exposes this guy as clearly a political hack in Trump's bag.
  8. I was going to say this exactly. Imo, those at the top of the pyramid benefit more from a larger middle class that has more money to spend on the products and services offered by the top of the pyramid. A tax cut may be of short term benefit to the wealthy. But if it increases the economic divide, they're ultimately diminishing their bottom line long term.
  9. Powerful Psychedelic Gains Renewed Attention as a Treatment for Opioid Addiction https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/05/health/ibogaine-psychedelic-opioid-addiction.html?unlocked_article_code=1.bE0.qwgS.GH5zBfmeed-4&smid=nytcore-android-share Posting this on my phone so hopefully it opens. Interesting article about ibogaine for treating addiction.
  10. Sure. Ultimately there's nothing to stop the guy from suing if he's so inclined and can find an attorney willing to take the case. Seems like it would be disposed of pretty quickly with a motion for summary judgment.
  11. Orale

    New Delhi

    Some photos from my time in Delhi the last few days. I'm starting the Golden Triangle tour (Taj Mahal, Jaipur forts) today. Delhi is a chaotic place, but also fascinating. The Gandhi Museum located in the villa where he was assassinated in 1948 was the highlight of the city.
  12. The commercial insurance industry is a hot mess at the moment. Our broker sent out requests for quotes to 15 carriers and only two responded (with significant increases over current premiums). So, unfortunately, we're not in a position to be choosy beggars.
  13. I have a commercial property that I re-platted from numerous small lots into two larger lots years ago. The deed is dated some years before the re-plat and shows the pre-plat small lots in the legal description rather than the post-plat two larger lots. This is creating consternation for our property insurance carrier for some reason, so I need to update our deed showing the correct current legal description. I am both the grantor and grantee (an LLC I created) in the deed, so there's no issue getting all the parties to the deed on board. I am under the impression I need to record a corrected deed in order to correct/update the legal description. Does this sound about right? I'll probably find a local property attorney to assist, but just want to know what I'm dealing with before starting their billing clock.
  14. If you're tight on time, I'd skip it. I was there in early November and had a reserved entry time. The line was still at least an hour long to enter despite being there a half hour early for my time slot. It's cool to see, but as you note, there are lots of really cool smaller museums. I really enjoyed the Musee Carnavalet in the Marais district which is a history/art museum specifically about Paris. Tons of really cool objects and art in a beautiful old building.
  15. How was El Salvador? That's on my bucket list but it's been so dangerous for years.
  16. Orale

    New Delhi

    Liar ; ). I'm headed to New Delhi later this month in combination with a visit to Nepal to see the Himalayas. I'd like to do the Golden Triangle but am waffling between a driver/tour versus going by train and doing my itinerary with a local guide in Agra and Jaipur. Was the drive a pleasant one or would being able to stretch out in first class on a train have been more comfortable?
  17. You should absolutely do it. BA may be my favorite city in the world. I'm partial to Palermo which has amazing restaurants, architecture, and streets shaded with massive trees. It's very safe and quite affordable by U.S. standards, particularly with inflation there as it is. You might also consider a long weekend to Patagonia weather permitting. Bring lots of cash in hundreds as the ATMs were often out of cash or limited how much you could take out last time I visited. Plus you can exchange it for the blue rate which is much higher than what a bank or official money exchange will give you. This expat forum is a good place to learn more about a longer stay. https://baexpats.org/forums/expat-life.6/
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