Post: #2876

There is a subforum for politics.

Post: #2877

(12-15-2016 01:43 AM)Satoshi Wrote:  There is a subforum for politics.

Which part of "Everything Goes" didn't you understand?

Post: #2878

I got some flesh eating mites living in my belly skin, laying eggs and living the dream.... can't seem to get rid of them. They are starting to go down to my naughty bits. I went to a dermatologist and she gave me some weird cream to rub on my skin so I don't get the hose again. But I still lift my shirt at random times and have to pluck off these little bastards. They have migrated to my arm as well....

Eating Uncle Cr33pin like nom nom nom....

Post: #2879

Dead. I'll be dead soon. Likely in some back alley or abandoned shit hole. I am going to be murdered and no one will ever know what happened to me. I’ll be lucky if he holds me for ransom. That’s it. That will be the end of the story of Scott Free. My gravestone epithet will read "He who wandered, was lost, and got his stupid ass killed somewhere."

A single bead of sweat started down my hairy brow. There was nothing stopping it since I’d shaved my head clean the day before the flight. It was an exciting day, I thought. I was anticipating a new adventure, but I have to say: this was not quite what I imagined. The driver was a surly old man about a head smaller than me but sturdier in build. The veins popped out of his arm like lightning bolts as he gripped to turn the heavy steering wheel of the old, black S class Mercedes-Benz, a common sight in the Armenian capital of Yerevan.

Why is it so hard to simply get a taxi without having to worry about your life? This story would've turned out differently if the country had Uber operating in it...

And here I had just gotten off an enjoyable flight too. I recalled successfully flirting my way into getting the contact info of a cute, blonde Russian tourist we'll call Tatiana (8/10) who sat next to me as she was flying back to her native St. Petersburg (on my list now!) She was frigid at first, offering no green lights whatsoever, but thanks to RVF I knew that it was just part of her culture and that all I had to do was keep pushing the envelope. Eventually she warmed up to me during the course of the flight. I regaled her with my travel stories, salaciously dropping hints of my superior value here and there. We flew out from Los Angeles via the Russian carrier Aeroflot. At around $700 roundtrip, they offer daily flights from Los Angeles to Yerevan with a brief connection in Moscow, where we parted ways.

As I stepped out of Armenia’s small Zvartnots International Airport, I had immediately turned on Caution Mode as I normally do in such situations. Whenever you are in an unfamiliar place with no intel on the customs and culture, it is definitely a smart move to heighten your sense of awareness and skepticism. And to not stick out like a sore thumb.

Fortunately, with my looks I could somewhat pass for an Armenian… so I pretended to be talking on my phone like a local who was waiting for his ride while the other passengers from the plane got mobbed by the hawkers looking to score a—no doubt—overly inflated taxi fare. After a few minutes, the crowd passed through and I approached a yellow, marked cab outside the terminal and looked around for the driver. That’s when Bruno approached me.

Okay, his name wasn’t really Bruno.

Probably.

But he might as well have been, given the way he looked. Thinking that he was the cab driver, I said that my destination was the Marriott near the center of Yerevan. He gave me a smile and affirmatively nodded and took my bags…

Unexpectedly away from the yellow cab...

I quickly followed him wondering what the hell was going on! Speaking at him proved futile as he didn’t seem to hear my English, nor could I understand his Armenian. Weeell, shit.

A short distance at a side parking lot near the small airport, he loaded the bags into an unmarked black Benz. Now at that point, I really have no idea what compelled me to get in… Uncertainty? Cultural pressures perhaps, I’m still not sure... In Rome, the best advice is to do as the Romans do. Or so they keep saying.

And that, my friends, is basically how I got into this predicament.

Now picture this. Riding down the street away from the airport in a completely unfamiliar culture smack dab in the middle of a very chaotic region on Earth way past midnight in what could have easily been a getaway car with a guy who looked like a Moroccan hitman—not that I know what a Moroccan hitman would look like. Maybe later this year in August I'll find out when I hit up Tangier.

I attempted to strike up several simple conversations with the man, "What's the weather like?", "Where are the nice girls at?", "Where do the tourists stay?", you get the idea—and each time Bruno nodded and smiled. Confirmed, I thought. He doesn’t know a lick of English.

Despite the circumstance I did not panic for a few good reasons.

One, we did not deviate from the route. I came prepared at least in this regard. I took advantage of the fact that I am good with maps and directions and memorized the way from the airport to Marriott. (God bless Google Maps.) Each street we turned on felt correct to me, and did not bother my internal compass. This is something I highly recommend anyone do, if at all possible, when going to a strange new land. Know where things are on the map and how to get from one place to the other. Not having that knowledge puts you at a disadvantage. “Information is ammunition” I like to say. On the other hand, as much as one can prepare, shit like this could always come up... Regardless, be cool.

Two, his body language did not indicate any form of hostile or malicious intent. When you travel often, you’ll come across many scenarios where the language barrier is as thick as your stubborn little brother’s head. Fortunately, body language is somewhat universal in human beings and that is enough to get me through some sticky situations. Bruno had no nervous twitches. His eyes did not dart back at me on his rear view mirror, his posture was relaxed and open with his elbow leaning out the window, his legs were apart and the feet were pointed away from each other. Basically: there was not some significant, hidden intent that would cause him to be anxious. He’d probably been working all day up through the moment he picked me up late into the morning.

It was bad enough that my boss (spelled Double S.O.B. backwards) granted me only a measly 3 days time off to go traveling halfway across the world, I was not about to let some potential taxi-driver-kidnaps-the-stupid-tourist-and-ransoms-his-ass-for-a-hundred-dollars scenario ruin my damn vacation!

What’s the third reason?

As I sat behind him in the car assessing the situation, my mind had already run a thousand deadly simulations on how to kill him efficiently if he pulled something funny.

True story.

Anyway, as we finally pulled up to the Marriott in Republic Square, I breathed a sigh of relief… I had never killed anyone before and didn’t want to unleash my inner Jason Bourne on him.

One lesson I took away from all this is that it is more stress-free to have the hotel provide you with a ride from the airport. I swear Bruno billed me three times more than what I heard him say it would cost before taking the ride. Turns out he was just a regular cab driver. And a typical one at that. Damn taxi drivers will always find a way to get ya, unlike in Mindanao.

After he drove off, I was left standing in the center of Yerevan. It took but a second for me to realize why I was there in the first place, for the adventure. I quickly looked around to reorient myself and shake off that feeling you get when you feel cheated. The dark, angry clouds disappeared from my mind and I stood in awe at the nighttime splendor of Republic Square.

You can feel the importance of the place simply by just being there. The Marriott Hotel where I was supposed to stay was right across from the Government House of Armenia (Fun fact: I was surprised to find out that Armenia has both a President and a Prime Minister) which was right next to one of their most popular museums, the National Gallery.

When I think back to the beauty I witnessed as I was standing there… I can pinpoint that this was the moment my preconceptions of this country and its people started to gradually dissolve.

In the few days I spent there, I came to find out that not only was Yerevan one of the oldest continuously thriving cities in the world, but that it was one of the safest as well. I would soon learn that the people pride themselves in being able to walk their streets at any hour without having to worry about their well-being.

Perhaps I am just getting more cynical as I grow older, but the experience in Armenia was turning out to be a much needed breath of fresh air. I never expected the people and the country to turn out to be the way it had.

Just now, the perfect quote came to mind which I want to share:

"The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are." -Samuel Johnson

And so, my wall of ignorance began to break down.

Post: #2880

Not disclosing my exact location, but I'm currently in a sub-saharan African country, in a grade A shithole of a city.
Earlier today, I was at one nice snack bar. Two local girls were sitting at the table next to me, taking advantage of free wifi.
They ordered some gourmet burger and fries. When they were served, they would not bother putting their phones away. For at least five minutes, they would continue to text friends and watch videos. They didn't start eating before a waitress would take some pics of them.

Smartphone addiction conquers the world. Even the least developed countries are no longer safe.

Post: #2881

(01-24-2017 05:19 PM)Selembao Wrote:  Not disclosing my exact location, but I'm currently in a sub-saharan African country, in a grade A shithole of a city.
Earlier today, I was at one nice snack bar. Two local girls were sitting at the table next to me, taking advantage of free wifi.
They ordered some gourmet burger and fries. When they were served, they would not bother putting their phones away. For at least five minutes, they would continue to text friends and watch videos. They didn't start eating before a waitress would take some pics of them.

Smartphone addiction conquers the world. Even the least developed countries are no longer safe.

Of all the things I've read on this forum in the last six months, this is the most troubling to me.

Post: #2882

I read a lot of the posts in the thread. Leighton Blackstock and Beyond Borders thoroughly entertained me.
I just hope you guys and all the other adventurers out there are alive and in good health.
I found pretty interesting all of the lasting commentary. I saw them a few times at night on my Thailand trip a few years ago, but never in packs. I would've never imagined that they can be a legitimate threat to one's safety.

Post: #2883

I feel that this thread should stay on the first page, not quite sure why it's dead. here's a random thought, has anyone thought of traveling just to game/bang tourists? say travel to NYC, London, Paris, Barcelona ... etc with the intent of banging tourists there.

I've been reading many datasheets, and they usually talk about how local (in certain countries) girls mostly date from their social circle or care about what their friends would think if they go for a ONS with a foreigner.. etc, but when those same local girls travel somewhere, they'd be more open for ONS since they are away from friends and family.

I personally don't care much about collecting flags or banging the "local" girls of whatever countries I visit, as long as I see a quality female, I really don't care less where she comes from or what ethnicity. I generally prefer white and latina girls (but don't mind other ethnicities), but then again if she's white, it doesn't matter to me if she's Canadian, Australian or Russian. Obviously, I'm only looking to bang, not for a relationship or any sort of commitment

Post: #2884

(02-17-2017 04:11 AM)PecsPerfection Wrote:  I feel that this thread should stay on the first page, not quite sure why it's dead. here's a random thought, has anyone thought of traveling just to game/bang tourists? say travel to NYC, London, Paris, Barcelona ... etc with the intent of banging tourists there.

I've been reading many datasheets, and they usually talk about how local (in certain countries) girls mostly date from their social circle or care about what their friends would think if they go for a ONS with a foreigner.. etc, but when those same local girls travel somewhere, they'd be more open for ONS since they are away from friends and family.

I personally don't care much about collecting flags or banging the "local" girls of whatever countries I visit, as long as I see a quality female, I really don't care less where she comes from or what ethnicity. I generally prefer white and latina girls (but don't mind other ethnicities), but then again if she's white, it doesn't matter to me if she's Canadian, Australian or Russian. Obviously, I'm only looking to bang, not for a relationship or any sort of commitment

Banging tourist girls in those destinations is certainly a good option. Can't say the same about banging tourist girls (a.k.a dirty backpackers) in SEA.

Having said that, I think the thrill of banging a girl that is more exciting since both of you are usually in a tight schedule and won't stay for long. Whereas banging locals on the other hand just feels like doing it for the sake of the flag.

Post: #2885

People that recline their seats on airplanes can burn in hell.

Post: #2886

Airplane seats are designed to recline for the comfort of the occupants.
I don't understand the uproar over it.

Post: #2887

Someone that reclines their seat does so at the discomfort to someone else. Room between seats is small enough as it is.

It falls under common courtesy.

Post: #2888

(02-22-2017 04:24 PM)renotime Wrote:  Someone that reclines their seat does so at the discomfort to someone else. Room between seats is small enough as it is.

It falls under common courtesy.

If it makes the crying baby behind me more uncomfortable, then it brings a bit of joy to my heart.

Post: #2889

(02-22-2017 04:52 PM)BrewDog Wrote:  

(02-22-2017 04:24 PM)renotime Wrote:  Someone that reclines their seat does so at the discomfort to someone else. Room between seats is small enough as it is.

It falls under common courtesy.

If it makes the crying baby behind me more uncomfortable, then it brings a bit of joy to my heart.

You paid for that seat, so it's in your rights to recline it.

It's not rude at all.

Post: #2890

It's rude if you recline it to the max and the person behind you is sitting upright. Unless it's an international flight and everyone is sleeping I usually only have it one notch away from being upright. If the person in front of you has a seat that is really reclined it's basically impossible to use your table and you have no absolutely no space in peasant class. You are also basically blocking the person behind you from getting up, especially if they are old, fuck fat people though.

Post: #2891

I'm 6'4 and have flown all my life in coach so I feel I need to add my input on this as somebody that probably has less length space than most. My policy is that the seats are too small to avoid reclining the whole flight, so I try to be courteous about it. I usually wait until the person in front of me starts to recline their seat for me to go more than one or two notches back. If the flight is double digit hours, then all bets are off. I'll be "that guy" to recline my seat back when I'm trying to sleep because I don't know many people that can sleep with the seat in its upright position.

Post: #2892

Reclining seats are an outdated concept that have been removed from many of the newer 787 fleets, and should be done with altogether.

They made sense when being on a plane was boring, but nowadays most people have some electronic gadget to keep them occupied.

A reclined seat makes it impossible to watch the builtin TVs. If the seat is reclined, the TV is two inches from your nose, and if you recline your seat, you're still watching the TV at a bad angle.

I've also had a couple close calls with the idiot in front of me jolting his seat back and almost bending/breaking my laptop screen.

Unfortunately that gadget that prevents the person in front of you from reclining no longer works in many planes, but it was great while it lasted.

Post: #2893

What I've seen is the screens now tilt up, in case the person in front reclines; I'm not sure they are eliminating the recline. Interesting if they start to.

Post: #2894

If someone reclines their seat to the max in front of me then I recline mine to compensate.

As mentioned, trays and screens are still usable.

If you want more space, then buy business or first class.

Sometimes, I want to rest so I recline the seat.
Other people are free to do that too.

I'd rather have someone reclined and resting in front of me than someone blabbing away.

Post: #2895

If someone reclines their seat to the max in front of me then I recline mine to compensate.

As mentioned, trays and screens are still usable.

If you want more space, then buy business or first class.

Sometimes, I want to rest so I recline the seat.
Other people are free to do that too.

I'd rather have someone reclined and resting in front of me than someone blabbing away.

Post: #2896

Is there a thread on here where we call out other member's claims of notches and success with women based on the fact that several forum members have met him and think he's weird and no one has seen him with a girl and he once ran away while doing day game with an RVF day game legend, or is it appropriate to call him on right on his preposterous thread? Asking for a friend.

Post: #2897

(03-13-2017 06:48 PM)scotian Wrote:  Is there a thread on here where we call out other member's claims of notches and success with women based on the fact that several forum members have met him and think he's weird and no one has seen him with a girl and he once ran away while doing day game with an RVF day game legend, or is it appropriate to call him on right on his preposterous thread? Asking for a friend.

I haven't a clue who this could be. But for some reason I have someone in mind.

Please, I can't wait.

Post: #2898

I always reserve a emergency isle seat that way I have leg room and with my recliner all the way back I can almost get some sleep. The shitty part is the angle is never right.

The best is when you're riding an empty flight and you lay across three or four seats and sleep the whole trip.

Generally I hate flying it's worse than a bus comfort wise.

Post: #2899

(03-13-2017 06:48 PM)scotian Wrote:  Is there a thread on here where we call out other member's claims of notches and success with women based on the fact that several forum members have met him and think he's weird and no one has seen him with a girl and he once ran away while doing day game with an RVF day game legend, or is it appropriate to call him on right on his preposterous thread? Asking for a friend.

Soup is back?

Post: #2900