Who has gone traveling and made met really amazing people?

I've been avoiding this thread. Aside from its being acrid in tone, it doesn't begin to touch the travels I've experienced, all too short, or read at length about. I could and have written for hours about travel, but am disinclined here. I've backed up or learned to dispute my first takes on a place with further research after I got home, and with a couple of countries went back several times. I've wallowed in photography in part because of my avidity for places, the genius of places, and what photography gives me as clues about the history of places. I've read history primarily triggered by my interest in places, that reading ever growing, and of course, that reading arguing with itself and me with it, and it arguing back. I've broadened my interest in literature, and ordinary writing, because of my avidity to keep learning about places and cultures.

Amazing people? They are everywhere, including at home. I like the association of people and their places.

I met an a2ker - well, mostly an abuzz person - who died not too many months afterwards, Paola L. She lived in Rome and New York; I met her in New York.
Now there was an amazing woman, with a very interesting family. I shy at the word amazing, as I see it overused so much, particularly with regard to someone's new piece of fashion, but Paola was a woman that it was a personal and intellectual joy to meet. I won't tell her story, as much as I know, because she was pretty private in her conversational disclosure. Anyway, I can't think of either New York City or Rome without her in them, even though I didn't get to see her in Rome.

To PQ, no advice really.

Oh, you meant 100% satisfaction to mean that 100% amazing satisfied the condition of amazing 100%. I see where I was led astray. I hope it was deliberate, on your part.

I haven't read the whole thread, just wanted to say - yes, I have met amazing people. On the plane, in bars, wherever. And I am not even talking about the a2kers I met.

Aren't you going to meet amazing people shortly?

Oh yes, Francis! And I am sure it will not only be the ones that I know of now. I love to meet people!

Amazing!

Speaking of travel ... does anyone know where Clary is at the moment? I really miss her wonderful, informative travel stories.

She's sulking. She tried to pretend it was the new format but actually it was because she couldn't get the better of me.

Me too, of course.

Oh well, that explains it then!

I wish she's come back, though. I really miss her. (And I don't believe for a minute she's sulking.)

Clary's been busy travelling, being a new granny and generally being marvellous (over at FB).

I miss her myself. Quite a bit actually. If you see her say hello and tell her I was only having her on a bit.

Tell her E that seeing her name used to brighten up my day. I used to get up in the morning and the first ten threads on trivia had "Clary" last poster. I have been known to eat breakfast without realising it. I think I was half in love.

Tell her that E.

Really, ehBeth? I'd love to see her FaceBook contributions myself!

Any chance of a link? (or is that not the done thing?)

I'm not sure you'll be able to see anything if you're not a member. Watch your email.

Ah thank you, ehBeth! I'd happily become a member to catch up with Clare again!

The problem is that is who you always hear. The loud obnoxious characters. The polite respectful people do not stick out so unfortunately many people equate loud obnoxious travelers with Americans.

Once traveling on a ferry from Dublin to Liverpool, my friend and I were surrounded by a very large group of loud obnoxious Texans. Why do you say we thought they were Texans - easy - they were all wearing these huge pins with their names in the shape of Texas. My friend and I removed ourselves as far away from them as possible. We were horrified at their antics and the fact they resided in the same country as us. Just imagine this is what is representing our country. No wonder people think we are loud and obnoxious - I would too.

Most of the English people I meet in England have told me they're impressed at how polite and friendly Americans are - but that's Americans in America, when they have gone there traveling.
They're also extremely impressed by the polite and attentive customer service they receive- from waitresses and waiters, etc.-as opposed to what they feel is less polite and attentive service they receive in their own country.

I can see it going both ways.

Once when I was working in a candyshop in England this group of American students came in and the girl wanted a diet coke. The shop only sold coke/zero or free or whatever it was. She obviously thought I was English because I hadn't spoken yet and she said, 'Where's your diet coke? I want a diet coke!'
I just looked at her and said, 'Well, as you can see, we don't have it, so I guess you need to go to another store, alright?'
She gets all quiet and says, 'Are you American?'
And I said, 'Yep,' and that's all I said, but it took all I had in me to keep from saying, 'So don't try any of your arrogant and demanding bullshit on me, missy...'

Funny when I was in London once - in a different light I was mistaken for a local. It was the first year in eons that Buckingham Palace was open for public viewing - we were fortunate in that we planned a trip there prior to this being announced.

Any way my poor travel-mate was feeling a bit under the weather so I left her at the small B&B we were staying at to take a bit of a walk around and to find out how we arrange to visit Buckingham Palace for the next day (hopefully when she felt a bit better). I've been to London several times before so I was familar with the area.

Some older women come walking out of Victoria Station and seemed a bit lost. They walked over to me and asked for directions to Buckingham Palace with their sweet English accents and appearing to have just traveled from the countryside by train to visit the Palace. Just imagine their surprise as I gave them directions in my very American/Boston accent.

I remember enduring a 20 plus hour flight from NZ to London that's not including the hours of stop overs in Sydney and Bangkok all on a hang over and 2 hours of sleep, I got into London at about 5am in the morning absolutely exhausted with no sleep (cant sleep on planes), got to the hotel at about 7am discovered we could not get the room until the arvo, so the hotel people kindly locked our luggage away and like zombies we trudged our way around Kensington, bought a paper the thickness of 3 Oxford dictionary's and sat in Hyde park wearily staring at squirrels racing all over the place. Found a cafe and ate silly pastries cause that's all they sold, but I did get a decent cup of tea....got back to the hotel and I politely asked the chap at the reception to make sure that we got the first available room he assured us we will, so I sat back down to hear this American and his wife bellowing rudely at the poor man at how they wanted a room right this minute and that they had flown 7 hours from the states and they were tired???...they were tired? ha! and what was worse the guy said yes that one was serviced available for them now....as you can imagine, its now been 30 odd hours since I had last slept and naturally by then I had lost all patience and decorum.....hence to say we got that particular room in the end and I couldn't have given a rats a.s as to what they thought. Let alone the following evening, there they were in the bar bellowing out loud like everyone else had a hearing impairment.

Ireland gaaawd that's another story.......