The Best of the Best

Ok, here's a little shameless advertising for Darren.

Basically he got on a community website to promote his business called - thebestof.co.uk (that's the website, not his business) and he needs your help!

Very simply put: The Best Of website uses Google Adwords on a pay-per-click system to get the advertisers website high up on a Google search. All you need to do is type "minibus in Abingdon" into google.co.uk or google.com and you will see Dazbus (or thebestof.co.uk/blahblah/somethingorother) somewhere on the first page. Now you just need to click on the link, and then go from the webvert to his oh-so-amazing (Thanks to Dave!) website. This will then elevate him in the Google rankings and increase his business so that he can make enough dough to come visit me!!

I'm depending upon you all as my friends and family to support my man in his endeavors. Also this link has a special component so I know who does and does not follow through in this humble request, so be warned, I know where most of you live and I'm a travel agent, I can get there.... hehe. Thanks!

Food, culture and ziplock

I have a couple good stories (with picutres) to tell, unfortunately I don't have the pictures on me and therefore can't tell the stories yet. However I did want to share with you some other amusing stories so I'm borrowing some one else's.

Lonely Planet's Blue List is a wonderful source for travel tips and just fun tales to brighten your day.. Here is some highlights from my recent browsing.

Little tips of the road-
Traveling and Ziplock Bags

Also good tips, not something to read before lunch -
Most vomit-inducing Chinese foodstuff

And finally, in honor of my upcoming trip to England -
Things to avoid in Britain



Ok.. one more just for good measure -
Things to bring travelling

Negligence (so bad that I even forgot to add a title)

I have been negligent in my reporting about my life and times. For that my sincerest apologies and here I will try to make amends.

I am now again gainfully employed - and I bet you'll never guess where! STA Travel has seen it in their hearts (aka pocketbooks) to take me back. So after an almost 2 month hiatus or outside-imposed sabtical as I call it, I'm back to being a travel agent. This time however I am spending my days at the Denver office in the historic Tivoli Center (right), meaning that I now commute from Boulder. At first I was a little skeptical on how the comutting would go but since I take the bus (which stops very close by to both my work and my house) it has turned out to be greatly beneficial for many reasons. First I get about an hour and a half of reading or sleeping time every day on the bus ride as well as about an hour of daily exercise walking to and from the bus stops.

As for the office itself, it is practically a mansion compared to the store in Boulder where I worked (a glorified broom closet). I'm still trying to remember all the tricks of the trade and the Sabre system as well as getting back into the habit of actually waking up early in the morning, but let me tell you how nice it is to see that pretty little pay check deposited in the ol' account again! That will induce me to do almost anything (within reason of course).

So in celebration and honor of my renewed relationship with STA here's a little travel advice, courtesy of Lonely Planet's Blue List.

	5 tips for happy travel (Or: The Wisdom of Retrospect) By: HappyGecko - 12 Jan 2006	Rating: 3.03 49 votes
	Keywords: Worldwide, food poisoning, toilet, hairstyles
not play “chicken” with a Tata truck (Nepal) Your hired tin-box taxi is no match for these monster-trucks protected by blessings of marigolds, Hindu icons and Christmas tinsel. Encourage your driver to adopt "might is right" as a new mantra. Plan to pack crash helmet next time. And Valium. WorldGuide: Nepal
Think carefully before trusting a Thai beauty salon (Thailand) Tropical sun and cheap beer may inspire exotic hairstyles. If you want braided extensions avoid hairdressers wielding orange horsetails and tubes of superglue. Especially if they don't know how to plait. Sober up and remember you are not Snoop Dogg. WorldGuide: Thailand
Beware of prawn curry on overland flights (Thailand) Kinda obvious? Prawn curry = landing, grabbing a cab and taking the first hotel room, with toilet, that you find. Realise in the morning the hotel is a brothel (how did you miss the hire a lady-boy sign??) Beef is always a wiser choice, or go hungry. WorldGuide: Thailand
Choose your toilet stop wisely (Nepal) You think the hillside where buckets of washing water are tipped is an OK night toilet? No! Himalayan temperatures turn water to ice. In darkness you tumble, pants down, mooning the moon. Not a good way to meet campers sleeping at bottom of hill. WorldGuide: Nepal
Chew thoroughly – the Heimlich manoeuvre may not be known (Egypt) Masticate well in cruising restaurants. Being whacked on the back by your spunky Arabian host shatters the Nile’s ambience. So does regurgitating the hunk'o'chunk like a snake eating a rat in reverse. Next time, order soup of you want to flirt. WorldGuide: Egypt

My sister's a freak

What can I say, I love my sister and look up to her (as younger sisters are apt to do) but sometimes I wonder and worry about Stephanie. And now I'm really worried about her summertime activities.

I understand she lives in Alaska now and that things happen a little differently there, and obviously nature plays a large part in her life up in the last frontier, so I shouldn't be too surprised by her recent ecological adventure.

(Be sure to watch all four exciting installments of the Fireweed Project!)