Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish I had insider tips on how to have fun in Madrid. I have been a lot of places, including multiple trips to many European capitals. Madrid was one of our biggest duds in a lifetime of travel.

I also would have chosen off-resort restaurants in Bali more carefully. I got "Bali Belly" which is probably the same thing as "Montezuma's Revenge".

Agree about Madrid. I bet it is a fun place to live but it was harder to enjoy a few days of sightseeing. On a recent trip to Spain we only spent a day there to recover from jet lag and then went to other areas for the rest of the trip.

Yep. Madrid was the most soulless city I've ever been to in Europe. A lot of it reminds me of Midtown Manhattan.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish I had insider tips on how to have fun in Madrid. I have been a lot of places, including multiple trips to many European capitals. Madrid was one of our biggest duds in a lifetime of travel.

I also would have chosen off-resort restaurants in Bali more carefully. I got "Bali Belly" which is probably the same thing as "Montezuma's Revenge".

Agree about Madrid. I bet it is a fun place to live but it was harder to enjoy a few days of sightseeing. On a recent trip to Spain we only spent a day there to recover from jet lag and then went to other areas for the rest of the trip.

People are different. Madrid is my favorite city in the world and could easily spend weeks there on vacation.

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe so many of you travel to hellholes where you can’t open your mouth in the shower or drink anything with ice cubes or you’ll suffer great bodily harm. Good grief, go enjoy the Florida Keys or Santa Barbara, California or Newport or Maine in the summer.

Not saying those places aren’t stunningly gorgeous places you’ll remember the rest of your life, but you’re missing out on a lot of culture, history, and natural beauty just because you can’t close your mouth in the shower.

I can’t believe so many of you travel to hellholes where you can’t open your mouth in the shower or drink anything with ice cubes or you’ll suffer great bodily harm. Good grief, go enjoy the Florida Keys or Santa Barbara, California or Newport or Maine in the summer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU EVER EAT REEF FISH IN THE CARIBBEAN.

This could save you many, maaaaany years of pain and suffering.

How about shellfish like lobster and crab?

Fine

Reef fish are landmines because they feed on reef Flora that build up toxins. You eat the fish and get the toxins that attack your nervous system. It causes decades of pain and suffering....all from a simple dinner meal. Lobster and crab don't feed on reef organisms.

How precisely do you avoid this? Many restaurants (purposely) mislabel fish they serve. Just avoid fish altogether?

Deep water fish are fine. River fish fine. Mediterranean fish fine. Shark, salmon, sardines, tuna, swordfish, etc. all fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU EVER EAT REEF FISH IN THE CARIBBEAN.

This could save you many, maaaaany years of pain and suffering.

How about shellfish like lobster and crab?

Fine

Reef fish are landmines because they feed on reef Flora that build up toxins. You eat the fish and get the toxins that attack your nervous system. It causes decades of pain and suffering....all from a simple dinner meal. Lobster and crab don't feed on reef organisms.

How precisely do you avoid this? Many restaurants (purposely) mislabel fish they serve. Just avoid fish altogether?

Anonymous wrote:So it is not safe to eat Branzino or sea bass?

In an expensive US restaurant?

Np I thought sea bass was considered fish bot to eaten due to overfishing?

It’s called Ciguatera. The fish you have to avoid is barracuda and moray eel that live around reefs. This is because large, predatory fish that live near reefs, like barracudas, have a greater chance of passing along ciguatera fish poisoning. As its name implies, the poisoning is caused by a substance called ciuatoxin. Though ciguatera fish poisoning can stir up a highly uncomfortable spectrum of symptoms, it's rarely fatal.

These fish are not in the markets because people will not eat them. Some locals will eat these fish but they are not selling them to tourist or restaurants. The people who get sick go fishing, keep the fish(locals, your boat captain or guide will tell you no) and the fish is big.

There are places where you can eat barracuda with no problems. Generally the fish are barracuda, amberjack, moray eel, and certain types of grouper.

Anonymous wrote:So it is not safe to eat Branzino or sea bass?

In an expensive US restaurant?

Yes branzino, anywhere, is totally fine! It is a Mediterranean fish not a reef fish. I was just responding to the original person who mentioned “sea bass” as one to avoid, and I was explaining that many many fish have that name and most are NOT reef fish.

So it is not safe to eat Branzino or sea bass?

In an expensive US restaurant?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU EVER EAT REEF FISH IN THE CARIBBEAN.

This could save you many, maaaaany years of pain and suffering.

What is reef fish? Where is it sold? Never heard of it and I’ve been to the islands. And what kind of all cap letters years of suffering would be saved? Please explain?

Did you have years of reef fish poisoning?

I appreciate this warning, but why only in certain regions? Doesn’t all tropical fish come from the region regardless of where you eat it? Snapper eaten in dc is not caught locally, no? CDC says never eat barracuda anywhere so i will keep in mind. It is hard when fish is very very often mislabeled in restaurants and even groceries.

Especially something like “sea bass” - there are a lot of fish out there with that name, ranging from Mediterranean seabass that in the US is usually called branzino (but will be called seabass in Europe), to black bass, Chilean seabass, and so many more.

I had no idea you couldn’t flush toilet paper in some places. Wish my husband had warned me before I stayed at my ILs! Also that they didn’t have hot water.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU EVER EAT REEF FISH IN THE CARIBBEAN.

This could save you many, maaaaany years of pain and suffering.

What is reef fish? Where is it sold? Never heard of it and I’ve been to the islands. And what kind of all cap letters years of suffering would be saved? Please explain?

Did you have years of reef fish poisoning?

I appreciate this warning, but why only in certain regions? Doesn’t all tropical fish come from the region regardless of where you eat it? Snapper eaten in dc is not caught locally, no? CDC says never eat barracuda anywhere so i will keep in mind. It is hard when fish is very very often mislabeled in restaurants and even groceries.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't use your left hand to greet people in Asia.

Learn how to use a squat toilet and carry toilet paper or wipes with you everywhere in case for Asia.

Really don't brush your teeth or rinse mouth with tap water in certain countries or have ice or raw vegetables even if they claim they use bottled water....my family learned this the hard way.

Have cash on hand to tip the porter, etc.

Humidity in parts of Asia is awful and wear very light clothing with breathable fabrics and a hat.

Don't get too close to monkeys that appear friendly at the animal sanctuary, they bite and cause you to need a rabies shot and avoid swimming for your whole trip.

Asia is a large continent. All the toilets I used in Korea flushed and had tp.

Korea is an exception, try almost everywhere else in Asia....

Japan? So, now there are two exceptions.

https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-toilets-benefits-bidet-clean-heated-seats-2023-11

https://www.japan.travel/en/blog/beyond-the-bidet-japanese-toilets-at-the-forefront-of-hygiene-and-style/

Also, most of the hotels in Korea had bidets, and we did not stay in high end hotels, and not just Seoul. We have them at home, but DS refused to use it. He was sold on it during our Korea trip.

Japan and Korea are two of the most American-influenced countries in Asia - and you probably only were in major cities. Try China, India, Indonesia outside of Bali, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand....

Even in Japan there are places where I've used hole in the floor toilets! Japan has the most advanced toilets I've ever encountered - and some of the worst. I feel like you just need to be prepared everywhere that the toilets might be weird, and there might not be anyplace to really wash your hands. In India, I started carrying tiny soaps with me everywhere and leaving them places in a passive aggressive hope that other people would use them, too. (That said I never got sick eating in India, and I ate all kinds of places - I LOVED the food in India. As a vegetarian, it was a top of the world experience getting to eat so many delicious things, so many places.)

Anonymous wrote:-Amsterdam: you need to have your physical passport on you to rent a car, at least where we went.

-Don’t shave before going in the Dead Sea

-No clothing or shoes will fit you in Japan if you are bigger than a size small so make sure you pack what you need.

+1. No one warned me and I had a rash for hours after.