When All Was Said and Done

The Airports

TPA / ATL / STU / SPU / ZAD / ZAG / CDG / ADD / JIB / JIB / ADD / DXB / DOH / DOH / IAD / TPA

BEST:  DXB (of course)

SECOND:  ATL or CDG

SECOND TO LAST:  ADD 

LAST:  JIB (incredible filth)

The Airlines

Delta (third choice)

German Wings (fourth choice -- although they win for flight attendant outfits -- hot pink mini skirts)

Air France (second choice)

Ethiopian Airways (least favorite - flight attendants were as mean as the ones on NWA)

Qatar Airways (first choice - nice cabin crew - they get you anything you want and they smile while doing it)

The Lounges

TPA - great view of security but no real snacks aside from pretzels

ATL - AWESOME!  They had 10 different kinds of finger foods to include wraps and caprese salad!

IAD - Comes in second.  They had cookies, cheese and crackers but they only stayed open until 8:30pm

The Over Nights

The Millennium in Stuttgart (it was all downhill after that)

The Fiat in Zadar

A bunk bed in Zadar

Ethiopian Airways seat 32C

Etheopian Airways seat 24D

A Conex Box in Qatar (which was actually really awesome - the AC was like no other)

Qatar Airways seat 34D

The Food

Fish and Chips in Germany

Real mashed potatoes from the Croatian mess hall

Stuffed Squid on the shore of the Adriatic

Coffee and Crossiants in Zagreb

Red Wine and Capresse Salad at the Sheraton in Paris

Some strange Risotto and olives on the Ethiopian flight to ADD

Chicken of all kinds

Steak and Lobster - the Wednesday night food in the dinning facility

Ice Cream on Qatar Airways

Biggest Surprises

The first night of sleeping in Croatia (was not prepped for the Fiat -- thank goodness Butters had trained me in the finer art of auto sleeping)

The Khatt and garbage of Djibouti

Grass in the cloverleaf's in Doha -- wow what a difference two years makes!

Internet was free in Paris

The enforcement of Ramadan rules in Doha

Survivor... maybe

10 Days

3 Continents

4 Countries

5 Nights in a hotel

5 Nights on an aircraft

1 of which I know for absolute does not serve food (Ethiopian Airways ... go figure)

20,000 frequent flyer miles ...

PRICELESS

I'll let you know if it happens -- I have a morbid curiosity when it comes to this particular trip.  I don't want it to happen but -- I kind of do.  A bit like running a marathon.

Florida's Space Coast

July 11 at 1937 will mark one of the last 10 shuttle launches. The shuttle program is schduled to end September of 2010. That weekend will also mark the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing.

Hotels will cost you over 200 dollars a night but if your lucky enough you get to be like me. I will be the third wheel on a camp site (no electric/no water) with my best guy friend and his girly girl girlfriend. I don't care to camp ... but I've done it and it's "FINE" and it's only two nights. So why would I choose to go... I choose to go to watch girly girl drive my friend crazy. It's like a car wreck and a shuttle launch all in one. Not washing my hair will be a small price to pay for the entertainment I'm expecting to ensue.

Washington DC ... AGAIN

Maybe I should buy property.

Update on Thursday, April 30, 2009 at 10:36 by LIFETRASH

Does anyone want T-Shirts from the CIA headquarters. Put your orders in now. By the way -- I'm freezing my ARSE off here.

Update on Monday, May 4, 2009 at 11:10 by LIFETRASH

I'm currently trapped in a secret room of the CIA building. I just wanted to be able to say I posted an entry from a secret room in the CIA building. HEHEHE. Almost worth the ASS PAIN of this week. HA TAKE THAT UNCLE SAM! Now all I need is that toliet from Bogota to flush all my classified information down. (see photo below).

BOGOTA, Colombia

Do stay in the Bogota Royal! Hardwood floors that rival the floors from my Italian penthouse, a shower that could fit a family of 4 and a toliet with a computer attached.

The street noise is all night long but Bogota is a big city and it seems to only come alive after 10pm. If you can't beat them you may as well join them. Although, it's not safe to be out on the streets after 9pm and here are the reasons why:

1. Paseo Millonario - where you get held up and forced to go around to all the ATMs in town and withdraw money until you have no money left.

2. Scopolamine - where you get drugged -- they rob you / they rape you / they take your money -- sometimes this is done in combination with the Paseo Millonario.

3. Taxi Muggings - 80K taxi's in Bogota. Of those 80K, one half are illegal. Never hail a cab.

4. Street Muggings - your average "give me all your valuables" - "This is a stick up" kind of thing. Only these guys apparently work in pairs.