Turboguy & Turbodude's First Dream tour

[jb]

LOL, you stole my joke~!

[jb]

I can't deal with salo or goose grease sandwichs either, but I married a Russian, not a Ukrainian.

[Darth Vader]

Well tonight it was Oberlin Premium... picked up a 6 pack on Sunday

My wife hung onto the imported beers for a while, but now has made the shift to Coors Light of all things.  I'm rather fond of Mexican beers, myself.

[jb]

A friend of mine sent a sample of a Mexican beer into the lab for analysis.  The report came back; "I'm sorry Senior, but your horse is very sick".

[Darth Vader]

A friend of mine sent a sample of a Mexican beer into the lab for analysis.  The report came back; "I'm sorry Senior, but your horse is very sick".

  LOL 

[jb]

BTW, one time when my wife and I were on vacation in Finland.  Touring about, we stumbled up on a Finnish town named "Salo".  My wife couldn't get over it, she still wonders what "Salo" means in Fin.

[groovlstk]

Just pulling Groove's leg, BC.  I read in one of his trip reports his astonishment at corn on his pizza in Ukraine.

I did not have corn; in fact, i just pointed at the ingredients I wanted since my Russian vocabulary is so short of terms for veggies.

Michelangelo also liked the corn-topped pizzas in Celentano's! When I saw it I had a Kurtz moment, like "the horror, the horror!" By the way, don't know if anyone else who travelled to Dnepr noticed this, but there's a woman who stands on Moskovskaya Ul. just outside Celentano's, barking marshrutka routes at the top of her lungs. She's 50ish, tanned deeply from working outside all year round, and seems to possess a pair of leather lungs full of gravel.

Funny enough, one thing I found really strange about the traditional Ukrainian restaurants is that you sort of get your own small dining room, behind a closed door or up a long staircase. It's great for a romantic dinner, except when you need another 100 ml. of vodka or a fresh Baltika, since there's no way to flag a waitress

My apologies to Turbo for hijacking his thread yet again.

[Turboguy]

On my first trip to Italy ages ago I went with a group of guys to Balogna.   We all notices signs all over the place that said one thing.  We talked for hours trying to decide if it was a sign directing people to the hospital or some famous tourist attraction.   I am probably off on my spelling since it has been twenty years but the signs said something like Sensico unico.   After hours of deliberation one of us finally asked someone and the signs said "one way"

Of course names can be confusing sometimes too.  I used to write a gal from the Urals in Russia a long time ago whose name was Olga Vagina   I wondered how that one would go over if I ever brought her to the states.  

That's fine Groove, we are done with the serious stuff for now anyway.

[Bruno]

BTW, one time when my wife and I were on vacation in Finland.  Touring about, we stumbled up on a Finnish town named "Salo".  My wife couldn't get over it, she still wonders what "Salo" means in Fin.

"Salo" in Finnish mean in English : hinterland, wilderness, bush

http://www.tranexp.com:2000/Translate/result.shtml

[jb]

Thank you, Bruno, I shall pass that along to my wife.

[Darth Vader]

I remember a place in Naples that was run by the deported Mafia hit-man called "Boston Blackie", (he had to have been 80 at the time) he served local beer and other crap, like pickled squid.  You didn't dare not take it, he might pull a gun and make you eat twice as much.
 

Naples was and is a rough town.

I was back at (NSA) Naples last year.  I had dinner with an ex-pat one night, and was to meet him the next day.  He did not show up.

I found out that evening that thugs had hit his house that night, piping sleeping gas in.  They stole everythink of value, including his car from the street level garage.  All the furniture was gone, including his new hi-def TV.

Unbelievable, you say?  No, it's a true story.

[jb]

Vader,

What you don't understand is; we were a pretty rough crowd too.  Most of us were Vietnam Vets, combat veterans, and had seen a lot of sh!t before we got to Italy.  Italy was a respite for us.  We were more amused than intimidated. The "Boston Blackie" myth was funny to us.  As if something that happened 50-60 years ago in Boston would make us bow down.  Hell,,, the guy was 80,,, we were just letting him have his moment.  If we had wanted to, we would have taken the town apart on the spot. 

The Italian Mafia has never slowed down the American military.  I don't think they ever wanted too.

[SANDRO43]

The Italian Mafia has never slowed down the American military.  I don't think they ever wanted too.

Of course not, who'd kill the goose laying golden eggs ? Legend has it they stole an entire, fully-laden Liberty ship from Naples harbour, but of course you were launching a new one every day, so you didn't not much miss it.

Naples is a world unto itself in Italy, efforts in the 1970s to bring industry there (a major steel mill and Alfa Romeo's Alfa Sud factory, among others) were total disasters, with absenteeism averaging a daily 30%.

However, since many Neapolitans have been subsisting on expedients (l'arte di arrangiarsi , the art of somehow getting along), they can be VERY imaginative (witness Darth's friend's story) : when safety belts became mandatory in Italy, a Neapolitan hit upon the idea of selling white T-shirts with a black belt  painted across the chest. Sold out in a few hours .

[Darth Vader]

However, since many Neapolitans have been subsisting on expedients (l'arte di arrangiarsi , the art of somehow getting along), they can be VERY imaginative (witness Darth's friend's story) : when safety belts became mandatory in Italy, a Neapolitan hit upon the idea of selling white T-shirts with a black belt  painted across the chest. Sold out in a few hours .

It's hard to know what is urban myth and what is not.  But in Naples, I tend to believe such stories :-)

On that same trip, I took the train from Naples to Rome and then up to the air force base in Aviano.  My friends warned me NOT to accept food or drink from anyone on the train (fat chance, anyway).  Seems like gypsies like to inject sleeping potent with a needle into cola or water, give it to you, then rob you blind after you fell asleep.   I should have had JB with me!  Then they would not have dared!

[Darth Vader]

To get us back on topic, I'd like to congratulate Turbo on this outstanding trip report--a report that sparked a great deal of debate and one that supplied much information about meeting girls via group tours.  And it even has a stepchild--Gator's thread on pros and cons of Group Tours.

Plus, this thread even got us into a discussion about food in foreign places :-) 

The bottom line is that this TR is one of the most viewed ever on RWD.

Turbo--I know you leave this week for Russia and more girls.  Good luck in your quest!

darth

[Turboguy]

Thank you Darth.  I have high hopes for this trip.  Thanks as well for the good comments about the TR

[Bruno]

The bottom line is that this TR is one of the most viewed ever on RWD.

You quote have make me curious, so i have check...

The more viewed trip report is my own trip report ( located in the no-old-barred now )...

1 Bruno trip report : 8171 view
2 Michael trip report : 5698 view
10 Turboguy trip report : 3410 view

But if you count together the several topic over his trip, the top of the top will be PhotoGuy...

[Turboguy]

Darth said "one of the top" which is true.  It is in 4th place.   You are also right Bruno, it is not "the" top one.  If you count the other thread about tours that was really based on this it might get a little higher.  Seems to be a lot of interest in the good and bad of tours and of course food.

[Bruce]

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"Turbo - could you go through which cities you liked best and why on this trip as well as which agencies you thought had the best women for both your age group and your sons age group.  Which cities were easiest to navigate, where you had the most fun.  How did a professional scammer manage to sneak through and land your son?  Any explanation for that?"

Turbo, I was hoping you would answer the above sometime on this thread.  Pizza and hamburger joints in the FSU doesn't help a newbie one iota because no matter how you cut it, a guy is going to the FSU for women not food.

[Turboguy]

Well Bruce, if you are a tourist in Pennsylvania's Amish Dutch Country and hit a souvenir shop you will see a lot of wall plaques.  One of the most common says "Kissing wears out, cooking don't"   They can believe what they want but I have not seen too many of us list cooking as a top priority.

Cities,  If I decided to move to Ukraine and picked the city I liked the best for atmosphere and culture, it would be Dnepro.   I was impressed enough to wonder why anyone would want to leave it to live in Beaver Falls.   (Kiev would be my second choice) 

Shopping  (no, not for clothes, for what we shop for)  Lugansk, Dnepro, Zap, Karkov in that order for the cities we went to.   I also had good luck in Kiev on my own (with some help from friends) (having good luck is not the same as getting lucky)

Agencies   Cindy agency had the best selection of gals and was nice to work with.   Magic Date was excellent, as was Elete Personal, IDI bridge and Slavyana.

Termites  In addition to using a number of agencies Jack encourages us to use any sources we have on our own, for example if we belong to Elena's, or want to buy addresses from AFA.  He also has the guys check out Bride.ru.  My son's scammer, Tanya, came from Bride.ru so there was no screening there.

Anything else?

[Bruce]

Yes, thats the kind of post the newbie / search mode guys want to hear.   Thanks for the tips.  By the way, McDonald's was always a good place to take a date in the FSU.  Try getting an American woman to do that with you  . 

How is your son doing?    Are you two going back to Ukraine together?   Everyone who is searching wishes they were in your shoes.  I just hope you pick the right girl this time.  Best of luck.

[Turboguy]

Good!  I am glad that was helpful.   I agree with you about McDonalds.   It seems to be a bit of a treat there, here is is when there is nothing better.

My son seems to be doing fine.  He is focusing on his # 1 gal but writing a few others.  The last we talked about it his plan is to go back in late November for about 7-10 days with the # 1 gal. 

I am not making any plans until after my Barnaul trip.  I have had more than enough trips that started with high expectations and ended in disappointment that I am just keeping my plans on hold.   In a little over 24 hours I will be on my way to the airport to start my 36 hour journey to Barnaul. 

If Barnaul does not work out I could possibly go to Ukraine when my son goes but my # 2 gal from that trip will be in India then on a concert tour.   Basically I am leaving my plans in a state of flux till I return from Russia on the 30th.   I am pretty free from mid November till the first week in January then I will be tied up at work for the next few months. 

[ConnerVT]

Good!  I am glad that was helpful.   I agree with you about McDonalds.   It seems to be a bit of a treat there, here is is when there is nothing better.

My son would disagree with you.  It's his #1 choice.  Of course, if Friendly's Ice Cream had a Happy Meal with a toy, it would win out without doubt... 

[Turboguy]

I don't eat at McDonalds much in America.  Perhaps if I start ordering the happy meal with toy it my perk my interest a bit.

[jb]

T/G,

My doctor tells me that anytime you drive up to a window, and they hand you a sack full of food, it's not good for you.  Food eaten from a paperbag is basically unhealthy food.  It may also explain why AWs are so obese.

I think you should re-evaluate that plan.  (toy not excluded)