The 'done' infers that it is a great personal achievement, like some sort of Scout badge.

I took a cruise once, and consider myself to have visited all the places I went ashore.

Well ... visit. I would say you would have to get off the plane. But it is all in how you look at it.

A few years ago my sister flew to China and stayed at the Peninsula. She spent two weeks there and didn't see shit. Except the two huge TV's in her room and the smog outside.

A few years before that she went to Hawaii and never left the resort, except to catch her plane.

So, visit. All in how someone perceives it. I like to live in the country for an undetermined amount of time and check their culture, food, habits and what they consider are the places to visit, along with the sites that are famous.

So, each to their own.

Back when Bombay was Bombay I saw the airport in transit, that was enough of India for me - never been back. Spent 4hours on two occasions in Athens airport in transit - yeah, I'd probably go have a look if I get back to Europe.

Spent 3 1/4 years living in England and saw a fair bit but on the scale of things to see in GB I hardly know the place.

Joker Poker wrote:Back when Bombay was Bombay I saw the airport in transit, that was enough of India for me - never been back.

As I was driving into Calcutta/Kolkata from the airport I desperately wanted to turn around and leave - this is the only time I've had this response to a country and it turned out to be the right instinct. Hell on earth.

StroppyChops wrote:

Joker Poker wrote:Back when Bombay was Bombay I saw the airport in transit, that was enough of India for me - never been back.

As I was driving into Calcutta/Kolkata from the airport I desperately wanted to turn around and leave - this is the only time I've had this response to a country and it turned out to be the right instinct. Hell on earth.

Yes, you get that feeling driving into some remote bush communities back home, I'm sure you know what I mean, most people would have no idea of the third world hell holes that exist in the Central Oz region, particularly NT and SA, the ones I saw in WA were much better.

Joker Poker wrote:

StroppyChops wrote:

Joker Poker wrote:Back when Bombay was Bombay I saw the airport in transit, that was enough of India for me - never been back.

As I was driving into Calcutta/Kolkata from the airport I desperately wanted to turn around and leave - this is the only time I've had this response to a country and it turned out to be the right instinct. Hell on earth.

Yes, you get that feeling driving into some remote bush communities back home, I'm sure you know what I mean, most people would have no idea of the third world hell holes that exist in the Central Oz region, particularly NT and SA, the ones I saw in WA were much better.

Some of the remote communities in outback WA are as bad. One in my ambulance centers region is known for being one of the worst in Oz - no girl over the age of eight is believed to be a virgin (if they resist, the older women beat them as they had to endure it, too) and more than 80% if the population has at least one of HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis C. STDs are the norm rather than the exception. The amount of state and federal funding that has been poured into that community is painful. Oddly, you don't see the NGOs out that way, but you do see some diehard old-school missionaries giving it their all for the sake of the kids (no, I'm not interested in a stolen generation debate unless posters have put time into remote community). The situation is an absolute disgrace.

Not interested in SG debate either Strop. Seen way too much over the years.

Thanks for responding by the way, I was waiting.

Yep, I've seen so much taxpayer money pumped in and squandered over the years, it really beggars belief how much has been wasted on so few who in turn are completely self absorbed and unwilling or incapable of doing anything to help their own situation or their people. Funny thing, but only the women achieve anything and like here they are relatively powerless. Governments both state and fed pride themselves with how much money they've wasted and this has been going on since I was a kid and the reality is things have not got any better. Pumping money into communities is doomed to fail because they don't care, I saw way too much and millions of dollars wasted because of inept government departments and complete helplessness, learned or otherwise that permeates the communites.

I only stayed at two WA communities, they had real glass in their windows, a real change from the Pit Lands region in SA, the only things that had glass windows were cars, every thing else was perspex.

We've gotta meet up for a coffee one day and chew over some of this stuff.