Dear 'murcans

[dolf]

I traveled to Taipei Taiwan when I was in college for a tour with the school's Steel Band. I've been way to poor to travel the world since...

That's a shame. I didn't consider the difference in cost.
Here, if I flew with a *shudder* budget airline, I could get most places in Europe for £20something.

 

[oggbashan]

Born in the UK; lived for years in Gibraltar (frequent visits to Spain and N Africa) and Australia (NSW and Victoria but visited SA, Queensland and WA); visited Italy, Egypt; Aden (now in Yemen then British); Sri Lanka; Singapore; what was then communist Yugoslavia; frequent trips to France including shopping and evening meal...

Have had my own passport for unaccompanied travel without my parents since age 10.

 

[bellisarius]

Extensive travel in the America's. Mostly South America and Mexico. Some business but primarily pleasure. And a lot in the Far East. That was mostly business (of one sort or another) with some pleasure mixed in.

 

[oralaccents]

Most americans dont go anywhere because they get so little vacation time and dont have the money.

 

[oralaccents]

How was Switzerland? Planning a trip

Yes I have left the country, business and pleasure.
Yes on the passport.

I had a company penthouse en geneve for a while.

To smoke a joint, I had to pretend i was going for a walk, then take a pre planned route to a spot at the back of a soccer field where you weren’t on camera.

Everything is monitored by the police, who simply appear and take people away, very quietly.

Parties are held in secret soundproof locations with the blast shutters down.

 

[pantalaimonlyra]

I've been to a few European countries, two where English wasn't the main language, but not the greater Americas to the north or south. My passport is valid and I'm finally leaving the country again this year after a long while.

 

[ishtat]

My theory is that really perverted, kinky sex and porn most often comes from repressive cultures. Japanese porn. Just saying.

.

That is too simple Dolf. Japan is socially repressive perhaps: PDA is very much frowned on(Search PDA Japan on You tube) But the same person who will not kiss or hug in public will take you behind closed doors and screw every way you could imagine. So not personally repressive.

Essentially, Japanese value societal behaviors ahead of individual ones.

 

[BotanyBoy]

I've been all over the place for work and for personal pleasure.

I don't really care to anymore though....I just want to hang around the house, tend my gardens and critters.

Travel through the internet is so much easier.

 

[BotanyBoy]

Japan IS a terrible place to be as a traveller with mental health issues. That was the point of my post. They need to get their shit together.

Sounds like they have their shit together.

Don't act like it's this magical happy weebo place that isn't actively working to keep crazy folks out because they are ass backwards in how they treat mental health. This is a legitimate problem that needs to be addressed.

Keeping crazy folks out isn't ass backwards.

It's not a problem for them and who the fuck are you to say otherwise? It's their country and they don't owe you a fucking thing. Welcome to the world Candi.


^^ this is the problem with the "everyone gets a trophy" kids like Candi....they think everyone else is obligated to accommodate their crazy, their bullshit, their fee fees.

 

[oralaccents]

Crazy Americans should stay home, where they belong.

(Most do.)

 

[CandiCame]

That's a shame. I didn't consider the difference in cost.
Here, if I flew with a *shudder* budget airline, I could get most places in Europe for £20something.

Jesus fuck that's like $40!

But then again I consistently forget how tiny Europe is, so I guess that's why. You're not traveling that far? Maybe?

Actually, Dolf, settle something for me from almost a decade ago. Can you get on a subway, in ENGLAND, a FUCKING ISLAND and go to France? Is that a thing that can happen?

Because a friend of mine did his student teaching in England and said he accidentally went to France on a subway and I have no reason to disbelieve him but how is that a thing? Is there an underwater subway?

Like he has pictures and shit. He was in France, or at least somewhere where the signs were in a language that looked like French. And he was absolutely losing his shit thinking he had fucked up his student teaching and was going to get deported because as an American he was vastly unprepared for how fucking chill Europe is about illegal boarder crossings.

 

[BotanyBoy]

Jesus fuck that's like $40!

But then again I consistently forget how tiny Europe is, so I guess that's why. You're not traveling that far? Maybe?

Actually, Dolf, settle something for me from almost a decade ago. Can you get on a subway, in ENGLAND, a FUCKING ISLAND and go to France? Is that a thing that can happen?

Because a friend of mine did his student teaching in England and said he accidentally went to France on a subway and I have no reason to disbelieve him but how is that a thing? Is there an underwater subway?

Like he has pictures and shit. He was in France, or at least somewhere where the signs were in a language that looked like French. And he was absolutely losing his shit thinking he had fucked up his student teaching and was going to get deported because as an American he was vastly unprepared for how fucking chill Europe is about illegal boarder crossings.

So you refuse to believe your alleged friend because of your compulsive need to persist in your own ignorance?

But you'll change your mind based on what an internet stranger says???

Told you Japan had their shit together

 

[pantalaimonlyra]

The Chunnel. It wouldn't have been an illegal crossing. I'm surprised he didn't know he would end up in France though.

 

[CandiCame]

The Chunnel. It wouldn't have been an illegal crossing. I'm surprised he didn't know he would end up in France though.

He had a really shitty time that whole trip and at the time was half dead.

And completely flipping his shit because like... we don't fuck around with boarder crossings so he thought it was illegal. To get in or out of the states you go through an armed checkpoint and it's this big huge thing. It never occured to him, or me, or the various people at the party I was currently at where we had him on speaker phone, that like... the concept that you can just get on a subway and leave a country as a thing existed.

Some French person told him how to get home but he was crying and shit.

We've just all made fun of him for it for years because how the fuck do you accidentally go to France, from England? Like this is worthy of friendly ragging. It's one of those in-jokes where you can just say, "It's a fucking ISLAND" no context and everybody giggles.

Edit: Also important to this story, he says he fell asleep on the subway and woke up in France.

 

[dolf]

Yeah, the Chunnel is kinda cool. I never really thought about it... Never been through it, because*shudder* France.

If your pal was from Africa or Syria or something, he probably would have had a lot of shit. But travel within Europe, for citizens of the EU, or foolish American tourists who get lost, isn't a big deal. When I go to Spain, they don't even look at my passport on arrival. Literally. I could hold up a playing card and get a disinterested wave through, because white lady arriving from within the EU.

 

[Que]

Japan has entry requirements? What are they . . racists?

What of Candi just claims asylum and requests a hearing?

 

[dolf]

That is too simple Dolf. Japan is socially repressive perhaps: PDA is very much frowned on(Search PDA Japan on You tube) But the same person who will not kiss or hug in public will take you behind closed doors and screw every way you could imagine. So not personally repressive.

Essentially, Japanese value societal behaviors ahead of individual ones.

That's what I said. Publicly repressed = privately perverted.

Fun fact: before meeting my mother, my father lived in Japan for a year, with a geisha. My mother said she used to write even after they were married. He's had an interesting life.

 

[chillywilly2]

I'm not americun but sticking my nose in anyway.

been all around Europe, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, all the little 5 mile across countries mixed in there, England, Wales, Iceland, oh yeah, America a little bit
from coast to coast and border to arctic circle in Canada

Heading out of the country tomorrow actually.

For Candi, if you have a felony drug conviction , even a DUI, you can't come to Canada either

 

[Que]

For now.

But only if you were of such Indigent status that no first world country would grant you admittance. If you are a person of means and yes you do have to jump through all the hoops and follow all the rules.

 

[oggbashan]

I've crossed to France by ferry, had to show my passport in Dover, drove off the ferry into France with no checks, and in one afternoon travelled the length of Belgium into Holland with no notice that I had crossed two borders except the road signs changed languages from French to dual French and Dutch and then Dutch only.

There were no border posts or checks.

I didn't need my passport again until I was in Calais to board a ferry back to England. The check took 15 seconds. I drove off the ferry into Dover, through a 'nothing to declare' route and was on Kent's roads within 5 minutes.

 

[Que]

Most places don’t want crims. Not us, I guess because we’re built on them we just run some background checks and then if you are a crim we make a judgement on whether you’re a criminal with a good character. If so, come on in!

Some of them, I'm sure, are good people. . .

 

[CandiCame]

I'm not americun but sticking my nose in anyway.

been all around Europe, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, all the little 5 mile across countries mixed in there, England, Wales, Iceland, oh yeah, America a little bit
from coast to coast and border to arctic circle in Canada

Heading out of the country tomorrow actually.

For Candi, if you have a felony drug conviction , even a DUI, you can't come to Canada either

I don't.

It is mostly the mental health thing. And I'm pretty sure they've not "changed" since this morning when I checked their site to link it.

I'm sure Rainshine had a lovely time, but that doesn't change the FACT that Japan has a known issue with the way they handle mental health compared to other nations. They, themselves, acknowledge that it's a major problem. The World Psychiatric Association has had to step in. They were just gonna not have mental illness covered under their equivalency to the Americans with Disabilities act without international pressure. Mental Illness wasn't added until 2016- THREE YEARS AGO.

It's not something that should be handwaved away. It's worth criticizing. It's not my specific brand of crazy, it affects a lot of people and not all of them travelers. Something like 2/3 of people with mental health issues in Japan don't seek treatment because they are, and I stand by it, ass-backwards in the way they treat mental health.

I don't even need a passport to get to Canada. They'll let you through on your driver's license. Apparently. The lady told me that when I got my license renewed. I never tried to go to Canada. The folks there seem suspiciously nice.

Canada always seemed like the quiet, hard working folks in the apartment above a crack den.

 

[chillywilly2]

I don't.

It is mostly the mental health thing. And I'm pretty sure they've not "changed" since this morning when I checked their site to link it.

I'm sure Rainshine had a lovely time, but that doesn't change the FACT that Japan has a known issue with the way they handle mental health compared to other nations. They, themselves, acknowledge that it's a major problem. The World Psychiatric Association has had to step in. They were just gonna not have mental illness covered under their equivalency to the Americans with Disabilities act without international pressure. Mental Illness wasn't added until 2016- THREE YEARS AGO.

It's not something that should be handwaved away. It's worth criticizing. It's not my specific brand of crazy, it affects a lot of people and not all of them travelers. Something like 2/3 of people with mental health issues in Japan don't seek treatment because they are, and I stand by it, ass-backwards in the way they treat mental health.

I don't even need a passport to get to Canada. They'll let you through on your driver's license. Apparently. The lady told me that when I got my license renewed. I never tried to go to Canada. The folks there seem suspiciously nice.

Canada always seemed like the quiet, hard working folks in the apartment above a crack den.

You don't need a passport to come to Canada but you need one to get back into the US.
I can't see them denying entry to a US citizen but you would for sure get hassled at the border for a few hours.
Coming in to Canada they would also ask how you plan on getting back so you gotta say that you forgot your passport and your buddy is sending it to your hotel and you will have it to get back.

See, i thought about this for lots of American friends that come to visit and don't have a passport

 

[CandiCame]

You don't need a passport to come to Canada but you need one to get back into the US.
I can't see them denying entry to a US citizen but you would for sure get hassled at the border for a few hours.
Coming in to Canada they would also ask how you plan on getting back so you gotta say that you forgot your passport and your buddy is sending it to your hotel and you will have it to get back.

See, i thought about this for lots of American friends that come to visit and don't have a passport

No, I mean the new driver's license functions as a passport to get to Canada and Mexico like for the US boarders. They just scan it like they do at traffic stops. That's what they told me and it was $20 more expensive so it better damn well be true. It's called an EDL. And it last for 8 years so they have straight-up guaran-goddamn-teed I'm gonna get caught driving on an expired license because there is no way in hell I'm gonna remember that.

 

[someoneyouknow]

I have been to Canada twice. I have a passport, but it is long expired. I had hoped to travel to foreign countries, but after 9/11 and the U.S. government considering me a criminal, I don't.