Ever actually been to any place you have talked DX too?

[Captain Kilowatt]

I have always been somewhat of a geography nerd. I also have a passion for travelling whenever possible but sadly with getting married,building a new home,starting a family and changing careers,in that order, travel is something I have not been able to do nearly as much as I would have liked to.However,after two years of nagging the wife I have FINALLY convinced her to go to Jamaica next year.The big thing that won her over was when I said she had a choice,either she go to Jamaica with me in the spring of 2009 or I take the same amount of money and buy a QRO Technologies HF-2500DX Mk III amplifier.She has already purchased new luggage for the trip. Any way,last night we were talking about it and she stressed the point that she knew NOTHING about travelling. The only travelling she ever did was after we met and that was confined to driving within Canada or the USA.I have been a bit luckier and we got to talking about my travels and I was wondering what extent you folks may have travelled.Ever been to some of the states/countries you have talked to on the air?Myself, I have been to all 10 provinces in Canada as well as 15 US states,(mostly northeast and northern tier), Jamaica, Cuba, Scotland, England, Spain, Morocco, the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta, Algeria,Gibraltar and Senegal west Africa. (It's scary what a valid passport, a few dollars coupled with an exceptionally good deal along with a half crazy travel partner will lead too. I'm not saying which one of us was the half crazy travel partner either). All of the overseas trips were done before I was married,no permanent job, and had lots of time and a bit of money stashed away. Now, I have a well paying job and a wife that makes more than I do,no free time, and just as much of a desire to travel but for some reason I just never get there.Oh well,Jamaica is only a year away.

 

[Beetle]

When I was in High School, BC (Before Computers), I worked JA1ISA one afternoon after school. Masao and I ran into one another on 15 CW maybe 2 or 3 times a week, and got to know each other's families on a remote first name basis. When I went on active Navy duty, I sent him a letter telling him I would be coming to Japan and he wrote back with incredibly detailed instructions on how to get from Yokosuka to Tokyo (Shinjuku Station), and a phone number for me to call once I got there! I've visited with him and his family several times since the 60s.

Another one was 9V1YW, Simo from Singapore. I met him on 20 CW by pure chance, just before I went to Singapore on one leg of a Navy shipcheck. Told Simo I'd be in Singapore in a couple days, and he gave me a work and a home phone number, suggesting we at least meet on the ground and have a beer. I wound up having dinner with him, his wife and their two sons. Picture this: an AMERICAN, in SINGAPORE, sitting down with a family from FINLAND, eating dinner which had been prepared by a MALAYSIAN housekeeper...

It was some delicious, made-from-scratch lasagne!

Simo, by the way, was the head of Nokia in Singapore. He's now in the Philippines, I believe.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Actually Beetle I remember you telling me about that trip to Singapore before. I was thinking of it when I was typing my post above. Pretty cool. I know that if I had the money I would certainly travel a lot. I would love to have my kids aware of what other peoples are like and gain a better understanding of what other cultures live like and why they do. Traveling is the true way to see what people are really like,not learning it from some biased book.

 

[W5LZ]

Have I been there? Nope, but once had the DX I talked to come see me. Talk about being surprised! Not sure who was 'shocked' more, him or me. Long story, won't waste your time .
- 'Doc

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

That's always pretty cool too Doc. I met a lady from Cutler Illinois,Chris was her name, when she and her husband Terry were up here on vacation. I had talked to her several times.I also met Kees from The Netherlands when he came over.My neighbor who is Dutch also spoke to him many times and he has been over here a few times.

BTW, I don't necessarily mean having traveled to meet someone you talked to on the radio but just travel in general for whatever reason.

 

[SR385]

If you count TX as a country, I've been there many times ;-). I've been to all but 5 states and the major cities of Canada so far. Never really left the country yet though.

It's fun on HF to strike up discussions about the various cities and recollections of restaurants or sites when I find people in places that I've been through. I miss the road....frequently.

 

[Sonwatcher]

I've been to all but 8 states, Bahamas, and Canada . The only contacts I made while in the Bahamas was a panhandler and a guy that put a coco bean necklace around my neck and said welcome to the Bahamas. He then asked if I wanted to buy some dope. When I told him "no" he took back the coco beans LOL ! I loved it there. Hope to go back again some day.

 

[rfoverlord]

well let's see i'd have to actually dig out the logs but, but made many contacts to england,belguim,france,germany,italy,thailand,spain morroco,iraq,panama,japan, the land down under,australia,antartica, of those the last three i haven't been to. the saddest was taking to a bud in afghanistan 2 years ago on a tues. and the xyl telling me to turn on CNN in the shack, my freind was killed on thursday while hunting for bin laden. I don't include mexico and canada because they are always accessable

 

[mackmobile43]

Talke to a guy who knows my dad the other day n sippi,

 

[Cheech]

Once talked to a guy in Georgia who used to live in the same county as me. We talked about how the areas changed over time. It was cool!

 

[park]

If you count TX as a country, I've been there many times ;-). I've been to all but 5 states and the major cities of Canada so far. Never really left the country yet though.

It's fun on HF to strike up discussions about the various cities and recollections of restaurants or sites when I find people in places that I've been through. I miss the road....frequently.

I WISH Texas was a country