It's been a while since I've posted here, but I do still read what others have posted, at least the friendly, sensible offerings.

Fodors has been such a help to so many of us who are interested in travel and also in seeing this world through the eyes of people other than ourselves.

This site is a source of knowledge we wouldn't glean elsewhere, or might partially discover with a lot more trouble, but unfortunately posters whose only intentions are to be useful and to foster a sense of global goodwill will eventually withdraw from a forum that is becoming increasingly more infantile.

I'm certainly not implying my own infrequent posts have been especially useful or entertaining, but those of other posters are consistently just that and I will miss them very much if they dwindle away or get lost in the junk.

For the record, and in full knowledge that it may draw the irrational ire of some, I want to say that Scarlett is a good person with a kind heart, whose physical appearance matches her internal beauty. She has been an unswerving friend to many and does not deserve the trashing she takes here.

I hope she, and others like her, keep posting.

I (LaVisiteure, a tourist and a new visitor to this forum -- hence the name) posted only a couple of ordinary questions about food and cellphones -- nothing remotely "trollish," I think. What a bizarre comment...

Well I guess the question is answered, I just hope to god that I never bother to ask a sensible question again.
LOL.. :-)

Just one thing, the questions main theme was about the dangers of meeting others fodors people and trusting them. It seems clear to me ! however I guess the main theme was lost in the Welsh /English to the American /English translation?
You see we are all so different and I suppose thats why I love this forum so much.
Now all of you behave and put your handbags away.

Muck
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>However I guess the main theme was lost in the Welsh /English to the American /English translation?<

Not a chance. You buried your real question.

As was repeatedly pointed out, the message title and the question posed in the body of your post asked very different things. People clearly responded to the former which is the relevant question for the majority of fodorites.

That was supposed to say, "just by mt gut instinct" my husband said I was burning dinner and I ran downstairs. He just wants the computer!

Mucky, I don't think you have to worry much about meeting any of the nutty or nasty Fodorites.

I challenge all of them to come to a GTG and show themselves in person. My money says they won't show. If they did, it'd be pretty entertaining IMO.

As for trusting advice given, I've always felt I could tell what advice was worthwhile and what wasn't. Just use your good judgement & you'll end up with lots of great travel experiences! :)

oh my! MY GUT INSTINCT. I am leaving he won't let me be for two seconds!

For dsm22, Ah, it's all right, we knew what you meant!

I firmly believe it is the annonimity of cyberspace that makes most of the habitually nasty ones feel free to carry on as they do.

Notice they also change their 'names' time and time again. Whether because they are banned from the board or other reasons not worth my time to consider. Many regular sincere posters, have been on Fodors for years under exactly the same, and one and only one, posting name.

I think most of the posters here are pretty genuine. Mostly, I feel like everyone here is very passionate about travel and very helpful and nice to each other, except maybe a few ;) This is probably the only forum where I get to really talk about travel without being considered *bragging*. Believe it or not, none of my friends or families seems to love travel like I do. So my travel talk is usually met with *deer caught in the headlight* type of look.

>...my travel talk is usually met with *deer caught in the headlight* type of look.<

I sympathize.

OTOH, when they start talking about the wonderful tour they went on, staying at Hilton hotels and being shuttled hither and yon in Benz vans, I'm supposed to be interested.

"The Hilton in London was so English. The Hilton in Paris was so French....."

:) :) :)

((I))

Ira, LOL, how true! The tours that are like the "If this is Tuesday it must be Belgium" scenerio!

I get that "deer in the headlights" look all the time. When I return from a trip, I limit my narrative to 5 minutes and I speak in very general terms. I agree that people see it as bragging, but that's not the only reason they get bored fast. Not to insult anyone, but people who don't travel are not interested because they have no idea what you are talking about. For example, when I returned from Paris in January I was briefly naming the places I went. Everyone had heard of the Eiffel Tower, but I had to keep explaining the significance of Versailles, the Louvre, the Orsay....OK, you get the idea. It's better just to talk to the Fodorites.

this post is cracking me up !! :-) !!

My favorite comment of all time was by a friend who took a tour to Mexico and said, "we had the BEST tour leader. He found us places to eat all the time with American food so we never had to eat Mexican food at all."

Hi Patrick, guess this person really felt that he now "knew Mexico" right?
And you said what??? Imagine you didn't say anything but thought a lot.

Oh this is the part where I am supposed to laugh? :))

No, you really are funny all of you, you inspired me to convert from Trolishness to Fodoriteness!
What's the proper procedure though?

Mucky, you had me a tad confused too, so it wasn't just a Welsh-American translation problem. Now, though, reading between the lines I think I know what's happened, you sly dog. You've been exchanging lubricious emails, haven't you, with a hot American chick you contacted through Fodors who claims to have been won over by your Celtic savoir-faire (after all, Richard Burton was Welsh) and is proposing a meeting in an Atlantic City hotel for, hopefully, an introductory night to remember. But now you're getting nervous for your pet rabbit...

>Message: My favorite comment of all time was by a friend who took a tour to Mexico and said, "we had the BEST tour leader. He found us places to eat all the time with American food so we never had to eat Mexican food at all." <

I guess that's funny in an ironic (and sad) way but how does it relate to this thread?

There are only 3 good things that can now come from this thread.
1. It makes a 100 posts...that will really make me chuckle .
2. My rabbit survives (Thanks Neil for the reality check.
3. obxgirl fully reads and understands posts (and not just titles) before slagging them off.

;-)

Muck
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