The Cambridge Chat Thread - it&#x27;s over 90,000!

Original post by Y__

Ooooh, that hotel in Dharamsala does look very nice!
(Although: 'Valid 27 April 2012 to 22 September 2012 and 1 October 2012 to 31 March 2013.' That's a little dodgy for a scenic tour of the Himalayas. During Monsoon season, you won't see a single mountain as it will be just clouds everywhere, even if it isn't raining :s-smilie:

. )

But that makes it effectively available all year, doesn't it? :confused:

We probably won't do this but it does sound nice. And its always so tempting when its all inclusive like that. Looking up all the flight/accommodation/transport info and working out the costs is the thing that really puts me off of trying to go abroad :sigh:

Reply 7902

Y__

Original post by Craghyrax

But that makes it effectively available all year, doesn't it? :confused:

We probably won't do this but it does sound nice. And its always so tempting when its all inclusive like that. Looking up all the flight/accommodation/transport info and working out the costs is the thing that really puts me off of trying to go abroad :sigh:

Really? I love looking up flight/transport info :colondollar:

. Hotels not so much :tongue:

.
And yeah, it seems it's available all year - what I meant is that they neglect to tell you that you'll only see the scenery if you go at the right time...

Reply 7903

Original post by Y__

Really? I love looking up flight/transport info :colondollar:

. Hotels not so much :tongue:

.

I'm sure most travel crazy people do.

And yeah, it seems it's available all year - what I meant is that they neglect to tell you that you'll only see the scenery if you go at the right time...

Ah. Fair enough.

Reply 7904

ukebert

Original post by Craghyrax

Thanks! I find it a giant pain looking up all these details, and I don't fancy turning up and risking there not being any campsites/hostels etc. I'll speak to Mr Craggy and see if we can find some more online. Could mean we get to do a lot more!

We'll probably carry loads of whey protein powder and coconut blocks with us :wink:

That's the cheapest way to skimp on food!

So if I were planning a honeymoon to Norway I would probably fly to Bergen, spend a few days in Balestrand on Sognefjord and then get the Hurtigrute up to Lofoten. Spend maybe 3 or 4 days there and then get the next boat up to Nordkapp etc. I think that the best way to see that coast is by boat, but it would be nice to stop off at least once. There is some spectacular scenary inland, but the only way to see it is by bus, because the rail routes are minimal. And long distance coach rides aren't the most romantic of travel options. Whereas a cruise ship is quite a bit more convivial.

I'm envious of your trip, I have to say. I'd love to go back to Norway. Equally I'd love to go to the Himalayas, but I predict that wherever you end up going, I will be jealous :p:

Reply 7905

Original post by ukebert

So if I were planning a honeymoon to Norway I would probably fly to Bergen, spend a few days in Balestrand on Sognefjord and then get the Hurtigrute up to Lofoten. Spend maybe 3 or 4 days there and then get the next boat up to Nordkapp etc. I think that the best way to see that coast is by boat, but it would be nice to stop off at least once. There is some spectacular scenary inland, but the only way to see it is by bus, because the rail routes are minimal. And long distance coach rides aren't the most romantic of travel options. Whereas a cruise ship is quite a bit more convivial.

I'm envious of your trip, I have to say. I'd love to go back to Norway. Equally I'd love to go to the Himalayas, but I predict that wherever you end up going, I will be jealous :p:

Thanks again :smile:

We haven't decided on the Bergen bit yet so I'll look into Balestrand.

Reply 7906

Watch that Werner Herzog documentary before you decide on a 6-month stint in Antarctica [he says to no-one in particular...]

Reply 7907

Sockpirate

15

Original post by ukebert

So if I were planning a honeymoon to Norway I would probably fly to Bergen, spend a few days in Balestrand on Sognefjord and then get the Hurtigrute up to Lofoten. Spend maybe 3 or 4 days there and then get the next boat up to Nordkapp etc. I think that the best way to see that coast is by boat, but it would be nice to stop off at least once. There is some spectacular scenary inland, but the only way to see it is by bus, because the rail routes are minimal. And long distance coach rides aren't the most romantic of travel options. Whereas a cruise ship is quite a bit more convivial.

I'm envious of your trip, I have to say. I'd love to go back to Norway. Equally I'd love to go to the Himalayas, but I predict that wherever you end up going, I will be jealous :p:

Balestrand is really really nice - I did a week long kayak expedition up the sognefjord, and it was amazing. started at Gudvangen, visited Undredal, Fresvik, Vangsnes, Balestrand, finished at Fjaerland. Can't remember all the places we stopped, but those are the main ones I remember :smile:

the fjords really are beautiful, and seeing them by boat is definitely the way to do things - the awe of being in a tiny little kayak staring up at the incredible waterfalls and sheer cliff faces.. brilliant.
Also did a week long glacier trek on the Jostedal glacier, which was stunning, but exceedingly cold! Ahhhh, you're making me all nostalgic now... :moon:

Reply 7908

Zoedotdot

OP

18

Original post by Craghyrax

Hahah I wouldn't say that a PhD leads to a certain future! At least not in the Arts and Social Sciences.

Original post by Supermerp

My reaction was the same as yours. It's not much better if you're an antisocial scientist.

Sorry, by future I meant 'the next few years'! Even with grad schemes your future isn't totally set in stone - just looking at the legal world, for example, some people get on to the grad scheme but then fail their conversion course/solicitor qualification so can't take up their training contract, and even after their two years on the training contract some fail to get jobs at the firm - quite a few didn't get jobs at the firm I was working at on my YA even after sweating blood for two years. So I was just thinking that academia/grad schemes usually guarantee that you'll be doing something for at least a year or two (or three for a PhD and in a lot of the banks and consultancy firms), whereas the majority of the jobs I've been looking at only last for a period of a week or two (media placements) or are six month contracts, and you don't apply for them as far in advance as you do for academic things and grad schemes, so you have no concrete plans for the future when you leave university :smile:

I don't think any occupation of any kind can provide any kind of long term certainty, as you never know what might happen!

Reply 7909

scarlet ibis

Original post by BigFudamental

Watch that Werner Herzog documentary before you decide on a 6-month stint in Antarctica [he says to no-one in particular...]

Linky?

Reply 7910

Original post by scarlet ibis

Linky?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1093824/

(unless you meant a link to the actual film. Not sure one's allowed to post those on here, but anything along the lines of "watch [name of film] online free" in google should work.)

Reply 7911

scarlet ibis

Original post by BigFudamental

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1093824/

(unless you meant a link to the actual film. Not sure one's allowed to post those on here, but anything along the lines of "watch [name of film] online free" in google should work.)

I thought since it was a documentary I might find it on iPlayer or similar. But thanks

Reply 7912

Good Louis Theroux autism documentary, come to speak of it: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01gk4xc

Reply 7913

Original post by scarlet ibis

I thought since it was a documentary I might find it on iPlayer or similar. But thanks

Here's a memorable scene about a penguin who snaps under the pressure of living in a conformist society (there are some interesting bits about the people who live in research outposts as well though, it's not all nature/wildlife):

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 7914

Well that cheered me up :s-smilie:

Reply 7915

Topaz_eyes

12

Original post by Craghyrax

Good Louis Theroux autism documentary, come to speak of it: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01gk4xc

I found that quite difficult to watch, although it was very interesting. As a side note, I'm always amazed at how differently religion is treated in America compared to the UK. The parents who said their children had autism because "God was challenging them" really surprised me. I just don't understand how anyone could believe that :frown:

Reply 7916

Original post by Topaz_eyes

I found that quite difficult to watch, although it was very interesting. As a side note, I'm always amazed at how differently religion is treated in America compared to the UK. The parents who said their children had autism because "God was challenging them" really surprised me. I just don't understand how anyone could believe that :frown:

Any UK Christian could understand that :p:

But yes, obviously the culture and norm is drastically different! And that's probably why LT dwelled on it there.
What aspect about it did you find difficult to watch? :smile:

Reply 7917

ukebert

Original post by Sockpirate

Balestrand is really really nice - I did a week long kayak expedition up the sognefjord, and it was amazing. started at Gudvangen, visited Undredal, Fresvik, Vangsnes, Balestrand, finished at Fjaerland. Can't remember all the places we stopped, but those are the main ones I remember :smile:

the fjords really are beautiful, and seeing them by boat is definitely the way to do things - the awe of being in a tiny little kayak staring up at the incredible waterfalls and sheer cliff faces.. brilliant.
Also did a week long glacier trek on the Jostedal glacier, which was stunning, but exceedingly cold! Ahhhh, you're making me all nostalgic now... :moon:

Nice! I spent one night in Balestrand (after a few days in Olso and Bergen), due to a hilarious mix up with ferries (turns out that the ferry that was in the right dock at the right time was not my ferry), which resulted in me being stranded in Kaupanger overnight (had a tent so it was fine, campsite down the road). But Sognefjord is beautiful and I had a wonderful day on a ferry which went all over the lake. I then took the bus up north, taking the ferry up the Gerangerfjord, which is absolutely spectacular and then getting the bus down the Trollstigen pass and up to Trondheim via <small town which I can't remember>. Then bus up to Bodo (after a missed train meaning an extra 15 hours in Trondheim) and the ferry to Lofoten. Then bus to Narvik and train to Stockholm. That was about half of my first interrail trip :p:

Reply 7918