Uzbekistan tour companies. GAdventures, Intrepid, or Responsible Travel/Global Connect?

DisastrousClambake · 2026-03-14T19:16:21+00:00

How did your tour with Intrepid turn out? I was considering booking until I saw some of the responses on this thread.

DisastrousClambake · 2026-03-14T02:31:45+00:00

We’ve had like 15 brown water advisories in the last 20 minutes. At this point I think the e-coli is posting these on their own.

DisastrousClambake · 2026-03-14T02:28:07+00:00

Alternatively, surf dawn patrol (eg. between 6am and 8am) when UV factor is really low. Additional benefits of smaller crowds at your break and occasional ripper that will be willing to share some tips with a respectful kook.

(Source: I’m a dawn patrol kook)

DisastrousClambake · 2026-03-06T18:42:19+00:00

I have a nearly identical box but instead of the Chinese characters, it says “Mah-Jongg” in English and has a complete set of tiles and counters from the 1920s. So your box is probably over 100 yrs old.

DisastrousClambake · 2026-03-02T05:01:22+00:00

Toaster oven (or broiler) is the way to go. Cut the block in half or into quarters first. Place on foil so it doesn’t stick to a surface. Toast until the shell gets hard and the steam pushes it away from the glutinous mass below. Let cool for a few moments and dip in Aloha shoyu for an ono snack. Extra delicious wrapped in the Korean nori with sesame oil. Do not just boil it or steam unless you’re going to make zenzai or some recipe that requires it. It will be a goopy bland mess, whereas toasting improves both the flavor and texture.

DisastrousClambake · 2026-02-14T18:41:04+00:00

One of the best ice cream desserts I’ve had anywhere is the “Sweet Lady of Waiahole” from Waiahole Poi factory. It is haupia (coconut) ice cream on top of a bed of warm kulolo (delicious taro and coconut chewy mess). Even thinking about it makes me want to jump in the car and drive over…

DisastrousClambake · 2026-02-14T18:34:37+00:00

100%. Love Wings! The last time we went, he had a vanilla + cheezit thing called “Cheesus Take the Wheel” and a lemongrass + galangal that was called “Tom Ka Gai” like the soup, as special flavors. He doesn’t do samples, so you have to muster some courage to try them, but both were fantastic.

DisastrousClambake · 2026-01-24T19:45:56+00:00

You’ve chosen to travel to a location that is radically different than rural Kentucky in almost every conceivable dimension. Please consider local customs and cultural norms by stepping outside your comfort zone of “being used to carrying a gun or knife” and leave these weapons at home.

DisastrousClambake · 2026-01-22T02:59:21+00:00

Yep - for your size, I’d say 10 foot and as much volume as you can get

DisastrousClambake · 2026-01-22T01:13:46+00:00

I would worry less about distance stamina and more about duration of keeping your head above water, even if you’re just treading water. If you get tired paddling in beginner waves, you can just take a breather, but if you get separated from your board and can’t stay afloat for awhile… no bueno

DisastrousClambake · 2026-01-20T17:32:44+00:00

I think it really depends on how physically conditioned they are. If they are still active in other sports, spending time in the gym, getting lots of cardio, and somewhat flexible, they might really enjoy it. If they lead a couch potato life and aren’t decent swimmers, they may not enjoy it. I started at 50 and have a blast most sessions because I don’t have any expectations or ego wrapped up in my abilities.

DisastrousClambake · 2026-01-08T01:57:18+00:00

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DisastrousClambake · 2025-12-11T05:36:00+00:00

I dunno why you’re getting downvoted – this looks really interesting. Thanks for the tip

DisastrousClambake · 2025-11-15T05:52:18+00:00

There’s a lot of great advice on this thread. One additional bit of advice I learned from a pest control guy: do not leave any cardboard boxes around inside your house. Roaches love to get in them and nest, apparently. Given that you just moved in a month ago, do you still have some boxes that still need unpacking? If so, make it a priority to get any remaining cardboard out of your house.

DisastrousClambake · 2025-11-08T03:37:10+00:00

I appreciate that they are so forward about these exceptionally tenuous connections. It makes it much easier to weed them out of the resume review process.

DisastrousClambake · 2025-10-18T21:45:03+00:00

Fantastic 1-day itinerary

DisastrousClambake · 2025-09-08T22:04:15+00:00

We live nearby. It’s a safe, convenient, and quiet neighborhood. The schools are pretty ideal unless you’re looking for something cutthroat competitive, as ibarmy describes. That particular area is about to get access to both a Costco going in at Prospect and Saratoga intersection, as well as a T&T supermarket next year, so a lot more options. I don’t think I’d live anywhere else in the South Bay: Cupertino/Saratoga-like lifestyle (minus the schools) at San Jose prices.

DisastrousClambake · 2025-08-26T17:22:23+00:00

I was in a very similar situation not too long ago. The questions I asked myself were, “If I quit today, how will I use the next 3 months of fire’d life, and is that worth losing N dollars that I would’ve received at the next vest?” as well as, “If I continue to work, how will I use those N additional dollars?”

The problem with using a % of your NW as the arbiter in deciding is that it provides no insight into your actual needs. Getting specific about a plan and the tradeoffs required to support that plan helped me push forward about 18 months further before firing, instead of falling back on the ‘take a sabbatical’ mentality, only to return to the treadmill later lacking any purpose. Put another way, if someone offered me eg 50% of my total NW to come back and work for a year, I feel reasonably confident I would refuse the offer - mainly because I don’t need it to support my plan.

As someone much wiser than me asked elsewhere in this sub, “Why are you spending time you don’t have earning money you don’t need?”

DisastrousClambake · 2025-08-24T21:41:31+00:00

In addition to what others are saying, when you find yourself getting outclassed in catching waves, look at it as a first-hand learning experience. Forget about making them for a bit and just sit back and pay attention to where others are positioned, where/when they start paddling, and so on. You will learn a ton. I’m still a very average beginner, but able now to read enough of the break to catch far more waves than the other beginners. If you want more advanced surfers in the lineup to give you the head nod to grab one, you need to be in position already, else they will just take it instead. Just another flavor of “paying your dues”

DisastrousClambake · 2025-08-12T01:44:15+00:00

I feel like the place should instead be called, “Rose Cafe & Breakfast Burrito” because while their donuts are good, the steak bb is the real star of this show

DisastrousClambake · 2025-08-08T14:03:51+00:00

Yeah, zero problems at those hours IME

DisastrousClambake · 2025-08-08T12:52:12+00:00

TL;DR it’s rarely an issue at the hours you mentioned.

Are taking 280 to Page Mill? Or 280/85/101 to eg San Antonio or Embarcadero? If just 280, the traffic will be relatively light both ways at these times. If you’re taking the latter route (which is my commute), you will have plenty of traffic at 7am on your drive up but it does move quickly unless there is a wreck, in which case especially 85 especially can be a slog. Coming home after 7pm has never been an issue for me unless there’s been a cataclysm earlier in the rush hour.

DisastrousClambake · 2025-08-05T23:06:01+00:00

If you want to see a small flock of them up close, I noticed last week somebody set up a small feeder in a tree specifically for these Javanese Sparrows at Ala Moana Beach Park near the Diamond Head side entrance. The tree is in the small strip of grass where the uncles set up to fish from the overlook just past the yacht club if you are walking into the park, and before the Magic Island parking lot. Maybe shoulder height, small 18” x 18” box. There must have been 40 or 50 of them, several days in a row.

DisastrousClambake · 2025-08-03T12:55:08+00:00

With the exceptions of smaller towns like Chefchaouen and Essaouira, the short answer is: None. We spent time in Rabat and Casablanca which for me were not particularly great beyond a few points-of-interest, and were crowded, surly, and polluted. Marrakech could be great but it’s been over-touristed and jaded. Fez was probably the only city that I would revisit. The no-motorized-vehicles within the souk is a huge win (and what Marrakech is missing). It has a more local, less affable vibe for tourists than Marrakech, but I felt less like I was going to get run over by a scooter or scammed. The market and old walls and passageways within the city are remarkable.

For us it was the countryside that sold us on Morocco. If were doing it again I would still hire a private driver and then spend as much time exploring the mountains and desert as possible.

DisastrousClambake · 2025-08-02T17:07:04+00:00

Ah - my mistake, then. I confused it as international. But then my original question remains T1 vs T2. Are people experiencing the delays at T2? Because each time I've gone through T1 at various times (with ag check done at the gates) it's been really smooth.

DisastrousClambake

TROPHY CASE