ilikeanswers

If you were exchanging AUDs you might think twice 😜. As Americans you're lucky your currency is basically desirable every where so your exchange rates aren't as bad. Unless I am exchanging for USDs, Euros or NZDs I have found converting AUDs to local currency is on average a big loss even for small amounts (two exceptions was NOK and JPY where we got great deals). Now I almost exclusively use ATMs since I get market rates and either no or low fees. With how much I have saved in fees and unfavourable exchanges even if I didn't get reimbursed for a compromised debit card I'd still come out ahead😂.

Reading the original post the OP said after making a report the Chief Security Officer told them that only plumber and cabin steward entered their room and that he would investigate but expected them to deny. It seems to me the Chief Security Officer is making the insinuation that plumber or cabin steward committed the fraud and the OP was just going along with what they were being told.

To be fair there are certain medical conditions that make touch technology very difficult to use. My father use to work with computers so he is fairly technologically adept but his condition means phone screens don't respond to his touch and his voice is unrecognisable by those virtual assistant apps so mobile phones are difficult for him to use and not by choice. I have modified his phone so it is better suited to his condition but unfortunately many apps don't support these modifications. I understand that people like my father are a tiny minority and for a lot of these companies including cruising it would not be profitable to make more disabled friendly apps but I do still find it a bit sad that society doesn't want to carve out a little space for these people☹️.

I don't know if I would describe it as a class system but I do agree there is a gap between the tech literate and illiterate. I heard someone once describe the gap as equivalent to reading writing literacy at the turn of last century. I see it personally with my own parents, the things they miss out on because they cannot understand modern tech on top of which their disabilities make some technologies really difficult to use. In Uruguay they are trying to close the gap with a government funded program to teach seniors how to use tablets. Apparently results have been good with participants able to use many apps they couldn't before.

I personally have always found eating food that I enjoy to be a much more pleasurable experience than eating food that others may like but I am not as fond of. Call me crazy if you like but if the choice is there I would always chose my own taste buds preferences over another person's opinion😜.

I still follow the local tipping customs no matter what is expected/hoped of foreign tourists and when I visited French Polynesia I did what the locals do which was not to tip and no one batted an eye. The prices are already high, they have covered all their costs and factored in profits, not to mention most of the tour companies are family run businesses or sole traders so they are practically owner operated. Tipping in countries where it is not the norm just jacks up prices and can cause discrimination against local patrons. There is really no reason to tip where tipping is not the norm.

My unusual/unpopular opinion: I, would be happy to sail on a no frills ship. I'm not attracted to the resort style amusements of mass market cruises and I'm not too keen on the luxury of small ship cruises. I'm strongly motivated by itinerary so I don't really care too much about ship features. Simple entertainment, usually enrichment activities are enough for me. As long as the cabin is comfortable enough to sleep in, the food edible and there is at least one deck for taking in the views I wouldn't really need anything else.

My first cruise technically was a 5 night yacht trip around the Whitsundays. First actual ship trip was 13 nights around the Marquesas.

On Aranui 3 they had whole deck for smokers, unfortunately for me it was also a deck with really good views 😆. Coincidentally I was just reading another thread where a lot of people were wishing smoking lounges on cruise ships were brought back.

Sweden doesn't seem to means test at all as I remember reading that the guy who created Ikea Ingvar Kamprad was able to collect the Swedish pension despite being a billionaire. Though after he died I also remember Swedes not being to happy about this when they learnt he spent his life avoiding paying Swedish taxes😂. It is debates like these that sometimes make me think maybe a universal basic income isn't such a crazy idea especially when compared to our already screwed up social services. If nothing else it would be a heck of a lot less bureaucratic 😵‍💫 .

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Now I feel a bit naive😳. I always just assumed I could EFT the money if I was in that situation

Last year we did a similar route, did you do the Paperbark walk in Agnes Water? I found it such a lovely surprise. This year we decided to do western QLD. Couldn't get to Birdsville thanks to flooding but did get as far west as Boulia via the Winton Boulia road which I thought lived up to it reputation as beautiful drive though according to the Middleton hotel owner the landscape was greener than he had experienced in years living there. La Nina takes and then gives😂.

Personally I like my viruses to have accurate names😂. If Monkeys are not the reservoir animal makes sense to change the name. Like Spanish Flu (rebranded the 1918 Influenza Pandemic) not being from Spain it is just giving people misinformation.

I wonder if the Aboriginals in the area made as much of a fuss when the name for Little/Fairy penguin was changed from whatever they named the cute aquatic birds? 😏

I think 7 replayed their telemovie about her and on Spotlight tonight they are doing a tribute to her along with 60 min.

If you like British detective shows you may want to check out Acorn TV, it's almost a dedicated streaming service to that genre😂.

To be fair the flight attendants might not have had any cleaning equipment and they are not responsible for supplying the plane with food. Read an interview with a Qantas pilot who said the process of getting all the equipment and supplies onto the planes has become chaotic and ad hoc and is the reason for many delays. One plane he was flying had to wait for 2.5hrs in tarmac because someone had forgotten to send a meal delivery to the plane. Most of the time the flight attendants are forced to make do with what they have.

And the Chinese they love their snails😆. Personally I prefer Chinese snail dishes over French style, really flavourful sauces they like pairing with snail. Lemongrass stuffed snails are also pretty nice.

Sea cucumbers have a bit more elasticity😆. When we were staying in Lanquin Guatemala they would cook chokos as a side to every dish. They knew how to cook chokos😋, they were buttery soft with a delicious spicey coating. Completely overturned my view on the choko.

My grandmother use to cook sea cucumbers. On their own they are pretty much tasteless, their job was just to give something for the delicious sauce to hold on to😆. Though on Masterchef they did have someone who made sea cucumber chips🤯. Deep fried the crap out of them and they become like bubbly crackling.

I have eaten conch (deep fried, sauted and ceviched) which is a giant sea snail😆, personally I would pair it with Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc Semilion😋

It sounds like a mole negro in a pie🤷‍♀️minus the chillis, though he did say it was peppery so perhaps they substituted the spice.

We have Fruit Fly Exclusion zones that work in the same way, any fruit from outside the zone has to be dumped or eaten. They usually have bins on the side of the road just before you enter the zone and sometimes you will see people trying to chow down on what they have left😂. I often wonder if they are as diligent about the food in their own fridges🤪.

Last weekend had pies and lamingtons😆. Tried something called a pana cotta lamington, it had a really nice creamy custardy sponge. For the pies we had chicken, cheese and onion plus two wagyus one was cottage pie style. It has been a long time since I had a cottage pie, tasted great, yummy potato😋.