BS: travelling - Mexico or Australia?

Subject: BS: travelling
From: *Laura*
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 01:27 PM

You've had the Mexico thread... you've had the Australia one.
Now's the decision thread.
I don't have the time or money to go to both (mainly the money) so it's crunch time.
What do I do!?
Pros and cons of Mexico and Australia.....?
I don't know if anyone will be able to help me but it's worth a shot!
xLx

Subject: RE: BS: travelling
From: kendall
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 02:12 PM

Mexico is the number one rated country for abductions of American tourists. In Australia, at least they speak the same language,(sort of)

Subject: RE: BS: travelling
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 02:40 PM

No contest..."Thraw anather shrimp on the baarbie"

Subject: RE: BS: travelling
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 02:57 PM

I've never been to Oz and we have a lot of great 'Catters there. Plus, I love sailing and Vegemite! (:<)) But I'll tell ya' this....I've been to Mexico three times and the thing that always interested me most was leaving.

Just my opinion...........

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: travelling
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 03:02 PM

Australia holds most if not all of the world's top ten most poisonous critters...

Not an opinion, just stating a fact.....

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: travelling
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 03:06 PM

Best decide on the weather patterns, since they're on opposite seasons except I think Mexico is generally hotter all year round.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: travelling
From: GUEST,maryrrf
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 03:36 PM

Mexico is beautiful and I love it! A rich and diverse culture, beautiful scenery and architecture. Fascinating ruins of ancient cities and temples. Wonderful (spicy) food! I used to travel there a lot for work during the 90's. But even then it was getting dangerous, especially Mexico City. Right now things are politically tense due to the disputed election. You'd probably be fine, but one thing that made me uneasy in Mexico was the general consensus that, if anything did happen, the police weren't going to be much help. A co-worker was robbed of an expensive watch (which he shouldn't have been wearing, but he was careless) at an elegant cafe in a nice area of Mexico City. His Mexican colleages advised him not to call the police. "They'll just take whatever you have left".   It really depends on where you're going in Mexico. Mexico City has a lot to offer culturally but personally I'd avoid it due to the crime, congestion and pollution problems.

I don't know about Australia - never been there.

Subject: RE: BS: travelling
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 07:45 PM

Now I've never visited Oz, but I have had many Aussie friends and acquaintances over the last 65 years, and a nicer bunch you couldn't hope to meet, providing you lock up your fridge and larder.

Since you are talking about visiting them, you don't even have that minor downside to worry about.

I'd say go to Oz

Don T.

Subject: RE: BS: travelling - Mexico or Australia?
From: alison
Date: 20 Jul 06 - 03:45 AM

Hi Laura,

speaking as someone who lives in Oz (again)....I reckon it depends on how much time you have.

Australia is a huge country and it takes a long time to travel around unless you're willing to fly everywhere (costly!!). That's OK if you don't mind taking your time and driving long distances (however our petrol prices have just jumped again to the highest I've known here yet - something to consider if you intend to drive - everywhere is a long way away and so lots of money will be spent on petrol).....

but if you're pushed for time and Mexico is smaller to get around......

also if you're into your ancient temples etc...... Oz doesn't have much, Mexico does..... coming from Ireland and being someone who loves poking around in old ruins (shut up 'Spaw) I still get a kick out of it when Ozzies tell me "this building is really old its almost 200!!"

beasties - yep we have heaps... but you don't see many of them. I've been here 15 years, and only seen 2 snakes in the wild, no funnel webs spiders, or red backs, or sharks, ........

personally I'd love to see Mexico, (but then I'm into ancient sites.)

Australia is great but its a long way to come if you don't have the time to spend checking it out properly.

do your sums, see what time / money you have, both countries would be wonderful.

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: BS: travelling - Mexico or Australia?
From: Little Robyn
Date: 20 Jul 06 - 07:23 AM

Choose Oz - then you could just pop over and come here for a few days!! NZ is a great little place, scenery wise, and there are some really good festivals and folk clubs if you time it right.
Robyn

Subject: RE: BS: travelling - Mexico or Australia?
From: kendall
Date: 20 Jul 06 - 07:44 AM

One thing that OZ has that Mexico doesn't is ALISON!

Subject: RE: BS: travelling - Mexico or Australia?
From: leeneia
Date: 20 Jul 06 - 09:12 AM

40,000 children starve to death in Mexico every year. I'm not using my vacation money to support an establishment like that.

Subject: RE: BS: travelling - Mexico or Australia?
From: GUEST,maryrrf
Date: 20 Jul 06 - 10:26 AM

Where did you get the figure of 40,000 children starving to death in Mexico every year?

Subject: RE: BS: travelling - Mexico or Australia?
From: SINSULL
Date: 20 Jul 06 - 10:30 AM

I have been to both. Do not pass up an opportunity to see Australia. An amazing country filled with amazing people and weird animals.
Watch out for the kangaroos though they attack like cats - hold you with their front feet and scratch with the rear ones. I found out the hard way.

Subject: RE: BS: travelling - Mexico or Australia?
From: hilda fish
Date: 21 Jul 06 - 01:41 AM

My daughter went to Mexico with her gal pals - told lots of things were dangerous but ended up being helped from village to village as they (idiots) had no money but were good horsewomen so they helped get horses across mountains, her being leading rider and other horses following. She's tall blonde gregarious and up for anything and had no trouble at all. The village 'aunties' were great and the small dark men fitted neatly under her armpits. Mornings at ruins and nights by lakes and met lots of wonderful people, great sign language conversations and was fed well if a little differently. Australia is where she comes from and is part of the oldest known living culture; she is Indigenous, and knows many of our sites some over 70,000 years old. Kakadu and Palm Valley up north, Mungo National Park which was an inland sea 15,000 years ago (kombi went by with sufboard on top and bunch of Brit packpackers and were told they were 15,000 years too late!) Rock carvings and other ancient sites only an hour out of Sydney north or south, you choose, great Sydney harbour, Darwin has a glorious diversity of cultures that play out most nights on the beach markets, Broome where some of the greatest contemporary music both Indigenous and non-Indigenous comes through a mixture of Chinese/Aboriginal and Lord McAlpins money. The Kimberleys, Stone Country, Monkey Mia feeding and swimming with the dolphins, Perth and Fremantle where you can eat fish and chips on the wharves fish just brought in by the Italian fishermen who came as migrants so many years ago and where the women got together with Kavisha to remember their old songs which became the voices of the women (who saw that in Australia? wasn't it great?). I could go on and on. There is lots of travelling which becomes very meditative and wonderful in itself but my country is a wonderful country and more than happy to share any part of it with visitors. We are so far away from everywhere that if the opportunity exists - well then take it. Not to speak against Mexico which I have never been to but love because the people were so very good to my daughter and her friends and that in itself is a recommendation for the place. Question, how far away is Mexico? How far away is Australia? Want is it that you want to experience from each of them. How many people do you know in either place (matters). Make the list. Which is the longest?

Subject: RE: BS: travelling - Mexico or Australia?
From: Skipjack K8
Date: 21 Jul 06 - 02:52 AM

Laura, if you go with the consensus, make sure you take in Byron Bay, Australia's most eastern point, at the northen end of New South Wales. Heaven on earth.

Subject: RE: BS: travelling - Mexico or Australia?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 21 Jul 06 - 08:19 AM

of course, if you come to Sydney, JennyO will take the opportunity to throw a party!