The Travel Topic

[cornutt]

Road trip!  We're about to head out to a comp in Tunica, Mississippi.  A group of us from our studio have rented a van and we're riding together.  It's a paaaaaarty!   

[QPO]

have done a bit of travel in our own country this year...Victoria and Canberra, such vast distances if we were in Europe we would have crossed many different countries...

Oh yeah, totally hear you there, I'm from Canada, we are past vast.  The distance we travel for lessons would be cross-country for many people.

Well my Aussie friend we have to remember that it just makes us both a tougher people, or should I say patient, um, tolerant.

yes that certainly does. 

[MusicChica]

Road trip!  We're about to head out to a comp in Tunica, Mississippi.  A group of us from our studio have rented a van and we're riding together.  It's a paaaaaarty!   

Oh my Lord...I can just imagine what THAT'S going to be like!  Report back, please!

[elisedance]

Road trip!  We're about to head out to a comp in Tunica, Mississippi.  A group of us from our studio have rented a van and we're riding together.  It's a paaaaaarty!   

Oh my Lord...I can just imagine what THAT'S going to be like!  Report back, please!

Someone needs to take a video.... and pictures to post here

[MusicChica]

Seriously!

[SwingWaltz]

At the end of the year, we're going to do a road trip to New South Wales and Queensland for some summer sun and beach, and along the way we'll visit some dance competitions and compete in them. 

[elisedance]

sounds like the dream vacation.... can we come

[cornutt]

Back from Tunica!  Sorry I've been offline the past two days, but the hotel had no Internet.  What kind of hotel doesn't have any Internet these days?     Anyway, we had great fun.  We had a convoy of three vehicles.  My instructor Mendy rented a van and there were six of us riding in that; another student drove her SUV and several people rode with her, plus we stuck her with most of the luggage.     And then we had two other couples following in another car. 

I've never been to Tunica before, and I wasn't sure what I was expecting.  For those who don't know, Tunica is a sort of regional phenomonen.  It's a town in northwest Mississippi, a bit south of Memphis.  Up until the 1980s, it was a small farming town on the river, but then they legalized casino gambling.  And now it's the gambling capital of the South.  I was wondering if it would be something like the Vegas Strip, but it isn't at all.  The casinos are spread out around the edge of town, with corn and soybean fields separating them -- it's a bit surreal. 

Anyway, we got in Friday afternoon, and several of us went to the ballroom to help the organizers take care of a few tasks, like putting together the gift bags.  They had four ballrooms with moveable dividers, and apparently there was nothing else going on this week because they let the comp have all four, plus the shoe vendors were allowed to set up in the dinner theatre.  We partially closed off one of the four ballrooms and made that the dinner area; the dance floor took up most of two rooms, and then we had competitor tables at one end and spectator tables at the other.

The hotel had four restraunts: a fast-food place, a barbeque place, the usual casino buffet, and a nice restraunt.  Friday night, a bunch of us ate in the nice place, while some of the younger ones opted for the buffet.  The restraunt gave us a private room and we had a nice dinner and told a bunch of stories, some of them at least partially true. 

The comp went all day Saturday.  My DW and I had taken along a small bar-pack, so we mixed drinks for several of our friends before the pro show.  After the show ended, a bunch of people were tired and went back to their rooms.  My DW and I went to the hot tub for a while before we went to bed.  One of the couples we were with went to the casino and won about $1000 playing blackjack. 

We all had been given $20 promo cards for the casino, so we played ours this morning.  Took about 20 minutes to go through that on the slots.     That's why I don't usually play slots.  I'm not much into gambling; about the only thing I ever play is blackjack, but this morning my head was too fuzzy for that.  Had a big breakfast at the buffet, and then we piled in the van for the drive back.  We talked and joked all the way.

It was great fun.  We met some new people from the northern Mississippi ballroom community, which has gone through some big changes in the past year.  And the comp was quite reasonable.  We'll probably do it again next year. 

[SwingWaltz]

sounds like the dream vacation.... can we come

It is a dream vacation! After 4 years of Uni....I need one!
Sure you can come! 

[Lioness]

I found the topic!

Right, well. Monday our family are heading off to a little place called Tumby Bay, on the Eyre Peninsula. It's a 7 hour drive, part of which I get to do. We're going with my boyfriend's family, and another 2 families who I don't know. We're staying just around the corner from BF's staying-place, so I'll probably spend more time there than I will at my place. That and long walks along the beach, or something. I come back on saturday with BF's family, because the rest of my family is going to my grandparents' house. 7 hour drive with BF to snuggle! Yay!

[elisedance]

Lovely.  Long walks on the beach... sigh....

[QPO]

V has been busy planning our trip to Europe...we are off at the end of June next year and will be away for just under four weeks, will spend two weeks in Italy with the grandchildren.  Must brush up on my Italian

[SwingWaltz]

V has been busy planning our trip to Europe...we are off at the end of June next year and will be away for just under four weeks, will spend two weeks in Italy with the grandchildren.  Must brush up on my Italian

What about Canberra?

[elisedance]

canberra, europe, canberra, italy, canberra, mediteranean, ..., italian wine, ...., grandchildren, ...

wonder what happened to canberra...

[QPO]

V has been busy planning our trip to Europe...we are off at the end of June next year and will be away for just under four weeks, will spend two weeks in Italy with the grandchildren.  Must brush up on my Italian

What about Canberra?

no Canberra next year...will do every other year perhaps...but we want to see V's son and grandchildren also, otherwise they will be all grown up and not know their grandparents