From the Editor: The best from myWanderlust this week

A week before Christmas and myWanderlust is hitting all the right notes

From the Editor

16 December 2011

Things got a little tense in Wanderlust Towers this week. Our award-winning designer Graham put on an Elvis Christmas CD and Danny, our Finance and Operations Director Danny took exception. Not a big Elvis fan at the best of times, the sound of The King crooning Blue Christmas pushed poor Danny over the edge. In the end a compromise was reached. Graham put on a compilation CD of Christmas songs he’d made. And Danny got to sing along with Do They Know It’s Christmas Time. Again.

Sadly, my suggestion of putting on Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End) by The Darkness was ignored. But it just goes to show how passionately people feel about music. Especially at Christmas.

I was reminded of that passion again when I read hmoat 01’s Forum post about Desert Island Discs. She’s taking part in Radio Four’s drive for listening to nominate their Desert Island Disc and wanted to know what song soundtracked other myWanderlusters’ travels. I think we need to get in touch with Kirsty Young because there’s a banging soundtrack to be compiled from the responses she got. If you haven’t nominated a song you can do it here. If we get enough I’ll put together a Spotify playlist and post it on the Wanderlust Facebook page.

ColinO’s love of music, and in particular, The Black Crowes, saw him jetting off to the States to catch a show in their farewell tour, ‘Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys.’ ColinO has started recounting the journey in experiences. We’re not at the gig yet but we’ve learned that Colin has an impressive collection of vintage rock t-shirts and has hair that Virgin stewardesses would die for. And that if you’re looking for girls riding bucking broncos in Mrs Claus outfits next time you’re in LA, head for the Chop Shop on Sunset Boulevarde. I can’t wait for Colin’s next installment to see what happens next.

A big welcome this week to atimeandaplace.She has dotted myWanderlust with a raft of experiences (from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji) and posted a gallery of photos from her travels.

Nice to have you on board!

Elsewhere on experiences, DavidRoss recounts the first time he flew, age 26, on a cheap flight to Greece. JohnnyLawlor gives us a breathless (literally) account of hiking the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek. And Darad plays a game of street football in Cairo and learns that ‘Football Brings Us Together’. And that he really needs to sharpen his shooting skills. Just ask the Cleric he smacked in the face with a ball.

The forum this week is littered with pleas for help. Emmaroe1983 is off to Iceland and wants some ideas on keeping her and her partner amused for 5-7 days. Murrdj wants the inside scoop on Berlin. And our very own Daisy Cropper is heading off to Tallinn for a chilled New Year’s break. (I don’t think she really needs advice. I think she posted just to taunt those of us stuck in the office over the Festive break.) Help each and every one of them if you can here.

To paraphrase Buster Poindexter, or Alphonsus Celestine Edmund Cassell if you’re a purist, things are getting Hot, Hot, Hot over at just back from this week. Calamine2808 just spent two weeks in Egypt and recommends visiting NOW. She had all the major sites to herself but suggests avoiding Hurghada. It’s just one big building site. Harry James, meanwhile, got all Don Johnson down in Miami. Ocean Drive left him cold, but he heartily recommends Downtown Miami and the Bayside. Just make sure you pre-book your accommodation if you’re there on a weekend.

Hideo is just back from his honeymoon in Antigua and Barbuda (congratulations from all at myWanderlust, BTW). He says it is the perfect honeymoon destination, even if Antigua immigration control is super slow. Other than that it was the most relaxing, friendly and stress-free holiday he’d had in a long time.

We ran a mini-photo competition last week so the photography section is awash with festive photos. Way too many great photos to highlight so just pop over to the galleries and poke around. While you’re there, you might want to check out anneveronica’s pics from South Africa and nanny’s photos from Australia and New Zealand. Stevestravels’ images from Cameroon are worth checking out as well.