"If I see farther than other men it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants."

Posted by Daddy Bill on Sunday, 29 March 1998, at 10:03 p.m.

I would just like to say thanks to Ackbar, Dr K, Mack and the Grape, Nabi, Geko and the rest of the individuals who have taken the time to post their experiences on TSM. I, for one, have found them to be an addictive source of entertainment as well as a very valuable tool when visiting a new area of the world.

I'm sitting here in my office leafing through the 4 inch stack of Asian trip reports posted to TSM in the past 3 months and I have realized how important it has been to me to have this information when traveling overseas. I never would have seen or done many of the things that I have if not for first hand info like this. As a frequent traveler to SE Asia (I've been there 10 times in the past year) I am more interested in getting information on the areas I've been to than the places I have yet to visit.

No matter how many times I go to Angeles City or Bangkok, somebody always posts something interesting that I missed. I brings to mind a quote from Isaac Newton: "If I see farther than other men it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants." I may have that tattooed on my ass next time I'm in Manila .. well, maybe not, ballpoint pen should be enough.

If more people were to send in reports from the field, we would all be better informed when traveling in these strange but inviting foreign lands. I have had email correspondence with fellow TSMers who have differing opinions or ideas but our unwilling to voice them on TSM because they are "newbies" or "that guy has been there a lot, he must be right". I've been there a lot, in fact I was in Asia a total of 38 weeks last year on business, and I'm still learning every trip. Even if you have an alternate view, post it if it will be informative.

Let's keep those trip reports coming no matter if your looking for nothing but 9's and 10's for a fantasy fulfillment, sweethearts to be your girlfriend, or that special fantasy that involves 3 Thai girls, 10W-30 motor oil, jumper cables and a saddle. Keep in mind that, unlike the rest of the world, we are all together in the trying to "Enjoy the Life" and by sticking together, we'll all have a better time.

For those of you who say "If you've been there so much , where are YOUR trip reports?" it's because I just found TSM. I have every expectation to hop off the bed at 3 AM and, with my little lady sitting in my lap, type up the days report from the hotel room in Bangkok or Angeles or where ever.

DB