Is a Taxpayer-Funded Adventure to Aruba Worth It?

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Discussion Overview

The thread discusses a taxpayer-funded trip to Aruba, focusing on the experiences and activities planned by the participants, including leisure, reading materials, and cultural observations. The conversation includes personal anecdotes and humorous exchanges related to the trip.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant humorously notes their upcoming trip to Aruba and mentions their intention to investigate beach chairs while bringing books on quantum mechanics (QM) and quantum field theory (QFT).
  • Several participants express jealousy or well-wishes regarding the trip, with one commenting on the appeal of the beach environment.
  • Discussions arise about the local language, Papiamento, and its relation to Spanish and Portuguese, with some participants sharing their limited knowledge of the language.
  • One participant describes the "kuku kanuku" party bus experience, contrasting it with their own more favorable memories of the event.
  • A participant shares their experience of enjoying beach chairs in Aruba and expresses satisfaction with a QFT book they read during their trip.
  • There are humorous exchanges about the attire of women in Aruba and playful banter about cabana boys.
  • Another participant mentions plans to visit Rio next year, prompting discussions about local customs and attire.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share a light-hearted tone and express enjoyment regarding the trip to Aruba, but there are varying opinions on the "kuku kanuku" experience and the appropriateness of certain activities. No consensus is reached on the desirability of the party bus.

Contextual Notes

Some statements rely on personal experiences and subjective interpretations, which may not be universally applicable. The discussion includes humor and informal language, reflecting a casual exchange rather than a formal analysis.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in travel experiences, cultural observations, or light-hearted discussions about vacation activities may find this thread engaging.

Jimmy Snyder
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Some people go to Aruba while others have Aruba thrust upon them. Whatever that means. Saturday morning I am off to Aruba for a two week taxpayer funded all-expenses paid tour of One Happy Island. Check out the scratch marks on the airport tarmac made by my fingernails as they dragged me back onto the airplane last year. This time I will investigate the sturdiness of beach chairs. I am bringing some books with me, one on QM, two on QFT, and a novel "Dune Messiah". I hope to meet you there. If not, please keep the snow off the sidewalks for me while I'm gone.
 
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Cooku-Canooko (or however it's spelled)
 
Hmm sunny beaches, cabana boys, drinks with umbrellas, coconut smelling suntan oils, beach chairs! Sounds like I may be a bit jealous. Hope you have a wonderful trip.
 
Cool, what QFT books are you bringing?
 
FredGarvin said:
Cooku-Canooko (or however it's spelled)
The locals speak a creole called Papiamento. I have never taken it upon myself to learn any of it except Bom Dia meaning good day. If you speak Spanish or Portuguese then you should be ok for most things since those are two languages in the creole. I have no idea what you said.
 
what said:
Cool, what QFT books are you bringing?
A Primer of QM by Marvin Chester.
QFT by Franz Mandl and Graham Shaw
A Pedestrian Approach to QFT by Edward Grant Harris
 
hypatia said:
Hmm sunny beaches, cabana boys, drinks with umbrellas, coconut smelling suntan oils, beach chairs! Sounds like I may be a bit jealous. Hope you have a wonderful trip.
I'll concentrate on the young ladies wearing bikinis that violate the laws of physics. You can have the cabana boys.
 
Have fun, Jimmy! I just spent 2 hours moving white stuff (no, not coke) and I could stand some beach-time.
 
kuku kanuku?
 
  • #10
Gokul43201 said:
kuku kanuku?
That's the name of a party bus. As I understand it, you pay $googolplex to get on the bus in the early evening. They serve you inedible food and watered down water and there's a DJ who encourages the guests to play-act lewd sequences. I'll pass. But the phrase must mean something. Perhaps it's Papiamento for 'you pay ... sequences'.
 
  • #11
I thought for a second you were tied up with a french letter, have a nice time jimmy.
 
  • #12
wolram said:
I thought for a second you were tied up with a french letter, have a nice time jimmy.
:smile: That took a while. First I had to google french letter and then I had to think "what does he mean". I had in mind an Abbot and Costello movie "Road to Morocco" where they sing "Just like Webster's dictionary, we're Morocco bound."
 
  • #13
jimmysnyder said:
That's the name of a party bus. As I understand it, you pay $googolplex to get on the bus in the early evening. They serve you inedible food and watered down water and there's a DJ who encourages the guests to play-act lewd sequences. I'll pass. But the phrase must mean something. Perhaps it's Papiamento for 'you pay ... sequences'.
It wasn't quite that bad when we did it. It is, essentially, a sanctioned bar crawl with a "decent" meal at the beginning and provided transportation. Granted, I got tired of the having to act like a party idiot while on the bus so everyone could see how much of a good time you were having. It was a good way to see some bars that we wouldn't have found other wise. I could think of worse ways to spend a few hours at night.
 
  • #14
jimmysnyder said:
I'll concentrate on the young ladies wearing bikinis that violate the laws of physics. You can have the cabana boys.

Oh thank you, I've always wanted a cabana boy !
 
  • #15
I got to Aruba in the middle of a warm snap. I like 82 degree weather, but unfortunately, it was 83. Balmy-force winds made it feel like 82[itex]\frac{1}{2}[/itex] so it wasn't all that bad. I submitted my official report which I repeat here in full: The beach chairs were good. I brought a library copy of Mandl and Shaw with me and I liked it so much, I bought a copy from Amazon this morning. Although I have been going to Aruba every year for the past 4, next year I plan to go to Rio.
 
  • #16
You are a mean person jimmy. :devil:

That's ok, I like sub freezing temperatures.
 
  • #17
jimmysnyder said:
I got to Aruba in the middle of a warm snap. I like 82 degree weather, but unfortunately, it was 83. Balmy-force winds made it feel like 82[itex]\frac{1}{2}[/itex] so it wasn't all that bad. I submitted my official report which I repeat here in full: The beach chairs were good. I brought a library copy of Mandl and Shaw with me and I liked it so much, I bought a copy from Amazon this morning. Although I have been going to Aruba every year for the past 4, next year I plan to go to Rio.
Ah, Rio! Are the ladies still favoring dental-floss thong bikinis there, or are you just going for the healthful waters?
 
  • #18
Welcome home, glad you had a safe trip.
 
  • #19
turbo-1 said:
Ah, Rio! Are the ladies still favoring dental-floss thong bikinis there, or are you just going for the healthful waters?
Doctor's orders. He said I need a week of quiet rest and relaxation.
 

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