aifactors

My wife and I would like to do a three day horse trek towards the end of September when we're in Kyrgyzstan. I read mixed reviews regarding this period for the Song Kul lake horse trek. Some say it is already freezing and yurts are unavailable, while some (big) tour agencies I just spoke to say it's fine and they run until October. Should we be worried or is it still fine to go?

And I also see lower prices for bigger groups, do we need to arrange groups ourselves or can we just sign up with 2 persons for bigger groups? What's the best way to approach this?

Before booking my trip to Uzbekistan, I had high hopes for smooth travel within the country, from Khiva to Tashkent. Everyone praises the great high speed train connection. How is it that booking those tickets is impossible? I woke up atleast 6 times very early (due to timezones) to book the trains I need and I did not even manage once despite trying it. Either none of the trains went for sale (so many conflicting reports regarding 45 or 60 days; whether it's 00.00 local time or 10.00 or even later), or only a few did and the others never went on sale (they were most certainly not sold fully within a second while the others did go live).

I'm now forced to take slow trains at inconvenient ti

Hi, I have an important and urgent business trip coming up. I applied for ESTA two months before but it took three weeks for me ESTA to return as Travel Not Authorized. I was quite surprised as I'm confident I meet all criteria, have a valid passport, no typos, etc. Anyway, I submitted a Redress Inquiry to DHS but that will take too long probably.

So I applied for Visa process as it's the only alternative and got an expedited appointment. Showed up at the interview and everything went well. But at the end he said: despite seeing no issues with your application, I need to run administrative processing to check if there's anything regarding your ESTA. He also wanted the DS-5355 form. I submi

Want to buy a Snowflake as I'm approaching my final week in Japan. Just wanted to check if it's worth trying to negotiate with GS or whether it's considered inappropriate in Japan? Or is it possible to get something extra like a leather strap? I know it's possible to get a 5% tourist discount coupon on top of the 10% tax refund at some department stores (e.g. Mitsukoshi) where they sell new Grand Seikos, so it feels like buying it from GS in Ginza is more for the experience as opposed to getting the best deal?

Anyone wants to hang out?

I am looking to actively pick up my passion for piano again and want to learn consistently. I took classes for a few years when I was younger and over the years I have learned some songs in the level of Chopin Nocturne 20 or Turkish March.

I would like to properly learn how to play it and read sheet music (other than recognizing the notes). I am pretty good at self studies so I would like to study a bit myself before I go back to taking classes.

Are there any good books for adults that I can follow and learn myself? Ideally it would be a series that guides me through a programme or certain grades. There's so much out there so I have no clue where to start.

Hi all, after testing several pianos within my budget, I have decided to go for a new Kawai K300 ATX4 as I just loved the sound and I can get a good deal for a brand new one with a fantastic silent system.

One thing that I am still not sure about is the heavier keys. I'm used to playing on digital pianos for the past fifteen years which have much lighter keys. While testing some other models like the Yamaha U1, I noticed that the keys were a little lighter. The Kawai K300 keys definitely felt a bit heavier while playing.

I am not sure to what extent it's possible to adapt to heavier keys? Will my fingers' strength increase as I play more or will the keys become lighter as the piano ages? W

Hi all,

After 15 years of playing on a digital piano, I would finally like to buy myself an acoustic piano. My budget is around EUR 6k (in the Netherlands).

I was exploring several options but I really liked the Yamaha U1 series. It seems that my budget can afford a revised version that's built around 1980 including a silent system. I can also get a slightly newer one without a silent system. Alternatively, I would also be open for a youngster/new one from a quality brand like Kawai (e.g. K200) but I'm not sure if it's better than a ~40yrs old revised Yamaha U1?

Because I never had an acoustic piano, I am not sure if the study pedal mutes the sound enough to practice without bothering oth

Hi, I was very excited when EasyJet announced a direct flight between Amsterdam and Prishtina. While some press releases from half a year ago mention "winter season", I bought tickets for the May period last week. Unfortunately, ticket prices were increased by more than 5 times this week and today it is not even possible to book anything between April and September. It makes me worried that they will indeed not fly to Prishtina from Amsterdam from April onwards.

Does anyone have any experiences with this? It is my first time flying with EasyJet and I'm worried that they'll just cancel my flight a week before and I end up booking with another agency for a much higher price.

Hi, ik heb een vraag over het verven van raamkozijnen. Mijn nieuwbouwwoning is zojuist opgeleverd en de houten raamkozijnen zijn in een kleur gelakt die ik niet mooi vind. Graag zou ik ze in een andere kleur hebben.

Op internet lees ik veel over het verwijderen van de lak en het aanbrengen van grondverf. Echter, omdat ze net gelakt en nieuw zijn vroeg ik me af of het ook mogelijk is om te ontvetten, licht opschuren en primeren? Of is het nodig om alle lak eraf te schrapen en weer grondverf aan te brengen? Gaat om het aanpassen van Groen naar Wit RAL 9010.

Hoi, ik wil graag een pvc buis van 40mm in een gewapend betonnen muur wegwerken. Mijn idee was om te frezen. Echter, omdat dit een gewapend betonnen muur is ben ik bang dat ik heel diep moet frezen om ook het staal door te snijden die ik onderweg tegenkom. Hoe kan ik hier het beste mee omgaan?

Hoi, we zijn voornemens om een nieuwe boxspring (180x200) aan te schaffen. Uit de consumentenbond review blijkt Auping Original het beste uit de test te komen in 2024. Echter, wij kwamen een Serta boxspring tegen (Jubileum actie) die ons ook enorm aansprak. We zijn echter minder bekend met Serta, alhoewel de aanbieding deze maand erg scherp geprijst is. Daarnaast is het ook iets esthetischer dan een Auping. Vandaar dat ik benieuwd ben of iemand goede/slechte ervaringen met Serta heeft en of er eventueel andere interessante alternatieven zijn in het €3500 segment?

Afgelopen weekenden bij een aantal sanitair zaken langsgeweest voor een nieuwe badkamer. Vanuit Wooning, Sanidirect en Grando wordt mij Ben Sanitair geadviseerd. Echter, kom er net achter dat die drie onderdeel zijn van Mandemakers maar dus ook Ben. Het is geen goedkoop merk en het wordt als een A-merk verkocht, maar ik kan dat niet zo goed inschatten en online is er weinig over te vinden. Vandaar mijn vraag: iemand positieve/negatieve ervaringen met dit sanitair merk?