Ed

I've been wondering the same thing. I'd assumed he was off having an adventure, but it has been a while. Could we have offended him? Nah, don't think that's possible.

Ed's last post was around 9/12/14 on "Be nice, and the forum will be a nice place". He has not participated since.

{ADDITION 11/21/2014 . . .
. . . According to Posts Ed Has Participated In, his last post on the public forum was on 09/14/2014 under the thread I mentioned in my initial post. As far as PM's he posted since, it very well could be he posted in October.}

I think he's been traveling.
Actually he posted in October.

Norma, I had been wondering the same thing. I hope he's been traveling, and nothing is wrong. He has posted from the road during some of his past trips. I'm a little concerned.

Wow, people's thoughts must be going out into the universe. I had the exact same thought (and concerns) yesterday but hesitated to post on here. Glad someone else did and I hope we hear something.

Miss you Ed.

Ed mentioned he was planning a trip to North Korea. If that's the case, then there is no internet available.

Ed, we miss you! Come back to us and tell us about your new adventures. I only know 1 person who has been to N.Korea and that was about 14 years ago, though I doubt if much has changed there since then.

Count me as another one that has been wondering where he was.

Me too-and me too.

WOW, what a coincidence! I've also been wondering where Ed has been the last few weeks, and was thinking of posting an enquiry note on the Forum. I've also missed his succinct and usually entertaining posts.

Hopefully he's not in North Korea. I can't imagine a worse place on the face of the earth to travel.

Norma very considerate (if I express well) of you. Ed, want to hear something from you too!

I wrote to him personally a few days ago to check on him and haven't had a reply. ;-(

So if we see news about a man in a Speedo parachuting into North Korea...

Yes, he has been missing for a while. I find Ed and Nigel to be the frank humorous male voices of the forum. Be nice to have the other half back! Hope all is well. Probably just traveling to some exotic location.

North Korea is currently closed to all tourists due the the Ebola situation.

Norma, thank you for posting this... I'm worried too. I think Frank Ii's post is the most likely explanation, and he may have gotten there before the Ebola situation. I sure hope he's ok...

he may have gotten there before the Ebola situation.

The ban has been in effect for a month and most tours don't last more than two weeks at the most. I was in NK back in January so I'm still on the tour company email lists. The info I'm getting is that there are currently zero tourists in the country.

Yeah, but this is ED. He can slip under any radar.

I also had messaged him on 10 Nov. with no answer yet.

Well, lets just all hope that all is well and he's just incognito for the time being.

Let us know if you hear from him. Now I am worried, but sure he will have great stories to share when he is back.

Perhaps he made a HALO jump into North Korea on a secret mission? In that case, he wouldn't have to worry about the country being closed due to the Ebola situation. He may be having a drink with Dennis Rodman and Kim at the moment.

Wherever he is, I hope he's okay.

I have been really busy and not on the site much lately but also noticed he was mia when I have had a few minutes... I also got on the site today to see if he has surfaced and was going to message him. If anyone offended him he would have said so! Something else going on. It's kind of bizarre that we all sort of know each other (a few personally) but do not know how to really find out if someone is okay... without last names it just leaves you wondering. Hope he shows up soon,

I've been missing Ed too. There's a recent thread on "Walking Across England" where I was sure he'd have some good advice and choice words for others' bad advice (including mine). There's no other poster I enjoy reading so much (which is saying a lot). Hopefully he'll turn up soon!

Webmaster, find Ed!

Uh-oh, where is he? Hmmmmmm maybe the NSA could help by tracking his cell phone.

I too miss his whimsical comments. The last comment I find from him is under Beyond Europe, Any Thought On Argentina, 1011/14. Ed, please phone home, you are missed!

Come to think of it, I've missed his delightfully acerbic posts, too. Hopefully he'll have a good story for us, soon.

There's at least one poster on this thread that I believe has Ed's email address and if he's not responding it worries me.

Yes, Susan, I agree. If he's not answering emails, that's bad. Actually, I can think of two who have his email address.

I had it but cannot find it at the moment. It may be on another computer. Will look for it.

Regular contributors: check in at least once a month. Otherwise, the rest of us will worry. If you are having a good time, say so!

Good point Swan! I'm here...I'm having fun...but worried like all of you about the missing Ed.

Okay, BUMP! It's December 1, so has anyone gotten an email from Ed, or Bets, are you absolutely sure he's traveling (and just out of touch)?

nope, not a peep

Really strange... anyone know his last name? Or friends with him on facebook? Some of us have other ways of contacting people on this site...

Got a pm. They're out and about enjoying life. If he knows about this thread, he doesn't mention it. Others will probably get messages too. Or a post.

I got a message from him too. Relief can now set in.

Three cheers for Ed, I say.

He's fine.

Maybe there could be a Forum registration program like STEP, whereby posters could indicate they are safe and in travel status. Much angst could be eliminated with this new program.

Well, for goodness sake, we've been worried! What, there's no WiFi or cyber cafe around? Here we are sitting up all night, wondering if he's been crushed by an elephant or thrown in a North Korean work camp.

What???? He is out living his life and ignoring us:)
Nice to know all is well!

Also, the possibility that Ed just got tired of the questions and everyone on this site.

Frank, Ed would never be tired of answering questions. He will probably get a kick out of how many of us were worried about him.

Awesome! (And happy to post after Jesse, a fellow Tulsan!)

I kept checking here each time it appeared to be updated. Glad to hear he is well.

I agree with all of you that Ed has been an interesting contributor to the forum., I also understand that many wonder what has happened to him, where he is and so forth,
However, if he is still paying any attention to this forum, wouldn't it be kind and thoughtful of him to relieve the concerns and simply announce his safety?
Because he is (was) a frequent poster, does that make him someone special?
Do those of us who post here from time to time actually keep track of all the others?
Are some of the posters seemingly more important, more valued than others?
I am sure that all of us want to keep this, as it always has been, a completely open forum.

@Joan

Because Ed is the world's most interesting man.

Joan , Ed is someone special , if for no other reason than his infectious enthusiasm . I lurked around here for some years before ever posting a response . People like Ed , Ken , Nigel , Bets , Lee , Lola , Pam , Jo and too many others to mention ( I hope not to offend anyone ) taught me a great deal about travel . As a communal effort ,this place is invaluable for improving ones outlook on the world that surrounds us . Ed's posts have a style of their own , and even in the impersonal world of the internet ,where there is not the direct connection of personal interaction , they , like many others who post here add something of value to day to day life . I don't agree with everything that Ed writes , but his posts are straightforward , and to say the least , a breath of fresh air .

Just because concern is shown for an individual doesn't interfere with this being an "open forum."

Some people who have been on this forum for a long period of time have developed friendships with others. Some of those friendships are confined to PM's or possibly emails. Others involve actually meeting and interacting with others. That doesn't mean that everyone here isn't important. But when a forum 'friend' goes missing, there's nothing wrong with hoping that person is okay.

I'm happy to hear that Ed is off having a good time.

I thank you all for your remarks about my comments. However, my foremost question remains. If Ed is still in contact with this forum, why doesn't he tell us where he is, how he is, what's the problem with his silence and so on and on.
I think that some consideration for others would not be amiss in this situation. People have expressed worry and concern about an individual who seemingly does not take a minute or two to respond to those concerns.
Sorry if that's offensive to anyone..

Joan, yes, of course, to all of your questions. And don't take yourself too seriously.

@Joan,

" If Ed is still in contact with this forum, why doesn't he tell us where he is, how he is, what's the problem with his silence and so on and on."

There are numerous possible reasons why Ed may not be posting right now. Perhaps he's travelling in an area with no internet, perhaps he's busy and doesn't have the time or the interest to post right now.

I'm sure he'll return when the time is right.

Well, JG, do I detect just the tiniest bit of envy in your post? You won't have a popularity problem, never fear, especially since you have labelled the women on this thread "mares". Your post takes the prize for "most sour of the month".

Everyone is free to believe as much or as little of the Ed legend as they wish, but he consistently gives (or gave) good advice.
If he chooses to return or stay away is up to him, but I do hope he has not joined Fodor's Robespierre in the travel forum Pantheon.

(Adding, since some people seem to have misinterpreted the above: A frequent contributor to Fodor's using the screen name Robespierre had achieved near-legendary status on the Fodors forum a few years ago for his depth of knowledge, seemingly drawn from experience, along with enteraining and sometimes caustic comments. Suddenly, he quit contributing. Months later a fellow contributor and friend reported that their Robespierre had died. That created such a stir among the Fodorite faithful that The New York Times reported it and the story was picked up by other media. Thankfully, that does not appear to be the case with Ed.)

I understood your Robespierre reference perfectly. I used to consider him my travel guru.

Wait-has anybody ever seen Ed and Kent in the same room? Different styles, but both full of great info. Alter egos? Does "Kent" pull off his coat in a phone booth and emerge with a big "Ed" on his shirt?

Karen, I think you've discovered their secret. When Big Ed emerges from the phone booth he has a big E on his shirt and he's wearing a speedo!

Re the post 2 up: I'm definitely leaving it up to Ed to wear the speedos.

Where oh where can I see a photo of Ed with a big E on his chest and wearing a speedo???

Yay! Ed's okay and hopefully will return to give more travel advice.
I agree with Norma. What is with all the sour comments?

So very glad Ed's ok!