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Traveling: Favourite spots.

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by arno_ed, Mar 24, 2014.

  1. arno_ed

    arno_ed Contributing Member

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    Many people on this forum travel a lot (some even made it there moniker, talking about you SJC). Since the birth of my daughter I haven’t travelled as much anymore (I cannot wait for my children to be old enough to appreciate traveling so we can take them on some great holidays). However I still like talking about it. So I wanted to start a thread were we can say what our favourite spots are in different categories:
    Countries visited
    Favourite Country
    Favourite City
    Favourite Island
    Favourite nature area
    Favourite monument/ building/ ruin
    Favourite building
    Nicest people
    Best general experience
    Next place on your list

    Countries visited
    Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, England, Spain, Andorra, Czech, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, South Africa, Lesotho, Madagascar, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Peru

    Favourite Country
    Madagascar, I love this country, a lot of nature and very nice people, it really feels like a cross between Africa and south east Asia. Also the biodiversity there is just amazing, lemurs, Chameleons Leaf tailed Gecko and of course the Giraffe Weevil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraffe_weevil).

    Favourite City
    Chiang mai, I’m not a big city person, I do not like the big cities I have visited just too crowded. Chiang mai was a smaller city which did not feel crowded at all. And there are many nice temples. I also like Arequipa a lot, but it does not have the nice temples Chiang mai has

    Favourite Island
    Since I already mentioned Madagascar in favourite Country I will mention Rinca (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rinca) here. I love walking around there and looking for Komodo dragons. Im not the person for beach island to just sit in the sun, I like walking around looking for Animals.

    Favourite nature area
    I have visited many nature areas during every vacation We visit a nature area and try to spot as many animals as possible. I really like the Komodo National Park, since I’m a big fan of the Komodo dragon. However I like tropical rainforest more, so the Tambopata national park in Peru takes the top spot (also having a jaguar sighting there doesn’t hurt)

    Favourite monument/ building/ruin
    I loved Machu pichu, the pyramids, I especially like Wat Arun, but Petra is really the place i liked best. We were walking at sunset trough the Sikh and there was nobody else around. Really one of the best experiences I have had. The Monastery is just beautiful; to bad they used it for one of the worst movies all time.

    Nicest people
    I really liked the nice people in Jordan, especially since we just spend 2 weeks in Egypt. And the people I met in Kyrgyzstan were really nice. But the people in Thailand were really friendly. Especially in Chiang Mai, a little less in Bangkok. It was one of the few places where people were just nice and didn’t try to get our money (again mostly in Chiang Mai not so much in Bangkok).

    Best general experience
    I spend 4 months in the Timbavati national park in South Africa. My best moments were the BBQ were the Hyena’s were watching us and our meat from the bushes. They even stole a chicken from our BBQ. I was with my wife (then girlfriend) these four months, just unbelievable.

    Next place on my list
    Costa Rica, both my wife and I are biologist, So costa Rica is probably a good place to visit with smaller children. Cambodja is also high on my list. I've always wanted to visit Angkor Wat. Although I Expect that our first trip with our kids will be a place we have visited before (either Peru, Madagascar or South Africa)
     
  2. Jontro

    Jontro Member

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    Can never go wrong with Galveston. Fresh water, great food, beautiful hunnies, sunshine.
     
  3. BonziWellsGOAT

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    Cant go wrong with Treasures either.
     
  4. Jugdish

    Jugdish Member

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    Countries visited
    USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Greece, Japan

    Favourite Country
    Norway for its natural beauty. The view of Geirangerfjord from Dalsnibba is unbelievable.

    Favourite City
    Paris and Budapest for walking. Copenhagen is hugely underrated for its attractiveness. Tokyo and Osaka are great for partying.

    Favourite Island
    Honshu

    Favourite nature area
    Glacier National Park

    Favourite monument/ building/ruin
    The Eiffel Tower really blew away my expectations.

    Nicest people
    The Japanese are very helpful and friendly, once you get them to talk. Supposedly it's another story when you turn your back. Americans are obviously in the conversation.

    Best general experience
    Traveling Japan alone for two weeks.

    Next place on my list
    Just got back from Costa Rica yesterday--it was great. The roads were no trouble. Top two destinations for me are Iceland and New Zealand.
     
  5. rocketsjudoka

    rocketsjudoka Contributing Member
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    Probably not right now though.
     
  6. rocketsjudoka

    rocketsjudoka Contributing Member
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    I noticed you didn't list the US on any of your categories.

    Here is my list:
    Countries Visited: US, PRC, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, Japan, Australia, Sri Lanka, Ireland (North and Republic), Peru, Mexico, Canada
    As a little kid I lived in Saudi Arabia for awhile and visited these countries I haven't been back to as an adult so don't remember too much England, France, Bahrain, Lebanon and Iran (probably not going to get to those again anytime soon). I also lived in Taiwan between 1 and 2 but don't remember anything about it.
    Favourite Country: This is a tough one but I'm going to go with the US and not just because I am an American. The US is a huge and beautiful country with so many cultures and different people. I love a lot of other places but there is still so much to see just in the US and I've been to 44 out of the 50 states already.

    Favourite City: This is a tough one too. I really liked Derry, Ireland, Singapore for the food, San Francisco. If I have to pick one I would say Hong Kong. Hong Kong to me is almost the ultimate city. It is as vibrant as New York but has great scenery too. As a major travel hub it is also easy to get to a lot of other great places.

    Favourite Island: Also a tough one too. The two islands I would really like to go back to are Ireland and Sri Lanka. In both there was a lot that I wanted to see but didn't get the chance. They are both incredible places with great people, history and scenery.

    Favourite Nature Area: Last year I was lucky enough to stand in cloud forests on three continents, The Inca Trail in Peru, Shengnongjia in China, and Big Sur in California. All of them were incredible. Besides that places like Zion National Park in UT, Banff in Alberta, Tioman Island in Malaysia I can't pick one.

    Favourite Monument / building: Macchu Pichu was amazing and the Forbidden City is incredible in size and scope but I am going to go with Angkor Wat. It is amazing in scope but there is something very spiritual about it that is hard to put into words.

    Nicest People: Ireland. For me I found the Irish to be the most welcoming and the most friendly people and have generally found meeting Irish even outside of Ireland to be people that I get along very well with.

    Best General Experience: This is also tough to say as their have been some amazing things about most of my trips. I'm going to narrowly go with Ireland. The people were incredible, saw some great scenery, enjoyed and played some great music had good times overall with lots of Guiness (craic). The only things I didn't like was only seeing the sun a handful of times and that Dublin was pricey.

    Next place: OUt of the US I will probably be going back to the PRC and/or the Philippines this year for work and to followup on typhoon relief. The next country I haven't been to is most likely Brazil or Turkey. Although could hit Amsterdam on the way to Turkey.
     
  7. rocketsjudoka

    rocketsjudoka Contributing Member
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    Speaking of travel just to pimp myself. I've been working on a book and other media about the travel I've done for disaster relief. Have talked to the Travel Channel, PRI (the people who produce Prairie Home Companion) and others about a possible show. So far it's been pretty difficult and hard to do when focusing on a day job. Will let Clutchfans know if anything comes out of it.
     
  8. s land balla

    s land balla Contributing Member

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    Countries Visited
    Argentina, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Palestinian territories, Paraguay, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saint Maarten, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City

    Favorite Country
    Japan

    Favorite City
    Tokyo

    Favorite Island
    Cuba

    Favorite nature area
    Himalayas (Nepal), Kashmir (India & Pakistan)

    Favorite monument/ building/ruin
    Abu Simbel, Egypt

    Nicest people
    Cuba

    Best general experience
    Experiencing Syria only days before the violence erupted
    Hitchhiking in India with a film crew

    Next place on my list
    South Africa, Patagonia, Guyana, and Vietnam
     
  9. bigtexxx

    bigtexxx Contributing Member

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    you absolutely suck at identifying sarcasm
     
  10. Two Sandwiches

    Two Sandwiches Contributing Member

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    I wish to some day have the lists some of you do.... I just starting travelling more in the past 2 or 3 years.

    Places I've Been:
    USA, Germany (as a child), Mexico, Belize, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Dominican Republic, Canada

    Favorite Country:
    Grand Cayman or Belize

    Favorite City:
    Chicago or San Miguel (Cozumel)

    Favorite Nature Area:
    Belize

    Nicest People:
    In general, I've always loved the people of Mexico (I'm not Mexican)


    Best General Experience:
    Seeing a freshly skinned Jaguar hide hung out to dry on a random clothesline in the jungles of Belize. Craziest thing.
    Stingray City in Grand Cayman is pretty cool as well.
    Any kind of snorkeling or diving.

    Next place on my list:
    Turks and Caicos, Costa Rica, Ireland, Iceland

    My wife's grandmother was from Iceland. It looks like such an awesome place.
     
  11. Bandwagoner

    Bandwagoner Contributing Member

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    Can you post the cooking video again so clutchfans will know what to expect?
     
  12. htwnbandit

    htwnbandit Member

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    Lol I know of somebody who drank the water in Madagascar and got a parasite that slowly but steadily enlarged her brain. (No, for once I'm not actually making this up.) :eek:
     
  13. dmc89

    dmc89 Member

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    Countries visited
    Every country in North America, South America, and Europe
    Oceania: only Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea
    Asia: everywhere except for North Korea, Laos, and Combodia
    Africa: some of it except for Somalia, Eritrea, Dijbouti, Rawanda, Burundi, Comoros, and most of Central/Western Africa.
    Antarctica: 4 miles away from Dome A

    Favourite Country
    Russia, I don't love this country so much as I'm wowed by its diversity, size, history, cultural "toughness", environment, and so on. Places that approach it might be China or India.

    Favourite City
    Tokyo, this is what a city should be. Sprawling, flooded with people, bustling with light and dark energy, you can be anybody, so many restaurants and places to hang out with friends, but you can also be very lonely even though you're surrounded by people and bright, flashy things.

    Favourite Island
    Rousay. Island to me conjures a tiny, remote chunk of land plopped in the ocean with something interesting on it. This place has a few structures from the Iron Age. My last memory - I'm dangling my legs over a steep cliff, staring across the sea at the North Pole, and a magnificent sunset making the horizon purple and orange before me. I sit silently, marveling.

    Favourite nature area
    Tasmania in general. I love how chilly and lush and well preserved they've kept it. Recommend it to anyone who appreciates ecological beauty.

    Favourite monument/ building/ruin
    It was a very old temple in north-west China. It was one of the places where the very air felt alive and holy, as if the place actually were sacred. It smelled of incense, brass, and tea leaves.

    Nicest people
    I'm split between New Zealanders and Iraqis. I've never gotten that feeling of "hey, come share a meal with us because you're family" as a stranger as I've had with people from these two countries. Very open, trusting, and with a willingness to stay in touch by whatever means necessary lol.

    Best general experience
    Doing astrophotography in the Chilean desert of Atacama. Other than Antartica, I have never felt so close to the stars and galaxies as I did there. The clarity of the sky is astounding. There is no light pollution. It's small wonder that some of the best telescopes on Earth are located there. I spent several nights sitting down from sunset to sunrise just observing.

    Next place on my list
    Outer Space. I also want to revisit India and Spain.
     
  14. trustme

    trustme Member

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    Seems like a lot of ppl have been to Thailand so this might be a good place to ask. I'm going with my wife in May. Any suggestions other than the ones on tripadvisor? Islands, getting around, hotels, etc? Plan on going for like 6 days.
     
  15. cur.ve

    cur.ve Contributing Member

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    Countries visited
    USA, Mexico, UK, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar, India, China, HK, Belgium, Jordan, Turkey, Belize, Australia, New Zealand, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Canada, Philippines, Egypt

    Favourite Country
    New Zealand for the natural beauty

    Favourite City
    Istanbul - best of West and East. Surreal. Tokyo is up there.

    Favourite Island
    Sipadan - best scuba diving in the world off the coast of Borneo

    Favourite nature area
    South Island, New Zealand, specifically the Great Walks like the Kepler or Milford Trails

    Favourite monument/ building/ruin
    Hard to say. Myanmar has some amazing ones, esp at Mrauk U, but I'd have to go with Petra.

    Nicest people
    Jordanians & Tibetans

    Best general experience
    Either backpacking thru New Zealand or backpacking through Yunnan in China

    Next place on my list
    Would love to explore Africa more. Def want to check out Macchu Picchu and Patagonia.
     
  16. arno_ed

    arno_ed Contributing Member

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    I have never been to the US. However it is also not high on my list, just as Australia is not high on my list. Im not that fond of going to a western cultured country. On to of that the wildlife in the US is just less interesting to me (altough the parks around Utah are sort of interesting to me). I think the only way for me to go to the US is if my Wife has a congress there (and she does not have to pay the ticket), so me and the kids can come along.

    If you only go six days you do not have much time. What are you interested in? If you like temples etc you can just stay around Bangkok. If you also want some more nature Chiang Mai is a good choice. If you only have 6 days and you want to do both you can take a plain to Chiang Mai.
     
  17. rocketsjudoka

    rocketsjudoka Contributing Member
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    Unfortunately that video is no longer available online. It looks like KARE-11 only leaves up the cooking episodes for one year.
     
  18. rocketsjudoka

    rocketsjudoka Contributing Member
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    I was there right after the tsunami and only on Phuket Island and nearby areas that were hit by the tsunami. A friend of mine though was there in Phuket two years ago and he said that it has all recovered but tourism numbers aren't back to what they were before the tsunami so there might be some good deals.

    In Phuket the main tourism town is Patong which is kind of seedy but there are resorts on several other bays with resorts which are quieter than Patong. Make sure you take a day trip to see Phi Phi island(s) while you are there.

    I haven't been to Bangkok but from what I hear there is a lot of great culture and history but it is also very overcrowded and hard to get around.

    Besides those two places there are tons of great places to see in Thailand from Chiang Mai in the north to Koh Samui on the east coast.
     
  19. rocketsjudoka

    rocketsjudoka Contributing Member
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    I know a lot of travelers feel that way including Americans but the US is such a vast country that there is really a lot of interesting stuff to see. The US spans a whole continent with habitats as varied as sub tropical (tropical if you count Hawaii and Puerto Rico) to arctic glaciers. There are some habitats here that only exist in North America like the Everglades and the Sonoran desert.

    As I said in my own post I would put the cloud forest and temperate rain forest of the US West coast as interesting and as unique as those of anywhere else in the World.
     
  20. s land balla

    s land balla Contributing Member

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    Your list is impressive.
     

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