Best place you've ever travelled to?
Discussion
Yosemite - absolutely achingly beautiful place. This was back in October 2002, but still rate it as one of the best places I've been to and would like to go back to hike Half Dome one day. We also did Grand Canyon, San Fran, Vegas, Zion, Bryce, Arches, etc.
I've done a complete lap of Australia, and parts of Tasmania, I really enjoyed the outback and west coast of Australia where there's some stunning coastline and beaches (Coral Bay!). Florence is a beautiful city, Rome I didn't rate as much, Sorrento and Capri were both beautiful too.
Maldives is of course beautiful, but probably not best if you're on a tight budget. We did a fairly 'cheap' 3 star option (Biyadhoo) - it was perfectly adequate, but I'd like to go back and stay at a 4/5 star resort next time.
Still want to do Canada and New Zealand at some point in the future. Alaska could also be quite interesting.
I've done a complete lap of Australia, and parts of Tasmania, I really enjoyed the outback and west coast of Australia where there's some stunning coastline and beaches (Coral Bay!). Florence is a beautiful city, Rome I didn't rate as much, Sorrento and Capri were both beautiful too.
Maldives is of course beautiful, but probably not best if you're on a tight budget. We did a fairly 'cheap' 3 star option (Biyadhoo) - it was perfectly adequate, but I'd like to go back and stay at a 4/5 star resort next time.
Still want to do Canada and New Zealand at some point in the future. Alaska could also be quite interesting.
SlimJ said:
Sorrento and Capri were both beautiful too.
How long ago did you go? I went a few years ago and it is a crowded tourist trap where they have perfected the art of extracting money from tourists on mass! I wish I had gone before it got like this as many people rave about it!RogerDodger said:
Cambodia - Angkor Wat is probably my best travelling memory ever. It was around 15 years ago. Madly full of Chinese tourists now.
Many others but those are the "best" that spring to mind instinctively.
I will add I have nothing against Chinese , I'm going there soon. It's just they have mobilised now that they are considerably better off and they can totally swamp tourist destinations. The destinations then cater specifically for them.
Angkor is a wonderful place, but the Chinese buses make it odd. Many others but those are the "best" that spring to mind instinctively.
I will add I have nothing against Chinese , I'm going there soon. It's just they have mobilised now that they are considerably better off and they can totally swamp tourist destinations. The destinations then cater specifically for them.
I went there is 2001 (maybe 2002) stayed up drinking all night and watched the sun rise, there was perhaps 50 people there, it was amazing. Went back 3 years ago, got up at 3am to watch the sun rise (old now), got a great spot on the little walls of the Baray. It was beautiful in the dark, then about 10 minutes before the sun comes up the hoards arrive.
This is Angkor in my memory
The reality (the Chinese were behind)
I have been emailing some local guides about going to really off the beaten track temples apparently there are loads in the north that are virtually unvisited.
joshcowin said:
How long ago did you go?
August 2017 - Both places were busy as you'd expect. Capri we did Anacapri first and hiked up the steps and avoided everyone - was initially busy so we continued up to the very top with the chair lift, and when we came back down it was very quiet! Walked over to Capri town and that was pretty busy, but not uncomfortably.China:
Japan
Norway
- Yangshuo - 5 minutes away from the banana pancakes and mass tourism on West Street is some of the most stunning scenery I have seen (I'm not just talking about pretty Chinese girls riding bikes). Beautiful Karst hills [limestone], paddy fields, rivers winding, etc.
- Lugu Lake - NW Yunnan (situated in SW China). Another beautiful locatiion with crystal clear water, with a mountain as a backdrop
- Tiger Leaping Gorge - a canyon on the Jinsha river situated in Yunnan. The Jinsha river passes between Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (which I went up and discovered that I do suffer horribly from altitude sickness as soon as I set-off) and Haba Snow mountain. A fanastic hike along the high path (along the aptly named 28 bends) until we - a Chinese girl I met at Lugu Lake, another Chinese girl, 3 Chinese guys, and 2 more Chinese girls - stopped at one of the guesthouses after approx 7 hours of hiking.
- Women
Japan
- Kamakura - Did I typo 'Kyoto'? Kyoto will be in the list, but I really love Kamakura: from the dori with the local craft shops, to all the hills and numerous temples nestled in them (all with different characters), to the laid-back feel of Hase, and the daibatsu (Buddha).
- Kyoto - Much like Kamakura, but bigger, bolder, grander. I especially love Inari (fox) temples and walking through all the torii (gates) [Fushimi Inari-taisha].
- Nakasendo - one of the 5 routes of the Edo period that connected Kyoto with Edo (Tokyo). One of the routes winds its way through Kiso valley, where the old postal towns stil reside - principally Narai, Tsumago and Magome (it's the latter that are the star attractions, particularly Tsumago). You can overnight in a minshuku (family operated bed & breakfast - although ours also served dinner. Hands down best meal that I had in Japan), and go for a walk at night with a lantern, and it feels as though you have stepped back to Hiroshige's [ukiyo-e artist - Japanese print blocks] time.
- Women
Norway
- Olso - Bergen - Norway in a nutshell route. The scenery keeps getting better as you travel from Olso to Bergen.
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WomenNope
Edited by putonghua73 on Tuesday 19th November 17:17
SlimJ said:
August 2017 - Both places were busy as you'd expect. Capri we did Anacapri first and hiked up the steps and avoided everyone - was initially busy so we continued up to the very top with the chair lift, and when we came back down it was very quiet! Walked over to Capri town and that was pretty busy, but not uncomfortably.
More recently than me! Sounds like you hit it at a good time!We did Capri very similar to you, I found it too busy, stunning but the amount of people took the edge off of it for me!!
Seriously try Puglia (Lecce area) if you enjoyed Amalfi coast. The place is just awesome!
nikaiyo2 said:
Angkor is a wonderful place, but the Chinese buses make it odd.
I went there is 2001 (maybe 2002) stayed up drinking all night and watched the sun rise, there was perhaps 50 people there, it was amazing. Went back 3 years ago, got up at 3am to watch the sun rise (old now), got a great spot on the little walls of the Baray. It was beautiful in the dark, then about 10 minutes before the sun comes up the hoards arrive.
This is Angkor in my memory
The reality (the Chinese were behind)
I have been emailing some local guides about going to really off the beaten track temples apparently there are loads in the north that are virtually unvisited.
I went to Angkor in '94...... glad I went back then, We had the place to ourselves, virtually no tourists in the area. Areas still roped off in the vicinity because of land mines. Great experience.I went there is 2001 (maybe 2002) stayed up drinking all night and watched the sun rise, there was perhaps 50 people there, it was amazing. Went back 3 years ago, got up at 3am to watch the sun rise (old now), got a great spot on the little walls of the Baray. It was beautiful in the dark, then about 10 minutes before the sun comes up the hoards arrive.
This is Angkor in my memory
The reality (the Chinese were behind)
I have been emailing some local guides about going to really off the beaten track temples apparently there are loads in the north that are virtually unvisited.
Ascension Island. Lived in an Adventurous Training centre at English Bay (Now condemned)
Spent 2 weeks scuba diving and driving Ribs about cost me about £50 in contributions.
Dived in the cave at the bottom of Boatswain Bird Island (against regs but who cares).
A great time was had. Lots of beer drank and made some lifelong memories. (First dive a massive sea turtle, later dive was a large group of dolphins and a shark which had me near enough s
t myself until I realised it was a grey reef tip and unlikely to bother me).
Also night diving (about 10 of us) watching glow sticks (attached to the tank so we could keep track of each other (each pair has a different colour so you know who your dive buddy is)). Truly life changing but scary as you really do realise how small you are and that your no longer the apex predator lurking in the dark.
Unfortunately op I don’t think there are civie flights there anymore. So I would have to say Boa Vista.
Spent 2 weeks scuba diving and driving Ribs about cost me about £50 in contributions.
Dived in the cave at the bottom of Boatswain Bird Island (against regs but who cares).
A great time was had. Lots of beer drank and made some lifelong memories. (First dive a massive sea turtle, later dive was a large group of dolphins and a shark which had me near enough s
t myself until I realised it was a grey reef tip and unlikely to bother me).Also night diving (about 10 of us) watching glow sticks (attached to the tank so we could keep track of each other (each pair has a different colour so you know who your dive buddy is)). Truly life changing but scary as you really do realise how small you are and that your no longer the apex predator lurking in the dark.
Unfortunately op I don’t think there are civie flights there anymore. So I would have to say Boa Vista.
Hmmm - have been to around 60 countries .
some highlights :
Diving : Bali (menjangan), Maldives and Sipadan in Borneo.
Mountaineering and hiking: Alaska(lived there for 9 years); New Zealand, Malawi (Mulanje traverse), Drakensberg in RSA, Greenland, Norway, Peru
Sailing: Indonesia, Malaysia and Scotland
Partying with single women
Singapore and Philippines
Culture and history : Vietnam
some highlights :
Diving : Bali (menjangan), Maldives and Sipadan in Borneo.
Mountaineering and hiking: Alaska(lived there for 9 years); New Zealand, Malawi (Mulanje traverse), Drakensberg in RSA, Greenland, Norway, Peru
Sailing: Indonesia, Malaysia and Scotland
Partying with single women
Singapore and Philippines Culture and history : Vietnam
Edited by alfaman on Wednesday 20th November 14:51
MB140 said:
Also night diving (about 10 of us) watching glow sticks (attached to the tank so we could keep track of each other (each pair has a different colour so you know who your dive buddy is)). Truly life changing but scary as you really do realise how small you are and that your no longer the apex predator lurking in the dark.
Night diving is something else - all you can see is within your beam of light.Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff