Exotic Travel (not Military orders)

Started by Hawaii596, 02-24-2009 -- 08:22:59

Previous topic - Next topic
Print
Go Down Pages1
User actions

Hawaii596

02-24-2009 -- 08:22:59
I specified "not military orders" so no one posts anything they shouldn't about where they've been stationed...  However, if there's no "Classification" issues, I guess no harm.

Where is the most exotic place you've been, most exotic place you'd like to go, most interesting food or experience in an exotic place, etc.

My three favorite places are India, Haiti and Guatemala.  I'm even thinking of living part time in Guatemala when I retire.
"I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind."
Lord Kelvin (1824-1907)
from lecture to the Institute of Civil Engineers, 3 May 1883

jimmyc

#1
02-24-2009 -- 08:43:13
what about psuedo military, meaning was in the military, but not on actual typical military type orders.  i went to ireland which is not very exotic, but if they kicked me out of the US, i would go there.  i have a buddy whose family owns a coffee plantation in guatemala.  the pics he showed are awesome, so if this is a question of where you would like to go, this is it.

Hawaii596

#2
02-24-2009 -- 09:35:53
No "hard topic" here.  I absolutely love cross-cultural international travel, and wanted to get a discussion started about it.  On one of my trips to Guatemala, we stayed a few days in Antigua and toured a small coffee plantation just out of town.  It was actually on the slopes of an active volcano.  At the end of the tour, they served us coffee....it was about the best cup of coffee I've ever had.  The highlands in Guatemala are (in my opinion) one of the more beautiful places in the world.
"I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind."
Lord Kelvin (1824-1907)
from lecture to the Institute of Civil Engineers, 3 May 1883

pontiackid

#3
02-24-2009 -- 17:07:41
Lived in the Philippines for almost a year after I retired in 2005.   I Would love to return for good some day.

docbyers

#4
04-04-2009 -- 06:57:21
I spent 3 years in Abruzzo, Italy doing a project there.  Interesting that you don't find Abruzzo in many of the guide books or travel stuff.  It is, however, very cool.  I lived in Francavilla, just south of Pescara, and my kids could swim in the Adriatic in the morning, and ski on The Maiella in the afternoon, 50km away...  Food is outstanding, people are friendly, scenery is great, etc., etc...  Most tourists go to Rome, Florence, and Venice, and that's it.  Find yourself a B&B in Abruzzo, drink the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wine, eat arrostocini, and relax...
If it works, it's a Fluke.

clacoste

#5
04-05-2009 -- 19:55:47
Another vote for the Philippines.  Nice place, beautiful islands. We go there once a year or so...have some land outside of Bacolod on Negros Island.  Thinking about building on it in a couple years for retirement but really not sure.  Some positives, low cost of living, friendly people, good diving.  Negatives...crime, mediocre medical care, poor infrastructure..Love vacationing there though.  Was up in Hawaii a couple months ago and thought it was great there too...had a wonderful time....prices weren't so wonderful though.

Winterfire2008

#6
04-13-2009 -- 22:00:37
I went to Petra Jordan, one of the new seven wonders of the world.  Wow!!!  I booked a package that included a horseback ride to Mount Aaron, the burial place of Moses's brother, a class in cooking traditional Jordanian food at the Petra Kitchen, and a private guided tour of the various monuments of rock cut architecture.  Absolutely amazing.

Every Jordanian I ran into spoke english and was very helpful from my drivers, to my guides, to the waiters in the restaurants.  My favorite was a 17 year old Bedouin boy who assisted me in my climb up Mount Aaron and just happened to have the key to get inside the mosque at the top so I could view the tomb.  It was an Awesome trip that I would recommend to anyone.

metrologygeek

#7
04-14-2009 -- 10:57:39
Winterfire,

It sounds like you had a great trip to the Middle East. I had a similar experience in spending a month in southern France. After hearing my whole life about how rude the French were, I was amazed to find that everyone I met for the whole time I was there was friendly, helpful, and genuinely welcoming. Strangers offered to help with language often, and each place I stayed insisted on making my next accommodations for me. The experience sure shattered the stereotype of what traveling in France is like.

griff61

#8
04-15-2009 -- 12:29:00 Last Edit: 04-15-2009 -- 14:00:57 by griff61
Quote from: metrologygeek on 04-14-2009 -- 10:57:39
Winterfire,

It sounds like you had a great trip to the Middle East. I had a similar experience in spending a month in southern France. After hearing my whole life about how rude the French were, I was amazed to find that everyone I met for the whole time I was there was friendly, helpful, and genuinely welcoming. Strangers offered to help with language often, and each place I stayed insisted on making my next accommodations for me. The experience sure shattered the stereotype of what traveling in France is like.
I think it may be the same case in many places, Central & South America are the same way. My favorite place in France was Strasbourg. It may be that the 'rude' folks are mainly in the really big cities, although I didn't run into too many of them on London or Paris either. EuroDisney, oddly enough, was where the rude seemed to be concentrated in France, and even then, it was mainly a very few employees. Who, by the way, were quite surpirised to discover the hard way that my mother & I are very fluent in French.
Sarcasm - Just one more service I offer

Hawaii596

#9
04-20-2009 -- 08:30:56
I love "out on the edge" travel.  My most recent trip was to the northern Indian state of Bihar, and I'm tentatively planning a trip to Kathmandu in the next couple of years.  The place I love so much I'm thinking of retiring there is the Guatemalan highlands.  I stayed in a little stone cottage on the lake front about 8 years ago at Lago Atitlan (go check out their website at atitlan[dot]com and see some great views.

My greatest single thing to see was when I was on The Great Wall of China.

Amazingly enough, I've never had much interest in European travel.  The only European destination I'v experienced is Schiphol airport in Amsterdam.  It's a great airport with Bars and a Casino (I've never seen that one any where else).
"I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind."
Lord Kelvin (1824-1907)
from lecture to the Institute of Civil Engineers, 3 May 1883
Print
Go Up Pages1
User actions