Top 5 part 5 08:33 - Apr 2 with 2448 views | eastangliaisblue | So todays top five is countries you've been to. In no particular order. New Zealand - Scenery like no other. Bolivia - Has a wildness to it and slight danger. (Mostly because of poor mountain roads and clapped out buses.) Tibet - I know technically it's part of China but is most certainly a occupied territory. The people are the most friendly and humble i have ever met. Sri Lanka - Beautiful hill stations, Beautiful beaches, Beautiful food. Slovenia - Reminds me of New Zealand but with history. | | | | |
Top 5 part 5 on 08:36 - Apr 2 with 1766 views | Herbivore | Croatia Portugal Romania Scotland Italy Long haul I've only been to the US and the Dominican Republic and neither can hold a candle to most of Europe. | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 09:11 - Apr 2 with 1723 views | MJallday | Canada - 8000 mile round trip booty call. Totally worth it India - the most bonkers and yet wonderful country ever UAE - air conditioning in bus stops. What else is there to say USA - I’ve never seen so many extremes in my life Wales - because the police don’t mind if you speed | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 09:38 - Apr 2 with 1713 views | eastangliaisblue |
Top 5 part 5 on 09:11 - Apr 2 by MJallday | Canada - 8000 mile round trip booty call. Totally worth it India - the most bonkers and yet wonderful country ever UAE - air conditioning in bus stops. What else is there to say USA - I’ve never seen so many extremes in my life Wales - because the police don’t mind if you speed |
India is crazy like you say. It drove me insane at times but then in the next breathe i'd love the place. I've heard it called a diamond covered in sh*t. I think that sums it up perfectly. [Post edited 2 Apr 2020 9:47]
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Top 5 part 5 on 09:44 - Apr 2 with 1704 views | StokieBlue | I think it's going to be really hard for people to pick 5. Malaysia (specifically Borneo) - seeing Orangutans in the wild Maldives - stunning snorkelling with unbelievable sea life Peru - just amazing everywhere Guatemala/Belize - same as Peru Russia - Something quite special about St. Petersburg when it's snowing and -30C. SB | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 09:50 - Apr 2 with 1700 views | eastangliaisblue |
Top 5 part 5 on 09:44 - Apr 2 by StokieBlue | I think it's going to be really hard for people to pick 5. Malaysia (specifically Borneo) - seeing Orangutans in the wild Maldives - stunning snorkelling with unbelievable sea life Peru - just amazing everywhere Guatemala/Belize - same as Peru Russia - Something quite special about St. Petersburg when it's snowing and -30C. SB |
Peru just missed out to Bolivia for me. They could quite easily be the same country to be fair. The only difference is/was Bolovia is slightly behind them with infrastructure. Which makes things a little more interesting! [Post edited 2 Apr 2020 9:50]
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Top 5 part 5 on 09:58 - Apr 2 with 1671 views | gordon |
Top 5 part 5 on 08:36 - Apr 2 by Herbivore | Croatia Portugal Romania Scotland Italy Long haul I've only been to the US and the Dominican Republic and neither can hold a candle to most of Europe. |
Agree with this - (in my opinion) the diversity of culture in Europe is far greater than anywhere else on Earth. | | | |
Top 5 part 5 on 10:01 - Apr 2 with 1671 views | NewcyBlue | Ukraine - I had a lot of fun in Ilychevsk and Odessa Australia - I loved going round the coast South Africa - Just spectacular Philippines - I celebrated my divorce there with some Filipino friends Denmark - It just felt right. | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 10:09 - Apr 2 with 1667 views | WeWereZombies | Egypt Scotland South Africa England Ireland Near misses France Spain Italy Turkey New Zealand Guatemala Jamaica Cuba Ethiopia | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 10:19 - Apr 2 with 1659 views | peterleeblue | Italy Malta - Born there so natural soft spot. Ireland Germany - Lived there as a child for 3 years Greek Islands 80's 90's before it became F***d | | | |
Top 5 part 5 on 10:35 - Apr 2 with 1656 views | Swansea_Blue | Nepal - love the place; the craziness of India, but without as much hassle and the mountains are simply fantastic. Worked there on an off for about 8 years and have many happy memories of different parts of the country and its people. Bhutan - ditto above Peru - ditto above, but a very different feel to Asia. Worked in the Cordillera Blanca, but also the first big holiday I had with my now Mrs, taking in the classic sights - Machu Picchu, Titicaca, Colka Canyon, Cusco, etc. India - as others have said, a diamond covered in sh*t. Did my Masters thesis in in the mountains, worked there on and off for a few years, and solo travelled around Rajasthan. Never did see a tiger. Would love to go back and do the Tut-tut challenge where you drive one of those deathtraps the length of the country. https://www.rickshawchallenge.com/ Kenya - spent a summer there in the 80s and was blown away by the landscapes, especially the desert northern area. | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 10:48 - Apr 2 with 1645 views | IPS_wich | (Can't include Australia as I have lived here now for seven years - but some of the most incredible things I have ever seen have been here) Maldives - nothing quite like being on your own desert island (with 100 other tourists - but still!!) Zimbabwe - stunning country and an amazingly diverse people - unfortunately run by lunatics Singapore - Just a really cool place to hang out for a few days - the food in the various hawkers markets is cheap and bloody delicious Austria - had two very different but awesome holidays there - my favourite european city break was to Vienna and I had a lovely ski trip into the Austrian Alps - very different to the French Alps Bali - an island of complete contrasts - if you can avoid the two awful areas full of drunk Aussies (Seminyak and Kuta) then the rest of the place is pretty incredible - great vibe around Nusa Dua, wonderful beach restaurants at Jimbaran and amazing scenery up towards the middle of the island around Ubud. I couldn't put the USA down, because I have been to two amazing cities (Boston and New Orleans) and two hell holes (Houston and Orlando) [Post edited 2 Apr 2020 10:49]
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Top 5 part 5 on 10:56 - Apr 2 with 1625 views | eastangliaisblue |
Top 5 part 5 on 10:35 - Apr 2 by Swansea_Blue | Nepal - love the place; the craziness of India, but without as much hassle and the mountains are simply fantastic. Worked there on an off for about 8 years and have many happy memories of different parts of the country and its people. Bhutan - ditto above Peru - ditto above, but a very different feel to Asia. Worked in the Cordillera Blanca, but also the first big holiday I had with my now Mrs, taking in the classic sights - Machu Picchu, Titicaca, Colka Canyon, Cusco, etc. India - as others have said, a diamond covered in sh*t. Did my Masters thesis in in the mountains, worked there on and off for a few years, and solo travelled around Rajasthan. Never did see a tiger. Would love to go back and do the Tut-tut challenge where you drive one of those deathtraps the length of the country. https://www.rickshawchallenge.com/ Kenya - spent a summer there in the 80s and was blown away by the landscapes, especially the desert northern area. |
Bhutan is somewhere i'm really wanting to go. Is it easy enough to get in and travel around? | | | |
Top 5 part 5 on 11:01 - Apr 2 with 1615 views | StokieBlue |
Top 5 part 5 on 10:35 - Apr 2 by Swansea_Blue | Nepal - love the place; the craziness of India, but without as much hassle and the mountains are simply fantastic. Worked there on an off for about 8 years and have many happy memories of different parts of the country and its people. Bhutan - ditto above Peru - ditto above, but a very different feel to Asia. Worked in the Cordillera Blanca, but also the first big holiday I had with my now Mrs, taking in the classic sights - Machu Picchu, Titicaca, Colka Canyon, Cusco, etc. India - as others have said, a diamond covered in sh*t. Did my Masters thesis in in the mountains, worked there on and off for a few years, and solo travelled around Rajasthan. Never did see a tiger. Would love to go back and do the Tut-tut challenge where you drive one of those deathtraps the length of the country. https://www.rickshawchallenge.com/ Kenya - spent a summer there in the 80s and was blown away by the landscapes, especially the desert northern area. |
Working in Nepal must have been excellent and very interesting. SB | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 11:03 - Apr 2 with 1614 views | SomethingBlue | This is tough — I'd probably do a different five each time but according to today's mood and again in no order: Guatemala — spent a summer travelling round it in my early 20s and still haven't found another small country where there's so much fascinating stuff to do. Argentina — possibly the best holiday of my life, four years ago. Kosovo — Everywhere will boast of its kindness and hospitality, but in Kosovo it completely blows you away. Russia — There's just so much to it; it draws you in and can certainly spit you out again, but then draws you back. Sierra Leone — quite conflicted putting this down because of what they've been (and continue to go) through but have never seen beaches — or eaten seafood — like it and, again, the people are incredible. | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 11:14 - Apr 2 with 1601 views | Herbivore | You lot have horrific carbon footprints. | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 11:16 - Apr 2 with 1597 views | WeWereZombies |
Top 5 part 5 on 11:14 - Apr 2 by Herbivore | You lot have horrific carbon footprints. |
Not at all, Fergal paddled a rusty tin bath with both of us and all the Dropkick Murphys to all of the countries I visited... | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 11:19 - Apr 2 with 1595 views | GeoffSentence |
Top 5 part 5 on 09:11 - Apr 2 by MJallday | Canada - 8000 mile round trip booty call. Totally worth it India - the most bonkers and yet wonderful country ever UAE - air conditioning in bus stops. What else is there to say USA - I’ve never seen so many extremes in my life Wales - because the police don’t mind if you speed |
Might depend on where you are in Wales. North Wales Police are notorious for their dedication to catching speeders. Which only made it more embarrassing when a few years back they caught their own chief constable speeding, and let him off. | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 11:26 - Apr 2 with 1585 views | Swansea_Blue |
Top 5 part 5 on 10:56 - Apr 2 by eastangliaisblue | Bhutan is somewhere i'm really wanting to go. Is it easy enough to get in and travel around? |
Not really, unfortunately. You have to go in on an organised package with the costs and numbers strictly limited by their government. It's quite expensive and restrictive. We used to go in on official visas as we were working with their Govt environment department. We'd always get stopped when we were out and about as they expect foreigners to have guides. Having the freedom there was part of what made it special, although it is well worth visiting however you get in. It's a strange mix - it's got the basic elements of other Himalayan countries, with many people leading a very simple life. Yet it's also received a lot of investment especially in Thimphu, so you've got some very modern facilities in places. The best way I could describe it is as a cross between northern India/Nepal and Switzerland. But it has its own unique feel. | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 11:30 - Apr 2 with 1580 views | Swansea_Blue |
Top 5 part 5 on 11:01 - Apr 2 by StokieBlue | Working in Nepal must have been excellent and very interesting. SB |
Very. We were up in the high mountains, so trekking in to areas or sometimes having Army helicopter support. Hard work, walking for 8 days to reach a site. And at times cold, miserable and we'd be ill quite a lot as colds wouldn't easily turn into infections in the altitude. But I loved the freedom. And then decamping back to Kathmandu for a dose of hippy civilisation and the first beer after 3 weeks in the mountains. Happy times and sorely missed. | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 11:33 - Apr 2 with 1575 views | StokieBlue |
Top 5 part 5 on 11:30 - Apr 2 by Swansea_Blue | Very. We were up in the high mountains, so trekking in to areas or sometimes having Army helicopter support. Hard work, walking for 8 days to reach a site. And at times cold, miserable and we'd be ill quite a lot as colds wouldn't easily turn into infections in the altitude. But I loved the freedom. And then decamping back to Kathmandu for a dose of hippy civilisation and the first beer after 3 weeks in the mountains. Happy times and sorely missed. |
Sounds incredible. Any yeti sightings? SB | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 12:02 - Apr 2 with 1561 views | brazil1982 | New Zealand- epic scenery everywhere Burma - a beautiful country with beautiful people and some real tomb raider temples to explore Peru - epic scenery and the trek to MP. Italy- an open air museum Syria - because I visited just before the civil war and much has been destroyed since. The potential for tourism was huge and was just taking off. | | | |
Top 5 part 5 on 12:07 - Apr 2 with 1557 views | WeWereZombies |
Top 5 part 5 on 12:02 - Apr 2 by brazil1982 | New Zealand- epic scenery everywhere Burma - a beautiful country with beautiful people and some real tomb raider temples to explore Peru - epic scenery and the trek to MP. Italy- an open air museum Syria - because I visited just before the civil war and much has been destroyed since. The potential for tourism was huge and was just taking off. |
Jealous of your getting to Syria, when I was in Goreme (Central Turkey), 2005, at the bus station I noticed a stand for the bus to Aleppo and thought 'I must do that one day' but never did. | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 12:09 - Apr 2 with 1550 views | eastangliaisblue |
Top 5 part 5 on 11:26 - Apr 2 by Swansea_Blue | Not really, unfortunately. You have to go in on an organised package with the costs and numbers strictly limited by their government. It's quite expensive and restrictive. We used to go in on official visas as we were working with their Govt environment department. We'd always get stopped when we were out and about as they expect foreigners to have guides. Having the freedom there was part of what made it special, although it is well worth visiting however you get in. It's a strange mix - it's got the basic elements of other Himalayan countries, with many people leading a very simple life. Yet it's also received a lot of investment especially in Thimphu, so you've got some very modern facilities in places. The best way I could describe it is as a cross between northern India/Nepal and Switzerland. But it has its own unique feel. |
Sounds a bit like Tibet too with having to have guides etc. | | | |
Top 5 part 5 on 12:10 - Apr 2 with 1550 views | Steve_M | Yes, this is a tough one. In no particular order. - New Zealand. The scenery is stunning, most places have very few people around and it's easy to get around (once the 30 hour travel there is out of the way). Wellington is also a nice, chilled city. - Ladakh. (Not India as I only saw a bit of Delhi otherwise). Think it probably rivals NZ for mountain scenery, definitely beats it for the lack of people but a couple of the days I did walking there were some of the best views I've ever seen. - Australia. I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would, a land of total contrasts. To go from Brisbane to the beach at Byron Bay to Sydney, the Blue Mountains and then Uluru and back to Sydney in 2.5 weeks was quite extraordinary in the contrasts. And that was only a part of the country. - Tanzania. As much for the vividness of the red earth and green trees after about an hour's sleep on the flight out as climbing Kilimanjaro. It made me want to go and see more of East Africa (which I've not done 13 years on....). - Chile. Only saw a bit around the Torres del Paine, it rained virtually all week and the walking was hard at times. It was great, a good group that brought the best out of the trip and consumed large quantities of wine in the evening. I want to go back and see more of the country.... | |
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Top 5 part 5 on 12:18 - Apr 2 with 1540 views | SomethingBlue |
Top 5 part 5 on 12:07 - Apr 2 by WeWereZombies | Jealous of your getting to Syria, when I was in Goreme (Central Turkey), 2005, at the bus station I noticed a stand for the bus to Aleppo and thought 'I must do that one day' but never did. |
Goreme, that takes me back! Spent some time there in 2009 during a summer that (long story) I don't think I will ever forget. On some days Turkey would easily be in my top five — one of those places that just seem infinite in possibility. | |
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