Best thing you did on any trip?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren't there rules against engaging with wildlife that all you Galapagos fans quote?

I haven’t been to Galapagos but in Hawaii, the rule is basically you can chase the turtles. If you’re just swimming and a turtle comes up to you, it’s not like you have to run away, but you can’t then follow the turtle when it swims away.
In Yellowstone, you are supposed to keep a certain number of feet from bison. We had a bison walk right by our rental car—within 2 feet—and there was no place we could go as we were stuck in a line of cars (stopped waiting for bison crossing the road). I held my breath and took pictures through the closed window as the bison could have clearly flipped out car with little effort if he had been startled. He was so big!

I guess both of those are on my list —
Snorkeling with turtles and boating along na Palo coast in Hawaii
Stopping for bison crossing in Yellowstone
Dog sledding on glacier in Alaska
Meeting the bark rangers at Denali
A week we stayed on isla Mujeres before there were any real hotels there, in the 90s—just little Mexican family owned hotels and sk American hippies that ran a smoothie and waffles shop

PP here who suggested the sea lions…exactly. This is fine. You don’t have to run away from the animals! In fact, the sea lions would probably think that’s a game and follow you. They are incredibly playful.

I was recently reading a book about the discovery of the Endurance in the Antarctic, and once the Weddell seals came up in the ship when they opened the bay to put out the sonar scanning probes. Some of the preeminent ocean scientists in the world found it magical.

They are curious and delightful creatures. Respect them, use common sense and all is well.

They have big teeth and mouths full of bacteria and bite. They are not cute puppies.

You need to grow a spine. I would hate being so afraid of everything in life. No wonder you haven’t had any adventures, you are scared of your own shadow.

If one bites me I’ll clean it with Hibiclens and take a Z pack. Big deal. I take both when I travel to remote places.

How do you know what I have or haven't done? But you are right that I don't go near wild animals with sharp infectious teeth.

[Anonymous]

Paragliding in Austria.

Seeing my first green turtle in St. John.

[Anonymous]

Paddle boarding in Costa Rica
Canoeing in Bora Bora
Hiking Machu Picchu
Exploring Seychelles, walking around La Digue
Driving around and walking on the Lofoten Islands, Norway beaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Helicopter ride in Kauai
Whale watching tour in Alaska and seeing one up close
Holding a Koala bear in Sydney
Seeing a lion with a huge mane up close in Kenya
The train ride to Grindelwald nd the lake - unforgetable.

wow I saw/ did every one of these like this too!

Even took a video when a lion with a mane came upto our jeep in Masai Mara! No idea how I got that ccourage!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Snorkeling in the Maldives. Simply amazing (and yes, I’ve snorkeled all over the Caribbean and it just doesn’t compare!)

When I was 10, my parents stuck my sister and I on a van tour in Vanuatu. We went to a Melanisian village and snorkeled in 18 inches of water. It was like a Jacques Cousteau documentary.

[Anonymous]

Camping in the desert in Jordan (Wadi Rum). Absolutely stunning— the stars, the red sand, the food (bedouin cooking). Just the vast expanse of the desert was breathtaking and how dark it was at night. It was incredible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:home exchange in Paris living like a Parisian for a month

Ngongorogoro crater in Tanzania- incredible wildlife

overnight safari in Malawi where there were elephants crashing around our tent at night; also driving around the entire country of Malawi

southern Spain. Alhambra etc

staying with locals in a minority area of China in the foothills of the Himalayas

kayaking the Bioluminescent bay in Puerto

swimming with sea turtles off St Croix

staying with a host family in Japan

renting a cabin on a lake next to a volcano in southern Chile

eating in big cities of Asia esp Bangkok, Shanghai, Beijing, Kathmandu, and HONG KONG

plane ride from Culebra to Vieques PR

camping out on the Great Wall of China with a group of friends

Sheesh…”best things” turns into a laundry list(s) of humble brags. Maybe this is satire…hard for me to detect online, but “living like a Parisian for a month,” makes this post suspect. If you are humble bragging g about cosplaying a Parisian, well that along with a lot of this is too much.

I agree too

My 2 best.
- Antelope Canyon in Arizona.... It is pure magic. The colors are so amazing.
- Masca on the island of Tenerife ( Canary Islands, Spain ).
There is a popular myth that Masca was a pirate hideout.
The legend says that pirates would hide their treasures in the village and bring them up from their ships through the gorge.
The village was isolated and inaccessible by road until the 1980s.
The isolation of Masca helped to preserve its authenticity.
The village is now home to around 90 inhabitants.

[Anonymous]

If I have to choose one -
#1 is doing a Scuba diving course in Culebra to get my NAUI certification

And
#2 is riding a camel across the Sahara desert and camping under the stars

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ooh good question!

I think my top would be visiting the elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai.

Most of my fave experiences usually involve eating lol. So many amazing dishes in thailand, XLB & pepper pork buns in taiwan, hawkers market in singapore, beignets in nola.

Wow - you sound so fun!!!!

DP. I love adventure travel but food was definitely a highlight on my trips to Asia -Hong Kong, Japan, Seoul. Food and shopping….I haven’t been to Thailand yet, but my plan would be to eat really well there. Everything else would be secondary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Snorkeling in the Maldives. Simply amazing (and yes, I’ve snorkeled all over the Caribbean and it just doesn’t compare!)

I love the bolded. Pp is having an imaginary conversation where their interlocutor says “But have you snorkeled all over the Caribbean?”.

Why yes, I have.

A masterclass.

[Anonymous]

Slea Head Drive in Ireland and also I was very very lucky to be in Rome for the Vatican archive exhibit in 2012 and that was unbelievable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Snorkeling in the Maldives. Simply amazing (and yes, I’ve snorkeled all over the Caribbean and it just doesn’t compare!)

I love the bolded. Pp is having an imaginary conversation where their interlocutor says “But have you snorkeled all over the Caribbean?”.

Why yes, I have.

A masterclass.

Lololol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Slea Head Drive in Ireland and also I was very very lucky to be in Rome for the Vatican archive exhibit in 2012 and that was unbelievable.

Okay—this is really an old one but in 1984 I went to the World’s Fair in New Oreleans. I think it was one of the last “real” world fairs. The Vatican had a pavilion in which they exhibited many of their treasures that had not otherwise ever left the Vatican. It was amazing. I was a kid and I was totally blown away. I bought the souveneir book and used to just pour over it. In my memory, there were very few crowds. Same trip I remember walking by a restaurant and seeing a guy with a bowl of crawfish — I was like “what is THAT?!” And my parents took me inside and let me order an enormous bowl for myself, then were gobsmacked when I ate it all (I think my dad thought he’d end up with it).

[Anonymous]

I did a volunteer experience very specific to my field of medicine in Kenya. I’d never felt so useful or fulfilled in my entire life. (This was before kids—I think as a mom I almost wish I could be less “useful” some days). There are some voluntourism experiences I could never get behind, but I think if you can find something specific to your field where you can train people in another country to make lives better, it’s an amazing experience.

[Anonymous]

Not necessarily in order, but I loved the Vespa tour in Rome, climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, and snorkeling with sea turtles in Hawaii. I'm sure there are many others, but those are what's coming to mind today.