It has been quite some time, but we were finally tagged to do the ABC's of Travel post that has been going around the travel blogsphere lately. Not being one to say no, I relented and jumped on the bandwagon with this fun entry! Thank you to Sophie from Sophie's World for giving us the tag to do this. Since this is a fairly long post, we'll just get right to it! Age you went on your first international trip:
I went to Toronto, Canada when I was around 6 and the Bahamas when I was around 7 or 8 on a 3 day cruise as well as another week-long cruise of Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rio, Jamaica when I was 17. My first major international trip was a four week tour of Europe when I was 22, just about 4 years ago.
Best foreign beer you have had and where:
I've tried so many beers while traveling, and I found that I have great memories of them only to not like them when I find them again at home (Chinese Tsingtao, I'm looking at you!). I still really enjoy Singha from Thailand, and would love to try the Cambodian beer Angkor again if I could ever find it. Overall Germany wins on all things beer in my mind. It truly is hard to top.
Cuisine (favorite):
Any, all, and mostly Thai. Runner up is Italian pizza. Give me a curry and chocolate banana roti with condensed milk on top and I am in heaven. In fact, if I don't make curry at least once a month I get upset. Still waiting to try a roti recipe though.
Destinations – favorite, least favorite and why:
Favorite is a tie between the islands of Thailand and the mountains of Switzerland. Beaches and mountains, what more can I say? Least favorite is probably Germany. I just couldn't get into it outside of the food, which I love, but I think I would like it a lot more if I explored more of Bavaria.
Event you experienced abroad that made you say wow:
I saw the Perseid Meteor Showers while hiking down Mount Sinai in Egypt as well as during a camp-out with the Bedouin in Wadi Rum, Jordan. A meteor passing through the Milky Way? Yep, pretty extraordinary.
Favorite mode of transportation:
A donkey going to the Valley of the Kings is hard to beat. Any living animal is quite fun, and I've ridden horses, camels, donkeys, and elephants abroad - not that they really take you anywhere other than a giant circle. As far as real transportation, I would have to say a sleeper car of a train so I can actually spread out, watch a movie, and sleep.
Greatest feeling while traveling:
Freedom to do whatever I want, whenever, with exception of the coming home part.
Hottest place you have traveled to:
It was over 120°F (48.9°C) in Egypt while I was there and I am pretty sure it may have been quite hotter but I could not measure it. I made the choice of visiting in August at the hottest part of the year which was likely my undoing. Wide open spaces, no clouds, and incredibly hot stones made for an interesting couple of days. To top it off, exploring the bazaar in Cairo a few days later with hundreds of people in a tight space gave me mild heat sickness that lasted a few days. I'd do it again in a heart beat if I had the option!
Incredible service you have experienced and where:
It isn't so much a service that I paid for, but my experience with the people of Japan has been some of most memorable. On several occasions people would stop me and try to see if I needed help with directions, with very minimal English, all because I was looking at my map. A few people went so far as making me follow them until they could show me where to go or found someone that spoke English to help me, where all I did was try to ask directions. Japan wins, hands down, and I hope the people there keep being awesome until the end of time.
Journey that took the longest:
Overland - 25 hours from Chengdu to Guilin, China. I had a sleeper car and shared it with two Chinese women and their crying toddlers the whole night. I almost went insane until I found another English speaker a few rooms over about 4 hours until we arrived in Guilin. It is train rides like these that make me wish I carry more than one 8 hour long laptop battery.
Flying - 8 1/2 hours from Singapore to Tokyo, a 3 hour layover (yay sushi run!), 13 hours from Tokyo to Newark, a canceled flight and a 4 hour layover before a flight to Cleveland, an overnight stay with my brother, and a 3 hour drive home. I have that kind of luck with airfare.
Keepsake from your travels:
I collect shot glasses which is pretty memorable as they are a massive collection now. We're going to start collecting Christmas tree ornaments which will be quite fun too.
I am also quite fond of the inverted painted globe I bought in Singapore as it was not only expensive, but quite beautiful. Bringing it home was interesting as it looked like a solid black ball on the x-ray machine. As soon as I saw it pop up I was like "I bet you want to see what that looks like, right?" and the guy marveled at how cool the item was and had to show it to another person he was working with.
Let-down site:
Overall I think Hong Kong was a pretty big let-down for me. I couldn't get into the food and was burnt out after spending 4 weeks in China which is taxing enough as it is. I spent most of the time eating McDonalds and going to the movie theater as a mini-trip break. The view of the harbor from the mountain is stunning, and I still managed to find some amazing sights, but it was pretty hard for me to be excited. I am sure if I went back I would enjoy it much though.
Moment when you fell in love with travel:
Jumping off a mountain in Austria to go paragliding pretty much ignited the spark for travel, not to mention crazy adventure sports.
Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in:
Hotel Rendezvous in Hanoi is the only place I can really rave about for amazing service, amazing facilities, and being my favorite dorm room in the whole world. But if you read this blog, you've probably heard me mention it several times by now. If not, read my reviews at the links here and book at this place when you go. Tell Luke and Sarah that Jeremy from Living the Dream says hello.
For a dedicated hotel, it is really hard to say. I prefer the boutique hotels that have more character, and although they are fun, they take a lot more to impress me as they are not as built up as some of the luxury counterparts that cost two to three times as much.
Obsession – what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling:
My traveling companion Oscar the Roaming Gnome is my favorite photo icon. He is quite fun to pose with attractions and try and get involved in hilarious situations. Unfortunately most of the time he prefers the water.
Passport stamps, how many and from where:
I've been to 34 countries and territories, but do not have as many stamps as I have traveled throughout the EU and on cruises where you do not need stamps. I've got a few from Canada, England, Germany, France, Japan, China, Macao, Hong Kong, Greece, Egypt, Jordan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and several return stamps to the USA.
Quirkiest attraction you have visited and where:
A quirky attraction is a hard pick. I went to the Pokemon World Store in Tokyo which was interesting, but skipped some of the more quirky attractions like the Hello Kitty Park (but I did talk to another traveler for 30 minutes about it... very awkward). The sightseeing tunnel between The Bund and Pudong in Shanghai was incredibly off-beat, and I only went on it at the request of a friend I randomly saw on the street while in Pudong. This video shows it in ultra-high-speed and it is incredibly trippy and absolutely ridiculous.
Recommended site, event, or experience:
Even my worst experience is better than staying at home, so I recommend them all. Get out and explore the world....now!
Splurge, something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling:
A room with air-conditioning and anything food related. No one likes to be sweaty and hungry.
Touristy thing you have done:
I like to take cruises, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I've been on 3 and I hope to do at least 2 more (Hawaii and Alaska) in the foreseeable future. Sometimes it is nice to unwind and not have to plan anything at all.
Unforgettable travel memory:
Proposing to Angie on the beach in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand at night. Kinda put a great topper to 5 months in Asia being away from her and reuniting with a proposal immediatley there after.
Visas, how many and from where:
Five. Egypt, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand. I didn't need the one for Thailand but to stay for over two weeks I decided to buy one rather than doing a visa run. Turns out they were offering them for free, so I got an extended stay visa at no cost! I also did not need one for Jordan as I entered via the trade free zone of Aqaba and just got a stamp for that.
Wine, best glass while traveling and where:
I typically don't buy wine while traveling unless I'm in a wine country. I have had very good Rieslings in Germany, so I do have to give the country credit for that! The 3-4 dollar bottles of wine in France are a good follow up just for the price aspect.
eXcellent view and from where:
On my tour of Europe we stayed in some pretty crappy campsites as a mean to save money. Most of these were out of the city and worth as much credit as I am giving in this short description. In Florence we stayed in Camping Panoramico in one of the campers they had on site. The camper was incredibly tiny, and I would never stay there again because of its location, but the name of the site says it all. The panoramic view of Florence was astounding, and one of the best views I have had that is not an official skyline view.
As far as skylines go, Shanghai is really nice as is Hong Kong from the mountain peak. Pittsburgh is good too, but I am partial to that because I live less than 60 seconds from the viewpoint.
Years spent traveling:
If you combine all the days I've been traveling in the last 4 years, I will have been on the road for over 220 (~16%). Of course, this number is set to go up quite a bit in the future :).
Zealous sports fans and where:
I dont do sports, so you are all zealous to me! I do want to go see a football game sometime though (international football, or as we Americans call it, soccer).
-------------------------------------------------------
To pass this series on, we are supposed to tag up to 5 fellow travel writers to do their post into the series. For the life of me I cannot think of anyone who hasn't done this already, so if you have wanted to do an ABC's of Travel post and have not been tagged yet, comment below and the first five people get it!
