In the wake of the revelation
that there are now 7 billion people in the world (at a conservative estimate),
National Geographic did a nice couple of photo articles
10 of the least crowded places in the world
Happiness
Hotspots
This got me thinking about my
travels (both past and future) and so I’ve decided to compile a couple of “best
of lists” – one I’ll share with you on this blog, the other will come later in
the week.
5 of the best places I’ve ever been to
(in no particular order)
Budapest
– One of (if not my) favourite city in the world so far. It’s a fantastic
place with a great mix of the old and the new; the fast and the slow. On
one side of the Danube you have Buda with its abundant walks and fantastic
views, as well as the winding cobbled streets of the older castle
district. Cross the river into the Pest side and you have the flatter and
more modern city with nice restaurants and bars (though still retaining
their identity and history) as well as the sensational thermal baths and
beautiful City Park. I’ve been in the height of summer (when the
temperature was over 40 degrees) and in the week before Christmas (when it
was comfortably sub-zero) and there is always something new to discover.
Yeah it’s a bit more “rundown” in some areas compared to some of the
Western capitals but its not unwelcoming or dirty at all. Give it a whirl,
I hope you won’t be disappointed.
Barbados
– I guess this should technically be classed as a work trip as I was here
when I was 17 enjoying a 3 week cricket tour with school. Well, enjoying
the rum, the beaches and the fact that you simply aren’t able to stress
even if you try – the cricket was less enjoyable and in fact exceptionally
painful on more than one occasion. For a 17 year old on his first trip
outside the UK without parents it was an eye-opening breath-taking
experience from start to finish. I had my first hangover on this holiday,
played my first game of beach cricket and encountered a style of life that
I had rarely seen up until this point. By all accounts a lot has changed
since 1997 and Bridgetown for example isn’t quite the same place it was
when we wandered through it a 5am trying to find one more bar that was
open – but at the time this was one of the most amazing places I had ever
seen.
Brunei
– OK, there is a bit of a theme here with places that begin with a B!! I
spent two years living in Brunei as a 5 – 7 year old due to my dad working
on power plant that was being built just outside the capital. Although my
memories of it are slightly hazy and I am relying somewhat on stories I
have been told, I do have plenty of fantastic memories of this tiny (yet
unbelievably wealthy) nation many miles away. Walking through the fish
markets every Saturday seeing Red Snapper the size of me; trekking and
canoing through the jungles of Borneo; eating Chicken Satay bought from a
guy at the end of the road who seemed to have them on the go permanently;
visiting the Sultan of Brunei’s palace and polo club on a school trip
(soooo much gold). As a young child growing up I don’t think I fully
appreciated how amazing and lucky I was to have these experience which are
so different from life in the UK- but looking back now I understand
exactly how fortunate I was and how much I’d love to go back and see it again.
Sirmione –
Finally somewhere that doesn’t begin with a B. I love Italy; the food, the
wine, the people (once you get used to certain aspects), the fantastically
rich history and the amazing architecture which still dominates the
majority of the cities. It has a number of instantly recognisable
landmarks which are known the world over; think the Leaning Tower,
Coliseum, the lagoon city of Venice, St. Peters Basilica and so on.
However, the one place which transfixed me (and probably Nat too) more
than any was the tiny little town of Sirmione (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirmione)
which at the end of a little peninsula jutting out into Lake Garda. You
enter Sirmione either by boat or on foot across a tiny little bridge next
to the 13th Century Sirmione Castle and instantly the world
feels different. Cars are only allowed in at certain times and in certain
numbers so foot traffic dominates. The place is touristy but not overly so
(and certainly not as tacky as Pisa or places like Florence are becoming)
and the overwhelming feeling is one of relaxation and serenity. The lake
gently laps against the shore which is shallow enough for you to simply
wander in paddle around the cool, fresh waters while the town itself is
famous for its thermal springs and Roman ruins. Our enjoyment was enhanced
by the view from our hotel room and the fact that we had been camping for
nearly 2 weeks solid and so a soft bed was most welcome but it was so much
more than that. You will often hear people criticise certain areas of Lake
Garda (and with very good reason in some cases – see Gardaland) but this
is one bit of it that should be high on the list of places to visit for
anyone in this area of the world.
Fiji –
Part of our round the world adventure which concluded our Brunei adventure
was a 10 day trip to Fiji (and specifically Beachcomber Island, a tiny
tropical island) parked in the Pacific Ocean somewhere. Although the
slightly terrifying boat ride we endured to get there is probably the source of my ability to get
seasick in the bath (in the dark, boat rocking from side to side, minor
incident with having to swim the last 50m or so as the boast was too deep
to come to shore) Fiji still holds many great memories. True, there isn’t
actually that much to do except lie on the beach or swim in the sea – but
there are other islands you can visit and the communal
entertainment/feeding area is alive every night with the sights and sounds
of pacific island life. Also true is that I was 6 and a half and spent the
ENTIRE time playing mini-golf with an Australian boy of similar age –
neither of those facts take away from the fact that, to me, this was a
magical place and somewhere I will never forget. FYI, the boat ride back
was calm, smooth and swim-free but the damage was already done.
As
you can probably guess, I love to travel and have been lucky enough to be able
to indulge this love both as a child and also as an adult. The question when
you love to travel is always “where next?” but sometimes its great to sit back
and consider where you have been and how much joy you got out of it.
Till next time
DT
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