I have a question for you. (Yes, you.)
Up until now, most of my few visitors have tiptoed through here, leaving in their wake only the faintest stirring of breeze. But now I’m begging you (yes, you): before you move on through the Internet, please offer up a morsel of your wisdom.
I’ll go nuts if I don’t start planning an alternate adventure to the Himalaya trip I’ve had to cancel. Starting tomorrow, with my foot newly casted, I’ll be in more need than ever of travel daydreams.
So please tell me: If you could go anywhere in the world — as long as it didn’t cost a ton to get or stay there — where would it be? Why? If you’ve already been there, why do you want to go back? That kind of thing.
If you’re feeling magnanimous, flesh out your entry with an emblematic story. Or illustrate your tale with a photo or two. [Easiest to e-mail me the photo(s) and I’ll add them to your posting.]
See that link right down there … the one that says “[#] responses so far”? Click that and you’ll be able stick your thoughts in the little box. No need to enter personal information like e-mail address. Just your first name is fine — that, and the little code you’ll type in to prove you’re human.
I can’t tell you how much I’d appreciate your contribution. I venture to say that you (yes, you) are the best!
I’d go to Mexico. Anywhere ion Mexico. it’s cheap, it’s fun, people are nice. I love Mexico City, alive and crazy. I love the mountain towns. The shore. Anywhere. Go.
In Ecuador I was eating a muddy soup and crunched down hard on something that crumbled a little bit and it turned out to be a molar. It was totally someone else’s. Something’s, I’m guessing.
For whatever reason, I began bravely stirring around in there, and
uncovered a tanned-leather strip of meat, pockmarked with distinct
pores, and with thick stiff hairs still attached.
I’d SAID go to Mexico City. Stay with Frida and Diego. I hear they fight but their house is awfully nice. Really, Mexico City is great, and cheap. Then there’s gringoland, San Miguel de Allende and xoaca (how the helldo you spell that?), you know. Not the Yucatan in a cast. Hmm… come to think of it all those hill towns are cobblestone. I can’t think of the beach place, have to ask my friends. Writing this on your blog annoys me. Blogs nnoy me. Yes, I am very cranky.
Different places for different moods and times of year. For reasonably adventurous travel I’d do the overland trail to Machu Picchu, preferably one through an outfit like The World Outdoors that combines hiking, mountain biking, and white-water rafting down the Urubamba. Wild, spectacular country. We also had an ab fab time in British Columbia and the Banff area (Alberta), including some great rafting on the Kicking Horse River (near Golden in BC), which has some dandy class 4 rapids.
If you and your foot aren’t in the mood for that, go to Italy–there’s a place in southern Tuscany called Bagno Vignoni that has wonderful hot springs (the whole central plaza in town is one big hot spring, though you can’t swim in that one anymore), and of course the food and wine are … restorative. In the spring if you can handle a city I’d go to Seville, where the orange blossoms make you feel positively giddy and the wine flows like water, and that’s where tapas were invented…. Only problem with Europe these days is the euro, which has an S & M relationship with the increasingly submissive dollar.
yes… mexico is great. baja is wonderful and so close. i kick myself i had not gone sooner. i’ve just spent 8 weeks there and there is still heaps more to see.
the jungles of belize are beautiful and they all speak english here!
the islands in the carribean are amazing…
if you want to study spanish, a great alternative for $190/week is laguna de apoyo- nicargua – good cheap place on a crater lake to study spanish (http://www.gaianicaragua.org/)
really, central america is so close you could just throw darts at a map and go anywhere and have a wonderful (or at least, interesting) time. it is summer in january in south america so things will be much more expensive. nevertheless, almost every country has something to offer.
some top places on my list:
galapagos – i hear it costs $500 to get to the islands. not sure about what the flights down south cost. january is high season as it is summer in SA. since i’m down here, it is high on my list after i finish this next part of my trip.
madagascar – i love lemurs and could imagine living there with my adopted family
anacama desert – it is the driest part of the world – somehow it appeals to me
torres del paine – southern chile – probably the closest i will ever get to antartica
nepal – but you know all about that
there are many more places of course. have you been to new zealand or australia? they are absolutely stunning! but for only 2 or 4 weeks, the trip is a haul.
central america is unbelievably close and the dollar goes far!
🙂
My Dear Crabby Jon, Sam and Jill,
I really appreciate y’all’s taking the time to write. And actually, I’m quite surprised at the outcome: each of you offered ideas that have already influenced where I hope to go over the next months. I’m awfully ready to blow this old Popsicle stand for a while.
It’s also helpful that your thoughts will remain here for posterity so I can tap back into them for future trips.
You guys are just the coolest friends.
-G
P.S. Eleni: I can’t say you’ve affected where I’ll go so much as where I might hesitate to go … but only for a second. Thanks for the story.
Trona
A nice big cave with crystal clear water, lit by bioluminescent jelly fish.