Ulukai on 5/3/2010 at 10:29

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Good God man, I didn't buy any of the products on offer in the Red Light district. It does look like hell, there's red lights all over the place. But then I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't gone, so I'm glad I did. I'm not one to let my moral compass stop me from visiting parts of a city.

I stand by my judgement of Paris, but I'm willing to return someday as I think I had a raw deal.

Kuuso on 5/3/2010 at 17:12

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Places I've visited (and loved):

Thailand: More precisely River Kwai. Amazing food, great weather, nature all around. Culturally rich country with much to offer with sights (Buddhist temple grounds).

We spend a night ON river Kwai sleeping on a big raft that is owned by a tribe of natives (which use the money to fund their lives in the jungle). No electricity, no "civilisation" no nothing. Had one of the most insighful conversations there while watching shooting stars (yeah, I laughed how clichéd it was). Elephants occasionally corrected the raft's position, which was fun.

Hong Kong: Best big city I've been to this far. Even though it's really commercial (see the starbucks leading to Big Buddha, which remained impressive anyways) it offers surprising amount of historical and generally cultural stuff. On top of that it has nice people, really nice nightlife and amazing food. Clean and effective. There's surprising amount of historical sights in the place and easy access to trips to smaller islands, which are the polar opposite of the hectic city.

The place is kind of it's own world separate from the worries of the rest of the world.

Barcelona: Pretty much on par with Hong Kong, but I need to revisit, because I was somewhere around 15 when I was there. Amazing architecture, weather and atmosphere. I love how Gaudi's work are just around the city in really unexpected places. I've found that usually when you've seen one impressive cathedral, you've seen them all, but Barcelona's ones are special.

Paris: pretty much what other people have said.
Versailles: Really impressive, outside and in. The gardens are amazing as well. A must-see, if you're within a reasonable train journey. I spent a day there, pretty much.
Saimaa, Finland: Midsummers Day should be spent here, in a cabin with no electricity. Dig a hole for a bandit roast, light a bonfire, dig the roast up the following day for dinner. In the meantime, fish, drink, enjoy the silence and the purest nature you can get.
Amsterdam: What others said. The atmosphere. Most laid back place I've been to. I enjoy weed as well, so it's a heaven on that front. More so, the city is really cute with it's small bridges and narrow buildings. Really friendly people. I pretty much had an orgasm, when I bought their chips. UK ones are laughable compared.

Average places:
London: To be honest, If it wasn't for the company I had there, I wouldn't have liked it so much. It's dirty, it doesn't hold that much of interest. the weird 24/7 pub I went to was a plus. I do like British people though.
Helsinki: It's full of itself (the people), tries to be an european city, but pales in comparison to everything. If you visit Finland, Helsinki is not the place you should stay.

Meh:
Bangkok: Didn't really enjoy it that much. Just a big and messy city.

Would love to visit:

Italy: Always wanted to go there. I adore the food and the history, so I am a bit sad I haven't got there yet.

Australia & New Zealand: Seems to be rich in nature and extremely diverse. The people seem lovely as well.

Places I don't care about:
Turkey and similar countries: Annoying people and lots of tourist traps. Even though it's historically interesting, I don't want to spend time in Modern Turkey to find out about the old one.

Greece: It's a shithole.

Where I am going:
Edinburgh 15-18.4. Really excited, meeting a bunch of mates from the internets. Some I've met before, some I have not. Will be a blast, as all the meets I've been to.

I am going to InterRail in a few years travelling only with a backpack around Europe, including eastern Europe. Really looking forward to it. This kind of stuff is where I feel the most comfortable. I love sitting at foreign trains stations and park benches in god's know where.

rachel on 5/3/2010 at 20:26

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Okay here goes.


As a family destination Spain has always been there, my grandad had a house built in the middle of nowhere in the Province of Segovia, and we went every summer. I went last June for the first time in probably 12 to 15 years, and found with delight that it's still one of few places where I feel home.

I like isolated places anyway.

I've travelled to the UK quite a lot. Scotland and Ireland too. The latter, I absolutely loved it, every second. It was in Kerry, Tralee to be precise. One hell of a place. More than 10 years later I still remember it like yesterday.

I've been to Greece during a school trip and it was pretty nice, though obviously given the circumstances we were'nt really free to roam. Athens was meh, but I loved Delphi, splendid ruins over a sea of olive trees, was a gorgeous sight.

I was lucky enough to accompany my dad to Ecuador back when he did mountain-climbing trips with his pals. I had missed Peru and Bolivia, but for this one he managed to convince my mom that my sister and I were fit enough to go with him.
We went everywhere, from watching dolphins and fishing for piranhas in the Amazon to whale- and bird-watching in the Pacific, to the volcans of the Andes in the misty valley of Baños.

Dream trip for a teen. :)

Also marked the highest I've ever been in my life on solid ground (though in a car) at 4,200 meters. Hellll of a headache.

I pretty much stopped travelling during my Uni years, except Internships in Madrid and, oh yeah, Luxembourg. Shitty Lux. Hated it. Loved Madrid, much better than Barcelona where I live now, which I can't stand and would never have been if it weren't for the job.

Been to Amsterdam once and didn't like it much. I don't deny that I'm probably missing something, but in general the Netherlands are just not a destination for me.

Paris? Paris. Been there a few times, obviously, I have family there so it's easy. I never visited the Louvres until 2005, and wasn't disappointed. I visited Versailles in 89 during a school trip and was in awe. I still have a trip idea on the back of my mind, that might actually take place this year as there's the Turner exposition right now that I want to see.
Other places in Paris, the Pont des Arts, my absolute fave.


Coast to Coast trip in the US? (http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113119) Been there done that ;) Mount Rushmore you can avoid, it's not that great, but the natural wonders, oh my. The Rockies, Bryce Canyon, Devils Tower, Niagara, are all worth a visit. Devils Tower in particular.
A place that I personally loved was June Lake in California, just at the entrance of Yosemite. Dream town near a lake. Lovely isolated place.


If you go there, don't miss one of the ghost towns like Bodie. Fantastic experience that makes you feel you've gone through a time warp 60 years. Really impressive. And the trip there is half the fun, the road is hellish.

Loved San Fran but even more the Big Sur area and Monterey. Great coastline and views, fantastic atmosphere.

I like New York, it has a special vibe. I love getting to the quieter parts and watching people go by. i found some corners of Brooklyn to be just like in Smoke.
Plus, nothing beats re-enacting Deus Ex in Battery park :cool:


Mexico, well, haven't seen much. Monterrey I wouldn't recommend, it's not a pretty city. That said, one local attraction of note is (was?) our very own Mr Duck so it's not that bad ;)
The old pre-colombian cities everywhere are sure worth a visit however. Both sis and my parents went there (I didn't have time myself) and the pics they took are incredible. It's definitely on my list.


Where I want to go next? I want to travel to Alaska and/or Western Canada to fly around. Bush flying and dog sledding in the wilderness is a dream of mine from way back.

I'd like to go back to Ireland. Not only Kerry but also Nothern Ireland. A big trip there would be nice, dive in the local pubs and listen to the music and have beer all night. Good times would be had fe'shure.

Australia and New Zealand are also high on my list of priorities. Also Italy has been in my sights too lately because of a certain someone, and I'd like to visit it some day.

As far as big plans are concerned, I always have in my papers some draft for an Arctic cruise or a safari. Lately I've considered an Air Safari to discover Kenya from, well, the air, which sounds to me like an awesome idea. Then I saw the price and passed out.

I'm not too hot for Middle East but Jordan and Egypt would still get my vote for Petra and the Pyramids/Nile valley respectively.

I'm also considering visiting rural South West England and Wales, the country is beautiful there.


I could get the time, but lack of funds is the real bitch. :(

june gloom on 5/3/2010 at 22:01

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Most exotic place I've ever been is Virginia Beach for 15 minutes. Beautiful. Want to see the ocean again, I don't care which one or from which angle.

Additionally, downtown Chicago's an amazing place during a December snowstorm. I got to see that twice. Some of my favourite memories.

And let's be honest- once you get out of the cities, most of the "middle America" that Scots so callously pooh-poohs is frankly incredibly beautiful, and there's a lot of it and different kinds too. And when it comes to America that's all you really need- the sheer beauty of nature, or at least what's left of it that doesn't have a skyscraper on it. It's why I've been so adamant on getting away from the Cincinnati-Dayton sprawl and living someplace where my house is surrounded by trees.

Ulukai on 5/3/2010 at 22:41

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Do it. Saw them in Iceland after much perseverance and no words or pictures do them justice.