Jump to content

What's the best place you've ever been?


TAFKARM

Recommended Posts

On 12/21/2016 at 12:01, Kevin (Mr T) - Joint Essex AO said:

Would have to say New York.

Been a few times now and the sights and sounds still make me feel like I'm in a movie!

I first went there in 1974 - not at the lowest crime rate era! It was as if they had erected a film set just for my visit: Radio City, Chrysler Building (one of my favourites in the world), Empire State, and many other sights. Foolishly, I wandered off from my hotel on The Avenue of the Americas (6th) just along from Central Park at 10.30 at night to find a drug store for a shaver adaptor. I didn't get mugged, but not because I was street wise, but because of sheer luck I suppose. It's like being thoroughly vomiting drunk. you kneel on the bathroom floor and between retches, you tell your God that if only you survive you won't touch another drop. In Manhattan, especially during a 1979 visit when I thought we'd been car jacked on the way from JFK in our hire car (paranoia), I uttered a silent prayer to say that if I survived this visit I wouldn't set foot back there again. But, like the booze, it is simultaneously revolting/terrifying and irresistibly exciting and just as I have been in the room-spinning state many times, so have I been back to New York time and time again! It is one of the very few world major metropolises that I visited on business that has a soul. Off the top of my head there's also London (of course), Paris (in the seventies and eighties), Amsterdam, Jerusalem...

I enjoyed several visits to Tokyo and loved a lot of it after I got over the disappointment with its apparent Westernised style, but once you scrape below the veneer, its Oriental spirit shows. Fascinating, certainly, but not exciting. Neither are Taipei, Brussels, Hamburg, Essen, etc. Milan does have a soul but mysteriously it seems to be centred on la Scala. Okay, I love Italian opera... 

Best place? very hard to choose but when I need to relax I travel in my mind to Slattadale on the shores of Loch Maree in Ross and Cromarty, or to the mountain along the road that my family and I climbed in 1988: Slioch. So near home in distance, but another planet in all other ways. So much world, so little time... 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep there's nowhere like the UK:t-up:

i love spending time in my little touring caravan in the Lake District or the highlands in the far north of Scotland

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was lucky enough as a child to have lived in several countries and spent 30 years traveling the world all expenses paid by a brilliant employer. Interesting the many mentions of Niagara falls , I lived  in Toronto as a child and the best time to go is when the river is about to freeze and all the trees are iced over and again when it thaws and can take out up river bridges. 

My best experience, riding a horse at sun rise down the canyon to The Rose City in Petra Jordan.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Moscow is incredible in places

Egypt (cruise down the Nile) and a week in Luxor was also amazing for many reasons although I dont think I would go back

For a family you have a job to beat Florida and all the parks

You really have to love Wales and Scotland for something a bit closer to home

Must admit if I had to pin it down to one place I think it would be Vegas - (we did the helicopter flight down to the grand Canyon whilst we were there) - all part of a road trip that took in LA to San Francisco (coastal road is amazing)  then to Vegas 

We are thinking of doing similar again in a few years time but this time with kids and taking in some of the National Parks

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Moscow is incredible in places

Egypt (cruise down the Nile) and a week in Luxor was also amazing for many reasons although I dont think I would go back

For a family you have a job to beat Florida and all the parks

You really have to love Wales and Scotland for something a bit closer to home

Must admit if I had to pin it down to one place I think it would be Vegas - (we did the helicopter flight down to the grand Canyon whilst we were there) - all part of a road trip that took in LA to San Francisco (coastal road is amazing)  then to Vegas 

We are thinking of doing similar again in a few years time but this time with kids and taking in some of the National Parks

 

Oh and Cadwell Park or Bedford Autodrome are also right up there :laugh:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Funny all the comments on the Grand Canyon, I did the helicopter trip and thought it was quite disappointing. Although, obviously the helicopter itself was awesome.Ditto NYC, been twice and don;t really rate it, wouldn't go back. 

Agree on Thailand, Koh Samui was awesome, San Diego and Southern California was great, Cairns and the great barrier reef was a surprise hit for us as well. 

Disagree on Bedford and Cadwell, always tend to turn out to be very expensive trips...!

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, RussH said:

Funny all the comments on the Grand Canyon, I did the helicopter trip and thought it was quite disappointing. Although, obviously the helicopter itself was awesome.Ditto NYC, been twice and don;t really rate it, wouldn't go back. 

Agree on Thailand, Koh Samui was awesome, San Diego and Southern California was great, Cairns and the great barrier reef was a surprise hit for us as well. 

Disagree on Bedford and Cadwell, always tend to turn out to be very expensive trips...!

 

We did the helicopter ride & I also found it very disappointing, the helicopter flys you into the south rim (I think).

A few days later we drove to the north rim & that was a completely different experience & what I was expecting.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Cleggy the Spyder Man said:

Must admit if I had to pin it down to one place I think it would be Vegas - (we did the helicopter flight down to the grand Canyon whilst we were there) - all part of a road trip that took in LA to San Francisco (coastal road is amazing)  then to Vegas 

 

That's exactly what we did this summer only from SF down then we flew to New Orleans. Driving across the desert was cool AF. Did you stop off at Hearst Castle? Amazing place!

What did you this of San Francisco as a city? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, Kyle said:

That's exactly what we did this summer only from SF down then we flew to New Orleans. Driving across the desert was cool AF. Did you stop off at Hearst Castle? Amazing place!

What did you this of San Francisco as a city? 

We did simlar started in San Francisco & ended up in L.A, loved San Francisco.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Petra also takes some beating, the first sight of Al-Khazneh glimpsed though a gap as you reach the end of the 1km gorge is truly breathtaking. This and Petra as a whole was the highlight of a trip that also included visits to The Valley of the Kings and the. Pyramids.

 

I must admit Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat are at the top of my want to visit list and I'm hopping to get to one or the other next year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our Youngest son has lived in Thailand for 11 years now, so we visit most years, twice this year, 7 weeks then 4 weeks, it's a hard life but someone has to do it ;)

While we are there we try to see something of the country, we have done most of the islands (3 weeks ago we went to Koh Samet, again) Bankok of course,

We did a road trip to Kanchanaburi to see the Bridge on the River Kwai, Hellfire Pass and a few War Cemeteries, a very moving place when you remember what went on there.

We've also done a couple of the neighbouring countries, only 1 1/2 hours on a plane. This year Cambodia for 2 weeks brilliant and also very moving.

Last year Vietnam again for 2 weeks, what an amazing country, we started in the far north at Sapa near the Chinese border and then by way of 2 overnight train journeys, 2 overnight boat trips 1 internal flight and a lot of road miles ended up in Saigon and the Mekong Delta. Hanoi has to be the craziest place on earth the motor bike riders are like Kamikazi pilots.

A few years ago Kuala Lumpur, just for a few days, but just like any big city.

Next year we fancy Myanmar (Burma)

Hanoi

IMGP0521.JPG

Sapa

IMGP0710.JPG

The Chu Chi tunnels, of course me being me i had to go down one of the smallest.

IMGP1885.JPG

Angkor Wat was a bit of a family outing.

IMGP6473.JPG

 

IMGP6294.JPG

 

Koh Samet is nice and only 3 hours from Pattaya by road and boat.

 

IMG_3791.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In comparison I have only been to the foot of our stairs.

Do I get a prize for coming last, maybe the 'Need to get out more' Trophy.;)

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, finkangel said:

In comparison I have only been to the foot of our stairs.

Do I get a prize for coming last, maybe the 'Need to get out more' Trophy.;)

Aha, your secrets out! That's how you keep the miles down :yes:

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 21/12/2016 at 16:28, Tom (T3OMF) - Cotswolds AO said:

Another Vote for Stelvio 

It looses the appeal when you cycle up it with 80 miles already completed that day!  :down:

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Please review our Terms of Use, Guidelines and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.