Sunday, February 27, 2011

10 MOST MEMORABLE TRAVEL EXPERIENCES

So here goes, my list of top travel experiences as they bubbled to the surface today.

Hard to narrow it down, really. And I bet I wake up in the middle of the night with half-a-dozen happenings worth adding to the list.

But for now, let's start with Tintin and see where we end up.

Happy travels.

This post has been entered into the Grantourismo & HomeAway Holiday-Rentals travel blogging competition.

  1. Reading Tintin books as a child changed everything. The youthful sleuth’s adventures opened my mind to a world beyond the edges of Australia
  2. The scent of aircraft fuel still sets off a mental slideshow of journeys including the first time I breathed it in before a trip to Fiji in 1980
  3. The odd contrast of condors & tiny hummingbirds in the warming morning air on the rim of the Colca Canyon, Peru.
  4. Feeling the potential power of a tame falcon at the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital – Easily the most intriguing, medical facility anywhere. A glimpse into a fascinating Emirati tradition.
  5. Watching the speedometer of Shanghai’s MAGLEV train pass 4oo km/h (250 mph). Look, no wheels!
  6. Feeling the earth rumble walking up the ash  flanks of  restless Yasur volcano, Vanuatu - one of the world’s most accessible
  7. Scratching my name in fresh concrete outside the MGM Grand Hotel in Vegas the night before it opened. I’d love to know if it’s still there.
  8. The realisation of how far from home (Sydney) I was, on the corrugated tin roof of the Cloud Train as it rolled past Andean peaks and salt lakes in the north of Argentina.
  9. Watching novice monks file through the streets of Luang Prabang collecting alms by the Mekong River in Laos.
  10. Having my 7 year old say, after a day on Lake Como, “I think today was the best day of my life”. Travel - she gets it.

2 comments:

  1. My favorites are #2 and #10. Aircraft fuel is a scent I adore as well! Good luck in the competition!

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Nicole, many thanks for your comment.

    Nice to know someone's reading it! Mmmm, AvGas...

    ReplyDelete