So I’m really behind on the ABC’s of travel that have been doing the rounds for people with travel blogs or travel photography blogs. The whole idea is that you get nominated and answer the 26 questions below. I’ve read some really good ones and have been meaning to do my own on this travel blog for ages.
Thanks to Tom from waegook-tom for nominating me check out his site too he has some great posts from his time in Korea and his most recent trip to Eastern Europe.
A – Age you went on your first international trip
I was aged one and my parents took me to Ibiza! I can’t tell you much about the trip as I obviously don’t remember it. My first memory of being abroad was in Corfu, I was about 6, this one I really remember as My Granddad and Uncle managed to get arrested and spend a day in court – a long story!!
B – Best (foreign) beer you’ve had, and where
Hmmmm………..this is quite a hard one as I’ve tried so many different beers. I think it has to be the Tripel Van De Garre from Staminee de Garre in Bruges. The beer was so unique and this is the only place you can buy it and the little creamy cheese cubes were very yummy!
C – Cuisine (favourite)
Anyone who’s read the blog or follows me on twitter should know my favourite cuisine is Thai especially Satay! On a previous post I shared my Top 5: Thai Dishes.
Pad Thai
D – Destinations: Favourite, least favourite, and why.
My favourite…… I think I’m going to go with Miami and the Florida Keys you have an amazing beach city followed by a string of Caribbean style islands with one impressive scenic highway and a seven mile bridge!
My least favourite is Pefkos in Rhodes – Typical tourist resort tiny beach, rubbish restaurants, nothing to do and tacky Brits hanging around by the pool.
E – Event you experienced abroad that made you go, “wow”!
Chinese New Year in Hong Kong – I was only 18 and it was the first stop on my round the world trip. From the fireworks, light shows, food and even playing Frisbee with the locals everything was awesome.
F – Favourite mode of transportation
Believe it or not it’s a car! Nothing can beat an ultimate road trip and I love cruising around looking at the views and stopping where I want to. I wrote about some of the places I’ve driven in my post driving all over the world.
G – Greatest feeling while travelling
Complete freedom and having no plans. Waking up each morning and having nothing arranged or nothing to worry about is incredibly liberating.
H – Hottest place you’ve travelled to
Probably Hong Kong during June whilst it wasn’t huge temperatures the humidity was unbearable and I couldn’t walk 5 minutes down the street without being drenched in sweat.
I – Incredible service you’ve experienced, and where
Disney – I was lucky enough to be invited on a trip hosted by Disney to Florida, everything was arranged, everything was included and anything I wanted was attended to – pure 5* service and luxury.
J – Journey that took the longest
The worst journey I’ve ever had was an overnight bus trip from Port Macquarie to Brisbane. A friend and I thought it would be a great idea to drink a bottle of Southern Comfort and just sleep on the bus. It didn’t quite turn out like this and I felt awful and this felt like the longest journey of my life.
The longest journey I have actually done was a flight to Bangkok via Doha with a very long stopover in Doha, 5 hours, the journey door to door ending up taking just over 24 hours.
K – Keepsake from your travels
My house is a treasure trove of keepsakes from travel guides to Buddha statues and brain forks to Turkish silk throws pretty much everything is travel orientated.
L – Let-down sight: Why, and where
Choco Story in Bruges. The Belgians make nice chocolate but boy was this place boring. It was literally just a load’s of rooms with lots to read about the history of chocolate and a very quick demonstration with one free chocolate to taste. I could have quite easily read it all online and popped to a chocolate shop and bought a whole selection to scoff whilst I read.
M – Moment where you fell in love with travel
The moment I really realised that seeing the world was a must do was at the age of 15 in Canada. I was awestruck by the scenery and remember looking across the sea to Vancouver and becoming excited at visiting my first huge high-rise city.
N – Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in
There’s a few – Meritus Negara in Singapore (I think it’s now called the Pan Pacific), Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the Southernmost Resort in Key West. To be honest though I generally stay in B&B’s or rent apartment rooms rather than stay in hotels.
O – Obsession: what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while travelling?
I love taking pictures of architecture. Incredible buildings and monuments fascinate me.
P – Passport stamps: How many, and from where?
Not many really especially now none of the EU countries stamp your passport. I do have a few from some countries such as Malta and Slovenia before they joined the EU. Others are Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, Fiji, USA, Turkey and Singapore.
Q – Quirkiest attraction you’ve visited, and where?
I think it has to be Coral Castle near Miami. It’s built with limestone formed from coral, hence the name. The structure was made by a Latvian who supposedly built it single-handedly using magnetism and supernatural forces. Apparently the only tool he used was something he referred to as a perpetual motion holder?
The Castle is actually very impressive and there is an 8 ton gate which you can literally open with the gentle push of your hand – impressive supernatural engineering indeed!
R – Recommended event, sight, or experience?
In all honesty ‘EVERYTHING’ you have one life to live and everything on this Earth is worth seeing or experiencing once. My top recommendation is don’t get any recommendations or read a guide book. Turn up in a city or town and just hit the streets, wander aimlessly and speak to locals, it’s a great way to immerse yourself somewhere new.
S – Splurge: something you have no problem forking over money for while travelling.
Food, drink and attractions,visits – Food and drink is obvious I want to eat the local cuisine and try it all and drink normally, always leads to a good time! I don’t mind paying out for sightseeing or attractions as I never know if I will ever return and get the chance to do them again. My attitude is ‘might as well do it if I’m here’
T – Touristy thing you’ve done
To be honest I do loads of touristy things. I hate the stigma that is attached to the word tourist and the travel snobbery of people declaring themselves travellers not tourists. Whatever you want to call yourself statistically when you arrive in a foreign country and are travelling for pleasure you become another tourist or a visitor number that the country can boast about.
I have visited theme parks, done tourist boat trips, bus tours, guided sightseeing etc. I don’t have a problem saying these things it doesn’t make me less of a ‘traveller’ so embrace it and enjoy being a tourist.
U – Unforgettable travel memory
Most of my unforgettable memories are all to do with being in touch with wildlife. Not in zoos or parks but animals in their natural habitat. So cycling past an alligator, canoeing with manatees, watching dolphins swim in the bay or rowing past a seal are all pretty unforgettable memories.
V – Visas: How many, and for where?
Ive never had working visa, just the normal tourist visas for destinations I’ve visited.
W – Wine: best class of wine whilst travelling, and where?
The best class of wine whilst travelling is normally the cheapest because I’m often on a budget! The best wine I’ve ever tried though was the Malbec from Chateau Haute Serre in Cahors, France.
X – Excellent view, and from where?
Damn some of these are hard. I’m going to answer with Hong Kong again! The view from Victoria Peak on a really clear day is amazing both day and night.
Y – Years spent travelling
Well technically if I class all the travel with my family then it’s all my life, 28 years. But realistically I’ve done a lot more travel since I became 18 and could go away on my own so let’s say 10 years.
Z – Zealous sports fans, and where?
Basketball fans are pretty crazy. I love the fact that each arena has a DJ to hype the crowd often the players seem to thrive from it too!