Describe Your BEST Vacation

[sonnythebull]

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Uganda was amazing. We spent 10 days and felt that another week or two would have been great to see more of the country, even though we are very thankful for the time we were able to spend there. We stayed in really nice places and also stayed in hostels. As I said before, we went for the gorillas and the experience did not disappoint. We were close enough in the forest to be able to touch the silverbacks (there were 4 in a family of 19). We were with a lady in her mid-60's (who travels the world for a living as a translator) doing the gorilla trek and afterward, she said it was the single most amazing thing she has ever done or seen in her entire life - she kept repeating this over and over. It was a surreal and crazy experience at the same time and worth every penny (if you can afford it - do it).
Wherever we went, we saw tons of animals up close and in the wild. We also visited different animal sanctuary's where they rescue orphaned or injured animals from poachers. We also stayed with some locals (have friends there), so we got to visit remote villages and meet people there who are subsistence farmers. Extremely friendly people and very tasty food. I can easily see now why last year Lonely Planet rated Uganda as the best country in the world to visit. We were really happy to go there and skip Kenya and Tanzania, because we did not want to be surrounded by tourists or touts; in fact we seldom saw tourists in the places we went and there no crowds at all. We were never hassled to buy anything - ever. We took tons of pics and after keeping only the ones we want, we still have about a thousand, plus awesome vids from my GoPro and cameras. Here's a few pics (more are here) - I didn't ride my own bike, but took boda-boda's (125's and 250's) as transport a few times.

Gentle Giants:

Mealtimes

Amazing landscapes

And of course amazing riding roads and endless bikes.

Nice!

 

[knowledge]

Just an update for anyone that's curious + an inquiry about italy:

I'd like to head to Italy next, but with all the stories from travelers that I've met along the way, I'm not sure which cities to see. It also looks fairly expensive and I blew a chunk of money in Hawaii & Vegas (lol...I only spent 14 dollars gambling. 58 if you count taking a risk on a hobo who told me he could hook up free tickets hahaha...he didn't and I was out $44), so I want to pace myself for a little bit (I'm budgeting for about $80 a day). I'm thinking of maybe a 2 week minimum starting off in Rome, then Florence, Siena, Pisa, Bologna, Venice, Verona, Milan. Are there any must-see cities that I've missed? I just need it to hold me off for about a year or so (when I plan to come back to do all of europe).

I'm currently in Thailand (probably going to be here for at least one month). I stayed in Bangkok for a couple of days then headed north to Chiang Mai. I'm thinking of doing an intensive meditation/buddhist retreat just for the hell of it. I'd be living with monks and meditating for about 9 hours a day for about 10 days. Accomodation/food is free but you basically make up for it by giving alms to the monks that you learn under.

I'm still trying to figure out what cities/towns to check out in Northern Thailand, but I'm planning to head down south after Chiang mai to see all the islands and beaches (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Phuket, Pattaya). I'm also considering learning Muay Thai while I'm here (although I'm having a hard time finding one that hasn't been commercialized for tourists).

Here's a picture of me on the summit of Haleakala in Maui. I went for a hike through the mountain and it was supposed to be 19 kms, but I got lost and it ended up being around 27+ kms. I started the hike late, was inadequately prepared, and had no flashlight, so I started ******** bricks once the sun went down. It got to a point where I was trying to call 911 but my phone had no signal. It didn't help that the most difficult part of the trek was an intermediate-level switchback/mountain and I had to do it in the dark. I eventually got to a road and was about to give up trying to hitch a ride when a couple from Seattle stopped for me and actually turned around to drive me 10 kms to my car.


Let me know if you guys want more pics. It's the least I could do for all the help. Thanks for everyone that replied and for all the people that I've PMed with who have helped me put things together (sort of just jumped head first into it as someone with virtually no travel experience). It's been such a blast and I can only imagine how much more I would've seen/done if I started traveling even just a year earlier. Every day is a funny or interesting story (ie yesterday I partied so hard in Bangkok that I lost my pants. Everyone at the hostel (including the staff) found that pretty funny. Also, bottles of 1.14L J.W. black label are 50 bucks at the club. That's a good 1200-2k in Toronto!

Tomorrow, one place that I'm planning to stop by is a women's prison to get a massage. They have a system in place where women with 6 months left 'til they're out of jail can give Thai massages so that they can have some money once they're free. I wonder if rehabilitation's any more effective here than it is in Canada...

 

[Torren]

Snorkelling the caves around Tortola is a gotta do.

Never did any snorkelling there, but Tortola is a beautiful island. Lush green slopes, great surf and awesome white sand beaches. The people were fantastic as well. I can't wait to go back sometime.

.. And can't forget about the Bomba shack!

 

[crankcall]

Knowledge, Italy is a must see . I sure there are some Italians on this site that would have good insight, here's what I learned. Getting about three blocks away from a tourist site and restraunt prices drop huge. There dont seem to be cheap hotels anywhere unless you get out of the cities. Rome is a big city with some old buildings falling down in the middle. You have to see the colluseum and forum and vatican city and spanish steps, then get out.
Venice is crazy expensive, but the sheer wealth the city had at one time makes it one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. We arrived by boat and entering the grand canal the view was amazing.
I liked Pissa and the surrounding area, I wish i spent more time in that spot.
Sicily is under rated as a place to visit, Palermo is nice enough, bit rough. I liked Messina.

 

[DownUnder]

For Muay Thai I recommend Fairtex in Pattaya. Some top class fighters come out of the gym and the trainers are great. Trained there for 2 weeks last time I was in Thailand and it was quite expensive but well worth it. The beaches in Pattaya dont compare to the ones in the south but there used to be a submarine you could go out on to look at some reefs etc. worth it.

In Italy the only place that really blew me away was Venice. Absolutely amazing and you WILL get lost walking around the city, just try to follow someone back to a main hubs and hope they arent a local walking home or another lost tourist LOL.

 

[Bigevildoer]

Just an update for anyone that's curious + an inquiry about italy:

I'd like to head to Italy next...snip..... so I want to pace myself for a little bit (I'm budgeting for about $80 a day). I'm thinking of maybe a 2 week minimum starting off in Rome, then Florence, Siena, Pisa, Bologna, Venice, Verona, Milan. Are there any must-see cities that I've missed? I just need it to hold me off for about a year or so (when I plan to come back to do all of europe).

Italy is amazing. Been there 3 times now and still have TONS to see.
$80 might be tight - definitely will be in Rome, unless you're planning on staying way in the outskirts and spending a couple hours to the good stuff.
We had a nice room in an apartment converted into a room rental place that was $265 per night, about 2 blocks from the Vatican. I'd suggest spending the extra bucks for a room there. You don't need a car - if you've got a good set of legs you can reach everything within a 2 hour walk at most. Vatican is a full day if you want to see it all -- GET THERE EARLY or you will spend an eternity in line. A solid half day if you don't do the full tour. Il Coloseo (Colisseum) is a good half day if you do it right and spend the time. I highly suggest taking a guided tour as you will learn an incredible amount of stuff.

Venice is great too - don't go in the summer or the smell and tourist congestion will kill you. Been there in October and December - both times next to no tourists, and none of the famed Venice stench. Hope you have a good sense of direction - it's a mess! Spend 3 days there and no more, or else your mind will be completely boggled by the opulence and you'll have a hard time remembering what was what. There are simply so many gorgeous things your mind becomes numb to it after a bit. I highly suggest going to Torcello (original site of Venice before the plague wiped out the inhabitants and the Rialto (current Venice) was formed) - it's not as fancy, and it takes a while to get there by boat, but again, it's worth it. Spent $75 night off season for a shared bathroom floor - room was a good size, bed was TINY (I barely fit - couldn't roll over etc).

Milan is cool. First city in the world I felt completely at home in, and could see myself living there almost right away. The core is cool, the outskirts don't have a lot to do. You can book an appointment to see the "Last Supper" painting while there. Il Duomo (a church which took 300 years to build) is stunning. The castle di Milano is neat, but not as cool as the other European castles. Lots of other stuff to see there too. Stayed with friends, so no idea on the room pricing.

That's it!

 

[TomC]

Best vacations (in ascending order):
1) All-inclusive with good friends and good food.
2) Trackday (or two)
3) Snowboarding at a big mountain resort
4) Backpacking/roadtrip to a new locale
5) Just taking the day off to watch a movie/shop/rock climb/dick around.

Worst vacation:
1) Spending more than a day alone,anywhere, with a significant other.

 

[knowledge]

Thanks guys.

I don't know how you guys can vacation for so long. I feel like I start getting antsy after about 2 weeks. I want to book a ticket and go somewhere else, but I committed to a meditation retreat from the 17th-24 in the mountains.

Bigevildoer, I think I know what you mean. I'd like to try living in Europe for a year and I'm hoping to feel the same thing that you did in Milan. It really ruins it when a place is so touristic.

By the way, the roads here are amazing for riding & a supermoto costs about 30 a day to rent. A 600 is a little bit over 40! Only downside is that people suck at driving...so you'll have people coming into your lane all day (from both directions).

I'm thinking about doing the couchsurfing thing, as well. I met this Spanish chick here who's convinced me that it's the way to go. Not sure how I feel about that, but I guess I'll try it at least once.

 

[jc100]

If you got taken by a hobo in Vegas you might want to skip Italy...I got jipped by the cabdriver when I arrived and again when I left one time and my GF was robbed another (got cash back after cornering the little gypo thieves). I found Italy was pretty...great food...great sights but I couldn't wait to get out of there and I'll probably never go back (been several times to Rome, Brindisi, Venice, Chianti region). Found the people almost invariably very rude and I often felt like throwing a punch or two in some cases and that was everywhere, not just in one place. Plenty of other historic places to visit where people are much more pleasant. Go see the canals in Venice ,the historic sights in Rome, the castles near Florence and eat drink and be merry then GTFO and visit some places where people are actually warm and welcoming. My suggestion...take the ferry from Brindisi to Patras and stop in Corfu on the way to Athens....from Athens head off towards Istanbul and travel around Turkey for some eye opening natural and historic sights. Plus the people are friendlier and its cheaper. Then have a play around the middle east.

 

[knowledge]

Looking over my rough plan and it seems that I'm pretty much skipping all of south Italy by starting off in Rome. Is that a mistake? I know that northern Italy's more developed, but I'd hate to not get a full sense of the country/culture by skipping the south. I've already pencilled in all of your suggestions, but what are your thoughts on skipping the south? Found a ticket to rome for under $900 so I'm looking to pull the trigger on it asap

Also, some dude that I met while traveling gave me 2 sites where you can pick up odd jobs in any city (sometimes with accomodations covered); specifically geared towards travellers who need to make some extra coin while on the go. Unfortunately, it was in my phone which got stolen. Have you guys ever heard of it?

 

[jc100]

Looking over my rough plan and it seems that I'm pretty much skipping all of south Italy by starting off in Rome. Is that a mistake? I know that northern Italy's more developed, but I'd hate to not get a full sense of the country/culture by skipping the south. I've already pencilled in all of your suggestions, but what are your thoughts on skipping the south? Found a ticket to rome for under $900 so I'm looking to pull the trigger on it asap

Also, some dude that I met while traveling gave me 2 sites where you can pick up odd jobs in any city (sometimes with accomodations covered); specifically geared towards travellers who need to make some extra coin while on the go. Unfortunately, it was in my phone which got stolen. Have you guys ever heard of it?

These "odd jobs" do they involve carrying a parcel from one place to another and a warning not to look in the parcel at any time? Or is this the other odd job where "food is provided" except food is peanut butter covered drug filled condoms?

 

[knowledge]

These "odd jobs" do they involve carrying a parcel from one place to another and a warning not to look in the parcel at any time? Or is this the other odd job where "food is provided" except food is peanut butter covered drug filled condoms?

I sure hope not. But on the topic of condoms: when I was in Mae Sai, I did a day trip out to the Hall of Opium(History) and I learned that people actually smuggle cocaine into countries by filling condoms and swallowing them. But every now and then, a condom bursts and people die from overdose.

haha...sometimes it's a bartending gig. Sometime it's farm work at an understaffed vineyard. Sometimes it's english tutoring for some rich family.

 

[xfactor]

I just got back from backpacking Argentina. With that said, these are my top 3:
1. Ecuador
2. Spain (Barcelona and Andalusia) Can't speak for Castile or the North.
3. Australia

Thinking about doing a one month Pacific Island trip this June/July and after that would be to see Tanzania (I heard that Kenya is a little overrated). I don't want to say that you should check out Ecuador but it was a great trip and the people are amazing and the scenery is very breath taking and to this day after all the travels, it's the yardstick that I use to measure my trips.

Just keep in mind that just like Canada, nothing is homogeneous. Spain is a one country made up of different mosaic of different people just like Thailand or Sweden or heck even New Foundland (The Avalon peninsula is a far cry from the northern tip as far as culture and people and cuisine). So, when you're thinking of Italy just remember that Milan is boring, Callabria has great food, Florence is very small but colourful and Rome is hectic and hot and full of crazy people but Amazing.

So the advise is to just figure out what you want? Start very broad: Cause, if you're into Antiquity and end up in Alaska, you'll probably hate it and if you love the open out doors and majestic scenery and end up in London or England, you'll probably hate that.

If you're looking for something new, up and coming, great on the eyes and the wallet, then I suggest Croatia. You'll thank me later, and it's across the Adriatic to Italy!

 

[KarGo]

I really want to go to New Zealand/ Australia for some of the bungee jumping, scuba diving, and sky diving. It is also a very beautiful to hike, a bit worried since ausi has 9/10 of the worlds most poisonous snakes.

 

[crankcall]

I second the vote for Croatia, we were not there long and based in Dubrovnik on the south coast, (we were there sailing) ,but its got great scenery, amazing history and I loved the food, Italian influenced with the south eastern european cheese and smoked meat focus. I'll go back there.

 

[knowledge]

Sorry that the photos are a mess, but everything got jumbled up when my phone got stolen and I'm slowly piecing together all my pictures. Bear with me!

Ko Phangan viewpoint; overlooking sunset beach

Ko Phi Phi:

There's a bar in Ko Phi Phi that lets random people don gloves and a helmet and fight each other. It's hilarious 'cause drunk people fight each other and you get to watch...while you're drunk. Friends coach each other and this one dude was so wasted that he fell off the ring hahaha:

At a club called "Slinky"s, there's a 2.5 metre pole that people can climb to dance. I found out the next day that people have died and I even met a dude who broke both his ankles from falling off. I definitely got lucky:

Krabi; challenge accepted. I ran up 'cause I'm an idiot and I nearly threw up by the time I made it up there:

Halfway down, we found a detour...

Samoeng sunset:

Buddha Day at Wat Phratad, Doi Suthep; I spent 7 days meditating in the mountains:

Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Rai; it's the only temple that really blew me away:

I got stared at a lot because I toured with a pack, I could pass for Thai, & motorcycles can be pretty uncommon (scooters are the norm):

The road ended and I kept on going. Eventually I was so deep into the mountains that I found a bunch of remote Hmong towns. I'm guessing the kid had never seen a motorcycle before because he walked up to me and just stared with his head tilted sideways

My new hobby:

Montathon Waterfall is probably one of my favourite hikes in Thailand. It's a 9 level waterfall:

-----------------------------------

So the advise is to just figure out what you want? Start very broad: Cause, if you're into Antiquity and end up in Alaska, you'll probably hate it and if you love the open out doors and majestic scenery and end up in London or England, you'll probably hate that.

If you're looking for something new, up and coming, great on the eyes and the wallet, then I suggest Croatia. You'll thank me later, and it's across the Adriatic to Italy!

Welcome back! I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but South America's a strong contender after my all-of-Europe trip. Funny you mention Alaska, I met a bunch of girls from there a couple of weeks ago and it sounds like it could be a decent place to work/live for a bit. I've come to realize that I'm really not too picky as long as I get some hiking or walking in at some point.

A lot of people have actually been swaying me towards Croatia and I'm strongly considering penciling it in on this trip. Haven't looked into it, but I was told "Veli Losinj, Zadar, Cres, & Susak" are must-sees

I really want to go to New Zealand/ Australia for some of the bungee jumping, scuba diving, and sky diving. It is also a very beautiful to hike, a bit worried since ausi has 9/10 of the worlds most poisonous snakes.

Do it! Apart from the high prices, I've only heard good things. I haven't met an Australian that I haven't gotten along with yet and I've met tons.

 

[MarkC]

You mentioned that you will miss the south of Italy but not too far south from Rome you will find Naples, the amalfi coast with Capri and sorrento. They are worth the drive. As well if you decide to go inland on your way north from Rome you will find the city state of San Marino, Perugia, and Assisi - all interesting places.
if you look them up I'm sure you will find items of interest. But briefly you will find these areas rich in history, food, ceramics, wine and pretty cool roads in the more hilly areas! (With amazing views).

 

[knowledge]

You mentioned that you will miss the south of Italy but not too far south from Rome you will find Naples, the amalfi coast with Capri and sorrento. They are worth the drive. As well if you decide to go inland on your way north from Rome you will find the city state of San Marino, Perugia, and Assisi - all interesting places.
if you look them up I'm sure you will find items of interest. But briefly you will find these areas rich in history, food, ceramics, wine and pretty cool roads in the more hilly areas! (With amazing views).

I'm actually strongly considering going south first. I did Vatican city today and it was colder than I thought it'd be. I don't want to buy a new jacket/have one shipped, so maybe I'll head south as it'll only get warmer as the weeks go by. The St. Peter's Basilica was closed for some sort of service today so I skipped it and will add it to the list. I'll edit this post with pics when I get back from sightseeing tonight!

I'm definitely not opposed to seeing the smaller towns. I'm hoping to stop by in Arcidosso, as well. There's this dude that hosts 5 travelers at a time and everyone that stops by seems to have had a pleasant experience (I think he's just bored af living in the boonies and he just hosts people to kill time...lol)

 

[knowledge]

I ended up going South. I apologize in advance if the pictures are kind of boring. My best pictures all come with amazing stories, but they tend to have other people's faces in them (which is why I don't post them). It was cheaper to go from South Italy to Spain, then Spain to North Italy, so I figured I might as well see another country out of it. I also tried hitchhiking for the first time today, and I think I'm just going to do this from now on whenever it's possible. I have a lot to learn, so tips are definitely welcome.

Unfortunately, some of the best artwork in Rome can be found on the ceilings:

Panoramic view of rome

Trudat:

We hiked 14kms to get to the top of Mount Vesuvius. We got 1km from the very top, only to find out that it was closed...lol

Napoli is the birthplace of Pizza. For 6 euros (around 8 dollars), you get a full pizza from one of the most famous/arguably the best pizza joint in the world. I keep forgetting to take pictures before I start eating. Pizza with mushroom & anchovies.

4 cheese pizza with anchovies

Amalfi coast. It's beautiful and not as Touristic as the more famous coasts in Italy, so I really enjoyed it. I hope to come back one day to just ride along the coast:

The central duomo/piazza in Catania, Sicily:

Tried "couchsurfing" for the first time. My host cooked me a really nice meal. She could barely speak english, so she's partly the reason for me picking italian up so quickly:

La Pesceria (Fish Market) in Catania. This market stretches out for around 12 blocks!

Pasta Alla Norma; a famous dish from Catania (it's basically just pasta with eggplant, tomato sauce, ricotta cheese and basil)

Mount Etna erupted while we were there...so it was the perfect time to hike up it. There weren't any trails on the side that we went up, so we basically just made our own:

The highlight of Mount Etna:

Taormina:

I finally got out of the Sicilian cities, and I spent a couple of days in Enna, the Sicilia that I was expecting:

Palermo, Sicily:

Vuccheria nightlife in Palermo. My host took me to spots that I never would've found in a guide, online, or anywhere else.

Oratorio di Santa Cita/Zita. My favourite work of Baroque Art:

Pane con Meusa (Bread with Horse Spleen); a Sicilian street food specialty

 

[toshison]

Awesome stuff Knowledge.. Keep it rolling.

That horse spleen sandwich looks the biz.

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