Whats your favourite holiday Destination?

[Trane]

Man that list is really long. Looks like it will take couple oif years unless you're a nomad traveller. Btw did you visit Spain too?

Yeah, I did Mediterranean Spain as a kid (with parents), but I definitely prefer the North Coast & Mountains, because there is less flocks of tourists (rainy weather).

The problem is that in many cases, too much tourists kill the pleasure. Had I known that globalization of the early/mid 90's, would've opened the tourist floodgates from all countries, I'd have done most of these places before hand.

When I went in the early 80's to Mexico, Andes or other archeological sites, we could climb on the pyramids (some thing you were never able to do in Egypt for ex), whether in Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Theotihuacan, etc... or walk around as we pleased (even in the bushes)
Nowadays, there is so many people and so unruly that you can't anymore, if only because of wear & tear on the site or risking incidents (the angle of Uxmal is really dangerous, for ex).

In other words, outside my second thoughts about my holidays footprints (flying over), I also hate the Homo Touristicus we've become, especially since the subspecie of Homo Selfius has appeared on the planet.

As for having a fave reccuring place to return to, this is a very different business, but it's more like "having/renting a cottage up north".

[Trane]

I am also looking for day tours only. Let me research a bit more.

Soooooo, I've noticed that you're a new arrival in our forums, so welcome aboard.
Si far you've only really posted in this thread (yours)
Tell us about what kind of prog you're into.

[SteveSly]

Yeah,

When I went in the early 80's to Mexico, Andes or other archeological sites, we could climb on the pyramids (some thing you were never able to do in Egypt for ex), whether in Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Theotihuacan, etc... or walk around as we pleased (even in the bushes)
Nowadays, there is so many people and so unruly that you can't anymore, if only because of wear & tear on the site or risking incidents (the angle of Uxmal is really dangerous, for ex).

In other words, outside my second thoughts about my holidays footprints (flying over), I also hate the Homo Touristicus we've become, especially since the subspecie of Homo Selfius has appeared on the planet.
h".

We went to Chechen Itza about 2 years ago and it was exactly as you described. Although I enjoyed the experience it was very crowded with tourists and the whole corridor area between the pyramids and the cenote was completely lined with vendors trying to sell you stuff. As you say, you were not allowed to climb on anything. I am glad I went, but can imagine it was a much different experience back when you were there.

[Trane]

We went to Chechen Itza about 2 years ago and it was exactly as you described. Although I enjoyed the experience it was very crowded with tourists and the whole corridor area between the pyramids and the cenote was completely lined with vendors trying to sell you stuff. As you say, you were not allowed to climb on anything. I am glad I went, but can imagine it was a much different experience back when you were there.

The cenote was ungarded and no barriers at the time and hardly anyone around it, because it was a bit out of the way. I do find Chichen's pyramid angle a bit risky, however the two Teotihuacan pyramids are really safe in terms of slope.

Tulum's site was mostly undevelopped, with only 5% of the site freed from the jungle. Nowadays it's filled with stupid druggies all over the place. Back when I visited, the only places you could sleep was Cancun (about 1/10th of what it is today) or Cozumel island.

Going to Mexico, I tried to speak Spanish whenever possible (I worked there for about 6 months) and French to my GF and the other couple we were travelling with as much as possible, because we were not seen as Gringos. Vendors were doing us half-price, "porque francès".
FTM, in Monte Alban (Oaxaca), when visiting the place, some peasant/peon called us to the side and sold us a small funeral urn for 800 pesos, and it wasn't a fake either. It was hidden in a rubber boot on the suitcase back home, so it escaped the x-rays.


=============


Same kind of adventures in Peru or Ecuador - don't speak English, unless you can't do otherwise.
However in Chile, it was better to speak English in those Pinochet years (french was highly suspicious, because of the political exiles/refugees.

[SteveSly]

The cenote was ungarded and no barriers at the time and hardly anyone around it, because it was a bit out of the way. I do find Chichen's pyramid angle a bit risky, however the two Teotihuacan pyramids are really safe in terms of slope.

Going to Mexico, I tried to speak Spanish whenever possible and French to my GF and the other couple we were travelling with as much as possible, because we were not seen as Gringos. Vendors were doing us half-price, "porque francès".
FTM, in Monte Alban (Oaxaca), when visiting the place, some peasant/peon called us to the side and sold us a small funeral urn for 800 pesos, and it wasn't a fake either. It was hidden in a rubber boot on the suitcase back home, so it escaped the x-rays.


Same kind of adventures in Peru or Ecuador - don't speak English, unless you can't do otherwise.
However in Chile, it was better to speak English in those Pinochet years (french was highly suspicious, because of the political exiles/refugees..

I know a little Spanish, but not enough to be able to converse very well. I have never been to Teotichucan, but did go to the ruins at Talum quite a few years go. Back then you could still climb that smaller pyramid although I do not know if that is still the case today.

[Trane]

I know a little Spanish, but not enough to be able to converse very well. I have never been to Teotichucan, but did go to the ruins at Talum quite a few years go. Back then you could still climb that smaller pyramid although I do not know if that is still the case today.

Tulum's site was mostly undevelopped (but what a frigging paradise then), with only 5% of the site freed from the jungle. Nowadays it's filled with stupid druggies all over the place. Back when I visited the area, the only places you could sleep was Cancun (about 1/10th of what it is today) or Cozumel island.

[SteveSly]

Tulum's site was mostly undevelopped (but what a frigging paradise then), with only 5% of the site freed from the jungle. Nowadays it's filled with stupid druggies all over the place. Back when I visited the area, the only places you could sleep was Cancun (about 1/10th of what it is today) or Cozumel island.

Curious what year were you there?

[Trane]

Curious what year were you there?

I rarely go back to the same place, but Yucatan (and Mexico in general) was an exception. I did it in 77 or 78 (spring break) with my parents (I was 14/5 at the time), but I worked in Mexico city for six months in 84, so I went back to most places I'd been (and more)

Back then Mexico was a fairly safe place.

[Zeuhlmate]

My summerhouse.

[moecurlythanu]

That's about 3 hours from where we'll be in Merida. It's an interesting possibility. It looks like more of a diving/snorkeling thing, which isn't something we'd do, but it would be interesting to see. It would depend on what else is out in thatareathatmay attractus.

There's a major Mayan ruin at Tulum, but you probably know that. The ruins are on an outcropping of rock. It's the hottest I've ever been in my life. The outcropping was the anvil, and the sun was the hammer. Sweat was pouring off my hands in streams.

[Trane]

There's a major Mayan ruin at Tulum, but you probably know that. The ruins are on an outcropping of rock. It's the hottest I've ever been in my life. The outcropping was the anvil, and the sun was the hammer. Sweat was pouring off my hands in streams.

From Merida, Tulum is probably a two-day excursion out east & back - better using Cancun as a base for Tulum, but of course Cancun doesn't have the Spanish colonial charms of Merida.
Already Chichen Itza is a full-day trip towards the east & back.

Much closer to Merida are southbound Uxmal (with that weird oval pyramid) and Campeche


But yeah, the site of Tulum is phenomenally beautiful. The only major Mayan city that was on the seafront, AFAIK.

[SteveSly]

From Merida, Tulum is probably a two-day excursion out east & back - better using Cancun as a base for Tulum, but of course Cancun doesn't have the Spanish colonial charms of Merida.
Already Chichen Itza is a full-day trip towards the east & back.

Much closer to Merida are southbound Uxmal (with that weird oval pyramid) and Campeche


But yeah, the site of Tulum is phenomenally beautiful. The only major Mayan city that was on the seafront, AFAIK.

We stayed in Cozumel when we visited Talum (had to take a boat over to the mainland) and stayed in Playa Del Carmen when we visited Chichen Itza.

[Jacob]

At one time in my life I was obsessed with Pitcairn Island however the inner desire to actually plan a trip there faded when I began to take notice of the charges against members of the Christian family and the extended trial , conviction, and incarceration.

Although it all seems a bit exaggerated and I haven't much regard for the publications industry as a whole ...the case is documented and so I'll leave it be.

Being fascinated by the place as a child...therefore reading about the island and it's history and of course watching Mutiny On The Bounty and in later years The Bounty...or watching documentaries and being inspired to write instrumentals as a vision to the place.

You cannot anchor there and the people of the island will help you to board their longships and fully assist your arrival to the island while the captain you paid 4 or 5 thousand to is sailing elsewhere. Additionally there's always a good chance that the captain will postpone the arrival half way there due to the wild current and crashing swells.

I haven't had the best luck on the ocean. In my early 30s I was pulled to the ocean floor by rip tide during a bad storm. Knees and legs scraped across the ocean floor and was lucky to make it back to land. One of my dear friends slipped on ice and was thrown off a fishing boat into the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean and died instantly. Its just a fact that nature can be nasty. Nature kills children.

Yet I still wanted to visit Pitcairn and then avoided making that choice based partially on not wanting the ocean /nature decide my fate.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Goodness, so many wonderful trips... I can, I think, bring it down to two best locations.

One is Kenya, on safari. I wouldn't want to go there now with the civic problems they're having... when we were there, we found ourselves having to buy a phone urgently, and did. (A hotel employee let us use her cell to call my father in the US as part of the urgent issue; we thanked her by giving her a 2000 minute card.) Anyway, we went to a mall, bought a phone which would be good out on the safari (and was), and had dinner there.

A month after we returned we saw that same mall on the news. It had been blown up by terrorists.

But the days on safari... After seeing these animals (Zebra, dikdik, lion, hippopotamus, leopard, and so many others I can't recall them all) in their natural habitat, I decided I was through with zoos. I still appreciate what zoos are doing to help these species survive, but a rhino in a zoo is not even the same animal as a rhino on the savannah.

* * * *

My other favorite place, and one to which I've returned once and found it as beautiful as the first, is Wien, Osterreich -- that's Vienna, Austria, to me and most of you. I loved everything from the architecture, to the people, to the food (I like Germanic cuisine, so sue me...), to the historic churches and palaces and such, to the art museums, to... Well, you get the idea. If the election goes a certain way (note I am not saying which, and so avoiding actual politics) and my wife insists on leaving the country, this is high on my list. (Not hers, though; she's allergic to snow. O well.)

***

Other places I've really loved: Hawai'i, Lake Tahoe, Williamsburg VA, Boston, Salem, Paris, Florence, St. Petersberg (before that $#!thead invaded Ukraine), Amsterdam, Köln, Budapest, and far too many theme parks. Our only Asian excursion so far was two weeks in China, which had some wonderful moments and some beautiful sights, but which, as a whole, I can't really recommend.

[Jacob]

Goodness, so many wonderful trips... I can, I think, bring it down to two best locations.

One is Kenya, on safari. I wouldn't want to go there now with the civic problems they're having... when we were there, we found ourselves having to buy a phone urgently, and did. (A hotel employee let us use her cell to call my father in the US as part of the urgent issue; we thanked her by giving her a 2000 minute card.) Anyway, we went to a mall, bought a phone which would be good out on the safari (and was), and had dinner there.

A month after we returned we saw that same mall on the news. It had been blown up by terrorists.

But the days on safari... After seeing these animals (Zebra, dikdik, lion, hippopotamus, leopard, and so many others I can't recall them all) in their natural habitat, I decided I was through with zoos. I still appreciate what zoos are doing to help these species survive, but a rhino in a zoo is not even the same animal as a rhino on the savannah.

* * * *

My other favorite place, and one to which I've returned once and found it as beautiful as the first, is Wien, Osterreich -- that's Vienna, Austria, to me and most of you. I loved everything from the architecture, to the people, to the food (I like Germanic cuisine, so sue me...), to the historic churches and palaces and such, to the art museums, to... Well, you get the idea. If the election goes a certain way (note I am not saying which, and so avoiding actual politics) and my wife insists on leaving the country, this is high on my list. (Not hers, though; she's allergic to snow. O well.)

***

Other places I've really loved: Hawai'i, Lake Tahoe, Williamsburg VA, Boston, Salem, Paris, Florence, St. Petersberg (before that $#!thead invaded Ukraine), Amsterdam, Köln, Budapest, and far too many theme parks. Our only Asian excursion so far was two weeks in China, which had some wonderful moments and some beautiful sights, but which, as a whole, I can't really recommend.

Fascinating read!!

[Sputnik]

My other favorite place, and one to which I've returned once and found it as beautiful as the first, is Wien, Osterreich -- that's Vienna, Austria, to me and most of you. I loved everything from the architecture, to the people, to the food (I like Germanic cuisine, so sue me...), to the historic churches and palaces and such, to the art museums, to... Well, you get the idea.

I'm totally with you. My wife and I have been to Vienna twice, the last time to celebrate the millennium. We stayed at the Sacher Hotel, and it was an amazing, almost magical trip. I'm also a big fan of German cuisine. If you get back to Vienna, I'd suggest trying to get out so Salzburg as well. It's a wonderful place.

Other places I've really loved: Hawai'i, Lake Tahoe, Williamsburg VA, Boston, Salem, Paris, Florence, St. Petersberg (before that $#!thead invaded Ukraine), Amsterdam, Köln, Budapest, and far too many theme parks.

You list a lot of our favorites, including Florence, Paris, Amsterdam, Boston (where we lived for 30 years, and we're now just a couple of hours away), and St. Petersburg, to which we'd love to return, but at this point I doubt we ever will. I feel lucky to have seen that and Moscow in my lifetime.

Bill

[SteveSly]

I'm totally with you. My wife and I have been to Vienna twice, the last time to celebrate the millennium. We stayed at the Sacher Hotel, and it was an amazing, almost magical trip. I'm also a big fan of German cuisine. If you get back to Vienna, I'd suggest trying to get out so Salzburg as well. It's a wonderful place.

You list a lot of our favorites, including Florence, Paris, Amsterdam, Boston (where we lived for 30 years, and we're now just a couple of hours away), and St. Petersburg, to which we'd love to return, but at this point I doubt we ever will. I feel lucky to have seen that and Moscow in my lifetime.

Bill

Good information to hear. My wife and I (and some of her family) are planning a trip to Austria next May that will likely include Vienna and Salzburg. The only place I have ever been in Europe was Switzerland and that was for work, so looking forward to this trip.

[Sputnik]

Good information to hear. My wife and I (and some of her family) are planning a trip to Austria next May that will likely include Vienna and Salzburg. The only place I have ever been in Europe was Switzerland and that was for work, so looking forward to this trip.

Fantastic! You should have a great time. That's a perfect time of year to be in that part of the world.

In Vienna, don't miss the Kunnsthistorisches museum or the Belvedere Place where Klimt's works are collected. The Military Museum is also amazing. They have so incredible stuff, like the coat Archduke Ferdinand wore when he was shot, and an impressive collection of Ottoman tents and equipment abandoned after the siege. I also personally recommend the Freud Museum, which is in the flat where he lived and worked until 1938. You can also eat at the Landtmann Cafe where Freud had coffee almost daily. There's tons more to do, but any good travel site will tick off the big attractions, as they will for Salzburg. Both cities are great to just wander around. Very walkable and both are beautiful, with many green spaces. Don't miss the Mirabel Garden in Salzburg that includes the Zwerglgarten housing the little Dwarves!

I hope you have a wonderful time!!

Bill

[SteveSly]

Fantastic! You should have a great time. That's a perfect time of year to be in that part of the world.

In Vienna, don't miss the Kunnsthistorisches museum or the Belvedere Place where Klimt's works are collected. The Military Museum is also amazing. They have so incredible stuff, like the coat Archduke Ferdinand wore when he was shot, and an impressive collection of Ottoman tents and equipment abandoned after the siege. I also personally recommend the Freud Museum, which is in the flat where he lived and worked until 1938. You can also eat at the Landtmann Cafe where Freud had coffee almost daily. There's tons more to do, but any good travel site will tick off the big attractions, as they will for Salzburg. Both cities are great to just wander around. Very walkable and both are beautiful, with many green spaces. Don't miss the Mirabel Garden in Salzburg that includes the Zwerglgarten housing the little Dwarves!

I hope you have a wonderful time!!

Bill

Sounds fantastic!

[moecurlythanu]

Isn't the Heilige Lance in a museum in Vienna?

[Sputnik]

Isn't the Heilige Lance in a museum in Vienna?

I think that's in the Hofberg. I'm not sure there's a dedicated museum to that particular object.

Bill

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

[Sputnik]

Isn't the Heilige Lance in a museum in Vienna?

Sorry I misread your post. Yes, it is in the Hofburg. I believe this may also have been among the items taken during the siege. I know the Austrians overran the Ottoman camps at some point and got a lot of treasure.

It's highly dubious this item is what it purports to be, but it is in the Hofburg if it's of interest to people.

Bill

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

[moecurlythanu]

^ Agree about the dubious nature, but I'd still have to check it out up close.

[Sputnik]

^ Agree about the dubious nature, but I'd still have to check it out up close.

Well, Vienna obviously waits for you, crazy child.

This reminds me that Vienna also has a Roman History Museum. It's right downtown, practically just around the corner from St. Stephan's. It was very small when we visited in 1999, but it looks like they've expanded it since then, and it gets decent reviews. It's certainly something I'd visit.

Bill

[moecurlythanu]

Well, Vienna obviously waits for you, crazy child.

Bill

Back when I was at university, in the Pleistocene Era, the grad asses who taught the German language classes always pushed Wien as the "schoenste stadt der welt." (I've probably botched that badly.)