A special place...
Everyone that travels is looking for something else, some looking for culture and some for sites. And everyone has his own special place.
Q: Please tell me about interesting places you visited.
A: A couple of really nice places that come to mind are Bali and Glacier National Park. Glacier is at the far north end of Montana and is actually the only "International" park in the US. There is a corresponding park called Waterton Lakes National park on the Canadian side. It's simply wonderful. As the name implies, the park has been carved by the rise and fall of glaciers. The glaciers have cut steep valleys in the mountains which creates dramatic waterfalls. They also leave behind long, deep lakes, which have a special turquoise color because of the fine dust created by the glaciers grinding the ground under them. Finally there is tons of wildlife - we saw moose, grizzly bears, mountain goats, big horned sheep, bald eagles. The Canadian side doesn't have any actual glaciers anymore, but it in some ways, it's visually even prettier. It's about an hour drive (one way), and definitely worth the trip. Bali is a tropical Island, but with really interesting culture. It's part of Indonesia, which is a Muslim majority country, but the people in Bali are Hindu. In addition they have adopted many facets of Chinese and other East Asian cultures (like giant dragon floats). The result is a really unique and interesting culture. The people are also extremely tourist friendly. The net result is that you get the magnificent beaches and warm weather of a tropical Island, but you also get the interesting temples and building to explore. It has something for everybody, and you can certainly spend at least two or three weeks there without getting bored.
A: A couple of really nice places that come to mind are Bali and Glacier National Park. Glacier is at the far north end of Montana and is actually the only "International" park in the US. There is a corresponding park called Waterton Lakes National park on the Canadian side. It's simply wonderful. As the name implies, the park has been carved by the rise and fall of glaciers. The glaciers have cut steep valleys in the mountains which creates dramatic waterfalls. They also leave behind long, deep lakes, which have a special turquoise color because of the fine dust created by the glaciers grinding the ground under them. Finally there is tons of wildlife - we saw moose, grizzly bears, mountain goats, big horned sheep, bald eagles. The Canadian side doesn't have any actual glaciers anymore, but it in some ways, it's visually even prettier. It's about an hour drive (one way), and definitely worth the trip. Bali is a tropical Island, but with really interesting culture. It's part of Indonesia, which is a Muslim majority country, but the people in Bali are Hindu. In addition they have adopted many facets of Chinese and other East Asian cultures (like giant dragon floats). The result is a really unique and interesting culture. The people are also extremely tourist friendly. The net result is that you get the magnificent beaches and warm weather of a tropical Island, but you also get the interesting temples and building to explore. It has something for everybody, and you can certainly spend at least two or three weeks there without getting bored.
Q: What attracts you most? Visiting places of nature and sites or meeting different culture and people?
A: I like the outdoors. So my personal preference is places of nature and sites. So things like visiting national parks, hiking, backpacking, etc. However, I also like big cities, and my wife definitely prefers culture and people - good museums, cafes, places to eat etc. So, we try to find places that offer a combination of both. In that respect, we found Bali to be perfect. The natural setting is beautiful, but there is also a very interesting culture and there are lots of good places to eat. Indonesian food itself is very good, and because the place gets so many foreign visitors, there are good restaurants for pretty much any cuisine. I guess some other places that might fall into this category of having both culture and nature are Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, France and Italy.
A: I like the outdoors. So my personal preference is places of nature and sites. So things like visiting national parks, hiking, backpacking, etc. However, I also like big cities, and my wife definitely prefers culture and people - good museums, cafes, places to eat etc. So, we try to find places that offer a combination of both. In that respect, we found Bali to be perfect. The natural setting is beautiful, but there is also a very interesting culture and there are lots of good places to eat. Indonesian food itself is very good, and because the place gets so many foreign visitors, there are good restaurants for pretty much any cuisine. I guess some other places that might fall into this category of having both culture and nature are Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, France and Italy.
Q: Tell me about your visit to a European country such as France
A: One nice place I've been to is the Loire valley in France. It's one of the best wine growing areas, about a three hour train ride from Paris. It also has some of the best castles and chateaus. The landscape is basically composed of rolling fields of vineyards. We stayed in the village of Chenonceau, which also has one of the nicest chateaus. The hotel - Le Bon Laboureur - is on the main road, right next to the chateaus. We had by far the best French dinning experience there. You sit out in the small courtyard (with about 6 tables), and impeccably suited waiters bring you a 6 or 9 course meal with many of the ingredients grown in their own private garden. One place we enjoyed visiting was Château de Cheverny - which was used by Herge as the model for Captain Haddock's house in the Tintin comic books. Another place I liked was Chinon, which has an imposing medieval fort, including tall turrets and dungeons. Finally, Chateau Villandry has the most amazing gardens.
A: One nice place I've been to is the Loire valley in France. It's one of the best wine growing areas, about a three hour train ride from Paris. It also has some of the best castles and chateaus. The landscape is basically composed of rolling fields of vineyards. We stayed in the village of Chenonceau, which also has one of the nicest chateaus. The hotel - Le Bon Laboureur - is on the main road, right next to the chateaus. We had by far the best French dinning experience there. You sit out in the small courtyard (with about 6 tables), and impeccably suited waiters bring you a 6 or 9 course meal with many of the ingredients grown in their own private garden. One place we enjoyed visiting was Château de Cheverny - which was used by Herge as the model for Captain Haddock's house in the Tintin comic books. Another place I liked was Chinon, which has an imposing medieval fort, including tall turrets and dungeons. Finally, Chateau Villandry has the most amazing gardens.
Q: You describes historical places, are you also interested in the history of the places you visit?
A: Yes, certainly. Learning about the history of the place definitely adds a lot of color, and makes it come alive. For example, we went to some forts in Rajasthan, India. By themselves, they are certainly imposing structures in attractive locations. But when you hear about the history - famous battles, the intrigue that happened, it is so much more interesting.
A: Yes, certainly. Learning about the history of the place definitely adds a lot of color, and makes it come alive. For example, we went to some forts in Rajasthan, India. By themselves, they are certainly imposing structures in attractive locations. But when you hear about the history - famous battles, the intrigue that happened, it is so much more interesting.
Q: What is your next destination?
If you need to choose one special place you visited, which it would be?
A: Our next destination is to visit my family in India (in November) While we are there, we are also planning a side trip to Darjeeling, which is the the Himalayan foothills close to Nepal and Bhutan. On a good day, you can see Mt Everest. It's also the place where the famous tea come from, and you can visit the tea estates. There is good hiking, and there is a narrow gauge steam train that goes down the mountain through the tea estates. November is one of the best times to visit because the weather is mild, and the monsoons are over. We are really looking forward to it. Overall, if I was to choose one special place I visited, I would definitely choose Bali. It's beautiful, the culture is interesting, the people are friendly, weather is nice, and the price is cheap.
A: Our next destination is to visit my family in India (in November) While we are there, we are also planning a side trip to Darjeeling, which is the the Himalayan foothills close to Nepal and Bhutan. On a good day, you can see Mt Everest. It's also the place where the famous tea come from, and you can visit the tea estates. There is good hiking, and there is a narrow gauge steam train that goes down the mountain through the tea estates. November is one of the best times to visit because the weather is mild, and the monsoons are over. We are really looking forward to it. Overall, if I was to choose one special place I visited, I would definitely choose Bali. It's beautiful, the culture is interesting, the people are friendly, weather is nice, and the price is cheap.
