This month I’m trying something new – along with sharing the best comments of the month from you and your fellow travelers, I’d like to invite you to the monthly open thread. Basically, in the comments below you can chat with me or each other about travel – anything you want really (I always love a good alien conspiracy theory.)
It’s Friday and you’re probably thinking of far off places – what sight made you say “wow” when you first saw it? The Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, Grand Canyon…help us all get inspired as we roll into the weekend in the comments below. That’s also where you’ll find September’s best comments.
Simply scroll down or click here to share your travel-wow moment and check out the best comments from September. (And don’t forget to subscribe – next to the submit comment button – to receive updates when others reply to you.)
[photo by: Daves Portfolio]
These are some of the best comments from September. We’ll start off with Sherry Ott’s recommendation for a free iPhone panorama app.
Skipping around the comments back to September 16th and an eloquent piece of travel advice from JoAnna.
Meanwhile, Gray and I are already planning a trip to Jordan to Trek out and Kim has some good travel insurance advice in case the Klingons get out of control.
Finally, Josh Aggars lets us know that the fires of Westminster weren’t always the most dangerous thing about Parliament.
Thanks again everyone for the comments and look forward to chatting with you right here!
Traveling through time along the Siq to the greatest reveal on the planet and seeing the Treasury at Petra for the first time literally brought tears to my eyes. We hadn’t expected to go to Jordan and finding myself there was completely overwhelming – it is that stunning!
Petra is one of those sites I’ve got the highest expectations for – partially due to Indiana Jones – it’s scary sometimes to expect so much 🙂
I must say Petra lived above and beyond my expectations!!! The only part I was not that comfortable with was riding in on horses – I’m not a ‘cow girl’ and so found that a bit disconcerting- however, once there it was WONDERFUL- beyond words!!
Horses do freak me out a bit so I can imagine! Though I recall seeing a video on Sherry Ott’s travel blog and the first sight of Petra that comes out from the cracks in the rock… I was thinking of putting Jordan off until they open up the Star Trek theme park but I’ll be very close in 2 months. So tempting!
I”m a huuuuge fan of both Bagan in Myanmar and the Angkor complex in Cambodia. Both have been restored to some degree, but they still have the feel of being able to wander along into an Indiana Jones-esque moment where I could stumble onto some little temple that felt like it hadn’t been used since the fall of the empires that built them.
I hadn’t heard of Bagan before your mentioned but the images that just came up on Google are incredible. Reminds me a lot of Baron Empain Palace in Cairo; that place too seems like there’s more than what the eye can see. (At least we can hope!)
Yea, definitely give it a go if you’re in Myanmar. Bagan alone is worth the minor hassles of visiting.
I’ll keep the Baron’s Palace in mind if I make it through Cairo anytime soon!
I’ll add it to my list I keep for upcoming countries 🙂
And hopefully you get to see Baron up close; they keep opening and closing it due to a property dispute – and rumors of Satanism being practiced there.
I’d have to go with, and this going to sound lame to some, the Empire State Building. I’ve always been fascinated with skyscrappers and the first time I saw it in person as a 10 year old I just couldn’t take it in. That feeling has always lived with me. I was struck by its scale and dominance of the skyline. I loved it and still do.
The other one for me was Machu Picchu. I just couldn’t get over the fact it had been built where and when it had. An amazing site the first time you lay eyes on it.
Cheers Anil – glad my knowledge of Parliament helped. I’ve got a load more on the convensions any time you need… like Black Rod. Do you know what it is? Always makes me laugh.
Josh
I remember going up the Empire State Building the first time and thought it would be taller as silly as that sounds. The second time though there was a low cloud and it was like walking on the sky.
…Black Rod? I’m going to dare and ask what that is…
You need to visit the Petronas towers in Kuala Lumpur- what fascinates me about them is that it is literally a shopping center down below- and if you don’t look up you wouldn’t realize there are towers overhead.
Which makes this even more amazing:
The Empire State small? What are you a giant? 🙂
Black Rod is like the Seargant at Arms for the House of Lords. No doubt he has a load of duties but the one everyone knows him for is, during the state opening of Parliament (when the Queen turns up basically to usher in a new year of Parliament) he walks from the House of Lords to the House of Commons and promptly has the door slammed in his face! It always makes me chuckle. It’s to do with keeping the Monarch out of Parliament. He then has to smack the door three times with his big old rod. Not a bad way to earn $150K a year.
haha, the opposite but guess in my head I made the building bigger than life size 🙂
Btw, the Black Rod story is hilarious! If you’re ever interested in doing a guest post along these lines feel free to email me. I think it would be great…
Hi Anil, what a cool initiative.
My most incredibile tourist site has to be the Coliseum in Rome, Italy. Every time I see it it makes me hold my breath for a second or two. Similarly to what happened to your first encounter with the Empire State Building, the Coliseum is always smaller in my mind than it is in reality. After having been there in a long time, as I step on top of he metro station and admire it I discover once again a view that both my eyes together can barely contain.
cheers
fab
Thanks Fabio, figured most of us love a good travel conversation 🙂
Isn’t is funny as how we grow as does our appreciation (and perception of how big or small things are)? The Coliseum is something I saw once a few years back – such a brief stop but a sight I want to capture again.
My favourite tourist site is one I just recently visited in Pyongyang, deep in the axis of evil. Specifically, it’s the mausoleum of North Korea’s first President (and current President, because they appointed him such), Kim Il Sung.
To get to his body you have to navigate a labyrinth of underground travellators, walk in rows of four down a marble hall to bow at a statue and then listen to an audioguide describing how the tears of mourners turned into crystals.
You then line up with the gaunt North Koreans to ‘pay your respects’ before going to a hall to see the awards and medals presented to him by other luminary leaders like Robert Mugabe and Fidel Castro!
(Not trying to spam – but check out my bog for other crazy stories from North Korea, if you’re interested!)
Will check it out your blog for more – curious, did they let you take pictures of the mausoleum?
We weren’t allowed to take photos inside (in fact, there was a security check that stopped anyone taking any metal in at all!). But all the local North Koreans take group photos outside in front of the mausoleum (and of course, we joined in!).
Too bad about the photos inside – though not surprising; although the ‘no metal rule’ is 🙂 Guess even that makes for an interesting experience, including the group photos outside.
Hey, i visited Angkor Wat in Cambodia about a year ago and was absolutely astonished. it is such an amazing place, so large and immense, and so very old. I recommend anyone who is in Southeast Asia to find your way over to Cambodia and check out Angkor Wat and some of the many other temples around that area. The local people are also very glad to see tourists around, and altough some of them try to sell you random bracelets and other random souvenirs, they are all very nice and quite accommodating.
Check it out
Hi Harrison, I haven’t done a lot of traveling in SE Asia but you and Stephen have already put two good sites for me to check out. I love that style of architecture, probably why I find Baron Empain Palace in Cairo and Akshardham Palace in New Delhi so visually appealing.
One of the coolest things I saw was in Israel. When in Jerusalem on a high hill, you can look east and basically just straight down with your chin almost against your chest and see The Dead Sea. It’s the lowest point on the earth’s elevation and the drive there is like straight out of a Dali painting. Highly recommended.
“…straight out of a Dali painting” – very enticing description. I think one of the closest places I’ve seen that might fit is parts of Iceland strangely enough.
For me its the SS Thistlegorm in the Red Sea. I first dived the wreck in January this year and was blown away by it. Even now, years after lots of items have been salvaged, it is still an underwater museum. The holds are still full of jeeps, motor bikes and rifles and there are train engines hanging over the sides. I just loved the history of it and can’t wait to see it again in a couple of weeks!
That sounds amazing – I think more than fish I’d want to see shipwrecks 🙂 Have a good trip!