I spent 2 months on Boracay many years ago - only told my best mates about this secret paradise -didn't want to see it invaded. No roads, no electricity.
Apparently, some people couldn't keep their mouths shut...

http://boracay.com/

I couldn't go back there now - it would be too sad.
But I don't mind recommending it now, so feel free... Looks bloody terrible to me, but if you've never been there, I guess you could still think it beautiful.

Phi Phi was getting oily from the longtails some years back, but that collapsed volcano island just near there was still pristine, very high salinity levels... name, anyone? Kinda sorta between Phi Phi and James Bond Island.

Just around this little stream I found after rock climbing outside Sedona, Arizona... That's my magic place.

Great pics Richard. I know people tend to hate it, but I love Russia. Tons of stuff to do/see and a lot of "only in Russia" moments to be had. Poland is also nice. I remember going from Germany to Poland on a Bundestag organized trip, and out of a group of about 30, only myself and a Russian (who still had a valid USSR passport... in the 2000s!) got stopped and had to hitchhike back to Berlin. We then boarded a Polish train to Poland which was great. A few years later I went on went to visit that guy in Russia and had a blast. Gorgeous girls and great scenery/picture opportunities. I wish I could go back and explore the countryside a bit more as I only hit some major towns at the time (Nizhny-Novgorod being the only "non major center" city I visited). If I could get a job there I'd probably go. The trains are a great experience. Oh, and nothing like having your passport stolen/lost and thinking of hiding in the cargo compartment to get back to Moscow in time for your flight... Russians have a lot of heart and their cities are some of the most overlooked in Europe (if we include them as part of Europe). Neither European nor Asian, Russia is simply Russia...

I also have fond memories of being an exchange student in Germany at the age of 17-18. Great food, great beer (which I unfortunately didn't fully appreciate at the time), nice girls and fast cars...

I honestly have too many places on my list:
-Motorcycle trip from India to Lithuania via Iran, Turkey and maybe Russia...
-China
-South America as a whole

The only negative part of ending up in Cambodia is that it kind of postponed my world travel plans... I've also been increasingly obsessed with Africa. I'll have to take 6-12 months off at some point and just go for it.

Haven't read through this... but I'm going to post one of mine that may not be super popular. Kuala Lumpur. I hear a lot of shit talked on it (including people warning me before I went) but we really had a nice time there. Cheap street food and a little "refresher" of western living without the chaos that is Bangkok. Sure... some like the chaos, I get that. But for a decent calm trip with some shopping, eating, and even a fun day at a pretty cool water park/amusement park it was great. The wife fell in love with the monorail, even learning how to manage using it all on her own while I was working or sleeping. Found a decent guesthouse ("Crossroads") right next to the Chow Kit station and so had cheap access to most of the city right out the front door.

Bars, the few times we went, were fun but not too "over the top". All in all a pretty relaxed and laid back place. And the Chinatown market was a lot of fun for souvineer shopping/etc.

phuketrichard wrote:Not to be negative but
Goes to show you how far apart OD and i are,

I found kl, the one city in Aisa i would never return to after one visit ( not negative vibes like Varanasi ) just a city with no id
The only good thing i found was i was able to BUY some Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies

My "food i miss" highlight was Krispy Kreme donuts. My wife had one, her eyes lit up, and she immediately started complaining that i only bought 3.

But for a week we really had a lot of fun. aquarium was cool, water/amusement park was cool, science center was really neat (cool to show her some interactive physics experiments at work), and the shopping was a bit fun. especially when i discovered the ACE hardware store. she had to drag me out.

(for those who don't know, Krispy Kremes are what happens when you grind up unicorns and turn them into donuts... they really are heavenly. bad as fuck for you, but heavenly. they literally melt in your mouth.)

Username Taken wrote:

I'm confused. Where does one get a unicorn to grind up?

Didn't violet say she was a unicorn?