I'm inviting posters to share their experience
of their favourite travel destination and why?

Be it a country, holiday-spot, a location in
town or the country-side or a restaurant.

My favourite destination has been Yosemite
National Park in California which we experienced
in every season, from the swelling waterfalls of
spring to the rustic colours of autumn. The summer
months were the most crowded, but during the
snowbound winter months the views were breathtaking.

In Melbourne - the Dandenong Ranges - with its
green haven of hills and forests, colourful, cool
and inviting. Their intrinsic beauty, beautiful
gardens, great variety of European and native
trees and shrubs. Plants simply flourish there -
and there are so many nurseries and aboreetums to
visit. As well as art galleries, antique shops,
tea-rooms and of course the sculptures at the
William Ricketts Sanctuary.

Foxy,

I say I've been there and done that and my tee shirt that says so hides the scars'. I've traveled a lot in my life and seen a lot some good, some bad, and some I wish I never had. My considered opinion is,sorry to be trite but My favourite travel destination is home. Because that's where the heart is.

Neuguirea atoll, about 130 nautical miles north of Bouganville Is.

It is a large atoll, with the lagoon about 30 miles long, by 15 wide, with 53 islands. 75 miles from any other land, the water is crystal clear, & the coral sand is snow white.

The people, [about 325] are of Polynesian descent, & custom. The inheritance is through the female line, so when the village married Graham, the plantation owner to Tetheau, the island princess, Graham became king.

Graham has put 4 of the boys through Kings school, & Sydney uni, plus another 3 through school, & uni in Townsville. 3 of the girls went to SCEGS, & 2 went on to Sydney uni. Another 4 went to school & 2 to uni in Townsville. 6 kids were at school or uni in Townsville when I was last there.

Half these kids are back on the atoll, often after holding senior positions in PNG government.

The whole society, & the place is fascinating. If you can do anything they can't you'll be in the school, teaching damn soon, & they will do anything they can for you.

I met Graham & Tetheau in Rabaul, & went to the islands to help with epoxy sheathing some of their 50 Ft canoes. It's one of the few places still making these large canoes, although they are no longer ocean going.

The last time I visited, I almost stayed.

Another FANTASTIC posting thanks Foxy! Just the year I need to read up on Australians' adventures given my firm plans to travel and see some states in Oz not seen at all.

A Vietnam bike tour is on my list too if I can save. Twenty years waiting to travel o/s. So if anyone wishes to share their adventure tour I'd be thrilled. The NT for fishing and camping. LOL I'd say by the time travel stories are contributed most people will be swapping holiday destinations!

Hey Foxy, my favourite place after much travel in my life would have to be London, England.

I had been interested in my family tree since my early 20's and thus was aware that I had ancestors who had come out to Australia from London in 1843.

I was not prepared for the overwhelming feeling of belonging that I felt as I wandered around the ancient city and viewed the oldest buildings I had ever seen. I was fascinated with the Palaces and ancient churches in London.

Such a wonderful, vibrant place it was, and we stayed with relatives there for 3 months as well as did some work to pay our way.

I even felt a little sadness for my ancestors who had to leave such a place to go and find their fortune in a strange land.

Suze :)

As soon as I spotted the title, I knew it would be you, Foxy...!

I'm a city person, so I feel most "at home" in any of the major European cities. If forced against a wall to choose, I'd probably say Rome, because of the sheer mind-blowing mixture of ancient and modern. One minute you are contemplating buildings more than two thousand years old, and imagining what life must have consisted of in those days. The next you are leaping out of the way of a speeding Fiat 500. On the sidewalk.

Paris is close, so is Berlin. And I've lived in London, that's pretty special too.

Although...

There is a beach in St Thomas, across the island from the town, that has the whitest, sandiest, palm-fringedest, clear-blue-water-lappedest beach in the entire galaxy...

Central Otago through to Fiordland in New Zealand. Would love to figure out a way of living there.

Dear Examinator,

The purpose of this thread was to invite people
to share their experience of their favourite
travel destination - and why?

You said yours was - "home." Because that is where
the heart is. Fair enough.

Now, please share the experience with us.
Describe your home.

Dear Hasbeen,

Thank You for sharing your truly unique experience.
Few people would have the opportunity to experience
such a place.

Dear We Are Unique,

A Vietnam bike tour sounds like a great way to see
the country. Friends of ours love that part of the
world - and travel there regularly. Just make sure that
you advise local and Australian authorities of your
itinerary.

Dear Suze,

It's my dream to one day visit London.
Reading your post actually gave me itchy feet.
My sister-in-law is from the UK and I
can identify with the depth of your feelings.
One day soon, I plan to visit Europe - and
possibly make a trip to Lithuania as well -
to walk in the steps of my ancestors.

Dear Pericles,

Rome also entices me - greatly!
But then a beach in St. Thomas also sounds sublime!
(sigh).

Dear StG,

Fiordland in New Zealand - would be breath-taking!
Maybe next year ...

I've travelled heaps, around Europe, parts of Africa and parts of
Asia. Then time in the US.

In 1995 I took a trip up the coast of Eastern Australia and fell
in love with Airlie Beach. The Whitsunday Islands are quite
spectacular IMHO.

No doubt there has been a lot of development there since then,
but the natural beauty of the place should still be there.

Pericles, its time for you to get out of the ratrace and go and
put your feet up on one of those subtropical islands :)

Dear Yabby,

The Whitsundays - would not be hard to take.
Whether its - Airlie Beach, or - Hamilton or
Daydream Island - they all have the makings of a
perfect holiday.

But I'm with Pericles - basically an urban creature
at heart. Although, I might toss in the towel for
the Greek Islands.

I too have lived in/travelled in Europe, Asia and USA in my younger days [pre 40] and have such fond memories that I have devoted hundreds of hours in making a web record [most of which is private].

However I have also used the resources of Google and GoogleEarth to go back to these places AND places that time/budget precluded me from seeing.

I continue to record the magic of such places on my web sites so please see www.oilsearth.com and www.panosearth.com if you have a hankering for travel.

If you have a favourite spot on this planet please let me know and I will do what I can to feature it at my sites [it really starts with a 360 deg pano, so please get out there and start clicking]

and Foxy,

you can go to town on Greek Islands at www.oilsearth.com

GREECE
Aegean Islands
Crete Island
Cyclades Islands
Dodecanese Islands
Ionian Islands
Saronic Islands
Sporades Islands
Lemnos Island
Athens
Athens Panorama

also see Greece at docsearth.com for GoogleEarth location videos

Dear Divorce Doctor,

Thank You so much for the valuable sites.
What a gift you've given us.
I'm sure that not only myself, but other
posters will get great enjoyment from them.

One of the places that I'd like to know more
about - because of my ancestry - is Vilnius,
Lithuania, especially the old town.

I am saving up for a trip - sometime in the future.

Pericles,

Ditto with you on Rome.
In fact any place you can see grafitti that's older than our Nation is a humbling experience.

It's also interesting to see how many of those people relaxing and dining al fresco are residents and not tourists. Living "the sweet life" is not just a saying to many.

As for the crossing the roads, wait for a Nun - or bring one along with you.

Foxy the high country of the Sierra's including Yosemite. I've only been there in the fall (best weather for backpacking) and love it. I had the summit of Half Dome to myself for about 1/2 hour some years ago which was an awesome experience and I have amazing memories of a small lake well up in the mountains of Sierra NP after bad weather.

A fresh dusting of snow on the ridges and peaks around me, a very thin layer of ice on parts of the lake, everything I had with me trying out some version of frozen and beauty beyond belief. Earlier that day 'd trudged through a bitterly cold drizzle and some sleet, shivered in my tent for a couple of hours after struggling to set it up whilst numb with cold. Late in the afternoon the rain had cleared to the most amazing views. That night while talking to a fellow camper I'd seen what I think was the Space Station pass overhead in the clearest of sky's.

I did my first fully solo camp out many years before in Yosemite near Wowona beside a stream that turned into a waterfall not far away. There was some snow on the ground. I quiet night in another beautiful location which has stayed in my memory for many years.

R0bert

*The Whitsundays - would not be hard to take.
Whether its - Airlie Beach, or - Hamilton or
Daydream Island - they all have the makings of a
perfect holiday.*

Foxy, the Whitsundays are about more then a few
holiday resorts. There are around 60 islands
there, mostly uninhabited.

The question comes down to what amazes people
natural beauty or human creations.

The Greek islands are great fun for an Ouzo pissup
or a bit of wild sex with the many tourists enjoying
their annonimity from home. But in sheer natural beauty,
they don't come near the Whitsundays.

I've read Desmond Morrises "Human Zoo" so I do understand
why you city rats are happy being part of the ratrace :)

Each to their own I guess.

Dear wobbles,

I love your suggestion of bringing a nun
with you for safety in crossing the streets
of Rome.

Although it could become habit forming! :-)

Dear Robert,

The High Sierra's were one of our favourite
holiday destinations. We lived in California
for nine and a half years - and we made a trip
to Yosemite National Park - at least once a year.
It did wonders for our mental and physical well
being. I can still recall my first visit to the
Yosemite Valley - and seeing Bridalveil Falls
for the first time - and El Capitan - the gigantic
mass of unbroken granite that rises 1,100 metres
above the canyon, and Cloud's Rest, the highest
point in Yosemite Valley, that stands about 3,000
metres above the valley floor.

The sparkling lakes, rushing streams, jagged mountain
peaks, the bears, deer, raccoons, squirrels - sheer
paradise. Truly one of the most beautiful places on
earth.

Dear Yabby,

I am quite familiar with the Whitsundays -
and I should have made it clearer - that it
was their natural beauty that I found appealing.

I should have been more specific about
the Greek Islands as well. We usually when
travelling stay away from the tourist spots -
prefering to discover things for ourselves.
I love the whitewashed walls of the homes that
reflect the dazzling sunlight. And the cloudless
skies - during summer.

cont'd ...

Built into the cliffs overlooking the
Aegean Sea on Santorini, there's a small
hotel that makes the most of the super-dramatic
island setting.

The hotel's design uses local materials and
naturalistic forms to other-worldly effect,
sloping, cavelike walls, large, egg-shaped tables
and chairs, window views that look like a mirage.
There are no right angles here, it seems, just
sunbaked, earthy serenity ...

*And the cloudless
skies - during summer.*

Fair enough Foxy, you live in Melbourne
and clearly don't know much about
West Australian weather :)

I live this stuff every day, no need for a holiday.

I've been blessed, insofar as I've always travelled. Before I was independent, my family travelled many places, and once I was free I kept on moving.

For me, the places which hold the most memory... the first is Rotorua, New Zealand. Simply for the fact that while I was young, I spent quite a lot of time there, and I can remember the luge - you could race down the side of a mountain in a go-kart style experience, however the curves and hills made it quite the spectacle.

Following that, I'd say Luoyang, Henan, China. Go looking for the Longmen Grottoes. It's a whole valley, surrounding a river with huge carved buddha statues on either side. During the cultural revolution many of the statutes had bullet holes put through them, however despite that, the site remains one of the most majestic places I've ever seen.

If you get the chance to visit Egypt, you can bypass the pyramids. To be honest, they're not all they're cracked up to be. But don't you dare go past the Felai temple on the Nile. The temples, including Kom Ombo, make up the real spirit of the time.

However I reserve most of my fondness for the Kondalilla falls, on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. They're not as exotic as some places I mentioned, but damnit, they're a beautiful day out, where you can bring some lunch and relax with the renegade turkeys. Damn fine afternoon out.

Dear Yabby,

I plan to visit WA next year for a friend's
wedding - and hopefully do quite a bit of
sight-seeing.

I'm sure that I will enjoy and appreciate
what you're able to do every day - you
lucky man!

Dear TRTL,

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Egypt and China - are all places that I'd love to visit.
I'd love to take a cruise down the Nile - and China
has always held a fascination for me. But perhaps
the Sunshine Coast would be more of a realistic
aim - and from what you've described - well worth a
trip.

I forgot to add a couple of other favourite
travel destinations. One is the Binna Burra
Mountain Lodge - which is a cosy mountain
retreat nestled in the World Heritage listed
rainforests of the Gold Coast Hinterland.
If you like rainforests, unusual bird-life,
and walking - you'll love this place as much
as we do.

http://www.sunloverholidays.com.au/accommodation/Lamington-National-Park/Binna-Burra-Mountain-Lodge-2BINQLD.html

Then there's Cradle-Mountain in Tassie.
That you have to simply discover for yourself.
This web-site will explain why:

http://www.pleasetakemeto.com/australia/cradle-mountain/photos

Finally, there's the one I mentioned earlier - the Dandenong
Ranges in Victoria:

http://www.pleasetakemeto.com/australia/dandenong-ranges-national-park/photos

Where I live, no need to go much further.

Came here so much and thought, wait on I am spending all my time here so stayed for the most part after living in USA, Europe and Sydney.

If not Far North Queensland with the wonderful valleys, tablelands, forests, waterfalls, creeks, outbacks, lava tubes, limestone caves, reefs, dirt roads, food trails and islands then Norway. In fact if they spoke English in Norway hmmmm? Most beautiful country I have ever seen.

Dear TM,

I envy you beautiful Queensland.
I'd love to move there - but hubbie
can't take the humidity for longer
then a couple of weeks tops.

Now Norway - yes - worth looking into.
Except - what's their health system like?

cont'd ...

Dear TM,

I've just checked out Norway.

http://www.earth-photography.com/Countries/Norway

I can now understand why you think it's beautiful.

I'd like to see the fjords and of course the
Northern Lights - and I found out that English
is spoken by most people there.

Thanks for pointing us in this direction ,
maybe some day ...

ah yes Foxy, from just on 40 years [come June] ago here are some photos of Norway [the same Geirangerfjord in fact ].

click on Norway 1 for best albums and best to press F11 to get full screen

we were there end june so actually saw midnight sun at top of Sweden/Norway border [Happaranda was the town from memory]

http://familyktab.com/bin2/frames.htm

Foxy asked 9 February 2010 9:33:13 PM:

>... favourite travel destination and why?

Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania: <http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/2009/09/cradle-mountain-tasmania.html>.

This has heart achingly perfect picture postcard scenery, with rugged snow covered peaks, against a clear blue sky, reflected in a lake, glimpsed through gnarled trees on mossy rocks, with clear mountain streams flowing over them. When the cute little marsupials started hopping around and the weathered shingle boathouse was reflected in the still water, it was almost too much to take in.

Apart from that, there is the view from the cafe on the headland at Point Lookout. You can drink coffee while watching whales and knowing that the next bit of land out there is America: <http://www.tomw.net.au/travel/stradbroke.shtml>.

Others, because of the timeless feeling they invoked:

* The ferry crossing at dusk on the Mandovi River to Panji (Panjim), Goa, India: <http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/2005/12/ferry-cross-mandovi-river.html>.

* The ancient gymnasium at Delphi, Greece (sorry, no photos): <http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/2008/06/delphi.html>.

* The lake at Blenheim Palace, England: <http://www.tomw.net.au/2000/bat.html#Introduction>

* The Great Ocean Road, Victoria: <http://www.tomw.net.au/hottub.txt>.

* Over Canberra in a hot air balloon: <http://www.tomw.net.au/nt/balloon.html>.

* The river at Cambridge, particularly punting at Kings College <http://www.tomw.net.au/2004/europe/index.html#cambridge> and the chapel at dusk: <http://www.tomw.net.au/nt/uk.htm>.

* The harbour at Apia, Samoa, at sunset: <http://www.tomw.net.au/2005/emuseums/>.

Dear Divorce Doctor,

Thank You for also sharing Norway.
Much appreciated - and breath-taking.

Dear Tom,

You write so descriptively - Thank You.
All the sites you've given - and the
places described - sheer magic!

I found a pano of vilnius Foxy, only 180 deg but not too bad

so then I did a Google Earth and made some oils on canvas of old city etc

just go down to Lithuania to see the lot

http://www.familyktab.com/oilsearth/

Dear Divorce Doctor,

Thank You for the site on Lithuania.
I appreciate your going to all that trouble -
and I had no idea that Vilnius was so modern.

We definitely are planning a trip not only to
Lithuania - but I'd like to take in Russia
as well - and then onto Europe.

Saving furiously at the moment(Haven't had a
hair-cut for ages - but my husband likes long
hair - so it's not such a big deal).

Anyway, once again -Thanks!
Mwah, mwah!
Much appreciated!

I appreciate your going to all that trouble -

--

Foxy, no trouble, it is other way around. I too have a passion for travel which is why I created these 3 sites, given that ACTUAL travel is a thing of the past BUT virtual travel is so very available at GoogleEarth etc.

So I am looking for inspirations all the time to add to those sites.

I mean I sit here at Daintree looking 30 klicks as the crow barks at Port Douglas and wondering if one Sunday I might just venture to Port for the markets.

But for now I have everything here at Daintree/Wonga/Mossman, so no need for that extra 10 klicks to Port.

But one day ...

Foxy, my favourite travel destination – and why:

Austraaaylia mate, coz it offers just about everything that I want in a holiday – fascinating natural environments, plants, birds and other wildlife, geology and geography… and all within a place where you know the language and the culture.

No need to go anywhere else when you can go to Tasmania, southwest WA, Kakadu, the Kimberleys, Flinders Ranges, Karijini, Boodjamulla, Girringun or hundreds of other fascinating national parks.

I get out there and travel around this great country as often as I can.

My personal favourite place, to whence I have not been for well over a decade – Hinchinbrook Island, where I was lucky enough to conduct many trips and do a thorough vegetation mapping survey back in the early 90s.
http://www.missionbeachinfo.com/Graphics/Hinchinbrook.jpg
http://www.wildrivers.org.au/rivers/island/hinchinbrook_island/image_preview
http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/destinations/townsville/places-to-visit/hinchinbrook-island/index.cfm

Second favourite: Stirling Range, WA
http://www.westaust.net/stirlingranges/stirling_ranges_national_park.jpg
http://www.stirlingrange.com.au/images/index1.jpg
http://www.feargod.net/wspics/map-wasw.jpg

Dear Divorce Doctor,

I'm glad that I contributed in some small
way to your virtual enjoyment - as you
did so much to mine.

Happiness is a contented soul!

Happy travelling...

Dear Ludwig,

Thanks for sharing the links - and of course -
you're right. There's so much beauty in this
fair land of ours. Just making the time to see it -
is all we really need to do.