Today I am beginning the 15 day Travel Blog Challenge. Each day for the next 15 days, I will write a post on a different travel topic. I found this challenge on another friend’s blog and thought it would be a good way to get me back in the habit of writing…so here goes. Day 1.
Day 01 – Favorite place(s) you’ve been to
How do I prevent this post from just being a long laundry list of all the great places I’ve visited over the years? I typically have 4 favorite countries that I list: Thailand, Laos, South Africa and Egypt. All places that I visited on my RTW trip back in 2001/2002. For me, those places have the near perfect ratio of foreign and familiar. Every turn in those countries brought a new sight, smell or encounter so that I was never bored. But at the same time I felt like I just “fit” in those places. Although I may not know all the customs or even how to ask “Where is the bathroom” in Thai, Lao, Afrikaans or Arabic, I felt I could just be myself and be perfectly happy.
But of course I love the hell out of England and Brasil which is why I’ve made so many repeat visits to both of those countries. Then Lebanon managed to sneak its way onto the list last year after my trip in June 2010. So now I have 7 countries…and that’s just the countries. “Places” can be much more specific than a whole country. It could be the spot on a green hill in Praia do Forte in Bahia, Brasil where I looked out over the deep blue ocean and the remains of an old white crumbling church. Or the seat at the café/bar high up in the hills on the island of Hydra, Greece. Having a cocktail, listening to chill house music and taking in the beautiful surroundings was the definition of relaxation. Then there is the Rodin Museum in Paris where I can wander for hours or sitting amongst tons of colorful cushions at the beach front hookah bar in Dahab, Egypt.
Closer to home there’s the green hillside at the Getty Center which is just asking for a picnic basket on a sunny afternoon. And how could I leave off the place where I’ve met amazing friends, sweated profusely, laughed hysterically and occasionally shed a few tears? The Capoeira Brasil – Los Angeles academy. It’s not fancy, it’s not scenic, but over the last seven years, it has influenced my life more than any other place I’ve set foot.
I guess I can consider myself lucky that I cannot possibly bring myself to choose one favorite. And I can’t wait until the next time I can add to the list.
