Rambo's World Adventure

Anyone been to these sites? Obviously Syria's out, but the rest (other than Maccu Pichu) look pretty ******* cool.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/histo...c_b_1304284.html#s729506&title=Ephesus_Turkey

What kind of things do you want to see/do while you're away? Just got back from 3 weeks in Argentina and met some extremely well-traveled Germans. A lot of their travelling had been through Africa/South America, but they'd probably been to 75% of the countries in the world, many multiple times. One of the things they did was arrange for a 4x4 pick-up truck with a shelter on the back and they'd sleep in that while travelling throughout Africa and Latin America. They would then sell it at the end of their trip. They also did a ton of hiking/mountaineering, including a 6 week trek through Nepal with a yak. When they were in Africa they said they had to be very careful about where they slept so they'd always make sure their vehicle was out of sight. It would take some balls to do Africa the way they did it.

Depending on where you go, I think you want to avoid worrying too much about your things. If you're going around South America you don't want to be hauling around a bunch of suitcases imo. Forget fancy restaurants and the associated requirement for bringing nice clothes to go to those types of places. Too much trouble. I would try and travel as light as possible. Hiking boots. Camera. Maybe a laptop. I'd bring technical clothing that will make it easy to adapt to different climates. Capilene undergarments, a nano puff jacket (with primaloft, not down), a breathable hard shell, etc. Basically, stock up on clothes from a good hiking store. That stuff is much more versatile, is often quick-drying, etc.



Rambo said:

Anyone been to these sites? Obviously Syria's out, but the rest (other than Maccu Pichu) look pretty ******* cool.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/histo...c_b_1304284.html#s729506&title=Ephesus_Turkey

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Been to Chichen Itza and (close but no cigar) Pompeii. Chichen Itza was an amazing historical site. The one thing that bugged the hell out of me were all of the people pushing all their garbage wares on you. It's really uncomfortable for people to just come up and grab your arm to show you some wooden whatever that everyone and their mother is selling. It was disappointing to see that in what I believe is a national park. They'd recently discontinued the ability to scale the pyramid before I traveled there. Pompeii was nifty with exceptional views. The coast is stunning. Obviously seeing the preserved artifacts was something to admire. Depending on how in-depth you want to look at everything, you could easily spend an entire day searching around all the ruins. Take a day trip from Rome if you want to see Pompeii. Napoli isn't really a city you'd want to stay in on a budget.



Rambo said:

Anyone been to these sites? Obviously Syria's out, but the rest (other than Maccu Pichu) look pretty ******* cool.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/histo...c_b_1304284.html#s729506&title=Ephesus_Turkey

Click to expand...

Maccu Pichu is amazing. And since you are used to jungle heat anyway, you'd love it.

I'm 37 now, and honestly, I can't travel the way I did when I was in my early and mid 20s, when I spent pretty much every summer abroad. You can get by with a few grand for a few months, but the more places you go, the more it will cost you. Plane fares, airport shuttles (you can often talk yourself into a free ride, but it's easier if you are a hot girl), train fares, all add up, and quickly.

Europe is a good place to start. For one, most people have at least rudimentary English, which is a huge plus. Second, hostels are pretty safe. Third, conventions are pretty similar, and you are unlikely to get kidnapped. I would really advise against Africa or the Middle East unless you are pretty well-traveled and/or have lots of money to hire guides, stay in good places. imo, they can get rough, quick, and you want a friendly local around. Asia is pretty safe, but Japan and Korea can get expensive, quickly. China is huge. And outside of the cities are vast areas where people don't speak any English. Plan out your routes well. And don't rely on the kindness of strangers. You can get through Europe on very little as long as you plan your route well, figure out where hostels are, etc... I think that I went one summer and got through a month with about $2K. That was my cheapest trip. If you want a long, cheap, and well, very healthy, trip, and are not adverse to religious things, I suggest the Camino de Santiago, starting in Germany. It will take about 3 months of walking to get to Spain. You'll meet tons of people, most of whom are doing the pilgrimage for secular reasons, and stay free in auberges (though you need to get up early, to get a place. During high season, all spaces are taken up by about midday). You'll see European countryside in a way few tourists do, and which is amazing, and eat with fellow pilgrims in tasty and dirt cheap places. Plus, you'll have traversed he Pyrenees, something you'll remember.

I used to do a fair bit of backcountry hiking and some mountaineering, and there is nothing as invigorating and as awesome as having your coffee and biscuit while the sun is rising and the air is cold, on a mountain ridge. I've eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world, shopped in the best stores, stayed in some tremendous hotels, but I would not trade aching legs and cold air and hot coffee for any of that.

Okay, I take that all back. Just go to Banff National Park, or Jaspar, and hike those. Then do Half Dome and Kings Dome in Yosemite. Then come to San Francisco to our little party.



tullytra said:

Been to Chichen Itza and (close but no cigar) Pompeii. Chichen Itza was an amazing historical site. The one thing that bugged the hell out of me were all of the people pushing all their garbage wares on you. It's really uncomfortable for people to just come up and grab your arm to show you some wooden whatever that everyone and their mother is selling. It was disappointing to see that in what I believe is a national park. They'd recently discontinued the ability to scale the pyramid before I traveled there.

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Your complaint about peddlers in Chichen Itza sounds similar to Teotihuacán. I wouldn't let something like that detract fromt he experience too much. The site should still be spectacular.

Learning how to politely, but firmly say no and move on goes a long way. Your problem was that you probably looked like a Western tourist and I'm guessing are white... Not much you can do to fix those things in that circumstance except make the best. Wealth disparity in Mexico is rather extreme to both ends.

On another note, shame to hear walk-ups were stopped recently. It's one of the Mayan ruins I've wanted to eventually see.



erdawe said:

Your complaint about peddlers in Chichen Itza sounds similar to Teotihuacán. I wouldn't let something like that detract fromt he experience too much. The site should still be spectacular.
Learning how to politely, but firmly say no and move on goes a long way. Your problem was that you probably looked like a Western tourist and I'm guessing are white... Not much you can do to fix those things in that circumstance except make the best. Wealth disparity in Mexico is rather extreme to both ends.
On another note, shame to hear walk-ups were stopped recently. It's one of the Mayan ruins I've wanted to eventually see.

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Definitely white and looked like a tourist. This was about 3 years ago on Spring Break. The site was still amazing, and the people didn't ruin the experience. It was just uncomfortable for strange people to just go up and grab my sister to show her something when she was only about 14. I expect it on a street, but not in a national park/historical site. I'm pretty sure we paid $5 for a 20 oz. Coke that day. The peso was pretty strong against the dollar when dollars were all we had. We missed the cutoff for climbing the pyramids by about a year, so that was a bummer. A friend's grandparents were there right before they shut it down.

I say forego the hiking and traveling gear. It's not significantly better than natural fibers and it makes you look like a big fat tourist target to every thief. Plus if you need a jacket you can always buy one likely for less money than you'd spend on one in the U.S.

Don't buy a Eurorail card. If you're traveling from town to town the regional trains are usually cheaper and for longer distances Ryaniar/EasyJet/etc. are all significantly cheaper.

As a lone traveler you'll probably want to stay in hostels or find locals through Couchsurfing otherwise you'll be really bored.

Travel is really different in different parts of the world so don't assume you're going to be able to sit in a train and wait for your stop. If you want specific advice you'll need to have some specific places in mind.

also, if you're going to spend $1000's on traveling the world, at least spend $20 on a guide book for here and there.



hoozah said:

also, if you're going to spend $1000's on traveling the world, at least spend $20 on a guide book for here and there.

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Guidebook? Isn't that what Google is for?



Rambo said:

Anyone been to these sites? Obviously Syria's out, but the rest (other than Maccu Pichu) look pretty ******* cool.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/histo...c_b_1304284.html#s729506&title=Ephesus_Turkey

Click to expand...

why no love for Maccu Pichu? ill be there middle of June: Lima, Cuzco, Iquitos



Rambo said:

Anyone been to these sites? Obviously Syria's out, but the rest (other than Maccu Pichu) look pretty ******* cool.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/histo...c_b_1304284.html#s729506&title=Ephesus_Turkey

Click to expand...

my wife has been to 9 of them, I've only been to a few. I dont' get to do the tourism thing as much as I'd like



globetrotter said:

my wife has been to 9 of them

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That's pretty impressive.



Cary Grant said:

That's pretty impressive.

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she's an archeologist, and her grandfather used to be rich and believed in traveling with the family, so a chunk were before she met me. but, yes, it's pretty impressive. if we can ever see peace with Syria, she can hit the rest - we already have plans for cambodia and india.



LA Guy said:

Just go to Banff National Park, or Jaspar, and hike those.

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Just don't go there in August when I'm there.



F. Corbera said:

Just don't go there in August when I'm there.

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Make a reservation for Eden at the Rimrock Hotel. While not amazing, it's the best French food you'll find in the Rocky mountains. If you eat there, request a tour of their wine cellar. It's one of the largest in Canada and is basically built into the side of a mountain. For something a little more rustic, the Banff Grizzly House has killer fondus.