Best Countries to Visit?

[Mary]

Last summer I was in Tanzania is a place of great marvels – Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar… It also has great herds of elephants in Ruaha, treeclimbing lions around Lake Manyara, chimpanzee sanctuaries in Gombe and Mahale and packs of wild dogs in Selous. There are also sunsets on the Rufiji River, when the water boils with hippos and crocodiles. In fact, the country has the whole panoply of east Africa’s wildlife – including such rarities as the red colobus monkey, black rhino, hawksbill and leatherback turtles and Pemba flying foxes – concentrated in an unrivalled collection of parks and reserves... Very beautiful places!

[jadis]

I'd like to nominate Singapore. Strangely enough, I have been there 4 times and it's the 4th time (last April) that I truly appreciated it and truly enjoyed visiting it with my family. One main reason I guess is because this last time I stayed for 5 days and the previous ones were only a couple of days.

1. Very friendly. From the moment I needed some info at the airport, the people were always smiling and so friendly in answering questions.

2. Super clean. I believe this place may be one of the top 2 cleanest in Asia, with Japan in my mind as well. No graffiti, no litter basically, the street cement are so white it's like it was poured yesterday. Yeah, I heard they implemented a very stiff fine for littering and chewing gums.

3. Safe. I feel so safe though I hardly saw policemen on the street. They say any crime can be monitored on hidden CCTV and crimes are solved very quickly. One can sense it's a very orderly and peaceful society.

4. Convenient and stress free transportation. Taxis are relatively inexpensive. MRT subway is very clean and not congested even in rush hour not like HK. People walk in a very relaxed manner and not always running or bumping into people.

5.Excellent tourist attractions. From Sentosa Nature Park to Universal Studios to Night Safari, there are so many places to visit with your kids.

6. Great shopping malls. High end malls (Vivo City, Ion Mall, Marina Sands Hotel Mall) are not only high end, they look high tech! One of the most luxurious and impressive malls I've seen in my travels.

7. Nice places to eat. From the famous Singapore Food Street to Kopitiams to fine dinings along Orchard Road and inside hotels, one get a variety of Malay and Chinese food to choose from, not to mention Indian food.

8. One stop shop high end audio building. Located in Adelphi Center, it's like a five story building full of high end audio shops. MBL, Thiel, Krell, B&W are all over, with a few vinyl stores inside. This one is really interesting to us.

A close friend who just visited the country upon my suggestion came back with basically the same feedback as me, and he calls it the closest to a 'utopian society' that he has ever seen, and I agree.

[andromedaaudio]

Rurrenabaque bolivia , jungle expeditions in the amazone basin , wild and primitive , but i just love it

[amirm]

Rurrenabaque bolivia , jungle expeditions in the amazone basin , wild and primitive , but i just love it

Would love to hear more! What are the logistics, what did you see, etc. .

[andromedaaudio]

You fly in on the highest airport off the world la paz , its a poor country but there is hardly any criminality , you can either drive, take a bus or plane or go by mountainbike and descent down the andes into the amazone basin .
rurrenabaque is the place where all the jungle trips start you can book a 3,5,10, 15 day tour in the jungle , you can also go in the pampas (swamp area) where its more easy to see wildlife .
The guides are indian and probably born in the jungle and now everything they will take you to their relatives and native villages .
You will see everything you see on national geographic in real life just google on you tube .
it doesnt cost
much as well .

i ll try post some pics later , there is 1 on audiogon with the backpack nickname " andromedaaudio"

[amirm]

That's fascinating. Look forward to seeing the pictures!

[Steve Williams]

Me too but no snakes or spiders please

[Bruce B]

I'd have to also say Hawaii. Just spent 11 days on the big island in Kona. Here are a couple of pics!

[andromedaaudio]

This is a video of the area http://iguide.travel/Madidi_National_Park#/Video

That's fascinating. Look forward to seeing the pictures!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yej7k...eature=related



I did a " hard core" jungle trek in the rainseason , i wont advise that unless you like mosquitos

[Soundproof]

A while ago I spent a week fishing at Estancia de los Rios in Chile, had the river to myself. Fantastic experience:
http://www.fly-fish-chile.com/fly-fi...patagonia.html

I followed that up with another week farther south, in Patagonia, staying at the Explora Hotel, which must be seen to be believed. The picture in the link is not photoshop, that's where the hotel is. Total luxury, yet possible to go trekking, fishing, etc.
http://www.explora.com/explora-patag...l-salto-chico/