On a long car journey from Leeds - Bristol with the rain lashing down on the windscreen and sitting in a traffic jam, I don't know if I was as positive as I could have been when writing this... but at least it made me want to get the hell out of this country! It was fun revisiting some old travel memories though...
I decided to rope Josh in to answer the questions as well. His answers are in italics and are exactly what he said word for word. I think they show a difference in 'interesting' angles from both of our travels so far and our relationship in general... they're also fairly blunt as he was driving at the time and doesn't really go in for stuff like this... :)
A: Age you went on your first international trip:
When I was 13 I went to Holland and that was my first time outside of the UK. We went on the ferry as my Dad was scared of flying. He made us little name tags to clip inside our coats in case we got lost. We looked like wartime evacuees.
2, I went to Gran Canaria with family
B: Best (foreign) beer you’ve had and where:
Definitely Tusker in Kenya
Heineken in Amsterdam
C: Cuisine (favorite):
Cyprus. I’d move there tomorrow for their halloumi, taramasalata, bread, olives, moussaka, kleftiko and the baklava. Oh God the baklava.
Steak in Barcelona
D: Destinations, favorite, least favorite and why:
Favourite: Kenya. I can’t wait to go back again. Why? The people, the optimism, the safaris, the beaches, the beer and the karaoke.
Least favourite: Hmm, maybe Amsterdam. Why? I really enjoyed it and I’m glad I went but I think there are better European destinations out there that are prettier and that won’t bankrupt you. Plus,
I’m not a pothead, so it was a little wasted on me.
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| I might see you again Amsterdam... |
Worst - Blackpool! Bleurgh! The people, the tackiness, the fugly fuggers (words have been changed - Katie)
E: Event you experienced abroad that made you say “wow”:
Safari. Everyone should go on safari at least once in their life. To know that all you have to do all day is sit in a jeep and look out for amazing animals is pretty cool. My first one in Tsavo National Park was just indescribable. Our driver parked up, turned the engine off and a few minutes later a herd of elephants stomped right past us as we sat in silence watching, breathtaking. I love elephants.
Safari – the lodge we stayed in and listening to the sounds of the wildlife and seeing a baboon in the restaurant helping itself to the buffet.
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| Safari, so goody! |
F: Favorite mode of transportation:
Choo choo! Trains, obviously. Wherever possible, I’d like to take the train. Yes it’s slower, but you see so much and it’s fairly cheap too. It’s more sociable than a bus or plane. We drank the bar dry on the train from Mombasa – Nairobi, the barman had to come and tell us to go to bed because we’d had every single beer on the whole train. Oops.
Flying. Quick, easy and nice views.
G: Greatest feeling while traveling:
Contentment. Too many people try too hard to be content while they’re away and sometimes it comes
from sitting down on the beach with a beer as the sun goes down. It doesn’t have to be difficult.
Don't know
H: Hottest place you’ve traveled to:
Mombasa, Kenya. Sheesh. The ATM machines are in little air conditioned rooms and I’d make any excuse to go check my balance, withdraw cash or just accompany people. In Mombasa you’d shower and already be sweating as you towel dried yourself.
Mombasa, building a chicken coop and pulling water from a well. Fugging hot (again, words have been changed.)
I: Incredible service you’ve experienced and where:
I’d probably say Mexico, but only because we were in a 5 star hotel there and thanks to the Americans having an extremely high expectation of service that I wasn’t expecting. I really miss having a turndown service, what an odd, but brilliant concept...
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| We trashed the place! Rock on! |
J: Journey that took the longest:
Mentally, the drive from the Serengeti to the Ngorogoro Crater because we were on a really noisy truck and the road was awful. It was so bumpy that you couldn’t hold your book, so loud that you couldn’t listen to music and your ass felt like you’d ridden a horse around the Grand National 15 times. All you could was sit there and grimace at each other and shout ‘”WHAT?!” at each other’s questions and conversations. Good times!
Physically, I flew to Honduras and took three different planes in succession on a journey that took 19 hours and then a lovely time difference of -8 hours to get used to as well. My remedy? A nice glass of red and a few sleeping pills. Yaaaaaaawn. Stretch. Hola Honduras!
Mombasa – Nairobi train. Long, but I enjoyed it!
K: Keepsake from your travels:
I like collecting shells from the beach and I’ve got a big jar at home that they all go into together.
Other than that, I bloody love fridge magnets, my fridge looks immense.
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| It's a work in progress ok?! Back off! |
L: Let-down sight, why and where:
Lake Nakuru, Kenya. I wanted to see the flamingos and they were too far away, just a pink blur on the horizon. God, I sound like SUCH a diva – bring the flamingos closer to ME!
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| Pink fuzzy nothingness... |
M: Moment where you fell in love with travel:
Painting a mural on a wall in Uganda, feeling totally content and in love with the world. Maybe I sniffed too many paint fumes…
As a child going to Spain with the family every year and having a laugh together.
N: Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in:
Excellence Playa Mujeres, Mexico. But then it should be, it was our honeymoon hotel!
Mexico – honeymoon hotel
O: Obsession—what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?
Oh Gawd. Everything. I think I spend too much time behind the camera sometimes... I always feel like I 'neeeeeed' to take photos, but I should probably just focus on enjoying the moment.
Nothing really, but scenery at a push.
P: Passport stamps, how many and from where?
8 I think. Uganda, Dominican Republic, Kenya x 2, Tanzania, Honduras, Zanzibar and Mexico
4 Dominican Republic, Mexico, Kenya, Florida,
Q: Quirkiest attraction you’ve visited and where:
Copan in Honduras. I love a bar that has swings instead of bar stools. That should be a law somewhere. Fab place with loads to see and do.
Isla Mujures with the golf buggies. Sculpture island and most Easterly part of Mexico. First place in
Mexico to see the sun rise.
R: Recommended sight, event or experience:
Safari. Anywhere in Africa that has animals preferably. You MUST do this once in your life!
Isla Mujeres in Mexico. (Spotting a pattern?!)
S: Splurge; something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling:
Hmmm, tough one. Depends where you are and who you're with. Sometimes I'd say food, sometimes I just need to eat to tick a box. I'd probably say bottled water from experience!
Food and drink, beer in particular
T: Touristy thing you’ve done:
Bought a safari hat to wear on safari. I've never felt whiter.
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| Eh! Mazungu! How are you? |
U: Unforgettable travel memory:
Gah! This is tough! I'd probably agree with The Boy there, the elephants in Tsavo National Park in Momabsa were pretty surreal. They walked right past our truck and we just sat in complete silence taking it all in.
Safari! The herd of elephants walking past us.
V: Visas, how many and for where?
Kenya x 2, Uganda, Tanzania, Dominican Republic, Honduras
Kenya, Dominican Republic
W: Wine, best glass of wine while traveling and where?
Does Sangria count? That has wine in it right?
Can’t remember if the wine was good – it’s all a bit hazy…
X: eXcellent view and from where?:
Safari lodge
Yep, safari lodge (He asked what I had said, think he was getting bored by this point, I'm lucky to have got this far...)
Y: Years spent traveling?:
Consecutive? 0
0
Z: Zealous sports fans and where?:
Barcelona, going to the Nou Camp stadium was amazing and I'm not a football fan in any way. With the amount of seats in that stadium and the price of the tickets, you'd be better off watching it on the TV (told you I'm not a fan...)
Kenya, only 4 teams exist in the their minds – Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal – although I bet they know Man City now (Blank look from Katie...)
@RacheyRoo183, @laura_mc89, @Granniebanana, @journeyingjess, @BananeDavies You're it! (If you haven't already done this... :)
