Apologies for the slight delay with this "Next Destinations" list. But first I have an announcement............
In the first week of November, I will be travelling to Bangkok, Thailand, and stay for a week. Before coming back state-side, I will spend two nights in Hong Kong. Be sure to come along for the ride, I can't wait for this one......
Getting right down to business:
1) Brasilia, Brazil- Obviously when you think Brazil, you think Rio. Its a natural reaction, and with good reason. If you are a fan of architecture, like myself, Brasilia is definitely one you should direct your attention towards. It a planned city, designed back in the 1950s and became the Brazilian capital in 1960, replacing Rio. Despite its relatively young age, the city is already on the UNESCO World Heritage, primarily due to the designs of the city's main architect, Oscar Neimayer. Just looking at a few images, the city does look quite the spectacle. Brasilia can be quite expensive though, ranking just behind the US' most expensive city, New York. Check out the wikipedia page for an overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bras%C3%ADlia and here is a slide-show of 50 buildings in Brasilia, you can cycle through by clicking on the images: http://www.wallpaper.com/gallery/architecture/brasilia-in-pictures-50-years-50-buildings/17051871
2) Naples, Italy- One of my (very few) regrets from my trip to Italy last year was that I did not make it to Naples, or Napoli, in the local language. I concentrated most of my efforts in the north, so now I gotta go back and give the south some love, and Napoli is on my radar, and it should be for others too. It has gotten some bad press lately due to Mafia involvement in the garbage-disposal industry, but the city still looks like it has a lot to offer, and shouldn't be discounted. Not only does it have history and architecture, it is also located along the water. Can't beat that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples
A 2008 article on travel in Naples. A little outdated, but still useful: http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/travel/27hours.html
3) Victoria Falls, Zambia and Zimbabwe border- I am running out of places to recommend for Africa (the poor continent really does have it rough, but our tourist dollars should help some of the locals out a bit). I know Zambia and Zimbabwe don't really reach out and grab you, but I have heard that Victoria Falls is one of the most stunning natural scenes a human can come across. I have seen some video of it, and I have to say, I plan on seeing it in person. There appear to be a large number of tourist accommodations in both countries near the falls, and the two closest airports are Victoria Falls airport, on the Zimbabwean side, and in the town of Livingstone in Zambia. For a pretty simple overview and travel tips, check out the wikitravel article: http://wikitravel.org/en/Victoria_Falls#b but take a look also and this webpage, which has a number of photos as well as some handy advice: http://sevennaturalwonders.org/the-original/victoria-falls
4) Guilin, China- I have been to several places in China, but there are also several that I have not been to, but most certainly will. Guilin is one them. The city is located in China's deep south, near the Vietnamese border. You ever seen those stunning images of limestone hills in China? Or a Chinese landscape painting? Yeah, that's Guilin. It is considered China's most beautiful city. There ya have it. The wikipedia page has some images, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin, as does this travel guide: http://www.chinahighlights.com/guilin/
5) Ljubljana, Slovenia- Ever heard of this place? Ever heard of the country? Slovenia became an independent country from Yugoslavia back in the 90s, but it remains relatively unknown compared with Europe's powerhouses. Don't make the mistake of over-looking it though. It is a very well developed country, and the capital, Ljubljana (pronounced, roughly, Lube-lan-ya) looks like a decent place to visit. Check out wikitravel as a starting point: http://wikitravel.org/en/Ljubljana#b
That does it for now. I plan on seeing a movie or two this weekend, so be on the look out. Failing that, we have some travel coming up soon......you hear that sound? That is the sound of anticipation.
Cheers.
In the first week of November, I will be travelling to Bangkok, Thailand, and stay for a week. Before coming back state-side, I will spend two nights in Hong Kong. Be sure to come along for the ride, I can't wait for this one......
Getting right down to business:
1) Brasilia, Brazil- Obviously when you think Brazil, you think Rio. Its a natural reaction, and with good reason. If you are a fan of architecture, like myself, Brasilia is definitely one you should direct your attention towards. It a planned city, designed back in the 1950s and became the Brazilian capital in 1960, replacing Rio. Despite its relatively young age, the city is already on the UNESCO World Heritage, primarily due to the designs of the city's main architect, Oscar Neimayer. Just looking at a few images, the city does look quite the spectacle. Brasilia can be quite expensive though, ranking just behind the US' most expensive city, New York. Check out the wikipedia page for an overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bras%C3%ADlia and here is a slide-show of 50 buildings in Brasilia, you can cycle through by clicking on the images: http://www.wallpaper.com/gallery/architecture/brasilia-in-pictures-50-years-50-buildings/17051871
2) Naples, Italy- One of my (very few) regrets from my trip to Italy last year was that I did not make it to Naples, or Napoli, in the local language. I concentrated most of my efforts in the north, so now I gotta go back and give the south some love, and Napoli is on my radar, and it should be for others too. It has gotten some bad press lately due to Mafia involvement in the garbage-disposal industry, but the city still looks like it has a lot to offer, and shouldn't be discounted. Not only does it have history and architecture, it is also located along the water. Can't beat that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples
A 2008 article on travel in Naples. A little outdated, but still useful: http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/travel/27hours.html
3) Victoria Falls, Zambia and Zimbabwe border- I am running out of places to recommend for Africa (the poor continent really does have it rough, but our tourist dollars should help some of the locals out a bit). I know Zambia and Zimbabwe don't really reach out and grab you, but I have heard that Victoria Falls is one of the most stunning natural scenes a human can come across. I have seen some video of it, and I have to say, I plan on seeing it in person. There appear to be a large number of tourist accommodations in both countries near the falls, and the two closest airports are Victoria Falls airport, on the Zimbabwean side, and in the town of Livingstone in Zambia. For a pretty simple overview and travel tips, check out the wikitravel article: http://wikitravel.org/en/Victoria_Falls#b but take a look also and this webpage, which has a number of photos as well as some handy advice: http://sevennaturalwonders.org/the-original/victoria-falls
4) Guilin, China- I have been to several places in China, but there are also several that I have not been to, but most certainly will. Guilin is one them. The city is located in China's deep south, near the Vietnamese border. You ever seen those stunning images of limestone hills in China? Or a Chinese landscape painting? Yeah, that's Guilin. It is considered China's most beautiful city. There ya have it. The wikipedia page has some images, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin, as does this travel guide: http://www.chinahighlights.com/guilin/
5) Ljubljana, Slovenia- Ever heard of this place? Ever heard of the country? Slovenia became an independent country from Yugoslavia back in the 90s, but it remains relatively unknown compared with Europe's powerhouses. Don't make the mistake of over-looking it though. It is a very well developed country, and the capital, Ljubljana (pronounced, roughly, Lube-lan-ya) looks like a decent place to visit. Check out wikitravel as a starting point: http://wikitravel.org/en/Ljubljana#b
That does it for now. I plan on seeing a movie or two this weekend, so be on the look out. Failing that, we have some travel coming up soon......you hear that sound? That is the sound of anticipation.
Cheers.
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