Deepest apologies. I completely forgot about my monthly "Next Travel Destinations" list. The end of October was busy and distracting enough to pull me from my blogging duties. Official Four Corners' Shout-out Recipient Uncle Paul was visiting Istanbul, Turkey, (hopefully he will have some notes to post here, officially making him a Four Corners Correspondent), work was getting busy, and I got caught up in getting my Thailand trip sorted out. Pretty engrossing stuff, but I haven't completely forgotten, and here we go, with the (very late) October edition of the Four Corners Official Next Destinations List:
1. Japan- The entire country? Well, yeah. I know I have given billing to Japan on this list before, it is a great place, with lots to see, an interesting culture and fantastic people. I mention this specifically because of recent news. The Japanese government is offering to pay the air fare of 10,000 lucky applicants, in a bid to boost their travel industry after the tsunami/earthquake the country experienced in March. I am considering giving it a shot. Kobe, Osaka, and Hokkaido are just some of the cities I hope to touch upon. Here is the link for the story: http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/japan-to-give-away-10000-flights-to-kickstart-tourism-2369661.html
2. Angel Falls, Venezuela- I very much doubt people think of Venezuela has a great place to visit. The feeling is probably warranted, given that the capital city, Caracas, is the murder capital of the world. But outside of the urban areas, Venezuela is blessed with some stunning natural beauty, the most noteworthy being Angel Falls. Angel Falls is the tallest waterfall in the world, and looks to be quite a site. I wouldn't let the country's reputation turn you off, take the necessary precautions of course, but one of the world's natural wonders really shouldn't be missed. Here is some info to get you started:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Angel_Falls#b
http://www.angel-ecotours.com/adventure-travel-package-can1.html
3. Riga, Latvia- I gotta give the Baltic states some love here. They aren't your glamour European destinations, but here at the Four Corners we don't discriminate. Riga looks like a pretty neat place, with a historical center that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The only issue with Riga and other cities in the Baltics is they can be kind of hard to get to. You'll probably have to fly through Frankfurt or some other large airport to get there. I think it would be worth it though. The New York Times has a nice profile on the city: http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/europe/latvia/riga/overview.html
Here is the Lonely Planet guide too: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/latvia
4. Algiers, Algeria- The white-washed capital of Algeria sits on the coast of the Mediterranean, which is a good start. What spurred to thinking about Algiers was a recent news article, actually. On November 1, the city opened up its metro line, after more than three decades of construction. As it were, this is only the second metro on the entire African continent, the Cairo metro previously being the only one. Anyway, Algiers doesn't look to have a TON to offer, but Lonely Planet sure makes it sound worth a shot: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/algeria/algiers. Only problem with Algeria is you need a visa. Here is the article on the metro, by the way: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15532117
5. Kathmandu, Nepal- The capital of Nepal may not be for the faint of heart. It is not dangerous or anything like that, but a western traveler could be in for some culture shock. Its a developing city with chaotic traffic, construction, and all kinds of hustle and bustle. To me though, that sounds fantastic. If Lonely Planet is to be believed, it is well worth a trip, as it has lots to see and do. I am placing it on my itinerary, will you? Here is some info: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/nepal/kathmandu
http://www.wordtravels.com/Cities/Nepal/Kathmandu
That concludes this edition. A couple of notes first: If any of my readers have been to or have lived in any of the places I include on these lists, let me know what you think!! Leave a comment. These of course are places I have never been, but come across in my readings that sound interesting, but are crowded out by Paris, Rome, Istanbul, London, etc. I can't speak from experience on them, so if you can, please, lets hear it.
I should be watching the film "Killer Elite" tonight. Be sure to swing by to see what I thought.
Lastly, I am hoping to plan some travel for next month. I haven't decided yet, but will be sure to let you know when I do.
Cheers.
1. Japan- The entire country? Well, yeah. I know I have given billing to Japan on this list before, it is a great place, with lots to see, an interesting culture and fantastic people. I mention this specifically because of recent news. The Japanese government is offering to pay the air fare of 10,000 lucky applicants, in a bid to boost their travel industry after the tsunami/earthquake the country experienced in March. I am considering giving it a shot. Kobe, Osaka, and Hokkaido are just some of the cities I hope to touch upon. Here is the link for the story: http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/japan-to-give-away-10000-flights-to-kickstart-tourism-2369661.html
2. Angel Falls, Venezuela- I very much doubt people think of Venezuela has a great place to visit. The feeling is probably warranted, given that the capital city, Caracas, is the murder capital of the world. But outside of the urban areas, Venezuela is blessed with some stunning natural beauty, the most noteworthy being Angel Falls. Angel Falls is the tallest waterfall in the world, and looks to be quite a site. I wouldn't let the country's reputation turn you off, take the necessary precautions of course, but one of the world's natural wonders really shouldn't be missed. Here is some info to get you started:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Angel_Falls#b
http://www.angel-ecotours.com/adventure-travel-package-can1.html
3. Riga, Latvia- I gotta give the Baltic states some love here. They aren't your glamour European destinations, but here at the Four Corners we don't discriminate. Riga looks like a pretty neat place, with a historical center that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The only issue with Riga and other cities in the Baltics is they can be kind of hard to get to. You'll probably have to fly through Frankfurt or some other large airport to get there. I think it would be worth it though. The New York Times has a nice profile on the city: http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/europe/latvia/riga/overview.html
Here is the Lonely Planet guide too: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/latvia
4. Algiers, Algeria- The white-washed capital of Algeria sits on the coast of the Mediterranean, which is a good start. What spurred to thinking about Algiers was a recent news article, actually. On November 1, the city opened up its metro line, after more than three decades of construction. As it were, this is only the second metro on the entire African continent, the Cairo metro previously being the only one. Anyway, Algiers doesn't look to have a TON to offer, but Lonely Planet sure makes it sound worth a shot: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/algeria/algiers. Only problem with Algeria is you need a visa. Here is the article on the metro, by the way: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15532117
5. Kathmandu, Nepal- The capital of Nepal may not be for the faint of heart. It is not dangerous or anything like that, but a western traveler could be in for some culture shock. Its a developing city with chaotic traffic, construction, and all kinds of hustle and bustle. To me though, that sounds fantastic. If Lonely Planet is to be believed, it is well worth a trip, as it has lots to see and do. I am placing it on my itinerary, will you? Here is some info: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/nepal/kathmandu
http://www.wordtravels.com/Cities/Nepal/Kathmandu
That concludes this edition. A couple of notes first: If any of my readers have been to or have lived in any of the places I include on these lists, let me know what you think!! Leave a comment. These of course are places I have never been, but come across in my readings that sound interesting, but are crowded out by Paris, Rome, Istanbul, London, etc. I can't speak from experience on them, so if you can, please, lets hear it.
I should be watching the film "Killer Elite" tonight. Be sure to swing by to see what I thought.
Lastly, I am hoping to plan some travel for next month. I haven't decided yet, but will be sure to let you know when I do.
Cheers.
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