Yes, hard to imagine, but over five years later, I have reached lucky number 200.
For Post # 200 as a worldchump, I decided I would list a few favorites in the spirit of the anniversary. It certainly has been a heck of a ride. So here we go. Drumroll, please:
Favorite country visited: Malaysia. People, weather, the island of Langkawi, incredibly tasty cuisine…Malaysia is the total package. Kuala Lumpur is also a stunning city that combines American and European elements, has good public transportation, good shopping, restaurants, etc., all of it very affordable.
Least favorite country visited: Israel. Sorry, but it was a pain to get into the country, coming from the West Bank, a pain to get out, a pain staying in Jerusalem (not to mention tense) and intimidating in general to walk among God’s chosen.
Favorite city: Cuzco, Peru. The springboard to Machu Picchu was almost as impressive as the World Wonder itself. It’s simply a nice little city, relaxing, with good restaurants, cathedrals, and plazas… very much like a Little Valencia or Alicante.
Least favorite city: Jerusalem. See least favorite country. Don’t get me wrong: it’s a very chic city in many ways, very historic, but it’s clear you need major nerves to live there.
Favorite resort town: Acaba, Red Sea. It certainly is nice not having to do anything all day but swim in a pool or lie in the sand with a Long Island Ice Tea in my hand.
The one place that could be renamed Culture Shock: Kathmandu. In other places in the world, you will be slowly introduced to a town or a village and still find some common ground from the west. Here, there’s no introduction, but the equivalent of somebody kicking a door down. Anything that could possibly be different from a western city is different here.
Favorite beach: Arica, Chile, and Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland (tie). Two different places, for sure. I loved the empty beach in Arica and the fact I could walk on sand for miles with nobody around. Clonakilty in Ireland has the gorgeous cliffs and the ever changing tide rolling in and out to consider. It was also Axl’s first trip outside of Jordan. A close second (or third) goes to Aruba – you won’t find clearer water anywhere.
Most scary place visited: Baghdad in 2007, to nobody’s surprise. I will still always remember flying in a Blackhawk helicopter at night over the Tigris River.
Favorite Airline: Thai Air. Great service, good with children. Qatar Air is a close second. Their coach class is better than most airlines' business class service.
Least Favorite Airline: American. It’s easy to imagine why they went bankrupt.
The one place I still have to see: Australia. I’m not sure why. I don’t expect to see much there, but maybe it’s to get the sixth continent under my belt.
City that will give you the best bang for your buck: Cairo, at least when I was there. Of course, this happened before the Arab uprisings. You can do pretty much anything in Cairo without breaking the bank.
Most satisfying personal moment: finishing the Grandfather Mountain Marathon in Boone, NC.
Biggest regret: never getting to see Damascus while living in Jordan, due to travel restrictions. It’s a place I’ve wanted to see all my life. The civil war raging there now is as sad as it is useless.
Country with the friendliest people: Although never mentioned in detail in this blog: Morocco, without a doubt. Their hospitality was as genuine as it was chilling.
Favorite food: Lebanese, by a mile. Arabs simply know how to make tasty and healthy food.
The craziest place visited: The Taj Mahal. Hundreds of people would gather around us to take pictures of the boys. Amazing. For one day we were caught in the throng of the equivalent of Hollywood's paparazzi.
One day I will never forget: Axl’s baptism at the Jordan River. That still seems like a dream, only five years later.
Favorite country visited: Malaysia. People, weather, the island of Langkawi, incredibly tasty cuisine…Malaysia is the total package. Kuala Lumpur is also a stunning city that combines American and European elements, has good public transportation, good shopping, restaurants, etc., all of it very affordable.
Least favorite country visited: Israel. Sorry, but it was a pain to get into the country, coming from the West Bank, a pain to get out, a pain staying in Jerusalem (not to mention tense) and intimidating in general to walk among God’s chosen.
Favorite city: Cuzco, Peru. The springboard to Machu Picchu was almost as impressive as the World Wonder itself. It’s simply a nice little city, relaxing, with good restaurants, cathedrals, and plazas… very much like a Little Valencia or Alicante.
Least favorite city: Jerusalem. See least favorite country. Don’t get me wrong: it’s a very chic city in many ways, very historic, but it’s clear you need major nerves to live there.
Favorite resort town: Acaba, Red Sea. It certainly is nice not having to do anything all day but swim in a pool or lie in the sand with a Long Island Ice Tea in my hand.
The one place that could be renamed Culture Shock: Kathmandu. In other places in the world, you will be slowly introduced to a town or a village and still find some common ground from the west. Here, there’s no introduction, but the equivalent of somebody kicking a door down. Anything that could possibly be different from a western city is different here.
Favorite beach: Arica, Chile, and Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland (tie). Two different places, for sure. I loved the empty beach in Arica and the fact I could walk on sand for miles with nobody around. Clonakilty in Ireland has the gorgeous cliffs and the ever changing tide rolling in and out to consider. It was also Axl’s first trip outside of Jordan. A close second (or third) goes to Aruba – you won’t find clearer water anywhere.
Most scary place visited: Baghdad in 2007, to nobody’s surprise. I will still always remember flying in a Blackhawk helicopter at night over the Tigris River.
Favorite Airline: Thai Air. Great service, good with children. Qatar Air is a close second. Their coach class is better than most airlines' business class service.
Least Favorite Airline: American. It’s easy to imagine why they went bankrupt.
The one place I still have to see: Australia. I’m not sure why. I don’t expect to see much there, but maybe it’s to get the sixth continent under my belt.
City that will give you the best bang for your buck: Cairo, at least when I was there. Of course, this happened before the Arab uprisings. You can do pretty much anything in Cairo without breaking the bank.
Most satisfying personal moment: finishing the Grandfather Mountain Marathon in Boone, NC.
Biggest regret: never getting to see Damascus while living in Jordan, due to travel restrictions. It’s a place I’ve wanted to see all my life. The civil war raging there now is as sad as it is useless.
Country with the friendliest people: Although never mentioned in detail in this blog: Morocco, without a doubt. Their hospitality was as genuine as it was chilling.
Favorite food: Lebanese, by a mile. Arabs simply know how to make tasty and healthy food.
The craziest place visited: The Taj Mahal. Hundreds of people would gather around us to take pictures of the boys. Amazing. For one day we were caught in the throng of the equivalent of Hollywood's paparazzi.
One day I will never forget: Axl’s baptism at the Jordan River. That still seems like a dream, only five years later.
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