What is your dream holiday destination?

Roh_Chris · Sep 23, 2014

I was looking for a nice place to holiday in, during December. I found some beautiful beaches around the coast of India. The most beautiful of these belonged to a chain of islands off the western coast of India. They are called the Lakshadweep (ləkˈʃɑːdwiːp) islands. Some of the islands in this archipelago are built up of corals and even today they have coral reefs very close to their shores.

One of the islands in this archipelago is called Bangaram island. It is a beautiful uninhabited island with white sand beach and palm groves near the shore. The seawater around this island is turquoise blue in colour and it is beautiful. Here are some pictures. I hope I can visit this place soon!

What is your dream holiday destination? If you can, please post some info/pictures so that all of us can know about the place.

Lynx · Sep 23, 2014

I hate to be a party pooper on the first response in the thread... but my dream vacation is right here at home, relaxing. Going places is nice, but (for me) for a vacation nothing beats kicking back and doing absolutely nothing for a few days.

sassylady · Sep 23, 2014

I have a hard time even paying bills and putting food on the table. Can't remember the last time I had enough money to have any kind of fun.

seoulsearch · Sep 23, 2014

Hi Roh!

Beautiful pictures, thank you so much for sharing them. The most amazing trip I ever had was when I was 29 and went to visit my brother, who was studying in France. I was there 2 weeks and we traveled around France, Italy, and Switzerland. Seeing Venice, the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's Pieta, the Eiffel Tower, and the Colosseum was definitely a dream come true. We tried to make the trip as cost-efficient as possible (my brother had an apartment there, etc.) but it was well worth every penny I saved to make the trip.

I haven't been able to make any kind of trip like that since but I'm always grateful for that time in my life. I would love to travel the world someday, God willing, and I've heard (and thanks to your pictures, have seen

) that India is beautiful. I would also love to see places such as all of Europe (I'm a bit obsessed with the accents), Australia, Bavaria, and Asia. My grandparents had a love of travel and I seem to have inherited it from them.

Back when I lived in MI, I was only a few minutes from the lake so I was able to witness several amazing sunsets... as well as the change of seasons. My last autumn there, I would go outside and take pictures of my neighborhood (a trailer park!) every day or so while the leaves were changing color, so I have a "Photo Journal" of the last time I saw my favorite season at home. I love kicking back at home and making wherever I am its own holiday in a sense (tomorrow I'm going to the Big Lots discount store in town that I've never been to before, so I see it as a chance to explore), but every now and then, I have a craving for a REALLY big adventure... even if it's just around the corner.

Charcoal · Sep 23, 2014

A current dream of mine is to motorcycle trek all 469 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's a road laid out by a civil engineer partnered with a landscape engineer to maximize the views. No commercial traffic, no billboards, and a maximum top speed of 45mph. I would, of course, want to take numerous side trips off the main road and do some hiking/camping along the way. Since I'd be in the neighborhood, I'd probably jaunt down to tour the home of poet Robert Frost. If I could, I would want to make this trip in Fall Leaf Season, Spring Bloom, and also timed to hit a maximum number of summer events, such as the "Old Fiddler's Convention" in Galax, VA.
I think it would be fun to video the drive and once home edit it together with local music from the particular stretches of road...the more local, the better.

Roh_Chris · Sep 23, 2014

Seoul, thank you for your message! I have always wanted to do a Europe road-trip. Of all the European countries, I have only been to France. I have also been fascinated with Europe - the castles, the palaces, the country side, the fields and the different cultures. Maybe someday when I have saved enough I can do that trip.

I would welcome you to visit India some time. If you can handle the noise, the traffic, the crowd and the pollution then you will do just fine here. But this is a beautiful country which is abundantly blessed by God. It is a pity that we are steeped in superstition, ignorance and corruption but this is slowly changing. India is like a continent with many different countries. Each state in India has its own history, culture and language. Please do visit this beautiful country.

Apart from Europe, I have a fascination for Australia. I stayed in Sydney with my cousins for a month and it was absolutely amazing. Everything about Australia, and Sydney in particular, is fabulous.

seoulsearch · Sep 23, 2014

Hey Roh

. Oh man, while I was in Europe I REALLY wanted to go on this European castle tour but my brother balked because the tickets were $100. I was like, We've spent all this money to be here, I really don't mind another $100 for something I've always wanted to see!! But alas, I couldn't convince him, and I couldn't convince him to spend the money as well when we went to the Hoover dam years later so all we could do was LOOK at it. I don't mind paying more for a tour or lecture that actually TEACHES me about the history and effect of what I'm seeing...

Going with some of Charcoal's thoughts, something I've always wanted to do is drive from one end of Route 66 (Los Angeles to Chicago... and back. I love road trips and think this would be amazing, especially when done off the beaten path.

I almost did visit India several years ago on a missions trip but they changed the dates of the trip to a time I couldn't go... so maybe someday in the future. I had a lovely couple from India (they had an arranged marriage) who were my friends and mentors for a long time, which, of course, piqued my interest in their country.

I would also like to see all of the UK someday as well. And I totally agree with you about Australia... something so fascinating about it, I mean, besides TinTin and Arlene, of course.

But what a nice bonus.

I'm jealous that you've been there!

I had always wanted to be married with a family but since that hasn't worked out, I've set my sights on hopefully seeing some of the world. Some of us really have it in our hearts to travel and some of us don't, which is perfectly fine, but I think that when God grants those who wish to a way to be able to go, He is always blessed when we experience His amazing creations and connect with the people He's placed around the world for His purpose. I don't think He made such amazing places to not be seen or appreciated by His people (even if, as it was for me, they're only 5 minutes from your house and free to visit.)

Charcoal · Sep 23, 2014

seoulsearch said:

If you get around to it, let me know. I live 2.5 miles off Route 66. I'll buy you a meal in exchange for your company for the duration of dining.
It's a more innocent offer than it sounds and could result in BBQ, Pho, Catfish, or other local flavor. Yes, Pho is considered to be local flavor here.

Roh_Chris · Sep 23, 2014

Charcoal said:

When I read your post, I made sure I googled this drive. Absolutely amazing! This is so beautiful! I am guessing the best time would be fall or spring? Wow, the pictures are so beautiful! Are cars allowed on this track? If I could save up enough money, I would love to hire a convertible and drive on this. (I will post some pictures from Google for everybody to enjoy it. Thank you for sharing this Charcoal!)

seoulsearch said:

Oh no, that must have been disappointing. I agree with you Seoul, if you had spent a lot of money to go there then you should have spent that $100 to visit the place. It reminds me of what happened when I was visiting the Eiffel Tower. I got mugged on the metro and I lost about USD 500 along with my debit cards and some bills that I had to claim for expenses. It was so horrible that I just couldn't react. I wanted to come back to my hotel and sleep and never wake up. Thankfully my two colleagues who were with me insisted that we continue the journey to visit Eiffel Tower. I was in no mood to make the trip. But I pushed myself to go because I know that I may not get another chance to visit the place. They even put in the money to buy me the entry ticket to get to the top of the Tower. After all that struggle, the view was worth the effort.

You are right sister. God created a beautiful world and has brought us together so that we can enjoy the work of His hands and glorify Him for it. The Psalmist says "When I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man that thou art mindful of him?" (Psalm 8:3, KJV). When we travel the world and see the beauty of God's creation, it will only make us wonder about our awesome God. Also, the more you travel and meet new people, the more you learn and the better you become as a person. In every way, travelling is a wonderful thing to do.

I have also been thinking of doing some mission work in Africa. I know there are so many countries that require volunteers to come and help out in the work. But I am worried about the safety and health risks. I have been praying about this for more than a year. I am sure God will open a way for me to do this.

I don't think we should worry about Australia. Considering that Tintin and Arlene would play nice hosts. I am sure they will welcome us with open arms. Won't you, guys?

seoulsearch · Sep 23, 2014

OH my goodness, what beautiful pictures, and in autumn, my favorite season!!! Now I want to drive THIS highway as well...

Roh, you bring up an excellent point about safety and caution while traveling. I'm so sorry for your experience and am just glad you weren't harmed. My brother and I stayed at a youth hostel one night in which a room is shared by several different people. My brother is extremely outgoing and I'm definitely an introvert--I retired to the girls' quarters early in the evening and he went out to the main court and stayed up late to chat with people. Unfortunately, at some point, one of them wound up stealing his credit card and charging multiple thousands of dollars on it (he was buying works of art) before they were able to freeze the card.

My only bad experience at the hostel was one girl who pressured each of us to give her money, claiming she would pay us back. I know as Christians we are to be compassionate and generous, but sometimes something doesn't feel right and this was one of those times. I gave her $10 and wish I hadn't because of how obligated I felt, but it was just one of those things.

Safety should be everyone's number one priority when traveling!

Though it cost more, we stayed at hotels the rest of the trip instead. I would stay at hostels again, but only if we had a larger group (so that, for instance, there was more than one of us staying in each of the male/female residencies.)

Charcoal · Sep 23, 2014

Yes, private vehicles (cars, motorcycles, etc...) are permitted on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just no commercial vehicles of any kind.
I'm of the opinion that it is gorgeous in fall, gorgeous in spring, and gorgeous any other time, too. I've been there on beautiful foggy, rainy days - where you are driving in low lying clouds! I'd like to do that again, but want even more to soak up some of the long distance views, too. This is the longest bridge on the Parkway, the Lynn Cove Viaduct:

Another great drive is PCH1 (Pacific Coast Highway 1). That'ld be another good video to sit back and watch and relive the trip.

seoulsearch · Sep 23, 2014

My poor Mom is TERRIFIED of bridges. She get so nervous whenever we go over one... but I absolutely LOVE bridges and will always demand (if I'm a passenger) that I be woken up any time we go over a bridge!!!!

Oddly enough, I'm a bit of an insomniac but sleep most soundly in cars. I can't sleep on trains or planes but put me in the passenger seat of a car and I'll zonk out within a half hour. I always said that if I had money, I'd pay someone to drive me around 8 hours (it could be day or night, as long as I'm in a car) just so that I could get some sleep.

However, if it was on a roadway THIS beautiful... forget it. I'd be up the entire duration of the trip, until the vehicle finally came to a stop.

Shamrocker · Sep 23, 2014

New Zealand

Charcoal · Sep 23, 2014

PCH1, for the record:

gypsygirl · Sep 23, 2014

seoulsearch said:

i love bridges too. old ones. covered ones. and big ones. probably my sentimentally favorite bridge is the chesapeake bay bridge tunnel.

if you ever get a chance to cross it, i think it's well worth it. it's almost 18 miles from shore to shore, and these two sections of bridges are connected by a pair of mile long tunnels.

i love that when you're in the middle of it, you can't see land in front of you or in your rear view mirror--it really does feel like you're only surrounded by water on a bridge that does seem to move a little when one of those giant trucks flies by in the oncoming traffic.

when i googled for a picture, i found out it is listed as the 9th scariest bridge.

whatever.

check it out. it's a modern wonder and about as cool as steel and iron can get.

seoulsearch said:

funny you say that. i am exactly the same way. there's nothing better than a road trip, and it's even better when you can zonk out for an hour or two. : D

Charcoal · Sep 23, 2014

you two cannot road trip together without a third... no one would wake you up until the car hit the water.

...imagines scene from inception, with just Gypsy and Seoul in the van.

seoulsearch · Sep 23, 2014

LOL, Charcoal

.

But the thing is, I can "toughen up" when needed. I wrote a post in another thread about making an 18-hour drive in about 21 hours each way, twice, by myself, only stopping for fuel. I already had snacks in my Jeep. I tried to stop for a nap here and there but it was futile. And it was before there were cell phones. And when my brother and I drove to VA and back, I drove around 7 hours of the trip without stopping.

I already know Gypsy could handle her part as well. We'd have to take turns sleeping, er... I mean, driving. Yeah, that's it.

gypsygirl · Sep 23, 2014

seoulsearch said:

my ability to drive without sleeping is in direct relationship to my ability to trust the person i'm road tripping, both their driving and not getting lost while i'm asleep.

the first time i drove from the west coast to the east coast, i was with my dingy girlfriend, who is long on loyalty and extremely conservative/cautious sensibilities and quite short in navigational sense (i.e. reading highways reading highway signs).

anyway, she also drove so slow that the pre-fab homes would pass by. to top it off, her furrowed brow and almost expectant look of impending doom never seemed to inspire much confidence from me.

i think she drove MAYBE four hours of that trip?

and no, i don't think i even blinked when she drove. : )

heweeps · Sep 23, 2014

The Amazon Jungle!!!!! It's been my dream destination since... I don't know when. It's the my favorite biodiversity hotspot. So many deadly creatures especially... I hope I will get there eventually. I am working towards it.

seoulsearch · Sep 23, 2014

gypsygirl said:

Having once lived in a fabricated home, I literally spit out my water as I read this.

As for navigation, I actually now own two GPS's... and accidentally had them set to two different locations... going in different directions... while visiting a new church a few weeks ago. (I was actively using one of the GPS's... the other was tucked away in my backpack, which I'd forgotten about, but was still on.)

First of all, I couldn't understand why I was hearing multiple voices in my own car when I was the only one present. Second, I couldn't figure out why one voice would tell me me to "Go Left" and the other would tell me to "Go Right." It was literally like having the little devil figure on one shoulder and angel figure on the other, both telling me to take opposite actions.

Have I ever mentioned I'm long on projected enthusiasm and short on brains?

I just may very well be the "dingy" friend Gypsy mentioned. Or at least, a close second.

What is your dream holiday destination?

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