Where in the world have you been?

I was born in England, lived in Scotland for twenty-six years and now live in Wales. I visited the farthest point on the British mainland while I lived in Scotland:

6/2/2010

Let's see, I was born in Brooklyn, NY , I've
been to Montreal, Canada several times
over the years, Bennington, Vermont several
times, Houston, Texas, Dallas, Texas, Hollywood,
California, Atlantic City, New Jersey ( Before they
built the casinos.) Cape Cod , Mass. every year for
30 years, Santa Fe, New Mexico..

Cheers..Joe

Born in Orange, Texas, on the Sabine River, border between Texas and Louisiana. Early trips were limited to visiting family, from East to South Central Texas.

During my marriage I traveled a lot, from Mexico (Acapulco (4 times)and Monterrey; California, mostly in and around San Francisco; all across Arizona, Louisiana, southern Mississippi, Alabama, and just about everywhere in Florida, up the East coast; Georgia (in and around Atlanta), D. C., Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Vriginia; New York and New Jersey. I have been to England, mostly in and around London, and to several places in the Orient: Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Atami, Lake Chuzenji, Mt Fuji), Taipan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Wake Island, and back to Hawaii. I introduced my students, most of whom had never been even to other parts of the city of Houston, to the rest of the world by taking them on tours I called "Around the World in Eighty Slides," from those we took on our little 35mm camera on those trips.

Ann

joefrank wrote:

6/2/2010

Let's see, I was born in Brooklyn, NY , I've
been to Montreal, Canada several times
over the years, Bennington, Vermont several
times, Houston, Texas, Dallas, Texas, Hollywood,
California, Atlantic City, New Jersey ( Before they
built the casinos.) Cape Cod , Mass. every year for
30 years, Santa Fe, New Mexico..

Cheers..Joe

I've visited Canada several times too, Joe, and I've been to Boston, Mass. Places I've visited in Canada include Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge and Banff.

No, but I did see the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia and I attended the Olympic Games (LA Games) Conference in Eugene, Oregon, where my husband presented a paper (gave a short lecture) The highlight of our stay for my husband was shaking hands with the Olympic long jumper, Bob Beamon, one of the invited speakers at the conference. We took a flight to Vancouver, hired a car and drove to the border, through Washington State and into Oregon. On the way back to Vancouver, we took photos of Mt. Rainier (a mountain Alice has climbed) and the volcano, Mt. St. Helens, after the eruption.

While at the Commonwealth Games Conference held at the University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, we stayed in one of the student residences. One evening, we went to the cinema to watch Chariots of Fire and ordered a late supper. In the dining room kitchen, four meals were being kept hot in the oven. We removed two and left the others, not knowing who else had asked for late suppers. Minutes after we sat down, we found out! The man who broke the four minute mile for the first time, Sir Roger Bannister, walked into the dining room with a friend. They had seen the same film. They collected their suppers and joined us. Roger Bannister asked if we had been to the cinema and we said yes. He asked how many times had we seen the film and we said just the once. He said it was the fourth time for them! They knew everyone in the film (who were old men when Sir Roger was a young athlete). Needless to say, we didn't!

My husband accumulates lots of frequent flyer and hotel points, so we've been many places. One of my favorites is San Francisco. This is my younger daughter in our room at the Fourth Street Marriott there (several years ago). We stayed in a two-level suite with a fab view of the city.

I once worked for the Hilton and they continued to give me special room considerations at Hilton hotels when I traveled. My favorite hotel was a penthouse room that was circular with electric curtains that opened to see a 180 view of the city.

Unfortunately, my plan was late arrival and early departure; I had three hours in that room. That view, though brief, was splendid.

I used my travels to give Melani an interesting life in Arirang: The Bamboo Connection. Even if a reader wasn't thrilled with the story; the travelogue alone was intense. About the only places of note I've missed are Alaska, Central and Southern Africa, Spain, many South American countries (Chile, Argentina as examples), the Figi islands and central Asia.

My favorite is always where I am at the moment. I was uncomfortable in Baghdad and the middle east though I dined on exotic fruits in palaces. Germany was fun for me because the language came to me easily, I looked German, and it was easy to get around and enjoy the country.

On my bucket list, however, is a Mediterranean Cruise that includes Morocco and Israel - two countries I've missed.

DK, cruises to Israel are dangerous right now, haha.

What's the story with eating fruit in palaces?

I was traveling with my spouse on a business trip. His meetings were with highly placed government/business leaders who lived in palaces. Their family members would marry and add a palace to the compound and it stretched like a city along the sea.

We dined in a special hall, just my little family and the host (served by veiled women and his wife did not eat with us but ate with her children and joined me and my son later for a swim in the hot sea where we changed in a magical cabana (from the Arabian Nights) where all our swimming togs were furnished including fresh clothing afterward. It was like a spa, shampoo, and everything needed to bathe was present.

The servers brought plates of fruits cut into decorative bites, fruits I had never seen before with sweet and tart. They brought other plates of vegetables then plates of steaming meats. It was served family style.

After dinner and a swim, the women and children played games in a large room with marble columns and floors. The floors were covered with plush, Persian carpets. We sat on cushions the thickness of a chair. Hot breezes blew through the room with bahama fans overhead and no air conditioning. However, the layers of clothing seemed to help stay cool somehow.

We didn't see the men again until nearly midnight when we departed.

In memory it is like a movie set, unreal and not my life.

Sounds fabulous, DK. Wow.

I would love to go to one of those great hotels in Dubai that are featured in upscale travel magazines. Maybe if this second textbook takes off...

I'll stick with family vacations at home.

Texas, Florida, Hawaii, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, California, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee., North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, Colorado, Washington DC, Kansas, Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma.

I have used Texas, Mexico, Canada, Hawaii, Louisiana, California and Missouri in my books.

LOL! You should get out more, DT.

vampireheartauthor wrote:

I'll stick with family vacations at home.

Why? Lots of great stuff to see out there. Traveling helps me as a writer, too.

I'm thinking it's time for another trip to Arizona. We went there several years ago. Took a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon, a jeep tour into the Sonora Desert, bought hand-blown Christmas ornaments in artsy Sedonia, and stayed at the fabulous Camelback Inn in Scottsdale (below).

Two years ago we went to St. Thomas and stayed at the Marriott Frenchman's Reef. You'd sit at a bar stool and these things would be at your feet. I was never sure if I should toss them scraps.

They tossed them a scrap too many on Captiva and Sanibel Islands in Florida - they actually hired people to capture them - they were everywhere a nuisance.

I lived on a sailboat in Charlotte Amalie Harbor. It was quite an experience. Spent a Christmas there. My former spouse drove a water taxi for a few months and my sons installed electronics on some of the major yachts. Quite a time! I think we spent New Year's Eve at the Mariott.

My favorite island was St. John's. When we traveled to St. Thomas by cruise ship, I immediately headed for St. John's for my day trip, skipping St. Thomas altogether.

Let's see ... Canada, Mexico, on a boat through the Panama Canal, traveled down the inland waterway from Virginia to Georgia, Florida, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Lousiana, New Mexico, California, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, and of course, Washington. I may have forgotten a few, but that is the bulk of it.

Would love to see England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. But that is to be in the future, perhaps.

Hi Zada,

That was a fantastic trip! Did you find a place you would like to move to or are you going to stay in Washington State?

Dear Zada,
You know, I bet you are glad to be home. I have called a few places home. Many places in my child hood as a migrant child. We went where the fruit or vegetables were to be harvested. Peaches in Grand Junction, cotton in Oklahoma and Arizona. Mostly, we starved in New Mexico and ended up back in the old places in Oklahoma.

When I was liberated from that life, I lived in Casa Grande, Arizona, went to college in Tempe, had fun in Flagstaff, saw Alberta, Canada and Banff National Park, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier, The Grand Tetons, Reno, Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon, Hermosillo, Mexico, Puerto Pincasco, Mexico, Long Beach beach, and all the towns inbetween. I have driven across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and finally arrived in Florida. I love this place that I live.

If I had another life and lots of money, I wold really like to see Wisconsin because Carol loves it so. It must be really lovely. I would love to go to Cancun and Australia and Wales. Also, Ireland and Iceland and Greenland.

Love,
Betty

There are not many places I wouldn't like to visit (Intentional double negative). I'm happy living in the Texas Hill Country, though. Although it is getting somewhat hot here now that it is June. A trip to Florida would be nice. I get why you love it there, Betty. I loved the trips we made to Ft. Walton and Panama City all those years. Hope those white beaches will be OK.

It is good to hear from you again, Zada. I envy your trip.

Ann

When I was 15 and had been nowhere except several moves in the same factory town and a straight shot to hot and humid Mississippi by train as a little girl in summers, I read books that took me to castles and islands and dreamy places far away. Of course, they always included a wealthy hero, but the travel aspect also appealed to me.

At 18, I boarded a plane in Detroit, MI after one year of college and started on a world journey that included moves averaging one every 1 1/2 to 3 years at the most, U.S. & abroad. Every opportunity to move promised new adventure for me and starting over.

One day I woke up and found that adventures and starting over were really inside of me, not "out there." An adventure at the seashore, in the mountains, in a quaint local town or even at my local zoo can make my everyday life alive again with adrenalin. As for starting over, it doesn't take a place, does it.

The places that have the most impact on me are those where I live that are challenging by their differences from how I normally think: Madison, FL (a glimpse of the real south); the Caribbean (island time and hospitality); Germany (ah, the trains, the trains); S. Korea (initially as though I had walked through a portal to another planet or woke and a crazy dream was real); Idaho (radical right wing - scarey stuff); and Florida where age is irrelevant (95 yrs. olds win the tennis tournament).

For beauty, the Everglades and the Gulf are at my door. I do miss hills and mountains, but Georgia isn't far away. Same for the seasons. If I want exotic, I can travel to Casa Diega for paranormal or St. Augustine for a trip back in time. For quaint, there's Dunedin near St. Petersburg on the Pinellas county magnificent rails to trails from one end of the county to the other, including the Greek tourist town of Tarpon Springs.

This is perhaps because I have traveled widely that I can say it's no longer a craving; yet, I do believe that with modern communications the world comes to us, wanting it or not. There's so much to see and know within a few hours distance, that I am concentrating on sticking in one place these days. I'm shocked. I've been here seven years - time to move on for sure.