minnesota_trekker

Madeira has long been a peaceful place for me. It's got a bit of everything. Borneo is also a good one.

There's a small island with a campsite in the BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area) that I visit about every other year. I went there when I was a kid and have always enjoyed returning. It's quiet, scenic and I almost always have it to myself. Can go there, enjoy nature, enjoy a book in the quietness of the place...that sort of thing.

The world is getting smaller though...

I carry a small Minnesota state flag, but that's mostly for climbing and trekking summit photos. I do wear a small pendant and still haul some of my older equipment around (though it's not really sentimental I suppose...mostly economical).

Do you carry an item (or items) when travelling that has special meaning for you? For example, some people carry a walking stick and have it engraved with names of the places they visit. Others carry stuff like stuffed animals, medallions, bracelets and so on that have a special meaning to them. Some carry little flags and what not.

I love both. It largely depends on who you're with though of course.

I'm biased towards my own homeland, the USA, but outside of here...probably either Argentina or all of Britain/Ireland. Vietnam, Chile and Morocco would give them a run for their money though.

It would be such a tough decision. For me right now...probably either London or Tokyo. Of course, this could change after I brush my teeth....

In one of the few truly upmarket stays I've had in my life, I once stayed (for one night) at Hoshi Ryokan in Komatsu, Japan. It's believed to be the oldest lodging in the world still in operation, & supposedly has been operated by the same family since the 8th century!

I once stayed at Old Bell in the Cotswolds as well, believed to be possibly the oldest running hotel in England.

On the grittier side, I've stayed at numerous shelters and campsites here and there, many of them probably in place for a long, long time. Europe is actually chockablock full of old (and ancient) lodgings. I love those dusty old places...

I used to pack WAY too many books. Today I rarely carry more than a few, depending on the areas I'm in. I do a lot of wildlife viewing, so field guides are an issue (especially with birding). I usually still end up packing a guidebook or two, which ironically I rarely end up using. Mostly keep all my needed info on disk and in a binder.

Probably trekking in Papua New Guinea. We were shot at in a truck convoy enroute to our trailhead. Apparently this is not, or at least was not uncommon. They used to shoot at helicopters carrying climbers, though I'm not sure if this is still a problem there.

Trekking in Afghanistan in the pre 9-11 days wasn't without risk either. I don't want to even guess how bad it can be today.

Some close encounters in NE Uganda are probably towards the top of the list as well. Though I hear the place has really been making a comeback these days, a hidden corner of growing popularity...

My parents, indirectly. From a very young age, they encouraged me to read. Not having a ton of money, I of course, fell in love with my local library. It, of course, had/has a travel section. A horrible addiciton was eventually born of it...

I've had a number of very interesting encounters in Vietnam. I once ran across a guy up north at a guesthouse bar. We talked for a few minutes, during which he told me he worked for a government land agency or some such department (I forget the exact department he claimed to work for). He kept asking me where I was headed, if I'd been up near the border, if I'd had any problems at checkpoints and all that sort of chat. He seemed a bit dodgy, so I eventually decided to go back to my room for a bit. Four days later, I saw his photo in a local newspaper/publication. I couldn't read Vietnamese, so I asked a local about the caption under the photo. Apparently he was arrested for gun running up on the northern border. Go figure.

On a more positive note, I once met a guy that was trying to walk from Oslo to Johannesburg. I was in a hurry to make my plane though, and never got the guy's name. Would love to know if he made it...

Probably New York City.

I have been sick with a few "tropical bugs", but nothing that came close to doing me in. I have had a severe bout of pneumonia before, and I did suffer an ankle dislocation (one of the smaller bones) trekking in India once. I have a few small scars from cuts attained through various adveturous activities, the worst being from a jagged piece of metal while scuba diving in a wreck at Truk (a HIGHLY reccommended trip for the scuba folks on the boards). There's a reason why wreck diving can be dangerous...

Although it is likely to cost Mark an aneurism, my earliest travel memory and one of my earliest memories is Disneyland, circa mid to late 1970s, on what I think is/was the "It's a Small World After All" ride. Ironic I should be a travel maniac after all those years...a fitting end!

My first trip that I have decent memory of was a trip to Washington DC with a group from my high school. We had one day where we were set loose on whereever we wanted to go. I remember standing, alone, in front of JFK's grave at Arlington National Cemetery (among many other famous dead folk as well as the several monuments). I remember the Smithsonian, Ford's Theater and many other places.

My first international trip was to Western/Central Europe (the standard gap year/grand tour "experience").

I also became a small box cereal addict in my youth...