Pre-Trip Rankings

The most common question I've received about the upcoming year (aside from "why are you doing this?") is what I'm most excited about.  Given the scope of the trip, it's a very difficult question to answer succinctly, so I've made a top five list in four categories.  At the end of the trip, I'll redo the lists based on actual experience, so we'll see how well expectations match up with reality.  Magge will post her own rankings in the next day or two - to see mine, click "Read More".

Countries

1.  New Zealand - Pictures will express why I'm excited better than my words can:

2.  France - If the country weren't so full of French, it might be #1 on the list.

3.  Chile - Chile may have the most varied terrain of any country we visit.  We'll be passing through the world's driest desert, vinyards, volanic landscapes, lake country, mountains and one of the world's most isolated inhabited islands.

4.  South Africa - The opportunity to go cage diving with great white sharks is enough to land South Africa in the top 5.

5.  Vietnam - When I first thought about making this trip, Vietnam didn't even enter my mind.  As I gave it more thought, the combination of its history, especially where it intertwines with American history, and its natural beauty moved it up the list.

Cities

1.  Paris, France - I spent two days in this city eleven years ago, and since Magge and I began dating, I've wanted to come back and experience it with her (that's about as sappy as I get - remember this moment because it may not happen again in our lifetime).

2.  Cusco, Peru - The historical capital of the Incan Empire, Cusco will be our base for exploring the southern Peruvian Andes.  It will also likely be the location where I try the Peruvian delicacy cuy (roast guinea pig).

3.  Hanoi, Vietnam - Paris meets Indochina.  I almost went so far as to call it 'Paris of Indochina', but apparently Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City try to lay claim to that moniker as well.

4.  Split/Dubrovnik, Croatia - Listing two cities is cheating, but we're not sure which city on the Dalmatian coast we'll visit.  Maybe we'll see both.

5.  Barcelona, Spain - It's tough for me to pinpoint exactly why I'm excited about Barcelona, but I think it has something to do with seeing Gaudi's architecture on TV while watching the Olympics as a ten year old.  We'll be in Spain during the start of college football season, so if you know of any sports bars in Barcelona that show American sports, please let me know.

Attractions: Man-made Division

1.  Petra, Jordan - Thank you Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade for the heads up on this site.

2.  Machu Picchu, Peru - Magge has already been to this Incan site.  Whether she likes it or not, she's seeing it again.

3.  Easter Island, Chile - When I first learned about Easter Island and its moai (the iconic monolithic statues) as a kid, I was fascinated, but it seemed so remote and alien that I never thought I'd have the opportunity to see it in person.  When Magge and I first started thinking about this trip, and I saw that this island was an option on our round-the-world airfare, I knew we had to make the stop.

4.  Mont Saint-Michel, France - I thought this island/fortress/town was used in the filming of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (yes, I realize that movie took place in England), but it turns out there's a very similar island/fortress/town with the same name in English (St Michael's Mount) off the coast of Cornwall, England, and that's the one they used in the movie.  Oh well.

5.  Củ Chi tunnels, Vietnam - This one is probably the least mainstream attraction in either division.  I read about this set of tunnels the Vietcong used during the Vietnam on a travel blog that I stumbled upon, and it immediately shot to the top of the list of things I wanted to do.

Attractions: Nature Division

1.  Great Barrier Reef, Australia - Magge and I got our SCUBA open water certifications over the summer to take advantage of this one.

2.  Halong Bay, Vietnam - I don't know much about this place aside from the pictures I've seen.  Those pictures have been enough for Halong Bay to land at #2.

3.  Grand Traverse, New Zealand - A 49 mile trek crossing the Southern Alps of New Zealand where some of the Lord of the Rings landscape scenes were shot.

4.  Moorea, French Polynesia - About ten miles from Tahiti, this island is supposed to rival Bora Bora as the most beautiful island in the South Pacific.  As I said in my itinerary, it is really unfortunate that the most direct way from Easter Island to New Zealand is through Tahiti.

5.  Cape Town, South Africa -  The scenery surrounding Cape Town frequently lands the city on "most beautiful" lists in travel guides.  Luckily, we'll be stationed here for four to six weeks.


All pictures from Wikipedia.