Posts: 1319
From: Vacation Village @ Parkway Own: Marathon Key, LaCosta, Inn on Harbor, HarwichPort, Marriott Vail Birch
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 09-29-2004 14:11               

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Darlene and I and our four children lived in Bangkok, Thailand for two years and then continued on around the world. Overall, a wonderful and unforgetable experience. The world is very much a real place to all of us.
Under a contract with Michigan State University as a faculty member I was an advisor to the Royal Thai Ministry of Education as part of the USAID program. This was during the Vietnam war and the US had two very large airbases in Thailand from which bomb runs were made to Vietnam.
Ray

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Posts: 403
From: Batavia, NY, USA (owner at: Kona Coast Resort 1, Hawaii; Maui Lea at Maui Hill; Westgate Vacation Villas, Orlando.)
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 09-29-2004 15:33               

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Kanazawa and the Noto Penninsula in Japan
The Island of Crete in Greece

These are not exactly off the beaten path of tourism, but they are not typical places frequently visited by Americans.

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Posts: 288
From: San Francisco, CA, USA Owner: Embassy-Kauai, Powell Place-San Francisco
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 09-29-2004 19:16               

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Karapagh-- Armenia.

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Ken

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Posts: 1042
From: Chicago, IL USA; owner at Bluegreen's Christmas Mountain Village; Shell Anaheim and Fairfield's Dolphin's Cove in Anaheim.
Registered: May 2002

posted 09-29-2004 19:43               

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The most erotic place we ever visited was ...

OOPS! I thought you mispelled the word and was wondering why everybody was discussing EXOTIC. My mistake.

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"Stop me before I buy again!; owner at Bluegreen's Christmas Mountain Village; Shell Anaheim and Fairfield's Dolphin's Cove in Anaheim."

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Posts: 543
From: Canada
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 09-30-2004 11:02               

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Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia - pre Serbian war.

Beautiful old historical walled city. Gorgeous beaches.

T

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Posts: 414
From: Bethesda, MD HGVC Seaworld Orlando, HGVC Valdoro Mountain Lodge
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 10-01-2004 11:33               

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Antalya, Marmaris, Bodrum.. Turkish Riviera

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Posts: 1132
From: Frederick, MD Wk 15 Royal Sands, Cancun Wk 51 Pelican, St. Maarten, Week 25 Lawrence Welk Villas , Escondido, CA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 10-01-2004 14:46               

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Probably the most exotic was Yap (a tiny island in Micronesia). Lived there for a couple years back in the 60's (Dad was in the Peace Corps). It was very primitive then (no running water, no radio, no tv, no phones). Men wore thongs, women wore grass skirts - no tops. Now, I've heard it's a diving destination. If you've been there - I'd sure like to hear about what it's like now!

Had an inspiring trip hiking to the top of Mt. Sinai to watch the sun rise. Hiked down to St. Catherines and saw the burning bush (so they say)

HAd a lot of great other travels:
Morocco (Rabat, Tangier, Marrakech)
Zimbabwe (Hwange, Vic Falls)
South Africa (Cape Town, J'burg, Kruger)
Egypt-Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Cairo
Cyprus
Israel
Malaysia
Thailand
Singapore - very very clean and neat
India

All this talk, makes me want to hop a jet!

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Janis

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Posts: 96
From: Minneapolis, MN USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 10-02-2004 06:41               

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You don't always have to go far from your back yard to find the exotic. We spent 3 days in Coba, Yucatan (near Cancun). Most people don't go beyond Tulum, or take a one-hour bus trip to Coba. By taking our time there, we were able to see parts of the ruin that were a little less worn from overuse. It is fantastic to see the sunset from the top of one of the pyramids. There are interesting birds that come out in the morning, and evening, too. We heard lots of European languages, but no English spoken where we stayed, so it felt like we travelled a lot farther than we actually did.

Cappadocia, Central Turkey, was another highlight. There are "fairy chimneys' which are shaped out of soft 'tuff-stone.'

[This message has been edited by Ginny (edited 10-02-2004).]

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Posts: 2831
From:
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 10-03-2004 18:42            

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Fez, Morocco.
Split & Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia.
Granada, Nicaragua.

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I met a lot of people in Europe.I even encountered
myself. - James Baldwin, American novelist (1924-1987)

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Posts: 762
From: Rancho Dominguez, CA
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 10-03-2004 19:47               

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Compared to these far away tropical lands mine may be considered dull...but for us the trip to Port Lions, Alaska on Kodiak Island was an interesting and fun journey by jet and prop plane...Plus fishing in a 13' dinghy on Easter Sunday dressed in Arctic winter wear for us was a blast

Rick

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Posts: 287
From: San Jose, CA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 10-03-2004 23:34               

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Fiji Islands and the visit to Raymond Burr's Orchid Plantation. The 11-hour plane ride from LAX was worth it!!!

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Posts: 586
From: Springfield, VA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 10-04-2004 13:19               

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Spent 2 weeks hiking in Iceland - saw the most dramatic scenes of nature ever imaginable (at least by me )

I grew up in South Africa, and have been on safari countless times. However, it never stops to be a totally magical experience!

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Posts: 838
From: Illinois
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 10-04-2004 14:21            

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Tetouan, Morocco

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Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
--Mark Twain

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Posts: 11
From: Seattle, WA, USA - Marriott Marbella
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 10-04-2004 17:02               

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Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

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Posts: 587
From: San Jose, CA USA Own at Westin Ka'anapali
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 10-04-2004 17:45               

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Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef

It is so dark there at night, you can see every single star!

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Posts: 1633
From: Frightfully Cold, MN: Liki Tiki, Atlantic Beach, Northern VA
Registered: Dec 2001

posted 10-04-2004 17:57            

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Reykjavik, Iceland (an overnight and day tour)

Mexico City, Mexico. Although not too remote, Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world, a huge sprawling metropolis with some very friendly people. It's not a typical tourist destination but definitely a unique cultural experience.

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Posts: 56
From: Australia
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 10-05-2004 21:53            

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3hrs up the Skrang River outside of Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia (on the Borneo island) in a dug out tree trunk to spend a week staying in a long house. It was an organised tour, but after I was picked up from the Holiday Inn in Kuching I found out I was the only person on the tour I had the guide and the driver customising everything we did to my interests. It also meant I didn't sleep out where they usually put the foreigners and slept in the room with the family hosting us.

The rain forest was amazing - depressing on the road near Kuching where you didn't see a tree with a diameter of more than a foot due to logging. Once we got up the river a bit where they had no roads the trees were HUGE. Depressing thought that they were all very excited that there was a planned road going through in the following years. It would be the end of the forest as they knew it. (this was 10 years ago)

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Posts: 41
From: Glenview, IL
Registered: Mar 2004

posted 10-06-2004 09:00               

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Iowa - however, this is based on the fact that I have lived my entire life in Philadelphia, New York, and Chicago.

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Posts: 22
From: Downingtown PA USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 10-07-2004 07:29               

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Madagascar. Travelled thru part of the country, saw Lemurs and beautiful sights. We then participated in Rotary's Polio innoculation of 3400 children under 5 years of age.
We got to help these children, see the sights of the cities and countryside, visit with some of the political and influnential people as well ass many of the poorer (but happy) people.

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Marriott Harbour Point fixed week 45
Blue Whale - floating High
Palm Springs Tennis Club - 2 weeks, floating shoulder

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Posts: 8
From:
Registered: Jan 2005

posted 01-29-2005 13:45            

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I am very interested in visiting Morocco and note that you have been there. How did you travel? For how long? Where else (besides Marrakesh) did you go? Did you stay in a timeshare any of the time? What time of year did you go? Hope you will be willing to share some information ....thanks!

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Posts: 8
From:
Registered: Jan 2005

posted 01-29-2005 13:47            

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Noted your visit to Morocco. I too am very eager to visit there. When did you go? For how long? Where in the country did you visit? How did you go? Did you stay in a timeshare at all? Any information about the country and travelling to and within it would be very much appreciated!

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Posts: 8
From:
Registered: Jan 2005

posted 01-29-2005 13:48            

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I am very eager to visit Morocco and Fez in particular. Can you tell me more about your travel experiences to and within the country? Thanks!

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Posts: 8
From:
Registered: Jan 2005

posted 01-29-2005 13:50            

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I am very eager to visit Morocco. Can you tell me more about your travels there? When, how, etc? Thanks!

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Posts: 8
From:
Registered: Jan 2005

posted 01-29-2005 13:52            

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Very interested in Morocco...when and how did you go? Any info you can share would be very much appreciated.

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Posts: 3835
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 01-29-2005 15:26               

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Amazon basin in eastern Ecuador.

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The latest reviews can always be found at the Western U.S. Review Index Page.

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