I welcomed 2016 with a lot of hope and a pint of Guinness at a random British pub in Tokyo. Although I was alone in a foreign land, I could sense an air of positivity in the air. It was my first trip because I left my full-time job (again), and I was looking forward to much more trips and much more firsts. I didn’t know it then, but that year was going to be a rollercoaster ride, to say the least.
You can say what you want about 2016, but you can’t say it was boring. even up to now, I’m not sure how I feel about it. I don’t think I’m alone in feeling as though it is the year that the universe fucked up the world. There were a lot of times when I just wanted it to end just so I could have that illusion of starting over. I found that every political stand I took turned out to be on the losing side. The only film I co-wrote this year leaked online while it was still in theaters. and I discovered that I suffer from a medical condition that only became obvious recently, confining me in the medical facility for the first time in practically 20 years and stopping me from traveling for the entire summer. Tänka. Kampen är på riktigt.
Yet, 2016 is the best travel year so far for both Vins and myself. This is the first full year that both of us were full-time travel bloggers (having quit our jobs at the end of 2015). despite my medical scare, we had set foot in 27 countries (21 together), including a long-time-coming two-month journey across Europe, a speaking gig at the world tourism Forum in Istanbul, and winning 3rd place at the first ever #GoogleAdventure in Japan.
But not all of our experiences were awesome! Some were pretty awful, too! before I spoil this list, let’s begin. here are our many unforgettable travel moments, both good and bad, in this crazy thing that is 2016.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first, yes?
Vad behandlas i den här guiden?
Top 5 Worst travel Moments5. Earthquake in the shower in Tokyo
4. We got scammed in Istanbul.
3. We got scammed again in Marrakech.
2. Skydiving in Prague: CANCELED!
1. northern Lights in Iceland: NO SHOW!
Top 5 best travel Moments5. totally free upgrade to a water vacation home in the Maldives!
4. speaking at world tourism Forum in Istanbul
3. Chasing Waterfalls and Rainbows in Iceland
2. first Snowfall and hot Air Balloon ride in Cappadocia, Turkey
1. A dance in Florence, Italy.
Fler förslag på YouTube ⬇ Relaterade inlägg:
Top 5 Worst travel Moments
5. Earthquake in the shower in Tokyo
Over the past three years, I had been to Japan five times (four in Tokyo). practically every time, weak earth tremors happened. Hence, when my hotel room began to shake that November morning, I felt like there was nothing to be concerned about. So there I was, in the shower, getting ready for a big day, not minding the quake. That is, until it became too strong to be ignored. The walls and the ceiling made loud, creaky sounds for what felt like forever. That’s when I started getting scared. Thankfully, it subsided eventually and no one was hurt.
Tokyo
When it was all over, I went to Vins’s room. (The trip was part of #GoogleAdventure and we were given separate rooms.) Vins was as shaken as I was. He was packing when it happened. We immediately went down to the lobby.
4. We got scammed in Istanbul.
Istanbul is one of the greatest cities we had seen, but like many great cities, it has much more than its share of traveler scams. Unfortunately, we fell victim to one.
We got our cab in this area.
We were leisurely walking around the Eminönü area when I received a message that we had to attend a dinner party in an hour. because we didn’t have much time, we chose to get one of the cabs parked by the strait. The chauffeur was friendly and was not suspicious whatsoever — until he provided to take an alternate route to our hotel. It was fishy because it wasn’t our first day in the city, and we knew exactly how to get to our hotel fast. but he insisted because of the traffic jam. We were in the middle of the road so we couldn’t get out. As the ride went on, we discovered that the meter was moving unusually fast. long story short, he was asking us to pay five times than we probably should.
But it didn’t end there, after handing him our payment, he complained that we gave him the wrong bills. At first we thought we really made a mistake, but then after replacing the smaller bill, he once again complained that we gave him the wrong bills. He was taking advantage of our being unfamiliar with their notes. Anyway, when we started to demand to give us back the money, he sped off.
3. We got scammed again in Marrakech.
Learning from our mistakes in Istanbul, we were very careful when we reached Morocco. We arrived in Marrakech at practically midnight. At the train station, we thoroughly chose our taxi to make sure we won’t be scammed again. He dropped us off at the edge of Jemaa el-Fna because cars are not allowed to goalla längre. Härifrån behövde vi hitta vårt riad, konventionellt marockanska hus där vi skulle bo, till fots. Saken är att medina i Marrakech är en enorm labyrint. Och många riader hade knappt synliga tecken.
Jamaa el fna i Marrakech
Ändå var vi försiktiga. Två män följde oss runt och gav hjälp, men vi avböjde. Istället bad vi fruktförsäljare om vägbeskrivning. Det räckte inte. Vi kunde fortfarande inte hitta det.
Vi fortsatte att gå. De två männen följde oss vart vi än gick. Vi var djupt in i bostadsområdet, och det fanns inga leverantörer som kunde hjälpa oss den här gången. När vi hittade en grupp lokalbefolkningen som bara kylde valde vi att fråga dem istället. En av männen bad om adressen och lovade att ta oss till vår riad. Med honom som ledde vägen gick vi ner till mörka gränder. Vins och jag började bli nervös. Vi kände att mannen var vilseledande oss.
Jag minns att jag berättade VINS, om det kommer till det, borde han få honom och jag kommer att sparka hans bollar. Hahaha. Vi var verkligen paranoida.
Det visade sig att han verkligen tog oss till vår riad. Vi kom dit utan att behöva ta till nävekampen. Men så snart vi nådde Riaden började mannen be om pengar som symbol. Vi gav honom vad vi kände som en bra mängd, men han krävde mer. motsvarande PHP500 (USD10).
2. Skydiving i Prag: Avbruten!
Mellan oss två är Vins den svaghjärtade. När det gäller extrema aktiviteter är jag alltid redo för utmaningen. Vins behöver alltid mycket övertygande. MYCKET. När idén om fallskärmshoppning i Prag presenterade sig, tvekade jag inte ens att registrera mig. Vins tvekade inte ens att säga nej. Men jag vet att det skulle bli bra och att det skulle vara synd om Vins skulle missa det. Jag var tvungen att övertyga honom att gå med. Du kommer att tacka mig för det, sa jag till honom. Jag tillbringar en hel dag och natt på att försöka få honom att gå med! Inte bara var han rädd, han var också orolig för pengarna. Men mestadels rädd. Detta var den mest prisvärda fallskärmshoppning som jag hade sett någonstans i världen.
Slutligen sa han ja. halleluja! Vi registrerade. Betalas i fullt. planerad till nästa dag.
Avbruten hopp
Nästa dag regnade det. Vårt dyk avbröts. Och vi kunde inte planera om eftersom det var vår sista dag i Prag. Aaaaargh! Jag tillbringade två dagar på att böja Vins arm för att göra detta och det avbröts precis när han var känslomässigt redo!
1. Northern Lights på Island: Ingen show!
Vi valde noggrant våra Island -resedatum. Vi tog hänsyn till månens ljusstyrka, styrka av solaktivitet och vädret. Men du vet väder, det är fiffigt och knullat!
Vi var i Bryssel -videor från Aurora Borealis fick viral online. Det var speciellt eftersom lamporna var tydligt synliga från Reykjavik. Faktum är att regeringen fick stadsljuset avstängt för maximalt se nöje. Vi var glada eftersom vårt nästa stopp var Island! Vi skulle vara där om ett par dagar.
Norrsken
När vi anlände var Island täckt med tjocka moln. De skulle rensa upp flera gånger under dagen men de kvällarna var mulen. usch! Det värsta, det var stark solaktivitet hela veckan som vi var där. Vi kunde bara inte se lamporna eftersom molnen blockerade utsikten. Eftersom natt 1, Northern Lights -resan vi bokade fortsatte att avbröts och flyttade till nästa natt.
Men det slutade inte där. På vår sista dag missade vi vår buss till flygplatsen.
Vi hade redan låst vårt Airbnb -hus och lämnat nycklarna inuti, så vi satt fast ute på Island Cold klockan 3.
Till att börja med trodde vi inte att vi missade det, så vi väntade. Men efter praktiskt taget en timme i kylan, gick det slutligen för oss att det inte skulle komma och vi missade säkert det. Det fanns inga taxibilar runt. Vi försökte ringa överföringsföretag men röstmeddelandet sa att de öppnar klockan 7:30. Vi försökte boka online men nästa resa planerades klockan 5. Vår flygning var klockan 6. Flygplatsen är en timme bort.
Vid den tidpunkten visste vi att det skulle vara omöjligt att ta vårt flyg.
Men sedan stannade en skyttel från ett konkurrerande företag framför oss och väntade på två andra passagerare från ett närliggande hotell. De väntade, men passagerarna avbröt. Det fanns två lediga platser i den skytteln, och vi behövde en åktur. Vi pratade med föraren. ”Vi bokade inte den här skytteln, men vi saknade vår. Skulle du rymma oss även utan tidigare reservationer? ” Han gjorde! Och han laddade oss inte extra.
Vi gjorde det i tid för vår flygning! Whew! Tack, universum!
Topp 5 bästa resestunder
5. Helt gratis uppgradering till ett vattenhushem på Maldiverna!
Det hela började när min vän Tonet bjöd in mig att välja henne någonstans hon kunde koppla av. Hon skulle komma från en resa i Japan och jag från Singapore. Vår första plan var Bagan, Myanmar, men väderprognosen föreslog att vi inte skulle åka någon varmluftsballong där. Slumpmässigt försökte vi komma med ett alternativ, en plats som vi aldrig varit tidigare men inte krävde förhandsgodkänt visum. Idén om Maldiverna kastades på bordet, och båda av oss grepDet.
Maldives!
We both wanted to experience staying at a luxury resort but we had limited budget, so we booked the most affordable room at the most affordable private resort we found. We got one of the beach rooms. nothing fancy, but comfortable enough. everything was alright, until one morning when Tonet and I were just walking around the reception. The manager called our attention and approached us.
“How would you like to upgrade to a water villa? There are vacant villas.” the manager said. knowing how expensive these overwater bungalows are, I looked at Tonet, trying to find a way to say no politely.
“Hmmmmm,” Tonet said.
“It’s for FREE. No charge,” the manager added.
And just like that, Tonet and I answered at the same time: “SURE!”
Hahahahahahaha.
4. speaking at world tourism Forum in Istanbul
Istanbul
I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t a bit frightened during this trip. It was scheduled in a period when Istanbul’s many touristy site fell to a terrorist attack. but I never really let worry stop me from traveling to places outside war zones. So even when we were nervous, we flew to Istanbul and honor our commitment with the world tourism Forum.
It was a great decision because I thoroughly delighted in the event and Istanbul as a whole.
3. Chasing Waterfalls and Rainbows in Iceland
Iceland didn’t show us its precious northern Lights, but it gave us something much more splashy — waterfalls. Of these wonders, Skogafoss stood out. but not at first.
Island
When we arrived, we were a little underwhelmed. The waterfall was great, yep, but after seeing the majestic Gullfoss, we would need much more than a cascade. The place looked grey and dreary. They said it typically looks better under the sun, but even the sun was not in the mood. We were just about to leave when we stopped and said, “Let’s wait a bit more. Kanske.”
And just like that, the sun finally showed up. just like that, a rainbow appeared in front of us.
Sometimes, all you have to do is wait a little bit more. fight a little bit harder. stay a little bit longer. and then you’ll see.
2. first Snowfall and hot Air Balloon ride in Cappadocia, Turkey
We had our first snowfall in Cappadocia. Sure, I’ve seen and touched snow before, but it was already on the ground. The first time I saw it falling happened in Goreme, Turkey. A snowflake arrived at my glove-less hand and it disappeared practically instantly.
When we arrived at our hostel in Goreme, it was snowing hard. Our hostel had a rooftop cafe, where Vins and I waited while the staff prepared the room. The owner, who welcomed us, kept urging us to go inside. “It’s snowing, come in, come in,” he said.
But we stayed outside. trying to embrace the snowfall. We looked like idiots!
“You don’t understand,” I told the hostel owner. “It’s our first snow!”
Cappadocia
But that’s not even my many unforgettable first in Cappadocia. On our second day, we rode a hot air balloon for the first time, hovering above an unlimited sea of rock formations, from towering pillars that nature carefully molded into massive chimneys for over 2000 years to spires that the early Christians carved through to create dwellings and churches centuries ago. The ride also allows a peek of some of central Anatolia’s mighty peaks, from where the sun would emerge in a breathtaking celestial display. It was surreal.
1. A dance in Florence, Italy.
Var ska man starta? From our first look at the Duomo to our last meal in the city, there is so much to love about Firenze! On our first day, we wanted to try a panini behind the Duomo. When the staff asked us what we would like to have, I simply said, “whatever you recommend.” He then asked us to try the ingredients — cheeses and cold cuts — one by one, while he explained what they were and where they got them. We’re talking about a 6EUR panini here. It’s probably something that they do to every new customer that walks through their door, which is much more admirable.
Same thing happened in one gelato shop. We were the only one