Final wrap-up - Ania`s version

I wanted to prepare a similar ranking to what Marc has published. But I found it too hard to compare places that I loved (or hated) for so many different reasons. So instead, I decided to name my favorites in different categories. I can already see where Marc will disagree :)

Best city: I think I will go with San Francisco – I liked the look of the city, I loved strolling through all the different districts, I appreciated the balance between the high-rise, big-city feel and nature in numerous parks. And, of course, I adored the food!

The close second place I would give to Hong Kong. I wouldn’t like to live there but it was incredible to experience the liveliness of the city (especially by night) or to visit some of its electronic markets. The huge sky scrapers and all the lights in the night and all the traffic – it all left me very impressed, if slightly dizzy.

I would have added Buenos Aires at the third place but unfortunately my memories from this places are skewed – first Marc and I got really, really sick (no heating anywhere) and when we got better, our backpack was stolen. I might like Buenos Aires but, obviously, Buenos Aires doesn’t like me :)

Best for trekking: Hawaii will take the first place in this category. Hiking around huge volcano craters was absolutely out of this world. And if one is fed up with dry lunar landscapes, there are plenty of trails leading along lush greenery as well. It’s a great place for half a day walk, as well as a multi-day trekking experience.

Philippines also deserve a special mention – the few days Marc and I spent in the village of Batad, hiking around rice terraces, were absolutely magical.

Best for interpersonal experience: Definitely, absolutely the first place goes to Oman!!! My time in Oman certainly changed my way of seeing this part of the world. The warmth of the people is unparalleled to any other country I have ever visited in my life. And I made friends there with whom I sincerely hope to stay in touch for a long time. Of course, there are a number of cultural issues on which I will probably never agree with my Omani friends.

While there is no other destination comparable to Oman, I would like nevertheless to give the second place to Indonesia (but NOT Bali). I was shocked by the openness of the people of Java, their sincere interest in the world beyond Indonesia, their enthusiasm in learning foreign languages and their hunger to learn more about other countries.

Best for landscapes/natural wonders: Definitely Bolivia. This country has a variety of different but equally stunning landscapes that is unequal to any other place I have seen; Salt lakes, red lakes with pink flamingos, stunning mountains, and the Amazon jungle with one of the richest biodiversity in the world.

The second place I would give to Argentina for the most beautiful glacier I have ever seen (Perito Moreno), and the northern part with beautiful rock formations.

Argentina shares the second place with Australia for the Great Barrier Reef and magical places hidden in the desert such as Karijini Park or Uluru.

Best monument/human-made landmark: this is hard to decide but I think the most impressive for me was the Buddhist temple Borobudur in Indonesia. It was built in the 7^th century, then forgotten for ages and ages, until it was re-discovered in the 20^th century. It is impressive enough to constitute a sole reason to visit Java Island, even if one is not interested in anything else the island has to offer.

The second best thing might be the twin towers in Kuala Lumpur. Overall, I wasn’t too much impressed with Malaysia and I would go somewhere else (i.e. Singapore or Hong Kong) to admire contemporary architecture. But I must admit, the Kuala Lumpur towers are impressive because of their grandeur and because of the architecture. It’s a beautiful mix of contemporary high-rise architecture and traditional Arabian patterns and motives. Definitely worth seeing.

Best to kick back and relax: definitely Fiji, no question about it. Fantastic people, beautiful islands and nothing to distract me: no big mountains to climb, no famous ruins to visit – one can just lay down and admire the surroundings without feeling guilty :).

Southern Thailand will take the second place in this category. The beaches are very picturesque with dramatic rock formations around them, the coral is reasonably healthy, and for all the nice places in the northern part of the country, there is nothing incredible enough to see that one would want to sacrifice an extra day or two of enjoyment on the beach.

Places I want to visit again, as soon as possible: Oman, The Philippines, Hawaii, Indonesia (NOT Bali)

Places I don’t think I will be coming back to: Bali, New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand (for the last three places, it is not that I didn’t like them. I simply saw enough to feel satisfied about them and ready to move on)

Well, this is about it. This was my last post in the blog. I can’t honestly say that I will miss writing my posts (especially with so many other things to do around the world…) but I must admit I’m nostalgic. This means that there will be no more exciting places to describe and adventures to relate. Well, I can always re-live last year by reading the blog. Or, I can bore my friends to death with endless stories from the trip - Beware!