# What's the most exotic place you've travelled?



## Conan (Nov 9, 2010)

I came across this 2004 post from Carolinian and thought it would be fun to re-raise the topic:


> Tuggers seem to travel far and wide. What is the most exotic placed you have ever travelled to?
> http://www.tug1.net/tugbbs1/Forum4/HTML/004798.html


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## Weimaraner (Nov 9, 2010)

Does Detroit count?:rofl: I've travelled quite a bit but nothing more exotic than Caribbean and Hawaii. Looking back, I wish we went to Tahiti or Fiji for our honeymoon since life becomes more complicated as the years go by and harder to go to the far ends of the earth. Looking forward to hear about others' adventures.


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## BILLVACK (Nov 9, 2010)

Santorini Greece is my choice.  I have been to Hawaii and many Caribbean Islands, and while they are beautiful, I think Santorini has them beat in the exotic description.  Views of the water and late afternoon sunsets are incredible.


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## IngridN (Nov 9, 2010)

Dazu, China. The stone sculptures carved into the mountains are beyond awesome. It's off the beaten path and very few Americans venture there; mostly Europeans. Because it's so isolated, the area escaped damage during the Cultural Revolution. 

Ingrid


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## John Cummings (Nov 9, 2010)

New York City. I wouldn't call it exotic but it is definitely our favorite place to visit. We have been to the Caribbean. Mexico, Canada, Hawaii, and all over the US.


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## Carolinian (Nov 9, 2010)

The unrecognized statelets of Boputswana in Africa and Transnistria in Europe would probably be the most exotic, followed by Kosovo, Bosnia, Swaziland, and Botswana.


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## DaveNV (Nov 9, 2010)

Berbera, Somalia, tops my list of places I'd rather not go back to.  

Port Louis, Mauritius, is probably the most interesting of the less-traveled places I've been.  I'd love to go back there.  One of its claims to fame is that's where the Dodo Bird used to live.

The Indian Ocean atoll of Diego Garcia is probably the most isolated.

As for "exotic?"  Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines, Australia, Greece, Turkey, Dubai, Cuba, and even Haiti would be on the list.

Blame the Navy.  They took me everywhere.  But now I get to go back and see the stuff _*I*_ want to see.  

Dave


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## Numismatist (Nov 9, 2010)

Amazon jungle:






On the Equator in Ecuador:






Machu Picchu:






Galapagos Islands:


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## Dori (Nov 9, 2010)

We are in South Korea right now, to attend our son's wedding. this is our second visit to this beautiful country.

Dori


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## Talent312 (Nov 9, 2010)

-- Bonaire, for what's below the waterline.

-- Amalfi Coast, Italy, for the drive.
... _Going to the Sun Road, Glacier NP, a close 2nd._

-- Homer, Alaska, for its simple funkiness.

-- Jungfraujoch, Switzerland, for breathtaking scenery at the Top of Europe.


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## zazz (Nov 9, 2010)

I lived in Siberia.  Not really exotic, just dirty and really cold in winter.


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## dioxide45 (Nov 9, 2010)

I have by no means traveled far and wide. However the farthest reaching place my travels have taken me is Bangalore India. Not for leisure but for business. However I was able to see the local culture more than most as our local reps there took me out for the day during Diwali. Trying to navigate MG Road with the throng of people was a nightmare.

My wife doesn't agree but I don't really count cruise ship ports of call as places I have traveled. We have been to Belize and Honduras, but I don't really think I can say I have been to those countries. In Belize we snorkeled 12 miles off the coast and in Honduras we sat on the beach for the day. Not really all that exotic. Unless I have stayed overnight and driven the roads, It doesn't count.


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## isisdave (Nov 10, 2010)

Barentsburg, Svalbard.


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## Timeshare Von (Nov 10, 2010)

I think I've traveled to some pretty outstanding places, but didn't think any qualify as "exotic" so I looked up the word:

–adjective 
1. of foreign origin or character; not native; introduced from abroad, but not fully naturalized or acclimatized: exotic foods; exotic plants. 
2. strikingly unusual or strange in effect or appearance: an exotic hairstyle. 
3. of a uniquely new or experimental nature: exotic weapons. 
4. of, pertaining to, or involving stripteasing: the exotic clubs where strippers are featured. 

If we consider omitting definition #4, I think I would say Alaska might qualify under definition #2 and yet that conflicts with #2 as Alaska IS native . . . native in many ways to its core.  That is the attraction for me.

So now I'm thinking the word "exotic" is really an oxymoron


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## ada903 (Nov 10, 2010)

Yes, I am from Romania originally, and there is nothing exotic to me in all of Eastern Europe.  When I think "exotic" I think Seychelles, French Polynesia, Turks and Caicos, and Maldives.  I think it's all in the eye of the beholder.  There is beauty everywhere - some is in the nature, some in the culture and the people, some in the architecture and history, some in the local food.  Every place has its beauty, and we usually find as exotic those places and things that are very different from where we grew up and what we're accustomed to.  



zazz said:


> I lived in Siberia.  Not really exotic, just dirty and really cold in winter.


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## siesta (Nov 10, 2010)

Bora Bora was beautiful.


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## Lawlar (Nov 10, 2010)

*Bora Bora*

1980 and 1982, trips to Bora Bora.  I spend days floating on the water watching fish and taning myself on a motu.  It was magical.  (I hate to think of the hotels there now).


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## Rose Pink (Nov 10, 2010)

*Utah!*

Bryce Canyon and Goblin Valley are both "strikingly unusual" places.  Most of Utah has something interesting and beautiful to see.  It's been said that if you don't like the scenery, just drive 30 minutes and it will change.


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## nalismom (Nov 10, 2010)

GAZA STRIP

Not beautiful but definitely exotic in a cultural way:  the Gaza Strip - I was there the day Rabin and Arafat shook hands in DC.  Much celebrating and joy in the streets.


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## fnover (Nov 10, 2010)

Penang Maylasia, beautiful island and interesting and exotic culture.


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## John Cummings (Nov 10, 2010)

Rose Pink said:


> Bryce Canyon and Goblin Valley are both "strikingly unusual" places.  Most of Utah has something interesting and beautiful to see.  It's been said that if you don't like the scenery, just drive 30 minutes and it will change.



I definitely agree on Utah. It is spectacular.


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## silverfox82 (Nov 10, 2010)

Phu Quoc island, Viet Nam. The harbor at the southern tip, An Thoi, was spectacular, much like the islands up in the north of the country. Breathtaking.


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## urban5 (Nov 10, 2010)

Pattaya Beach Thailand circa 1968, then a sleepy tourist beach place south of Bangkok.  Went back in 2000, didn't recognize anything except the off shore islands, as it is no longer a sleepy beach place but a mega vacation spot for Europeans.  I remember the water being so clear that boats or swimmers seemed suspended as if on air, today the water is a foul greenish color.

Second would be Phuket Thailand circa 1968 as well, before it was developed.  Was sent there by the military who was looking for new R&R place for vacationing GI's from Vietnam to go to.  Was flown into a WW11 airstrip and left to my own devices for 5 days.  Spent five wonderful days roaming around the island and the main City.  When I got back I was so impressed with the place that I wrote a negative report so that maybe the flood of GI's on R&R would be prevented and not alter the character of the island.


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## heathpack (Nov 10, 2010)

*French Polynesia*

We took a Star Clippers cruise to Tahiti, Tahaa, Huahine, Bora Bora and Moorea.  Best. Trip. Ever.

We also travelled to Belize many years ago, before it was relatively mainstream.  We were attacked by sand flies on Caye Caulker, met a jungle jaguar in Belmopan, and were marched on in our sleep (not once but twice) by army ants in the inland jungle.  We ran the nighttime gauntlet of crabs, had to cancel our daytrip to Tikal because of a coup that took place in Guatemala.  Oh yeah, when we ran in a panic from the ants, we sought asylum at the mobile home of a crazy American jungle man.  He greeted us at his door stark naked with a shotgun in his hand (maybe not an unreasonable response when someone bangs on your door in Central America in the middle of the night).  Oh and did I mention the BATS?!  Well, that is a story for another time.  So Belize was pretty memorable as well.  We had a great time.


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## MabelP (Nov 11, 2010)

The top of Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park.


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## Numismatist (Nov 11, 2010)

MabelP said:


> The top of Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park.



X2!  Have climbed up the backside, and rode my bike down the road.  A great National Park.


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## DaveNV (Nov 11, 2010)

Timeshare Von said:


> So now I'm thinking the word "exotic" is really an oxymoron




I think maybe "exotic" should mean something more like "Not something I see in my daily life."  For the people who live in "exotic" cities, they likely don't see it as anything more than their local city.  But if they came to YOUR city, it would probably be "exotic" to them.

So I think "exotic" is relative to the experience of the person using the word.   

Dave


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## jfbookers (Nov 12, 2010)

*North Korea*

Just a few 100 yds. in at the Joint Security Area in the DMZ where the border is a stripe down a table. I spent a year there as an unarmed guard among other duties. Being tall was my main qualification.
Yours, Jim


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## Happytravels (Nov 13, 2010)

siesta said:


> Bora Bora was beautiful.



OUR DREAM VACATION


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## Cathyb (Nov 13, 2010)

*Sigh*




Conan said:


> I came across this 2004 post from Carolinian and thought it would be fun to re-raise the topic:



Tahiti for its beauty; Cambodia for its temples; Thailand for its elephant rides; Eastern Europe for its cultural diversity  sigh  those were the good old days.


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## cgeidl (Nov 17, 2010)

*Fez, Morocco*

Even blindfolded you would find Fez exotic just by the smells and sounds, It is like going back many centuries.It is  a five senses experience and we have been four times over the years.


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## Passepartout (Nov 17, 2010)

Tent camping with Taureg people on the Sahara desert of Western Sahara, Morocco certainly qualifies as exotic. Another place that qualifies would be the Western end of the Great Wall- really just an elongated hump of dirt and decomposed mud bricks, on the ancient Silk Road in NW China. The many people who've lived there for generations don't consider it exotic, though. They just call it 'home'.

I'm reasonably sure there are places here in central Idaho that have never been stepped on by a 'civilized' person's boot, and quite possibly not ever by a human being. Many would consider those places 'exotic'.

These type places are what I consider exotic, not some built-up resort. But that's my interpretation. You're welcome to yours.

Jim Ricks


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## Rose Pink (Nov 17, 2010)

Passepartout said:


> Tent camping with Taureg people on the Sahara desert of Western Sahara, Morocco certainly qualifies as exotic.


To me, that sounds miserable, not exotic.  I am such a wus when it comes to lack of modern plumbing.




Passeportout said:


> I'm reasonably sure there are places here in central Idaho that have never been stepped on by a 'civilized' person's boot, and quite possibly not ever by a human being. Many would consider those places 'exotic'.
> 
> 
> Jim Ricks


 
Craters of the Moon lit up by the eerie glow of the nuclear reactor in nearby Arco.  (Is there still a nuclear reactor there?)


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## Passepartout (Nov 18, 2010)

Rose Pink said:


> To me, that sounds miserable, not exotic.  I am such a wus when it comes to lack of modern plumbing.
> 
> Craters of the Moon lit up by the eerie glow of the nuclear reactor in nearby Arco.  (Is there still a nuclear reactor there?)



Our hosts were much more accommodating to our Western customs in this regard than we might be of theirs. No discomfort or inconvenience was noted.

Interestingly, about 1/3 of the world's people eat with metal utensils,  about 1/3 use chopsticks and 1/3 use their fingers to feed themselves. Most consider it 'exotic' to dine with the other 2/3.

Yes, the Nuclear Lab is there, doing ever more to further the peaceful use of high energy technology. The world's first plutonium producing reactor is now a museum open to the public (Google EBR-1). Craters of the Moon Nat'l Monument is also an other-worldly place to wander.... Jim


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## PigsDad (Nov 18, 2010)

My answer to the OP's question:  *Any airport TSA screening station.*
Kurt


Oh! -- I misread that!  I thought is said the most *erotic *place you've travelled!

:hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical:


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