About An Old Meme

I've been blogging for ten years now and I remember in the early days of my blogging "career" memes were running rampant around the blog world. I was so engrossed in reading them, hopping from one blog to another, wasting so much time. But like any trend, memes slowed down a lot.

In those days, I was keen on just reading. If there is a meme I really like I'd write/answer the questions and not post. I don't know why I didn't post.

Recently, I was going through my DOCUMENTS album and stumbled upon this meme that I answered years ago and thought why not post this now. Just for the heck of it. After all, I spent time answering it and it was meant to be shared anyway.

The ABCs

A: Age you went on your first international trip:
Already an adult when I made my first international trip.

B: Best (foreign) beer you’ve had and where:
Still love California microbrews. No particular brand. Not a beer lover to begin with.


Husband is keen on sampling local brew.

C: Cuisine (favorite):
My top 3 - Mexican, Greek, Vietnamese - not in order. But there are too many cuisines out there that I like.

D: Destinations, favorite, least favorite and why:
Favorite - too many to mention, but at the top of my head Barcelona, Lisbon and Costa Rica. Least favorite - none. I like every place I've been. Every city, town and country has a charm of its own.



E: Event you experienced abroad that made you say “wow”:
Watching a giant green turtle lay eggs on the beach in Tortuguero, Costa Rica.

F: Favorite mode of transportation:
Car. I love road trips.

G: Greatest feeling while traveling:
Seeing a place for the first time. Disbelief that "this" is happening and that I am actually "here".



H: Hottest place you’ve traveled to:
India with Bangladesh as the close second.


I remember our tour day in Delhi. It was the hottest I've experienced so far. Too hot to go down and explore.

I: Incredible service you’ve experienced and where:
Taxi driver named William in Arenal, Costa Rica. Not only did he provide incredible service; he was also very trusting and trustworthy. He picked us up from the town square, dropped us off to our first destination, did not want to get paid until he finished the "job", 2 hours later picked us up from destination #1 and dropped us to destination #2.


One of the most trustworthy people we've me is William from Arenal.

J: Journey that took the longest:
It would be SFO to Dhaka, Bangladesh. And very recently a trip home that went like this: Lisbon-Barcelona-Munich-San Francisco. I think it was more like 24 hours in total.

K: Keepsake from your travels:
Ref magnets, t-shirts, masks, keychains - the usual. Lately I've been venturing into affordable wearable art like Maltese cross from Malta and a silver earring from Turkey.


While I do a little buying, I do a ton of browsing.

L: Let-down sight, why and where:
None. I don't think there is one that let me down. Although with all the hype surrounding the Eiffel Tower, when I finally got to see it, it was just another tower to me (no haters here, just being honest).

M: Moment where you fell in love with travel:
On a road trip to Oregon in 2006. As we were driving to Crater Lake on that particular drizzly May day the passing scenery was scenic, the landscape was verdant and vibrant and I was energized. I told myself I love to do this again. And I did. The road trip to Oregon was one of the earliest "travels" I've embarked on.



Late May in Oregon.

N: Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in:
I'm a budget traveler so when I signed up for a packaged tour of Costa Rica on a budget, I didn't realize that I would get billeted in really good hotels/resorts for the duration of the trip.

O: Obsession—what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?
Windows and signs. Lately people.



P: Passport stamps, how many and from where?
I don't know.

Q: Quirkiest attraction you’ve visited and where:
BCN - anything Gaudi is quirky.

R: Recommended sight, event or experience:
The US National Parks are a must. You cannot fully appreciate the beauty of USA just by visiting its cosmopolitan cities. You have to strap your hiking boots on and walk under the giant sequoia trees to complete the experience. Or gaze at the Grand Canyon.



S: Splurge; something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling:
None. I HAVE a problem forking over money.


Since we're unabashed about being foodies, we did dig deep into our pockets to afford a luxurious meal in Bali.

T: Touristy thing you’ve done:
Rode an elephant in Jaipur, India after refusing a camel ride in Giza. Took the Hop-On Hop-Off buses in Barcelona, Marseilles, Genoa, Lisbon.



U: Unforgettable travel memory:
So many, all of them are unforgettable.

V: Visas, how many and for where?
Two - India and Bangladesh.

W: Wine, best glass of wine while traveling and where?
I don't drink when travelling. Well, I don't dine at fancy sit-down restaurant and eat multi-course meals with wine pairings, so there is no way to taste wine. And I only drink wine with my meal.

There is liquor in Lisbon called ginja. It’s the best!


The place to sample ginja in Lisbon.

X: eXcellent view and from where:
So many. But if you are arriving in Valletta, Malta via a boat, the view of the city from the Grand Harbor is spectacular. I've never seen such beauty before. Jaw droppingly gorgeous.



Y: Years spent traveling?
Not so much, 10 years probably?

Z: Zealous sports fans and where?
Have not encountered any in my travels yet. Although I had an animated discussion about the 2012 National League Championship series with a St. Louis transplant in Honduras, of all places. I believe St. Louis has avid baseball fans.

To add to this on a recent trip to Lisbon, a horde of German football fans descended upon the city when the Lisbon Sporting team hosted the German Schalke team. Oh my goodness, were the Germans loud and rowdy or what? Unfortunately for them, the home team came out the winner of the game.



OUR WORLD TUESDAY

I'll be taking a short blog break.