I am conducting a special promotion - between now and November 8, I am asking you to list your top 5 travel memories and briefly explain ‘why’ in the comment box. By November 10, my associate and I will have carefully reviewed all the comments and choose the top 3 entries. First prize will be a valuable souvenir - craft or artwork from Thailand; 2nd prize will be a unique 16 X 20 watercolor print(s) of a tropical landscape mounted on mat board and Third prize will be a 2 DVD set of Calypso Island’s unique travel slideshow videos (fairly high quality). *
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First of all - you’re probably wondering, what are my top five travel memories?

I have to admit it was so very difficult to come up with a top 5 list as I have made so many memorable trips in my short lifetime. Searching my memory bank, I have concluded that the most indelible memories (travel or otherwise) happen when one is a child - at least that was the case for me. My explanation for this is that children are so much more sensitive to new life experiences than fully-grown adults. Ok, enough of this psychobabble. Here’s my top five…

#1 STATUTE OF LIBERTY When I visited New York City as a little boy circa 1957, I was totally awestruck by the Big Apple. I visited so many exciting new places and experienced so many new things - the T-Rex skeleton at the Museum of Natural History, the towering Empire State building, the underground Subway and the Coney Island Amusement Park. What blew me away more than anything else was seeing the Statute of Liberty. As an innocent and naïve child, this impressive Statute represented the embodiment of America. I’ll never forget it!

#2 KING OF THE WORLD Last year, I hiked to the top of Waynu Picchu which overlooks the majestic Machu Picchu archaeological site in the Peruvian Andes. Wow what an experience! I wouldn’t have been able to complete this hike without the camaraderie of my two new Peruvian friends, Edward and Armando. Upon reaching the summit, we proudly declared ourselves “Kings of the World” as we assumed our Condor pose.

#3 THE GRAND CANYON Seeing this spectacular natural wonder for the first time circa 1959 is forever etched in my memory. Up to that point in my life, I didn’t know that such incredible natural beauty like this existed on our planet. Unfortunately, I have never returned.

#4 THE LONG RUN IN JAMAICA In September 1982, I ran from Montego Bay to Negril (a distance of 52 miles) on Jamaica’s North Coast over a 3 day period. No, I didn’t run just for the fun of it – it was a publicity stunt for the staging of a marathon road race in Jamaica. Running along the coastal highway in the tropical heat was very grueling, but in the end, when I reached the Negril lighthouse, I was totally exhilarated. I would do it again in heartbeat.

#5 REGGAE SUNSPLASH In 1981, I attended my first Reggae Sunsplash Music Festival in Montego Bay, Jamaica. For this hardcore reggae enthusiast, I was totally blown away seeing many of my favorite artists - Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, Black Uhuru, Third World, Chalice, Eek A Mouse – perform. I was in Reggae Heaven!

* Please Note: I will need at least 10 people to leave comments on their 5 top travel memories in order for me to give away prize #2 and 3. Only one entry per contestant.

People often ask me to list the top five things to do or see in San Jose, Costa Rica’s Capital City. Without straying too far from the ‘heart of town’, here’s my recommendations (my personal top five):

1. Plaza de la Cultur – Great place for people watching; very colorful scene where you’ll find many craftsmen, jugglers, street preachers, mimes as well as musicians performing Incan folk music.
2. Historical Barrio Amon, northern edge of downtown – old mansions, Victorian and Caribbean architecture, cafes & art galleries
3. The Gold and Art Museums – near the Plaza de La Cultur
4. Spirogyra Butterfly Garden – small butterfly garden located not far from city center
5. El Pueblo – lively entertainment & shopping complex located near Hotel Tournon. Many restaurants, bars, shops and nightclubs

You can see all these places and attractions at a very leisurely pace in one day.

My associate in Bangkok, Ms. MoongMink, is preparing a day’s outing for me upon my return to Thailand’s capital city. As a lover of flowers and plants, she will be taking me to a number of different places – one of Bangkok’s premier flower nurseries; Khru Waan’s two acre garden oasis, the largest private garden in Greater Bangkok; and to Seri Thai Park, Bangkok’s beautiful water park located in the heart of the city. I’m really looking forward to this all day excursion, as I will be seeing a part of Bangkok that most tourists never see. Here’s a report filed by Ms. MoongMonk on Seri Thai Park.

Seri Thai was opened to the public in 1987 as part of a flood prevention project initiated by His Majesty the King Rama IX. Once known as Bueng Kum (Bueng in Thai = a big pond) or Bueng Ta-thong, the vast public reservoir was renamed Seri Thai Park in honor of the Seri Thai or free Thai movement, on the occasion of 52nd anniversary of the end of World War II. The park covers an area of 145 acres; one section of the park was allocated for the creation of Bangkok Forest Park as a commemoration to King Rama IX’s 50th reigning anniversary. The forest park consists of 3 parts, namely Thawisuk, Rom-Sai and Charoenkarn, all of which are partly planted with perennial plants and allocated for flowers and fruit trees garden, both Thai and foreign species, as well as an island pavilion which is populated with 10 species of palm trees.

By the way, I will be arriving in Bangkok on Nov 12 – only 2 weeks from now. Don’t forget to subscribe to my RSS feed to ensure that you receive all my updates, reports and commentary on my whirlwind 30-day adventure to Thailand and Malaysia.

Today’s technologically savvy traveler carries a lot of electronic gear and gadgets when taking a trip. I guess you can definitely include ‘yours truly’ in that category, but when I compare myself to some real hardcore ‘technogeeky’ travelers, I see myself as somewhat of a lightweight. To give you an idea - on my next trip to Thailand and Malaysia this coming November, I’ve made a list of all the various gizmos and electronic gear that I will be lugging around with me.

+USA Cell phone + charger
+Thai Cell phone + charger
+Laptop + Security cable lock
+Portable mouse
+USB Flashdrives (2)
+iPod 20GB
+Portable Sound system
+iPod shuffle
+Cameras (2)
-Olympus C8080 8MP 5X Zoom with extra wide-angle lens
-Olympus 570UZ 10MP 20X Zoom
+Camera Media cards
+Battery chargers (2)
+Portable lightweight Tripod
+Mini tripod

As you can see from this list it does not include the latest technotoys or devices such as a Blackberry, a Twitterberry (or any kind of berries), an iPhone or a palm pilot. I feel a little bit deprived!

I always carry my music with me when I travel - that is very important. The 20GB iPOD will never leave my hotel room as it is integral part of my portable stereo system, while iPod shuffle is as small as a matchbook; when I work out in the gym or exercise, I clip it on my T-shirt. Gotta have my music! You may wonder as to why I lug around two cameras with me. Well, you know the old expression – two cameras are better than one. Actually two medium point and shoot digital cameras are a lot less to carry around than a SLR camera kit with all the various lens and accessories.

How many gadgets and electronic devices do you take on your travels?
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LISTMANIA - One of the most popular crazes in our culture is compiling lists. People publish lists of many different things, ranging from the worst Beatle songs of all times to the top 10 reasons why George Bush will be remembered as the worst President in US history. There is even a list circulating on the internet on the top ten positions of having sexual intercourse. Of course, there are have been numerous lists compiled in the Travel Genre, and because I am a traveler and have been in the travel business a good portion of my life, I have decided to create some of my own unique travel lists. Are you ready for my first list?

…….. My 10 least favorite beach resorts of all time…………………….

#1 Pattaya (Thailand) - Sleazy, ugly and noisy beach resort; beaches are dirty and polluted. Way too many beer bars, strips clubs, Thai girls selling their body and drunken pot bellied farangs looking for cheap sex.

#2 Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) – Once a quaint beach town (way back when), development has gotten out of hand. The resort area spreads for miles and miles

#3 Jaco (Costa Rica) - beaches are polluted and not very appealing. Too many bars, loud American tourists, spring breakers and lousy restaurants

#4 Ocho Rios (Jamaica) – Fort Lauderdale, Jamaican style. Devoid of any real personality and a little bit too manicured for my tastes. Main beach is manmade and very antiseptic.

#5 Cancun(Mexico) – beautiful white sand beaches and turquoise waters, but the whole scene is very artificial and plastic - too many juvenile bars and clubs, too much traffic and far too many spring breakers and girls gone wild crowd

#6 Rosarito Beach (Baja California, Mexico) located about 1/2 hour from Tijuana – mediocre beach, nothing really special about this place

#7 San Jose del Cabo (Baja California, Mexico) The dirty gray sand beaches are very unappealing and the most of the resort hotels in this are nothing to write home about

#8 Ixtapa(Mexico) – Lovely beach, fairly quiet scene but the tourism development here is even more plastic and sterile than Cancun.

#9 Paradise Island, Nassau (Bahamas) - beautiful beach with many luxury resorts but too many plastic and phony people who think they are big shots congregate here

#10 Patong/Karon Beach (Phuket, Thailand) - Phuket is Thailand’s answer to Cancun and Patong/Karon are the two most popular resort areas. A tamer and more sanitized version of Pattaya. Nice beaches but way too many shops, shops and more shops.

Keep in mind, that my tastes and preferences may be different than yours as this is a very subjective thing. My choices probably are more of a reflection of my personality and are limited to the places I have actually visited. As a wise monkey by the name of Papa Mono once said – “One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure.”

What are your 10 least favorite beach resorts of all time?

BANGKOK has a reputation for its eclectic mix of east and west. In this bustling cosmopolitan city, you’ll find Buddhist shrines and temples seamlessly blending in with modern skyscrapers and gaudy shopping centers, a variety of art galleries and cafes, an exciting (and sometime erotic) nightlife in addition to an abundance of excellent restaurants of every persuasion - Thai, French, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Middle Eastern etc – not to mention the tasty Thai dishes that are served up at many of the streetside food stalls. No wonder, Bangkok was rated as the top city destination in the world by readers of Travel and Leisure.

But beyond all this glitz and glamour, there is a part of Bangkok that few tourists ever see. Tucked away in many of the small residential gardens throughout the city are pockets of natural beauty and greenery. If you’re in Bangkok, you may want to follow the lead of my associate, Ms. Moongmink – this lady’s genuine passion in life is flowers. Last Sunday morning, Moongmink stepped out of her tiny apartment after the rains stopped and took a stroll through the alleyways of her neighborhood armed with her trusty pocket camera. Look at some of the beautiful and exotic flowers that she photographed along the way! During her little outing, she had to deal with some nasty barking dogs – fortunately they were behind barred gates. I guess their bark was bigger than their bite!

I’m sure you’ve encountered some obnoxious (and toxic) tourists during your travels. They stick out like a sore thumb with their insensitive, loud and vulgar ways and they make it more difficult for all of us. While passing the time in a small rural village in places like Thailand, Peru or Mexico, I’ve seen many a American lady parading through the village as if they were a runway model in a fashion show - wearing some skimpy outfit revealing as much flesh as possible - totally oblivious to the local customs of land. In most non-westernized countries, it is frowned upon when a woman bares too much skin. Modesty is the rule of thumb. It seems that these ladies want to show the world how they sexy they are - can you believe these women get incensed when the local men stare at them lustfully? Why can’t these ladies just some wear some slacks or a long dress?

In Thailand’s Pattaya, a popular beach resort especially for sex tourists, I’ve seen middle aged guys prowling for female companionship in the heart of tourist zone with no shirts on and with their bellies hanging out, acting like complete louts and jackasses. Now I’m not a prude or anything, but couldn’t these guys at least wear a T-shirt and not talk so loud? So disgusting!

Many tourists (especially from the USA and Japan) could use a course in sensitivity training. They travel to a foreign country without making any attempt to learn something about the local customs and culture of the land. Even if they were to learn to a couple of standard phrases and greetings in the local language, it would go a long way towards international relations. Can you imagine that these western tourists get upset when the locals don’t understand or speak much English? In general, these tourists treat the hotel staff and the locals in a very condescending manner just because they paid a lot of monies for their vacation. Many of these so-called well-heeled tourists believe that the locals exit only for their personal entertainment. I’m sure you’ve head the expression, the Ugly American – unfortunately, it is a reputation that it is hard to shake as Americans can act as real insensitive jerks when traveling abroad.

Then we have the photo happy tourist who barges into a small rural village, taking picture after picture of the locals in their native garb as if they were some exotic wild animal, only to disappear into their car or tour bus 20 minutes later. I’m sure you’ve heard of the long necked ladies of the Karen Hilltribe in Thailand - there are organized excursions specifically for tourists who’d like to photograph the long necks. The tour operators who organize these tours make some big monies and the Longnecks receive what amounts to a small pittance. In Luang Prabang, a UNESCO world heritage site in Laos, tourists will position themselves at the entrance of one of the many Buddhist temples in the early morning hours to take pictures of the monks as they make their rounds. Many of these same tourists will forcefully enter the temple grounds and take pictures of religious ceremonies without permission.

Tourists can be an obnoxious bunch!

I know a lot of readers are curious, what is a day in the life of the traveler like?
Funny thing that you should ask, but my routine, no matter where I have travel to - Costa Rica, Thailand, Mexico etc - is similar to what I do at home. Upon entering my room, I setup my IPOD player along with its portable sound system - I always carry my music with me; that is very, very important! Next I get my Laptop situated and then I set up my mini library – as is my habit, I usually bring an assortment of books and magazines, especially if it is going to be a long trip. If my hotel doesn’t have free WIFI (WIFI service is an increasingly common practice these days), I find out where the nearest internet café is located.

When I travel to Bangkok, Thailand, as is my custom, after I have unpacked and gotten things set up properly, I head to the fitness center of my hotel and work out for about 2 hours. I find that intense exercise really energizes me especially after a long 16 hour oversea flight. In Bangkok, I always stay at the President Park Hotel primarily because it has a decent fitness center. After the workout, I head to the my favorite beauty salon and get the works – haircut, manicure & pedicure, facial scrub & massage and a relaxing foot reflexology treatment. The all-inclusive beauty salon package costs abut $25USD and believe me, it is money well spent. From there, I usually treat myself to an invigorating 2-hour therapeutic body massage. I know what you’re thinking, but I won’t go there!!!!!

Mornings - it’s the same routine. Shortly after I get up, I have a couple of cups of hot green tea and a large banana, then I rush down to the Fitness Center armed with my Ipod shuffle (gotta have my music). After an invigorating workout and swim, I return to my room some two hours later for my official breakfast. If my hotel room has cooking facilities- microwave and the like, I will prepare myself some oatmeal with cut fruit and walnut pieces along with some soy milk and a piece of toast. Just in case you’re wondering, I always carry my own supplies with me, and that includes my own stash of green and white tea as well as a small ceramic teapot. In the meantime, I try to catch up the world news by turning the TV on and watching either CNN or BBC. After breakfast, I like to relax (or meditate) for a bit while listening to some soothing classical music on my IPod sound system.

After my downtime, I’ll spend the next couple of hours working on my travel blog or taking care of some business concerns. About 2:00PM or so, I close up shop and head outside, casually strolling to the nearest park or coffee shop, where I take a seat watching the girls (and the rest of the world) go by. In Bangkok, there are a number of Starbucks and cafes to choose from.

Oops - it’s almost Dinner Time! Sound exciting? That’s a day in the life of a traveler.

Not too long ago, one of Thailand’s preeminent fortune tellers/psychics predicted that a catastrophic earthquake would devastate Central Thailand sometime in October. If you live in the ‘Land of Smiles’, there are exactly 16 more days left in this month – and to be realistic, the odds of this cataclysmic event happening gets closer to infinity every day. Now I am going to present to you somewhat of a preposterous ‘what if scenario’ – sort of an apocalyptic (end of the world) spin to this.

If you have been following Thai politics, you know that there has been ongoing battle between the ruling PPP party - which many people claim is a proxy government of exiled ruler Thaksin Shinawatra (Mr Toxin for short) - and the PAD, an anti government group comprised primarily of liberal democrats and royalists, whose supporters are primarily Bangkok’s upper middle and upper classes. Now depending on which side of the fence you’re on, the PPP and all the Toxin cronies are the bad guys and the PAD and their followers are the good guys. You’re probably wondering what does this have to do with the earthquake and my apocalyptic spin? Well if the big Quake happens, the ensuing flood caused by the collapse of the Kanchanaburi Dam would sweep all the Bad Guys off to sea, and ‘The Kingdom’ would usher in a new era of enlightened leadership.

HMM, you may think I am out of mind (maybe I am), but what does my little friend, “Batdog” say? See picture, top left. One paw up - that means it ain’t going to happen! Business as usual…

To cover all bases, I will be carrying my snorkeling gear with me on my upcoming trip to Thailand. Stay Tuned….

Tourism is a dual edged sword – there is a delicate balance between development and environmental integrity. Once the line is crossed, tourism will often kill the goose that laid the golden egg. I’ve seen (and have read about) too many “so-called eco-destinations” that went downhill very fast because the tourism development got out of hand. Call it human greed - it happens all the time. Take a destination with considerable natural beauty like Galapagos Islands, Kenya’s Serengeti, Negril, Jamaica as an example – the big developers and resort conglomerates rush to the scene to get a lion’s share of the action. Soon they are followed by many small entrepreneurs, tourism concessionaires and the like who also would like to make some monies. I liken this phenomenon to “a shark feeding frenzy”.

Before you know it, the place becomes overrun with too many camera toting, cigar smoking, trash talking tourists who don’t have any respect for the locals or the indigenous populations, neither do they have any self-respect. This leads to even more development to meet the demand and before you know it, this once idyllic place of considerable natural beauty is ruined for good - the delicate ecological balance of an area degrades severely leading to declines (and extinctions) of native animal, insect and plant species (replaced by invasive species) and coral reefs dying. Let’s not forgot how rampant tourism development can have a negative impact on the cultural traditions & lifestyles of indigenous peoples.

In time, the beauty and uniqueness that people paid monies to see is no more, replaced by an excess of commercialism. Such is the way of the world - what we need in the tourism business and in the world in general is a real effort towards sustainable development and lifestyles. Human greed as well as the Evils of Tourism will bring this planet down unless we have a global revolution. The time to start is now!