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.

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?