Our Travels and Adventures from A to Z
We have been nominated by our friends Sam of Nomadic Samuel and Ayngelina of Bacon is Magic to participate in a travel blogger meme that walks us through a series of questions, highlighting our travels from A-Z.
So let’s get going!
A: Age you went on your first international trip
Nicole – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico at age 15
Cameron – Nairobi, Kenya at age 11
B: Best (foreign) beer you’ve had and where
This is a tough one. We love to sample beer when we travel and have put together a series on our favourite beer drinking moments from around the world. But, if we must choose just one…
Nicole – Belgium. Can’t recall the specific name of the beer because it was a small brewery in Brussels
Cameron – 2-litre blend of Gosser Beer in Vienna, Austria (pictured below)
Drinking Beer in Vienna, Austria
C: Cuisine (favorite)
Nicole – Fresh seafood grilled on the beach in the Philippines
Cameron – Street food in Thailand, all of it!
D: Destinations – favourite and least favourite
Nicole – Favourite destination is Easter Island because of its mysterious moai statues. Least favourite is Vietnam for a variety of reasons
Cameron – Favourite destination is Peru because there is so much more to Peru than Machu Picchu. Least favourite is also Vietnam
E: Event you experienced abroad that made you say “wow”
Nicole – Sleeping under the desert stars at a Bedouin camp in the Wadi Rum, Jordan
Cameron – Witnessing a Buddhist prayer session in Bangkok, Thailand (pictured below)
Buddhist Temple in Bangkok, Thailand
F: Favorite mode of transportation
Nicole – Horseback. Whenever possible!
Cameron – I love train travel. It’s the best way to see the countryside and travel slow. And let’s not forget about the Asian tuk tuk (auto rickshaw). Read about our tuk tuk experience in India
G: Greatest feeling while traveling
Nicole – That feeling of excitement and anticipation you get at the airport just before boarding the plane, knowing that you are about to discover a new destination.
Cameron – Swinging in a hammock on a lazy tropical beach with a cold beer in hand
H: Hottest place you’ve traveled to
Nicole – Dubai, UAE
Cameron – Luxor, Egypt (Udaipur in Rajasthan is a close second)
Sunrise views from Mount Sinai, Egypt
I: Incredible service you’ve experienced and where
Nicole – Victoria House on Ambergris Caye in Belize
Cameron -Ka’ana Boutique Resort in the Cayo District of Belize. Find out why here
J: Journey that took the longest
Nicole – Traveling from Chitwan Park in Nepal to Varanasi, India. In the end, we took two jeeps, 2 tuk tuks, 1 rickshaw, 2 buses and 1 overnight train for a total of 17 hours – not fun!
Cameron – Overnight bus trip from Luxor to Dahab, Egypt. The ticket agent said 12-14 hours but it actually took 22 hours with all of the stops and check points – terrible experience we hope to never repeat
K: Keepsake from your travels
Nicole – Photos. Lots and lots of photos!
Cameron – We collect masks from most countries we visit. We have a wall in our house that is filled with over40 different masks, each with their own unique story and personality
L: Let-down sight, why and where
Nicole – Halong Bay in Vietnam. Totally over-rated. But we live in British Columbia and are surrounded by natural beauty, so perhaps our standards are too high. It didn’t help that our trip was cut short because of a fast approaching typhoon.
Cameron – Scuba-diving the Great Barrier Reef in northeast Australia. Too many divers, super long travel time to dive spot and a severely damaged reef. Definitely not worth the $200 per person. Go to the Red Sea instead!
M: Moment where you fell in love with travel
Nicole – Backpacking around Europe in the summer of 1999
Cameron – Wildlife safari in Kenya’s Masai Mara in 1989
Pool at Victoria House in Belize
N: Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in
Nicole – Victoria House on Ambergris Caye in Belize. Private white sandy beaches, swaying palm trees, infinity pools and fantastic food.
Cameron – Iberostar del Mar in the Mayan Riviera. Although we are somewhat biased because we got married there in 2008 and received a beachfront upgrade and 5-star treatment from arrival until departure
O: Obsession – what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?
Nicole – Underwater photos of fish and reef (view photos of the Belize Barrier Reef here)
Cameron – Beer (see our beer photos here)
P: Passport stamps, how many and from where?
We both have hundreds of stamps from our travels. We even had to get a new passport issued because we ran out of space well before our passports expired
Q: Quirkiest attraction you’ve visited and where
Nicole – We were recently on Galiano Island and visited a place called Stone World. The photos made it look intriguing but when we got there it was literally just a bunch of stones placed upright on a hillside
Cameron – We recently published a guest post on “quirky things to see in Canada”. Read the post here
R: Recommended sight, event or experience
Nicole – Snorkeling or scuba diving the Red Sea in Egypt. Watch a short video here
Cameron – Hiking the Inca Trial to Machu Picchu in Peru. Read our story here
S: Splurge – something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling
We both pick beer. Regardless of the cost, we will enjoy a few beers while traveling. We even had a cold beer deep in the Amazon jungle!
T: Touristy thing you’ve done
Nicole – Camel surfing at the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt. See the photo here
Cameron – Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam (pictured below)
U: Unforgettable travel memory
Nicole – Swimming with sea lions and penguins in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Cameron – Night trekking to the summit of Mount Sinai to watch the sunrise over the rugged Egyptian peninsula (see the photo of Cameron above)
V: Visas, how many and for where?
India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Egypt, Turkey, Australia, Nepal, Laos and probably more that I am forgetting
W: Wine, best glass of wine while traveling and where?
Nicole – Riesling in Riel, a village in the Mosel region of southwest Germany
Cameron – Malbec in Medoza, Argentina
X: eXcellent view and from where?
Nicole – The majestic views of Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, located in the Canadian Rockies
Cameron – Views of Ahu Tongariki from Rano Raraku volcano on Easter Island. See photo above
Y: Years spent traveling?
We’ve done most of our traveling as a couple in the past 7 years, when we first lived in Malaysia in 2004. But we were both exposed to travel at a young age.
Z: Zealous sports fans and where?
Nicole – Soccer fans in Santiago, Chile. There’s a reason why alcohol is not served at the games!
Cameron – Hockey fans in Canada. Did you catch Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Vancouver earlier this year?! Check out the street celebrations after the Vancouver Canucks won game 5 at home (pictured above).
Congratulations! You made it to the end of our travels from A to Z
Love your A to Zs… I’m working on mines now and it’s so funny to see your answers and how different they are. I think the only one we have in common is Cameron’s Z… Vancouver Hockey fans on game 5!! Seriously, that Heineken picture is the funniest I’ve seen on your site!
Hah… you that photo, eh?! That was a fun brewery tour…
Fun list! First A-Z post I’ve seen, will have to seek out more!
I’m fully down with the foreign beer obsession…..hope you taste some great new brews in 2012.
What a great list. Those Canuck fans after game 5 were pretty crazy. I think anytime a Canadian team gets into the finals Canadians get even more hockey focused than normal.
That is the biggest stein of beer I have ever seen!
I agree … Halong Bay is way overhyped. Though beautiful in theory, there are way to many people and it’s not a personal experience at all.
Thanks for asking for my A-Z!
Hahahaha its the biggest beer i’ve ever seen in my whole entire life promise..
So what it taste? Be sure that you will wake up in the morning with no hangover 😀
Hahahaha…Really Biggest Beer glass i have ever seen.
The picture taken in mount sinai looks very calming! I’d imagine standing there are the very top, watching the sunrise would be enchanting at the very least!
You guys are such a cute couple and very creative. Great article!
That pic from Easter Island is redic!
Thank you for sharing this. this is a nice traveling guide for us travelers. We can call this traveling alphabet.
I am so much amused seeing these adventurous pictures. Normally I like adventure so much. If the adventure is like these then the joys become unlimited. Thanks for this awesome post.
Loved getting to know you two better through your A-Z. We’ll be sure to leave Stone World off of our itinerary for now. 🙂
Great list! Egypt just made it to my bucket list. Happy and safe travels to you both!
Just stumbled upon your site, seriously loved your thought of describing the activities from A-Z, truly amazing with a unique thought.
Cheers…!