Places you would, or wouldn't go back to?

[Bindibuys]

30 minutes in Yuma CA was a refueling stop in the desert. No need to do that again.

Ditto.......

 

[Boca68]

Gday

My username is because i love football and i think Pele is the best. I finally went to Brasil in 2014 for the World Cup and wasnt that impressed. I dont hate the place but i wouldnt go out of my way to go back and that saddens me as i had higher expectations. They do have some things sorted- ice cold beers in long necks, picanha, buffet meals for example- but i didnt realise until i went there how poor and unsafe it was. I stayed with a friend in an upmarket area of Sao Paulo but even that wasnt really very safe. Then in Rio whilst nothing happened to me there was always the feeling you were only 1 block away from trouble. And it was expensive. Not really any cheaper than Sydney. My Brasilian mate says Brasil is a country with first world prices but third world amenities. An appalling situation for all but the mega rich. Rio is one of those places that look good from a distance but close up it is dirty and smells of p*ss. The beaches are overrated too.

Having said all that i have some great memories of Brasil(Tim Cahill v Holland ).

And to complete the story you might notice my joining date for this forum is July 2014. I took a 45 hour door to door trip (all in economy) on the way home from Rio to Sao Paulo to Doha to KL to Sydney and straight from Kingsford Smith to work. I was wrecked and thought there has to be a better way. I started my research on the internet, found this forum and havent looked back. Thanks to everyone here!

Pele.

Thanks Pele.

I see where you coming from.

And you are right, Sao Paulo, meh! Not that amazing. Rio is disappointing if you think Copacabana is the place to be. The real Rio, is Santa Teresa, Leblon, Goia and beyond. But beyond the major cities, is Sao Luis, Recife, Salvador....incredible! The Pantanal is astonishing!

(Avoid Fortaleza ,,ufff, like the Gold Coast without the theme parks. Awful)

 

[coyote25]

Cuba. Interesting place with great food and some wonderful people. However, had some frustrating times with endless lines and slow service

Loved Cuba. Amazing weather, friendly people, yes layer back during the day but by could the locals dance up a storm at night!

 

[coyote25]

I agree totally re coughet and Bali , have been several times to both over the years but there are much nicer places in the world to visit. The corruption in these places seems to be getting worse. I did enjoy Chiang Mai in Thailand however but that has probably changed too.

Was in Chiang Mai recently and had a great time.

 

[shufflingfeet]

I wouldn't go back to LA - just back from there at the end of a great ski holiday and it I really don't need to visit again. Universal Studio's was good but I think the rest of LA is a bit of a cough-hole.

 

[Straubs]

Not going back to coughet - went for dental work (twice) which was sensational, but by second time round I was disgusted with the place. More so by the visitors than anything else.

Would go back to Utah, particularly Canyonlands and Arches National Park, in a heartbeat!

 

[bPeteb]

Thanks Pele.

I see where you coming from.

And you are right, Sao Paulo, meh! Not that amazing. Rio is disappointing if you think Copacabana is the place to be. The real Rio, is Santa Teresa, Leblon, Goia and beyond. But beyond the major cities, is Sao Luis, Recife, Salvador....incredible! The Pantanal is astonishing!

(Avoid Fortaleza ,,ufff, like the Gold Coast without the theme parks. Awful)

As you know boca we're about to tick some more of our Brasil list off and already have some ticked off - about to tick Sao Luis and the Pantanal, already ticked Recife and Salvador. Also about to tick Sao Paulo and Brasilia and already ticked Rio.

I'm with lots of people who've said they would go back to nearly everywhere they've been and at the same time the world is a huge place so we have lots to see for the first time.

Will definitely keep going back - NYC, London (UK/Ireland in general), Japan, Cook Islands, South Island NZ (partner's family and friends but will most likely retire there).

Will go back - Iceland (in the winter next time), Greenland, French Polynesia (not the island of Tahiti itself - meh), Antarctica (just got back from Ross Sea and missed the huts so need to go back) and also need to see the peninsula, Canada (big place, lots more to see), contrary to many Bali (went to north west and it was deserted and beautiful then hid away in a villa in Seminyak), Hong Kong, Thailand (except coughet and Pattaya), Peru, San Francisco, Chicago, Florida, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Morocco (except Casablanca, a dirty sprawling mess), Scandinavia

Will think twice about returning - Vietnam (similar bad experience to Pushka in Nha Trang but without the bag snatch - hassled in markets then bundled up by a gang of cyclo drivers who we just slowly walked away from - followed by a fantastic experience on an Intrepid food tour), coughet, China (pollution, scams at every turn), Russia (us gays aren't too well liked there)

Don't care if I ever return - LA, Vegas, Rome

Don't care if I never visit - Dubai

Can't wait to visit - Sri Lanka, India, central Europe, Norway

Will NEVER go back - Pattaya - I've never hated a place so much in my life. It revolted me.

 

[p--and--t]

Wow, over 120 posts and less than 2 weeks since post being opened.

As I get older, I wonder if I will make the 100 countries club (will be 67 countries/states by the end of this years trip).

"Places" is a bit ambiguous and I note some have taken as countries, some as cities and yet others as regions.

"Not go back to" is a hard question for most countries as there is always something more to see in places I have been to before, or in cities/regions of that country I have not visited, and always manage to fill my time when I have returned somewhere. To say you have seen a country is a bit rich unless you have stayed many months or longer there or the place is quite small (Samoa, Vanuatu for a couple of examples). In addition, if I haven't been there for 10 years then I'm sure it has likely changed significantly.

With our location (Australia) on the globe and limited major routes available to travel to far flung places, there are some places we necessarily have to go in transit.

There are 4 cities on my list of no desire ever to return even in an overnight transit:

Dubai - soulless glitzy wide area expensive shopping centre, hopeless queues in airport, ambigous rule of law
Manila - unsafe, totally corrupt, dirty, unstable
Rio - after all the hype, a general disappointment, unsafe
Los Angeles - highly overrated, soulless, rudest immigration on the planet
Nha Trang - run by local mafia, unsafe, corrupt


Places I'd like to return to some day (but somewhere NEW will always take precedence)

New York City (but not in the next 4 years and possibly longer)
San Francisco (but not in the next 4 years and possibly longer)
Istanbul
HoiAn
Paris
Vancouver
Germany
Iguazu
Zambia (Victoria Falls)
Grand Canyon

Lucky you didn't ask where I'd like to go, that could turn into a book.

 

[Cossie]

.......Lucky you didn't ask where I'd like to go, that could turn into a book.

Good idea for another thread!

 

[drron]

Hasn't there been a bucket list thread?Sorry too lazy to search at this moment.

 

[ExpeditionCruiser]

Would go back to Utah, particularly Canyonlands and Arches National Park, in a heartbeat!

Couldn't agree more! I also had a blast driving through parts of Montana, spectacular scenery and lovely people. Planning on a longer road trip in the future to see more of this part of the world.

 

[Justinf]

I'd go back to Alaska in a heartbeat. Already having withdrawals.
Also, loved Denver.

 

[Cossie]

Hasn't there been a bucket list thread?Sorry too lazy to search at this moment.

This sort of experience definitely isn't on my bucket list!

Dutch woman, 99, 'arrested' as part of bucket list - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

[VPS]

When I was backpacking around in the early 80s and ended in Glasgow I didn't think I'd ever want to see it again but went a couple of years ago and loved it.

Places I will always go back to
London - love the UK but love getting in the car and getting into places that aren't necessarily tourist destinations
Scotland - fond memories of the train from Fort William to Mallaig
Rural England, Wales and Scotland
Rural France and Italy New York and New England plus the mountains - loved Bryce Canyon

Would never go back
Las Vegas - yuk
https://www.camerontradingpost.com/ - this place - didn't do my homework - no alcohol and my toilet overflowed and it was disgusting and they were particularly unhelpful and saying the food was awful even for America was an understatement
LA except for the Getty Museum but because it's a hub sometimes you don't have a choice


I'm up to 48 countries and still have a few I want to tick off - I've been to Dubai airport a few times - does that count as visiting a country?

I would prefer to go to different places if I can - but if you go to some countries you don't get to see everything and I'm now less inclined to visit the big cities and enjoy getting out into the countryside

 

[Ausbt]

Well my third visit to Tokyo and never stop being amazed at this city. In Akihabara came across a bunch of real-life Mario Karters. I mean that's nuts - these are real go karts in the traffic, let alone the costumes! As usual in Akihabara it's really hard to understand a lot of what you are seeing - I certainly enjoy that. Walk down the wrong aisle of an anime store and it's gets really hard too fathom who is buying that stuff. Was the tail end of another great ski trip (6th to Japan). Even ate some grasshoppers on this trip, really nice.

 

[futaris]

Maricar. Nintendo is apparently suing them for copyright infringement.

 

[pn1]

Switzerland is my all time favourite and I could go back there any number of times. I enjoy riding the fantastic Swiss public transport system especially mountain trains and buses away from the general tourist beat.

I was on a cruise that had one day in Bali; at least I can say I've been there but no real desire to return.

Nowhere really I would say I would never return to but at the age of 66 and with many locations still on my "bucket list" there are many lovely places I've been to that I'm unlikely to see again.

Paul in Melbourne

 

[doctau]

I don't think there is anywhere I would I would never go back to, but there are some I'm very unlikely to go back to unless for specific things since there are other places I'd prefer to go to.

Ecuador is one. Apart from visiting the Amazon, I much preferred the surrounding counties and would return to those or visit one in South America I haven't been to. The only exception would be going to the Galapagos since we unfortunately had to skip that.

Morocco is probably another. It wasn't bad, just nowhere near as good as I had imagined it. mrsdoctau and I went with a tour group here, and it may have been the tour/group. I'm not opposed to visiting again, if I had reason to believe it would be better.


I definitely want to visit Colombia again, and would love it if Venezuela settled down so we could head east through there and the Guineas

 

[OATEK]

Switzerland is my all time favourite and I could go back there any number of times. I enjoy riding the fantastic Swiss public transport system especially mountain trains and buses away from the general tourist beat.

I was on a cruise that had one day in Bali; at least I can say I've been there but no real desire to return.

Nowhere really I would say I would never return to but at the age of 66 and with many locations still on my "bucket list" there are many lovely places I've been to that I'm unlikely to see again.

Paul in Melbourne

I think you have described one of the great dilemmas for us over 60s. There are places you love you would be happy to go back to again and again, but there is that well founded suspicion that there are also wonderful places yet to be visited if only you knew what you would enjoy most. lots of trial an error, and the feeling that there are not enough years available to keep getting it wrong. Happily, we have mostly got it right in terms of what we enjoy. First visit to Russia coming up, and despite the rigmarole of Visas, I am quite excited.

 

[MaxwellSmart]

I visited Moscow for a weekend back in July. I went to two music festivals. One was beside a river, and the other at a rooftop bar in the CBD. Both days were 30+ degrees. The people were friendly and gorgeous. I cannot wait to return.

Hot tip OATEK - Make sure you have the English>Russian Google Translate offline on your phone.