# Where have you been in the world?



## EricABQ

I'm interested in where people have travelled and their thoughts on the various places. Particularly if you are from outside the U.S and have travelled to the U.S I'd be interested in your impressions (even if negative.)

When I was in the Navy in the '90s I was very lucky to see quite a bit of the world. The comprehensive list is: Bahrain, United Arab Emerites, Kenya, Singapore (three times,) Thailand (three times,) Hong Kong, Phillipines, Saipan, and Guam (where my ship was home ported.) In fact, I have crossed every time zone on Earth either by air or sea. I flew from San Diego to Philadelphia, and then on to Bahrain to meet my ship. About three years later the ship was transferred from Guam to Oakland, CA, and when we made that trip I completed my circumnavigation of the globe.

Of the places I have been, I'd like to go back to either Kenya or Thailand the most. My visits were limited to just a couple of days each time with limited ability to really get out and see the countries. I'm not sure if I will ever get back, but I'd like to.


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## Art Rock

Lived in the Netherlands, Singapore, France, China (regularly for a month), and now back in the Netherlands since end 2004.

Visited Canada*, USA*, Grenada, Barbados, St Lucia, South Africa, Swaziland, Cook Islands, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia**, Malaysia**, Thailand**, Hong Kong*, South Korea*, UK**, Portugal, Spain**, Belgium**, Luxembourg, Denmark*, Germany** (also West and East Germany), Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy, San Marino, Vatican, Slovenia, Yugoslavia, Greece, Hungary**, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Poland.

*: business trip
**: business trips and holiday (separate occasions)
all others: holiday

New Zealand stands out as the most attractive country, followed by Italy and Germany. China is fascinating (made over a dozen trips there, and we have an apartment in Shanghai).


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## emiellucifuge

Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Holy See, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States.

Those are all the sovereign states, but Ive visited various Carribean islands which are still possessions.
Ive lived in: Netherlands, UK and US. I spend probably about 1-2 months a year in Spain.


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## ptr

Countries I've stayed a week or more; New Zeeland, Australia, Madagascar, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia (including Siberia and Manchuria), China and Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Croatia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, UK, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, US and Canada..

Never been to South and middle America, mainland Africa south of the Sahara or the Pacific islands or any of the poles. 

/ptr


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## EricABQ

Man, you guys get around.


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## Tristan

Wow, Oman...that would be interesting 

I have family in Italy and Albania, so been there. I've been on some kind of vacation or trip to Canada, Mexico, the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, and the Bahamas. Not too bad for being 16.


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## ptr

EricABQ said:


> Man, you guys get around.


Spent much of my working life on the road! .. never been a working in the same place 7 to 5 kind of guy... 

/ptr


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## SiegendesLicht

Not in a whole lot of places like you all, just a few: the USA (twice), Germany (twice and planning on some more), Switzerland, Lithuania and Russia (St. Petersburg was quite nice, but Moscow I hated). The USA is the only country I got to see as an "insider", not as a tourist, since I lived there for a year and enjoyed it a whole lot. The other time I was there I did a "grand tour" from Washington DC to Chicago to the Colorado Rockies to the Grand Canyon to the middle part of California and back, so I got to see some of the most beautiful nature and architecture there is.


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## jani

SiegendesLicht said:


> Not in a whole lot of places like you all, just a few: the USA (twice), Germany (twice and planning on some more), Switzerland, Lithuania and Russia (St. Petersburg was quite nice, but Moscow I hated). The USA is the only country I got to see as an "insider", not as a tourist, since I lived there for a year and enjoyed it a whole lot. The other time I was there I did a "grand tour" from Washington DC to Chicago to the Colorado Rockies to the Grand Canyon to the middle part of California and back, so I got to see some of the most beautiful nature and architecture there is.


What did you do in US? Study?


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## EricABQ

SiegendesLicht said:


> Not in a whole lot of places like you all, just a few: the USA (twice), Germany (twice and planning on some more), Switzerland, Lithuania and Russia (St. Petersburg was quite nice, but Moscow I hated). The USA is the only country I got to see as an "insider", not as a tourist, since I lived there for a year and enjoyed it a whole lot. The other time I was there I did a "grand tour" from Washington DC to Chicago to the Colorado Rockies to the Grand Canyon to the middle part of California and back, so I got to see some of the most beautiful nature and architecture there is.


Where did you live for the year you spent in the US?


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## SiegendesLicht

I worked in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was a blue-collar job, nothing high-class, but, hey, I was just a little over twenty at the time, and here I was, half a world away from home, and pretty much on my own (I did have a couple of good friends who helped me along though). It was... thrilling.


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## Chrythes

Swtizerland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Slovakia, Netherlands, Czech republic, Germany, France, Egypt, UK, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Belgium. I also lived in Israel for 9 years.

But most of them were essentially just a passing-by countries that we drove through to our main destination, though we did have short stops at certain places to at least perceive that we were here. I guess living in Eruope does have the benefit of being able to get around many places without too much difficulty.


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## kv466

Every country in South America,...everywhere in western Europe except Belgium and Denmark,...Northern Africa,...Lithuania and Estonia,...at least 40 cities in the U.S.,...still waiting on the Middle East and the Far East and Hawaii. Oh,..and many islands in the Caribbean. I'll be in Southampton, UK in late April to catch another Transatlantic cruise back home; this time, into New York Harbor.


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## joen_cph

Overseas: only Japan twice, Morocco, and Madeira, plus Turkey twice. 

But I´ve travelled in Europe a lot, for alltogether about 3 years of my life, some countries however still on the to-do list - mainly Russia, Norway, the Baltic States & Scotland.


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## cwarchc

Holidays/vacations around Western Europe
but lived in the UK and South Africa


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## Couchie

I stopped travelling when Google Street View became available. Much cheaper.


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## Quartetfore

Most of the big cities in the US. Holland, England, Germany and Japan for work. Mexico, Puerto Rico and most of the Carribean for vacations.


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## Quartetfore

I should add Montreal and the parts of Eastern Canada on vacation.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I have never left this country....


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## Crudblud

Nowhere in the world, lots of places in my head.


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## musicican

I'm from the Czech Rep.
I've been to: the USA, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Croatia, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK, USA, Egypt and Poland.
I would like to go the the USA once again and also visit Russia and Ukraine, Canada and some countries in the Caribbean and Africa.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I have never left this country....


Don't fret - this should cheer you up


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

or again with video


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## Laura

I'm from the U.S.
I've lived in Italy for a year. 

traveled to Berlin for two weeks, Barcelona, Dublin, Paris, and slept in the London airport (ugh). 

In my experiences, I've always felt the U.S. to be more progressive. Italy has very strong family traditions and the way they study is very different from the U.S. Neither one I would say is better than the other. The politics in Italy, however, are terrible.


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## RonP

I've spent most of my life in the Baltimore, MD area and have lived in the Northern Virginia area for the past decade. I lived in Germany for four years during the early 80's (Hanau and Wiesbaden). Other places I've visited are New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Orlando, Toronto, London, Paris, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Nurnberg, Switzerland, Tokyo and Sapporo.

My wife has been to all the above and Seoul, Panama, El Salvador, Kuwait and Iraq (not by choice).


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## Ravndal

Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, UK, Portugal, Spain, Egypt, Jordan, China, Trinidad & Tobago. Probably other places.. I can't remember. Not very fond of traveling.


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## Huilunsoittaja

RonP said:


> I've spent most of my life in the Baltimore, MD area


Same here! I'm in college but my hometown is very near Baltimore.


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## Krummhorn

Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, UK, and Denmark. 

All trips were music related in which I was either an accompanist or played a solo concert.


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## KenOC

I've been luckier than some (or else just lived longer). I've lived in Thailand, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and worked for an extended period in mainland China. Have taken two motorcycle tours through Europe, one in Central Europe (Germany, France, Switzerland, etc.) and the other in Southern Spain. None were music-related!

More settled now...


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## Norse

Norway (duh), Sweden, Denmark, England, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy (including Vatican), Greece and Turkey (for a few hours).

Not the longest list, but I guess it could be worse. Never been outside Europe, though.


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## Cavaradossi

I've always had the wanderlust. In my wandering days in the early '90s, I backpacked from Spain to Sierra Leone down the west coast of Africa. Then Hong Kong to the southern tip of India via Tibet and Nepal, and then Thailand to Australia via Indonesia. Later on, shorter trips to South America and East Africa. More recently: Italy, Switzerland, and Oman.


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## Gimano

I'm living in Belgium and I've been to Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco and Turkey.

I really should go visit the UK I have no reason not to, it's like 2 hours or so by train. And off course the other continent: Canada, USA, perhaps Argentina and a few other Latin countries. Also interested in China, Japan and Korea. Time is ticking away...


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## drpraetorus

Most U.S. states excluding the south east, Hawaii and Alaska. Wales, Ireland, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec.


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## Templeton

As well as the UK, I have lived in the US (NYC), Canada (Quebec province) and Germany (Berlin).

I have been lucky to have travelled extensively, for pleasure, throughout most of Western and Eastern Europe, the US, all of Central America, Haiti, Jamaica and Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, Chile and Argentina, all of North Africa bar Libya, much of West, Central and East Africa, all of South East Asia, except for Myanmar/Burma.

My favourite places have been Cambodia, Indonesia, Sudan, Uganda, Ghana and Haiti, for various reasons. 

I have a number of regrets in life but travel has definitely not been one of them. I think that our world would be a much nicer place, were we all to open our eyes more to what's out there.


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## SixFootScowl

My only excursions outside of the USA have been to Canada, and that a lot. When I was a kid, my parents had a cottage in Canada on Lake Huron and we spent much of our summers up there as my mother was off from teaching every summer.


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## Templeton

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I have never left this country....


I'm surprised. Based upon your posts, I had formed the impression that you would likely be well travelled. Any particular reason why you haven't?


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## Morimur

Canada, US, Central America.


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## Cheyenne

I've been blessed by having a brief (week-long) exchange with Canada and schooltrip to Ireland! Haven't gone on many holidays, especially lately, although I went to some places as a kid. I managed to go to Norway for a week this summer.


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## kartikeys

I am from India. I have been to Pakistan only. 
Sang classical melodies on the streets there.


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## kartikeys

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I have never left this country....


Let's make a plan together. I too want to travel.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Templeton said:


> I'm surprised. Based upon your posts, I had formed the impression that you would likely be well travelled. Any particular reason why you haven't?


Its a long swim from Oz to anywhere


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## Kjetil Heggelund

Norwegian here 
Lived in Kenya 3 years & the Philippines 1 year when young and studied in San Francisco for 2 years. I think the US westside loosened me up a bit (from being a frozen Norwegian antisocial to a laidback extrovert)
Kenya was a fantastic place to grow up a little, actually saw my first classical concert there, Brahms Requiem that totally put me off Brahms (haha!), and SAFARI & MOMBASA!!! Going to the Philippines right after that wasn't the best experience, but got a good friend there 
Shorter trips have taken me to: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, England, Scotland, Spain, Crete, Serbia, Czeck rep., Mexico, US (LA, NY, Las Vegas)
have become a smalltownguy in Hønefoss...


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## Bellinilover

I'm from northern Virginia and have been to surprisingly few places in the US: North Carolina, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania -- that's it. I'd like to go to the Southwest.

Other places I've been are Italy (four times); Montreal, Canada (three times); London (once). I _really_ want to go to Dublin and Edinburgh and hope to get there within the next few years. Another place I'd like to see is Switzerland.


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## Ukko

My field service job took me to factories (mostly bearing plants) all over the US, in Ontario, Spain, England, Germany, South Korea, Thailand, Australia, Jordan. There were occasional excursions outside the factories.


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## Jeffrey Smith

Outside of my school years, I have spent my entire life within an hour's drive of the Atlantic. And I went to school in the South, with the result that, other than a weekend in Cincinnati and one in Houston--both when I was in my twenties--I have never been west of the Appalachian Mountains. I do want to see Alaska and the Desert Southwest at some point.

I have actually travelled more outside the US than in it. Via a number of cruises from home ports here in Florida, I have seen a good part of the Caribbean. As a teenager, I spent three weeks in Israel and one week in Rome. I have crossed the Atlantic twice since then, to take tours of Italy and the UK. I would like to go back to those countries, and see Scandinavia...and make a ship crossing of the Atlantic. But all that is a wishlist. My two most recent trips were spent touring Civil War battlefields in Virginia, and I plan to make a similar trip in May.


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## brotagonist

While I lived in Germany and France for a number of years and, thus, have visited some of the surrounding countries a few times, I have not travelled out of my native Canada often, except to the USA a few times. The list of places I would like to see would fill an encyclopedia, but I haven't been to very many countries or continents.


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## Morimur

Traveling is cool and one learns a lot but people are essentially the same everywhere.


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## Pugg

Mexico, (my favourite)U.S, UK, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany far east anyway; to much to mention


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## Templeton

Morimur said:


> Traveling is cool and one learns a lot *but people are essentially the same everywhere*.


And that's the point but one which appears to be lost to many.


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## Templeton

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Its a long swim from Oz to anywhere
> 
> View attachment 80890


Maybe check out AirAsia, Jetstar, etc. Despite or maybe because of their geographical isolation, the Ozzies seem to be particularly well travelled.


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## drpraetorus

Most of the U.S., British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Ireland, Wales, 
I like to travel but my funds do not allow it as much as I would like.


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## SiegendesLicht

That was back in 2013:



SiegendesLicht said:


> Not in a whole lot of places like you all, just a few: the USA (twice), *Germany (twice and planning on some more),* Switzerland, Lithuania and Russia (St. Petersburg was quite nice, but Moscow I hated)


Germany - eight times by now. And planning on some more of course.


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## TxllxT

Well, here we go: NL, BE, LU, FR, MC, GB, ES, AD, DE, CZ, SK, AT, IT, EE & RU (+ flown over DK & SE)


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Templeton said:


> Maybe check out AirAsia, Jetstar, etc. Despite or maybe because of their geographical isolation, the Ozzies seem to be particularly well travelled.


I was responding to comments on ComposerOfAvantGarde's post re not being outside Oz. I've managed to swim a bit having been to UK, France, Italy, Singapore and NZ.

Don't think AirAsia has many flights out of Oz (low cost Malaysian Airline!) and wouldn't recommend Jetstar to anyone.


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## Templeton

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> I was responding to comments on ComposerOfAvantGarde's post re not being outside Oz. I've managed to swim a bit having been to UK, France, Italy, Singapore and NZ.
> 
> Don't think AirAsia has many flights out of Oz (low cost Malaysian Airline!) and wouldn't recommend Jetstar to anyone.


Sorry for not being clearer, as the comment was also directed at COAG. No offence was intended; I just wanted to highlight to COAG that there might be lower cost opportunities for him/her to travel, of which s/he might not have been aware.

In terms of the airlines, AirAsia flies out of/into most of the major Australian cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Darwin, Brisbane/Gold Coast) to all of South East Asia and beyond. I've used them a lot and found them to be a significant upgrade on our major European low cost carrier, Ryanair. Didn't find Jetstar (Qantas subsiduary) that bad, although their timekeeping does leave something to be desired, in my experience!


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## sospiro

Cavaradossi said:


> I've always had the wanderlust. In my wandering days in the early '90s, *I backpacked from Spain to Sierra Leone down the west coast of Africa*. Then Hong Kong to the southern tip of India via Tibet and Nepal, and then Thailand to Australia via Indonesia. Later on, shorter trips to South America and East Africa. More recently: Italy, Switzerland, and Oman.


What a fabulous experience that must have been. I used to watch the Paris-Dakar Rally on TV and was mesmerised by the countries the Rally passed through. Sadly the Rally no longer runs through these countries for safety reasons.










I desperately wanted to go to Senegal to see the Final Stage and the race along the beach and even got as far as checking flights and hotels.






(Only just found this thread!)


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## sospiro

Templeton said:


> As well as the UK, I have lived in the US (NYC), Canada (Quebec province) and Germany (Berlin).
> 
> I have been lucky to have travelled extensively, for pleasure, throughout most of Western and Eastern Europe, the US, all of Central America, Haiti, Jamaica and Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, Chile and Argentina, all of North Africa bar Libya, much of West, Central and East Africa, all of South East Asia, except for Myanmar/Burma.
> 
> My favourite places have been Cambodia, Indonesia, Sudan, *Uganda*, Ghana and Haiti, for various reasons.
> 
> I have a number of regrets in life but travel has definitely not been one of them. I think that our world would be a much nicer place, were we all to open our eyes more to what's out there.


I grew up in Uganda! Yours truly learning to swim at Entebbe.









Love travelling and I agree with what you said about opening our eyes to what's out there.


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## Templeton

sospiro said:


> I grew up in Uganda! Yours truly learning to swim at Entebbe.
> 
> View attachment 80996
> 
> 
> Love travelling and I agree with what you said about opening our eyes to what's out there.


Wow, what an experience and what a lovely photo. Thanks for sharing. I am so jealous. I loved the 'Pearl of Africa'.


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## sospiro

Templeton said:


> Wow, what an experience and what a lovely photo. Thanks for sharing. I am so jealous. I loved the 'Pearl of Africa'.


Were you on holiday in Uganda?


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## Templeton

sospiro said:


> Were you on holiday in Uganda?


Yes, first time in 1986, just after Museveni came to power and then again in 1992.

The first time, there were very few 'tourists', as the country had effectively been closed for a number of years. It was a very humbling experience, talking with the locals about their experiences and often quite surreal. I recall one occasion having a pretty in-depth discussion with a NRA soldier, who was returning from the frontline, regarding the power sharing agreement between Mitterand and Chirac that had just been implemented in France. I was amazed at how well informed people were about global affairs and was told that everybody was glued to the BBC World Service, as this was often their only gateway to the outside world. There were also a number of Ugandan Asians returning, to assist with the rebuilding process and to reclaim confiscated property from the Amin years. Speaking to them was very poignant and a reminder of how lucky I was with my lot.

Returning again in 1992, there appeared to have been significant and positive developments but unfortunately I am not sure that this progress has been sustained during the ensuing years.

I hope to return one day. Have you ever returned?


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## sospiro

Templeton said:


> Yes, first time in 1986, just after Museveni came to power and then again in 1992.
> 
> The first time, there were very few 'tourists', as the country had effectively been closed for a number of years. It was a very humbling experience, talking with the locals about their experiences and often quite surreal. I recall one occasion having a pretty in-depth discussion with a NRA soldier, who was returning from the frontline, regarding the power sharing agreement between Mitterand and Chirac that had just been implemented in France. I was amazed at how well informed people were about global affairs and was told that everybody was glued to the BBC World Service, as this was often their only gateway to the outside world. There were also a number of Ugandan Asians returning, to assist with the rebuilding process and to reclaim confiscated property from the Amin years. Speaking to them was very poignant and a reminder of how lucky I was with my lot.
> 
> Returning again in 1992, there appeared to have been significant and positive developments but unfortunately I am not sure that this progress has been sustained during the ensuing years.
> 
> I hope to return one day. Have you ever returned?


It's so good to read about your experiences. I'd heard that the government was offering incentives to Asians to return and I'm not surprised as they would have been sorely missed especially with regard to commerce. It is staggering how well they did in UK, traumatised and starting with just the clothes they stood up in.

My Dad was an electrician by trade and worked for the Uganda Electricity Board. One of his jobs was the electrification of outlying villages so he was always very popular! The people were lovely.

I haven't been back but I intend to eventually.

You've been to some fabulous places and I think Haiti would be a very interesting country to visit.


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## Templeton

You're right, that's exactly what happened. I also recall reading one of those ubiquitous rich lists some years ago and being struck by the number of East African Asians on it. Quite remarkable.

It must have been a truly wonderful experience for you and your family and I am not surprised by your comment regarding the friendliness of the local population, which reflects my own experience. In fact, of all the African countries that I visited, Uganda was the one in which I could most easily have settled.

Very interesting to hear about your father's job. I assume that this was in the Luwero triangle, where many villagers suffered terribly during the civil war. I visited the area in 1992, where locals showed me a number of mass graves, similar to the Killing Fields, in Cambodia. Absolutely heartbreaking.

When I visited in 1986, it was the early years of the AIDS epidemic, which devastated Uganda and many of the surrounding countries. The locals referred to it as 'SLIM' then and many villages had lots of empty homes, reflecting the high mortality rates. I was deeply affected by what I saw and subsequently became actively involved in the HIV/AIDS field, as a result of the experience. 

Haiti was also a wonderful experience, although I visited in 1989 and 1999, before the earthquake. It was a little bit like Africa in the Caribbean. If you've read Graham Greene's ' The Comedians', it gives some flavour of the place. In fact, while I was there I did stay at the hotel, which forms the central setting of the novel and met the real life individual, upon whom one of the central characters of the novel was based. He was even more sinister, in real life, than in the novel!

Ah, happy memories...


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## Stavrogin

Here's my list, by continent

AFRICA
Morocco
Tunisia

ASIA
Cambodia
Lao
Thailand
Turkey
Viet Nam

EUROPE
Austria
Belgium
Croatia
Czech Republic
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russian Federation
San Marino
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
Vatican City

NORTH AMERICA
U.s.a.


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## sospiro

Templeton said:


> You're right, that's exactly what happened. I also recall reading one of those ubiquitous rich lists some years ago and being struck by the number of East African Asians on it. Quite remarkable.
> 
> It must have been a truly wonderful experience for you and your family and I am not surprised by your comment regarding the friendliness of the local population, which reflects my own experience. In fact, of all the African countries that I visited, Uganda was the one in which I could most easily have settled.
> 
> Very interesting to hear about your father's job. I assume that this was in the Luwero triangle, where many villagers suffered terribly during the civil war.


No it was nearly _all_ of Uganda. Was a long long time ago! :lol:



Templeton said:


> I visited the area in 1992, where locals showed me a number of mass graves, similar to the Killing Fields, in Cambodia. Absolutely heartbreaking.
> 
> When I visited in 1986, it was the early years of the AIDS epidemic, which devastated Uganda and many of the surrounding countries. The locals referred to it as 'SLIM' then and many villages had lots of empty homes, reflecting the high mortality rates. I was deeply affected by what I saw and subsequently became actively involved in the HIV/AIDS field, as a result of the experience.


Good for you. It was thought that AIDS originally made the crossover from monkey to human somewhere in the south of Uganda but don't know if that's true. I was going to ask you where you'd been. Did you visit the equator?



Templeton said:


> Haiti was also a wonderful experience, although I visited in 1989 and 1999, before the earthquake. It was a little bit like Africa in the Caribbean. If you've read Graham Greene's ' The Comedians', it gives some flavour of the place. In fact, while I was there I did stay at the hotel, which forms the central setting of the novel and met the real life individual, upon whom one of the central characters of the novel was based. He was even more sinister, in real life, than in the novel!
> 
> Ah, happy memories...


That is scary and cool in equal measures!!!


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## sospiro

Stavrogin said:


> Here's my list, by continent
> 
> AFRICA
> Morocco
> Tunisia
> 
> ASIA
> Cambodia
> Lao
> Thailand
> Turkey
> Viet Nam
> 
> EUROPE
> Austria
> Belgium
> Croatia
> Czech Republic
> Estonia
> Finland
> France
> Germany
> Hungary
> Iceland
> Italy
> Latvia
> Lithuania
> Luxembourg
> Malta
> Netherlands
> Poland
> Portugal
> Romania
> Russian Federation
> San Marino
> Slovenia
> Spain
> Sweden
> Switzerland
> United Kingdom
> Vatican City
> 
> NORTH AMERICA
> U.s.a.


Now that is impressive!! Work or holidays?


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## senza sordino

40 countries, 42 if you include Monaco and The Vatican. 
Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Australia.


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## Templeton

sospiro said:


> No it was nearly _all_ of Uganda. Was a long long time ago! :lol:
> Good for you. It was thought that AIDS originally made the crossover from monkey to human somewhere in the south of Uganda but don't know if that's true. I was going to ask you where you'd been. Did you visit the equator?


I was mainly in the South, so Kampala, Jinja, Mbarara and the border area with Rwanda, as well as Fort Portal and Kasese in the West. The North, around Gulu, was still off limits, at least in 1986. Also visited Entebbe, where your photo was taken and crossed the equator several times during various trips.

In terms of the origins of the HIV virus, the jury is still out on this, although most researchers believe that its origins are in Central Africa. An interesting book that I read recently suggested Cameroon, in the early years of the twentieth century, is when the crossover to humans likely occurred but who knows? It's a very sensitive subject for some. A couple of interesting books on the topic, if you're interested, are:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chimp-River...K_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454520100&sr=1-12

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Origins-AID...qid=1454520140&sr=1-1&keywords=origin+of+aids


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## sospiro

*As a child/teenager* 
Uganda - lived
South Africa - holiday
Kenya - holiday
Tanzania - holiday
St Helena - brief visit
Egypt	- brief visit
Libya - brief visit
New Zealand - lived
Australia - holiday
Jamaica - brief visit
Bermuda - brief visit
Tahiti	- brief visit
Panama - brief visit
USA (Miami) - brief visit
Singapore - brief visit

*Watching F1*
Spain
Austria
Italy
France
Germany
Brazil
Hungary
Belgium

*Seeing opera*
USA (Seattle)
Germany
Netherlands
Switzerland
Poland
France
Romania
Austria


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## Templeton

sospiro said:


> *As a child/teenager*
> Uganda - lived
> South Africa - holiday
> Kenya - holiday
> Tanzania - holiday
> *St Helena - brief visit*
> Egypt	- brief visit
> Libya - brief visit
> New Zealand - lived
> Australia - holiday
> Jamaica - brief visit
> Bermuda - brief visit
> Tahiti	- brief visit
> Panama - brief visit
> USA (Miami) - brief visit
> Singapore - brief visit
> 
> *Watching F1*
> Spain
> Austria
> Italy
> France
> Germany
> Brazil
> Hungary
> Belgium
> 
> *Seeing opera*
> USA (Seattle)
> Germany
> Netherlands
> Switzerland
> Poland
> France
> Romania
> Austria


I think this tops everywhere else, unless somebody has been to Tristan da Cunha!


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## Stavrogin

sospiro said:


> Now that is impressive!! Work or holidays?


Not nearly as impressive as yours!

Mine were mostly holidays. 
For someone living close to Ryanair and easyJet bases during the explosion of the "low cost" phenomenon in Europe, in his 20s, it wasn't difficult to pile up city breaks all over Europe.

The Southeastern Asia group was for my honeymoon instead.


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## Stavrogin

Templeton said:


> I think this tops everywhere else, unless somebody has been to Tristan da Cunha!


My dream! 
But Svalbard and Easter Island come first.
Also, Palagruza island.


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## sospiro

Templeton said:


> I was mainly in the South, so Kampala, Jinja, Mbarara and the border area with Rwanda, as well as Fort Portal and Kasese in the West. The North, around Gulu, was still off limits, at least in 1986. Also visited Entebbe, where your photo was taken and crossed the equator several times during various trips.
> 
> In terms of the origins of the HIV virus, the jury is still out on this, although most researchers believe that its origins are in Central Africa. An interesting book that I read recently suggested Cameroon, in the early years of the twentieth century, is when the crossover to humans likely occurred but who knows? It's a very sensitive subject for some. A couple of interesting books on the topic, if you're interested, are:
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chimp-River...K_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454520100&sr=1-12
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Origins-AID...qid=1454520140&sr=1-1&keywords=origin+of+aids


Thanks for the book details, I will look into both these.

We lived in Kampala but our parents were keen to explore so I've visited all the towns on your list. Did you ever get to Kabale? It's such a beautiful place and we had several holidays there.


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## sospiro

Templeton said:


> I think this tops everywhere else, unless somebody has been to Tristan da Cunha!


:lol:

Soon St Helena won't be so remote as they've got an airport now and will soon have scheduled flights.

Link


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## sospiro

Templeton said:


> I think this tops everywhere else, unless somebody has been to Tristan da Cunha!





Stavrogin said:


> My dream!
> But Svalbard and Easter Island come first.
> Also, Palagruza island.


Easter Island is on my list too!

Easyjet and Ryanair have made an incredible difference to travel and have brought so many places within the financial reach of so many people.

I want to go to Nîmes and looked at the feasibility of going by train. I love travelling by train and my French is 'passable school girl' so I get by. Would be easy - Eurostar from St. Pancras > Lille > Nîmes. Cost: £260 return. Ryanair Luton to Nîmes costs £45 return. No brainer.


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## Stavrogin

sospiro said:


> Easter Island is on my list too!
> 
> Easyjet and Ryanair have made an incredible difference to travel and have brought so many places within the financial reach of so many people.
> 
> I want to go to Nîmes and looked at the feasibility of going by train. *I love travelling by train* and my French is 'passable school girl' so I get by. Would be easy - Eurostar from St. Pancras > Lille > Nîmes. Cost: £260 return. Ryanair Luton to Nîmes costs £45 return. No brainer.


I love that too too. I did the Transiberian trip, complete, Moscow-Vladivostok and it was an unforgettable experience.


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## sospiro

Stavrogin said:


> I love that too too. I did the Transiberian trip, complete, Moscow-Vladivostok and it was an unforgettable experience.


Wow - that is some train journey! How long does it take?


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## Stavrogin

sospiro said:


> Wow - that is some train journey! How long does it take?


It depends on how often and for how long you want to stop.
In theory, if you never stop, it takes 9 days if remember well (it was 10 years ago!).
Of course you WILL want to stop for 1-2 days in at least 2-3 cities...


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## TxllxT

sospiro said:


> *Easter Island* is on my list too!
> 
> Easyjet and Ryanair have made an incredible difference to travel and have brought so many places within the financial reach of so many people.
> 
> I want to go to Nîmes and looked at the feasibility of going by train. I love travelling by train and my French is 'passable school girl' so I get by. Would be easy - Eurostar from St. Pancras > Lille > Nîmes. Cost: £260 return. Ryanair Luton to Nîmes costs £45 return. No brainer.





















On Texel we've got our own female Easter island sculpture (made by someone from Easter island) + sandsculptures in the summer. I'm afraid that Easter island is a too touristic destination...


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## sospiro

Stavrogin said:


> It depends on how often and for how long you want to stop.
> In theory, if you never stop, it takes 9 days if remember well (it was 10 years ago!).
> Of course you WILL want to stop for 1-2 days in at least 2-3 cities...


:tiphat:

What a wonderful way to see a country.


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## Cosmos

Much less impressive than most of this thread, but I've done a good amount of travel with my family

I live in the US, and here are the cities I've been to outside of Chicago: Milwaukee, Miami, Orlando, Fort Myers, Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Diego, Seattle, Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway 

I've also been to the middle of nowhere Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Tennessee :lol:
Also have been all over Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands

Cities outside of the US: 
Victoria, Cancun, Barcelona, London, Oxford, Paris, Rome, Venice, Pisa, Florence

Other countries I've been to:
St. Maartin, Guadalupe, Barbados, Belize,


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## TxllxT

Cosmos said:


> Much less impressive than most of this thread, but I've done a good amount of travel with my family
> 
> I live in the US, and here are the cities I've been to outside of Chicago: Milwaukee, Miami, Orlando, Fort Myers, Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Diego, Seattle, Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway
> 
> I've also been to the middle of nowhere Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Tennessee :lol:
> Also have been all over Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands
> 
> Cities outside of the US:
> Victoria, Cancun, Barcelona, London, Oxford, Paris, Rome, Venice, Pisa, Florence
> 
> Other countries I've been to:
> St. Maartin, Guadalupe, Barbados, Belize,


Just out of interest: how do you visit an American city? On foot, or by car, or on bike, or by public transport?


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## Cosmos

TxllxT said:


> Just out of interest: how do you visit an American city? On foot, or by car, or on bike, or by public transport?


So I live in Chicago, and here I spend most of my time on foot or public transport. We have trains all over the city that my friends and I go on whenever we wanna go downtown. Or I drive around.

Visiting other cities: the "close by" places like in Wisconsin or Indiana, we drive to. They're longer drives, but not too bad. I think Milkwaukee is just an hour and a half of driving

The other cities we fly to. And when we're there, we rent a car to drive around. Or if we have friends/family in those places, they'll drive us.

We were in Alaska on a cruise, so we would sail to each city, and in the cities we'd walk around. Interesting enough, some Alaskan cities, like the capital Juneau, have no outbound roads. You can only access them by plane or boat.

Edit: Since most American cities are built on a grid system, they're easier to navigate than any European city I've been to


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## Templeton

sospiro said:


> Thanks for the book details, I will look into both these.
> 
> We lived in Kampala but our parents were keen to explore so I've visited all the towns on your list. Did you ever get to Kabale? It's such a beautiful place and we had several holidays there.


No, I don't think that I made it to Kabale, as I was heading down to Rwanda, so ended up travelling via Mbarara, if I recall correctly.


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## Lukecash12

EricABQ said:


> I'm interested in where people have travelled and their thoughts on the various places. Particularly if you are from outside the U.S and have travelled to the U.S I'd be interested in your impressions (even if negative.)
> 
> When I was in the Navy in the '90s I was very lucky to see quite a bit of the world. The comprehensive list is: Bahrain, United Arab Emerites, Kenya, Singapore (three times,) Thailand (three times,) Hong Kong, Phillipines, Saipan, and Guam (where my ship was home ported.) In fact, I have crossed every time zone on Earth either by air or sea. I flew from San Diego to Philadelphia, and then on to Bahrain to meet my ship. About three years later the ship was transferred from Guam to Oakland, CA, and when we made that trip I completed my circumnavigation of the globe.
> 
> Of the places I have been, I'd like to go back to either Kenya or Thailand the most. My visits were limited to just a couple of days each time with limited ability to really get out and see the countries. I'm not sure if I will ever get back, but I'd like to.


Yeah... I've been to California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Utah, and Oklahoma. It seems I've seen literally none of the world. I have often dreamt of going to see the Vatican, Parthenon, Jerusalem, Cairo, etc. but we'll see if anything ever materializes.


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## Lukecash12

SiegendesLicht said:


> Not in a whole lot of places like you all, just a few: the USA (twice), Germany (twice and planning on some more), Switzerland, Lithuania and Russia (St. Petersburg was quite nice, but Moscow I hated). The USA is the only country I got to see as an "insider", not as a tourist, since I lived there for a year and enjoyed it a whole lot. The other time I was there I did a "grand tour" from Washington DC to Chicago to the Colorado Rockies to the Grand Canyon to the middle part of California and back, so I got to see some of the most beautiful nature and architecture there is.


Hmmm... It's funny the way people from other countries talk about the USA. They just say "I saw the USA", which is about as specific to me as "I was somewhere in a North African country". I mean, there's a big difference between Alaska and Florida...



SiegendesLicht said:


> I worked in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was a blue-collar job, nothing high-class, but, hey, I was just a little over twenty at the time, and here I was, half a world away from home, and pretty much on my own (I did have a couple of good friends who helped me along though). It was... thrilling.


For Pete's sake! You were merely a few miles away from where I was born. Talk about a small world.


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## sospiro

EricABQ said:


> I'm interested in where people have travelled and their thoughts on the various places. Particularly if you are from outside the U.S and have travelled to the U.S I'd be interested in your impressions (even if negative.)


When I went to Seattle in 2012 (and changing planes at Washington Dulles when I went to Sao Paulo in 2006) the airport security staff terrified me. We're not used to armed officials and I was worried in case I said or did something wrong! By contrast the ordinary US citizens were absolutely lovely; very friendly and very helpful. Each time I left my hotel, I could guarantee that someone on the street would stop and say hello.



EricABQ said:


> When I was in the Navy in the '90s I was very lucky to see quite a bit of the world. The comprehensive list is: Bahrain, United Arab Emerites, Kenya, Singapore (three times,) Thailand (three times,) Hong Kong, Phillipines, Saipan, and Guam (where my ship was home ported.) In fact, I have crossed every time zone on Earth either by air or sea. I flew from San Diego to Philadelphia, and then on to Bahrain to meet my ship. About three years later the ship was transferred from Guam to Oakland, CA, and when we made that trip I completed my circumnavigation of the globe.
> 
> Of the places I have been, I'd like to go back to either Kenya or Thailand the most. My visits were limited to just a couple of days each time with limited ability to really get out and see the countries. I'm not sure if I will ever get back, but I'd like to.


What a fabulous way to see the world!


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## georgedelorean

For outside the US: Nogales, Playa del Carmen, and Cozumel, Mexico. Within the US (been to): Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, North/South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, Wisconsin.


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## ldiat

Saint Pierre and Miquelon


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## Taplow

Lived in: Australia, UK (England), Norway, Germany.

Visited: Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Vatican City, Monaco, Poland, Estonia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Turkey, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Canada, USA.


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