{"id":3020,"date":"2015-11-19T22:57:16","date_gmt":"2015-11-19T22:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelcake.site\/?p=3020"},"modified":"2016-07-03T13:26:16","modified_gmt":"2016-07-03T13:26:16","slug":"100-essential-travel-experiences-part-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/100-essential-travel-experiences-part-5\/","title":{"rendered":"100 Essential Travel Experiences, Part V"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a tribute to carefree traveling, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m listing my most memorable travel experiences so far. You can read part 1,<\/a> part 2<\/a>,\u00c2\u00a0part 3\u00c2\u00a0<\/a>and part 4<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0in the previous posts.<\/p>\n

Without further ado, here are the next 15 travel experiences in no particular order<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

30.\u00c2\u00a0Bicycling\u00c2\u00a0on Nicaragua\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Isla de Ometeppe<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"OMETEPPE\"<\/a>
The Nicaraguan island of Ometepe boasts two volcanic peaks rising from the lake, surrounded by lush greenery. Riding a bicycle crossed the island was simply exhilarating; smelling the colourful tropical flowers, riding through fields of butterflies and ending with a cooling dip in a natural pool.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

29.\u00c2\u00a0Taking natural\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>mud baths<\/b><\/p>\n

\"MUD\"<\/a>
I’m always up for a “natural mud bath”! It seems to be a reoccurring theme recently. I’ve lathered myself with mud in Turkey, Israel and Colombia so far. Where will my next natural mud bath be?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

28. Whisky tasting in Scotland<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"WHISKY\"<\/a>
After having discovered the delicate taste of fine whisky a few years ago, Scotland jumped to the top of my travel wish list. I made it my mission to learn about the different types of Whisky and to sample as many as I possibly could without getting wasted.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

27.\u00c2\u00a0Bribing my way crossed an African border<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’d like to go back to that country one day, so maybe I should stay vague on this one… Why is it part of my top travel experiences? Because it’s a reminder of how your sense of morality is tied to your culture and situation. As much as corruption pisses me off and as much as I would plead for it to disappear from this world, I gave in that time in Africa as it seemed as though I had no other realistic options. This is one of the many ways travel broadens your world views and makes you reconsider your truths.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

26.\u00c2\u00a0Being invited to and attending a funeral in Sulawesi<\/a><\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

\"PRO\"<\/a>
“Good morning m’am, would you like to go to a funeral?” was the unusual way I was greeted in Sulawesi, Indonesia. “Sure”, I replied. Click on the title to read about death rituals and funerals in Tana Toraja<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

25.\u00c2\u00a0Hawker stall madness in Singapore<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"HAWKER\"<\/a>
What I remember most about Singapore is how much and how well I ate! I spent hours in hawker stalls ordering a plethora of dishes from different vendors, comparing the same dish by different cooks and trying foods that looked unfamiliar. Blue rice, jiggly soup, floating fish heads… My love for Southeast Asian street food was born.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

24. “Port Tasting”- road trip in the Douro Valley<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"DOURO\"<\/a>
Armed with an old-school road map and a box of Portuguese tarts we tackled the wining roads of the Douro Valley in search of the perfect Port wine. Click on the title to read about our short getaway in Portugal.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

23.\u00c2\u00a0Partying on Tel Aviv\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rooftops<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"ROOF\"<\/a>
I probably shouldn’t generalise but what the heck; Israelis know how to party! I found that out in Tel Aviv, where we were invited to one party after the other, each time in cool locations like a hidden beach shack, a secret basement, the desert or a boat at sea. My favourites where the rooftop parties.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

22.\u00c2\u00a0Staying in a luxury lodge in Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"LUX\"<\/a>
One of the tips I give people travelling in African countries for more than three weeks, is to splurge at least once on their stay in a luxury lodge. Our top notch lodge in Uganda had an infinity pool with views on the national park. While sipping from our cool beers on our deck, we could spot troops of elephants traversing the plains. WOW!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

21. Haggling in markets all over the world<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"MARKET\"<\/a>
If you ask me, markets are the beating heart of every country and the best school to learn the art of haggling. Going to the local market is what I look forward to most prior a trip.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

20. Crossing Zanzibar by motorcycle\u00c2\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"With<\/a>
With our rented motorcycle we slowly cruised the spice island, stopping in small villages and empty white sand beaches. Pictured here is the fish market in Stone Town. Click on the title to read more about Stone Town<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

19. Receiving blessings from holy men\/women<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"No<\/a>
No matter the religion or philosophy, I never refuse a blessing. I feel as though the many blessings I’ve received from ‘holy men and women’ throughout the years, have really had their effect.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

18. Cooling down in an Iranian desert oasis<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Garmeh,<\/a>
Staying in an Iranian desert oasis is exactly as exotic and enchanting as you would imagine. Click on the title to read about my stay in Garmeh, the desert oasis of my dreams.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

17.\u00c2\u00a0Spending lazy days in love on a South Indian beach<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"LOVVE\"<\/a>
Or any beach for that matter…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

16. Taking overnight trains in Zimbabwe<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"wpid-zimbabwe-train\"<\/a>
My friend and I were just 18-19 years old and the only tourists on the rusty Zimbabwean trains to Bulawayo and Victoria falls. Two nocturnal journeys talking to local youths, binging on snacks, laughing and doing everything in our power not to go to the extremely unhygienic toilets. Photo by Daryle Dickens<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Next, the last 15 items on\u00c2\u00a0the list! Curious about Part 1<\/a>, Part 2<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0,\u00c2\u00a0Part 3<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0 or Part 4<\/a> of this list? This series will be continued every other Thursday!\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The post \u00e2\u20ac\u0153100 Essential Travel Experiences, part IV<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d first appeared on Travel Cake<\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a tribute to carefree traveling, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m listing my most memorable travel experiences so far. You can read part 1, part 2,\u00c2\u00a0part 3\u00c2\u00a0and part 4\u00c2\u00a0in the previous posts. Without further ado, here are the next 15 travel experiences in no particular order:     30.\u00c2\u00a0Bicycling\u00c2\u00a0on Nicaragua\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Isla de Ometeppe   29.\u00c2\u00a0Taking natural\u00c2\u00a0mud baths   28. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[103],"tags":[110,5,38,11,12,104,111,20,27,44],"country":[],"class_list":["post-3020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lists","tag-africa","tag-asia","tag-backpacking","tag-europe","tag-experiences","tag-lists","tag-middle-east","tag-off-the-beaten-track","tag-photo-essay","tag-top-things","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3020"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3020\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3436,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3020\/revisions\/3436"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3020"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=3020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}