This last six months have been a roller-coaster ride of experiences and I have thoroughly enjoyed it, some things more than others. A few people have asked what my favourite things were, and I'm afraid it's hard to narrow it down to a top five or ten. Instead I have broken it into three categories - my favourite experiences, favourite scenery and things that I would definitely go back and do, either again or differently. They're simply in alphabetical order since I couldn't decide on a ranking. Here goes:
My favourite experiences:
Angel's Landing Hike in Zion National Park - although we were not overly impressed with the park itself this hike is one that you certainly don't forget! The views from the top were spectacular and the views to the bottom while climbing gut-wrenching. Certainly not for the faint hearted!
Angel's Landing
Battambang - the bamboo train, sticky rice & bat cave made for a fabulous day. I would highly recommend taking a trip there to anyone who goes to Angkor Wat. If you missed our original posts earlier this month you can take a read here:
Battambang - Bamboo Train - Bat Cave
Buffalo Crossing in Yellowstone National Park - Yellowstone was our last National Park on the US leg of our tour and it was going to be a challenge to exceed all those that we had visited before but our encounter with a herd of buffalo made it very memorable.
Buffalo Crossing
Kashmiri Wedding - being invited to a traditional wedding was an experience not to be missed and certainly something I won't forget!
Kashmiri Wedding
Shashi's Cookery Class in Udaipur - we have now tested our Indian cooking skills on a few people and it seems Shashi's class was a great investment. Learning to cook in this ladies small kitchen without running water and minimal utensils was a great experience. The food still tastes divine :)
Cookery Class
My Favourite Scenery:
Angkor Wat - the temples around Siem Reap were simply amazing and as you can see from the blog posts we took a lot of photos. We did spend days exploring all the temples and could have spent even more as they are so large and the most impressive things were found while delving into the hidden nooks and crannies. My favourites were Angkor Wat and Ta Phrom.
Siem Reap - Angkor Wat - Angkor Thom - Ta Phrom - Around Angkor Wat
Bryce Canyon National Park - Bryce is not one of the most well known national parks but I thought it was amazing. The amphitheater was really cool and you could spend hours wandering around the hoodoos. Stargazing around our campfire was great despite the full moon dominating the night sky.
Bryce Canyon NP
Canyonlands National Park - Canyonlands was miles from everywhere but the main part at Island in the Sky offered some amazing views of the canyons that have been worn down over the centuries. It's an amazing sight that words can't really describe.
Canyonlands NP
Coastal Walk from Bondi, Australia - walking along the coastline outside Bondi actually reminded me of home where the Atlantic ocean crashes against the rocky shoreline in Donegal. Needless to say we don't have the same weather in Ireland but still it was a lovely reminder.
Bondi
Grand Teton National Park - the Teton range rises from nowhere to create an impressive scene with lakes below reflecting the might of the mountain range above. Certainly picture-postcard material and this park is where we had the most bear sightings.
Grand Teton NP
Ladakh - this was our first stop in India and the stunning scenery with clear blue skies is hard to forget. We did a few excursions while we were there and each day was impressive. Refresh your memory on some of these: Leh - Pangong Tso - Khardung La - Nubra Valley
Phalagam - autumn colours in the mountains of Kashmir were amazing and since it's off the beaten track it wasn't overrun with tourists. A beautiful corner of India I can certainly recommend!
Phalagam
Places I would go back to:
Bryce Canyon - we visited Bryce at full moon so our stargazing opportunities were somewhat dampened. Next time I would definitely go when there is no moon as Bryce has the best stargazing in the whole of the US!
Canyonlands - there is a rim trail which leads you around the edge of the canyon above the Colorado and Green rivers. You need a 4x4 to be able to do it and would be camping in the wilderness for a few days - perfect!
Grand Canyon - the view from the top is pretty amazing but I would personally like to hike down to the bottom of the canyon and back up. No mean feat with a 22 mile trek from the north to south rim and of course the heat of Arizona!
Grand Teton - The park is stunningly beautiful and one of my favourite places for scenery. The town of Jackson Hole lies right outside the park and I would love to spend more time there and do hikes or white water rafting or fishing or, the list is endless!
Nepal, Kashmir & Ladakh - our stays here were brief and we certainly didn't have the gear for hiking. Next time I'll certainly be bringing the hiking boots, some warmer clothes and maybe hire a Royal Enfield motorbike for a road trip.
And of course Australia, when I have more money again ;)
My favourite experiences:
Angel's Landing Hike in Zion National Park - although we were not overly impressed with the park itself this hike is one that you certainly don't forget! The views from the top were spectacular and the views to the bottom while climbing gut-wrenching. Certainly not for the faint hearted!
Angel's Landing
Battambang - the bamboo train, sticky rice & bat cave made for a fabulous day. I would highly recommend taking a trip there to anyone who goes to Angkor Wat. If you missed our original posts earlier this month you can take a read here:
Battambang - Bamboo Train - Bat Cave
Buffalo Crossing in Yellowstone National Park - Yellowstone was our last National Park on the US leg of our tour and it was going to be a challenge to exceed all those that we had visited before but our encounter with a herd of buffalo made it very memorable.
Buffalo Crossing
Kashmiri Wedding - being invited to a traditional wedding was an experience not to be missed and certainly something I won't forget!
Kashmiri Wedding
Shashi's Cookery Class in Udaipur - we have now tested our Indian cooking skills on a few people and it seems Shashi's class was a great investment. Learning to cook in this ladies small kitchen without running water and minimal utensils was a great experience. The food still tastes divine :)
Cookery Class
My Favourite Scenery:
Angkor Wat - the temples around Siem Reap were simply amazing and as you can see from the blog posts we took a lot of photos. We did spend days exploring all the temples and could have spent even more as they are so large and the most impressive things were found while delving into the hidden nooks and crannies. My favourites were Angkor Wat and Ta Phrom.
Siem Reap - Angkor Wat - Angkor Thom - Ta Phrom - Around Angkor Wat
Bryce Canyon National Park - Bryce is not one of the most well known national parks but I thought it was amazing. The amphitheater was really cool and you could spend hours wandering around the hoodoos. Stargazing around our campfire was great despite the full moon dominating the night sky.
Bryce Canyon NP
Canyonlands National Park - Canyonlands was miles from everywhere but the main part at Island in the Sky offered some amazing views of the canyons that have been worn down over the centuries. It's an amazing sight that words can't really describe.
Canyonlands NP
Coastal Walk from Bondi, Australia - walking along the coastline outside Bondi actually reminded me of home where the Atlantic ocean crashes against the rocky shoreline in Donegal. Needless to say we don't have the same weather in Ireland but still it was a lovely reminder.
Bondi
Grand Teton National Park - the Teton range rises from nowhere to create an impressive scene with lakes below reflecting the might of the mountain range above. Certainly picture-postcard material and this park is where we had the most bear sightings.
Grand Teton NP
Ladakh - this was our first stop in India and the stunning scenery with clear blue skies is hard to forget. We did a few excursions while we were there and each day was impressive. Refresh your memory on some of these: Leh - Pangong Tso - Khardung La - Nubra Valley
Phalagam - autumn colours in the mountains of Kashmir were amazing and since it's off the beaten track it wasn't overrun with tourists. A beautiful corner of India I can certainly recommend!
Phalagam
Places I would go back to:
Bryce Canyon - we visited Bryce at full moon so our stargazing opportunities were somewhat dampened. Next time I would definitely go when there is no moon as Bryce has the best stargazing in the whole of the US!
Canyonlands - there is a rim trail which leads you around the edge of the canyon above the Colorado and Green rivers. You need a 4x4 to be able to do it and would be camping in the wilderness for a few days - perfect!
Grand Canyon - the view from the top is pretty amazing but I would personally like to hike down to the bottom of the canyon and back up. No mean feat with a 22 mile trek from the north to south rim and of course the heat of Arizona!
Grand Teton - The park is stunningly beautiful and one of my favourite places for scenery. The town of Jackson Hole lies right outside the park and I would love to spend more time there and do hikes or white water rafting or fishing or, the list is endless!
Nepal, Kashmir & Ladakh - our stays here were brief and we certainly didn't have the gear for hiking. Next time I'll certainly be bringing the hiking boots, some warmer clothes and maybe hire a Royal Enfield motorbike for a road trip.
And of course Australia, when I have more money again ;)
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