Hey there crew,
We are in South Korea and having a ball. Actually, by now we are flying home
Righto!
So I am running INCREDIBLY late with stuff for this holiday and my mind has turned to mush. Instead of writing a post I thought I could ask you all for your input:
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What destinations are on your holiday list? Where have you been that you’d like to return to or where would you LOVE to go? What do you prefer, an active, exciting holiday, lazy relaxing holiday? Is it shopping, sniffing, eating, scenery, friends or adventure?
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My answer: As you know I love to travel. What seems to happen is I either go to visit friends or go to check a new place and see as much of it as I can. When traveling with Jin that means being up at the crack of dawn and falling into the bed a couple of hours before the next dawn. We see Museums, walk the streets and get lost, find cafes. catch public transport and as Jin so eloquently puts it, “We act so local”.
One of things I like to have is a breakfast buffet, it’s so much better to tromp downstairs and grab food, that’s where I do my Post Card writing and Jin plans the days adventures. I prefer a 4* but will happily sleep No Star if the Breakfast is good.
Where do I like to go? Well, numerically I’ve spent the most visits to India, I think 15 or 16 trips now and every time India makes me want to go back again. When they wrote Incredible India they weren’t joking. Followed closely by the UK, I lived there for a couple of years in thew 1990s and have been back numerous times for all sorts of reasons from work to weddings.
Where have I not been that is on the list, I’ll give you my Top 5 Want To Destinations1. South America: Yes the whole damn continent. Recently Jin and I bought motorbikes to prepare for a trip following The Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevara.
2. Madagascar: The lovely island off Africa that DreamWorks made into a MUST SEE on my list.
3. Canada: I know, you’d think I would have been there but as yet it hasn’t happened. I had my fingers crossed for this November but the gods saw other things in my lifeline. that’s cool, I’ll get there.
4. Russia: Sadly they are going through some madness there but one day I will get to Russia, with love. Imagine me in full drag tramping through the major cities of Russia. Yes, me too!
5. Israel: The center of so many of the world’s faiths, filled with the icons of my childhood religious upbringing. It would be interesting and informative to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.
Tell me about your travels or your “I Wish” list?
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 
Hi Portia,
South Korea tops our travel wish list! We have not been there, would love to go and have a list of places we want to visit. Australia is next (haven’t been there either). After that I think we would just like to sit around in a garden in Kona and watch flowers, birds, mountains and sea. I like lazy vacations. Also, I miss the middle east.
Azar xx
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Hey Azar,
I think I’ve asked you before to come visit or to travel with us through Korea. Don’t expect a lazy holiday with Jin though. I’ve come home for some down time.
Portia xx
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We would love to do that and are actually trying to figure out when we could take time (2015?). Life just seems to get away from us. I imagine a trip to South Korea would be filled with destinations and visits to historic sites and of course great food and there would probably not be one lazy day to relax, the kind of holiday that needs a vacation to recuperate from!
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I don’t travel in the summer because I want to spend every free minute in my garden, so I am only interested in places that are nice to visit when it’s winter in the Northern Hemisphere. India is one of my top want-to-sees. Hawaii is so beautiful that it seems like magic, and I’d love to go back. I haven’t thought much about South America but there are great possibilities there. And of course Australia!
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Hiya FeralJasmine,
EVERYWHERE is nice to visit in Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. I love that you can see a city with mainly its inhabitants and hardly cue for attractions. Snow makes everything beautiful too.
Portia xx
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If I money were no object I would be in Italy every June. Venice, Florence, Rome.
One day I will walk the Cinque Terra.
Grazie for the inspiration!
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Hi there JackieB,
Yes those Cinque Terra fishing villages look like an incredible trip, walking them would be a journey and a half.
Italy, FAB U LOUS!
Portia xx
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If I had unlimited funds I would travel further afield. I would love to go to Tierra del Fuego in southern Argentina; Namibia; Australia; Huangzhu, China; and of course I would love to see northern Norway in particular Tromso in both the summer and winter solstice. You have me dreaming…
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Sandra,
I’ve not yet been to South America but it is on the priority list. Norway would be too incredible. If you decide to go please let me know, though not next year 2015 is holiday free except a short visit to see Jin’s family.
Portia xx
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I would love you to visit Israel-you’ll have lots of fun in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem has such a special feeling…
scentwise, and not only-full desert though…
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Hi there Irina,
A few years ago I had a magical Sydney Mardi Gras fling with a Tel Aviv man for a couple of weeks.
One day I will get to your amazing country.
Portia xx
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Loved reading about your dream destinations and everybody else’s.
I’d love to hear about your trips to India one day. My mother was born in Bangalore but I’ve never been.
It makes me very happy that the UK is your second favourite place. It means you will keep coming back 🙂
I’m so impressed you and Jin have bought motorbikes to recreate The Motorcycle Diaries.
Of course I want to come to Australia to see where you and Natalie live and Paris where I haven’t been since I was 18 or into perfume. Hopefully I should be seeing Vienna next year so that will be amazing. Going to places where you have friends is great.
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Tara,
Your Mum was born in Bangalore? Therein lies a tale I’m sure Tara. Next time we get together we must have a dinner duo and you can tell me the whole lot. I’m agog.
Vienna. Those guys are the best, you will be treated like visiting royalty. Which is exactly as it should be. We always stay in the Royal Hotel near St Stephens, right in the middle of the action near shopping and transport. The buffet breakfast is great and you can get excellent deals at the hotel discounters.
WOW! You are going top have a marvelous time.
Portia xx
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I’ve been to Russia and Canada, both terrific (go on, wear the drag!) but not Africa or Israel, I agree they would be very special destinations. 🙂
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Ha Ha ha! I might wait until their current stance on gays calms down a little, and crazy Putin has finished his reign. Hope fully I’ll see the day when gays are welcomed with love in Russia.
Portia xx
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I would love to go to India, which will hopefully happen no later then next summer for my friend’s wedding! I also hope to go to Italy, Greece, Israel, and Brazil in no particular order, as soon as I have more free time 🙂
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Hey there Nemo,
Where in India will the wedding be held? If you’ve never been to an Indian wedding before prepare for a week of festivities. My one piece of India travel advice is to bring a snack food or two that you love. There will be days when only a home snack will curb the culture shock. If all else fails ask for a toasted cheese sandwich.
Portia xx
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I believe the wedding will be in or near Hyderabad? This will be my first Indian wedding (and a small one with only ~400 guests?!?). Thank you for the advice! That sounds like good advice for travelling pretty much anywhere 🙂
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Hi Portia. I love travelling and one of many places I absolutely loved visiting was Hawaii. Been there so many times and love to go back there again. I visited and lived in quite a few places; a few Middle Eastern countries, Egypt, Tanzania, a few places in South East Asia, a few in Europe & USA, Far East, Mexico, etc… But I’ve never been to Australia! That’s high on my list of somewhere I want to visit. Another would be South America, especially Peru. 🙂
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WOW! What has led you to live in these amazing and far flung places ThinkingMagpie? Please come visit us in OZ we will take great care of you.
Portia xx
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hi 🙂 good luck in ticking them all off 😉 south america is just amazing.
e.
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Edith,
I can’t wait to get to South America.
I think 2016 is going to be a BIG travel year. Fingers crossed.
Portia xx
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Love your destinations, Portia.
I haven’t been yet to so many placed I’d like to go… Canada, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic… and probably the rest of Europe.
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One day Undina we will meet in an exotic location of our dreams and have a laugh.
Portia xx
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Being a poor graduate student has dictated my travel for the last five years – wherever I can justify going for research and funding. This means I have spent a lot of time in France, Italy and the UK. Quel dommage! Previously I have both lived and worked in the UK, travelled most of Western Europe with the exception of Spain (I know..), Egypt, large tracts of the USA, the Western half of Canada, Japan..
My travel wish list is huge and well, I need to get started before the Stupid Chronic Disease makes it impossible. So when I graduate, find work (aha) and money the immediate plan is Iran, Oman, Turkey and India (desperately want to go). Possibly with Israel. I would love to get to China, Cambodia, Burma and Vietnam… OK, you see that this escalates pretty fast and I just start listing continents with a wave of my hand. Africa, Sth Americas, Finland, Iceland… I will be dreaming of it. 😛
My doctorate is in history (medieval) and that probably sums up my travel style – two parts extreme nerd and the rest devoted to eating and experiencing. Often these things combine. I will drag myself around museums, historical sites ranging from yesterday to 2000 years ago, food, wander randomly, read a book in random spots and stand like a star struck idiot in front of a piece of concrete that now covers the spot where something happened in the past.
Poverty generally dictates that I stay in the cheapest accommodation that I can safely do so (and when I was younger… not so safely) and walk a great deal. Mostly I travel alone, because well.. not sure. Maybe I smell? Hmm. I am off to Paris in about a month for some last minute research.
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Hey Enname,
I used to love traveling cheap but I found out on our South Korea trip that I need a few things and they are now not negotiable. A bed with a mattress, a bath and a changing diet. Also I prefer to travel by train where possible.
Where you have traveled is mind boggling, the rest will happen with luck too. I wish it for you.
Portia x
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I love this post and it sounds like you and Jin get to do stacks of travel. I’m in France at the moment and am dying to see more of Europe. Really keen to go to Budapest for some unknown reason and need to get to Rome and Venice and Morocco is also close so hopefully I will get there. But I’m always up for a Paris trip and am planning one as we speak with my mum who is coming over from NZ in July. Can’t wait. Need to save up for some perfumed treats! I’m also attracted to a destination if I think they’ll do good food. Asia in my opinion totally rocks on that front. One of the things I miss most about home is the availability of so many different Asian cuisines.
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