Femi

To follow up on the conversation in Craigs trip report, I was wowed by Burma; laid back people, gorgeous countryside, Lake Inle...

...and I was underwhelmed by Bali; polluted, crowded...

If we include Turkey as an Asian destination, it provided the biggest 'Wow!' I've had yet.

Kathie

Places I was "wowed" by:

Angkor
Central Java
Sri Lanka
Egypt
Petra
my first experience of Bangkok
wowed in a quieter way by Luang Prabang


Places that I felt underwhelmed by:
Greece
Chiang Mai

There are lots of places I've enjoyed but did not feel wowed by, for instance, Morocco, Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak, Viet Nam, Turkey.

Thyra

Hmmm WOW
* Egypt
* Kenya
* Venice Italy
* Paris (ALWAYS)

Underwhelmed
* Greece (got REALLY SICK)
* Limerick (though Ireland is cool overall)

Guenmai

Wowed by places...Denmark...at the age of 17...back in 1973....Ghana a few years ago...went twice in two years...Morocco and Tunisia...back in either 1981/1982 or 1982/1983...Paris...back in 1976...the first time....Singapore/Thailand/Bali...the first time back in 1998....and New Zealand...back around 1994...and also Istanbul..back in 1999. That's all I can think of right now. Happy Travels!

ekscrunchy

Underwhelmed: Greece

Craig

When I discussed this with my wife Jeane she reminded me that we too were "wowed" by our first trip to Thailand.

glorialf

Places wowed by (in no special order:

Borobodour
Bali (back in 1989)
Cappadocia
Florence & Tuscany
Venice
Alhambra
High Atlas Mountains & their oasis
Karakorum Highway
Kashgar Market
Burma
Killing Fields
Angkor
Bangkok temples first time
Jain temples in India
Lake Atitlan & Chichicastenagro in the 70s
All of England
Paris & Vence/St. Paul de Vence area

NOT Wowed by:
Rome
Spain (escept for Alhambra)
Portugal
Singagpore
Lombok
Phuket
Ireland
Malaysia
Delhi
Beijing
Scotland
Scandinavian countries

Lots of other places I'd put in the middle category (great trip by no wow):Vietnam, rest of Turkey, China, Greece, Israel, Hong Kong, Japan etc

LeighTravelClub

Wow factor?

Angkor (Forever in my memory)
Egypt (Luxor and the valleys)
Vienna
Petra

and of course.....Phi Phi!

Lots of mini-wows....but thats my top five.

glorialf

If I had to narrow the WOWS down to I think they would be:
1. Jain temples in Rajasthan
2. Karakorum Highway (1992)
3. Morocco -- especially High Atlas Mountains (1980)
4. First trip to Thailand which was also my first trip to Asia (1985)
5. Bali (1989)
6. Florence (1972)
7. London (1968)

Femi

You guys are so organized! I've tidied my list up a bit.

Wow:
#1 Turkey (2002)
#2 (Almost a tie for #1) Burma (2006)
England (1991)
Mexico/Cancun (1995)Loved the warm crystal clear water, the pyramids, colonial and indigenous history (Merida).
Laos (2007)- Never seen a landscape like that before. Wowed on the flight into LP.

Non-Wow:
Bali - (2001)For reasons listed earlier
Morocco- (2000) Hassle factor, didn't find people to be that friendly.
Nigeria- (1993) HOT! Steamy, crowded.
Jamaica- (1993) Where I discovered I really didn't want to spend my entire vacation on water sports.
Bahamas- (1997)-Discovered I wasn't into duty free shopping.


Hmmm, looking at the lists above is making me re-examine Greece for next year.

landineen

Wow, the Colonial towns of Mexico. Hanoi. English countryside. Safari in Zambia. Nara, Japan. South of France.
Non Wow, Australia. Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. Agua Prieta, Mexico, Texas

gilawi01

My list of "wows" in no particular order: A lot

New Zealand
Egypt
Canadian Rockies
Midwest USA - Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Monument Valley, etc.
India (specially Varanasi)
Norway
Switzerland (Berner Oberland)
Bangkok
Patagonia
Peru (Machi Pichu)
Capadoccia (Turkey)
China (Guilin)
Japan
Angkor Wat
Santorini
Amalfi Coast
Iguazu Falls

Non "wowed"

Chile
Mexico
China (except Guilin)
France
Australia
Hong Kong
Denmark
Sweden
Rio de Janeiro

BillT

Paris

BKK

RHKKMK

Craig

Wowed or not wowed, Bill?

JaneB

Wowed:

Florence (1967)
Rome (1967)
Paris (always)
Japan (1969)
Hong Kong (1970)
Sicily (1976-1979)
Bangkok (2000)
Istanbul (2007)

Not Wowed:

Nova Scotia

BillT

I have always been wowed by Bob!

Kathie

After sleeping on this question, I realized that there were also "wow" experiences that were a part of a larger trip:

staying in the primary rainforest in the Danum Valley in Sabah

the Tower of London

Wandering alone in the Grand Bazzar in Istanbul until I knew my way around

Bora Bora

Being driven in a beat-up station wagon out into the barren rock and sand of the Sahara outside of Erfoud, Morocco. As a boy on the fender pointed the way through the drifting sand and the water bubbling through the rock, the wind exposed sections of perfect Roman roads. Spending the night at a tiny oasis - the stars so bright and plentiful. Arising in the morning to watch the sun rise over the dunes and returning to the oasis to be served bowls of chocolat chaud and freshly baked bread.

rhkkmk

lets see....almost every place we visit with a few exceptions:

non-WOW's:

korea
ireland
all of florida, especially orlando
gpanda in a speedo
las vegas
weekend market, bangkok
chiang mai



WOW's:

turkey X 2
thailand, each and every trip
angkor wat
egypt, especially the first sighting of the pyramids as you fly across the dessert on arrival into cairo
major european cities: paris, london, prague, berlin before the wall came down
collobrieres, france
windsor castle
taj mahal, in any light
first view of machu pichu as you round the corner of the entrace gateway
needham common
any fodors GTG
grand palace, bangkok
d'orsay museum, paris

Guenmai

I forgot to add...Florence...in the early 1980s, I think it was. Happy Travels!

cruisinred

Wow:
Bali (1986)...worried from the comments above that it has changed for the worse

Tobago Cays in the Grenadines...jaw dropping beautiful water/beaches

Chiapas, Mexico (1993)

Tuscany

Paris (I thought it would be a cliche....but it was just lovely)

Ravello, Amalfi coast


So-So
Barcelona (thought I would love it)
Berlin
Capri