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Enjoying the great outdoors in the Canadian Rockies

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Running of the bulls in San Fermin, Spain

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Holi festival in India

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Getting drunk at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany

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Taking ayahuasca in the South American Amazon

Bump?

>>1248055
That looks like a nightmare

>>1248429
To me as well, but different folks like different things.

>>1248047
If you hear the words "Galapagos Islands," and any part of you goes 'Wow! That would be worth seeing!" then you need to save up the money and get there. The wildlife and the history makes it mind-blowing to be there.

Some folks might not get the rush-- in which case, skip it, as it is not cheap. But it's the most amazing place I've ever been.

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I want to see Turkmenistan before they close the famous gates of hell crater. You can only go there as part of a guided tour, so it takes some arranging.

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>>1248554
While you're in that part of the world:

Drive the pamir mountain range passing by the wakhan valley in Tajikstan, very underrated and seriously one of my best trips ever

>>1248763
Is that part of the world dangerous at all for westerners? As in, do you have to take any precautions you wouldn't have to take in most other countries?

>>1249125
The only '-Stan' country considered dangerous is Afghanistan. (Someone's going to reply to this post saying Pakistan should be on that list; from what I hear it has an undeserved reputation)
Every other central Asian country is perfectly safe.

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Top three things on my bucket list that I have accomplished:
>Musandam peninsula
>Mauritania's iron ore train
>Done multiple of the Great Walk hikes in New Zealand

Bucket list items I have yet to do:
>Kel-Suu lake in Kyrgyzstan
>Skeleton Coast in Namibia
>Snorkeling in the Andaman Islands, nudibranch capital of the world
>>1248554
Am I the only one who thinks this looks like a big disappointment? Photos of it in the daytime look like a big hole with a couple things burning in it. Worth seeing if it's near some other interesting stuff maybe, but I don't think it is.

>>1249130
Do you have any photos/stories about any and all of those places? I've not heard of most of them, and rather than just Google them, it could be interesting to hear it straight from the mouth of someone who has it on their bucket list.

test

>>1249127

>from what I hear it has an undeserved reputation

It's definitely a well deserved reputation.

Several large scale Islamist insurgencies currently & in the past, parts of the country currently in warfare (FATA), Baloch insurgency, several no go cities for westerners due to high kidnapping threat (Peshawar, Darra), boarders one of the most dangerous and in stable countries in the world, government constantly in turmoil of some kind, highly corrupt, many harsh rules for minor crimes (most religious related like blasphemy), lots of very anti western Pashtuns, some of the highest levels of Islamic extremism, lots of bombings in the past etc.

Trust me, its not a safe country by any measure, it can be visited without incident, but the chances of you running into trouble there is much, much higher than say neighbouring India, Iran or China.

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>>1249146
Sure. Oman as a whole has /trv/'s official stamp of approval as a fairy-tale destination, but Musandam is exceptional; better than Yosemite, better than any fjords I've ever seen. I was there with my girlfriend.
>Take ferry from Muscat to Khasab
>Bushwhack from Khasab to a tiny village on the coast, accessible only by boat
>Omani government gifted all the villagers with condos in the city, so the only inhabitants are Pakistani expats who live there because it's free
>We were half-dead with dehydration at that point; Paki bros take care of us, feed us and insist we sleep in their squat house with them
>Take us in boat back to civilization the next day; absolutely refuse any payment
Next day:
>Want to go on boat tour of fjords but the tour companies are trashy and expensive
>Go down to fishermen's dock and ask fisherman to take us to a secluded beach and pick us up the next day
>Yeah, no problem
>He takes us to a private beach miles from anything, then leaves us
>Tour companies have left garbage on the beach from their stupid BBQs, so we spend a couple hours cleaning it, stuffing litter in bags until beach is spotless
>Coral reef around beach is one of the best I've ever seen, wish we'd had snorkel equipment
>Hike up to top of mountain hunting for snakes and lizards
>Perseid meteor shower is happening that night
>Make love on the beach
>Fisherman takes us back to Khasab next morning, happily pay him $50

I snapped this photo from the plane. Our beach was adjacent to the small island on the center left.

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>>1249146
As for the iron ore train, it was interesting. I've written before about how it's no more or less than you want it to be -- I guess I'd compare it to the Camino de Santiago in that way. I was an Africa newbie, which made just getting to the train one of the hardest things I've ever done, and thus all the more rewarding. The train itself is an adrenaline experience; surreal and physically demanding. But Mauritania is a very welcoming country. The only thing to overcome is your own limitations and prejudices.
It's important to remember that most train-riders are native commuters who would much rather be riding in a car if they had that option.
Bottom line is it's definitely a life-changing experience, but having done it doesn't make you Indiana Jones.

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>>1249146
New Zealand is another place that can be anything you want it to be. My GF and I stayed in a hut not far from this photo during the winter. We spent three weeks reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez novels by a woodstove and chilling with Maori deer hunters when they passed by. When I'm old I'm going to remember experiences like that and weep.

>>1249176
>>1249183
>>1249186
Thanks for sharing, appreciate it.

>>1248052
exactly what is so cool about that?

Honestly, I always wondered

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I want to go backpacking (/out/ type) in Iceland, among other things...

>>1248047
hitchhiking from eu to Australia, through Pakistan
(partly 'because' of the Pakistan's reputation)

>>1249153
I'm sure what you say is based in truth. Thanks for offering your perspective.
Just to present another opinion, check out this guy's facebook. He takes westerners around the Pakistani mountains on motorbikes, and his blog is dedicated to changing Pakistan's image as a tourism destination. If you believe one quarter of his stories, Pakistan seems like a dream destination. Check it out.
http://www.adifferentagenda.com/
FB: /ADifferentAgenda/

>>1249719
Personally I just think it looks like a whole lot of fun. Pack the streets and release a few bulls? It's crazy, adrenaline-fulled. There's no way they'd get away with it now, but they can still do it here because it's tradition.

I think it's a nice atmosphere when people celebrate their local traditions like that, and it's nice to be a part of that. I picked >>1248055
for the same reason (>>1248461) but I accept that it might now be overrun by foreigners. That's a shame, even if it is a bit hypocritical to say that as a foreigner who wants to attend the event. The best times are when you're one of a small number of foreigners, and the locals are happy to accept you because they're proud to show you their culture.