Exotic Destination

[Justchecking]

I didn't find Thailand exotic at all. It was just dirty and suffering from the worst kind of development, an over population of American franchises. I find it hard to feel the exoticism when a MickeyDs is staring you in the face on every street corner. It really did scream......this is where Aussies go on their cheap holidays.

Go somewhere the culture hasn't been tainted by Corporate America.

 

[RB]

Throwing in Sri Lanka as an idea. I understand there is a bit of diving there (not sure of the quality) & it seems to fit your friends outline. I am travelling there in Feb & will do a trip report.

 

[amaroo]

I didn't find Thailand exotic at all. It was just dirty and suffering from the worst kind of development, an over population of American franchises. I find it hard to feel the exoticism when a MickeyDs is staring you in the face on every street corner. It really did scream......this is where Aussies go on their cheap holidays.

Go somewhere the culture hasn't been tainted by Corporate America.

Thailand is no different to any other country in that there are all sorts of experiences & a broad scope to accommodate any budget.

Thailand offers the bog standard mass market experience as well more exotic of the beaten track holidays.

 

[Stargazer]

Thanks for posting the photos. They are truly amazing. I will pass them onto my friend.

 

[Cynicor]

Thailand definately has the western tourist traps, and patpong may well be the worst in the world for it, but just because you saw one or two cities does not mean there are no exotic areas. One is not compelled to stay in coughet or Chang mai, and I found the Khao lak area to be exotic while still able to retire to a 5 star hotel.

If you want to go to basics even more, you can stay in a rainforest. The OP has mentioned diving, so there is a limit to how 'exotic' (isolated) you can get, while still having adequate dive infrastructure.

 

[harvyk]

Anywhere in Perth WA

I'd second that, I'm doing the trek from the airport to the CBD next week, I have my fingers crossed that the locals are friendly otherwise it could get interesting...


On a more serious note, does this have to be an OS trip? There are some pretty remote places here in AU that are well and truely off the beaten track, and because everyone visits Thailand it doesn't have the same ring to it as "the nearest bit of civilisation was 500km away, which would be quite easy to do here"

 

[LJS DeBarba]

(I expect negative feedback from this post, but) I can think of nothing more exotic than a place that is not officially a place. Therefore, I suggest you visit Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in North Africa. This is the piece of land that is on the Atlantic Coast and is situation between (and disputed by) Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania. The airport at Dakhla is serviced by Canary Fly (from the Spanish Canary Islands) and Royal Air Maroc.

 

[Stargazer]

(I expect negative feedback from this post, but) I can think of nothing more exotic than a place that is not officially a place. Therefore, I suggest you visit Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in North Africa. This is the piece of land that is on the Atlantic Coast and is situation between (and disputed by) Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania. The airport at Dakhla is serviced by Canary Fly (from the Spanish Canary Islands) and Royal Air Maroc.

This is probably too off the beaten track. I think my friend had something different in mind:!:.

I keep telling him to consider the Caribbean. Not too sure where as I have never been to the Caribbean

 

[aspace]

I would also highly recommend Cuba. Was there 2 years ago and it is unique and very exotic - like stepping back in time, very safe and great people who dance and drink rum all day...lots of fun. Stay in casa particulares (with families) or hotels.

I would suggest 2 weeks in Cuba - enough time to see Havana, Trinidad, Vinales and then somewhere else that grabs their fancy.

Then fly back to Cancun, jump on a ferry for 15 minutes and spend the last week on Isla de Mujeres, a very easy island to stay on.

"Isla" is Mexico's equivilant of Byron Bay - being the most Easterly point of Mexico. A tiny island, well suited for tourists, but no high-rises and a million miles away from Cancaun. Fun place to flop on a beach and have waiters bring you coughtails if you like that sort of thing. Surrounded by stunning aqua Carribean waters for scuba diving and swimming. Great fresh seafood restaurants abound and everyone drives around in golf buggies with a speed limit of 40kms...kind of sums up the speed of the island. Muy tranquilo (very relaxing) way to end the holiday.

 

[Stargazer]

I would also highly recommend Cuba. Was there 2 years ago and it is unique and very exotic - like stepping back in time, very safe and great people who dance and drink rum all day...lots of fun. Stay in casa particulares (with families) or hotels.

I would suggest 2 weeks in Cuba - enough time to see Havana, Trinidad, Vinales and then somewhere else that grabs their fancy.

Then fly back to Cancun, jump on a ferry for 15 minutes and spend the last week on Isla de Mujeres, a very easy island to stay on.

"Isla" is Mexico's equivilant of Byron Bay - being the most Easterly point of Mexico. A tiny island, well suited for tourists, but no high-rises and a million miles away from Cancaun. Fun place to flop on a beach and have waiters bring you coughtails if you like that sort of thing. Surrounded by stunning aqua Carribean waters for scuba diving and swimming. Great fresh seafood restaurants abound and everyone drives around in golf buggies with a speed limit of 40kms...kind of sums up the speed of the island. Muy tranquilo (very relaxing) way to end the holiday.

This sounds like the perfect holiday

 

[JohnK]

Exotic has a different meaning for all.

I love to go to Thailand regularly as I consider it an exotic destination. Planning on going to Laos soon and for a little bit of adventure thinking about a couple of days in Nepal.

I would also consider Galapagos Islands, Madagascar, Iceland, Greenland, remote areas of Canada exotic as well.

I would not consider places such as Bali or Fiji even remotely exotic.

 

[michaely]

If you and your friend are interested in diving, you might consider Palawan Province in the Philippines:- El Nido , a town, with diving facilities, and Puerta La Princesa the capital.
Have a look at it online . The cost is very reasonable, and its a little off the beaten track.
Good luck, Michael y

 

[dimmertwin]

Hi all,

I should have pointed out in my post that my friend plans to be away for three to four weeks, will be departing from melbourne and hasn't travelled extensively. So in terms of what he means by "exotic" I guess it means away from tourist traps, main cities. He is interested in diving, exploring different cultures and staying away from typical hotel chains so would be interested in local style accommodation. The idea is to string together two or three destinations to form an inclusive holiday. His budget is open -- the key is experiencing a different lifestyle. So any ideas would be welcome.

Try Cozumel. Great diving. Then back to the mainland, maybe Playa del Carmen as a base to visit the ruins at Tulum. Then on to Merida and the various sites around there. Great food and music in Merida.

 

[ChrisS]

First post:

Given the experience level, and diving interest, these are things I've done at some time and you can link them together into a combination of adventure/ leisure at a variety of cost levels ...at the end your friend should feel he/she has really been somewhere.

Fly into Bali and from there to Manado in North Sulawesi. For this bit I recommend you get a local agent to arrange the whole package starting from the airport. They can take out on a small speed boat to Bunaken national (underwater park) in a couple of hours and they would escort you diving around the reefs and lodging in one of the divers' traditional hotels right next to diving; back on the mainland you could go to a Minahasa restaurant in the hills with their unique dishes.

From there to near Bitung and truly world class muck diving supported from a couple of small hotels on the edge of the channel (one had a US dive master).

From there to an on-board-living diving trip either, from Makassar/Ambon or Indonesia's Papua, or from Bali, boats: traditional-ultra modern, comfy to super luxury, some pure diving, some combine calls at different island cultures petty well all feed magnificently and are technically good.

If Sumba is on the route, you could organise day/two day trips to real Neolithic villages and at the right month to the ritual battles of the ex-head hunters (not for tourists, it is an annual war avoidance ritual). Back to Bali to cool say at Kuba diving on the Karang Asam coast before home.

Variation: if you keep the on-board part down to say a week, then from Manado or Bali can fly to Balikpapan and arrange for agent to pick up and take to a riverboat trip up the Mahakam and over the inland lakes (freshwater dolphins) to Dayak villages ... range from two of you on a
A) 12 metre wooden boat with a single long sleeping cabin above,
B) powerboats, or my favourite, and
C) old two deck riverboat (props not wheels) with basic cabins, restaurant room and sun deck (took small kids to grandma on that, they never forgot)

–allow 4 days for that trip, make sure about which boat it is. Because of agent trickery I had to hunt down and negotiate a C) in the middle of the night and move a crew and supplies from an A) to that...all part of the adventure.

 

[Ozzynomad]

Definitely consider MYANMAR (Burma).
A stunning and truly exotic destination.
Get there now before the Americans drop the sanctions and the crowds pour in..
Try this website MYANMAR TRAVEL GROUP dot com


Travel safe..

 

[wilco]

I went to Cuba in July and absolutely loved it! Its just a pain in the a$$ to get to.

 

[dimmertwin]

I went to Cuba in July and absolutely loved it! Its just a pain in the a$$ to get to.

I was there in '96 and you're right. It's fantastic.
Easy to get to from Merida in the Yucatan however. Short hop on a Cubana flight.

 

[The Rok]

Don't VS fly non stop to Cuba from Heathrow?

 

[wilco]

Don't VS fly non stop to Cuba from Heathrow?

and AF from CDG, CU from ORY, IB and UX from MAD, AC from YYZ, DE from FRA......

but none of them make getting to HAV easy.

 

[Happy Dude]

How about PNG? Madang might fit the project description.

If your friend's vision of exotic involves palm trees, white sand and blue water then yep, head to the Caribbean (or the Maldives, GBR etc etc) but they're hardly off the beaten track (a fanciful notion these days - particularly if diving is involved).

If your friend is looking for more of a shangri-la type of exotic, then SW China (or the Himalayas) would do the trick. Again, not off the beaten track though.

If he's seeking exotic for the purpose of bragging rights, think far-flung outposts. Try the old trade routes of NW Africa (eg Timbuktu) or Western China (Kashgar). Probably doesn't fit the project description though.