Top 5 Attractive Places in the World – Carry on, or Burst

Welcome back to our Guest Post Blog Series. This month of August we have a list of travelers’ top 5 attractive places in the world to share. This time, we have Sam a nerd herself in a variety of ways. She will be sharing her favorite places, recommendations, and an unforgettable moment whilst on her travels.

Me? I’m Sam. I’m approximately 97 on the inside, 27 (I think) on the outside, born in Australia and currently living in London.

I am a nerd in a variety of ways, the most prominent however are History Nerd, Food Nerd, Travel Nerd, and Book Nerd. Motorcycles, ancient ruins, sushi, books, good friends, coffee, and doggos – these are the things that make me happiest in life.

On Sam’s Blog – Carry on, or Bust she shares about her travels, reviews, and other related stuff. She already traveled to 23 countries among them are India, Japan, Nepal, Kenya, Sudan, Greece, Jamaica, Colombia and many more.

Let’s find out Sam’s Top 5 attractive places or cities around the world. I’m sure everyone is excited!

5. Aswan

Situated in the Nubian Desert, Aswan is the perfect base for travel in the South of Egypt. You have the Island Temple of Philae, which you can only get to by boat and which has some of the most extraordinary carvings throughout its history – from the ancient Egyptians to Christian graffiti.

It’s also a good base to visit Abu Simbel. Both of these temples have an interesting story – neither of them is where they were! Both temples have been broken down, brick by brick, and moved to protect them from destruction by the Nile when the Aswan Dam was built.

There is a real feeling of history meeting the present in Aswan. You can go for a stroll down the corniche, along with the Nile, and find the Old Cataract Hotel. Agatha Christie stayed here, she even got her inspiration for her Egyptian stories from this visit.

Princess Dianna, Howard Carter, and Winston Churchill all stayed here – and so can you. I felt as if I wasn’t really there like I was watching a very realistic film and any minute could be pulled away. Every minute I spent here of my spare time on the hotel roof terrace staring out at the incredible scene before me.

I loved being in Aswan because it felt like I was in Egypt proper – the Nile, the ancient places, the proximity to the desert, and how quiet it was compared to Cairo. I had a similar feeling in Alexandria, with its crumbling buildings kissing the Mediterranean.

Both Aswan and Alexandria have the same meeting of past and present, whereas Cairo is very modern. I had to debate with myself which was my favorite – and I think if Alexandria had more ancient sites it would have been a draw! 

4. Kathmandu

Just thinking about Kathmandu I get sad that I only had a few days there. It was this amazing mix between the modern city and the Kathmandu from the 70’s you read about. There were wi-fi and hot water – but also several hours a day when the electricity company would switch off the power to the city so that there would be enough overnight.

This was one thing that really threw me, but by the time I left Nepal I was used the sporadic electricity – I just wish I’d had an external battery back then!

Kathmandu is the perfect launching point to see Nepal because although you can fly to Pokhara and other places, driving through the country was my favorite part! The mountains are beyond breathtaking, and while it was a bit of a drag getting caught in traffic for SIX HOURS it was easily some of the most striking countryside I’ve ever seen.

Recommendation:

If you have the chance, in Pokhara, go hang gliding. It is not like base jumping or skydiving. You get a little rush when you run off the side of the mountain, but then you are up in the air – stable. Like you are in Wonder Woman’s invisible plane! It isn’t scary, and seeing Pokhara from above is unforgettable!

3. Naples

Naples gets a lot of bad press – don’t go there it’s dangerous, you’ll be robbed, everything is filthy. Technically, none of those things are entirely untrue. There is a high crime rate in Naples, robberies are common, and an ongoing problem between the rubbish disposal company and local government means that rubbish is piled up on street corners. But Naples is beautiful.

The history there, the buildings and their architecture, the food. It all comes together in a perfect storm of experiences. I have never had pizza again like I did in Naples, as cliché as that is. I was also lucky enough to visit Capri – and all of a sudden I had a new standard of beauty to hold places too.

The biggest thing that can put people off is the crime rate. We stayed with a friend who lived there, and I was advised not to wear any jewelry at all – not even my cheap ring – because it will make people think about mugging us.

We took the advice, and we had someone try and pickpocket us – three times! He kept walking past us and circling around and trying again, it wasn’t subtle. We did not get robbed because we had taken our friends’ advice.

Recommendation:

Take the advice with you, not the fear. I will return to Naples and I will once again enjoy how real it is. There is no-show, song, or dance put on for tourist’s sake. Go to the pizza place you’ve read about, but don’t panic if you can’t get into or find the famous one. Naples is the experience on its own, you don’t need all the extra bits to make a visit there worthwhile.

2. Amman

Amman was, to put it mildly, a complete surprise.
When I was deciding to book my dream trip to Egypt, I saw this trip with a few days in Jordan. I didn’t really know much about Jordan apart from that Petra was there.

I thought, ‘why not – it’ll be nice to see somewhere else as well and they look at the dead sea!’

Then I arrived in Amman, and I climbed to the top of the hill with the temple of Hercules, and I looked out over the city. The muezzin call started, and it was like standing on top of the world.
The city was so beautiful, and the mountains of Jordan beyond.

Amman is a great city, with so much to see. If you want to get out for a day I absolutely recommend Jerash. It is a short car ride out of the city – it will cost you about 50 dinars for a taxi out there who will wait for four hours and drive you back.

Recommendation:

Make some friends at your accommodation and head out there together to share the cost. Jerash is an amazing Roman city, preserved almost in its entirety. You can walk around an in the ruins of hippodromes and temples. You feel like you’re stepping back in time.
And almost NO ONE is there your own personal ancient site.

1. Athens

Athens seems to be one of those places – you love it or you hate it. Probably, I’m a little biased because Athens was the first place I ever went completely on my own. I was 21, and NO clue how to travel solo.

I got on the wrong bus, I got lost, and I had to be rescued by my taxi driver’s boss’s mother. That was when I first encountered the genuine kindness of the Greeks.

Athens is a beautiful city full of things to do, and see, and great people. It was where I learned how to be an independent traveler.

The one thing that threw me, and gets talked about a lot, is the graffiti. To see a wall without tagging, or a messy scrawl is rare. It can be incredibly confronting the first time you see your accommodation covered in spray paint.

But to me, it’s like that saying “if everything is on sale, nothing is on sale”. Everywhere has it, so it is nothing to be alarmed about. Plus, the positive side of this is that the bona fide street artists of Athens can thrive – and my word there are some incredible street artists in Athens.

Recommendation:

If you are in Athens and have limited time, make sure you absolutely go to the Agora. It has two of the most spectacular buildings in all of Greece, in my opinion. There’s the temple of Hephaestus, still standing and in constant use for hundreds of years.

You have the Stoa of Atlas, built by the American School to the ancient specifications which now houses a miniature museum – and the best air-conditioning in Athens. You can walk around the Agora and gaze up at the Acropolis, and get a feel for what ancient life was really like.

Guest Blogger

Let’s thank again our Guest Blogger Ms. Sam for sharing us her Top 5 attractive places from all over the world. Including her precious moments on every travel she does and all her good tips and recommendations.

Don’t forget to follow journey via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Blog: Carry On, or Burst

Top 5 Attractive Places in the World – Carry on, or Burst