""Adventure is Discomfort in Retrospect"" kucha's Profile

The first trip I remember is a journey across the United States in an ancient car -- all the way from the Midwest to Death Valley. Although only 3 at the time, the trip is imprinted in my memory for being hot, dusty and long ... but exciting. We loved seeing new places every day, eating a roadside diners and hearing the colorful local histories. For the next decade or so of my life, we began traveling abroad every other year, often staying for long periods in the homes of my parents' friends. These home bases allowed us to get to know certain places deeply, as well as begin to acquire some foreign language skills.

Well here I am ... many years later... and still traveling. I've found ways to feed my love of travel through school studies, through my jobs, through acquiring new languages, and simply through frequent recreational travel. Beginning with my home country, I've managed to spend time in all all but two states (Alabama and Alaska). There is so much variety here, I can understand why many are satisfied to travel only in the U.S.

This was not enough for me, however. Overseas, so far I have been to almost 100 countries (using the VT counter), although a few less according to my counter (VT seems to count certain non-independent or unrecognized countries). Many of these countries have been fabulous and have been the stuff of many repeat trips. A few such examples include France, Italy, Spain, The Czech Repulic, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Other countries have been notably less appealing :)

My methods of travel are varied. Other than by air, I've traveled by motorcycle, bicycle, raft, train, dugout canoe, sailing boat, cruise boat, by foot and -- msot recently -- by zip line!

Now, with four young girls in tow, I've been focused on tamer vacations, such as the Caribbean and Europe. That said, we try to sneak some light adventure into the mix, as with recent trips to Costa Rica and Brazil's Amazon and Pantanal regions, for instance.

Looking back, the best travel experiences I've had, in retrospect (of course) are the ones in which I had to suffer just a little -- heat, bugs, slime, scary flights, strenuous exercise, ... whatever! Therein lies the reason behind my travel motto: Adventure is Discomfort in Retrospect.

Happy Travels to all.... Kucha

Rio Grande, Brazil

I love Brazil, having worked here for many years off and on. In particular, I spent a lot of time in the southern states of Rio Grande, Parana and Santa Catarina. Recently I traveled to the Juma River Lodge with my four little girls and then followed up with a week-long trip into the Pantanal. It was really fantastic game viewing and we did it all with only small backpacks for two weeks!

More Desert Heat, in Scottsdale, AZ

This is one of my favorite locations for vacationing -- if I have to stay in the U.S. It manages to blend active endeavors, such as hiking and skiing, along with spectacular sightseeing in the many gorgeous canyons and desert areas. I have really enjoyed, in particular, two trips to the Sedona area and a trip to the Grand Canyon on which I went to the bottom of the canyon on the back of a tired, old mule.

Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

I've taken more than a dozen separate trips to Africa in my life (so far!) and can't wait to go again in the near future. My favorite countries include Botswana and Zimbabwe, although the Ngonorongo Crater (below) in Tanzania had some of the best animal viewing ever. I was also part of groups that climbed Kilimanjaro on two separate occasions, experiences that I will never forget!

Zihuatenejo, Mexico

I lived and worked in Mexico for more than 2 years a while back and got to know many areas of the country well. I've also vacationed many times in Mexico since then and love the Yucatan (great ruins, spicy food, beautiful beaches), as well as Oaxaca and Zihuatenejo. The latter is as close as I ever get to repeating vacations, in fact, since I typically like to keep trying new places. Yet, Zihuatenejo is an easy place to fall in love with. The beaches, the sunsets, the fish, the friendly people -- and easy to reach for those of us from NY.

Sunrise Over Lake Baikal, Russia

I've been to this amazing country only once -- before the fall of the Iron Curtain -- yet it was indelibly imprinted in my mind, as I was able to travel all over the country with a friend whose family was in the diplomatic service. As such, we saw so many places and had access to much that nobody else was able to see in those days. I loved answering all the questions that people had for me as a visitor from the United States (which was odd in those days) and, in particular, a three-day stay in the Irkutsk and Lake Baikal station was terrific, as was a day and night at a scientific research station on the shores of the lake.

St. Regis Mountain, Adirondacks Park, New York

Last spring we took over an old Adirondack compound in the beautiful Adirondack State Park in upstate NY. It's a fantastic place to escape, being only a few hours from NY, and offers an amazing wealth of outdoor activities without any of the attitude of better-known and better-traveled spots.

Red-Footed Booby, Galapagos, Ecuador

One of my best trips ever was a three week trip to Ecuador, including time in the mountains, time in the jungle and time in the beautiful islands of the Galapagos. I'm so thankful I was able to see these islands (for the first time anyway) on a sailing boat and before any development or tourism was allowed. From what I've seen more recently, the islands are being overrun by commerce and increasingly spoiled. I hope this trend slows and even stops, so that more people can experience the wonders of this location.