We had Simon Goddard list his most overrated tourist attractions this week. There was a little bit of a stir in the comment section. ManOfTheWorld chastised Wanderlust for focusing on the negative. But Liz Cleere picked up the baton and wrote a post on the Forum asking myWanderlusters to list the places that left them cold. It is by far the most active post on the Forum this week.
I can't say I'm surprised. In my time living in the UK, it has struck me that the Brits are partial to a good old moan. Doesn’t mean they didn’t like a place. Quite the contrary. But having something to moan about is just icing on the cake. I just mark it down as something I’ll never truly understand.
Elsewhere on the Forum, Mik wants to know where everyone is off to this December (Lincoln, to watch my in-laws do crosswords, as you’re asking). Bilbo Baggins implores you to fire up iPlayer and watch Simon Reeve’s series on The Indian Ocean. And Alan Taylor sings the praises of Hampshire.
Jill Frazier is just back from North East Scotland where she caught a glimpse of the Northern Lights. Her advice? Don’t sleep through your Northern Lights alerts. Red pepper is still shaking droppings from her hair after a close encounter with lemurs on Lemur Island in Madagascar. And Julia69 took an emotional tour through the areas of New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina. Seven years on and the impact of that incredible storm is still there for all to see.
Over at Experiences, among a few stragglers from the Places I Shouldn’t Have Been mini-writing competition, DrG has stepped forward to defend his Just Back From posts on Atacama and Antofagasta. The words ‘quit’, ‘ahead’ and ‘while’ spring to mind, but the posts are informative and entertaining reads none-the-less. Bilbo Baggins serves up an account of a road trip along the Big Sur.
Old friends are back in the photography sections too, with Jamie Furlong posting the second part of his Ahmedabad in Black and White series. Peterj2002 posts some more stunning images from Northern Pantanal. And Scott Bennett posts a selection of red-hued shots from Arizona and Utah. Not bad for a guy who prefers to spend most of his time underwater.
One final bit of disappointing news before I go. Ricky Ponting has announced his retirement from international cricket. Australia loses one of the best batsmen ever. The English lose someone to irrationally despise.
A sad day for all of us.
