This photo was taken at the last viewing point on our hike to Tiger's Nest, a monastery perched on a 900 foot cliff in Bhutan. My husband and I are both afraid of heights and the next part of the path to reaching the monastery from this viewing point involves sheer drops, narrow paths and lots of tourists traversing to and fro. We were probably the youngest tourists (honeymooners) by 30 years and felt quite ridiculous standing there pale with fear as troops of senior citizens passed us on their return from the monastery. One older gentleman told us we would regret not completing the hike, he told us that he has a fear of heights and only has one functioning eye so his depth perspective is not so great. After hearing this, we were inspired to muster up some courage and finish our pilgrimage.
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AP KARMA'S MELODRAMATIC MOMENT AT TIGER'S NEST
by Wanwisa Posner, New York, NY
Wanwisa's Dream Trip
A week in the Maldives with a stopover in Hong Kong
Had I been asked what my dream trip was a year ago, my answer likely would have involved some remote locale and some exotic itinerary (say a trans-Siberian journey from London to Japan via Mongolia). These days, however, nothing could make me happier than an empty beach and beautiful blue horizons.
After spending our honeymoon in Bangkok and touring Bhutan, my husband and I are ready for a vacation from the honeymoon. We have been traveling together since we were 18 and we've always kidded about having great travel karma. It's always sunny in the tropics, even during rainy season, and as much traveling as we've done, we've never run into any of the common catastrophes (losing luggage, missing connecting flights, etc). However, we never made it to Phuket on our honeymoon because of unending torrential downpours during the start of the region's high season, plus I had a horrendous, weeklong case of traveler's diarrhea while in Bhutan. Despite all of that, the trip was life changing, but I would love to have a honeymoon-redo.
My dream trip is to visit the Maldives and stay at the One&Only Reethi Rah. I'd love to just spend some stress-free newlywed time with my husband and soak in our water villa's infinity pool. It would be lovely to go diving for the first time in one of the world's best diving spots (hard to believe as high school sweethearts celebrating our 12th year together, we still have some firsts left).
In addition to the Maldives, I believe a trip is not complete without an outrageous epicurean experience. A layover stop in Hong Kong to feast on real dim sum and yum cha (drink tea) would be astounding. Every time we've traveled to a city that has a Chinatown, we scout out the best dim sum place. It just seems appropriate that on my "redemption" vacation, I would finally have a taste of the real deal.
Wanwisa's Travel Tips
• When booking a hotel, always keep an eye out for soft openings. On a recent trip to Bora Bora, we were able to save $500 a night over regular rates by booking an "early bird special" at a brand new luxury hotel. A good way to stay informed of new hotel openings is to sign up for email newsletters from hotel groups like Starwood, Four Seasons and Intercontinental.
• Learn what the benefits are for joining a membership with some hotel/resort chains. For a small annual fee (sometimes free) you typically will enjoy benefits such as room upgrades, late checkouts, free nights, airline miles and preferred check-in counters. It's one of the easiest ways to get more for your travel dollars.
• Traveling on a budget doesn't mean you can't afford luxurious experiences. For example, you don't have to stay in high-priced luxury hotels to take advantage of some of what they offer. When we travel on a small budget, my husband and I will visit hotels like The Four Seasons for afternoon tea and while in Europe, we stopped in for coffee breaks at cafes and lobbies in grand hotels and indulged ourselves in a lavish setting for a couple hours.
http://www.cntpromo.com/ex.asp
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