The most beautiful places youve traveled to

I find it difficult to pick the best place I’ve even been to because all the different countries and cities have something special about them. But there are some memories which just stick in my mind because for me, they have a real significance.

BORNEO

My wife and I didn’t know what to expect when we flew half way around the world to Borneo, but hoped it would be worth the long flight. A lot of people we knew didn’t even know where Borneo is and then wondered why we’d decided to stop there on another one of our exotic holidays, but the chance to watch orang-utans in the jungle was too much to pass up.

We knew we’d had our hotel room upgraded, but nothing prepared us for what we encountered: a lovely room overlooking the harbour and swimming pool, with a balcony where we could watch the most amazing sunsets over the distant dotted islands.

I’ve got a colleague who coincidentally is on her way out to the same hotel in a week’s time and showing her our photographs recently brought it all flooding back. The orangey, purpley, yellowy sky as the sun set; watching the small boats going backwards and forwards to the harbour; the warmth and the relaxing holiday. It’s unbeatable; and all from our own balcony.

Add to this the trip to turtle island and the jungle and our holiday turned into a once in a lifetime’s experience. We flew out to a different part of the country and then boarded a small boat to an island which was real golden sand and so small you could walk right across it in about 10 minutes, if you wanted to brave the heat of the sun. Here, under the watchful eye of the staff, we were able to see turtles laying eggs on the beaches at night, view the incubators and even hold baby turtles before releasing them into the sea.

The following day we were back on the mainland and walking through the jungle to the orang-utans where we watched them being fed and took pictures of them showing off for the cameras.

This was one of the best holidays we’ve been on.

EPHESUS

After reading about Ephesus in the Bible and hearing about missionaries and the letters of Paul to the Corinthians, the chance to go and see the real place was something we didn’t want to miss during a trip to Turkey.

It was a burning hot day but the tourists didn’t seem to mind as we all braved the heat and walked through the partial ruins of the uncovered ancient city.

I’ve got a real interest in history and I found it amazing to think that this wasn’t some model but a real place where real people walked, lived, conducted their business and spread the word of God.

There are the amphitheatres, the communal toilets, even the stories of the ancient cooling systems they used in the streets which were the forerunners of our modern air conditioning. Everything was fascinating.

There are many other places we’ve been to which have brought a feeling of awe and wonder or left us speechless, such as Niagara Falls, the Giant Redwood Trees of California or some of the tallest towers in the world such as the CN Tower in Toronto, the Petronas Tower in Kuala Lumpur or the history of somewhere like Cuba.

To me, whether it’s the culture of Thailand or the landscape and history of my own country, everywhere is beautiful for its own reasons. There are just some memories which don’t fade as easily.