Top 10 Tourist Traps Worth The Crowds

I purchased Lonely Planet's 1000 Ultimate Experiences sometime ago and it sat on my bookshelf for a while because I needed to keep my travel bug at bay.  Today, however, I felt the need to renew some passion in my life and pulled it off the shelf.  I haven't looked at all 1000 experiences yet, but I came across this one section called "Top Tourist Traps Worth The Crowds."  I almost thought I had been to all 10 places, but it turned out I'd missed one :(  Nonetheless, I thought I'd share the top 10 here, along with my 2-cents on each.  (You'll have to read the book to see what LP has to say about them.)

#661 Angkor Wat, Cambodia ranks in the top three of my most favorite ruins, along with Machu Picchu and Petra.  Perhaps because it was the first ruin I've ever seen, I remember it being fairly spectacular.  I'd like to go back as a seasoned traveller to see if it's still as amazing as I remember it being.

#662 Prague's Old Town, Czech Republic was a bit overrated.  I'm not sure that it's any more charming or interesting than some other European cities.  I wouldn't go out of the way for this one.  I'm not really sure how it made the list here.

2007

#663 Eiffel Tower in France isn't the most beautiful thing to see in this city full of more amazing sights.  At the very least even the most ignorant people know what it is.  It's just one of those things you have to see if you go to Paris.

1998, 2006

#664 Florence, Italy is the one place on this list I haven't been to :(

#665 Grand Canyon is one of few places I'd go back to... and I'd already been three times.  Sure, one view point looks the same as another view point.  Someting about the enormity of the place attracts me though.

2003, 2008, 2009

#666 Victoria Falls wasn't quite as good as Niagara Falls.  Then again, I think I saw Niagara during the wet season when the falls were full, and I saw Victoria Falls during the dry season when it wasn't at its most beautiful.  Or maybe my memory of Victoria Falls just suck.  The dry season made for a great raft ride down the Zambezi but I'd like to go back during the wet season.

2003

#667 Pyramids of Egypt is one of those must sees too.  After all, it's the only one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world still left standing.  Can't say it was the most amazing thing ever, but it's definitely cool to see.  A one of a kind sight.

2007

#668 Taj Mahal in India was so beautiful.  Perhaps the most beautiful structure I've ever seen.  It wasn't quite as big as I had imagined, but the beauty of it made up for it.  Did I mention it was beautiful? :)

2000

#669 Machu Picchu in Peru ranks up there with Angkor Wat on my list of favorite ruins.  Of the two though, I think Machu Picchu is more beautiful because of it's mountain setting. Just need to catch it when the sun is out.

2002

#670 Uluru, or formerly known as Ayers rock, in Australia was an interesting site.  HUGE rock in the middle of nowhere.  Not sure it would have been as memorable though if it weren't for the cool colors at sunset - it was red one minute, then yellow, and then orange....

2004

Boycott: Discover Card

Do you use a Discover Card?  Do you use this card because of the 5% cashback bonus offer?  Well, you may not be getting what you think you are getting.  This month's 5% cashback bonus with Discover Card applies to categories in Home and Fashion.  More specifically, they say "Home Improvement Stores, Fashion Stores, and Department Stores."  Well, I needed some new clothes and went on a shopping spree this past weekend.  I went to Express, Benetton, Lord & Taylor, GAP Outlet, and NY&Co.  Every one of them a clothing store or department store.  Yet, they were categorized as "Merchandise" by Discover Card.  When I inquired about this, Discover's response was, "we don't make the categories, the merchants do."  A chain of e-mails later, I completely lost faith in Discover Card's integrity.  They seem to have no intention of rewarding points as would be expected by the typical consumer.  I reckon most women, and probably men, recognize those stores I went to as a clothing store but Discover Card doesn't.  I began to wonder if any of the purchases are categorized correctly (one restaurant was categorized as Travel/Entertainment), but it's difficult to tell what percentage cashback you got because there's no statement for rewards.

Btw, for those who use Discover Card thinking you at least get 1% back on other purchases, read the fine print.  DiscoverCard gives 1% cashback on other purchases ONLY after you have made $3,000 in purchases.  The reward is only 0.25% for the first $3,000 in purchases.  After the poor responses I got from Discover Card, I was left to feel that they mislead customers into using their card with false advertisements and they are doing everything in their power to pay out the least possible in rewards.  Their customer service also tries to avoid answering your questions.  They even had the galls to write in one e-mail response that "someone already called you and discussed this with you" when I had spoken to no one. I am much better off using my other credit cards who always at the least give you 1% back for purchases, and don't seem to be categorizing cards incorrectly.  I would urge you to do the same.  (My favorite is AMEX btw.)

Niagara Falls, ON

After a rough winter and a rushed trip to Japan, I finally got some time away with my man over Memorial weekend. Our initial plan was to visit my family down near Charlotte, but a rainy forecast down there spurred a last minute change of plans. So, we drove 8 hours away from the rain to sunny & hot Niagara Falls! We stayed on the Canadian side (heard it was nicer with better views) and our first impression upon driving in at night was that it was a mini Las Vegas. Hotel lights were lit up everywhere, and there were many cheesy tourist attractions aside from the falls. We stayed a bit away from the main falls area in the seedy part of Niagara Falls (looks just like the seedy parts of Vegas). Signs for honeymoon suites were everywhere. I guess you get married in Vegas and go to Niagara Falls for honeymoon. We must've missed the memo on the latter... but better late than never.


Despite our initial impressions, we thought the falls were amazing. The main drop seem to be the Horseshoe (Canadian) Falls. This is the one that the Maid of the Mist takes you right up under. The American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls are right next to each other on the American side and are also very beautiful. You get a great view of it from the Canada side. I think you have to go out onto an observation tower to see it if you were on the American side. I'd imagine the Horseshoe Falls might be harder to see from the American side, too.

The main attractions surrounding the falls pretty much involve getting you closer to the falls and wet. On the Canadian side, there is the Maid of the Mist (also on American side) and Journey Behind the Falls. The Maid of the Mist is the everyone-does boat ride. It's actually pretty cool since it takes you as close as the boat can get without going under. You do get pretty wet in the process though. With Journey Behind the Falls, I was expecting to be able to walk out to a platform right behind the falls. Unfortunately all you get is a look out of a portal. The observation deck does get you very close to the edge of the falls though, so from that perspective it's worth doing. The two attractions together cost just under $30, but you can get a package deal that includes two other attractions and shuttle rides for $40. The other two attractions lumped in the package is absolutely crap though and not even worth writing about in this blog. All I have to say about them is don't waste your time on them. You do get some coupons for other attractions with the package deal, but seriously, your main objective should be to see the falls. Unless you have loads of time to kill, I wouldn't bother with anything else. You also don't need a shuttle if you are looking at just the falls. Oh, and don't be fooled into thinking the whirlpool is anything cool... it isn't worth the shuttle money and it's a serious hike to get there.

Logistics wise, staying near the falls may seem most convenient, but staying further away for cheaper and paying $10 for all-day parking worked for us. There is also parking at the IMAX theatre for $4 - for as long as you want (must pay with coins to get out). Speaking of, we caught the Falls show at IMAX. Can't say it was all that, but supposedly it's the second most watched IMAX film next to Grand Canyon's. It is pretty interesting to hear about the daredevils who went down the falls in barrels and such though.

So what else is there worth doing in Niagara Falls besides see the falls? Not sure. I certainly didn't go there to visit the House of Frankenstein or Ripley's Believe-It-or-Not museum. We decided to do a day trip up to Toronto, an hour and half away, the 2nd day. We enjoyed Casa Loma a lot, but rest of Toronto didn't do much for us. After a quick look around and a snap of CN Tower, we decided to head back to Niagara and enjoy our evening by the falls. The falls at night are worth checking out too, since it is lit up in colors and fireworks go off at 10 on some nights.