Funny you should ask. Just yesterday, I emailed a friend and travel partner about visiting Gabon, a country I’ve
visited and she wants to visit.
Why Gabon? Well, besides the fact that I have longtime friends who live there, Gabon has stunningly beautiful wildlife, so a trip to the Lope-Okanda Reserve is a must; fabulous white sandal beaches, at Pointe Denis and Cap Esterias, for example. (I remember Le Cap being almost deserted.) I’d also like to see and do more outside of Libreville, like visiting Port Gentil and perhaps M’bigou, from where the popular M’bigou stone comes.
Rounding out my three countries would be Ethiopia and India. Both rate high on my scale for culture and history.
Ethiopia is an enchanting place that I’ve always wanted to see. One of my roommates shortly after college, was from Ethiopia. I remember a calendar she had that read, 13 months of sunshine. It puzzled me — how could there be 13 months? How did they come up with that number? I thought it was hyperbole. It isn’t. It’s actually a slogan for the Ethiopian Tourist Board.
But it’s more than that. You see, Ethiopia follows the lunar calendar, with each month lasting 30 days. The 13th month has 5 days, 6 if it’s a leap year. So, in Ethiopia, it’s actually 2003 this year, not 2011.
I’m absolutely fascinated by the ruins of Aksum and the stone churches at Lalibela. I’m surprised that I have not been yet.
India has been on my radar for many years now but I’ve never made the next move even though I also have a friend who lives there and who extends annual invitations. A visit to the Taj Mahal alone would be worth the trip.
India has fabulous food, fabrics, jewellery. It’s a place I know I’ll talk about for months after my visit.
So in answer to your question – these are the countries I’d like to visit.
Bon voyage to me!
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