The quote above is so true for me. The fun part is the journey to the location. With that said, cruising is the best way to see counties. 

I owe most of my travel career to my dear brother Ted or "T "as I like to call him. If it wasn't for his generosity, time availability, and easygoing candor, I would not have a tab that says "World Traveler". Not a day goes by when I don't recall a random memory of our journeys around the world. From eating tarantula spiders in Cambodia to getting lost in the Fez Madina in Morocco, my ride on earth would not be the same without "T." 

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One of my favorite smells is jet fuel. You can see the trucks on the tarmac with "JET A" printed on the sides. The smell triggers my brain and tells me I'm going on vacation, going to chill with family and friends or I'm going to make money. To this day, I'm mystified by flight.  

 

My all-time favorite country would be Japan, and the best city is Tokyo. Japan, in my opinion, is a near-perfect society. Clean, neat, orderly, great work ethic, and most of all they are friendly.  Thailand, for me, is the best exotic country in the world.  If you haven't been to Thailand, put it on the top of your list. Some of the best food on the planet is by street vendors or hole-in-the-wall restaurants. A day at the Puckett Zoo was truly one of the most entertaining days of my life. For a few Thai "baht," you can feed chickens to alligators. From that day forward I never looked at a chicken the same way. Entertaining? YES. Disturbing? YES. A cheap thrill? YES. So great to feel like a twelve-year-old again. Then we met a one-armed, gun holstered, tiger handler named "Elvis." For a few more baht, you can have your photo taken with the Bengal Tiger. At that moment, I prayed to baby Jesus it didn't wake up. Next, we witnessed a 12-year-old prodigy snake handler getting bitten on his head and carried off by his father. Now that is serious entertainment. Only at the Puckett Zoo. 

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There is nothing like staying in 5-star resorts in a 3rd world country. A prime example would be the Sofitel Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Not too far away from the hotel, you will find landmine signs left from the Vietnam War.  Another beauty would be the Oberoi Hotel in Agra, India. The hotel is 5 miles from The Taj Mahal, and each room has a view of the Taj. 5starts except for the fact that the power keeps going out. In the middle of your 5-star dinner, the lights could go out. Not once but four times during dinner. 

Africa carries many stories. If you travel to Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, you will run into trapped wild animals. I was with a driver and a couple of local fixers ready to bail me out if needed. We pulled over for lunch and set up a table on the hood of the land rover. My helper dudes backed up and started to giggle like little girls. All of a sudden a gigantic bird from the movie Jurassic Park swopped down and stole my sandwich. In the meantime slicing my hand open with a talon the size of a bear claw. The giggles turned into a full-fledged belly laugh with the guys buckled over rolling in the dirt not being able to control the humor I provided them. 

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Going on vacation and visiting a few countries is not an "adventure". An adventure starts when something turns "dodgy". An example would be if you were on a cruise ship in a third-world country and you somehow goofed the time of the boat's departure. You arrive at the port of call and you can see your beautiful cruise ship sailing away. You reach for your cell phone and the battery just died, you reach for your wallet, and it's missing along with your passport. The next thing you know, you are sleeping under a bridge. Now that's an adventure! Usually, adventure days revolve around transportation, interacting with bad people, losing vital documents/ visa issues/passports. 

 

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