Ever been fascinated by a place that you've never been to?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

I recently picked up a tourist guide for Hawaii, because eventually one day I'd like to go there, but for now it's just fun to daydream.

Anyways, I was looking at the map within the book of the different islands. And they all sounded familiar except for one island--Niihau. I looked for more information about Niihau in the book, but all it had was one paragraph out of 300 pages.

What I learned, however, is that Niihau is nicknamed "The Forbidden Island", and there is only one small town on the island with 200 or so people living in it. And those who live there are all native Hawaiians who speak the Hawaiian language almost exclusively. There are no hotels or restaraunts on the island, and other than a few boats that skirt around the island's shore, there are no tourists on the island. The native islanders live with very little interaction from the outside world.

I don't know why, but I just found the whole thing fascinating. Perhaps it is because I'm amazed that a place like that exists in the United States. It just seems so different from anywhere else, including most parts of the world. Reading about it gave me something of a longing and a desire to see it just for what it is.

[MrScorpio]

1. I want to visit Rio

It seems like paradise to me

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear Tommy_Carcetti!

I've heard of that place, and it does sound fascinating!

The place that does it for me?

Petra...

Ever since I first saw it in that long-ago Indiana Jones movie, I have longed to visit it...

Maybe, someday!

:hi:

[InternalDialogue]

3. Lots of places...

Siberia, Iran, India, Tibet. Someday I hope to visit all of them, and for more than just a short stay.

[XemaSab]

4. That sounds really cool

I went through a MAJOR Central Asia phase... We're talking several years of living and breathing teh 'stans.

From everything I've heard, it's super cool there, except for the food. Boiled horse cooked in sheep fat doesn't sound so great.

[InternalDialogue]

11. When I see pictures or video of the people, especially in central Asia

I feel like I know them. Something about their faces and their demeanor just puts me at ease.

[cemaphonic]

37. Yeah, I've always wanted to see Samarkand

The whole Silk Road romance, plus it was where India's Mughal dynasty originated from. And it has some really neat architecture, which is always a plus for me.

[KamaAina]

5. Kaho'olawe sounded familiar? Maika'i (very fine)!

No tourists over there, either (just off Maui): it's a cultural preserve with limited access even for native Hawaiians. As for Ni'ihau, the village of Pu'uwai is the last Hawaiian-speaking community left, its tiny school has a solar-powered computer (no grid over there) -- and the whole thing is owned by a vicious fundie, who at least has managed to keep the tourists away.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

6. Isn't Kaho'olawe the island that used to be used as a bombing range? nt

[KamaAina]

8. That is correct, my good man

the prolonged air raid -- by our side -- ended in the '90s, I believe. A small portion has been cleared of unexploded ordnance and is used for the cultural accesses.

Note: The name Kaho'olawe means "that which was taken away". That's been its name for centuries, before there was an Air Force or even a United States. Similarly with Puowaina, "hill of sacrifice" -- also known as Punchbowl, home to the National Military Cemetery of the Pacific.

[begin_within]

9. Wasn't that island a U.S. military base for a while?

oh... sorry, just read the posts above. I remember a family we knew in the 1960s had some connection to that island. The dad was a military pilot.

[begin_within]

7. I'm interested in Niihau too.

I first noticed it on a map years ago but I could not find out anything about it. Finally in an encyclopedia once I read one sentence about it: "Tiny Niihau is privately owned, closed to the public, and accessible by invitation only." That made me even more curious about it. It turns out you can take guided tours to it, but frankly I'm wondering if it would really be worth doing. I don't think the scenery would be all that remarkable or different from the other Hawaiian islands. It's just mainly the fact that the people who live there have such a different lifestyle and forgo most of what modern "society" has to offer. I think the people and their lifestyle would be more interesting than the island itself.

[RagAss]

10. Iceland

[Quantess]

12. When I was about 7 or 8 I really wanted to go to Indiana.

:shrug:

[Brigid]

13. Yes. Spain. And Ireland.

Must visit them some day. :)

[Strong Atheist]

14. Brigadoon. nt.

[applegrove]

15. I used to daydream about Hawaii. But Africa is where I wanted to visit as a young adult. Now I know

enough about myself to know that I'm too naive to have a great time there. I'd be scared the whole time.

[Robeson]

16. Sure.

[704wipes]

17. New Zealand

went to a Kiwanis Club Travelogue back in 68 or 69. My buddy's dad was a Kiwanis and had free tickets.
A 'travelogue' was a mixed media/ slides/film presented about a particular place the presenter had visited. (This was before the internet)

I was totally fascinated and have always thought I should maybe even be living there? Weird.

[SidneyCarton]

28. Me too, I joke that it's where I'm running to when it all goes to hell here.

[NNadir]

18. I am fascinated by Pierre, South Dakota.

I want to get there real bad.

I'm hoping they have a Dairy Queen and also a laundromat.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

23. You're in luck, my good friend.

DAIRY QUEEN BRAZIER
519 W SIOUX AVE
PIERRE
SD 57501-2459
605-224-1200

Miracle Mile Air Conditioned Laundry
1509 E Wells Ave
Pierre SD 57501


How soon can you make your vacation plans?

[NNadir]

38. I'm trying to convince my wife to pack for the trip.

She says she doesn't want to go to Pierre.

I can't understand it.

I think it's because she had a poodle named "Pierre," when she was a girl.

[Ohio Joe]

19. Yes, Germany

My fathers parents met coming to America just before the start of WWII. He, from Germany, she from Italy. He always refused to talk about anything to do with anything prior to meeting my grandmother, so we don't even know what part of Germany he is from. My sister has been looking into it for a while now but has not found much. Regardless... I've always felt this really strong desire to go there though... heh, weird huh?

[justabob]

21. not so weird

I don't even have a family connection and I am very intrigued by Germany. I will probably never get there, but I would love to go, mostly because of WWII and the madness of those times. It is fascinating (horrifying, but fascinating) to me. I'd also like to go see the Normandy beaches and feel the energy there... for lack of a better word. I imagine it would be an amazing experience.

[Forkboy]

20. Japan.

http://www.ija.ie/uploads/images/Fuji,_Japan_-_Cherry_Blossoms_and_Mount.jpg

[raccoon]

22. Minnesota.

Because:

(1) It's cold, and areas that are very different from where I live (hot & humid) such as cold or dry areas fascinate me. (Southwest is the dry area that fascinates me, esp. NM.)

(2) It's blue (at least the Twin Cities.)

(3) The state seemed to me at the vanguard of the codependency/Adult children of alcoholics research/treatment.

(4) I like Prairie Home Companion.


Edited to add justification.

[enigmatic]

24. McMurdo Base, Antarctica

Since I was a kid:

[Ikonoklast]

25. Baffin Island

Patagonia



I love the wild places of the Earth.

[Inspired]

26. I've always been fascinated by Mount Everest.

[Initech]

27. I really want to go to St. Maarten

[SidneyCarton]

29. Bouvet Island.

Its a hunk of ice in the middle of freakin nowhere near Antarctica. The bizarre thing is that it is formally owned by Norway.

[Moondog]

30. The Galapagos. And Machu Picchu.

Why? Does there have to be a why? Just because.

[SoxFan]

31. Angkor Wat

[Tuesday Afternoon]

32. Elysium

[Raffi Ella]

33. Europe, period.

I'm fascinated by the history; how they survived, Kings and Queens, the clothes they wore through the ages, the roles women played, knights of the templars, raw war, stunning art and architecture, Castles - just all of it.

[Symarip]

34. Does between Madonna's legs count?

'If these things could talk the stories they could tell.'

[arbusto_baboso]

35. I snorkeled off Niihau two years ago.

It WAS fascinating, actually, to know I couldn't go ashore. Could pretty much see everything on land from where I was, though.

[Tikki]

36. Cardiff, Wales....the Torchwood Portal and all....

We would prefer to go during Summer....



The Tikkis

[rcrush]

39. Amsterdam

Just the idea of people NOT getting their asses kicked by the cops for having some weed is amazing to me.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

40. Valhalla

[Tuesday Afternoon]

41. Atllantis